OAKLAND, Calif. -- Klay Thompson had drained one of his nine three-point shots and stared right at Houston's James Harden. He put his chest into the likely most valuable player as he guarded him up the floor, bumping with him until officials called the foul.

Thompson turned his back and walked down the court, not intimidated by the contact. He ...Read more

OAKLAND, Calif. -- In times of trouble, the Warriors have relied on a trusted formula: A third-quarter surge.

After relying on it to cover first-half sluggishness throughout the regular season, the Warriors used it again Saturday night to salvage their championship aspirations.

Down 10 at halftime, and by as many as 17, the Warriors rode a ...Read more

In terms of how the NBA draft is trending, Kentucky's Kiddie Cat program is not an outlier. UK's fuzzy-cheeked players fit right in.

UK coach John Calipari suggested as much at the NBA combine. When asked about his players' draft status, he returned again and again to their relative youth. Patience and time will be required to properly assess ...Read more

In the week since the lottery gifted the Kings' the No. 2 overall pick in next month's NBA draft, fans have heard a lot of speculation regarding European phenom Luka Doncic.

Doncic is a lock to go to the Kings. Or, the Kings have cooled on Doncic. In reality, it appears neither assumption is true.

The Kings are exploring all options with the ...Read more

Cavaliers forward Kevin Love was placed in the NBA's concussion protocol Saturday and declared out for Sunday's Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals against the Boston Celtics.

The 8:30 p.m. game at TD Garden will determine the East's representative in the NBA Finals, which open May 31 at the home of the West champion. The Rockets lead the ...Read more

HOUSTON -- If you have followed Chris Paul's NBA career, you had seen this look before -- a blank face hiding a boiling anger inside, frustration on the cusp of eruption.

Paul's body, as it has before in the postseason, failed him Thursday night. Before the Rockets announced his fate, Paul knew. It was written all over his face.

Houston's All-...Read more

HOUSTON -- On the surface, everything seemed fine.

Rockets guard Chris Paul sauntered into the practice facility on Friday. He smiled and laughed with teammates as he walked to the court. He bantered some more during warmups. The Rockets have a 3-2 series lead over the Warriors in the Western Conference Finals.

Beneath the surface, though, not...Read more

HOUSTON -- His team, the defending NBA champions, is on the verge of elimination for the first time since Kevin Durant joined forces with Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green. One of the most underrated players, Andre Iguodala, has missed two straight games. The Houston Rockets have held his Golden State Warriors under 100 points in ...Read more

North Carolina forward Luke Maye has announced he will withdraw from the NBA draft.

In a message posted on his Instagram account Thursday morning, Maye said that he would be returning to UNC next season.

"I have had a great experience learning from the NBA process and growing as a basketball player during the past couple weeks," Maye wrote. "...Read more

Cavaliers star LeBron James was unanimously selected for the All-NBA first team for a record 12th time, the league announced Thursday.

James' first-team honor, which also came in 2006 and 2008-17, moved him past Kobe Bryant (11) and Karl Malone (11).

James and the Houston Rockets' James Harden were the only two players receiving first-team ...Read more

HOUSTON -- Warriors' coach Steve Kerr denounced the NFL's new policy on the national anthem as idiotic on Thursday. It requires NFL players to stand if they are on the field during the performance -- or else be subject to a fine. NFL players also have the option of remaining in the locker room.

"I think it's just typical of the NFL," Kerr said ...Read more

BOSTON -- The Eastern Conference finals had been reduced to a best-of-three series, but Cavaliers star LeBron James didn't look at it that way hours before.

"Nah, it's a best-of-one series," James said.

Wednesday night's Game 5 at TD Garden had all of that urgency, all of that scrappiness, all of that smothering defense. The Cavs' Larry Nance ...Read more

OAKLAND, Calif. -- The Houston Rockets hadn't faced hard times -- at least not like this.

Sixty-five-win teams don't deal with loads of adversity. Trouble eluded them throughout the regular season and the first two rounds of the playoffs. They hadn't truly been tested.

So this was new territory for this basketball team -- the series, the ...Read more

The 2018 NBA draft is considered by many scouts and executives as one of the deepest in a long time.

Most NBA personnel people feel teams can find a prospect who will develop into a solid or great player with the first 15 picks in the draft, which will take place June 21 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

For the Los Angeles Clippers, who draft ...Read more