Former five-star Kentucky men’s basketball recruit Aaron Bradshaw has a new college home after spending one season in Lexington.

On Monday afternoon, Bradshaw — who averaged 4.9 points and 3.3 rebounds per game last season at Kentucky — committed to play at Ohio State for Buckeyes head coach Jake Diebler.

Bradshaw committed to the ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — Nick Nurse shied away from saying it was definitive. Instead, he uttered the word hopeful.

The 76ers coach said he’s hopeful Joel Embiid will play against the Miami Heat in Wednesday’s NBA Play-In Tournament.

“Yeah, hopefully,” he said. “Not sure on anybody, but I’m hopeful.”

After Embiid tweaked his left knee ...Read more

No Kawhi Leonard.

No Paul George.

No James Harden.

No way of helping or hurting their playoff status.

Already locked into the No. 4 seed in the Western Conference playoffs, the Clippers gave their stars the day off during the regular-season finale against the Houston Rockets on Sunday at Crypto.com Arena.

But a former Clipper gave the fans ...Read more

As expected, D.J. Wagner is likely to be a one-and-done player at the University of Kentucky.

Wagner — the Wildcats’ starting point guard during the 2023-24 season — jumped into the transfer portal Monday morning, less than 24 hours after Mark Pope was introduced as UK’s new men’s basketball coach and nearly a week removed from John ...Read more

NEW YORK — DeMar DeRozan got what he wanted — away from OG Anunoby.

It’s overtime of the regular-season finale at Madison Square Garden — a game with zero implications for a Play-In Tournament-bound Chicago Bulls team and direct consequences for the East’s No. 2-seeded Knicks — and DeRozan, the NBA’s reigning Mr. Clutch, has the ...Read more

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The Kings didn’t encounter much resistance in their regular-season finale against the injury depleted Portland Trail Blazers, but their path to the playoffs won’t be so easy.

De’Aaron Fox scored 24 points on 10-of-14 shooting to lead the Kings to a 121-82 victory over the Blazers on Sunday before a sellout crowd at ...Read more

NEW ORLEANS — Your eyes would tell you quickly.

The Lakers, at their very best this season, have received the kind of all-around dominance from L eBron James that made him the best player in the league — a surefire ticket to the end when winning mattered most.

But with 39 years on his bones and 21 seasons worth of mileage on his legs, ...Read more

To close their worst season in franchise history, the Detroit Pistons turned in a performance so forgettable that it might actually be hard to forget.

One game after their biggest margin of victory this year — and against a Spurs team that was tied for the worst record in the West and playing without Rookie of the Year front-runner Victor ...Read more

SAN FRANCISCO — The Warriors sat both Steph Curry and Draymond Green, and still beat the lottery-bound Utah Jazz.

Klay Thompson dropped 19 in the first half and 25 in 20 minutes overall. The Warriors limited his and the other veterans’ minutes and let their deep bench ride in the second half.

No one in the Warriors’ playoff rotation ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Kawhi Leonard sat on the Clippers bench Sunday once again dressed in a sweatsuit, right next to Paul George, who was next to James Harden, the team’s three stars not playing in the final regular-season game before the team begins the playoffs.

The big mystery surrounds Leonard and his status for the Clippers’ first-round ...Read more

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — As he so often does, Michael Malone captured the feeling of the entire Nuggets fanbase.

“I’m kind of all over the place right now,” he said at noon MT, while countless fans were surely talking themselves through all the NBA playoff scenarios one last time before Game 82.

Malone was acutely aware of the most likely ...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS — The worst-case scenario played out for the Timberwolves on Sunday.

Entering a day when they could have moved up to the No. 1 seed with some help, or guaranteed at least the No. 2 seed with a victory, the Wolves fell to the Suns 125-106 to end the regular season, dropping to the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference.

To make ...Read more

MIAMI — The Miami Heat needed a win and some help on the final day of the regular season to avoid the NBA’s play-in tournament.

The Heat got the win, cruising to a 118-103 victory over the Toronto Raptors (25-57) on Sunday afternoon at Kaseya Center to close the regular season at 46-36.

But the Heat didn’t get the help it needed, as the ...Read more

NEW YORK — What better way to end the regular season than to treat the season finale like Game 7 of a playoff series?

While all other Eastern Conference games on the last day of the calendar resulted in blowout decisions, a Chicago Bulls team with nothing to gain and a Knicks team with something to lose needed an extra period to settle the ...Read more

INDIANAPOLIS — There’s something about the Pacers that the Hawks just can’t shake this season. In the final game of the regular season, the Hawks fell to the Pacers 157-115 on Sunday afternoon at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

Here are five observations.

1. The Pacers just had the Hawks scrambling, with Myles Turner and Pascal Siakam stretching ...Read more

BOSTON — After Friday’s win over the Hornets, in which Payton Pritchard set a career-high 31 points in three quarters before sitting on the bench for the final quarter, he was asked if he wanted to stay in to add to his tally. The Celtics guard said no.

“I think eventually in my career, I’ll get another opportunity and I’ll pass it ...Read more

ORLANDO, Fla. — From the end of last season and all through training camp, the Magic made it clear what their goal was entering this year.

Orlando had its sights set on the playoffs.

Not the play-in that Jamahl Mosley‘s squad just missed out on last season.

The playoffs.

The Magic accomplished their goal Sunday by capturing a 113-88 ...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS — The NBA expanded to 23 teams with the addition of the Dallas Mavericks for the 1980-81 season and there were indications that decade the league wanted more.

Marv Wolfenson had felt the void when the Minneapolis Lakers left here in 1960, and he convinced business partner Harvey Ratner to pursue a team.

Marv and Harv made an ...Read more