DENVER — They’re all out to get the Juggernuggets. But anyone who thinks the defending champs are worried about Damian Lillard joining the Bucks or the Suns acquiring Bradley Beal has never seen Jamal Murray devour a Starburst.

While they’re assembling super teams in Milwaukee and Phoenix to stop the Nuggets from repeating, I say a bigger...Read more

LOS ANGELES — His voice would rise throughout the conversation because he was unable to hide his excitement, each sentence from Magic Johnson about his beloved Lakers and the job executive Rob Pelinka did in constructing the team leaving the Hall of Famer and Lakers legend "giddy" about what they can accomplish.

Johnson sees the Lakers as a ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — The music coming through the speakers inside the Lakers' facility was upbeat. The men about to sit in front of the team backdrop, Rob Pelinka and Darvin Ham, were smiling and joking as they sat down to unofficially start their team's upcoming season.

Questions about their roster were minimal. There was no foundational trade on ...Read more

Nia Long channeled activist Yaba Blay's words to criticize the Boston Celtics a year after she split with the team's former coach, Ime Udoka.

On Tuesday the "Best Man" and "You People" actor shared a snippet from Blay's 2022 appearance on the "We Can Do Hard Things" podcast. In the clip Blay tells hosts Glennon Doyle and Abby Wambach why she ...Read more

MIAMI — Most everybody loses in the weird, protracted drama that was Damian Lillard’s monthslong maneuvering to get out of Portland.

But nobody loses in all this quite like the Miami Heat lose, and by extension that giant L on the Heat is borne on the neck of team president Pat Riley like a heavy yoke.

The degrees of perception to reality ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — The Damian Lillard domino finally toppled Wednesday, when the Milwaukee Bucks pulled off a stunning move to acquire the superstar guard less than a week before training camp opens.

The three-team blockbuster — which also sent Jrue Holiday, Deandre Ayton, Toumani Camara and draft picks to the Portland Trail Blazers, along with...Read more

DENVER — The defending NBA champion's odds to repeat have improved, but they are no longer the favorites to bring home the Larry O’Brien trophy.

Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets have +475 odds — meaning a $100 bet would win $475 — to win the title next season, according to both BetMGM and DraftKings Sportsbook, as of Monday afternoon...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Kawhi Leonard and Paul George were injured when the last Clippers season ended in April. When the new one begins next week, the stars — whose arrival four years ago heralded championship aspirations not yet realized because of injuries — will be in uniform and healthy to play.

When the team holds its first practice of ...Read more

The beauty in the Damian Lillard mega trade to the Bucks is it works whether or not Giannis Antetokounmpo decides to stay in Milwaukee when his free agency arrives in 2025.

Antetokounmpo’s future in Milwaukee has been the elephant in NBA room — that he will do some version of what Lillard, 33, attempted and flee small-market Milwaukee for a...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — The already hazardous potholes complicating what the 76ers hope is a road to win an NBA title this season just turned into gigantic craters.

The Milwaukee Bucks are now overwhelming favorites to win their second title in four seasons after acquiring All-NBA point guard Damian Lillard.

Milwaukee agreed to acquire the ...Read more

CHICAGO — Less than a week before the Bulls gather in Nashville, Tenn., for training camp, DeMar DeRozan reiterated his commitment to remain in Chicago — potentially for the rest of his career.

In an interview with Sportskeeda’s Mark Medina this week, DeRozan said he hopes to retire as a Bull.

“That’s a place I want to be and end my ...Read more

MIAMI — What began in June with Damian Lillard requesting a trade to the Miami Heat has ended on the eve of training camp with the All-Star point guard being dealt Wednesday by the Portland Trail Blazers to the Milwaukee Bucks.

With Heat President Pat Riley and his front office apparently drawing a line with their willingness to dramatically ...Read more

NEW YORK — The Liberty tied up their semifinal series against the Connecticut Sun after getting an 84-77 victory on Tuesday.

The win sets up Sandy Brondello’s team for two games at Mohegan Sun Arena, beginning with Game 3 on Friday night.

The theme of Game 1 was the Liberty’s lack of energy and inability to create any momentum. That wasn...Read more

North Carolina has long gone into the men’s basketball season with a simple goal: win the national championship.

As one former UNC player famously put it, the ceiling is the roof.

There’s a new twist to the Tar Heels’ goal this season: return to the NCAA Tournament and have a chance to win the national championship.

Missing the NCAAs ...Read more

DURHAM, N.C. — Jon Scheyer’s second season as Duke’s basketball coach will require him getting the Blue Devils ready for elite competition in a hurry.

The full schedule, released Tuesday night, features games with Arizona and Michigan State, two teams expected to be ranked among the nation’s top 15, in the second and third games of the ...Read more

Kai Jones’ immediate status with the Charlotte Hornets is a bit murky.

Jones hasn’t participated in any of the players’ optional sessions and it’s unclear if he’ll be among the Hornets’ contingent to hit the floor for the start of training camp next Tuesday. The third-year big man has made some very curious social media posts during...Read more