BASKETBALL NBA ARTICLES

The Toronto Raptors are neck and neck with the Milwaukee Bucks for the top seed in the Eastern Conference. The trade of DeMar DeRozan for Kawhi Leonard has proven to be a success. Just as important first year head coach Nick Nurse has proven to be up to the task of maintaining the Raptors recent standard of excellence. The Boston Celtics have been well coached by Brad Stevens for several years now. Stevens led them to the Eastern Conference finals last year despite missing top offensive threat K... 

There is a big slate of games set for Monday as the entire league is back full throttle following the All-Star Break. Both conferences still have plenty to figure out down the stretch and the games are increasing in importance as we move along.... 

There are only three games on the NBA slate on Sunday, but some top teams are scheduled to participate. The regular season is hitting its stretch run and every win or loss at this stage could mean a lot when the playoffs get set.... 

The All-Star Break might be over, but some of the NBA’s superstars will be on display once again as the regular season picks back up this week. James Harden and the Houston Rockets will hit the road to face off against Steph Curry, Kevin Durant and the rest of the star-studded Golden State Warriors.... 

The NBA regular season is back into full swing, and all the players should be rested after a reprieve during the All-Star Break. This is the stretch run where the contenders aim to get hot as the playoffs approach. The Western Conference playoff standings are particularly close, and every win or loss could mean a great deal the rest of the way.... 

The Golden State Warriors may not have the best record in the NBA as the second half of the season prepares to start up, but the oddsmakers are not worried about their up and down regular season. Despite some early inconsistency, Golden State has flexed its muscle of late and remains a huge favorite to win another NBA championship.... 

The Toronto Raptors were sizzling hot heading into the All-Star Break, and are hoping the mini-vacation doesn’t affect that streak. Toronto has won six consecutive games to pull close to the Milwaukee Bucks for the best record in the NBA. The Raptors can keep the heat on by picking up a victory next time out when they host the San Antonio Spurs in a key showdown.... 

The Oklahoma City Thunder has designs of positioning itself as the chief contender to the Golden State Warriors heading into the postseason. The Thunder entered the All-Star Break playing good ball and will look to continue that as the second half begins this week against the Utah Jazz.... 

The stretch run begins in earnest now that the All-Star Break has come and gone. The Milwaukee Bucks have the best record in the NBA and would love to hold on to that for the postseason, but have a tough game coming out of the break. The Bucks are at home but they are going to be hosting the Boston Celtics in a matchup of Eastern Conference elite.... 

If the Los Angeles Lakers plan to truly be in the conversation as contenders to the Golden State Warriors this postseason, the time to make a run is now. An injury to LeBron James sidetracked the team badly in late December and January but he is back healthy now.... 

Devin Booker set a record for points in a round and won the Three-Point Contest a year ago. So why isn’t he getting more love from the oddsmakers as he aims to defend that title? The Suns’ sweet-shooting guard will look to buck the odds and come away with the three-point shootout title once again.... 

The NBA All-Star teams have been divvied up, as LeBron James and Giannis Antetokounmpo have made their captain picks. The format was changed to this a year ago and Team LeBron came away with the victory over Team Steph Curry. James hopes to keep his winning ways in this one and has put together a solid team.... 

The Slam Dunk Contest is missing some star power in 2019, which leaves for a wide open field and some intrigue about which player will come out on top. Knicks guard Dennis Smith, Hawks forward John Collins, Thunder guard Hamidou Diallo and Hornets forward Miles Bridges will be the candidates in this year’s event.... 

The rosters for this year’s Mountain Dew Ice Rising Stars Challenge are set. Some of the best young players in the NBA will be featured during the All-Star Break ahead of the main event. Big names like Donovan Mitchell, Jayson Tatum, Ben Simmons and Luka Doncic are among the players scheduled to compete. ... 

The Anthony Davis situation just continues to get uglier and uglier. The superstar center is going to be with the New Orleans Pelicans the rest of the season after the team failed to deal him before the deadline. However, there is all sorts of drama centering on whether the team should keep playing him this season or keep Davis on the bench to avoid possible injury and torpedo his value.... 

The Minnesota Timberwolves were doing their best to hang around in the playoff hunt, but a recent losing streak has them near the bottom of the Western Conference. The Houston Rockets can help put another nail in their coffin with a win when the teams face off this week.... 

The Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers are both aiming to make a run at the NBA Finals in a couple of months. They are expected to be among the contenders in the Eastern Conference once the postseason begins, and will face off in an important head-to-head matchup this week.... 

The Golden State Warriors are beginning to pull away in the Western Conference. The team has been nearly unstoppable since DeMarcus Cousins made his way back to lineup from a torn Achilles. Golden State is still behind the surging Milwaukee Bucks for the best record in the NBA so catching them will be a worthy goal down the stretch.... 

The Golden State Warriors are currently looking unbeatable, but maybe one of their Western Conference brethren can knock them off. The Portland Trail Blazers have played well all season long and are currently one of the top teams in the West. They have played well at home this season and would love to pull out a win over the defending champions.... 

The Los Angeles Lakers did not end up with Anthony Davis, and now must figure out how to somehow move past all the trade deadline drama and try to make a run at the playoffs. It has been a chaotic year for Los Angeles. The Lakers were playing well until LeBron James went down for multiple weeks with an injury, and all of the rumors surrounding a trade for Davis has torn apart the team.... 

The Houston Rockets have slowly but surely been climbing up the Western Conference standings over the past several weeks. They aren’t likely to catch the Warriors or the Nuggets but the Oklahoma City Thunder is within striking distance down the stretch. These two teams will face off in a head-to-head matchup that could have plenty of ramifications down the line.... 

The New Orleans Pelicans are in a state of purgatory, but they will finally have some clarity by the time they hit the court to face off against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday. There are rumors swirling about the future of superstar center Anthony Davis, who has requested a trade out of town.... 

The Denver Nuggets might not be atop their respective conferences in the NBA standings, but both are lurking not far behind. Both teams would love to finish with a high seed and follow it up with a deep playoff push. ... 

The San Antonio Spurs and Portland Trail Blazers have been near mirror images this season. They have similar records and sit in the middle of the pack in the Western Conference playoff race. Both teams have played well at home this season while struggling on the road.... 

The Boston Celtics showed hints of being a dominant team early in the season but inconsistency was an issue. The Celtics finally seem to be putting things together, as they have found a great groove over the past couple of weeks. Boston would love to keep it going and move up the standings in the Eastern Conference, and it has a winnable game next time out against the Los Angeles Lakers....