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One particular date served as a major turning point in the NBA’s movement. On Aug. 23, 2020, Jacob Blake, a Black man, was shot multiple times in the back by Rusten Sheskey, a white police officer, in Kenosha, Wisc. The shooting left Blake paralyzed from the waist down and sparked several protests against police brutality and systemic racism in the United States. At the same time, the NBA season was playing out inside the Florida “bubble” as the news emerged about the shooting, leaving the entire NBA community with the difficult task of staying engaged as the 2019-20 season resumed amid a global pandemic while also speaking to events happening in the real world....

The league on Friday released the names of the 120 players (see below) for whom fans can vote. Voting began Friday afternoon. The NBA All-Star Game will be played Feb. 16 in New Orleans. EAST BACKCOURT: Arron Afflalo, Orlando; Ray Allen, Miami; Bradley Beal, Washington; Mario Chalmers, Miami; DeMar DeRozan, Toronto; Raymond Felton, New York; Gerald Henderson, Charlotte; George Hill, Indiana; Kyrie Irving, Cleveland; Brandon Jennings, Detroit; Joe Johnson, Brooklyn; Kyle Lowry, Toronto; O....

Team LeBron escaped Staples Center with a 148-145 victory over Team Stephen on Sunday night in an exciting, back-and-forth showdown. LeBron James took home the MVP trophy, finishing only two assists shy of a triple-double (29 points, 10 rebounds, eight assists). Damian Lillard and DeMar DeRozan each scored 21 points for Team Stephen, but Warriors star and team captain Stephen Curry shot only 4 for 14 with six turnovers in the loss....

Preceded by the Celebrity All-Star Game, Rising Stars and Skills Challenges as well as the 3-point and Slam Dunk Contests, the annual exhibition is, if nothing else, a chance for the league’s 24 most noteworthy brand ambassadors to put their sponsors’ products on display. This season, the NBA used its Twitter account, followed by an estimated 23.4 million users, to showcase the footwear each player selected to the game would be sporting prior to tipoff....

I’ve been voting for MVPs in the NBA for almost 20 years, and this year’s choice was as difficult as any, with the Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo and Rockets’ James Harden engaged in a duel all season. It was a brain-twister, but I finally made my decision. NBA PLAYOFFS 2019:Full schedule | West breakdown | East breakdown The rest of the ballot for this NBA awards season wasn’t quite so difficult....

Line: Oklahoma City -3, Total: 200.5 (check our odds page for current NBA point spreads and totals ) Chicago (38-23 SU, 28-33 ATS) is playing without its two leading in scorers in Jimmy Butler (20.2 PPG) and Derrick Rose (18.4 PPG), both of whom are out at least several more weeks. Key backup forward Taj Gibson (10.6 PPG) is the third man in the MASH unit. The Bulls were able to beat a reeling Washington team on Tuesday (97-92 as 1....

The Celtics released a statement indicating a player, who they did not identify, had tested positive because of “exposure to a known positive case,” adding the player had been in isolation for a number of days and was asymptomatic. Smart subsequently revealed he was the player in question after being tested five days earlier and receiving his result on Thursday evening. “I’m OK, I feel fine. I don’t feel any of the symptoms,” he said in a video he posted on Twitter....

The 76ers, as expected, made Australian native and former LSU forward Ben Simmons the first overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft on Thursday. MORE: SN’s live draft blog Simmons is the first No. 1 pick by Philadelphia since the franchise selected Hall of Fame guard Allen Iverson in 1996. Simmons averaged 19.2 points, 11.8 rebounds, 4.8 assists and two steals per game his lone season in Baton Rouge. FLASHBACK: Simmons was not No....

But this might turn out to be a draft deeper than many in terms of rotation-type NBA players. The teams that chose the right ones will be rewarded in the coming years. GREER: Analysis, more grades from Round 1 of the 2020 NBA Draft And now, as well, in the form draft grades from Sporting News: 2020 NBA Draft grades Atlanta Hawks: B+ The Hawks’ top five scorers last season all were 22 or younger, so it’s not like they needed an infusion of youth in choosing to select Onyeka Okongwu....

Newsweek pulled together some of the best looks of the evening. NBA Draft 2022 Fashion Picks Bennedict Mathurin Bennedict Mathurin walked the draft’s red carpet in a floral-patterned red suit with a bow tie that brought the outfit together. To match the suit, he wore a pendant with a ruby in the middle. As an accessory, he carried an AXE fanny pack with a bottle of cologne sticking out of the pocket....

New York, along with the Cavaliers and Suns, had the top odds, 14%, to earn the No. 1 pick in the 2019 NBA Draft. The team, however, ended up with the third pick, behind the Grizzlies and Pelicans. The Knicks will all but certainly miss out on the chance to select Duke star Zion Williamson, who is widely project to be taken by New Orleans. New York president Steve Mills and general manager Scott Perry addressed the results in a statement shortly after the lottery....

Chants of “Draymond sucks! Draymond sucks!” enveloped Quicken Loans Arena throughout a night in which Green was given two technicals, only to have one rescinded and given to Steve Kerr later. The Cavs routed the Warriors 137-116 to send the series to Game 5. So Green offered the Cavaliers fans a parting shot. “I don’t pay much attention to people in Cleveland, honestly,” Green said in a heated postgame interview....

That means we’re likely to be short on surprises — and likely to be hard-up for interesting storylines. But to that, we say, p’shaw. These will be the last basketball games that matter for four-and-a-half months, and we’re going to find important things to watch out for. With that in mind, we’ve got the 20 players who matter most in this series, and why… 19 and 20. The class clowns, Nick Young and JaVale McGee, Warriors...

The Raptors are one win from claiming the title thanks to Friday’s 105-92 victory over the Warriors in Game 4 at Oracle Arena. Kawhi Leonard led the way with 36 points and 12 rebounds to give the Raptors a 3-1 lead in the NBA Finals against the two-time defending champions. The Raptors are poised to make history ahead of Game 5 in Toronto, however, Nurse is not getting too carried away....

James and the Lakers cruised through the Western Conference side of the playoff bracket on their way to the 2020 NBA Finals, ending each of their series in five games. Miami, meanwhile, dominated the Eastern Conference field in a nearly identical fashion. The Heat also dropped just three games over the course of their postseason run, most notably sending the top-seeded Bucks home in five. Now, the final two teams left in the NBA’s “bubble” will meet for a chance to claim the Larry O’Brien trophy....

With the superstars across the board in this game, we’ve again gone with a value captain choice. Thanks to some weird pricing from DK, though, we’ve also fit in Tyler Herro for the first time in this series, getting four studs into our lineup instead of three. DraftKings Showdown Picks: Lakers vs. Heat Game 4 Captain (1.5x price, 1.5x points): Alex Caruso, Lakers ($5,400) Caruso was our Game 1 captain, and we’ve returned to the well for Game 4....

They got one. They might get two. The Celtics will sign former Hawks center Al Horford for four years and $113 million, including a player option after the third season, NBA.com first reported Saturday. The deal brings Boston its All-Star big man and perhaps keeps the Celtics alive in the Kevin Durant race. MORE: NBA exec on the 15 scariest free agents Boston had been a good team the past few years, all while dismantling the single-title-dynasty roster of Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and Rajon Rondo....

Conley has agreed to a five-year, $153 million contract with the Grizzlies, ESPN reports. It’s a massive deal for Conley and the team — the largest in the history of the NBA, in fact — but it should leave both parties smiling all the way back to the FedEx Forum. MORE: FA tracker | These free agents may scare off teams This is a huge offseason for the Grizzlies, and they have nailed it thus far....

The Nets, Kings, Pacers, Mavericks and Jazz are all expected to pursue Harris in free agency, according to a report from the Philadelphia Inquirer, which cites several unidentified league sources. The 76ers are also interested in re-signing the 26-year-old forward. Philadelphia acquired Harris in a deadline deal with the Clippers. He averaged 18.2 points and 7.9 rebounds in 27 regular season games with the 76ers. “The top of the list for me is a winning culture and No....

Aside from the primary issues, there are also a few basketball-related questions, including how many previously injured players could be available as the regular season continues in late July. MORE: Complete list of NBA players opting out of 2020 season return Players around the league originally looking at extended time on the bench could suddenly be ready to rejoin their rotations. Others may opt to stick with rehabilitation plans instead of going full throttle after a few months off....