NBA RUMORS AND NEWS

CBS Sports "Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry were rivals before they were teammates. During the 2016 NBA playoffs, Curry's Warriors faced Durant's Thunder in Western Conference finals. Oklahoma City had a 3-1 series lead before losing Game 5 in Oakland, but the Thunder had their chance to..." May 27

Yardbarker "Last summer’s Jimmy Butler trade was a good move for the Timberwolves even though they parted with several promising young talents, writes Britt Robson of The Athletic. Minnesota swung a draft night blockbuster with the Bulls, giving up Kris Dunn, Zach LaVine and Lauri Markkanen for..." May 27

New York Post "Going home hasn’t always been beneficial for Kristaps Porzingis. Last year, he had his driver’s license suspended, according to a New York Times profile on countrywoman and tennis star Jelena Ostapenko, citing Latvian news reports. The two like to drive fast, and..." May 27

ESPN "Houston Rockets star James Harden took a big-picture view in the wake of a blowout Game 6 loss to the Golden State Warriors on Saturday night that evened the Western Conference finals. Harden harkened back to a team-bonding trip the Rockets took to the Bahamas over the summer, saying..." May 27

Bleacher Report "Andre Iguodala has missed the last three games of the 2018 Western Conference Finals since suffering a left lateral leg contusion in Game 3, and as the series heads to Game 7, Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr isn't holding his breath that the former NBA Finals MVP will suit..." May 27

Sportsnaut "One (we assume) very well-off fan doled out a gaudy amount of money for two courtside seats Saturday night at Oracle Arena to watch the Houston Rockets and Golden State Warriors play in Game 6 of the Western Conference Finals. Just how much? According to ESPN’s Darren Rovell,..." May 27

New York Post "Knicks rookie point guard Frank Ntilikina couldn’t legally enjoy a beer Wednesday as he sat in the stands at TD Garden in Boston watching the Celtics and Cavaliers play Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals with a small team contingent. In fact, Ntilikina, 19, won’t be able to do..." May 27

CBS Sports "Rockets point guard Chris Paul is unlikely to play in Game 7 of the Western Conference finals against the Golden State Warriors on Monday with a hamstring strain, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported.  Paul, who injured his leg in the fourth quarter of Houston's Game 5 win..." May 27

ESPN "Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr expressed sympathy for Houston Rockets star guard Chris Paul, who sat out Game 6 of the Western Conference finals due to a strained right hamstring. "More than anything, I feel bad for Chris," Kerr said before the Warriors' 115-86..." May 27

Bleacher Report "The NBA is getting a rare double-dose of the two best words in sports: Game Seven. On Friday night, the Cleveland Cavaliers avoided elimination with a 109-99 victory over the Boston Celtics in Game 6 of the 2018 Eastern Conference Finals. The Golden State Warriors followed suit on..." May 27

New York Post "Could there really be more where the Greek Freak came from? Kostas Antetokounmpo is the latest of Giannis’ five brothers to try to follow in his footsteps, working out for the Lakers this week after declaring for the NBA Draft in March. The second youngest of the Antetokounmpo..." May 27

Black Sports Online "LeBron James just bought his $23 million LA mansion last December, but he’s already making some big changes to it. LeBron is adding a basketball court, indoor wine tap, and a pizza oven while updating the theater and pool. This is LeBron’s 2nd Brentwood mansion as he has..." May 26

Sportsnaut "After taking a brutal hit to the head in a collision with Jayson Tatum in Game 6, Cleveland Cavaliers forward Kevin Love has been ruled out of Game 7 with a concussion. Apparently, that is doing absolutely nothing to sway bookmakers in Las Vegas when it comes to setting odds for the upcoming..." May 26

ESPN "Boston Celtics coach Brad Stevens dubbed Al Horford "outstanding" in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals, this after Horford got questioned about his quiet stat line in a potential closeout game after Friday's 109-99 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers. "[Horford]..." May 26

USA Today "Cleveland Cavaliers All-Star Kevin Love has been placed in the NBA's concussion protocol and will miss Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals against the Boston Celtics on Sunday, the team announced Saturday. His status will be updated as..." May 26

USA Today "As a gang of Milwaukee police officers surrounded Sterling Brown, forced him face first into the pavement and fired a Taser into his back, he thought about everything he had to live for. “I gave in so they didn’t pull out their guns,” he said.  Five..." May 26

Yardbarker "As the Golden State Warriors host the Houston Rockets Game 6 of the Western Conference Finals in Oakland, a watch party will be held at the Toyota Center in Houston for Saturday’s game. According to Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle, the team’s watch party is..." May 26

Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel "A little less than two months ago, Hurricanes forward Dewan Huell opted to declare for the NBA draft and see if he was ready to become a professional basketball player. Huell decided in April not to hire an agent, which would allow him to return to Miami if he so chose. On Saturday,..." May 26

The Sports Post "There is something very poetic about what it is going on with the Houston Rockets right now. They are an isolation team coached by a pick-and-roll savant in Mike D’Antoni. They are an offensive juggernaut beating the greatest offense in NBA history with their defense. The Rockets won..." May 26

The Score "Forced back to Boston after LeBron James' heroics in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals, Celtics guard Marcus Smart is ready for a showdown in Sunday's Game 7. So much so that combat analogies were flowing freely Friday. "It's not going to be..." May 26

Black Sports Online "What is Kardashian sh*t? Essentially that is when you use your relationship for clout. According to reports, Tinashe was calling the paparazzi in advance to catch her out with Ben Simmons. That is definitely a Kardashian move. She was also allegedly trying to use him for clout because..." May 26

CBS Sports "Love will continue to be evaluated, but considers himself questionable for Sunday's Game 7, according to Jason Lloyd of The Athletic. Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals between the Boston Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers got off to an unfortunate start, as Kevin Love had to..." May 26

ESPN "The Los Angeles Lakers will take a closer look at LiAngelo Ball when Lonzo Ball's brother participates in a pre-draft workout with the team on Tuesday. The second of the three Ball brothers will join St. Bonaventure's Jaylen Adams, UCLA's Thomas Welsh, Virginia's Devon..." May 26

Hoops Rumors "The Raptors officially interviewed Spurs assistant coaches Ettore Messina and Ime Udoka for the team’s vacant head coaching position, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports. Messia interviewed on Thursday while Udoka met with the Spurs on Friday, Wojnarowski notes. With several..." May 26

The Big Lead "It’s a melancholy morning for Houston Rockets fans, who can’t really savor the Game 5 win over the Warriors without knowing the status of Chris Paul’s hamstring. TNT’s Kristen Ledlow confirmed that the late 4th quarter injury was to Paul’s right..." May 26

ESPN "LeBron James avoided what could have been a severe, season-ending injury when Larry Nance Jr. crashed into his right leg in the fourth quarter of the Cleveland Cavaliers' 109-99 Game 6 victory over the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference finals Friday. Nance fell to the floor..." May 26

Hoops Rumors "Hawks assistant coach Chris Jent will remain with the team in that capacity as part of new head coach Lloyd Pierce‘s staff, tweets Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated. Jent joined Atlanta’s coaching staff last season after spending the previous season as an assistant at Ohio..." May 26

The Score "Los Angeles Lakers point guard Lonzo Ball had an excellent, well-rounded rookie season. Though, his debut season in the Association was marred by MCL and shoulder problems that forced him to sit out 30 games. Unsurprisingly, Lonzo's father, LaVar Ball, expressed his..." May 26

ESPN "Kevin Love exited the Cleveland Cavaliers' 109-99 win Friday after a head-to-head collision with Boston Celtics rookie Jayson Tatum in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals. The team announced Love would not return during halftime and said the big man was being evaluated for a..." May 26

Larry Brown Sports "Many players have pregame rituals. It’s just that George Hill’s pregame superstition is better than most. Hill says he ate Chipotle barbacoa before Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals in Cleveland, which the team won to tie the series. He says he also ate Chipotle..." May 26

Pro Basketball Talk "That rumor Paul George will leave the Thunder? How about the exact opposite? Allegedly, apparently, Paul George plans to stay with the Thunder. I know. It’s not what people believe. But in separate conversations, I’m told P.G.’s agent has told people..." May 25

Sportsnaut "The big news of the Western Conference Finals between the Houston Rockets and Golden State Warriors right now is that Chris Paul has been ruled out of Game 6 with a hamstring injury. This obviously puts tremendous pressure on the rest of Houston’s roster to pick up the slack, and no..." May 25

Bleacher Report "Phoenix Suns general manager Ryan McDonough said Friday he expects the organization to retain the first overall pick in the 2018 NBA draft. Scott Bordow of the Arizona Republic noted McDonough called it an "overwhelming likelihood" the Suns stay at No. 1 rather than trading..." May 25

Clutch Points "The NBA has announced the launching of a new mental health and wellness program, which will help players in a variety of new ways. Former NBA player Keyon Dooling will help lead the program into the future. “I am thrilled to be a part of this new program within the..." May 25

Larry Brown Sports "Damian Lillard is going after a local Portland writer over a recent report. John Canzano of The Oregonian reported on Thursday that the Blazers guard, who just earned First Team All-NBA honors, requested a follow-up meeting with team owner Paul Allen. Canzano quoted a league source in..." May 25

KWCH "Current junior guard Barry Brown, Jr., is withdrawing his name from the 2018 NBA Draft process and will return to K-State for his senior season in 2018-19. "Although the process was more than enjoyable I have decided to withdraw my name from the 2018 NBA Draft," said Brown..." May 25

Larry Brown Sports "The Houston Rockets have to find a way to win in Game 6 of the Western Conference Finals without Chris Paul on Saturday. And if they’re unable to do that, they may be faced with the same dilemma in Game 7. On Friday, the Rockets announced that Paul will not play in Game 6 and..." May 25

Clutch Points "Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard is denying a report that he requested to meet with team owner Paul Allen to talk about some stuff. The Oregonian‘s John Canzano was the first to report the meeting. That was, well, until Damian Lillard took to the..." May 25

CBS Sports "Paul Pierce knows a thing or two about what it takes to be a great Boston Celtics player. The former NBA champion and Finals MVP winner is one of a select few who has seen his jersey retired by the historically great franchise, and he sees an equally bright future for Celtics rookie Jayson..." May 25

Bleacher Report "Despite facing a 3-2 deficit against the Houston Rockets in the Western Conference Finals, the Golden State Warriors are still favored to get back to the NBA Finals.    Per OddsShark, the Warriors are currently a -130 betting favorite to win the..." May 25

Dime Magazine "The injury status of Chris Paul is perhaps the most significant looming story surrounding the Western Conference Finals. If the future Hall of Fame point guard is unable to play, the Houston Rockets could be fighting an uphill battle (despite a 3-2 lead) against the Golden State Warriors...." May 25

The Score "Brendan Walton is the owner of A.J. Rocco’s, a cafe and bar located within walking distance of Quicken Loans Arena in downtown Cleveland, where the Cavaliersplay. In his 17 years of owning the business, Walton has never seen a night like the evening of Game 7 of the 2016 NBA Finals..." May 25

247 Sports "The Houston Rockets held on down the stretch to take a 3-2 lead over the Golden State Warriors in their best-of-seven Western Conference Finals series on Thursday night after James Harden and Chris Paul helped will their team to a 98-94 victory at the Toyota..." May 25

San Francisco Gate "Warriors forward Andre Iguodala is listed as questionable for Game 6 of the Western Conference finals Saturday night against the Rockets with a left lateral leg contusion. “I have no idea,” Golden State head coach Steve Kerr said Friday morning about Iguodala’s..." May 25

12 Up "A week can't go by in the sports world without some drama from the Ball family. In this week's installment, it looks as if the Golden State Warriors will not be hosting a private pre-draft workout for Lonzo Ball's 19-year-old brother LiAngelo, despite previous..." May 25

Hoops Rumors "Rockets point guard Chris Paul will be sidelined for Game 6 of the Western Conference Finals on Saturday due to a right hamstring strain, the team confirmed today (via Twitter). According to the Rockets, Paul will be re-evaluated after the club returns to Houston. Paul..." May 25

San Jose Mercury News "Warriors’ coach Steve Kerr said he’s not sure if Andre Iguodala will return to the court for Game 6 of the Western Conference Finals series against the Houston Rockets on Saturday, which the Warriors trail 3-2. “I have no idea,” Kerr said Friday morning...." May 25

Bleacher Report "Draymond Green is confident the Golden State Warriors will win Game 6 of the Western Conference Finals on Saturday.  "We'll be back here for Game 7," Green told ESPN.com's Chris Haynesafter the Warriors' 98-94 road loss to..." May 25

247 Sports "Kevin Durant has been criticized in the Western Conference Finals for isolating too much and therefore taking shots out of the hands of his other Golden State Warriors teammates. Coming into Game 5 of this series, he was averaging 23 shot attempts per game, and that trend hasn't been..." May 25