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Basketball

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The NBA playoffs are underway and all eyes are on the New York Knicks vs. Philadelphia 76ers series, which feature Tyrese Maxey, Joel Embiid, Jalen Brunson, OG Anunoby and many of the league’s next generation of stars.

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The second-seed Knicks took the first game of this best-of-7 series, with a comeback 111-104 win over the weekend. Here’s what to know about Game 2 and how to watch the Eastern Conference playoff series online.

Knicks vs. 76ers Playoff Games: Date, Time

Game 2 of the Knicks vs. 76ers takes place tonight, April 22 at 7:30 p.m. ET / 4:30 p.m. PT live from Madison Square Garden in New York City.

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Last-minute tickets to watch the Knicks vs. 76ers in person are still available on sites like Stubhub, Vivid Seats and SeatGeek. BONUS: use our promo codes BB2024 to save $20 at VividSeats.com and discount code BILLBOARD10 to save $10 at SeatGeek.com.

How to Watch Knicks vs. 76ers on TV

Want to watch the Knicks vs. 76ers on TV? Tonight’s game is airing live on TNT so you can watch the Sixers-Knicks game on TV with any basic cable package.

How to Watch Knicks vs. 76ers Online

Want to watch the Knicks vs. 76ers online without cable? Use DirecTV Stream, a live TV streaming service that carries TNT as part of its offerings. The site has a five-day free trial that you can use right now to livestream the Knicks vs. 76ers online free. Watch the basketball game from your phone, tablet, laptop or smart TV. Cancel at anytime.

Sling is another live TV streamer that carries TNT as part of its channel lineup. TNT is available in all of Sling’s packages, including Sling Orange, which starts at just $40/month. Your subscription to Sling gets you 30+ live TV channels including TNT, so you can watch the Knicks vs. 76ers online without cable. You also get free DVR so you can record the playoff games and watch a Sixers-Knicks replay on-demand later.

Another way to stream the Knicks vs. 76ers playoff games online is through Max (formerly HBO Max). In addition to its library of movies, TV shows and specials, Max now offers live sports streaming, including basketball on TNT. Sign up for Max for just $9.99/month here.

Knicks vs. 76ers Predictions, Odds

The Knicks are the odds-on favorite for this Eastern Conference playoff series, though the 76ers will be a formidable opponent. While they are the seventh seed, the Sixers have not lost a first-round playoff series since the 2019-2020 season.

The second-seeded Knicks, meantime, had their best season since 2012-2013 and are riding a wave of momentum. Both the Knicks and Sixers made it to the Eastern Conference semifinals last year before falling to the Miami Heat and Boston Celtics, respectively.

Watch the Knicks vs. 76ers playoff games online free through DirecTV Stream here.

All products and services featured are independently chosen by editors. However, Billboard may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes.
The NBA playoffs are here, and while the Lakers and Nuggets dominate the Western Conference conversation, one of the most-anticipated Eastern Conference matchups pit the number-one seed Boston Celtics versus the eighth-seeded Miami Heat. The Heat made it into the playoffs after surviving the NBA Play-In Tournament, while the Celtics were one of the top teams in the league throughout the entire season.

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Want to watch the Heat vs. Celtics on TV and online? Here’s what you need to know.

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Miami Heat vs. Boston Celtics Playoff Games: Date, Time

The Heat and Celtics kick off their Eastern Conference playoff series today, Sunday, April 21 at 1 p.m. ET / 10 a.m. PT from TD Garden in Boston.

Last-minute tickets to watch the Celtics vs. Heats in person are still available on sites like Stubhub, Vivid Seats and SeatGeek. All three sites guarantee that your tickets will be delivered digitally in time for the game or your money back. BONUS: use promo code BILLBOARD10 to save $10 off your purchase at SeatGeek.com.

How to Watch Heat vs. Celtics on TV

If you want to watch the Heat vs. Celtics on TV, today’s game is airing live on ABC. You can watch the Eastern Conference playoff game on TV through your local ABC affiliate.

How to Watch Heat vs. Celtics Online Free

Want to watch the Heat vs. Celtics playoff game online without cable? Get this five-day free trial to DirecTV Stream, which includes a live ABC feed as part of its channel offerings. DirecTV Stream is one of the best streaming services for live sports and one of the easiest ways to stream live TV and sports without cable.

DirecTV Stream lets you watch the Heat vs. Celtics on TV, on your phone, tablet or laptop. Cancel before your free trial is up to avoid being charged.

Another way to livestream the Heat vs. Celtics online free? Use Fubo TV. Fubo also includes ABC as part of its streaming service, and the site is offering a seven-day free trial that you can use to watch the Celtics-Heat game online for free. Fubo’s free trial includes free DVR so you can record the basketball game to watch a Heat-Celtics replay on-demand later.

You can also sign up for NBA League Pass to stream out-of-market NBA playoff games as well as have 24/7 access to highlights, replays, live stats and more.

Heat vs. Celtics Predictions, Odds

The Celtics are favored to win this first-round playoff series, having been one of the most dominant teams in the NBA this year. However, Miami defeated Boston in last year’s Eastern Conference finals, taking it 4-3 in the best-of-seven series. The Celtics will be hoping to avoid a repeat of last year’s performance, as it takes on a motivated Miami team.

Watch the Heat vs. Celtics playoff games online free through FuboTV or DirecTV Stream here.

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The 2024 NBA playoffs are here and one of the most anticipated matchups pit the Los Angeles Lakers against the Denver Nuggets. The Western Conference series has no shortage of star power, with Nikola Jokic and last season’s NBA champs Nuggets facing off against LeBron James and the always-powerful Lakers.

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Want to watch the Lakers vs. Nuggets on TV and online? Here’s what you need to know.

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L.A. Lakers vs. Denver Nuggets Playoff Games: Date, Time

The Lakers and Nuggets open the best-of-7 series tonight, Saturday, April 20 at 8:30 p.m. ET / 5:30 p.m. PT from Ball Arena in Denver.

Last-minute tickets to watch the Lakers vs. Nuggets in person are still available on sites like Stubhub, Vivid Seats and SeatGeek. All three sites guarantee that your tickets will be delivered digitally in time for the game or your money back. BONUS: use promo code BILLBOARD10 to save $10 off your purchase at SeatGeek.com.

How to Watch Lakers vs. Nuggets on TV

If you want to watch the Lakers vs. Nuggets on TV, tonight’s game is airing live on ABC. You can watch the Western Conference playoff game on TV through your local ABC affiliate.

How to Watch Lakers vs. Nuggets Online Free

Want to watch the Lakers vs. Nuggets online without cable? Get this five-day free trial to DirecTV Stream, which includes a live ABC feed as part of its channel offerings. DirecTV Stream is one of the best streaming services for live sports and one of the easiest ways to stream live TV without cable.

Another way to livestream the Lakers vs. Nuggets online free is through Fubo, which offers a seven-day free trial for its streaming service. Fubo lets you watch the Lakers vs. Nuggets playoff game online on ABC from your phone, tablet, laptop or TV. Fubo also includes free DVR so you can record the game to watch an LA vs. Denver game replay on-demand.

You can also sign up for NBA League Pass to stream out-of-market NBA playoff games as well as have 24/7 access to highlights, replays, live stats and more.

Lakers vs. Nuggets Odds, Predictions, Favorites

The Nuggets are looking to become back-to-back NBA champs after taking home the title last year, and Denver is the odds-on favorite to win the series over the Lakers. Denver also swept L.A. in the Western Conference finals last year.

Still, this is a resilient L.A. team that hopes to continue the Lakers dynasty. Aside from last year’s lopsided loss, the Lakers have won seven of the eight playoff series between them and Denver. Los Angeles also leads the all-time series 138-91.

Livestream the Lakers vs. Nuggets online free on ABC through Fubo here.

It’s official: The Carters are a women’s basketball family. Beyoncé congratulated the University of South Carolina team on an incredible season by sending them a stunning bouquet of flowers, custom merch and a sweet note — all of which Coach Dawn Staley showed off in a triumphant video via X on Wednesday (April 17). “I’m […]

All products and services featured are independently chosen by editors. However, Billboard may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes. Caitlin Clark is flying high. In less than a week, Clark has gone from college basketball star to a Saturday Night […]

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Source: Houston Chronicle/Hearst Newspapers via Getty Images / Getty
The Men’s U.S. Basketball team for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris is being rounded out. Some of your favorite NBA superstars will be partaking in the event this summer while others will remain in America to cheer on their professional peers from the comfort of their own homes.

According to ESPN, Team USA will be featuring some of today’s icons and legends on the roster as the likes of LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant and Joel Embiid will be taking the court to represent the red, white and blue. Pacing on the sidelines to coach the upcoming superstar roster will be the Golden State Warriors head coach, Steve Kerr. Kerr’s no stranger to leading his team to the promised land as he’s helped his Warriors bring home four NBA Championships but has no Olympic gold in his illustrious trophy room. (The man also won a few championship rings alongside the GOAT, Michael Jordan).

The rest of the roster will feature some pretty big names who’ve been making much noise this season and seem Hall of Fame bound when it’s all said and done.
ESPN reports:
U.S. basketball is planning to formally announce this 11-man roster that also includes Lakers forward Anthony Davis, Suns guard Devin Booker, Minnesota guard Anthony Edwards, Boston forward Jayson Tatum, Boston guard Jrue Holiday, Miami center Bam Adebayo and Indiana guard Tyrese Haliburton, sources said.
James is playing in his fourth Olympics, a career that includes a bronze medal in 2004 and gold medals in 2008 and 2012.
Haliburton and Edwards are the only players from the non-medalist 2023 FIBA World Cup team who were selected for the Olympic Games.
Naturally, Knick fans were outraged that the team’s MVP, Jalen Brunson, wasn’t added to the team given the standout year that he’s been having thus far. Averaging 28.7 PPG and 6.7 assists per game, Brunson has carried an injury ridden Knicks team to its first 50-win season in more than a decade while helping them secure the No. 2 seed in the playoffs.
But with Team USA managing director Grant Hill keeping one roster slot open ahead of a July training camp and exhibition games in Las Vegas, Brunson might just make the cut. But we’ll just have to wait and see.
What do y’all think of Team USA’s current roster? Who would you add or replace? Let us know in the comments section below.

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Online gambling may be all the rage amongst sports fans, but pro sports players themselves are finding out that there are repercussions for placing bets on games, especially in their own profession.

Such is the case with NBA player Jontay Porter who’s facing the real possibility of being permanently banned from the league as he’s currently under investigation for “multiple instances of betting irregularities over the past several months.” According to ESPN, Adam Silver has bluntly stated that if the Toronto Raptors forward is found to have committed the “cardinal sin” of “playing” down or up to the over/unders set around his personal performances.

After multiple instances in which Porter’s performances (or lack thereof) in games between Jan. 26 and March 20 led to some big money making nights for betters, the NBA began an investigation. And Silver isn’t shy about laying down the law on Porter should it come to that.
Per ESPN:
“I have an enormous range of discipline available to me,” Silver said at a midtown Manhattan hotel, after the league’s annual board of governors meetings. “But it’s a cardinal sin, what he’s accused of in the NBA, and the ultimate, extreme option I have is to ban him from the game.
“That’s the level of authority I have here. Because there’s nothing more serious, I think, around this league when it comes to gambling: betting on our games. And that is a direct player involvement. And so, the investigation is ongoing, but the consequences could be very severe.”
One has to wonder if Porter actually did play up or down to the bets placed on his performances, but should it turn out that he did, it could be a wrap for the man’s young NBA career. That being said, it felt like it was only a matter of time before a professional player got caught up in such a scandal. Adam Silver is not going to hesitate to make a prime example of someone who isn’t exactly the cornerstone of an NBA franchise.
More from ESPN:
“At the end of the day, there’s nothing more important than the integrity of the competition,” Silver said. “And so, any issue raised around that is of great concern to me and to all commissioners, to all people who are safeguards, who are all people who are in a position and have a responsibility to safeguard the game. Again, this is a burgeoning industry in the United States. It’s been legal in other places in the world for decades. There’s lessons to be learned from the way that sports betting is monitored and regulated in other jurisdictions.

Should be interesting to see how this one ends up playing out. You can bet it’ll be ugly if Silver’s biggest fear is confirmed.
What do y’all think? Should Jontay Porter be permanently banned if he’s found to have committed the “cardinal sin” in sports? Let us know in the comments section below.

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Former NBA player Nate “The Great” Robinson is currently fighting for his life, and if he doesn’t get some help real soon, the two-time Slam Dunk Champion knows that his days are numbered.

Two years after announcing his renal kidney failure diagnosis, the former New York Knick told Mail Sports that his search for a new kidney hasn’t gone well and that if he doesn’t get a replacement soon, he won’t be with us too much longer. Having to rely on weekly dialysis to keep him going, Robinson hopes to find a new kidney before it’s too late.
Mail Sports reports:

“I know that I don’t have long if I can’t get a kidney,’ Robinson exclusively told Mail Sport. ‘I know I’m not going to have long to live. So I just want to make the best of it as much as I can.
He continued, ‘Some people’s body reject dialysis. And thank God that mine accepts it and I can live… if I didn’t go to dialysis, I wouldn’t live probably longer than a week or two. So it’s serious, can’t miss a day. I go in for four hours, three days a week, four hours a day. And they clean my blood to get my toxins out. And they help me out a lot because that’s how I’m living.’
Robinson, who spoke on behalf of Bet365, shared that he deals with frequent, painful vomiting as a result of his dialysis treatment, which often leaves him hospitalized for a day or two.
This is sad.
Prayers up for Nate Robinson as he searches for a kidney and a new lease on life as he currently goes through his struggle. We’re just glad the man is keeping a positive attitude and his spirits up as he continues to keep hope alive that he’ll get his wish fulfilled. More from Mail Sports:
‘The [dialysis] machine has been helping my longevity and my life right now,’ he said. ‘So I’m just enjoying the times where I do feel healthy. I try to get out there with my kids, see my family and play basketball, do the things that I love.
And I still try to do all the things that I can to stay and feel normal as I can, stay as human as I can.’
In the meantime, Nate says he’s changed his diet to help keep his health in check. He eats fruits and grilled protein such as chicken and fish while staying away from processed foods.

Keep up the good fight, fam.

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Looks like embattled NBA superstar Ja Morant has just dodged another legal bullet as a judge has ruled in his favor in a case involving a physical altercation with a teenager during a pickup game in 2022.

According to TMZ, Ja Morant was handed a legal win when the judge overseeing a case where Morant was accused of putting hands on a then-17-year-old Joshua Holloway ruled that Morant was actually acting in self-defense when he hit Holloway when the two got into a scuffle on the court in Morant’s Eads, Tennessee, home. While many assumed this was another incident demonstrating Morant’s descent into the “thug” lifestyle he was seemingly embracing at the time, the judge felt Morant was justified in his actions, hence, handing the NBA player a victory in the case brought to him by the then-minor.
TMZ reports:

Joshua Holloway, who was 17 years old at the time of the incident, sued Morant back in Sept. 2022, alleging the Grizzlies point guard roughed him up while the two were competing on a basketball court at Ja’s Eads, Tenn. home.
Holloway claimed that during an in-game argument, he threw a ball at Morant and accidentally hit him in the face. He alleged Morant then became enraged, and socked him with a closed fist.
Morant, however, later argued he was acting in self-defense … explaining during December court proceedings that he was simply trying to protect himself from harm.
Luckily for Ja, the Shelby County judge judge felt the same way and said as much in his 44-page ruling. The case will move forward with the trial set to get underway later this month, but with this ruling it seems like Ja might be able to get out of this situation without having to cough up much of his $197 million salary.
What do y’all think of the judge ruling in Ja’s favor? Let us know in the comments section below.

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Ice Cube made waves by offering University of Iowa Hawkeyes star Caitlin Clark $5 million to play up to 10 games in the Big3, which would certainly shift things for the popular 3-on-3 league. Ice Cube says that as of now, Caitlin Clark has yet to respond and even said he’d move things around to not interfere with the WNBA schedule.
Ice Cube sat down with The Pat McAfee Show to share the finer points of the deal and how he hasn’t heard back from Clark presumably because the Hawkeyes are in the middle of the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament. As Cube explains, Clark, 22, can earn major coin for just 10 weeks of play within the Big3 and he realizes it’d be a big boost for the league he co-founded.

Clark is no doubt going to be a top selection heading into the 2024 WNBA Draft, in which the Indiana Fever owns the top pick overall. Considering Clark’s massive star power and ice-cold game on the court, the Fever’s choice should be a no-brainer.
Check out Ice Cube breaking down his offer to Caitlin Clark with Pat McAfee below.
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Photo: Getty