DENVER — Out of sight, out of pined. Who needs Joel Embiid? Nikola Jokic-vs.-Victor Wembanyama is the NBA’s best big man tussle now, by default. The fault, in this case, being Embiid’s bum left knee.

“I always say this: I think the No. 1 thing for players that you can measure them on (is not) wins, losses, stats — but availability,�...Read more

MILWAUKEE — After missing Wednesday’s team flight for the Miami Heat’s two-game trip to Milwaukee and Brooklyn, forward Jimmy Butler has been suspended again by the team, for those two games, an NBA source familiar with the action confirmed to the Sun Sentinel.

That follows Butler’s previous seven-game unpaid team suspension that ended ...Read more

DURHAM, N.C. — As No. 2 Duke basketball keeps piling up wins, Cooper Flagg is compiling a statistical achievement rarely seen for a freshman.

The 6-9 Flagg leads the Blue Devils in scoring (19.2), rebounding (8.1), assists (4.1), steals (1.6) and blocked shots (1.2) per game.

According to ESPN Research, provided to Duke athletics, no ACC ...Read more

Two days after the Lakers were saying it would almost never be easy, almost never came to town.

The Washington Wizards, who have won a league-low six times, were the cure for the Lakers after a loss Sunday to the Clippers exposed a number of their weaknesses. The postgame morale was low, LeBron James and JJ Redick openly discussing how their ...Read more

TJ Bamba spent three years tormenting the Washington men’s basketball team while starring at Washington State, and Tuesday marked a reunion of sorts between the Huskies and the former WSU point guard who transferred to Oregon.

Proving that some things never change, Bamba terrorized UW once again, and the 15 th-ranked Ducks beat the Huskies 82...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Having been just a bit player in his 1 1/2 college seasons, Aday Mara moved to the forefront Tuesday night.

In a massive way.

The 7-foot-3 center left a giant imprint all over what might have been UCLA’s most significant victory of the season.

Grabbing rebounds flatfooted, blocking shots and making every shot he took, Mara ...Read more

HARTFORD, Conn. – The ball was loose under the basket with 21 seconds left in overtime at the XL Center on Tuesday, the shot clock winding down on a critical possession for the UConn men’s basketball team. Tarris Reed Jr. picked it up off the floor and quickly flipped the ball up over the rim, where it balanced until the shot clock buzzer ...Read more

NEW YORK — Mikal Bridges didn’t get a tribute video in his return to Barclays Center on Tuesday, but he did get a “Welcome back” graphic that was displayed on the jumbotron when the Knicks‘ starters were introduced.

Nostalgia aside, the latest entry in the NBA’s interborough rivalry proved to be a war — one that the Bridges and ...Read more

MIAMI — A new challenge. A new lineup. A new distraction.

Add it all up and it turned into a new definition of disappointment as the Miami Heat opened the second half of their season with a 116-107 loss Tuesday night to the Portland Trail Blazers at Kaseya Center, down at one point by 27.

With Tyler Herro sidelined for the first time this ...Read more

After the Orlando Magic lost to the Denver Nuggets on Sunday, veteran guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope said they needed to play a full 48 minutes to snap a three-game skid.

Missing three starters and five rotational players Tuesday night at Scotiabank Arena, however, Orlando hit a wall against the Toronto Raptors.

After Orlando jumped out to a ...Read more

There’s an old fable about a frog in a boiling pot of water.

It suggests that if you toss a frog into already hot water, it’ll jump out immediately. But if you instead put the frog in cold water and heat it, it’ll stay in the pot and be boiled.

Well, it turns out that the parable is a myth. Time and time again, it’s been proven that a ...Read more

CHICAGO — The Chicago Sky are moving on from Chennedy Carter after electing not to extend a qualifying offer to the dynamic guard. Carter is now an unrestricted free agent and can begin negotiations with other teams.

After initially joining the Sky on a training camp contract, Carter fought her way into the starting lineup last season. The ...Read more

ATLANTA — The Hawks said Tuesday that rookie Zaccharie Risacher will miss more time.

The team initially announced Friday that the rookie would miss two games with a left adductor strain. Now, three games later, the Hawks announced that he is progressing in his rehabilitation.

The team added that Risacher will be re-evaluated in approximately...Read more

NEW YORK — Former Brooklyn Nets star Mikal Bridges returns to Barclays Center on Tuesday for the first time as a Knick.

The New York Knicks acquired the 6-6 forward in a seismic pre-draft deal that sent Bojan Bogdanovic, Shake Milton, Mamadi Diakite, four unprotected first-round picks, a protected first-round pick via Milwaukee, an ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — JJ Redick, on multiple occasions this season, has spoken about his belief in being process-oriented. It's a necessary tool for any athlete, and especially one who earned his NBA fortune as a shooter while missing more threes than he made. If, Redick has said, he knew he was putting in the right kind of work, he could be at peace ...Read more

NEW YORK — Miles McBride understands the premise. As one of the Knicks’ better perimeter defenders, he sees the workload Mikal Bridges carries on a nightly basis.

It’s why McBride is yelling “First Team All-Defense!” at his locker.

Because nine times out of 10, it’s Bridges who’s responsible for guarding the opposing team’s ...Read more