NEW YORK — Rick Pitino is one step closer to college basketball’s top national coaching honor.

The St. John’s coach was named one of four finalists for Naismith Coach of the Year, joining Auburn’s Bruce Pearl, Houston’s Kelvin Sampson and Duke’s John Scheyer.

Monday’s announcement followed a year in which Pitino led St. John’s ...Read more

Facing the NBA’s top team and one of the league’s elite players, the Clippers needed to be at their best Sunday if they were to extend their winning streak to six games.

But they failed to deliver in the final seconds against the Oklahoma City Thunder and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, losing 103-101 in a tense battle at the Intuit Dome.

Derrick...Read more

Nikola Jokic was on the road this week with the Denver Nuggets, but he sat out all four games of their critical Western Conference trip, confronting the team with its fair share of adversity.

But Denver managed to return home with a 2-2 split after beating the Rockets 116-111 on Sunday in Houston, bookending the trip with wins against red-hot ...Read more

CLEVELAND — Michigan State is headed to the Sweet 16.

Despite a slow start and an off-night from freshman guard Jase Richardson, No. 2 seed Michigan State rallied for a 71-63 win over No. 10 seed New Mexico in Sunday’s second round NCAA Tournament game at Cleveland’s Rocket Arena. The Spartans will face No. 6 seed Ole Miss on Friday in ...Read more

MILWAUKEE — Kentucky guard Koby Brea dribbled past teammate Brandon Garrison, losing Illinois guard Kasparas Jakucionis in the process. Suddenly, Brea’s view of the basket at Fiserv Forum was wide open, and one of the best 3-point shooters in the country made the swished 3 that followed look easy.

No. 6 seed Illinois already was having ...Read more

The depth of the Boston Celtics’ roster was on full display Sunday in Portland.

Even with Jaylen Brown nursing a bone bruise in his knee and fellow starters Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday both sitting out on the first night of a back-to-back, Boston convincingly defeated the Trail Blazers, rolling to a 129-116 win at the Moda Center.

...Read more

MIAMI – Finally, an exhale.

For the first time since March 3, the Miami Heat tasted success, with Sunday night’s 122-105 victory over the Charlotte Hornets at Kaseya Center.

The 10-game losing streak is over.

The seven-game home losing streak is over.

For at least one night, misery put on hold.

Yes, it came against an opponent that now ...Read more

ATLANTA – By now, a lot of NBA fans know the Philadelphia 76ers will lose their first-round pick to the Oklahoma City Thunder if they don’t have a top-six selection in June’s NBA draft.

That’s why many have suggested it would be better if the Sixers tank, to make sure they add a nice, young prospect.

And the team continues to do a ...Read more

SEATTLE — Maryland men’s basketball’s return to College Park will be delayed for a little bit. And that’s a good sign.

Derik Queen’s running buzzer-beating bank shot allowed the No. 4 seed Terps to remain on the West Coast after edging No. 12 seed Colorado State, 72-71, in an NCAA Tournament second-round game Sunday evening at ...Read more

MILWAUKEE — After six long years, the Kentucky Wildcats are headed back to the Sweet 16. And it happened in Mark Pope’s first season on the job.

The Cats defeated Illinois 84-75 at the Fiserv Forum on Sunday night, silencing a Milwaukee crowd that consisted mostly of Illini fans and punching UK’s ticket to the second week of the NCAA ...Read more

RALEIGH, N.C. — Unusually for a player who makes being in the right place at the right time look unfathomably easy, Cooper Flagg’s face was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Norchad Omier was going to come down with the rebound, but his left arm flailed out and poked Flagg straight in the right eye.

Unintentional and accidental, to be ...Read more

RALEIGH, N.C. — There were tears, because there are supposed to be tears in a moment like this. There was intense, excruciating pain written all over the faces and croaking in the voices because it’s supposed to hurt when something this good comes to an end.

“I don’t want to take off this jersey,” Alex Karaban said, between sobs in ...Read more

DETROIT — The Detroit Pistons began their three-game homestand with a 136-130 win over the New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday at Little Caesars Arena.

Due to injuries to Cade Cunningham and Tim Hardaway Jr., the Pistons were extremely shorthanded against the Pelicans.

However, Ron Holland II played a crucial role in helping Detroit fill the gap,...Read more

RALEIGH, N.C. — Even Cooper Flagg’s brief first-half respite after picking up two fouls couldn’t slow No. 1 Duke’s march to the NCAA Tournament’s Sweet 16.

With and without Flagg, the Blue Devils pulled away from Baylor to open a 17-point halftime lead on Sunday and roll to a 89-66 win over the No. 9 seed Bears in an East Region game ...Read more

RALEIGH, N.C. — Florida’s Sweet 16 dream continued as UConn’s NCAA Tournament dominance came to an abrupt end.

The two-time defending national champions didn’t go quietly. But after controlling much of the game, the Huskies ultimately could not contain guard Walter Clayton Jr. during the Gators’ 77-75 come-from-behind win Sunday.

...Read more

RALEIGH, N.C. – The UConn men’s basketball team wouldn’t relinquish its crown without a fight.

Minutes from an upset of top-seed Florida, the reigning back-to-back national champions saw their record-long 13-game NCAA Tournament winning streak come to an end after a valiant effort at the Lenovo Center Sunday afternoon, the final score 77-...Read more

NEW YORK — Back in February, after St. John’s finished off a season sweep of two-time defending NCAA champion UConn, Huskies head coach Dan Hurley offered his assessment of the resurgent Red Storm.

“They’ve got a championship-level defense,” Hurley said. “I think they have championship-level offensive rebounding. How their season ...Read more

MIAMI — The duality of Jimmy Butler is one amply familiar to followers of the Miami Heat.

There has always been … this Jimmy Butler and that Jimmy Butler.

This Jimmy Butler, the one who has so wonderfully meshed with the Golden State Warriors since his Feb. 6 acquisition at the NBA trading deadline, the one so familiar to Heat followers ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — There was less than a second left in the first quarter when LeBron James went to the sideline to inbound the ball. Sensing a moment to get the hottest player in the building, Luka Doncic, one more shot, the Lakers rushed their new star into the game.

Doncic hustled to the scorer’s table, unwrapping the heat pack from his lower...Read more