National Basketball Association

National Basketball Association

The Blazers hit a rough patch at the end of January, into February. Perhaps this past weekend's return of sophomore phenom Scoot Henderson will bring about a welcome change. That, and Deni Avdija unplugging for a week to heal his ailing back, completely ignorant to any glowing endorsements received from genocidal world leaders (god this has been a rugged season to be a Blazer fan).

After landing four-time All-Star Trae Young and future Hall of Famer Anthony Davis in two of the biggest blockbuster trades ahead of the NBA trade deadline, Washington has made it clear that they have a desire to compete sooner rather than later. However, throughout the team's series of moves ahead of the deadline, Washington found themselves landing several new additions, which alone gave the team a series of roster decisions to make over the last couple days.

In a statement, the Celtics said Tatum would participate in portions of the practice at the Auerbach Center in Boston along with teammates Hugo Gonzalez and Amari Williams.

Arizona remained firmly atop The Associated Press Top 25 men's college basketball poll for a ninth consecutive week Monday, while Houston jumped back into the top 5 and Kentucky returned to the rankings for the first time since December. Arizona (23-0) claimed all 59 first-place votes in the latest poll, making the Wildcats the unanimous choice for a fourth consecutive week.

In addition to playing in the All-Star game, Heat guard Norman Powell was named one of the eight participants for the 3-point contest, the league announced Sunday. Powell, who was named an All-Star for the first time in his career this season, is averaging 23.0 points on 39.3 percent shooting from 3-point range. He took place in the 3-point contest last year, which was won by then-Heat first-time All-Star Tyler Herro. Powell was eliminated in the first round.

NBA champion Metta World Peace (previously known as Ron Artest) has a warning for anyone who thinks they're a hard worker: there's probably someone-maybe even on your team-willing to work even harder than you. It's a career lesson he learnt from Kobe Bryant.In an interview with Fortune's Orianna Rosa Royle at Web Summit Qatar, World Peace revealed that he had heard the late Los Angeles Lakers basketball player was grinding hard at the gym before long days of grueling training.

If the NBA needs a Southland representative for a three-point shooting contest during All-Star Weekend at Intuit Dome, senior Dylan McCord of Thousand Oaks High would gladly raise his hand to participate. The 6-foot-1 senior made 113 threes in the regular season for 23-4 Thousand Oaks. In the Lancers' final regular-season game, he scored 43 points against Newbury Park, including 10 threes.

I know our players 100% want to play this year," she said in a wide-ranging interview with The Associated Press on Friday. "We want a season.

The NBA Shooting Stars competition returns to All-Star weekend after an 11-year hiatus, the league announced on Saturday with four teams set to compete in the Feb. 14 event. The Shooting Stars competition will feature a two-round format in which all teams participate in the first round with the top two advancing to the final rounds. Teams will be given 70 seconds to score points by hitting shots at seven locations on the court with each team member shooting in a set order at each spot.

Boston Celtics: Jayson Tatum (Achilles) OUT John Tonje (trade pending) AVAILABLE Max Shulga (g-league) OUT Miami Heat: Tyler Herro (ribs) OUT Terry Rozier (not with team) OUT Boston Celtics: Derrick White, G Jaylen Brown, G Sam Hauser, F Luka Garza, F Neemias Queta, C Miami Heat: Davion Mitchell, G Norman Powell, G/F Pelle Larsson, G/F Andrew Wiggins, F Bam Adebayo, C Tipoff: 7:30 PM EST

Miami Heat high-flyer Keshad Johnson will be participating in the 2026 NBA Dunk Contest, the league announced. The All-Star weekend festivity is expected to be on Saturday, Feb. 14, inside the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, Calif. The other participants will be San Antonio Spurs rookie Carter Bryant, Orlando Magic rookie Jase Richardson (the son of Jason, a two-time dunk contest champion) and Los Angeles Lakers big Jaxson Hayes.

MILWAUKEE -- Indiana Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said new center Ivica Zubac's debut with the team could be delayed because he is currently on paternity leave and because of an ankle injury Carlisle said Zubac has been playing through since December. "It's kind of yo-yo'd a little bit," Carlisle said before Friday's game against the Milwaukee Bucks. "My understanding from talking to him is that there's still something there that's not quite right. We're not going to put him out there until he's really ready."

Detroit Pistons forward Jalen Duren is pulling out of the 2026 Slam Dunk contest due to a knee injury he suffered last week, according to multiple reports. Duren, a first-time All-Star, exited Thursday's game against the Wizards early due to right knee soreness and then sat out Friday's win over the Knicks. Duren is being replaced by Orlando Magic rookie Jase Richardson, the son of two-time Slam Dunk champion Jason Richardson.

I have no intention of slamming Domantas Sabonis. I completely acknowledge that he's a former three-time All-Star, two appearances on the All-NBA Third Team, and a two-time league rebounding leader (something the Raps could desperately use). When healthy and in a system that maximizes his skillset, he can look like one of the league's most dynamic bigs. But at the same time, Sabonis can prove to be a defensive pitfall for his team, and he's earning a substantial salary over the next three seasons.