PROVIDENCE, R.I. — From the first day on campus, it was a clash of titans, one in size and stature, the other in the force of his personality.

For the latter, coach Dan Hurley had the towering task of bringing out the towering abilities of Tarris Reed Jr., the center from Michigan who joined the two-time champs via the transfer portal.

“He...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — How will Joel Embiid be remembered should he fail to return to his All-NBA form?

Will we recognize the 76ers center as one of the NBA’s most dominant scorers? Or will we recall him as someone who failed to live up to his extraordinary potential because he couldn’t complete an injury-free season?

The latter is as much a ...Read more

JJ Redick has called these moments “blackouts,” but Sunday against the Clippers, Luka Doncic was very much alive.

At the start, he bounded up the left side of the floor, forced Ivica Zubac into the switch and stepped toward the Clippers bench before swishing a three-pointer that seemed like it scraped the scoreboard.

Then he made another, ...Read more

PHOENIX – In the fourth quarter of the Timberwolves’ 116-98 victory over the Suns, forward Julius Randle made a hustle play to save a loose a ball from going out of bounds.

Moments later, Nickeil Alexander-Walker delivered a beautiful no-look pass to reward Randle with a layup. The Wolves bench erupted after that sequence.

They got even ...Read more

You can never count this group of Knicks out — no matter how deep the hole, no matter how daunting the deficit.

Friday in Memphis? They trailed by 12 in the third quarter, didn’t take their first lead until midway through the fourth, then closed the game on OG Anunoby’s game-winning 3 and two clutch stops from Mikal Bridges.

Sunday in ...Read more

MIAMI – By halftime, it was clear this was going to end one of two ways: stunning or sobering.

In some ways, it was both.

Once again, a significant Heat lead turned into something slight.

And then into nothing at all.

So instead of a stunning win over the New York Knicks, just the sobering reality of another blown lead by the Miami Heat, ...Read more

ORLANDO, Fla. — The Toronto Raptors entered Kia Center on Sunday night having lost three straight games and nine of their last 11.

Toronto, however, exited Orlando with just its 19th win on the season, 104-102, against the Magic behind 24 points from Immanuel Quickley.

Franz Wagner led Orlando with 25 points but missed a layup with two ...Read more

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Sunday was supposed to be a celebratory day for Michigan.

Illinois didn’t get the memo and spoiled Senior Day at Crisler Center.

The Fighting Illini dominated the offensive glass from start to finish and handed the No. 15 Wolverines a 93-73 loss that put them a game back in the Big Ten standings with the finish line in ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — Saturday morning at shootaround in the Wells Fargo Center, Warriors assistant coach Jerry Stackhouse told Steph Curry that he wanted to see a dunk.

Curry, the 36-year-old superstar, hadn’t heard that in years. The last in-game dunk he had was in 2019, before the team moved to Chase Center.

The Curry world has a way of ...Read more

ORLANDO, Fla. — Jalen Suggs will undergo arthroscopic surgery to remove a cartilage fragment in his left knee, the Orlando Magic announced Sunday afternoon.

He’s expected to have surgery this week. His return to the court will depend on how he responds to post-operative treatment and rehabilitation, according to information given by the ...Read more

EAST LANSING, Mich. — Michigan State’s Big Ten title dreams are only getting more real. But Sunday’s win that kept them alive went along like a nightmare.

Fueled by strong rebounding and hot 3-point shooting, No. 8 Michigan State beat No. 11 Wisconsin 71-62 in a game marred by frequent fouls. The victory keeps the Spartans atop the Big ...Read more

MIAMI — Jimmy Butler may be a great basketball player, but he’s a very bad tenant.

That’s according to a lawsuit filed Wednesday in Miami-Dade County.

The former Heat forward is accused of leaving a $130,000 a month rental in Miami Beach in “complete disrepair.”

The suit, filed by Five Star Marketing and Promotions, claims Butler ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — Steph Curry did his best to will a comeback win, but the Golden State Warriors were too thinned out by Jimmy Butler’s absence to pick him up.

Butler missed his first game as Warrior with back spasms, and the Warriors felt the pain. Golden State won Curry’s minutes by 12 in a seven-point loss.

Curry finished with 29 points ...Read more

The Brooklyn Nets lost their fourth straight game on Saturday, falling to the Detroit Pistons 115-94 at Little Caesars Arena on the second night of a back-to-back set.

The Nets were once again plagued by a slow start at both ends of the court. They shot 1 for 8 from the field in the opening minutes and trailed 14-4 with 7:33 left in the first ...Read more

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — After a rough outing against Texas Tech on Saturday, Kansas guard Zeke Mayo received a barrage of social media hate.

Mayo tweeted four different screenshots appearing to come from his Instagram direct messages, all expressing hateful words at the transfer guard, following the Jayhawks’ 78-73 defeat to Texas Tech.

The ...Read more

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Florida shooting guard Will Richard’s career night was all for naught during the Gators’ no-show at Georgia.

On Saturday night against Texas A&M, Richard’s hot hand carried his team to a much-needed bounce-back 89-70 win against the Aggies.

Richard finished with 25 points on 9-of-13 shooting as the No. 3 Gators (25-...Read more

NEW YORK — St. John’s needed a basket.

Nearly four minutes into Saturday’s game against Seton Hall, the Red Storm had missed all nine of their shots and committed three turnovers.

It was an ugly start against a lesser opponent on an afternoon No. 7 St. John’s could clinch its first outright Big East regular-season championship in 40 ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Austin Reaves will not miss significant time after testing on his sore calf revealed no significant problems, a person with knowledge of the injury who is not authorized to speak publicly confirmed to The Los Angeles Times.

The Lakers listed Reaves and fellow guard Jordan Goodwin, who sprained an ankle late in the win over the ...Read more