NBA News

CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, Italy (AP) — German teammates Julia Taubitz and Merle Fraebel have pulled away after the first two runs of the women’s singles luge event at the Milan Cortina Olympics, opening up a sizable lead over the rest of the field going into Tuesday’s medal-deciding heats. Taubitz is the leader, finishing her two runs Monday in 1 minute, 45.188 …

Shorthanded Western Conference heavyweights go head-to-head on Monday as the Los Angeles Lakers host the Oklahoma City Thunder. With Luka Doncic out, LeBron James should operate as LA’s primary facilitator, and my Thunder vs. Lakers predictions expect him to get teammates involved early and often. Advertisement Here are my best free NBA picks for this Western Conference showdown on Monday, …

A wild week in men’s college basketball produced considerable shuffling in the updated USA TODAY Sports Top 25 coaches poll. The changes didn’t quite reach the very top, but that could change soon. Arizona will spend at least one more week as the No. 1 team. The Wildcats received 30 of 31 first-place votes, but their perfect record will be …

The Milwaukee Bucks will try to extend their winning streak to four games as they visit the Orlando Magic tonight. Milwaukee has shown it can compete with much better teams even without its biggest star, which is why I’m taking it to cover in my Bucks vs. Magic predictions below. Advertisement Let’s take a look at how bettors can approach …

Looking for some bench scoring, the Milwaukee Bucks have signed free agent guard Cam Thomas for the remainder of the season, the team has announced. The Brooklyn Nets had waived Thomas on Thursday after he was not traded at the deadline. Thomas had wanted to be waived so he could pick his next team, and explained to Marc Spears of …

Tonight’s matchup between the Oklahoma City Thunder (40–13) and the Los Angeles Lakers (32–19) features two teams sitting atop their respective divisions but forced to suit up tonight minus their leaders. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (abdomen) will miss his third straight game for OKC while the Lakers will be minus Luka Doncic for the second straight game. The Lakers won their third …

The Utah Jazz head to South Beach tonight to face the Miami Heat at the Kaseya Center, with tip-off set for 7:30 p.m. ET. Bam Adebayo is a beast on the boards, but my Jazz vs. Heat predictions think his total tonight is too high. Advertisement Read more in my NBA picks for Monday, February 9. Jazz vs Heat prediction …

The Milwaukee Bucks (21-29) put their three-game winning streak on the line tonight in the first of two in a row against the Orlando Magic (27-24). With Giannis Antetokounmpo still sidelined, the Bucks look to begin a three-game road trip with a pair of games in Orlando. Doc Rivers offered an update to the 2-time MVP’s calf strain late last …

The NBA All-Star Game at Intuit Dome is days away, and no one is looking forward to it more than Barbara Bush, daughter of former President George W. Bush and the NBA’s vice president of social impact. She found her “dream job” and is loving every minute of it. “I played basketball until fifth grade. I grew up in Dallas …

Joe Mazzulla doesn’t intend to change much in the aftermath of this season’s trade deadline. Even after four trades that resulted in four departures, the Boston Celtics head coach is standing by the approach that has helped them climb as high as the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference this season. Nothing will compromise that plan, which Mazzulla has …

MILAN (AP) — Handle with care. That’s the message from gold medalist Breezy Johnson at the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics after she and other athletes found their medals broke within hours. Olympic organizers are investigating with “maximum attention” after a spate of medals have fallen off their ribbons during celebrations on the opening weekend of the Games. Advertisement “Don’t jump …

Luke Kennard has been in the NBA for a little more than a third of his life now, which is kind of wild to think about. He’s moved around, starting with Detroit, then playing for the LA Clippers, the Memphis Grizzlies and the Atlanta Hawks before being traded to the Lakers just before the trade deadline. Kennard’s singular gift is …

MILAN (AP) — On the same day Amber Glenn won Olympic gold as part of the team event, and stepped away from social media due to backlash over her comments on politics and the LGBTQ+ community, the American figure skater ended up with another headache. Canadian artist Seb McKinnon, who produces music under the name CLANN, took to social media …

Utah Jazz (16-37, 13th in the Western Conference) vs. Miami Heat (28-26, eighth in the Eastern Conference) Miami; Monday, 7:30 p.m. EST BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Heat -8.5; over/under is 244.5 BOTTOM LINE: The Utah Jazz take on the Miami Heat in a non-conference matchup. Advertisement The Heat are 16-10 in home games. Miami ranks fourth in the Eastern Conference with …

Los Angeles Clippers (25-27, ninth in the Western Conference) vs. Houston Rockets (32-19, fourth in the Western Conference) Houston; Tuesday, 8 p.m. EST BOTTOM LINE: Los Angeles visits the Houston Rockets after Kawhi Leonard scored 41 points in the Clippers’ 115-96 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves. Advertisement The Rockets are 18-15 against Western Conference opponents. Houston is second in the …

Indiana Pacers (13-40, 15th in the Eastern Conference) vs. New York Knicks (34-19, second in the Eastern Conference) New York; Tuesday, 7:30 p.m. EST BOTTOM LINE: Indiana looks to end its four-game losing streak with a win against New York. Advertisement The Knicks are 23-12 against Eastern Conference opponents. New York ranks second in the Eastern Conference in rebounding with …

KOLKATA, India (AP) — Italy’s 45-year wait finally ended Monday when it won the toss against Scotland and elected to field in its opening game at the Twenty20 World Cup, a debut in a major International Cricket Council tournament. Italy, where the sport’s national federation was formed in 1980, placed second behind Netherlands in the European qualifiers. It is the …

SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — Drake Maye was a dependable and steadying force for the New England Patriots this season. The second-year quarterback never got the chance to be that when his team needed him most in the Super Bowl. Maye was the NFL’s most accurate passer during the regular season and finished second in MVP voting, but he was …

SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — Kenneth Walker III is running into free agency with a Super Bowl MVP. Walker capped a prolific postseason with another big performance on the ground to help the Seattle Seahawks beat the New England Patriots 29-13 Sunday night for a championship. Advertisement While the defense carried Seattle for much of the postseason, Walker was once …

All Times EST Monday, Feb. 9 NBA Detroit at Charlotte, 7 p.m. Chicago at Brooklyn, 7:30 p.m. Milwaukee at Orlando, 7:30 p.m. Utah at Miami, 7:30 p.m. Atlanta at Minnesota, 8 p.m. Sacramento at New Orleans, 8 p.m. Cleveland at Denver, 9 p.m. Memphis at Golden State, 10 p.m. Oklahoma City at L.A. Lakers, 10 p.m. Philadelphia at Portland, 10 …

BOSTON — Jose Alvarado officially arrived at the end of the third quarter. The newest Knick was on defense and switched onto Celtics star Jaylen Brown, who saw the size mismatch and tried to back Alvarado into the paint. Advertisement Alvarado, generously listed at 6 feet, didn’t give an inch. He took the contact, waited for Brown to turn for …

The best thing about the Wizards blowout loss to the Miami Heat is that it’s over. Miami weathered an early stretch of hot shooting from Washington — and a cold streak of its own. When the teams reverted to something closer to their norms, the Heat gave Washington the bum’s rush. The game was into garbage time by halftime. I …

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Kawhi Leonard had 41 points and eight rebounds and the Los Angeles Clippers beat the slumping Minnesota Timberwolves 115-96 on Sunday. John Collins had 15 points on 6-of-9 shooting, and Yanic Konan Niederhauser also scored 15 points. The Clippers took command with a 17-3 run closing out the third quarter. Advertisement Anthony Edwards led Minnesota with 23 …

BOULDER, Colo. (AP) — Jade Masogayo’s three-point play with two seconds remaining lifted Colorado to a stunning 80-79 victory over No. 14 TCU on Sunday, denying the Horned Frogs a spot at the top of the Big 12 Conference. After Donovyn Hunter’s driving layup gave TCU a 79-77 lead with five seconds remaining, Masogayo took a sideline inbounds pass, drove …

ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Lauren Betts had 16 points, 16 rebounds, five assists and three blocks to help No. 2 UCLA hold off No. 8 Michigan for a 69-66 win on Sunday. The Wolverines trailed by 11 points with less than two minutes left and with a chance to tie the game, Syla Swords shot an airball on a …