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.

Stunned by the arrest of head coach Chauncey Billups in a sprawling alleged poker scheme, the Portland Trail Blazers took to the court Friday night under an interim coach as they navigated an unexpectedly tumultuous start to the new season.

Coach Chauncey Billups has signed a multi-year contract extension with the Portland Trail Blazers.

Shaedon Sharpe has been one of the NBA’s most gifted young dunk artists since he was selected seventh overall by the Portland Trail Blazers in the 2022 NBA draft.

Kyle Kuzma scored 28 points, Deni Avdija added 18 and the Washington Wizards snapped their 16-game losing streak with a 112-100 victory over the Charlotte Hornets.

Jayson Tatum scored 35 points and sparked a third-quarter rally to help the NBA-leading Boston Celtics to their 40th win of the season, 133-129 over the Washington Wizards.

Giannis Antetokounmpo has indicated on social media that he has agreed to a contract extension with the Milwaukee Bucks.

Anthony Davis scored 55 points on sizzling 22-of-30 shooting and added 17 rebounds, leading the Los Angeles Lakers over the Washington Wizards 130-119.

Jewish Wizards forward Deni Avdija spoke for a few minutes Friday night about Kyrie Irving.

Bradley Beal and the Wizards renewed their commitment to each other when he agreed to a five-year deal worth up to $251 million to stay in Washington.

Nikola Jović of Serbia and Ousmane Dieng of France are among the top international prospects in Thursday night's NBA draft.

It lasted 174 days, required the usage of more players than any season in history primarily because of the ongoing challenge of playing through a pandemic, and saw playoff-positioning chases go all the way down to the final moments.

Russell Westbrook nearly had a triple-double and Bradley Beal scored 25 points in just 29 minutes to help the Washington Wizards reach the NBA playoffs as the Eastern Conference’s No. 8 seed by overwhelming the Indiana Pacers 142-115 in the play-in round.

Stephen Curry had his first rough night in a month, and Bradley Beal rallied Washington in the fourth quarter for its season-best sixth straight victory, 118-114 over the Golden State Warriors.

Orlando Magic guard Markelle Fultz (20) shoots as Washington Wizards forward Isaac Bonga (17) and forward Deni Avdija (9) defend in the fourth quarter of an NBA basketball game Saturday, Dec. 26, 2020, in Washington. (Geoff Burke/Pool Photo via AP)WASHINGTON – The Orlando Magic beat Washington 130-120 on Saturday night, overcoming another triple-double by Russell Westbrook in his home debut for the Wizards. Nikola Vucevic had 22 points and 17 rebounds, and Markelle Fultz added 21 points to help the Magic win its second straight to start the season. ... Two-way rookie guard Cassius Winston (hamstring strain) was inactive but has returned to practice…UP NEXTThe Magic and Wizards will complete their back-to-back in Washington on Sunday. It is the only meeting between the two Southeast division foes in the first half of the NBA schedule release.

Brooklyn Nets forward Kevin Durant (7) passes during the first half of a preseason NBA basketball game against the Washington Wizards, Sunday, Dec. 13, 2020, in New York. Durant played just under 24 minutes as Brooklyn beat the Washington Wizards 119-114 on Sunday night in its preseason opener. Durant scored 11 points on 3-for-3 shooting during that stretch while Irving scored 12 points on 5-for-6 shooting to help the Nets take a 30-18 lead. Late in the first half, Irving threw a long pass to Durant, whose reverse layup gave the Nets a 58-35 lead. Danilo Gallinari added 17 points and De’Andre Hunter added 15 for Atlanta, which made 17 3-pointers.