MIAMI — In the wake of a knee injury that left him a shell of himself by the conclusion of Wednesday night’s costly road play-in loss to the Philadelphia 76ers, Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler is expected to miss extended time in a Heat season that might not have extended time remaining.

An MRI on Butler’s right knee is scheduled for 3:30...Read more

The Chicago Bulls advanced to the second round of the NBA Play-In Tournament for the second consecutive year, cruising to a 131-116 victory against the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday night at the United Center.

The Bulls will face the Heat at 6 p.m. Friday in Miami with the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs on the line.

Coby White ...Read more

The blow that ultimately turned out the lights on the Miami Heat on Wednesday, and probably beyond, came late in the first quarter and not those final, frantic seconds at the end of the game. Jimmy Butler went up for a shot then under the basket and landed awkwardly on the extended leg of Philadelphia’s Kelly Oubre.

Butler lay like a fallen ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — The 76ers are recognized as a championship-contending team with Joel Embiid.

Perhaps that’s what added to the excitement of Wednesday night’s achievement. With Embiid back on the floor, the Sixers took their first step toward what they hope is a long postseason run.

They punched their ticket to their seventh straight ...Read more

Excitement for Caitlin Clark’s WNBA arrival continues to reach a fever pitch.

The Indiana Fever on Wednesday rolled out an actual red carpet for the newly minted No. 1 overall draft pick and introduced her at a packed press conference at Indianapolis’ Gainbridge Coliseum.

Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton and head coach Rick Carlisle were ...Read more

Where do the Warriors go from here?

Their champion core is now aged and embarrassed. Their young players are not good enough to protract the dynasty. The Warriors are stuck in between stations.

Add the NBA’s new, increasingly punitive (some could argue vindictive) luxury tax rules and a standard of excellence that won’t be compromised (not...Read more

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Zion Williamson will not be in uniform when the New Orleans Pelicans play host to the Sacramento Kings in a play-in tournament elimination game Friday at Smoothie King Center.

Williamson has been ruled out with a hamstring injury. The Pelicans said an MRI showed Williamson is suffering from a strained left hamstring. He ...Read more

NEW YORK — In an explosive ruling, the NBA banned Toronto Raptors center Jontay Porter for life after an investigation found he gambled on multiple games and limited his on-court availability for betting purposes, the league said Wednesday.

The probe came after a March 20 game in which Porter played only three minutes after a gambler wagered ...Read more

LEXINGTON, Ky. — If there is one thing we learned from Kentucky hiring Mark Pope as its next basketball coach, it is this:

X or Twitter isn’t reality.

Sorry Elon Musk, it just isn’t.

I say this as someone who is on X a lot. More than I should be. The social media app can be entertaining and informative and addictive all at the same time...Read more

The Kings wanted payback a year after the Golden State Warriors handed them a heartbreaking loss in Game 7 of an unforgettable first-round playoff series.

They shared that moment with their home crowd Tuesday evening in Sacramento, ending Golden State’s season with a resounding victory in the NBA play-in tournament.

Keegan Murray scored 32 ...Read more

NEW ORLEANS — D’Angelo Russell walked to the bench in the first quarter, goading the New Orleans crowd to jeer.

The Lakers guard had just gotten tangled up with Pelicans’ fan favorite and All-NBA pest Jose Alvarado, the two players both being called for technical fouls.

The crowd loved it.

As Alvarado led a New Orleans second-half ...Read more

LeBron James has scored more points than anyone in NBA history.

The four-time champion and 20-time All-Star has been named league MVP and Finals MVP four times each.

He also has finished second in defensive player of the year voting twice.

Apparently that last part really bugs the Lakers superstar.

"I mean, that's the only award that I don't...Read more

NEW YORK — Team USA has selected 11 of the 12 players who will represent the country on the men’s national basketball team for the 2024 Paris Olympics — and Knicks All-Star Jalen Brunson was not on the list.

LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Joel Embiid, Jayson Tatum, Devin Booker, Jrue Holiday, Anthony Davis, Anthony Edwards, ...Read more

ATLANTA — Trae Young needs to be extraordinary for the Hawks to advance to the playoffs. It will take more than only that, but if Young isn’t great, then those things won’t matter. Young is the one who can make the parts add up to a greater whole and deliver two upset road victories in the play-in tournament, starting Wednesday in Chicago....Read more

DURHAM, N.C. — Duke’s final player link to retired coach Mike Krzyzewski’s Hall of Fame era is saying goodbye to the Blue Devils.

Jeremy Roach, a starter the last three seasons, plans to enter his name in the NBA draft pool and will also enter the NCAA transfer portal to play elsewhere if he returns for his fifth season of college ...Read more

CHICAGO — It was a little over a month ago that Chicago Bulls star DeMar DeRozan compared the team to an episode of “Dateline,” the news magazine that focuses on true crime mysteries.

In your typical “Dateline” episode, the big reveal comes at the end after plenty of twists and turns in the investigation. Ditto your typical Bulls’ ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — It’s the same old song when it comes to Kawhi Leonard and his availability for the Clippers when they meet the Dallas Mavericks in Game 1 of the Western Conference playoffs on Sunday at Crypto.com Arena.

It remains uncertain — a mystery even — if Leonard will play in the first game of the best-of-seven series.

He missed ...Read more

NEW YORK — High-flying six-time All-Star Blake Griffin announced his retirement from the NBA on Tuesday.

Griffin, who played 14 seasons with four NBA teams, was picked first overall by the Clippers out of Oklahoma in 2009. He missed the 2009 campaign after suffering a season-ending knee injury in preseason. He returned the following season ...Read more

MIAMI — Championship banners and expectations are raised to commensurate heights, and so it is a compliment to the Miami Heat — to this franchise’s pedigree of accomplishment — to say this team enters the playoffs after an ordinary-to-disappointing regular season and without much hope of a deep run.

Hmm. Sounds familiar. We thought that...Read more