The 76ers coach addressed negative comments made about the center following a 125-89 loss to the Raptors on Tuesday. According to Brown, Embiid is giving his best effort, despite the respiratory infection he’s fighting off. “He (Embiid) was trying to do whatever he could to represent his organization and play basketball for the Philadelphia 76ers,” Brown told reporters. “I’m kind of disappointed. He gets shaken around to me too much....

That’s why McCollum couldn’t help but give James a shoutout after the Trail Blazers defeated the Nuggets 100-96 in Game 7 of the Western Conference semifinals Sunday. When asked about his incredible block on a Jamal Murray layup that should have given the Nuggets an easy two points, McCollum had a simple explanation, telling reporters he was channelling “my boy [LeBron James] from the 330” area code. “I just went and got it, Bron style....

The Cavaliers had played for the title in each of the last four years and a LeBron James-led team advanced to the championship round in eight straight seasons. But, James left Cleveland and inked a four-year, $153.3 million contract with the Lakers in July, opening up the door for multiple contenders. The East is wide open as the Bucks, Raptors, 76ers and Celtics all have a legitimate chance to compete for a ring....

The Rockets center scored 16 points and grabbed 10 rebounds to help his team close out the Jazz in Game 5 of their series Wednesday. Capela was asked about potentially facing the top-seeded Warriors — who appear likely to advance past the Clippers — in Round 2. “I want — that’s what I want,” Capela told reporters. “I want to face them. … Going to get ready for that. We’ve been working on it all year long....

Now, at approximately the halfway point of the 2021-22 season, compiling the list is somehow even more difficult. Where do you place Damian Lillard and Russell Westbrook, both of whom have struggled but have Hall of Fame resumes? How high should youngsters such as Ja Morant and LaMelo Ball climb? For the rankings below, season performance was obviously taken into account, but overall track record does still matter. The 2021-22 campaign has only offered a small sample size, and every team in the league has encountered issues with injuries and players entering health and safety protocols....

There was no doubt that Williamson would be taken with the first overall pick in the 2019 draft and the Pelicans were fortunate enough to get that selection in the lottery despite only having a 6 percent chance. New Orleans will have to navigate the start of its new, post-Anthony Davis era without the Duke product, who underwent surgery Monday on a knee injury sustained during the preseason. Williamson will surely remain a potentially world-beating talent upon his return, but how have the other No....

Giannis Antetokounmpo, Greece Numbers: 6.2 points, 4.8 rebounds, 38.1 percent field-goal shooting. Outlook: At 19, Antetokounmpo is still a bit too young to play a major role for an experienced Greece team, but he has been effective at times. He had 11 points and five rebounds against Senegal (in just 19 minutes) and scored 15 against Puerto Rico. What should be encouraging for Bucks fans is that, in both games, Antetokounmpo was aggressive in attacking the rim, and got to the free-throw line eight times against Senegal and seven times against Puerto Rico....

In the rendering, the connectivity of the five boroughs is shown. The NBA is getting an early start on promoting what is sure to be a glamor-filled All-Star Weekend. Having the event in New York City adds a certain level of intrigue, then there is the brand new Barclays Center, which was built for $1 billion only a couple years ago. Brooklyn will host all the Friday and Saturday events, including the 3-point contest, dunk contest and Rising Stars Challenge....

The best games this week include an interesting West matchup between the Pelicans and the Rockets. Meanwhile, the Celtics vs. Warriors will be a showdown between two of the best teams in the league, and the Cavaliers try to get back on track vs. the Spurs. MORE: Watch the NBA live and on-demand with fuboTV (7-day free trial) Cleveland Cavaliers at San Antonio Spurs Tuesday, Jan. 23, 8 p.m. ET on TNT...

Before all 30 teams head to Las Vegas for the NBA 2K23 Summer League on July 7, the Jazz will host the Thunder, Grizzlies and 76ers for the Salt Lake City Summer League, an event in which six games will be played over three days. The headline for the Salt Lake City Summer League is the first opportunity to watch the Thunder’s No. 2 overall pick, Chet Holmgren, compete at the NBA level for the first time....

Watch NBA Summer League action, of course. Top picks from this year’s NBA Draft such as Cade Cunningham, Jalen Green and Evan Mobley will be looking to make strong impressions in Las Vegas. But NBA Summer League games aren’t just about the rising stars — they also give lesser-known players a chance to snag a roster spot ahead of the new season. Here is a complete guide to watching NBA Summer League games, including the tipoff time and TV channel for each contest....

Cleveland is unlikely to trade the 30-year-old forward, according to a report from The Cleveland Plain Dealer. The team would have to be “overwhelmed” by an offer to consider moving him, the report says. The five-time All-Star struggled with injuries throughout 2018-19 and played in just 22 games. He averaged 17 points and 10.9 rebounds while shooting 36.1% from 3-point range in 27.2 minutes per appearance. The Cavaliers were one of the worst teams in the NBA this season and finished with a 19-63 record....

Updates on Jimmy Butler, Blake Griffin and other stars were hard to come by. Players such as Paul George, Andre Drummond and even Deron Williams produced the greatest heat. What we learned Tuesday: Latest NBA trade rumors, news updates Lakers send Lou Williams to Rockets Magic Johnson’s first trade as Lakers team president involved a veteran asset that was turned into primarily a draft pick. Williams, who’s averaging 18.6 points in just over 24 minutes per game as a sixth man, was sought by multiple teams; reports earlier Tuesday said that the Hornets had entered the sweepstakes....

LA boasts a collection of under-25 talent that includes guards D’Angelo Russell and Jordan Clarkson; forwards Brandon Ingram, Julius Randle and Larry Nance Jr.; and center Ivica Zubac. Clarkson is the oldest at 24. DEVENEY: Johnson hire shows patience no longer virtue in LA Johnson sees the Lakers’ rebuild as a long-term project, and any breakup of that under-25 group would run counter to that philosophy. VECENIE: Magic must learn limitations in new role...

Things are looking up in Portland. The Trail Blazers have been winning, going 17-7 in their last 24 games and 10-3 in their last 13, moving within a game of the No. 3 seed in the West. And they’ve done it while making offensive changes that could give the team a better chance to withstand the rigors of the Western Conference and wipe away the postseason disappointments of the past five years....

If Susan Lyne has the toughest job in Hollywood in trying to revive ABC, Zucker arguably has the second toughest–making sure he extends NBC’s long winning streak in prime time. The two executives have plenty in common, too. Both are former journalists (Zucker produced the “Today” show for years); neither had experience in programming or scheduling prime-time series before getting the nod, and both have to break some rules and invent some new ones to succeed....

According to reports from ESPN.com, the NBPA is working with the NBA on a program that would fund cardiac screenings and supplemental health care for retired players. MORE: Notable deaths of 2015 | Moses Malone remembered as one of NBA’s best “I wish I could give you an exact timetable, but we have to make sure all the components are in place,” union executive director Michele Roberts told ESPN. “I will tell you we hope to have something sooner than later....

“Wearing out my whistle,” he said with a chuckle. Officials are at the epicenter of the effort by the NCAA rules committee to clean out the physical defense that last year dragged college basketball into its lowest-scoring season since 1952. (Think about that for a moment: Teams were scoring more points in 1953 than in 2013. That’s pathetic.) To this point, my ref said, coaches in exhibition games and scrimmages have not been harshly critical regarding how the new rules regarding hand-checking and excessive contact are being applied....

The book — “Breaking Cardinal Rules: Basketball and the Escort Queen” — has been published by IBJ Book Publishing, a sister company of the Indianapolis Business Journal, but not released. Its author, Katina Powell, is an escort in the Louisville area. MORE: 10 greatest Louisville players of all time | Jurich says IU booster sparked NCAA probe The book excerpt below details one of the many instances of alleged impropriety that was paid for and facilitated by Andre McGee, a former UL player who later became the program’s director of basketball operations:...

A proposed change by the NCAA rules committee would prohibit offenses from snapping the ball until at least 10 seconds had run off the 40-second play clock, slowing down the up-tempo, no-huddle attacks that have been making defenses dizzy. The rule allows defenses time to make a substitution without the offense changing players — as is currently required — and with no fear the ball will be snapped before 29 seconds are left on the play clock....