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The 23-year-old Warriors forward, who is dealing with an injury in his chest area, told reporters he “should be able to play” in Game 6 of the NBA Finals against the Raptors. “They’re comfortable with me going out there as long as I can tolerate the pain,” Looney said, via the Mercury News. Looney suffered a fracture near his chest and ribcage in Game 2 against Toronto and was originally ruled out for the series....

The series, which the Warriors won in six games, registered a 13.9 overnight rating, according to metered market ratings from Nielsen. Its 19.94 million viewer average was the highest since 1998, the year Jordan won his final title with the Bulls. MORE: David Lee and the Warriors set to part | 11 moments that led to Golden State winning the Finals Tuesday’s series-clinching Game 6 delivered a 15.9 overnight rating, the best-rated Game 6 ever on ABC since the network began carrying the finals in 2003....

MORE: Free agency live blog | 15 riskiest free agents There was the obligatory “You could buy THIS with that much money” . . . … and “He’s getting paid HOW MUCH to do this?” tweets: The more important math is that DeRozan is going to average about $28 million per season. Raps watchers wonder if the deal, a product of the massive growth in the salary cap, will preclude the team from re-signing big man Bismack Biyombo, who’s in line for a huge payday himself, especially with the Lakers giving Timofey Mozgov $16 million a year and the Knicks about to give Joakim Noah $17 million per and the Pistons reportedly about to give Andre Drummond a max deal....

Nevertheless, a number of notable free agents remain available around the NBA and individuals without a team will be hoping to be signed ahead of opening night. While there is plenty of promising inexperienced free agents available, the majority are seasoned veterans that have plenty of experience, and here we will take a look at the best power forwards still available on the open market. #3 Dante Cunningham Dante Cunningham was drafted 33rd overall by the Portland Trail Blazers a decade ago, and the forward has enjoyed a successful career in the NBA playing primarily as a reserve....

Here are the top 4 remaining free agents, in my opinion, in no particular order, #1 Jamal Crawford The 3-time 6th Man of the Year is still unsigned and it’s unclear why. Sure, he isn’t a player who can be relied on to carry the team and lead in points, but he certainly can be reliable coming off the bench and showing a young core how it’s done in the league....

First it was reported that Blake Griffin decided not to exercise his player option for next season; then came word that Chris Paul had done the same. Brad Turner of the Los Angeles Times reported Paul’s decision Friday evening. MORE: NBA Trade Tracker: Rumors, reported trades Paul, 32, has a player option worth more than $24 million for the 2017-18 season, according to Hoops Hype. He averaged 18.1 points, 9....

The Grizzlies may have been the most active team, as they reportedly completed a pair of trades. Elsewhere, Markieff Morris signed with the Pistons while the Mavericks added backup center Boban Marjanovic. Here’s a complete list of deals from the fourth day of free agency (All trades reported by ESPN and The Athletic) — The 76ers continued to fill out their roster by inking guard Raul Neto to a one-year minimum contract....

Every day seems to bring another rumor. First came the recent report that the Lakers aren’t front-runners for any elite players. On Thursday, ESPN reported LeBron James had talked with Raptors forward Kawhi Leonard and 76ers guard Jimmy Butler. Now comes this development: An Instagram account, “cuffsthelegend,” posted a photo of Kyrie Irving in a Lakers uniform. And James tagged the photo with a like. What does this mean? Possibly nothing....

Will he stay with the Jazz and try to build a championship contender in Utah? Or, will Hayward move East to the Celtics or Heat in an attempt to bring an end to LeBron James’ seven-year reign over the NBA’s Eastern Conference? TRADE TRACKER: Biggest rumors, reported deals ahead of free agency It’s shaping up to be a three-team race for Hayward as Boston, Miami and Utah will each get a chance to make their pitch to the versatile forward....

NBA Power Rankings: Biggest X-Factors through three weeks The night begins at 7 p.m. ET with two matchups, as the Cavaliers host the Wizards and the Magic host the Nets. The night continues on from there with a rematch between the Bucks and Knicks and a matchup between the Raptors and Celtics at 7:30 p.m, while the battle between No. 1 pick Cade Cunningham and No. 2 pick Jalen Green takes center stage in Pistons-Rockets on ESPN....

But how should we separate those three players within the MVP debate? That’s what we’re here to figure out. MORE: Patrick Beverley roasts George for blaming officiating To fans of the Bucks, Rockets and Thunder, there are certainly arguments to be made in favor of each of these players, so don’t take this as the dreaded clump of “media” hating on Antetokounmpo, Harden or George. (To be clear, this writer does not hold an actual MVP vote....

INDIANAPOLIS — Atlanta's Jeff Teague demolished the Pacers' grand playoff plan. As his teammates set up around the 3-point line, Teague simply blew through open lanes to the basket repeatedly. The Pacers didn't have an answer. MORE: Playoff scoreboard | Live blog Teague scored a playoff career-high 28 points, Paul Millsap added 25 and the eighth-seeded Hawks won their first road playoff game in three years, shocking top-seeded Indiana 101-93 to take a 1-0 lead in the first-round series....

The 27-year-old forward scored 25 points on 10-of-12 shooting in the first 24 minutes of the Trail Blazers’ Game 4 matchup with the Warriors in the Western Conference finals. He also knocked down five of his six 3-point attempts in the period. In total, Leonard finished with 30 points and 12 rebounds in 40 minutes of action. He added a big dunk in the fourth quarter, as well. The Trail Blazers, however, fell to Golden State in overtime, 119-117....

Point spreads and totals are current as of Saturday morning. Check our odds page for updated Las Vegas lines. No. 1 Golden State Warriors at No. 8 New Orleans Pelicans (8 p.m. ET, ESPN)Game 4 spread, total: Golden State -7, 206 Series lead: Golden State 3-0 The Warriors should feel very fortunate to be up 3-0 this series, rallying from a 20-point fourth-quarter deficit on Thursday to win 123-119 OT as 5-point road favorites....

During some of the dynastic periods of the past, the results from the year were a foregone conclusion. But we have entered a period of strong parity in the league, which is a good thing for viewership and a great thing for prognosticators like me. There are no easy predictions this year. I’m up for the challenge. NBA PLAYER RANKINGS: PG | SG | SF | PF | C | Bench | Top 30...

With this win, the Warriors have improved to 18-9 for the season and return to the top of the Western Conference standings. However, there are some problems that need to be addressed shortly. Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson are about to hit their free agency - while Green will also be a free agent in 2020. If they decide to keep both Durant and Thompson, they would only be able to do that by offering them max contracts....

Today uncertainty has reigned supreme, as the response to a rapidly evolving situation has changed hour by hour. The largest announcement of the day for most gamers is the cancellation of E3. An unprecedented move for the 25 year expo—the video game industry’s longest running and (arguably) most important event—but one made with respect to the well-being of the developers and producers who would have been in attendance, as well as the public who would have made their way to the Los Angeles Convention Center in June....

Before we break down all of our picks, here are the most notable scoring rules for DraftKings contests: Made three-point shot (+0.5 points), rebound (+1.25 points), assists (+1.5 points), steals and blocks (+2 points), double-double (+1.5 points – max one per player) and triple-double (+3 points – max one player). Thursday night’s NBA DraftKings Picks: NBA DFS lineup for GPP tournaments Thursday main slate, $50,000 budget PG Ja Morant, Grizzlies @ Kings ($10,200)....

The Warriors won the NBA Finals in 2015, while the Cavaliers won it in 2016 after being down three games to one in the best-of-seven. Now the NBA world gets the pleasure of Cavs vs. Warriors III to break the tie once and for all … well, until Cavs vs. Warriors IV in 2018. MORE: We’re seeing exactly why Durant joined the Warriors This year’s Warriors squad has something those other Finals teams didn’t: Kevin Durant....

Gregg Popovich once again delivered San Antonio to the postseason last season, although the Spurs never looked like contenders, and were eliminated by Denver in the first round. It is clear to see that the team is in desperate need of new additions, and most apparent is the necessity to add a new big. Pau Gasol wasn’t replaced after leaving in January and LaMarcus Aldridge remains more effective when playing power forward....