#nba

#nba

San Antonio Spurs rookie guard Dylan Harper suffered a left calf strain on Sunday and is expected to miss multiple weeks, sources told ESPN's Shams Charania on Monday. Harper suffered the injury while defending a Nick Richards dunk in the second quarter of a 130-118 loss to the Phoenix Suns. An MRI on Monday revealed the strain. After falling awkwardly on a block attempt, Harper winced after walking toward the bench.

Luka Doncic set an all-time Los Angeles Lakers record with 92 points in their first two games; then he sat out the third game, and Austin Reaves exploded for 51. Victor Wembanyama looks like a walking impossibility on the court, blocking seemingly every shot on defense while dropping more than 30 PPG on offense. Nikola Jokic has triple-doubles in his first two games despite struggling with his shot.

While the Toronto Blue Jays were busy handling business against the Los Angeles Dodgers in a whopper of a World Series Game 3 at Dodger Stadium, the Toronto Raptors were getting their business handed to them nearly 1,400 miles away at Frost Bank Center against the San Antonio Spurs, falling 121-103 on Monday night. By the way, both the Raptors and Blue Jays games started at 8:00 pm ET.

Singler was charged Tuesday in Haskell County with one misdemeanor count of assault and battery in the presence of a child. Singler's girlfriend told a sheriff's deputy that Singler grabbed her by the head and shoved her to the ground, according to an arrest affidavit. Deputy Mitch Dobbs also reported that he could observe finger outlines on the woman's face and marks on her arm.

"Well, it shouldn't be needed, first and foremost," Jordan said. "You know, I never wanted to miss a game because it was an opportunity to prove. It was something that I felt like the fans are there that watch me play. I want to impress that guy way up on top who probably worked his [butt] off to get a ticket or to get money to buy the ticket."

Even though his salary will still count against the Miami Heat's salary cap books, they will not be paying Terry Rozier while he's on leave of absence, ESPN NBA insider Shams Charania and AP's Tim Reynolds first reported Wednesday. According to Charania, his paycheck - as well as Chauncey Billups' - will be "withheld and placed in escrow, pending outcome of FBI cases."

Last year, he took it to another level, dressing as No-Face, a character from the Academy Award-winning animated film "Spirited Away." Wembanyama wore an all-black one-piece fit and covered his face with the trademark mask. The costume preceded a 25-point, 9-rebound, 7-assist performance plus 5 steals and blocks each against the Utah Jazz -- the second time in his career he put up at least five each in five stat categories.

Casinos today are more than just gambling venues-they're luxury playgrounds for the world's elite. Nowhere is this more evident than in Las Vegas, where resorts like The Wynn Las Vegas have become synonymous with opulence, exclusivity, and discretion. With private gaming salons, Michelin-starred dining, high-end retail, and impeccable concierge service, The Wynn offers a tailored experience for those seeking elite entertainment.

When you're a kid, when you'd watch it, you'd definitely want to be in it, Podziemski said before Thursday's game against his hometown Bucks. I had that dream for sure.

Starting Saturday, NBA referees will begin using headsets during regular-season games for the first time. The league made that announcement Friday, rolling out a two-phase plan to implement the devices. The first phase, which is expected to continue into January, will see referees having the earpiece clipped onto their uniforms - then using it only during instant replay reviews and other stoppages, but not actually during live play.

One of the sports world's most intriguing start-up companies is renewing its long-term partnership with its first-ever major professional sports league partner. The NBA and Cosm, the entertainment company that's reinventing the sports bar with what they like to call shared reality, announced Thursday an extended partnership to air live NBA games in Cosm's domes. The IMAX-esque experience allows Cosm's customers to watch live sporting events on its unique 87-foot-diameter, 12L+ LED screens that have gone viral for offering a first-of-its-kind experience for fans.

However much grumping you might do at the water cooler-about the stupid idiot coach and his refusal to trust the rookie, or about the big brick-handed lummox mucking up the offensive spacing, or about the sleazy executive with his hands on the purse strings-when it comes to games and scores and outcomes, you have to root for your guys. That's your end of the deal.

The National Basketball Association is now slime-identified with a crew of upstanders known as "Spook," "Peso," "Vez," "Sugar," "Black Tony," "Scruli," and "Doc," thanks to the strenuous efforts of FBI Director Kash Patel to generate a headline. "Current and Former National Basketball Association Players and Four Other Individuals Charged in Widespread Sports Betting and Money Laundering Conspiracy," Patel's press office blared last week.

PORTLAND Steph Curry nailed improbable shot after improbable shot on Friday night, but his expected excellence was not enough to overcome an inspired Blazers team that had spent the past 48 hours mired in controversy. The Blazers were led by acting head coach Tiago Splitter, who stepped into the role after Chauncey Billups was arrested on illegal gambling charges by the FBI on Thursday. The Blazers scorched the nets at the Moda Center, shooting 53.8% from the field. Curry scored a scintillating 35 points after scoring 42 the day before, but the rest of a mix-and-match Warriors lineup looked flat by comparison.

Players are trying their best to win; the games are on the level. If you lose that, if the games are fixed or the players are motivated by something other than the competition, the whole thing collapses. (This is why sports gambling was banned for nearly 100 years after the Black Sox scandal; it was understood by everyone involved, until very recently, that players and coaches gambling on their own games was sports' third rail.) There's no reason to watch a game you can't believe

Miami Heat player Terry Rozier and Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups were arrested yesterday over their alleged involvement in illegal sports gambling and rigged poker games, according to two separate but related federal indictments that were unsealed. The cases, which involve dozens of defendants spread across multiple states, illustrate the delicate relationship sports leagues have with the sportsbooks that pay them millions in sponsorship deals but also pose a potential reputational risk.

The operation carried out October 23 by the FBI, involving NBA players and several mafia families, could well have been lifted from this acclaimed piece of film making. In total, the FBI has arrested 37 individuals connected to the fraud ring. With the alleged involvement of three La Cosa Nostra crime families, an NBA head coach and Hall of Famer, as well as other current and former professional athletes, the investigative work that culminated with this morning's operation are reminiscent of a Hollywood movie.

The alleged scheme involving Rozier had to do with the manipulation of prop bets. The gamblers supposedly used non-public information about NBA players, and a network of straw bettors operating on online sportsbooks and in-person casinos, to bet hundreds of thousands of dollars. They bet the under on the players who intended to play worse, or remove themselves early from games.

The modern NBA is typically a league built around competitive windows rather than perennial contention. Every team has missed the playoffs at least once in the past decade, except for the Boston Celtics (who last missed in 2013-14). As they build and pay their rosters -- especially under the current collective bargaining agreement -- teams must understand their competitive cycles and strategize accordingly. As the 2025-26 season begins, which teams need to win now, and which would prefer to compete later instead?

Gilgeous-Alexander was a little rusty but admitted getting the win was all that mattered. "I need to be better," he said. "We need to be better than what we just did. We're going to be a better team in a few months, but I fully believe this team will use tonight as a learning experience. "It was ugly tonight, but I'd rather it be ugly in a win than a loss for sure."

The uniforms of award winners from the 2024-25 NBA season will look a little different for opening week. Players such as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (MVP), Evan Mobley (Defensive Player of the Year) and Stephon Castle (Rookie of the Year) will have their respective trophy icons sewn above the Nike swoosh on the front of their uniforms. Members of the All-NBA, All-Rookie and All-Defensive teams will also don a specific patch. However, individual awards have precedence over that one.

LeBron James, the league's oldest player, will be out until at least mid-November with sciatica on his right side. For the Lakers, the news is terrible. Since King James brought his talents to Los Angeles in 2018, the team has won 60% of the games he plays and only 42% of the ones he doesn't. One day the 40-year-old James will retire, and the league will have a new face.

There is some crude math that takes into account last season's performance and offseason shuffling, and the two factors are combined to give a rough estimate of how a team will perform in the next season. This is by nature imprecise work, at best a series of educated guesses that paw at predicting something that cannot be predicted. At best, they can set the table, outlining expectations and identifying the spectrum of possibilities.

It's surreal to be part of the NBA's return to NBC, a network that defined basketball for an entire generation,