Arkansas played without its leading scorer Wednesday night, but it was No. 7 Duke that lacked a scoring punch.

With Tramon Mark sidelined, Arkansas pulled away from cold-shooting Duke behind Khalif Battle’s 21 points and beat the Blue Devils, 80-75, at Bud Walton Arena.

Duke (5-2) shot 35.8% overall, hitting just 6 of 22 3-pointers (27.3%) ...Read more

SACRAMENTO — Bookmark the boxscore for reference.

Mark the date and time for posterity.

And clip the video for visual proof.

On Wednesday night, one month and 11 games into their up-and-down experiment of incorporating four future Hall of Famers on one roster, the Clippers proved that the elusive can be done. Their starting wing trio of ...Read more

NEW ORLEANS – A season ago, the Sixers learned how to prevail without Joel Embiid.

But you might be hard-pressed to believe that now after watching how they’ve performed without him this season.

The Sixers suffered a 124-114 loss to the New Orleans Wednesday night at the Smoothie King Center with Embiid sidelined by an illness. This comes ...Read more

DENVER — When the Nuggets’ starting lineup was introduced Wednesday night, the gravel-voiced public address announcer at Ball Arena screeched: “He’s back!”

Taking his cue, guard Jamal Murray, who missed 11 games because of a strained left hamstring, pumped his fist in the air as the fans serenaded him with cheers.

And while Murray ...Read more

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — North Carolina was up 15 when Elliot Cadeau got tangled with a Tennessee player and ended up tumbling into the Volunteers’ bench. In the Smith Center’s upper level, a North Carolina fan yelled out, loud enough for everyone to hear in a quiet building waiting to see Cadeau emerge from the bevy of humanity at the end of ...Read more

ORLANDO, Fla. — For Caleb Houstan, making the most out of each and every opportunity he earns on the court is key for him to seeing more time for the Magic (13-5).

A 3-and-D forward who’s recorded at least one steal twice while shooting nearly 43% (6 of 14) from distance before Wednesday night’s game, the second-year pro has done just ...Read more

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — No. 17 North Carolina, buoyed by a lights-out first half, defeated No. 10 Tennessee, 100-92, in the inaugural ACC/SEC Challenge on Wednesday night.

It felt like March, with the game coming down to just three possessions toward the end, and each team aiming for heroics.

UNC (6-1) was led by guard RJ Davis. The graduate ...Read more

The games have been played, the points have been tallied and 22 of the 30 colorful courts have been retired, at least for this year. The knockout stages are set for the NBA’s In-Season Tournament with the Lakers hosting the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday at Crypto.com Arena.

Here’s how we got here:

What’s the NBA’s In-Season Tournament?

In ...Read more

You can call it chemistry or culture or any of the other used sports cliches, but we often overlook an essential ingredient that plays an important role in a team’s success.

Do the players like each other?

The players on this Kentucky basketball team like each other.

You could see it again Tuesday night in the 12th-ranked Wildcats’ 95-73 ...Read more

This game was as ugly as sin but, when it was over, the Kings won three times.

They improbably beat the Golden State Warriors 124-123, their first win over their regional rival this season. They advanced to the quarterfinals of the new — and much hyped — NBA Cup (more about that in a moment). And they silenced a large contingent of Warriors...Read more

Who is Miriam Adelson, the prospective new owner of the Dallas Mavericks?

According to reports, Mark Cuban plans to sell the NBA franchise for $3.5 billion to Adelson. This sale would create one of the more unique ownership groups in the NBA.

In the proposed deal, Cuban would retain control of basketball operations while Adelson and her family...Read more

Mark Cuban’s pending surprise sale of the Dallas Mavericks sent shockwaves through the NBA.

The front-facing billionaire — a courtside staple at the American Airlines Center and one of the NBA’s most well-known owners — famously said he would never sell his beloved team, telling Bill Simmons in 2016 he’d turn down any offer.

“What ...Read more

An allegation that Oklahoma City Thunder guard Josh Giddey engaged in an inappropriate relationship with an underage girl is now being investigated by police in California, authorities confirmed Wednesday.

The accusation stems from a social media post that allegedly shows Giddey, who turned 21 last month, pictured with a girl said to be a high ...Read more

SACRAMENTO — Two turnovers in the game’s final 44 seconds cost the Warriors a win in Sacramento on Tuesday night. The Warriors lost 124-123 to the Kings on Malik Monk’s fadeaway banked jumpshot, squandering a 24-point lead they held in the first half. With that, the Kings won Group C of the in-season tournament.

The Warriors had a four-...Read more

NEW YORK — That was easy.

The Knicks needed a blowout victory over the shorthanded Charlotte Hornets for optimal positioning to advance on the final day of the NBA’s new In-Season Tournament.

After two landslide victories over the Hornets earlier in the season, the Knicks notched a third on Tuesday, with a 115-92 win that moved them to a 3...Read more

MIAMI — Five takeaways from the Miami Heat’s 131-124 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks in its final group play game of the NBA’s In-Season Tournament on Tuesday night to open a homestand at Kaseya Center. The Heat continues the homestand, which will last at least three games, on Thursday against the Indiana Pacers:

It was a well-played ...Read more

CHICAGO — The Chicago Bulls are stuck in a hole. It’s unavoidable. And executive vice president of basketball operations Artūras Karnišovas knows it.

A 5-14 record. A five-game losing streak. A star player pushing for a trade. The first five weeks of the season have quickly tanked any hopes the rebuild centered on Zach LaVine, DeMar ...Read more

LAWRENCE, Kan. — The Kansas men’s basketball team will have two tasks after its play on Tuesday against Eastern Illinois.

First, watch the game tape and learn from the numerous mistakes.

Second, burn the tapes.

Despite being 35-point favorites against KenPom’s No. 344-ranked team (out of 362), Kansas let the game get much too close for ...Read more