The Phoenix Suns have leaned into the chaos, firing head coach Igor Kokoskov after just one season. According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Phoenix Suns have decided to fire head Igor Kokoskov, who lead the team to a 19-63 record in his first season. Before joining Phoenix, Kokoskov spent 18 years as an assistant with
10:44 AM ET OAKLAND, Calif. — Before they were champions, before Kevin Durant came to town and before they built a billion-dollar arena across the bay, the Golden State Warriors changed the NBA with the “death lineup.” It was five guys who could dribble, pass and score, applying a level of pressure to opponents that
The Milwaukee Bucks made some key adjustments and put on a 3-point shooting clinic to bury the Boston Celtics in Game 2. The 3-point shot has helped elevate the Bucks all season long and, in Game 2, their shooting built like a wave, eventually cresting and washing away the Celtics in a crucial third quarter.
The Warriors once again separated themselves from the Rockets, using rebounding, defense and signature ball movement to take Game 2. Game 2 of Golden State vs Houston felt like a clear example of the most obvious NBA statement of the last three years: lots of teams are good, some are really good, but no one
Heading into Game 2 against the Toronto Raptors, Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid is probable due to an illness. Led by 45 points from Kawhi Leonard, the Toronto Raptors beat the Philadelphia 76ers 108-95 in Game 1 of their second round series Saturday night. Now, as the 76ers try to head home with the series
TORONTO, CANADA – APRIL 29: Kawhi Leonard #2 of the Toronto Raptors handles the ball against Ben Simmons #25 of the Philadelphia 76ers during Game Two of the Eastern Conference Semifinals of the 2019 NBA Playoffs on April 29, 2019 at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and
3:38 AM ET OAKLAND, Calif. — Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green acknowledged that all the chatter surrounding the officiating in Game 1 of his team’s series against the Houston Rockets was “embarrassing” for the game, and he said he was happy that both teams were less demonstrative toward the referees in the Warriors’ 115-109
The NBA Draft process is in full swing with teams gearing up for workouts and the annual NBA Draft Combine. Last week, draftable seniors took the floor at the annual Portsmouth Invitational, and while the quality of the players that take part in Portsmouth has diminished over the years, that did not stop NBA executives
The Orlando Magic went toe-to-toe with Toronto Raptors and used a late push to steal Game 1 on the road. After Pascal Siakam made a driving shot and gave Toronto a six-point lead with just under six minutes left in the fourth quarter, Inpredictable’s live win probability model gave the Magic just a 9.7 percent
The Raptors took no chances with fate sneaking up on them, emphatically finishing off the Magic in Game 5. Game 1 in this series brought the Raptors a home loss, a disappointing scoreless performance from Kyle Lowry, and a host of bad memories from their last few playoff washouts. From the tip of Game 2,
5:13 PM ET OAKLAND, Calif. — Golden State Warriors star forward Kevin Durant doesn’t think Houston Rockets guard James Harden is “cheating” the game by playing the way he does. “I wouldn’t say that he has an advantage,” Durant said after the morning shootaround before Game 2 on Tuesday night. “I think everybody, once they
Tuesday’s DraftKings slate: 8 p.m. ET: Boston at Milwaukee10:30 p.m. ET: Houston at Golden State My favorite plays of the day can be found on the following slides in FanSided’s DraftKings daily picks. Each day in order to offer a variety of price points at each position, you can find two slides for each position–one for
The regular season ended with both the Thunder and the Blazers hobbling into the playoffs and neither guaranteed much postseason success. Portland lost its best player, cruelly, to a gruesome leg fracture in the 55th minute of a late-March game while Oklahoma City clawed for every win down the stretch, taxing its players in the
Russell Westbrook was hammered off the court after his Oklahoma City Thunder got lambasted by the Portland Trail Blazers in the first two games of their series and perhaps, rightfully so. Besides his Game 3 recovery to help the Thunder snag a win, he’s been in a playoff slump since 2016. Maybe he’s not totally at fault.
10:02 AM ET Scott Foster, the referee most reviled by the Houston Rockets, has been assigned to call Game 2 of the Western Conference semifinals against the Golden State Warriors Tuesday. Foster, a 25-year NBA veteran, has not worked a Rockets game since James Harden publicly criticized him after the superstar fouled out of Houston’s
DENVER, CO – APRIL 29: Nikola Jokic #15 of the Denver Nuggets reacts to a play against the Portland Trail Blazers during Game One of the Western Conference Semifinals of the 2019 NBA Playoffs on April 29, 2019 at the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by
By the end of the night, the NBA’s postseason second round will be officially set — first from 30 teams to 16 and soon just nine shall remain. Throughout the regular season — and for much of the last two years, actually — the biggest, most important question has been repeatedly asked ad nauseam: Can
2:09 AM ET TORONTO — Playoff basketball is an exercise in problem-solving. The Philadelphia 76ers came into Game 2 of their series with the Toronto Raptors with several problems, but none more imposing and urgent than Kawhi Leonard. Following Toronto’s 108-95 win in the series opener, Raptors players and coaches were shocked that the Sixers
How Shamorie Ponds adapts to the demands of being an NBA point guard will make or break his career. Throughout his college career, Shamorie Ponds did a great job of establishing that he’s a good offensive player. The St. John’s point guard scored nearly 1,900 points in his three-year college career, and despite being 6-foot-1,
LOS ANGELES, CA – APRIL 26: Head Coach Steve Kerr of the Golden State Warriors speaks to the media after Game Six of Round One against the LA Clippers during the 2019 NBA Playoffs on April 26, 2019 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by
6:53 PM ET SAN FRANCISCO — Houston Rockets guard Chris Paul has been fined $35,000 for “aggressively confronting and recklessly making contact with a game official,” the NBA announced Monday afternoon. 1 Related The incident occurred with 4.4 seconds remaining in the Rockets’ 104-100 loss to the Golden State Warriors in Sunday’s Game 1 of
By the end of the night, the NBA’s postseason second round will be officially set — first from 30 teams to 16 and soon just nine shall remain. Throughout the regular season — and for much of the last two years, actually — the biggest, most important question has been repeatedly asked ad nauseam: Can
12:45 AM ET Here we go again. After last season’s thrilling seven-game Western Conference finals, the Golden State Warriors and Houston Rockets are back for more in Round 2. A trip to the NBA Finals won’t be at stake, but don’t let that fool you — this sequel is a must-see. Here’s everything to know
TORONTO, CANADA – APRIL 27: Kawhi Leonard #2 of the Toronto Raptors handles the ball against the Philadelphia 76ers during Game One of the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals of the 2019 NBA Playoffs on April 27, 2019 at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading
We saw the best and worst of both teams in Game 1 and a frantic, chaotic finish had the Warriors holding off the Rockets. A few final seconds of chaos wrote the ending to Game 1, giving the Warriors a win over the Rockets and plenty for fans to dissect for the next few days.
Previewing the second-round series between the Milwaukee Bucks and Boston Celtics with shot charts, assist maps, offensive style charts and expected win probabilities. Shot charts The Milwaukee Bucks took no time in dispatching the Detroit Pistons, who were without a healthy Blake Griffin for the entirety of the series. As evidenced in the point per
The Celtics stealing Game 1 from the Bucks was a surprise. Doing it by shutting down Giannis Antetokounmpo was shocking. Things looked dire for the Bucks early in the first half of Game 1. Giannis Antetokounmpo was struggling to get buckets inside and the 3-pointers weren’t falling. Boston led by nine at the end of
10:55 PM ET OAKLAND, Calif. — The worst-case scenario for the NBA, its fans and the game itself is for the Golden State Warriors vs. Houston Rockets series to come down to a he said, he said on officiating. This is a series rematch that has been a year in the making, perhaps the series
“Lazy! Ballhog! Choker!” The basketball social media universe is unforgiving for a number of players in the NBA. By scanning the timelines of many users in this world, you’ll see all kinds of arguments and debates—seriously or jokingly—rooted in recency bias due to the 24/7 news cycle rate at which news happens in 2019. A
MIAMI, FLORIDA – APRIL 03: A Dwyane Wade #3 of the Miami Heat fan takes a photo outside American Airlines Arena prior to the game between the Miami Heat and the Boston Celtics on April 03, 2019 in Miami, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this