GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Florida coach Todd Golden doesn’t talk much about his Jewish faith, but takes tremendous pride in his heritage.

This week will be a rare celebration of it at the Final Four.

Three of the four coaches in the national semifinals are Jewish: Golden, Auburn’s Bruce Pearl and Duke’s Jon Scheyer.

“It’s going to be a ...Read more

CHICAGO — Coby White spent the first five years of his NBA career trying to shake the “streaky” label.

It’s a frustrating moniker for any shooter. Getting hot goes hand in hand with getting cold. Fans, opponents and coaches always are waiting for the other sneaker to drop.

But White doesn’t want that. He isn’t content being a ...Read more

The focus rightly was on the immediate.

Stephen Curry scored 52 points Tuesday in a 134-125 win over the Memphis Grizzlies that vaulted the surging Golden State Warriors into fifth place in the Western Conference standings. He made 12 3-point shots, two shy of former teammate Klay Thompson's single-game NBA record.

Curry's performance was so ...Read more

HARTFORD, Conn. — Tristen Newton didn’t appear to be a perfect fit at UConn right away, but by the time he left, the East Carolina transfer turned consensus All-American had built a resume that placed him among the Huskies’ all-time greats. His absence left a clear hole in the 2024-25 roster as the Huskies were unable to replace that ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — Tyrese Maxey is expected to be ruled out for the final six games of the 76ers’ season with a thumb sprain, according to an ESPN report Thursday.

The decision comes after Maxey, who has not played since March 3, was scheduled to go through individual workouts Tuesday and Wednesday, coach Nick Nurse said before the Sixers’ ...Read more

FORT WORTH, Texas — Texas A&M completed the rare athletic department grand slam on Tuesday when the last of its highest profile employees left the premises in less than two years, the final three from their own ambition.

— Nov. 12, 2023: Football coach Jimbo Fisher is fired.

— Jan. 16, 2024: Athletic director Ross Bjork leaves Texas A&M ...Read more

DURHAM, N.C. — They watched their son grow into a basketball prodigy, armed with height and athleticism and skills few 18-year-olds possess.

Now Ralph and Kelly Flagg make the final road trip of Cooper Flagg’s lone college season, heading to San Antonio to watch Duke in the Final Four this weekend.

This is why Cooper Flagg decided to play ...Read more

DENVER — Attendees at Ball Arena are prohibited by public-address decree from sitting down until the home team scores its first points. They were left standing in awkward silence during an early Michael Malone timeout three minutes into an unusual Nuggets game on Wednesday night.

Denver’s entire starting lineup (and then some) took a ...Read more

The teams the Clippers are chasing for a top-six spot in the Western Conference standings keep winning and that means the Clippers have to continue their pursuit of wins until the final seedings are decided.

His team understands “what’s at stake” and “what’s at risk,” Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said, and that has kept his group on ...Read more

BOSTON — So what if this is who the Miami Heat are, or at least can be, in the post-Jimmy Butler era?

What if the 10-game losing streak was, as coach Erik Spoelstra insisted, a period of discovery?

What if from the depths of the play-in round there can be yet another postseason breakout?

Why those questions now?

Because now there has been ...Read more

It was the kind of performance that can inspire confidence — at least until it wasn’t.

Contending for a title is the name of the game at Madison Square Garden, and the road to a title contention will undoubtedly run through Cleveland, home to the East’s No. 1-seeded Cavaliers.

The Knicks traveled to “The Land” for the second leg of a...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — Three days after officially becoming Villanova’s head coach, Kevin Willard spoke Wednesday with reporters on Zoom.

Willard has had a busy few days. He traveled Monday to Indianapolis to watch the women’s team play in a WBIT semifinal, then flew to Las Vegas to meet with Villanova donors and his new team as it prepared to ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — Another left knee surgery is the decision for Joel Embiid.

The 76ers announced Wednesday that after consultations with medical experts, it was determined that the seven-time All-Star will undergo arthroscopic surgery next week.

This comes after the determination on Feb. 28 that Embiid was medically unable to play and would ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — The stakes here in early April for the Lakers are easy to see, the trophies that sit in owner Jeanie Buss' window overlooking the practice courts a constant reminder of what the goals are for the team, particularly at a time when the talent on the roster looks formidable.

But for a player like center Jaxson Hayes, there are ...Read more

DENVER — The Russell Westbrook Experience left us nauseous.

As he stood in the corner, the clock near zero, Westbrook stared at the official in disbelief. His desperate fly-by resulted in a foul. Nickeil Alexander-Walker’s subsequent free throws resulted in a Nuggets’ double-overtime loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday night.

...Read more

DENVER – Mike Conley and Nickeil Alexander-Walker came to Minnesota together from Utah a little over two years ago. Alexander-Walker wasn’t sure what was in store for his future. He was a free agent after the season, and there was a chance he would be out of the NBA the following season.

“Lost,” Alexander-Walker said. “Traded twice in...Read more

NEW YORK — Carmelo Anthony is a first-ballot Hall of Famer.

The basketball world knew that the Brooklyn-born former Knicks star wouldn’t have to wait long to add his name to the list of the game’s immortals.

Confirmation came Wednesday when ESPN’s NBA insider Shams Charania revealed that the 10-time NBA All-Star has been notified he’...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS — The drawn-out drama surrounding the sale of the Minnesota Timberwolves is finally over.

More than a year after Glen Taylor tried to retain majority control of the franchise by canceling its $1.5 billion sale to Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez, Taylor is ending that battle.

Lore and Rodriguez will become controlling owners after ...Read more

RALEIGH, N.C. — Stanley Borden was out with his Duke teammates for warm-ups Saturday night, in full uniform, ready to play. Then, he threw on a gray zip-up hoodie and took a seat in the front row of the stands behind the bench and watched Duke win, just like everyone else behind him.

The 7-footer warmed up before both halves and cut down the ...Read more