LeBron James scored 29 points, including a tying 3-pointer with 13 seconds left in regulation, Marcus Smart had eight points in overtime and the Los Angeles Lakers took advantage of a Houston Rockets team missing Kevin Durant for a 112-108 win Friday night to take a 3-0 lead in the Western Conference first-round series.

LeBron James had 28 points, eight rebounds and seven assists, and the short-handed Los Angeles Lakers outlasted the Houston Rockets for a 101-94 victory and a stunning 2-0 lead in their first-round playoff series.

Luke Kennard scored a career playoff-high 27 points, LeBron James had 19 points and 13 assists, and the short-handed Los Angeles Lakers capitalized on Kevin Durant’s injury absence for a 107-98 victory over the Houston Rockets in the opener of their first-round playoff series.

LeBron James literally passed it on to the next generation.

LeBron James will sit out of the Los Angeles Lakers’ game against the San Antonio Spurs due to left foot arthritis.

Austin Reaves rose up for a floater from 12 feet out and swished the winner for the Los Angeles Lakers right before the buzzer for a 116-115 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday night.

Luka Doncic is fully settled in Los Angeles after a year of upheaval, and he is eager to begin his first full season with the Los Angeles Lakers when they host the Golden State Warriors this week.

LeBron James sat out of the Los Angeles Lakers’ first practice of training camp with a minor injury.

Luka Doncic has agreed to a three-year, $165 million maximum contract extension with the Los Angeles Lakers.

Veteran guard Marcus Smart will sign with the Los Angeles Lakers after receiving a contract buyout from the Washington Wizards, according to a person with knowledge of the deal.

It took 57 games for the Washington Wizards to hold a team under 100 points this season.

The Boston Celtics had the NBA Finals in mind when they went out and acquired Jrue Holiday.

The Celtics spent the regular season racking up superlatives and pulverizing opponents with one of the league’s most versatile rosters.

Jrue Holiday agreed to terms on a four-year, $135 million contract extension with the Celtics, his agent Jason Glushon confirmed.

LeBron James didn’t sugarcoat his increasingly sour feelings after the Los Angeles Lakers spiraled to their 10th loss in 13 games.

Jrue Holiday has been traded to the Boston Celtics.

It's already been a busy offseason for player movement in the NBA.

The young Houston Rockets are getting even younger with another pair of first-round draft picks.

Two people with knowledge of the deal say the Washington Wizards have agreed to trade center Kristaps Porzingis to the Boston Celtics as part of a three-team trade that also includes the Celtics trading Marcus Smart to the Memphis Grizzlies.

Derrick White scored on a putback as time expired and the Boston Celtics moved to the brink of the greatest comeback in NBA playoff history, holding off the Miami Heat 104-103 to force a Game 7 in the Eastern Conference finals.

Jayson Tatum scored 33 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, Jaylen Brown added 17 points and the Boston Celtics staved off elimination in the Eastern Conference finals by running away in the second half to beat the Miami Heat 116-99 in Game 4 on Tuesday night.

James Harden hit the go-ahead 3-pointer with 18 seconds left in overtime and scored 42 points to help the Philadelphia 76ers stave off a wild Boston Celtics comeback in a 116-115 victory on Sunday that evened their playoff series at 2-2.

Jaylen Brown scored 25 points and the Boston Celtics rolled past the Philadelphia 76ers 121-87, spoiling the return of reigning league MVP Joel Embiid.

Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum each scored 31 points and the Boston Celtics led nearly the entire way, holding off the Atlanta Hawks for a 129-121 victory and a commanding 3-1 lead in the opening-round playoff series.

Trae Young scored 32 points in his best game of the playoffs and the Atlanta Hawks gave themselves a glimmer of hope, beating the Boston Celtics 130-122 to close the gap to 2-1 in their opening-round series.

Jaylen Brown scored 29 points and had 12 rebounds, and the Boston Celtics capitalized on a woeful shooting performance by the Atlanta Hawks to hold on for 112-99 victory in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference first-round matchup.

Jrue Holiday scored a season-high 40 points and made a go-ahead 3-pointer with 25.2 seconds left in overtime as the Milwaukee Bucks edged the short-handed Boston Celtics 131-125 on Tuesday for their 11th consecutive victory.

Derrick White scored 23 points to help a shorthanded Boston team hold off Ja Morant and the Memphis Grizzlies 119-109.

Tyrese Haliburton scored 33 points and the Indiana Pacers opened a 30-point lead in the first half before holding off the slumping Boston Celtics 117-112 on Wednesday night.

Paolo Banchero scored 31 points and Admiral Schofield had 11 of his 13 in the fourth quarter to help the Orlando Magic sweep consecutive games in Boston with a 95-92 victory on Sunday.

Jayson Tatum scored 44 points, Jaylen Brown added 25 ,and the Boston Celtics blew a 20-point lead in the second half before rallying from a late 13-point deficit for a thrilling 122-118 overtime victory over the Los Angeles Lakers.

Paul George scored 26 points, Kawhi Leonard had season highs of 25 points and nine rebounds, and the Los Angeles Clippers beat the NBA-leading Boston Celtics 113-93.

DeMar DeRozan scored 28 points, Zach LaVine added 22 and the Chicago Bulls stopped Boston’s nine-game win streak, beating the Celtics 121-107.

Jaylen Brown scored 22 points to lead a balanced Boston attack and the East-leading Celtics stretched their winning streak to eight with a 126-101 victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday night.

Darius Garland scored 29 points in his return after missing five games with an ugly eye injury and Donovan Mitchell added 25, leading Cleveland to a 114-113 overtime win over Boston.

Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown each scored 35 points and the Boston Celtics beat the Philadelphia 76ers 126-117 in the opening game of the NBA regular season.

Marcus Smart has been in Boston long enough to appreciate what Bill Russell meant to the Celtics, the city and the country.

The Celtics made an NBA Finals run nobody saw coming, going from a team that was three games under.

Stephen Curry and the Warriors have been within a game of clinching a championship in three of Golden State’s previous five trips to the NBA Finals during his 13-year NBA career.

The Boston Celtics couldn’t make a 3-pointer to start the game and found themselves in a deep hole.

Andrew Wiggins delivered the biggest game yet in his eight-year career with 26 points and 13 rebounds, Klay Thompson scored 21 points, and the Golden State Warriors beat the Boston Celtics 104-94 for a 3-2 NBA Finals lead.

The Boston Celtics are probably used to 2-2 ties in the NBA Finals by now.

Boston's Jayson Tatum disappeared in crunch time during the NBA Finals, contributing to paralyzing fourth-quarter scoring drought as the Celtics squandered an opportunity to take stranglehold on the series.

The Boston Celtics couldn't hold off the Golden State Warriors and had trouble taking care of the basketball.

Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry says there's no doubt that he'll play in Game 4 of the NBA Finals against Boston.

There was a time when the narrative surrounding Jaylen Brown was that he was a redundant player on a Celtics team shaping its identity around budding superstar Jayson Tatum.

The Golden State Warriors’ last chance at pulling out a comeback victory in Game 3 of the NBA Finals ended during a scramble that went Boston's way with 3½ minutes left that went Boston’s way.

Jaylen Brown scored 27 points, Jayson Tatum added 26 and the Boston Celtics beat back another third-quarter onslaught by the Golden State Warriors in a 116-100 victory that gave them a 2-1 lead in the NBA Finals.

Jayson Tatum found his scoring touch after a rare poor shooting night in Game 1 of the NBA Finals but it was the rest of his Boston Celtics teammates who went missing.

Brittney Griner hasn’t been forgotten at the NBA Finals.

The Celtics’ transition from a team that has gone from just outside the top tier of the Eastern Conference to one that's four wins way from the franchise’s 18th NBA championship began the moment Ime Udoka took the microphone at his introductory news conference.

Al Horford is turning 36 this week.

Jayson Tatum scored 26 points, Jaylen Brown and Marcus Smart each added 24 and the Boston Celtics held off a frantic rally in the final seconds to beat the Miami Heat 100-96 to reach the NBA Finals for the first time since 2010.

Tyler Herro has recovered enough to play for the Miami Heat in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals on Sunday night against the Boston Celtics.

Jimmy Butler had 47 points, nine rebounds and eight assists and the Miami Heat forced the Eastern Conference finals to a decisive seventh game by beating the Boston Celtics 111-103 on Friday night.

Heat guard Tyler Herro remained sidelined because of a strained left groin as Miami tries to stave off elimination in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals.

Jaylen Brown scored 25 points, Jayson Tatum added 22 and the Boston Celtics moved to the brink of a berth in the NBA Finals, running away after halftime to beat the Miami Heat 93-80 and take a 3-2 lead in the Eastern Conference title series.

Tyler Herro’s strained left groin forced the Miami Heat to rule him out of Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals against the Boston Celtics on Wednesday night.

Jayson Tatum scored 31 points and the Boston Celtics took their turn pounding the Miami Heat early.

Celtics point guard and Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Smart was ruled out for Game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals against Miami.

Bam Adebayo scored 31 points with 10 rebounds to lead Miami to a 109-103 victory in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals.

Heat guard Jimmy Butler will not play in the second half of Game 3 of their Eastern Conference finals matchup with Boston because of inflammation in his right knee.

Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Smart of the Boston Celtics was the leading vote-getter for the All-Defensive first team, with Mikal Bridges of the Phoenix Suns joining him as the other guard.

The Boston Celtics got outworked by the Miami Heat in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals but returned the favor in Game 2.

Jayson Tatum scored 27 points, Marcus Smart and Jaylen Brown each scored 24 and the Boston Celtics dominated the first half to roll past the Miami Heat 127-102 and tie the Eastern Conference finals at a game apiece.

Al Horford and Marcus Smart are coming back.

Things have been working out just fine so far in this postseason for Jimmy Butler and the top-seeded Miami Heat.

Jimmy Butler scored 41 points, and the Miami Heat turned things around with a huge third quarter on the way to beating the shorthanded Boston Celtics 118-107 in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals on Tuesday night.

Boston will be without two starters for Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals, with Al Horford entering the NBA’s health and safety protocols and Marcus Smart unable to play because of a mid-foot sprain.

Boston Celtics coach Ime Udoka and Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra have enormous respect for each other and a bond that stems from their shared history in the sport.

Jayson Tatum scored 46 points, outdueling Giannis Antetokounmpo and making sure there wouldn’t be another Milwaukee Bucks fourth-quarter comeback, and the Boston Celtics beat the defending champions 108-95 to force a seventh game in their Eastern Conference semifinal.

The Milwaukee Bucks want to build off the momentum from a thrilling comeback.

Bobby Portis made a putback off Giannis Antetokounmpo’s missed free throw with 15 seconds left, Jrue Holiday snuffed Marcus Smart on Boston’s final two possessions and the Milwaukee Bucks beat the Celtics 110-107 on Wednesday night to take a 3-2 series lead.

Kyrie Irving may have to show the Brooklyn Nets he’s more than a great basketball player if he wants a future with the team.

Al Horford and Jayson Tatum scored 30 points each and led the Boston Celtics’ fourth-quarter comeback in a 116-108 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks that tied their Eastern Conference semifinal at two games apiece.

Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 42 points and made the go-ahead basket with 44.3 seconds left and the Milwaukee Bucks withstood a frantic flurry of shots in the final seconds to beat the Boston Celtics 103-101 on Saturday in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference semifinal.

Milwaukee Bucks forward Khris Middleton will miss at least two more games in the Eastern Conference semifinal series with the Boston Celtics as he recovers from a sprained medial collateral ligament in his left knee.

Jaylen Brown scored 25 of his 30 points in the first half, and the Boston Celtics beat the Milwaukee Bucks 109-86 to even their second-round playoff at one game apiece.

Tyler Herro was told before the season began that he wouldn’t be in the Miami Heat starting lineup.

Game 1 showed that whoever wins the 1-on-1 scoring battle between Memphis’ Ja Morant and Stephen Curry of the Warriors doesn’t mean their team will win the game or their Western Conference semifinal.

Giannis Antetokounmpo had his second career postseason triple-double to lead the Milwaukee Bucks to a 101-89 victory over the Boston Celtics in Game 1 of their second-round playoff series.

The only team to register a first-round sweep, the Boston Celtics enter their Eastern Conference semifinals matchup with the defending champion Milwaukee Bucks loaded with confidence.

Jayson Tatum scored 29 points, Jaylen Brown had 22 and the Boston Celtics completed a four-game sweep of the Brooklyn Nets, becoming the first team to reach the second round of the playoffs with a 116-112 victory.

Jayson Tatum scored 39 points, Jaylen Brown had 23 and the Boston Celtics took a 3-0 lead over the Brooklyn Nets with a 109-103 victory.

Jaylen Brown scored 22 points, including 10 in the fourth quarter, and the Boston Celtics rallied from 17 points down to beat the Brooklyn Nets 114-107 and take a 2-0 lead in their first-round series.

Boston’s Marcus Smart is the first guard in over a quarter-century to win the NBA defensive player of the year award.

Nikola Jokic is a finalist to win a second straight NBA MVP award, along with two-time winner Giannis Antetokounmpo and Joel Embiid.

Jayson Tatum made a layup at the buzzer on a pass from Marcus Smart to give the Boston Celtics a dramatic 115-114 victory over the Brooklyn Nets in the Game 1 of their first-round playoff series.

Stephen Curry will play but not start for Golden State in Game 1 of the playoffs against the Denver Nuggets.

Jimmy Butler had 24 points, Kyle Lowry added 23 and the Miami Heat rallied in the fourth quarter to hold off the Boston Celtics 106-98 to stay atop a tight race for the Eastern Conference’s top seed.

Stephen Curry said he’s confident he can return from a sprained left foot by the time the Golden State Warriors begin the playoffs.

Stephen Curry went down with a left foot injury late in the first half and didn’t return as Marcus Smart and the Boston Celtics routed the Golden State Warriors 110-88 on Wednesday night.

Luka Doncic returned from a hamstring scare to hit a tying 3-pointer with a 1:21 left, Spencer Dinwiddie made the winner with nine seconds to play and the Dallas Mavericks spoiled Kevin Garnett’s special day by beating the Boston Celtics 95-92 on Sunday.

Jaylen Brown scored a career-high 50 points, rallying the Boston Celtics from 14 points down late in the fourth quarter to a 116-111 overtime victory over the Orlando Magic.

Jayson Tatum scored 16 of his 42 points in the fourth quarter and the Boston Celtics beat the Milwaukee Bucks 117-103.

The Brooklyn Nets beat the Boston Celtics 123-104.

Jayson Tatum scored 37 points and the Boston Celtics beat Los Angeles 130-108 in Lakers star LeBron James’ return.

Dennis Schröder scored eight of his season-high 38 points in overtime and the Boston Celtics took advantage of Giannis Antetokounmpo’s absence to beat the Milwaukee Bucks 122-113.

Julius Randle scored 35 points, Evan Fournier made the go-ahead 3-pointer in the second overtime and the New York Knicks outlasted Jaylen Brown and the Boston Celtics 138-134.

James Harden had 34 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists for his first postseason triple-double with Brooklyn, leading the Nets into the Eastern Conference semifinals with a 123-109 victory over the Boston Celtics in Game 5.