Toughness?

Competitiveness?

That’s what the Warriors showed in Wednesday’s hold-on-for-dear-life win over the Timberwolves — a game they led 34-12 after one quarter but ended with a one-point margin of victory.

Sure, we can go with that, Steph Curry.

There is, of course, another way of looking at it: The Warriors — who have won eight...Read more

DETROIT — Through the first 41 games, every coach around the association has raved about the Detroit Pistons. They have spent the first half of the season as the league's most improved team, but no coach has praised the Pistons for their progression more than Rick Carlisle.

Despite leaving Detroit with a victory on Oct. 23, Carlisle knew the ...Read more

CHICAGO — Professional women’s basketball returns Friday as the Unrivaled league kicks off its inaugural season — and Chicago Sky star Angel Reese will be at the center of it all as she makes her debut with Rose Basketball Club.

Founded by WNBA stars Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart, Unrivaled is a 3-on-3 league designed to provide ...Read more

MIAMI — Perhaps little says as much about the convoluted current relationship between Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat as this: The team has reached the end game of its seven-game unpaid suspension of the former All-Star forward with the situation nonetheless ongoing.

With Wednesday night’s 117-108 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers at Crypto....Read more

DENVER — Jamal Murray glared exclusively at The Denver Post.

The time was last July after Canada’s exhibition game against Team USA in Las Vegas. There was only one pertinent question: What is going on with the contract extension? “When we get there, we get there,” snapped Murray.

He was not comfortable talking about the deal, and he ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — LeBron James made a young Lakers fan's night Wednesday at Crypto.com Arena. And then for good measure, he did it again.

During the first quarter of the Lakers' game against the Miami Heat, James noticed a girl sitting courtside and wearing a replica of his jersey. So he gave her a wave, then turned his attention back to the game...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS — The Warriors hit their low-point of the season north of the border, but bounced back against the Timberwolves stateside.

Golden State dominated the first quarter, building a 24-point lead behind swarming defense and a barrage of 3-pointers.

No lead is safe in the NBA, especially a Warriors lead. Minnesota clawed back, quarter ...Read more

Max Christie, the Lakers’ youngest starter, summarized the team’s defensive problems simply Wednesday morning. When the Lakers communicate and when they play with connectivity, they stop teams.

And when they don’t, well, they look like they did in the first half Wednesday night.

Playing the Miami Heat on Wednesday for the first time ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Nelson Rodriguez has rooted for the Clippers his entire life, but the fandom of the Santa Ana resident was out of "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory."

The 37-year-old never owned an article of the team's clothing growing up, or even as an adult. He can only keep up with them on social media since Nelson doesn't subscribe to ...Read more

DENVER — Nuggets center Nikola Jokic injured his right elbow while warming up Wednesday night and was ruled out before Denver’s 128-108 loss to the Houston Rockets.

The injury was officially listed as right elbow inflammation. Jokic has now missed six games this season.

The three-time league MVP is averaging 30.6 points, 13.2 rebounds and ...Read more

DENVER — The Nuggets are not invincible on 24 hours of rest after all.

Back home after blowing out Dallas in prime time, Denver was dealt an unexpected blow an hour before opening tip Wednesday when Nikola Jokic was ruled out due to right elbow inflammation, an injury he sustained while warming up, the team said.

The Nuggets couldn’t ...Read more

EAST LANSING, Mich. — A 10-point lead faded to four in the final minute, but now the Michigan State men’s basketball team has its 10th straight win.

Riding deep contributions that saw eight players score seven points or more, No. 12 Michigan State beat Penn State, 90-85, Wednesday at Breslin Center. Though foul trouble and tough finishes ...Read more

MILWAUKEE — If the Bucks were the team playing on the second night of a back-to-back Wednesday against the Magic, they certainly didn’t show it.

Less than 24 hours after taking down the Kings at Fiserv Forum, Milwaukee led by as many as 30 points in a 122-93 home victory over Jamahl Mosley’s short-handed Orlando squad.

The Magic were ...Read more

Two short weeks after losing by 54 points in Boston, the Toronto Raptors handed the Celtics their most humbling loss of the season Wednesday.

Toronto led for nearly the entire second half and held Boston to 15 fourth-quarter points in a 110-97 victory at Scotiabank Arena.

Despite facing two of the NBA’s worst teams in consecutive games, the ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — Nick Nurse remains confident that the 76ers can still turn the season around.

“Our numbers of games with guys healthy are still very, very low,” the coach said before the Sixers faced the New York Knicks. “And I’m not keeping track as much as you guys are, but it’s still less than 10.”

Wednesday’s 125-119 ...Read more

AMES, Iowa — Kansas has lost three straight games at Iowa State’s Hilton Coliseum for the first time in the 22-year Bill Self era.

Senior guard Curtis Jones, a transfer from Buffalo, scored 20 points the first half — five the second stanza — as the No. 2-ranked Cyclones defeated the No. 9 Jayhawks 74-57 on Wednesday night before a ...Read more

If Jimmy Butler indeed is in the midst of his endgame with the Miami Heat, the process hardly is an outlier during Pat Riley’s three decades of stewardship of the franchise.

It’s almost as if it’s the team’s own version of the 3Rs.

Relocation of a leading man.

Recovery in the short term.

Reload for the team’s next iteration.

Over ...Read more