Liberty University and Falwell: A bond that's hard to break

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Jerry Falwell Jr. has been toppled, at least temporarily, from the presidency of evangelical Liberty University, but whether he will break permanently with the Christian institution that is synonymous with his family name is another matter. Falwell apologized after posting a vacation...

Bulls fire coach Jim Boylen after missing playoffs again

The Chicago Bulls fired coach Jim Boylen on Friday, the new front office beginning its remake of a team that missed the playoffs again. The Bulls, who finished 22-43 this season, were one of the eight teams that didn't qualify for the NBA's restart at Walt Disney World. That meant they wouldn't make the...

Jim Boylen fired as Chicago Bulls coach

Into the unknown: NBA teams face concerns outside of bubble

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — Luke Walton was trying to find the right words to motivate his players to finish the season strong. The Sacramento Kings had been eliminated from playoff contention, which was nothing new for the team with the NBA’s longest streak of missing the postseason. Yet, even...

Lillard, Blazers escape Nets, advance to play-in series

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — With the season threatening to slip away, Damian Lillard decided it was time to shoot, even though he was so far his foot was touching the logo near midcourt. A few minutes later, he flung his body to the floor near the same spot, coming up with a steal that was the biggest...

Magic snap 5-game skid with 133-127 victory over Pelicans

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — Nikola Vucevic scored 23 points on 10-of-11 shooting from the floor and the Orlando Magic tuned up for the postseason by beating the New Orleans Pelicans 133-127 on Thursday to snap a five-game skid. Both teams were missing many of their top players in a regular-season finale...

Suns top Mavs to finish 8-0 in bubble, but fail to advance

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — The Phoenix Suns did all they could in the bubble. It still wasn't enough. Devin Booker scored 27 points and Phoenix beat the Dallas Mavericks 128-102 on Thursday to finish as the only team to win all eight games seeding games. That kept the Suns alive for a few hours, but...

Grizzlies roll past Bucks 119-106, reach West play-in round

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — With their season on the line, Jonas Valanciunas and Ja Morant teamed up to make history and keep the Memphis Grizzlies’ playoff hopes alive. Valanciunas and Moranth had triple-doubles, Dillon Brooks scored 31 points and the Grizzlies beat the Milwaukee Bucks 119-106 on...

Aces top Lynx 87-77 for sole possession of 2nd place

BRADENTON, Fla. (AP) — A’ja Wilson had 23 points and eight rebounds, Angel McCoughtry scored 21 points and the Las Vegas Aces topped the Minnesota Lynx 87-77 on Thursday night for sole possession of second place. Kayla McBride added a season-high 17 points and Jackie Young had 16 points for Las...

It's over: For first time in 23 seasons, Spurs miss playoffs

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — Gregg Popovich didn't put much thought into San Antonio's playoff streak when it was rolling along. He's not thinking about it now, either. The Spurs' record-tying run of 22 consecutive playoff appearances is over, and the longest season in team history — almost 300...