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

Wendell Moore Jr. is one of the top high school basketball players in the country, and he has his sights set on five colleges: N.C. State, Duke, UNC, South Carolina and Wake Forest.

The five-star, Class of 2019 small forward from Cox Mill High School in Concord, N.C., isn't in a rush to make an announcement on where he'll go, but he plans to ...Read more

CLEVELAND -- LeBron James is a basketball savant on and off the court.

The man knows basketball history and respects past stars such as Michael Jordan, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Jerry West, Bill Russell, Shaquille O'Neal, Kobe Bryant and Tim Duncan.

So when he passed Abdul-Jabbar for most career field goals made in NBA playoff history on Monday ...Read more

Ben Simmons and Utah Jazz shooting guard Donovan Mitchell were unanimous selections for the NBA all-rookie first team, announced Tuesday.

This comes as no surprise. The 76ers point guard, Mitchell and Boston Celtics small forward Jayson Tatum are the finalists for rookie of the year.

The votes for both regular-season awards were submitted by ...Read more

CLEVELAND -- There was no avoiding the feeling that surrounded Game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals.

The feeling that whoever claimed Monday's battle between the Cavaliers and the Boston Celtics is headed to the NBA Finals.

It is a matter of confidence and momentum. A matter of the Celtics' 1-6 road record getting into their heads. A matter...Read more

RALEIGH, N.C. -- National Emergency Medical Services week began this past Sunday and ends Saturday.

As part of that, Wake County EMS on Tuesday welcomes back to town someone who says they helped "literally saved my life."

Ty Solomon, the S.C. State basketball player who collapsed during a game against N.C. State at PNC Arena on Dec. 2, will ...Read more

OAKLAND, Calif. -- The Warriors listed reserve forward Andre Iguodala as doubtful for Game 4 of the Western Conference finals against the Houston Rockets on Tuesday because of a left knee contusion. Iguodala planned to receive an X-ray on Monday afternoon. Depending on those results, the Warriors might upgrade Iguodala's availability as the ...Read more

If you're looking for a Miami Heat scout these days, there's a good chance you'll find him in Seat 5B or connecting in Atlanta or answering the age-old question of, "Peanuts or pretzels?"

Such is life when you don't have a selection in either round of the June 21 NBA draft but insist on remaining in the game.

Without a pick for the second time...Read more