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Portland took control early, entered halftime with a 15-point lead and held off a Denver run in the fourth quarter en route to a 97-90 win. The series will shift back to Portland, with Game 3 set for Friday. Denver won the opener, 121-113. Here are three takeaways from the Trail Blazers’ Game 2 victory. Portland’s role players step up Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum, Portland’s stars, failed to find their rhythms offensively throughout the game....

That should make Game 7 in Denver even more interesting. Curry and Barton had to be separated in the fourth quarter Thursday when things got heated at Moda Center, where the Blazers went on to set up the serie semifinal decider with a 119-108 victory. Curry claimed Barton was to blame for their altercation. “He waited for a few people to get in between us, and when a few people were in between us, he put his finger in my eye,” Curry told reporters....

The 76ers will face the Raptors in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals Saturday, and despite a “bothersome” knee, the two-time All-Star wants more minutes. “It’s still not there. It’s still trying to get better,” Embiid told reporters ahead of the matchup. “But that’s an issue that’s going to be there at least all playoffs until I actually get some real time to get some rest and work on myself....

NBA Trade Rumors: Jeff Van Gundy and Ty Lue among candidates to replace Mike D’Antoni Houston Rockets have a challenging offseason ahead as they look to make some upgrades to their roster. Daryl Morey and Mike D’Antoni adopted a small-ball style of basketball last season and got rid of their center Clint Capela. Per the latest NBA rumors, Jeff Van Gundy and Ty Lue are being considered for the Houston Rockets’ head coaching role....

The Los Angeles Lakers are among the teams interested in signing Leonard, although, during an appearance on ESPN’s ‘Get Up’, Adrian Wojnarowski revealed that Leonard will only consider the Clippers and Raptors: In case you didn’t know… Leonard joined the Toronto Raptors from the San Antonio Spurs last summer, and during his debut season in Canada, he led the franchise to a first-ever championship. During the postseason, Leonard averaged 30....

Thybulle’s name has come up in trade rumors on several occasions. In the article, Pompey also said Thybulle has significantly improved this offseason and shared similar testimonials from Daryl Morey. He has averaged 4.8 points, 1.9 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game in his three years in the league. Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers in prime position to contend for an NBA championship Despite the ups and downs of the 2021-22 NBA season, the Philadelphia 76ers may have their best team in “The Process” era....

In case you didn’t know… Bertans was selected with the 42nd pick in the 2011 NBA draft by the Indiana Pacers, although the Latvian spent the next five seasons abroad before finally making his debut with the San Antonio Spurs in 2016. Over three seasons with the Spurs, Bertans established himself as one of the NBA’s best 3-point shooters, although he was traded to the Wizards last summer. Since moving to Washington, Bertans has made 31 appearances, averaging 15....

The Thunder are in the middle of a rebuild that could be slowed down by Chet Holmgren’s injury. Gilgeous-Alexander was named a possible target for the New York Knicks after they failed to acquire Donovan Mitchell. Meanwhile, the Golden State Warriors are reportedly ready to discuss a contract extension with Jordan Poole. The Warriors have until Oct. 17, a day before the start of the 2022-23 NBA season, to sign Poole to an extension....

If things fall right, several scouts and front-office executives told Sporting News that UK should eclipse its own record of five first-round picks in one draft next year, set in 2010, with more than six players possessing first-round talent. “If you just drafted that team and kept them together while they matured,” one GM said, “they’d be the start of a pretty good NBA team in two or three seasons....

Porter, the No. 2 recruit in the high school class of 2017, had a procedure known as a microdiscectomy in his lower back in order to alleviate a herniated disc. So far, Porter has played in a preseason charity scrimmage against Kansas and just two minutes of Missouri’s opener against Iowa State prior to his comeback Thursday in Missouri’s SEC Tournament opener. Still, the 19-year-old is in the conversation to be a top-five pick....

After the players walked across the stage and shook NBA commissioner Adam Silver’s hand, they were greeted by ESPN’s Maria Taylor. In the moments following their selection, they shared touching moments with their parents, and one even had a message for his country after making history. RJ Barrett, who was selected third overall by the Knicks, was joined by his father, Rowan. Barrett at one point rested his head on his dad’s shoulder while Rowan Barrett showed just as much emotion....

Barrett, 19, was selected by the Knicks with the third overall pick in Thursday’s NBA Draft, having seen former Duke teammate Zion Williamson go to the Pelicans with the No. 1 selection. New York hasn’t won a championship since 1973 and last made the playoffs in 2013, meaning there is significant pressure on the highly rated Barrett to deliver at Madison Square Garden. But the interest in Duke — with Barrett, Williamson and Cam Reddish on the same team — means the new Knicks star believes he is ready....

Luckily, there are no consequences whatsoever for grading winners and losers. There are going to be some misses here, too, so let’s try to have fun with it. Here’s the instant gratification winners and losers column that you’re seeking from the 2022 NBA Draft. SN’s NFL DRAFT HQLive picks tracker | Final Mock Draft: Two-round edition | Top 60 big board with player comparisons NBA Draft 2022 winners Orlando Magic Banchero was sitting at No....

But before that gets into full swing, we can go by what scouts and front-office types have been saying about those players, independent of workouts and team needs. That’s the spirit behind player rankings, and we’ve got a look at the top 50 players heading into the draft process. NBA MOCK DRAFT 2019:Pelicans, Knicks, Hawks snag Duke stars; Lakers pick sharpshooter NBA Draft prospect rankings: Big board of top 50 players Zion Williamson, F, Duke We know who No....

This Diaw lob pass to Kawhi Leonard came off a set play that features a backscreen, a great pass and a set of the biggest hands in basketball. 

Now it’s Griffin’s turn to be on the receiving end of recruiting pitches. He opted out of his contract on Friday to become a free agent, according to The Vertical’s Adrian Wojnarowski. MORE: NBA Trade Tracker: Rumors, reported trades Griffin had a player option worth more than $21 million with the Clippers next season, according to Hoops Hype, but he’ll be able to choose his next team as an unrestricted free agent....

Last week, Chicago beat Toronto again, Miami dominated Cleveland in shocking fashion and Dirk turned back the clock with a huge 40 points in an overtime win over Portland. MORE: 23 best free agents who will be available this offseason This week, the bottom half of the Western Conference playoff picture will gain some clarity as the Trail Blazers, Rockets, Jazz and Mavericks all have big games against quality opponents....

With so much on the line, both players were expected to mull over their options before announcing a decision next week, however, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski is reporting that Durant will announce his decision tonight. This comes as a major surprise, although Durant is no stranger to shaking up free agency. Back in 2016, Durant stunned the basketball world by announcing his departure from the Oklahoma City Thunder. Even more shocking was the fact that the 2014 MVP opted to depart the franchise that drafted him in favor of joining a Golden State Warriors team that was coming off a season in which they won 73 regular-season games....

With one week to go in the NBA season, there is still plenty to be decided in terms of postseason seeding—with Wednesday’s schedule looming very big in several races. Here’s how things stack up now: NBA PLAYOFFS: Which teams clinched spots | Who is already eliminated | Gallery: NBA Finals MVPS Western Conference No. 2 seed Combatants : Thunder and Clippers. Importance level : Huge . Nothing is guaranteed in the Western Conference, but if OKC and the Clippers get through the first round of the postseason, they would face each other in the conference semifinals, and whomever is the second seed would have homecourt....

Before diving into the list, let’s take a moment to acknowledge the ardour for basketball that these men possess. After going through a gruelling set of 82 regular season games, the job is only half done. The playoffs series test their mental fibre or what’s left of it after performing to their bests throughout the regular season. Every ‘Best of 7’ series starting from the Round 1 going all the way to the NBA Finals, requires a special set of nerves and focus in order to obviate the opposition and go through....