NBA News

For the seventh straight year, the NBA asked me if I’d like to be one the media members with an official ballot for year-end awards. I said yes, and here’s how I decided to use it. Quick note: I’m writing this before I receive the link to my actual ballot, which won’t come until after the end of the regular …

The NBA released a statement on Tuesday saying that Sacramento Kings head coach Doug Christie made no intentional effort to give Golden State a shooting foul or to cause the Kings to lose the Warriors game on Tuesday. In Tuesday’s 110-105 loss to the Warriors, Christie motioned to Doug McDermott to intentionally foul Seth Curry, who did not have the …

Philadelphia 76ers big man Joel Embiid has been diagnosed with appendicitis, the team announced Thursday. Embiid will undergo surgery in Houston Thursday afternoon, per the team. The 76ers did not provide any additional details, but said that “further updates will be provided as appropriate.” Philadelphia is set to play the Houston Rockets Thursday evening. Earlier on Thursday, The Athletic’s Tony …

This week we’re breaking down the top MVP candidates — reigning winner Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, multi-time winner Nikola Jokić, and megastar Victor Wembanyama. Luka Dončić was in the plans until he suffered a hamstring injury that may make him ineligible for any awards. This series is less about who I think should win — I’ll reveal that on Friday’s episode of …

Want to get more Covers content? Add us as a preferred source on your Google account here. The Los Angeles Lakers were baking one hell of a cake in the second half of the season, only to have injuries drop that sucker on the floor just before the party. Advertisement With no Luka Doncic or Austin Reaves, Los Angeles is …

Subscribe to The Kevin O’Connor Show Kevin O’Connor and Tom Haberstroh go over the biggest news from the last week of the NBA regular season, starting with Cade Cunningham’s return and the Detroit Pistons’ dominance. Advertisement The pair discuss Doc Rivers’ resume rant to the dispirited Milwaukee Bucks, the woes of the 65-game rule and Adam Silver’s “full stop” efforts …

Want to get more Covers content? Add us as a preferred source on your Google account here. There’s plenty at stake when the Toronto Raptors host the Miami Heat on Thursday night. Miami is jockeying for a better play-in position while Toronto tries to hold on to the No. 6 seed and avoid the play-in completely. Advertisement This is a …

A shooting star, seen as a symbol of hope and good luck, is actually just a small piece of rock or meteor burning while entering the Earth’s atmosphere. With Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves now sidelined for the rest of the regular season, LA’s late push shifts toward searching for any beams of light they can find. Against OKC on …

NBA general managers and scouts are heading home from the 2026 men’s NCAA Tournament with plenty to think about after three weeks of incredible action on the court. Now they have to figure out which March Madness performances are indicators of future greatness and which are more of a mirage. The 2026 NBA draft is expected to take place in …

Want to get more Covers content? Add us as a preferred source on your Google account here. Nothing makes a stronger case for a 72-game NBA season with significant draft lottery reform than tonight’s starting lineups for the Indiana Pacers and the Brooklyn Nets. Advertisement My Pacers vs. Nets predictions and NBA picks recognize that one of these teams wants …

For the third straight season, the Oklahoma City Thunder will finish as the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference. For the second straight season, the Oklahoma City Thunder will finish with the best record in the NBA and have home court advantage for as long as they are playing. Advertisement All that came after the Thunder easily handled the …

Want to get more Covers content? Add us as a preferred source on your Google account here. It is possible to have an NBA game in the final week of the season where both teams care and have incentive to win. Advertisement It may be rare, but that is very much the case tonight with the Boston Celtics heading to …

Want to get more Covers content? Add us as a preferred source on your Google account here. We’re into the final weekend of the NBA regular season, and the race for NBA Play-In Tournament odds is still not finished. Advertisement We know who won’t be involved — the 11-15 seeds in both conferences are all eliminated — but the positioning …

Just a few days into the offseason, Duke has already seen two rotation pieces—Nik Khamenia and Darren Harris—enter the transfer portal. What the Blue Devils haven’t heard yet are any decisions regarding the NBA Draft. Cam Boozer is surely off to be a Top 3 pick. Dame Sarr and Pat Ngongba have challenging stay-or-go decisions to make. But interestingly, most …

The playoff scenarios on the line Thursday night are not that thrilling, but there are games that will have big impacts on the final seeding. Here is what you need to know. Playoff Scenarios Boston clinches the No. 2 seed in the East and the Atlantic Division crown with a win over the Knicks. Boston is going to be the …

Want to get more Covers content? Add us as a preferred source on your Google account here. There are only four days remaining in the NBA regular season. Enjoy them. Sure, we wine and moan about the half-assed efforts, mixed motivations, and full-on tanking during the home stretch, but with that chaos comes edges. Advertisement Soon enough, we’ll only have …

Every day this week, the NBC Sports NBA writing crew is breaking down the league’s individual postseason awards and giving you their thoughts and predictions. We’ve done MVP, Coach of the Year and Rookie of the Year. Today, let’s get into Sixth Man of the Year. Here’s where we stand. Sixth Man of the Year Kurt Helin, NBC Sports Lead …

The Lakers (50-29) will play their final road game of the regular season on Thursday against the Golden State Warriors (37-42). Start time and TV schedule Who: Los Angeles Lakers vs. Golden State Warriors Advertisement When: 7 p.m. PT, Apr 9 Where: Chase Center Watch: Prime Video The tail end of the regular season has been a miserable time for the Lakers. Since …

It wasn’t easy. It wasn’t clean. It wasn’t pretty. And yeah, the Dallas Mavericks did their part. Pulling Cooper Flagg late, the five-second violation down five, no real push to extend the game. You saw it. But a win is a win for the Phoenix Suns, and this one mattered. Because with it, they lock up the seventh seed as …

During the final week of an NBA regular season that’s missed Tyrese Haliburton, the Indiana Pacers star provided an encouraging update about his recovery. “Played 5 on 5 today for first time since June,” the two-time All-Star point guard posted on X on Wednesday night. Advertisement June is when Haliburton, 26, suffered an Achilles tear that cut his epic 2025 …

After the Golden State Warriors defeated the Sacramento Kings, 110-105, Draymond Green offered his thoughts on the NBA’s tanking issues and the league’s propensity for fining players, instead of tanking teams. He singled out a baffling intentional foul on Seth Curry late in the game. Wednesday, the league opened an investigation. Green wasn’t the only observer who took issue with …

The Philadelphia 76ers are the only team left in the NBA that can sweep the Houston Rockets. Houston rides into this game on a 7-game winning streak and just one game behind in the race for home court advantage in the first round of the playoffs. Advertisement The Sixers are currently eighth in the Eastern Conference and one back in …

The Spurs turned in a solid performance tonight without Stephon Castle and Victor Wembanyama. It wasn’t a perfect game, as the team survived despite turning the ball over too much and not exactly playing the most efficient offense, allowing the Blazers to cut the lead to a couple of baskets late in the fourth quarter. Where the Silver and Black …

The 2025 NBA Draft always had more to offer than just the grand prize at the top of the class in Cooper Flagg. Flagg was the runaway No. 1 pick throughout his one-and-done season at Duke, but a strong group of prospects emerged behind him led by college teammate Kon Knueppel, Baylor guard VJ Edgecombe, and Rutgers star Dylan Harper. …

In a tightly contested game, Jaylen Brown led the Boston Celtics to a victory over the surging Charlotte Hornets on Tuesday night. Charlotte led for most of the game, but Boston finally managed to break through at the end of the third quarter, and they didn’t look back from there, securing a 113-102 win. The win marked the Celtics’ 17th …