NEW ORLEANS — Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic will not play against the Pelicans on Friday night due to personal reasons, according to the team’s injury report.

Jokic was ruled out Friday around noon after being listed as questionable on Thursday. The Nuggets (7-3) are tipping off a three-game road trip in New Orleans with their first ...Read more

NEW YORK — Hours before their interborough battle with the Knicks, the Brooklyn Nets lost a big piece of their starting lineup.

Nic Claxton was diagnosed Friday with a lower-back strain and is set to miss at least a week, the Nets announced.

The 6-11 center had been listed as questionable before he was ruled out Friday. He was set to receive...Read more

NEW YORK — The Knicks landed Mikal Bridges in a blockbuster deal last summer that sent shockwaves across the NBA. Whether or not he actually forced his way out of Brooklyn, as some reported, is anyone’s guess. The move was designed to further bolster New York’s championship odds. The banner-thirsty franchise took it a step further and ...Read more

ATLANTA — The Hawks will see the return of two of their key players when they face the Washington Wizards on Friday night at State Farm Arena.

The team released its injury report for Friday’s game, and top point guard Trae Young (right Achilles tendinitis) and forward De’Andre Hunter (personal family reasons) were noticeably absent from ...Read more

MIAMI — Cayden Boozer said it was tough to pick between Duke and Miami.

Cameron Boozer said there was no wrong answer, complementing both programs.

But in the end, the talented twin sons of former NBA star Carlos Boozer, chose Duke last month over the Hurricanes.

On Thursday afternoon, they sat together at a table set up inside the Columbus...Read more

LOS ANGELES — History and hindsight have made it a little difficult to contextualize what the Lakers accomplished last winter, the team hoisting a trophy and hanging a banner after winning the NBA's first in-season tournament.

On one hand, only the Lakers and the Boston Celtics were able to celebrate championships last year. On the other, no ...Read more

NEW YORK — Kristaps Porzingis isn’t yet ready to make his Boston Celtics season debut. But he’s progressing well in his recovery, according to head coach Joe Mazzulla.

The rehabbing big man traveled with the team to Brooklyn and went through an active pregame warmup ahead of Wednesday’s matchup with the Nets at Barclays Center. His ...Read more

CHICAGO — “Take us off life support!” Chicago Bulls analyst Stacey King shouted Wednesday night after Jalen Brunson’s last-second shot rolled completely around the basket and rimmed out in the Bulls’ wild 124-123 win over the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden.

It was easily the most exciting game of the young season and had ...Read more

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Florida basketball coach Todd Golden‘s first road game at Florida State comes amid salacious accusations a hostile crowd could use as ammunition.

Prior to discussing Friday night’s contest and the Gators’ expected reception, Golden read a statement to address allegations he stalked and sexually harassed multiple ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — Another night, another dominant performance by Jared McCain.

In an early 76ers schedule filled with injuries and losses, the rookie guard has been the team's biggest bright spot. And on Wednesday, against the Cleveland Cavaliers, McCain showed why the Sixers just might have gotten a steal by picking him 16th overall in June's ...Read more

ATLANTA — There may be a better way to begin your time as the men’s basketball coach at the University of Kentucky, but I can’t think of one.

Kentucky beat Duke 77-72 on Tuesday night. Kentucky beat Duke. That’s right, D-u-k-e. In the Champions Classic. Before a loud crowd of fine people on both sides in a terrific college basketball ...Read more

LeBron James eased his way into the season, ceding shots to Anthony Davis and Austin Reaves, committing to JJ Redick’s style and letting his teammates establish himself in the first handful of games in his 21st season.

Maybe it was him being respectful of a new process. Maybe it was a sign that time, the opponent he’d never lost to, was ...Read more

PORTLAND, ORE. – The Timberwolves didn’t lose three consecutive games all regular season in 2023-24. Only 12 games into this one, they have their first three-game losing streak after a 106-98 loss Wednesday to Portland.

What looked like a pair of easy wins on back-to-back nights against the Trail Blazers turned into a dreary couple of days....Read more

MILWAUKEE — When the league released the schedule for the 2024-25 season, nearly everyone expected the Detroit Pistons and Milwaukee Bucks to be on opposite sides of the spectrum. The Bucks came into the season with championship aspirations while the Pistons appeared to be on the verge of another poor campaign.

However, when the Pistons ...Read more

MIAMI — Erik Spoelstra’s anguished look — the one you might see when people realize they locked their keys in their car — instantly revealed that the Heat coach knew what he had done.

The three-time champion, the man who just this summer was voted by NBA general managers as the league’s best coach, had made the most glaring in-game ...Read more

NEW YORK — Brooklyn Nets head coach Jordi Fernandez expected a “statement” from the Boston Celtics on Tuesday night after their sloppy one-point loss to Atlanta 24 hours earlier.

Did he get one? Not immediately. Boston slogged through yet another sluggish start and trailed for much of the first half at Barclays Center.

But the Celtics ...Read more

NEW YORK — Most teams turn it off when they’re down 22 points in the second half of a game.

But the Knicks aren’t most teams, and the Madison Square Garden faithful isn’t just any crowd. Those are two points underscored in a wild 124-123 loss in the second leg of a back-to-back against the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday.

The Knicks came ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — The 76ers are far from tanking.

Yet, the amount of losses they’re racking up are reminiscent of The Process era. Wednesday’s 114-106 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers dropped the Sixers to 2-9, matching the 11-game record of 2016-17 Sixers and is a worst start than the 2013-14 squad (5-6).

The 2013-14 team finished with a 16...Read more