• The Canadian Press

    It's Nuggets vs. Lakers again in Round 1, with a much different feel this time

    A year ago when the Los Angeles Lakers faced the Denver Nuggets in the playoffs, they were weary and worn down. This year, it's different. That's why the Lakers feel like they have a chance — and why the Nuggets expect this to be a challenge. Nikola Jokic and the defending champion Nuggets will face LeBron James and the Lakers in Round 1, a series starting in Denver on Saturday night. Denver swept the Lakers in last season's Western Conference finals, the next-to-last step the Nuggets had to cle

  • Yahoo Sports

    Thunder-Pelicans preview: How New Orleans can slow down Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and OKC

    We break down the first-round series between the Oklahoma City Thunder and New Orleans Pelicans and make our prediction.

  • The Canadian Press

    Things to know about the NBA playoffs, which start Saturday

    The Boston Celtics had almost no trouble at all with the 14 teams that didn’t make the playoffs this season, going 35-4 against those squads. Against the teams that actually made the postseason, the Celtics were really good as well. Taking into account only the 16 playoff teams — and their games against one another — the No. 1 overall seed Celtics come up No. 1 yet again. Boston went 29-14 against the eventual playoff teams this season, the best such record in the league. Close behind: Oklahoma

  • The Canadian Press

    Ingram, Valanciunas lift Zion-less Pelicans past Kings and into the playoffs

    NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Hustle plays and production from up and down the lineup helped the New Orleans Pelicans overcome the absence of leading-scorer Zion Williamson, keep their season alive and avoid a historically significant loss. Brandon Ingram scored 24 points, Jonas Valanciunas added 19 points and 12 rebounds, and the New Orleans Pelicans booked a spot in the NBA playoffs with a 105-98 victory over the Sacramento Kings in a play-in tournament elimination game on Friday night. “We stayed togeth