PHILADELPHIA — After Portland Trail Blazers forward Jerami Grant missed his first free throw, Sixers fans rose to their feet, waved their arms, and yelled as loud as they could. They knew what was at stake. Not a win or a loss, but free chicken.

With one more miss, they would get five free nuggets from Chick-fil-A thanks to the team’s ...Read more

When the Magic took down the Mavericks by one point inside Kia Center on March 5, Orlando needed a last-second dunk from Wendell Carter Jr. to escape at home.

The second and final meeting of the regular season between the cross-conference foes at American Airlines Center went a bit differently Friday night.

Behind a season-high 28 points from ...Read more

The Nets fell to the Atlanta Hawks, 141-107, Friday night at Barclays Center, dropping to 18-59. It was also the first game after the Nets announced Michael Porter Jr. and rookie Danny Wolf were ruled out for the rest of the season.

Brooklyn finished the night tied with the Indiana Pacers for the second-best lottery odds. Six Nets finished in ...Read more

NEW YORK — Ahead of tipoff against the Chicago Bulls on Friday, Knicks coach Mike Brown said he wasn’t 100% pleased with where his team stood with five games left on the regular-season schedule before the playoffs begin in mid-April.

“You always want your team to be playing at the highest of high cylinders. Do I think we’re there right ...Read more

The Bucks are nearing the end of a lost season. The Celtics are gearing up for what they hope will be a deep playoff run.

Both teams looked the part Friday night in Milwaukee.

The Celtics closed out their final extended road trip of the season by bludgeoning the Bucks, 133-101, at Fiserv Forum. Boston’s magic number to clinch the No. 2 seed ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — In the aftermath of their worst loss of the season, few Lakers players or coaches had spoken to Luka Doncic after he limped off the court in the third quarter Thursday against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Austin Reaves didn't know the extent of Doncic's hamstring injury, but he knew how the Lakers' superstar would approach the ...Read more

INDIANAPOLIS — When Jimmy Chitwood hit the game-winning shot at the end of “Hoosiers” and became an Indiana high school legend, it was the climactic scene of the movie.

It’s a different story for UConn freshman Braylon Mullins, a fellow small-town Hoosier and Indiana Mr. Basketball, who became a March Madness legend Sunday when his game...Read more

INDIANAPOLIS — Andrej Stojaković walked off the court at Lucas Oil Stadium on Friday morning after Illinois’ open Final Four practice in front of a surprising sea of orange-clad fans.

He waved with both hands to some of the people leaning over the wall to greet the Illini players on their way to the locker room, then stopped to sign a hand...Read more

North Carolina’s search for a men’s basketball coach took a decisive turn Friday when Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd publicly removed himself from consideration, announcing he will remain in Tucson.

“I’m happy to announce I’m staying at Arizona,” Lloyd said at a news conference Friday afternoon at Lucas Oil Stadium, ahead of Arizona’s ...Read more

INDIANAPOLIS — The nickname still makes Dusty May laugh, in part because Aday Mara wears it so well.

Take Wednesday, for instance, when Michigan’s basketball team boarded a bus in Ann Arbor, bound for the Final Four. Most of the coaching staff and some of the players were wearing their typical Nike Jumpman warmup gear for the sendoff. Not ...Read more

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — After several years of health issues left Bill Self gridlocked over whether to return for a 24th season coaching at Kansas, KU announced on social media Wednesday evening that Self isn’t “going anywhere.”

“Jayhawk Nation: With renewed clarity and the ongoing support from our administration, I remain focused and ...Read more

INDIANAPOLIS — After Illinois’ Tomislav Ivišić hit a 3-pointer from the top of the key in an anxiety-inducing Elite Eight win over Iowa, the 7-foot-1 center backpedaled, raising his arms up and down in an effort to get the crowd riled up for a second-half surge.

He didn’t need to tell brother Zvonimir to get excited though.

Illinois’...Read more

The score wasn't the only thing that made this the Los Angeles Lakers' worst loss of the season.

Even more concerning than the Lakers' 139-96 blowout loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday was watching superstar guard Luka Doncic hobble off the court with a left hamstring injury in the third quarter.

The 27-year-old guard was held to ...Read more

SAN FRANCISCO – The entire focus of Thursday’s pregame news conference and warmups at Chase Center was the status of one Steph Curry, who has missed the past 27 games with a sore knee.

While their superstar’s return is still at least a few days away, Warriors received a host of reinforcements after having only nine healthy bodies the day ...Read more

OKLAHOMA CITY — The score wasn’t the only thing that made this the Lakers’ worst loss of the season.

Even more concerning than the Lakers’ 139-96 blowout loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday was superstar guard Luka Doncic’s health after the 27-year-old hobbled off the court with a left hamstring injury in the third quarter. ...Read more

DETROIT — It took the Detroit Pistons some time to find their rhythm, but by the middle of the fourth quarter, they finally played at their best. After trailing the Minnesota Timberwolves 89-85 with 8:18 remaining in the fourth quarter, the Pistons went on an 11-0 run.

Although the Timberwolves kept things interesting throughout the rest of ...Read more

LAWRENCE, Kan. — Kansas Jayhawks sophomore center Flory Bidunga had decided to declare for the 2026 NBA draft while maintaining his college eligibility.

Bidunga will also enter the transfer portal, a source confirmed to The Kansas City Star on Thursday evening. ESPN’s Pete Thamel was first to report the news.

Bidunga is the first player ...Read more

PHOENIX — WNBA players will earn a lot more money this upcoming season, and it’s possible that no team owner is more excited about that idea than Mark Davis.

Since purchasing the Las Vegas Aces from MGM in 2021, Davis has been at the forefront advocating for WNBA players to be treated like valued professionals. Davis has also been outspoken...Read more

INDIANAPOLIS — Dan Hurley thinks he and his staff have figured out a tactical adjustment that will help the UConn men turn around their shooting struggles at the Final Four.

The Huskies saw only five of their 25 attempts (20%) fall from beyond the arc in the first round of the tournament against Furman, then got up to 33% with eight makes on ...Read more

SAN FRANCISCO — A decision on Steph Curry’s possible return could be made as soon as Friday.

During his pregame press conference before facing the Cavaliers on Thursday, Warriors coach Steve Kerr said that Curry participated in a scrimmage earlier in the day, his second scrimmage in three days.

“He’s pretty good,” Kerr said when ...Read more