Porter, the No. 2 recruit in the high school class of 2017, had a procedure known as a microdiscectomy in his lower back in order to alleviate a herniated disc. So far, Porter has played in a preseason charity scrimmage against Kansas and just two minutes of Missouri’s opener against Iowa State prior to his comeback Thursday in Missouri’s SEC Tournament opener. Still, the 19-year-old is in the conversation to be a top-five pick....

After the players walked across the stage and shook NBA commissioner Adam Silver’s hand, they were greeted by ESPN’s Maria Taylor. In the moments following their selection, they shared touching moments with their parents, and one even had a message for his country after making history. RJ Barrett, who was selected third overall by the Knicks, was joined by his father, Rowan. Barrett at one point rested his head on his dad’s shoulder while Rowan Barrett showed just as much emotion....

Barrett, 19, was selected by the Knicks with the third overall pick in Thursday’s NBA Draft, having seen former Duke teammate Zion Williamson go to the Pelicans with the No. 1 selection. New York hasn’t won a championship since 1973 and last made the playoffs in 2013, meaning there is significant pressure on the highly rated Barrett to deliver at Madison Square Garden. But the interest in Duke — with Barrett, Williamson and Cam Reddish on the same team — means the new Knicks star believes he is ready....

Los Angeles is “aggressively pursuing the purchase of second-round picks,” according to a report from ESPN, which cites unidentified league sources. The Lakers will enter the draft after reportedly completing one of the biggest trades in NBA history last weekend. They acquired Anthony Davis from the Pelicans in exchange for Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball, Josh Hart and three first-round picks, including the No. 4 selection in 2019. Los Angeles is also shopping the contracts of reserves Mo Wagner, Jemerrio Jones and Isaac Bonga to other teams in the hopes of clearing more cap space, according to ESPN....

Luckily, there are no consequences whatsoever for grading winners and losers. There are going to be some misses here, too, so let’s try to have fun with it. Here’s the instant gratification winners and losers column that you’re seeking from the 2022 NBA Draft. SN’s NFL DRAFT HQLive picks tracker | Final Mock Draft: Two-round edition | Top 60 big board with player comparisons NBA Draft 2022 winners Orlando Magic Banchero was sitting at No....

A little under two-thirds of those players will play in 5-on-5 scrimmages at the end of the week with the rest of them using the time to meet with NBA teams for interviews, conduct medical evaluations and complete physical measurements and/or athletics testing. MORE: NBA Draft lottery results Here are the storylines to follow at the combine… A few top prospects won’t be at the event If you’re planning to tune into the combine to see Arizona’s Deandre Ayton or Real Madrid’s Luka Doncic — the two favorites to be the No....

He was rooting for the Knicks to pull the No. 1 pick in Tuesday’s NBA Draft lottery, according to ESPN.com, which cited an unidentified source. When he instead saw the Pelicans shoplift the top spot, Williamson was “quickly whisked” out of the NBA Draft lottery room in Chicago. It was the shocking ending to a chaotic lottery reveal that saw the Knicks fall to No. 3. Now they and their fans — and Williamson — likely face the prospect of picking whoever the Grizzlies don’t at No....

But before that gets into full swing, we can go by what scouts and front-office types have been saying about those players, independent of workouts and team needs. That’s the spirit behind player rankings, and we’ve got a look at the top 50 players heading into the draft process. NBA MOCK DRAFT 2019:Pelicans, Knicks, Hawks snag Duke stars; Lakers pick sharpshooter NBA Draft prospect rankings: Big board of top 50 players Zion Williamson, F, Duke We know who No....

This Diaw lob pass to Kawhi Leonard came off a set play that features a backscreen, a great pass and a set of the biggest hands in basketball. 

Now it’s Griffin’s turn to be on the receiving end of recruiting pitches. He opted out of his contract on Friday to become a free agent, according to The Vertical’s Adrian Wojnarowski. MORE: NBA Trade Tracker: Rumors, reported trades Griffin had a player option worth more than $21 million with the Clippers next season, according to Hoops Hype, but he’ll be able to choose his next team as an unrestricted free agent....

But expect Gallinari to garner a Plan A-type price tag. According to NBA front-office executives, when free agency hits at the crack of Saturday morning, Gallinari will be seeking something in the range of a nine-figure payday over four years. “From what we understand, he is looking for something similar to Parsons, a Chandler Parsons-type contract” one GM told Sporting News last week. “There is a lot of risk there, but that’s where the market is....

With one week to go in the NBA season, there is still plenty to be decided in terms of postseason seeding—with Wednesday’s schedule looming very big in several races. Here’s how things stack up now: NBA PLAYOFFS: Which teams clinched spots | Who is already eliminated | Gallery: NBA Finals MVPS Western Conference No. 2 seed Combatants : Thunder and Clippers. Importance level : Huge . Nothing is guaranteed in the Western Conference, but if OKC and the Clippers get through the first round of the postseason, they would face each other in the conference semifinals, and whomever is the second seed would have homecourt....

Despite the lackluster effort on the Cavs’ home floor Sunday afternoon, James insists that there is no time for panic. “I’m down 0-1 in the first round. I was down 3-1 in the Finals,” James said after the game. “I’m the last guy to ask about how you’re going to feel the next couple of days.” While Cleveland’s defense has been the glaring issue heading into the playoffs, the Cavs couldn’t seem to get going offensively either....

The Warriors topped the Trail Blazers 116-94 at Oracle Arena in the Western Conference finals Tuesday to take a 1-0 lead in the series. Here are three takeaways from Golden State’s strong start to the third round: Portland’s stars were duds Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum both need to show up to make this series competitive, but they were both cold in Game 1. The two combined to score 36 points on 11-of-31 shooting....

With Saturday’s 101-96 victory in Denver as San Antonio made its 22nd straight postseason appearance, the Spurs coach won his 1,413th game between the regular season and playoffs to become the winningest coach in NBA history. The win moved Popovich past Lenny Wilkens, who is in the Hall of Fame as both a player and coach. Don Nelson rounded out the top three with 1,410 victories, while Phil Jackson (1,384) and Pat Riley (1,381) rank fourth and fifth, respectively....

The Warriors moved up 3-0 in the series with a 110-99 victory over the Trail Blazers on Saturday, Stephen Curry scoring 36 points while Draymond Green claimed a triple-double. Portland held an 18-point lead in the second quarter but added just 13 in the third as Golden State came from behind to move one win away from a fifth straight NBA Finals appearance. Stotts felt the Trail Blazers offense “fell apart” in the second half and called for improved energy levels in Game 4 at Moda Center on Monday....

Point spreads and totals listed here are current as of 8 a.m. ET on Tuesday morning. Visit our odds page for updated Las Vegas lines. No. 5 Washington Wizards at No. 4 Toronto Raptors (8 p.m. ET, NBA-TV)Game 2 spread, total: Toronto -5, 191 Series lead: Washington 1-0 The Wizards shocked the Raptors in Game 1, 93-86 OT as 5.5-point dogs. They were the only road team to win the opening game in these playoffs....

The Bucks topped the Pistons 127-104 in Detroit to complete a first-round sweep, giving them their first playoff series win since 2000-01. Giannis Antetokounmpo followed up a subpar Game 3 performance with a game-high 41 points and nine rebounds in Game 4. Blake Griffin did all he could to keep the Pistons alive, totaling 22 points, five rebounds and six assists. But it wasn’t enough. The Bucks advance to face the Celtics in the second round....

Three weeks have now gone by in the 2021-22 season and as teams approach the 10-game checkpoint, we’re learning more about who’s who around the league. While a select few teams have come out of the gate firing on all cylinders, there are some other teams with major aspirations that have stumbled while they work to figure things out. As always, there have been a few early-season surprises, but it’s far too soon to determine whether or not the success will be sustained for 82 games....