basketball
SportAustralian Associated PressKey Wildcats OK for NBL grand final series
Perth Wildcats coach Trevor Gleeson is confident Mitch Norton and Luke Travers will be able shake off minor niggles in time to front up to Melbourne United in the grand final series opener at RAC Arena.Norton has been battling a hip injury in recent weeks, while Travers pulled up with a sore calf from the 2-1 semi-final triumph over the Illawarra Hawks.
SportAustralian Associated PressSimmons' FT woes in stunning 76ers loss
Ben Simmons missed 10 free-throws as the top-seeded Philadelphia 76ers somehow conspired to lose Game 5 of their NBA play-offs series against the Atlanta Hawks after leading by 26 points at home.Trae Young and the Hawks pulled off a comeback for the ages, winning 109-106, to take a 3-2 series lead and move within a victory of the Eastern Conference finals.
SportAustralian Associated PressClippers' Leonard in doubt for NBA series
Kawhi Leonard's right knee is now a major concern for the Los Angeles Clippers.The All-NBA forward sat out Los Angeles' 119-111 Game 5 victory over the Utah Jazz on Wednesday night with what the Clippers are calling a sprain.
SportAustralian Associated PressMaker among Boomers axed for Olympics
NBA free agent Thon Maker is among six players cut from the Australia's Olympics squad as the battle for tickets to Tokyo heats up.The squad of 19 Boomers players was announced on Thursday, with Maker, Deng Adel, Mitch McCarron, Will McDowell-White, Will Magnay, and Mitch Norton all missing after being named in the original squad of 24.
SportYahoo SportsChris Bosh opens up about his Hall of Fame career, abrupt retirement, his new book and the recent spate of NBA injuries
Two-time NBA champion Chris Bosh joins the latest episode of Posted Up with Chris Haynes.
SportAustralian Associated PressLaMelo Ball wins NBA rookie of the year
LaMelo Ball's progress from an NBL Next Stars poster boy to an bona fide star has been meteoric with the Charlotte Hornets guard named NBA rookie of the year.Ball opted to bypass the traditional American college pathway to play a professional season with Illawarra in Australia in 2019 and his brilliant play for the Hawks in his brief spell was rewarded when he was selected No.
SportYahoo SportsHornets' LaMelo Ball wins NBA Rookie of the Year
Ball beat out fellow finalists Anthony Edwards and Tyrese Haliburton.
SportYahoo SportsMavericks, GM Donnie Nelson mutually part ways
Nelson is at least the third person to lose their NBA job today.
SportYahoo SportsKyrie Irving will miss Game 6 against Bucks due to ankle injury
Kyrie Irving left Game 4 after landing awkwardly on Giannis Antetokounmpo.
SportYahoo SportsMike Conley suffers 'small setback,' will miss Game 5 due to hamstring injury
Mike Conley said he suffered a "small setback" in his recovery process and will not return in time to play in Game 5 against the Clippers.
SportYahoo SportsWizards part ways with head coach Scott Brooks after 5 seasons
Brooks and the Wizards reportedly couldn't come to terms on a new contract.
SportAustralian Associated PressWildcat Bryce Cotton crowned NBL MVP
Bryce Cotton has been crowned league MVP for a third time while Trevor Gleeson has finally won the coach-of-the-year award at the helm of the Perth Wildcats.Cotton tallied 112 votes after his standout season, beating out second placed Tyler Harvey (74 votes) and third placed Nathan Sobey (55 votes).
SportYahoo SportsSuns' Chris Paul enters COVID-19 health and safety protocols
Paul will be sidelined for an unknown period of time.
SportAustralian Associated PressMagnay aims to end scoring rut in NBL GF
Perth Wildcats centre Will Magnay has set himself the challenge of being more aggressive on the scoring end as the team tries to fill the huge void left by Bryce Cotton during the NBL grand final series.Cotton was ruled out for the remainder of the season after undergoing surgery last month to relieve pressure from a haematoma in his left quadriceps.
SportAustralian Associated PressAmazing Durant nets Brooklyn play-offs win
Kevin Durant has produced one of the greatest performances in NBA play-offs history as Brooklyn rallied to beat Milwaukee 114-108 to regain control of their eastern conference semi-final series.Durant had 49 points, 17 rebounds and 10 assists as the Nets overcame a 17-point third-quarter deficit to take a 3-2 lead.
SportAustralian Associated PressMVP Jokic leads All-NBA first team
Denver's Nikola Jokic was the runaway MVP this season, which made it a virtual certainty that he would also be an All-NBA first-team selection.Here's the rarity: the MVP runner-up was not a first-team selection.
SportAustralian Associated PressMelbourne Utd charge into NBL grand final
Melbourne United will take on two-time defending champions Perth in the NBL grand final series after coming back from 17 points down to defeat cross-town rivals South East Melbourne Phoenix 84-74 in their semi-final decider.United dominated the second half of Tuesday's elimination clash at Sydney's Qudos Bank Arena with stifling defence and a standout performance from gun forward Jock Landale to crush South East Melbourne's hopes of reaching the championship round in just their second season.
SportAustralian Associated PressHawks rally past Sixers, level NBA series
The Philadelphia 76ers have blown an 18-point lead and squandered a late chance to snatch victory from Atlanta, with the Hawks prevailing 103-100 to level their NBA playoffs series at 2-2.There may be bigger concerns for the Sixers with Joel Embiid spending time in the locker room in the second quarter and then failing to make a field goal in the second half.
SportAustralian Associated PressSimmons' defensive skills recognised again
Ben Simmons missed out on being named the NBA's defensive player of the year but unsurprisingly he was named in the All-Defensive First Team for 2020-21.Australian superstar Simmons was one of two players chosen unanimously, the other being Rudy Gobert - who last week was named the league's best defender for the third time in the past four seasons.
SportYahoo SportsKyrie Irving, James Harden to miss Game 5 against Bucks with injuries
The Nets won't have Kyrie Irving or James Harden in Game 5 against the Bucks.
SportYahoo SportsReport: NBA discussing rule change so players couldn't use unnatural motions on jump shots to draw fouls
James Harden's favorite technique may no longer work next season.
SportYahoo Sports'Total bulls***': Mark Cuban slaps down report about rift between Luka Doncic and Mavs exec
Cuban has no time or patience for reports about how much Doncic dislikes a former sports gambler he hired to run the team's R&D.
SportYahoo SportsHall of Famer Dawn Staley on coaching in NBA: 'I surely can stand in front of men and lead them'
Dawn Staley has plenty of coaching experience on her resume.
SportAustralian Associated PressWildcats receive NBL grand final boost
Perth Wildcats will host the first two games of the NBL grand final series with coach Trevor Gleeson refusing to rule out star Bryce Cotton making a return for the club's three-peat attempt.Cotton has been sidelined since May 21, having had surgery after suffering a haematoma to his left quadriceps.
SportAustralian Associated PressJokic ejected, Suns seal sweep of Nuggets
NBA referees have thrown MVP Nikola Jokic out of Denver's 125-118 western conference semi-final loss to Phoenix with the Suns dumping the Nuggets from the playoffs.Phoenix became the first team into this year's conference finals by completing a four-game sweep.
