ORLANDO, Fla. — Until now, these past few years of Miami Heat speculation when it came to Giannis Antetokounmpo largely was fool’s errand.

Until now.

Because for all the previous lust — and it was ample — there was no reason for small-market Milwaukee to even consider moving the most coveted asset of any small-market NBA team, a bona ...Read more

TORONTO — Of course.

Stuck between trying to extend his record streak of 1,297 consecutive games with 10 or more points or passing to an open Rui Hachimura to take the potential winning shot, LeBron James made the right play.

Because that’s what he’s done for 23 years in the NBA.

James’ assist on Hachimura’s buzzer-beating three-...Read more

TORONTO — The King’s reign is over, but the Lakers started a new, more important winning streak.

LeBron James’ 18-year, 1,297-game streak of 10 or more points ended on Thursday in the Lakers’ 123-120 win over the Toronto Raptors as the 40-year-old finished with eight points on 4-of-17 shooting.

James last scored in single digits on Jan...Read more

NEW YORK — Noah Clowney delivered another breakout performance with 29 points and career highs in free throws made (10) and attempted (12), but it still wasn’t enough. The Utah Jazz surged in the fourth quarter to snap Brooklyn’s two-game win streak and send the Nets to a 5-17 record after a 123-110 win.

And for most of the night, it ...Read more

NEW ORLEANS – The Timberwolves didn’t learn their lesson from a lackluster victory Tuesday against the Western Conference’s worst team.

In a rematch between the Wolves and Pelicans, the Wolves again lacked an interest in playing consistent defense, but they did enough to come away with a 125-116 victory, their fourth consecutive victory. ...Read more

If there was an ideal night for Jaylen Brown to miss his first game of the season, Thursday was it.

The Celtics didn’t need their No. 1 option to get past the last-place Wizards, coasting to a 146-101 victory at Capital One Arena. It was the third straight win and eighth in the last 10 games for Boston, which improved to 13-9 and climbed to ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA – Missing their two best players and facing a Sixers team wearing throwback 2001 jerseys, the Warriors paid tribute to the early-2000s Warriors by losing 99-98 and falling under .500, albeit in a spirited effort.

VJ Edgecombe won the game for the Sixers on a put-back, and De’Anthony Melton’s last-second layup on the leak-out ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — After surviving a fiery car wreck last spring, then injuring his knee last summer, USC star freshman Alijah Arenas could finally return to the court as soon as January, according to Trojans coach Eric Musselman.

Musselman said Thursday that Arenas' rehab from knee surgery was "going phenomenally."

The five-star freshman's ...Read more

Perhaps Steve Kerr is trying to manifest a reality that doesn’t exist.

Because if the Warriors coach has said it once this season, he’s said it a dozen times: He believes this group can be a top-tier defensive unit. He says it with conviction. He says it like it’s a foregone conclusion, just waiting for the rest of us to catch up.

I’m ...Read more

NEW YORK — The Knicks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo timeline just got moved to the front of the line — and that’s a problem, because New York isn’t ready for the moment it has spent years trying to create.

In the version of reality the Knicks were banking on, Antetokounmpo would play out this season, see whether the Bucks could avoid a ...Read more

HOUSTON — A strong first half wasn’t enough for the Sacramento Kings to overcome one of the best teams in the Western Conference.

A one-point halftime lead turned into a 26-point loss at the Toyota Center on Wednesday night, as the Houston Rockets were led by three 20-point scorers while the Kings were doomed by another lackluster third ...Read more

For the first time all season, the Brooklyn Nets are stacking wins. Behind another explosive start from Michael Porter Jr. and one of their sharpest defensive halves of the season, Brooklyn held off the Chicago Bulls 113-103 Wednesday night at United Center to secure their second straight victory and their first back-to-back wins of the year.

...Read more

INDIANAPOLIS — Jamal Murray’s ankle is fine.

He couldn’t play through the pain 48 hours earlier. It might’ve been contagious to the rest of the Denver Nuggets. “I think he felt like he was hurting us more than he was helping us,” coach David Adelman reflected Wednesday night. But the absence of Murray proved just as painful during a...Read more

ORLANDO, Fla. — Before the Orlando Magic battled the Spurs Wednesday night, San Antonio coach Mitch Johnson was asked what time his team made it to their hotel room in Orlando after hosting the Memphis Grizzlies on Tuesday.

His answer?

Around 3 o’clock in the morning.

Although Jamahl Mosley‘s squad held a rest advantage entering the ...Read more

NEW YORK — The Knicks keep building big leads. They also keep coughing them up.

It’s become the defining — and increasingly troubling — pattern for a team that beat the Charlotte Hornets, 119-104, on the second night of a back-to-back on Wednesday.

New York has now won five of its last six, the lone loss coming in Boston on Tuesday.

...Read more

MILWAUKEE — The Detroit Pistons once held an 18-point lead (27-9) over the Milwaukee Bucks with 3:02 left in the first quarter.

At the time, it appeared that the Pistons were on the verge of a blowout victory, especially given that the Bucks lost Giannis Antetokounmpo three minutes into the game. However, the Pistons were unable to maintain ...Read more

Giannis Antetokounmpo’s time in Milwaukee could be nearing an end.

Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks have begun discussing whether it makes sense for the two-time NBA MVP to continue his career somewhere else, according to ESPN.

The sides are reportedly expected to decide in the coming weeks whether Antetokounmpo’s future is in ...Read more

LEXINGTON, Ky. — When Kentucky big man Brandon Garrison sank a 3-pointer from the top of the key with 13:08 remaining in Tuesday night’s ACC/SEC Challenge showdown with North Carolina, it was notable because it was the first Wildcats made trey of the game.

What was not known as Garrison’s jumper nestled through the net was that the 20,029...Read more

LOS ANGELES — At about the one-quarter mark of their season, the Lakers sit second in the Western Conference with a 15-5 record. The 61-win pace would be the team's best year since 2008-09, but the Lakers aren't satisfied yet.

"There's a lot of slices of pizza left in the box that we can still get after," coach JJ Redick said.

Here are four ...Read more