DENVER — The Timberwolves swept the Phoenix Suns, while surviving Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal.

Then the Wolves dethroned the Denver Nuggets, featuring three-time MVP Nikola Jokic and shotmaking sidekick Jamal Murray.

The NBA is a solar system. The Wolves are proving that systems can foil stars.

Next up is another Western ...Read more

Women's basketball has never seen anything like Caitlin Clark, the sweet-shooting rookie guard for the WNBA's Indiana Fever. She's Taylor Swift with a jump shot, Mia Hamm in a singlet; a figure so transcendent she is changing her profession.

More than 55,000 people showed up to watch her play a practice game last fall and her final college game...Read more

A confession: I thought the Wolves were toast.

When they went down 58-38 after a Jamal Murray corner three-pointer in the third quarter to Denver in Sunday's Game 7, I muttered to nobody in particular that the game was over. The narratives were already forming in my head: A nice run, a step forward, but they just weren't quite ready for this ...Read more

In an emptying locker room of players who had forgotten what it feels like to end a season with a loss, nobody was in uncharted territory as much as Christian Braun.

Towel draped over his head, eyes red underneath it, the second-year guard was in a state of disbelief that replicated the entire Nuggets fanbase. Braun actually went back-to-back ...Read more

This is what it can still be like in sports, the way it was over the past month, when great, big places – like this one – feel like a small town, rooting on the town team.

In the end, that’s exactly what happened around here, as New York fell in love this way, with this Knicks team, felt about the Knicks the way it hasn’t since the 90s...Read more

The wall of cameras and reporters focused on Bronny James against the blue back drop, the diamond stud in his right ear reflecting the lights as he answered different versions of the same question at the NBA scouting combine.

"To be honest," he said with a soft smile, "It's a lot."

No one flat-out asked — it would've been too rude, too ...Read more

Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau is officially up for a contract extension, and a deal should be a no-brainer for a coach who established a culture ushering-in back-to-back second-round playoff appearances at Madison Square Garden.

Thibodeau coached the Knicks to the Eastern Conference’s No. 2 seed despite a rash of injuries, most notably All-...Read more

JJ Redick?

Seriously?

The Los Angeles LeBrons appear to be closing in on the landmark hire of a bench boss who possesses but one legitimate qualification.

JJ Redick could be the next Lakers head coach because he has a podcast with LeBron James.

Period. End of resume.

Redick has never been a coach at any level above elementary school. He’s...Read more

1. Did you know this?

The Timberwolves comeback from a 20-point deficit was the biggest in NBA Game 7 history. The Wolves outscored Denver 60-37 in the second half after scoring 38 in the first half. They open their first Western Conference final in 20 years on Wednesday against Dallas at Target Center.

2. Mama, there goes Naz Reid

In the ...Read more

NEW YORK — Fans in Madison Square Garden should’ve known it was going to be Tyrese Haliburton’s night.

He finished the first quarter with a statline most players would be happy to finish with in a playoff game: 14 points on 5-of-7 shooting from the field, including four made three-pointers.

But Haliburton is a rising superstar and he ...Read more

NEW YORK — There are many signs a car is running low on gas before it ultimately sputters to the side of the road.

A bright light flashes beneath the empty sign on the dashboard to signal the final 20 to 30 miles left in the tank.

The car itself becomes more difficult to control, with steering and braking compromised for the operator behind ...Read more

The WNBA is opening an investigation into the Aces one day after the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority announced it was sponsoring the team’s 12 rostered players, a league source confirmed to the Review-Journal on Saturday.

News of the probe broke during the fourth quarter of the Aces’ 89-82 home win over the Los Angeles Sparks. ...Read more

NEW YORK — Game 7.

Head coaches Tom Thibodeau and Rick Carlisle aren’t foreign to this do-or-die environment. And both coaches had their backs against the wall once again at Madison Square Garden on Sunday.

“Game 7s. They’re special,” Thibodeau said before tip-0ff Sunday. “So just go out there and give it everything you have.”

...Read more

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Grant Williams just wants to win.

The new Charlotte Hornets forward grew up here and was an all-state high school basketball player at Providence Day. In 2016, he helped lead the Chargers to a state championship win over Miami Heat forward Bam Adebayo’s powerhouse prep team.

Earlier this year, Williams was named one of ...Read more

MIAMI — Damian Lillard. Damian Lillard. Damian Lillard. Damian Lillard. Damian Lillard.

(Wait, get me a rewrite.)

Donovan Mitchell. Donovan Mitchell. Donovan Mitchell. Donovan Mitchell. Donovan Mitchell.

(Because, yes, here we go again.)

There was a point, what now seems like decades ago (because it actually was), when the biggest of the ...Read more

NEW YORK — The Liberty’s win in Saturday’s home opener wrapped up a 2-0 home-and-home series against the rebuilding Indiana Fever. In those games, the Libs got their first look at No. 1 overall pick Caitlin Clark, one of the league’s newest and brightest stars.

Clark — like most top WNBA rookies — showed flashes of greatness and ...Read more

Could it be, OG Anunoby?

The Knicks upgraded Anunoby, who has missed the last four games due to a strained left hamstring, to questionable for Game 7 of New York’s Eastern Conference semifinals matchup against the Indiana Pacers on Sunday.

He is expected to participate in pregame warmups and make a determination on his availability ...Read more

LAS VEGAS — The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority will sponsor Las Vegas Aces players this season, paying each of the 12 on the roster $100,000.

Team members were told of the sponsorship in their locker room Friday by LVCVA President and CEO Steve Hill. A video of the announcement was posted on X.

“We would like to offer each of ...Read more

DENVER — Game 7s make for great theater, but not only because of the stakes and suspense. They are the final act of a ballet between two teams who have already revealed their choreography. There will be variations on the themes from earlier, but those themes have been seen and interpreted throughout six games. Now it’s the sheer quality of ...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS — The Minnesota Timberwolves brought joy back to fans in Game 6 on Thursday night.

They returned to blocking shots, agitating Jamal Murray and winning by a "Space Jam" amount of points.

Many Minnesota sports fans are now left wondering: can they do it again?

The stats are sending mixed signals.

Game 7 home-court advantage

Over...Read more