NBA Fantasy
SportsAssociated PressBeal's late heroics lift Wizards past Warriors 110-107
Bradley Beal shook off a sluggish performance — and a sore back — and scored six points in the final 6.1 seconds, lifting the Washington Wizards past the Golden State Warriors 110-107 on Friday night. Russell Westbrook had 19 points, 14 assists and 14 rebounds for his league-leading 21st triple-double. Rui Hachimura added 22 points and five rebounds for the Wizards, who had lost 12 of 16.
SportsAssociated PressBridges leads Hornets to 127-119 win over short-handed Bucks
Miles Bridges scored 26 points to lead the Charlotte Hornets to a 127-119 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks, who were playing Friday night without all five of their usual starters. The Hornets (27-24) are three games above .500 for the first time since January 2017. “I'm proud of our guys, that they've put us in this position to be where we're at," Hornets coach James Borrego said.
SportsYahoo SportsJayson Tatum becomes youngest player in Celtics history to post 50-point game
The last Celtics player to score as much as Tatum was Larry Bird.
SportsAssociated PressTatum's career-high 53 help Celtics top T-Wolves 145-136
The only regret Jayson Tatum had about his first career 50-point game was that his 2-year-old son wasn't there to see it. “It just means I’ll have to do it again someday," Tatum said. Tatum scored a career-high 53 points — including 18 in the fourth quarter and overtime — and the Boston Celtics held on to beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 145-136 on Friday night.
SportsAssociated PressKnicks rally late, snap Grizzlies' 4-game win streak in OT
The Knicks were down and almost out. “We needed it bad,” All-Star Julius Randle said. RJ Barrett scored 20 points, making a tiebreaking 3-pointer with 1:15 left in overtime, and New York used a late rally to stun the Memphis Grizzlies 133-129 on Friday night.
SportsAssociated PressClippers' Beverley to miss time after breaking left hand
Clippers guard Patrick Beverley is likely to miss the rest of the regular season after breaking his left hand during Thursday's game against the Phoenix Suns. Beverley was going for a rebound in the fourth quarter of Los Angeles' 113-103 victory when he broke the fourth metacarpal bone in his left hand. The Clippers announced before Friday's game against the Houston Rockets that Beverley had surgery and will be evaluated again in three to four weeks.
SportsAssociated PressHawks win 120-108, overcome 50-point game by Bulls' LaVine
Trae Young scored 42 points, Clint Capela had 22 points and 10 rebounds, and the Atlanta Hawks overcame a sizzling performance by Zach LaVine to beat the Chicago Bulls 120-108 on Friday night. LaVine scored 39 of his career-high 50 points in the first half, and Nikola Vucevic had 25 points and 10 rebounds but the Bulls' three-game winning streak was snapped. Chicago was trying to win four straight for the first time since December 2017.
SportsAssociated PressHoliday, Sabonis lead Pacers past Magic, 111-106
Indiana Pacers shooting guard Aaron Holiday might want to get used to being a top scoring option off the bench after the way he consistently shot in the last few games. Holiday scored 20 points and Domantas Sabonis added 16 points, 15 rebounds and six assists in his return from a three-game injury absence to help Indiana hold off the Orlando Magic 111-106 on Friday night. Holiday made six of Indiana’s 11 3-pointers, two nights after scoring a season-best 22 points in a victory over Minnesota.
SportsYahoo SportsPatrick Beverley out at least 3-4 weeks with fractured hand
Not what the Clippers wanted.
SportsAssociated PressBucks missing all 5 starters against Hornets
The Milwaukee Bucks were without all five of their usual starters Friday night as they hosted the Charlotte Hornets a night after losing at Dallas. Reigning two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo sat out his fourth straight game with a sore left knee. Jrue Holiday (bruised left knee), Donte DiVincenzo (bruised right hip), Brook Lopez (sore back), Khris Middleton (sore right knee) and reserve forward P.J. Tucker (strained left calf) also were declared out.
SportsYahoo SportsIt’s a great time to join the Phoenix Suns bandwagon
The Suns are now the No. 2 seed in the West, a top-10 offense and defense that now demands the attention of their Western Conference foes, who are approaching them with a level of scrutiny and attention that they haven’t experienced before.
CelebrityYahoo SportsLeBron James among athletes paying respects to DMX after news of rapper's death
Athletes reacted to news of the icon and legend's death on Friday.
SportsYahoo SportsNBA Fact or Fiction: Title favorites, three-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo and Paul Pierce
Each week during the 2020-21 NBA season, we will take a deeper dive into three of the league’s biggest storylines in an attempt to determine whether the trends are based more in fact or fiction moving forward.
SportsYahoo SportsIs Kyrie Irving the most skilled player we’ve ever seen in the NBA?
He can pull up from deep on a dime, is cash from mid-range, has an unmatched handle, and when it comes to finishing at the rim, he has the deepest bags we seen full of infinite moves.
SportsAssociated PressGeorge scores 33 points, Clippers snap Suns' winning streak
When Paul George and Kawhi Leonard are both healthy, they are one of the most difficult duos to stop in the NBA. The Los Angeles Clippers superstars showed that again Thursday night. George scored 33 points and Leonard added 27 in the Clippers' 113-103 victory over the Phoenix Suns in a physical matchup between two of the top teams in the Western Conference.
SportsAssociated PressJazz rout Trail Blazers for 23rd straight home victory
Strong second-half defense helped the Utah Jazz break open a close game and extend their franchise-record home winning streak. Donovan Mitchell scored 37 points to lead Utah to its 23rd straight victory at home, a 122-103 win over the Portland Trail Blazers on Thursday night. Rudy Gobert had 18 points and 21 rebounds, Joe Ingles added 13 points and six assists and Utah dominated the glass by outrebounding Portland 58-41 while snapping a two-game skid.
SportsAssociated PressJoseph scores 24, Pistons beat Kings 113-101
Cory Joseph had a season-high 24 points and seven assists in his first game against his former team, Jhalil Okafor made a timely return after missing nearly two months following knee surgery, and the short-handed Detroit Pistons beat the Sacramento Kings 113-101 on Thursday night. Isaiah Stewart added 16 points and 13 rebounds in place of injured Mason Plumlee for the Pistons. Okafor, who had missed 27 games following left knee surgery, scored 11 points.
SportsAssociated PressDoncic, Porzingis lead bounce-back Mavs over Bucks 116-101
Kristaps Porzingis got two quick shots on purpose and another by accident in the fourth quarter while putting Dallas in front of Milwaukee for good a night after appearing unhappy over not getting any looks late in a loss to lowly Houston. Luka Doncic scored 27 points, Porzingis had 26 points and 17 rebounds playing on consecutive days for the first time in two months and the Mavericks beat the Bucks 116-101 on Thursday night.
SportsAssociated PressButler scores 28, Heat beat depleted Lakers 110-104
Jimmy Butler scored 28 points to lead the Miami Heat past the depleted Los Angeles Lakers 110-104 on Thursday night. Victor Oladipo added 18 points but limped off the court, favoring his right knee, after a dunk late in the fourth quarter. Coach Erik Spoelstra said Oladipo, acquired in a trade with Houston on March 25, will be evaluated Friday.
SportsAssociated PressLaVine, Vucevic lead Bulls past Raptors, 122-113
Nikola Vucevic and Zach LaVine each scored 22 points and the Chicago Bulls beat the Toronto Raptors 122-113 on Thursday night for their third straight victory. LaVine also had 15 assists, and Lauri Markkanen came off the bench to score 18 points, making eight of 10 shots. “I think we’ve got to be a team now that that really tries to jam it inside,” said Bulls coach Billy Donovan, who has worked the 6-foot-11 Vucevic into the offense since the deadline trade with Orlando.
SportsYahoo SportsBucks' Khris Middleton joining NBL's Brisbane Bullets ownership group
Khris Middleton is the latest NBA players to join an ownership group in Australia.
SportsYahoo SportsLakers will unveil 2019-20 championship banner in front of fans May 12
Fans will be able to attend the Lakers' banner reveal in May.
SportsYahoo SportsFantasy Basketball: Injury Updates for LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and more
Injury expert Jeff Stotts of RotoWire.com breaks what fantasy managers can expect from some of the NBA's biggest injured stars.
SportsYahoo SportsDraymond Green reveals what he told Kevin Durant in that pump-up GIF
Draymond Green was just being a good hype man for Kevin Durant.
SportsAssociated PressVan Vleet, Bembry, Horton-Tucker suspended for fighting
Toronto Raptors guards DeAndre’ Bembry and Fred Van Vleet and Los Angeles Lakers guard Talen Horton-Tucker were suspended one game without pay Thursday for leaving their benches during a fight. Bembry will serve his suspension in Toronto’s game against the Chicago Bulls on Thursday night in Tampa, Florida. Horton-Tucker will miss the Lakers’ game at Miami on Thursday night.
