BOSTON — Round 1, not done.

One win away from securing their fifth consecutive trip to the Eastern Conference semifinals, the Celtics fell flat Tuesday night at TD Garden, losing 113-97 to the Philadelphia 76ers in Game 5.

Boston held a 13-point lead early in the second half but couldn’t hold it. The Sixers closed the gap with a cascade of...Read more

DENVER – Even while shorthanded against the Denver Nuggets, the Minnesota Timberwolves came away blaming themselves more than feeling overmatched in their 125-113 loss in Game 5 of their first-round playoff series on Monday.

The Wolves committed 25 turnovers, an eyesore amount that they equaled only once during the regular season, and it ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Former Los Angeles Lakers assistant coach Damon Jones became the first among 34 defendants to plead guilty Tuesday in an expansive gambling indictment that also ensnared Hall of Fame player Chauncey Billups, Miami Heat star Terry Rozier and organized crime figures.

Jones was a Lakers coach in 2022 and 2023, long after he retired...Read more

LAWRENCE, Kan. — The wait is finally over.

After a long recruitment filled with twists and turns, Tyran Stokes announced his commitment to the Jayhawks on ESPN’s “NBA Tip-off” show Tuesday night.

Stokes, the consensus No. 1 player in the high school recruiting class of 2026, picked Kansas over finalists Kentucky and Oregon.

This is a ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Less than four weeks after suffering a Grade 2 left oblique muscle strain, Austin Reaves is closing in on a return with the Lakers in position to clinch a spot in the Western Conference semifinals.

Reaves will officially be a game-time decision before Wednesday's potentially series-clinching Game 5 against the Houston Rockets at...Read more

ORLANDO, Fla. — Franz Wagner‘s status for Wednesday’s Game 5 against the top-seeded Detroit Pistons is uncertain after the Orlando Magic forward exited Monday’s Game 4 late in the third quarter and did not return due to right calf soreness.

An MRI on Tuesday showed that Wagner suffered a right calf strain, and he’s considered ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Alijah Arenas will withdraw his name from the NBA draft and return to USC for his sophomore season, according to a person familiar with the decision not authorized to speak publicly on the matter.

The former five-star prospect, whose father is NBA star Gilbert Arenas, was expected to spend just a single season at USC before ...Read more

MIAMI — Pat Riley is not retiring, resigning or — here’s the relevant point — retreating.

Did anyone expect that from him?

Nor is he tanking, backtracking or — again, the timely point — changing.

For some reason, there was some question entering Monday’s annual State of Riley address whether the Miami Heat president, at 81, had ...Read more

If a technical foul was the punishment, then so be it, Christian Braun decided. It was worth the satisfaction of the crime: a bit of hanging on the rim after a dunk, a sly finger-point at Jaden McDaniels.

Braun had played poorly in this series. Most of the Nuggets had. Any opportunity to regain some swagger in do-or-die Game 5, they happily ...Read more

ORLANDO, Fla.— The Detroit Pistons began the fourth quarter on a 5-0 run after entering the period trailing 75-69. They managed to come within one point at 75-74, but then Tobias Harris committed a foul against Paolo Banchero, resulting in an and-one basket for the All-Star forward.

On the following offensive possession, Isaiah Stewart was ...Read more

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Kon Knueppel won’t have those friendly bragging rights over a good buddy this summer.

The Charlotte Hornets’ Kon Knueppel finished second in the KIA 2025-26 Rookie of the Year voting, the NBA announced Monday night. Cooper Flagg of the Dallas Mavericks — the No. 1 overall pick who was Knueppel’s teammate during their...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — Joel Embiid didn’t lose Game 4 for the Philadelphia 76ers.

He didn’t win it for them, either.

Somewhere in between is a conundrum that will define the upcoming Sixers summer and those in the foreseeable future.

How do you fashion a competitive roster that is centered on two young scoring guards but also accommodates a ...Read more

SEATTLE — The timeline around a decision on NBA expansion and the potential return of the SuperSonics doesn’t sound likely to see a vote by owners happening this summer.

That was the message from NBA Commissioner Adam Silver on Monday during The Associated Press Sports Editors Commissioners meetings in New York. Speaking to a group of ...Read more

MIAMI — Miami Heat president Pat Riley spent more than an hour answering questions on various topics during his annual season-ending news conference Monday afternoon.

While a lot still remains up in the air on what’s next for the Heat at the start of an important offseason after missing the playoffs this season for the first time since 2019...Read more

HOUSTON — The Lakers still have control of this first-round series even after the blow they took from the Houston Rockets on Sunday night.

As ugly as their 115-96 loss was, the Lakers still hold a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven Western Conference series.

All the Lakers have to do is win Game 5 on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena and they ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — Trailing the heavily favored Boston Celtics two games to one, the 76ers received an ideal mid-series boost Sunday night. Joel Embiid, the oft-injured 2023 NBA MVP, was finally cleared to play after a seven-game absence.

Healed from the emergency appendectomy he underwent weeks earlier, Embiid returned, giving Philadelphia a ...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS — If the Minnesota Timberwolves are going to close out the Denver Nuggets in their NBA first-round playoff series, they will likely have to do so without Anthony Edwards.

Edwards hyperextended his left knee and suffered a bone bruise in the team’s Game 4 victory Saturday night at Target Center and is expected to miss multiple ...Read more

DENVER — Lock the door. Activate the alarm. Last one left, turn out the lights.

The Denver Nuggets’ championship window unofficially closed on their fingers Saturday night in Minneapolis.

For the third time in four games against the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Nuggets just weren’t good enough. In Game 1, they choked. Thursday they ...Read more