NEW YORK — It didn’t take long for the Knicks’ 3-point barrage to begin.

Less than three minutes into Sunday’s game against the Chicago Bulls at Madison Square Garden, Jalen Brunson drilled his first 3-pointer of the night.

On the next possession, he nailed another.

Karl-Anthony Towns would add two more 3-pointers in the next two ...Read more

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — The language, unsurprisingly, has been one of the most difficult adjustments for David Mirković in his three months at Illinois.

The 6-foot-9 freshman from Montenegro has spoken English since he was 6 years old. He’s fluent enough to argue calls with officials — a habit coaches are trying to erase from the edgy forward�...Read more

TAMPA, Fla. — Priorities are priorities. Upon his hiring last March, new USF men’s basketball coach Bryan Hodgson knew there was paperwork to sign, boosters to schmooze, even office keys to acquire.

But nothing took precedence over the point guard.

Virtually coinciding with Hodgson’s late-March hiring was CJ Brown’s announcement that ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — Joel Embiid was fined $50,000 for doing the DX chop motion following an and-one conversion during the 76ers’ Friday 109-108 loss to the Boston Celtics, the NBA announced Sunday afternoon.

Embiid has been fined for the celebration before, which the league called “lewd” in a news release. Embiid responded on X by posting, �...Read more

Kelly Oubre Jr. is the Philadelphia 76ers’ X-Factor.

If the swingman can continue to play like he did Sunday, the Sixers will be tough to beat. Meanwhile, Quentin Grimes showed why coach Nick Nurse once talked about using him as a backup point guard, among other duties. And Tyrese Maxey is making a case to be one of the top five NBA players, ...Read more

LAS VEGAS — If you have yet to hear UNLV basketball coach Josh Pastner’s sales pitch for his program and why rebuilding the bond with the community is so important, you’re either not paying attention or just willfully trying to avoid it.

He’s been on your television. He’s been on your radio. He’s been on your favorite social media ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — You start here with the reality that the Miami Heat most likely were going to carry into the season before the FBI patted itself on the back by creating the moniker “Operation Nothing But Bet”: Terry Rozier was not going to play for the Miami Heat this season while counting $26.6 million against the salary cap and luxury tax....Read more

HARTFORD, Conn. — In three years, the expectations for a rejuvenated UConn men’s basketball program went from getting out of the first round of the NCAA tournament to winning the whole thing.

There was a cacophony of factors that led to the Huskies ultimately falling short of that goal of three-peating last year, which was unrealistically ...Read more

DURHAM, N.C. — Hard to believe it’s been more than a decade since Duke’s last NCAA title in men’s basketball, now the longest drought since Mike Krzyzewski won his first of five back in 1991. It doesn’t seem that way, not with the close calls in 2022 and last April, powerful teams that sputtered out in the Final Four, never mind the ...Read more

CLEVELAND — Hawks guard Trae Young will miss significant time.

The 27-year-old has a right MCL sprain and is expected to be re-evaluated in four weeks, according to a person familiar with the situation. ESPN’s Shams Charania first reported the news.

Young suffered a right knee injury in the first quarter of Wednesday’s game against the ...Read more

MILWAUKEE — The Milwaukee Bucks couldn’t miss early in Saturday’s game against the Sacramento Kings.

The fans even got in on the act with one young man hitting a halfcourt shot to win a prize at the end of the first period. At that point, the Kings appeared to be headed for a lopsided loss, but they flipped the script with a show of ...Read more

WASHINGTON — For a team like the Orlando Magic, who haven’t opened the regular season as they would have liked, a game against the Wizards presents an opportunity.

Washington has 10 players on the roster age 22 or under, so the Magic hoped they had a chance to find their footing on offense, impose their will on defense and showcase the new...Read more

HARTFORD, Conn. — Alex Karaban just wanted to rip the band-aid off. Whatever decision he made this summer, he was going to be all in.

There was no waiting until the last minute to pull his name out of the NBA draft; he’d seen how that could play out. This time, the decision to return came a month earlier than it did the previous summer. In ...Read more

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Luka Doncic didn’t celebrate when he sank his first half-court heave during warmups. He didn’t gloat when coaches dutifully dropped to the court to pay the pushup price.

The Los Angeles Lakers superstar just makes greatness feel expected.

Doncic’s 44 points, 12 rebounds and six assists led the Lakers to a 117-112 win ...Read more

Deja vu? Not this time.

For the second time in two meetings, the Celtics squandered a double-digit second-half lead against the 76ers on Friday night at Xfinity Mobile Arena. But unlike in Philadelphia’s season-opening road win at TD Garden, Boston was able to survive in a thriller.

The Sixers rallied from 24 points down to tie the game ...Read more

CHICAGO — On paper, the Knicks are the better team.

They have two perennial All-Stars to the Bulls’ none, a pair of three-and-D wings who’d fit on any roster, a monster defensive anchor, the league’s most productive bench scorer over the past five seasons, and at least three others who could start or close games for playoff contenders. ...Read more

DENVER — Four games into an 82-game season, an 8-minute, 27-second stretch means little.

Then again, what the Nuggets’ bench did in the second quarter of a 122-88 cruiser over the Pelicans on Wednesday night at Ball Arena portends good things. The Nuggets, off to a 3-1 start, play at Portland on Friday night.

After playing the entire first...Read more

RALEIGH, N.C. — After expecting to play again in North Carolina, DJ Burns will not take the court for the Greensboro Swarm.

The franchise, the NBA G League affiliate of the Charlotte Hornets, announced on Friday that Burns was one of three players waived ahead of the season opener. Jairu Hamilton and Olisa Akonobi were also waived. Burns was ...Read more