CHICAGO — The biggest roar at the United Center on Saturday night came during a timeout when Benny the Bull sank a backward, over-the-shoulder, half-court shot with a miniature basketball.

Many in the announced crowd of 19,449 left by the middle of the fourth quarter of the Chicago Bulls’ 142-131 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies, satisfied ...Read more

Jordi Fernandez probably had Sunday’s road game against the Sacramento Kings circled on his calendar since the NBA schedules were revealed back in August. This one meant something to him. This one was special.

Brooklyn’s first-year head coach served as the Kings’ associate head coach under Mike Brown from 2022-24, but that stretch only ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — This season has been about more than a lack of healthy players for the 76ers.

No matter who’s on the floor, the 76ers seem unable to make shots, defend, or grab rebounds. And that was the case Sunday in a 125-99 setback to the Los Angeles Clippers at the Wells Fargo Center. It was a game in which the Sixers remained without ...Read more

MIAMI — Jimmy Butler was back in attack mode.

Luka Doncic was missing for the opposition.

It was an advantage the Miami Heat needed.

It was an advantage the Heat seized.

With Butler scoring 33, including the tying basket at the end of regulation and a key basket in overtime, the Heat outlasted the Dallas Mavericks 123-118 in overtime ...Read more

WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W.Va. — Pitt men’s basketball lost in the Greenbrier Tip-Off championship with a 81-75 defeat to No. 19 Wisconsin on Sunday evening at Colonial Hall of the Greenbrier Resort.

The Panthers (6-1) stormed out to an early lead off a 14-2 run in the first five minutes of the game. Junior forward Cam Corhen was an ...Read more

BOSTON — It’s a shame the Celtics and Minnesota Timberwolves play each other just twice per season. Lately, whenever Boston and Minnesota square off, drama ensues.

Sunday’s matchup at TD Garden was no different, with the Celtics surviving a furious Wolves comeback to win 107-105.

Jaylen Brown’s 3-pointer with 76 seconds remaining ...Read more

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Another day, another injury for the Charlotte Hornets. And this one stings.

Grant Williams tore his right ACL and is out for the season, league sources confirmed to The Charlotte Observer on Sunday. Williams had an MRI that revealed the full extent of the damage of the injury that occurred at the tail end of Saturday night�...Read more

STORRS, Conn. — Alex Karaban popped out to the corner in Gampel Pavilion and caught a pass from Solo Ball. In one motion, the UConn forward put up his sixth 3-point attempt of the game and held his release as the ball rattled through the rim, then he turned to the crowd behind his own bench and blew a kiss.

Karaban shot 5 for 7 from deep in ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — This has been more than a bad matchup; it’s been nearly a guarantee.

After a sweep in the 2023 NBA Western Conference Finals, the Los Angeles Lakers added size and muscle while building around an existing core to try and match the Nuggets a season later.

Those changes ended up mattering so little, Denver winning all four ...Read more

On the second night of a back-to-back, the Golden State Warriors spent too long running on empty to close out the San Antonio Spurs

After leading by 17 late in the third quarter, Golden State fell apart. The Warriors didn’t convert a field goal for more than six minutes of the fourth quarter. They got outscored by 25 in the last 12 minutes ...Read more

ORLANDO, Fla. — Before tip-off Saturday night at Kia Center, Magic coach Jamahl Mosley sat side-by-side with Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff as the two talked together and watched closely as their respective teams warmed up.

The coaches, who have both worked in the league for two decades, consider themselves close friends. Their families have ...Read more

ATLANTA — From the get-go to the go-home, Georgia Tech was no match for No. 18 Cincinnati on Saturday at McCamish Pavilion, losing 81-58 to equal the program’s worst start through five games since 2020.

The Yellow Jackets dropped to 2-3 after their second consecutive defeat. They never really were in this one, falling behind 4-2 when Dillon...Read more

NEW YORK — Reporters who attended Thursday’s Nets practice in Brooklyn were greeted by a strange sight.

Spread across three shelves on the far end of the court sat 18 black football helmets with white facemasks. “Brooklyn” was written across the side of each helmet in the team’s fancy, old-school font.

No, the helmets were not ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — The NBA Cup encounter between the Los Angeles Clippers and Sacramento Kings heightened both teams’ awareness even with this being an early-season game.

Both teams had lost their first Cup game and were in need of a victory to stay relevant during the in-season tournament.

For the Clippers, the Cup game gave them another ...Read more

A whole lot of Cooper Flagg scoring and tight defense secured a big road win for No. 12 Duke on Friday night.

With Flagg scoring 24 points, the Blue Devils grabbed a lead early and never relinquished it as they beat No. 17 Arizona, 69-55, at McKale Center.

Duke (4-1), after squandering a double-digit, second-half lead while losing 77-72 to ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — No Joel Embiid. No Paul George. No problem.

The undermanned 76ers had one of their most impressive performances, defeating the Brooklyn Nets, 113-98, in Friday’s NBA Cup contest at the Wells Fargo Center.

The victory improved them to 3-12 overall and 1-2 in East Group A play in the NBA Cup. It also snapped the Sixers’ five...Read more

The Warriors are in pole position in the NBA Cup group stage.

By improving to 3-0 in group play, the Warriors can clinch a spot in the knockout round with a Nuggets loss; Denver plays Dallas on Friday night.

The Warriors (12-3) never pulled away from the short-handed Pelicans, but they nonetheless escaped with a 112-108 after New Orleans wing ...Read more

LEXINGTON, Ky. — On paper, Kentucky’s basketball game Friday night in Rupp Arena was supposed to be the easiest on the 2024-25 schedule.

It lived up to that expectation.

The No. 9-ranked Wildcats jumped on Jackson State early, led by as many as 26 points in the first half and rolled to a 108-59 victory in the fifth game of the perfect-so-...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — Joel Embiid was ruled out of Friday night’s NBA Cup game against the Brooklyn Nets at the Wells Fargo Center because of swelling in his left knee. The 76ers center will also be sidelined in Sunday’s home game against the Los Angeles Clippers. The team said further updates will be provided next week.

Embiid, who has been ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — The 76ers can breathe a little sigh of relief when it comes to Paul George’s second bone bruise to his left knee.

“They say it’s the same thing that happened [on Oct. 14], but to a little lesser extent,” coach Nick Nurse said before Friday’s game against the Brooklyn Nets at the Wells Fargo Center. “Not as bad as ...Read more