NBA News

[ad_1] Getty Images The NBA playoffs are almost here. Less than two weeks remain in the regular season, and the postseason is set to begin April 16 with the Play-In Tournament. The playoffs get started April 20. The playoff picture is coming into focus (13 teams have already clinched postseason spots), but there is still plenty to be decided in …

[ad_1] NBA: APR 05 Knicks at Bulls Josh Hart, the Knicks’ glue guy coming off a 31-point outing against the Kings, was ejected in the first quarter Friday night for kicking Chicago’s Javonte Green in the head. That call helped shape the rest of the game, a 108-100 Bulls win at home (behind a career night from Green with 25 …

[ad_1] The Milwaukee Bucks are coming off a trio of horrendous losses, but at least they got Damian Lillard back in the lineup. Before their 117-11 loss (boxscore) to the lonely Raptors on Friday, the star guard had missed three straight games with a groin strain, including a 117-113 loss in Washington and a 111-101 loss against Memphis at home. …

[ad_1] NBA: Minnesota Timberwolves at Phoenix Suns PHOENIX (AP) — Grayson Allen scored 23 points, Kevin Durant had 22 and the Phoenix Suns raced to a 15-0 lead in a 97-87 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday night. Bradley Beal had 14 points for the Suns, who have won four straight home games. Devin Booker, coming off games with …

[ad_1] PJ Washington scored with 4.5 seconds left to help the Dallas Mavericks beat the Golden State Warriors 108-106. The Mavericks, without Luka Doncic, led 105-99 late on but Stephen Curry levelled for the Warriors at 106-106. Washington then scored a layup before Klay Thompson missed a three-pointer for the Warriors, whose six-game winning run came to an end. Washington …

[ad_1] Friday was one of two days boasting robust schedules to end Week 23, Championship Week in many fantasy leagues. And with many teams navigating lengthy injury reports, some exciting streaming options were bound to emerge. However, the Celtics boast a reliable streamer whose value has increased after the team locked up home-court advantage throughout the upcoming playoffs. Payton Pritchard …

[ad_1] Jones no-call in Kings’ last-gasp loss to Celtics epitomizes season originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area The Kings have had a rollercoaster 2023-24 NBA season – and the fright and thrills of said ride only intensified Friday night. As the game clock’s final seconds ticked down, De’Aaron Fox and Keegan Murray had clear game-winning attempts rim out before …

[ad_1] Warriors’ consistent bench critical in keeping game close vs. Mavs originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area The Warriors have been fiddling with their starting rotations for most of the 2023-24 NBA season, whether because of injuries or a lack of production. Their coach Steve Kerr still isn’t certain that he has found the right combination. One thing that …

[ad_1] Warriors’ tough loss to Mavs is reminder of challenges ahead originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area Going into the locker room Friday night with a two-point halftime lead over the Dallas Mavericks, Warriors guard Brandin Podziemski was hopeful enough to express optimism about the future. Make that extreme optimism. “We’re just playing with desperation,” Podziemski said during his …

[ad_1] If you’re looking at the bottom line, Friday night was a bad night for the Knicks. They missed out on a prime opportunity to climb the Eastern Conference standings. Two teams ahead of New York (Milwaukee and Orlando) lost on Friday. Two teams behind the Knicks (Indiana and Miami) won. If the Knicks had beaten Chicago on Friday, they’d …

[ad_1] DALLAS (AP) — P.J. Washington capped his best game in Dallas with a tiebreaking layup with 4.5 seconds remaining as Luka Doncic watched because of a sore knee, and the Mavericks beat Golden State 108-106 on Friday night to end the Warriors’ six-game winning streak. Washington finished with 32 points, his most since being acquired by the Mavericks from …

[ad_1] Xavier Tillman seals C’s win as Mazzulla shows belief in bench unit originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston The Boston Celtics extended their home win streak to 12 games, getting the best of the Sacramento Kings 101-100. In a statement move, head coach Joe Mazzulla left the starters on the bench for the final minutes despite blowing a 19-point …

[ad_1] What we learned as Warriors lose nail-biter to Kyrie, Mavs originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area The Warriors came up short in their bid to complete a Texas sweep, but they did move one step closer to securing a top-10 Western Conference playoff seed. Klay Thompson missed what would have been a game-winning 3-pointer at the buzzer, and …

[ad_1] Mazzulla relishes in ‘chaos’ for Celtics’ bench in wild win vs. Kings originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston BOSTON — With the NBA’s No. 1 seed already wrapped up, Joe Mazzulla has had to get creative to keep his team motivated and engaged down the stretch. For better or worse, a golden opportunity arose Friday night at TD Garden. …

[ad_1] 10 observations: Javonte Green’s career-high night lifts Bulls past Knicks originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago Presented by Nationwide Insurance Agent Jeff Vukovich The Chicago Bulls defeated the New York Knicks 108-100 on Friday night at the United Center. With the victory, the Bulls pulled a game ahead of the Atlanta Hawks with five to play in the race …

[ad_1] The Knicks dropped a tough one against the Chicago Bulls on Friday night. Here are the takeaways… -New York found themselves quickly outclassed and short-handed in a 108-100 loss to Chicago, a sour return for OG Anunoby from injury. Despite his insertion into the lineup and Jalen Brunson’s 35 points and 11 assists, the Knicks failed to overcome an …

[ad_1] Celtics-Kings takeaways: Xavier Tillman the unlikely hero in C’s win originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston The Boston Celtics earned their 12th straight home win in thrilling fashion Friday night. After a sluggish start, which included just three points scored in the first six minutes, the Celtics found their groove and pulled ahead by 16. They carried a 30-9 …

[ad_1] Lakers coach Darvin Ham talks with guards D’Angelo Russell, left, and Max Christie. (Jae C. Hong / Associated Press) “We’ll be ready to play, I promise you.” That was the prediction Lakers coach Darvin Ham made to the media following Friday morning’s practice in El Segundo. His team is in playoff mode entering Saturday afternoon’s home game against Cleveland …

[ad_1] The Knicks were already short-handed without Julius Randle, but they had to go through most of Friday’s game against the Chicago Bulls without Josh Hart after the second-year Knick was ejected. In the waning seconds of the first quarter, Hart drove for a layup but lost the ball as two Bulls players swiped down on him as he went …

[ad_1] New York Knicks v Toronto Raptors It will be very difficult to do without Julius Randle, but if the Knicks are going to make any kind of playoff run this season it will be because their defense shuts people down. A vital part of that defense returned Friday night — OG Anunoby returned to the Knicks lineup from a …

[ad_1] The Oklahoma City Thunder (52-34) will try to get back on track without their best player when they face the Indiana Pacers (43-34) on Friday. Oklahoma City is coming off back-to-back losses to Philadelphia and Boston, and it will be without leading scorer Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (quad) for the third straight game. It is in third place in the Western Conference …

[ad_1] The Sacramento Kings may be without Malik Monk for the rest of the season. Monk sustained a sprained right MCL in their loss to the Dallas Mavericks on Friday night, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. He’ll now be sidelined for four-to-six weeks recovering, which could end his season altogether if the Kings don’t make a meaningful playoff run. ESPN …

[ad_1] If Jonathan Kuminga returns to the Golden State Warriors’ lineup on Friday against the Dallas Mavericks, he will likely come off the bench. The reason is simple: In Kuminga’s absence, the Warriors have started rookie big man Trayce Jackson-Davis next to Draymond Green, and their defense has been incredible. “Trayce and Draymond together have changed our team,” Kerr told …

[ad_1] Joe Mazzulla gets strong endorsement from reigning Coach of the Year originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston BOSTON — Mike Brown can relate to Joe Mazzulla. Brown was 35 years old when he assumed his first NBA head coach job in 2005, taking over the Cleveland Cavaliers as the league’s second-youngest head coach at the time. Mazzulla was one …

[ad_1] The Milwaukee Bucks are coming off a pair of horrendous losses, but at least they’re getting Damian Lillard back in the lineup. The star guard has missed the past three games — a 122-133 win in Atlanta, followed by a 117-113 loss in Washington and a 111-101 loss against Memphis at home — because of a groin strain, and, …