Evans was one of two female gamers who were available in the 198-player pool for the draft. She tried to make it in the league last year, but found resistence from male gamers who would refuse to pass her the ball, making it difficult to put up the stats impressive enough to join the league. NBA commissioner Adam Silver said after the first draft in 2018 that the lack of women was “a disappointment for all of us so far....

AccuScore has the Suns as fairly heavy 68.3 percent favorites to win, a number that would warrant a -215 price on the money-line. Books are offering the Suns at -170, suggesting a 63 percent chance to win. Those numbers combined with the fact Milwaukee is 2-5 SU in its last seven games at home presents some value on the money-line in this case. However, bettors are generally averse to laying such a high price....

Line: Cavaliers -10, Total: 199 (current NBA spreads and totals) Before this NBA season began, not many people predicted the Heat would have two double-digit victories over James’ new team. It hasn’t been a case of injuries, either, as both teams have had some issues when facing each other this year. Speaking of which, Cavs forward Kevin Love (back) is a game-time decision Thursday, and Miami’s forward Luol Deng (knee) may also be a tip-off choice....

NBA League Pass: Sign up to unlock live out-of-market games (7-day free trial) While in years past, Christmas Day has featured some iconic looks over the years, with distinctly festive jerseys marking the holidays for each team taking the floor, 2021 will see all ten teams rocking their City Edition uniforms for the holidays. The league hasn’t seen Christmas Day jerseys since 2016 after Nike took over from Adidas, but there’s something about the one-off uniforms that makes the day extra special....

Well, reportedly he’s been traded from the Cavs to the Celtics in exchange for Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder, Ante Zizic and the 2018 Nets pick, per The Vertical and ESPN. The deal sent shockwaves through the NBA community, including players. Irving and Thomas obviously highlight the deal as they’re both All-Star point guards. MORE: Ranking 25 best NBA stars to change teams in their primes Below are comments from players, media and fans from the huge deal....

At Duke, Rodney Hood became an established name in the basketball world, an All-ACC player and now, most likely a first-round NBA draft choice. Hood, who is 6-8, 215 pounds, will join teammate Jabari Parker on the NBA Draft's early entry list, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Wojnarowski reported Hood is close to signing with an agent to represent him. Hood averaged 16.1 points and 3.9 rebounds in his one season with the Blue Devils....

It’s crazy how a few picks can change the direction of a franchise, and some have a lot on the line in 2019. NBA Draft 2019: 3 teams with the most on the line New York Knicks New York had its sights set on getting the top pick and selecting Zion Williamson, but things didn’t shake out its way. Instead, the Knicks ended up with the No. 3 overall pick and are expected to select another Duke star, RJ Barrett....

According to a report from The Athletic, the top point guard prospect (behind Murray State sensation Ja Morant) left the combine Thursday, sparking speculation he “could have a promise in the lottery.” Garland suffered a season-ending knee injury just five games into his freshman season. He joined the Commodores as a five-star recruit and averaged 19.7 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.3 assists through his first four games. Despite his injury and lack of game tape, Garland is still a top prize in an otherwise weak draft class behind Morant and Duke stars Zion Williamson and RJ Barrett....

New York is weighing the move in an effort to acquire pieces that would “better complement” star free agents like Kevin Durant or Kyrie Irving. The report adds a trade of this nature likely wouldn’t happen until the draft starts because both teams would want to know which players are available when the No. 8 pick is on the clock. The Knicks finished this past season with the worst record in the league at 17-65 and many projected New York would earn the No....

“He could be great,” one scouting executive told Sporting News. “He could be (2002 draft bust Nikoloz) Tskitishvili. Not a lot to go on. If you can tell me you know he’s better than some of the college players we watched all year, you should probably be in the scouting department.” MORE: Latest Mock Draft | Every team’s biggest draft regret Bender is not alone. There’s an outside shot that this year’s draft could match or exceed the 2003 draft in terms of players selected directly from outside the U....

In fact, Thursday’s series opener delivered a 13.1 overnight rating, ABC’s highest-rated Game 1 ever, according to Nielsen. MORE: Ranking every NBA Finals rematch, from Bill Russell to LeBron The telecast broke ABC’s previous record (12.9) reached last year in the NBA Finals opener between the same teams, and was up 26 percent from Game 1 of the 2014 NBA Finals (10.4) between the Heat and Spurs. The 13.1 overnight rating was the highest mark for an NBA Finals Game 1 in 15 years (15....

Green met the rapper — along with teammate Alfonzo McKinnie and an extended party — in a private room at the Cactus Club Cafe’s downtown location near Scotiabank Arena, according to NBC Sports Bay Area. “We was talking s—,” Green told NBC Sports Bay Area of Thursday’s incident. “And we live in a day and age where people — we live in a soft-ass world to where everything is a problem, and everything is a major issue....

As two of the NBA’s most historic franchises, both the Warriors and Celtics have iconic looks. Golden State’s royal blue and “California Golden Yellow” accompanying the Bay Bridge logo have become synonymous with the franchise’s excellence over the past eight seasons, while Boston’s home and away uniforms have largely remained unchanged for 50-plus seasons. MORE: Ranking the top 15 players in 2022 NBA Finals When Nike took over as the NBA’s official outfitter ahead of the 2017-18 season, the brand introduced multiple uniform designations: Association — White uniform Icon — Primary color uniform Statement — Third or alternate uniform City — Alternate uniform inspired by the team’s home area...

That’s the predicament the two-time defending champions are in after a 123-109 loss to the Raptors in Game 3 of the NBA Finals on Wednesday. If Stephen Curry’s 47 points weren’t enough, then what will be the formula that helps the Warriors even the series at Oracle Arena on Friday? MORE: How will the NBA Finals impact Kevin Durant’s free agency? The Warriors have trailed after three games in only four series in the last five postseasons....

The Bucks and Suns each won their conference finals series in six games to reach what should be an entertaining NBA Finals. Milwaukee shut the door on Atlanta with Giannis Antetokounmpo out for the final two games, and Phoenix defeated a feisty Clippers squad behind a terrific closeout performance from Chris Paul. Which team will be the last one standing at the end of a drama- and injury-filled postseason?...

The number of 3-point attempts per game has risen steadily in the last eight seasons, and most of the individual 3-point records are now held by a Warrior — either Curry or Klay Thompson. MORE: Curry sets new NBA Finals record in Game 1 Of the top 10 individual 3-point performances in the NBA Finals, nine are from the 2016 Finals series onward. (Hall of Famer Ray Allen made eight 3-pointers in a 2010 Finals game....

Power forward is one of the weaker ones. That’s not to say that there aren’t power forwards who can make a difference, but it isn’t headlined by a rising star like Deandre Ayton, a multi-time All-Star like Zach LaVine or a former MVP like James Harden. Rather, it’s mostly a group of veterans and role players. The Sporting News is here to provide you with positional breakdowns for all the best players available in free agency....

The seven-time All-Star has a workout set up for Thursday with the 76ers and likely will get a look from the Clippers, Bucks, Pelicans and Nuggets, according to a report from The Undefeated. Johnson, 38, sat out the 2018-19 NBA season but won the Big 3 MVP after scoring a league-high 175 points and leading the Triplets to the title game against the Killer 3’s, which will be played Sunday....

“Several teams” are interested in signing the 23-year-old wing, according to a report from The Athletic, which cites unidentified league sources. Johnson is set to be an unrestricted free agent after the Pelicans declined to extend him a qualifying offer, the report says. Johnson began the season with the Pistons but ended up with the Pelicans before the trade deadline. Johnson, a strong wing defender, averaged 6.9 points and 3....

Shams Charania of The Athletic reported on Sept. 9 that the NBA has come up with a “framework” for an In-Season Tournament, a competition that has been rumored for years. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver addressed those rumors with the media at All-Star Weekend in Cleveland last February. “I think we were moving closer to it,” Silver said before noting that the change would not happen for the 2022-23 season. “I feel we’ve had productive conversations with the Players Association, whose approval, of course, would be required to change the format....