With 4:35 left in the first quarter of the Nets‘ 130-113 loss to the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday, D’Angelo Russell walked onto the Scotiabank Arena court for the first time with his new team.

Yet the sight was so familiar.

The 28-year-old kept patting his head to ensure his braided bun was styled and sturdy. He stopped just beyond ...Read more

NEW YORK — The first day of the New Year started with some injury news and a bit of confusion for Tom Thibodeau’s squad.

All-Star guard Jalen Brunson missed his first game of the season Wednesday due to a calf injury, which put Miles “Deuce” McBride in place to start.

But, the reserve guard wasn’t seen on the floor during tip-off and...Read more

MIAMI — Five takeaways from the Miami Heat’s 119-108 win over the New Orleans Pelicans (5-29) on Wednesday night at Kaseya Center to begin a back-to-back set and open a three-game homestand. The Heat (17-14) will complete the back-to-back on Thursday against the Indiana Pacers in Miami (7:30 p.m., FanDuel Sports Network Sun):

The Heat took...Read more

DETROIT — The Detroit Pistons began the calendar year with a four-game homestand at Little Caesars Arena. For most teams, a lengthy home schedule is an automatic recipe for success. However, the Pistons began the four-game stretch cautiously due to inconsistent play on their floor.

Coach J.B. Bickerstaff emphasized the importance of improving...Read more

Solo Ball started 2025 with the best game of his career as his hot shooting from deep led the UConn men’s basketball team to an 81-68 win over DePaul on New Year’s Day in Chicago.

Ball – part of the sophomore class coach Dan Hurley bet on in the offseason, rather than seeking out older players in the transfer portal – made a career-high...Read more

The Nets will open 2025 with a new-look roster.

D’Angelo Russell and Maxwell Lewis are both available for Wednesday’s game against the Toronto Raptors at Scotiabank Arena. Both were acquired in a trade that sent Dorian Finney-Smith and Shake Milton to the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday.

The Lakers sent their own second-round picks in 2027, ...Read more

ORLANDO, Fla. — Even though it’s only the first day of 2025, it should already be clear to everyone who should be the NBA’s Coach of the Year.

If the Magic’s Jamahl Mosley doesn’t win the award then it will be the biggest sports robbery since the advent of the $14 Bud Light at professional sports venues.

Mosley finished as runner-up ...Read more

SAN DIEGO — Imagine if the idea caught on, sweeping across the country like an uncontrollable wildfire of good. College athletes, broad-brushed as greedy and selfish like never before, shredding the script.

In a wild athletic world many perceive as me-me-me, what if it shifted to us-us-us?

Instead of simply stuffing pockets through name, ...Read more

OKLAHOMA CITY — Last season, the Timberwolves and Thunder went toe to toe for the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference until the final day of the regular season. This season, the entire West is looking up at Oklahoma City, which began the night five games ahead of No. 2 Memphis.

For the Wolves, the mission is to find a groove and chemistry ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — The Lakers were again buried under an avalanche of Cleveland Cavaliers 3-pointers, the spacing and the gaps on the court pulling the Lakers’ defense to all corners before it eventually snapped under tension.

The result was the same, but the process and team the Cavaliers beat Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena in the final game...Read more

BOSTON — The first Celtics-Raptors matchup of the season was an overtime thriller decided on a last-second 3-pointer.

Round 2 was the polar opposite.

Boston manhandled a rebuilding and short-handed Toronto squad Tuesday at TD Garden, winning 125-71 to close out 2024 on a positive note.

The 54-point margin of victory was the largest ever in ...Read more

DURHAM, N.C. — Having relied on suffocating defense all season, No. 4 Duke has found its shooting touch, and that could mean bad news for the ACC.

The Blue Devils routed Virginia Tech, 88-65, on Tuesday night at Cameron Indoor Stadium by shooting 53.4% from the field and nailing 11 3-pointers.

It’s the second game in a row Duke (11-2, 3-0 ...Read more

LAWRENCE, Kan. — For much of the second half against West Virginia, Kansas coach Bill Self crossed his arms and looked at the court in disgust.

After a few bad possessions, Self stared at the ground in disbelief.

The Jayhawks, who opened as double-digit favorites over the Mountaineers, were outplayed in most aspects, falling behind by as ...Read more

LEXINGTON, Ky. — Ten days after their worst loss of the season, it took the Kentucky Wildcats a little while to get going in their final game of 2024.

The No. 10-ranked Cats did enough Tuesday afternoon for an 88-54 victory over Brown on New Year’s Eve in Rupp Arena, the final nonconference game of the 2024-25 season for Mark Pope’s team....Read more

MIAMI — Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier was suspended for one game for his role in Sunday night’s late-game melee during the victory over the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center, and teammate Tyler Herro was fined $25,000. The NBA announced the penalties Tuesday.

Rozier, who dove into the scrum after Herro was tossed by his uniform to the court ...Read more

LAWRENCE, Kan. — One of the top men’s basketball prospects to sign with Kansas in the Bill Self era will be seated right behind the KU bench during Tuesday’s 1 p.m. KU-West Virginia Big 12 opener at Allen Fieldhouse.

He’s Darryn Peterson, a 6-foot-5, 195-pound combo guard from Prolific Prep in Napa, California, who signed with KU over ...Read more

Through their first 34 games last season, the Magic posted a 19-15 record.

Star forwards Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner appeared in all 34.

This year? A far different story for Orlando.

Banchero has played in just 5 of the first 34 and Wagner 25 (meaning he’s still missed more than a quarter of the season).

That’s not to mention other ...Read more

The Indiana Fever began the Caitlin Clark era in 2024 and took the WNBA world by storm. The Year of 2025 could be when the Fever really make a mark as one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference.

That’s a possibility with the addition of new Fever head coach Stephanie White, who bolted out of an aging Connecticut Sun team to lead a ...Read more