LOS ANGELES — There, there. All better.

The Lakers recovered from a knee scrape of a playoff opener Tuesday to leap up and kick the stunned Minnesota Timberwolves in the teeth.

Now, now. That wasn't so hard, was it?

In turning a dread-filled Crypto.com Arena into a place of joyous healing, the wounded Lakers survived a first cut, tied an ...Read more

NEW YORK — Karl-Anthony Towns went to the Western Conference finals last season. In fact, he elevated his level of play on the brink of elimination for the Minnesota Timberwolves, scoring 25 points on 13 shots in a win-or-go-home Game 4, then 28 points in the Dallas Mavericks’ close-out Game 5.

Towns knows what it takes to make a deep ...Read more

ATLANTA — And so we come to another juncture in the meandering journey of the Hawks franchise, unencumbered by a championship banner in the entirety of its 57-season Atlanta existence, with the same question at hand:

What are they doing?

The latest prompt for this undying query was Monday’s dismissal of general manager Landry Fields. He ...Read more

The only thing that moved slower than the Lakers was the clock.

They had poured their energy into fighting for everything while building a lead that stretched to 22 in the first half and lived at 20 deep into the second half. They had grabbed and clawed and got clawed and got grabbed and it was still there, a big lead, the Timberwolves and the ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Kawhi Leonard's teammates marvel at how much the Clippers' star forward has dedicated himself to get his body back to peak level.

They have watched how Leonard has stayed the course despite the frequent times his body betrayed him. They have supported Leonard during the trying times with his health issues because they have seen ...Read more

BOSTON — Two years ago, Payton Pritchard was so frustrated with his Celtics role that he requested a trade.

Now, he’s both a vital member of a championship-winning roster and, in the eyes of NBA awards voters, the best bench player in the league.

Pritchard was recognized Tuesday as the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year for the 2024-25 season, ...Read more

NEW YORK — Cade Cunningham knew what everyone else was thinking after the Detroit Pistons’ long-awaited playoff opener Saturday night ended with a fourth-quarter collapse at Madison Square Garden.

Maybe they weren’t ready for this, after all.

But even before tipoff for Game 2 on Monday night, Cunningham’s head coach says he knew what ...Read more

HOUSTON — With two-big lineups in vogue, offensive rebounds considered the game’s most valuable commodity and defensive contact that would draw a flag from NFL referees, the Warriors’ first-round series with the Rockets is a throwback to a time long gone.

The Warriors outlasted the Rockets in a grimy 95-85 victory in a Game 1 that was ...Read more

BOSTON — Jayson Tatum has not missed a playoff game in his eight-year NBA career. That streak is likely to end Wednesday night at TD Garden.

The Celtics listed Tatum as doubtful for Game 2 of their first-round playoff series against the Magic with a right distal radius bone bruise in his wrist. He suffered the injury late in Game 1 on Sunday ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Dallas Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison made an interesting admission Monday when talking to reporters about his decision to trade fan favorite Luka Doncic to the Lakers in February.

No, Harrison did not admit that the move was a mistake. On the contrary, he clung tightly to his “defense wins championships” ...Read more

HARTFORD, Conn. — Former UConn women’s basketball star Nika Muhl will miss the entire 2025 WNBA season after suffering a torn ACL last October while playing in Europe.

The Seattle Storm placed Muhl on the suspended list, which allows the team to retain her rights while not having her salary count against the cap and roster limit for the ...Read more

DENVER — Almost every question brought a confession.

The Nuggets, bodies sore, heads shaking, struggled with the chilling reality of their unraveling in a 105-102 Game 2 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers.

But not with whom to blame. Michael Porter Jr. walked around the locker room apologizing to teammates for his ill-advised outlet pass that ...Read more

CHICAGO — The Chicago Bulls front office faces a pivotal off-court decision this summer after parting with director of player development Peter Patton.

Player development never has been more important for the Bulls as executive vice president of basketball operations Artūras Karnišovas embarks on a new rebuild, which he addressed at length ...Read more

NEW YORK — The Detroit Pistons were faced with a significant dilemma two hours before tip-off for their Game 2 contest against the New York Knicks. Due to inflammation in his right knee, Isaiah Stewart was ruled out, leaving coach J.B. Bickerstaff with two options to fill the vacancy.

The first option was to explore his bench further. The ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Austin Reaves was tired Monday, the Lakers having just wrapped up a really hard practice.

In the first minutes of Game 1 Saturday evening, he was tired too.

As Reaves walked off the court for the first time, his chest heaved as he grabbed for air and he slumped to grab his shorts, telltale signs that he'd given a lot of effort ...Read more

MIAMI — New coach Jai Lucas promised a “big overhaul” of the University of Miami men’s basketball program, and so far, he is delivering.

He announced on Monday the signing of five-star recruit Shelton Henderson, a Houston native who had committed to Duke but changed his mind and chose to follow Lucas, the former Blue Devils assistant ...Read more

The young Houston Rockets were introduced to the NBA playoffs by the Golden State Warriors on Sunday night. And sadly for them, I don’t think they’ll be staying around long.

Because, for all the talk about defense winning championships, the truth is that offense actually brings home trophies.

Yes, defense is vital in the NBA playoffs. But ...Read more

DURHAM, N.C. — Cooper Flagg began his Duke career as the projected No. 1 pick for the 2025 NBA draft and is ending it with the same status.

After a national player of the year season with the Blue Devils, helping them win the ACC and reach the Final Four, Flagg declared for the NBA draft on Monday, and he’s still the overwhelming favorite ...Read more

HOUSTON – In the week leading up to Sunday’s first-round series opener between the Warriors and host Houston, much was made about how the Rockets had held Steph Curry to just three points on 1-of-10 shooting in their April 6 matchup.

Had the uber-athletic Rockets figured out the game’s greatest shooter? The answer ended up being a ...Read more