LAWRENCE, Kan. — Tre White is a creature of habit.

Before each home game, White is the first one on the Allen Fieldhouse court. His focus? Shooting all sorts of 3-pointers all around the arc, in multiple different scenarios.

This time, the shooting exhibition continued well past the opening tip.

With the Kansas offense struggling for ...Read more

DETROIT— The Detroit Pistons had one of their poorest shooting performances of the season in their game against the San Antonio Spurs. They made only 7 of 36 3-point attempts, which was a major contributor to their 114-103 loss on Monday night at Little Caesars Arena.

Led by Devin Vassell, who scored a game-high 28 points, accounted for seven...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS — Anthony Edwards is the reigning All-Star Most Valuable Player and at least a fringe candidate to win the NBA’s MVP award this season.

He has dramatically improved his clutch-time efficiency, his 3-point shooting and his midrange shooting. He is an explosive athlete with precocious skills who has been the best player on a team ...Read more

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — In a game that, just weeks ago, would’ve been headlined by the battle between two star freshmen — Louisville’s Mikel Brown Jr. and UNC’s Caleb Wilson — it was a senior who made all the difference.

No. 18 North Carolina defeated No. 24 Louisville, 77-74 behind a career-high 30 points from captain Seth Trimble, ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Kara Braxton, who won two WNBA championships during a 10-year career, has died at age 43.

"It is with profound sadness that we mourn the passing of 2x WNBA Champion Kara Braxton," the WNBA said in a statement Sunday. "Our thoughts are with her family, friends, and former teammates at this time."

No cause of death has been given...Read more

HARTFORD, Conn. — The UConn men’s basketball team didn’t take much damage in Monday’s AP Top 25 rankings, dropping one spot to No. 6 after a 1-1 week that included a poor showing in a Quad 3 loss to Creighton.

After falling to the Bluejays in one of, if not the worst defensive performances of the season, UConn recovered in convincing ...Read more

AUBURN, Ala. — This was the worst week to date of the Mark Pope coaching era at Kentucky.

At a time in the men’s college basketball season when a team needs to be building momentum toward March, Kentucky dropped games to a foe that had previously lost five of six and to an opponent that had lost five in a row.

UK’s wild 75-74 loss at ...Read more

The Orlando Magic were already facing an uphill battle when they entered Sunday’s game against the Los Angeles Clippers inside Intuit Dome.

Not only was Orlando at a rest disadvantage playing on the second night of a back-to-back at Los Angeles, but Jamahl Mosley‘s squad was also without Franz Wagner (left high ankle sprain injury ...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS — Both the Philadelphia 76ers and the Minnesota Timberwolves came into their matchup Sundayat Target Center down one frontcourt player because of injury (Joel Embiid, Naz Reid) and one because of suspension (Paul George, Rudy Gobert).

Philadelphia also came in having lost four in a row; the Wolves had won three in a row. But it ...Read more

LOS ANGELES – Yes, Pat Riley is the current president of the Miami Heat, and he has his fingerprints all over what is advertised – presumably at his urging – as “Heat Culture.”

But I suspect anyone who lived through the Showtime era of the ’80s – or, for that matter, watched how the roots of Laker Exceptionalism were formed before...Read more

Karl-Anthony Towns is in rhythm — and the New York Knicks are back in the win column.

Make it two in a row for the Knicks, who defeated the Chicago Bulls, 105-99, at the United Center on Sunday in the second leg of a back-to-back following Saturday’s late-night win over the Houston Rockets.

“There’s no excuses,” Towns said. “We’...Read more

LOS ANGELES — All of the current Los Angeles Lakers realized that playing against the Boston Celtics on national television really was more than just one of the 82 games on the NBA schedule.

It was crystallized even more because iconic former Lakers coach Pat Riley sat courtside after a celebration for the unveiling of his statue outside on ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — The fans never got an opportunity to give a grateful goodbye, Pat Riley resigning on an early summer afternoon 36 years ago after the end of a lost season.

Everyone will have that chance now.

When Riley left town at the wrong end of grumblings from players and fans, he was the greatest coach not only in Lakers history but also ...Read more

SAN FRANCISCO — As if to point out how significant Steph Curry’s absence should have been, Nikola Jokic inbounded the ball to him.

It was a haphazard mistake, a rushed attempt to quickly resume play after the Golden State Warriors scored Sunday. Jamal Murray was the target, but he was being pressured. Jokic, practically falling forward from...Read more

The Brooklyn Nets fell to the Atlanta Hawks 115-104 Sunday afternoon at State Farm Arena, dropping to 15-41 and extending their losing streak to four games.

For most of the afternoon, Brooklyn looked nothing like the team that struggled offensively two nights earlier in Oklahoma City. The ball moved. Shots fell. The process felt clean. But the ...Read more

For Pat Riley, it was Showtime again on Sunday in Los Angeles. This time his own showtime, with his statue unveiled in front of Lakers’ Crypto.com Arena.

On an afternoon of celebrity that included actor Michael Douglas and singer Michael McDonald among those in attendance, Riley not only had those who were part of his Lakers’ 1980s ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Lakers had defeated the hated Boston Celtics in the 1987 NBA Finals and there stood coach Pat Riley at the Forum in Inglewood, Calif., with a microphone in his hands and joyous players behind him relishing the moment.

Riley then made a declaration.

"I'm guaranteeing everyone here next year we are going to win it...Read more

MIAMI — The irony is this could’ve been the time, if ever there was a season for the Miami Heat to covertly capitulate.

A full-scale tank? No, the Heat would never go there, a flat-out, from-the-start commitment to lottery odds no matter the unseemliness of it all.

Remember, this is a team that wouldn’t even do it at 11-30, instead ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — A season of frustratingly unfortunate events for USC had led here, to this nightmarish crescendo at the one-minute mark Saturday, in a must-win matchup.

Through a roller-coaster afternoon, the Trojans had navigated one wave after another, riding several hot streaks and surviving the cold ones, knowing full well that their NCAA ...Read more