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PHOENIX (AP) Devin Booker scored 33 points, Dillon Brooks added 32 and the Phoenix Suns won their fifth straight game by beating the Indiana Pacers 133-98 on Thursday night.The Suns led by 20 early in the third quarter, but the Pacers cut it to 83-73 a few minutes later. Phoenix responded with a 16-0 run - highlighted by 10 straight points from Booker - to take a 106-84 lead into the fourth.Booker shot 12 of 22 from the field and added seven assists and five rebounds. Brooks made 12 of 18. The Suns were shooting well above 60% from the field deep into the fourth quarter.Oso Ighodaro had 17 points, seven rebounds and three blocks off the bench.The Pacers were last season's Eastern Conference champions but have been ravaged by injuries. They've lost six in a row and fell to 1-11 for the sea...

Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - MAY 11: Jayson Tatum #0 of the Boston Celtics high-fives Marcus Smart #36 against the Philadelphia 76ers during the fourth quarter in game six of the Eastern Conference Semifinals in the 2023 NBA Playoffs at Wells Fargo Center on May 11, 2023 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images) It’s been years since Marcus Smart last wore a Boston Celtics jersey on an NBA court. However, that doesn’t mean the fan-favorite guard isn’t in touch with his forme...

“Last year was the best year ever on reflection,” Andy Rogers, managing director of women’s football at Tottenham Hotspur, tells The Athletic on a sunny, November Friday. He pauses, ventures a wry smile. “Living it was the worst. Obviously.”That’s the funny thing about crucibles. Knowing it all ends OK requires making it through those hot, putrid flames.And the flames in the case of Spurs’ women are recent enough that the memories stalk back into the room as he speaks: Rogers as the only member of technical staff on a double-decker coach with the squad in January, riding home after an FA Cup fourth-round defeat at Everton, “six or seven players,” Rogers says, lining up outside a makeshift office on its lower tier voicing angst that something was unravelling; the team then plummeting into a...

CLEVELAND — Toronto Raptors forward Scottie Barnes ripped the ball down on his own defensive glass in traffic and was off.Barnes sprinted, and every Cleveland Cavalier who was getting back in transition and not behind the play was back on his heels. As Barnes put pressure on the defence, Cavs All-Star and All-NBAer Evan Mobley had to make a decision: stop Barnes, or take away the passing lane in transition. Before Mobley could choose, Barnes’ left-handed pass whizzed by his head, destined for Jakob Poeltl’s hands and a dunk.“Sometimes we laugh at him because he pushes it hard every time,” Raptors guard Jamal Shead said after the Raptors’ 126-113 win over the Cavaliers on Thursday. “Sometimes (the Raptors have an advantage with) numbers, sometimes … not. But that makes us want to run with h...

A pivotal clash takes center stage Friday as the Golden State Warriors face the surging San Antonio Spurs in a crucial NBA Cup group stage showdown at the Frost Bank Center.This contest is more than a battle for tournament standing—it’s a symbolic passing of the torch, pitting the "Old Guard," led by legendary point guard Stephen Curry and his veteran supporting cast, against the "New Dynasty," anchored by generational rookie Victor Wembanyama and dynamic point guard De'Aaron Fox.For the Warriors, who built a dynasty on revolutionary offense and veteran savvy, this is a chance to prove their championship window is still wide open. For the young Spurs, who have emerged as Western Conference contenders, it’s an opportunity to announce their arrival by toppling the team that defined the past ...

Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images DALLAS, TEXAS - NOVEMBER 05: Daniel Gafford #21 of the Dallas Mavericks reacts to a turnover during the second half app at American Airlines Center on November 05, 2025 in Dallas, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images) The Chicago Bulls sit ninth in the Eastern Conference. Billy Donovan’s team has won six of its opening 11 games, but finds itself on a four-game losing streak. As a rebuilding team, the Bulls came into the season with minimal expectations on their shoulders.Nevertheless, Chicago st...

Photo by Alex Slitz/Getty Images Steve Kerr, Golden State Warriors The Golden State Warriors will start fifth-year wing Moses Moody and rookie guard Will Richard going forward, head coach Steve Kerr confirmed after the team’s 125-120 victory over the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday. The decision means that Jonathan Kuminga will continue to come off the bench after he started the first 12 games of the season.Kerr can’t exactly be blamed for making the drastic call. Kuminga began the season in red-hot form, averaging 17.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists through his first six games, while shooting an impressive 45% from three. However, the Congolese forward has averaged 10.6 points on 17.6% shooting from three over his la...

Photo By Winslow Townson/Getty Images Joe Mazzulla, Boston Celtics The Boston Celtics have spent the early part of the 2025–26 season navigating an unfamiliar challenge. With Jayson Tatum still sidelined, they are competitive enough to stay in the mix but not quite complete. It is no surprise, then, that they continue to be linked to center upgrades. The position has been a lingering question since their financially driven reset over the summer.The latest idea comes from Bleacher Report’s Zach Buckley, who proposes sending Anfernee Simons and a 2027 first-round pick to the Brooklyn Nets in exchange for Nic Claxton.On paper, Claxton checks a lot of boxes. He is young, athletic and productive. But a closer look raises real q...

Stephen Curry and Under Armour have mutually agreed to part ways, ending the 12-year partnership between the Golden State Warriors’ star and the sportswear company that signed Curry away from Nike to become a key player in the basketball shoe space.Curry, who signed with the shoe company in 2013 after four seasons with Nike, will maintain sole ownership of Curry Brand, the subdivision that had been under Under Armour’s umbrella, and is free to find another retail partner.“It’s been an incredible privilege to work with Stephen, who as President of Curry Brand has been much more than an ambassador — he’s become a thoughtful and strategic business leader,” Kevin Plank, founder and CEO of Under Armour, said in a news release. “Together with our teammates, he helped build something rare: a bran...

November 14 - Meeting for the second time in as many games, the Milwaukee Bucks host the Charlotte Hornets in a Group C matchup in NBA Cup play on Friday.Charlotte snapped a three-game losing streak with a 111-100 home victory over Milwaukee on Wednesday. In its most impressive win to date, Charlotte led by as many as 22, holding a lead for the final 39:52.Hornets coach Charles Lee's task got easier after Milwaukee's Giannis Antetokounmpo was scratched before the game with left knee patellar tendinopathy."I was proud of a lot of things," Lee said. "First and foremost, to be able to adjust your mindset from one scouting report that you do at shootaround until a major creator is out. Now you've got to be thinking less about the paint and little more about the 3-point line. I thought our grou...