SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Kings fans have waited anxiously for the team to make a move to bolster its roster for a playoff push. Instead, they were blindsided Tuesday by news that the team might trade away one of the best players in franchise history.

ESPN’s Shams Charania reported the Kings are expected to open talks for All-Star guard De’...Read more

CHICAGO — When Chicago Bulls coach Billy Donovan benched Patrick Williams on Monday, the decision came as a surprise — not because it was unwarranted but because it was so long overdue.

This should have happened weeks ago. After Donovan yanked him from the closing rotation. After Williams failed to make a single basket against the Indiana ...Read more

HARTFORD, Conn. — After 11 seasons as one of the faces of the Connecticut Sun, five-time WNBA All-Star Alyssa Thomas is being traded to the Phoenix Mercury, according to multiple reports.

Thomas, an unrestricted free agent in 2025, received a core designation from the Sun on Jan. 17 that gives a team exclusive negotiating rights and ...Read more

MIAMI — With Jimmy Butler in the midst of his third unpaid Miami Heat team suspension, this one a five-game sanction that runs through the Feb. 6 NBA trade deadline, the sense around the team is of being closer to impending closure than any other point during the process.

According to a source familiar with the Heat’s increasing activity on...Read more

MIAMI – Jimmy Butler might have thought he escaped the abject mediocrity earlier in the day, with his third team suspension of the season.

But instead of those left behind reduced to flailing and failing, the Miami Heat put together one of their best character wins of the season, battling back from a 14-point fourth-quarter deficit to a 125-...Read more

DURHAM, N.C. —Seriously tested for the second time in three days, No. 2 Duke needed another spectacular game from Cooper Flagg to keep its winning streak alive.

Flagg scored 23 of his game-high 28 points in the second half as the Blue Devils rallied from a double-digit deficit to beat N.C. State, 74-64, in ACC basketball at Cameron Indoor ...Read more

NEW YORK — The Memphis Grizzlies’ rotations go 11 players deep.

They boast two All-Stars: electrifying guard Ja Morant and Defensive Player of the Year Jaren Jackson Jr. Their reserves are stacked with size, with the first four players off the bench standing 6-5 or taller. They are physical, fast-paced, and hold the Western Conference’s ...Read more

CHICAGO — Nikola Jokic went for 33 points and 14 assists, but the Denver Nuggets dropped their second consecutive game on the road, 129-121 to the Chicago Bulls on Monday night.

Chicago was 45% from the 3-point line on 53 attempts. Denver (28-18) was 22% on 27 attempts. Next up is the Knicks on Wednesday at Madison Square Garden, a rematch ...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS — Despite self-inflicted mistakes most of the night, the Timberwolves pulled out a 100-92 victory over the Atlanta Hawks.

After committing 16 turnovers through three quarters, the Wolves put some distance on the scoreboard in the fourth and downed a depleted Atlanta team, which was without several key contributors including guard ...Read more

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Michigan had Penn State’s mood matching the occasion at Crisler Center.

The Wolverines held their annual “Blue Out” contest on Monday and pulled out a 76-72 win on a late 3-pointer by Tre Donaldson that left the Nittany Lions feeling blue.

Donaldson had 21 points and scored the final seven points during a game-ending...Read more

CLEVELAND — There are few instances where a divorce results in both parties finding themselves in a favorable situation within six months. However, coach J.B. Bickerstaff managed to secure a new position with the Detroit Pistons two months after his divorce from the Cleveland Cavaliers was finalized in May.

Although the Pistons entered Rocket...Read more

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Los Angeles Lakers were perfect, Anthony Davis dominating everywhere on the basketball court while the scoreboard ticked up in their favor on nearly every possession. The Lakers’ energy was off the charts, the team in complete control as it flew around and forced turnovers and missed shots. The offense was in perfect ...Read more

MIAMI — The Miami Heat have suspended Jimmy Butler for the third time in five weeks, this time an indefinite sanction issued Monday when the former All-Star forward left the team’s morning shootaround after being told he would not be returning from his previous suspension as a starter.

Butler had been scheduled to return Monday against the ...Read more

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Florida men’s basketball coach Todd Golden has been cleared during a Title IX investigation into claims of stalking and sexual harassment, potentially culminating a months-long saga amid the Gators’ best season in a decade.

“After a thorough investigation that included dozens of interviews over the past months, the ...Read more

HARTFORD, Conn. — As far as opponents go, the road isn’t going to get much easier for the UConn men’s basketball team anytime soon.

The most challenging part of the schedule is approaching with the Huskies set to visit No. 10 Marquette before hosting No. 20 St. John’s and returning on the road to Creighton, where they’ve never won, to...Read more

ATLANTA — Hawks guard Trae Young will miss Monday’s game against the Timberwolves at the Target Center in Minnesota.

The Hawks ruled out Young with right hamstring tightness on Sunday night one hour after their initial report listed him as questionable. Young has been dealing with hamstring tightness over the last couple of days, with the ...Read more

SEATTLE — The Storm acquiesced to Jewell Loyd’s trade demand and are sending the six-time WNBA All-Star to the Las Vegas Aces in a three-team deal that returns the No. 2 pick in the upcoming draft and veteran center Li Yueru, a league source confirmed.

The deal also includes the Los Angeles Sparks, who receive former Washington Huskies star...Read more

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — It was bound to happen sooner or later, but this Kentucky men’s basketball team has hit a rough spot.

Saturday’s 74-69 loss to the Vanderbilt Commodores was the second straight defeat for Mark Pope’s club, following the 102-97 home loss to Alabama at Rupp Arena the Saturday before. The Wildcats have now lost three ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — I remember, first, the fog.

Sitting in the back of a cab headed down from my foothills home to LAX early on the morning of Jan. 26, 2020, I remember shivering at a fog so thick I couldn't see out the car window.

I wondered, how will the cabbie drive through this? As the mist continued to surround the car all the way down the ...Read more