This wasn’t going to be a night for a statement victory. Of course, at this stage, the Miami Heat are in no position to be choosy.

So against an opponent that entered 1-8 and was lacking sidelined three-time All-Star and current NBA rebounding leader Domantas Sabonis, Erik Spoelstra’s team simply took care of business Sunday night at Golden...Read more

The Boston Celtics took care of business against yet another Eastern Conference also-ran Sunday night, overwhelming the Milwaukee Bucks 117-97 at Fiserv Forum.

Paul George scored 27 points on 11-of-18 shooting with two steals to lead the Celtics, who controlled the final 3 1/2 quarters after trailing 20-6 out of the gate. Jayson Tatum lacked ...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS — The Minnesota Timberwolves began their eight-game homestand Sunday giving Target Center fans a lot to cheer about, putting away the lowly Utah Jazz 115-100. It’s the fourth consecutive win for the Wolves (8-3), who continue to thrive while star Anthony Edwards recovers from knee surgery.

Ayo Dosunmu (26 points despite foul ...Read more

CHICAGO — Somewhere around midcourt, Matas Buzelis decided to go for the kill.

The forward was racing at full speed, angling toward the rim. Barely a minute remained on the clock as the Chicago Bulls trailed the Philadelphia 76ers after spending the better part of the game nipping at the heels of the top-ranked team in the Eastern Conference....Read more

Two nights. Two entirely different failures. The Brooklyn Nets blew a 17-point lead against the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday. On Sunday, they never led at all.

Cooper Flagg scored 25 points and handed out a career-high 12 assists as the Dallas Mavericks dismantled Brooklyn 130-93 at American Airlines Center. The Nets fell to 2-8, their promising ...Read more

DETROIT — Austin Reaves raised three fingers to the rafters. Then, after hitting a clutch 3-pointer with 46 seconds remaining against the Detroit Pistons on Sunday, he turned his palm to fans sitting courtside at Little Caesers Arena and waved goodbye.

The Los Angeles Lakers guard scored a season-high 41 points as L.A. survived a 121-116 win...Read more

NEW YORK — Throughout the offseason, St. John’s head coach Rick Pitino predicted what adding a true point guard would mean for Ian Jackson.

A shooting guard by trade, Jackson was forced to run the point for much of last season due to the Red Storm’s deficiencies at the position.

That’s why Jackson, now back to playing his natural two-...Read more

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