Category: Basketball

Nick Wright, Chris Broussard and Kevin Wildes discuss the latest news in the NBA including the Philadelphia 76ers win over the Miami Heat, Jimmy Butler MCL injury & Boston Celtics path to the NBA Finals.

23 HOURS AGO・first things first・5:00

The Philadelphia 76ers beat the Miami Heat and advance to play the New York Knicks in the 1st round of the NBA playoffs. Craig Carton determines whether or not Philly fans should be encouraged by the win.

1 DAY AGO・the carton show・1:46

Skip Bayless recounts the Los Angeles Lakers’ Western Conference Finals loss to the Denver Nuggets last season. The purple and gold are set to face the reigning champs with Game 1 starting this upcoming Saturday.

1 DAY AGO・the skip bayless show・3:12

USATSI

The Chicago Bulls and the Atlanta Hawks link up in a 9 vs. 10 battle in the 2024 NBA Play-In Tournament on Wednesday. These teams matched up three times in the regular season, and Chicago won the series 2-1. However, on April 1, the Hawks topped the Bulls 113-101. The winner of this battle moves on to face off against the Philadelphia 76ers or Miami Heat to determine who gets the eighth seed in the East. Jalen Johnson (ankle) and Onyeka Okongwu (toe) are out for Atlanta, while Ayo Dosunmu (quad) and Andre Drummond (ankle) are listed as questionable for Chicago.

Tipoff is scheduled for 9:30 p.m. ET at United Center in Chicago. The Bulls are 3-point favorites in the latest Hawks vs. Bulls odds via SportsLine consensus. The over/under for total points is

Getty Images

The Philadelphia 76ers and Miami Heat will face off on Wednesday with a chance at the No. 7 seed in the East playoffs on the line. The Sixers got here after a season that can really be defined by two halves: with and without Joel Embiid. Before Embiid went down with a meniscus that sidelined him for two months, the Sixers had the third-best net rating in the league, and Embiid was a frontrunner for MVP. Things quickly changed after he was sidelined, and as a result, the Sixers tumbled down the standings. 

For the Heat, the season has also been filled with injuries to Jimmy Butler, Tyler Herro and standout rookie Jaime Jaquez Jr., as well as a trade that sent Kyle Lowry to the Hornets — eventually, he joined the Sixers

USATSI

Playing with Zion Williamson is not like playing with anyone else. He is a flying brick, a 6-foot-6 playmaker who rarely shoots jumpers but plows through and soars over defenders. He throws down thunderous dunks, has a feathery touch and does not fit anywhere on the conventional positional spectrum.

“I almost relate him to KAT, a reverse KAT,” Larry Nance Jr., Williamson’s teammate with the New Orleans Pelicans, said last month, referencing Minnesota Timberwolves big man Karl-Anthony Towns. “Karl’s a ‘5’ but really plays as a 4, whereas Z is a ‘4’ but really plays as a ballhandling 5.”

In recent years, NBA coaches have instructed players to set ball screens higher and higher, sometimes even close to halfcourt, in an effort to stretch the defense out and give ballhandlers more space. When Williamson has