LOS ANGELES — He didn’t miss it this time.

Luka Doncic recorded his first 50-point game of the season Thursday, hitting two late free throws as the crowd at Crypto.com Arena showered him with “MVP” chants in the fourth quarter. Doncic checked out with 1:41 remaining to a standing ovation with 51 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists to ...Read more

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — “Fight! Fight! Fight!”

Midway through the second half in Charlotte, with his team down by double-digits and continuing to fade deeper into a deficit, that’s what UNC coach Hubert Davis kept yelling at his team from the sidelines. He needed them to fight. To punch back. To claw, if they had to.

But in the second ...Read more

The last two NBA champions — and current betting favorites to meet in this year’s Finals — squared off Thursday night in Oklahoma City.

The result: thriller worthy of the game’s biggest stage.

The Celtics pushed the Thunder to the brink despite playing without starters Jayson Tatum and Derrick White and key reserve Nikola Vucevic, but ...Read more

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — As Kansas coach Bill Self barked orders from the sideline inside T-Mobile Center, the tide was starting to turn.

Slowly, KU’s defense began to force the TCU Horned Frogs into bad shots and costly mistakes. A game that was a total dogfight to begin the Jayhawks’ postseason turned into a quintessential Bill Self win.

...Read more

MIAMI — The Heat did not get an 83-point performance from Bam Adebayo on Thursday, but they did not need one.

Despite Adebayo falling 62 points short of his Tuesday total, Miami rolled to its seventh consecutive victory, beating Milwaukee, 112-105, at the Kaseya Center in Miami behind second-year guard Pelle Larsson’s career-high 28 points....Read more

ORLANDO Fla. — Roughly nine days ago at Kia Center, the Magic took down the Wizards to jumpstart a season-long five-game winning streak.

But hosting Washington for the first time since the Southeast Division foe allowed Miami’s Bam Adebayo score 83 points on Tuesday, Orlando was aware the Wizards would likely come out with extra energy ...Read more

Before tip at State Farm Arena, the Nets announced reserve center Day’Ron Sharpe has been diagnosed with an ulnar collateral ligament tear in his left thumb, that he’ll need surgery, and that he’ll miss the rest of the regular season. It was the news of the night, especially given how much Sharpe had become part of the Nets’ nightly ...Read more

DETROIT — During the second quarter, there was a moment when Philadelphia 76ers coach Nick Nurse was filled with excitement. This moment occurred at the 2:23 mark when 76ers forward Justin Edwards stole the ball from Cade Cunningham and capped off the play with a two-handed dunk.

Edwards' basket brought the 76ers within six points; however, ...Read more

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — No. 1 and top-seeded Duke came to Charlotte believing it could win another ACC Tournament title even with two starters, Caleb Foster and Patrick Ngongba II, out with injuries.

No. 8 seed Florida State became the first team to make the Devils prove they can do it.

The Blue Devils did, but it took all 40 minutes before Duke ...Read more

MIAMI — While the Heat were celebrating Bam Adebayo’s record-setting, 83-point performance, the larger sports world was reacting with less enthusiasm.

ESPN commentator Chris “Mad Dog” Russo called it a “complete disgrace.” Fellow ESPN analyst Tim McMahon said, “It was honestly just awful, hideous, disgusting basketball down the ...Read more

Down 18 points with 13 minutes left, it must have felt like déjà vu for the never-say-die Washington Huskies, who overcame a 13-point deficit 24 hours earlier to survive and advance in their first Big Ten Tournament appearance.

“We were just never out of it,” sophomore guard Zoom Diallo said. “It’s not over until it’s triple zeros. ...Read more

NEW YORK — There wasn’t another fight in Thursday afternoon’s rematch between St. John’s and Providence.

Not in the literal sense, nor in a basketball sense.

Behind smothering first-half defense and double-doubles from Zuby Ejiofor and Bryce Hopkins, St. John’s cruised past Providence, 85-72, at Madison Square Garden to advance to ...Read more

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Beating a team three times is hard. So is losing to the same team.

N.C. State can apparently do hard things, but not in the way it wants.

The No. 7 seed Wolfpack ended its ACC Tournament on Thursday in the quarterfinal round after falling to No. 2 seed Virginia, 81-74, for the third time this season.

N.C. State head coach ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Stating that she fears for her life, Sparks forward Rickea Jackson has filed a petition for protection against her ex-boyfriend, Atlanta Falcons edge rusher James Pearce Jr.

Miami-Dade (Fla.) County Judge Heloiza Correa granted Jackson's initial request for protection Feb. 9, and a permanent injunction hearing is set for April ...Read more

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Did the Big 12 tournament’s new court cause an injury to star Texas Tech guard Christian Anderson?

The first-team All-Big 12 selection was attempting to free himself in order to receive an inbound pass after an Iowa State basket on Thursday when he slipped and appeared to injury his groin during a game at T-Mobile Center....Read more

KANSAS CITY, Mo.— A mere three years ago in Madison Square Garden, Jerome Tang’s first Kansas State team fended off Michigan State 98-93 in overtime to advance to within a game of the school’s first Final Four since 1964.

It was an exhilarating scene, amplified by Markquis Nowell’s tournament-record 19 assists (and 20 points), one of ...Read more

The Nuggets haven’t looked like those Nuggets for quite a while now.

They were in a 6-7 funk that included an embarrassing 39-point home loss to the Knicks last Friday.

But their 129-93 blowout of the Rockets in a Western Conference showdown Wednesday night at Ball Arena conjured up memories of the healthy, dynamic team that opened the ...Read more

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Wednesday spelled coach Bobby Hurley’s final game after 11 seasons at Arizona State, but he was ready to depart with his head held high.

“I haven’t spoken directly about my future, or next year, to this point,” Hurley said shortly before his expected ouster was officially announced. “But I don’t have any regrets...Read more