Church bells rang out for hours in celebration at Villanova University in suburban Philadelphia after one of their graduates was elected the first pope from the U.S. in the history of the Catholic Church.

In more trouble than they faced at any time last year, the Boston Celtics take a 2-0 deficit into Game 3 against the New York Knicks.

New York down by 20 on Monday.

Mikal Bridges scored all of his 14 points in the fourth quarter before making his second straight game-clinching steal, and the New York Knicks overcame a 20-point deficit again to beat the Boston Celtics 91-90 on Wednesday night for a 2-0 lead in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

Jalen Brunson and OG Anunoby each scored 29 points before Mikal Bridges stole the ball from Jaylen Brown with a second left in overtime, and the New York Knicks stunned the Boston Celtics 108-105 in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference semifinals series on Monday night.

The New York Knicks made major moves to bolster their roster, adding Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges, in the hopes of contending for an NBA title.

Jalen Brunson scored 40 points, Mikal Bridges had 25 points and OG Anunoby added 22 to lead the New York Knicks to a 116-113 win over the Detroit Pistons on Thursday night and into the second round of the NBA playoffs.

Cade Cunningham had 24 points, eight rebounds and eight assists, and the Detroit Pistons stayed alive in their first postseason appearance since 2019 by beating the New York Knicks 106-103 on Tuesday night in Game 5 of their first-round series.

New York beating Detroit had become something of an NBA certainty, with the Knicks doing it 16 straight times over a span of five years.

In Year 20, Chris Paul started all 82.

Game 82 for every team in the NBA has arrived.

LeBron James had 33 points, 12 assists and 11 rebounds in his 10th triple-double of the season, enjoying another memorable night at Madison Square Garden and leading the Los Angeles Lakers to a 128-112 victory over the New York Knicks.

Victor Wembanyama had 42 points and 18 rebounds in a memorable Christmas Day debut.

Mikal Bridges scored a season-high 41 points, and the New York Knicks overcame 42 from Victor Wembanyama in a monster Christmas debut to edge the San Antonio Spurs 117-114 on Wednesday.

Karl-Anthony Towns had 23 points and 15 rebounds, Jalen Brunson scored 21 points and the New York Knicks beat the Orlando Magic 121-106 on Tuesday to reach the quarterfinals of the NBA Cup.

Karl-Anthony Towns had 44 points and 12 rebounds, Jalen Brunson scored 18 of his 22 points in the second half and the New York Knicks rallied to beat the Miami Heat 116-107 on Wednesday night.

Karl-Anthony Towns had 21 points and 15 rebounds in his Knicks home debut, Jalen Brunson scored 26 points and New York routed the Indiana Pacers 123-98 on Friday night.

Two people with knowledge of the details say that Mikal Bridges is being traded by the Brooklyn Nets to the New York Knicks, where he will join Jalen Brunson and his other former Villanova teammates.

It was the year of the comeback in the NBA.

Kyrie Irving scored 36 points in a dazzling return to Brooklyn exactly one year after he was traded to Dallas, leading the Mavericks to a 119-107 victory over the Nets.

Kevin Durant scored 33 points in his return to Brooklyn, leading the Phoenix Suns to a 136-120 victory over the Nets on Wednesday night.

Ben Simmons had 10 points, 11 assists and eight rebounds in his return from a 38-game absence, Mikal Bridges added 33 points and the Brooklyn Nets routed the Utah Jazz 147-114.

The Detroit Pistons have matched the NBA record for the longest losing streak within one season, falling 126-115 to the Brooklyn Nets on Saturday night for their 26th straight loss.

The NBA's In-Season Tournament is down to its final eight teams.

When the NBA season begins, it’s pretty easy to anticipate who will take center stage.

USA Basketball is back atop the FIBA men’s world rankings even after failing to medal at the World Cup.

The World Cup is over.

The U.S. played the bronze-medal game short-handed, and Canada sent the Americans home from the World Cup empty-handed.

There will be no gold medal for the U.S. at this World Cup.

The United States is headed to the medal round of the Basketball World Cup after bouncing back from its first loss of the tournament in emphatic fashion.

The U.S. got its first real test of the Basketball World Cup and found a way to remain unbeaten.

The United States is going to the second round of the Basketball World Cup.

Anthony Edwards scored 21 points, Cameron Johnson added 13 and USA Basketball never trailed Friday in a 108-86 win over Greece in a World Cup tune-up game for both teams.

Anthony Edwards and Cam Johnson each scored 15 points, and USA Basketball used a 20-0 run in the second half on the way to rolling past Puerto Rico 117-74 on Monday night in the first World Cup tune-up game for the Americans.

Victor Wembanyama wasn’t the only young French NBA prospect turning heads overseas this season.

Joel Embiid, limping throughout the game and perhaps lucky not to have been ejected for kicking a Nets player in the groin area, blocked a potential tying basket with 8.8 seconds left and the Philadelphia 76ers beat Brooklyn 102-97 to take a 3-0 lead in the first-round series.

James Harden hit seven 3-pointers and had 23 points and 13 assists, NBA MVP finalist Joel Embiid scored 26 points and the Philadelphia 76ers pushed back Mikal Bridges and the Brooklyn Nets in a 121-101 Game 1 victory.

Scoring was up in the NBA this season, to a level not seen in more than a half-century.

Brooklyn’s Mikal Bridges kept his ironman streak alive, starting his 83rd game of the season before committing a foul and immediately checking out of the game.

Cam Johnson had 31 points, Mikal Bridges scored 12 of his 27 in the fourth quarter and the Brooklyn Nets rallied to beat the Houston Rockets 123-114 on Wednesday night.

The Phoenix Suns say Kevin Durant has a left ankle sprain after slipping on the floor during pregame warmups on Wednesday and will be re-evaluated in three weeks.

Phoenix Suns star Kevin Durant slipped on the floor during pregame warmups and was ruled out Wednesday night against the Oklahoma City Thunder because of left ankle soreness.

Mikal Bridges scored 38 points and the Brooklyn Nets overcame a 28-point deficit to stun the Boston Celtics 115-105 on Friday night.

New team, same Kevin Durant.

Giannis Antetokounmpo had 33 points and 15 rebounds, and the Milwaukee Bucks extended their winning streak to 15 games by beating the Brooklyn Nets 118-104.

Trae Young sank a buzzer-beating jumper over Spencer Dinwiddie to score 34 points and lift the Atlanta Hawks to a 129-127 win over the Brooklyn Nets.

Kevin Durant watched the Phoenix Suns from afar over the past few years, admiring the budding nucleus of Devin Booker, Chris Paul and Deandre Ayton.

Mikal Bridges scored a career-high 45 points, including 15 in a row for Brooklyn to break open a game that had been close for 3 1/2 quarters, and the Nets beat the Miami Heat 116-105 on in the final game for both teams before the All-Star break.

Jalen Brunson scored 40 points, Josh Hart added a season-high 27 in his second game with his new team and the New York Knicks snapped a nine-game losing streak against the Brooklyn Nets with a 124-106 victory.

James Harden isn’t surprised Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving wanted out of Brooklyn, having tired quickly of the “dysfunction” he saw in his brief time with the Nets and asking out.

First it was Kyrie Irving to Dallas.

Kevin Durant’s time in Brooklyn ended Thursday when the Nets traded him to the Phoenix Suns as part of a four-team deal.

Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic will miss a game at Utah after spraining his left ankle against Phoenix in the opener of the two-game trip.

Mikal Bridges had 26 points, nine rebounds and five assists and the undermanned Suns dominated in Stephen Curry’s return from injury as Phoenix beat the Golden State Warriors for a third time this season, 125-113 on Tuesday night to snap a season-worst six-game skid.

Nikola Jokic had another monster triple-double, Aaron Gordon threw down a pivotal dunk that stood up after a review in overtime and the Denver Nuggets rallied for a 128-125 victory over the Phoenix Suns on Sunday night.

Cameron Payne scored a career-high 29 points, Devin Booker added 27 and the Phoenix Suns easily overcame Stephen Curry’s 50-point night to beat the Golden State Warriors 130-119 on Wednesday.

Jerami Grant scored a season-high 30 points, including a baseline jumper at the buzzer, to lift the short-handed Portland Trail Blazers over the Phoenix Suns 108-106.

Devin Booker scored 30 points, Cam Johnson added 19 and the Phoenix Suns won their fourth straight game by beating the Houston Rockets 124-109 on Sunday night.

Devin Booker scored 34 points, Deandre Ayton added 16 points and 14 rebounds and the Phoenix Suns beat the Golden State Warriors 134-105 on Tuesday night in a game that featured Klay Thompson’s first career ejection and seven technical fouls.

Damian Lillard scored 41 points and the Portland Trail Blazers beat the Phoenix Suns 113-111 in overtime Friday night for their second straight victory to open the season.

Devin Booker scored 28 points, Damion Lee made a go-ahead baseline jumper with 9.7 seconds left and the Phoenix Suns rallied from 22 points down in the third quarter to beat the Dallas Mavericks 107-105 on Wednesday in the season opener for both teams.

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.

Devin Booker scored 28 points, Deandre Ayton added 20 and the Phoenix Suns beat the Dallas Mavericks 110-80 night to take a 3-2 lead in the Western Conference semifinals.

Luka Doncic had 26 points and 13 rebounds, and the Dallas Mavericks turned up the defensive pressure to get back in their Western Conference semifinal series with Phoenix, beating the Suns 103-94.

Deandre Ayton scored 25 points, Devin Booker added 23 and the top-seeded Phoenix Suns rolled to a 121-114 win over the Dallas Mavericks in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals.

Mikal Bridges scored 31 points, Chris Paul added 22 points and 11 assists and the top-seeded Phoenix Suns beat the New Orleans Pelicans 112-97 to take a 3-2 lead in the Western Conference first-round series.

Brandon Ingram scored 16 of his 30 points in the third quarter and the New Orleans Pelicans beat the Phoenix Suns — playing with injured star Devin Booker — 118-103 in Game 4 on Sunday night to tie the first-round series.

Chris Paul scored 19 of his 28 points in the fourth quarter and the Phoenix Suns overcame Devin Booker’s absence to beat the New Orleans Pelicans 114-111 on Friday night in Game 3 of the first-round series.

The road back to the NBA Finals has become bumpy for the Phoenix Suns and Milwaukee Bucks.

Brandon Ingram scored 37 points, CJ McCollum added 23 and the New Orleans Pelicans beat the top-seeded Phoenix Suns 125-114 in Game 2, evening the series in their Western Conference first-round matchup.

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

Chris Paul scored 19 of his 30 points during a brilliant fourth-quarter shooting display and the Phoenix Suns beat the New Orleans Pelicans 110-99 on Sunday night in Game 1 of the first-round playoff series.

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

The Phoenix Suns have many reasons to be confident they can make another deep playoff run.

It lasted 174 days, required the usage of more players than any season in history primarily because of the ongoing challenge of playing through a pandemic, and saw playoff-positioning chases go all the way down to the final moments.

Joel Embiid is about to make history.

Devin Booker scored 33 points and the NBA-leading Phoenix Suns overcame a 17-point deficit in the fourth quarter to beat the Utah Jazz 111-105 on Friday night.

Devin Booker scored 32 points and the Phoenix Suns won their franchise-record 63rd game of the season, beating a Lakers team minus LeBron James 121-110 to eliminate Los Angeles from the playoff race.

Devin Booker’s two free throws with 34.2 seconds left put Phoenix ahead, Draymond Green traveled to turn it over before Chris Paul made a short jumper, and the NBA-best Phoenix Suns held off the Golden State Warriors 107-103 in a furious finish between Western Conference rivals.

Chris Paul returned from a broken thumb sooner than expected when the NBA-leading Phoenix Suns faced the Denver Nuggets on Thursday night.

Deandre Ayton scored a career-high 35 points and had 14 rebounds as the Phoenix Suns surged past trash-talking Minnesota 125-116.

Landry Shamet made a 3-pointer with 31 seconds left in overtime moments after missing an open look beyond the arc and the NBA-leading Phoenix Suns beat the Sacramento Kings 127-124 on Sunday.

Devin Booker scored 36 points,ikal Bridges added 26 and the NBA-leading Phoenix Suns beat the Houston Rockets 129-112 on Wednesday night for their third straight victory.

Devin Booker scored 30 points, Deandre Ayton had 23 points and 16 rebounds and the NBA-leading Phoenix Suns routed the Los Angeles Lakers 140-111 on Sunday night.

Devin Booker scored 23 points, Mikal Bridges added 21 and the Phoenix Suns shook off a slow start to beat the Miami Heat 111-90 on Wednesday night in a matchup of the NBA’s conference leaders.

Cam Johnson banked in a 3-pointer at the buzzer to finish with a career-high 38 points and give the Phoenix Suns a wild 115-114 victory over the New York Knicks on Friday night.

Devin Booker had 25 points, 12 assists and a career-high six steals to help the NBA-leading Phoenix Suns beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 124-104 on Thursday night.

Devin Booker scored 24 points, Deandre Ayton added 23 and the NBA-leading Phoenix Suns extended their winning streak to seven games, rallying after Chris Paul was ejected to beat the Houston Rockets 124-121 on Wednesday night.

Deandre Ayton scored 27 points, Mikal Bridges added 18 and the Phoenix Suns beat Milwaukee 131-107 in a rematch of last year’s NBA Finals won by the Bucks.

Devin Booker scored 35 points, and Chris Paul had 16 points and 12 assists to lead the Phoenix Suns to a 114-109 win over the Philadelphia on 76ers.

Devin Booker scored 38 points, and the NBA-leading Phoenix Suns hung on to beat the Chicago Bulls 127-124.

Deandre Ayton had 20 points and 16 rebounds in an efficient 24 minutes and the NBA-leading Phoenix Suns rebounded from a streak-ending loss to beat the short-handed Washington Wizards 95-80 on Saturday night.

Trae Young scored 43 points and led Atlanta’s flurry of 3-pointers as the surging Hawks beat Phoenix 124-115 on Thursday night to end the Suns’ 11-game winning streak.

Devin Booker scored 35 points, Mikal Bridges added a season-high 27 and the NBA-leading Phoenix Suns extended their winning streak to 11 games by beating the Brooklyn Nets 121-111 on Tuesday night.

Devin Booker scored 28 points, Mikal Bridges added a season-high 26 and the Phoenix Suns overcame a 12-point deficit in the fourth quarter to win their 10th straight game, beating the San Antonio Spurs 115-110 on Sunday night.

Devin Booker scored 24 points, Jalen Smith tied a career high with 19 points and 12 rebounds and the short-handed Phoenix Suns hammered the Charlotte Hornets 133-99.

Devin Booker continued to distance himself from a hamstring injury that cost him seven games, scoring 24 points with nine rebounds and seven assists as the Phoenix Suns earned a 108-90 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers.

Devin Booker had 16 points in his return to Phoenix’s lineup and the NBA-leading Suns set a season-scoring high in a 137-106 victory over the Charlotte Hornets on Sunday night.

Deandre Ayton had 28 points and 13 rebounds in his return from a non-COVID-19 illness, and the Phoenix Suns held off the Portland Trail Blazers 111-107 in overtime.

Stephen Curry bounced back from one of the worst shooting nights of his career and scored 23 points, and the Golden State Warriors convincingly ended the Phoenix Suns’ 18-game winning streak, 118-96, on Friday night.