Orlando returned to Florida with home-court advantage.Indiana and Oklahoma City are seeking some home-court magic.A trio of Game 3s in the NBA on Friday night — Toronto at Orlando, Boston at Indiana and Portland at Oklahoma City — have three very different story lines. The Magic got …

BOSTON (AP) — A poor third quarter did the Indiana Pacers in during Game 1 of their first-round series with the Boston Celtics.In Game 2, Boston seized on a fourth-quarter collapse by Indiana.Kyrie Irving scored 37 points and Boston rallied late in the fourth quarter to beat Indiana 99-91 …

BOSTON (AP) — The Celtics are preparing for their Game 2 matchup with the Pacers aware their series-opening win was notable more for its ugliness more than the outcome.Meanwhile, the Rockets and Bucks are heading into their respective Game 2s with the Jazz and Pistons expecting more …

BOSTON (AP) — The Celtics have been at their best this season when they are forcing turnovers, spacing the floor and knocking down outside shots.They found out in their Game 1 win over the Pacers that they are equipped to win an ugly, physical game as well.Irving and Marcus Morris each …

BOSTON (AP) — The Celtics and Pacers aren't interested in talking about the past as they prepare to tip off their first-round playoff matchup.Indiana doesn't want to dwell on injuries, like the season-ending right knee injury Pacers guard Victor Oladipo suffered in January. Likewise, the …

Capsules for the first-round NBA playoff series in the Eastern and Western Conferences:___EASTERN CONFERENCENo. 1 MILWAUKEE BUCKS (60-22) vs. No. 8 DETROIT PISTONS (41-41)Season series: Bucks, 4-0Story line: After rolling to the NBA's best record, Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks open against a …

There's no LeBron James in these playoffs, so the NBA Finals will have a distinctly new look for the first time in nine years.There's no Tony Parker, for the first time in nearly two decades.There's no Dwyane Wade, and he'll never play a playoff game again.San Antonio is in the postseason for a …

BOSTON (AP) — The Boston Celtics say guard Marcus Smart will be sidelined 4 to 6 weeks after being diagnosed with a partial tear to his left oblique abdominal muscle.The injury was revealed in an MRI scan on Wednesday. Smart sustained the injury during the third quarter of Boston's home …

WASHINGTON (AP) — Bradley Beal's Washington Wizards were irrelevant long ago this season. He still had some personal business to take care of.Beal became the first player in Wizards franchise history to average at least 25 points, five rebounds and five assists, while appearing in all 82 …

BOSTON (AP) — Nothing has come easy for the Orlando Magic over the last seven years.They endured four different head coaches, five seasons with 50-plus losses and took many turns in the NBA draft lottery.So when the horn sounded on their 116-108 win over the Celtics on Sunday night to …

A look at where things stand in the NBA playoff picture, with four days remaining in the regular season:EASTERN CONFERENCEMiami controls its destiny, which sounds good.Miami could also be eliminated on Sunday as well.And Dwyane Wade's "One Last Dance" might end without a playoff berth.The Heat …

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The longest active streak of missing the NBA playoffs belongs to Sacramento, where general manager Vlade Divac has been trying to return the Kings to the league's elite over the last four seasons.Back when the slick-passing Serbian big man was in the paint, the Kings had …

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Gordon Hayward executed the game plan perfectly for Boston on Friday night.He made all nine of his shots. He made all three of his free throws. And, he gave the Celtics the clear edge for home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs, too.While Jason Tatum …

BOSTON (AP) — The Celtics showed Dwyane Wade plenty of appreciation in his final regular-season visit to TD Garden.They also made sure his memories of that visit included a loss.Kyrie Irving had 25 points, including a pair of key late free throws, and Boston held off the Miami Heat 110-105 …

NEW YORK (AP) — For the last two years, they were the final two steps in what had become LeBron James' annual climb to the NBA Finals.Now that he's gone, maybe the Toronto Raptors and Boston Celtics are done being stepping stones.They are among the teams capable of winning the Eastern …

NEW YORK (AP) — After a rough road trip put their playoff hopes in jeopardy, the Brooklyn Nets needed something good to happen when they got home.It came in the third quarter, which is when D'Angelo Russell usually punishes the Celtics.Russell scored 20 of his 29 points in another …

NEW YORK (AP) — The Boston Celtics were without starters Kyrie Irving and Al Horford for their game against the Brooklyn Nets.The Celtics ruled out Irving (low back soreness) and Horford (sore left knee) Saturday morning. They said at the time that Jayson Tatum was also questionable with an …

BOSTON (AP) — The Boston Celtics are approaching the final two weeks of the regular season as if the playoffs have already begun.They started by beating a team they could see again when the postseason officially tips off.Kyrie Irving hit a driving layup with 0.5 seconds left and the Celtics …

BOSTON (AP) — The Boston Celtics have banned a fan from its games for two years for being verbally abusive toward the Warriors during their only visit to Boston this season.The team says it didn't enforce a lifetime ban because its investigation couldn't prove that the fan used a racial …

CLEVELAND (AP) — The Boston Celtics keep finding ways to win without Kyrie Irving.Jayson Tatum and Marcus Smart each scored 21 points, and the Celtics broke away from a fourth-quarter tie to defeat the Cleveland Cavaliers 116-106 on Tuesday night.Irving (rest) didn't play, yet Boston …