The NBA Draft has been full of sleeper picks turning out wonderfully through the years, whether it be a top-10 pick like Stephen Curry or Jimmy Butler at 30th overall or Draymond Green in the second round. The 2020 NBA Draft class is viewed as not being the strongest its ever been, but that just presents more opportunity for sleepers to break through. If more players are being slept on, there can be more sleepers....

It’s worth spotlighting a few of those from players who rank all over our Big Board to see how it affected their mythical draft stock. NBA MOCK DRAFT: Full first-round breakdown Ja Morant | Point | Murray State Morant came into the tournament as a consensus top-five prospect for June’s draft, so it’s no surprise he delivered a pair of impressive outings prior to Murray State’s exit. The 19-year-old tallied a triple-double in the Racers’ opening-round upset of Marquette before delivering 28 points, five rebounds and four assists in a loss to Florida State....

But here’s what happened. Green picked up a technical foul with 6:18 left in the third quarter after arguing with officials about picking up his fourth foul. Green, however, was not ejected. NBA FINALS: Game 4 live updates, highlights Green was issued a technical foul in the first quarter after picking up a foul on Iman Shumpert during a jump ball, but that was later rescinded and given to Warriors coach Steve Kerr....

From the video below, it looks as though a spectator maybe was trying to engage Cavs backup forward Derrick Williams (EDIT: The incident started before Williams approached). LeBron and J.R. Smith rolled up on the scene just as things got really heated. MORE: Warriors take 2-0 series lead with another lopsided win Smith executed his best boxout in a long time as he tried to steer James away from the action....

“The Lakers now at this point are rooting for Kyrie Irving to go to Brooklyn,” NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski said on ESPN. “Because then Brooklyn renounces D’Angelo Russell, who is a restricted free agent. He becomes unrestricted and then the Lakers could sign Russell as their third star in LA. And they get back a much more mature, polished player, who’s been an All-Star, whose put a team into the postseason....

Paul George was traded to the Thunder late Saturday night, setting the NBA universe on fire. Stephen Curry signed a supermax deal with the Warriors, the richest contract in NBA history. And that was just the start of it all. TRADE TRACKER: Biggest rumors, reported deals ahead of free agency Sporting News will keep you up to date with the latest deals below. Buckle your seatbelts. The money is flying....

A new memo released by the league that stressed the importance of receiving booster shots was obtained by the Associated Press. It told players and staff that the shots should be received “as soon as possible, particularly in light of the current coronavirus situation and increasing cases.” This is the second notice sent by the NBA this week to players and staff encouraging getting booster shots. The notices come as COVID-19 cases are increasing across the country....

Windhorst said on “SportsCenter” that he got that impression after speaking with both sides. They have been negotiating an agreement that addresses the effects of the season being suspended last month because of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. “It is clear that the NBA is angling to set up a deal that enables them to shut the season down. Now, they don’t have to do that yet, and the way they’re negotiating, they’re leaving themselves an option either way....

OKLAHOMA CITY — Kevin Durant got back to playing like he's used to against a Memphis team that had to change things up at the worst possible time. Durant scored 33 points, Russell Westbrook had a triple-double, and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Grizzlies 120-109 on Saturday night in Game 7 of their first-round Western Conference playoff series. Durant looked like his usual self after struggling against Memphis' rugged defense for much of the series....

Shortly after Los Angeles’ Game 7 loss to Utah in its first-round NBA playoff series, a reporter asked Paul whether he would exercise his early termination option in July. MORE: Previewing Jazz-Warriors series Paul, shall we say, was politely confrontational about the question. Paul has played in 76 career postseason games, the most of any player without making a conference finals appearance. That includes a six-year stretch with the Clippers, who, with their loss to the Jazz on Sunday, have failed to make the second round of the playoffs two years running....

NBA 2K17 playoff predictions Warriors (1) over Trail Blazers (8) 100% Golden State had no trouble dispatching the Blazers, winning all 15 series and never once being pushed to a full seven games. The Warriors won 4-1 in 8 of the simulations and pulled off four sweeps.Cavaliers (2) over Pacers (7) 100% The struggles of the Cavs since the All-Star Break are nowhere to be seen here as LeBron James and company steamrolled the Pacers....

It’s hard to say because A) James still is a ridiculous athlete and ferocious competitor, B) He’s an improving shooter who always has had a taste for the big moment and C) It has been a while. MORE: NBA playoff scores | Monday’s schedule His last first-round NBA playoffs loss came in May 2012, with James playing for the Heat against the Knicks. With Cleveland completing a 106-102 victory over the Pacers at Bankers Life Fieldhouse, this became the fifth consecutive season in which his team won four consecutive first-round games; that’s never been done before....

Grizzlies center Marc Gasol willed in the game-winning shot with 0.7 seconds left on the clock in overtime, giving Memphis the game. Danny Green heaved up a desperation shot, but to no avail. Just seconds earlier, Spurs guard Kawhi Leonard came up clutch to knot the game at 108, leaving 12 seconds left for the Grizzlies to do some damage. Kawhi went off for 43 points in the affair, with two huge 3-pointers made in overtime to keep the game within striking distance for the spurs....

MORE: Six big questions that will determine the NBA playoffs We know. We know. The travel would be ridiculous, but the playoffs are already stretched out over two months. This year, a top-16 field would eliminate the 40-win Wizards, welcome the 46-win Nuggets and give fans some juicy first-round matchups. Imagine the possibilities… No. 1 Houston Rockets vs. No. 16 Milwaukee Bucks The Rockets finished with a league-best 65-17 record, led by likely NBA MVP James Harden and future Hall of Famer Chris Paul....

McMillan said the team could look “different next season” after its 110-106 Game 4 loss to the Celtics on Sunday. “I’m looking at my team and we have seven, eight free agents on our roster,” McMillan said when asked what he could take away from the sweep. “We very well could look different next season. I just appreciate what our guys did for me and this coaching staff this season and the effort that they gave....

Memphis starters Tony Allen and Mike Conley are both questionable for the start of the series, while Portland has six players on its injury report including Nicolas Batum, Chris Kaman, C.J. McCollum, Arron Afflalo, Dorell Wright and Wesley Matthews, who is out for the season with an Achilles injury. MORE: 8 teams that could win it all | First-round predictions | Buy playoff tickets Luckily for Memphis, if history has any bearing on the series, it should be over quickly....

To the joy of fans and pundits alike, the NBA has attempted to legislate those plays out of the game for the upcoming 2022-23 season. Here’s what that means on paper and — more importantly — how it will change viewing for fans. MORE: Offseason additions and departures for all 30 teams What is a take foul? The NBA defines a transition take foul as “an intentional foul committed by a defender to deprive the offensive team of a fast-break opportunity....

The teams playing on MLK Day always pay homage to Dr. King, honoring one of the most important people in American history. From MLK-inspired warmup shirts to players delivering heartfelt pregame speeches to in-game tribute videos, the Civil Rights activist is at the forefront of every game played on the holiday. NBA on MLK DAY: The rise of Black executives in the NBA | How Bill Russell inspired Kareem to carry social justice torch...

The Wizards will send forward Jan Vesely to the Denver Nuggets and move backup guard Eric Maynor and a second-round pick to the Philadelphia 76ers, according to the report. Several teams were interested in Miller, who was likely to either be traded or bought out because of his rift with Nuggets coach Brian Shaw. He will be an upgrade over Maynor in Washington, where point guard John Wall is playing major minutes because of the lack of bench options....