Basketball

CLEVELAND (AP) — Jalen Brunson shook off foul trouble and scored 21 of his 27 in the second half, Julius Randle returned from an ankle injury to add 19 and the New York Knicks welcomed Cleveland back to the NBA playoffs by holding off the Cavaliers 1

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.