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Beverley was visibly shaken during warmups in Houston. Reports followed that Beverley’s grandfather had died. MORE: Rockets-Spurs Game Center Beverley was also seen speaking on his cell phone and sobbing during pregame media availability, according to ESPN/ABC. It’s not much consolation for Beverley, but he did secure the first basket for Houston on Sunday night. “I never met his grandfather, but I know that his grandfather would want him playing in this game, and want his focus to be on this game right now," Rockets teammate Ryan Anderson said, per USA Today....

The Bucks, who boasted the best regular-season record in the NBA, led the Toronto Raptors 2-0 before losing the next four games to crash out on Saturday with a 100-94 defeat. But Antetokounmpo suggested this could be “just the start” for Milwaukee, who won their solitary championship back in 1971. “When you’re out 2-0, that obviously means nothing,” he told reporters. “You’ve got to learn how to close out games, especially after Game 3....

The former Cavaliers star is playing for the Celtics in the playoffs for the first time in this series, having been ruled out of the postseason with a knee issue in his first season in Boston in 2017-18. The 27-year-old point guard was a regular thorn in the Celtics’ side in the playoffs while with the Cavs, but on Wednesday he led Boston to a 2-0 series lead over the Pacers with a 99-91 win in Game 2....

The series returns to Toronto on Sunday, where the Raptors could try to win on their home floor. The Raptors must win one of their home games to avoid a 3-1 or worse deficit. Until then, the Bucks have the lead with two impressive wins. The Bucks had several players that played well in this game. The Bucks’ bench outscored the Raptors bench by 15 points. Three of their bench players scored in double figures....

James was calculated and efficient, scoring 31 points, grabbing 11 rebounds, dishing out four assists and coming up with four steals to bring the Cavaliers within one win of finishing their series against the Celtics. Rose scored 34 points and came up big in double overtime, and his Bulls now hold a 3-0 series lead over the Bucks. MORE: Must-see first-round photos | Love finds his playoff identity | LeBron schools Evan Turner...

LeBron James, Kobe Bryant and James Harden were all covered by the 2015 draft class. Celtics rookie R.J. Hunter even did a great Matthew Dellavedova. MORE: Who will win Rookie of the Year? | Meet Brandon Armstrong, master of NBA impressions You can bet Kobe is going to remember that impression by D’Angelo Russell the next time they meet at practice. Source: SB Nation

The Lakers have already completed a trade for Anthony Davis, although the team has plenty of cap space remaining to pull off another major move. A host of names are being linked with a move to Los Angeles, and here are three players that the Lakers are believed to be targeting ahead of free agency. #3 Kawhi Leonard Due to Kevin Durant’s Achilles tear, Kawhi Leonard is the offseasons most in-demand free agent....

NBA Rumors: LeBron James set to stay with the LA Lakers for an additional 2 years After it was declared that the LA Lakers would be facing their city rivals the LA Clippers on the opening night, NBA Rumors exploded with news that LeBron James was signing a two-year contract extension. His extended maximum contract would keep him with the LA Lakers through the 2022-23 season, earning him an additional $42....

The Miami Heat were among the most active teams ahead of the NBA trade deadline. As per Alex Kennedy of BasketballNews.com, multiple teams inquired about Kendrick Nunn. Since the Heat didn’t part ways with Nunn, he’s expected to attract interest in restricted free agency in the summer. Kennedy wrote: Kendrick Nunn has averaged 14 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game this season. Nunn is out of a contract this summer and he’ll become a restricted free agent if the Miami Heat extend him a qualifying offer of $4,736,102....

Which teams got primetime placement? Here’s a breakdown of the key dates for the upcoming season. FIBA WORLD CUP 2019: Team USA roster, game schedule NBA Opening Night schedule — Oct. 22 NBA Christmas Day schedule — Dec. 25 Martin Luther King Jr. Day schedule — Jan. 20 NBA star return games

When: May 16, 8:30 PM ET/May 17, 6:00 AM IST Where: Fiserv Forum, Milwaukee (WI) The Milwaukee Bucks’ Perspective Milwaukee was not supposed to win the first contest of the seven-game series. They trailed for the most part of the game and were searching for answers until the final few minutes of the 4th period. Brook Lopez’s playoff-career-high 29 points came up big when the league leaders outscored the Raps 32-17 in the fourth quarter....

The Celtics are coming off an emphatic 108-71 win over the Orlando Magic, while the 76ers prevailed 96-88 over fellow Eastern Conference side Atlanta Hawks in their last game. Match Details Fixture - Philadelphia 76ers vs Boston Celtics | NBA Las Vegas Summer League 2021. Date & Time - Saturday, August 14th, 5:00 PM ET (Sunday, August 15th, 2:30 AM IST). Venue - Cox Pavilion, Las Vegas, NV. Philadelphia 76ers Preview Tyrese Maxey was the star of the show for the Philadelphia 76ers against the Atlanta Hawks, pouring in 31 points....

And we’re not just talking about Zion Williamson and Ja Morant. We’re talking about the picks that genuinely will be debated in the months and years ahead, the ones that will make executives look like geniuses (the “steals”) and the ones that will be stains on their resumes (the “reaches”). NBA DRAFT 2019:Grades, analysis for first-round picks | Trade rumor roundup But why wait for five years to learn which players will turn out to be bargains and which will be busts?...

The league’s annual event, which will take place from May 18-20 in Chicago, gives some of the top prospects in this year’s draft class an opportunity to impress general managers and coaches. Which young players will stand out at this year’s combine? The Sporting News will keep running lists of prospect measurements as they are revealed at the NBA Draft Combine. Check back here for the latest figures. NBA MOCK DRAFT: Who will Magic select with No....

Well, a good number of Sixers fans trusted the process and believed while Hinkie accumulated NBA Draft lottery picks. On Tuesday, they gave Hinkie his due. At a draft lottery party, of course. MORE: Embiid tops ranking of lottery team reps See, some fans understood Hinkie was playing eight-dimensional chess with all those trades and second-round picks and D-League guys playing big minutes. No doubt a statue of Hinkie will be made if Philly gets the Lakers’ pick this year and then goes 41-41 next season....

The Timberwolves have reportedly told Karl-Anthony Towns they’ll select him with the No. 1 pick in Thursday night’s NBA Draft, and the big man from Kentucky has been installed by oddsmakers as the prohibitive favorite to go first overall. Many basketball observers, though, believe Minnesota would be making a mistake by taking Towns instead of Jahlil Okafor, and the Duke prospect is available at 4-to-1 odds to be the top overall pick....

LIVE: Follow SN’s draft tracker for grades and analysis Because of moratorium periods on sign-and-trade deals, along with rules restricting how often first-round picks can be traded, teams often already have deals agreed upon and reported before they can actually be officially executed. That leads to teams selecting players that are requested by other teams for them to be officially moved following the conclusion of the draft. In 2020, that’s the case with at least the Lakers (reportedly picking for the Thunder) and the Trail Blazers (reportedly picking for the Rockets)....

Just as you realize all the Spurs players are free to attack the offensive glass, Kawhi Leonard comes into the screen and slams in a putback to push the lead to 22 points. The Spurs ended the half with a 19-point lead, 55-36. 

There have been many players throughout NBA history who made amazing plays on the offensive end in crucial moments of the Finals to give their team an edge. Here is a look at the five most clutch shots in NBA Finals history. #5 Magic Johnson - 1987 Finals, Los Angeles Lakers vs Boston Celtics The Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics have a rivalry that goes back decades. Throughout the ’80s, they had many historic battles led by Magic Johnson and Larry Bird that were almost always close....

In sports, one of the most classless things a fan can do is cheer an opposing player’s injury, and that’s an unfortunate occurrence that happened during Game 5 of the NBA Finals on Monday night. Early in the second quarter of Game 5, Kevin Durant appeared to re-aggravate the same calf injury that caused him to miss significant time during the 2019 NBA playoffs. Durant was down for a bit, favoring his lower right leg before being helped off the court — and to the locker room — by Warriors personnel and teammates....