PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia 76ers kept giving their fans hope.

Even after posting their worst regular-season winning percentage in seven seasons, there was belief the Sixers could make a deep postseason run. Joel Embiid’s return from knee surgery was supposed to make them tough to beat.

But in reality, while they might have been better...Read more

MIAMI — The Heat now face their most difficult decision of the summer: Whether to grant Jimmy Butler’s impending request to essentially replace the two years and $101.2 million remaining on his contract with a three-year deal worth $161 million.

Butler, who turns 35 in September, has some leverage in this.

If the Heat refuse to give him ...Read more

Let’s just come out and say it: The Heat can’t extend Jimmy Butler’s contract as NBA convention mandates. They can’t pay him $113 million for two re-done years and keep him until 38.

They have to trade him this offseason, if possible, or live with the unsettling consequences of his playing out the two remaining years on his current deal...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — Smart money’s not the only group taking up real estate in downtown Philadelphia.

Add Knicks fans to the list after their takeover of the Wells Fargo Center in Games 3 and 4 of their first-round playoff matchup against the 76ers, both of which featured “M-V-P” chants for Jalen Brunson and “Let’s go Knicks” chants all...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS — Harry Hunter Wendelstedt Jr. and Harry Hunter Wendelstedt III are the only father-son tandem to work major league games together. The father went by Harry and the son by Hunter.

They umped several games in the same crew in 1998, when Harry was getting ready to retire and Hunter was a 26-year-old rookie breaking into the big ...Read more

PHOENIX — The narrative should have been obvious.

A season ago, the Dodgers were swept by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the National League Division Series, marking a stunningly short postseason run for their 100-win team.

This week, the sides met Chase Field for the first time since.

For most clubs in the Dodgers’ position, bad blood ...Read more

The winner of Game 5 of the Western Conference first-round series Wednesday night was going to be one step away from advancing. The loser of Game 5 of this best-of-seven series was going to be one step away from elimination.

The Clippers are close to seeing their season coming to end following a humbling 123-93 loss to the Dallas Mavericks on ...Read more

The Miami Heat as we know them expired Wednesday night in Boston, and did so without doubt, emphatically, yet quietly even amid the howling cacophony of Celtics fans. The Jimmy Butler era closed with him in street clothes — fitting of a calamitous season that ended begging change.

Miami was eliminated 4-1 in the first round of the NBA ...Read more

BOSTON — No, they didn’t have enough.

No, there wasn’t a next man up.

And perhaps most significantly, there was no Playoff Jimmy.

So, in the end, a playoff crash and burn for the Miami Heat, their season coming to an end with Wednesday night’s 118-84 loss to the Boston Celtics at TD Garden.

In retrospect, coming away even with their ...Read more

It took until well after the game was over, but Tyrese Maxey finally showed his age.

A New York reporter asked him about Reggie Miller’s legendary eight points in nine seconds at Madison Square Garden, and Maxey essentially responded with a shrug.

“Our trainer Kevin Johnson was talking about that after the game,” Maxey said of Miller’s...Read more

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — After weeks of waiting, UNC basketball fans can finally breathe a sigh of relief. RJ Davis is coming back.

The senior guard announced on Wednesday morning he will return to North Carolina for a fifth season, much to the excitement of Tar Heels fans.

“I’m back,” Davis announced on social media at 3 a.m. UNC confirmed...Read more

DENVER — The younger brother of Denver Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr. was arrested early Sunday morning in Missouri on investigation of driving while intoxicated.

Jevon Porter, 20, was arrested at 1:31 a.m. in Boone County, Mo., State Highway Patrol records show. Porter, who was released, also was accused of speeding.

The 6-foot-11 ...Read more

LEXINGTON, Ky. — One of the best 3-point shooters in all of college basketball will be a Kentucky Wildcat next season.

On Wednesday, former Dayton guard Koby Brea announced his commitment to UK from the NCAA transfer portal. Brea has one year of college eligibility left after playing the last four seasons at Dayton.

Brea’s commitment came ...Read more

NEW YORK — As it turns out, the reports of the Sixers’ death were greatly exaggerated.

Surely, the reports were only premature — it’s got to end badly sooner or later — but they’re not dead yet.

Not as long as Tyrese Maxey is running, Tobias Harris is hustling and Joel Embiid is limping.

Maxey dropped 46 points on the Knicks, ...Read more

NEW YORK — Joel Embiid dove for the loose ball. Nick Nurse called timeout. And a crowd at Madison Square Garden that has spent so much of this first-round playoff series in a frenzy quietly began to file for the exits.

Then, Tyrese Maxey stepped to the free-throw line to cap an epic 46-point, nine-assist, season-saving effort.

The Sixers ...Read more

BOSTON — The Miami Heat now will need a next man up for their next man up amid their injury-riddled ride through the opening round of the NBA playoffs.

Moved into the starting lineup in the wake of injuries to teammates Terry Rozier and Jimmy Butler, first-round pick Jaime Jaquez Jr. on Tuesday was ruled out by the team for Wednesday night’...Read more

CHICAGO — What does it mean to be one of the greatest of all time?

It’s something we hear tossed around in sports discussions constantly. We each define it differently, some metrics carry more weight than others. It’s completely subjective, but we ask anyway. It’s one of the greatest and forever arguments in sports.

Is it championships...Read more

NEW YORK — Knicks forward Bojan Bogdanovic will undergo season-ending surgeries to repair foot and wrist injuries, the team announced on Tuesday.

The news of the Knicks losing a key role player comes with the team up 3-1 in the first-round playoff series against the Philadelphia 76ers.

Bogdanovic appeared to suffer the foot injury after ...Read more