Townsville Fire star Suzy Batkovic has overcome stress fractures and the sands of time to claim her sixth WNBL most valuable player award.

Foul trouble limited the impact Ben Simmons had for Philadelphia against the Toronto Raptors but he did enough, before being ejected, to help the 76ers record a 117-111 NBA win.

Melbourne Boomers star Liz Cambage and Townsville Fire centre Suzy Batkovic are among the five players shortlisted for the WNBL most valuable player award, which will be announced on Tuesday.

Melbourne Boomers missed their three-point shots in game one of the WNBL grand final series on Saturday night and thus lost the chance to claim a win over Townsville Fire in Townsville with the home side victorious 69-64.

A last-gasp effort from Perth Wildcats has ended another heart-breaking round for the Bullets.

Dallas native Julius Randle had 23 points and 15 rebounds to help the Los Angeles Lakers seal a 107-101 NBA overtime win over the Mavericks.

Townsville Fire are a win from the WNBL championship after winning game one of the best-of-three series on Saturday night.

Adelaide's Mitch Creek has kept his side on track for the NBL finals, spoiling Kevin Lisch's long-awaited return for Sydney.

Melbourne United put the challenge down to the rest of the NBL championship race with a dogged win over Perth Wildcats in Perth on Friday night.

Cambage has again taken the WNBL by storm this season but once her Melbourne Boomers finish the grand final series Cambage expects to look at her options overseas.

Australian superstar and NBA rookie of the year fancy Ben Simmons did his All- Star hopes no harm, but it was a night to forget for Philadelphia in the NBA's annual London game at a sold-out O2 Arena.

​NBA commissioner Adam Silver has all but ruled out ever bringing a game to Australia.

For key parts of the WNBL season, the Melbourne Boomers placed much of their stock on getting the ball to Liz Cambage and riding her talents to wins. But as the season went on they have developed many more weapons.

Tohi Smith-Milner entered the preseason with his NBL career in the balance. Now he is on the court.

Former Australian Open chief executive Paul McNamee has been charged with driving the Boomers and Opals to commercial success.

Ben Simmons has been dealing with hype and expectation since high school so NBA All-Star and rookie of the year chatter is water off a duck's back for the 20-year-old Australian superstar.

Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown on Tuesday became the latest NBA player to speak out against Donald Trump, saying that the President "has made it a lot more acceptable for racists to speak their minds" and that his "character and some of his values" make him "unfit to lead."

Melbourne Boomers were facing oblivion in early 2016, now they are two wins from a WNBL championship.

Cleveland's star LeBron James was kept quiet as the Timberwolves romped to a 127-99 win.

Brittany Smart came to Australia as an unknown import, three years later she will start in the WNBL grand final series starting on Saturday night.

Whether it's a test of Melbourne United's title hopes or purely to shut up rowdy Perth Wildcats' fans, Melbourne know their visit to Perth Arena on Friday night is a key moment in the season.

The Sydney Kings have all but admitted to giving up on making the NBL play-offs, releasing import centre Jeremy Tyler two months after he arrived.

The WNBL grand final series will be much more than just a battle between superstar centres Liz Cambage and Suzy Batkovic.

Australian Boomers star Matthew Dellavedova has again been accused of being a dirty player after he was ejected from an NBA match for the first time.

Melbourne United coach Dean Vickerman has hailed his side's comeback win over Illawarra Hawks as a key moment in the team's season.

Australian centre Andrew Bogut is seeking a new home in the NBA after being released by the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday morning.

Melbourne United unleashed a new star upon the NBL in Saturday night's 79-77 come-from-behind triumph over the Illawarra Hawks in Wollongong.

The Perth Wildcats remain on top of the NBL ladder after grinding out a 76-68 away win over the Sydney Kings on Saturday.

Melbourne Boomers are celebrating their return to the WNBL grand final series after a stunning final term win over Perth Lynx in game two of their series. They will face Townsville Fire and face a trip to Townsville for game one.

Seven seasons after their first title, four years since their last finals game and two years since they were almost lost to the league, Melbourne Boomers have made the WNBL grand final.

Cairns have kept their finals hopes alive with an 83-80 home win in the NBL's Sunshine Stoush with Queensland rivals Brisbane.

While Melbourne United's defence is starting to become the best in the NBL, Saturday's clash with Illawarra Hawks promises to be a test of their offence.

Melbourne Boomers star Liz Cambage has questioned whether she will be able to play her usual role during the WNBL finals after being hit with foul trouble.

Melbourne Boomers knew it before their game one win over Perth Lynx and it remains front of mind as they attempt to close out their semi final series in Perth on Friday night.

Andrew Gaze admits his Sydney Kings are a poor defensive side and understands why people are questioning his position, but says he's no quitter.

Ben Simmons claimed honours over Patty Mills in a high-scoring battle of the Australian NBA guards as Philadelphia were victorious 112-106 over San Antonio.

Ben Simmons finished with a team-high 26 points, with five rebounds, four assists, three steals, one block, and four turnovers.

Andrew Bogut is eyeing the medal podium at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics as the perfect stage to end his distinguished basketball career.

Melbourne Boomers claimed first blood in their semi final series with Perth Lynx with a thumping win on Wednesday night.