The film session examined how the Clippers had blown double-digits leads in all of their games this season, highlighting how carelessness with the basketball played a role in four losses.

Maintain your leverage, Clippers coach Tyronn Lue implored his players during the session; stop turning the ball over at such a high frequency.

To Lue’s ...Read more

PHOENIX — His first basket didn’t come until 18 seconds into the second quarter, allowing Paul George to break out of a mini slump in his first game of the season. His final basket came with 10:03 remaining in the game.

Despite a rough shooting night, the nine-time All-Star showed why the 76ers gave him, at age 34, a four-year maximum-...Read more

When the Nuggets are right, they play a beautiful game. They cut to the hoop, make deft passes, play tenacious defense, and hit the open shot.

They pulverize opponents at Ball Arena, running them into the ground.

These Nuggets aren’t those Nuggets. Certainly not yet.

But they gutted out a big win Monday night. Trailing Toronto almost the ...Read more

Nearly five minutes had elapsed in the second half when Lazar Stefanovic took a pass from Skyy Clark in the corner and rose for a three-pointer that extended UCLA’s massive lead in its season opener.

Having barely played to that point, it was Stefanovic’s first shot of the game.

Perhaps nothing better illustrated the Bruins’ offseason ...Read more

All 30 NBA teams hit the floor on Monday as part of a league-wide effort to free up Tuesday — Election Day — to encourage public participation at the polls.

In a night packed with back-to-back tip-offs, the New York Knicks’ 8:45 p.m. ET matchup against the Houston Rockets may have seemed like just one of many. But beneath the clutter of a...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS — The last two seasons, the Timberwolves have been a playoff team while the Hornets have been among the worst in the league. But in those two years, the Hornets came into Target Center and dealt the Wolves two of their worst losses in each of those respective seasons.

The Wolves made sure that didn’t happen this time around with...Read more

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — Season opener or warmup game?

For North Carolina’s Tar Heels, taking on Elon at the Smith Center seemingly would offer a little of both. At least, it seemed that way before the opening tip Monday.

The Heels, ranked No. 9 in preseason, were expected to win decisively before their big trip to Kansas. UNC did win, but not ...Read more

OKLAHOMA CITY — It was already going to be an uphill battle for the Magic against the undefeated Thunder (7-0) on the second night of a back-to-back without Paolo Banchero (torn right abdominal muscle) at Paycom Center on Monday night.

Oklahoma City entered the contest winning their first six games of the season by an average of 17.7 points, ...Read more

ORLANDO, Fla. — UCF relied on a stifling defense and some timely shooting to upset No. 13 Texas A&M, 64-61, in the season opener Monday night at Addition Financial Arena.

The Knights held the Aggies without a field goal for nearly 4 minutes while storming back to erase a double-digit second-half lead.

Darius Johnson scored a team-high 24 ...Read more

DETROIT — Coach J.B. Bickerstaff revealed one of the most important lessons the Detroit Pistons took following their embarrassing defeat to the New York Knicks Friday night. For a team with a sub .500 record, Bickerstaff said the Pistons must have the mentality of throwing the first jab at their opponents while making them uncomfortable early ...Read more

LAWRENCE, Kan. — Zeke Mayo flashed a huge grin.

The Kansas guard had just hit a deep 3-pointer over the outstretched arms of a Howard defender midway through the first half, as the Jayhawks pummeled the overmatched Bison.

The Lawrence native was finally home and fulfilling a childhood dream, so naturally, he looked at ease.

He had plenty to...Read more

Most NBA teams struggle when their star players are unavailable. The Boston Celtics continue to prove they’re a historically dominant outlier.

Playing without an injured Jaylen Brown for the second consecutive game, Boston bludgeoned the Atlanta Hawks 123-93 on Monday night at State Farm Arena. The win capped a 3-1 road trip for the Celtics, ...Read more

NEW YORK — The Brooklyn Nets‘ 106-104 defeat of the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday was just the latest example of the resiliency they continue to showcase under first-year head coach Jordi Fernandez.

Nic Claxton returned to the starting lineup but was still restricted because of a hamstring injury he suffered in training camp, so his ...Read more

MIAMI — The victories over the Charlotte Hornets, Detroit Pistons and Washington Wizards were all well and good if you consider success being defeating teams that went a combined 50-196 last season at the bottom of the Eastern Conference.

Validation requires more, with Monday night’s game against the Sacramento Kings offering such an ...Read more

LEXINGTON, Ky. — Mark Pope made his regular-season debut as the head coach of the Kentucky Wildcats on Monday night, and the points came in a hurry.

UK jumped out to a double-digit lead before the first TV timeout of the 2024-25 opener, defeating Wright State, 103-62, as the Pope era officially began with a lopsided victory in Rupp Arena.

A ...Read more

DURHAM, N.C. — This is what everyone came to see, the jaw-dropping debut of Duke’s latest freshman phenom, a player who immediately commanded the attention of everyone in Cameron from almost the first time he touched the ball.

He announced his arrival with authority, scoring 14 of Duke’s first 23 points of the season on his way to a game-...Read more

DURHAM, N.C. — Though he didn’t lead Duke in scoring as the No. 7 Blue Devils rolled to an opening night win, Cooper Flagg’s college debut was productive and effective ... until three minutes and 28 seconds remained.

As Duke was finishing off a 96-62 win over Maine at Cameron Indoor Stadium, the 6-9 Flagg attempted a strong move for a ...Read more

WASHINGTON — Steph Curry returned after missing three games with a left ankle sprain, but the Warriors didn’t need to fully unleash him to discard the Wizards.

Curry opened the scoring with a 27-footer in the first minute of the game, giving the Warriors a lead they’d never relinquish. In his first game back from a left ankle sprain, ...Read more

SEATTLE — They called it the Frat House.

It’s a tongue-in-cheek reference to the place new Washington men’s basketball coach Danny Sprinkle and his staff lived shortly after taking over the Huskies program in March.

“There weren’t too many parties,” Sprinkle said, flashing a mischievous grin. “Nah, just kidding. There actually ...Read more

DENVER — The name’s Jokic. Nikola Jokic.

He might have blown his cover last week. Jokic moonlights as an average defender, but he clearly has something going for him at his self-described weaker end of the floor: either revolutionary basketball intellect or James Bond-ian surveillance skills.

In an amusing locker room exchange last Friday,...Read more