The remains were found during excavations in the Sienna area conducted by a work crew digging a test site for a future retention pond—pools of water constructed to store stormwater runoff—KTRK reported. The Fort Bend County Sheriff’s Office (FBCSO) said that while crime scene investigators had been called to the site, the remains were likely those of an ancient Native American, specifically, an individual belonging to the Karankawa Kadla people....

In 2003, NATO assumed control of the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan, a multinational military mission that lasted until 2014, nearly two years after a U.S. led coalition invaded that nation to push back against the Taliban for sheltering Osama bin Laden, the AP reported. Manza said that at first NATO stationed roughly 5,000 troops in and around Kabul, but the organization’s began focusing on “tackling the root causes of terrorism” with rebuilding efforts....

The war games are being referred to as Steadfast Defender 21, and are a test of NATO’s military response to an attack on any one of its 30 member states, the Associated Press reported. The main focus of the exercises now is testing NATO’s ability to deploy troops from America and maintain open supply lines. Russia’s increased military presence at the border area with Ukraine has caused NATO reason for alarm, and tensions in Ukraine have heightened....

The 23-year-old is said to have reached an impasse in contract negotiations with the Basque club and reports in Spain this week say Madrid are ready to activate his release clause, which is said to be just €20 million. The Spanish champions are also still rumoured to be interested in signing a marquee goalkeeper at the end of the season, with Manchester United’s David de Gea and Chelsea’s Thibaut Courtois regularly linked....

Beginning in World War I, the families of U.S. soldiers and sailors often flew flags that had a blue star for each member of the family serving in the military. If one of them died in battle, the blue star was changed to a gold star. Keith Sherman began his project, Gold Star Dirt, in August 2018 to tell the stories of fallen service members and bring awareness to the unprecedented sacrifices Gold Star families have made for this nation....

The Boston Celtics lost more than a first-round playoff series last week. They may have lost their final links to a storied past. The retirement of Larry Bird last summer left a void, but the events of the past two weeks have left the Celtics open to a major overhaul. Reggie Lewis collapsed with a heart arrhythmia that likely will end his career. Kevin McHale officially retired. Robert Parish may not return....

Does Johnson believe that Walker, a potential free agent, would look good in royal purple and gold next season? Does he believe the point guard would mesh with King James? Well, we’re not sure, because Johnson has decided he has cost his employer enough money and caused it enough grief by talking about other teams’ players. MORGAN: Walton shouldn’t be fall guy for Lakers’ lack of success He turned aside a question about Walker on Thursday before entering an event for retiring Heat star Dwyane Wade....

On their home floor, Team Cavs claimed out the honours, defeating Team Rooks in the half-court shootout, thanks to Evan Mobley, who drained the winning bucket. MORE: Watch the NBA All-Star Game live with Sling TV (3-day free trial) The Sporting News has you covered with updates from throughout the Skills Challenge. NBA LEAGUE PASS: Sign up to unlock live out-of-market games (7-day free trial) NBA All-Star Skills Challenge live updates, highlights, results 8:53 p....

Ahead of this year’s All-Star festivities, which will take place at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland, the league has released the final fan voting results. Which players emerged as the leading vote-getters in each conference? Who landed higher on the leaderboards than expected? You can check out the full results below ahead of the 2022 All-Star break. NBA League Pass: Sign up to unlock live out-of-market games (7-day free trial)...

All voting for this year’s All-Star Game is through NBA.com or the NBA App, with fans accounting for 50 percent of the final vote for the All-Star Game. The remaining 50 percent of the vote comes from current players (25 percent) and a media panel (25 percent). Now that you know the voting structure and breakdown, let’s get into takeaways from the second All-Star fan vote returns. Vote now for the starters in the 2023 NBA All-Star Game!...

Kyle Kuzma and Brandon Ingram of the Lakers were in the Rising Stars game. For the Clippers, Lou Williams was in the Skills Challenge, and Tobias Harris was in the 3-Point Contest. That’s it. Never has an All-Star Game held in Los Angeles — there were five before this — been so light on LA presence, especially with a proud franchise like the Lakers here. In every Los Angeles All-Star Game before this one, there have been at least two Lakers, and in the 2011 game, Blake Griffin represented the Clippers....

Twenty-three of the league’s 30 franchises committed their arenas or practice facilities for voting-related activities for the 2020 presidential election, as the NBA, NBA Players Association and teams worked together with local election officials to convert facilities into voting locations. This gave voters a safe in-person voting option amid the ongoing coronavirus outbreak. Of those, 18 were used as polling sites on Election Day and the Golden State Warriors, Detroit Pistons and Atlanta Hawks have told Newsweek they would consider doing so again in future elections....

Line: Chicago -5, Total: 203.5 The Bulls (21-12 SU, 14-19 ATS) last played on Tuesday night, a 117-106 home win over Milwaukee as 8.5-point favorites. It was their third-straight cover, the first time that’s happened all year. The 223 combined points scored went well OVER the 201-point total. The OVER is 5-1 in Chicago’s last six games overall, scoring 109.5 PPG and allowing 102.5 PPG. Point guard Derrick Rose (knee, hamstring) returned from a three-game absence to score 16 points against the Bucks....

For the first time since last June, LeBron James returns to San Antonio to face the team that defeated him and his former Heat squad in the 2014 NBA Finals. To add to the revenge quotient, the Cavaliers were beaten at home by the Spurs on Nov. 19, 92-90. James had one of his lowest-scoring games this season, putting up just 15 points on 6-for-17 shooting, as Kawhi Leonard continued to give him fits....

As long as they are waived by March 1, buyout candidates are eligible to compete in the postseason. These kinds of players typically only fill small roles — otherwise they would have been traded — but in some cases, buyouts can make a big difference over the course of a playoff run. POWER RANKINGS: Lakers keep tumbling down Think about guys like P.J. Brown on the 2008 Celtics or Chris Andersen on the 2013 Heat....

The Cavaliers, who are on a nice streak themselves, had their odds shortened to 4-to-1 from 5-to-1 last week. Saturday’s win at Minnesota marked the Cavs’ 10th in a row, and they’ve scored at least 99 points in each game during the run. LeBron James has been on an absolute tear, averaging 29.6 points, 6.4 assists, and 6.2 rebounds during the winning streak. The Cavaliers are finally clicking, a frightening development for the rest of the league....

There is some great value on the NBA odds with this being the most wide open NBA championship race in the last six years. MORE: Get the latest NBA betting odds & advice at Sportsbook Review NBA championship odds 2020 For the full list of futures odds for all 30 teams, head over to Sportsbook Review. NBA PREDICTIONS 2019-20: SN’s Finals picks | Award winners Clippers +425 The Clippers are the favorite NBA pick to win the title....

The NBA anounced Friday that Curry was fouled on his game-tying 3-pointer with 2.8 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter. Curry should have gone to the line for a potential 4-point play that could have given the Warriors a 109-108 lead. Instead, the game went to overtime, where Golden State won 123-119 for a 3-0 lead in their opening-round Western Conference playoff series. MORE: Must-see playoff photos | Nas gives Curry props | All of Curry’s 3-pointers this season...

The newest Timberwolf, taken fifth overall in Thursday’s NBA Draft, got his hands on some sparkly Gucci sneakers … … and paired them with a suit from J.C. Penney. While we’re not totally sure that led to the first draft night J.C. Penney shout out, we’re comfortable assuming. MORE: NBA Draft live blog, pick list, analysis | Draft fashion throughout the years Shoutout to Belk! Shoutout to Kohl’s! Shoutout to all providers of sensibly priced clothing across this great nation!...

The Pelicans shockingly jumped up in the lottery Tuesday and earned the No. 1 pick in the 2019 NBA Draft. The team is now widely expected to select the former Duke star. Williamson became the story of college basketball as a freshman for the Blue Devils in 2018-19. He was almost unstoppable around the rim and also displayed an ability to create plays for himself as well as others....