NBA News

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Desmond Bane scored 16 of his 32 points in the fourth quarter to help the Orlando Magic overcome a 13-point deficit and beat the Toronto Raptors 130-120 on Friday night. Paolo Banchero added 20 points, 10 rebounds and six assists for Orlando. Wendell Carter Jr. had 23 points and seven rebounds and Anthony Black had 25 …

BOSTON (AP) — Payton Pritchard scored 29 points, Baylor Scheierman had 16 and the Boston Celtics rolled to a 112-93 win over the Sacramento Kings on Friday night. Neemias Queta added 10 points and 15 rebounds for the Celtics, who rebounded from Wednesday’s home loss to Atlanta. Pritchard and Scheierman combined to shoot 9 of 13 from the 3-point line, …

The “competitive edge” Lakers coach JJ Redick requested from his players showed itself right away in the form of dominance from Luka Doncic, more outstanding play from LeBron James and an impressive outing from center Deandre Ayton. By the time Doncic, James and Ayton completed their night, they had combined for 85 points and 27 rebounds in helping the Lakers …

PRINCETON, N.J. (AP) — Perri Page scored 14 of her 23 points in the second half, Fliss Henderson had 10 points and nine rebounds, and Columbia beat No. 19 Princeton 73-67 on Friday night. Columbia (14-5, 5-1 Ivy League) extended the longest active winning streak in true road games to 16 games. The Lions also secured their second win against …

WASHINGTON (AP) — Luka Doncic’s latest triple-double came before the first half even ended. Doncic had 26 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds in the first two quarters as the Los Angeles Lakers raced out to a 77-48 halftime lead over the Washington Wizards on Friday night. His 10th rebound came in the waning seconds of the second quarter. Advertisement …

The Washington Wizards likely would have preferred for Luka Dončić to sit out Friday’s game to give his sore left ankle a rest. Instead, the Los Angeles Lakers star played against the Wizards after being listed as questionable earlier in the day on the NBA’s injury report with left ankle soreness. And he was explosive from the game’s opening tip …

We are less than a week away from the NBA trade deadline and rumors are flying around fast and furious. Here are some of the latest rumors not involving Giannis Antetokounmpo (to check out the latest on his trade saga, click here). Lakers in talks for De’Andre Hunter It’s no secret the Lakers are looking for help on the wing …

RENTON, Wash. (AP) — When Zach Charbonnet went down with a season-ending knee injury against the San Francisco 49ers in the divisional round of the NFC playoffs, Kenneth Walker III rushed onto the field to check on his Seattle Seahawks backfield mate. Initially, Walker was told Charbonnet – who led the Seahawks with 12 touchdown runs and became the first …

ROME (AP) — Danilo Cataldi converted from the spot 10 minutes into stoppage time to lift Lazio 3-2 over Genoa in Serie A on Friday. Lazio was cruising after taking a 2-0 lead early in the second half. Pedro converted a penalty for the opener and Kenneth Taylor doubled the advantage. Advertisement Although Lazio is one of three teams in …

The Athletics took another step Friday toward securing their potential opening-day Las Vegas lineup in 2028 by reaching an agreement with All-Star shortstop Jacob Wilson on a $70 million, seven-year contract. That contract takes Wilson through the 2032 season with a club option for 2033. Advertisement By signing him now, the A’s avoid salary arbitration after the 2027, 2028 and …

LENS, France (AP) — Lens bounced back from a defeat to Marseille by beating Le Havre 1-0 and retaking the lead of Ligue 1 on Friday. Ruben Aguilar volleyed the winner in first-half stoppage time. Adrien Thomasson had a goal disallowed in the second half after a video review due to a foul. Paris Saint-Germain can return to the top …

Nikola Jokic is back. Officially, Jokic is questionable for Friday when the Denver Nuggets host the LA Clippers, but ESPN’s Shams Charania reports the three-time MVP is set to make his comeback. Jokic has been out since Dec. 29, when he hyper-extended his right knee and suffered a bone bruise. The Nuggets went an impressive 10-5 in his absence, with …

DENVER (AP) — Nikola Jokic is listed as questionable on the injury report for Friday night’s game against the Los Angeles Clippers, setting up the possibility the Denver Nuggets center plays for the first time since suffering a knee injury on Dec. 29. Jokic has missed 16 games since limping off the floor just before halftime at Miami. He was …

This year’s award races, particularly All-NBA honors, will be incredibly difficult to suss through. There are always a ton of great individual performances across the league, so in a literal sense you can’t highlight everyone. Once you factor in the 65-games played minimum, the field simultaneously shrinks while making decisions even more difficult in some cases. In light of today’s …

It’s all anyone is talking about in NBA circles right now — the Milwaukee Bucks are listening to trade offers for Giannis Antetokounmpo. That is a massive change from where they were just weeks ago, but the smart money is still betting on the entire saga continuing past the Feb. 5 trade deadline and into the offseason. That hasn’t stopped …

Subscribe to The Dunker Spot We have a fun episode of The Dunker Spot coming your way! Giannis Antetokounmpo is reportedly “ready for a new home” — which opens a host of questions. Should the Bucks move him? If so, how soon, and who makes sense for him? Nekias Duncan and Steve Jones Jr. discuss it all. Advertisement From there, …

Dylan Cardwell isn’t supposed to be here. It’s not just that he’s still in the visiting locker room minutes before the team bus is scheduled to Madison Square Garden while the cleaning crew vacuums around us. It’s not just that he stayed on the court with family long after other players had already showered and changed. It’s more fundamental than …

The WNBA and the players’ union will meet Monday in New York for the first time in several weeks to try to move the stalled collective bargaining negotiations forward. Kelsey Plum, who is vice president of the players union, mentioned the meeting to reporters while she was preparing for a game in Philadelphia with the 3-on-3 league Unrivaled. Advertisement “I …

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — Buffalo Bills coach Joe Brady began filling out his staff by turning to a former colleague in agreeing to hire Pete Carmichael as offensive coordinator, a person with knowledge of discussions told The Associated Press on Friday. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because Carmichael has yet to sign his contract. The NFL Network …

The arrival of the Feb. 5 NBA trade deadline has hastened in recent days, and it’s time to lock eyes on a franchise that has far more working for itself than anyone seems to notice — potentially itself included. Despite the well-earned reputation as one of the most incompetent, and perhaps disinterested, franchises in the association, the Chicago Bulls enter …

Under the Hood – it’s time to see what’s really going on inside this Pistons team. Firing on All Cylinders While there wasn’t a lot to appreciate in this one, I at least enjoy this set JB Bickerstaff has used frequently. Advertisement Jalen Duren acts like he’s going to set a screen for Cade Cunningham, but actually sets an off-ball …

With a 109-99 victory over the spiraling Milwaukee Bucks, the Washington Wizards have their third two-game winning streak of the season. This one was an offensive struggle. Not in the sense that either team played well on offense — more like what the bricklaying did to my basketball sensibilities. The teams combined to miss 55 three-point shots, shooting a combined …

The Memphis Grizzlies head to the Big Easy tonight for a matchup with the New Orleans Pelicans at the Smoothie King Center. Saddiq Bey cooked Memphis a week ago, and my Grizzlies vs. Pelicans predictions are eyeing him to do so again. Read more in my NBA picks for Friday, January 30. Grizzlies vs Pelicans prediction Grizzlies vs Pelicans best …

With trade rumors swirling involving Giannis Antetokounmpo and New York, the Knicks (29-18) take the court at Madison Square Garden tonight against the Portland Trail Blazers (23-25). After stumbling through the majority of January, Jalen Brunson and co. have strung together four straight wins. Wednesday night the Knicks rallied in the second half and eventually ran away from the Raptors, …

MILAN (AP) — Nestled in a lakeside town in northern Italy is Australia’s “home away from home” for the Milan Cortina Olympics — right down to the coffee and Vegemite. Nearly 15 years ago, the Australian Institute of Sport opened the European Training Centre in Gavirate, about an hour’s drive from Milan. Advertisement With a fully equipped gym as well …