CHICAGO — The Chicago Bulls dynasty ended 27 years ago, but like any good dynasty the stories live on for generations.

And several tales from those glory days are retold in the recent book “Masters of the Game: A Conversational History of the NBA in 75 Legendary Players,” co-written by NBA.com writer Sam Smith and former Bulls coach Phil ...Read more

The Celtics opened their longest road trip of the season with an emphatic victory Friday night in Indianapolis.

Championship holdovers Jaylen Brown, Payton Prichard, Derrick White and Sam Hauser combined for 103 points to lead Boston to a 140-122 beatdown of the Pacers at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

Brown turned in his eighth straight 30-point ...Read more

NEW YORK — Another ring, check. Another title, check. A sold-out signature shoe, check.

Las Vegas Aces superstar A’ja Wilson had a year most athletes never even come close to achieving.

She again reached individual success and even lifted her team to the top of the WNBA ranks.

Her stardom even reached off-the-court buzz thanks to her ...Read more

If you squint just hard enough — past the steady stream of drama, past the gray in the beards, and past the fact that Gui Santos and Pat Spencer are X-factors — you might convince yourself that the Golden State Warriors are back.

Three straight wins will do that for you. Beating the Suns, the Mavericks, and the Magic in succession feels ...Read more

ATLANTA — What do you get when a pair of teams enter at 2-8 in their previous 10? The desperation of Friday night at State Farm Arena.

Miami Heat vs. Atlanta Hawks wasn’t about making a statement.

It was about coming up for air.

To that end, the Heat can breathe a bit easier, after stealing into the Georgia night with a 126-111 victory.

...Read more

ORLANDO, Fla. — Before the Magic took to the Kia Center court against the Hornets on Friday night, coach Jamahl Mosley said Charlotte‘s 10-20 record wasn’t indicative of what the team was capable of accomplishing.

Mosley made it clear Orlando needed to focus on taking care of the little things in order to secure the desired outcome during...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Lakers guard Austin Reaves will miss at least a month with a grade 2 strain in his left calf, the team announced Friday, one day after he left the game against the Houston Rockets at halftime.

Reaves, averaging career highs in points (26.6), assists (6.3) and rebounds (5.2), had already missed three games with what the team ...Read more

DENVER — Ghosts of Timberwolves games past roamed the rafters of Ball Arena. They were on the loose this Christmas, haunting the halls of the concourse, whispering in the ears of Nuggets players who’ve been around long enough to remember Rudy Gobert’s Game 7 fade-away or Russell Westbrook’s foul at the buzzer. They caused the arena’s ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — The Lakers felt good about their starting lineup Thursday when Luka Doncic and Rui Hachimura returned from injury to restore their normal starting unit for only the seventh time this season.

But the good times didn't last long. Coming out of halftime down 10 points to the Houston Rockets, the Lakers announced Austin Reaves ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Lakers guard Austin Reaves will not play in the second half against the Houston Rockets because of left calf soreness, the team announced in the third quarter Thursday.

Reaves missed three games with a left calf strain before coming back to play at Phoenix on Tuesday night. He scored 17 points off the bench in the Lakers’ loss...Read more

SAN FRANCISCO — A remixed version of “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” played over the Chase Center soundsystem when Klay Thompson emerged from the visitors’ tunnel. Stephen Curry was already in the middle of his warm-up routine. Neither exchanged a glance.

The moment the Christmas Day crowd was waiting for came about 10 minutes ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Austin Reaves did not play in the second half of the Lakers' 119-96 Christmas Day loss to Houston Rockets because of left calf soreness.

Reaves missed three games with a left calf strain before returning against Phoenix on Tuesday. He scored 17 points off the bench in the Lakers' loss to the Suns.

Against the Rockets at Crypto...Read more

SAN FRANCISCO — On one end of the court was Steph Curry, going through his famed shooting routine with longtime coach Bruce Fraser at Chase Center on Thursday.

On the other was his onetime Splash Brother, Klay Thompson, wearing green Mavericks attire. One after another, both baskets were peppered with swishes by an all-time great shooter.

...Read more

CHICAGO — Before he became the coach of four Warriors championship teams, and long before he helped revolutionize basketball by pushing the boundaries of offense, Steve Kerr had three jobs for the 1990s Chicago Bulls:

Knock down enough shots to space the floor for Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen, make the correct reads in Chicago’s famed ...Read more

MIAMI — Heat coach Erik Spoelstra long has stressed a focus on where the focus should not be on evaluating a player’s performance, namely not the last line in the box score, namely not the points column.

Exhibit A often has been team captain Bam Adebayo, with the ball movement, rebounding, defense of the Heat center transcending solely ...Read more

DENVER — As two Nuggets starters inch closer to a return, another will replace them in street clothes on the sideline.

Cam Johnson is expected to miss at least four to six weeks after hyperextending his right knee Tuesday in Dallas, the team announced before hosting Minnesota on Christmas. Johnson underwent an MRI that revealed a bone bruise ...Read more

THORNTON, Colo. — Until Peyton Watson walked into his life, little Noah had never ridden a bike with training wheels. A week later, he can’t stop.

“Where did he go? Louisa Wagner asks.

“NO-AH!” Louisa’s husband Harry shouts.

“NOOOO-AAAAAH!!” Louisa cries.

It’s the second day of winter, three days to Christmas, and 73 ...Read more

HARTFORD, Conn. — Paige Bueckers got her first break from basketball in nearly a year when her WNBA season with the Dallas Wings ended on Sept. 11, but just a few months later, the former UConn women’s basketball star is already back on the court in Miami preparing to make her debut in Unrivaled.

Bueckers could have opted not to play during...Read more