DENVER — In a tactic he’s tried dozens of times, Peyton Watson paused during a break in the action and broke the fourth wall, amping up an arena of fans who’ve grown greedy with their team’s start to the season.

They didn’t need the jolt as much as the Denver Nuggets did.

Down as many as 13 points in the fourth quarter, Denver ...Read more

MIAMI — Erik Spoelstra recognized the meaning of the night even before the clock started.

“At the end of the day,” the Miami Heat coach said in his pregame comments, “the No. 1 thing that we have to do is just figure out how to win a game at the end.”

That they did.

Somehow.

Barely.

With the Heat playing in the injury absences of ...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS — When asked recently what he made of his team’s good record against bad teams and bad record against good teams, Minnesota Timberwolves coach Chris Finch said the team could only face who was in front of them.

Well, Monday was another of those nights. In front of them was a depleted Dallas squad, and the Wolves did as they ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — LeBron James said his lungs felt like those of a “newborn baby” and his voice was “already gone” after his first Los Angeles Lakers practice Monday as he moved a step closer toward making his season debut after being sidelined by sciatica.

The Lakers listed James as questionable for Tuesday night against the Utah Jazz at...Read more

NEW ORLEANS — Four from the left wing, one from the right wing, and two more from the Smoothie King Center corner.

Those were the locations of Moses Moody’s seven 3-pointers in the first quarter of Sunday night’s 124-106 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans.

It was just two off Klay Thompson’s all-time record of nine when he scored 37...Read more

The Orlando Magic knew Sunday’s road game at Houston would be an uphill battle without Paolo Banchero (left groin strain) in a meeting between two squads riding three-game winning streaks.

Then, hours before tip-off, Orlando learned it would also be without Jalen Suggs, who was ruled out due to a sore right groin.

But without two of its key ...Read more

SAN ANTONIO — The Sacramento Kings’ woes continued Sunday against old friends in San Antonio.

De’Aaron Fox, Harrison Barnes and the Spurs, who were without French sensation Victor Wembanyama and reigning rookie of the year Stephon Castle for the second half, dealt the visiting Kings their sixth-straight loss, 123-110, in a matinee at ...Read more

BOSTON — The Boston Celtics have blown fourth-quarter leads in four of their seven losses this season. James Harden tried his best to add to that list on Sunday.

Harden scored 18 of his 37 points in the final five minutes — including nine in the last 22 seconds of regulation — as the visiting Clippers cut a 24-point Boston lead to one. ...Read more

MIAMI — As the Miami Heat got off to a hot start and as the Golden State Warriors somewhat stumbled out of the gate (both relative to expectations), the immediate reaction was to assess in the moment.

With Golden State to visit Kaseya Center on Wednesday night, there is something to be said about such timing.

But the Jimmy Butler trade never...Read more

INGLEWOOD, Calif. — The scene Friday night at Intuit Dome might as well have been a salute to a better time in college basketball and its drift toward coast-to-coast conferences. Consider: Regional rivals and their fan bases coming together to try to outplay and outshout each other. Regardless of the result, you walk away feeling better about ...Read more

DETROIT — The Detroit Pistons came out of nowhere last season, suddenly, emphatically. And it’s clear they have no intention of going back.

How good have they been through 13 games? Good enough to have the best record in the Eastern Conference at 11-2. Good enough to post their best start in 20 years, while riding their longest winning ...Read more

MILWAUKEE — The stressful trip grew even more trying for the Lakers when two more core players weren’t able to play in the last leg of a five-game journey that tested L.A. in many ways.

Steady defensive ace Marcus Smart (viral illness) and the solid Rui Hachimura (left calf soreness) missed the second night of back-to-back games Saturday ...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS — In winning four consecutive games, the Timberwolves have been feasting on bad teams.

But Saturday night presented more of a challenge in Denver, who has already beaten the Wolves once this season.

In a 123-112 loss to the Nuggets, on the tail end of a back-to-back, the Wolves kept the pattern alive of falling to the good teams ...Read more

BOSTON — There was no 30-0 run, but the No. 3 UConn men’s basketball team took over about 10 minutes into its return to TD Garden and held on during a thrilling finish for an 86-84 win over No. 7 BYU in its first top-10 matchup of the nonconference season.

Alex Karaban thrived on the Boston Celtics’ home parquet, finishing as one of three...Read more

LAWRENCE, Kan. — All season, Kansas coach Bill Self has pleaded for his big men to play true to their size.

Finally, one did.

Sophomore forward Flory Bidunga showcased a new array of moves on a day the Jayhawks needed the offensive punch. The result was his best college game to date — and a decisive KU victory after a shaky start.

No. 25 ...Read more

SAN ANTONIO, Texas – A historic Steph Curry performance was just enough to lift the Golden State Warriors past San Antonio 109-108 at the Frost Bank Center on Friday.

Curry warmed up in Nike shoes – Kobe’s, to be exact – but changed back to Under Armour Curry’s once the game began, and then slipped into another UA blue pair once the ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — A game of big runs, momentum shifts and high emotions needed a resolution in the renewal of an old rivalry.

It found one in the hands of a player who has been around since UCLA and Arizona were Pac-12 rivals, his late brilliance reviving a chant hated by the Bruins.

"U of A! U of A!"

The Wildcats made themselves at home inside...Read more

NEW ORLEANS — LeBron James is making progress in his return from injury, and that’s a good sign for a Lakers team that has performed unevenly over a five-game trip.

Before the Lakers’ 118-104 win over the New Orleans Pelicans, Lakers coach JJ Redick said James, who has been dealing with sciatica, took part in an individual workout on ...Read more