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MORE: NBA trade deadline: Will Thunder, Cavs make big moves? Here are all the Christmas Day matchups and how you can watch them. (All times Eastern) Philadelphia 76ers at New York Knicks Noon on ESPN | fuboTV Joel Embiid and Kristaps Porzingis will meet in the Big Apple to tip off the Christmas Day action. Some of the league’s top stars-in-the-making will face off in this game, with the Sixers’ Ben Simmons and Embiid facing Tim Hardaway Jr....

On Tuesday, he began a new dream, as he learned that his invite to the 2014 NBA Draft included an honor different than the one he had originally planned for. MORE: What is Marfan’s Syndrome? | NBA Draft rumors Commissioner Adam Silver invited the former Baylor center to New York City to take part in the entire experience as his guest. While in the Big Apple, Austin also has plans to meet with the Marfan Foundation which is headquartered in New York City to discuss a potential partnership to spread awareness of the disease....

A point guard out of Louisiana-Lafayette, Payton Jr. was chosen by the 76ers. GIF: Ben Golliver

Sometimes, you have to say something not nice if you’re going to tell the truth about how well teams spent their picks. It’s inevitable that some of those chosen Thursday night will not justify the pick used to acquire them. Here are five who don’t look like they will live up to their draft status… Mohamed Bamba, C, Magic (sixth overall) It’s a considerable risk to suggest Bamba will be a bust, because he has some qualities that ensure he’ll at least be a useful NBA player, but the modern NBA center has become more a brick wall who screens defenders into shoulder surgery and makes every trip along the baseline a painful experience....

That’s how it went all across the college game as the NCAA deadline to withdraw from the 2020 NBA Draft approached Monday at midnight. This past weekend was the best in college basketball since that memorable pre-pandemic Saturday when Kentucky, Southern California, Butler and Utah State all won on late baskets and presaged a manic March that, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, was canceled less than a week later....

First, back in September 2017, the league approved a lottery reform package designed to target tanking. The deal flattened out the odds at the top of the lottery. Previously, the worst team in the league had a 25 percent chance of landing the top pick. Now, that franchise as well as the second- and third-worst teams in the league have equal 14 percent chances. Teams four through 13 also have improved odds at snagging the No....

But as one general manager reminded us: “With all the other stuff, he has gotten to be a kind of lightning rod for opinions, but he’s one of the best college point guards I have seen as a freshman. He comes in at just a different level of playmaking ability than most kids his age. You can pick apart this and that. But he is going to make everyone on your team better, and I think that gets lost....

Toronto took control in the third quarter against a depleted Warriors team and came away with a 123-109 win in Game 3 of the NBA Finals at Oracle Arena on Wednesday. It now leads the series, 2-1. Golden State was playing without Klay Thompson, who missed the game with a strained hamstring. Kevin Durant has also been out since straining his calf in the Warriors’ second round series while an injured Kevon Looney will be sidelined for the rest of the Finals after suffering an injury in Game 2 against Toronto....

MORE: Warriors set NBA Finals record in Game 6 | Where do the Warriors rank among all-time NBA dynasties? Continuing their dynasty, the Warriors have now won four titles across the past eight seasons, cementing themselves with one of the most successful stretches in recent NBA history. Fans can celebrate the team’s NBA title with official merchandise including the Nike NBA Finals Celebration Locker Room Shirt, New Era Champions Locker Room Finals, Nike Celebration Roster Shirt, Nike Lead The Charge Graphic Hoodie and more, available now at the NBA Store....

Adebayo missed Game 2 and Game 3 after suffering a neck strain in the series opener but he was upgraded to questionable when the Heat released their injury report on Monday afternoon and could feature on Tuesday night. Here’s all you need to know ahead of Game 4. Tip off time—Game 4 of the NBA Finals begins at 9 p. m. ET on Tuesday, October 6 at the AdventHealth Arena at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, Florida....

Free agent Gordon Hayward was expected to make his decision on signing his next contract on Tuesday, which is a completely normal thing to do — he had his meetings with Miami, Boston and Utah and had a night to think things over. So when word trickled out in the afternoon that Hayward would be signing with the Celtics, there was joy in Beantown and a sense that the process had played itself out in a usual way....

The Rockets are signing forward Thabo Sefolosha to a one-year deal for the league minimum, according to ESPN. The 13-year veteran was among the players who attended Houston’s voluntary minicamp in Las Vegas this week and could fill an important role in 2019-20. The Rockets have been known to utilize several quality 3-and-D wings over the years but seem to be lacking in that department this season. They parted with Trevor Ariza and Luc Mbah a Moute following the 2017-18 season and contract negotiations didn’t work out with Iman Shumpert this summer....

By July 3, just four days later, over 60 contracts and 10 contract extensions were already signed (via Marc Stein). MORE: Free agency tracker - Live updates on news, signings and trades Despite the frenzied start, Kevin Durant’s trade request has essentially forced free agency to come to a standstill. Teams and players are now waiting to see what Brooklyn does as it will have a seismic effect on the rest of the league....

An unplanned hiatus of the series several years ago gave room for their competition to keep improving their offerings while the NBA Live team was forced to engage in a structural rebuild. In the ensuing years, fans have come to expect multi-pronged experiences that include engaging stories, unprecedented realism, and social gameplay from their sports titles. MORE: Westbrook on NBA Live 16 cover | Glitch shows Kevin Love shooting at wrong basket...

The Game 4 spread has inched down to Cavs -7.5 at some Las Vegas sports books. The total is around 193.5. Check The Linemakers on Sporting News’ odds page for current spreads and totals. The average score after AccuScore ran its 10,000-plus simulations is Cavs 98, Hawks 95. AccuScore best bet: There’s over a 61 percent chance the Hawks cover a +7.5 spread. Atlanta is 4-1 ATS in its last five games on the road....

It’s not a new comparison. People have been mentioning the two players in the same breath since Simmons was projected to be the top draft pick. Even Hall-of-Famer Magic Johnson compared the two, complimenting the young man’s all-around skills. MORE: Where every free agent landed | NBA Draft grades The latest Michigan State player to make the comparison is Denzel Valentine, a fellow rookie, playing for the Bulls. “He’s like a mini-LeBron,” Valentine said Sunday, via ESPN, after facing Simmons....

SAN ANTONIO — The veteran San Antonio Spurs showed Portland a few things about succeeding in the playoffs. The biggest lesson was how not to panic when an All-Star goes down. Danny Green and Kawhi Leonard each scored 22 points, and San Antonio overcame an injury to Tony Parker to close out the Western Conference semifinals with a 104-82 victory on Wednesday night. MORE: Parker’s injury | Photos Patty Mills scored 18 points and Tim Duncan had 16 points and eight rebounds for San Antonio, which had four blowout victories in the five-game series....

After hearing Warriors forward Draymond Green criticize Cleveland’s level of competition in the Eastern Conference playoffs, Cavs forward Richard Jefferson had something to say. The topic was broached on the “Road Trippin’” podcast with Jefferson and Channing Frye. MORE: LeBron is only one of three reasons why the Cavs are coasting When Jefferson asked Frye about Green’s comments (“I thought teams would compete a little harder”), Frye took the high road and awkwardly brushed it off....