Franz Wagner scored 27 points and the Orlando Magic broke a five-game losing streak, never trailing in a victory over the injury-depleted New Orleans Pelicans on Friday night.

Chris Paul had a triple-double with 14 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists to help the short-handed Phoenix Suns beat the Los Angeles Clippers 106-89 on Thursday night.

Reggie Jackson hit a step-back jumper with 2.2 seconds remaining to give the Los Angeles Clippers a 106-104 victory over the Orlando Magic on Saturday.

Brandon Boston Jr. had career highs of 27 points and five 3-pointers, sparking the Los Angeles Clippers to a 114-111 victory over the Boston Celtics.

The death of former Kentucky guard Terrence Clarke following a car accident in Los Angeles sparked an outpouring of grief and support from around basketball, including reaction from Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James.

But things began spiraling downward for the Wildcats long before Thursday's disappointing 74-73 setback against Mississippi State that sealed their fate: No NCAA Tournament this year. AdDigesting the reality and enduring a losing season at college basketball's winningest program will make for a long offseason for the Wildcats. “But at the end of the day, you've gotta win games and you've gotta be tough and you've got to play winning basketball. The Wildcats rebounded to win their first three SEC games, only to seesaw between a four-game skid and three-game winning streak. One of the main issues for the Wildcats was putting up points, as Kentucky ranked 200th in Division I in scoring.

North Carolina won 75-63. 22 North Carolina from a double-digit deficit to beat Kentucky 75-63 at the CBS Sports Classic. BIG PICTURENorth Carolina: The Tar Heels are 0-2 against teams ranked in the AP Top 25, losing 69-67 to No. ... North Carolina has completed its nonleague schedule and will play its next 20 games in the Atlantic Coast Conference. UP NEXTNorth Carolina: Plays at North Carolina State in its ACC opener Dec. 22.

(AP Photo/Darron Cummings)INDIANAPOLIS – Kansas forward Jalen Wilson waited a whole year for a night like Tuesday. “My team needed me to step up even though I had a slow first half, and the second half turned out to be a really good half," the redshirt freshman said. Ochai Agbaji added 17 points for Kansas, and Christian Braun had eight points and 13 rebounds. Kansas shot 30% from the field and missed three of four free throws during one stretch in the final minute when it could have sealed the win. Kansas missed 13 of its first 15 attempts and scored just five points in the first 10 minutes.

(AP Photo/Gregory Payan, File)Many of the nation’s brightest prospects in the most recent recruiting class didn’t necessarily select the most obvious schools. In the meantime, four of the top seven players chose Oklahoma State, Southern California, Stanford and Florida State. Jerry Meyer, the director of basketball scouting at 247Sports, says he noticed this trend starting in 2015. Barnes is ranked seventh in the 247Sports Composite and played high school basketball at Montverde (Florida) Academy. He was named the California male athlete of the year and the California basketball player of the year by USA Today.