LEXINGTON, Ky. — When fans packed Rupp Arena to the rafters two Sundays ago for Mark Pope’s public introduction as Kentucky Wildcats men’s basketball coach, ex-UK star Vernon Hatton, 88, and his wife Suzanne were among those in the crowd.

“I wouldn’t have missed that, hardly, for anything,” Hatton said Wednesday.

Though Hatton and...Read more

The Timberwolves weren't going to win their first playoff series since 2004 the easy way, but after sweeping Phoenix with a 122-116 victory in Game 4, the Wolves are advancing to the second round of the playoffs for just the second time in franchise history.

The game featured another mythmaking performance from Anthony Edwards, who scored 40 ...Read more

LAS VEGAS -- The Las Vegas Aces held their first training camp practice Sunday without one of the most recognizable faces from last year’s team.

Forward Candace Parker, one of the WNBA’s all-time greats, announced on her Instagram account Sunday morning she was retiring. The Aces confirmed Parker’s decision on social media.

“The Las ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA -- The Knicks-Sixers series has been a showcase for Philadelphia basketball — and there are few better ambassadors of the city than South Carolina coach Dawn Staley.

Staley won her second championship with the Gamecocks earlier this month, and the proud North Philly native rang the bell ahead of the Sixers’ Game 4 matchup at ...Read more

Coach Michael Malone is a numbers guy.

Of course, he knows that his Nuggets lead the Lakers 3-1 and can close out the first-round playoff series Monday night at Ball Arena. But he’s also acutely aware of statistical trends floating like icebergs, threatening Denver’s voyage toward a second straight NBA championship.

Such as:

• The ...Read more

While fielding questions after his team's victory over the Denver Nuggets, Lakers coach Darvin Ham asked a question of his own.

"Why not us?" he asked.

Why not the Lakers?

Why can't the Lakers be the first in NBA history to come back from a 3-0 deficit in a playoff series?

In their 119-108 victory in Game 4, the Lakers proved what was ...Read more

DENVER -- Nuggets point guard Jamal Murray is listed as questionable for Game 5 against the Los Angeles Lakers due to a left calf strain, according to the team’s injury report Sunday.

Murray was seen nursing his calf early in the fourth quarter of Game 4 on Saturday night, but he did not leave the game. His jump shot has struggled in Denver�...Read more

BOSTON — Chicago Cubs left-hander Jordan Wicks knows he must be smart early in the season.

It doesn’t make the current situation any less frustrating for Wicks, who was put on the 15-day injured list Sunday with a left forearm strain. Wicks becomes the third Cubs starting pitcher currently on the IL. The Cubs made three other moves before ...Read more

DALLAS — The Clippers were missing their main cog, the absence of Kawhi Leonard because of right knee inflammation and swelling for Game 4 leaving the group shorthanded in what was deemed a potential series-altering playoff encounter.

But these were the moments why the Clippers acquired James Harden, why the Clippers acquired another future ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — Josh Hart pointed at the Sixers’ bench and called timeout for them.

76ers head coach Nick Nurse followed suit.

He had no choice.

Jalen Brunson had just made the game, and potentially series-winning bucket, and the Sixers needed to regroup.

They will have plenty of time to do so in Cancun, or wherever their vacation plans ...Read more

MIAMI -- The Miami Heat always believes it has enough to compete. But the question the Heat faces at the moment is does it have enough to win its first-round playoff series against the loaded Boston Celtics?

Already playing without its best player in Jimmy Butler (sprained MCL) and another important starter in Terry Rozier (neck spasms), the ...Read more

MIAMI -- Three-point shooting was at the center of the Miami Heat’s only win through the first three games of its first-round playoff series against the Boston Celtics. But three-point shooting has also been one of the big talking points for the Heat after both of its losses during the series.

Three-point shooting is that important for the ...Read more

North Carolina is getting one of the nation’s top college basketball transfers.

Cade Tyson, a Union County native, is transferring from Belmont to North Carolina. He’ll take his final exam at Belmont next week, and expects to leave for Chapel Hill on May 15.

Tyson, 20, said he chose the Tar Heels over Tennessee.

“Honestly,” Tyson said...Read more

HARTFORD, Conn. — The UConn men’s basketball staff contacted Liam McNeeley shortly after he decommitted from Indiana on March 7. The Huskies finished their regular season with a win at Providence two days later, then won the Big East Tournament and earned the top overall seed in the NCAA Tournament, which they won for the second consecutive ...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS — The NBA has its share of downsides when judging North America's major sports. You can start with the excessive influence of officiating, which can produce 25% of the points put on the scoreboard through free throws.

There is also the willingness of select players to miss games with the slightest of irritations, or teams to hold ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — LeBron James, in the Lakers’ white uniform, stood at the scorer’s table, filled his hands with chalk and tossed it into the evening air — the same as always.

Yet Saturday, even if it was like the previous 11 meetings with the Denver Nuggets, was always going to be different.

Before Saturday, a loss didn’t mean the ...Read more

MIAMI — The Boston Celtics offered a reminder Saturday night at Kaseya Center of why they finished the season with the NBA’s best record and entered this opening-round Eastern Conference playoff series against the Miami Heat as overwhelming favorites.

While there won’t be a sweep after the Heat’s shocking Game 2 victory Wednesday night ...Read more

PHOENIX — There's a fiery nature inside Timberwolves coach Chris Finch that he can often suppress when he speaks to the media before and after games. Players say it can come out in practices, but in public, Finch usually doles out praise and criticism of his team in the same even-keeled, mild manner.

But that fire came out a bit after the ...Read more

PHOENIX – After two dominant games at home, the question for the Minnesota Timberwolves entering Game 3 was if they could keep the same effort on the road.

The Wolves answered that with a resounding yes as they defeated the Phoenix Suns 126-109 on Friday night to take a 3-0 lead with a chance to win their first playoff series since 2004 on ...Read more