Many conditions, such as postnasal drip, chronic bronchitis, uncontrolled diabetes, respiratory tract infection, liver or kidney disease, and digestive disorders, such as acid reflux, can cause bad breath. In the majority of people with bad breath, however, the problem is in the mouth and is often caused by improper dental hygiene, periodontal disease or dry mouth. What causes the actual odor? Food particles and dead cells in the mouth collect bacteria that thrive in environments that lack oxygen, such as the back of the tongue and deep gum pockets....

When Tim Duncan was a rookie, the Spurs coaching staff put him through a series of drills. The coaches wanted to check out his jump hook, bank shot, footwork, agility and power moves. After each move, they had the same reaction: wide smiles Six seasons later, Duncan’s coaches still are smiling. And why not? With Duncan leading the way, the Spurs have won a championship and won or share four division titles....

Until 2017, the fan voting alone determined the entire starting line-up for the starters of the two All-Star teams. However, since 2017, the NBA has adopted a weighted approach with fan voting accounting for 50 percent while the remaining is split between players and media. Despite the change in voting for the All-Star starters, the process of selecting the reserves has remained the same. All coaches would vote for two guards, three frontcourt players and two wildcards while not being allowed to vote for their own players....

This movement placed franchises in the position to pick and choose from a pool of capable players. Many of them have found new NBA homes, and we took a look at how they fit with their current teams: MORE: Grant Hill says Parker ‘is the real deal’ | Jimmer Fredette excited to join Bulls Glen ‘Big Baby’ Davis, PF, Clippers (Magic). The Clippers have one of the NBA’s better frontcourt tandems in Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan, but their bench has left much to be desired....

The Clippers are now the offseason favorites to win it all in 2020; they’re listed from 2-1 to 3-1 in a small sample of new futures lines: MORE: NBA players react to Kawhi, PG-13 joining forces Expect more volatility after one of Las Vegas’ major books resets its prices.

Of course, not all of these jerseys can be winners. A few teams should have gone back to the drawing board before they finalized their designs. With official uniform reveals now hitting social media, here are the best and worst of this year’s City Edition looks. MORE: Tracking new NBA uniforms for 2022-23 season Best NBA City Edition jerseys Celtics This uniform set isn’t a surprise, as the Celtics already wore these jerseys earlier this season....

With the league’s coaching carousel set to go into full swing this summer, let’s examine the landscape and see what changes might be on the horizon for a few franchises. POWER RANKINGS: Rockets, Warriors battle for No. 1 Latest NBA coaching news, rumors — Phoenix is targeting former Memphis coach Dave Fizdale to replace interim coach Jay Triano, according to league sources. When Fizdale was the lead assistant to Eric Spoelstra in Miami during the LeBron Era, James Jones was on the Heat roster....

On Thursday, Silver once again reiterated his desire to see the league's age minimum bumped to 20 years old. "I've been a proponent of raising the age from 19 to 20 because I think it would make for a better league," Silver said Thursday, according to USA Today. "I believe and continue to believe it will be in the best interest of the league. I think that the extra year in college will be a benefit for these young men to grow and develop as people and basketball players....

Commissioner Adam Silver thinks the issue is worth a look. Silver explained one potential change to Comcast Sportsnet Bay Area, answering a question from Facebook during Wednesday’s game between the Golden State Warriors and Dallas Mavericks. MORE: Deconstructing the trading block | Best possible replacements for Jacque Vaughn “There is a proposal (from one of the broadcasters),” Silver said, “where the division winners would all automatically go into the playoffs and then you’d seed the next 10 best teams....

According to Grantland.com’s Zach Lowe, the proposed new system would spread the pingpong balls more evenly among teams and would double the number of top picks determined by lottery from three to six. Currently, the team with the worst record has a 25 percent chance of getting the top pick, although the last time the worst team drafted No. 1 was 2004 (Magic, Dwight Howard). The lottery team with the best record has less than 1 percent shot....

But Ainge said the Ball family’s wishes will have no impact on how the Celtics will use the top overall pick, which Boston won on Tuesday night at the NBA Draft lottery. The Lakers will pick second. “No, not at all,” Ainge said when asked if Ball’s desire to play for the Lakers would affect the Celtics’ decision. “We understand that he’s from Los Angeles, but we’re going to draft whoever can help the Celtics regardless of where the players want to play....

In recent weeks he’s been sprinting up everyone’s draft boards. Some scouts have him moving up from the 6-8 area to No. 3, where Philadelphia will draft. But that’s where the brakes are being applied to the former Kentucky point guard. Fox knows the No. 2 spot belonging to the Lakers might be reserved for Lonzo Ball, despite dominating LaVar’s eldest son during the Wildcats’ win over UCLA in the NCAA Tournament....

With that reality settling in, the buzz around this week’s predraft combine here is that the Grizzlies are ripe for a move out of the No. 4 spot. The preference would be to move into the top two and take Ayton or Doncic, but it’s a longshot that Phoenix (No. 1) or Sacramento (No. 2) would be willing to deal out of their spots. That means Memphis will look to move down, likely with a wing — small forwards Mikal Bridges or Miles Bridges, most likely — in mind....

The Pelicans selected the former Duke star with the No. 1 pick in the 2019 NBA Draft on Thursday and nobody was surprised. After all, Williamson put together one of the most captivating freshman seasons ever in 2018-19. The 6-7 forward averaged 22.6 points and 8.9 rebounds per game while shooting an impressive 68% from the field in his lone season with the Blue Devils. He collected some notable accolades along the way, as well....

There have been a few last-minute revisions to the Big Board released last week based on additional scouting. Overall, this group feels strong. Sure, the prospects at the top of the class have their warts, but any of the top 12 would be worthy of a top eight selection. This class also has plenty of depth. It has the potential to bring NBA value into the 40s with a number of prospects in the middle of the class projected to play the wing, a position of significant need in the modern NBA....

“He is an impressive kid,” one league executive said. “He was not really registering on anybody’s radar when this season started. But you can’t help but notice that he does all the things you want from a guy to win. He hustles, he’s tough, he can shoot it, he is impressive in interviews. I don’t know that there is a coach out there who would not want him on their team....

The Timberwolves landed the No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft lottery drawing, giving Minnesota the opportunity to put a top prospect next to D’Angelo Russell and Karl-Anthony Towns. “We couldn’t be more pleased to land the first overall pick in this year’s draft, marking only the second time in franchise history,” Timberwolves president of basketball operations Gersson Rosas said in a team statement. “We are excited for the possibilities ahead of us to bring in a high caliber player now that we secured the first overall selection....

Golden State blew a 3-1 lead to the Cavaliers in the 2016 Finals, but Green believes the two-time defending champions can complete an unlikely comeback this time around. “That’s important to have that pride, to have the faith in what we’re capable of,” Green told reporters Friday. “We just got to take it one game at a time. We got to win one game. We win one, then we’ll build on that....

Once the clock strikes 6 p.m. ET on Thursday, pandemonium kicks into high gear and The Sporting News has you covered with live reaction to every major move. Which teams struck oil and which struck out? Who overpaid to nail down their top targets and who inked valuable contributors on team-friendly deals? Stay with us throughout the first day of NBA free agency for complete analysis. NBA FREE AGENCY: Ranking top 25 free agents | Best value target...

The Kings got Barnes in a package that included Justin Jackson and Zach Randolph as they tried to make the playoffs for the first time since 2005-06, an effort that fell short as Sacramento finished ninth in the Western Conference. The Kings were 28-26 when they made the trade and went 11-17 the rest of the season, although the 39 wins was their most since the playoff year. In the 28 games with the Kings, Barnes averaged 14....