MIAMI — So who is Bernie Lee, the agent for Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler, the representative who has put himself at the forefront of recent trade speculation fostered by ESPN regarding his client’s future?

More than anything, he’s a passionate (sometimes overly passionate) defender of his clients and a presence with a high visibility ...Read more

LAS VEGAS — The world has caught on to Hawks forward Jalen Johnson.

That’s not necessarily new for this season, but Johnson, who turns 23 next Wednesday, has built off his breakout performance from last season. Johnson has been relatively healthy this season, missing only two of the 26 games the Hawks have played.

Johnson has put up career...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — Joel Embiid left Friday night’s game against the Indiana Pacers after being struck in the face underneath the Pacers’ basket.

The 76ers’ center was hit in the face while trying to make a defensive play 12 seconds before the halftime intermission. Embiid fell to court and remained there until the Sixers called a timeout ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — LeBron James remained away from the Lakers in Minnesota on Friday, the 39-year-old listed as out with a left foot injury.

James hasn't been around the Lakers because of "personal reasons," according to the Lakers and coach JJ Redick.

Asked if he knew when James would return to the Lakers, Redick said, "no."

James showed up on ...Read more

Here is a look at the upcoming NBA Cup semifinal games in Las Vegas:

— What: NBA Cup semifinals

— When: Saturday

— Where: T-Mobile Arena

— Matchups: Atlanta Hawks vs. Milwaukee Bucks (1:30 p.m., TNT/truTV); Houston Rockets vs. Oklahoma City Thunder (5:30 p.m., ABC)

Line: Bucks -3 1/2, total 229; Thunder -5 1/2, total 212 1/2

...Read more

MIAMI — The Miami Heat on Friday set up a small trade that could have a wide-ranging impact across their roster and payroll.

Reaching an agreement with the Indiana Pacers, the Heat will send out center Thomas Bryant once he is eligible to be traded Sunday.

While the Heat will receive the right to swap 2031 second-round draft slots with the ...Read more

LEXINGTON, Ky. — The first Kentucky-Louisville game in this new era of college basketball in the commonwealth is almost here.

Mark Pope’s Wildcats will see Pat Kelsey’s Cardinals on the Rupp Arena court at 5:15 p.m. Saturday, the first meeting between the two new coaches. Pope knows plenty about this rivalry, playing in two editions of it...Read more

MIAMI — Jimmy Butler made sure this wouldn’t be hair raising, sporting tightly woven orange braids.

So the Miami Heat settled for a bit of four-play, extending their winning streak to four with a 114-104 victory over the Toronto Raptors on Thursday night at Kaseya Center.

Avenging a loss the previous time the teams met, the Heat rode the ...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS — Someone check on Tim Connelly. He hasn’t made a trade in hours.

The Timberwolves hired Connelly to be their president of basketball operations in May of 2022. Since then, he has made four major deals:

— A large number of players and picks for Rudy Gobert.

— D’Angelo Russell for Mike Conley and Nickeil Alexander-Walker....Read more

The Kings continued their recent resurgence with a 111-109 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans on Thursday at Smoothie King Center.

Domantas Sabonis had a monster double-double with 32 points and 21 rebounds for the Kings (13-13), who have won four of their last five to get back to .500 for the first time since Nov. 22.

CJ McCollum scored 36...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — Paul George knows more than most about the mental toll injuries have put Joel Embiid through.

Embiid returned to the court Sunday afternoon and led the 76ers to a road victory over the Chicago Bulls. After finishing with 31 points and 12 rebounds, Embiid reiterated that he’s been dealing with depression. He told ESPN that he ...Read more

BOSTON — Last Wednesday, the short-handed Celtics needed to buckle down in the final minutes to secure a competitive victory over the pesky Detroit Pistons.

Boston faced the same scenario eight days later: home game against Detroit without the services of Jayson Tatum, who sat out with a knee injury.

This time around, there was no need for ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — LeBron James, who hasn't been with the Lakers this week because of "personal reasons," will miss Friday's game in Minnesota against the Timberwolves.

Thursday, the team listed him as "out" with left foot soreness, an issue that popped up last week after the Lakers played the Miami Heat. James sat out the team's win Sunday ...Read more

Steve Kerr was extremely upset about a foul call late in the Warriors’ NBA Cup quarterfinal loss to the Rockets Wednesday night, and the NBA on Thursday confirmed the official’s call.

Jonathan Kuminga was called for a foul during a loose ball situation near the free-throw line on the Warriors’ offensive side of the court with 3.5 seconds ...Read more

Stop me if you’ve heard something like this before:

The Warriors choked away Wednesday’s NBA Cup quarterfinal game against the Houston Rockets, allowing a six-point lead to evaporate with a scoreless final three minutes in a 91-90 (what is this, 1995?) loss. The Dubs are now eliminated from the tournament, meaning they do not get a free ...Read more

MIAMI — The Miami Heat in their Jimmy Butler era have been consistently good enough to tease and tantalize but not good enough to turn the hope into celebration. So it is again now, just past the quarter mark of his sixth NBA season in South Florida, with a team 12-10 after three impressive straight wins.

You can predict how this will play ...Read more

DURHAM, N.C. — One Cameron Indoor Stadium tradition is missing so far this season, but maybe not all season.

Eighty-three-year-old Herb Neubauer is missing from Section 7, row G, seat 8, which is where he’s watched Blue Devils men’s basketball games for decades.

His name may not be on the tip of every Cameron Crazies’ tongue — but ...Read more

As aghast as Steve Kerr was last week when the referees didn’t see Christian Braun try to call a timeout he didn’t have in the waning moments of last week’s loss in Denver, it didn’t compare to his disbelief at how the end of the Rockets game ended.

With 3.5 seconds left and the Warriors leading by one, Rockets guard Jalen Green dove on...Read more

After practice Tuesday, San Diego State coach Brian Dutcher talked getting through Wednesday night’s game against Cal Baptist unscathed and getting to a 10-day break “so we can fix some things.”

He’ll have a long list.

The 23rd-ranked Aztecs nearly blew a 19-point lead in the second half before hanging on for a 81-75 win against a ...Read more