Basketball

SACRAMENTO, Calif.

CLEVELAND (AP) — Julius Randle joked about being out of shape and Josh Hart walked into the postgame news conference wearing a T-shirt with a photo of teammate Jalen Brunson on the front. The Knicks could finally relax.

BOSTON (AP) — After an opener that went from rout to flirting with catastrophe, the Boston Celtics got both a win and an early reminder of how lulls could spell doom in the playoffs.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — James Harden feels more at home in Philly this postseason go-around than he did a year ago when he was still finding his footing after a trade.

DENVER (AP) — The top-seeded Denver Nuggets start what they hope is a deep playoff run when they host the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday night, and this time Nikola Jokic has his wingmen alongside him.

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Milwaukee’s long wait for the start of the playoffs gave Khris Middleton and other notable Bucks an opportunity to recover from late-season injuries.

CLEVELAND (AP) — New York Knicks All-Star forward Julius Randle is in the starting lineup for Game 1 of the NBA playoffs against the Cavaliers on Saturday after missing the final five games of the regular season with a sprained left ankle.

Here’s a rarity: All five teams from one division are going to the NBA playoffs. And they pulled that off in a year where a division champion almost didn’t get there.

LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers are back in the NBA postseason , and the league's all-time leading scorer couldn't be more ready.

PHOENIX (AP) — Kevin Durant's arrival in the desert hasn't gone exactly to plan. Because of injuries, the 13-time All-Star has played just eight games with the Phoenix Suns since he was acquired in a mid-February franchise shakeup .