PHILADELPHIA — It was a little jarring to see the reaction that Jared McCain got the other night when he checked into a game against the Houston Rockets for his first minutes as a member of the Oklahoma City Thunder. The home crowd sure didn’t sound like one that thought the Sixers had sold high on McCain, as Daryl Morey contended the ...Read more

The newest Cavalier and the face of Cleveland’s franchise broke Denver hearts at the last minute.

James Harden buried an improbable game-tying 3-pointer with a hand in his face and 31.4 seconds left, then Donovan Mitchell barreled into Jamal Murray to draw a blocking foul with 0.9 seconds to go, putting him at the line for a pair of decisive ...Read more

SAN FRANCISCO – Warriors-Grizzlies: a game once synonymous with animus and mutual disdain. Defined by playoff series, sound bites and hard fouls on national TV.

But the visitors from Memphis were a husk of that outfit, a cavalcade of new faces and Golden State castoffs being observed by the ghost of Ja Morant garbed in street clothes. But ...Read more

It’s hard to fathom what happened Monday night in Allen Fieldhouse.

That’s become a theme for this Kansas men’s basketball team.

This squad doesn’t care if they’re the underdogs, they just find a way to win. The Jayhawks didn’t even have star freshman Darryn Peterson against undefeated and No. 1 Arizona in a game they were ...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS — Minnesota Timberwolves coach Chris Finch mentioned before the team’s game against the Atlanta Hawks on Monday night that he and the coaching staff were taking a positive approach in light of the Wolves’ recent funk. He said they were trying to remind the players of how good of a team they can be.

For a night, at least, the ...Read more

BOSTON — Jayson Tatum has ticked another box on his Achilles comeback checklist.

In a team statement, the Celtics announced Tatum would be “assigned to participate in portions of the Maine Celtics practice at the Auerbach Center” on Monday afternoon. Maine is Boston’s G League team.

After the practice, Tatum “will be immediately ...Read more

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Detroit Pistons ended the Charlotte Hornets' nine-game winning streak with a fight-filled 110-104 victory inside Spectrum Center on Monday.

The game was overshadowed by a fight that broke out midway through the third quarter. At the 7:09 mark of the third quarter, Hornets center Moussa Diabate fouled Jalen Duren, who was...Read more

NEW YORK — Michael Porter Jr. was out. Egor Dëmin was, too. For most of this season, that combination has spelled trouble for the Brooklyn Nets but Monday felt different.

Behind forceful nights from Nic Claxton, who scored a career-high 28 points, and Noah Clowney, who added 22, and with three rookies taking full advantage of their minutes, ...Read more

MIAMI – The low point of this Miami Heat season?

Welcome to it, when Erik Spoelstra’s team on Monday night lost to a team that was trying to lose.

Given every opportunity to string together only their second winning streak since early January, the Heat disastrously declined the gift, falling 115-111 to the Utah Jazz at Kaseya Center.

...Read more

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — N.C. State basketball coach Will Wade, wearing a tired and somewhat resigned expression, looked at the videoboard and made a “T” sign with his hands 76 seconds into the second half. Timeout.

Wade was trying to stop the snowball, but it was too late.

No. 24 Louisville, after shooting 8 of 11 from 3 in the first half, ...Read more

ORLANDO, Fla. — The Orlando Magic welcomed back Franz Wagner to Kia Center Monday, and his return sparked a big third quarter that boosted his team past the Milwaukee Bucks.

Orlando captured its third straight victory, 118-99, over the Bucks behind a combined 51 points from Anthony Black (26) and Desmond Bane (25).

The game swung in the ...Read more

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Detroit Pistons and Charlotte Hornets were involved in a significant altercation inside Spectrum Center on Monday night. At the 7:09 mark of the third quarter, Hornets center Moussa Diabate fouled Jalen Duren while he was attempting a layup. This incident led to a heated exchange between the two players, which escalated ...Read more

CHAPEL HILL, N.C.— Duke coach Jon Scheyer said Monday morning that the Blue Devils staff member injured during North Carolina fans’ court storming Saturday night is “doing better” and did not suffer serious harm, while reiterating concerns about safety in chaotic postgame celebrations.

Speaking on the ACC’s weekly coaches call, ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — Daryl Morey tried his best during Friday’s 28-minute press conference to convince people that trading Jared McCain was good for the 76ers.

But the Sixers president of basketball operations could have spoken for 28 days, and it wouldn’t have changed folks’ minds that this deal was made to save money.

No matter how much ...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS — The Timberwolves look broken.

Broken from a basketball perspective and broken in terms of their spirit.

The Wolves just don’t look like they enjoy playing basketball, and that has been the case for much of the last six weeks. Each time it looks like they snap out of a funk, they go right back in one. It’s not just that they...Read more

DENVER — Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray has agreed to compete in the NBA 3-point contest at All-Star weekend next Saturday, the league announced.

Murray will already be at the festivities in Los Angeles, making his first career All-Star appearance alongside Nuggets teammate Nikola Jokic.

Five players who were voted into the All-Stars Game...Read more

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — The ACC fined North Carolina $50,000 for violating the league’s event security policy after fans rushed the court following the Tar Heels’ 71-68 win over Duke on Saturday at the Dean E. Smith Center, the conference announced Sunday night.

Blue Devils coach Jon Scheyer said staff members got punched in the face during ...Read more

WASHINGTON – Yes, another early 22-point lead, just like Friday night in Boston.

But actually nothing like that blown 22-point lead against the Celtics, considering this was against a team again prioritizing its annual race to the bottom of the standings, and therefore top of the lottery.

So little worry for the Miami Heat in this one amid ...Read more

COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Michigan Wolverines ended the week the same way they started it — with a regular-season series sweep.

Three days after beating Penn State for the second time in the Big Ten play, No. 2 Michigan repeated the feat and swept the home-and-home series with rival Ohio State.

What made Sunday’s 82-61 win over the Buckeyes ...Read more