D’Angelo Russell scored a playoff-career-best 31 points on 12–of–17 shooting and the Los Angeles Lakers punched their ticket into the Western Conference semifinals with a 125–85 trouncing of the visiting Memphis Grizzlies on Friday in Game 6 of their series. LeBron James scored 22 points for the Lakers, who won four of the six games…

LOS ANGELES—When LeBron James got back to the Los Angeles locker room after Game 4, his fellow Lakers greeted him with a symphony of bleats. They were simply saluting the G.O.A.T. in his own language to celebrate a performance that was anything but old—and a gritty win that put the Lakers on the brink of…

BILLINGS, Mont.—The Biden administration took a first step Friday toward ending federal protections for grizzly bears in the northern Rocky Mountains, which would open the door to future hunting in several states. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said the governors of Montana, Idaho and Wyoming provided “substantial” information that grizzlies have recovered from the…

Kevin Durant scored 20 of his 26 points in the second half and the host Brooklyn Nets pulled away in the fourth quarter for a 127–115 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday night in Kyrie Irving’s return from a team-imposed suspension. Irving was the focal point of controversy for posting a link to an…

Terence Davis amassed a game-high and season-best 31 points off the bench and teamed with Kevin Huerter for 12 of Sacramento’s 20 3-pointers Tuesday night, propelling the Kings to a 153–121 thrashing of the visiting Brooklyn Nets. Huerter finished with 19 points, Domantas Sabonis 17, Harrison Barnes 16, Malik Monk 15, De’Aaron Fox 14, and…

Desmond Bane scored 21 points and Jaren Jackson Jr. added 20 points and five blocks to lift the surging Memphis Grizzlies to a 116–108 victory over the visiting Minnesota Timberwolves on Thursday. John Konchar collected 15 points and 17 rebounds and Brandon Clarke added 14 and eight as the Grizzlies extended their franchise-best winning streak…

The NBA season has reached the midway point, with a record number of players already having gotten minutes. Virus-related issues have forced every team to scramble on some nights to find players with plenty of surprises and, yes, plenty of disappointments. With basically 50 percent of the games played, there’s enough of a body of…

MEMPHIS, Tenn.—Ja Morant scored 41 points, Desmond Bane added 20, and the Memphis Grizzlies overcame a 14-point second-half deficit to beat the Los Angeles Lakers 104-99 on Dec. 29. LeBron James led Los Angeles with 37 points—a day short of his 37th birthday—and 13 rebounds, and a season-high eight 3-pointers. Russell Westbrook added a triple-double…

Ja Morant scored 33 points, including a layup with .5 seconds remaining, and Desmond Bane scored a career-high 32 points as the visiting Memphis Grizzlies withstood a fourth-quarter rally by the Phoenix Suns for a 114–113 win on Monday night. Steven Adams had 13 points and 16 rebounds, and Jaren Jackson Jr. added 11 points…

MEMPHIS, Tenn.—Jaren Jackson Jr. scored 25 points, Desmond Bane added 23 and the Memphis Grizzlies pulled away in the fourth quarter for a 108-95 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday night. Tyus Jones and De’Anthony Melton added 12 points apiece for Memphis, which won for the sixth time in seven games. “I thought…