DETROIT — The Detroit Pistons dropped their second consecutive game, a 113-107 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, on Saturday night at Little Caesars Arena. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander added to his MVP candidacy with a game-high 48 points, shooting an efficient 17 of 26 and dishing six assists to lead the Thunder.

Cade Cunningham struggled to ...Read more

Not good enough. Again. For the seventh consecutive game.

Through all the lineup changes (including yet another one) and the alternating between falling behind early or collapsing late, defeat has become a constant for the Miami Heat, including Saturday night’s 125-91 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies at FedEx Forum, their most lopsided road loss...Read more

NEW YORK — The last time St. John’s won the Big East Tournament, RJ Luis Jr. wasn’t born yet.

Neither were Zuby Ejiofor or Kadary Richmond.

Rick Pitino was coaching the Boston Celtics — a job he held before his stints with Louisville, Greece’s Panathinaikos, Iona and, finally, St. John’s.

But on Saturday night, that group further ...Read more

LAS VEGAS — The debate over NCAA Tournament expansion is simple on the surface for many casual college basketball fans, particularly those who believe the sport doesn’t begin until around St. Patrick’s Day.

More games, more madness.

It’s so obvious. Except that it’s not.

Because while another round of expansion appears imminent, it�...Read more

NEW YORK — The Nets fell to the Boston Celtics, 115-113, on Saturday in the first game of a back-to-back set at Barclays Center. They are now in sole possession of the fifth-best NBA draft lottery odds.

Brooklyn (22-45) has lost 11 of 13 games since the All-Star break and three in a row since upsetting the Los Angeles Lakers at home on Monday...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — Villanova on Saturday did what was expected when it fired men’s basketball coach Kyle Neptune after three seasons.

The Wildcats will miss the NCAA Tournament for the third consecutive season. New athletic director Eric Roedl and school president Rev. Peter Donohue decided to move in a new direction.

The immediate question is...Read more

INDIANAPOLIS — The Michigan Wolverines moved a step closer toward checking one of their season goals off the list.

After squandering a 15-point lead in the second half, No. 3 seed Michigan used a last-second layup by Tre Donaldson to dispatch No. 2 seed Maryland, 81-80, in Saturday’s Big Ten tournament semifinal at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

...Read more

NEW YORK — Cam Thomas re-injured his left hamstring in Thursday’s 116-110 road loss to the Chicago Bulls and will miss the remainder of the 2024-25 regular season, the Nets announced on Saturday.

Thomas suffered two prior strains to the same hamstring this season, which forced him to miss 13 straight games from Nov. 27-Dec. 27 and 24 ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Inside a locker room, geography matters and Friday night in Denver, Austin Reaves was in the big seat.

Using the space typically assigned to LeBron James inside the Nuggets' visiting locker room, Reaves sat closest to the showers, players passing him on their way in and out after they'd fumbled a chance to stun Denver.

Cam ...Read more

LAS VEGAS — UNLV men’s basketball coach Kevin Kruger has been fired with two years remaining on his contract, the university announced.

The program will now need to come up with the funds for the $2.35 million buyout included in the contract extension Kruger inked in June 2022.

Kruger was scheduled to make $800,000 in each of the next two ...Read more

NEW YORK — At the moment that erased any doubt that his season and his career as Villanova’s head coach would soon be over, Kyle Neptune was hunched over with his hands on his knees near midcourt at Madison Square Garden, assuming a stance similar to someone exhausted from a race he couldn’t even finish.

Connecticut’s Samson Johnson was...Read more

INDIANAPOLIS — Michigan State's Big Ten Tournament run is over.

In Saturday's first Big Ten semifinal at Indianapolis' Gainbridge Fieldhouse, John Tonje powered fourth-seed Wisconsin to a 77-74 upset over top seed Michigan State. Jase Richardson and Jeremy Fears Jr. provided firepower for Michigan State's comeback bid, but it fell short and ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — Villanova has fired head men’s basketball coach Kyle Neptune.

Neptune, in three seasons, went 54-47 overall and 31-29 in the Big East after taking over the program in 2022 following the retirement of Jay Wright, under whom Neptune coached at Villanova for eight seasons before leaving to become the head coach at Fordham for ...Read more

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Arizona guard KJ Lewis paraded down the T-Mobile Center floor, moments after one last steal and one final layup, motioning his right hand to and fro.

A goodbye wave might’ve meant something, except that, well, there wasn’t much of anybody left to receive the message. A game had long been decided, its crowd long gone. ...Read more

DENVER — Los Angeles Lakers coach JJ Redick often makes reference to a lyric from an old Jay-Z song: “It was all good just a week ago.”

Entering Friday’s game against the Denver Nuggets, things were not good for the Lakers. They entered on a three-game losing streak. They were down three starters in LeBron James, Rui Hachimura and ...Read more

The Kentucky Wildcats are headed home after two nights at the SEC Tournament.

Alabama defeated the Cats 99-70 on Friday night in Bridgestone Arena, completing a rare three-game season sweep of the UK men’s basketball team and ending the chances of Mark Pope’s team to bring a league trophy back to Lexington.

The loss was UK’s most ...Read more

INDIANAPOLIS — Round 1 was a first-half knockout. Round 2 went down to the final bell.

Round 3 between Michigan and Purdue was a decisive decision in the Wolverines’ favor.

No. 3 seed Michigan took control early against No. 6 seed Purdue, never let up and snapped a three-year streak of early exits in the Big Ten Tournament with an 86-68 ...Read more