- The Associated Press
Weekend Sports in Brief
It made Collin Morikawa a major champion Sunday in a thrill-a-minute PGA Championship that not many will forget. Morikawa hit driver on the 294-yard 16th hole that was perfect in flight and even better when it landed, hopping onto the green and rolling to 7 feet for an eagle that all but clinched victory on a most quiet Sunday afternoon at Harding Park. Morikawa finished at 13-under 267.
- The Associated Press
Zion's rookie year will end without a postseason berth
Zion Williamson's rookie season is ending without a playoff berth. The last player to go from being the top overall selection one year to a playoff-game starter the very next season was Derrick Rose -- more than a decade ago. LeBron James needed three years to make the playoffs.
RotoworldDame Time: Lillard Scores 51 Points
Damian Lillard scored 51 points on Sunday, Austin Rivers had a career-high 41 points and Joel Embiid hurt his ankle. Let's Dose. (Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports)
NBA.comThe Fast Break - Best of August 9
Buckle up for the best of tonight's NBA action with the Fast Break.
NBA.comGAME RECAP: Nets 129, Clippers 120
Caris LeVert scores 27 points to go along with 13 assists as the NEts get the victory over the Clippers, 129-120.
The Associated PressNets start fast, beat Clippers to take No. 7 seed in East
Caris LeVert had 27 points and 13 assists, and the Brooklyn Nets used the best-shooting quarter in the NBA this season on their way to a 129-120 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday night. Joe Harris added 25 points - 23 in the first half - for the Nets, who clinched seventh place in the Eastern Conference and a first-round playoff matchup with the defending NBA champion Toronto Raptors.
- The Associated Press
It's official: NBA will have a play-in series in the West
The league decided to add the play-in series option in an abundance of fairness, since about 14% of the regular season schedule was eliminated because of the coronavirus pandemic. To advance and face the top-seeded Los Angeles Lakers in the first round, the eighth-place team will have to win one of the two games and the ninth-place finisher would have to go 2-0. There will be no play-in series in the Eastern Conference; Brooklyn and Orlando have secured what were the last two available spots on that bracket, with Washington - the only other team that came to Disney with a chance of qualifying in the East - already eliminated.
NBC Sports PhiladelphiaWhat could possibly happen next? Sixers’ frustrating season keeps getting stranger
Some of it has been self-inflicted and some of it has been bad luck. Regardless, the Sixers' season just keeps getting stranger, and not in a positive way. By Noah Levick
LA TimesDoc Rivers puts health before heroics in Clippers' loss to Nets
By resting Paul George, Clippers coach Doc Rivers makes it clear that keeping his star players healthy is a priority in the team's 129-120 loss to the Nets.
NBA.comGAME RECAP: Rockets 129, Kings 112
Austin Rivers comes off the bench to score 41 points and grab 6 boards as Houston takes down Sacramento.
NBC Sports BayAreaSuns troll Warriors' Draymond Green over $50K fine for Booker remarks
The Suns had some fun on social media at Draymond Green's expense Sunday.
The Associated PressRivers has career-high 41 as Rockets down Kings 129-112
Austin Rivers scored a career-high 41 points off the bench and the Houston Rockets used a big third quarter to pull away and cruise to a 129-112 victory over the Sacramento Kings on Sunday night. ''He's been playing well and obviously, tonight was his night,'' coach Mike D'Antoni said. Rivers made six 3-pointers as Houston improved to 4-1 at Disney on a night the Rockets played a second straight game without Russell Westbrook, who has a bruised right quadriceps.
NBC Sports BayAreaKings' future is uncertain after 14th straight NBA playoff absence
Is it worth it for the Kings to move on from Vlade Divac and Luke Walton? That's a really tough question.
- The Associated Press
No shortage of points scored inside the NBA's bubble
The last time there was a slate of five or more NBA games on the same day, with every team scoring at least 110 points, was more than 32 years ago. Scoring numbers are soaring inside the NBA's bubble, where the restarted season is happening at Walt Disney World. Through Sunday, 15 of the 22 teams inside the bubble were exceeding what had been their scoring averages before the season was suspended on March 11 because of COVID-19.
NBC SportsWatch Damian Lillard put up 51 on shorthanded 76ers
Philadelphia's Joel Embiid left the game with an ankle injury and did not return.
Golf ChannelWith three months to kill, Steph Curry offers his caddie services to Collin Morikawa
Fresh off his PGA Championship win, Collin Morikawa faced questions from an area resident who plays a lot of golf when he isn't at work.
NBA.comNightly Notable: Damian Lillard - Aug. 9
Damian Lillard scores 51 as the Blazers get the victory.
NBC Sports NorthwestJusuf Nurkic not sitting the second game of a back-to-back is exactly who he is
Most players coming off a rather large injury, typically don't play the second game on back-to-backs.
NBA.comGAME RECAP: Trail Blazers 124, 76ers 121
Damian Lillard scores 51 points as the Trail Blazers get the win over the 76ers, 124-121.
The Associated PressLillard drops 51 as Trail Blazers top 76ers; Embiid injured
Everything is back to normal for Damian Lillard. The All-Star point guard scored 51 points after a frustrating finish a night earlier, and the Portland Trail Blazers beat the Philadelphia 76ers 124-121 on Sunday. On Saturday against the Los Angeles Clippers, Lillard missed a pair of free throws with 18.6 seconds to go and a 3-pointer with 9.5 seconds left in a 122-117 loss.
NBC Sports BayAreaKings takeaways: What you might have missed in 129-112 loss to Rockets
Shortly after the Kings were eliminated from playoff contention, they fell to the Rockets in Orlando.
Headlines
- 76ers star Embiid leaves game against Trail Blazers early with ankle injury
- Haynes sources: Draymond Green fined $50K for Devin Booker comments
- NBA Hall of Famer Paul Westphal diagnosed with brain cancer
- 76ers star Ben Simmons will have surgery to remove a loose body in his knee
- NBA considering regional hub sites for 2020-21 season if pandemic persists
Yahoo Sports NBA Experts
Upcoming
| Eastern | W | L | Pct | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 55 | 15 | .786 | 0.0 | |
| 50 | 19 | .725 | 4.5 | |
| 47 | 23 | .671 | 8.0 | |
| 43 | 27 | .614 | 12.0 | |
| 43 | 27 | .614 | 12.0 | |
| 42 | 28 | .600 | 13.0 | |
| 34 | 36 | .486 | 21.0 | |
| 32 | 39 | .451 | 23.5 | |
| 23 | 42 | .354 | 29.5 | |
| 24 | 46 | .343 | 31.0 | |
| 22 | 43 | .338 | 30.5 | |
| 21 | 45 | .318 | 32.0 | |
| 20 | 46 | .303 | 33.0 | |
| 20 | 47 | .299 | 33.5 | |
| 19 | 46 | .292 | 33.5 |
| Western | W | L | Pct | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 51 | 18 | .739 | 3.5 | |
| 47 | 23 | .671 | 8.0 | |
| 46 | 24 | .657 | 9.0 | |
| 44 | 25 | .638 | 10.5 | |
| 43 | 26 | .623 | 11.5 | |
| 43 | 27 | .614 | 12.0 | |
| 42 | 30 | .583 | 14.0 | |
| 33 | 38 | .465 | 22.5 | |
| 33 | 39 | .458 | 23.0 | |
| 31 | 38 | .449 | 23.5 | |
| 31 | 39 | .443 | 24.0 | |
| 30 | 40 | .429 | 25.0 | |
| 29 | 41 | .414 | 26.0 | |
| 19 | 45 | .297 | 33.0 | |
| 15 | 50 | .231 | 37.5 |
- x
- - Clinched Playoff Spot
- y
- - Clinched Division
- z
- - Clinched Home Court