MIAMI – There was a time when the Miami Heat backing up a previous performance was a good thing.

This is not one of those times.

And this has not been one of those seasons.

So Saturday night there was an early 17-point lead against the Chicago Bulls that was erased. Monday night, it was a 17-point lead against the Charlotte Hornets that was...Read more

NEW YORK — The Brooklyn Nets beat the Los Angeles Lakers 111-108 on Monday at Barclays Center, and with their first victory since Feb. 22, the NBA’s longest active losing streak was snapped at seven games.

Brooklyn is now tied with the Philadelphia 76ers for the sixth-best lottery odds at 22-42.

“After losing seven in a row, it’s just ...Read more

ATLANTA — The last time the Philadelphia 76ers took the court at State Farm Arena, Paul George hyperextended his knee for the first time as a sixer during a preseason game.

Perhaps that was the omen for what was about to unfold during this dreadful Sixers season. Nearly five months later, to the day, George was again sidelined against the ...Read more

In what was expected to be a scrappy, defensive-minded contest, the Orlando Magic were edged out by the Houston Rockets in dominant fashion Monday night.

Led by Jabari Smith Jr.’s 20 points, who had help from four other double-digit scorers, Houston won its third straight, 97-84, against Orlando at Toyota Center.

The Magic’s 84 points were...Read more

Steph Curry might not play general manager for his NBA team as much as some of his superstar contemporaries, but now he’s about to be a real executive.

Curry has accepted the position of assistant general manager of the basketball programs for his alma mater Davidson, the college announced Monday. Curry, his wife, and Davidson boosters Don, ...Read more

Texas athletic director Chris Del Conte had no choice but to hire Rodney Terry, and now the inevitable ramifications of the decision has hit the 40 acres.

It’s never good when the most compelling detail to a season is whether the head coach will be fired immediately after its conclusion, which is exactly where Terry and UT reside.

Texas lost...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS — Rudy returned.

It became official less than an hour before the Minnesota Timberwolves’ game against San Antonio on Sunday night at Target Center.

After missing 10 games because of a lower-back issue, Rudy Gobert, the big Wolves center, returned to action, returned to the starting lineup, returned to a team that found an ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — At this point, 76ers’ games resemble split-squad dress rehearsals or exhibitions.

That’s perhaps the best way to describe how the undermanned squad looks at this stage of the season.

The Sixers were, once again, without Paul George, Tyrese Maxey and Kyle Lowry when they faced the Utah Jazz Sunday night at the Wells Fargo ...Read more

Florida State formally announced the hiring of former Seminoles guard Luke Loucks as its men’s basketball coach Sunday afternoon.

Loucks will be introduced Monday morning on campus. He replaces the man for whom he played at FSU, 76-year-old Leonard Hamilton, who announced in early February he would step down at season’s end after 23 years. ...Read more

OKLAHOMA CITY — To win in Shai’s house, the Denver Nuggets’ margin for error will be minimal.

That’s true of their execution and their health. Injuries and missed shots finally caught up with Denver late in a 127-103 loss to the Thunder on Sunday afternoon.

In the first round of an MVP double bill to be continued Monday evening, Shai ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — As he suspected postgame Saturday night, early indications are LeBron James avoided a serious injury to his left groin muscle, according to a person close to the situation not authorized to discuss it publicly.

James, who left Saturday's loss to the Boston Celtics in the fourth quarter, said postgame that he didn't believe the ...Read more

EAST LANSING, Mich. — A couple of weeks ago, Sunday’s game between Michigan and Michigan State was supposed to be a battle for the Big Ten. Instead, it was a blowout between a team already crowned and a team in a free fall.

In a one-sided affair, No. 8 Michigan State won its seventh straight game by beating Michigan, 79-62, Sunday afternoon...Read more

The Orlando Magic entered Saturday’s contest at Milwaukee on a five-game losing streak.

And the Bucks had won four in a row.

But none of that mattered when Orlando escaped Fiserv Forum with a 111-109 victory while overcoming a 37-point performance from two-time league MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Led by 29 points from Paolo Banchero and 22 ...Read more

BOSTON — Fans willing to pay the exorbitant ticket prices were treated to one heck of a basketball game Saturday night at TD Garden.

In a matchup that was both the latest entry in the NBA’s greatest rivalry and a possible NBA Finals preview, the Celtics defeated LeBron James, Luka Doncic and the Los Angeles Lakers 111-101 amid a playoff ...Read more

SAN FRANCISCO — The Golden State Warriors endured quite the unique path Saturday night to open a season-long, seven-game homestand with a 115-110 win over the Detroit Pistons.

It’s not every night that a fire alarm – a false alarm – delays the start of a second quarter and orders Chase Center’s soldout crowd of 18,064 to evacuate, ...Read more

The Charlotte Hornets gave the top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers hell on Friday, finishing two points shy of pulling one of the biggest upsets of the NBA season.

That meant the Brooklyn Nets, who entered Saturday’s matchup at Spectrum Center on a six-game losing streak, knew they’d be in for a war — even if star guard LaMelo Ball was ...Read more