MINNEAPOLIS — You didn’t have to engage in many conversations in the vicinity of First Avenue and North 6th Street this winter to hear a certain refrain.

I heard it from two Minnesota Timberwolves team broadcasters, one team executive and one team staffer. I never heard a player use these exact words, but they did echo the sentiment.

The ...Read more

DENVER — In all the years of Nikola Jokic, Denver has not witnessed a Nuggets season capable of rivaling the internal tension and turmoil of this one.

Seemingly bursting at the seams with frustration at the low points, their usually stoic superstar turned 30 and turned animated; their head coach and general manager waged philosophical war ...Read more

SAN FRANCISCO — The Golden State Warriors felt they had solved the Houston Rockets after Game 4 of their first-round playoff series, when they took a formidable 3-1 series lead.

But here’s the thing: They didn’t.

In fact, the opposite might have proven true.

Here’s one thing that’s certain: The Warriors have another game to play.

...Read more

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — If the Lakers’ 2024-25 season didn’t end on Wednesday against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round of the playoffs, they would have likely had to play on without LeBron James for an extended period.

James suffered a Grade 2 medial collateral ligament (MCL) sprain in his left knee during the fourth quarter of ...Read more

CHICAGO — The Chicago Sky’s preseason opener in Baton Rouge, La., will offer a rare return to the past for three of their youngest stars.

Forward Angel Reese and No. 11 pick Hailey Van Lith will be returning to their alma mater. And second-year center Kamilla Cardoso will face off against her former teammates on the Brazilian national team....Read more

DETROIT — Minutes after Jalen Brunson's 3-point field goal led the New York Knicks to the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs, the Detroit Pistons walked back to their locker room at Little Caesars Arena in sadness, trying to process what went wrong in the final minutes.

"I felt good about this series, so not pulling it out hurts,...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Something unexpected happened in the Clippers' elimination game on Thursday night.

James Harden actually showed up.

In the Clippers' 111-105 victory over the Denver Nuggets at Intuit Dome, Harden looked nothing like the player with a reputation for stinking up arenas at this stage of the season.

He was purposeful, he was sharp...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Tyronn Lue made sure to call every player on his team, a move the Los Angeles Clippers coach said was necessary to check the “temperature” of the team before its biggest game of the season.

Lue refused to text his players in a group message because he wanted to “hear their voices” and encourage them before playing in a ...Read more

DETROIT — It wasn't too long ago that Tom Gores wrote a letter to the fans, apologizing for the decisions he made that led to the Detroit Pistons becoming a laughing stock of the NBA. In fact, it took place a year ago, during the Pistons' worst season in franchise history, which included a record-setting 28-game losing streak during the 2023-...Read more

DETROIT — It only took three regular-season games for Tom Thibodeau to pinpoint the issue. The Knicks, who had just completed training camp and a preseason slate after trading five draft picks for Mikal Bridges, then shipping Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Karl-Anthony Towns, blew a 13-point lead in a six-...Read more

CHICAGO — Hailey Van Lith never thought her first game in a WNBA jersey would take her back to Baton Rouge, La.

The guard will play her first preseason minutes with the Chicago Sky on Friday in an exhibition game against Brazil in a familiar setting — the Pete Maravich Assembly Center, where she spent the toughest year of her collegiate ...Read more

LEXINGTON, Ky. — Mark Pope versus Rick Pitino is officially on the 2025-26 college basketball schedule.

But this matchup between student and teacher won’t be happening in Rupp Arena, as was originally hoped. Instead, Kentucky will meet St. John’s at State Farm Arena in Atlanta on Dec. 20 as part of the revamped CBS Sports Classic, which ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — JJ Redick was about to coach his first game in the NBA, a step into a new life that he was sure he wanted for himself. He was no longer the hotshot Duke star, the aimless former lottery pick, the reliable NBA starter, the trusted vet or famous podcaster.

This was something different.

"You know, I think whatever I envisioned in ...Read more

Coach Steve Kerr and other Warriors voices on Wednesday night highlighted a trend of Rockets defenders hitting Steph Curry’s injured right thumb.

The gamesmanship was a major talking point after Golden State’s 131-116 loss in Game 5 in Houston, where Kerr made the shrewd decision to pull his starters early as the Warriors trailed by as many...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Once again, excitement became embarrassment.

Once again, a promise was broken.

Once again, the Lakers weren't fast enough or skilled enough or deep enough or strong enough.

Once again, blowing up in the first round of the playoffs for the third time in five years, the Lakers just weren't good enough.

But it's rarely felt this...Read more

CHICAGO — Two days into the Chicago Sky’s training camp, Angel Reese still hadn’t posted up.

It was a distinct shift from Reese’s prior function in Chicago, but the second-year forward knew it was coming. In the first week of camp, new coach Tyler Marsh is tackling one of the most important challenges of his system — how to create ...Read more

LOS ANGELES – In a potential close-out game, maybe the blood is pumping, the adrenaline is coursing through a team’s body at a higher rate than it otherwise might. That could lead to altered focus and state of performance. Perhaps that’s one reason why the Wolves were so miserable from three-point range as a team Wednesday night in Game 5 ...Read more

HOUSTON – When the Golden State Warriors flew to Houston on the eve of Game 5 against the Houston Rockets, the visitors knew they had some margin for error.

And they mostly played like it.

Anyone worried about a fight or scuffle on Wednesday night after a chippy Game 4 had their fears allayed until the fourth quarter as Golden State appeared...Read more