Category: NBA News

Dončić takes control without LeBron The Lakers didn’t have LeBron James on Friday night. They had Luka Dončić — and that was plenty. The Slovenian superstar put on an offensive clinic at Crypto.com Arena, pouring in 44 points in just three quarters to steer Los Angeles to a comfortable win over the Indiana Pacers (128-117).…

A debut the capital had been waiting for It took patience. Lots of it. Nearly two months after landing in the capital, Trae Young finally wore a Wizards jersey in a game. The point guard, slowed by knee and quad issues, made his debut last night against the Jazz. Fans watched every touch — curious…

Wembanyama goes nuclear as San Antonio cruise When Victor Wembanyama flips that switch, the result feels inevitable. On a night he owned from the first whistle, the French giant carried the Spurs to a clear win over the Pistons (121-106) with a ridiculous stat line: 38 points, 16 rebounds and 5 blocks. San Antonio never…

It’s almost time. After weeks of waiting, speculation and medical caution, the word is out: Jayson Tatum will play again this season. The Celtics’ forward is expected back Friday at the TD Garden against the Dallas Mavericks, according to insider Shams Charania. Suddenly Boston’s season has a new pulse. Weeks of waiting — finally a…

Some teams live and die by their stars. Then there are those that keep winning when their best players drop out of the rotation. In recent weeks the Thunder have shown they clearly belong to the second group. Missing several starters for more than a month — including Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams — the…

Some trades set Twitter alight at 9:58pm on deadline night. Others grow weight over weeks, almost in silence. Jared McCain’s move to the Oklahoma City Thunder clearly belongs to that second camp. Somewhere in Philadelphia, Daryl Morey must be wincing at the box scores. Low usage, big return On paper, OKC picked up a 21-year-old…

No Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. No panic. The Oklahoma City Thunder, defending champions and top of the West (48-15), walked into Chicago and left with a 116-108 win. And the man at the center of the night? Jared McCain. 20 points. Four threes. Calm. Perfect timing. McCain steps up, OKC rolls Shai was rested with an abdominal…

Some nights the crowd starts chanting before the final buzzer. In Minneapolis, the Target Center was yelling “MVP” with a minute to go. Because Anthony Edwards had just made another statement. The Minnesota Timberwolves beat the Memphis Grizzlies 117-110, their fourth straight win. Edwards poured in 41. Again. Anthony Edwards 41 PTS, 6 REBS, 2…

Orlando needed a statement game. They found a leader. In a calm Kia Center, the Magic steamrolled the Washington Wizards 126-109 behind a Paolo Banchero on fire. 37 points. 15 of 21 from the floor. Cold-blooded. Banchero hits hard, Orlando strolls Banchero matched his season high without flapping. Strong post-ups, brutal drives, calm mid-range shots.…