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Warriors coach Steve Kerr revealed Durant is questionable for Wednesday night’s game at Oracle Arena with a left calf strain. Shaun Livington (right finger sprain and hand contusion) and Matt Barnes (right ankle sprain) are also questionable. PLAYOFF PREDICTIONS: East | West Kerr said Durant didn’t practice Tuesday, and that means there is some level of concern. Kerr added that Barnes’ status for Game 2 could affect how much, if at all, Durant plays....

All the Cavs did was deliver a 23-point beatdown, a game whose final score was not indicative of just how much a blowout the game was. LeBron James, always a terror when playing in Boston, was especially impressive: 36 points on 14-for-22 shooting, 10 rebounds and six assists. He abused the Celtics on the interior — he made none of his six perimeter shots, but repeatedly overpowered Boston defenders on his way to the basket....

Lillard says he’s actually “real cool” with the Thunder star off the court. “The funny thing is, off the court, me and Russ is real cool,” Lillard told The Oregonian on Saturday. “I see Russ, he asks about the family, ‘How is the family doing?’ and all that. We actually cool. So it’s funny when they try to say me and Russ hate each other and all this stuff. It’s not really like that....

The 30-year-old star scored 35 points in Golden State’s 104-100 win over the Rockets on Sunday in Game 1 of their second-round series. Golden State forward Draymond Green was asked about Durant’s performance after the victory. “He’s playing great right now,” Green said. “He’s being extremely aggressive. When he’s being as aggressive as he’s being, I don’t think there’s anyone in the NBA, maybe the world, that can stop him....

SIlver took the podium and said many of the Chinese media could not attend the weekend festivities because of travel restrictions with the Coronavirus, but then addressed media questions about the NBA’s relationship with China after that. For a quick recap of how the NBA came to a sluggish standoff with China, it goes back to last fall when Hong Kong protests against China began, and Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey tweeted that he supported a Hong Kong free from Chinese communism....

The Brooklyn Nets forward has acquired a five percent ownership stake in the club, with the option to purchase an additional five percent stake in the near future. Durant, a 10-time NBA All-Star, is a two-time NBA champion as a member of the Golden State Warriors while also earning the 2014 NBA MVP award and two Olympic gold medals. With Durant’s deal, he becomes the second NBA All-Star to join an MLS ownership group, following Houston Rockets guard and Houston Dynamo owner James Harden, while also joining NFL star Russell Wilson, who owns a piece of the Seattle Sounders....

Among the big moves were Clint Capela going to the Hawks, Robert Covington going to the Rockets, Andre Iguodala going to the Heat, D’Angelo Russell going to the Timberwolves and Andre Drummond going to the Cavaliers. Some contenders stood pat, however, apparently feeling their current rosters were sufficient for the postseason. The Lakers were probably the most notable non-movers this week. Let’s break down all of the action with our trade deadline winners and losers....

On Friday, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that the LA Clippers have acquired Norman Powell and Robert Covington from the Portland Trail Blazers in exchange for Eric Bledsoe, Justise Winslow, Keon Johnson and a 2025 second-round pick (via Detroit). Who won the deal? We have you covered with some trade grades below. NBA LEAGUE PASS: Sign up to unlock live out-of-market games (7-day free trial) LA Clippers trade grade The Clippers are clear winners of this trade, there is no question about that....

After news emerged late Friday that Irving had asked for a trade, Cleveland turned into chaos central. LeBron James was “blindsided” by Irving’s request, but both he and Kevin Love appeared unconcerned on social media. NBA fans (and maybe front-office types) rushed to the ESPN Trade Machine and sent Irving all over the league in hypothetical deals. Oh, and there was that bit about Irving reportedly believing James leaked the news about the trade request in the first place....

The Knicks are “gathering intel” on Paul, according to The Athletic’s Frank Isola, who points out new team president Leon Rose once represented Paul as an agent. MORE: Charles Oakley reacts to Knicks’ treatment of Spike Lee Paul has maintained a close relationship with Rose and reached out to him when he officially landed the Knicks job on Monday. “I was excited. I was surprised like everybody else,” Paul said....

On the NBC broadcast, Collinsworth was praising Rodgers, saying that he has been honest in 2021 and said that he “doesn’t care” about the criticism. “Have you seen a guy, and in particular this year, be more honest about everything,” Collinsworth said. “You may not agree with everything he says, but we have heard from the beginning of this entire season exactly what he thinks about everything.” MORE: Aaron Rodgers’ record vs....

Just 24 of the 128 schools in the FBS (Football Bowl Subdivision) made more money than they spent in 2014, according to a new NCAA report that examines athletic spending from 2004-2014. MORE: Who will be the No. 1 pick in next year’s draft? | High school players blame coach for attack on ref That number represents an increase from the 20 schools that pulled off the feat in 2013....

We started with 10 teams, an unusually high number for an unusual season in which there was abundant talent spread across the nation but no one team that had so much as to be a singularly dominant force against elite competition. The list actually grew a smidge as the season neared its conclusion. Now that we are down to the Final Four, we have three of the original teams remaining....

The Crimson Tide are touchdown favorites, but what does NCAA Football 14, the last college football video game released, predict will happen? MORE: SN’s championship game picks | What to know about the matchup Using updated rosters and ratings, which resulted in a 7-2 record in the earlier bowl predictions, a simulation was run between the two teams in NCAA 14. Alabama has a slight edge in terms of player ratings over Clemson but that doesn’t always foretell a result....

I wasn’t even prescient enough to recognize how prescient I could appear. The flaws of this season’s best teams were exposed for all to see last Saturday, when the first six teams in the Associated Press poll lost on the same day – for the first time ever. Some of those teams played terribly by their standards; some played well, but just not well enough to win. It was a day, though, that demonstrated that while we may see some familiar names on the top seed line in 2022, they won’t be quite the same teams....

Like getting a peak at one’s presents before Christmas, though, the NCAA men’s basketball committee’s annual “Bracket Reveal” can prove to be irresistible. You don’t get in trouble with your folks for this, either. Saturday at 12:30 p.m. on CBS will be the sixth time the NCAA has previewed the bracket for March Madness, though only the fifth that will be followed by an actual tournament. It will not show an entire bracket; instead it will unveil the 16 teams that would be seeded No....

What the pros should learn from Friday. What we saw through Friday’s action was how successful veteran teams that were well-coached — Mercer and Eastern Kentucky in particular — could succeed against young, talented teams, even those that were coached by Hall-of-Famers. MORE: Must-see round of 64 photos NBA commissioner Adam Silver wants a 20-year age limit for the draft? This is why. Because even an enormous talent such as Duke’s Jabari Parker could not find an answer against the Mercer Bears....

My days of multiple March Madness bracket entries are long gone. Other tourney contests just don’t hold the same intoxicating risk/reward of the Team Fagan competition. As you probably guessed, the Team Fagan bracket is made up of family members: siblings, cousins, aunts and uncles. Bragging rights are on the line, sure. But that’s not why this competition is so dramatic. And it’s not about money, either. MORE: Print your 2017 NCAA Tournament bracket here...

MORE: NCAA scoreboard | Vegas lines, pick | Day 2’s biggest moments | Weekend matchups Maryland Terrapins (27-6) No. 4 seed, Midwest Region Coach: Mark Turgeon (fourth season) Bid: At-large/Big Ten Starting lineup G Melo Trimble, 6-2, Fr., 16.1 ppg, 3.7 apg G Dez Wells, 6-5, Sr., 15.3 ppg, 5.3 rpg G Richaud Pack, 6-3, Sr., 6.2 ppg, 3.4 rpg F Jake Layman, 6-8, Jr., 13.1 ppg, 5.9 rpg...