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LeBron James and Max Christie lead Lakers past Portland with Anthony Davis out

Sports / Basketball /

LOS ANGELES — The big picture demanded that the Los Angeles Lakers be smart; the small picture demanded the Lakers play a little tougher Thursday night.

Anthony Davis, who missed most of the Lakers’ game on Christmas, needed the night off because of lingering soreness in his sprained left ankle. Gabe Vincent needed more time to recover from...Read more

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Curry perfect from 3 as Warriors start 2025 hot in blowout win over 76ers

Sports / Basketball /

SAN FRANCISCO — Steph Curry sprained the thumb on his shooting hand in the Golden State Warriors’ most recent game against the Cleveland Cavaliers, putting him on the official injury report.

It was impossible to tell on Thursday night.

Playing with his thumb wrapped, Curry drained all eight of his 3-pointers. He finished with 30 points, 10...Read more

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Cam Thomas scores 24 points off the bench as Nets avoid fourth-quarter collapse against Bucks

Sports / Basketball /

When Cam Thomas has been forced to miss time this season, he usually returns in style.

The 23-year-old was a notable scratch in Wednesday’s 130-113 loss to the Toronto Raptors. He missed a month because of a left hamstring strain and missed D’Angelo Russell’s debut for precautionary reasons. Russell got plenty of touches — and impressed...Read more

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Heat fall flat in defenseless 128-115 loss to Pacers, with Butler again passive

Sports / Basketball /

MIAMI – For a second consecutive night, the edge from Jimmy Butler was missing. For the first time in a while, the defense also was missing.

For the Miami Heat, that proved too much to overcome in a 128-115 loss Thursday night to the Indiana Pacers at Kaseya Center.

In falling for only the second time in their last nine home games, the Heat ...Read more

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Jayson Tatum leads shorthanded Celtics past Timberwolves in thriller

Sports / Basketball /

As is tradition when the Boston Celtics and Minnesota Timberwolves square off, Thursday’s game at Target Center was decided in the final seconds.

And as was the case when these teams met on Causeway Street back in November, it was Boston that emerged victorious, winning 118-115 to kick off a four-game Western Conference road trip.

With ...Read more

Richard Tsong-Taatarii/Minnesota Star Tribune/TNS

Minnesota men's basketball team hangs with No. 20 Purdue, but it doesn't last

Sports / Basketball /

MINNEAPOLIS — Ben Johnson and Matt Painter entered Thursday’s first conference game of the New Year with basketball programs on completely opposite ends of the Big Ten hierarchy.

After back-to-back regular-season league titles, Purdue went to its first NCAA championship game since 1969 and finished as national runner-up last season.

The ...Read more

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LeBron James' son Bryce committed to Arizona. Will dad stick around NBA to play with second son?

Sports / Basketball /

LOS ANGELES — Milestones are routine for LeBron James these days. He turned 40 on Dec. 30 and the next day became the first player in NBA history to appear in a game in his teens, 20s, 30s and 40s.

Earlier in December, he set an NBA record for career minutes played. He's already the NBA all-time scoring leader and has four NBA championships ...Read more

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Pistons' Jaden Ivey undergoes surgery for broken fibula in left leg

Sports / Basketball /

DETROIT — During Wednesday's win over the Orlando Magic, Pistons guard Jaden Ivey sustained a broken fibula in his left leg at Little Caesars Arena.

On Thursday, the Pistons announced that Ivey had surgery to repair the injury. He will be reevaluated in four weeks, and the team will provide updates during his recovery and rehabilitation ...Read more

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Knicks by the Numbers: New York ranks high entering New Year, but there's a catch

Sports / Basketball /

The Knicks enter 2025 with the same mission they’ve carried for decades: to end their championship drought and raise a banner to the rafters at Madison Square Garden.

This year, that goal feels more attainable than it has in decades.

With a roster brimming with talent and a system that seems to be hitting its stride, these Knicks might be ...Read more

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Why unselfish play, Cooper Flagg in particular, has No. 4 Duke playing better offense

Sports / Basketball /

DURHAM, N.C. — No. 4 Duke closed the pre-Christmas portion of its basketball schedule with its best shooting performance and returned to play 10 days later on Tuesday with another solid outing on offense.

The Blue Devils (11-2, 3-0 ACC) have now won seven consecutive games and, of late, are figuring out how to accomplish success in different ...Read more

Big fourth quarter from De'Aaron Fox helps Sacramento Kings rally past Philadelphia 76ers

Sports / Basketball /

De’Aaron Fox scored 14 points in the fourth quarter to help the Kings rally for a 113-107 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento.

The Kings trailed 103-94 with less than five minutes remaining, but they outscored the 76ers 19-4 over the final 4:41.

Fox scored 35 points for the Kings (15-19), who ...Read more

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<strong>Nikola Jokic, Nuggets pull away from Hawks in third quarter to welcome new year</strong>

Sports / Basketball /

The Nuggets didn’t have a very merry Christmas, but they at least salvaged a happy new year.

In their first game of 2025, they picked up their third consecutive win, 139-120 over the Hawks, by pulling away in a 41-24 third quarter when a dose of defense was desperately needed. They distanced themselves with a 12-0 run a few minutes into the ...Read more

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D'Angelo Russell sizzles off the bench in return to Nets, but fall to Raptors

Sports / Basketball /

With 4:35 left in the first quarter of the Nets‘ 130-113 loss to the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday, D’Angelo Russell walked onto the Scotiabank Arena court for the first time with his new team.

Yet the sight was so familiar.

The 28-year-old kept patting his head to ensure his braided bun was styled and sturdy. He stopped just beyond ...Read more

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No Jalen Brunson, no problem as Karl-Anthony Towns, Josh Hart lead Knicks past Jazz

Sports / Basketball /

NEW YORK — The first day of the New Year started with some injury news and a bit of confusion for Tom Thibodeau’s squad.

All-Star guard Jalen Brunson missed his first game of the season Wednesday due to a calf injury, which put Miles “Deuce” McBride in place to start.

But, the reserve guard wasn’t seen on the floor during tip-off and...Read more

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Jimmy Butler returns, Heat defeats struggling Pelicans to open homestand. Takeaways and details

Sports / Basketball /

MIAMI — Five takeaways from the Miami Heat’s 119-108 win over the New Orleans Pelicans (5-29) on Wednesday night at Kaseya Center to begin a back-to-back set and open a three-game homestand. The Heat (17-14) will complete the back-to-back on Thursday against the Indiana Pacers in Miami (7:30 p.m., FanDuel Sports Network Sun):

The Heat took...Read more

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Jaden Ivey's injury overshadows Pistons' win over Magic

Sports / Basketball /

DETROIT — The Detroit Pistons began the calendar year with a four-game homestand at Little Caesars Arena. For most teams, a lengthy home schedule is an automatic recipe for success. However, the Pistons began the four-game stretch cautiously due to inconsistent play on their floor.

Coach J.B. Bickerstaff emphasized the importance of improving...Read more

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Solo Ball's shooting leads No. 11 UConn men to 81-68 New Year's Day victory at DePaul

Sports / Basketball /

Solo Ball started 2025 with the best game of his career as his hot shooting from deep led the UConn men’s basketball team to an 81-68 win over DePaul on New Year’s Day in Chicago.

Ball – part of the sophomore class coach Dan Hurley bet on in the offseason, rather than seeking out older players in the transfer portal – made a career-high...Read more

Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times/TNS

Nets newcomers D'Angelo Russell, Maxwell Lewis available to play against Raptors

Sports / Basketball /

The Nets will open 2025 with a new-look roster.

D’Angelo Russell and Maxwell Lewis are both available for Wednesday’s game against the Toronto Raptors at Scotiabank Arena. Both were acquired in a trade that sent Dorian Finney-Smith and Shake Milton to the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday.

The Lakers sent their own second-round picks in 2027, ...Read more

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Mike Bianchi: Turning adversity into achievement makes Jamahl Mosley frontrunner for NBA Coach of the Year

Sports / Basketball /

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

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Bryce Miller: San Diego State's selfless act for families offers lesson bigger than basketball

Sports / Basketball /

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