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The Bucks, led by potential 2019 NBA MVP candidate Giannis Antetokounmpo are first overall in the Eastern Conference at 49-16 going into play Saturday night when they face the Charlotte Bobcats. The Spurs led by DeMar DeRozan are holding down the 8th and final playoff spot in the Western Conference at 37-29 4 ½ games ahead of the Sacramento Kings. If the playoffs started today, the Bucks would face the Miami Heat and the Spurs would be in the tough situation of facing off against the defending NBA Champion Golden State Warriors....

The Bucks are leading the series 3-1 and will look to wrap it up tonight in front of the home crowd, whereas the Celtics will look to give all they have to force a game 6. Let us see how things stand ahead of the clash tonight. The Boston Celtics perspective The Celtics have dropped three games to the Bucks which also includes back to back losses at home. It will be a daunting task for them to turn the tables around in their favour considering the fact they are low on confidence and are on the road tonight....

The Raptors had an easy win in their last match against the Chicago Bulls. They have a 52-23 record and are the second best team in the NBA. They are 4 games behind the table toppers, Milwaukee Bucks. Kawhi Leonard has been absolutely outstanding for the Raptors. He is producing consistent performances on a nightly basis and is averaging 27 points per game for the season. He has also been a menace on the defensive end as usual....

Before all 30 teams head to Las Vegas for the NBA 2K23 Summer League on July 7, the Warriors will host the Lakers, Heat and Kings in San Francisco for the California Classic, an event in which six games will be played over four days. MORE: Rosters for each California Classic NBA Summer League team While the Heat and Warriors are looking to develop their young talent to help them improve in the margins, the Kings and Lakers could rely on their young talent to help build for the future....

This phrase was first used by ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith to describe the Dallas Cowboys, an organization filled with seasonal drama and turmoil and of which Smith has been highly critical. The black cat, while it brings both signs of luck and superstitions, symbolizes for the instances in which it was used a bad omen that is surrounding the franchise. Now, as the summer months are upon us and the NBA free agency period creeps closer, the black cat has a relative and it has made its home within the building of another professional sports organization....

But this might turn out to be a draft deeper than many in terms of rotation-type NBA players. The teams that chose the right ones will be rewarded in the coming years. GREER: Analysis, more grades from Round 1 of the 2020 NBA Draft And now, as well, in the form draft grades from Sporting News: 2020 NBA Draft grades Atlanta Hawks: B+ The Hawks’ top five scorers last season all were 22 or younger, so it’s not like they needed an infusion of youth in choosing to select Onyeka Okongwu....

Newsweek pulled together some of the best looks of the evening. NBA Draft 2022 Fashion Picks Bennedict Mathurin Bennedict Mathurin walked the draft’s red carpet in a floral-patterned red suit with a bow tie that brought the outfit together. To match the suit, he wore a pendant with a ruby in the middle. As an accessory, he carried an AXE fanny pack with a bottle of cologne sticking out of the pocket....

New York, along with the Cavaliers and Suns, had the top odds, 14%, to earn the No. 1 pick in the 2019 NBA Draft. The team, however, ended up with the third pick, behind the Grizzlies and Pelicans. The Knicks will all but certainly miss out on the chance to select Duke star Zion Williamson, who is widely project to be taken by New Orleans. New York president Steve Mills and general manager Scott Perry addressed the results in a statement shortly after the lottery....

Chants of “Draymond sucks! Draymond sucks!” enveloped Quicken Loans Arena throughout a night in which Green was given two technicals, only to have one rescinded and given to Steve Kerr later. The Cavs routed the Warriors 137-116 to send the series to Game 5. So Green offered the Cavaliers fans a parting shot. “I don’t pay much attention to people in Cleveland, honestly,” Green said in a heated postgame interview....

That means we’re likely to be short on surprises — and likely to be hard-up for interesting storylines. But to that, we say, p’shaw. These will be the last basketball games that matter for four-and-a-half months, and we’re going to find important things to watch out for. With that in mind, we’ve got the 20 players who matter most in this series, and why… 19 and 20. The class clowns, Nick Young and JaVale McGee, Warriors...

The Raptors are one win from claiming the title thanks to Friday’s 105-92 victory over the Warriors in Game 4 at Oracle Arena. Kawhi Leonard led the way with 36 points and 12 rebounds to give the Raptors a 3-1 lead in the NBA Finals against the two-time defending champions. The Raptors are poised to make history ahead of Game 5 in Toronto, however, Nurse is not getting too carried away....

James and the Lakers cruised through the Western Conference side of the playoff bracket on their way to the 2020 NBA Finals, ending each of their series in five games. Miami, meanwhile, dominated the Eastern Conference field in a nearly identical fashion. The Heat also dropped just three games over the course of their postseason run, most notably sending the top-seeded Bucks home in five. Now, the final two teams left in the NBA’s “bubble” will meet for a chance to claim the Larry O’Brien trophy....

With the superstars across the board in this game, we’ve again gone with a value captain choice. Thanks to some weird pricing from DK, though, we’ve also fit in Tyler Herro for the first time in this series, getting four studs into our lineup instead of three. DraftKings Showdown Picks: Lakers vs. Heat Game 4 Captain (1.5x price, 1.5x points): Alex Caruso, Lakers ($5,400) Caruso was our Game 1 captain, and we’ve returned to the well for Game 4....

They got one. They might get two. The Celtics will sign former Hawks center Al Horford for four years and $113 million, including a player option after the third season, NBA.com first reported Saturday. The deal brings Boston its All-Star big man and perhaps keeps the Celtics alive in the Kevin Durant race. MORE: NBA exec on the 15 scariest free agents Boston had been a good team the past few years, all while dismantling the single-title-dynasty roster of Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and Rajon Rondo....

Conley has agreed to a five-year, $153 million contract with the Grizzlies, ESPN reports. It’s a massive deal for Conley and the team — the largest in the history of the NBA, in fact — but it should leave both parties smiling all the way back to the FedEx Forum. MORE: FA tracker | These free agents may scare off teams This is a huge offseason for the Grizzlies, and they have nailed it thus far....

The 17-year old, based at The NBA Global Academy in Canberra, Australia, was previously a prospect at The NBA Academy India. Princepal has been a part of multiple camps organised by the NBA, including Basketball Without Borders Global Camp during NBA All-Star 2018. “The 6'10’’ player from Punjab is one of the most exciting prospects from India, following an impressive run during U16 FIBA Asian Championships in April where he averaged 22....

Pau Gasol - Left Ankle Injury - No Timetable A left ankle injury has meant that Pau Gasol has only played a handful of times for the Bucks since joining the team back in February. Gasol has missed the last two months with the injury, and the Spaniard was expected to return to action this week. But, Gasol is believed to be well behind his initial injury timeline, and the Journal Sentinel is reporting that the center won’t return this week:...

Aside from the primary issues, there are also a few basketball-related questions, including how many previously injured players could be available as the regular season continues in late July. MORE: Complete list of NBA players opting out of 2020 season return Players around the league originally looking at extended time on the bench could suddenly be ready to rejoin their rotations. Others may opt to stick with rehabilitation plans instead of going full throttle after a few months off....

So, with plenty going on around the league, here are all the latest news and rumors you need to know for August 16. DeMarcus Cousins suffers another injury setback DeMarcus Cousins has suffered more than his fair share of injuries over the past 24 months, and ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski is reporting that the former All-Star has suffered yet another setback ahead of the new season, and could be set to miss the entire campaign:...

NBA News Update: Adam Silver confirms the starting period for the 2020/21 season In an interview with CNN, NBA commissioner Adam Silver has confirmed that the league won’t start before January 2021. Silver exclaimed that it was his “best guess” that the NBA season would commence in January. Multiple sources suggest that the league is planning to hold next season in an isolated bubble again. The Orlando bubble experiment by the NBA worked this season, as there were rarely any positive COVID-19 cases since the restart....