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2:01 PM ET Milwaukee Bucks assistant coach Darvin Ham and former Portland Trail Blazers coach Terry Stotts are among the candidates who have advanced to the final round of interviews for the Los Angeles Lakers‘ coaching job, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski on Friday. Stotts, who coached the Trail Blazers from 2012 to 2021, interviewed

8:00 AM ET MIAMI — The Boston Celtics are a team of long-distance runners. For years, former Celtics president Danny Ainge employed a consultant that would identify draft picks and free agents’ “brain types” under the belief that certain personality traits made for better players. Ainge and that system are gone, but the Celtics —

1:04 AM ET Tim BontempsESPN MIAMI — For the first few minutes of Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals, it appeared the Boston Celtics could be in some trouble. They left Miami’s shooters open for three quick 3-pointers. They allowed the Heat to get multiple second-chance opportunities. Robert Williams looked uncomfortable defending in space,

12:35 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN MIAMI — The Boston Celtics say center Al Horford is available to play in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals after he missed the series-opening loss to the Miami Heat following his entry into the NBA’s health and safety protocols. Horford abruptly entered the protocols shortly before Tuesday’s Game

2:19 AM ET Kendra AndrewsESPN SAN FRANCISCO — On a night that every Golden State Warriors player to play meaningful minutes finished in double-figure scoring, it was their defense that propelled them to their 112-87 win over the Dallas Mavericks in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals. Heading into this series, the Warriors were

1:22 AM ET SAN FRANCISCO — Something has dawned on Stephen Curry as the Golden State Warriors stage their first legitimate title quest in nearly three years: He’s now the old guy. “When I look at some of those guys, you’re reminded of how young they are,” Curry said, contemplating the NBA’s starscape while the

6:59 AM ET All odds are provided by Caesars Sportsbook. What you need to know for Game 1 Interesting interior: The Warriors are the most perimeter-oriented team in the league, and the Mavs will likely attempt to limit the 3-point damage during this series. Considering that 68.3% of Andrew Wiggins‘ field goal attempts this postseason

8:36 PM ET Andrew LopezESPN For the fourth time in franchise history, the Orlando Magic have won the NBA lottery and will pick No. 1 in the 2022 NBA Draft. Orlando had a 14% chance to get the top pick along with the Houston Rockets and the Detroit Pistons. It’s the Magic’s first chance to

1:37 AM ET Tim BontempsESPN MIAMI — The Boston Celtics exited their locker room at halftime Tuesday night firmly in control of Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals. But then the third quarter happened. And, after the Miami Heat demolished the Celtics, outscoring them 39-14 and using their physicality to send Boston into a

6:03 PM ET The Boston Celtics say Al Horford and Marcus Smart are both out for Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals against the Heat on Tuesday night in Miami. Horford is in the league’s health and safety protocols, the team announced. Smart won’t play due to midfoot sprain suffered in Boston’s Game 7

8:00 AM ET Tim BontempsESPN To understand the depths of animosity between the Miami Heat and Boston Celtics entering this year’s NBA Eastern Conference finals, you have to go back to an otherwise nondescript regular-season night in March 2013. That night in New Orleans, a Heat public relations official approached the team’s traveling media contingent

9:24 PM ET The NBA on Monday said it’s in the process of gathering more information after veteran point guard Rajon Rondo allegedly threatened a woman with a gun at her house last week. The woman filed for an emergency protective order against Rondo on Friday in Louisville, Kentucky, a copy of which was obtained

3:26 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart is questionable for Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals against the Miami Heat with a right midfoot sprain, coach Ime Udoka said Monday. Sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski that Smart had an MRI on the foot Monday that came back clean, and that Smart

8:00 AM ET And then there were four teams left standing in the 2022 NBA playoffs. After the Milwaukee Bucks and Phoenix Suns — last year’s NBA finalists — were knocked out in Game 7s on the same day, the 2021-22 season is one step closer to crowning a new champion. The Boston Celtics overcame

10:13 PM ET PHOENIX — The Western Conference Finals will have a surprise participant after Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks dismissed the top-seeded Phoenix Suns in completely dominant fashion. The Mavericks claimed the right to advance to face the Golden State Warriors by rolling to a 123-90 rout of the Suns in Sunday’s Game

2:22 PM ET Andrew LopezESPN BOSTON — Robert Williams III will be available for the Boston Celtics on Sunday afternoon in Game 7 of their second-round playoff series against the Milwaukee Bucks, but he may not play his normal minutes — if he plays at all. Celtics coach Ime Udoka said Williams, who has missed

8:25 AM ET Which NBA contenders will join the Miami Heat and Golden State Warriors in the conference finals? Sunday’s Game 7s feature two series that could not be more different. The Boston Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks (3:30 p.m. ET, ABC) have each bruised their way into their finale, each winning classics on the opponent’s

9:17 PM ET PHOENIX — On the plane ride back home after losing in blowout fashion to the Dallas Mavericks in Game 6 of the Western Conference semifinals, Suns star Devin Booker joined a card game with teammates Chris Paul and Jae Crowder and discussed their Game 7 challenge ahead. Paul has played in seven

5:00 PM ET ESPN News Services MILWAUKEE — The Bucks have canceled a watch party for Sunday’s Game 7 against the Boston Celtics after 21 people were injured in three separate shootings near an entertainment district in downtown Milwaukee at the end of the team’s Game 6 Eastern Conference semifinals loss Friday night. A spokesman

2:05 AM ET MILWAUKEE — The Giannis Antetokounmpo–Jayson Tatum rivalry is here. It is defining the present of the Eastern Conference and may extend well into the future. Antetokounmpo is putting up Wilt Chamberlain and Shaquille O’Neal numbers. Tatum is breaking the records of all those retired jerseys for his 75-year-old storied franchise that has

12:44 AM ET Jamal CollierESPN MILWAUKEE — Three people were shot near Deer District outside Fiserv Forum near the conclusion of Friday night’s Game 6 between the Milwaukee Bucks and the Boston Celtics, sending fans there fleeing through the streets. The Milwaukee Fire Department said one man and one woman shot were transported to the

12:45 PM ET Andrew LopezESPN MILWAUKEE – Boston Celtics forward Robert Williams III is still questionable for Friday night’s Game 6 against the Milwaukee Bucks because of left knee soreness. However, Boston coach Ime Udoka clarified that the soreness is not stemming from his surgery last month to repair the meniscus his Williams’ left knee.

9:34 PM ET PHILADELPHIA — The Miami Heat are headed to the Eastern Conference finals for the second time in three years after closing out the Philadelphia 76ers 99-90 in Game 6 of their second-round series on Thursday night. As has been the case throughout the series, it was Jimmy Butler who led the way

9:59 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN IN EARLY MARCH, sitting on-stage inside Boston’s Hynes Convention Center for the start of the annual MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference, Daryl Morey wore a blue blazer over a red shirt that featured a cartoon of James Harden‘s face from his famous internet meme. “Besides ‘Seize The Data,’ the theme

8:00 AM ET Maya A. Jones It’s a Monday afternoon at the Footprint Center in Phoenix, and Suns center Deandre Ayton is locked in. He’s not focused on his team’s upcoming game against the Los Angeles Lakers the next day, thinking ahead to a playoff run, or worrying about his contract negotiations with the Suns.

1:32 AM ET BOSTON — The relationship between Giannis Antetokounmpo and teammate Khris Middleton, now nine years in, is well known for its depth and trust. But about that Jrue Holiday relationship … “It’s blooming, it’s blooming!” Antetokounmpo said after the Milwaukee Bucks finished off a jaw-dropping display of clutch play in stealing a 110-107

9:39 PM ET The Los Angeles Lakers have been granted permission to interview Golden State Warriors assistant Kenny Atkinson for the franchise’s coaching job, sources told ESPN on Wednesday. The Lakers have been methodically meeting with candidates in recent weeks and plan to talk with Atkinson in the near future, sources said. Atkinson built a

1:51 PM ET Associated Press NEW YORK — Kyrie Irving might have to show the Brooklyn Nets he’s more than a great basketball player if he wants a future with the team. General manager Sean Marks made clear Wednesday that Irving will have to prove a commitment to being available to his team, a commitment

1:09 AM ET When the definitive history of the Process-Era Philadelphia 76ers is written someday, there will be many moments and decisions to revisit. Without the benefit of hindsight yet, it’s impossible to know which were the most consequential. But it’s impossible to watch what Jimmy Butler did to the Sixers Tuesday night in the

6:05 PM ET Memphis Grizzlies star guard Ja Morant has been diagnosed with a bone bruise in his right knee, an MRI confirmed, and is doubtful to return this postseason, the team said Tuesday. Morant, who exited during the fourth quarter of Game 3 of the Western Conference semifinals against the Golden State Warriors on

8:00 AM ET What’s next in four thrilling NBA conference semifinal series? After Boston Celtics center Robert Williams III was a late scratch Monday night, Al Horford picked up the slack with a playoff career-high 30 points in a series-tying Game 4 win over Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks. Despite shooting 9-for-37 from 3-point

11:32 PM ET MILWAUKEE — There was a point this season when the Boston Celtics were 16-19 overall. There was a point last season when Al Horford was shut down by the Oklahoma City Thunder with 28 games left, unsure of where the twilight of his pro career was headed. There was a point late

8:28 PM ET Kendra AndrewsESPN SAN FRANCISCO — Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr tested positive for COVID-19, the team announced Monday evening. He has entered the league’s health and safety protocols and will not be on the bench for Monday’s Game 4 against the Memphis Grizzlies. Associate head coach Mike Brown will assume

8:00 AM ET Tim BontempsESPN When the Boston Celtics arrived at Washington’s Capital One Arena to take on the Wizards for a matinee on Jan. 23, there was no indication it would serve as the turning point of Boston’s tumultuous season. The Celtics had been coming off one of their most dispiriting losses of the

1:09 AM ET Tobias Harris would usually have more to say, but he was trying to take it easy on his windpipe after absorbing an inadvertent Bam Adebayo elbow to the neck in the second half of the Philadelphia 76ers‘ 116-108 win against the Miami Heat in Sunday’s Game 4 of their best-of-seven Eastern Conference

9:31 PM ET DALLAS — Several family members of Phoenix Suns point guard Chris Paul in attendance for Game 4 of the Western Conference semifinals against the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday were harassed and physically contacted by a fan in the crowd, sources told ESPN. Paul addressed the disturbing Mother’s Day incident on social media

1:55 AM ET Kendra AndrewsESPN SAN FRANCISCO — The Golden State Warriors almost made history on the way to their 142-112 rout of the Memphis Grizzlies in Game 3 of the Western Conference semifinals. The Warriors shot 63.1% from the field and had a 76.1 true shooting percentage — the second-best in both categories in

1:23 AM ET SAN FRANCISCO — The Memphis Grizzlies are concerned about their star point guard Ja Morant, who limped off the court with over five minutes remaining in a blowout loss to Golden State after Jordan Poole grabbed Morant’s right knee during a trap near half court. Morant left without talking to reporters but

9:15 PM ET Andrew LopezESPN MILWAUKEE — Every member of the Boston Celtics inside Fiserv Forum on Saturday afternoon was incredulous. With the clock ticking down and the Celtics training by three, Boston’s Jaylen Brown handed the ball off to Marcus Smart on the perimeter. Immediately, Smart attempted to get his shot off with Milwaukee

8:00 AM ET Jamal CollierESPN The Milwaukee Bucks were rallying in the fourth quarter of Game 2 of their first-round series against the Chicago Bulls when a driving lane opened up for forward Khris Middleton. Middleton made a beeline toward the rim before Bulls center Nikola Vucevic stepped in front of the basket. Middleton attempted

2:20 AM ET DALLAS — Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic felt that he let his teammates down with what he accurately described as a “horrible” defensive effort during the second half of a Game 2 loss to the Phoenix Suns. His backcourt partner Jalen Brunson needed only one word to sum up his performance in the

8:43 PM ET The Los Angeles Lakers interviewed former Portland Trail Blazers coach Terry Stotts for the franchise’s coaching job on Friday, sources told ESPN. Stotts joins the Lakers’ search process as a candidate with a history of playoff consistency, offensive creativity and an ability to build relationships with his star players. Before his dismissal

8:00 AM ET As soon as they saw each other at the American Airlines Center, Donovan Mitchell made a simple request of Theo Pinson before the Utah Jazz and Dallas Mavericks met in the first round of the NBA’s Western Conference playoffs. “Theo, shut up, please,” Mitchell told Pinson. Mitchell is quite familiar with his

6:11 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN PHILADELPHIA — 76ers superstar center Joel Embiid is currently being listed as out for Game 3 of Philadelphia’s Eastern Conference semifinal against the MiamI Heat, but there is still progress that could be made to change his availability in time to play Friday, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. As 76ers

6:32 PM ET LA Clippers forward Robert Covington has agreed to a two-year, $24 million contract extension, his agent, Andrew Morrison of CAA Sports, told ESPN on Thursday. Covington, who will avoid a summer free-agency marketplace that is limited in salary-cap space, returns to a loaded Clippers roster that will start the season among the

8:00 AM ET How much has each NBA conference semifinals shifted after Game 2? For the Boston Celtics vs. Milwaukee Bucks and Memphis Grizzlies vs. Golden State Warriors showdowns, plenty. In Boston, Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum combined for 59 points as the league’s No. 1 defense limited the Bucks to 3-for-18 from the 3-point

12:42 AM ET Tim BontempsESPN MIAMI — After dropping their first two games on the shores of Biscayne Bay to open up this Eastern Conference semifinal against the Heat without superstar big man Joel Embiid, one question looms over the Philadelphia 76ers as the series shifts back to the City of Brotherly Love for Game

7:50 PM ET Brooklyn Nets swingman Ben Simmons will require three to four months of rehabilitation after undergoing back surgery on Thursday, but is expected to be fully recovered to return to the court well ahead of preseason training camp in September, sources told ESPN on Wednesday. Simmons, 25, is undergoing a microdiscectomy procedure to

7:45 AM ET All odds are provided by Caesars Sportsbook. What you need to know for Wednesday’s playoff games Backing off Brunson: The Mavs ranked fifth in percentage of points from beyond the arc during the regular season, something that they should look to embrace against the top-seeded Suns. But while Dallas has largely built

2:19 AM ET MEMPHIS, Tenn. — On Monday, coming off the Golden State Warriors‘ 117-116 victory in Game 1, Stephen Curry reminisced about his absentminded youth. Like every student on Davidson’s campus, Curry was issued a CatCard that admitted him to every facility, from the gym to the cafeteria. While his counterpart in the Western

10:20 PM ET MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Memphis Grizzlies forward Dillon Brooks was ejected less than three minutes into Tuesday night’s game against the Golden State Warriors for a flagrant foul 2 on Gary Payton II, marking the second straight game in this second-round series that a starter was ejected for a flagrant 2. Brooks was

11:53 AM ET The Charlotte Hornets are beginning to interview candidates for the franchise’s head-coaching opening, including the possibility of a reunion for general manager Mitch Kupchak with ex-Lakers coach Mike D’Antoni, sources told ESPN. D’Antoni has been identified as a serious candidate early in the process, especially because of the possibility of pairing him

12:31 AM ET There are few things in the NBA more precious than time and space. Four years ago, it seemed like the Philadelphia 76ers had endless amounts of both as they faced off with the Miami Heat in a first-round playoff series with an eerily similar setup to Monday night’s Game 1 of the

5:20 PM ET Kendra AndrewsESPN MEMPHIS, Tenn — The Golden State Warriors had little reaction to the league announcing it would not downgrade Draymond Green‘s flagrant foul 2 that he picked up in the second quarter of Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals against the Memphis Grizzlies. That being said, there is reason to

8:00 AM ET Kendra AndrewsESPN THERE’S A PAGE on Golden State Warriors assistant coach Chris DeMarco’s Notes app dedicated to one of the breakout stars of the 2021-22 regular season — and one of the most important players on the team’s roster. Jordan Poole. It’s been there since 2019. On it, you’ll see guiding principles

6:49 PM ET Jamal CollierESPN BOSTON — Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo had made two unsuccessful attempts to drive past Boston Celtics forward Grant Williams on a possession midway through the fourth quarter on Sunday, so Antetokounmpo had to get creative. He faked a shot to his left and then turned his body right, gathering

5:27 PM ET Kendra AndrewsESPN MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Draymond Green was ejected with less than two minutes left in the first half of the Golden State Warriors‘ opening game against the Memphis Grizzlies in their Western Conference semifinal series. As Memphis forward Brandon Clarke went up for a dunk with 1:18 left in the second

12:40 PM ET Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid won’t travel for Games 1 and 2 of the team’s playoff series against the Miami Heat, but there is optimism that he could return as soon as either Game 3 or 4 in Philadelphia, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Embiid needs to clear concussion protocols and see

2:21 PM ET MIAMI — Heat swingman Jimmy Butler is confident he’ll be ready for Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday night as he continues to deal with right knee soreness. “It’s all right,” Butler said after Saturday’s practice. “We got another day in between. Get out there,

5:08 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN Philadelphia 76ers coach Doc Rivers said after the team’s practice Saturday that he didn’t have any second thoughts about Joel Embiid being in the game when he suffered a right facial fracture and mild concussion from an elbow by Toronto Raptors forward Pascal Siakam with 3:58 to go in Philadelphia’s

1:29 PM ET BOSTON — Celtics star Jaylen Brown plans to play in Sunday’s Game 1 against the Milwaukee Bucks as he battles a right hamstring injury. Brown aggravated the injury Monday in his team’s close-out Game 4 victory over the Brooklyn Nets and needed the time off and treatment between series to be able

11:59 PM ET MINNEAPOLIS — A first-round series highlighted by dramatic Grizzlies comebacks, poster dunks, foul trouble, and a healthy serving of trash talk came to a close in Game 6 on Friday night, as Memphis eliminated the Minnesota Timberwolves 114-106 with yet another impressive rally. The Grizzlies advanced to the conference semifinals for the

8:57 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN The Philadelphia 76ers announced Friday evening that superstar center Joel Embiid will be out indefinitely after suffering a right facial fracture and mild concussion in Philadelphia’s dominant Game 6 win over the Toronto Raptors. Embiid, who had 33 points and 10 rebounds in 36 minutes in the win, suffered the

8:30 AM ET NBA Insiders The NBA first-round playoff series between the Memphis Grizzlies and Minnesota Timberwolves has the makings of an all-time classic. We’ve seen young superstars Ja Morant and Anthony Edwards take their games to new heights — literally, in Morant’s case — Karl-Anthony Towns letting it fly from deep and some massive

10:12 PM ET NEW ORLEANS — With the top-seeded Phoenix Suns in some danger with one star hurt and an ascendant Pelicans team giving them problems, future Hall of Famer Chris Paul delivered a signature series performance, including the best shooting game of his career to finish the close out. Riding his favorite play, Paul

5:47 PM ET Adrian Wojnarowski Close Senior NBA Insider Host of The Woj Pod Joined ESPN in 2017 Brian Windhorst Close ESPN Senior Writer ESPN.com NBA writer since 2010 Covered Cleveland Cavs for seven years Author of two books NEW ORLEANS — Phoenix Suns star Devin Booker will return for his team’s Game 6 against

10:11 PM ET Jamal CollierESPN MILWAUKEE — The Bucks lost forward Khris Middleton to a sprained MCL and responded with three consecutive victories over the Chicago Bulls, advancing to the second round of the NBA playoffs with a 116-100 win in Game 5 on Wednesday. The Bucks will play the Celtics in the second round;

12:45 AM ET Kendra AndrewsESPN SAN FRANCISCO — Stephen Curry dribbled through nearly the entire Denver Nuggets team before putting up the perfect tear-drop layup to put the Warriors up with 30 seconds left in the game Wednesday night. As he came down the court, he looked at the audience and clasped his hands under

7:08 PM ET Phoenix Suns All-Star guard Devin Booker is progressing on a return soon, possibly for Game 6 on Thursday or a potential Game 7 on Saturday in the franchise’s Western Conference first-round playoff series against the New Orleans Pelicans, sources told ESPN. Booker has made significant progress with his strained right hamstring in

10:35 AM ET Jamal CollierESPN Chicago Bulls guards Zach LaVine (health and safety protocols) and Alex Caruso (concussion protocol) will both miss Game 5 on Wednesday night against the Milwaukee Bucks. The Bulls were hoping either player’s health would approve ahead of their win-or-go-home game in Milwaukee, but they downgraded both guards on their injury

10:20 PM ET MIAMI — The Heat were missing two of their starters yet hardly missed a beat in Tuesday’s 97-94 Game 5 win over the Atlanta Hawks to advance to the second round. With Kyle Lowry sidelined since late in the third quarter of Game 3 with a left hamstring strain and Jimmy Butler

4:00 PM ET MIAMI — Heat star Jimmy Butler has been ruled out of Game 5 of Miami’s first-round series against the Atlanta Hawks because of right knee inflammation, the team announced on Tuesday afternoon about three hours before tipoff. Butler had been dominant in the series thus far, averaging 30.5 points on 54.3% shooting

8:00 AM ET NBA Insiders The first round of the playoffs is barely a week old and has already packed in plenty of intrigue. The Boston Celtics became the first team to advance to the second round when they completed a sweep of the Brooklyn Nets on Monday. If the defending champion Milwaukee Bucks win

2:10 AM ET Mike D’Antoni was watching the Brooklyn Nets‘ season-ending loss to the Boston Celtics Monday night from his living room in Austin, Texas, a world away from the drama his protégé, Nets coach Steve Nash, had just lived through. A year ago, D’Antoni had been on the Nets bench alongside Nash as the

6:44 PM ET Ja Morant has been named the NBA’s most improved player after a season in which the Memphis Grizzlies point guard went from future star to superstar. In his third year, Morant was named an All-Star starter and averaged career bests of 27.4 points and 5.7 rebounds per game to go along with

8:00 AM ET AN EIGHT- OR nine-figure subplot hovers over Jalen Brunson‘s star rise during these NBA playoffs. Brunson, the other guard the Dallas Mavericks landed in the 2018 draft, is poised to enter unrestricted free agency this summer. Suffice it to say that the price to retain his services, a priority for the Mavs,

2:16 AM ET NEW ORLEANS — Normally low-key by design, Phoenix Suns coach Monty Williams had cutting remarks about the officiating after the New Orleans Pelicans took Game 4 on Sunday to even the first-round series at 2-2. The Pelicans shot 42 free throws to the Suns’ 15 and it was a 17-2 disparity in

5:06 PM ET Within hours of his planned season debut, Brooklyn Nets guard Ben Simmons reported a return of back soreness on Sunday and has been ruled out for Monday’s Game 4 against the Boston Celtics, sources told ESPN. After approximately 10 days of pain-free ramp up following recovery from a herniated disc, Simmons’ admission

8:00 AM ET Tim BontempsESPN WHILE THE NBA world waited on the offseason’s biggest drama, Philadelphia 76ers coach Doc Rivers pondered the future of a point guard not named Ben Simmons. When Rivers met with his coaches ahead of the 2021-22 season to discuss lineups, he made a bold declaration: No matter what happened with

1:14 AM ET NEW YORK — Brooklyn Nets star forward Kevin Durant admitted Saturday night that he has been “thinking too much” throughout the first-round series against the Boston Celtics and that it has been a factor in his poor play. After being held to 16 points on 6-of-11 shooting in a 109-103 loss the

1:45 PM ET Toronto Raptors forward Scottie Barnes has been named the 2021-2022 NBA Rookie of the Year, the league announced Saturday. Barnes received 378 points (48 first-place votes). Cleveland Cavaliers center Evan Mobley finished in second place with 363 points (43 first-place votes). The 15-point difference between the first- and second-place finishers is the

12:14 AM ET ATLANTA — Miami Heat point guard Kyle Lowry suffered a left hamstring injury in the third quarter of the Hawks’ 111-110 Game 3 victory on Friday night. He could only watch from the bench as Atlanta, the Eastern Conference’s No. 8 seed, erased a double-digit deficit to draw within 2-1 of the

2:19 AM ET Andrew LopezESPN NEW ORLEANS — The Point God was at it again. Just five days after Chris Paul scored 19 fourth-quarter points to will the Phoenix Suns to a Game 1 victory, Paul scored 19 fourth-quarter points again on Friday night to lead the top-seeded Suns to a 114-111 win over the

5:20 PM ET Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid is experiencing significant pain and discomfort in his right thumb and could get an MRI in the near future to determine whether there is ligament damage, sources told ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne and Adrian Wojnarowski. Despite the discomfort, Embiid practiced on Friday and expects to play in Game

8:00 AM ET JUST ACROSS THE street from FTX Arena, on a billboard space that was regularly occupied by Dwyane Wade during his legendary Miami Heat tenure, Tyler Herro is all angles, pictured in a Hudson Jeans advertisement dribbling a basketball, wearing a short-sleeved black T-shirt, ripped black jeans and black boots. Inside the arena

12:47 AM ET MINNEAPOLIS — In one of the most dramatic comebacks in NBA postseason history, the Memphis Grizzlies clawed their way out of a 26-point hole on Thursday night to defeat the Minnesota Timberwolves 104-95. Improbably, the Grizzlies now lead the best-of-seven first-round series 2-1. “We all know the game is never over until

6:48 PM ET Milwaukee Bucks star Khris Middleton will miss the rest of the opening-round playoff series against the Chicago Bulls due to a sprained medial collateral ligament in his left knee, sources told ESPN on Thursday. Middleton will be re-evaluated in two weeks when a timeline on his possible return in these playoffs —

8:00 AM ET Kendra AndrewsESPN JUST SEVEN MONTHS ago, one of the most important role players on a club desperate to return to its dynastic reign and the son of the legendary Seattle Supersonics’ Gary Payton, was preparing to apply for a desk job in the team’s video department. Seven months ago. Gary Payton II,

11:41 PM ET Brianna Williams Joel Embiid knows what it’s like to be losing on the side of a go-ahead 3-pointer in the NBA playoffs, but that wasn’t the case on Wednesday night. The Philadelphia 76ers star splashed a turnaround three with under one second remaining in overtime to secure a 104-101 win against the

2:43 PM ET Phoenix Suns star Devin Booker is likely to miss Games 3 and 4 against the New Orleans Pelicans with a mild right hamstring strain, but he hasn’t been ruled out for the rest of the opening-round Western Conference series, sources told ESPN. The Suns were still evaluating results of an MRI on

3:27 AM ET Andrew LopezESPN PHOENIX — Before every game when his team is doing pregame handshakes, New Orleans Pelicans forward Larry Nance Jr. has a message for Brandon Ingram. “You’re the best player on the floor,” Nance tells him. Nance and Ingram were teammates on the Los Angeles Lakers for the 2016-17 season and

12:18 AM ET PHOENIX — After a prolific 31-point first half, Phoenix Suns star Devin Booker was forced from his team’s playoff game against the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday with right hamstring tightness. Booker appeared to suffer an injury with 4:30 left in the third quarter after challenging a Jaxson Hayes dunk in transition.

5:09 PM ET BOSTON — Brooklyn Nets swingman Ben Simmons has been cleared for contact as he continues to make his way back from a back injury that has prevented him from playing since he was acquired from the Philadelphia 76ers just before February’s trade deadline. Nets head coach Steve Nash ruled Simmons out of

8:00 AM ET Andrew LopezESPN IT WAS AN early April evening, and the Miami Heat had just gone up by 18 points with 1:36 to play against the Chicago Bulls. It was time to call it. So when coach Erik Spoelstra looked down his bench, he called out a familiar name. Udonis Haslem, now 41

1:11 AM ET Tim BontempsESPN PHILADELPHIA — 76ers star Joel Embiid heard Toronto Raptors coach Nick Nurse complain about the way Embiid was officiated in the opener of the teams’ first-round playoff series on Saturday night. So, after Embiid finished with 31 points, 11 rebounds and went 12-for-14 from the free throw line — taking

5:16 PM ET MIAMI — A couple of hours after the Miami Heat opened up their postseason run with a dominant 115-91 win over the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday, the NBA announced the finalists for the 2021-22 regular-season awards. Heat coach Erik Spoelstra was named one of the top three candidates for Coach of the

8:00 AM ET If NBA fans outside of Pennsylvania didn’t know the name Tyrese Maxey, they sure do now. While the Toronto Raptors were keying in on superstars Joel Embiid and James Harden, the Philadelphia 76ers‘ second-year guard was showcasing why he is such an important player in their success with 38 points in a

8:49 PM ET BOSTON — Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving said he was responding to words he heard from the crowd when he flipped off several Boston Celtics fans on two separate occasions during Sunday’s 115-114 loss in Game 1. After the game, Irving made it clear that he would have “the same energy for

1:55 PM ET Adrian Wojnarowski Close Senior NBA Insider Host of The Woj Pod Joined ESPN in 2017 Tim MacMahon Close ESPN Staff Writer Joined ESPNDallas.com in September 2009 Covers the Dallas Cowboys and Dallas Mavericks Appears regularly on ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM DALLAS — Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic remains unlikely to play in

3:40 AM ET Kendra AndrewsESPN SAN FRANCISCO — The Golden State Warriors have a long-standing history of small-ball lineups. During the first championship run of their dynastic era, their small lineup was so lethal it was dubbed the “death lineup.” It has gone through a few different renditions since then, but as the Warriors embark

4:00 PM ET The 2022 NBA playoffs have finally arrived! After an unprecedented regular season, featuring some of the closes races in recent memory, Saturday marks the beginning of what each of these 16 teams hope will be a two-month march to the NBA championship. In the Western Conference, Donovan Mitchell and the No. 5

11:35 AM ET After running and shooting without back pain for over a week, Brooklyn Nets star Ben Simmons is expected to take the next step on the floor in the coming week and begin practicing against teammates on the court, sources told ESPN on Saturday. His continued progress is fostering hope that Simmons could

8:00 AM ET NBA Insiders The NBA playoffs are here with four first-round games taking place on Saturday and Sunday. In the East, all eyes will be on the Boston Celtics vs. Brooklyn Nets series as Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving look to upset the No. 2 seed Celtics, who are without injured center Robert

1:07 AM ET Andrew LopezESPN For the New Orleans Pelicans, all seemed lost in the third quarter Friday night in Los Angeles. The team that started the season 1-12 and was 14-32 at its lowest point had fought its way back to 36-46 and grabbed the No. 9 seed in the Western Conference play-in tournament.

12:37 PM ET LA Clippers star Paul George has entered health and safety protocols after testing positive for COVID-19 and will miss Friday night’s play-in game against the New Orleans Pelicans, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Tim Bontemps. The winner of Friday’s game earns the No. 8 seed and a first-round meeting with the

8:00 AM ET Andrew LopezESPN THE LINE WAS wrapped around the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas. It was July 5, 2019, and the debut of Zion Williamson was here. After waiting through the first three games, fans were eager to see the main event: Williamson and the New Orleans Pelicans taking on the

4:38 PM ET Kendra AndrewsESPN SAN FRANCISCO — Golden State Warriors superstar Stephen Curry participated in the team’s scrimmage Thursday, marking another benchmark in his return from a left foot strain that has kept him out since March 16. Warriors coach Steve Kerr said both he and Curry are optimistic that the guard will be

9:00 AM ET Mark Fainaru-Wada Close ESPN Staff Writer Investigative reporter for ESPN’s Enterprise and Investigative Unit since 2007 Co-author of New York Times best-selling books “League of Denial” and “Game of Shadows” Co-winner, 2004 George Polk Award Steve Fainaru Close ESPN Senior Writer Winner, 2008 Pulitzer Prize in International Reporting Four-time first-place winner in

11:02 PM ET Charlotte Hornets forward Miles Bridges struck a young fan with his mouthpiece after he was ejected from the team’s 132-103 play-in loss to the host Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday night, later calling his actions as he exited the court “unacceptable.” With Atlanta up big in the second half and Charlotte’s season winding

12:24 AM ET ATLANTA — Atlanta Hawks coach Nate McMillan took some heat from his coaching staff — as well as some fans on social media — for having starters on the court with just over five minutes left in Wednesday night’s 132-103 play-in victory over the Charlotte Hornets. “The coaches were yelling and screaming

7:00 AM ET Andrew LopezESPN ON THE FINAL night of the All-Star break, New Orleans Pelicans guard CJ McCollum, forward Brandon Ingram and coach Willie Green went out for a small, private dinner at FLINT by Baltaire in Phoenix. The Pelicans had gone 1-4 since the Feb. 8 trade that sent Josh Hart, Tomas Satoransky,

3:23 AM ET MINNEAPOLIS — Anthony Edwards and Patrick Beverley stood on the Target Center scorer’s table, screaming and celebrating in an ode to an iconic moment in Minnesota Timberwolves franchise history when Kevin Garnett stood on the table and celebrated in the 2004 playoffs. Not long after jumping off the table, Beverley sat on

12:38 AM ET NEW YORK — Brooklyn Nets star forward Kevin Durant has been in the league long enough to know that it’s not wise to give a playoff opponent any extra motivation before a series begins. So when Durant heard Nets guard Bruce Brown‘s critique of the Boston Celtics, saying that the Nets can

3:09 PM ET Phoenix Suns coach Monty Williams — architect of the NBA’s best regular-season team — has been voted the National Basketball Coaches Association Coach of the Year for a second consecutive time. The award, named in honor of the late NBCA executive director Michael H. Goldberg, is based on a vote of the

8:24 PM ET DALLAS — An MRI on Monday confirmed that Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic suffered a left calf strain in the team’s regular-season finale, a source told ESPN. The source said no timetable has been set for Doncic’s return. Asked if he could be ruled out for Game 1 of the team’s first-round

10:43 PM ET EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — With Frank Vogel removed as coach of the Los Angeles Lakers earlier in the day, Lakers point guard Russell Westbrook opened up about the disconnect that existed between the two of them in his first season in L.A. “I think it’s unfortunate, to be honest, because I’ve never

2:08 PM ET The Los Angeles Lakers fired head coach Frank Vogel on Monday, the team announced. “I have a tremendous amount of respect for Frank both on and off the court,” Lakers vice president of basketball operations and general manager Rob Pelinka said in a statement. “Frank is a great coach and a good

1:03 AM ET DENVER — Anthony Davis thinks he and LeBron James can still be the core of a title team moving forward despite two straight disappointing seasons following their championship in 2020. “I think us two can. We’ve shown that we can,” Davis said, conducting a season-wrap news conference before the Los Angeles Lakers

3:38 PM ET Brooklyn Nets forward Ben Simmons‘ pain-free progress is fueling hope that he could return in the first-round of the Eastern Conference playoffs, even if it’s just in a 10-15 minute a game role, sources told ESPN on Sunday. The Nets would need to advance out of the Play-in Tournament this week and,

6:46 PM ET DALLAS — Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic avoided a one-game suspension when the NBA rescinded the technical foul called on him during Friday night’s blowout win over the Portland Trail Blazers. The league office made the determination Saturday after a review of what would have been Doncic’s 16th technical foul of the

8:00 AM ET Tim BontempsESPN The NBA regular season’s final weekend is here, and all we know is 48 hours of chaos lie ahead. Thanks to a jumbled seeding picture in both conferences, only a handful of seeds are decided. Here’s a quick rundown of all of it, beginning with the crowded top of the

7:58 PM ET ESPN News Services NEW YORK — Rookie Evan Mobley was back in the starting lineup for the Cleveland Cavaliers for Friday’s key game against the Brooklyn Nets. Mobley missed the previous five games with a sprained left ankle and the Cavaliers lost four of them without their big man. Mobley is a

1:17 AM ET Jamal CollierESPN CHICAGO — After entering the All-Star break tied for first place in the Eastern Conference, the Chicago Bulls’ prolonged second-half struggles have seen them fall in the standings as they endure their worst stretch of the season heading into the playoffs. Chicago locked itself into the No. 6 seed in

9:36 PM ET DALLAS — Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic will be suspended for Sunday’s regular-season finale unless the NBA office rescinds the technical foul called against him after the first quarter of Friday night’s 128-78 win over the Portland Trail Blazers. It was officially Doncic’s 16th technical foul of the season, triggering an automatic one-game

1:21 PM ET LOS ANGELES — LeBron James will not play in the final two games of the Lakers season because of soreness in his left ankle, the team announced on Friday. The Lakers, already eliminated from play-in tournament contention since Tuesday’s loss to the Phoenix Suns guaranteed the San Antonio Spurs would finish ahead

12:57 AM ET ESPN News Services DENVER — Nikola Jokic made history on the night his Denver Nuggets clinched a fourth consecutive playoff berth with a 122-109 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies. Jokic became the first player in NBA history with 2,000 points, 1,000 rebounds and 500 assists in a season. He had 35 points,

8:22 PM ET Associated Press DENVER — The Memphis Grizzlies would like for All-Star guard Ja Morant to play at least once before the regular season ends. The final decision for Morant’s return rests with the team’s medical staff. “He’s doing great,” Memphis coach Taylor Jenkins said Thursday. “All signs are in a really good

7:42 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN NEW YORK — NBA commissioner Adam Silver said Wednesday that while there was no specific discussion of the impending arbitration between Ben Simmons and the Philadelphia 76ers, he said his bigger concern moving forward is “a trend of star players not participating in a full complement of games,” and hopes

12:43 AM ET NEW YORK — For the first time since they both spurned the New York Knicks and joined forces with the Brooklyn Nets in the summer of 2019, Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving played together inside Madison Square Garden and helped lead their team to a 110-98 victory over a Knicks team that

7:10 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN The Philadelphia 76ers listed guard Matisse Thybulle as “ineligible to play” in Thursday’s game in Toronto against the Raptors, a sign Thybulle could also be unable to play in the three road games of a potential playoff series between the two franchises. Last week, ESPN asked the four teams atop

11:51 AM ET Chicago Bulls point guard Lonzo Ball will not return for the remainder of the season, the team announced Wednesday. Ball, who has not played since Jan. 14, had surgery on his left knee on Jan. 28 to repair a slight meniscus tear. The team said he is still experiencing pain “with high-level

12:57 AM ET PHOENIX — A season that started with championship promise for the Los Angeles Lakers ended with the pain of failing to even qualify for the play-in tournament. Tuesday’s 121-110 loss to the Phoenix Suns — coupled with a 116-97 win by the San Antonio Spurs over the Denver Nuggets — officially eliminated

2:26 PM ET PHOENIX — The Los Angeles Lakers will head into a potential elimination game without their leader, LeBron James. James was ruled out of Tuesday’s game against the Phoenix Suns with left ankle soreness, the team announced. It will be James’ third missed game out of the Lakers’ last four. The Lakers, who

8:00 AM ET Could the NBA regular season’s final week decide the 2022 MVP? While Denver Nuggets center and reigning MVP Nikola Jokic has the inside track at the award, both he and Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid have plenty to play for down the stretch. (The Nuggets can still capture home-court advantage in the

7:37 PM ET Free-agent guard Luca Vildoza is expected to finalize a deal with the Milwaukee Bucks that’ll take him through the 2022-23 season, sources told ESPN. Vildoza — MVP of the 2020 Spanish ACB League finals — has fully recovered from foot surgery and will be activated for the Bucks in the playoffs, sources

2:35 PM ET NEW YORK — Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant said he believes his team’s season got derailed when he injured the MCL in his left knee in mid January. “To be honest, I feel like our season was derailed by my injury,” Durant said after Monday’s practice. “So I’m not looking at it

8:00 AM ET With one week to go in the NBA’s regular season, only three postseason seeds are locked in: The Phoenix Suns will have the top seed in the Western Conference playoffs, the Memphis Grizzlies will have the second and the LA Clippers are locked into eighth. The other 17 seeds remain up for

10:23 PM ET LOS ANGELES — After the Lakers continued their free fall from play-in tournament contention with a sixth straight loss on Sunday, Anthony Davis looked back at a season gone awry and reflected on what “could have been.” “I think the biggest thing that I think about personally is what we could have

4:34 PM ET LOS ANGELES — Kareem Abdul-Jabbar publicly criticized LeBron James once again Sunday, with the Los Angeles Lakers legend saying he believes the current Lakers star has a greater responsibility in how he conducts himself given his elevated platform. “Some of the things he’s done and said are really beneath him, as far

12:15 AM ET ATLANTA — Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant scored a career-high 55 points that included a career-high eight 3-pointers on Saturday night — but those weren’t the numbers he was focused on after a disappointing 122-115 loss to the Atlanta Hawks. Durant said he was frustrated that his team was “undisciplined” defensively, and

1:02 AM ET Kendra AndrewsESPN SAN FRANCISCO — The Golden State Warriors have been coy about how much they’ve been watching the Western Conference standings. Some have admitted to monitoring them. Others have said they’re an afterthought. But, heading into Saturday’s game against the Utah Jazz, there was not one person in Golden State’s locker

2:18 PM ET Andrew LopezESPN Four-time NBA champion Manu Ginobili, five-time NBA All-Star Tim Hardaway, three-time WNBA champion and two-time gold medalist Swin Cash, and five-time WNBA All-Star and three-time NBA champion Lindsay Whalen highlighted the 13-member Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2022 that was announced Saturday. Other honorees included two-time NCAA

8:57 AM ET Brooklyn Nets guard Ben Simmons has filed a grievance to challenge the nearly $20 million of salary withheld to him by the Philadelphia 76ers this season, setting up a potentially significant showdown, sources told ESPN on Saturday. The grievance — which will now go to an arbitration process — could have larger

10:19 PM ET LOS ANGELES — Both LeBron James and Anthony Davis will return to the lineup for the Lakers‘ crucial game against the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday, the team announced. James missed the past two games with a sprained left ankle and was cleared to play after undergoing an on-court workout about an

4:01 PM ET Adrian Wojnarowski Close Senior NBA Insider Host of The Woj Pod Joined ESPN in 2017 Kendra Andrews Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry will have his left foot sprain re-evaluated in a week, but both he and the team are confident that the recovery timeline will allow for him to be back

8:00 AM ET New Los Angeles Lakers are typically brought to owner Jeanie Buss’ second-floor office overlooking the practice floor at the team’s training facility. And with good reason: On a specially designed credenza under a wide window sit 11 Larry O’Brien trophies — the centerpieces of the building and the sources of constant motivation

1:28 AM ET NEW YORK — Giannis Antetokounmpo became the Milwaukee Bucks‘ all-time leading scorer on Thursday night by delivering the type of unbelievable performance that has defined his star-studded career. Antetokounmpo broke Hall of Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar‘s franchise mark of 14,211 points, scoring 44 points on Thursday to move his total to 14,216. As

8:00 AM ET Tim BontempsESPN Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart, the leading defender on the NBA’s leading defense, believes he is the Defensive Player of the Year. So, too, does Mikal Bridges, the Phoenix Suns‘ fourth-year wing and the franchise’s top NBA All-Defensive candidate. But, based on the award’s history, it’s unlikely either of the

4:34 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN When asked directly within the past 24 hours if their teams are fully vaccinated, both the Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers declined to comment to ESPN — opening the possibility that both teams could potentially be missing players in road games of a first-round playoff series against the Toronto Raptors.

12:07 AM ET Tim BontempsESPN The top of the NBA’s Eastern Conference couldn’t be much more compact. Entering Tuesday’s action, four teams — the Miami Heat, Milwaukee Bucks, Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers — were within a single loss of one another. And, in serendipitous timing, all four were set to face off, with the

5:02 PM ET ESPN Facebook Twitter Facebook Messenger Pinterest Email print The Los Angeles Lakers have listed LeBron James as out and Anthony Davis as doubtful for Thursday’s game at the Utah Jazz. Both didn’t play in Tuesday’s 128-110 blowout loss to the Dallas Mavericks. James has been dealing with a left ankle sprain since

8:27 AM ET After undergoing surgery for a torn meniscus in his left knee Wednesday morning, Boston Celtics center Robert Williams III is expected to return within four to six weeks — a timetable that could land him back in the lineup as soon as the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs, sources told

12:33 AM ET DALLAS — For the first time since the first week of the regular season, the Los Angeles Lakers find themselves on the outside of the play-in tournament looking in after Tuesday night’s 128-110 loss to the Dallas Mavericks. Playing without LeBron James (left ankle sprain) and Anthony Davis (right mid-foot sprain), the

6:01 PM ET After missing three months with an elbow injury, LA Clippers All-Star guard Paul George is expected to return to the lineup against the Utah Jazz on Tuesday night, sources told ESPN. George, who hasn’t played since Dec. 22, completed rehab on a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow, was upgraded

8:00 AM ET Tim BontempsESPN Last season, the Denver Nuggets‘ Nikola Jokic surpassed Philadelphia 76ers big man Joel Embiid in the closing weeks of the NBA’s regular season to win the Most Valuable Player award, as injuries to Embiid and Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James cleared the path for Jokic to become the first

4:42 PM ET LeBron James and Anthony Davis will both be listed as doubtful for Tuesday’s game against the Dallas Mavericks, Los Angeles Lakers coach Frank Vogel said after practice Monday. Davis went through a full, live practice for the first time since suffering a mid-foot sprain on Feb. 16 against the Utah Jazz. James

12:01 PM ET Boston Celtics center Robert Williams III — an anchor of the league’s best defense — suffered a meniscus tear in his left knee, the team announced Monday. He will miss several weeks, minimally, sources told ESPN on Monday. An MRI on Monday revealed the tear, and further evaluation Monday will help provide

8:00 AM ET As the Brooklyn Nets continue to fight for playoff seeding, Kyrie Irving is now able to play in home games. New York City Mayor Eric Adams lifted the mandate for unvaccinated players and performers on Thursday, clearing the way for Irving to play in home games at Barclays Center. He made his

1:38 AM ET NEW YORK — Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving made his home debut Sunday night during a 119-110 loss to the Charlotte Hornets — making it clear that he believes his presence on the floor represents something much larger than a basketball player. “I was just trying to ground myself as much as

2:35 PM ET Andrew LopezESPN The New Orleans Pelicans have listed Brandon Ingram as probable for Sunday’s matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers, setting up the forward to end a 10-game absence by returning against his former team. Ingram has been out since March 8 with a strained right hamstring. After missing the Pelicans’ most

6:21 AM ET ESPN News Services Portland Trail Blazers forward Trendon Watford will be sidelined at least a week with a hyperextended knee and bone bruise suffered in Saturday’s loss to the Houston Rockets. Watford led the Blazers with 15 points and 10 rebounds before suffering the injury with 3:01 remaining in the 115-98 loss.

9:16 PM ET Associated Press TORONTO — The Toronto Raptors‘ game against the Indiana Pacers on Saturday night restarted at 9:30 p.m., about 70 minutes after it was suspended in the second quarter and the arena evacuated because of a fire in a speaker hanging over the stands. Players headed to their locker rooms with

1:04 PM ET Andrew LopezESPN MIAMI — When news first broke on Wednesday that the New York City mandate that prevented unvaccinated athletes from playing in home games has been lifted, Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving said he had to keep pinching himself to make sure it was real. On Thursday, New York City mayor

7:44 PM ET EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — If it were up to Los Angeles Lakers coach Frank Vogel, LeBron James would be adding a fifth MVP award to his career accomplishments after this season. “He is as deserving for MVP consideration as anybody in the league,” Vogel said after practice Friday. “I know how the

4:40 PM ET MIAMI — Kyrie Irving is finally allowed to play at home games inside Barclays Center and the Brooklyn Nets couldn’t be happier about it. New York City Mayor Eric Adams announced Thursday that the mandate for unvaccinated athletes and performers has been lifted, clearing the way for Irving, who hasn’t been able

5:52 PM ET Golden State Warriors center James Wiseman has been ruled out for the rest of the season and will continue rehabilitating his right knee, sources told ESPN on Friday. Wiseman has been recovering from a meniscus repair that he had in April 2021, and recent swelling in his right knee precluded him from

6:00 AM ET James Harden would like to think he knows an MVP when he sees one, having won the award himself in 2018 and played alongside two others in Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. And in Harden’s book, his new teammate, Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid, “deserves” to win the award this season. “He

12:00 AM ET Associated Press DENVER — Chris Paul returned from a broken right thumb to help the Phoenix Suns wrap up the top seed in the NBA playoffs with a 140-130 victory over the Denver Nuggets on Thursday night. Devin Booker led Phoenix with a season-high 49 points, and Paul had 17 points —

8:00 AM ET The NBA playoffs are less than a month away and both conferences feature seeding races that are sure to come down to the wire. Several top teams are missing key players who could return in time for the playoffs and help their teams’ postseason hopes. The No. 5 Chicago Bulls and No.

8:00 AM ET IT WAS DARK on the Minnesota Timberwolves team plane as it took off from San Antonio late on the night of March 14, headed home to Minneapolis. But it wasn’t especially quiet. There was no chance of that after the game star center Karl-Anthony Towns just had, scoring a career-high 60 points

6:05 PM ET Adrian Wojnarowski Close Senior NBA Insider Host of The Woj Pod Joined ESPN in 2017 Jeff Passan Close ESPN ESPN MLB insiderAuthor of “The Arm: Inside the Billion-Dollar Mystery of the Most Valuable Commodity in Sports” The progress toward further changes to New York City’s private-sector vaccine mandate has inspired confidence that

8:00 AM ET Andrew LopezESPN WHEN HE WAKES up in the morning, Josh Hart is greeted by a smiling family. Every morning he opens his eyes and looks at the wall in his bedroom, where he sees a wedding photo and a picture of a newborn baby. Except it isn’t from his wedding. And it

8:00 AM ET Tim MacMahon Close ESPN Staff Writer Joined ESPNDallas.com in September 2009 Covers the Dallas Cowboys and Dallas Mavericks Appears regularly on ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM Kevin Pelton Close ESPN Senior Writer Co-author, Pro Basketball Prospectus series Formerly a consultant with the Indiana Pacers Developed WARP rating and SCHOENE system For a guy

10:04 PM ET Andrew LopezESPN New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson has tried to keep a low profile on social media while rehabbing his fractured right foot that has kept him out the entire 2021-22 season. That changed on Tuesday night. Williamson posted a 5-second clip to his Instagram story showing him at the Pelicans’

8:00 AM ET NOT LONG AFTER Tyronn Lue had been doused with cold water by his team after matching the second-largest NBA comeback since 1996, his cellphone was ringing. On the other end, Lue heard a familiar, distinct and drawn voice. “So you just going to keep getting down 25, come back and win, huh?”

8:00 AM ET As the NBA’s 2021-22 regular season draws to a conclusion on April 10, teams near the middle of the standings are battling for postseason seeding with a special focus on the league’s play-in tournament. Held before the first round of the 2022 NBA playoffs, the play-in tournament adds an exciting wrinkle to

12:57 AM ET CLEVELAND — With the Los Angeles Lakers‘ flat-lining season experiencing a bit of blip with Monday’s 131-120 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers, LeBron James says he still has something left to play for. “I’m literally having the time of my life right now,” James said after the Lakers finished their four-game road

12:00 PM ET With a layup in the first half against the Washington Wizards on March 19, 2022, LeBron James moved past Karl Malone for second place on the NBA’s career regular-season points list. Now the Los Angeles Lakers star has his eyes set on another Lakers legend, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the NBA’s current all-time leading

8:00 AM ET While the Los Angeles Lakers are in the middle of a disappointing NBA season, LeBron James continues to be the lone bright spot. James passed Karl Malone on Saturday night, moving into the No. 2 spot on the all-time scoring list. Though James racked up another individual milestone, his team fell to

12:58 AM ET Kendra AndrewsESPN SAN FRANCISCO — The Golden State Warriors had a chance to start their two weeks (at least) without Stephen Curry on a good note. Led by Klay Thompson and Jordan Poole, they fought back from trailing the San Antonio Spurs by 10 in the third quarter. Momentum was on the

1:36 PM ET NEW YORK — As the Brooklyn Nets prepare for the final 11 games of the regular season, center Andre Drummond offered an interesting perspective on how he hopes the team approaches the stretch run. “Got to treat this s— like pickup,” Drummond said, laughing, after Sunday’s practice. “Just take the best five

6:23 PM ET Jamal CollierESPN MINNEAPOLIS — A small fracas in the game Saturday between the Milwaukee Bucks and Minnesota Timberwolves led to a pair of ejections midway through the first quarter. Bucks forward Serge Ibaka and Wolves forward Taurean Prince were face-to-face after fighting for positioning following a free throw from Karl-Anthony Towns, when

9:13 PM ET WASHINGTON, D.C. — With a cut to the basket and an uncontested driving layup, Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James became the NBA’s all-time second leading scorer Saturday night in the second quarter against the Washington Wizards. James passed former Utah Jazz Hall of Famer Karl Malone with 5 minutes, 20 seconds

4:47 PM ET Kendra AndrewsESPN SAN FRANCISCO — Golden State Warriors center James Wiseman‘s return to game action has been pushed back again because of more swelling in his right knee. Wiseman was held out of practice Friday and Saturday and will not play in either Santa Cruz Warriors G League games this weekend. There

1:25 AM ET Just seconds after badly missing a 3-pointer off the backboard, Russell Westbrook came up with a big steal before sinking a clutch 3 that forced overtime to help the Los Angeles Lakers snap an 11-game road losing streak in Toronto. Westbrook’s 3, which he hit after looking down and moving his foot

5:23 PM ET The Dallas Mavericks responded Friday to a wrongful termination suit by Donnie Nelson, accusing the former longtime general manager of a “lengthy scheme to extort as much as $100 million” and saying the lawsuit was preceded by demands that he receive “in effect, a blackmail payment” in exchange for his promise not

4:23 PM ET Kendra AndrewsESPN SAN FRANCISCO — Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry will be reevaluated in two weeks, the team announced, after he sprained a ligament in his left foot Wednesday night. Curry injured the foot in the second quarter of Golden State’s game against the Boston Celtics when he and Marcus Smart

8:00 AM ET SIXTY FLOORS ABOVE Philadelphia’s Center City, sitting at a side table by the window-walled lounge of the Four Seasons Hotel, Malik Monk peeks through the glass toward the hustle and bustle below. It’s a Wednesday afternoon in late January and the Lakers are set to face Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers

10:07 PM ET ESPN News Services ORLANDO, Fla. — Saddiq Bey went off for a career-high 51 points in the Detroit Pistons‘ 134-120 win over the Orlando Magic on Thursday night, continuing what has already been a torrid month of individual scoring in the NBA. Bey’s performance marked the NBA’s eighth 50-point game in March,

12:52 PM ET Adrian Wojnarowski Close Senior NBA Insider Host of The Woj Pod Joined ESPN in 2017 Ramona Shelburne Close ESPN Senior Writer Senior writer for ESPN.com Spent seven years at the Los Angeles Daily News Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry is expected to return for the start of the Western Conference playoffs

1:48 AM ET MINNEAPOLIS — As fans showered the Minnesota Timberwolves starters with thunderous applause when they exited the game late in a blowout win, Karl-Anthony Towns raised one hand and waved toward the Los Angeles Lakers‘ bench, gesturing by opening and closing his hand several times. There was noticeable trash talking during the Timberwolves’

11:37 PM ET Kendra AndrewsESPN SAN FRANCISCO — Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry was ruled out of the second half of Wednesday night’s 110-88 loss to the Boston Celtics due to left foot soreness, the team said. Curry injured his foot at the 4:17 mark of the second quarter when his leg got rolled

8:42 PM ET ORLANDO, Fla. — Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving put together one of the most impressive offensive halves of basketball in recent NBA history during Tuesday’s game against the Orlando Magic, scoring 41 points in a dominant performance. In 23 first-half minutes, Irving went 14-for-19 from the field, 6-for-7 from beyond the arc,

8:00 AM ET Luka Doncic drives hard toward the baseline after catching the ball on the right wing, muscling Memphis Grizzlies rookie Ziaire Williams en route to the basket and drawing three more defenders into the paint. That kind of crowd can be problematic for a lot of guards, leading to a forced layup attempt

9:30 PM ET Kyrie Irving might have just had the game of his life. The 29-year-old Brooklyn Nets guard dropped 60 points en route to his team’s 150-108 win over the Orlando Magic on Tuesday night. Irving shot exceptionally well, going 20-for-31 from the field and 8-for-12 from beyond the arc. He scored 41 in

1:15 PM ET ORLANDO, Fla. — The Brooklyn Nets still have no idea exactly when Ben Simmons will be able to make his season debut as he continues to deal with a back injury, but coach Steve Nash said after the shootaround Tuesday that he has “extremely high hopes that we’ll see him in the

7:00 AM ET Jamal CollierESPN LESS THAN A minute has ticked off the clock at the United Center, with the Bulls hosting the Cleveland Cavaliers, when a microcosm of Chicago’s most surprising success story this season reveals itself — again. Cavs guard Darius Garland walks the ball up the left side of the court. He

11:39 PM ET ESPN News Services SAN ANTONIO — Karl-Anthony Towns had a team-record 60 points — the most scored in the NBA this season — as the Minnesota Timberwolves outlasted the San Antonio Spurs 149-139 on Monday night. Towns shot 19-for-31 and grabbed 17 rebounds in surpassing his previous career best of 56 points

8:00 AM ET As college basketball prepares to kick off the men’s and women’s tournaments this week, the NBA is quietly entering the home stretch of the regular season. And while the Phoenix Suns have run away with the Western Conference, the Golden State Warriors trail the Memphis Grizzlies by just half a game —

2:01 AM ET PHOENIX — LeBron James created a statistical category all to himself Sunday, becoming the first player in league history to reach the 10,000 plateau in points, rebounds and assists in the Los Angeles Lakers‘ 140-111 loss to the Phoenix Suns. “To now sit alone at a statistical category in this league that

5:52 PM ET NEW YORK — Brooklyn Nets star forward Kevin Durant has been so dominant for so long that he admits he feels “at ease” on the floor. It certainly didn’t look difficult in Sunday’s 110-107 win over the New York Knicks as Durant dropped 53 points, dished out 9 assists and grabbed 6

3:07 PM ET Milwaukee Bucks forward DeAndre’ Bembry is feared to have suffered a season-ending knee injury, sources told ESPN on Sunday. Bembry is undergoing imaging Sunday, but that’s expected to confirm that he suffered a serious injury in Saturday night’s 122-109 loss to the Golden State Warriors, sources said. Bembry had averaged nearly 10

1:20 AM ET Kendra AndrewsESPN SAN FRANCISCO — Klay Thompson walked down the hall from the court to the Golden State Warriors‘ locker room to the sound of fans shouting “Good game, Klay” and clapping their hands. “That one felt good,” Thompson said, as he high-fived a few of the people along the way. As

7:17 PM ET Associated Press MIAMI — Miami Heat forward Markieff Morris was cleared to play Saturday night against the Minnesota Timberwolves following a four-month absence because of a whiplash injury. Morris was injured in a Nov. 8 scuffle with Denver’s Nikola Jokic. He missed 58 games. Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said before the game

11:12 PM ET San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich never had spent a moment thinking about NFTs until his longtime assistant, Brett Brown, raised the idea on a phone call to coincide with his inevitable breaking of Don Nelson’s record for regular-season career coaching victories. What inspired enthusiasm about the idea for Popovich is that

3:57 AM ET LOS ANGELES — LeBron James continues to redefine the standard for what a star is capable of at such a late stage of his career. James, 37, scored 50 points for the second time in his past three games in lifting the Lakers to a much-needed 122-109 win over the Washington Wizards

6:34 PM ET Andrew LopezESPN One day after announcing Brandon Ingram would miss at least a week with an injury, the New Orleans Pelicans suffered another blow Thursday when the team announced it was placing guard CJ McCollum in health and safety protocols. McCollum had 32 points and eight assists for the Pelicans on Wednesday

8:00 AM ET For nearly two decades, Manu Ginobili has had hundreds of dinners and countless talks with San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, discussing everything from “politics, war, the game, or kids.” Popovich even showed up at Ginobili’s door at 1 in the morning with wine to cheer him up after a tough game.

10:31 PM ET PHILADELPHIA — Ben Simmons endured all the boos that came his way during an emotionally charged return to Philly — and his new Brooklyn Nets teammates made sure they got the last laugh with a dominant 129-100 win over the 76ers on Thursday night. Making his first appearance in Philadelphia since requesting

5:18 PM ET New York Knicks forward Cam Reddish will miss the rest of the season with a right shoulder separation, the team announced Thursday. Reddish’s timeline for recovery will be six weeks, so he is expected to be able to have a full summer of work ahead of the 2022-23 season, sources told ESPN.

10:51 PM ET ESPN News Services MIAMI — Not that there was any doubt about this, but the Phoenix Suns are going to the playoffs. The Suns didn’t leave any doubt in a matchup of conference leaders, either. Devin Booker scored 23 points, Mikal Bridges added 21 and the Suns shook off a slow start

2:03 AM ET HOUSTON — A triple-double from LeBron James and a high-scoring effort from Russell Westbrook weren’t enough to halt the Los Angeles Lakers‘ self-destruction tour, with Wednesday’s 139-130 overtime loss to the Rockets being the latest lowlight in a season full of them. “We kind of messed around with the game and they

3:24 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN CAMDEN, N.J. — Even with Ben Simmons not playing in Thursday night’s game between the Brooklyn Nets and Philadelphia 76ers, there is plenty of excitement in Philadelphia. Sixers coach Doc Rivers said after practice Wednesday that while he isn’t a fan of the way this Atlantic Division rivalry began, he

11:23 PM ET ESPN News Services SAN FRANCISCO — Will Ferrell screamed and put a hand in Klay Thompson‘s face as the Golden State Warriors star lofted a baseline 3-pointer. Nice defensive closeout, no doubt. Ferrell took the floor and warmed up with the Warriors on Tuesday night — maybe just what coach Steve Kerr’s

9:35 PM ET CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Kyrie Irving‘s 50-point outburst during Tuesday night’s 132-121 win over the Charlotte Hornets was so impressive that Kevin Durant spent the first few moments of his postgame news conference clapping for his teammate at the podium. Durant called Irving’s performance a “master class” and said younger players should watch

1:28 PM ET The NBA suspended Sacramento Kings center Domantas Sabonis for one game without pay for “aggressively confronting and making contact with a game official,” the league announced Wednesday. Sabonis was ejected in the Monday night game against the New York Knicks with 4:35 remaining in the fourth quarter at Golden 1 Center in

8:00 AM ET Tim BontempsESPN Ja Morant and the Memphis Grizzlies have taken the NBA by storm this season. After flirting with the playoffs his rookie season, and making them by knocking off the Golden State Warriors — in San Francisco — in the play-in tournament in his second season, Morant has taken the full

11:39 PM ET ESPN News Services SAN ANTONIO — Gregg Popovich is just one win away from becoming the NBA’s all-time winningest coach. Popovich tied Don Nelson’s NBA record with his 1,335th career victory as a coach in the San Antonio Spurs‘ 117-110 win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday night. And he did

4:53 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN CAMDEN, N.J. — DeAndre Jordan said he was excited about the prospect of reuniting with James Harden on the Philadelphia 76ers, saying he’s better at setting up easy baskets than anyone in the NBA. “I mean, for a big, or anybody trying to get easy baskets, he’s the best guy

8:00 AM ET Which NBA teams are making the biggest moves after an action-packed weekend? On Saturday, the Miami Heat toppled the Philadelphia 76ers in a matchup of the top two teams in the Eastern Conference. James Harden didn’t suit up — he was held out in the second leg of a back-to-back — but

12:47 AM ET Andrew LopezESPN As Nikola Jokic sat at the podium for his postgame news conference, his Denver Nuggets teammate Bones Hyland briefly popped in the room to let his thoughts be known. “MVP! MVP! MVP!” The comments came after the reigning MVP put up an excellent case for why he should get another

4:48 PM ET Associated Press BOSTON — Jayson Tatum scored a season-high 54 points — 34 of them in the second half — and the Boston Celtics overcame a rare appearance of both Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving in the Nets lineup, beating Brooklyn 126-120 on Sunday. Durant played in his second game since mid-January

2:40 AM ET LOS ANGELES — Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors played the foil in the most notable bounceback of LeBron James‘ career back in the 2016 NBA Finals. On Saturday, they were subjected to another classic “desperation” performance by James. James scored 56 points, his highest-scoring game ever with the Los Angeles

8:25 PM ET There has been an increasing push among many in the Los Angeles Lakers organization to demote nine-time All-Star guard Russell Westbrook from the starting lineup, but so far coach Frank Vogel has resisted bringing him off the bench, sources told ESPN. The coaching staff and Westbrook have had differing visions on how

2:49 PM ET Andrew LopezESPN New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson has returned to the city after spending nearly two months in Portland rehabbing his injured foot away from the team, sources told ESPN on Saturday. Williamson, who fractured the fifth metatarsal in his right foot during the summer, is set to rejoin the team

1:11 AM ET Jamal CollierESPN CHICAGO — Fans at United Center may have reveled in Bulls forward Derrick Jones Jr.’s flagrant foul on Milwaukee Bucks guard Grayson Allen on Friday night, but Jones insisted afterward that the foul was not intentional and denied being a dirty player. Jones was given a flagrant foul 1 in

7:37 PM ET Jamal CollierESPN CHICAGO — Milwaukee Bucks center Brook Lopez has been cleared to be a full participant at practice for the first time since undergoing back surgery in December, coach Mike Budenhozler said prior to Friday’s game against the Bulls. Lopez went through a light workout on the court Friday at the

11:34 AM ET The lawyers leading the NBA’s investigation into the Phoenix Suns are preparing to interview Robert Sarver regarding the accusations against the team and its majority owner, sources close to the investigation told ESPN. Sources said more than 300 people have been interviewed as part of the investigation, which the league launched in

8:00 AM ET Kendra AndrewsESPN “DUB NATION, are you ready?” The crowd roared its affirmation as the lights dimmed to announce the Golden State Warriors‘ starting five. Draymond Green‘s name was called first, followed by Andrew Wiggins, Kevon Looney and Stephen Curry. Curry’s name is usually announced last, but the night of Jan. 9 was

10:16 PM ET NEW YORK — Brooklyn Nets star forward Kevin Durant spent part of his morning brushing off the notion that he wasn’t going to be a “savior” for his struggling team, then he almost did just that in a 113-107 loss to the Miami Heat on Thursday night. After missing a month and

3:33 PM ET Bradley Beal says he is no rush to make a decision on his future but acknowledged he is leaning toward re-signing with the Washington Wizards this offseason. “It’s fair,” Beal told reporters in Washington on Thursday when asked if he is leaning toward staying with the Wizards. “It’s fair.” Beal is eligible

12:49 AM ET Tim BontempsESPN PHILADELPHIA — After a third straight sterling performance in a 76ers uniform — but a first in front of the fans here inside Wells Fargo Center — James Harden declared Philadelphia feels like home. “Just exciting,” Harden said after finishing with 26 points, nine rebounds and nine assists in Philadelphia’s

5:31 PM ET NEW YORK — Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant is expected to return Thursday night against the Miami Heat after missing a month and a half of action because of a sprained left MCL. Durant, who was not listed in Wednesday’s injury report for the first time since suffering the inj in a

8:00 AM ET Tim BontempsESPN EXACTLY TWO YEARS ago, the New York Knicks officially hired Leon Rose as president of basketball operations. Since then, Rose has had one in-person news conference — a gathering with a small group of reporters prior to the 2021-22 NBA season at the team’s practice facility in Westchester, New York.

3:14 AM ET LOS ANGELES — As bleak as things might seem for the Lakers after Tuesday’s 109-104 loss to the Dallas Mavericks — their 10th defeat in their last 13 games — dropped Los Angeles just two games away from falling out of the play-in tournament altogether, LeBron James insisted he won’t give up

9:36 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN BOSTON — Boston Celtics forward Jaylen Brown (right ankle sprain) and Atlanta Hawks forward Onyeka Okongwu (concussion protocols) exited Tuesday night’s game at TD Garden and did not return. Brown went down in a heap on a drive early in the first quarter, when it appeared he either slipped or

12:47 PM ET Isaiah Thomas is signing a 10-day contract with Charlotte, a source told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The veteran point guard has played in five games this season with the Los Angeles Lakers and Dallas Mavericks, signing 10-day deals with each team during the height of the league’s COVID-19 outbreak this season. Thomas averaged

11:17 PM ET ESPN News Services MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant threw down a massive dunk over 7-footer Jakob Poeltl, knocked down a buzzer-beater without touching the ground and then broke his own franchise record for points in a regular-season game just two days after setting it. Morant scored 52 points on

8:01 PM ET The Philadelphia 76ers are emerging as front-runners to acquire center DeAndre Jordan either as a waiver claim or a free-agent signing, sources told ESPN on Monday. The Sixers have been aggressive in pursuit of a backup center since including Andre Drummond in the trade-deadline deal to acquire James Harden from the Brooklyn

8:00 AM ET What happens when you pair a former NBA MVP with the current favorite to win this season’s award? Well, you get the latest version of the Philadelphia 76ers, who have looked unguardable since James Harden‘s debut alongside Joel Embiid on Friday night. In two games — on the road against the Minnesota

2:51 AM ET LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Lakers season found a new low on Sunday, with their 123-95 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans being met by a chorus of boos from the Crypto.com Arena crowd throughout the night. Russell Westbrook, the L.A. native whom the franchise completely overhauled its roster to acquire

5:47 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN NEW YORK — After two games playing alongside James Harden, it took a single word for Joel Embiid to describe how he felt about the way the two superstars are fitting together in the Philadelphia 76ers‘ offense. “Unstoppable,” Embiid said with a smile after finishing with 37 points — including

11:30 PM ET ESPN News Services CHICAGO —Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant broke the franchise record for most points in a regular-season game with 46 on Saturday night as he powered his team to a 116-110 victory over the Bulls. Morant broke Mike Miller‘s previous record (45 points) set in 2007. The third-year guard set

1:44 AM ET MILWAUKEE — Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving said he can finally see “light at the end of the tunnel” after playing the best game of his truncated season in Saturday’s surprising 126-123 win over the Milwaukee Bucks. The star guard scored a season-high 38 points to lead his undermanned team down the

6:41 PM ET Kendra AndrewsESPN SAN FRANCISCO — Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green participated in his first team practice since early January on Saturday afternoon. “It’s great just to have his energy back in the gym, his voice,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “He looked great, physically. So that’s a very positive step for

1:10 PM ET MILWAUKEE — Brooklyn Nets star forward Kevin Durant continues to make progress in his rehab from a sprained left MCL and his return to the floor will happen at some point in the next week, according to coach Steve Nash. “Every day closer,” Nash said after shootaround before Saturday’s game against the

12:42 AM ET The final verdict on the Philadelphia 76ers trade for James Harden won’t come for months — maybe even years. Until then, every moment Harden and Philadelphia’s MVP-frontrunner Joel Embiid spend on the court together will be something of a Rohrsarch test. Some will see chemistry, others calamity — sometimes both will be

6:57 PM ET In the aftermath of LeBron James‘ public comments on a possible return to Cleveland and media reports describing his agency’s displeasure with the organization, Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul met with Lakers owner Jeanie Buss and general manager Rob Pelinka on Tuesday, insisting that there’s no movement underway to seek management changes

6:00 AM ET Tim BontempsESPN Shortly after James Harden was introduced as the newest member of the Philadelphia 76ers, the superstar guard was asked the question dominating the NBA world after the blockbuster trade deadline swap with the Brooklyn Nets for Ben Simmons: How will this partnership with Joel Embiid work? “I think we complement

10:47 PM ET The Sacramento Kings and Denver Nuggets held a moment of silence and linked arms in solidarity with Sacramento center Alex Len and his home country of Ukraine ahead of Thursday’s game at the Golden 1 Center. Len and Toronto Raptors wing Svi Mykhailiuk, the two Ukrainian players in the NBA this season,

3:00 PM ET NEW YORK — As Ben Simmons begins a new chapter in his career with the Brooklyn Nets, questions about the divorce he experienced with the Philadelphia 76ers linger. But as those questions about how he’ll fit with a new team after such a spectacular exit with an old one continue to filter

8:00 AM ET The NBA’s Eastern Conference is deeper than it has been in decades, setting up what should be a wild sprint to the playoffs over the final seven weeks of the 2021-22 NBA regular season. With five teams within 2.5 games of first place in the conference, and just six games separating sixth

4:23 PM ET NEW YORK — As the Brooklyn Nets continue to wait and hope that the New York City vaccination mandate gets lifted and Kyrie Irving is able to play in home games again, Nets coach Steve Nash sees a renewed sense of optimism from the 29-year-old guard that a resolution might be coming

4:46 PM ET The New York Knicks and guard Kemba Walker have agreed that the four-time All-Star will be sidelined for the remainder of the team’s schedule, allowing him to work out in preparation for the 2022-23 season, sources told ESPN on Wednesday. In a statement released by the team, Knicks president of basketball operations

11:40 AM ET The Cleveland Cavaliers are promoting assistant general manager Mike Gansey to the GM title in the wake of Koby Altman’s recent ascension to president of basketball operations, sources told ESPN on Wednesday. Gansey’s climb completes a remarkable rise in the Cavaliers’ front office: a Cleveland high school player hired an intern in

4:55 PM ET Guard Jevon Carter plans to sign with the Milwaukee Bucks once he clears waivers, agents Mark Bartelstein and Reggie Brown of Priority Sports told ESPN on Tuesday. The Nets waived Carter upon reaching an agreement with free agent guard Goran Dragic on Monday. Carter is the second perimeter player this month to

2:12 PM ET New Orleans Pelicans star Zion Williamson has been absent from the court this season due to a foot injury, but according to JJ Redick, Williamson has been absent as a teammate his entire time in the NBA. “There’s a responsibility that you have as an athlete when you play a team sport

8:00 AM ET NBA Insiders ESPN’s ranking of the NBA’s 75th Anniversary Team has been revealed. What did we get right and what did we get wrong about our countdown of the league’s 76 greatest legends? Michael Jordan tops the list, followed by LeBron James, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson and Wilt Chamberlain. The top 10

12:53 PM ET Free agent guard Goran Dragic is signing for the rest of the season with the Brooklyn Nets, his agent Bill Duffy of BDA Sports told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Dragic began the season on the Toronto Raptors before he was sent to the San Antonio Spurs at the trade deadline and subsequently had

8:00 AM ET NBA All-Star Weekend was a showcase of today’s superstars, but it was also a celebration of the best players throughout 75 years of league history. Earlier in the 2021-22 season, the NBA unveiled its 75th Anniversary Team, a squad full of iconic players representing different points in the evolution of basketball. But

8:00 AM ET With the conclusion of Sunday night’s All-Star game in Cleveland, the NBA is officially on break until Thursday. As the league-leading Phoenix Suns have built a 6.5-game lead over the second place Golden State Warriors in the West, the East race continues to be tight. The Miami Heat sit atop the East,

11:19 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN CLEVELAND — The two kids from Akron stole the show at Sunday night’s All-Star Game. Stephen Curry put on a shooting clinic all evening, hitting 16 3-pointers and scoring 50 points, while LeBron James hit an absurd, one-legged turnaround jumper to clinch the victory for Team LeBron over Team Durant

8:08 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN CLEVELAND — Phoenix Suns guard Chris Paul will be out for the next six to eight weeks due to an avulsion fracture in his right thumb, a source confirmed to ESPN. The injury is a massive blow to a Suns team with the league’s best record and knocks the All-Star

11:00 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN CLEVELAND — Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns demanded an answer as he bounded into the interview room following the 3-point contest at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse on Saturday night. “Who bet against me?” Towns asked with an ear-to-ear grin. Whoever did, lost. Towns, thanks to a record-setting 29 points in the

11:12 PM ET CLEVELAND — Obi Toppin was the top dunker at NBA All-Star weekend. The New York Knicks forward went through the legs, tapped the ball off the backboard and finished with a one-handed slam to score a 47 on his final dunk and win NBA Slam Dunk Contest. He beat the Golden State

7:35 PM ET The 2022 NBA All-Star Weekend is in full force as the league’s biggest stars meet in Cleveland. This year’s edition saw multiple events with new formats — starting with Rising Stars Challenge that took place on Friday night. Saturday’s action is headlined by three events: the 3-point contest, slam dunk contest and

7:51 AM ET Brianna Williams The 2022 NBA All-Star Game is the 71st edition of the midseason showcase. While hosting the league’s biggest stars on one court has been a constant for several decades, save for 1999, due to the NBA lockout, much has transformed since the game’s beginning in 1951. One change that easily

11:49 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN CLEVELAND — The Rising Stars Challenge became the latest part of All-Star Weekend to undergo a format change, and it was a success. The event, which features the top first- and second-year NBA players, employed an entirely new format this season. Rather than just being one game involving those players,

7:01 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN CLEVELAND — San Antonio Spurs legend and four-time NBA champion Manu Ginobili and WNBA legends Swin Cash and Lindsay Whalen headlined the 11 finalists from the North American and Women’s Committees for the Naismith Hall of Fame Class of 2022. The other eight finalists were: former Los Angeles Laker Michael

9:49 AM ET Four months into the season, the odds to win the NBA championship have seen significant change at the top. The Phoenix Suns and Golden State Warriors, considered second-tier contenders to begin the season, enter the All-Star break as the favorites to win the NBA title at sportsbooks around the nation. Meanwhile, the

9:53 PM ET Anthony Davis will be out at least four weeks after an MRI showed that the Los Angeles Lakers star has a mid-foot sprain, the team announced Thursday. Davis suffered the injury in the team’s 106-101 win against the Utah Jazz on Wednesday. He underwent X-rays at Crypto.com Arena that revealed no fracture,

12:53 AM ET NEW YORK — As Tom Thibodeau watched his beleaguered Knicks blow a 28-point lead to the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday night, even he couldn’t quite believe what he was seeing. The veteran coach flailed his arms and shook in apparent disbelief as he watched his team get outhustled down the stretch in

8:00 AM ET Tim BontempsESPN After Nikola Jokic and Joel Embiid battled for the right to be named the NBA’s Most Valuable Player all last season, it appears this year’s chase for the award could once again come down to the two All-Star big men. Embiid, after coming in second to Jokic in last year’s

11:27 PM ET LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles Lakers big man Anthony Davis exited Wednesday night’s game against the Utah Jazz with a right ankle sprain and will not return. X-rays revealed no fracture, and according to the team, Davis will be re-evaluated after the upcoming All-Star break. Davis came down on Rudy Gobert‘s heel,

7:41 PM ET After missing two months due to an ankle injury, there’s optimism guard Derrick Rose will return to the New York Knicks‘ lineup out of the All-Star Break next week, sources told ESPN on Wednesday. Rose has been progressing on the court for a return, and barring setbacks, there’s confidence he’ll be ready

10:46 AM ET Andrew LopezESPN NBA commissioner Adam Silver said the New York City vaccination mandate that is preventing Nets guard Kyrie Irving from playing in home games “doesn’t quite make sense to me” during an appearance on ESPN’s Get Up on Wednesday morning. As an unvaccinated player against COVID-19, Irving cannot play at the

11:37 PM ET Jamal CollierESPN MILWAUKEE — Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 50 points and made 17 of his 21 shots from the field Tuesday night to lead the Milwaukee Bucks to a 128-119 victory over the Indiana Pacers. The 21 attempts were the fourth fewest in a 50-point game in NBA history. It marked the first

3:42 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN CAMDEN, New Jersey — James Harden on Tuesday said his newfound partnership with center Joel Embiid can deliver the Philadelphia 76ers their first championship in almost 40 years. “For me, it made sense, man,” Harden said of the blockbuster trade during his introductory news conference at the team’s practice facility.

11:51 PM ET NEW YORK — The sense of relief was palpable for the Brooklyn Nets on Monday night as they snapped an 11-game losing streak with a 109-85 win over the Sacramento Kings. As the victorious players made their way back to the locker room, their cheers and excitement were felt and heard through

9:23 PM ET Minnesota Timberwolves guard Patrick Beverley has agreed to a one-year, $13 million contract extension, his agent Kevin Bradbury of Rep1 Basketball told ESPN on Monday night. Beverley has been in the final season of a three-year, $40 million contract, so the new agreement will take him through the 2022-2023 season. After arriving

3:06 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN The Philadelphia 76ers announced Monday that superstar guard James Harden will miss the team’s final two games before the All-Star break — Tuesday at home against the Boston Celtics and Thursday in Milwaukee against the defending champion Bucks — as well as the All-Star Game in Cleveland this weekend as

Thursday’s trade deadline is in the books, and the NBA looks quite a bit different entering this week than it did to start the last. The Philadelphia 76ers can finally move on from the Ben Simmons saga, adding a former MVP alongside Joel Embiid. Simmons will join a Brooklyn Nets team that is left wondering

6:13 PM ET The LA Clippers have lost yet another top player indefinitely this season after recently-acquired Norman Powell was diagnosed with a fractured bone in his left foot on Sunday. Powell suffered the injury last Thursday when he scored 19 points in 34 minutes during a 112-105 loss to the Dallas Mavericks. Powell sat

11:19 AM ET Chicago Bulls All-Star guard Zach LaVine is traveling to Los Angeles to get further evaluation on his left knee but still hopes to participate in next Sunday’s All-Star Game, sources told ESPN. LaVine has been experiencing discomfort in the knee for several weeks, and although a January MRI showed no structural damage,

10:07 PM ET SAN FRANCISCO — No player in league history has scored more points while wearing an NBA uniform than LeBron James. The Los Angeles Lakers star, who came into Saturday night needing 19 points to pass Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the most combined regular season and postseason points, made a 3-pointer less than five

8:52 PM ET MIAMI — Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant says he doesn’t feel that former teammate James Harden owes him an explanation for wanting to leave the organization. Harden was the centerpiece of a blockbuster trade to the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday that sent Ben Simmons, Seth Curry, Andre Drummond and two future first-round