ATLANTA — Though it came as a surprise to some in February, the Hawks trading of wing De’Andre Hunter opened up potential for both parties.

The Hawks dealt Hunter to the Cavaliers in February for guard Caris LeVert, forward Georges Niang, as well as three second-round picks and two pick swaps. In making the move, the Hawks sold high on ...Read more

CHICAGO — It’s time for the Chicago Bulls to start hunting for big trades.

The early rounds of the NBA playoffs are the most illuminating weeks of the season. It’s when the cracks begin to show, when players and front offices reach breaking points and begin to search for solutions.

And for teams stuck on the sidelines — like the Bulls,...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — Whatever you think about the Xfinity Mobile Arena, I think we can all agree that it would be a lot cooler if it was the Xfinity Arenamobile. You know, like a Bookmobile, except for underperforming sports teams. Put that baby on wheels and send the Sixers and Flyers right on out of here. Maybe New Jersey can still find them a few...Read more

UNCASVILLE, Conn. — Rachid Meziane finished up another practice Wednesday, neither overjoyed nor overly concerned. This is going to be a process, to make the kind of basketball he knows work in the WNBA, and it is just beginning.

“Ah, it’s never perfect,” he said. “We can see, we can recognize our team needs time, needs hard work, ...Read more

OKLAHOMA CITY — In case it wasn’t clear before, the Nuggets are dealing with the best team in the NBA.

Measuring by point differential this season, it was the best team in league history, in fact. But point differential doesn’t matter in a playoff series — fortunately for Denver. If it did, the Thunder would be up by 41 after a 149-106 ...Read more

The Golden State Warriors’ win on Tuesday wasn’t just a show of strength in numbers.

No, the Warriors’ Game 1 victory was shock and awe.

When Steph Curry left the opening matchup of the Warriors’ Western Conference Semifinal series against the Minnesota Timberwolves, Golden State had a five-point lead with 33 minutes to play.

So how ...Read more

BOSTON — It happened again.

Leading by 20 points with 3:12 remaining in the third quarter, the Celtics collapsed in spectacular fashion for the second consecutive game, allowing the New York Knicks to stage another furious late-game comeback at TD Garden.

Boston made just one field goal in the final eight-plus minutes and lost 91-90 to fall ...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS – Steph Curry’s hamstring strain will keep him out for Game 2 and at least the next week of the Golden State Warriors’ playoff series with the Minnesota Timberwolves.

An MRI Wednesday morning revealed a Grade 1 strain of his left hamstring, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported and the Warriors confirmed later Wednesday. While that...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Former Lakers player and head coach Byron Scott is accused in a lawsuit obtained by The Los Angeles Times of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old student at Studio City Campbell Hall High School in 1987.

The former student alleges that Scott escorted her into a janitor's closet and that according to the lawsuit he "began kissing ...Read more

A'ja Wilson is one of the biggest names in basketball.

Not only is she a two-time WNBA champion, a three-time league MVP, a two-time Olympic gold medalist and an NCAA champion, but Wilson now has her own signature sneakers.

The first wave of online sales of the "Pink A'ura" edition of her Nike A'One shoes began early Tuesday morning. It also ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Many people remember the late Jim Fagan as the rugged voice that proudly informed 1990s and early-2000s basketball fans that they were watching the NBA on NBC.

The distinct sound of Fagan's voiceovers, with John Tesh's rousing "Roundball Rock" playing in the background, will be forever linked to the era when Michael Jordan ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — The home of the 76ers and Flyers will have a new name on Sept. 1, when the building becomes the Xfinity Mobile Arena following the expiration of Wells Fargo’s naming rights deal.

The agreement runs through the 2030-31 season, when both teams are scheduled to move into a new arena that will be built at the South Philly sports ...Read more

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Florida’s Todd Golden has cashed in on the Gators’ national basketball championship to become one of nation’s top-paid coaches, with a compensation package in the same stratosphere as football coach Billy Napier.

Golden signed a 6-year, $40.5 million deal, an average salary of $6.75 million through 2031, UF announced...Read more

OKLAHOMA CITY — The noise inside Paycom Center assaults the senses. Thunder rolls. Thunder strikes.

In the middle of it stands Nikola Jokic, the man with scratches on his arms and fury in his belly. He turned Loud City into OK City. Ho-hum. Shrugged shoulders. Can Shai Gilgeous-Alexander MVP voters hear him now?

In their most important ...Read more

MIAMI — Just when you thought it could not get any more sobering for the Miami Heat, a week after a 55-point loss, it has gotten more sobering.

Jimmy Butler plays on.

And the Cleveland Cavaliers are not the invincible colossus they appeared through their record-setting first-round sweep of the Heat.

Even while on the sideline, bad has ...Read more

When Luka Doncic flew to Los Angeles to be with his new team, the plane was a de facto time machine to 2020, ‘21 and ‘22.

He went to the Lakers, but in effect he is on his old Mavericks team.

In the biggest trade in NBA history, the real loser right now is Doncic. He went from a team that reached the NBA Finals in 2024, and is now on a ...Read more

The Los Angeles Clippers’ conundrum: They’re good, but they’re not good enough.

Start with James Harden. He carried them to the postseason – as the fifth seed in the hyper-competitive Western Conference, no less! He was the guy who shouldered the load for 79 games, leading the Clippers to a good season, a 50-win season, a better-than-...Read more