Sports
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John Clay: The effort is there, but shorthanded, this Kentucky basketball team can only go so far
LEXINGTON, Ky. — You can’t fault their effort. They’re playing hard. They’re hanging tough in tough circumstances in tough situations when, as a previous coach might have said, they could easily let go of the rope. These Kentucky Wildcats are holding tight to that rope.
But Saturday at Coleman Coliseum, playing the fourth-ranked team in...Read more
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Wolves fall 130-123 to West-leading Thunder, who get hot in fourth quarter from deep
Oklahoma City’s fourth-quarter, three-point shooting determined its 130-123 victory at Target Center on Sunday night after the Timberwolves started the game 1-for-11 in that category.
With the Wolves leading 110-105 with eight minutes left, the Thunder fired off seven threes — nearly in succession — on a night when they avenged a lopsided...Read more
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Sky trade the No. 3 draft pick to the Mystics for guard Ariel Atkins
CHICAGO — The Chicago Sky traded out of the draft lottery Sunday night to acquire veteran guard Ariel Atkins in a blockbuster trade with the Washington Mystics.
The Sky announced they sent their No. 3 pick in the 2025 draft — along with a first-round pick swap and a second-round pick in 2027 — to the Mystics to acquire Atkins. The guard ...Read more
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Second-half surge powers Magic past Wizards
ORLANDO, Fla. — For the Orlando Magic to get back on the track in the final stretch of the regular season, the opportunity to beat up on teams with a below-.500 record can’t be passed up.
That included Sunday night against the nine-win Washington Wizards, who entered on a five-game losing streak.
Although it took a half of basketball for ...Read more
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Cade Cunningham outduels Trae Young, Pistons hold off Hawks for 6th straight win
ATLANTA — When Cade Cunningham was named an All-Star in early February, many basketball fans, especially those in Atlanta, felt that Trae Young deserved the selection.
Young has had a strong season, as he is on track to earn his first career assist title, averaging a league-best 11.4 per game this season. He later received the honor by ...Read more
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Tyler Herro's 40 again not enough as Heat fall 120-113 to Bucks; Jovic injured
MILWAUKEE – The formula for this Miami Heat roster in the post-Jimmy Butler era to beat a team of the Milwaukee Bucks’ caliber is relatively basic: perfection.
Sunday night, the Heat got just about that from Tyler Herro, and it still wasn’t enough, while also suffering a debilitating injury to their rotation in what turned into a 120-113 ...Read more
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UCLA holds off Ohio State for Mick Cronin's 500th career win
LOS ANGELES — A special day needed a big moment.
Leave it to the tallest UCLA Bruin to deliver a handful in his own tribute to Bill Walton.
With UCLA clinging to a narrow lead over Ohio State midway through the second half Sunday, Aday Mara took a pass from teammate Skyy Clark and pivoted for a dunk.
The 7-foot-3 center followed with ...Read more
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Luka Doncic looks like Luka in Lakers' win in Denver
LOS ANGELES — Lakers coach JJ Redick told Luka Doncic exactly what he wanted, a "blackout moment" when the superstar gets so lost in a game he starts yelling at no one in particular.
This, in Redick's mind, would be the signal, the sign that the emotional baggage Doncic has carried since having his life and career upended via a shocking trade...Read more
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Celtics survive Knicks rally, pull away late for fifth straight win
BOSTON — The New York Knicks spent big this offseason to close the gap between themselves and the defending champion Celtics.
Well, they’ve now met three times during the 2024-25 campaign, and that gap remains as wide as ever.
Boston improved to 3-0 against its Atlantic Division rivals with a 118-105 win Sunday afternoon at TD Garden. The ...Read more
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St. John's dominates UConn, 89-75, in statement victory as Liam McNeeley struggles
NEW YORK — A three-second sequence in Sunday’s 89-75 win by No. 10 St. John’s over UConn offered a perfect encapsulation of the Red Storm’s dominance.
With 4:23 left in the first half at Madison Square Garden, St. John’s guard RJ Luis Jr. made a 3-pointer over Connecticut’s Liam McNeeley.
As UConn center Samson Johnson grappled for...Read more
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Ken Sugiura: Please, NBA and MLB: Make USA vs. the World All-Star Games happen
ATLANTA — Our thanks go out today to the NHL for making it beyond clear to NBA and MLB poohbahs that they need to adopt a U.S.A. vs. the World format for their slumberfest All-Star Games, and the sooner, the better.
The NHL’s 4 Nations Face-Off, which was that league’s attempt to goose its own uninteresting All-Star Game and generated ...Read more
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Luka Doncic dominates as Lakers' eight-game losing streak in Denver finally ends
DENVER — Trips here have basically all gone the same the past two seasons, the Lakers showing signs that they might’ve figured out ways to exploit enough of the Nuggets’ deficiencies to get a win only for Denver to slam the door and run the same script.
Eight straight times over the past two seasons, including five times in the playoffs, ...Read more
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Bulls collapse late in a 121-117 loss to the Suns. 4 takeaways from their 6th straight defeat.
CHICAGO — The losing streak continues for the Chicago Bulls.
The Bulls dropped their sixth consecutive game Saturday, falling to the Phoenix Suns 121-117 in a matinee matchup at the United Center. They have won only one game since trading Zach LaVine three weeks ago in a long-awaited deadline move — and have only won 10 home games all ...Read more
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Big Apple blowout: 3 takeaways as Duke basketball hammers Illinois at MSG
NEW YORK — Stepping briefly out of ACC play Saturday night didn’t make things any more uncomfortable than league play has been for No. 3 Duke.
At a sold-out Madison Square Garden, the hot-shooting Blue Devils needed fewer than 10 minutes to build a double-digit lead and it grew steadily from there as they hammered Illinois, 110-67, before a...Read more
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Nic Claxton beats buzzer in Philadelphia to help Nets keep pace in Eastern Conference play-in race
The Nets were 0-6 in games without D’Angelo Russell this season since his addition to the team.
While the veteran point guard was certainly missed at times in Saturday’s matchup against the Philadelphia 76ers at Wells Fargo Center, his teammates showed up early and late, and a Nic Claxton tip-in at the buzzer lifted Brooklyn to a 105-103 ...Read more
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Turnovers prove costly in No. 15 Missouri men's basketball's road loss to Arkansas
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Missouri turned the ball over until it was game over.
The No. 15 Tigers were sloppy in the first half but led thanks to 3-point shooting, then continued to cough up the ball over and over again, leading to a 92-85 defeat to the Arkansas Razorbacks.
By losing to Arkansas (16-11 overall, 5-9 Southeastern Conference), ...Read more
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Ira Winderman: Roster moves still to come for Heat? Personnel calendar creates openings.
MILWAUKEE — Not quite done yet? Perhaps, because even after the NBA trading deadline, there still could be moves ahead for the Miami Heat.
While the Feb. 6 trading deadline will undoubtedly stand as the most significant personnel date of this season for Erik Spoelstra’s team, with Jimmy Butler exiting stage left to the Golden State ...Read more
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Kentucky has its chances but can't pull off upset at No. 4 Alabama
TUSCALOOSA, ALA. — There were plenty of moments throughout Saturday’s game when it looked like the short-handed Kentucky Wildcats might pull off a major upset.
In the end, they came up short.
No. 4-ranked Alabama defeated the No. 17 Cats, 96-83, in Coleman Coliseum, dropping UK to .500 in the SEC basketball standings with just four regular...Read more
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The Warriors have found their starting lineup
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — In a season in which the Golden State Warriors have used 33 different starting lineups, they’re gearing up for their push toward the sixth seed with a concrete idea for continuity in the starting-five.
Steph Curry, Brandin Podziemski, Jimmy Butler, Moses Moody and Draymond Green. That’s the five Steve Kerr wants to ...Read more
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Challenged by Bill Self, Kansas basketball blasts Oklahoma State: Here are 3 takeaways
LAWRENCE, Kan. — Kansas big man Hunter Dickinson finished the fast break with an authoritative dunk.
The dunk had plenty of flair — a rare sight from the 7-foot-2 big man in transition.
Another rare sight ... the scoreboard inside Allen Fieldhouse read: Kansas 52, Oklahoma State 23. There were 55 seconds left in the first half.
Dickinson�...Read more
Popular Stories
- Luka Doncic looks like Luka in Lakers' win in Denver
- Celtics survive Knicks rally, pull away late for fifth straight win
- St. John's dominates UConn, 89-75, in statement victory as Liam McNeeley struggles
- John Clay: The effort is there, but shorthanded, this Kentucky basketball team can only go so far
- UCLA holds off Ohio State for Mick Cronin's 500th career win