Basketball News · LatestFriday, Apr 24, 2026

The WNBA’s first game in South Dakota, which will feature the Phoenix Mercury and the Chicago Sky, is a sellout. The game — which sold out in seven minutes, according to a team source — will be played at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D., roughly 73 miles from the town of Jefferson where Mercury coach Nate Tibbetts grew up. “I’m excited to go back to South Dakota,” Tibbetts told reporters earlier this week. “I get to go back once in a while, but I haven’t been back in a long time … to co

The Los Angeles Lakers lead the Houston Rockets 2-0 in their first round playoff series, a moderate surprise given how shorthanded they are. The Lakers have been without Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, but still managed to defend their home court thanks to contributions from everyone on the roster. From LeBron James on down, every […]

The Lakers have a 2-0 series lead going into Game 3.

The Knicks were a couple bounces from being up 3-0, but they go into Saturday with their season essentially on the line.

Caitlin Clark is set to begin her third year with the Indiana Fever, opening the 2026 WNBA season with a matchup against Paige Bueckers and the Dallas Wings on May 9. Clark appeared in just 13 games during her second season in Indiana, but still secured an All-Star nod after averaging 16.5 points, 5.0 rebounds and 8.8 assists per game.

Joel Embiid has made progress in his return from an emergency appendectomy, but was ruled out of Game 3 as the Philadelphia 76ers host the Boston Celtics. Embiid began ramping up his on-court work this week after also beginning a strength and conditioning program on Monday. Embiid participated in Thursday's practice and also in Friday's shootaround. Embiid was not cleared on Friday afternoon after meeting with the Sixers' medical staff. "He's just not ready," Nick Nurse said during his pregam...

ESPN's First Take featured Stephen A. Smith and Chiney Ogwumike this morning and things got a little bit awkward during an early segment.

After a standout freshman season for which he won the Naismith men's Player of the Year, Boozer is a contender to be the No. 1 overall selection.

The Raptors will still be without their starting point guard for their first-round matchup against the Cavaliers.

Michigan big man Morez Johnson has declared for the 2026 NBA draft while retaining his college eligibility, as Friday’s deadline for early entrants to declare for the 2026 NBA draft fast approaches, CBS’s Jon Rothstein reports (via Twitter). The 6’9″ sophomore averaged 13.1 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks per game with the Wolverines after […]

The Houston Rockets have a tough task ahead of them with the Los Angeles Lakers coming to town and looking to take a commanding 3-0 lead over them in their first round playoff series. All eyes are on Kevin Durant and how he’ll respond after one of the worst halves of his NBA career. LeBron […] The post Fans can’t believe Jabari Smith Jr.’s horrible advice for Kevin Durant appeared first on ClutchPoints.

The Los Angeles Lakers announced that guard Austin Reaves (left oblique muscle strain) has been downgraded to out for Game 3 of their first round playoff series against the Houston Rockets. Meanwhile, the Rockets also have ruled out Kevin Durant (left ankle sprain) for the second time in this series. Reaves was surprisingly upgraded to […]

HOUSTON — Kevin Durant wasn’t available for Friday’s Game 3 against the Lakers, his second absence of the first-round playoff series. The Rockets star forward was ruled out because of a left ankle sprain, with the Rockets listing him as questionable on Thursday’s injury report before ruling him out 90 minutes before tipoff. The Rockets’...

HOUSTON — There’s a moment in every great player’s career when the noise around them gets loud enough and the world decides it knows what the ending should be before the final chapter has been written. For LeBron James, that moment came in early March. The Lakers’ LeBron James has shown he is comfortable filling...

The Portland Trail Blazers are facing a major assignment as they confront the San Antonio Spurs in the first round of the NBA playoffs. The second-seeded Spurs are expected to survive and advance over the seventh-seeded Blazers. However, the two teams split the first two games of the series in San Antonio. The series moves […] The post Blazers’ Deni Avdija draws eye-opening Luka Doncic comp from Hall of Famer appeared first on ClutchPoints.

NBA local viewership remained essentially flat compared to the prior season in 2025-26, but league officials and media analysts view that stability as a meaningful achievement amid accelerating cord-cutting trends that cost the NBA 12 percent of its in-market audience just one year earlier. The Denver Nuggets, Detroit Pistons, Philadelphia 76ers, Phoenix Suns and New York Knicks recorded the largest year-over-year local audience gains across the league, according to Nielsen Station Index data...

Quickley suffered a strained right hamstring in Toronto's regular-season finale.

The Rockets are down 0-2 to the Lakers and need to pick up a win Friday at home, now they have to do it without Durant.

In honor of the WNBA’s 30th season, the three original franchises that remained in their first cities — the New York Liberty, Los Angeles Sparks and Phoenix Mercury — are releasing throwback uniforms for special games throughout the season, starting opening night when the Liberty host the Connecticut Sun at Barclays Center. The original WNBA logo and crest will also appear on the uniforms. The uniforms will be highlighted during “WNBA Court Origins Nights” matchups — New York at Los Angeles on J

Former NBA guard Gilbert Arenas can seemingly see both sides of new Trail Blazers owner Tom Dundon’s reported cost-cutting ways. For a little background, Dundon is reportedly looking to save a little money during the playoffs. That includes requiring non-player, non-coach members of the travel party to check out of the team hotel early to […] The post Gilbert Arenas on Blazers cost-cutting rumors: How many assistant coaches do you need? appeared first on Hoops Wire.

Immanuel Quickley has been ruled out for the rest of the Raptors‘ first-round series against the Cavaliers, the team announced (Twitter link via Marc Stein). Quickley missed the first three games of the playoffs due to a right hamstring injury. According to the team he re-injured that hamstring during the course of his ramp-up process. […]

NBA insider reveals key updates on major playoff stars, including Austin Reaves, Joel Embiid, Kevin Durant, and Victor Wembanyama.

All the Celtics news you need in one convenient place.

Catch up on a busy WNBA offseason at a glance with the most impactful signings and trades in fantasy women's basketball.

The truth is that a crucible has arrived for the Knicks far earlier in these playoffs than anyone ever would have expected.

The Knicks had finally found a solution to slowing down CJ McCollum. But for the most important defensive play of the game, they went away from it.

The Minnesota Timberwolves took a 2-1 series lead with a 113-96 win over the Denver Nuggets in Game 3 on Thursday night, and head coach Chris Finch made clear that Rudy Gobert has his focus set beyond individual accolades. Speaking to Andrew Dukowitz of Zone Coverage, Finch emphasized that Gobert’s primary motivation is not another […] The post Timberwolves coach Chris Finch reveals what Rudy Gobert wants even more than another DPOY appeared first on ClutchPoints.

The biggest hole on the Knicks roster has become more and more noticeable.

For the rest of the regular season and postseason, Hoops Rumors is taking a closer look at players who will be free agents – or could become free agents – during the 2026 offseason. We’ll consider whether each player’s stock is rising or falling due to his performance and several other factors. Today, we’re focusing […]

It isn’t hard to see why the Minnesota Timberwolves are a confident group during their first-round series against the Denver Nuggets. Minnesota took a 2-1 series lead after a win in Game 3 at home, accepting Jaden McDaniels’ controversial comments about the Nuggets and quieting all the doubters. Chris Finch appears to be the driving […] The post Chris Finch’s mentality for Timberwolves-Nuggets series will fire up fans appeared first on ClutchPoints.