MIAMI — An argument could be made that this one was over on Dec. 8, when the Miami Heat dared defeat the visiting Cleveland Cavaliers.

With the Cavaliers back at Kaseya Center on Wednesday night, Cleveland made clear which team stands dominant atop the Eastern Conference ... and which team doesn’t.

In that regard, order was restored in the...Read more

BOSTON — Kristaps Porzingis has preached patience since his return from offseason leg surgery.

He didn’t feel quite like himself yet, the Celtics center said after several games in December and January, but he was getting close. Trust him.

On Wednesday, Porzingis looked all the way back and then some, delivering one of his finest offensive...Read more

The Nets entered Wednesday’s game at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, N.C., just percentage points behind the Charlotte Hornets for fourth place in the lottery standings and only two games behind the Utah Jazz for second.

With draft position in mind, it was a game Brooklyn fans might've ideally preferred to lose.

However, doing so was expected ...Read more

HARTFORD, Conn. — The No. 25 UConn men’s basketball team trailed lowly DePaul by as many as 14 points in the first half, at one point hearing boos from the sizeable Wednesday night crowd at the XL Center. But the Huskies dug in and flipped their fortune at halftime, quickly building a double-figure lead of their own midway through the second...Read more

INDIANAPOLIS — The last time the Detroit Pistons and Indiana Pacers faced off two weeks ago at Little Caesars Arena, tensions flared, reigniting a longstanding rivalry.

As the Pistons entered Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Wednesday for their fourth and final matchup of the season against the Pacers, coach J.B. Bickerstaff emphasized that composure...Read more

NEW YORK — It doesn’t sound like Mitchell Robinson will make his season debut before the Feb. 6 NBA trade seadline — and judging by head coach Tom Thibodeau’s pregame comments on Wednesday, there’s no urgency to rush the Knicks’ defensive anchor back before, or immediately after, the All-Star break, either.

Robinson, recovering from...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — The Lakers will be without star Anthony Davis for the remainder of their Grammys trip after he suffered an abdominal muscle strain, the team announced Wednesday morning.

Davis suffered the injury in the first quarter of the Lakers' loss at Philadelphia on Tuesday, leaving the game after just 10 minutes and heading to the locker...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — The pressure, intended or not, is on.

Anthony Davis, in an interview taped with ESPN the day after the Lakers lost to the Clippers, said he thought the team should be active in acquiring a center. The context of the request was more than an ask for more bulk. It was in some ways a call to realign the roster with Davis playing ...Read more

CHICAGO — It wasn’t goodbye for the Chicago Sky.

Two years after departing her longtime team in free agency, two-time WNBA champion Courtney Vandersloot is returning to the franchise for the 2025 season.

Vandersloot, who turns 36 next month, will sign with the Sky when free agency opens Saturday, a league source confirmed. The Chicago Sun-...Read more

ATLANTA — The Dream have done something beneficial for the success of the franchise — adding a player whom the average sports fan would recognize.

In a crowded marketplace in which they’ve struggled to distinguish themselves — losing regularly has been a bit of an impediment — signing six-time All-WNBA selection Brittney Griner as a ...Read more

ATLANTA — The Hawks have played 14 games in January. Onyeka Okongwu is the only regular to play in all of them. They’ve had their full starting lineup available for only one of those games. The Hawks started G League call-up Keaton Wallace and fringe veteran David Roddy at Minnesota on Monday. Mouhamed Gueye made his first career start ...Read more

LAS VEGAS — The NBA Summer League is returning to UNLV this summer for its 21st season.

The annual summer showcase featuring all 30 teams will run July 10-20 at Thomas & Mack Center and Cox Pavilion, the NBA announced Monday.

The schedule, rosters and broadcast information has yet to be released. Fans can purchase tickets at NBAEvents.com.

...Read more

MIAMI — The countdown is about to move within a week of the Feb. 6 NBA trade deadline when it comes to the Miami Heat’s next step with Jimmy Butler.

In other words, go-time.

For now, the veteran forward remains on unpaid team suspension through at least that deadline, for what the team cited earlier in the week as “a continued pattern of...Read more

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — De’Aaron Fox’s days in Sacramento could be numbered.

The Kings have reportedly opened discussions for their All-Star guard ahead of the Feb. 6 NBA trade deadline. The San Antonio Spurs have been rumored as a preferred destination for Fox with significant mutual interest from both sides.

The Spurs have a nice ...Read more

NEW YORK — Could De’Aaron Fox reunite with Jordi Fernandez in Brooklyn?

ESPN’s Shams Charania reported on Tuesday that the Sacramento Kings could potentially trade the All-Star guard ahead of the NBA’s Feb. 6 trade deadline. The 27-year-old has spent the first eight years of his career in Sacramento and has averaged 25.2 points, 5.0 ...Read more

SEATTLE — There probably isn't going to be a statue or a street sign. Her name isn't going to ring out in Seattle the way Sue Bird's does.

She was never the focal point of a championship team or in the WNBA MVP conversation, but for a stretch here in the Emerald City — Jewell Loyd was damn good.

It's quite likely the Storm fail to win a ...Read more