NBA News

Utah Jazz v Sacramento Kings Lauri Markkanen played just four of Utah’s final 21 games because of a shoulder impingement. Now, that same injury is keeping him from playing for Finland in the Olympic Qualifying Tournament to earn a spot in the Paris Games. Markkanen made the announcement on Finland’s national team site (hat tip: EuroHoops). “Certainly, this is tough,” …

Minnesota Timberwolves v Phoenix Suns – Game Four The Phoenix Suns are stuck financially, which will be a good thing for Royce O’Neale. The Suns have $150.7 million committed next season to their big three: Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal. The NBA’s salary cap is expected to be about $141 million. Add in the salaries for Jusuf Nurkic …

For the 23rd time in its history, the Boston Celtics are in the NBA Finals — the place their fans, and the franchise itself, expect to be. The Celtics are one of the grand and most historic franchises in the NBA, a history littered with the great names of the game: Bill Russell, Bob Cousy, Larry Bird, John Havlicek, Dave …

For a moment in time, Kyrie Irving was on his way to becoming something of a Boston hero. It was the fall of 2018, and Irving, who had just finished his first season with the Celtics — averaging 24.4 points and 5.1 assists in 60 games — and was entering the final season of his contract, declared his informal allegiance …

The No. 1 roster-building rule in the NBA is a simple one: you need to have a superstar. Shocking, I know. Every champion since the 2004 Detroit Pistons has had a player earn either First- or Second-Team All-NBA honors. Before the Pistons, the last team to win it all without one was the 1995 Houston Rockets, who had a former …

Former NBA guard JJ Redick and his wife, Chelsea Kilgore, watch an NBA game in Orlando, Fla. (Phelan M. Ebenhack / Associated Press) With the NBA Finals set to begin Thursday in Boston, the Lakers still don’t have a head coach and, according to people with direct knowledge of the search who are not authorized to speak publicly, are in …

The center position has been a strength for the Knicks roster the past two seasons. With the two-headed monster of Isaiah Hartenstein and Mitchell Robinson, New York knows it can receive a full 48 minutes of rim protection, solid screening and offensive rebounding. It’s important that the Knicks keep the two players together, but there are some roadblocks. Hartenstein’s unrestricted …

Getty Images The NBA announced the 12 referees that will be officiating the NBA Finals between the Boston Celtics and Dallas Mavericks. The officials were chosen by the NBA Referee Operations management team, which accounted for their performance in officiating through the first three rounds of the playoffs. Scott Foster and Tony Brothers, who will officiate their 17th and 13th …

How Porzingis, Doncic answered questions about their rumored beef originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston Among the most intriguing storylines for the 2024 NBA Finals will be Kristaps Porzingis’ return to Dallas. The Boston Celtics big man played alongside superstar Luka Doncic on the Mavericks from 2019 to 2022. He was traded to the Washington Wizards at the ’22 deadline, …

Dallas Mavericks v Los Angeles Lakers Back at the trade deadline in 2023, the Lakers and Nets talked about a Kyrie Irving trade. LeBron James wanted to reunite with the guy he won a ring with in Cleveland, Irving wanted it, but the two teams could not agree on a deal. Ultimately, Irving ended up traded to Dallas (and while …

The Los Angeles Lakers are zeroing in on JJ Redick as the front-runner to replace Darvin Ham as their next head coach, according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania. Redick, currently a broadcaster for ESPN, is set to announce the NBA Finals between the Boston Celtics and Dallas Mavericks. Multiple reports have indicated that if Redick is indeed the choice for …

DALLAS — There’s a pause before Kyrie Irving speaks, almost a rhythmic beat as he gathers his thoughts. Going off-script on the floor produces the most beautifully awkward, twisting layups with special English. But in this public sphere, Irving makes sure his English doesn’t go to the unintended places. Sometimes, he’ll ask for clarity to be sure, or state, “I’m …

No NBA Draft prospect has the exact game of any one NBA player past or present, but comparing them to others can be an instructive exercise to get an idea of what to expect and how to shape potential future impact. The idea behind it is to add color to scouting reports and other analysis in the lead-up to the …

JJ Redick has worked as an NBA analyst for ESPN since retiring as a player in 2021. (Jamie Schwaberow/Getty Images) JJ Redick is the front-runner to be the next head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers, but no decision on the position has been made, The Athletic’s Shams Charania reports. Per the report, Redick is the favorite for the job …

Getty Images Countless NBA stars have had their own signature shoes throughout the years, but none of their fathers have ever gotten in on the action. That is, until Dallas Mavericks star Kyrie Irving signed his father Drederick to a shoe deal with his ANTA line. According to a report from Shams Charania of The Athletic, Drederick Irving will be …

Yahoo Sports NBA contributor Tom Haberstroh breaks down his latest ‘Big Number’ and the impressive free-throw streak the Mavericks guard has going against his former team in TD Garden. View more Video Transcript I’m Tom Haberstroh and you’re watching the big number. Today’s big number is 32. That’s the number of consecutive free throws that Kyrie Irving has made as …

Drake Maye talks meeting Jayson Tatum, reveals NBA Finals prediction originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston New England Patriots rookie quarterback Drake Maye has made his prediction for the 2024 NBA Finals, and the local fans will approve. The No. 3 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft is taking the Boston Celtics to beat the Dallas Mavericks in five …

NBA players show up at playoff games they aren’t participating in from time to time. Sometimes their offseason home happens to host a championship contender. Other times, they just want to see and be seen at their sport’s ultimate showcase. In Kyrie Irving’s case last offseason, ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne reported in January, it was for a much more practical purpose. …

Joe Mazzulla and the Boston Celtics likely will not make it official until as close to game time as possible — because that’s what coaches do — but it’s becoming increasingly obvious that Kristaps Porzingis will play in Game 1. Porzingis has been out for more than a month with a strained calf suffered against the Miami Heat in the …

The Boston Celtics continue their quest toward their first championship in 16 years on Thursday when they host the Dallas Mavericks in Game 1 of the 2024 NBA Finals. The top-seeded Celtics, who notched an NBA-best 64 wins in the regular season, coasted to the Eastern Conference title with relative ease, sweeping the Indiana Pacers in the conference finals. The …

Porzingis offers cautious optimism as NBA Finals Game 1 nears originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston BOSTON — Near the finish line of Kristaps Porzingis’ impromptu, 10-minute press conference in which he formally declared his intentions to be back on the court for Game 1 of the NBA Finals, a reporter asked Porzingis about his pain threshold and if he …

Why Porzingis could be crucial to Celtics’ success in NBA Finals originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston The Boston Celtics and Dallas Mavericks will square off in the 2024 NBA Finals beginning Thursday, and the amount of star power on both rosters is immense. But which player will be the most important to the Celtics’ chances of victory? You might …

Kristaps Porzingis is not the same player he was in Dallas. In his first season with the Boston Celtics, he has punished teams for switching smaller players onto him and anchored the league’s second-best defense. Years after being cast as Luka Doncic’s co-star — when he joined the Mavericks in 2019, then coach Rick Carlisle said, “This is kind of …

Yahoo Sports senior NBA reporter Vincent Goodwill and The Athletic’s Tim Cato break down the defenses in the NBA Finals to see what adjustments the Celtics and Mavericks need to make to win. Hear the full conversation on “Good Word with Goodwill” – part of the “Ball Don’t Lie” podcast – and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you …

LeBron James played with Kyrie Irving on the Cleveland Cavaliers from 2014 through 2017. In their three seasons as teammates, Cleveland reached the NBA Finals three times. The pair won the 2016 championship together, and were it not for Irving’s injury in 2015 and a once-in-a-lifetime cap spike allowing Kevin Durant to join the Golden State Warriors in time for the …