LOS ANGELES — Clippers All-Star James Harden has been highly criticized for another dismal playoff performance against the Denver Nuggets, but he does have a supporter in the organization.

President of basketball operations Lawrence Frank views Harden as having done a “great job leading the way” while Kawhi Leonard sat out the first 34 ...Read more

The Golden State Warriors are already down 1-0 to the Minnesota Timberwolves in their Western Conference Semifinal series.

Not literally, no. But practically? Absolutely.

You see, the Timberwolves did this funny thing when they went up 3-1 in their first-round series with the Lakers: They won Game 5.

As you might recall, the Warriors punted ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — As Daryl Morey expressed last month, the 76ers’ president of basketball operations has no regrets.

That’s because Morey was seen as turning a bad situation into a manageable one by agreeing to rid the Sixers of Al Horford’s contract on Nov. 18, 2020, the night of the 2020 NBA draft.

Morey agreed to send the 34th pick, a ...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS — After the Minnesota Timberwolves dropped a fourth consecutive game, to the Sacramento Kings on Nov. 27, Anthony Edwards held court at his locker and tried to diagnose where the season was going wrong. That interview session was unlike any he has had in five seasons with the Wolves.

Edwards was an open book that night after the ...Read more

HOUSTON – With the season on the line, Golden State asked its veterans to carry the team against a foe that was on the verge of an incredible comeback.

They answered the call.

On the verge of an epic postseason collapse on Sunday night in Houston, the Warriors Hall of Fame veterans showed up.

Laden with championship experience, the Warriors...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Don't tell the Clippers they overachieved this season based on preseason NBA predictions that had them vying for a play-in spot in the uber-competitive Western Conference because Kawhi Leonard started the season dealing with right knee injury management and Paul George had bolted to the Philadelphia 76ers.

Don't tell the ...Read more

DENVER — Gags to riches.

With the world watching and everyone who matters playing, the Nuggets delivered confirmation of something that has been percolating for a month: They are back.

In a little over two hours Saturday night, they exorcised the demons of last spring’s 20-point Game 7 collapse against the Timberwolves and proved something...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS — You didn’t have to engage in many conversations in the vicinity of First Avenue and North 6th Street this winter to hear a certain refrain.

I heard it from two Minnesota Timberwolves team broadcasters, one team executive and one team staffer. I never heard a player use these exact words, but they did echo the sentiment.

The ...Read more

DENVER — In all the years of Nikola Jokic, Denver has not witnessed a Nuggets season capable of rivaling the internal tension and turmoil of this one.

Seemingly bursting at the seams with frustration at the low points, their usually stoic superstar turned 30 and turned animated; their head coach and general manager waged philosophical war ...Read more

SAN FRANCISCO — The Golden State Warriors felt they had solved the Houston Rockets after Game 4 of their first-round playoff series, when they took a formidable 3-1 series lead.

But here’s the thing: They didn’t.

In fact, the opposite might have proven true.

Here’s one thing that’s certain: The Warriors have another game to play.

...Read more

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — If the Lakers’ 2024-25 season didn’t end on Wednesday against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round of the playoffs, they would have likely had to play on without LeBron James for an extended period.

James suffered a Grade 2 medial collateral ligament (MCL) sprain in his left knee during the fourth quarter of ...Read more

CHICAGO — The Chicago Sky’s preseason opener in Baton Rouge, La., will offer a rare return to the past for three of their youngest stars.

Forward Angel Reese and No. 11 pick Hailey Van Lith will be returning to their alma mater. And second-year center Kamilla Cardoso will face off against her former teammates on the Brazilian national team....Read more

DETROIT — Minutes after Jalen Brunson's 3-point field goal led the New York Knicks to the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs, the Detroit Pistons walked back to their locker room at Little Caesars Arena in sadness, trying to process what went wrong in the final minutes.

"I felt good about this series, so not pulling it out hurts,...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Something unexpected happened in the Clippers' elimination game on Thursday night.

James Harden actually showed up.

In the Clippers' 111-105 victory over the Denver Nuggets at Intuit Dome, Harden looked nothing like the player with a reputation for stinking up arenas at this stage of the season.

He was purposeful, he was sharp...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Tyronn Lue made sure to call every player on his team, a move the Los Angeles Clippers coach said was necessary to check the “temperature” of the team before its biggest game of the season.

Lue refused to text his players in a group message because he wanted to “hear their voices” and encourage them before playing in a ...Read more

DETROIT — It wasn't too long ago that Tom Gores wrote a letter to the fans, apologizing for the decisions he made that led to the Detroit Pistons becoming a laughing stock of the NBA. In fact, it took place a year ago, during the Pistons' worst season in franchise history, which included a record-setting 28-game losing streak during the 2023-...Read more

DETROIT — It only took three regular-season games for Tom Thibodeau to pinpoint the issue. The Knicks, who had just completed training camp and a preseason slate after trading five draft picks for Mikal Bridges, then shipping Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Karl-Anthony Towns, blew a 13-point lead in a six-...Read more

CHICAGO — Hailey Van Lith never thought her first game in a WNBA jersey would take her back to Baton Rouge, La.

The guard will play her first preseason minutes with the Chicago Sky on Friday in an exhibition game against Brazil in a familiar setting — the Pete Maravich Assembly Center, where she spent the toughest year of her collegiate ...Read more

LEXINGTON, Ky. — Mark Pope versus Rick Pitino is officially on the 2025-26 college basketball schedule.

But this matchup between student and teacher won’t be happening in Rupp Arena, as was originally hoped. Instead, Kentucky will meet St. John’s at State Farm Arena in Atlanta on Dec. 20 as part of the revamped CBS Sports Classic, which ...Read more