MINNEAPOLIS — Both the Philadelphia 76ers and the Minnesota Timberwolves came into their matchup Sundayat Target Center down one frontcourt player because of injury (Joel Embiid, Naz Reid) and one because of suspension (Paul George, Rudy Gobert).

Philadelphia also came in having lost four in a row; the Wolves had won three in a row. But it ...Read more

LOS ANGELES – Yes, Pat Riley is the current president of the Miami Heat, and he has his fingerprints all over what is advertised – presumably at his urging – as “Heat Culture.”

But I suspect anyone who lived through the Showtime era of the ’80s – or, for that matter, watched how the roots of Laker Exceptionalism were formed before...Read more

Karl-Anthony Towns is in rhythm — and the New York Knicks are back in the win column.

Make it two in a row for the Knicks, who defeated the Chicago Bulls, 105-99, at the United Center on Sunday in the second leg of a back-to-back following Saturday’s late-night win over the Houston Rockets.

“There’s no excuses,” Towns said. “We’...Read more

LOS ANGELES — All of the current Los Angeles Lakers realized that playing against the Boston Celtics on national television really was more than just one of the 82 games on the NBA schedule.

It was crystallized even more because iconic former Lakers coach Pat Riley sat courtside after a celebration for the unveiling of his statue outside on ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — The fans never got an opportunity to give a grateful goodbye, Pat Riley resigning on an early summer afternoon 36 years ago after the end of a lost season.

Everyone will have that chance now.

When Riley left town at the wrong end of grumblings from players and fans, he was the greatest coach not only in Lakers history but also ...Read more

SAN FRANCISCO — As if to point out how significant Steph Curry’s absence should have been, Nikola Jokic inbounded the ball to him.

It was a haphazard mistake, a rushed attempt to quickly resume play after the Golden State Warriors scored Sunday. Jamal Murray was the target, but he was being pressured. Jokic, practically falling forward from...Read more

The Brooklyn Nets fell to the Atlanta Hawks 115-104 Sunday afternoon at State Farm Arena, dropping to 15-41 and extending their losing streak to four games.

For most of the afternoon, Brooklyn looked nothing like the team that struggled offensively two nights earlier in Oklahoma City. The ball moved. Shots fell. The process felt clean. But the ...Read more

For Pat Riley, it was Showtime again on Sunday in Los Angeles. This time his own showtime, with his statue unveiled in front of Lakers’ Crypto.com Arena.

On an afternoon of celebrity that included actor Michael Douglas and singer Michael McDonald among those in attendance, Riley not only had those who were part of his Lakers’ 1980s ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Lakers had defeated the hated Boston Celtics in the 1987 NBA Finals and there stood coach Pat Riley at the Forum in Inglewood, Calif., with a microphone in his hands and joyous players behind him relishing the moment.

Riley then made a declaration.

"I'm guaranteeing everyone here next year we are going to win it...Read more

MIAMI — The irony is this could’ve been the time, if ever there was a season for the Miami Heat to covertly capitulate.

A full-scale tank? No, the Heat would never go there, a flat-out, from-the-start commitment to lottery odds no matter the unseemliness of it all.

Remember, this is a team that wouldn’t even do it at 11-30, instead ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — A season of frustratingly unfortunate events for USC had led here, to this nightmarish crescendo at the one-minute mark Saturday, in a must-win matchup.

Through a roller-coaster afternoon, the Trojans had navigated one wave after another, riding several hot streaks and surviving the cold ones, knowing full well that their NCAA ...Read more

CHICAGO — The NBA trade deadline passed more than two weeks ago, yet the Chicago Bulls are still adding to the confounding saga of their flurry of deals.

Injuries once again sit at the heart of the issue. Guard Jaden Ivey will be sidelined for at least two weeks with a left knee injury. He will miss at least seven games and could stay home ...Read more

MIAMI — The last time an opponent arrived to Kaseya Center looking to lose, the Miami Heat denied them that privilege.

In that regard, consider Saturday night’s 136-120 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies a lesson learned.

Prioritizing improving their odds for the draft lottery, just as the Utah Jazz did in the Heat’s precious home game, ...Read more

CHICAGO— The Detroit Pistons secured their fifth consecutive victory in a blowout 126-110 win over the Chicago Bulls Saturday night at the United Center.

Despite a lackluster first half, the Pistons rallied in the third quarter, outscoring the Bulls 44-26. The Pistons improved to 42-13 while winning their eighth game in their last nine ...Read more

WASHINGTON — Michigan was ranked No. 1 in the nation and Duke was No. 3, but that was in the AP poll.

Nearly everyone else, and nearly every metric, have the Wolverines and Blue Devils 1-2, the two best teams in the country with February coming to and March just ahead.

It almost seemed fitting that the two would meet Saturday in the Capital ...Read more

SAN FRANCISCO — Draymond Green is a magnet for attention whenever he is on the floor for the Golden State Warriors.

Often for positive reasons: a perfect defensive rotation, a timely 3-pointer punctuated by his signature “BOOM” or a deft pass on the short-roll.

Other times, for his well-documented follies: blowups at officials, ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — UConn coach Dan Hurley demanded a championship response, and he got it Saturday.

The fifth-ranked UConn men’s basketball team bounced back from Wednesday’s upset loss to Creighton with a well-rounded, dominant 73-63 Big East Conference win over third-place Villanova at Xfinity Mobile Arena.

Nine Huskies found the bottom of...Read more

An additional 10 minutes were needed to decide a winner between the No. 7 seeds in the East and West when the Magic met the Suns inside Mortgage Matchup Center on Saturday night.

Both Phoenix and Orlando took double-digit leads in regulation but found themselves tied at 96 following four quarters of action and then tied again at 103 after the ...Read more

When Kansas State found itself staring at a big deficit against No. 13 Texas Tech, interim basketball coach Matthew Driscoll assured his players that they weren’t out of the game.

“Early leads don’t mean anything,” Driscoll said during a timeout huddle in the first half.

His words contained wisdom, but the Wildcats were unable to fight...Read more