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

SAN FRANCISCO – Steph Curry has shown a penchant for shaking off slow starts with third quarter scoring binges during the Warriors’ winning streak.

But against a short-handed Magic squad missing Paolo Banchero and Jalen Suggs, Curry did not wait until the halftime intermission to start sizzling in the Warriors’ thrilling 126-119 overtime ...Read more

The Cleveland Cavaliers had a five-point lead, a long injury list and no rest. Jalen Brunson took care of the lead.

Brunson scored 18 points in a little more than four minutes of the second quarter, turning a competitive evening into a showcase for the Knicks’ captain as New York built an 88-70 lead through three quarters against Cleveland at...Read more

MEXICO CITY — Aaron Gordon opened the festivities with a surprisingly smooth display of Spanish language chops. The ending wasn’t nearly as smooth for the Nuggets, but they held off a frisky if depleted Pacers team Saturday, winning, 114-102, in Mexico City.

“Vamos Nuggets. Viva Mexico,” Gordon announced to an Arena CDMX crowd that ...Read more

LAS VEGAS — Raiders and Aces owner Mark Davis remains mum on whether he’s looking to get involved in a Las Vegas NBA expansion bid group but has not ruled out the prospect.

Davis, as he has on multiple occasions in the past, declined to say if he had interest in a Vegas NBA franchise during a sit-down interview with CNBC.

“I’ve been ...Read more

LEXINGTON, Ky. — The commitment to Kentucky on Wednesday by 7-foot-5 Cherif Millogo may eventually carry historic significance beyond having given UK the tallest recruit in its men’s basketball history.

It’s possible that Millogo, a native of the West African nation of Burkina Faso who is now playing high school basketball in California, ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — The absurd 62-foot three-pointer Luka Doncic hoisted and made late in the second quarter Friday night seemed to ignite him, pushing him to even higher heights on the way to scoring 53 points.

Doncic especially went to work in the third quarter, scoring 20 points in that frame in delivering the Los Angeles Lakers to a 124-118 win...Read more

LAWRENCE, Kan. — The Kansas Jayhawks men’s basketball team has completed a two-game sweep of mid-major teams this week in advance of Tuesday’s Champions Classic showdown against fellow hoops blueblood Kentucky.

Former Purdue forward Trey Kaufman-Renn scored 17 points on 7-of-8 shooting and grabbed four rebounds with two assists and a ...Read more

Once again, a fourth-quarter surge, started by LaMelo Ball, helped the Timberwolves roll to a win. The Wolves beat the New Orleans Pelicans, 115-109, Friday night in New Orleans.

Ball scored nine of his 22 points in the first six minutes of the fourth quarter to get the Wolves rolling and was helped along the way by Jaden McDaniels, who ...Read more

BOSTON — There was only one game of separation between the national championship and its rematch on Friday night in Boston, so the intensity didn’t have much time to fade.

And it created quite the atmosphere in a packed TD Garden, where No. 4 UConn’s string of nonconference battles got off to an impressive start, taking down the 16th-...Read more

Again out of coaching and back in the media realm, Doc Rivers wasted little time reflecting on Giannis Antetokounmpo and what went wrong during their time together with the Milwaukee Bucks.

Speaking on Bill Simmons’ podcast, Rivers, now an NBA analyst, addressed last season’s turmoil in Milwaukee that preceded Antetokounmpo’s offseason ...Read more

Kristaps Porzingis hasn’t been with the Warriors so far this season amid health issues, and he won’t be returning to the court anytime soon.

In a statement posted to social media Friday afternoon, the Warriors center said, “I’ve made the decision to prioritize my health and step away from the game I love.”

It does not appear ...Read more

HARTFORD, Conn. — Former UConn women’s basketball teammates Paige Bueckers and Azzi Fudd addressed their relationship Friday on a podcast, saying it had been over for over a year.

On Fudd’s “Fudd Around And Find Out” podcast, Bueckers said of her current Dallas Wings teammate, “We’re not together anymore; it’s been a while. (We)...Read more

NEW YORK — Knicks star Jalen Brunson took his talents to NBC’s “Law & Order: SVU” on Thursday.

The championship-winning point guard played a detective opposite Knicks fan Mariska Hargitay in a scene that takes place in a diner where “Detective Madison” is congratulated on his promotion.

“Thanks, Captain,” Brunson, the star of ...Read more