NEW YORK — You could say the Philadelphia 76ers ran into a buzz saw on Monday night, but then you’d be crediting them with running.

They didn’t even deserve that much on Monday night. Game 1 of this Eastern Conference semifinals was an ambush, plain and simple. Rarely will you find a game where a team was as thoroughly and unrelentingly ...Read more

ORLANDO, Fla. — This is how it should end.

This is how it’s supposed to end.

Billy Donovan back in Orlando — not as a punchline, not as a “what if,” but as the perfect full-circle moment nearly two decades in the making. A chance to right one of the strangest detours in modern basketball history and, in the process, possibly deliver ...Read more

HARTFORD, Conn. — UConn legend Tina Charles ended her remarkable career in quiet fashion on Tuesday morning, releasing a statement on her social media accounts announcing her retirement from professional basketball.

Charles concludes her 15-year career as one of the greatest centers in WNBA history, finishing as the league’s all-time leader...Read more

MIAMI — The problem with being reduced to playoff bystander is the danger of getting caught up in possibilities lost, at a time when rational thought about realistic possibilities is paramount.

As he wrapped up his team’s season last week, Miami Heat President Pat Riley spoke of having pushed for the playoffs, instead of a midseason asset ...Read more

SAN ANTONIO – There was Anthony Edwards, hitting step backs, driving to the basket and talking his usual smack on the floor. There was Victor Wembanyama, swatting double-digit shots at the rim, with the Wolves pleading for a goaltend call on more than a few.

A playoff matchup between two of the game’s best came to fruition with Edwards ...Read more

NEW YORK — A matchup with the Philadelphia 76ers means dealing a bunch of whistles, foul shots and substitutions for opposing defenders.

That was no different in Monday night’s Game 1 of a second-round series for the New York Knicks.

Knicks bigs — Karl-Anthony Towns and Mitchell Robinson — were whistled for fouls so often that head ...Read more

CHICAGO — Bryson Graham, who began his career as an intern in the New Orleans Pelicans basketball operations department, now will be in charge of bringing the Chicago Bulls back to respectability.

The Bulls on Monday named Graham their new executive vice president of basketball operations, replacing Artūras Karnišovas, whom they fired April...Read more

DETROIT — The Detroit Pistons announced on Monday that they have extended the contract of coach J.B. Bickerstaff. Per team policy, the terms of Bickerstaff's extension were not disclosed in the team's press release. The Pistons' extension of Bickerstaff comes a day after he led the franchise to its first playoff series victory in a four-games-...Read more

BOSTON — Jaylen Brown fired one final shot Sunday in his season-long war against NBA officiating.

In a stream on his Twitch channel, the Boston Celtics star claimed his high foul count during Boston’s brief playoff run was the result of officials’ “agenda” against him.

Brown was called for 10 offensive fouls — most of them push-...Read more

ORLANDO, Fla. — When the Orlando Magic hired Jamahl Mosley in July 2021, the first-time NBA head coach was tasked with developing a young team, setting a new standard for the future of the organization and building an identity that featured a hard-nosed defensive mindset.

Mosley did that and more when he helped the franchise rise from the ...Read more

NEW YORK — An MRI confirmed Sabrina Ionescu avoided significant injury, but she will start the season on the sideline.

Ionescu will miss at least two weeks with a left foot injury, a source confirmed to the New York Daily News.

The star guard will be re-evaluated in two weeks.

The New York Post’s Madeline Kenney was first on the news.

...Read more

ORLANDO, Fla. — The NBA did what the NBA always does — and Orlando Magic coach Jamahl Mosley knew it was probably coming

Yes, the well-liked and respected “Coach Mose” knew this was how it might end.

He said it before the season ever tipped off, back when optimism still outweighed reality and the Magic still looked like a team on the ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Lakers understand the daunting challenge they're about to face against the defending NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference semifinals.

Lakers coach JJ Redick referenced the great Chicago Bulls teams that won back-to-back championships in 1996 and '97 and the Golden State Warriors teams that...Read more

CHICAGO — Minnesota Timberwolves general manager Matt Lloyd is hopefully adept at multitasking.

While preparing for the second-round NBA playoffs matchup with the San Antonio Spurs, he’s also keeping an eye on the Chicago Bulls’ front office vacancy, where he’s reportedly one of the finalists, and perhaps the favorite.

League sources ...Read more

You didn’t need to see Game 7 to know how this series was going to end.

You just needed to watch Game 6 on Friday night at Kia Center.

That was the night the lights went out in Orlando; the night everything changed – the series, the confidence level and perhaps even the future of the head coach and the front office. Up 3-1. Up 24 points in...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS — The conventional thinking over the last few days was the Minnesota Timberwolves were going to need to buy some time for Anthony Edwards to get back from a bone bruise that he suffered when he hyperextended his left knee in Game 4 against the Denver Nuggets.

But if any athlete can defy that wisdom and return sooner than ...Read more

DETROIT — After nearly 20 years, the Detroit Pistons have successfully advanced past the first round of the NBA playoffs. They achieved the milestone with a 116-94 victory in Game 7 against the Orlando Magic on Sunday at Little Caesars Arena.

The victory marked the Pistons' first playoff series win since 2008. However, it wasn't without its ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia 76ers lost to the New York Knicks in six games in the 2024 NBA playoffs, and it’s clear part of that experience has stuck in the craw of Joel Embiid.

The star big man decided to make an unprompted plea to Sixers fans during his postgame media session, imploring them to keep their tickets and turn down the ...Read more