ORLANDO, Fla. — When the Magic defeated the Nets by one point on Jan. 7, Orlando needed a buzzer-beating 3-pointer from Paolo Banchero to escape Brooklyn on top in overtime.

Thursday night at Kia Center, however, coach Jamahl Mosley‘s squad handled its business against the 13-win team by leading wire-to-wire and by as many as 26 points in a...Read more

CHICAGO — If you went to Maxwell Street in the 1970s and bought nine used hubcaps, you probably had a decent chance of finding one that might go with your rusty, old Buick.

If you were an NBA executive at the 2026 trade deadline and acquired nine second-round draft picks, you also might have a chance of finding a player who could change your ...Read more

PHOENIX — Facing a room packed with reporters, live recorders and rolling cameras at Mortgage Matchup Center a few hours after Thursday’s trade deadline, Warriors coach Steve Kerr expressed regret over how things turned out after the Warriors dealt Jonathan Kuminga.

On Wednesday evening, the Warriors agreed to terms with the Hawks, sending ...Read more

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — The first time Michigan and Penn State crossed paths this season, the Wolverines survived a last-second scare.

The rematch between teams at opposite ends of the Big Ten standings ended up being no match.

No. 2 Michigan dominated from start to finish and swept the regular-season series with a 110-69 smackdown of undermanned...Read more

DETROIT — Hours after the NBA trade deadline, teams often find themselves shorthanded. The Washington Wizards exemplified this situation, particularly after their major acquisition of Anthony Davis, which left the team three players short on the bench. All-Star guard Trae Young observed from the sidelines of Little Caesars Arena, where he ...Read more

NEW YORK — The Nets waived Cam Thomas on Thursday, a move first reported by ESPN’s Shams Charania that formally ends Thomas’ uneven, often turbulent run in Brooklyn.

The decision came one day after Thomas was ruled out for personal reasons ahead of Brooklyn’s road game against the Orlando Magic and didn’t travel with the team. The 24-...Read more

LOS ANGELES — The Lakers didn't make a splashy move when they acquired sharpshooter Luke Kennard from the Atlanta Hawks for Gabe Vincent and a 2032 second-round pick Thursday morning before the NBA trade deadline, but the deal allowed L.A. to address its needs now while still saving draft capital so it can join the Giannis Antetokounmpo ...Read more

NEW YORK — Giannis Antetokounmpo is staying put.

For now, at least.

Despite widespread speculation and considerable interest in the superstar, the Milwaukee Bucks did not move Antetokounmpo before Thursday’s 3 p.m. trade deadline.

Antetokounmpo reacted on social media by posting a clip from “The Wolf of Wall Street” in which Leonardo ...Read more

PHOENIX – After five tumultuous seasons in the Bay Area, the Golden State Warriors finally parted ways with Jonathan Kuminga less than 24 hours before Thursday’s trade deadline.

On Wednesday evening, Golden State sent Kuminga and Buddy Hield to Atlanta, in return receiving Kristaps Porzingis. No draft picks were involved in the deal. ESPN�...Read more

TORONTO — With the trade deadline looming, and with the organization in the mix still to acquire Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Minnesota Timberwolves team that took the floor against the Toronto Raptors looked like their minds were on everything except basketball.

Then the Wolves woke up in the fourth quarter of a 128-126 victory, their first ...Read more

NEW YORK — Jalen Brunson is still the king of Manhattan.

No matter how clutch the Denver Nuggets were, no matter how Herculean the effort from Jamal Murray, they were stuck playing from behind until it was too late in a 134-127, costly double-overtime loss to the New York Knicks on Wednesday.

The Nuggets’ injury nightmare resumed at ...Read more

Welcome back, February slump. No week gives Tom Izzo’s Michigan State teams trouble like the first week of February. And 2026 is no exception.

Trailing for all but a minute of Wednesday night’s game at Minnesota’s Williams Arena, No. 10 Michigan State dropped a stunner, 76-73, as the Gophers took command with early 3-point shooting. ...Read more

The clock is ticking toward Thursday at noon and the NBA’s trade deadline, and let’s be clear about what’s actually at stake for the Golden State Warriors in these final hours:

This isn’t just about roster construction or luxury tax gymnastics. It isn’t about draft pick protections or the “Two Timelines” theory that has pivoted ...Read more

FORT WORTH, Texas — Twenty-nine games. 587 points. 312 rebounds. 53 blocks. Sixteen wins. Zero playoff appearances.

There are other numbers involved, but these are the contributions from Anthony Davis in his career with the Dallas Mavericks after they acquired him in the Luka Doncic trade.

Boston Red Sox, you’re off the hook. Dealing Babe ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — Curious.

Suggestive.

Dangerous.

Most of all, unfortunate.

Those are the only sorts of words you can use right now when evaluating the Sixers’ decision to trade Jared McCain to the Oklahoma City Thunder Wednesday afternoon in exchange for a 2026 first-round pick and some ancillary draft capital.

To judge the move in more ...Read more

Cam Thomas won’t be on the floor Thursday night in Orlando, Fla.

He wasn’t on the team plane, either.

The Nets ruled Thomas out for personal reasons ahead of their road game against the Orlando Magic, a decision that comes with Thursday’s NBA trade deadline looming at 3 p.m. ET and, understandably, invites questions that go beyond the ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — Jared McCain’s tenure with the Philadelphia 76ers is over.

A source confirmed Wednesday that the team is trading the second-year guard to the Oklahoma City Thunder in exchange for the Houston Rockets’ 2026 first-round pick and three second-round selections.

One of the second-rounders is the 2027 most favorable pick from ...Read more

CHICAGO — After seven years with the team, Coby White no longer will wear a Chicago Bulls jersey.

The Bulls traded White to the Charlotte Hornets Wednesday along with Mike Conley Jr., getting back Collin Sexton, Ousmane Dieng and three second-round draft picks.

The No. 7 pick in the 2019 draft, White was the last remaining player acquired ...Read more

What Giannis Antetokounmpo wants versus what actually happens could go down as two very different things.

Amid swirling trade rumors, Antetokounmpo reiterated in two new interviews that his ideal scenario is to remain with the Milwaukee Bucks and to compete for championships with the team that drafted him 13 years ago.

But the Bucks have not ...Read more