Deni Avdija had 26 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists, and the Portland Trail Blazers erased a 22-point deficit in a 121-119 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The Oklahoma City Thunder received their NBA championship rings before their season opener against the Houston Rockets.

Chet Holmgren has agreed on a five-year contract extension worth nearly $240 million to remain with the NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder, according to a person with knowledge of the deal.

The promise came three years ago from Oklahoma City general manager Sam Presti.

For the 20th time, there will be a Game 7 in the NBA Finals.

Contrary to popular belief not everything was easy for the Oklahoma City Thunder this season.

Oklahoma City went back to the lineup it used throughout the first three rounds of the playoffs on Friday night, returning Isaiah Hartenstein to the starting five for Game 4 of the NBA Finals against Indiana.

Game 1, a loss on the opposition’s final shot.

The game plan was the obvious one.

The seeds for the 2025 NBA Finals began getting planted unknowingly in 2017, when Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was about to enroll at Kentucky and Tyrese Haliburton was getting ready for his senior year of high school.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 34 points, eight assists and seven rebounds to help the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 124-94, win the Western Conference finals series 4-1 and advance to the NBA Finals.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 34 points, and the Oklahoma City Thunder routed the Minnesota Timberwolves 124-94 to win the Western Conference finals series 4-1 and advance to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2012.

Even the NBA MVP needs a wing man.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 40 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists in a steely performance befitting the NBA MVP and the Oklahoma City Thunder snapped back from a 42-point loss by beating the Minnesota Timberwolves 128-126 in Game 4 to take a 3-1 lead in the Western Conference finals.

The Oklahoma City Thunder found all kinds of soft spots in the defense and consistently hit those open shots over two decisive wins to start the Western Conference finals.

Minneapolis native Chet Holmgren could block his hometown team from winning a championship.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 38 points a day after being named the NBA’s MVP, and the Oklahoma City Thunder overwhelmed the Minnesota Timberwolves again, winning 118-103 to take a 2-0 lead in the Western Conference finals.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Oklahoma City’s young core has reached its moment of truth.

Jamal Murray fought through an illness to score 25 points and power the Denver Nuggets past the Thunder 119-107, sending the series back to Oklahoma City for a decisive Game 7.

The Oklahoma City Thunder and Cleveland Cavaliers, the top seeds in the playoffs and owners of the best regular-season records in the NBA, find themselves in dire need of wins as they host Game 5s in the conference semifinals on Tuesday night.

The Denver Nuggets and Oklahoma City Thunder couldn’t wake up their offense with an early tip for Game 4 on Sunday.

Jamal Murray scored 27 points and Michael Porter Jr. bounced back with 21 clutch points, leading the Denver Nuggets past the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder 113-104 in overtime Friday night for a 2-1 lead in the Western Conference semifinal series.

New York down by 20 on Monday.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 34 points, and the Oklahoma City Thunder rolled past the Denver Nuggets 149-106 in Game 2 of their Western Conference semifinal series.

The Oklahoma City Thunder set an NBA playoff record for first-half points with 87 against the Denver Nuggets in Game 2 of their Western Conference semifinal series.

The Boston Celtics and Oklahoma City Thunder looked very much like the dominant teams they were during the regular season in securing lopsided first-round playoff series wins.

Sam Presti of the Oklahoma City Thunder was announced Tuesday as the NBA’s executive of the year, the reward for building that team into a juggernaut that won a league-best 68 games this season.

Russell Westbrook had yet another magic moment in Oklahoma City.

Nikola Jokic had 42 points and 22 rebounds, and Aaron Gordon hit a 3-pointer with 2.8 seconds to give the Denver Nuggets a stunning 121-119 comeback win over the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday night in Game 1 of their Western Conference semifinals series.

Chet Holmgren scored all but one of his 24 points in the second half as the Oklahoma City Thunder rallied from a 29-point deficit after Ja Morant left the game with a hip injury and beat the Memphis Grizzlies 114-108 for a 3-0 lead in the first-round series.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 27 points, and the Oklahoma City Thunder dominated the Memphis Grizzlies 118-99 to take a 2-0 lead in their first-round Western Conference playoff series.

It’s now reasonable to think that Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo finished third in this season’s balloting for the NBA MVP award.

Oklahoma City takes the No. 1 seed in the playoffs into its first-round opener against Memphis.

Atlanta Hawks rookie Zaccharie Risacher is the lone survivor of the influx of French players who have dominated the top of the last two NBA drafts.

Jalen Green had 34 points, Alperen Sengun added 31 and the Houston Rockets snapped the Oklahoma City Thunder’s 11-game winning streak with a 125-111 victory Friday night.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 40 points, and the Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Denver Nuggets 127-103 in a matchup between the top two teams in the Western Conference standings.

The accelerated transition to full-fledged NCAA Division I member for the University of St. Thomas is almost over.

The final numbers from trade-deadline time: no fewer than eight current and past All-Stars, some of them recent All-NBA selections, some among the league’s highest scorers and even three Olympic gold medalists, all of them headed to new homes.

Keldon Johnson scored 22 points, Harrison Barnes added 20 and the San Antonio Spurs beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 110-104 Tuesday night without Victor Wembanyama for their first victory in the Emirates NBA Cup.

San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama won't play against the Oklahoma City Thunder as he recovers from a bruised right knee.

Chet Holmgren gets tired of addressing what he considers a manufactured rivalry with Victor Wembanyama, but he understands the hype.

Lu Dort scored 20 points, Chet Holmgren added 19 and the Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the San Antonio Spurs 105-93 on Wednesday night to remain the only unbeaten team in the Western Conference.

The Oklahoma City Thunder might just be scratching the surface of their potential.

P.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 34 points, and the Oklahoma City Thunder overcame a Dallas franchise playoff record of 13 blocks, rallying for a 100-96 victory to even their Western Conference semifinal series at 2-2.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 29 points to help the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder defeat the Dallas Mavericks 117-95 in Game 1 of their Western Conference semifinal series.

Victor Wembanyama had a year like no rookie in NBA history.

Jalen Williams highlighted a 24-point performance with a back-breaking 3 with three minutes left, and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the New Orleans Pelicans 97-89 to complete a four-game sweep of their first-round playoff series.

Denver is one win from returning to Round 2.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 33 points and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the New Orleans Pelicans 124-92 to take a 2-0 lead in their first-round Western Conference playoff series.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 28 points, including the go-ahead basket in the final minute, and the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the New Orleans Pelicans 94-92 in Game 1 of their first-round Western Conference playoff series.

San Antonio Spurs phenom Victor Wembanyama became the first player in NBA history to be selected as one of three finalists for both the league’s Rookie of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year awards.

Denver's Nikola Jokic is one step closer to winning a third MVP award in the last four seasons.

Sacramento Kings center Domantas Sabonis’ double-double streak has ended at 61 games.

Joel Embiid put Philadelphia ahead with four free throws in the final 40 seconds and finished with 24 points in his first game in nine weeks following knee surgery, leading the 76ers to a 109-105 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Victor Wembanyama had 28 points and 12 rebounds, Devin Vassell also scored 28 points and the San Antonio Spurs beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 132-118 on Thursday night to snap a five-game skid.

Jimmy Butler recorded his first triple-double in more than two years, Tyler Herro led the way with 24 points and the Miami Heat pulled away in the fourth quarter to beat the San Antonio Spurs 116-104 on Wednesday night.

Spurs are 3.5-point favorites when they host Portland on Friday night.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 32 points and 10 assists, and the Oklahoma City Thunder overcame 24 points and 12 rebounds from Victor Wembanyama to beat the San Antonio Spurs 140-114.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 31 points, Josh Giddey had a triple-double and Oklahoma City rolled past the Portland Trail Blazers 139-77 on Thursday night, a 62-point victory that matched the fifth-largest rout in NBA history.

LeBron James scored a season-high 40 points and the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 129-120 on Saturday night to snap a four-game losing streak.

Jalen Williams scored 23 points and Oklahoma City rallied after allowing Dallas’ NBA-record 30-0 run in the fourth quarter to beat the Mavericks 126-120.

There are a few surprises who have played their way into the early season MVP conversations, joining the list usual list of NBA stars that includes Nikola Jokic and Joel Embiid.

The odds of breaking the losing skid against the Kings would be better if Wembanyama could reverse a recent stretch of cold shooting.

Victor Wembanyama and Chet Holmgren seemed to be trying to avoid creating a rivalry after the much-anticipated first regular season meeting between two of the NBA’s top rookies.

Victor Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs and Chet Holmgren of the Oklahoma City Thunder seemed to be trying to avoid creating a rivalry after the much-anticipated first regular season meeting between two of the NBA’s top rookies.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 28 points and seven steals and the Oklahoma City Thunder rolled past the San Antonio Spurs 123-87.

Victor versus Chet. Holmgren facing Wembanyama. No matter how you say it, this has the makings of the NBA’s next big rivalry.

As Victor Wembanyama chases his first NBA accolade, there is one man who stands in his way of getting it.

Detailing the start the rookie sensation has gotten off to.

Spurs forward-center Victor Wembanyama is the odds-on favorite to win the 2023-24 NBA Rookie of the Year Award, and so far, he’s leading the rookie class.

Nikola Jokic had 28 points and 14 rebounds to help the Denver Nuggets roll past the Oklahoma City Thunder 128-95.

NBA teams currently have about $4.8 billion in salary committed to players for this season, meaning the average per team is around $160 million.

Despite losing their preseason opener, the San Antonio Spurs came away with a better understanding of what they’re working with as the coaching staff tries to establish potential line ups ahead of the regular season.

San Antonio’s Victor Wembanyama and Oklahoma City’s Chet Holmgren lived up to the hype in their first-ever preseason games.

Chet Holmgren made it two big nights in a row for No. 2 picks.

Chet Holmgren has taken another positive step on his surgically repaired right foot.

Oklahoma City forward Chet Holmgren, the No. 2 pick in the NBA draft, will miss the 2022-23 season because of a right foot injury.

No. 2 pick Chet Holmgren shined in his debut, scoring 13 of his 23 points in the first quarter to help the Thunder build an early 20-point lead en route to a 98-77 victory over the Utah Jazz.

The Orlando Magic selected Duke freshman Paolo Banchero with the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft.

College basketball season ended almost three months ago, the NBA draft lottery was more than a month ago and the draft itself is later this week.

Gonzaga's Chet Holmgren, Auburn's Jabari Smith and Duke's Paolo Banchero are set to make it a forward-heavy start to the NBA draft.

The Orlando Magic won the NBA draft lottery and landed the No. 1 overall pick for the first time since they got Dwight Howard nearly two decades ago.

Duke keeps winning games in the NCAA Tournament and Mike Krzyzewski keeps telling anyone who will listen, “It’s not the coaching.”.

JD Notae scored 21 points despite missing 20 shots and fourth-seeded Arkansas made Gonzaga miserable on both ends of the floor, bouncing the top overall seed from the NCAA Tournament with a 74-68 win.

Drew Timme scored 21 of his 25 points in the second half, and top overall seed Gonzaga rallied from a 10-point halftime deficit to beat No. 9 seed Memphis 82-78 in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

Drew Timme scored 22 of his 32 points in the second half and top overall seed Gonzaga struggled to shake No. 16 seed Georgia State for 30 minutes before pulling away late for a 93-72 win in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

Keegan Murray has given Iowa a first-team Associated press All-American for the third straight year.

Gonzaga will head into the NCAA Tournament exactly where it ended up in the final AP Top 25 — right on top.

Andrew Nembhard scored 19 points, Rasir Bolton added 18 and top-ranked Gonzaga outlasted No. 17 Saint Mary’s 82-69 to win its eighth West Coast Conference tournament title in nine years.

Gonzaga has reclaimed the No. 1 ranking in The Associated Press men’s college basketball poll.

Drew Timme scored 23 points, Chet Holmgren added 22 and top-ranked Gonzaga beat San Francisco 78-62 in a makeup game after their Jan. 6 contest was postponed by COVID-19 issues.

Drew Timme scored 30 points on 13-of-14 shooting and No. 2 Gonzaga beat rival BYU 110-84 to extend the nation’s longest home winning streak to 61 games.

Jaden Shackelford scored 20 of his 28 points in the first half, Jahvon Quinerly and JD Davison both hit key 3-pointers later, and No. 16 Alabama held off Gonzaga’s big second-half rally for a 91-82 win over the third-ranked Bulldogs.

Baylor coach Scott Drew knew his sixth-ranked Bears might need time to blend a changed roster after losing four starters from a national-championship run.

Paolo Banchero scored 21 points to lead No. 5 Duke over No. 1 Gonzaga 84-81 on Friday night.

Andrew Nembhard scored 24 points, freshman Chet Holmgren showed off his unique skill set and top-ranked Gonzaga overwhelmed No. 2 UCLA 83-63 to win the Empire Classic.

Julian Strawther had 17 points and 10 rebounds as top-ranked Gonzaga beat Dixie State 97-63 in their season opener without coach Mark Few on the sideline.

Gonzaga is the preseason No. 1 in The Associated Press Top 25 men's college basketball poll.