BASKETBALL NBA ARTICLES

Aaron Gordon and Zach LaVine put on one of the most memorable Dunk Contests in history last year, going toe-to-toe in a can-you-top-this showdown. LaVine came away with the crown for his second consecutive dunk contest title, but he won’t be participating in this one.... 

The Western Conference has dominated the All-Star games for much of the past half-decade, and with the lineup it is trotting out this weekend, that won’t be expected to change. Even though LeBron James is on the other side with the East, there is a much more talented collection of stars in the West.... 

Reigning Rookie of the Year Karl-Anthony Towns highlights the big names at the third annual Rising Stars Challenge. This game features some of the most talented first-year and second-year players from Team USA against the world’s best young talent in Team World.... 

Boston has moved all the way up to the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference, only a couple games behind the Cavs. The Bulls haven’t been as good lately but get this home and hope to end the first half of the season on a high note.Even though they are on the road, the Celtics have played well enough of late that they could be the favorites in this matchup.... 

Cleveland has been dominant at home on the season and that’s the location of this matchup. The Pacers have enough talent to hang around but will still be heavy underdogs. An upset seems really unlikely even with Cleveland possibly missing one of its better players.Don't miss the hardwood action from the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio at 7 p.m. ET on Wednesday, February 15, 2017. Catch every moment of the game live on ESPN.... 

The Knicks face a crucial contest when they face off with the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Thunder are playing at home and have the superior record, so clearly they will be the favorites.The Knicks hope to put behind them the Carmelo Anthony trade rumors and the recent Charles Oakley saga with owner James Dolan and play well in this one. It remains to be seen if the season has spiraled too far out of control and if New York is ready to pack it in.... 

The Kings have a golden opportunity to pull closer to the eighth seed in the Western Conference when they take on the Los Angeles Lakers this week. The Lakers get this one at home but have been one of the worst teams in the league this season.The Kings have knocked off some impressive foes in February and want to stay hot. The road venue should make this game have a close spread, but the Kings may be slight favorites.... 

The Cleveland Cavaliers have not performed like the reigning NBA champions that they are on the road this season. They will aim to turn that around in a matchup against the Minnesota Timberwolves this week.... 

The Washington Wizards are one of the hottest teams in the NBA and have moved up into the third seed in the Eastern Conference. They would love to become a legitimate contender to the Cavaliers’ throne but must keep excelling down the stretch.Their next chance will be in a home game against the Oklahoma City Thunder and their star guard Russell Westbrook. While Oklahoma City has the best player on the court, the WIzards’ depth is more impressive as they will aim to wear down the Thunder.... 

Atlanta has been the superior team this season and is hoping to get home court advantage in the East when the regular season wraps up. The Trail Blazers are simply attempting to make the postseason in the West, currently sitting a half-game outside of the eighth seed.Portland gets this game at home, where it has played well this season, and this is shaping up to be a competitive showdown.... 

It’s the long-awaited return to Oklahoma City this week for Kevin Durant, when the NBA superstar with the Golden State Warriors heads back to face off against his former team, the Thunder. Durant isn’t putting up the same crazy statistics as he did in OKC with less of a supporting cast, but is enjoying all the winning that comes with playing for Golden State.... 

The San Antonio Spurs have flown under the radar this season as all eyes are on the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers. Even so, the team just continues to win and is sitting comfortably in second place in the Western Conference and looking like the Warriors’ top foe.... 

Both teams are red hot currently and this should be an entertaining matchup. Since the Wizards play at home and have a slightly superior record, that should give them the edge as they will be the favorites in this one. However, Indiana has reeled off seven consecutive victories and certainly can’t be counted out.Don't miss the hardwood action from the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C. at 8 p.m. ET on Friday, February 10, 2017. Catch every moment of the game live on ESPN.... 

The Bulls will hit the road to take on the Phoenix Suns, a team with some talented young pieces that has yet to put it all together. Phoenix has the worst record in the Western Conference and will likely be a home underdog in this one.Don't miss the hardwood action from Talking Stick Resort Arena in Phoenix, AZ at 10:30 p.m. ET on Friday, February 10, 2017. Catch every moment of the game live on ESPN.... 

The Cleveland Cavaliers are the defending champions, but there is a fair amount of uncertainty swirling around them right now. LeBron James has publicly voiced his concerns about having enough playmakers and the team has struggled in 2017. Cleveland hopes to put that behind it in a matchup with the Oklahoma City Thunder.... 

The Boston Celtics are one of the hottest teams in the NBA and have zoomed up to second place in the Eastern Conference. While it seems unlikely that they pass the Cavaliers, Boston will try its best to close the gap. The Celtics’ next game will be against the Portland Trail Blazers.... 

The Golden State Warriors have made quick work of many opponents this season and will aim to keep it up against the Chicago Bulls. The Warriors lost last time out but that shouldn’t have any bearing on their ability to pull out a victory over the Chicago Bulls.... 

The Los Angeles Clippers have been hit hard by injuries this season and are hoping to keep pace in the hotly-contested Western Conference. They will look to pick up a critical victory against a New York Knicks team that is going through some turbulence right now.... 

Two of the league’s better defenses will face off against each other on Monday night as the Memphis Grizzlies host the San Antonio Spurs in what could be a Western Conference playoff preview. While this game will still carry a lot of intrigue with the Spurs’ recent second half struggles, but we’ll miss the Gasol brothers’ matching up given Pau’s broken finger.... 

After an abysmal month of January, the New York Knicks kicked off February in style with a win over Brooklyn and have another poorly ranked opponent on tap for Monday, this time at home, when they host the Los Angeles Lakers at Madison Square Garden. The Lakers offer an easy defense for the Knicks who themselves also rely on their offense to pick up a well below average defense.... 

Blake Griffin looked better on the court in his second game back from his knee injury, but the Los Angeles Clippers were destroyed in that game by Golden State. They’ll get to head to the opposite coast on Sunday to take on a red hot Boston Celtics team who have topped Toronto for the second spot in the Eastern Conference and are now on the hunt for a struggling Cleveland team that sits just a few games up in the standings.This war on the floor will go down Sunday, February 5, 2017, at 2 p.m. ET at the TD Garden. The game will be televised live on ABC.... 

Fortunate has not favored the Cleveland Cavaliers of late. They still boast the best record in the East, but have fallen in recent power rankings due to significant struggles now going back a couple weeks. The Cleveland faithful are hopeful that a good game on Saturday night against a very weak New York Knicks team that is also racking up the losses will help them restart an otherwise strong season.Don't miss the hardwood action from Madison Square Garden at 8:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, February 4, 2017. Catch every moment of the game live on ABC.... 

In a battle of opposites, the defensively-led Dallas Mavericks will journey north on Friday night to take on the Portland Trail Blazers’ strong offensive club led by the play on the outside. These two teams have already met a couple times this season, splitting their results so each will look to take a leg up in the season series on Friday.... 

The Los Angeles Lakers head to the northeast this weekend and are set to take on the Boston Celtics in a Friday night showdown. This is one of the more intriguing historical matchups as these franchises are two of the most storied franchises in the NBA and have met 12 times in the NBA Finals. Of course, things are a bit different now. The Lakers are rebuilding though Boston now sits second in the Eastern Conference standings.... 

It was a marathon, but the Atlanta Hawks finally came out on top on Sunday, beating New York 142-139 with Paul Millsap on the court for 60-minutes, leading the team to victory. Unfortunately for Millsap and the Hawks, there’s no rest for the weary. They hit the road on Wednesday before taking on the Houston Rockets in a back-to-back on the road this coming Thursday. Houston may be struggling right now, but with James Harden, they’re still a tough team to play without a day off.This war on the floor will go down Thursday, February 2, 2017, at 8 p.m. ET at the Toyota Center. The game will be televised live on TNT....