MINNEAPOLIS — San Antonio Spurs superstar Victor Wembanyama was ejected after throwing an elbow that hit Minnesota Timberwolves forward Naz Reid in the chin.

The teams were in the second quarter of Game 4 of their best-of-seven NBA playoff series at Target Center on Sunday night.

Officials reviewed the play and upgraded Wembanyama’s foul ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — This isn’t how home-court advantage is supposed to work. It’s supposed to benefit the team wearing the hometown colors, not the players visiting so-called hostile territory.

But New York is only a 90-minute ride from Xfinity Mobile Arena, which — as of Sunday at approximately 3:40 p.m. — no longer belongs to Josh Harris...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — Joel Embiid’s status was in doubt before the Philadelphia 76ers’ season ended with a 144-114 loss to the New York Knicks in Game 4 of their second-round series.

That has been the case since he missed the start of the franchise’s first-round series with an appendectomy and sat out Game 2 against the Knicks with hip and ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — Maybe it needed to end this way.

Now, there can be no misconceptions about who the Philadelphia 76ers are. Not after the Mother’s Day spanking the New York Knicks administered to them on Sunday afternoon. To get swept at home is one thing. To do it in front of a largely pro-New York crowd is another. But the main thing is the...Read more

LOS ANGELES — They possessed a halftime lead with one of the most accomplished playoff players in NBA history.

They lost by 23.

They possessed the best scorer in NBA history at the controls of a sizzling offense in a loud arena against a team that had every reason to pack it in.

They lost by 23.

To those who witnessed the first three ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — I swear, if Luka Doncic was playing, this second-round series against the Oklahoma City Thunder would be going differently.

The Los Angeles Lakers wouldn't be losing …

… second halves by so much.

But if his hamstring allowed their offensive engine to drive, the offense might not be humming. But the Lakers could probably ...Read more

CHICAGO — The Chicago Bulls just landed the first win of the Bryson Graham era without playing a single game.

The Bulls jumped five spots in the NBA draft lottery to land the No. 4 pick, a position that will give them a shot at a top-rated star in one of the deepest classes in recent history. The Bulls had a 20.3% chance of moving up to ...Read more

DENVER — The problem with trading Aaron Gordon is Nikola Jokic trusts him.

How many other players can we say that about on the Nuggets’ roster? Four? Five? The list begins with Jamal Murray, includes Christian Braun, maybe a few others, and finishes with Gordon.

It felt like each question on Friday circled back to Mr. Nugget.

President ...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS — In the first half of the Lynx’s 91-90 season-opening loss to the Atlanta Dream on Saturday, it was the few familiar faces left from last year’s No. 1 seed roster lifting a retooled squad to a 15-point halftime lead.

Veteran guards Kayla McBride and Courtney Williams combined for 23 of their collective 32 points in the first ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Lakers are one playoff defeat from their season being over and from the conversation turning to LeBron James’ future.

They are in a hole no team has ever climbed out of in the history of the NBA, the Lakers’ 131-108 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 3 putting L.A. down 3-0 in the best-of-seven Western...Read more

SAN FRANCISCO — Steve Kerr has reached a decision about his future after more than three weeks of deliberation.

He will remain the Golden State Warriors’ coach after agreeing to a new two-year contract on Saturday, a league source confirmed to the Bay Area News Group. Shams Charania of ESPN reported that the deal will keep Kerr as the NBA�...Read more

LAS VEGAS — A’ja Wilson finished with 19 points, but the Las Vegas Aces lost, 99-66, to the Phoenix Mercury on Saturday in their WNBA season opener at T-Mobile Arena.

The game was a rematch of the 2025 WNBA Finals that the Aces swept en route to their third title in the past four seasons.

Jackie Young added 12 points, six rebounds and ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — Tyrese Maxey was a legitimate MVP candidate this season. In the frequent absences of Joel Embiid, Maxey kept the Sixers in the playoff hunt with endless effort, evolved offense, floor generalship, and, more than anything, scoring.

He averaged 28.3 points, which ranked fifth in the NBA. He averaged 21.4 shots, which was third.

...Read more

LOS ANGELES — It hasn't been Oklahoma City's superstar burying the Lakers in the Western Conference semifinals. That's what's made this series so vexing for the short-handed Lakers.

After the Thunder dominated the Lakers in minutes without reigning most valuable player Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on the court in Game 2, flexing their superior ...Read more

CLEVELAND — A 20-second sequence late in the second quarter best illustrated how the Detroit Pistons stayed two steps behind the Cleveland Cavaliers for much of Saturday.

At the 3:00 mark of the second quarter, Donovan Mitchell hit a crossover, stepback 3-pointer over Duncan Robinson. On the Pistons’ next offensive possession, Max Strus ...Read more

MIAMI — The drama could end even before it starts for the Miami Heat at Sunday’s NBA draft lottery … or it could become instantly intense. With no middle ground.

Based on the underwhelming odds, the Heat’s logo likely will be one of the first two displayed during the broadcast portion (3 p.m., ABC) of the random-but-weighted process, ...Read more

NEW YORK — The biggest summer in recent Nets memory starts with ping-pong ball aerodynamics.

That’s the charm and cruelty of the NBA draft lottery. A season’s worth of losses, scouting, patience and organizational restraint gets handed over to bouncing balls in a machine. On Sunday afternoon in Chicago, the Nets will learn whether all of ...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS — It was an epic duel between two top 10 players in the NBA in a pivotal playoff bout Friday night at Target Center.

In the end, the San Antonio Spurs’ star shined a bit brighter.

Victor Wembanyama buried one difficult jumper after another, capping a 37-point, 15-rebound performance that led the Spurs to a 115-108 victory in ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — What do you get when you combine Derek Zoolander, Willy Wonka and hundreds of guys who sound like My Cousin Vinny?

A home crowd in name only, and one the Sixers will continue to deserve for however long they continue to serve up performances like their 108-94 loss to the Knicks in Game 3.

Less than a week ago, Joel Embiid ...Read more