After the Magic gave up 127 points in an eight-point victory over the Pacers on Sunday at Kia Center, coach Jamahl Mosley made it clear his team needed to be better on defense when it hit the road this week.

Orlando, however, lacked urgency, intensity and intentionality on both ends of the court throughout most of the night Tuesday against the ...Read more

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Coach Todd Golden’s suddenly unranked Florida Gators were desperate for a win.

Avoiding a loss to former coach Mike White’s No. 18 Georgia Bulldogs was critical for a Florida team riding a 13-game winning streak at the O’Connell Center and 0-1 in SEC play.

The Gators found their offensive flow and applied the ...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS — It is sometimes hard to recognize a turning point of a team’s season’s in real time. That usually only comes with the benefit of hindsight.

But it’s hard not to watch the Timberwolves these past three games and feel like their spiritless losses to Brooklyn and Atlanta represented a shift in the team’s overall demeanor ...Read more

EAST LANSING, Mich. — Monday night’s outburst shouldn’t have happened, former Michigan State star Paul Davis says, but Tuesday afternoon’s press conference had to.

Late in the second half of Michigan State’s 80-51 win over Southern Cal on Monday, Davis was removed from his lower bowl seat at Breslin Center for something he shouted at ...Read more

Michigan has dominated at home and on neutral courts this season. But in true road games, it’s been a different story.

The Wolverines were put to the test in their previous trips to TCU and Maryland and found themselves in a fight that at least dragged into the second half.

It was a similar case Tuesday night at Bryce Jordan Center, where No...Read more

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — For the first time this season, Duke looked shaky, vulnerable, even rattled.

Louisville was hitting shots, blocking shots, making hustle plays. The No. 20 Cardinals, backed by a roaring crowd at the KFC Yum! Center, sensed the No. 6 Blue Devils could be beatable this night.

That was in the first half.

The second half was a...Read more

EAST LANSING, Mich. — Sometimes at a family reunion, someone steps out of line. And as the Izzone Reunion game brought fans and players back to Breslin Center during the tail end of students’ winter break, Tom Izzo had to step in and make some corrections.

With 6:01 to play in the second half of Michigan State’s 80-51 drubbing of USC, ...Read more

Steve Kerr had finally had enough. After watching Steph Curry’s shot not count as an and-1, and then Gary Payton II’s blocked layup by John Collins not called as a goaltend early in the fourth quarter, the longtime Warriors coach lost it once there was a stoppage on a Curry foul.

He berated the referees to such a degree that the usually ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — Jalen Pickett backpedaled down the court with a hop in his step and a cocky gleam in his eye. Hunter Tyson blurted profanities after converting a 4-point play. Zeke Nnaji rained 3s. The Nuggets reserves swaggered and flexed, and the Nuggets starters cheered from the end of their bench and taunted Philadelphia’s sideline when ...Read more

EAST LANSING, Mich. — If Michigan State started off 2026 with a damper of a loss at Nebraska on Friday, then a return to Breslin Center in front of an Izzone reunion crowd gave the Spartans a big lift to enter a three-game homestand.

The 12th-ranked Spartans downed USC, 80-51, with 49 points from its trio of Jaxon Kohler (16), Jeremy Fears Jr...Read more

BOSTON — The Boston Celtics continued their climb up the Eastern Conference standings Monday night, routing the Chicago Bulls to claim sole possession of second place.

The 115-101 win at TD Garden pushed Boston ahead of the New York Knicks, who were blown out by the first-place Detroit Pistons earlier in the evening for their fourth ...Read more

DETROIT — The Detroit Pistons welcomed the New York Knicks to Little Caesars Arena for the first time since their six-game playoff series eight months ago.

The Pistons knew that Monday’s game wouldn’t change the postseason outcome, but it presented an opportunity to evaluate their progress in the first of a three-game, regular-season ...Read more

HARTFORD, Conn. — The top five went unchanged in the AP Top 25 poll with the UConn men’s basketball team holding serve at No. 4 after winning its 10th consecutive game on Sunday.

The Huskies, 14-1 and 4-0 in Big East play, are also No. 4 in the USA Today Coaches Poll, No. 7 by KenPom and No. 8 in the NCAAs NET rankings with four Quad One ...Read more

They met two days prior to Sunday night’s encounter at Crypto.com Arena, a two-game set between the Lakers and Memphis Grizzlies reminiscent of a playoff series.

The Lakers won the first game Friday night and knew the Grizzlies were going to bring more intensity and a stronger effort even with star guard Ja Morant (right calf contusion) not ...Read more

In this file photo, When the Magic escaped Indiana on Wednesday, Orlando needed a layup from Paolo Banchero with 7.5 seconds left in the contest to finish on top of the Pacers with a 2-point win at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

Late-game heroics were needed once again game when the sides met at Kia Center for a Sunday matinee.

Desmond Bane (31 points...Read more

MIAMI – Having previously lost to the second to the second-worst team in the Western Conference, the Miami Heat made sure there was no misstep Sunday night at Kaseya Center.

More to the point, Norman Powell made sure.

So no repeat of the home humiliation against the Sacramento Kings, instead a 125-106 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans ...Read more

BROOKLYN, N.Y. — Reinforcements arrived in New York for the Denver Nuggets, but they didn’t play like a team revitalized.

With Aaron Gordon and Christian Braun returning to the rotation on minutes restrictions, Denver trailed for almost all 48 minutes in a 127-115 loss to the Brooklyn Nets Sunday — a reminder that even with the supporting...Read more

CLEVELAND — The Detroit Pistons led 106-93 with five minutes left in the fourth quarter. At the time, it appeared they would be on the verge of an easy win, but the Cleveland Cavaliers mounted a late rally. But by leaning upon the lessons of last season, the Pistons prevailed, taking a 114-110 win at Rocket Arena Sunday.

The Pistons improved ...Read more