PHILADELPHIA–The Philadelphia 76ers will go as far as Joel Embiid and James Harden take them and they need The Beard to hold up his end of the bargain on the offensive end. Harden clearly was not the same player when Philadelphia acquired him in the 2021-22 season. He was terrific as a passer, but he was not the same scorer …

Who’s Playing Chicago State @ Minnesota Current Records: Chicago State 3-11; Minnesota 5-6 What to Know The Minnesota Golden Gophers will play host again and welcome the Chicago State Cougars to Williams Arena, where tip-off is scheduled for 1 p.m. ET Thursday. The Golden Gophers will be strutting in after a victory while Chicago State will be stumbling in from …

Getty Images Denver Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr. says he plans to make his return on Friday against the Portland Trail Blazers. Porter Jr. has not played since Nov. 22 due to a heel injury that the team was officially calling a contusion.  Nuggets head coach Michael Malone told reporters on Thursday that Porter Jr. is “trending in the right …

Who’s Playing Alabama A&M @ Vanderbilt Current Records: Alabama A&M 3-7; Vanderbilt 5-6 What to Know The Vanderbilt Commodores and the Alabama A&M Bulldogs will compete for holiday cheer at 8 p.m. ET Thursday at Memorial Gym. Given that both teams suffered a loss in their last game, they both have a little extra motivation heading into this contest. The …

Charlotte Hornets rookie Mark Williams registered his eighth double-double of the season in the NBA G League on Thursday and neared 30 points to lead the Greensboro Swarm to a win over the Ignite. Williams produced 29 points, 17 rebounds, one assist and one steal in the 109-90 win during the G League Winter Showcase in Las Vegas, Nevada. He …

Who’s Playing Western Kentucky @ South Carolina Current Records: Western Kentucky 8-2; South Carolina 5-6 What to Know The Western Kentucky Hilltoppers are staying on the road Thursday to face off against the South Carolina Gamecocks at 7 p.m. ET Dec. 22 at Colonial Life Arena. The Hilltoppers will be seeking to avenge the 75-64 loss they suffered the last …

Following the Oklahoma City Thunder’s win against the Portland Trail Blazers, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was asked what it would mean for him to be selected into the All-Star game for the first time in his career this season. Gilgeous-Alexander sounded as though he’d be grateful for the chance to play for and against the best players in the league in February. …

Who’s Playing Butler @ Creighton Current Records: Butler 8-4; Creighton 6-6 What to Know The Butler Bulldogs and the Creighton Bluejays are set to square off in a Big East matchup at 8 p.m. ET Dec. 22 at CHI Health Center Omaha. The teams split their matchups last year, with the Bulldogs winning the first 72-55 at home and Creighton …

USATSI Brotherly love is shown in different ways, including trash talking while playing in the same NBA game. Cleveland Cavaliers center Robin Lopez had some fun on Wednesday when his team took on his twin brother Brook Lopez and the Milwaukee Bucks.  Robin did not see any minutes on the court in the Cavs’ 114-106 victory over the Bucks. However, …

USATSI Wild winter weather is impacting college basketball schedules across the nation this week with No. 17 Wisconsin’s home game vs. Grambling State, initially scheduled for Friday, among the many contests that are either on the move or off the slate entirely. Wisconsin announced on Thursday that its game against Grambling State is canceled because of an imminent weather storm …

The Oklahoma City Thunder were able to complete the sweep of their mini-two-game series against the Portland Trail Blazers in a 101-98 win on Wednesday. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander continues to lead the way for the Thunder. Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 27 points on 8-of-19 shooting and went 11-of-13 from the free-throw line. The 13 attempts were more than what the Trail Blazers …

Who’s Playing Central Connecticut State @ Saint Joseph’s Current Records: Central Connecticut State 2-11; Saint Joseph’s 5-6 What to Know The Saint Joseph’s Hawks will be home for the holidays to greet the Central Connecticut State Blue Devils at 7 p.m. ET Thursday at Michael J. Hagan ’85 Arena. Saint Joseph’s should still be feeling good after a win, while …

The Oklahoma City Thunder announced on Thursday that rookie forward Jaylin Williams sustained a concussion during the G League’s OKC Blue game on Wednesday. Williams is now under league concussion protocol and his return is unknown. Williams finished with 13 points and six rebounds in the win for the Blue during the 2022 Winter Showcase tournament in Las Vegas. With …

Who’s Playing Northern Illinois @ Indiana State Current Records: Northern Illinois 3-9; Indiana State 9-3 What to Know After four games on the road, the Indiana State Sycamores are heading back home. They and the Northern Illinois Huskies will compete for holiday cheer at 1 p.m. ET Thursday at Hulman Center. Indiana State is out to keep their five-game home …

Baldwin relishes KD challenge from Draymond in Warriors’ loss originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea BROOKLYN — The final result could pretty much be predicted when the Warriors trailed by 30 points at the 5:06 mark of the second quarter Wednesday night in their eventual 143-113 loss to the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center. Nets coach Jacque Vaughn called a …

Who’s Playing Morgan State @ No. 5 Arizona Current Records: Morgan State 4-7; Arizona 11-1 What to Know The Morgan State Bears and the #5 Arizona Wildcats will compete for holiday cheer at 8 p.m. ET Thursday at McKale Memorial Center. The Wildcats will be strutting in after a victory while Morgan State will be stumbling in from a loss. …

PHILADELPHIA–Detroit Pistons rookie Jalen Duren is looking to find his way in the NBA as a 19-year-old kid. The big man is averaging 7.2 points and 8.2 rebounds as he is worked his way up to becoming a starter for Detroit. As he prepared for his first matchup with Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid, the rookie was excited for the …

Who’s Playing Jackson State @ Stephen F. Austin Current Records: Jackson State 1-11; Stephen F. Austin 7-5 What to Know The Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks will play host again and welcome the Jackson State Tigers to William R. Johnson Coliseum, where tip-off is scheduled for 3 p.m. ET Thursday. The Lumberjacks should still be riding high after a victory, while …

If you thought the tension between Trae Young and Nate McMillan was just something that would blow over, that shake-ups in the front office are not a sign of bigger issues in Atlanta, think again. The much-discussed bad chemistry with the Hawks could spill over and lead to Trae Young asking for a trade, executives from other teams told Bleacher …

Who’s Playing Louisville @ NC State Current Records: Louisville 2-10; NC State 10-3 What to Know The NC State Wolfpack and the Louisville Cardinals will face off in an ACC clash at 7 p.m. ET Dec. 22 at PNC Arena. The teams split their matchups last year, with U of L winning the first 73-68 on the road and the …

PHILADELPHIA–In order to defend Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid, teams have to send waves of defenders at him and try to throw different schemes at him in order to have any type of success. In Wednesday’s win over the Detroit Pistons, Embiid was faced with more of the same. The Pistons sent plenty of double teams and different coverages to …

The Towson Tigers will be looking to snap their three-game losing streak when they face the Bryant Bulldogs in a non-conference game on Thursday afternoon. Towson lost a pair of close games against Clemson and Navy before getting blown out by Northern Iowa last Saturday. Bryant had its two-game winning streak snapped in an 82-62 loss to Liberty its last …

Could DeRozan be a trade candidate in 2023 offseason? originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago Amid an underwhelming 13-18 start to the 2022-23 season, reports of competing teams monitoring the Chicago Bulls as a potential trade partner have swirled for weeks on end. The latest submission comes from Bleacher Report’s Chris Haynes, who on Thursday reported that “if matters (with …

HATTIESBURG, Miss. —- As Southern Miss bullied Lamar into submission and forced the visitors to call a timeout in the second half of a mid-December non conference game inside USM’s Reed Green Coliseum, Golden Eagles’ assistant coach Juan Cardona catapulted from the bench, turned around and pumped his arms to implore the home crowd to its feet. The Golden Eagles …

The Utah Jazz host the Washington Wizards in a cross-conference affair on Thursday in Salt Lake City. The Jazz are 18-14 overall and just snapped a two-game skid. On Tuesday, they defeated the Detroit Pistons 126-111. Meanwhile, Washington has a 12-20 record and finally halted their 10-game losing streak. On Dec. 20, the Wizards beat the Phoenix Suns 113-110. Kristaps …