ORLANDO, Fla. -- Udonis Haslem has been around for a few "misunderstandings" between teammates in his 15 years with the Heat.

But he's never seen anything like what happened Tuesday in Chicago when Bobby Portis (6-11, 230) sent Nikola Mirotic (6-10, 220) to the hospital with two broken bones in his face and a concussion after a vicious punch ...Read more

ORLANDO, Fla. -- It was a celebration of the start of the NBA season that Erik Spoelstra was spending with his Miami Heat coaching staff. And then it became anything but a festive evening.

Though Spoelstra never got his chance to coach Gordon Hayward, he was part of the Heat's all-out push for the versatile All-Star forward in free agency. And ...Read more

WASHINGTON -- It appears that 76ers coach Brett Brown may be weary of answering minutes restriction questions in regards to Joel Embiid.

Either that or Brown is giving himself a little wiggle room for Wednesday night's season-opener against the Washington Wizards at Capital One Arena.

"There's a range that we are going to figure out," said ...Read more

Giannis Antetokounmpo officially arrived as a star in the NBA sky last season.

He established himself as one of the top players in the league, led the Milwaukee Bucks in every major statistical category and became both an All-Star and the league's most improved player in his fourth season.

At just 22 years old, Antetokounmpo has become the ...Read more

LOS ANGELES--Twin brothers Brook and Robin Lopez were always up to something, even when they were 5 years old in the back seat of their mom's car on the way to their older brothers' basketball games.

They created their own little world, drawing pictures or plotting stories they invented with fictional characters from their vibrant imaginations....Read more

LOS ANGELES--For six years, the Los Angeles Clippers stood among the best of the NBA, a team listed in the company of the championship contenders despite their constant playoff failures.

They are no longer seen in the same light.

As the Clippers prepare to launch their 2017-18 season, they now are regarded as a team at the crossroads.

No one ...Read more

Joel Embiid is not afraid to share how he feels.

Using a string of expletives, the 76ers center voiced his displeasure with the coaching and medical staffs' decision to keep him on a minutes restriction.

"I always think I have a voice, and that they're listening to what I have to say, too. They're making the decision based on what they think, ...Read more

Starting power forward Nikola Mirotic will miss Thursday's season opener and be sidelined indefinitely after getting punched in the face by Bobby Portis during a practice altercation, a source said.

One source said Mirotic suffered two broken bones in his face and was evaluated for a concussion at the hospital. He has since been released.

The ...Read more

You look at the 76ers' version of "The Big Three."

There's Joel Embiid, the towering best player on the team, and perhaps the most intriguing player in the NBA.

Then there's a confident costar in Ben Simmons, who just might reinvent the point guard position.

And there's multitalented youngster Markelle Fultz. While his time with the Sixers ...Read more

LOS ANGELES -- During the one season he played under Mike D'Antoni, Patrick Beverley became accustomed to one of the things that the coach is known for.

"With D'Antoni, we didn't practice a lot," Beverley said this week, smiling.

Now Beverley is with the Los Angeles Clippers and coach Doc Rivers has his team practicing, practicing and ...Read more

The extent of Joel Embiid's availability is perhaps the biggest 76ers story line entering the regular season.

It was obvious that, as of Monday afternoon, the Sixers hadn't discussed a minutes restriction with their franchise center. That's when Sixers coach Brett Brown was asked how many minutes a game Embiid is expected to play at the start ...Read more

Most NBA conversations these days end with the same foregone conclusion: Just hand the Warriors another championship trophy already.

After all, that's probably what people should say when a team has the experience and talent to reach a familiar destination seemingly on autopilot.

But any would-be foregone conclusion begs for a devil's advocate...Read more

The University of Louisville Athletics Association voted unanimously to fire men's basketball coach Rick Pitino for cause Monday afternoon following revelations from an FBI investigation into alleged corruption in college basketball.

The determination came after Pitino's lawyers presented their case for why he should not be fired for cause ...Read more

INDEPENDENCE, Ohio -- LeBron James told J.R. Smith he hasn't missed an opening game since he began playing basketball as an eight-year-old.

Based on that conversation, Smith seemed sure Monday that James will be ready Tuesday night when the Cavaliers tip off the season against Kyrie Irving and the Boston Celtics at Quicken Loans Arena.

James ...Read more

INDEPENDENCE, Ohio -- Kevin Love loved playing with Kyrie Irving for three seasons and hated going against him in practice.

Love doesn't expect that to change Tuesday when the Cavaliers host Irving and the Boston Celtics in the season opener at Quicken Loans Arena.

"We all know Kyrie is a gamer," Love said Sunday. "Between the lines it's going...Read more