LEXINGTON, Ky. — For Kentucky, the highlight of the 2025-26 Music City Madness matchup with Gonzaga came as the Wildcats took the court for the final time before tip-off.

A heavily-partisan UK crowd all but lifted the roof off the Bridgestone Arena with the exuberant roar with which they greeted the Cats.

“We walked into a heck of an ...Read more

MIAMI — You play to win the games. We get that. The Miami Heat get that. It is why “tank” remains out of the team’s vernacular.

But there also are times when the greater good has to be considered, of getting your team whole and healthy through the 82-game regular-season marathon, preferably without players missing large chunks, as was ...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS — Like they did in two games this week in New Orleans, the Minnesota Timberwolves didn’t really start playing Saturday against the Los Angeles Clippers until they had to.

After being down double digits most of the first three quarters, the Wolves stormed back late in the third and the fourth for a 109-106 victory over the ...Read more

CLEVELAND —Missing a third of their players Saturday night in Cleveland, the Golden State Warriors needed their ragtag group to play with supreme effort, take care of the ball and make a few timely shots to stay competitive.

If they did those things, perhaps the Warriors – missing Steph and Seth Curry, Draymond Green (foot), Al Horford (...Read more

DETROIT — The Detroit Pistons have been in a minor slump since their 13-game winning streak ended in Boston on Nov. 26. They have gone 3-3 over the previous six games, but no loss seemed as frustrating as their 113-109 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks on Dec. 3.

Three days later, the Pistons bounced back against their divisional rival in a 124-112...Read more

MIAMI — Several sobering realities hit home for the Miami Heat in Saturday night’s 127-111 loss to the Sacramento Kings at Kaseya Center.

They didn’t have enough healthy bodies to compete.

They didn’t have enough on the defensive end to deter.

And they might not be who they thought they were just a scant week ago.

Shorthanded and ...Read more

EAST LANSING, Mich. — Duke is still Duke.

And Tom Izzo is still Tom Izzo.

So this loss won’t feel like any other loss for Michigan State’s Hall of Fame coach, who watched his Spartans go toe-to-toe with No. 4 Duke — “one of the top two or three best teams in the country,” in Izzo’s view — but still come out on the wrong end of ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — It had been a performance impressive in its nothingness.

Zero points, zero rebounds, zero assists, zero steals and zero blocks in 15 minutes.

The only tangible statistical sign that UCLA's Eric Dailey Jr. had played against Washington earlier this week came in the four fouls that he logged, which contributed mightily to his ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Over the course of USC's undefeated start, with its star freshman still out, its leading scorer nursing an ailing shoulder and one of its best defenders down because of an injured hip, coach Eric Musselman still managed to make the best of his ravaged roster.

USC had won eight straight, sweeping its nonconference slate and ...Read more

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Not even a nine-day layoff could cool off the Wolverines.

Playing for the first time since its dominant showing at the Players Era tournament, No. 3 Michigan picked up where it left off and opened Big Ten play with another blowout.

Behind another strong all-around performance and balanced attack, the Wolverines pummeled ...Read more

NEW YORK — Continuing his offensive onslaught, Michael Porter Jr. tied his season high with 35 points while Day’Ron Sharpe added 16 off the bench as the Nets improved to 6-17 and picked up their third win in four games Saturday afternoon at Barclays Center, 119-101, against a short-handed New Orleans Pelicans team featuring impressive ...Read more

MIAMI — You play to win the games. We get that. The Miami Heat get that. It is why “tank” remains out of the team’s vernacular.

But there also are times when the greater good has to be considered, of getting your team whole and healthy through the 82-game regular-season marathon, preferably without players missing large chunks, as was ...Read more

EAST LANSING, Mich. — Cameron Boozer waved to the Michigan State fans as they started streaming up the aisles in the final seconds, and to the Izzone students who had chanted his name, and not in a friendly way.

He did it from the bench, having fouled out after dragging Duke to victory with a big second half, his work for the day done. This ...Read more

EAST LANSING, Mich. — Cameron Boozer could hardly walk on the Breslin Center floor before a cascade of boos battered him like the biting wind of a cold December Saturday. That crowd had braved the cold to line up hours before tip-off to watch Boozer and No. 4 Duke take on No. 7 Michigan State.

The crowd and Michigan State got its licks in on ...Read more

NEW YORK — Just how long can you hold a team scoreless to start an NBA game?

The Knicks were determined to find out hosting the Utah Jazz on Friday.

The all-time record belongs to the Showtime Los Angeles Lakers, who held the 1987 Sacramento Kings scoreless until the 2:54 mark of the first quarter.

The Knicks came close to that mark, ...Read more

If there was any doubt, the scene on the Charlotte Hornets’ bench 90 minutes before the opening tip was thrown in the air squashed it, providing insight even before the official word was handed down about who would play.

After missing the initial two games of the Hornets’ road trip in New York, mostly because the team’s performance staff ...Read more

STORRS, Conn. — The fifth-ranked UConn men’s basketball team took some time to warm up its engine before rolling to a 83-59 win over East Texas A&M at Gampel Pavilion on Friday night.

Sandwiched between a monster win over Kansas at Allen Fieldhouse and a rematch against reigning national champion Florida, the Huskies (8-1) had just a seven-...Read more

ATLANTA — Rarely have these Nuggets faced the specific form of adversity they encountered Friday night, when the Hawks threatened to run them out of the gym.

They handled the challenge with a 20-0 fourth-quarter run and a 134-133 triumph over Atlanta, extending their franchise-record road winning streak to nine games.

On a roller coaster ...Read more

DETROIT — Basketball Hall of Famer Chauncey Billups, who is regarded as a legend in the Motor City, might have been at Little Caesars Arena, devising a game plan to slow down the Detroit Pistons. However, on Friday night, Billups will be miles away from the arena that displays his jersey in the rafters.

Billups, 49, was arrested and charged ...Read more