KYLE LOWRY

A frustrated Bam Adebayo tore his jersey apart as he walked off the court after the final buzzer.

A frustrated Bam Adebayo tore his jersey apart as he walked off the court after the final buzzer. Erik Spoelstra made no effort to hide his sadness about how the Miami Heat's season ended. Kyle Lowry said the year was wasted.

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.

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.

The Celtics' confidence is high after seizing a 3-2 Eastern Conference finals lead over top seed Miami.

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.

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.

The Celtics will be without center Robert Williams III will be out for Game 3 of their Eastern Conference finals matchup with the Heat due to soreness and swelling in his left knee.

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.

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.

Jimmy Butler scored 32 points and waved “bye bye” to the Philly crowd as he sent the Miami Heat into the Eastern Conference finals with a 99-90 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday night in Game 6.

Kyle Lowry’s strained hamstring has sent him back to the bench.

Joel Embiid inspired the Philadelphia 76ers with his return from a facial injury, Danny Green and Tyrese Maxey each scored 21 points and the Philadelphia 76ers beat the Miami Heat 99-79 in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference semifinals.

Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid returned for Game 3 of the playoff series against Miami after sitting out the first two games with a right orbital fracture and a mild concussion.

The Phoenix Suns and Miami Heat are the top seeds in the playoffs and at the moment, they look like it coming off impressive performances.

Tyler Herro scored 25 points, Bam Adebayo finished with 24 points and 12 rebounds, and the Miami Heat topped the shorthanded Philadelphia 76ers 106-92 on Monday night in the opener of their Eastern Conference semifinal series.

In Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra’s mind, the injury situation with Joel Embiid doesn’t doom the Philadelphia 76ers.

The Philadelphia 76ers were up 3-0 in their series against the Toronto Raptors just a few days ago.

Victor Oladipo scored 23 points, Bam Adebayo added 20 points and 11 rebounds, and the Miami Heat moved into the Eastern Conference semifinals by beating the Atlanta Hawks 97-94.

Jimmy Butler scored 13 of his 36 points in a dominant second quarter and the Miami Heat beat the Atlanta Hawks 110-86 on Sunday night to take a 3-1 series lead.

These are Jimmy Butler’s three highest-scoring games in a Miami uniform: 40 points against Milwaukee, 40 points against the Los Angeles Lakers, 45 points against Atlanta.

Game 1s brought greatness out of some.

Duncan Robinson set a Miami playoff record with eight 3-pointers, and the Miami Heat forced Trae Young into matching the worst-shooting game of his career on the way to a 115-91 win over the Atlanta Hawks in Game 1 of an Eastern Conference first-round series Sunday.

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.

Tyrese Maxey scored 13 of his game-high 28 points in the fourth quarter, including nine in a row during a crucial stretch, to lead the short-handed Philadelphia 76ers to a 113-106 victory over the Eastern Conference-leading Miami Heat.

Kevin Durant’s return couldn’t stop the Brooklyn Nets’ slide, as Bam Adebayo had 30 points, 11 rebounds and six assists to lead the Miami Heat to a 113-107 victory.

Jrue Holiday banked in a driving layup with 1.9 seconds left and the Milwaukee Bucks rallied from a 14-point deficit in the final six minutes to beat the Miami Heat 120-119.

Gabe Vincent and Tyler Herro each scored 20 points, and the Miami Heat improved their standing atop the Eastern Conference by topping the Chicago Bulls 112-99.

With the NBA trade deadline looming, it's decision time for teams around the league.

Duncan Robinson scored 25 points while shooting 7 of 11 from 3-point range to lead four Miami players with 20 or more points in the Heat’s 110-96 victory over the New York Knicks.

The NBA has rescheduled all 11 games that were postponed in December for virus-related reasons and either shifted the times or dates of 10 other games to help accommodate those changes.

Caleb Martin scored a career-high 28 points and the Miami Heat beat the Milwaukee Bucks 113-104.

Dillon Brooks and Desmond Bane scored 21 points each, and the surging Memphis Grizzlies beat the Miami Heat 105-90.

Goran Dragic has left the Toronto Raptors because of a personal matter. The Raptors said Sunday before their game against Boston Celtics that the 35-year-old guard — acquired along with Precious Achiuwa in the offseason deal that sent Kyle Lowry to Miami — wasn’t with the team. Dragic, from Slovenia, has played in just five games with the Raptors, averaging 8.0 points, 1.8 assists and 2.8 rebounds and 17.9 minutes.

Malik Monk scored five of his season-high 27 points in overtime, and the Los Angeles Lakers rallied from a big deficit in the final minutes of regulation before surging in overtime for a 120-117 victory over the Miami Heat.

Tyler Herro scored 27 points in 24 minutes off the bench, Jimmy Butler added 21 and the Miami Heat opened their season with an easy 137-95 victory over the NBA champion Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday night.

Adam Silver, the basketball fan, would prefer to see Kyrie Irving on the court again with the Brooklyn Nets as soon as possible.

The NBA is welcoming their fans back with hopes everyone plays by the rules again.

The Brooklyn Nets look like such a title favorite that James Harden felt the need for a reminder they aren’t a title team.

Point guards were the immediate focus when the NBA’s free agency window opened Monday night, with Kyle Lowry headed to the Miami Heat, Lonzo Ball on his way to the Chicago Bulls while Chris Paul and Mike Conley landed lucrative deals to remain with their current teams.

Jay Wright used to sell tickets to games in the long-defunct United States Football League.

Kyle Lowry had 37 points and 11 assists, Pascal Siakam had 39 points and 13 rebounds and the short-handed Toronto Raptors defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 121-114.

Nikola Jokic had 19 points and 11 rebounds in just three quarters to lead the Denver Nuggets past the Toronto Raptors 121-111 on Thursday night.

Julius Randle had 31 points and 10 rebounds, RJ Barrett had 25 points and 12 boards, and the New York Knicks beat the Toronto Raptors 120-103 for their ninth straight victory.

Pascal Siakam scored 36 points in three quarters and the Toronto Raptors routed the Golden State Warriors 130-77.

Toronto Raptors guard Kyle Lowry (7) celebrates a three-point basket during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Denver Nuggets Wednesday, March 24, 2021, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)Kyle Lowry wound up staying with Toronto after all. The trade deadline has come and gone. “Anytime you trade a player like Nikola, it is a tough decision to make," Magic President Jeff Weltman said. But Lowry — a free-agent-to-be and considered perhaps the biggest prize on this year's trade market — did not get traded, the Raptors apparently unable to find enough assets to their liking. Questions swirled around Lowry all the way to the 3 p.m. EST deadline, and there were signs that the Raptors were positioning themselves to make the move.

Toronto Raptors guard Kyle Lowry kisses the trophy after the Toronto Raptors beat the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals, Game 6 at Oracle Arena, June 13, 2019. Winning may be the best way to boost an NBA team's value, according to Forbes' franchise valuations, but nothing beats the shine of a major market. The Toronto Raptors, last season's champions, saw the biggest boost in their value, according to Forbes, which released valuations for each NBA team on Tuesday. The Raptors are now worth $2.1 billion in the latest Forbes valuations, a 25% increase over last year's figure. The Golden State Warriors, which lost to the Raptors in the NBA Finals, saw the next-highest growth, Forbes reported.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, the 2019 National Basketball Association most valuable player, sued a Pennsylvania man on Monday for allegedly selling Greek Freak t-shirts and other clothing without permission. Milwaukee Bucks forward and NBA's MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo speaks during an official presentation event of a Nike Shoe, in Athens, Greece June 28, 2019. REUTERS/Costas BaltasAntetokounmpo accused Jinder Bhogal, who sells clothing inspired by NBA players on his website, of trying to piggyback off his Greek Freak trademark, which was registered last year, and profit from the Bucks stars success. Antetokounmpo is seeking at least $2 million of damages, including unspecified compensatory and punitive damages, and an injunction against further infringements. The case is Antetokounmpo v. Bhogal, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, No.