NEW YORK — Thursday’s loss to an undermanned Charlotte Hornets squad came down to a lack of concentration for the Nets. But in Saturday’s 129-101 defeat of the Orlando Magic at Barclays Center, Mikal Bridges and his teammates were locked in from the start to finish against the No. 2 team in the Eastern Conference.

The Nets’ bounce-back ...Read more

DETROIT — Close, but no cigar.

The Pistons kept a game competitive again for three quarters, but came up short again in the fourth to keep their franchise-record losing streak going.

Detroit lost its 17th consecutive game with a 110-101 defeat to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Saturday night at Little Caesars Arena.

The Pistons trailed by three...Read more

MIAMI — The Miami Heat made a case for Bam Adebayo as Defensive Player of the Year on Saturday night.

In his absence.

In a defenseless effort.

Unable to contain an Indiana Pacers offense lacking scoring and assist leader Tyrese Haliburton, the Heat fell, 144-129, at Kaseya Center to close out a 1-2 homestand and fall to 11-9 at the season�...Read more

LEXINGTON, Ky. — Kentucky’s new basketball court in Rupp Arena was the scene of a major upset Saturday evening.

UNC Wilmington held off multiple rallies to shock Kentucky with an 80-73 victory, giving Seahawks coach Takayo Siddle another marquee win in the home of UK basketball. Siddle played for Gardner-Webb when that program knocked off ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — The Clippers spent Saturday afternoon much as they'd spent their past month: Immediately digging themselves into an enormous hole, then furiously working to extricate themselves.

How they ultimately come out of their all-in move to acquire James Harden is a long-term question that won't be known for months. But Saturday, they ...Read more

Northwestern coach Chris Collins didn’t expect the Wildcats to get the benefit of the doubt.

Not even after finishing second in the Big Ten last season or beating No. 1 Purdue in February or winning its NCAA Tournament opener against Boise State or losing a nail-biter to UCLA in the second round.

Nothing had changed, and that was perfectly ...Read more

They needed to fend off a second-half surge from the Phoenix Suns, but the Denver Nuggets held on Friday in Phoenix for a 119-111 win over one of the top contenders in the West.

Denver (14-6) shot 57% from the field and only turned the ball over nine times to win its fourth consecutive game. Next is the end of a road back-to-back Saturday at ...Read more

LAWRENCE, Kan. — Kansas guard Kevin McCullar released a well-deserved roar on Friday night at Allen Fieldhouse.

As the Jayhawks struggled to score late in the second half vs. UConn, McCullar canned two straight 3-pointers.

After one of McCullar’s 3-pointers, star big man Hunter Dickinson hit a trey to give KU a 61-54 lead over the Huskies....Read more

BOSTON — Jayson Tatum had to be restrained. Even well after he said the magic word that got him ejected for just the second time in his career, Tatum continued barking at referee Bill Kennedy — a rare display of emotion from the Celtics superstar — so much so that he had to be held back by coaches Joe Mazzulla and Charles Lee before he ...Read more

Donte DiVincenzo is the answer at the two.

It’s been the biggest revelation for the Knicks, who have not gotten the production they expected out of Quentin Grimes in the starting lineup at the shooting guard spot this season.

Grimes’ cold shooting streak continued in the Knicks’ 119-106 victory over the Toronto Raptors on Friday.

The ...Read more

ORLANDO, Fla. — Winners of nine in a row after Friday night’s 130-125 home victory over the Washington Wizards, the Magic are aware there’s still a long season ahead of them.

Nevertheless, coach Jamahl Mosley’s squad is focused on taking things one game at a time.

“Because that’s what brought us here,” Magic big man Moe Wagner ...Read more

Juwan Howard is officially beginning his transition back to the Michigan basketball bench.

According to a program spokesperson, Howard “will be designated as an assistant coach” for Saturday’s game at Oregon as he continues to work his way back from mid-September heart surgery.

There’s no time frame for when Howard, 50, will return to ...Read more

CHICAGO — For Zach LaVine, the last two weeks have been defined by one thing — not the latest round of trade rumors, but an injury to his right foot.

The Chicago Bulls star guard will be sidelined a week with a right foot sprain he incurred during a home game against the Miami Heat on Nov. 20. That means he will likely miss Friday’s game ...Read more

SAN FRANCISCO — The Los Angeles Clippers avoided a hit to their rotation when Norman Powell played on Thursday night despite suffering a knee contusion only one night earlier in Sacramento.

It was one of few breaks the Clippers received in a 120-114 loss that drops them to 8-10, with a rematch against the Warriors coming Saturday in Los ...Read more

MIAMI – This wasn’t a singular test.

It was contending with the frenetic pace of the Indiana Pacers at the outset.

It was dealing with the 28-point first half of Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton.

It was Bam Adebayo checking out with his recurring hip issue in the second period and not returning.

So the Miami Heat did what they seemingly ...Read more

OKLAHOMA CITY — There's the truth and then there's the truth the Lakers believe.

Thursday against the Thunder was the fourth and final game on a trip that lasted less than a week, but the way their bones creaked and their eyelids hung heavy, it felt like much longer.

The 133-110 loss meant the team finished .500 on the trip, the accepted ...Read more