Aaron Bradshaw filled the doughnut hole. Did he ever. With Tyrese Maxey and Immanuel Quickley cheering him on from the front row of the Wells Fargo Center, Kentucky’s 7-foot-1 freshman scored 17 points, grabbed 11 rebounds and blocked three shots as the Wildcats defeated Penn 81-66 on Saturday.

This, it should be noted, was just what Kentucky...Read more

Sporting his namesake golden sneakers and uttering things in that usual boisterous tone, LaMelo Ball keeps switching areas behind the 3-point line, maneuvering to all seven predetermined spots.

Terry Rozier and Miles Bridges were also enlisted in the shooting competition, firing off jumpers and choice words seemingly in unison as they kept ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — It’s not just the name that’s familiar.

Watching Bronny James sprint down the court for a right-handed chase-down block brought immediate flashbacks to his namesake father’s highlight-reel plays. But on Sunday, less than five months after collapsing on the court during a workout, the moment belonged to Bronny.

The USC ...Read more

SEATTLE — As a mass of purple-donned fans spilled from their seats to the Alaska Airlines Arena floor, Franck Kepnang bounced up and down in a moshpit at midcourt.

The Huskies big man didn’t want to leave this and soaked it all in, which was fitting considering he was instrumental in Washington’s 78-73 upset win over No. 7 Gonzaga on ...Read more

LAS VEGAS — The skepticism had long disappeared, replaced with the kind of toughness, focus and intensity that’s traditionally reserved for the playoffs.

The NBA In-Season Tournament injected life into the Lakers, forcing them to accelerate their process to meet the challenge.

The prize money, $500,000 to each player on the winning team, ...Read more

ATLANTA — Hawks guard Trae Young will have to pay for confronting an official at the end of the team’s loss to the Nets on Wednesday.

Joe Dumars, executive vice president and head of basketball operations for the NBA, announced Saturday that the league fined Young $25,000 for confronting and directing inappropriate language toward a game ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — At some point soon, valiant showings against quality competition in tough environments aren’t going to be enough.

UCLA arrived here needing not just a quality effort but a victory. Near-upsets against Marquette and Gonzaga in the Maui Invitational that might have boosted spirits did little for the Bruins’ early NCAA ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — Kentucky bounced back from one upset loss by avoiding another Saturday afternoon.

The No. 16-ranked Wildcats defeated the Penn Quakers, 81-66, at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, the team’s first game since being upset in Rupp Arena by underdog UNC Wilmington last weekend.

Like UNCW, the Quakers came into the day as ...Read more

STORRS, Conn. — UConn may have its own pair of splash brothers.

Alex Karaban and Cam Spencer combined to shoot 11 of 15 from beyond the 3-point line as the Huskies clicked late and sprinted to a 101-63 rout of Arkansas Pine Bluff inside Gampel Pavilion on Saturday.

UConn had just a one-possession lead with less than three minutes left in the...Read more

DURHAM, N.C. — Having one starter not in uniform and seeing another hobble to the bench in the second half didn’t keep No. 22 Duke from ending a two-game losing streak on Saturday.

Behind Jared McCain’s 21 points and 18 from Jeremy Roach, the Blue Devils toppled Charlotte, 80-56, at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

Coming off consecutive road ...Read more

Anthony Edwards started Friday's game for the Timberwolves, but he wasn't long for the evening.

After landing out of bounds during a play in the first quarter, Edwards checked out because of the right hip pointer that caused him to miss two of the previous three games, and the Wolves had to complete the night without him.

That wasn't much of a...Read more

BOSTON — While it was not ideal that Kristaps Porzingis injured his calf, his four-game absence allowed the Celtics to play and grow in different ways. Others stepped up into bigger opportunities as the C’s continued to win, something that could benefit them in the long run.

But there’s no question, the Celtics are at their best when ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — Of course, the game had some intrigue. That’s the 76ers’ way.

The struggling Atlanta Hawks came into Wells Fargo Center without two-time All-Star point guard Trae Young. They also were losers of four of their last five games.

Meanwhile, the Sixers had their full allotment of players on what is one of the league’s deepest...Read more

MIAMI — Bam Adebayo, Tyler Herro and Haywood Highsmith again were out. This time, it also was as if Jimmy Butler wasn’t there.

For the Miami Heat, even after an early 16-point lead Friday night at Kaseya Center, that was too much to overcome.

So no traction after Wednesday night’s road victory over the Toronto Raptors. Instead, a 111-99...Read more

NEW YORK — There is a reason why Nets head coach Jacque Vaughn was intent on not overlooking the Washington Wizards.

After winning one of the most seesaw contests in NBA history on Wednesday night in Atlanta, Friday’s Eastern Conference matchup at Barclays Center had all the makings of a trap game for Brooklyn, who entered the night as ...Read more

ORLANDO, Fla. — Another one bites the dust.

The Pistons were overwhelmed by the Orlando Magic in an ugly 123-89 loss on Friday night, which extended their franchise-record single-season losing streak to 19 games.

For seemingly every missed shot, there was a turnover made shortly after that made matters worse for the Pistons. For missed ...Read more