ATLANTA — There may be a better way to begin your time as the men’s basketball coach at the University of Kentucky, but I can’t think of one.

Kentucky beat Duke 77-72 on Tuesday night. Kentucky beat Duke. That’s right, D-u-k-e. In the Champions Classic. Before a loud crowd of fine people on both sides in a terrific college basketball ...Read more

LeBron James eased his way into the season, ceding shots to Anthony Davis and Austin Reaves, committing to JJ Redick’s style and letting his teammates establish himself in the first handful of games in his 21st season.

Maybe it was him being respectful of a new process. Maybe it was a sign that time, the opponent he’d never lost to, was ...Read more

PORTLAND, ORE. – The Timberwolves didn’t lose three consecutive games all regular season in 2023-24. Only 12 games into this one, they have their first three-game losing streak after a 106-98 loss Wednesday to Portland.

What looked like a pair of easy wins on back-to-back nights against the Trail Blazers turned into a dreary couple of days....Read more

MILWAUKEE — When the league released the schedule for the 2024-25 season, nearly everyone expected the Detroit Pistons and Milwaukee Bucks to be on opposite sides of the spectrum. The Bucks came into the season with championship aspirations while the Pistons appeared to be on the verge of another poor campaign.

However, when the Pistons ...Read more

MIAMI — Erik Spoelstra’s anguished look — the one you might see when people realize they locked their keys in their car — instantly revealed that the Heat coach knew what he had done.

The three-time champion, the man who just this summer was voted by NBA general managers as the league’s best coach, had made the most glaring in-game ...Read more

NEW YORK — Brooklyn Nets head coach Jordi Fernandez expected a “statement” from the Boston Celtics on Tuesday night after their sloppy one-point loss to Atlanta 24 hours earlier.

Did he get one? Not immediately. Boston slogged through yet another sluggish start and trailed for much of the first half at Barclays Center.

But the Celtics ...Read more

NEW YORK — Most teams turn it off when they’re down 22 points in the second half of a game.

But the Knicks aren’t most teams, and the Madison Square Garden faithful isn’t just any crowd. Those are two points underscored in a wild 124-123 loss in the second leg of a back-to-back against the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday.

The Knicks came ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — The 76ers are far from tanking.

Yet, the amount of losses they’re racking up are reminiscent of The Process era. Wednesday’s 114-106 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers dropped the Sixers to 2-9, matching the 11-game record of 2016-17 Sixers and is a worst start than the 2013-14 squad (5-6).

The 2013-14 team finished with a 16...Read more

HARTFORD, Conn. — The UConn men’s basketball team had five different players finish in double-figure scoring as the Huskies rolled over Le Moyne, 90-49, at the XL Center on Wednesday night.

After all 12 players contributed to the scoring in a “below brand” game on Saturday, there were 11 involved against the Dolphins. Alex Karaban led ...Read more

ORLANDO, Fla. — Finding a way to win on the second night of a back-to-back is already a challenging task.

Doing so in the third meeting against the same team in the first 13 games of the season only makes it harder given the familiarity between the sides.

But the Magic, without Paolo Banchero (torn right abdominal muscle) and Wendell Carter ...Read more

SAN FRANCISCO — Klay Thompson left the Warriors with a whimper.

He returned to the Bay with a roar.

Nothing less was expected. Nothing less would have been appropriate.

Tuesday’s game was circled on the calendar the moment the schedule was released, and not because it was the first game of the NBA’s in-season tournament. No, this was an...Read more

Bronny James’ first NBA season continues to play out differently than that of the typical rookie.

The 20-year-old son of LeBron James is expected to play in only home games for the G League affiliate of the Los Angeles Lakers, as NBA insider Brian Windhorst referenced on Wednesday’s episode of his ESPN podcast.

And Windhorst, formerly an ...Read more

DENVER — Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon will not play on the team’s upcoming three-game road trip due to a right calf strain, coach Michael Malone said.

Gordon, 29, has missed the last three games and been unable to participate in practice since asking for a substitution four minutes into Denver’s win over the Raptors on Nov. 4. He had been...Read more

ATLANTA — The history books will show that Mark Pope was named the University of Kentucky’s head men’s basketball coach on April 12, 2024.

But it was on Nov. 12, 2024, when Pope made the UK coaching job his.

On one of men’s college basketball’s biggest regular-season stages, Kentucky coaching made a decisive difference as the No. 19 ...Read more

DETROIT — Through the first two years of his career, Jalen Duren has shown flashes of being a prominent big man in the league. However, when he began preparing for his third season, Duren only cared about one thing — winning.

"Personal accolades do not intrigue me," Duren told The Detroit News in October. "I know that if we can get out ...Read more

NEW YORK — The Brooklyn Nets were down 105-103 with under 40 seconds left Monday night in New Orleans. Brooklyn had the ball and possessions were growing scarce. First-year head coach Jordi Fernandez was trying to call a timeout. He wanted to get his guys organized and ensure the best possible shot. But his frantic requests did not register ...Read more

SAN FRANCISCO — Right after speaking at the podium postgame, Klay Thompson walked across the bowels of Chase Center and into the Warriors’ home locker room, fully dressed in a blue blazer and khakis with his newest captain’s hat.

For 48 electric minutes at the Chase Center, Thompson was on the enemy side. The same sold-out crowd that ...Read more

San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich suffered a mild stroke this month, and his absence remains indefinite, the team announced Wednesday.

He is expected to make a full recovery.

Popovich, a five-time champion head coach with the Spurs who is also the team’s president, suffered the stroke on Nov. 2 at San Antonio’s Frost Bank Center....Read more

CHICAGO — If the Chicago Bulls are going to break out of their losing spiral, it starts with taking care of the ball.

This is nothing new for the Bulls, who want to play fast this season but have to do so under control. The first part has been a success as they ranked first in the NBA in pace entering Wednesday night’s game against the New ...Read more