ORLANDO, Fla. — Even though it’s only the first day of 2025, it should already be clear to everyone who should be the NBA’s Coach of the Year.

If the Magic’s Jamahl Mosley doesn’t win the award then it will be the biggest sports robbery since the advent of the $14 Bud Light at professional sports venues.

Mosley finished as runner-up ...Read more

SAN DIEGO — Imagine if the idea caught on, sweeping across the country like an uncontrollable wildfire of good. College athletes, broad-brushed as greedy and selfish like never before, shredding the script.

In a wild athletic world many perceive as me-me-me, what if it shifted to us-us-us?

Instead of simply stuffing pockets through name, ...Read more

OKLAHOMA CITY — Last season, the Timberwolves and Thunder went toe to toe for the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference until the final day of the regular season. This season, the entire West is looking up at Oklahoma City, which began the night five games ahead of No. 2 Memphis.

For the Wolves, the mission is to find a groove and chemistry ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — The Lakers were again buried under an avalanche of Cleveland Cavaliers 3-pointers, the spacing and the gaps on the court pulling the Lakers’ defense to all corners before it eventually snapped under tension.

The result was the same, but the process and team the Cavaliers beat Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena in the final game...Read more

BOSTON — The first Celtics-Raptors matchup of the season was an overtime thriller decided on a last-second 3-pointer.

Round 2 was the polar opposite.

Boston manhandled a rebuilding and short-handed Toronto squad Tuesday at TD Garden, winning 125-71 to close out 2024 on a positive note.

The 54-point margin of victory was the largest ever in ...Read more

DURHAM, N.C. — Having relied on suffocating defense all season, No. 4 Duke has found its shooting touch, and that could mean bad news for the ACC.

The Blue Devils routed Virginia Tech, 88-65, on Tuesday night at Cameron Indoor Stadium by shooting 53.4% from the field and nailing 11 3-pointers.

It’s the second game in a row Duke (11-2, 3-0 ...Read more

LAWRENCE, Kan. — For much of the second half against West Virginia, Kansas coach Bill Self crossed his arms and looked at the court in disgust.

After a few bad possessions, Self stared at the ground in disbelief.

The Jayhawks, who opened as double-digit favorites over the Mountaineers, were outplayed in most aspects, falling behind by as ...Read more

LEXINGTON, Ky. — Ten days after their worst loss of the season, it took the Kentucky Wildcats a little while to get going in their final game of 2024.

The No. 10-ranked Cats did enough Tuesday afternoon for an 88-54 victory over Brown on New Year’s Eve in Rupp Arena, the final nonconference game of the 2024-25 season for Mark Pope’s team....Read more

MIAMI — Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier was suspended for one game for his role in Sunday night’s late-game melee during the victory over the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center, and teammate Tyler Herro was fined $25,000. The NBA announced the penalties Tuesday.

Rozier, who dove into the scrum after Herro was tossed by his uniform to the court ...Read more

LAWRENCE, Kan. — One of the top men’s basketball prospects to sign with Kansas in the Bill Self era will be seated right behind the KU bench during Tuesday’s 1 p.m. KU-West Virginia Big 12 opener at Allen Fieldhouse.

He’s Darryn Peterson, a 6-foot-5, 195-pound combo guard from Prolific Prep in Napa, California, who signed with KU over ...Read more

Through their first 34 games last season, the Magic posted a 19-15 record.

Star forwards Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner appeared in all 34.

This year? A far different story for Orlando.

Banchero has played in just 5 of the first 34 and Wagner 25 (meaning he’s still missed more than a quarter of the season).

That’s not to mention other ...Read more

The Indiana Fever began the Caitlin Clark era in 2024 and took the WNBA world by storm. The Year of 2025 could be when the Fever really make a mark as one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference.

That’s a possibility with the addition of new Fever head coach Stephanie White, who bolted out of an aging Connecticut Sun team to lead a ...Read more

SALT LAKE CITY — The Nuggets might finally be breaking a decades-old curse in Utah.

The franchise had never won two road games against the Jazz in a regular season — until now, with a 132-121 triumph on Monday night at Delta Center.

Denver held Utah to 23 points in the third quarter while Nikola Jokic scored 17 of his 36 points, part of ...Read more

Slow starts, porous interior defense, and inconsistent bench scoring remain concerns for the Knicks, even amid a stretch of dominance. These issues were evident again during their 126-106 victory over the Washington Wizards on Monday, a win that extended New York’s streak to eight games and marked their 18th win in their last 22 outings.

...Read more

MANHATTAN, Kan. — Jerome Tang doesn’t need to make any New Year’s resolutions to get Kansas State’s basketball season back on track.

The Wildcats can make that happen by continuing to play the way did during a 70-67 victory over Cincinnati in the Big 12 opener for both teams on Monday at Bramlage Coliseum.

K-State (7-5, 1-0 Big 12) ...Read more

EAST LANSING, Mich. — The Michigan State men's basketball team closed out 2024 with an 80-62 victory over Western Michigan on Monday afternoon in the Breslin Center.

The No. 18 Spartans (11-2) jumped ahead to give themselves a 13-point cushion at the half, but the Broncos (3-9) made a move coming out of the locker room.

WMU kept MSU on its ...Read more

Speaking as a 40-year-old NBA player for the first time, LeBron James said Monday that, should he desire, he could still play at a high level in the NBA for several seasons.

“To be honest, if I really wanted to, I could probably play this game at a high level probably for about another — it’s weird that I might say this — but probably ...Read more

Sacramento Kings star De’Aaron Fox took to social media Monday to address rumors that he played a role in the team’s decision to fire two-time NBA Coach of the Year Mike Brown.

Fox responded to former NBA guard Lou Williams’ remarks on FanDuel TV’s “Run it Back.” Williams said “there was just some pushback from how De’Aaron Fox ...Read more