CHICAGO — The Chicago Bulls front office faces a pivotal off-court decision this summer after parting with director of player development Peter Patton.

Player development never has been more important for the Bulls as executive vice president of basketball operations Artūras Karnišovas embarks on a new rebuild, which he addressed at length ...Read more

NEW YORK — The Detroit Pistons were faced with a significant dilemma two hours before tip-off for their Game 2 contest against the New York Knicks. Due to inflammation in his right knee, Isaiah Stewart was ruled out, leaving coach J.B. Bickerstaff with two options to fill the vacancy.

The first option was to explore his bench further. The ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Austin Reaves was tired Monday, the Lakers having just wrapped up a really hard practice.

In the first minutes of Game 1 Saturday evening, he was tired too.

As Reaves walked off the court for the first time, his chest heaved as he grabbed for air and he slumped to grab his shorts, telltale signs that he'd given a lot of effort ...Read more

MIAMI — New coach Jai Lucas promised a “big overhaul” of the University of Miami men’s basketball program, and so far, he is delivering.

He announced on Monday the signing of five-star recruit Shelton Henderson, a Houston native who had committed to Duke but changed his mind and chose to follow Lucas, the former Blue Devils assistant ...Read more

The young Houston Rockets were introduced to the NBA playoffs by the Golden State Warriors on Sunday night. And sadly for them, I don’t think they’ll be staying around long.

Because, for all the talk about defense winning championships, the truth is that offense actually brings home trophies.

Yes, defense is vital in the NBA playoffs. But ...Read more

DURHAM, N.C. — Cooper Flagg began his Duke career as the projected No. 1 pick for the 2025 NBA draft and is ending it with the same status.

After a national player of the year season with the Blue Devils, helping them win the ACC and reach the Final Four, Flagg declared for the NBA draft on Monday, and he’s still the overwhelming favorite ...Read more

HOUSTON – In the week leading up to Sunday’s first-round series opener between the Warriors and host Houston, much was made about how the Rockets had held Steph Curry to just three points on 1-of-10 shooting in their April 6 matchup.

Had the uber-athletic Rockets figured out the game’s greatest shooter? The answer ended up being a ...Read more

You can’t scare them. You can’t break them. You can’t unnerve or unhinge them.

The Miami Heat showed that again on the road Sunday.

You can out-talent them, though.

Cleveland showed that in its 121-100 win in Game 1 of their best-of-seven playoff series.

“Let’s have fun, Spo,’’ Cleveland star Donovan Mitchell said just before ...Read more

BOSTON — Jayson Tatum avoided injury Sunday during his tumble on the TD Garden parquet.

The Celtics star landed on his wrist after a hard foul from Magic guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope in Game 1 of the teams’ first-round playoff series. He remained down on the court for an extended period and was briefly examined on the Boston bench, but he...Read more

The uplifting news is this: Paolo Banchero was brilliant in Game 1 of the Magic’s playoff series against the Boston Celtics.

But the depressing news is this: Once again, it didn’t matter.

Game 1 should have been a statement. Banchero alone outscored Boston’s two stars — Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. The Magic fell behind by 12 points ...Read more

CLEVELAND — The Oklahoma City Thunder set the standard for No. 1 seeds earlier in the day, when in their Western Conference playoff opener against the Memphis Grizzlies they went up by 56 points and won by 51.

Four hours later, against that backdrop, the Miami Heat took the court against the East No. 1 seed Cleveland Cavaliers, a team second ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — At halftime of the Timberwolves’ 117-95 victory over the Lakers on Saturday, Anthony Edwards was a vocal presence in the Wolves’ locker room.

To hear coach Chris Finch tell it, Edwards had spent the first half dissecting how the Lakers were going to defend him (he had eight points and three assists), and at the intermission ...Read more

BOSTON — The underdog Magic made the Celtics sweat Sunday in Game 1 of their first-round playoff series. They even held a halftime lead at TD Garden.

But Orlando lost steam in the second half, and Boston surged ahead, turning a competitive game into a 103-86 romp.

Derrick White delivered one of the best postseason performances of his career ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — For 12 minutes to begin the 2025 playoffs, Luka Doncic rewarded the Lakers fans in the packed arena, showing that all the hopefulness that they entered Crypto.com Arena on Saturday wasn't just some foolish dream.

It could really happen; he's that good.

But for as much as a brilliant Doncic start can be the opening paragraphs in...Read more

NEW YORK — The Detroit Pistons’ remarkable 2024-25 turnaround was a collective effort, but success in their first-round playoff series against the Knicks hinges on Cade Cunningham’s ability to lead the charge. Following Game 1, it’s evident that the 23-year-old still has significant room for growth.

“It’s definitely a learning ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Sometimes the worst thing the Timberwolves can do is take a large lead.

The ghost of playoffs past (their series in 2022 against Memphis) and the remnants of a recent regular-season collapse against Milwaukee still linger in the minds of the fan base.

Along those lines, the Wolves took a 27-point lead Saturday in the third ...Read more

DENVER — It is normal to make mistakes at work. For Russell Westbrook, it is a priority.

“My job, excuse my language,” Westbrook explained, “is to (bleep) stuff up.”

The only question is whether he does it for the Nuggets or Clippers.

Denver’s entertaining cagematch with the Los Angeles Clippers ended with a 112-110 overtime ...Read more

NEW YORK — The Detroit Pistons dropped Game 1 of their first-round playoff series, 123-112, to the New York Knicks on Saturday at Madison Square Garden.

Tobias Harris led Detroit with a team-best 25 points, while Cade Cunningham added a double-double with 21 points and 12 assists.

Detroit came into the fourth quarter holding an eight-point ...Read more

NEW YORK — The first three quarters were cute. The real Knicks stood up in the fourth.

The Detroit Pistons had the Knicks in the first half. They made things tough in New York with their combination of rough-housing centers (Jalen Duren and Isaiah Stewart), held Jalen Brunson in check through the first two quarters, and even took an eight-...Read more