MILWAUKEE — As “Bucks in six!” chants erupted at the Fiserv Forum, the Nets emptied their bench, and the Bucks connected on a late-game alley-oop from Jrue Holiday to Giannis Antetokounmpo that blew the roof off the arena.

The Nets face an uphill battle to realize their championship dreams in a season mired by the injuries that have been ...Read more

A lot has been made of the No. 5 seed Hawks missing two of their best defenders — De’Andre Hunter and Cam Reddish — for the Eastern Conference semifinal matchup against the top-seeded 76ers, and rightly so.

Reddish has been out since February with right Achilles soreness and on Wednesday Hunter was ruled out for the rest of the playoffs, ...Read more

Suddenly, the Nets are in trouble.

Already down a superstar, Brooklyn lost another when Kyrie Irving’s ankle rolled over to a painful sprain. Then the Nets were bullied and pummeled by the Bucks on Sunday afternoon, 107-96, with Kevin Durant unable to carry the weight by his lonesome.

Only a few days ago, the Nets held a 2-0 series advantage...Read more

ATLANTA — The 76ers have been here before.

Back in 2019, the Sixers lost to the Toronto Raptors in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals. They bounced back to win Games 2 and 3 to take a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series. They didn’t just win Game 3, they pummeled the Raptors, 116-95, on a night Joel Embiid had 33 points, 10 ...Read more

They screamed it.

Late in the first half of the Clippers’ survival second-round playoff game against the Utah Jazz on Saturday night, Paul George hit a trey over Royce O’Neale, spun on his heels and howled all the way back down the court.

They posed it.

Later in the half, George hit another three-pointer, this time over Donovan Mitchell, ...Read more

Back in 2015, when Miami Heat President Pat Riley was a young, impetuous 69-year-old, still living on the edge, he tossed an unprotected first-round pick the Phoenix Suns’ way as part of a package to acquire Goran Dragic.

The gamble with that 2021 selection ultimately came at only a nominal cost, with the Heat securing a playoff berth this ...Read more

LEXINGTON, Ky. — The heir apparent as Kentucky point guard described his approach to basketball as aggressive, assertive, unflinching and unyielding.

"I've always had that attack-you mentality," Sahvir Wheeler said Friday.

To explain the source of this unquenchable desire to triumph, Wheeler went biblical. To be exact, Numbers Chapter 13 is ...Read more

MILWAUKEE — James Harden will not play in Game 4 of the Nets’ second-round series against the Bucks on Sunday, but veteran forward Jeff Green might be available.

Nets head coach Steve Nash listed Green as “questionable” for Game 4, a significant upgrade after his status had not budged since his first-round injury. Green strained the ...Read more

ATLANTA — Danny Green will miss the remainder of the Eastern Conference semifinals, and perhaps the rest of the postseason.

The 76ers small forward suffered a game-ending Grade II right calf strain early in Friday’s Game 3 victory over the Altanta Hawks at State Farm Arena. The best-case scenario is for him to return in two weeks after he�...Read more

NEW YORK — Shortly after ESPN’s NBA pregame show began Thursday evening, panelist Jay Williams looked into the camera and said: “I’m not a liar.” Kevin Durant, warming up in Milwaukee for Nets-Bucks Game No. 3, would not agree.

Last week, Durant accused Williams of lying about a two-year old story the analyst told on national TV and ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — When Serge Ibaka accompanied the Clippers to Dallas earlier this month to watch the sixth game of their first-round playoff series, it raised hope that the 31-year-old center who had battled back from injuries might be available to play again in the postseason.

Instead, with the Clippers returning to Los Angeles having lost ...Read more

LEXINGTON, Ky. — The new No. 1 basketball recruit in the class of 2022 might not stay in that spot for long.

ZagsBlog.com reported Friday that Jalen Duren — a major Kentucky target — is expected to reclassify to 2021 later this summer and announce a decision on his basketball future then.

Duren — a 6-foot-10 center from Philadelphia �...Read more

Imagine you’re a starter for a championship contender, a big man who has made a career for himself as a rim protector, rebounder and finisher at the rim.

Now imagine you’re relegated to the bench in favor of two mid-season additions, neither of whom have historically been the rim protector you have proven yourself to be. You remain on the ...Read more

Venting his frustration after the Jazz had given up a 21-point lead over the Clippers and fell behind by two points near the middle of the fourth quarter Thursday, Utah guard Donovan Mitchell took a detour on the way to his team's huddle and suddenly kicked out his right foot, flipping up the seat of an innocent chair along the sideline.

...Read more

LONDON, Ky. — Last season, Lance Ware pestered teammate Keion Brooks with so many questions it got to be a running joke.

"Last year, I was asking Keion a lot of questions," Ware said Wednesday. "We would always make fun of me because I was asking questions. 'Yo, Keion, what are we about to do? What's happening here?' Keion always answered my ...Read more