ATHENS, Ga. — Slow starts against quality opponents are becoming a theme for Mark Pope’s first Kentucky basketball team.

The sixth-ranked Wildcats dropped their road SEC opener to Georgia, 82-69, on Tuesday night inside a vibrant Stegeman Coliseum in Athens.

UK — now 12-3 overall and 1-1 in SEC play — trailed the Bulldogs by 13 points ...Read more

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The reinvigorated Charlotte Hornets earned a triumphant victory in their return home Tuesday night, ending a 10-game losing streak.

Charlotte’s 115-104 win over the Phoenix Suns marks just the eighth time in roughly a year that LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller, Miles Bridges and Mark Williams — who comprise Charlotte’s “...Read more

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Florida finally knocked off No. 1 at home, where the Gators are becoming impossible to beat.

UF did it playing top-ranked Tennessee’s own game.

“We were dominant from start to finish,” coach Todd Golden said. “We really didn’t have many lapses. There were not many possessions in that game where I did not think ...Read more

DURHAM, N.C. — Foul trouble slowed Duke’s Cooper Flagg in the first half against Pittsburgh on Tuesday night.

Turns out, that was the only way the Panthers could contain the superstar freshman.

Flagg scored 14 of his 19 points in the second half, including a pair of highlight-reel dunks that propelled the No. 4 Blue Devils to a 76-47 ACC ...Read more

LEXINGTON, Ky. — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is in the middle of a dream season with the Oklahoma City Thunder.

It’s on track to end with an honor that would make Kentucky basketball history.

Somewhat surprisingly — given the Wildcats’ place in the pantheon of college powers — UK has never produced an NBA Most Valuable Player, an award...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Shaquille O'Neal declared Monday night that he will never mention Dwight Howard's name again.

So does that mean the feud between the two former Lakers is over? That the beef that has spanned more than a decade and very well may have originated with something as seemingly insignificant as Howard's usage of O'Neal's Superman ...Read more

DETROIT — At the 2:39 mark of the first quarter, the Portland Trail Blazers' Toumani Camara threw up an ill-advised heave from half court as time expired on the shot clock. His attempt led to an embarrassing air-ball, which prompted fans at Little Caesars Arena to mock him.

Chauncey Billups immediately called for a timeout and walked straight...Read more

PITTSBURGH — Following the fourth game of the season for Duquesne men's basketball, Jake DiMichele was critical of his team.

The Dukes were fresh off another loss, and DiMichele, a returning starter, didn't think he and his teammates were playing selflessly enough.

Nothing was going right for the Dukes. The offense was inconsistent. So was ...Read more

NEW YORK — Losing to the West’s No. 1-seed and NBA’s top-ranked Oklahoma City Thunder defense? Understandable.

Losing to the fast-paced, run-and-gun Chicago Bulls 24 hours later? Chalk it to dead legs.

Dropping a third game in a row, however, to a team without four of its five best scoring options, this time with adequate rest in between...Read more

NEW YORK — The Brooklyn Nets played without Cam Thomas, Cam Johnson, D’Angelo Russell and others in Monday’s 113-99 loss to the Indiana Pacers at Barclays Center.

Few shot-creators. Fewer household names.

Brooklyn started Keon Johnson, Tyrese Martin, Ziaire Williams, Noah Clowney and Nic Claxton. And as you’d probably expect, Brooklyn ...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS — Two days after Minnesota Timberwolves coach Chris Finch defended sticking with his same starting five, he changed his lineup for Monday’s 108-106 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers, even though his team had lost six of its last nine games.

With the Wolves struggling recently to start games, he took out 18-year NBA veteran ...Read more

DETROIT — Chauncey Billups has not played for the Detroit Pistons in nearly two decades, but his love for the city has kept him intrigued. Billups has enjoyed watching the Pistons' resurgence this season and roots for his former franchise in 80 out of 82 games.

"I love what’s going on here," Billups said. "They’re playing well. They’re ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — The 76ers were without their perennial All-Star center Joel Embiid, his backup Andre Drummond and their wise elder statesman, Kyle Lowry.

The trio’s absence combined with poor shooting to lead to a 109-99 loss to the Phoenix Suns Monday night at the Wells Fargo Center.

The Sixers (14-20) shot 39.1% from the field — ...Read more

INGLEWOOD, Calif. — This season has tested the Atlanta Hawks’ depth at the wing and Garrison Mathews has given them reasons to trust that they have it.

Mathews has played 27 games this season and has injected energy off the bench in the absence of Bogdan Bogdanovic. He has averaged 8.8 points, 1.6 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game, but he ...Read more

PITTSBURGH — Brandin Cummings' offer sheet wasn't as extensive as some other recruits of his caliber.

Rated as a three-star prospect, South Carolina, Creighton, Maryland and a handful of mid-majors extended scholarship offers, but there's a reason why few schools came calling. Once Pitt offered, it wasn't much of a decision.

"I knew the ...Read more

SAN FRANCISCO — One team added its star guard back to its starting lineup; the other’s spent Sunday night in street clothes.

The results may surprise you.

Despite playing with a well-rested Steph Curry, the Warriors (18-17) otherwise looked listless in a 129-99 loss to the Sacramento Kings (17-19), who were missing All-Star De’Aaron Fox ...Read more

ORLANDO, Fla. — To put it lightly, Sunday’s contest between the Magic and the Utah Jazz wasn’t exactly representative of what the two franchises had in mind when their respective seasons began.

Each team was without four of its top five scorers when they took the court inside Kia Center.

Orlando (21-16) didn’t have Paolo Banchero (...Read more

HOUSTON — The curse of the NBA regular season is that it’s a monthslong slog from city to city, from hotel rooms and hostile arenas, with opposing scouting reports bleeding into one another in what can create an unrecognizable blur.

The gift of that 82-game schedule are the tests, the moments of competition when a team can take an honest ...Read more

The No. 7-ranked Kansas Jayhawks men’s basketball team entered Sunday’s road game at UCF with many question marks.

One of the biggest: whether KU can win on the road. The Jayhawks’ struggles away from Allen Fieldhouse this season, and last, have been well documented.

KU answered that concern with one of its most dominant showings in a ...Read more