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Ken Sugiura: Please, NBA and MLB: Make USA vs. the World All-Star Games happen

Sports / Basketball /

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

Sports / Basketball /

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

Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune/TNS

Bulls collapse late in a 121-117 loss to the Suns. 4 takeaways from their 6th straight defeat.

Sports / Basketball /

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

Sports / Basketball /

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

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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

Sports / Basketball /

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.

Sports / Basketball /

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

Sports / Basketball /

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

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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

Tammy Ljungblad/Kansas City Star/TNS

Challenged by Bill Self, Kansas basketball blasts Oklahoma State: Here are 3 takeaways

Sports / Basketball /

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

Marek Warszawski/Fresno Bee/TNS

Fresno State men's basketball program under investigation for betting activity, sources say

Sports / Basketball /

FRESNO, Calif. — Fresno State guards Jalen Weaver and Zaon Collins will not play in the Bulldogs’ game on Saturday at Air Force for “eligibility” reasons, and university sources say the players could be tied to an internal investigation into alleged betting activity.

Guard Mykell Robinson, who has not played since a Jan. 11 loss to ...Read more

Mike Stocker/South Florida Sun Sentinel/TNS

Chris Perkins: Here's why Unrivaled fans absolutely love the upstart 3-on-3 league in Miami-Dade

Sports / Basketball /

MEDLEY, Fla. — The real story of Unrivaled, of both its immediate success and its magnetic appeal, is best told by the fans, not TV ratings or revenue.

And if you don’t know Unrivaled, the 3-on-3 women’s basketball league filled with WNBA players and founded by WNBA players Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart, I’d advise you to go to a...Read more

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Warriors wax Kings to tip off post All-Star break run

Sports / Basketball /

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The Golden State Warriors started their march toward Draymond Green’s prophesied championship with one for the DVD.

In the first of what Golden State considers 27 playoff games to close out the season, the Warriors dismantled the Sacramento Kings, 132-106.

As the Kings tilted their defense toward Steph Curry, the ...Read more

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Timberwolves make it a game -- but also a loss -- after Rockets score 48 in first quarter

Sports / Basketball /

HOUSTON – The Houston Rockets and Minnesota Timberwolves met for the fourth and final time this season, and each matchup had a playoff-like intensity to it.

The Wolves again entered shorthanded down not just Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo but also Rudy Gobert, who was still battling back spasms the plagued him before the All-Star break.

...Read more

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Pistons stop Spurs, match their longest winning streak in six years

Sports / Basketball /

AUSTIN, Texas — It is not too often that the Detroit Pistons get the opportunity to visit a non-NBA city during the season. But Friday night at the Moody Center, the Pistons continued their four-game road trip in Austin for an interconference contest against the San Antonio Spurs.

The game gave the Pistons a chance to play on the University ...Read more

Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel/TNS

Magic fall to Grizzlies in closing seconds

Sports / Basketball /

ORLANDO, Fla. — On a night when the Magic and Grizzlies were each playing in the second game of a back-to-back after traveling, Memphis outlasted Orlando on the road.

Despite a combined 63 points from Franz Wagner (25), Paolo Banchero (21) and Cole Anthony (17), Orlando was unable to find a way late to stave off Memphis at Kia Center on ...Read more

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Heat get first win in post-Butler era in 120-111 overtime escape in Toronto

Sports / Basketball /

TORONTO – The first step came Friday night, the Miami Heat showing they can win with their new mix.

So, now, the first victory since Jimmy Butler was dealt and the first since Andrew Wiggins and Davion Mitchell were acquired.

A small step for Erik Spoelstra’s team, but a necessary one with this 120-111 overtime victory over the Toronto ...Read more

Daniel Mears/The Detroit News/TNS

Second-half surge powers Michigan State past rival Michigan, into Big Ten lead

Sports / Basketball /

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — The play was intense. The atmosphere was electric. The stakes were high.

In a rivalry clash with first place in the Big Ten on the line, No. 14 Michigan State rode a big performance from its backcourt and a strong second half past No. 12 Michigan for a 75-62 win on Friday at Crisler Center.

Jase Richardson scored 21 and ...Read more

Yong Kim/The Philadelphia Inquirer/TNS

The Sixers are still building trust as they stare down a critical stretch run

Sports / Basketball /

PHILADELPHIA — With 27 games remaining on the schedule, the 76ers are still working on building trust as a unit.

After Thursday’s loss to the Celtics, in which Boston shot 44.4% from three-point range on 54 attempts, Tyrese Maxey said the team’s struggles on defense are the result of a lack of trust across the board.

“When you guard ...Read more

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East-leading Cavaliers romp over Knicks, 142-105

Sports / Basketball /

Jalen Brunson knew the challenge posed by the Eastern Conference’s No. 1-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers.

He knew they were a high-octane offense among the league leaders in 3-point efficiency, an area the Knicks have struggled defending this season. He knew Cleveland’s dual big lineup of Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley wreaks havoc in the paint, ...Read more