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Ahead of the 2019-20 season, the NBA introduced the coach’s challenge on a one-year trial basis. The league then approved the coach’s challenge on a full-time basis before the 2020-21 campaign. The NBA has made some minor tweaks to the coach’s challenge in recent years, but the basics of the system have remained consistent. MORE: NBA Finals records for points, rebounds, assists and more How the NBA coach’s challenge works (Per the NBA’s official 2021-22 rulebook)...

Little, who spent just one year at North Carolina, was widely projected as a top-15 pick in this year’s draft. However, in his only season as a Tar Heel, Little did not live up to his own expectations. “I think I shoot better than I showcased at UNC,” Little said at the NBA Combine, via 247Sports.com. “I can handle the ball better. That’s pretty much it — everything else you guys already know....

Atlanta is sending four picks to the Pelicans in exchange for the No. 4 selection in Thursday’s draft, according to an ESPN report, which cites unidentified sources. The Hawks are trading the No. 8, 17 and 35 picks and a “heavily protected” 2020 first-round selection to receive Solomon Hill and the No. 57 pick in 2019, the report says. Atlanta has acquired New Orleans’ No. 4 pick in the draft for No....

The Timberwolves made the first big move of the night, sending Zach LaVine, Kris Dunn and the No. 7 pick (Lauri Markkanen) to the Bulls for three-time All-Star Jimmy Butler and the No. 16 pick (Justin Patton). Butler will reunite with coach Tom Thibodeau in Minnesota and attempt to lead the young Timberwolves to the playoffs for the first time since the 2003-04 season. MORE: Team-by-team NBA Draft grades...

Boston is looking into trading up to No. 4, according to ESPN. The team has its eye on Vanderbilt guard Darius Garland with that pick. Boston has the No. 14, 22 and 51 picks in this year’s draft. It could package a couple of those to get up to No. 4 to take Garland. However, the Knicks are reportedly working out Garland on Wednesday and considering taking him at No....

But what about No. 2? That’s where things get tricky because the clear second-best player in this draft is point guard Ja Morant, and there will be teams in play for pick No. 2 with little interest in Morant. That’s going to leave open some opportunities either for a trade or a surprise pick at No. 2 — and the possibility that Morant hangs around until No. 3 or even No....

Jannero Pargo scored 14 of his 24 points in the fourth quarter to help the Charlotte Bobcats erase a 21-point deficit and rally for an 83-76 preseason victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday night. The Bobcats outscored the Bucks 33-9 in the fourth quarter, opening the period with a 20-2 run sparked by Pargo's 10 points. "That final group, obviously we scored 33, but we started defending," Clifford said....

The Warriors cemented themselves as arguably the greatest team ever with a 129-120 win against the Cavaliers on Monday night in Oakland, Calif. Now, for hoops heads (especially Cleveland fans), all that’s left to do is pontificate and ponder the possibilities of what would’ve, could’ve and, maybe, should’ve been. MORE: Are 2016-17 Warriors best team ever? How they’d fare against NBA’s greatest teams Kevin Durant’s pull-up 3-pointer over the outstretched arms of LeBron James was the turning point in the series in that it put the Cavs on their heels, forcing them to face what wound up being an unconquerable three-game deficit....

Having hurt his left leg during the Warriors’ Game 2 win in Toronto, Thompson sat out his team’s 123-109 defeat Wednesday to the Raptors in Game 3.. The five-time All-Star was back in action Friday but, despite scoring a team-high 28 points, was unable to prevent the Raptors from triumphing again and taking a 3-1 series lead to sit on the verge of their first NBA championship. “It didn’t affect me,” Thompson told the media after playing 42 minutes....

The Warriors forward shot down speculation Sunday suggesting the core members of the team might break up this summer. According to him, he’s “sure” he’ll still be in the picture come 2019-20. “No, I don’t think we look at it that way at all,” Iguodala told reporters following practice. “Especially for myself I’ve been, a lot of people have spoken to me each and every day, especially with kind of our — the folks that cover us, and I’ll be here next year for sure, and I’m pretty confident that we’ll have our core back and we’ll try to make another run at it....

That makes the task of predictions almost impossible. But Sporting News’ Sean Deveney and Adi Joseph were up to the task, after great consternation and thought. (For the record, both predicted the Warriors in five against the Rockets, but Deveney predicted the Cavaliers would beat the Hawks in six games while Joseph went with the Hawks in seven.) MORE: Warriors close out Rockets behind Splash Brothers | LeBron nears accomplishing mission | Early odds overvalue Warriors...

Earlier this week, the NBA and the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) agreed to keep the salary cap unchanged from last season, due to the financial impact of the COVID-19 outbreak. The NBA and NBPA also agreed to a 72-game regular season, which could further dent the coffers of the league and the teams. According to an estimate from sports business intelligence firm Team Marketing Report, with each team losing five home games this season, all 30 franchises stand to lose a collective $405 million....

According to Shams Charania of Stadium, the 7-foot center will be “one of the top priorities potentially” for the Celtics. Vucevic, 28, averaged career highs in points (20.8) and rebounds (12) per game last season for the Magic and reportedly is working on a new contract with Orlando. But ESPN reported Thursday that if they can’t reach an agreement, the Celtics and Lakers could be destinations for the All-Star. The Celtics and Horford had been expected to reach new contract terms until earlier this week, when he reportedly rejected a three-year offer....

With DraftKings, lineup construction is simple: draft eight players with assigned salaries — one for each position, as well as one guard flex, one forward flex, and one utility — and keep the team under the $50,000 salary cap. DFS provides us with some money-making opportunities without having to worry about moneylines, point spreads, or over/unders. All we care about is the players we draft to our squad putting up numbers!...

The competition, designed to pay tribute to the NBA’s 75th anniversary season by highlighting the development league’s top next-generation talent on the Ignite and the Charge, was played earlier at 2 p.m ET on the day of the 71st NBA All-Star Game. The Charge’s Malik Newman was the star of the game with his high-scoring tally of 30 points, including six 3-pointers. Newman is a four-year G Leauge veteran, who has played for over three G League teams, since going undrafted in the 2018 NBA Draft....

While the top three prospects in the draft appear likely to go down as expected, the Anthony Davis trade has thrown things at the top of the draft into flux as the Pelicans are rumored to be shopping the No. 4 pick, and numerous teams have been mentioned as candidates to move up the board. NBA DRAFT BIG BOARD: Ranking the top 60 prospects The middle of the first round features even more uncertainty, which makes quite a bit of sense given the flat nature of prospect values in this year’s class....

In a statement posted from his official Twitter account, Aldridge revealed that he played his most recent game with an irregular heartbeat. Back in 2007, he was diagnosed with Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome, a condition that causes a rapid heartbeat. MORE: Aldridge’s full explanation for retirement “Though I’m better now, what I felt with my heart that night was still one of the scariest things I’ve ever experienced,” Aldridge said in the statement....

The betting favorites (Bucks, Lakers and Clippers) have reached the conference semifinals, but it’s clear the other remaining squads (Raptors, Celtics, Nuggets, Rockets and Heat) are coming into the second round with extreme confidence. These series should be highly competitive and provide plenty of entertainment. Below you’ll find everything to know about watching the 2020 NBA playoffs, including postseason matchups and series-by-series TV schedules. MORE: Watch select NBA playoff games live with fuboTV (7-day trial)...

DEVENEY: League sources weigh in on Brad Stevens’ playoff failures And yet, here the Celtics are facing a must-win situation on Friday to avoid going into a hole no team has ever climbed out of. To understand how they’ve gotten to this point and how they can get a much-needed win on the road, let’s take a look at four reasons why the Bulls got the better of the Celtics in Game 1 and Game 2....