(Basketball news) Kevin Durant has reportedly requested a trade from the Brooklyn Nets, according to Shams Charania. It was reported the Phoenix Suns are among Durant's "preferred' landing spots, while the Miami Heat were also mentioned earlier in the week as a potential trade destination. Adrian Wojnarowski also added that despite those teams being mentioned on Durant's list, the Nets "plan to move Durant where they can get the best possible deal."

The decision comes after teammate Kyrie Irving announced he would opt into the final year of his contract with the Nets, which was worth $37 million. Shams Charania also noted Irving wanted to "fulfill his four-year commitment" before being a free agent next year. According to the reports, Durant and Irving had no contact with Sean Marks who is the General manager of the Nets, after the opt-in, and there was a "sense of inevitability" that Durant would eventually ask for a trade. The superstar reportedly requested the trade directly from team governor Joe Tsai. .

Durant's contract runs till 2025-26 season after agreeing to a four-year, $194 million extension last season. Although he signed a contract extension with the Nets, there was still uncertainty about his future this offseason because of the horrendous season they had where they got thumped by the Celtics in the first round of the NBA playoffs. Irving was also potentially looking for a new home after hardly featuring for the Nets last season. Wojnarowski has reported that Irving created a list of teams for a possible sign-and-trade, with the Los Angeles Lakers named as his top destination. Durant on the other hand was monitoring the situation and "considering options with his future,"

The 33-year-old is apparently now ready to move on, which could lead to one of the biggest blockbuster trades in NBA history. Durant has 12 All-Star appearances, four scoring titles, one MVP, two NBA titles and two Finals MVP awards. He is an elite offensive weapon 15 years into his career, averaging 29.9 points per game last season, which was tied for second in the NBA scoring charts. The forward also added 7.4 rebounds and a career-high 6.4 assists per game in 2021-22 NBA season

For any team it would require a significant return to land Kevin Durant, but a trade would legitimately shake up the dynamics of the NBA next season. The former Texas star initially joined the Nets in 2019 alongside Irving, but the duo hasn’t found any success with the Nets as  many anticipated the duo to win numerous Championships. In three years, the team had just one playoff series win, while this playoffs series they were swept out of the first round by the Boston Celtics. Durant and Irving played only 17 games together in 2021-22 and 27 games in 2020-21. Durant had missed all of 2019-20 while recovering from an Achilles injury.

Also read: Kyrie decides to exercise $37 million option to stay with the Nets
 

(Basketball news) Kyrie Irving has decided to exercise his $36.9 million option in his four contract next season and will remain with the Brooklyn Nets for the time being after being linked to join the Los Angeles Lakers in a sign in trade. The seven-time All-Star averaged 27.4 points and 5.8 assists this past season for the Nets, with whom he has already spent the last three seasons. He's about to enter the final season in a four-year of his major $137 million deal with Brooklyn.

Irving had until Wednesday to inform the Nets about his decision but he ultimately opted to stay and take the money. For the time being it closes one element of the ongoing saga regarding his future, which has been one of the biggest stories as the league prepares for Free Agency on Thursday. However, he may not be a free agent but Irving could still have his contract extended before free agency begins. The Nets could still trade him and in fact, many teams might be more interested in a deal now since Irving is on an expiring contract.

He only appeared in 29 regular-season games this past season, largely because of his decision to not be vaccinated. That made him ineligible to play in Brooklyn, until he was allotted an exemption to the New York City's vaccine protocols. Irving, after the Nets were swept by Boston in the first round, said that he planned on remaining in Brooklyn. He even talked about him and Kevin Durant managing the franchise along with general manager Sean Marks and owner Joe Tsai. Marks later made it clear about Irving's future as they would have to involve discussions about being more available to the team, and he also added that he could not come to an agreement on a long-term extension that could have seen Irving paid an additional $185 million over four years.

Last season the Nets looked on track to reach their first Conference Finals before Irving sprained his ankle in Game 4 of the East semifinals against the Milwaukee Bucks, who rallied on and went on to win the series in seven games. The Nets returned this past season thinking that their title core of Irving, Durant and James Harden might go on to win the NBA Championship but it didn't work out anywhere near as planned. Irving wasn't with the team for the majority of the season and Harden ultimately got traded to Philadelphia. The Nets needed to play the play-in tournament just to make the playoffs, and Nets then got humiliated by the eventual Eastern Conference champions, Celtics.

Durant and Irving have always been close friends as they came to the Nets together in July 2019. Durant signed his extension last summer, but Irving did not. Durant is also thinking about his future at Brooklyn but with Irving back in the mix, and with Ben Simmons, who hasn’t played at all this season is now set to team up alongside Irving and Durant this coming season, Brooklyn could quickly return to contender status if these three superstars can figure out a way to play. Or else both Kevin Durnat and Kyrie Irving will hand in trade requests.

Also read: NBA: John Wall is set to join the Los Angeles Clippers

(Basketball news) The Boston Celtics won their first match 115 - 114 against the Brooklyn Nets in the first round of the NBA playoffs. For the Celtics, Tatum scored 31 points, the last two on the first buzzer-beater of his career as it was Boston's first buzzer beater in the postseason since Paul Pierce in 2010 against the Heat. Brown added 23 points as Horford had 20 points and 15 rebounds, and Smart finished with 20 points, including four 3-pointers. For the Nets, Kyrie Irving finished with 39 points, including 18 in the fourth quarter as Durant added 23 points but shot just 9 of 24. With this result the Celtics take a 1-0 lead in the series as they play their next match on Wednesday.

''When he took that dribble we just kind of made eye contact. He made a great pass,'' Tatum said. ''It doesn't get any better than that. A buzzer-beater in a playoff game at home.''

I've always been told you have more time than you realise you have,'' Smart said. ''I was about to throw it to Al (Horford) off the dribble and I saw JT cut at the last minute.''

''I think that's kind of a microcosm for our season, guys moving the ball being unselfish,'' coach Ime Udoka said.

“They did a good job of forcing me away, then helping in the paint. I just got to be more fundamental in my moves,'' said Durant . ''I feel like some shots went in and out for me.''

The top seed in the Western Conference, the Phoenix Suns made easy work of the New Orleans Pelicans as they won 110-99. For the Suns, Paul scored 19 of his 30 points during a brilliant fourth-quarter scoring display as Deandre Ayton was particularly dominant on the defensive end with four blocks, and had 21 points and nine rebounds and Booker finished with 25 points. For the Pelicans, CJ McCollum led the scoring with 25 points, but struggled with his shooting much of the night as he finished 9 of 25 from the field. Valanciunas added 18 points and 25 rebounds as Brandon Ingram scored 18 points. With this result the Suns take the lead in the series as they play their second in Phoenix tomorrow.

''Classic Chris,'' Suns coach Monty Williams said.

''It's just reading the game,'' Paul said. ''We watch games all day, every day. We got to watch all the games yesterday. We watched the games today. We know in the playoffs, teams aren't going to lay down.''

''That man's a true competitor, a true winner,'' Suns guard Devin Booker said. ''He wants it that bad. You can see it in his demeanour, you can see it in his walk. It shouldn't surprise anybody. He's built for these moments.''

''We figured out a way to play,'' Pelicans forward Larry Nance Jr. said. ''This is the playoffs and there are going to be ebbs and flows, ups and downs. We are in a chess match now.''
The Milwaukee Bucks started their title defence in emphatic fashion as they won 93-86 against the Chicago Bulls. For the Bucks, Giannis Antetokounmpo had 27 points and 16 rebounds as Brook Lopez scored 18 points, Holiday had 15, Khris Middleton had 11 and Bobby Portis added 10. Portis also had 12 rebounds. For the Bulls, DeMar DeRozan scored 18 points but shot 6 of 25 as Vucevic had 24 points and 17 rebounds but shot 9 of 27. LaVine had 18 points and 10 rebounds while shooting 6 of 19. With this result the Bucks took a 1-0 lead in the series as they both will face each other on Wednesday in Milwaukee.

''We've got to win the ugly games,'' said Jrue Holiday, whose 3-pointer with 5:03 left put the Bucks ahead for good. ''I feel like today was ugly. It was a battle and it was tough, but it was an ugly one.''

''I thought it was a good shot,'' LaVine said. ''We were down three. I got a really clean look.''

''Every shot I took tonight felt good,'' said DeMar DeRozan, ''I guarantee you that me, Zach and Vooch (Nikola Vucevic) aren't going to miss that many shots again.''

''The whole team was kind of out of rhythm,'' said Antetokounmpo, who didn't score in the fourth quarter while dealing with foul trouble. ''We weren't able to find one another as easy as we usually find one another and make shots. We missed a bunch of open shots today. Usually we make those and we get energy.''

Also read: NBA: Hawks and Pelicans make the final playoff berth
 

(Basketball news) The Brooklyn Nets qualified for the playoffs after they beat the Cleveland Cavaliers in the play-in tournament 115-108. For the Nets, Kyrie Irving had 34 points and 12 assists, Kevin Durant added 25 points and 11 assists, and the Nets took the No. 7 seed in the Eastern Conference. For the Cavs, Darius Garland scored 34 points as Rookie Evan Mobley scored 19 points and Love had 14 points and 13 rebounds.The Cavaliers remained without All-Star center Jarrett Allen because of a broken finger. After this victory the Nets face a monumental task against in form Boston Celtics in the first round of the NBA playoffs. The Cavs get one more chance to secure a playoff position when they face the winners of Hawks vs Hornets on 15th April.

''I know that team very well and they know us very well and it'll be a back and forth,'' said Irving, a former Celtics guard, ''and once you throw that ball in the air, you're going to really see some spectacular basketball.''

“You can't give a team like Brooklyn that has championship aspirations and players who have won championships a 22-point lead,'' Cavs coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. ''Again, give our guys credit for getting back in it. But that's damn near impossible to overcome.''

''I always say about Kyrie in a March Madness, one-game type of situation, he's a tough guy to bet against,'' former Cavs teammate Kevin Love said. ''Again, seen this movie before but still - I think that there's just times where he comes out and plays out of his mind and that's why he's a future Hall of Famer. So you just kind of have to tip your hat to him. He hit some really tough, contested shots today.''

The Minnesota Timberwolves also secured the 7th spot in the Western conference and qualified for the playoffs after beating the La Clippers 109-104. For the Timberwolves, Edwards and Russell combined for 59 points as both came through with a steady stream of clutch plays. Edwards scored 30 points with five 3-pointers and Russell had 29 points and six assists to send the Wolves to the No. 7 seed in the Western Conference and a first-round matchup with Memphis. For the Clippers, Paul George finished with 34 points after shooting 2 for 10 in the first half as Reggie Jackson scored 17 points and Norman Powell finished with 16 points. The Clippers have a second chance to make the playoffs with a home game on Friday for the No. 8 seed against either New Orleans or San Antonio. 

''The game had to go in a different direction,'' coach Chris Finch said. ''That's why you have a team, because a lot of other people step up.''

''Just utilizing what we have,'' Russell said. ''We've got a lot of pieces that complement each other.''

''I took what the game gave me. That's what they gave me. They were scared to guard me, and I took advantage of that,'' Edwards said.
''I'm one of the best defensive guys on earth, and no one can guard him,'' said Beverley, who was in tears during the spirited celebration afterward as Edwards hopped up on the scorer's table.’’

''They played a lot better without KAT on the floor,'' Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said. ''They got into us defensively. They switched on a lot more stuff. I just didn't think we made the right plays.''

Also read: The regular season is over as Bulls secured the last playoff berth

The other matches in the play-in tournament are:

• Hawks vs Hornets
• Spurs vs Pelicans
   

(Basketball news) The Milwaukee Bucks edged out the Brooklyn Nets as they beat them 120-119 in overtime. For the Bucks, Antetokounmpo had 44 points, 14 rebounds and six assists. Jrue Holiday added 19 points and Khris Middleton had 16 before being ejected as Giannis became the all time leading scorer for the Bucks. For the Nets, Kevin Durant had 26 points, 11 assists and seven rebounds but missed a 3-pointer that would have won it. Kyrie Irving scored 25 points and Bruce Brown had 23. With this result the Bucks moved up to 2nd in the Eastern Conference table as they are only one victory away from getting the top spot in the standings, their current record stands at 48-28.

''When I'm done we can talk about it, but now there's no time,'' Antetokoumpo said, looking ahead to Friday's game against the Clippers. ''There's things that have to be done.''

''We just fight, compete, compete and know that obviously it helps to have that big fellow on your team that can literally break a game open for you and make plays,'' Bucks swingman Wesley Matthews said.

''It was just one of those games that got funky at the end, but we've just got to finish it out in regulation,'' Irving said.

''I'm not averse to seeing how they're doing and where they're at, but it's not something that I'm, like I said the other day, refreshing my feed daily,'' Nash said.

''I think it's in a good place,'' Budenholzer said. ''I don't think it's anything that we're concerned about, but there's a daily attention and effort that it takes from the sports performance team and him and what he does to be his best. It's impressive.''

The Los Angeles Lakers lost their fifth straight match and dropped down to 11th in the standings meaning that they are out of the play in positions also as they lost 122-109 against the Utah Jazz. For the Jazz, Donovan Mitchell scored 29 points and Rudy Gobert had 25 points and 17 rebounds as Jordan Clarkson scored 19 points, Mike Conley added 18 and Bojan Bogdanovic 11 in his return from injury. For the Lakers, Russell Westbrook scored 24 points and Dwight Howard had 21 points and 14 rebounds for the Lakers, who were without LeBron James (ankle sprain) and Anthony Davis (foot sprain). With this result the Utah Jazz improved their record to 46-31 and stayed in 5th in the Western Conference standings.

''It was huge to get a win,'' Mitchell said. ''The negativity and the losses and all that pressure was more external, but it was not an ideal time to have a five-game losing streak. So it's nice to celebrate this one tonight.''

''We were finding guys, making the right reads, getting switches, being able to break down the defense, get in the paint and make the extra pass,'' Mitchell said of the Jazz offense returning to its efficient ways with 51 percent shooting and only eight turnovers.
''I know how important these games are down the stretch. I just wanted to get my body and my mind prepared for tonight. Felt really good out there. Just a little bit hurt about not winning the game,'' Howard said.

''For me, personally, it's a big adjustment. You don't know who's playing and who's out. Who's starting and who's not. Something I'm not accustomed to. But like I said, I make no excuses. I own whatever it is, play whoever is playing and try to make the best out of it,'' Westbrook said.

''I really like the way we were able to re-focus together and reconnect. We did a good job closing . and that's big for us,'' Gobert said.

Also read: NBA: Phoenix Suns beat the Warriors and the Heat also win

The other results were:

• Pistons 102 - 94 76ers
• Hawks 131 - 107 Cavs
• Bulls 135 - 130 Clippers

Tomorrow’s fixtures are:

• Wizards vs Mavericks
• Magic vs Raptors
• Celtics vs Pacers
• Thunder vs Pistons
• Rockets vs Kings
• Grizzlies vs Suns
• Bucks vs Clippers
• Spurs vs Trail Blazers
• Nuggets vs Timberwolves
• Lakers vs Pelicans
• 76ers vs Hornets
• Knicks vs Cavs
   

(Basketball news) Brooklyn Nets went back to winning ways after they won 130-123 against the Detroit Pistons. For the Nets, Kevin Durant scored 41 points he connected on 14 of 23 shots, 4 of 6 from 3-point range and all nine of his foul shots while adding 11 rebounds, five assists and three blocks as Kyrie Irving added 24 points in his second home appearance since New York exempted the vaccine rule and Drummond added 14 points and 13 rebounds. For the Pistons, Cade Cunningham led the scoring with 34 points. Isaiah Stewart and Saddiq Bey each had 15. With this result the Nets improved their record to 40-36 and are currently 8th in the Eastern Conference standings.

''I want to get better shots sometimes, but like a couple of them are like, `I'm hot, let me risk it,''' Durant said. ''I was just trying to get the best shots that I could. Sometimes it might be over a guy in the lane, but I feel like that's open and I have to keep knocking them down.''

''We can't hang our hat on the second half, we have to play a complete game,'' Drummond said. ''It's never going to be easy to make that turn against great teams. Not that the Pistons aren't a great team. They played a great game, but we just turned it up in the second half.''

''We're going to have to make our staple as a team on the defensive end, because if we're going back and forth in a shooting contest, obviously we'll still be in the game but can lead to mistakes on our end,'' Irving said.

''I know their record isn't good, but they still have pros over there,'' Durant added. ''They still made shots early and gained confidence as a team. This was a good test for us.''

The Dallas Mavericks are close to securing a playoff place after a 128-110 victory over the struggling Lakers. For the Mavericks, Luka Doncic scored 34 points in a triple-double as he finished with 12 rebounds and 12 assists and Reggie Bullock scored 17 points as he was 5 of 8 from 3. For the Lakers, Malik Monk scored 28 points and Russell Westbrook had 25 which dropped to their third straight defeat for their fifth losing streak this season as they steadily slid away from .500. With this result the Mavericks have virtually secured a place in the NBA playoffs as their current record stands at 47-29 and are just one victory away from overtaking the Warriors in third place in the Western Conference standings.  

''With those guys out, we're at a talent deficit, so the focus and execution has to make up for it,'' Vogel said. ''This is just the latest dose of adversity that this year's team has faced. When you lose 'Bron, OK, you have to adjust yet again throughout a season of setbacks.''

''We respect who they are,'' Dallas coach Jason Kidd. ''They're dangerous. (Monk) played well. Russ played well. We took care of business from the start. I think those guys set the tone. Three great quarters of basketball.''

Also read: NBA: Boston Celtics and Memphis Grizzlies are emerging as dark horse

The other results were:

• Wizards 94 - 107 Bulls
• 76ers 116 - 118 Bucks
• Clippers 121 - 115 Jazz

Tomorrow’s matches are:

• Pacers vs Nuggets
• Cavs vs Mavericks
• Wizards vs Magic
• Raptors vs Timberwolves
• Celtics vs Heat
• Knicks vs Hornets
• Rockets vs Kings
• Thunder vs Hawks
• Spurs vs Grizzlies
• Warriors vs Suns
• Trail Blazers vs Pelicans
   

(Basketball news) The Brooklyn Nets are back to their winning ways thanks to Kyrie Iriving who dropped 60 points to lead them to a blowout 150-110 victory over the Orlando Magic. For the Nets, Irving scored a career-high 60 points, most in the Nets' NBA history as he shot 20 for 31, including 8 of 12 on 3-pointers, in 35 minutes. He made 12 of 13 free throws in matching the highest-scoring game in the NBA this season. Irving also scored 41 points in the first half which was the most in the first two quarters since Kobe Bryant had 42 against Washington on March 28, 2003 as Durant added 19 points in the Nets' fourth straight win. For the Magic, Cole Anthony had 19 points and seven assists and Wendall Carter finished with 18 points. With this result the Nets improved their record to 36-33 and sit in 8th in the Eastern Conference standings.

''It just shows you we're on our way to history,'' Irving said.

'The night after Karl Towns had an incredible performance, and then to have Kyrie do it the next night, the league is in an amazing place right now,'' teammate Kevin Durant said. ''We're seeing a lot of talent displayed every night, and this was one of the elite ones.''

''It was just about the team really, just getting in the flow,'' Kyrie said. ''That's the true purity of this game, doing it efficiently on both ends of the floor and coming out with a W.''

''A few shots I probably shouldn't have taken. Tough ones, with double-teams and triple-teams coming,'' he added. ''But as long as I can do it with a smile on my face and my teammates weren't too angry with me, it was worthwhile.''

''There's times he's shooting over two people,'' said Magic coach Jamahl Mosley. ''You try to double-team him, he's smart enough to know when to go and when not to go. He's fast in transition so you can't speed up and try to deny him. They're setting backscreens. He's crafty enough and he's seen every coverage and he knows how to play with a pace. That makes it hard.''

The Phoenix Suns continued their golden form as they beat the New Orleans Pelicans 130-115. For the Suns, Booker capped his 27-point performance with six points in a 33-second span at the end of the third quarter which was crucial in the end for the victory, Deandre Ayton added 18 points and Mikal Bridges went 4 of 5 from deep and scored 20 for them. For the Pelicans, Herb Jones scored 22 as CJ McCollum returned from a two-game absence and scored 21 points,  Jonas Valanciunas added 17 points and 12 rebounds. With this result the Suns extended their record to 55-14 and sit comfortably on top of the Western Conference table.

''It's demoralizing because you're right there, you're looking to get over the hump and then he comes down and hits a couple shots like that,'' Pelicans coach Willie Green said.

''More important than making the shot with 33 seconds left was making sure you're taking the shot with 33 seconds, playing the possession game,'' Booker said, alluding to the NBA's 24-second shot clock. ''We've just been stressing on finishing quarters the right way.''

'When they don't miss a shot, it's pretty hard,'' Pelicans forward Jaxson Hayes said. ''They're just hard to match up with.''

We just come together, man. It's fun to be a part of,'' Booker said. ''Just everybody vs. us, just taking that approach to it, just enjoying the road games, just enjoying being the bearer of bad news coming through here. It's something I think that we definitely own.''

Also read: NBA: Lakers lose two in row as the Warriors are back to winning ways

The other results were:

• Pacers 102 - 135 Grizzlies
• Heat 105 - 98 Pistons

Tomorrow’s fixtures are:

• Cavs vs 76ers
• Wizards vs Nuggets
• Hornets vs Hawks
• Nets vs Mavericks
• Knicks vs Trail Blazers
• Timberwolves vs Lakers
• Spurs vs Thunder'
• Jazz vs Bulls
• Kings vs Bucks
• Warriors vs Celtics
• Clippers vs Raptors
   

(Basketball news) The Brooklyn Nets defeated Philadelphia 76ers 129-100 in the first meeting between the two sides since James Harden moved to the 76ers for Seth Curry and Ben Simmons in February. However, Harden didn’t have a particularly enjoyable game as he only managed 11 points against his former team while Kevin Durant scored 25 points and Kyrie Irving added 24.

Despite being unable to guide the 76ers to victory, Harden overtook Reggie Miller into third on the all-time three-pointers list with 2,563. Stephen Curry leads with 3,107. As for the Brooklyn Nets, Seth Curry scored 22 points while three time All-Star Simmons is still recuperating from his injury and is yet to represent the 76ers.

Meanwhile, Stephen Curry reached a milestone of 20,000 career points as Golden State Warriors defeated Denver Nuggets 113-102. Curry scored a game high 34 points and became the 49th player to reach this milestone. "Any accomplishment you do, whether it's individual or a team, is special," said Curry. "You work every day to keep getting better. Hopefully a lot more to come. It's pretty special for sure."

Also read: Why are the Lakers and the Nets struggling this season?

(Basketball News) The Lakers and Nets are both having terrible seasons considering the wealth of talent they have in their team but they have no team chemistry. With LeBron James at the helm and a wealth of experience to rely on, the Lakers still look confident that they won’t fall out of the play-in game even as they slide down the standings.

LeBron’s confidence may be unwavering, but it’s hard to believe that the Lakers will actually qualify for the play off in the tournament, especially after their recent performance of late. It already seems like a long shot by head coach Frank Vogel to play in the play-in game, the Lakers are coming out of the gate by losing four straight games which has opened up the possibility that the team could fall out of the standings and plummet out of the play-in game entirely. 

The main reason for their downfall this season has been the failed trade of Russell Westbrook, who hasn’t gelled into the team at all. Westbrook is a top class player but one thing in his game which goes against him is that all the team's offence must go through him but with LeBron in the team that is not possible. Frank Vogel, who's a good coach, hasn't really figured out how these two legendary players can play together. On top of that Anthony Davis hasn’t really got going this season, the little glimpses he has shown, he's gone down injured. All in all, the Lakers need to figure out something before the end of the season because there are going to be some major changes next season.

For the Nets, the season began with controversy with Kyrie Iriving refusing to get vaccinated as that really impacted their pre-season. Even after the controversy, Kevin Durant was single handedly leading the Nets to the top spot of the Eastern Conference but everything went downhill when Durant suffered an injury and since then they have lost 12 games in a row. To make matters worse their third star James Harden officially requested for a trade as he went to the 76ers and Ben Simmons moved the opposite direction. I would say that the Nets still have a chance to make the playoffs once Kevin Durant comes back from injury and only time will tell us if Ben Simmons is a good fit for the Brooklyn Nets.

Today's results were:

• 76ers 125 - 114 Cavs
• Pistons 111 - 106 Pacers
• Wizards 114 - 117 Hawks
• Raptors 97 - 103 Magic
• Bulls 112 - 118 Bucks
• Thunder 101 - 138 Timberwolves
• Pelicans 124 - 90 Jazz
• Nuggets 116 - 101 Rockets
• Suns 115 - 114 Knicks

Also read: NBA: Lakers continue their losing streak, Mavericks beat the Warriors

Tomorrow’s fixtures are:

• Mavericks vs Kings
• Hornets vs Spurs
• Timberwolves vs Trail Blazers
• Grizzlies vs Magic
• Heat vs 76ers
• Lakers vs Warriors
• Celtics vs Nets
   

(Basketball news) The Chicago Bulls won the Indiana Pacers 122-115 as Nikola Vucevic inspired them to a very good victory. For the Bulls, Vucevic came up big with a season-high 36 points and 17 rebounds, to which DeMar DeRozan added 31 points, Vucevic went 16 of 21 from the field, and had four assists and three blocks. For the Pacers, Caris LeVert had 42 points as he also had eight assists and five rebounds, the recently signed Terry Taylor finished with 21 points, 14 rebounds and five assists. With this result they moved up to top of the Eastern Conference table as they improved to 33-19.

''It's like people think he has this huge size advantage but I'm not really used to playing against smaller guys like that,'' said Vucevic, the 6-foot-11 veteran who only faced one defender taller than 6-7. ''There were a lot of seals in the post so a lot of my points were easy. It's just a different look and different for me.''

“I was really, really impressed with what he did at the rim tonight,'' Donovan said. ''He had a couple of really good blocks and he made some guys miss some shots as well.''

'It's a disappointing result but there's plenty of good things going on,'' coach Rick Carlisle said. ''We've just got to stay in the fight while we're undermanned.''

''He cut me from my last NBA team and offered me my first coaching job - in the same phone call,'' Carlisle said. ''Anytime someone sees you and believes you and gives you that first opportunity, that's very special.''

The Nets lost their seventh consecutive match, after being defeated by the Utah Jazz 125-102 as Donovan Mitchell made his return - and the Utah Jazz suddenly looked like the NBA's best offense again. For the Jazz, Mitchell scored 27 points after missing eight games because of a concussion, Bojan Bogdanovic added 19 points and 11 rebounds as Eric Paschall scored 16 points, Hassan Whiteside had 15 points and Mike Conley 14 for the Jazz, who have won twice after losing seven of eight injury-riddled games. For the Nets, Kyrie Irving, the only Nets star to play, scored 15 points on 20 shots as Brooklyn rookie Cam Thomas posted a career-high 30 points just four games after setting his previous best of 25 last week. With this result the Jazz improved their record to 32-21 as they stayed 4th in the Western Conference.

''There's so much focus other teams have on him that it frees up other guys offensively -- he's Donovan Mitchell and makes life a lot easier for everybody,'' said Alex Jensen, who was Utah's acting coach with Quin Snyder in the COVID-19 health and safety protocols.

''He was unbelievable,'' Udoka Azubuike said. ''It looked like a video game. There was one time I had to catch myself in the moment because I was just watching him. Every shot was going in. Don is a star.''
''I was just happy to be playing basketball,'' Mitchell said. ''I was joking before the game that I didn't care if the ball went in. I was just happy to be out there running around, guarding, thinking the game and playing with my teammates.''

''We're going through a tough stretch,'' Brooklyn coach Steve Nash said. ''We're undermanned and we're asking guys to do more. We played against an excellent offensive team. ... I just keep telling the guys that it's about staying together through this.''

Also read: Lakers snapped out of their losing streak and the Nets lose 6 in a row

The other results were:

• Hornets 101 - 102 Cavaliers
• Pistons 93 - 102 Celtics
• Raptors 125 - 114 Hawks
• Spurs 131 - 106 Rockets
• Nuggets 105 - 113 Pelicans
• Mavericks 107 - 98 76ers
• Trail Blazers 93 - 96 Thunder

Tomorrow’s fixtures are:

• Magic vs Grizzlies
• Wizards vs Suns
• Hornets vs Heat
• Lakers vs Knicks
• Trail Blazers vs Bucks
• Kings vs Thunder

(Basketball news) Los Angeles suffered their third successive loss and two in two days against the Atlanta Hawks 129-121. For the Hawks, Trae Young had 36 points and 12 assists, and the Hawks earned their seventh straight win, as Onyeka Okongwu scored 12 of his 16 points in the final period and John Collins further added 20 points in the match. For the Lakers, Malik Monk led Los Angeles with 33 points in the Lakers' third consecutive loss without LeBron James in all those fixtures, Davis helped power the Lakers' strong start with 18 first-half points for 27 points. The Lakers scored a season-high 71 points in the first half while making 71.4% of their shots from the field, but they couldn't continue the hot shooting in the second half. With this result the Lakers (24-27), who were ninth in the Western Conference, fell a season-low three games below .500.

''If our mindset is right we get stops on the defensive end ... I think we have a good chance of winning any night,'' Young said.

''We're not in the position we want to be right now but that's OK,'' said Russell Westbrook, who had 20 points and 12 assists. ''We know what we need to do as a team. Just find a way to get over the hump and close games out.''

''He was doing a good job of keeping his body between (Davis) and the basket,'' Hawks coach Nate McMillan said. ''I decided to just stay with him and finish the game.''

''We were close but just have fallen short in the last couple,'' Vogel said. ''We played well in the last two games. We fell short in the end. We've just got to get home and put this trip behind us ... and get ready for the next game, whether LeBron is in or out.''

The Warriors won an exciting encounter 110-106 against the Brooklyn Nets who weren’t quite at full strength as they were missing the likes of Kevin Durant and James Harden. For the Warriors, Thompson finished with 16 points, Steph Curry scored 19 points, Andrew Wiggins contributed 24 points and eight rebounds and Jordan Poole added 17 points and six assists off the bench. For the Nets, Patty Mills finished with 24 points and Kyrie Irving scored 32 points. Thompson hit the biggest shot yet of his 2 1/2-year injury comeback, smoothly sinking a 3-pointer with 12 seconds left to send the Golden State Warriors to a much needed victory at the Chase center. With this result, the Warriors remained second in the Western Conference table with an improved record of 37-13.

''It felt amazing, it really did. I missed that feeling,'' Thompson said. ''It felt absolutely amazing.''

'It's important for Klay to feel those big moments. It's been 2 1/2 years,'' coach Steve Kerr said.

''I think I'm figuring out how to play well with these guys and vice versa,'' Thompson said. ''It's hard to simulate that when you're on the sideline watching.''

''It's great having him back. We've had so many injuries and interruptions this year, availability issues, to add a player of his caliber, even if it's just on the road, has been much needed and has been great for our group,'' Nash said. ''Fortunately, the reality of the last 18 months for us is that we've never had an extended run of health. So to have a player that plays on the road and at home is not that different than what we face week to week anyway.''

Also read: Fans vote for the 2022 NBA All-Star game starters

The other results were:

• Bulls 130 - 116 Trail Blazers
• Pistons 115 - 105 Cavaliers
• Bucks 100 - 136 Nuggets
• Magic 110 - 108 Mavericks
• Timberwolves 126 - 106 Jazz
• Suns 115 - 110 Spurs 

Tomorrow’s fixtures are:

• Cavaliers vs Pelicans
• Pacers vs Clippers
• 76ers vs Grizzlies
• Knicks vs Kings
• Celtics vs Heat
• Hawks vs Raptors 
• Rockets vs Warriors
• Thunder vs Trail Blazers

(Basketball news) Los Angeles lost against the Miami Heat 113-107 as they moved up to the summit of the Eastern Conference table. For the Heat, Duncan Robinson scored 25 points as Butler finished with 20 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists for Miami, his 10th regular-season triple-double for the Heat which is one more than James had in his four Miami seasons. Along with Butler’s performance, Caleb Martin scored 15, Bam Adebayo scored 14 and Gabe Vincent had 11 for Miami. For the Lakers, James carried the Lakers yet again, finishing with 33 points - his 17th consecutive game with at least 26 - and 11 rebounds. Russell Westbrook scored 24 for the Lakers, former Heat guard Avery Bradley added 15 and Carmelo Anthony scored 11. With this result the Miami Heat improved their record to 30-17 as the Lakers moved below .500 with a record of 23-24 which has moved them down to 8th in the Western Conference.

''I think those are important experiences to go through together,'' Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said.

''To have those kinds of pivotal moments down the stretch, you can never have enough of those,'' Robinson said. ''They're invaluable.

''I'm in one of the best zones offensively I've been in in my career,'' James said.

''In the fourth quarter we played the type of basketball we want to play, but we dug ourselves too much of a hole early in the game,'' James said.

The Warriors grinded out a tough 95-92 victory over the Utah Jazz.  For the Warriors, Curry scored 13 points, struggling again with his 3-point stroke as he went 1 for 13 from deep and 5 of 20 overall, Jordan Poole scored 20 points as Curry's brother-in-law Damion Lee did his part, coming off the bench to hit four clutch 3-pointers and score 12 points. For the Jazz,  Bogdanovic, who recently came back from an injured left ring finger, scored 21 points while Rudy Gobert grabbed 18 rebounds to go with 12 points for the Jazz, who lost their fourth straight to the Warriors. It was a total team effort from the Warriors as six players were in double digit scoring. With this result the Warriors improved their record to 34 -13 as they stayed 2nd in the Western Conference standings.

''They're still attached to my body and I'm still getting plenty of attempts,'' the two-time MVP said following another off-night, 

''I'm trying to have fun with this. It's a big-picture perspective on how you approach the game, the work that you put in. It's obviously frustrating. I want to shoot the ball, it's frustrating. I kicked the chair the other day for that reason,'' he said. ''It's not like I don't care and not trying to figure it out but I don't get preoccupied with it.''

''Steph looks great physically. The last few games he's playing some of his basketball in terms of handling the point guard duties,'' Kerr said. ''He's taking care of the basketball, he's playing great defense, shots just aren't going. ... He's seemed inhuman for so long. I think everybody just expects him to be in a groove all season long and it's just not the way it works.''

''That's how you've got to win when you're scuffling a little bit,'' Kerr said. ''Really proud of the team.''

The Brooklyn Nets suffered a shock defeat to the Minnesota Timberwolves 136-125. For the Timberwolves, Anthony Edwards scored 25 points, D'Angelo Russell had 23 points and 10 assists as Karl-Anthony Towns overcame a poor shooting night, scoring 15 of his 23 points in the fourth quarter to rally his team to victory, along with that Jaylen Nowell scored 16 points, Taurean Prince had 15, and Jaden McDaniels added 14. The three went 18 for 26 from the floor, including a perfect 6-for-6 night from Prince. For the Nets, Kyrie Irving scored a game-high 30 points while Patty Mills hit five 3-pointers on the way to 21 points. Kessler Edwards added 15 points, and James Harden had 13 points and 13 assists for Brooklyn, which is 2-2 since losing leading scorer Kevin Durant to a sprained ligament in his left knee. With this result the Nets dropped down to second in the Eastern Conference with a record of 29-17.

''It doesn't have to be me every night,'' said Towns, Minnesota's leading scorer and rebounder. ''That's why we have great talents like D'Angelo Russell and Anthony Edwards. You've got to be able to lean on them. They can carry the load just as well as myself.''

''Those guys are coming in, bringing their own energy and spice to the game,'' Russell said. ''That takes the pressure off everybody.'

''I don't know that we gave enough resistance, weren't into the body enough,'' Nets coach Steve Nash said. ''Didn't feel like our will, our force, was felt defensively. Whatever it was, we didn't have the juice down there tonight. ... We tried to find a way to hang in and see if we could get on a run defensively. We just never did.''

Also read: NBA: Lakers snap out of their losing streak and Bucks overcome top seed Bulls

The other results were:

• Wizards 86 - 116 Celtics
• Magic 114 - 95 Bulls
• Raptors 105 - 114 Trail Blazers
• Hornets 91 - 113 Hawks
• Spurs 109 - 115 76ers
• Nuggets 117 - 111 Pistons

Tomorrow’s fixtures are:

• Cavaliers vs Knicks
• Pelicans vs Pacers
• Thunder vs Bulls
• Suns vs Jazz
   

(Basketball news) The Los Angeles Lakers snapped out of their three match losing streak as they defeated the Utah Jazz 101-95. For the Lakers, LeBron James scored 25 points and Stanley Johnson had 10 of his 15 points in the fourth quarter to lead the Los Angeles Lakers to a much needed victory. The Lakers got 44 points from their bench which was an integral part in the fourth quarter revival. For the Jazz, Mike Conley had 20 points and Rudy Gobert had a double double with 19 points and 16 rebounds as Jazz star Donavan Mitchell had a quiet night with 13 points only. With this result the Lakers moved to 7th in the Western Conference standings as they improved their record to 22-22.

''I'm just trying to put everyone in position to be successful and read the game while the game was going on and I knew the way we could be successful offensively,'' James said. ''The guys responded well to what I saw and Stanley had a big-time game.''

''Our effort and energy wasn't where it needed to be in the Denver game, second half of the Memphis game and the other game,'' James said. ''We weren't playing to our capabilities. As the leader of this team I was taking onus of that and letting Laker Nation know.''

''It feels good doing what I came here to do,'' Johnson said. ''I came here to bring energy and affect the game in different ways. Today was the day I was able to do it within the scheme and get deflections and be active. It resulted in positive plays. It feels good. We all put a lot into this. It's not just a wake up and do it.''

''I thought we had too many really tough shots,'' Jazz coach Quin Snyder said. ''I think some of the shots are makeable but we made it harder on ourselves than it needed to be as far as making better reads and moving the ball quicker and generating some better shots. I think that showed.''

The Brooklyn Nets suffered their second successive defeat on the roll as they lost to the Cleveland Cavaliers 114-107. This was also their 5th win a row as the Cavs are certainly pushing above their weight this season. For the Cavaliers, Darius Garland strengthened his All-Star case with 22 points and 12 assists as Isaac Okoro added 15 points and Jarrett Allen had 14 and 10 rebounds. For the Nets, Kevin Durant was missing his second game in a row but James Harden added 22 points as Kyrie Irving top scored with 27 points. With this result the Cavs stayed in 4th but have the same number of wins as the third placed Nets in the Eastern Conference.

It's a signature win for us against a high-level team,'' Cavs coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. ''Obviously with reasons why and excuses coming back off that long road trip and all those things, playing against two of the most elite players in our league, and our guys figuring out a way.

''I'm not bringing science into it,'' said Irving, who was defensive about his position. ''I'm staying rooted in what I believe in.''

''It's an opportunity for our team to grow,'' Nash said. ''We have to find solutions.''

Also read: NBA: Lakers lose their third successive match in a row as Warriors also lose

The other results were:

• Wizards 117 - 98 76ers
• Grizzlies 119 - 106 Bulls
• Clippers 139 - 133 Pacers
• Hawks 121 - 114 Bucks
• Magic 88 - 98 Trail Blazers
• Heat 104 - 99 Raptors
• Spurs 107 - 121 Suns
• Mavericks 104 - 102 Thunder

Tomorrow’s fixtures are:

• Knicks vs Timberwolves
• Warriors vs Pistons
   

(Basketball news) With the NBA in full flow there have been certain players who are having extraordinary individual seasons. We take a look at those players who are not only in the MVP reckoning but also helping their team grind out results over these past few months. This season has been really tough on the players especially with the Covid situation and protocols, so to be consistent in an inconsistent season really tells about the players mentality and contribution points wise to their respective teams. Lets us a take look at the top three players in the league currently:

3) DeMar DeRozan (Chicago Bulls) 

This season DeRozan has averaged 26.0 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 4.7 apg. When the Bulls signed DeMar DeRozan on a three-year for a $85 million contract and traded Thaddeus Young plus a future protected first round pick to finish the deal many experts regarded the move as disastrous and doubted his skills but DeRozan had other ideas as he is currently having his best season at the age of 32 and has helped Chicago from being the worst-to-first in the Eastern Conference standings. After finishing last season with the fewest wins in the league over the last four seasons, the Bulls are now a legit contender for the No. 1 seed in the East.

DeRozan has been deadly on the mid-range scoring and hitting clutch shots for the Bulls. He’s leading the league in fourth quarter scoring, which has helped his team capture the top spot in the standings. While DeRozan doesn’t shoot many threes and remains a below average defender but his consistent ability to get to the foul line and score baskets are a crucial part in Billy Donavan’s offence. If DeRozan keeps this up, the Bulls are a legit contender in the East.

2) Kevin Durant (Brooklyn Nets)

This season Kevin Durant has averaged 29.7 ppg, 7.5 rpg, 5.9 apg. He’s leading the league in scoring at about 30 points per game. If KD can maintain a shooting percentage above 61 percent, it will be the 10th straight year he’s done it. He’s also had a major impact on the Nets’ team success with Kyrie Irving still having not played enough games together, James Harden is having a below par season compared to his standards, and Joe Harris is hurt, but Brooklyn are still in the reckoning to win the Eastern Conference
 
Durant has a strong case both as MVP winner as it is remarkable that he’s still playing so well even after tearing his achilles. Brooklyn’s defense has also been playing at a top-five level most of the year, and Durant is a factor on that end as well despite not putting up huge steal or block rates so far. KD is having an incredible season this year and in all possibilities at the end of the season he might just lead the Nets to their maiden NBA crown

1) Steph Curry (Golden State Warriors)

Curry this season is averaging 27.7 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 5.9 apg. At the age of 34 he is still playing his prime. He’s once again one of the league’s leading scorers, and he’s doing this making more three-pointers than ever before. Nowadays he’s been surrounded by a reliable veteran supporting cast that helps his team to win matches even when he's not around. Golden State Warriors have become a team that got knocked out in the play-in tournament last year to one having the best record this season.

Also read: The Bucks win big against the Warriors as Grizzlies made it 11 straight victories

Curry all his life has been a bit of an underrated defender, but with time he's becoming an even better defender than before, his defence has played a pivotal role on what’s clearly the best defense in the league in Golden State. He also broke the all time three point record of Ray Allen at the Madison Square Garden this season. As long as he stays healthy, Golden State remains the No. 1 seed in the West and a third MVP title wouldn’t be far.

(Basketball news) Los Angeles lost their second match in a row as they lost to the Sacramento Kings 125-116. For the Kings, De'Aaron Fox scored 29 points, Chimezie Metu made a clutch 3-pointer with 46.7 seconds remaining as Harrison Barnes added 23 points and seven rebounds for the Kings and rookie Tyrese Haliburton had 14 points and 10 assists. For the Lakers, LeBron James had 34 points, seven rebounds and six assists and Malik Monk scored 22 as James has scored 31 or more in 11 of his last 12 games. With this result the Lakers dropped down to 7th in the Western Conference with a record of 21-21 as the Kings improved their record to 17-26.

“It was a much-needed win,'' Kings interim coach Alvin Gentry said. ''We did a good job of attacking the paint - we ended up with 70 points in the paint. That was the difference in the game, we were able to get the ball to the basket.''

''We knew if we didn't put up a stand, put up a fight in the third, we would let this slip away like the previous five,'' Barnes said. ''Tonight from start to finish we did a good job of sticking to the game plan, everyone providing energy, competing. Things that we haven't done consistently.''

''For the second game in a row, our defense let us down,'' Lakers coach Frank Vogel said. ''We have to figure out what we're doing there and be better in that situation.''

The Brooklyn Nets thrashed the Chicago Bulls 138-112 as for the first time this season the big three of Durant, Harden and Irving started a game. For the Nets, Durant scored 27 points, James Harden added 25 points and a season-high 16 assists as Irving had an off night with 9 points but Patty Mills scored 21 and nailed 6 of 8 from beyond the arc, helping Brooklyn come out on top after losing five of seven previous matches. For the Bulls, Zach LaVine scored 22. DeMar DeRozan added 19 points as they lost for the second time in three games after winning nine straight to match their best run since the end of the 2010-11 regular season and Bulls also had their nine-game home win streak snapped. With this result the Nets improved their record to 26-14 but still stayed 2nd in the Eastern Conference standings.

''We're trying to make no statements to the league,'' Durant said. ''I mean, who cares what they think. We know what we bring to the table, and it's all about us. But I'm sure people were watching the game tonight.''

''We're that good,'' Harden said. ''We have a chance to be that good. We just haven't had enough of it.''

''I think you own it,'' coach Billy Donovan said. ''I think our guys have worked hard up to this point to be where we are in the standings, and with that there's a greater responsibility.'

''When that run happened, I think it was just a continuous sort of flow we had from the first half,'' Irving said. ''We just felt like once we break this open, hit a few more 3s, make it tough for them on the defensive end - we felt like we'd have control of the game.''

Also read: NBA: Grizzlies beat the Warriors as the Bulls thump the Pistons

The other results were:

• 76ers 98 - 109 Hornets
• Pacers 100 - 119 Celtics
• Wizards 112 - 106 Magic
• Hawks 91 - 115 Heat
• Knicks 108 - 85 Mavericks
• Spurs 124 - 128 Rockets
• Jazz 91 - 111 Cavaliers

Tomorrow’s fixtures are:

• Bucks vs Warriors
• Grizzlies vs Timberwolves
• Pelicans vs Clippers
• Nets vs Thunder 
• Nuggets vs Trail Blazers
   

(Basketball news) The Golden State Warriors slumped to their first back to back defeats as they lost 101-96 to the New Orleans Pelicans. For the Pelicans, Brandon Ingram scored 32 points as Warriors' leading scorer Stephen Curry was ruled out after hurting his left quad along with Draymond Green was also out because of a sore hip. The Pelicans players produced an allround performance as Hart scored 14 points and Clark had 10, hitting three of four 3-pointers. Jonas Valanciunas grabbed 10 rebounds and blocked two shots. For the Warriors, Andrew Wiggins scored 21 points. Kuminga scored 13 and Damion Lee added 12. With this result Pelicans improved their record to 14-25 as the Warriors dropped down to  2nd in the Western Conference standings with a record of 29-9.

''You could tell from the start of the game that he was playing at a different pace,'' Pelicans coach Willie Green said of Ingram, “He was aggressive, and he had intention. He knew where he wanted to get, and he got to his spots and jumped up and shot the ball. He got to the free throw line. It just took him a couple games to get back in rhythm.''

''Being short-handed gives the young guys a good chance to play and experience a pressure-filled game on the road,'' Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. ''I am proud of the team fighting all the way through, giving themselves a chance at the end. Just didn't have enough, and the ball didn't go in enough.''

''It takes a toll on me throughout the day and the next day until we can get back on the floor,'' Ingram said. ''Today was definitely a good night for me. My body felt good. I felt good going to the rim. I had a rhythm. I had a good touch to my shot.

The Phoenix Suns became the first team with 30 wins as they won comprehensively against the LA Clippers 106-89. For the Suns, Chris Paul had a triple-double with 14 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists, and the Suns improved to 25-0 when leading after three quarters. Cam Johnson added a career-high 24 points, and Jalen Smith scored 19 points and had 14 rebounds. The Clippers dropped below .500 at 19-20 as  Marcus Morris Sr had 26 points and Reggie Jackson added 16. With this victory the Suns moved to the top of the Western Conference standings as they improved their record to 30- 8.

''Some teams' biggest issue is that they don't know what they want to run or who they want to go down the stretch,'' Paul said. ''I think we have a good sense of that. We know what our go-to plays are.''

''I just think the players have done a really good job of driving our culture,'' Suns coach Monty Williams said. ''We have unreal guard play, which really helps.

''We scraped and competed,'' Clippers coach Ty Lue said. ''That is a good ball club over there and they played well. Their stars took over down the stretch and took over the game.''

Also read: NBA: Nets win as Kyrie Irving makes a comeback, Mavericks stun the Warriors

The other results were:

• Knicks 108 - 105 Celtics
• Grizzlies 118 - 88 Pistons

Tomorrow’s matches are:

• 76ers vs Spurs
• Raptors vs Jazz
• Nets vs Bucks
• Bulls vs Wizards
• Rockets vs Mavericks
• Nuggets vs Kings
• Lakers vs Hawk
• Trail Blazers vs Cavaliers

(Basketball news) The Brooklyn Nets welcomed back Kyrie Irving as they won 129-121 against the Indiana Pacers. Kyrie Irving was ineligible to play home games because he is not vaccinated which is compulsory in New York City and the Nets had decided against allowing him to just play road games for most of the season but they changed their mind last month as he scored scored 22 points to rally the Nets to a much needed victory. For the Nets, Kevin Durant had 39 as they recovered from a 19 point deficit as LaMarcus Aldridge scored 13 points in 16 minutes. For the Pacers, Domantas Sabonis had 32 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists and  Lance Stephenson, who had previously played for the Pacers scored 30 points in his first home game with the Pacers after signing a 10-day contract. With this result the Nets improved their record to 24-12 as they stayed second in the Eastern Conference standings.

''He looks like himself, not that that's a surprise,'' Nets coach Steve Nash said.''It came down to defense and effort, and the second half was night and day to the first,'' Nash added . ''It took us getting in a deep hole before we showed them the respect the game and them the respect they deserved.''

''He didn't act nervous, he has a nice poker face,'' Durant said. ''He's a quiet guy. He plays with energy and passion.''

Irving said he was nervous, “it was different from any previous debut in his basketball career. This meant a little more, taking eight months off and so much uncertainty,'' he said ''I settled down closer to the second half. Whatever the team (needs), I'll do.''

''Just working out for two years, waiting for this moment,'' Stephenson said. ''I'm so happy to be here, it's home. It's like playing in front of family.''

The Dallas Mavericks stunned the number 1 seed in the west as they won 99-82 on a night when Dallas Mavericks retired Dirk Nowitzki's number. For the Mavericks, Luka Doncic dominated the proceedings as he scored 26 points, the 22-year-old sensation played aggressively and was 10 of 12 on free throws with 8 assists and 7 rebounds.to his name, Dorian Finney-Smith scored 15 of his 17 points in the second half and had nine rebounds and two blocks. For the Warriors, Andrew Wiggins scored 17 points as Steph Curry again had a rough night with 14 points to his name. At 29-8, the Warriors dropped into a tie with the Phoenix Suns for the best record in the NBA. With this result the Mavericks improved their record to 15-16 as they moved to 8th in the Western Conference standings.

''The body of work over the course of this year's been pretty solid,'' said Curry, who scored 14 points and made just five of 24 shots coming off his worst shooting night of the season. ''This stretch has not been great, not up to my standards. So you've just to stick to the program. It'll come around.''
''There are so many things going through your head,'' said Jason Kidd ''You know the Warriors are going to score. Steph is going to make 3s. We just tried to make it as tough as possible and on offense take care of the ball. And our defense did a great job in giving us a chance to win.

“Everyone's throwing everything at him,'' coach Steve Kerr said. ''Their best defender. Their double teams. They're trying to make it as difficult as possible. I thought tonight he pressed a little bit. He's trying hard to get out of it.''

''An icon,'' Curry said when asked about Dirk Nowitzki. ''He did it his way, playing with the same franchise for 21 years. Just what he meant to the city, to this organization. He opened up the gates for international players to believe they could have amazing careers in the NBA and give them confidence.''

Also read: NBA: Lakers win three on the bounce as Warriors extend their lead

The other results were:

• Hornets 140 - 111 Pistons 
• Wizards 111 - 114 Rockets
• Magic 106 - 116 76ers
• Celtics 97 - 99 Spurs
• Timberwolves 98 - 90 Thunder
• Bucks 111 - 117 Raptors
• Nuggets 109 - 115 Jazz
• Trail Blazers 109 - 115 Heat
• Kings 102 - 108 Hawks

Tomorrow's fixtures are:

• Knicks vs Celtics 
• Pelicans vs Warriors
• Grizzlies vs Pistons 
• Suns vs Clippers
   

(Basketball news) Lakers won back to back road games as they defeated 106-94 against the Orlando Magic. James scored 14 of his 30 points during Los Angeles' spectacular third quarter, and he added 11 rebounds and 10 assists while the Lakers rolled past Orlando for their fifth victory in seven games. For the Lakers, Talen Horton-Tucker scored 19 points, Russell Westbrook had 19 points and James secured his 101st career triple-double in the final minutes as the Lakers won their second straight with second-leading scorer Anthony Davis sidelined by left knee soreness. For the Magic, Cole Anthony scored 21 points, Franz Wagner added 20 points and seven rebounds as they suffered their 12th loss in 13 games. With this result the Lakers improved their record to 15-13 and moved up to 6th in Western Conference.

'When he's aggressive and making the right plays and reads, our team is different,'' Westbrook said. ''This was another game where he imposed his will. ... (The blocked shots) are just big for us, and I know it's big for him to show he's still doing what he's been doing year after year. It's great to see.''

''Sleep,'' James said. ''Sleep, and inspiration from my son and his team. ... I slept last night from 12 to 8. I got up, ate breakfast, and then I went back to sleep from 8:30 to 12:30. That's pretty good, right?''

''He's exemplifying finding joy through hustle,'' Lakers coach Frank Vogel said. ''The effort he's playing with is inspiring our whole group.''

The Brooklyn Nets continued their fine start to the season with a 116-104 victory over the Detroit Pistons. Kevin Durant scored an NBA season-high 51 points as he scored at least 10 points in all four quarters. Patty Mills added 18 points for the Nets, who outscored Detroit 30-13 in the fourth quarter. For the Pistons Cade Cunningham had 26 and Frank Jackson added 25 for Detroit, which lost its 12th straight and still haven't won back-to-back games this season. Durant also set the record on Sunday for points scored at the Little Caesars Arena, which opened in 2017. He bested Blake Griffin's 50 in 2018, Kyrie Irving's 45 in 2020 and James Harden's 44 last season. With this result the Nets improved their record to 19-8 and sit comfortably at the top of the Eastern Conference standings.

''I knew I probably needed to pick up a little more of the scoring tonight,'' said Durant, who had his seventh 50-point game of his career. ''We were turning the ball over more than we should, and I was doing as much of that as anyone, so I figured I better just keep shooting.'

''It was fun just to watch K.D. when he's playing like that,'' Mills said. ''Being a part of it is even better. You don't see many games like he had tonight.''

''I saw the look in his eyes and knew he didn't want to come out,'' Nets coach Steve Nash said. ''He was just incredible tonight. Not only did he score 51, but he had (nine) assists and (seven) rebounds. He even had a couple blocks and played incredible defense in the fourth quarter.''

Also read: NBA: Lakers lose to the Grizzlies as they ruined LeBron James’ historic 100th triple double

The other results were:

• Thunder 84 - 103 Mavericks
• Spurs 112 - 97 Pelicans  
• Trail Blazers 111 - 116 Timberwolves

The other matches for tomorrow are:

• Cavaliers vs Heat
• Raptors vs Kings
• Pacers vs Warriors
• Hawks vs Rockets
• Celtics vs Bucks
• Grizzlies vs 76ers 
• Mavericks vs Hornets
• Nuggets vs Wizards
• Clippers vs Suns

(Basketball news) New York Knicks continued their fine start to the NBA season as they beat the unbeaten Chicago Bulls 104-103, Kemba Walker again top scored with 21 points, RJ Barrett also added 20 points to hand Bulls their first loss this season. The victory wasn’t easy for the Knicks, it boiled down to the last possession after the Bulls went on a 12-0 run in the final minutes to nearly tie the score in the end. The Knicks literally had a 104-91 advantage with 3 minutes to play as DeMar DeRozan and Zach Lavine almost inspired a comeback, Zach Lavine top scored for the Bulls with 25 points but the major worry for the fans is that he tore his ligament in his left thumb.

New York coach Tom Thibodeau said, “Right now, we're still getting a feel for each other, every game we're getting better and better. I love the fact that everyone is sacrificing for the team and putting the team first. That's how you win big in his league.''

LaVine said, “It was a good game. It was our first real test and it came down to that last shot. We fought back. I just wish we got into it a little sooner where we could take a lead.''

Golden State Warriors suffered their first loss of the season after they lost to the young and spirited Memphis Grizzlies in overtime 104-101, this was a repeat of the play in game from five months ago that Grizzlies won 117-112 in overtime. Steph Curry scored 36 points but went scoreless in the fourth quarter and in overtime as Ja Morant and co took advantage of this and outscored their opponents. Ja Morant top scored with 30 points with 11-22 shooting, Desmond Bane scored 19 valuable points to snap a two match winless streak for Memphis Grizzlies.

Curry said after the match “The last two shots in regulation, the last one, the game-winner, looked good, those are two shots I'd take every day of the week. Overtime, I think I pressed a little bit, maybe settled a little bit, especially when I didn't have it going from 3, and not getting into the paint and getting my runners off, getting the ball moving. Little critical of myself on those last three shots.''

Miami Heat beat the Brooklyn Nets 106 - 93, Bam Adebayo top scored with 24 points and nine rebounds to better their record to 3 wins and 1 loss. Preseason favourites Nets haven’t had a good start to the season as Kevin Durant did his best with 25 points and 11 rebounds but in the end it was too much for him to do alone, a worrying sign for the Nets fan would be the slow start James Harden is off to as Kyrie Irving still remains unavailable.

Durant said, “I like how we're playing defense the last couple games, I like where our defense is trending. ... I feel like we're generating good shots. We're just (not) knocking them down. If we continue to generate good shots we'll put ourselves in good position”

Los Angeles Lakers suffered their third loss of the season to OKC as Shai Gilgeous Alexander scored 27 points to take them to a 123-115 win. The Oklahoma City Thunder were down by 26 points at one stage as they rallied from behind, this equaled the Thunders biggest comeback in franchise history, to subsequently this was also their first victory of the season.. Early on Westbrook and Anthony Davis dominated the proceedings as they scored 20 and 30 points respectively, Westbrook also managed his first triple double in a Lakers uniform before getting ejected in the final seconds.

Gilgeous-Alexander said Oklahoma City never considered giving up, ''It's a 48-minute game, Crazier things have happened. ... So we knew it was possible. I myself have come back from a deficit almost that big, so I knew it was possible. Just stay the course. Every game, every moment for the whole season.''

Also read: NBA: Lakers win back to back games as Warriors maintain their perfect start to the season

Other significant results were:

• Mavericks 104 - 99 Spurs
• Rockets 91 - 122 Jazz
• 76ers 110 - 102 Pistons
• Wizards 122 - 111 Hawks
• Bucks 108 - 113 Timberwolves

The fixtures to look for tomorrow are:

• Heat vs Hornets
• Nets vs Pacers
• Lakers vs Cavaliers
• Nuggets vs Mavericks
• Raptors vs Magic

 

(Basketball news) Steph Curry lit up the night with his first triple double since January 2016 as he scored 21 points 10 rebounds and 10 assists for Golden State Warriors who came back from 10 points to stun Lebron James and the new Los Angeles Lakers by 121-114 in the season opener.

The Lakers were dominant all throughout the first three quarters as LeBron James and Anthony Davis showed the world why they are the best duo in the league, James scored 34 points and 11 rebounds while Davis had 30 points and 11 rebounds. Ultimately it was the fourth quarter that proved to be decisive as they got out scored 38-29, no other Laker players even scored in double figures as Frank Vogel and his coaching team will try to get the best out of this roster. Newly added star player Russell Westbrook couldn’t make a big impression as he shot 4 of 13 for 8 points in his Lakers debut.

Giannis and the Milwaukee Bucks didn’t let their first title in their history distract them from their title defence as they breezed past the Nets in the opening night. Although Kevin Durant and Patty Mills scored 32 and 21 points respectively, the bucks were too strong in the end as they won 127-104. Although Bucks won the game, it came at a cost as their star player Jrue Holiday got injured with a bruised right heel and subsequently sat out the second half of the game.

Nets were missing star guard Kyrie Irving after his refusal to take the Covid-19 vaccine, James Harden had to step up but couldn’t deliver up to his expectations as he scored 20 points making 6 of 16 shots. On the other hand after Holiday’s injury, Khris Middleton and Pat Connaughton stepped up their game and each scored 20 points to secure a comprehensive victory over the Brooklyn Nets.

“We can’t give a team 20 more shots than us. Imagine coming to a game and saying, here, take the ball 20 times on offense before we get an offensive position. This is one game out of 82 of them. We’ll look at it that way. Every team will look at it that way. The Bucks won today, but they are still trying to fine-tune what they do, too. I think every team in the league is going to look at their first few games, first few weeks and see where their team is going and then make adjustments” said Kevin Durant after the loss to the bucks.

Antetokounmpo said. ''I'm excited. But now it's over with. We've got to focus on building good habits, keep moving forward and keep playing good basketball and hopefully we can repeat this again this year, next year and all the years that we're going to be here down the road.''

Brooklyn coach Steve Nash said. ''We weren't very good, If you're not playing at a high level against the champs, you're not going to win.''

In tomorrow’s matches we will see last year’s finalist Phoenix Sun take on Denver Nuggets as just one of the marquee fixtures tomorrow. The Nuggets will most likely be without last year's MVP Nikola Jokic as he is recovering from an ankle injury as they will have to heavily rely on Aaron Gordon to score the majority of the points to get a win over the rampant Suns who will head into the match with a fully fit squad. The New York Knicks take on the Boston Celtics in their opening fixtures, the Knicks last season were a surprise package making the playoffs after 10 years but this season after the acquisition of Kemba Walker and Evan Fournier they will be hoping to make the conference final at least. As for the Celtics they are going through a transition period as they will heavily rely on their young players Jason Tatum and Jaylen Brown to produce the goods.

Also read: Everything to know about the 75th NBA season as Lakers and Nets start as favourites for the Championship

The other fixtures for tomorrow are:

• Hornets vs Pacers
• Pistons vs Bulls
• Raptors vs Wizards
• Timberwolves vs Rockets
• Pelicans vs 76ers
• Grizzlies vs Cavaliers
• Jazz vs Thunder
• Trail Blazers vs Kings
•  Spurs vs Magic   

 

(Basketball news) The 75th NBA season is starting with the new trend of super teams in fashion as the likes of Lakers and Nets just added more superstars to become outright favourites to go all the way to the final. This year, teams will be back to playing a full 82 game season with full capacity stadiums as 30 teams will be participating, divided into the Western and Eastern Conferences.

A lot of historical records can be broken this season as Golden State Warriors star player Stephen Curry is set to become NBA’s all time leading three point shooter, he needs only 143 threes to overtake the legendary Ray Allen. Gregg Popvich, the manager of San Antonio Spurs begins his 26th year as a coach, needing only 26 wins to pass Don Nelson for the most victories in NBA history. LeBron James keeps on breaking records as he is going to start in his 19th season, with a total of 35,367 points as he's on the cusp of breaking Karl Malone (36,928) to become the second highest scorer in NBA history.

The Eastern Conference this season is packed with talent and will be an interesting watch to see how teams will adjust to their relatively new roster. Last season's champions Milwaukee Bucks will again win the Conference as well as the Championship this season but their task won't be easy especially teams like Brooklyn Nets, Philadelphia 76ers and Miami Heat all having improved significantly this season. Some of the dark horses from last year like the Chicago Bulls and New York Knicks also added all star calibre players in their roster to make the Eastern Conference even more competitive than last season.

The Western Conference was full of surprises last season as the Phoenix Suns made the NBA playoffs after 11 years and shocked everyone when they reached the finals. This gives an indication on how tough the Eastern Conference is, at least 12 teams are eyeing the 8 spots in the NBA playoffs. This season again Lakers will be favourites to come out of the Western Conference as they probably have the best roster on paper but the likes of LA Clippers, Denver Nuggets, Golden State Warriors, Portland Trailblazers, Dallas Mavericks can cause an upset and go to the NBA final. The unpredictability and the world class players present in the Western Conference tends to be more in the limelight and this season with each roster stacked the competition is going to be tougher.

The race for this year's MVP will be an intriguing watch as last year's winner Nikola Jokic will be looking to make it 4 consecutive MVPs for players from Europe. The likes of Giannis  Antetokounmpo, Steph Curry and LeBron James will all be looking to retain the trophy this season. Some new aged superstars like Luka Doncic, Trae Young and Ja Morant  can also be in the MVP reckoning as they have consistently been their franchise cornerstone in the recent years. 

Also read: Los Angeles Lakers vs Brooklyn Nets: The battle between two superteams

The 75th NBA season tips off tomorrow with two mouthwatering fixtures between Brooklyn Nets vs Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers vs Golden State Warriors at 5 am and 7.30 am respectively. The two championship favourites will battle it out with two former champions is quite a first day matchup for basketball fans. Brooklyn Nets arguably have the best offensive players in Kevin Durant and James Harden in their ranks and will be looking to avenge their loss they had in the Eastern Conference final last season. For the Milwaukee Bucks, their roster remains the same and will be looking to repeat last year's feat by beating the mighty Brooklyn Nets as Ginnas and Khris Middleton will be the key players to look out for if they are to cause an upset.

The LA Lakers are coming off a pretty terrible preseason having lost all their six matches as they will be looking to start the season fresh with their new big three of LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook who will be playing for the first time together against the Golden State Warriors. As for GSW all eyes will be on Steph Curry as he will have to wait 2 or more months for his partner in crime Klay Thompson to return to the court after a 2 year long injury. Lakers have mostly got their 2020 winning squad back as LeBron looks to equal Michaell Jordan's six championship rings.

(Basketball news) The influence that some of the biggest athletes in sport have on the wider public has never been more powerful than it is today. Cristiano Ronaldo has 355 million followers on Instagram, the most on the social media platform. The younger generation have always wanted to emulate their sporting heroes and with the existence of social media, that urge has only magnified tenfold.

Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving is currently in the middle of a rather public and unhealthy debate about COVID-19 vaccines. Irving is one of the biggest names in the NBA ever since he was the number one draft pick in 2011, he’s more than an athlete, he’s an icon, philanthropist and one of the six vice-presidents of the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA). Fittingly, Irving has also admitted to being a “conspiracy theorist” which may explain the underlying reasons behind the current debacle he finds himself in. He has apologized previously for his “earth is flat” comments and has been sharing conspiracies about microchips in the Moderna vaccine on social media.

Taking into account his esteemed position not just as a basketball player but also as a social media influencer, it’s fair to say that Kyrie Irving has been a poor role model for the younger generation. While everyone is entitled to make a “personal choice”, Irving has been publicly vocal about his decision to not take the vaccine, easily influencing the millions of people who look up to him. Publicly denouncing the vaccination can have dangerous, potentially lethal consequences for those who he can influence. COVID-19 is well and truly prevalent in our societies and it’s clear that Irving is swimming against the tide with 95% of NBA athletes already vaccinated.

Also read: Fans vote Diana Taurasi as greatest ever WNBA player

Former basketball superstar Michael Jordan has publicly sided with the NBA and their COVID-19 protocols. In an interview with NBC’s “TODAY” Jordan said “ I am totally in unison with the league, and I think everybody, you know, has been speaking about the vaccinations. And, you know, I’m a firm believer in science and, you know, I’m going to stick with that and hopefully everybody abides by whatever the league sets the rules. I think once everybody buys in, we’re going to be fine.”

Jordan isn’t the only one as fellow Hall of Famer Abdul-Jabbar told Rolling Stone, “There is no room for players who are willing to risk the health and lives of their team-mates, the staff and the fans simply because they are unable to grasp the seriousness of the situation or do the necessary research" while Portland Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard said getting vaccinated was a “simple decision”. 

While the NBA has not implemented a vaccine mandate for players, labelling the public issue as a ‘personal’ decision for each player, the problem lies when the decision being made is not “personal” anymore. Irving took to Instagram Live to say “Do what's best for you, but I am not an advocate for either side. I am doing what's best for me. I know the consequences here, and if it means that I'm judged and demonised for that, that's just what it is, that's the role I play.”

Irving is willing to pay a heavy price for his decision, $380,000 per game to be exact and with 41 home games in a regular season, the total amounts to $15.6m. However, the biggest price that could be paid might be from all the individuals who choose not to get vaccinated because their basketball hero isn’t getting a jab either.

(Basketball news) As the new NBA season draws closer and the majority of the free agents found respective homes, the Los Angeles Lakers and Brooklyn Nets emerged as the strongest teams without a shadow of a doubt. Even though last year's NBA champions Milwaukee Bucks and finalist Phoenix Suns remain relatively unchanged from last season, both teams don’t possess the historical talent that the Lakers and Nets have.

The Lakers last season got eliminated in the 1st round of the playoff series by the Phoenix Suns but this season Rob Pelinka (General Manager) made sure that the same thing isn't repeated. At the end of last season, Lakers managed to pull off a blockbuster trade where they managed to get 9 times NBA all star and 2016-17 MVP Russell Westbrook from the Washington Wizards. With Lebron James and Anthony Davis already in the team, adding Westbrook makes them the team to beat in the Western Conference. With the Lakers adding former NBA all stars Carmelo Anthony, Dwight Howard and Rajon Rondo in free agency their roster looks more dangerous than before.

The Brooklyn Nets last season pulled off the trade of the decade by getting James Harden from Houston Rockets, adding to a roster which already contained Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. Last season, according to all experts, the Nets should have the NBA Championship but were beaten by the Milwaukee Bucks in the Eastern Conference final, although injuries hampered the squad which eventually led to their downfall last season. This season Steve Nash (Coach of Nets) will be hoping that his stars remain fit as they have already added former all stars LaMarcus Aldridge and Paul Milsap to an already staked roster.

With both teams' ambition of winning a NBA championship last year not being fulfilled, the teams will be even more hungry to reach the NBA final this season. The Los Angeles Lakers have got back the championship core which won the NBA 2 years ago but the key advantage that the Lakers have over the Nets is the championship experience they have in their roster. On the other hand, the Nets have arguably the best trio in American sports history as on any given day James Harden, Kevin Durant and Kyrie Iriving can beat any team just based on their talent. As the fans eagerly wait for the start of the new season the NBA finals looks destined to be between these two teams unless and until injuries hamper them both. This is a site that not only the basketball fans want to watch but the sports fans in general will also tune in.

Also read: Virtual development program launched by NBA Academy for top female prospects from outside the US

The Los Angeles Roster:

Carmelo Anthony, LeBron James, Marc Gasol, Trevor Ariza, Rajon Rondo,Dwight Howard, Wayne Ellington, DeAndre Jordan, Russell Westbrook, Kent Bazemore, Anthony Davis, Kendrick Nunn, Malik Monk, Talen Horton-Tucker.

The Brooklyn Nets Roster:

Kevin Durant, James Harden, Kyrie Irving, Joe Harris, Patty Mills, Blake Griffin, LaMarcus Aldridge, Paul Millsap, Nic Claxton , Bruce Brown, Cam Thomas, James Johnson, DeAndre Bembry, Jevon Carter, Day’Ron Sharpe.

The Brooklyn Nets in the absence of their key players Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant managed to upset the NBA Table toppers Philadelphia 76ers with 122-109 on Thursday. The Nets played in their good ol' retro blue tie dye jerseys from the 90-91 season and dominated most of the second half with a double digit lead, ensuring their second consecutive win without Durant. LeVert added 22 points out of which 10 were assisted and 7 were rebounds while Jarret Allen added 15 points and 11 boards for the Nets. Irving was ruled out on Thursday citing personal reasons. The Nets then announced that Irving won't be traveling with the team to Memphis later that night. Durant missed out on the second consecutive game due to the NBA's strict health and safety protocols. However, Coach Steve Nash said that if Durant continues to test negative for the coronavirus, he would be able to return by Sunday. The 76ers were in high spirits with their clinical 141-136 victory over Washington on Wednesday but couldn't carry on their form as they ran into trouble with 20-8. However, they managed to come back with a lead early in the second quarter. Nevertheless, the Nets quickly bounced back and went up by 16 before taking a 65-51 lead in the half-time and were in a commanding position thereafter.