NEW YORK — Landry Shamet’s shoulder popped out of its socket.

It’s the dark takeaway from the Knicks’ 111-105 victory over the Charlotte Hornets on Tuesday, a game head coach Tom Thibodeau opted to sit his starting five to rest ahead of Friday’s preseason finale in Washington, D.C.

Without Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges, Josh Hart, OG ...Read more

The Boston Celtics erased a 24-point first-quarter deficit Tuesday night in Toronto but couldn’t complete the comeback, falling to the Raptors 119-118 to close out their preseason schedule.

Boston, which went 4-1 in its tuneup games, now will turn its eyes toward opening night. The reigning NBA champions will open the regular season next ...Read more

It doesn’t feel like six years have passed since Zion Williamson electrified Duke, the Triangle and all of college basketball simultaneously, somehow managing to eclipse all of the hype that preceded his arrival on campus.

An awful lot has happened since then, absolutely earthshaking stuff — Duke and North Carolina played in a Final Four, ...Read more

MIAMI — At a stage when figuring it out is far more significant than the final score, Bam Adebayo, Tyler Herro and Jimmy Butler settled into comfort zones Tuesday night with the Miami Heat’s new starting lineup.

While the result, a 120-117 exhibition victory over the San Antonio Spurs at Kaseya Center, didn’t count for anything, the ...Read more

MIAMI — At the ripe old age of 24, Tyler Herro spent time after Tuesday morning’s shootaround at Kaseya Center talking about the kid stuff during the Miami Heat preseason, the sixth-year guard appreciating that this is the time of year when being young doesn’t mean being among the youngest on the roster.

With Tuesday’s matchup against ...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS — Near the end of the morning shootaround before Game 1 of the WNBA Finals, at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center, the Lynx were trying to put some finishing touches on their plan for that night’s game against the New York Liberty.

But, suddenly, the lights went out. And, loudly — so loud they couldn’t hear each other talk — ...Read more

NEW YORK — How will Julius Randle fit with Minnesota Timberwolves superstar Anthony Edwards and a roster hoping to one-up last season’s trip to the Western Conference finals?

Seamlessly, says Wolves coach Chris Finch.

The Knicks traded Randle and Donte DiVincenzo to the Timberwolves in exchange for Karl-Anthony Towns, and Finch said Randle...Read more

ATLANTA — The Hawks finally got to face off against people other than their teammates Monday after almost a week of extra practices. Though they valued having the additional practice time nothing really compares to getting live game reps.

“Yeah, (practice) helps,” Hawks guard Dyson Daniels said. “To be honest, I think it helps more ...Read more

MIAMI — The Heat aren't close to being a championship contender and would be fooling themselves if they consider themselves to be.

That’s the stark, unfiltered view of former Heat coach and TV analyst Stan Van Gundy, who lamented Miami’s roster during a TNT conference call Tuesday.

When I asked Van Gundy about whether he would have stuck...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Dwight Howard was confused.

On a team led by LeBron James and Anthony Davis, Howard had been viewed as a key role player during the Lakers' 2020 NBA championship season. But he wasn't brought back the following season.

"I was so sad. I wanted to come back," Howard said on this week's episode of his "Above the Rim with DH12" ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — Nick Nurse didn’t appear worried about 76ers swingman Paul George, who hyperextended his left knee and exited Monday’s road preseason game against the Atlanta Hawks.

“PG was here today,” Nurse said following Tuesday’s practice at the Sixers practice facility. “He got it looked at again. Everything checked out OK. ...Read more

SAN FRANCISCO – The body of Lindy Waters III serves to capture the multitudes of his culture, of his history.

On the right side of his chest is a portrait of Lindy Waters, his grandfather who was renowned for his preaching and an athlete in his own right. Waters’ right leg features a portrait of Olympian Jim Thorpe, a member of the Sac & ...Read more

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — After being teammates this summer with Team USA, Lakers star forward LeBron James and Golden State Warriors star guard Steph Curry will return to a more familiar setting on Tuesday night: being on opposite teams.

The Lakers’ preseason slate continues when they host the Warriors at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, marking ...Read more

When Eric Dixon participated in the Portsmouth Invitational in April, the plan at that time was for the Villanova forward to forgo his final season of college basketball eligibility and head to professional basketball.

Participation in the event, which is against NCAA guidelines, is meant for college seniors who are heading off to the ...Read more

NEW YORK — At shootaround Sunday morning before the Wolves’ 115-110 preseason loss to the Knicks, Julius Randle said rookie Rob Dillingham came up to him with some starry-eyed observations about the floor at Madison Square Garden.

“Rob came in and said these lights are different. This court is different,” Randle said. “I’m just like...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — Joel Embiid has battled injuries for most of his NBA tenure, including the 2023-24 season when a knee injury sidelined him for two months and stunted the 76ers’ playoffs hopes. But the Sixers appear to have a wide-ranging plan to get Embiid to the finish line.

On Sunday, Nick Nurse announced Embiid would not play in the ...Read more

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The Kings made a trade Monday that could be a precursor to a bigger deal as they prepare for the start of the 2024-25 NBA season.

A league source told The Sacramento Bee the Kings are trading Jalen McDaniels, their 2031 second-round draft pick and cash considerations to the San Antonio Spurs, confirming a report from ESPN...Read more

Kansas men’s basketball will open the 2024-25 season as the No. 1 team in the Associated Press Top 25 for a second straight season and fifth time in poll history.

The Jayhawks on Monday received 30 of a possible 60 first-place votes from an AP panel. Alabama came in second with 14 first-place votes, while UConn, Houston and Iowa State ...Read more