News Category: Basketball

Versatile Timberwolves aim to go up 2-0 against Suns

Minnesota Timberwolves coach Chris Finch fully understood that his initial game plan for beating the Phoenix Suns in the playoffs would have a short shelf life. It worked in Game 1. That doesn’t mean the same plan will work in Game 2. “I’m sure they’re going to be making adjustments,” Finch said, “as are we.” The Timberwolves will try to seize a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven Western Conference quarterfinal series when they tip off

Health concerns mount before 76ers battle Knicks in Game 2

Philadelphia attempts to even the Eastern Conference first-round series with the New York Knicks at 1-all on Monday night, but the 76ers might be without point guard Tyrese Maxey as reigning MVP Joel Embiid works his way back to health. Maxey, the team’s leading scorer (26.9 points per game) in the regular season, was downgraded to questionable on the official injury report released Monday with an illness and was not a participant in the gameday

Donovan Mitchell ‘setting a tone’ as Cavs set for Game 2 vs. Magic

Donovan Mitchell appears to have fully put his knee injury behind him. The Cavaliers star got off to a strong start in the first-round matchup against the Orlando Magic and looks to help his team take a 2-0 lead in the Eastern Conference series when the teams meet Monday night in Cleveland. Mitchell scored 30 points on 11-of-21 shooting in Game 1 as the Cavaliers produced a 97-83 home victory. “It’s all about setting a

Lakers will try again to slow Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic in Game 2

The Los Angeles Lakers got a fast start from LeBron James, a double-double from Anthony Davis and held Denver to just six free-throw attempts in Game 1 on Saturday. Yet they still lost by double digits to the reigning NBA champions. After surviving the James-Davis duo for the 114-103 victory to open the Western Conference first-round series, the Nuggets will try to preserve their home-court edge in Game 2 on Monday night. Denver has beaten

Top-seeded, more mature Thunder take on Zion-less Pelicans

Oklahoma City Thunder coach Mark Daigneault isn’t worried about leading a young team into the playoffs. “Age is just a number,” Daigneault said. “There’s a difference between youth and maturity.” And Daigneault’s Thunder, the second-youngest team in the NBA this season, has shown plenty of maturity this season in earning the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference. They’ll open the playoffs against the New Orleans Pelicans Sunday in Oklahoma City. It’s the first playoff

Bucks face questions going into playoff series vs. Pacers

The Milwaukee Bucks lost six of their last eight games to limp into the playoffs as the third seed in the Eastern Conference. With the availability of Damian Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo in question, the Bucks bid to get back on track Sunday when they open their first-round series at home against the sixth-seeded Indiana Pacers. Indiana (47-35) won four of the five meetings against Milwaukee (49-33) this season, including in a tournament setting during

Heat look to set tone in opener of series vs. Celtics

The eighth-seeded Miami Heat will be in a familiar position when they go on the road to open their Eastern Conference first-round series against the top-seeded Boston Celtics on Sunday afternoon. Miami also was the No. 8 seed last season, when it battled its way to NBA Finals. The Heat’s path included a seven-game series victory over Boston in the conference finals before they lost to the Denver Nuggets in the NBA Finals. Miami will

Nikola Jokic, Nuggets face Lakers as quest for repeat begins

In 1985, the only thing standing between Denver and the NBA Finals were the Los Angeles Lakers. Same thing in 2009 and 2020, and each time Los Angeles ended the Nuggets’ season. Last year, Denver broke through against the Lakers in the Western Conference finals on its way to the first NBA championship in franchise history. The Lakers get an early shot at redemption when the teams meet in the first round of the Western

Knicks set to test mettle vs. Joel Embiid, 76ers in Game 1

The best New York Knicks team in a decade was built with a Philadelphia flavor. Now the 76ers are the first hurdle to clear for the Knicks as they look to embark upon the franchise’s longest playoff run this century. New York will host Philadelphia on Saturday in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference first-round series. The Knicks earned the second seed in the Eastern Conference after going 50-32 — their best seed and top

Timberwolves not sweating recent woes against Suns

Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert isn’t putting a lot of stock in his team’s regular-season performance against the Phoenix Suns. The Timberwolves, who lost all three meetings with Phoenix, are eager to wipe the slate clean when they tip off a first-round Western Conference playoff series against the Suns on Saturday afternoon in Minneapolis. Although it struggled against Phoenix, Minnesota still managed to put together its best regular season in 20 years. The Timberwolves grabbed