MIAMI — Losing provides no rewards, but reality can. That makes this a December the Miami Heat should remember.

Because sometimes objects aren’t closer than they appear, such as the early-season notion of Erik Spoelstra’s team being in the thick of the Eastern Conference race.

That clearly stands as the province of the Detroit Pistons ...Read more

RALEIGH, N.C. — Four ACC basketball teams made the NCAA Tournament in 2025. Five teams made it in each of the three years before that. The Mountain West earned more bids (6) in 2024.

The ACC has not received more than five tournament bids since 2021, which is a slide and knocks some shine off the league, causing a widespread indictment.

...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS — The Brooklyn Nets arrived in Minnesota with the NBA’s youngest roster, the lowest scoring average in the league and only nine wins.

The Timberwolves handled the assignment as if they were still distracted by an emotionally charged overtime loss in Denver two nights earlier.

Asleep defensively all game, the Wolves watched the ...Read more

Karl-Anthony Towns is beginning to heat up, all but one of the Knicks’ young prospects are making strides in the first year of head coach Mike Brown’s tenure, and Captain Clutch saved the day once again.

The three storylines were on display in the Knicks’ 128-125 victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday, a game they played without Josh ...Read more

MIAMI — For most of Saturday night’s Miami Heat game, if you hadn’t watched much of the Indiana Pacers, you would have thought they were high percentage with their shots, relentless with their offense.

Instead of entering the night last in the NBA in field-goal percentage and second-to-last in scoring.

With defensive anchor Bam Adebayo ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — After the Lakers' third straight loss Thursday, JJ Redick promised things would get "uncomfortable." The second-year coach, frustrated after the team delivered a lump of coal in a Christmas Day blowout by the Houston Rockets, said he couldn't stand to rewatch the same tired story. Leaning his elbow on the table at his postgame ...Read more

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