PHILADELPHIA — In the wildly anticipated first battle between Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, Paul George upstaged them both.

The 76er-turned-Celtic shredded his former team Tuesday night, tallying 36 points on 14-of-22 shooting as Boston turned a close game played amid a playoff-like atmosphere at Xfinity Mobile Arena into a 123-101 rout.

...Read more

CHICAGO — Jeremy Fears Jr. walked around the court at United Center egging on a crowd that had just reached a crescendo as 42 seconds ticked down to 12 in Michigan State’s Champions Classic bout with Duke. It was one of many stops in the half, and in the game, as the Spartans made a statement in their first big test of the season.

No. 6 ...Read more

NEW YORK — This one was decided long before tipoff.

The New York Knicks beat the Milwaukee Bucks, 117-85, on Tuesday at Madison Square Garden, a blowout of a team that arrived 1-9, last in the Eastern Conference and without its leading scorer. Tyler Herro, the centerpiece of the Giannis Antetokounmpo trade, sat out with a bruised right knee. ...Read more

HOUSTON — The Denver Nuggets know a litmus test when they see one. They hadn’t faced a first-rate championship contender since opening night, when they showed they could hang with the fully healthy Oklahoma City Thunder for at least half a game before their offense unraveled.

It looked like they weren’t going to hang at all with Houston. ...Read more

ATLANTA — Austin Reaves took the baton from Luka Doncic when Doncic sat out Sunday, and when the roles were reversed Monday, Doncic passed it to his teammates.

Doncic had 32 points and 10 assists in a 124-114 win over the Atlanta Hawks as the Los Angeles Lakers (10-2) won their sixth game in a row, surviving a short bench and a Hawks ...Read more

DETROIT — Detroit Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff was speechless when asked about the Pistons' slow starts. He offered no response after the Pistons scored just 14 first-quarter points in Sunday night's loss to the Los Angeles Lakers.

Twenty-four hours later, Bickerstaff addressed the Pistons' poor start by changing his starting lineup, which ...Read more

STORRS, Conn. — The UConn men’s basketball team beat Wagner, 83-41, at Gampel Pavilion Monday night, but it suffered a more significant loss as forward Nik Khamenia left the game with an injury midway through the first half.

Khamenia scored 11 points in just seven minutes before going down awkwardly on his left foot during a defensive ...Read more

HARTFORD, Conn. — The UConn men’s basketball team remained at No. 4 in the latest AP Top 25 poll after taking down Michigan, 85-77, in Boston in a rematch of last year’s national championship game Friday.

The Huskies (2-0) are behind No. 1 Florida, No. 2 Duke and No. 3 Illinois. All three of those programs earned convincing wins in their ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — LeBron James says that his loved ones are not in danger after multiple media outlets reported that a man was arrested outside the former Los Angeles Lakers star's Brentwood home late last week.

According to a Los Angeles Police Department spokesperson, officers responded to a reported burglary in progress in a Brentwood ...Read more

This wasn’t going to be a night for a statement victory. Of course, at this stage, the Miami Heat are in no position to be choosy.

So against an opponent that entered 1-8 and was lacking sidelined three-time All-Star and current NBA rebounding leader Domantas Sabonis, Erik Spoelstra’s team simply took care of business Sunday night at Golden...Read more

The Boston Celtics took care of business against yet another Eastern Conference also-ran Sunday night, overwhelming the Milwaukee Bucks 117-97 at Fiserv Forum.

Paul George scored 27 points on 11-of-18 shooting with two steals to lead the Celtics, who controlled the final 3 1/2 quarters after trailing 20-6 out of the gate. Jayson Tatum lacked ...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS — The Minnesota Timberwolves began their eight-game homestand Sunday giving Target Center fans a lot to cheer about, putting away the lowly Utah Jazz 115-100. It’s the fourth consecutive win for the Wolves (8-3), who continue to thrive while star Anthony Edwards recovers from knee surgery.

Ayo Dosunmu (26 points despite foul ...Read more

CHICAGO — Somewhere around midcourt, Matas Buzelis decided to go for the kill.

The forward was racing at full speed, angling toward the rim. Barely a minute remained on the clock as the Chicago Bulls trailed the Philadelphia 76ers after spending the better part of the game nipping at the heels of the top-ranked team in the Eastern Conference....Read more

Two nights. Two entirely different failures. The Brooklyn Nets blew a 17-point lead against the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday. On Sunday, they never led at all.

Cooper Flagg scored 25 points and handed out a career-high 12 assists as the Dallas Mavericks dismantled Brooklyn 130-93 at American Airlines Center. The Nets fell to 2-8, their promising ...Read more

DETROIT — Austin Reaves raised three fingers to the rafters. Then, after hitting a clutch 3-pointer with 46 seconds remaining against the Detroit Pistons on Sunday, he turned his palm to fans sitting courtside at Little Caesers Arena and waved goodbye.

The Los Angeles Lakers guard scored a season-high 41 points as L.A. survived a 121-116 win...Read more

NEW YORK — Throughout the offseason, St. John’s head coach Rick Pitino predicted what adding a true point guard would mean for Ian Jackson.

A shooting guard by trade, Jackson was forced to run the point for much of last season due to the Red Storm’s deficiencies at the position.

That’s why Jackson, now back to playing his natural two-...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS — The Minnesota Gophers played St. Thomas in men’s basketball Friday night for the first time in nearly a century, and that wasn’t even the most unusual part of the festivities.

One player sat on the bench in street clothes, unable to play because of a court decision.

Another player in the exact same predicament was able to ...Read more