BOSTON — What do you get when you combine the Celtics’ thinnest roster of the season with one of Jayson Tatum’s shakiest showings of 2024-25?

Evidently, an easy Boston victory.

Down two starters and two of its top reserves, the Celtics blew out a similarly shorthanded Miami Heat squad 108-89 on Monday night at TD Garden.

Jaylen Brown ...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS — The last few weeks have been filled with team meetings, strong words and weird vibes for the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Monday was the complete opposite. The Wolves looked like they were having fun again as they trounced the Los Angeles Lakers 109-80 for their second consecutive victory. There were smiles all around, especially in ...Read more

Even without Cam Thomas, Cam Johnson, Dorian Finney-Smith, and Ben Simmons, you just knew the Brooklyn Nets were going to put up a fight in Chicago. They earned the benefit of the doubt last week. That 3-1 road trip was special. They were short on bodies and yet overcame time and again.

The fight inside United Center lasted about a half. ...Read more

HARTFORD, Conn. — Just a week after receiving six first place votes and holding at No. 2 in the nation, the UConn men’s basketball team plummeted, but held on to a Top 25 ranking, as it came in at No. 25 in this week’s AP Poll.

It is the program’s lowest ranking since the first week of the 2022-23 season, after it was unranked in the ...Read more

The Clippers returned home from a four-game trip with a 2-2 record, and for all of the hard work it took to earn those results, they had to face one of the NBA’s best talents in Denver’s otherworldly center Nikola Jokic.

So, the challenge for coach Tyronn Lue on Sunday night and his team’s stingy defense was figuring out a way to deal ...Read more

In their first game at the brand-new Intuit Dome, the Nuggets lost 126-122 to the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday, falling to 10-8 this season with the Golden State Warriors coming to Denver on Tuesday to wrap up NBA Cup play.

Aaron Gordon returns as backup center

Cleared to play for the first time since Nov. 4, when he walked off the court ...Read more

SALT LAKE CITY — The clock ticked down and the ball, like it has for most of the last two decades of professional basketball, was in LeBron James' hands.

Throughout the fourth, he was relentless in trying to find ways to score, the mismatch always in his favor, and largely, the ball just not going in. On one crucial possession in the fourth,...Read more

Down two of their top three scorers, the Boston Celtics were unable to reclaim first place in the Eastern Conference on Sunday, falling to the Cleveland Cavaliers 115-111.

Boston squandered a 12-point fourth-quarter lead while starters Jaylen Brown and Derrick White sat out due to illness and injury, respectively.

In Brown and White’s ...Read more

NEW YORK — This is how contenders handle shorthanded opponents: by taking them to the woodshed and delivering a thorough beating.

The New York Knicks extended their impressive streak to seven wins in their last nine games with a 118-85 blowout victory over the New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday.

The Pelicans (4-17), limping into Madison Square ...Read more

TORONTO — What you want when the next four are against the Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Lakers, Phoenix Suns and Cleveland Cavaliers is some sort of cushion.

The Miami Heat squandered the opportunity Sunday night with a 119-116 loss at Scotiabank Arena to the lowly Toronto Raptors, a loss that dropped them to 9-9.

On this night, even ...Read more

NEW YORK — Before the Orlando Magic met the Brooklyn Nets for the third time this season Sunday at Barclays Center, Orlando coach Jamahl Mosley was asked what his message to his team would be to make sure they’re focused on the game at hand.

His straightforward answer repeated the question.

“Focus on the game tonight,” Mosley said ...Read more

TORONTO — As the NBA season reaches its quarter pole, it no longer is too early to say it is too early. Which leads to the question of: What exactly are we fighting for?

While much has been made about the parity (which in this case is a convenient code word for mediocrity) in the middle of the Eastern Conference playoff race, has a harsh ...Read more

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Atlanta Hawks held off the Hornets on Saturday night, winning 107-104 at the Spectrum Center to pick up their third straight win.

Here are five observations:

1. The Hawks struggled to put the Hornets away over the course of 48 minutes and Charlotte sophomore forward Brandon Miller kept his team in the game after hitting...Read more

PHOENIX — Putting together full, 48-minute performances is starting to become an issue for the Golden State Warriors, and it certainly was in their fourth straight loss.

Against the Suns at the Footprint Center, the Warriors fell behind early because of poor defense and, despite a furious effort, couldn’t dig out of the hole.

Steph Curry ...Read more

DETROIT — It was the Paul George return game.

The 76ers forward was back in action Saturday night against Detroit at Little Caesars Arena. And that was a good thing for his struggling team.

His presence and playmaking ability helped the Sixers post a much-needed 111-96 victory over the Pistons.

The win snapped a two-game skid and improved ...Read more

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Considering everything the Charlotte Hornets have gone through over the season’s initial five weeks, two words probably creep into their mind as they ponder their wild ride on the injury roller coaster.

Why us?

“I love that you said, ‘Why us?’ ” coach Charles Lee said Saturday, “because a couple of weeks ago we ...Read more

HARTFORD, Conn. — The UConn men’s basketball team was in need of a decisive, blowout victory after its winless trip to the Maui Invitational earlier this week. Meeting Maryland Eastern Shore at the XL Center on Saturday, two days after their return flight, the Huskies cruised to a 99-45 victory without leading scorer, Alex Karaban.

In a ...Read more

LAWRENCE, Kan. — The Kansas men’s basketball team didn’t hit a single 3-pointer in the first half vs. Furman on Saturday night.

It also didn’t matter. That’s how good these Jayhawks look.

KU’s many offensive options — and stellar defense — were on full display against a previously unbeaten Furman squad. The Jayhawks, who led by...Read more