NBA News

Welcome to silly season. That’s what fantasy basketball heads call this absurd stretch of the NBA calendar, where it appears nine-ish teams have decided — with TWO months left in the regular season — that it’s in their best interests to bench and load-manage their best players — and to lose as many games as possible. That’s right: real NBA …

At All-Star weekend last year, Victor Wembanyama was so serious about winning that he decided to find loopholes in the rules. He and then-San Antonio teammate Chris Paul were teamed up for the skills competition, thought they outsmarted it and wound up getting disqualified. It wasn’t a great moment. But it was another example of how, to Wembanyama, winning is …

CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Cavaliers ran over a bad Washington Wizards team 138-113 on Wednesday evening. The stats in the table below are taken from Cleaning the Glass. Effective Field Goal Percentage Offensive Rebounding Percentage Offensive Turnover Percentage Free Throw Rate Cavs 63.9%, 91st percentile 44.7%, 96th percentile 19.4%, 12th percentile 38.6, 98th percentile Wizards 47.1%, 14th percentile 37.5%, 86th …

The 2026 NBA Draft lottery was always going to have half the league sitting on pins and needles. This has been considered a stacked draft class for years as top prospects A.J. Dybantsa, Cameron Boozer, and Darryn Peterson tore up the high school ranks. The group at the top looks even stronger now with breakouts from Caleb Wilson and Kingston …

The kids lined up on the basketball court at the National Basketball Players Assn. facility last week, groups on two sides with smiles on their faces, all of them patiently extending their arms as they waited for their guest to arrive. When Lakers center Deandre Ayton peered through the glass and saw those kids, he smiled and shook his head …

CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Cavaliers didn’t play with their food. They quickly asserted control of Wednesday’s game against the Washington Wizards and led wire-to-wire before settling for a 138-113 victory. Cavs fans embraced James Harden in his debut. Some of the loudest cheers of the night were reserved for his pregame introduction and anytime he did something on the court. …

A rumor involving the Dallas Mavericks took flight on Monday, when longtime NBA insider Marc Stein reported a group of Dallas investors are interested in partnering with Marc Cuban to buy back control of the franchise from the Dumont/Adelson family currently running it. It’s a tantalizing idea for fans still irate that controlling owner Patrick Dumont rubber-stamped the increasingly infamous …

SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — Freshman Sash Gavalyugov scored 21 points off the bench and Santa Clara won its ninth straight game with a 84-72 victory over Seattle on Wednesday night. The Broncos (22-5, 13-1 West Coast Conference) are off to their best start since the 1969-70 season when they were also 22-5. The nine-game win streak is Santa Clara’s …

HOUSTON (AP) — Kawhi Leonard scored 27 points and his three-point play with two seconds remaining lifted the Los Angeles Clippers to a 105-102 victory over the Houston Rockets on Wednesday night. Leonard, who had 12 rebounds, scored 19 points in the fourth quarter to extend his career-best streak of 20-point games to 33. Advertisement The Clippers led by four …

BOSTON (AP) — Ebuka Okorie scored 22 points and Benny Gealer added 21 to lead Stanford to a 70-64 victory over Boston College on Wednesday night. Jayden Hastings scored four points in a 6-0 surge to pull Boston College to 65-62 with 1:53 remaining. Gealer answered with a 3-pointer and then Jeremy Dent-Smith made two free throws with 22 seconds …

DALLAS (AP) — Dallas Mavericks rookie teenage standout Cooper Flagg will miss their final game before the All-Star break and not play in the NBA’s Rising Stars game on Friday night because of a left midfoot sprain. The Mavericks announced Wednesday night than an MRI revealed the injury that occurred in their loss at Phoenix a night earlier, when the …

Cooper Flagg will end up missing his first All-Star weekend after all. The Dallas Mavericks rookie underwent an MRI on Wednesday that revealed a left midfoot sprain, the team announced. He will now miss the team’s matchup with the Los Angeles Lakers and the Rising Stars game on Friday. Advertisement While Flagg is sidelined, he is not expected to miss …

The Cleveland Cavaliers took down the Washington Wizards 138-113. This is Cleveland’s fifth consecutive win. They have turned their season around and are rolling into the All-Star break with style. Sam Merrill stole the show in this one. He erupted for 26 points in the first half while shooting 7-of-7 from deep and 9-for-9 from the floor. He’s tied for …

ATHENS. Ga. (AP) — Xaivian Lee scored 18 points and No. 14 Florida finally found its touch from 3-point range, leading from the opening tip for an 86-66 victory over Georgia on Wednesday night. The Gators (18-6, 9-2 Southeastern Conference) are hitting their stride with March just a few weeks away. The reigning national champions have won nine of 10 …

COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) — Andre Mills scored 24 points, David Coit added 19 off the bench and Maryland beat Iowa 77-70 on Wednesday night to snap the Hawkeyes’ six-game win streak. Mills scored 10 straight Maryland points to take a 57-56 lead with 8:03 remaining and then Coit scored the next five points overall for a six-point advantage. Advertisement …

CLEVELAND — Trading for James Harden two-thirds of the way through the season presents some challenges for Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson. Harden has had success playing an isolation-heavy style where he knows where everyone is on the court. Atkinson has been known for a heavy ball and player movement offense. Those opposites can’t co-exist, at least not in …

The James Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is a step closer to adding to its esteemed roster of myriad basketball legends. On Wednesday, three-time WNBA champion Candace Parker, Team USA’s 1996 women’s national team, Elena Delle Donne and Chamique Holdsclaw were among the premier names announced as finalists for the hoops hall, which will soon welcome many of the …

CLEVELAND — Cleveland Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson has done a good job of integrating the new additions at the deadline into the rotation. James Harden has paired well with both Donovan Mitchell and Jarrett Allen. And by the sounds of things, it won’t be long until we find out how the new core four looks together. According to Atkinson, Mobley …

INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — The Los Angeles Clippers’ days as the biggest losers in professional sports are long gone, and this NBA All-Star weekend was supposed to be a time to celebrate it. The team that spent its first four decades of existence as a punch line and a purgatory has now had 14 consecutive winning seasons with a succession …

MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Manchester City closed the gap on Premier League leader Arsenal to three points with a 3-0 win against Fulham on Tuesday. Antoine Semenyo, Nico O’Reilly and Erling Haaland all struck in the first half at the Etihad as City issued another statement of intent in the race for the title. Advertisement Arsenal has a game in …

As the NBA prepares to break for its annual All-Star weekend festivities, a pair of players are climbing the MVP ladder with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander sidelined. Nikola Jokić returned from injury just in time to remain eligible for the 65-game minimum required for end-of-season awards consideration. Since rejoining the Nuggets, he’s averaging 24.2 points, 12.7 rebounds and 9.2 assists. Advertisement In the …

A looming All-Star Break may serve as either a distraction or a motivating factor. The Oklahoma City Thunder have already shown signs of distraction lately, while the Phoenix Suns enter tonight’s game with clear motivation in the standings. Advertisement My Thunder vs. Suns predictions trust the home underdog, one of many NBA picks for Wednesday, February 11. Thunder vs Suns …

With only three games on Thursday’s schedule, Wednesday is the last busy day on the NBA schedule before the All-Star break. From an injury management standpoint, fantasy managers have already seen how some lottery-bound teams plan to approach the rest of the season. Add in the injury situations for the rest of the league, and there will be a lot …

The Toronto Raptors host the Eastern Conference-leading Detroit Pistons, with both teams playing well. My Pistons vs. Raptors predictions and NBA picks break down this East battle and explain why Detroit presents more problems for the home team. Advertisement Pistons vs Raptors prediction Pistons vs Raptors best bet: Pistons moneyline (-110) The Toronto Raptors are fifth in the conference and …

MESA, Ariz. (AP) — The Chicago Cubs are coming off a 92-win season, return much of a productive and athletic lineup, have a deep group of talented pitchers and signed three-time All-Star third baseman Alex Bregman during the offseason. It’s safe to say elite expectations will be back at Wrigley Field this summer. Advertisement Cubs manager Craig Counsell didn’t shy …