National Basketball Association

National Basketball Association

It had been a performance impressive in its nothingness. Zero points, zero rebounds, zero assists, zero steals and zero blocks in 15 minutes. The only tangible statistical sign that UCLA's Eric Dailey Jr. had played against Washington earlier this week came in the four fouls that he logged, which contributed mightily to his struggles across the board. So it was encouraging for the Bruins to see their usually productive forward back to his old ways Saturday.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 33 in three quarters, and the Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Dallas Mavericks 132-111 on Friday night to claim their 14th straight win. Gilgeous-Alexander made 10 of 12 field goals and 11 of 12 free throws to help the Thunder improve to 22-1 overall. He scored at least 20 points for the 95th straight game, the second-longest streak in league history behind Wilt Chamberlain's 126 straight from 1961-63.

Entering the matchup against his former team, Durant needed four points to hit the 31,000-point milestone. He got there with a pair of free throws and the mid-range jumper on his third attempt of the night. Just two nights before, Durant lamented missing out on the opportunity join the company of 31,000-point scorers Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Michael Jordan, Karl Malone, Kobe Bryant, Dirk Nowitzki and LeBron during a 121-95 win over the Sacramento Kings.

The Orlando Magic fought off the Miami Heat and secured a 106-105 win inside Kia Center Friday evening. Miami had to climb back from a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit. They cut it to within three on three separate occasions, but Franz Wagner, who scored a game-high 32 points on 12-of-22 shooting, had a response each time. Bam Adebayo ultimately missed the game-winning jumper as time expired - a play that reeked of miscommunication between him and Norman Powell, who tallied a team-high 28 points.

There are very few role players who can open up the floor and create space like he can. The kind of scoring gravity he brings to the hardwood is just insane for a role player. Defenses will never ignore him because they know the range, quick shot release, and ability to catch fire that he carries with him. He often gets guarded like Stephen Curry because opposing teams know how quickly he can shift a game.

Paolo Banchero is set to make his return for the Orlando Magic on Friday against the Miami Heat. The Magic star power forward had missed 10 straight games with a left groin strain. Banchero suffered the injury during the Magic's win against the Knicks in New York on Nov. 12. The Magic started playing their best basketball of the season one game before Banchero suffered his injury. They have won seven of the 10 games that Banchero missed.

Green Bay was up by 11 with 3:54 left in the game before Robert Morris launched a late rally. With its lead cut to two with 35.7 seconds to go, Green Bay was called for a 10-second violation when it couldn't advance the ball past midcourt. After Robert Morris hit a go-ahead 3 and Green Bay went 1-of-2 from the free throw line to tie the score, Nikolaos Chitikoudis scored the winning layup for Robert Morris with 2.4 seconds to play.

It has been a downright terrible opening stretch for the 2025-26 LA Clippers. Between the Aspiration scandal, the ensuing salary cap circumvention investigation involving Kawhi Leonard and this week's messy public breakup with future Hall of Famer Chris Paul, there's been a steady stream of bad news coming from Inglewood. Not to mention the Clippers are 6-16 and 13th in the Western Conference, a disastrous start given a welcome respite by Wednesday's blowout victory over the Atlanta Hawks.

Noah Clowney delivered another breakout performance with 29 points and career highs in free throws made (10) and attempted (12), but it still wasn't enough. The Utah Jazz surged in the fourth quarter to snap Brooklyn's two-game win streak and send the Nets to 5-17 after a 123-110 win. And for most of the night, it looked like Brooklyn had done enough to extend that streak.

"I know I can't be replaced," Stewart told ESPN recently. "I don't say that to be arrogant, but I know I resonate with the city. I was here in the trenches, setting the culture when nobody didn't give a f--- about Detroit."

Duncan Robinson was essentially a backup plan for the Detroit Pistons. That's not meant to sound disrespectful to the former Miami Heat sharpshooter, but if the Pistons were able to re-sign Malik Beasley, they probably wouldn't have brought Robinson into the fold. But their hand was forced with Beasley under investigation for gambling by the U.S. District Attorney's Office, so they signed Robinson to a 3-year, $48 million deal - and have quickly realized that was a great decision.

I'm going to be honest: I don't know if I ever thought about (retiring my jersey), said Williams, who became the eighth alum to have his jersey retired. I want to say it was more just trying to get better every day. I remember when I first got here, I was just really happy to be a Division I player. My mindset was, How much better can I get every day?' and let the chips fall where they fall.

The iconic Harlem Globetrotters are asking New York to add one more on Dec. 14 their centennial season tipoff. When you think about the historic and seismic things that people still talk about that happened at the world's most famous arena, there aren't many brands able to say they've made it to 100 years touring the world, impacting people's lives, bringing joy, hope and laughter everywhere they go, Globetrotters President Keith Dawkins told amNY.