NEW YORK — Jayson Tatum was leading his defending champion Boston Celtics squad to a late comeback in hopes to tie the series with the New York Knicks at 2-2.

Then Boston’s repeat title hopes went up in flames as the superstar suffered an apparent non-contact right leg injury with 3:07 remaining in the fourth quarter. The injury took place ...Read more

NEW YORK — The Boston Celtics bid for back-to-back NBA titles officially is on life support after yet another second-half nosedive.

Looking to even the Eastern Conference semifinals at two games apiece, Boston instead squandered a 14-point third-quarter lead and a standout performance from Jayson Tatum in a 121-113 loss to the New York Knicks...Read more

The results are in, and the Atlanta Hawks officially will make their pick in next month’s NBA draft at No. 13.

After choosing forward Zaccharie Risacher No. 1 overall in last year’s draft, the Hawks will have two first-round choices in 2025. They will also pick at No. 22.

The Dallas Mavericks won Monday night’s NBA draft lottery in ...Read more

CHICAGO — Chalk up yet another disappointing night for the Charlotte Hornets.

Armed with the top odds — along with Utah and Washington — to land the No. 1 overall pick, the Hornets failed to win the 2025 NBA draft lottery on Monday night at McCormick Place, foiling the opportunity to secure a potentially franchise-altering player in Duke ...Read more

The Brooklyn Nets, represented by head coach Jordi Fernandez at the 41st annual NBA draft lottery in Chicago, secured the No. 8 overall pick in the 2025 NBA draft on Monday.

Brooklyn entered the night with the sixth-best odds, holding a 37.2% chance of picking in the Top 4 and a 9.0% chance of landing the No. 1 overall pick.

The Dallas ...Read more

CHICAGO — Luck was not in the Chicago Bulls’ favor Monday night.

The Bulls didn’t improve their positioning in the NBA draft lottery at McCormick Place and will have the No. 12 pick in the first round. The Dallas Mavericks won the No. 1 pick — despite the fourth-worst odds at 1.8% — and almost certainly will select Duke superstar ...Read more

CHICAGO — The G.O.A.T. is headed to the broadcast studio.

NBC Universal announced Monday that six-time NBA champion and Hall of Famer Michael Jordan will join the studio’s coverage of the NBA this fall.

The Chicago Bulls legend will be a “special contributor” to NBC broadcasts beginning in October. NBC made the announcement during an ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — Do I think the Sixers are going to end up drafting Cooper Flagg?

No, I don’t.

The math says they have only a 10.5% chance of landing the No. 1 overall pick in Monday night’s NBA draft lottery. But maybe you don’t believe the math. Maybe you think that the NBA Deep State decides which teams draft where. Maybe you think ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — I love him like you love him.

But it's time.

Austin Reaves is the Lakers' breath of fresh air, a sharpshooting respite from all the drama and dirge, a stirring journey from undrafted to indefatigable. My favorite, everybody's favorite.

But it's time.

If the Lakers are going to get where they need to be, they'll have to get ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Even on Mother’s Day — the day dedicated to relaxation and pampering for moms — the Sparks took the hardwood in Torrance, sweating through defensive sets, refining footwork and hitting jumpers.

It’ was a shortened practice, but practice nonetheless. There’s no time to pause. The WNBA season opener is less than a week ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — The basketball coaches at Santa Monica College had this kid.

A wisp of a player at 5 feet 3, he wasn't a particularly strong shooter and didn't score much. What he lacked in skill he more than compensated for by diving on the court, taking charges, stripping the ball from the guy he was defending.

The basketball coaches at ...Read more

DENVER — The Nuggets delivered a performance only a mother could love.

Pass out the Capri-Suns and orange slices. They won the participation trophy. They tried really hard.

But in the biggest game of the Western Conference semifinals, where results matter more than energy and effort, the Nuggets shot like the rim was a moving target.

...Read more

CHICAGO — The Chicago Bulls will be anxiously awaiting the results of a handful of ping-pong balls alongside 13 other teams on Monday night.

This year’s NBA draft lottery is one of the most highly anticipated iterations of the event in recent history as teams jockey for a chance to take Duke standout Cooper Flagg with the No. 1 overall pick...Read more

DENVER — If the Nuggets do indeed thrive on the adrenaline of a thrilling playoff game or series, then a 3-1 lead over the Thunder might’ve been too simple for them.

Instead, they’ll have to find a way to win two of the last three games to upset the top seed in the Western Conference — with two of those three situated in Oklahoma City ...Read more

SAN FRANCISCO — Off the floor, Golden State Valkyries forward Kayla Thornton is as laid back as one could be.

She seemingly always has a smile on her face, and on the right day, you might catch her singing through the hallways of the Valkyries’ practice facility in Oakland.

But on the floor, everything about the El Paso, Texas, native is ...Read more

MIAMI — For as cogent as Pat Riley was on a variety of subjects in his emotional, forthright, candid conversation at Friday’s state-of-the-Heat address at Kaseya Center, not all was clearly spelled out by the franchise patriarch.

And in one respect, it came off as alpha-beta soup.

Are Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo the cornerstones?

Is the ...Read more

CHICAGO — The Chicago Sky refuse to take the fewest 3-pointers in the WNBA again.

The Sky tried to get by without taking 3s last season, attempting a league-low 14.9 per game and averaging only 4.8 makes. It simply didn’t work. Abandoning the arc allowed defenses to smother the paint, leaving then-rookies Kamilla Cardoso and Angel Reese ...Read more

SAN FRANCISCO – The Minnesota Timberwolves are in a race against the calendar and the healing power of Stephen Curry’s left hamstring to close this series out. To do that, they might have to finish the series in five games, before Curry might return for a potential Game 6.

After an easy win in Game 2, Game 3 was anything but, as the Golden ...Read more

NEW YORK — For the past two days following the Boston Celtics’ Game 2 loss, the basketball world had prewritten the defending champion’s obituary.

With the series shifting to Madison Square Garden and the road team in a 2-0 hole, percentages from past NBA seven-game series gave the Celtics just a 14.3% chance to advance to the Eastern ...Read more