PORTLAND, Ore. — Before the Los Angeles Lakers took the court Saturday night, they added two more starters and a key reserve to the injured list. But the Lakers still had LeBron James and they hoped he could carry them past Portland.

Starters Luka Doncic (left groin soreness) and Deandre Ayton (left knee soreness) did not play. In the fourth...Read more

DENVER — Two weeks after he initially returned to action from a left ankle injury, Christian Braun’s ability to play remains in flux for the short-handed Denver Nuggets.

Braun missed his fourth consecutive game Saturday night, a 121-115 win over the Washington Wizards at Ball Arena, but he hasn’t re-injured the ankle or suffered any ...Read more

SAN FRANCISCO — Playing without Jimmy Butler at Chase Center on Saturday night, the Warriors looked to unexpected places for an offensive spark against the Hornets.

Butler was a late scratch and replaced by rookie Will Richard in the starting lineup. The Warriors later announced that Butler, who scored 32 points against the Timberwolves on ...Read more

DETROIT — The Detroit Pistons put together a convincing 121-78 victory over the Indiana Pacers Saturday night. The Pacers entered Little Caesars Arena missing seven of their key players because of injuries. As a result, the Pistons won from start to finish, securing their largest victory of the season.

Cade Cunningham and Duncan Robinson led ...Read more

The Atlanta Hawks sure could have used All-Defensive guard Dyson Daniels to defend Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown Saturday night. But with Daniels sitting out the game due to an ankle injury, Brown torched every other member of the Hawks who tried to guard him.

Brown, a Georgia native who certainly enjoyed his homecoming trip to Atlanta as ...Read more

PITTSBURGH — Before the two programs had made four combined coaching changes, Louisville rewrote the Pitt record books with a 106-51 victory at the Petersen Events Center on Jan. 24, 2017. For nearly a decade, that game stood alone as the worst home loss in Pitt men’s basketball history, a low watermark for the already disastrous Kevin ...Read more

NEW YORK — With 9:04 remaining in the fourth quarter of a consequential matchup against the Phoenix Suns on Saturday, the Madison Square Garden crowd — peppered with Knicks alumni from years past and present — began clamoring for their home team to grab a hold of the rope.

“Let’s go, Knicks,” fans chanted in an attempt to will their...Read more

DENVER — Like a quarterback reading the defensive coverage before the snap, Nikola Jokic barked orders to his teammates. He called out what he saw as the 76ers positioned themselves, signaling with his hands how he expected them to move.

Except that he wasn’t preparing to inbound the ball or defend a screen. He was dressed in a gray ...Read more

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — When Kentucky went into the locker room at halftime Saturday at Thompson-Boling Arena down 42-31 to No. 24 Tennessee, Denzel Aberdeen had the Volunteers right where he wanted them.

For the second-straight game, Aberdeen turned in a stellar second half and led the Wildcats to their second-straight improbable road comeback ...Read more

SEATTLE — Michigan State might’ve been more than 2,000 miles from home on Saturday, but Alaska Airlines Arena sure felt like home for the Spartans. From the time players trotted onto the court for warm-ups to the time the final buzzer sounded on a fourth straight victory, Michigan State felt friendly confines in Seattle.

Powered by a big ...Read more

ORLANDO, Fla. — UCF students poured into the Addition Financial Arena about an hour before tipoff, bringing with them an undeniable energy that comes with the anticipation of what they were about to witness.

The student section filled up quickly, prompting the public address announcer to ask the students to pack in tighter to accommodate as ...Read more

The Michigan Wolverines’ maiden Big Ten voyage to the Pacific Northwest was a successful one.

A few days after beating Washington in Seattle, No. 4 Michigan completed the two-game swing with an 81-71 win over undermanned Oregon on Saturday at Matthew Knight Arena.

Elliot Cadeau scored 17, Nimari Burnett 15 and Aday Mara 12 for Michigan (16-1...Read more

BERKELEY, Calif. — Caleb Wilson isn’t one to hide his emotions. This California trip has been no different. Following Wednesday’s upset loss at Stanford, the freshman said he was “frustrated” and hates “losing when we don’t have to.”

The Tar Heels followed that up with their worst loss of the season Saturday at Cal, an 84-78 ...Read more

Florida team managers forgot to pack Xaivian Lee’s jersey for the Gators’ visit to Vanderbilt.

But UF’s struggling shooting guard found his game to help deliver a 98-94 win against the No. 10 Commodores and finish on the road, where Todd Golden’s Gators have come up short late in games.

Lee’s 3-pointer with 45 seconds gave No. 19 ...Read more

After a couple of near-misses at home, the Minnesota men’s basketball team had a tough test back on the road against one of the Big Ten’s better teams.

The Gophers stayed close for about three quarters of the game, but No. 13 Illinois pulled away in the final 11 minutes for a 77-67 victory on Saturday in Champaign, Ill.

The victory was the...Read more

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — In each of the past three basketball seasons, the Kentucky Wildcats walked into Thompson-Boling Arena as underdogs and left as upset winners.

The Cats did it again Saturday afternoon.

Denzel Aberdeen and Otega Oweh hit layups in the final minute to lead Kentucky back from a 17-point deficit, and the Cats stunned No. 24 ...Read more

WASHINGTON – The UConn men’s basketball team escaped with another tight victory on a rough shooting afternoon at Capital One Arena Saturday, holding on in the final minute to beat Georgetown, 64-62.

UConn built a lead of as many as 10 points in the first half but lost its momentum after point guard Silas Demary Jr. went out with foul ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — In a city where he has played for the longest stretch of his life, LeBron James should be considered one of the greatest Lakers ever.

Yet, by most accounts, he's barely in the top 10.

James set the career scoring record here, set the career longevity record here, and won a long-awaited NBA championship here.

Yet he is ...Read more