STORRS, Conn. — A day before the 2024 national championship game, UConn men’s basketball coach Dan Hurley quipped that his biggest motivation to keep winning was so that he could delay having to deal with the chaos of the transfer portal. He could “hide behind” the fact that his team was still playing while programs around the country ...Read more

With relentless offensive efficiency, No. 1 Duke is back where it was a year ago, and far more equipped to do more damage this time.

The Blue Devils shot 60%, with Cooper Flagg scoring 30 points, and built a 19-point second-half lead before holding on to beat Arizona, 100-93, in an NCAA Tournament East Regional semifinal on Thursday night.

By ...Read more

MIAMI — There was a time when winning was challenging for Erik Spoelstra’s team.

As in last week. And the week before. And the week before that.

Now, the sweet smell of success, with the Miami Heat extending their winning streak to three with Thursday night’s 122-112 decision over the Atlanta Hawks at Kaseya Center.

No, not the drama of...Read more

SAN FRANCISCO — Florida finally looked like a No. 1 seed — for a half, at least.

It was more than enough to move past Maryland, 87-71, in the Sweet 16 Thursday at the Chase Center. To get back to the Final Four, the Gators will need play their best basketball for a longer stretch Saturday.

Coach Todd Golden, back in San Francisco for the ...Read more

CHICAGO — The end can come from anywhere, the Lakers showing the Pacers on Wednesday that until the final tick of the clock, the game can change.

It was a sweet feeling, LeBron James slipping in to tip in the game-winner with 0.1 on the clock. The hope was that the moment would give the Lakers a push, the kind of victory that could erase a ...Read more

ORLANDO, Fla. — When the Magic lost to the Mavericks by 23 points in the seventh game of the season, it was just Orlando's second without Paolo Banchero, who went on to miss 34 games due to a torn right abdominal muscle.

Thursday night at Kia Center, Banchero put on full display what Dallas missed in November when the Magic forward led all ...Read more

NEW YORK — Another NBA meeting, another time when discussions of expansion were brushed aside by the league’s owners in favor of other topics.

The wait on substantive action surrounding expansion continues. The wait on the possible return of the SuperSonics goes on.

“No new developments,” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said following ...Read more

MIAMI — The curious Miami Heat case of Cookie Monster vs. the Grouch continues to play out years after the fact, with Pat Riley cast in the role of Oscar and LeBron James as Cookie Monster.

What started as a benign reflection by former Heat guard Dwyane Wade about the steps Riley, in his role as Heat president, has taken to maintain his ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — The Lakers have signed guard Jordan Goodwin, who has been on a two-way contract since Feb. 7, for the rest of the season Thursday with a team option for next season.

To make room on the roster, the Lakers waived forward Cam Reddish.

Goodwin, 26, recently cemented himself in the Lakers' rotation. He used up all of his allotted ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — The Sparks are retiring franchise star Candace Parker's No. 3 jersey at Crypto.com Arena during halftime of a game against the Chicago Sky on June 29, the team announced Thursday.

The forward won three WNBA championships, including the Sparks' third title in 2016. During her 13-year Sparks tenure, Parker was named WNBA MVP (2008...Read more

Stephen Curry is set to make $55.77 million this season from the Golden State Warriors, the most in the NBA by more than $4.5 million.

Apparently, he’s still underpaid.

Once upon a time, the Warriors used to be able to win entire playoff series without their best player. But with Curry sidelined with a pelvis injury for the last two games, ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — Cinderella, who elevated underdogs, cut down juggernauts, and cultivated drama, surprise, and joy within the NCAA Tournament for more than three quarters of a century, died earlier this week after a long battle with money and modernity. She was 78.

An inspiration for the term "March Madness," now widely recognized as the ...Read more

When Kentucky plays Tennessee on Friday night in a Midwest Regional semifinal game at Lucas Oil Stadium, it will be the latest chapter in a roller coaster ride of UK NCAA Tournament games in Indianapolis.

A Hoosier-state history:

The Rick Pitino era

— 1997 Final Four: The No. 1 seed in the West Regional, Kentucky beat Midwest Regional No. 1...Read more

The Celtics didn’t need Jayson Tatum to steamroll the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday night.

With Tatum sitting out after spraining his ankle two nights earlier, Boston rode big nights from Kristaps Porzingis and Jaylen Brown a 132-102 win at PHX Arena.

It was the seventh consecutive victory for the streaking Celtics, who are 12-1 in their last 13...Read more

SAN FRANCISCO — Maryland and the Bay Area have a few things in common.

They’re both on the coast. They both love basketball.

And they both love seafood — especially crab. San Francisco famously boasts local Dungeness crab caught in the Pacific Ocean. Maryland adores blue crabs fished out of the Atlantic.

This week, the two crab-crazed ...Read more

DENVER — The Porter quarter hasn’t been worth a buffalo nickel since the All-Star break.

The Nuggets remain concerning, exhilarating and frustrating, one night playing like a parade is in their future, and the next dissolving into an unserious contender.

They are in trouble – but not just for the reason we all know (their fickle interest...Read more

DENVER — Michael Malone could have just shown the Nuggets a video of Steve Kerr’s recent postgame news conference in lieu of giving a pep talk.

It was nine days since Malone’s Nuggets had stormed into Golden State without Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray and held a wire-to-wire lead, prompting Kerr to declare that “we got what we deserved....Read more

PHILADELPHIA — The 76ers are still trudging along with their plan.

Maybe it will work. Maybe it won’t.

When it became obvious this season was indeed a disaster, the Sixers pledged to do whatever to keep their first-round pick, which is top-six protected. That involved shutting down and resting key players in favor of a makeshift roster ...Read more

NEW YORK — And then there was one.

The Knicks were already down their two top point guards entering Wednesday’s matchup against the Los Angeles Clippers, the second leg of a back-to-back following Tuesday’s victory over the Dallas Mavericks.

Then veteran guard Cameron Payne — starting for the injured Jalen Brunson — tweaked his right...Read more