Sports
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Analysis: Will the collective weight on the Timberwolves be lifted with another playoff run?
MINNEAPOLIS — In eight years of covering the Timberwolves, I don’t think there has been a season with as much collective weight on all levels of the organization as this one.
The team bottomed out in some seasons, and the games meant nothing on a night-to-night basis.
Some Wolves teams defied expectations, and the vibes were great all ...Read more
Julia Poe: Matas Buzelis is the new face of the Bulls -- but stardom remains slightly out of reach
CHICAGO — For a few seconds in Monday’s road loss to the Brooklyn Nets, Matas Buzelis could barely breathe.
The second-year forward had launched himself on the typical aggressive trajectory that allows him to block more shots than any of his Chicago Bulls teammates. Buzelis knew what to expect once he made it into the air, where to place ...Read more
Kings guard Zach LaVine set to undergo season-ending surgery
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A tumultuous season has come to a premature end for Sacramento Kings guard Zach LaVine.
A league source told The Sacramento Bee on Friday that LaVine plans to undergo season-ending surgery on his right hand following the All-Star break, as first reported by NBA insider Chris Haynes.
LaVine missed the past three games ...Read more
No. 10 Michigan State suffers lopsided loss against Wisconsin
MADISON, Wis. — That one is going to sting for a while.
Michigan State came to Madison with a chance to continue clawing its way back into the Big Ten title hunt. Instead, it leaves stomaching a 92-71 wire-to-wire loss to the Badgers, who hit 15 3-pointers Friday night at Kohl Center.
One game after a win over top-10 Illinois, No. 10 ...Read more
Mirjam Swanson: LeBron James -- all-time overachieving All-Star
Pity the prodigies.
All of the gifts and none of the experience. So much pressure and so little experience. Talent and tools and too much to learn.
The bigger deal they are, the further from grace they’ll fall. Usually. Not LeBron James, though. He’s one of the rare teen sensations who didn’t leave us hanging, wondering: What could’ve ...Read more
NBA All-Star Game 2026: Explaining new USA vs. World format
The NBA All-Star Game is going global.
Well, sort of.
The NBA changed the format of its much-scrutinized All-Star Game yet again, with Sunday’s exhibition set to feature a USA vs. World competition for the first time.
It’s an overhaul that has been rumored for years, with NBA commissioner Adam Silver hopeful that playing for national ...Read more
Rick Pitino not sweating St. John's deal after billionaire booster suggests replacing contract
NEW YORK — Rick Pitino prefers not to focus on his contract in the middle of the season.
But the St. John’s head coach is aware billionaire booster Mike Repole suggested this week that the university “rip up” the three years remaining on his deal and give him a better one this offseason.
“I’m not making any plans to move anywhere ...Read more
Chris Paul, former Clippers star, announces retirement after being waived by Raptors
LOS ANGELES — Chris Paul is stepping away from the NBA for good after more than two decades in the league.
The 12-time All Star who played a key role in the Clippers' "Lob City" era made the announcement Friday soon after being waived by the Toronto Raptors.
"This is it! After over 21 years I'm stepping away from basketball," Paul wrote in a...Read more
Scott Fowler: Kon artistry: Knueppel has become a rookie star for Hornets
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The respect that Charlotte Hornets rookie Kon Knueppel has already earned throughout the league was symbolized in one anecdote and one quarter Wednesday night.
Before the Hornets edged Atlanta, 110-107, at home in their last game before the NBA All-Star break, I asked Atlanta coach Quin Snyder what sort of impact he thought ...Read more
Abby Schnable: Jeff Capel, Roman Siulepa and the reality of rebuilding for Pitt men's basketball
PITTSBURGH — Pitt's 2025-26 season has not gone according to plan. At 9-16, the Panthers are staring at one of the worst records of Jeff Capel's tenure and there's no spinning that positively.
Eight years in, the overall resume remains uneven — three winning seasons, one NCAA Tournament appearance and too many stretches where progress has ...Read more
Marcus Hayes: Tyrese Maxey: The hero Philadelphia needs
PHILADELPHIA — There is no Philadelphia sports figure without blemish.
The Phillies’ hitters failed again, and Zack Wheeler is hurt. The Eagles collapsed en masse after winning their second Super Bowl; even Saquon Barkley took hits before and during the season. The Flyers remain mired in a rebuild. And no team has engendered as much ...Read more
LeBron James' triple-double leads Lakers past Mavericks
LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Lakers have reached the part of the NBA season in which they get a week off because of the All-Star break that starts Friday. It’ll give the Lakers time to rest, and perhaps most importantly, to get healthy.
Luka Doncic is at the center of what they do, but he missed his fourth straight game with left leg ...Read more
Jim Souhan: Popular criticisms of the Wolves may be true. They're also overblown.
MINNEAPOLIS — In the 1950s, Sports Illustrated, then the crown jewel of sports journalism, hired Kurt Vonnegut to write a story about a racehorse that had leapt a fence.
Vonnegut would go on to become a famous author, and the publication was looking for a writerly view of this event. Deep thinking was in the offing.
After staring at a blank ...Read more
Where Sonics' possible return, NBA expansion sit heading into All-Star Game
SEATTLE — Considering all that’s been going on around here of late, the chatter about the NBA has understandably taken a few steps back from getting a ton of attention.
But this weekend provides another opportunity when the league could advance the conversation on what seems to be the never-ending topic of expansion.
The league will gather...Read more
Sources: Knicks to sign ex-Spurs forward Jeremy Sochan
NEW YORK — The Knicks are rounding out a roster they hope can compete for a championship with one big addition entering the mid-February NBA All-Star break.
The Knicks are signing 2022 No. 9 overall pick Jeremy Sochan to a minimum contract for the rest of the season, league sources told the New York Daily News. ESPN was first to report Sochan...Read more
UNC star freshman Caleb Wilson sidelined with a broken hand
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — North Carolina star freshman Caleb Wilson suffered a broken left hand during the Tar Heels’ loss at Miami on Tuesday night, the school announced Thursday.
Wilson is out indefinitely due to the injury and no timetable has been determined for his return to play, according to UNC.
The freshman from Atlanta suffered the ...Read more
Movie star? Steph Curry gives glimpse into possible post-basketball career.
OAKLAND, Calif. — The pitter-patter of rain outside of Oakland’s Grand Lake Theater melded with sharp cracks of bursting popcorn inside the venerable establishment, creating a soundtrack to the anticipation felt by attendees late on Tuesday afternoon.
A crowd — to the chagrin of security — clogged the cramped interior while hoping to ...Read more
NBA All-Star Weekend: What time is the game? What's new?
LOS ANGELES — The 75th NBA All-Star Game will take place Sunday at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood. Each year there are new twists to the game and activities during the three-day celebration of the best basketball players in the world. This year is no exception.
Here's what you need to know (all times Pacific):
All-Star Game
— When: Sunday, ...Read more
Nuggets' negotiation with Spencer Jones being 'slow-played' amid concussion, but Denver survives Memphis for 122-116 win
Clunky in the clutch again, the Nuggets managed to survive a late comeback Wednesday night at Ball Arena and went into the All-Star break with a 122-116 win over the Grizzlies.
Nikola Jokic registered his 20th triple-double of the season with 26 points, 15 rebounds and 11 assists, though he also was responsible for nine turnovers two days after...Read more
Wembanyama outduels Green in final game before All-Star break
SAN FRANCISCO – With the All-Star break only a few hours away, it would have been understandable if the Warriors’ effort was a bit lacking on Wednesday night against San Antonio.
But playing against one of the West’s top teams, the Steph Curry-less Warriors lost 126-113 to the Spurs in a game that was close for much of it.
Draymond Green...Read more
Popular Stories
- NBA All-Star Game 2026: Explaining new USA vs. World format
- Rick Pitino not sweating St. John's deal after billionaire booster suggests replacing contract
- Chris Paul, former Clippers star, announces retirement after being waived by Raptors
- Mirjam Swanson: LeBron James -- all-time overachieving All-Star
- Kings guard Zach LaVine set to undergo season-ending surgery
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