With the Cavaliers down two points, Darius Garland, their potential All-Star guard and 90 percent free-throw shooter, sat alone at the line with the chance to give Cleveland the lead. Even if he failed to make all three free throws, Cleveland, via a Flagrant One on the Rockets, would have the ball with a chance to seal the game.

Evan Sidery of Forbes recently reported that Houston "conducted exploratory trade talks" with the Portland Trail Blazers regarding center Robert Williams III. Williams, who is averaging 5.9 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks in a decreased role this season, is on the trade block as the Trail Blazers look to rebuild with a 15-28 record.

A Western Conference team has overtaken the Boston Celtics as the top favourite to win the 2024-25 NBA Finals.

Of the 15 teams in the Western Conference, only two are clearly focused more on the 2025 draft lottery than the 2024/25 standings. The 10-31 Jazz and 14-28 Trail Blazers don’t have realistic postseason aspirations this season, with management prioritizing the development of young players and the possibility of landing another high draft pick.

And on this roadtrip, where the Jazz will face the Pelicans once more on Monday night, it was really, really important for the Jazz decision makers to find a way to finagle a loss against the Pelicans.

Early returns: Utah made a high-risk trade for Sergachev — in terms of acquisition cost and with the seven seasons left on his contract at an $8.5 million cap hit, especially coming off an injury-plagued year. It’s too early to make a long-term read on the trade, but the early dividends have been promising.

The Utah Jazz have hit the cellar of the Western Conference. Zion Williamson highlighted a 24-point, 14-rebound performance with an array of thunderous dunks during a dominant fourth-quarter stint, and the New Orleans Pelicans beat the Utah Jazz 136-123 on Friday night to open a two-game set.

But Sunday, Jan. 12 NHL action has two of the Western Conference leaders looking to skate, shoot and score in their push to the top of the conference. The Vegas Golden Knights (28 wins ...

The San Antonio Spurs and Denver Nuggets are both said to be interested in acquiring Toronto Raptors forward Chris Boucher ahead of the trade deadline

Vincennes Lincoln has officially made the pivot from the Southern Indiana Athletic Conference to the Western Indiana Conference. The WIC announced last week the Alices had been accepted to the fold just a short time after Vincennes' school board voted to switch leagues.

The Orlando Magic and Portland Trail Blazers square off for the first time this season on Thursday night in the Kia Center. Tipoff is at 7 p.m.