LOS ANGELES — When Luka Doncic searched back into his mind on Monday night for what March felt like in his first full season with the Lakers, he turned to describing the “good” vibes in the locker room.

The Slovenian star referred to the “fight” on the court — a 15-2 run as the Lakers shaped up into their best version of themselves ...Read more

MIAMI — In the end, the Miami Heat’s offseason could come down to a lesson in leverage, namely who has it, who controls it, who maximizes it.

This all, of course, in regard to Giannis Antetokounmpo, the factor that seemingly will drive the direction of the Heat offseason until he is or is not driven off the lot in Milwaukee.

While other ...Read more

NEW YORK — OG Anunoby is back to full sprinting and getting up and down the basketball court.

He said the right hamstring strain responsible for sidelining him for Games 3 and 4 of the Knicks’ second-round playoff series against the Philadelphia 76ers wasn’t as severe as the injuries that cost him significant time on the floor before.

�...Read more

DENVER — As a basketball player, Nikola Jokic is inevitable. As a personality, he is comfortable.

That endearing quality allows the Nuggets’ ownership to take advantage of him, permitting strategic neutrality through glossy double talk as the franchise reaches a crossroads.

Honestly? At this point in his career, there really is only one ...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS — Rudy Gobert has taught us an important lesson: Never be nice to children. They might be plotting your demise.

Gobert’s lifelong mentorship of a youngster named Victor Wembanyama boomeranged on him in the second round of the NBA playoffs.

Gobert had just helped the Minnesota Timberwolves dismiss a former MVP center, Nikola ...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS — The Minnesota Timberwolves’ season is over.

They were eliminated from the NBA Western Conference playoff semifinals by the San Antonio Spurs 139-109 at Target Center on Friday night in Game 6.

San Antonio shot 56% from the field (47% from three) and outrebounded the Wolves 60-29. The Spurs win the series 4-2 and will face the...Read more

Chelsea Gray has watched her Las Vegas Aces teammate A’ja Wilson do some very special things on the basketball floor.

She doesn’t take it for granted.

“You can’t get bored with watching greatness,” Gray said. “I’m around it all the time, but I’m surprised every day. I don’t ever want to get to the spot where I’m just ...Read more

CLEVELAND — For the second time this postseason, the Detroit Pistons went on the road and held off their opponent in a potential elimination game. This time, it came on Friday night inside Rocket Arena with a 115-94 Game 6 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers. With the win, the Pistons have tied the Eastern Conference semifinals at three games...Read more

SAN FRANCISCO — As Steve Kerr wrestled for three weeks about whether to continue coaching the Warriors, his wife, Margot, offered words that struck a chord with him during one of their many discussions about what was to come next.

“She said, ‘You might coach again some day, but you’ll never coach the Warriors again,’ and that was ...Read more

SAN FRANCISCO — Steve Kerr couldn’t quit.

Not yet.

And to hear him tell it, Friday, perhaps not ever.

He might just be a glutton for punishment. If he is, the Warriors are lucky that’s the case.

Because why else would a man with four rings as a coach, a surfboard as pristine as his resume, and a slew of grandkids waiting in the wings ...Read more

NBA Hall of Famer Charles Barkley honored former Nets center Jason Collins for his courage after the NBA’s first openly gay player died from brain cancer Tuesday.

The outspoken 16-year pro basketball veteran and longtime broadcaster also decried homophobia during Wednesday night’s “Inside the NBA” program.

Collins, who helped lead the ...Read more

NEW YORK — OG Anunoby’s return from a right hamstring strain appears to be near.

The Knicks starting forward was a full participant in practice Friday at the team’s Tarrytown training facility, with head coach Mike Brown calling the defensive anchor’s progress “encouraging” ahead of the Eastern Conference finals.

“He practiced ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — There are lots of potential reasons why Bob Myers and Josh Harris spent 35 minutes of their Thursday afternoon sitting in front of a conference room full of media and dodging any explicit acknowledgment of the only rational explanation for either one of them being there.

The likeliest culprit was professional courtesy …

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SEATTLE — What if the thing you most despise should also serve as your inspiration?

What if your greatest source of hate should be what you emulate?

It seems that at some point rather soon, the Sonics are going to return to Seattle. If the projected timeline holds, the NBA will be back in this town after a two-decades-long absence.

An ...Read more

ORLANDO, Fla. — Here’s the difference between the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder and the Orlando Magic: The Magic blew a 3-1 lead in the first-round of the playoffs after their second-best player Franz Wagner missed Games 5, 6 and 7 with a strained calf. The Thunder are 8-0 in the postseason despite their second-best player Jalen ...Read more

CHICAGO — More changes are coming in the Chicago Bulls front office under new executive vice president of basketball operations Bryson Graham, who is finalizing two vice president hirings this week.

A source confirmed to the Chicago Tribune that the Bulls will hire Stephen Mervis as senior vice president of basketball operations — a ...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS — Chris Finch seems like a happy guy. After years of coaching in Europe and as an assistant in the NBA, he is the head coach of a very good team. He earns a salary he once could have only dreamed about. The Timberwolves coach lives in Minneapolis, walks to the cool spots with his friends and works in an organization that values him...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — Daryl Morey was once the right man for the job.

He was the wrong man for the job now.

Whatever the Philadelphia 76ers’ reasons for parting ways with their chief personnel architect on Tuesday night, they are justified on the above grounds. The only course they can chart is one that Morey has never before captained. They must...Read more

MIAMI — Had the odds been beaten at the NBA draft lottery, had the Miami Heat moved into one of the top four selections, a case could have been made for a claim of malpractice had the team then turned around and agreed to trade such a pick.

Such opportunities come around only so often, with this draft unique in terms of its top-tier talent.

...Read more