News

11:58 PM ET DALLAS — Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic said his neck was “pretty sore” due to a hard fall after a drive to the basket during Thursday’s 109-101 loss to the Phoenix Suns, but he was optimistic that he would not miss any time due to the injury. Doncic landed on his back after

2:09 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James has surged past Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry and into the lead among all NBA players in All-Star voting ahead of polls closing Saturday night at midnight ET. James, who trailed Curry in the first two rounds of voting, had 6.8 million votes

8:00 AM ET Tim BontempsESPN MADISON SQUARE GARDEN had just played host to one of the season’s most thrilling comebacks. It was Jan. 6, and New York Knicks fans had witnessed a ridiculous buzzer-beating bank shot 3-pointer by RJ Barrett that capped a 24-point rally and win against the Boston Celtics. It was the Knicks’

10:14 PM ET ESPN News Services PHILADELPHIA — Joel Embiid tied his career high with 50 points in just 27 minutes, leading a dominant third quarter that carried the Philadelphia 76ers to a 123-110 victory over the Orlando Magic on Wednesday night. Embiid also had 12 rebounds and three blocks while making 17 of 23

1:03 PM ET Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner is expected to be sidelined beyond the Feb. 10 NBA trade deadline, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, as the two-time NBA blocks champion recovers from a stress fracture in his left foot. The Pacers on Tuesday said Turner will be re-examined in two weeks, but teams interested

3:11 AM ET Kendra AndrewsESPN SAN FRANCISCO — Klay Thompson knew he needed to use the same patience he learned over the past 2½ years and apply it to his shot coming back. And for the most part, it looked to have paid off in the Golden State Warriors‘ 102-86 win over the Detroit Pistons

12:15 AM ET The Denver Nuggets are acquiring San Antonio Spurs guard Bryn Forbes in a three-way deal with the Boston Celtics, sources told ESPN on Tuesday night. The Nuggets will send Bol Bol and P.J. Dozier to the Celtics, and the Spurs will acquire Boston forward Juancho Hernangomez and Denver’s 2028 second-round pick, sources

4:17 PM ET The LA Clippers are extending Paul George‘s period of rest for the torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow a few more weeks to see how it responds, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. George has not played since scoring 17 points in a win at the Sacramento Kings on Dec. 22.

3:35 AM ET LOS ANGELES — LeBron James apologized to Lakers fans and the next night Los Angeles made the No. 1 offense in the league look sorry in a 101-95 win over the Utah Jazz on Monday. “I think there’s a huge lesson to be learned with this group that we’re going nowhere without

9:05 PM ET CLEVELAND — Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving made clear Monday that his stance regarding the COVID-19 vaccine will not change in the wake of Kevin Durant‘s knee injury that is expected to sideline him for four to six weeks. Irving is unvaccinated and therefore ineligible to play at home because of a

3:20 PM ET CLEVELAND — As the Brooklyn Nets prepare for life without Kevin Durant for at least the next month, coach Steve Nash wants them to do so with as positive an outlook as possible. Durant sprained the MCL in his left knee during Saturday’s win over the New Orleans Pelicans. While Nash said

8:00 AM ET The Memphis Grizzlies‘ franchise-record 11-game win streak ran out of steam during Friday’s loss to the Dallas Mavericks, but something tells us Ja Morant & Co. aren’t done putting their stamp on the NBA this season. Even with the defeat, the Grizzlies’ 30-15 record is the second best in franchise history through

6:35 PM ET Golden State Warriors star forward Draymond Green will be out at least two more weeks after evaluations indicated that the soreness in his left calf is tied to “the involvement of a disc in his lower back.” Green left last Sunday’s win over the Cleveland Cavaliers early because of a sore left

11:09 AM ET After the Brooklyn Nets diagnosed All-NBA forward Kevin Durant with a sprained MCL of his left knee, the franchise expects a four- to six-week rehabilitation before his return, sources told ESPN. Durant underwent imaging on Sunday morning after Saturday night’s injury, and a realistic benchmark for Durant could be a return coming

1:48 AM ET DENVER — After the Los Angeles Lakers‘ 37-point loss to the Denver Nuggets on Saturday, the second-biggest loss of LeBron James‘ 19-year career, another franchise great weighed in with his disgust. “We as Lakers fans can accept being outplayed but we deserve more than a lack of effort and no sense of

8:58 PM ET NEW YORK — Brooklyn Nets star forward Kevin Durant injured his left knee during the second quarter of Saturday’s game against the New Orleans Pelicans. The team called it a left knee sprain, and it occurred with just under six minutes left in the quarter as Pelicans guard Herb Jones drove to

12:36 PM ET DALLAS — Mavericks power forward/center Kristaps Porzingis has cleared the NBA’s health and safety protocols after missing the past seven games and is expected to play in Saturday night’s home game against the Orlando Magic. Mavericks coach Jason Kidd also cleared the protocols. Dallas won six of the seven games missed by

8:40 PM ET Jamal CollierESPN CHICAGO — Bulls guard Zach LaVine exited Friday’s 138-96 loss to the Golden State Warriors in the first quarter with a left knee injury and did not return. LaVine did not travel with the team to Boston for its matchup against the Celtics on Saturday night, and instead will remain

12:08 AM ET Tim BontempsESPN PHILADELPHIA — After beating the Boston Celtics to win for the ninth time in 11 games Friday night, 76ers superstar Joel Embiid said “there’s really no urgency to change anything” with his team with just under four weeks to go until the NBA’s trade deadline. “I feel great, man,” Embiid

2:43 PM ET After an absence of six weeks in the wake of right thumb surgery, Miami Heat All-Star center Bam Adebayo is targeting a return against the Toronto Raptors on Monday, sources told ESPN on Friday. Adebayo has been ramping up for a return in practice, and his return comes with the Heat surging

7:40 PM ET Jamal CollierESPN Chicago Bulls forward Derrick Jones Jr. will miss 2 to 4 weeks after an MRI revealed significant bone bruising in his right knee, the team announced on Thursday. Jones Jr. hyperextended his knee during Wednesday’s loss to the Brooklyn Nets after landing awkwardly on his leg 36 seconds into the

12:25 AM ET Jamal CollierESPN MILWAUKEE — The Milwaukee Bucks delivered another statement win on Thursday night with a 118-99 thumping of the Golden State Warriors, continuing their trend of being at their best this season when matched up against other likely title contenders. The Bucks blitzed the Warriors from the start, jumping out to

11:40 AM ET The Atlanta Hawks are trading Cam Reddish to the New York Knicks for Kevin Knox in a swap of former first-round draft selections, sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Atlanta also will receive a protected first-round draft pick via Charlotte, sources tell Wojnarowski, while the Knicks will acquire veteran forward Solomon Hill and

8:00 AM ET JIMMY BUTLER INTERRUPTED his pregame warmup and made a beeline toward half court. There, Utah Jazz swingman Joe Ingles stood, watched and waited as the All-Star closed in. Butler’s mission: Peace. At this point, the quick wits, sharp tongues and competitive fires of both Butler and Ingles had been clashing for years,

6:45 PM ET With the NBA trade deadline a month away, Ben Simmons‘ agent — Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul — met with Philadelphia 76ers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey and general manager Elton Brand on Wednesday, and the sides remain at a stalemate over the All-Star guard’s immediate future, sources told ESPN. Simmons

8:00 AM ET Jamal CollierESPN THE STADIUM CREW has already begun to disassemble the United Center floor, turning the arena from a basketball court to a hockey rink following the Chicago Bulls‘ victory over the Orlando Magic. It’s Jan. 3, and as they stack the courtside seats, remove the scorer’s table and line the outside

9:54 PM ET While more than 300 NBA players have entered the league’s health and safety protocols this season because of COVID-19-related issues, several league general managers told ESPN that a debilitating issue remains the recent surge of team staffers — from coaches to support staff and beyond — entering protocols for the same reason.

7:50 PM ET Cleveland Cavaliers general manager Koby Altman has agreed to a contract extension through the 2027-28 season — and will assume a new title of president of basketball operations, sources told ESPN on Tuesday. Altman has engineered a franchise renaissance and reshaped a roster that has shown the promise of becoming a long-term

2:16 PM ET Draymond Green’s seven-second performance Sunday sparked controversy in the betting community and caused one sportsbook to delay payouts until it investigated the flurry of prop bets that were placed right before tipoff. Green experienced tightness in his lower calf while warming up but wanted to start in Golden State Warriors‘ home game

3:25 PM ET The Orlando Magic have extended the contracts of president Jeff Weltman and general manager John Hammond through the 2025-2026 season, sources told ESPN on Monday. Talks on new deals for Weltman and Hammond started at the end of last season, sources said. Both executives were headed into the final year of their

10:20 PM ET PORTLAND, Ore. — Portland Trail Blazers coach and former NBA Finals MVP Chauncey Billups says he believes Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving is “the most skilled player” ever to play the point guard position. “Kyrie is just, he’s a wizard, man,” Billups said before Monday’s game against the Nets. “He’s must-see TV.

8:00 AM ET Klay Thompson returned after 941 days away from the court. The Golden State Warriors Splash Brother, who hadn’t played in an NBA game since the 2019 Finals due to ACL and Achilles injuries, made his much-anticipated season debut with 17 points in 20 minutes during the Warriors’ win over the Cleveland Cavaliers

3:01 AM ET LOS ANGELES — Ja Morant just keeps soaring to new heights. In Sunday’s 127-119 win over the Lakers, the budding Memphis Grizzlies star’s ascent was quite literal, as Morant’s two-handed chase-down block on Lakers guard Avery Bradley left both teams marveling at the play. “That’s probably the best block I’ve ever seen

11:03 PM ET SAN FRANCISCO — As his name was introduced last in the starting lineup, Klay Thompson sat in his seat, stared ahead and soaked everything in. Chase Center delivered one of its loudest roars, 941 days in the making. After being out for nearly 31 months that have tested his physical and mental

3:03 PM ET The Detroit Pistons are acquiring 7-foot-2 Bol Bol in a trade with the Denver Nuggets, sources told ESPN on Sunday. Detroit will send Rodney McGruder and a 2022 second-round pick via the Brooklyn Nets to Denver for Bol, sources said. Bol, 22, has shown flashes of promise with Denver, but has never

11:33 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN BOSTON – After Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown produced the first triple-double of his career in Boston’s 99-75 victory over the New York Knicks here at TD Garden Saturday night, he shot down the idea that he and Jayson Tatum can’t have an effective long-term partnership. “I think we can

5:42 PM ET ESPN News Services Five-time NBA All-Star and three-time NBA champion Klay Thompson will be available to play for the Golden State Warriors in Sunday night’s game vs. the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Golden State star made it official with his own creative announcement on Instagram as he so loves to do. Thompson has

8:00 AM ET MAKING HIS WAY through the Golden State Warriors locker room following a preseason win over the Los Angeles Lakers, Zaza Pachulia heard the familiar sound of a ball bouncing on the organization’s practice floor. Pachulia assumed one of the Warriors’ young players was getting some extra shots in. What the longtime NBA

12:16 AM ET NEW YORK — Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant said he hasn’t had any extra conversations with teammate Kyrie Irving about getting a COVID-19 vaccination that would allow him to play in every game this season, not just most of the road games. Irving, who is not vaccinated against COVID-19, returned to the

6:57 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN NEW YORK — Julius Randle apologized in a statement on his Instagram account on Friday, saying that his thumbs-down gesture to Knicks fans during Thursday’s win over the Boston Celtics as well as his postgame remarks were “an example of how sometimes you say things you regret to people you

12:57 PM ET Dallas Mavericks coach Jason Kidd has entered the NBA’s health and safety protocols after testing positive for COVID-19. Kidd is the 13th NBA head coach to enter the protocols this season. Kidd tested positive Thursday night after the team traveled to Houston for the road game Friday against the Rockets. Assistant coach

12:44 AM ET Tim BontempsESPN NEW YORK — Despite helping his team engineer a remarkable comeback from 25 points down against the Boston Celtics at Madison Square Garden on Thursday night, star forward Julius Randle wasn’t happy. Midway through the fourth quarter, Randle made a layup and, as he ran back to the other end

6:01 PM ET Associated Press The first time that Rudy Gobert tested positive for COVID-19, the NBA didn’t even have health and safety protocols. It shut down the league instead. This time, the Utah Jazz center might miss just a few days. Gobert has tested positive for COVID-19 and was placed Thursday on the virus-related

8:00 AM ET FOR MOST OF Monty Williams’ tenure coaching the Phoenix Suns, the downs have followed the ups. An 8-0 record in the NBA bubble two seasons ago still resulted in missing the play-in game to qualify for the postseason. Last season, making the franchise’s first Western Conference finals in a decade was met

12:39 AM ET DALLAS — Dirk Nowitzki watched and listened to two tribute videos and three high-profile speakers Wednesday night before he finally took his place behind the lectern, which featured “41 FOREVER” on the front and was set up in the center of the American Airlines Center court for a postgame ceremony in which

11:46 AM ET INDIANAPOLIS — Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving will make his season debut Wednesday night against the Indiana Pacers — but Nets coach Steve Nash didn’t want to reveal whether Irving would start or come off the bench. No matter what Nash decides to do, he is confident that Irving will play “a

8:00 AM ET IT’S A FEW hours after dusk on a Monday in early December, and the Golden State Warriors‘ gleaming spaceship, the Chase Center, is about to transform into a vibrating dance party. The frenzy will be identical to those created by superstar Stephen Curry‘s one-man scoring blitzkriegs, but Curry will be swaying and

3:14 AM ET LOS ANGELES — Russell Westbrook bounced back from nine turnovers Sunday by committing zero turnovers in the Los Angeles Lakers‘ 122-114 win over the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday, the first time the point guard protected the ball that well in nearly six years. Westbrook snapped a personal streak of 407 straight games

7:11 PM ET The Miami Heat have ruled out forward Jimmy Butler for Wednesday night’s game against the Trail Blazers in Portland. Butler injured his right ankle late in the third quarter of Monday night’s 115-108 loss to the Golden State Warriors. The Heat provided no other updates Tuesday beyond ruling him out against the

10:38 AM ET After missing four games in the NBA’s COVID-19 protocols, Phoenix Suns coach Monty Williams has been cleared and will join the team for Tuesday’s game against the New Orleans Pelicans, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The Suns, at 28-8, have the second-best record in the league. Williams entered the league’s health and

12:27 AM ET Tim BontempsESPN NEW YORK — Memphis Grizzlies guard Desmond Bane has heard the chatter about whether his backcourt mate, Ja Morant, should make his first All-Star Game this season. But after Morant’s latest dominant performance — 36 points, 6 rebounds, 8 assists and a game-high plus-24 in 33 minutes of a 118-104

4:20 PM ET After a two-year layoff with significant injuries, there’s optimism that Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson will make his return against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday, sources told ESPN. A final decision on Thompson’s debut is expected to be made once the Warriors return from back-to-back games on Wednesday and Thursday in

8:00 AM ET DeMar DeRozan and the Chicago Bulls ended 2021 with fireworks. They started 2022 with some too. The NBA’s leader in fourth-quarter scoring was at it again this past week, knocking down wild, buzzer-beating 3-pointers in back-to-back fashion to stun the Indiana Pacers and Washington Wizards. Thanks to DeRozan’s late-game heroics, the Bulls

10:03 PM ET ESPN News Services OKLAHOMA CITY — Oklahoma City Thunder rookie guard Josh Giddey, back after missing three games while in the NBA’s health and safety protocols, became the youngest player in league history to record a triple-double during Sunday night’s game against the Dallas Mavericks. Giddey finished with 17 points, 14 assists

5:16 PM ET Marc J. Spears Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green has cleared the NBA’s health and safety protocols and is expected to play in Monday’s home game against the Miami Heat, a source told The Undefeated. Green played 34 minutes in the Warriors’ Christmas Day win over the Phoenix Suns, dishing out 10

12:08 AM ET NEW YORK — Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant didn’t mince words after a disappointing 120-116 loss to a severely undermanned LA Clippers squad on Saturday night. He was frustrated by not only the fact that the Nets dropped their second straight game, but that they did so against a team he thought

12:02 AM ET Jamal Collier Chicago Bulls star DeMar DeRozan hit a buzzer-beating, game-winning 3-pointer for the second consecutive night Saturday, leading the Bulls to a 120-119 road victory over the Washington Wizards, their seventh straight win. DeRozan, who hit a game-winner Friday to defeat the Indiana Pacers, is the first player in NBA history

2:28 PM ET Superstar point guard Luka Doncic is among three Dallas Mavericks who have cleared the NBA’s health and safety protocols and are expected to rejoin the team before Sunday’s game in Oklahoma City. Shooting guard Tim Hardaway Jr. and power forward Maxi Kleber have also cleared the protocols after missing several games because

10:42 AM ET ESPN News Services Sam Jones, a clutch scorer who won 10 titles with the Boston Celtics during their dynasty in the late 1950s and 1960s, has died at the age of 88. Jones died Thursday night in Florida, where he had been hospitalized in failing health, Celtics spokesperson Jeff Twiss said. The

3:56 AM ET LOS ANGELES — If 2022 goes anything for the Los Angeles Lakers like LeBron James‘ first game since turning 37, L.A. could have big things in store. James scored a season-high 43 points in just 29 minutes in the Lakers’ 139-106 win over the Portland Trail Blazers, dominating the action from the

7:57 PM ET Jamal Collier After Chicago Bulls star DeMar DeRozan knocked down a 3-pointer at the buzzer, a one-legged heave as the clock expired to lead the Bulls to a 108-106 victory over the Indiana Pacers on Friday afternoon, he stood several steps behind the 3-point line and raised both arms in the air.

11:20 AM ET The Cleveland Cavaliers have agreed to trade Denzel Valentine to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for Rajon Rondo, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski on Friday. The Lakers are expected to waive Valentine’s partially guaranteed deal and create an open roster spot. Rondo is eager for the chance to play a bigger

12:33 AM ET San Antonio Spurs assistant Becky Hammon is finalizing a five-year deal with the WNBA’s Las Vegas Aces that’ll make her the league’s highest-paid coach, sources confirmed to ESPN on Thursday. Hammon plans to finish the season with the Spurs, sources said. A six-time All-Star during her playing career in the WNBA, Hammon,

7:22 PM ET The Cleveland Cavaliers are nearing a trade to acquire Los Angeles Lakers guard Rajon Rondo, and an agreement is expected to be completed as soon as Friday, sources told ESPN. The sides are working out terms on a deal, but the Cavaliers need to create a roster spot to make room for

8:00 AM ET NBA Insiders When the 2021-22 season began in October, it kicked off the first normal NBA schedule since the COVID-19 pandemic paused the league in March 2020. The 2021 playoffs were played in NBA arenas again after the 2020 postseason was held in the NBA’s Orlando, Florida, bubble. Giannis Antetokounmpo and the

1:05 AM ET The Los Angeles Lakers were seemingly in control, up by 13 late in the third quarter, before Ja Morant nearly outproduced them on his own down the stretch in the Memphis Grizzlies‘ 104-99 win on Wednesday. Morant scored 16 of his 41 points from the 3-minute, 38-second mark in the third through

4:30 PM ET Kyrie Irving returned to a Brooklyn Nets‘ practice for the first time since the preseason and said he understood why the team decided to have him stay away because of New York City’s vaccine mandate. “I understood their decision and respected it,” Irving told beat writers Wednesday at the Nets practice facility

12:44 AM ET Andrew LopezESPN NEW ORLEANS — Cleveland Cavaliers guard Ricky Rubio will get an MRI on his left knee on Wednesday to assess the severity of an injury he suffered in Tuesday night’s 108-104 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Rubio injured his knee with 2 minutes, 20

1:21 AM ET Starting at center for not only the first time of his 19-year career, but for what he said was the first time in his life, LeBron James keyed a 132-123 victory for the Los Angeles Lakers over the Houston Rockets. The win snapped a five-game losing streak for an L.A. team that

12:44 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN The Brooklyn Nets announced Tuesday that Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and LaMarcus Aldridge had cleared the NBA’s health and safety protocols. Aldridge has been in the protocols for two weeks, while Durant and Irving both entered them 10 days ago. Brooklyn had a massive COVID-19 outbreak across its roster, with

12:57 AM ET ESPN News Services SAN ANTONIO — Jordan Clarkson helped lift the short-handed Utah Jazz over the Spurs after he got into a confrontation with a Spurs fan he said “crossed the line” on Monday. Clarkson, who is from San Antonio, was upset by a non-call on his shot attempt and did not

11:46 PM ET SAN FRANCISCO — Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green will not play Tuesday against the Denver Nuggets and is expected to miss several games after entering health and safety protocols. The Warriors made that official Monday in an injury report that includes three other players who remain in the protocols. Green’s absence

4:15 PM ET Adrian Wojnarowski Close Senior NBA Insider Host of The Woj Pod Joined ESPN in 2017 Baxter Holmes Close ESPN Senior Writer Baxter Holmes (@Baxter) is a senior writer for ESPN Digital and Print, focusing on the NBA. He has covered the Lakers, the Celtics and previously worked for The Boston Globe and

8:00 AM ET Health and safety protocols continue to be a concern around the league. Several stars sat out their teams’ Christmas Day matchups, including Trae Young, Luka Doncic and Kevin Durant, though James Harden and Giannis Antetokounmpo returned to action for Saturday’s slate of games. Antetokounmpo led the Milwaukee Bucks past the Boston Celtics,

12:47 AM ET ESPN News Services SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Kings interim coach Alvin Gentry lashed out at his team after a 127-102 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday night, calling its performance “absolutely ridiculous.” “It’s the most disappointed I’ve been in 34 years in the NBA, I can honestly say that,” said Gentry, who

5:22 PM ET Utah Jazz star guard Donovan Mitchell will miss at least the next two games due to a left lower back strain, the team announced Sunday. Mitchell will remain in Salt Lake City to receive treatment during the Jazz’s two-game road trip to San Antonio and Portland. Mitchell suffered the strain during the

1:46 AM ET LeBron James passed Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant as the NBA’s all-time leading scorer on Christmas Day. James’ 13th point of the first half, coming on a free throw with 3 minutes, 52 seconds remaining in the second quarter, gave him 396 career points on the holiday, eclipsing Bryant’s 395. James

9:04 PM ET There’s renewed momentum for the creation of a future in-season NBA tournament among the league’s 30 teams, sources told ESPN. The NBA and National Basketball Players Association have been discussing elements of the tournament, which could become part of the calendar as soon as the 2022-2023 or 2023-2024 seasons, sources said. Negotiations

6:46 PM ET LA Clippers All-Star Paul George suffered a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow and will rest the injury for the next three-to-four weeks prior to a revaluation, the team announced Saturday. There’s no clear timetable on a return to play, but the hope is that resting the injury over the

10:40 AM ET Amid a dramatic franchise transformation, Cleveland Cavaliers coach J.B. Bickerstaff has agreed on a long-term extension that will keep him under contract through the 2026-27 season, sources told ESPN on Saturday. Bickerstaff and general manager Koby Altman have worked together to reshape the Cavaliers around a young core — including guard Darius

1:23 PM ET After clearing the NBA’s health and safety protocols, there’s optimism that Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo will be in the lineup against the Boston Celtics on Saturday, sources told ESPN. Antetokounmpo, the reigning NBA Finals MVP, planned to get on the court Friday for a workout. He will make a decision on

5:20 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN Facebook Twitter Facebook Messenger Pinterest Email print The Boston Celtics had another five players officially enter the NBA’s health and safety protocols Friday afternoon, further battering one of the hardest-hit rosters in the league as the omicron variant of COVID-19 sweeps through the NBA. Guard C.J. Miles, forwards Aaron Nesmith

6:28 PM ET Timberwolves star Karl-Anthony Towns entered the NBA’s health and safety protocols ahead of Minnesota’s game in Utah on Thursday. He joins six Timberwolves players in the protocols, including starters Patrick Beverley, Anthony Edwards and Jarred Vanderbilt. 1 Related In a tweet shortly after the announcement, Towns lamented that he can’t catch a

3:00 AM ET SAN FRANCISCO — As the Golden State Warriors roll into a Christmas Day showdown with the Phoenix Suns on Saturday, they do so with a little frustration. It’ll mark their second straight year being on the road during the NBA’s biggest regular-season showcase day. “Generally I like playing on Christmas,” Warriors coach

3:59 PM ET The NBA and National Basketball Players Association are near an agreement to reduce the 10-day quarantine periods for COVID-positive players, sources told ESPN on Thursday. The arrangement — expected to soon be shared with teams — could return some players to active play in six days, based on testing procedures, sources said.

8:00 AM ET Since it first opened its doors in 1999, Staples Center has played host to seven NBA Finals, five WNBA Finals, four UFC pay-per-view cards, two Stanley Cup Finals and countless championship boxing matches. It was the home of the Pac-12 men’s basketball tournament for a decade and has seen multiple All-Star games

12:12 AM ET Tim BontempsESPN BOSTON — It’s been 20 years since Joe Johnson made an NBA debut, but he still knows how to score in isolation. Johnson, who earned the nickname “Iso Joe” for his scoring prowess in those situations over the course of his long and decorated NBA career, scored the final points

2:42 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 Mavericks All-NBA guard Luka Doncic has entered the league’s health and

10:05 AM ET Thursday’s scheduled game between the Nets and Trail Blazers has been postponed, as the NBA announced that coronavirus-struck Brooklyn does not have the required eight players available for the contest. This is the third straight Nets game that has been postponed over the past week. Games against the Denver Nuggets on Sunday

2:53 AM ET Back at .500 at 16-16 following a 108-88 loss to the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday, Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James made it sound like he knows as much about his team’s potential now as he did when they were 0-0 to start the season. “We don’t know,” James said. “We have

4:30 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN NBA commissioner Adam Silver told ESPN’s Malika Andrews that the league has no plans to suspend its season as COVID-19 surges through the league. “No plans right now to pause the season,” Silver said in an interview on NBA Today on Tuesday afternoon. “We have of course looked at all

8:48 PM ET Nick DePaulaESPN In the aftermath of his record-breaking game last week at Madison Square Garden, Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry has launched a new NFT collection to celebrate each and every one of those 2,974 made 3-pointers. The “2974 Collection” launched Monday at 2974SC.com, and it features a series of nonfungible

7:34 PM ET One of the hottest teams in the league is getting their star point guard back. Ja Morant returned for the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday against the visiting Oklahoma City Thunder after missing more than three weeks with a left knee sprain. Morant sprained his knee in a Nov. 26 loss to the

12:38 PM ET Associated Press Steve Kerr saw everything that Gregg Popovich went through as coach of the U.S. men’s national team, saw exactly how difficult it was last summer for the Americans to emerge from the Tokyo Olympics with another gold medal. And when he walked off the floor for the last time in

8:00 AM ET Stephen Curry took center stage to start the week as he continued his pursuit of Ray Allen’s 3-point record. Curry hit six 3s on Monday night against the Indiana Pacers to pull within two shots of the top spot, then quickly hit two 3s in the first quarter of Tuesday’s win over

12:33 AM ET Tim BontempsESPN The NBA and the National Basketball Players Association came to an agreement Sunday night on rules over allowing additional replacement players for teams dealing with players entering the league’s health and safety protocols, according to a memo obtained by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The amended rules, which were outlined in the

11:27 AM ET The NBA is postponing Sunday’s game between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Atlanta Hawks, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Five Cavaliers players tested positive for COVID-19 on Sunday morning, including center Jarrett Allen, sources told Wojnarowski. Allen is having an All-Star-caliber season with averages of 16.8 points, 10.8 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per

11:05 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN BOSTON — It took the New York Knicks being without nine players for head coach Tom Thibodeau to end Kemba Walker‘s removal from the team’s rotation after nine games. Walker had an electrifying return to the court, finishing with 29 points in 37 minutes against the Celtics, but he ultimately

6:23 PM ET Los Angeles Lakers star Anthony Davis will miss at least four weeks with an MCL sprain in his left knee before being re-evaluated, the team announced on Saturday. Davis suffered the injury in the third quarter of Friday’s loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves, when Wolves forward Jaden McDaniels lost his balance and

11:41 AM ET Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant has entered the NBA’s health and safety protocols. Durant becomes the eighth Nets player to enter the protocols. Forward Paul Millsap entered the protocols Monday, and was followed by forwards LaMarcus Aldridge, James Johnson and DeAndre’ Bembry and guard Jevon Carter on Tuesday morning. They were later

1:19 AM ET Los Angeles Lakers star Anthony Davis will undergo an MRI on Saturday after he was forced to leave Friday night’s 110-92 loss at the Minnesota Timberwolves with a left knee injury. Davis was hurt in the third quarter, when Timberwolves forward Jaden McDaniels stumbled into his knee. “So far, all is in

5:12 PM ET The Brooklyn Nets are bringing back All-Star guard Kyrie Irving as a part-time player for games outside of New York, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The unfolding circumstances of Brooklyn’s season — including injuries, players lost to health and safety protocols and an inordinate minutes load on their superstar players — led

4:54 PM ET MINNEAPOLIS — Los Angeles Lakers guard Russell Westbrook tested out of the NBA’s COVID-19 protocols and is available to play against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday, the team announced. Westbrook flew from Dallas to Minneapolis Friday after testing out of the protocols, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Westbrook was placed in the

12:31 AM ET Tim BontempsESPN NEW YORK — With his Philadelphia 76ers trailing by nine points to the Brooklyn Nets and three seconds left in the fourth quarter Thursday night at Barclays Center, coach Doc Rivers called timeout. His goal, however, wasn’t to try to draw up a play. Instead, it was to deliver a

11:47 PM ET As the NBA tries to fortify itself against waves of positive COVID-19 cases in recent weeks, the league will increase daily testing and face mask use for players and staff through the holiday season, according to a memo obtained by ESPN. The NBA and National Basketball Players Association agreed to elevate testing

4:30 PM ET Dave McMenamin Close ESPN Staff Writer Lakers and NBA reporter for ESPN. Covered the Lakers and NBA for ESPNLosAngeles.com from 2009-14, the Cavaliers from 2014-18 for ESPN.com and the NBA for NBA.com from 2005-09. Adrian Wojnarowski Close Senior NBA Insider Host of The Woj Pod Joined ESPN in 2017 MINNEAPOLIS — Los

8:00 AM ET It was almost 11 months ago that the Brooklyn Nets completed a blockbuster trade with the Houston Rockets for James Harden — which, as a result, meant All-Star guard Ben Simmons would remain with the Philadelphia 76ers. “I mean, this is a business,” Simmons said then. “Things like that happen. Only thing

12:27 AM ET Andrew LopezESPN As Devonte Graham sat in the New Orleans Pelicans‘ locker room after Wednesday night’s game, an Oklahoma City Thunder staffer walked in with a gift: the game ball from Graham’s wild buzzer-beating 3-pointer. “One of the guys from the Thunder walked in with the ball and said, ‘This is my

8:00 AM ET LUKA DONCIC AND Dennis Smith Jr. had become fast friends after the Dallas Mavericks selected the teenager from Slovenia third overall in the 2018 NBA draft. Smith, whom the team had drafted ninth a year prior, had shown Doncic around the city and invited the new guy into his social circle. They

7:53 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN The Milwaukee Bucks listed Giannis Antetokounmpo as out for Wednesday’s game against the Indiana Pacers after he was placed in the NBA’s health and safety protocols Tuesday night. Antetokounmpo went into the protocols a day after scoring 20 points in 34 minutes in a 117-103 loss to the Celtics in

7:45 PM ET NEW YORK — Stephen Curry is the new 3-point king of the NBA. The Golden State Warriors star guard became the all-time leader in 3-pointers Tuesday night against the Knicks, passing Hall of Famer Ray Allen by knocking down the 2,974th 3-pointer of his career. The record-breaking shot came with 7 minutes,

11:26 AM ET The Brooklyn Nets ruled four players out due to health and safety protocols on Tuesday morning against the Toronto Raptors. The Nets now have five players out due to health and safety protocols after starting center LaMarcus Aldridge, starting swingman DeAndre’ Bembry, power forward James Johnson and point guard Jevon Carter, who

10:00 PM ET ESPN News Services Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry finished with five 3-pointers in Monday’s 102-100 win over the Indiana Pacers, putting him on the doorstep of the NBA’s all-time record that he will now look to break Tuesday night on the league’s grandest stage — Madison Square Garden. The 33-year-old sharpshooting

9:53 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN BOSTON — Milwaukee Bucks star Khris Middleton suffered a hyperextended left knee late in the third quarter of Monday night’s game here at TD Garden against the Boston Celtics, and was subsequently ruled out for the rest of the night by the team. Middleton suffered the injury when he landed

1:49 PM ET As a COVID-19 outbreak sidelines 10 of its players, the NBA has postponed the next two Chicago Bulls games to allow the franchise to start getting back healthy players and curb further spread. In the first game casualties of the season, the NBA will reschedule the Bulls-Pistons game on Tuesday in Chicago,

8:00 AM ET As Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry continues his pursuit of Ray Allen’s all-time 3-point record — Curry is currently six behind the mark — we’re presenting our latest NBA Power Rankings with a focus on the deep ball. Which players are on pace to become their teams’ leader in 3s? Which

10:14 PM ET In his most explosive game with the Brooklyn Nets, Kevin Durant scored the most points in a game in the NBA this season, going off for 51 points in a 116-104 win over the Detroit Pistons on Sunday at Little Caesars Arena. With James Harden resting for the first time this season,

1:04 PM ET Jamal Collier The Chicago Bulls‘ team-wide COVID-19 outbreak continued to spread further on Sunday, when Zach LaVine and Troy Brown Jr. entered the NBA’s health and safety protocols, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Their additions brings the Bulls’ total to nine players in the league’s COVID-19 protocols since the start of the

1:08 AM ET PHILADELPHIA — Golden State Warriors star guard Stephen Curry continues to say that the pursuit of Ray Allen’s all-time 3-point record is not weighing on his mind as he sits on the precipice of earning one of the bigger records in basketball. After another lackluster shooting performance — at least by his

3:49 PM ET Andrew LopezESPN New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson has suffered a setback in his rehab process and will be dialed back even more. Williamson, who has not played in a game this season because of offseason surgery he had for a fracture in his right foot, will be pushed back in his

8:00 AM ET Stephen Curry, just 10 3s shy of breaking Ray Allen’s all-time 3-point record, has put together the kind of historic career through 12 seasons that every young player dreams about. In a generation defined by shooting, Curry is regarded as the best. “I think people have compared him to myself and to

1:12 AM ET Jamal Collier Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo became the franchise leader for career blocked shots on Friday night while leading visiting Milwaukee to a 123-114 victory against the Houston Rockets, snapping their seven-game winning streak. Antetokounmpo filled up the stat sheet with 41 points, 17 rebounds, five assists, three steals and two

5:40 PM ET As the Philadelphia 76ers begin to gather momentum in trade conversations for All-Star guard Ben Simmons, the Portland Trail Blazers reiterated that one of the Sixers’ top targets — All-NBA guard Damian Lillard — is not available to be discussed, sources told ESPN. The Sixers and Blazers connected in recent days and

8:00 AM ET Tim BontempsESPN More than five years after winning his second Most Valuable Player award, Golden State Warriors superstar Stephen Curry could be on his way to claiming a third. Curry, who is second in the NBA in scoring and first in both 3-pointers made and attempted, got 94 of the 100 first-place

1:07 AM ET MEMPHIS — After the Los Angeles Lakers squandered an early lead against an undermanned Grizzlies team in Thursday’s 108-95 loss, Anthony Davis said L.A.’s identity is far from the championship contender it’s supposed to be. “These guys already feel like they’re the underdogs when they’re coming in, especially when they’re without their

7:37 PM ET Toronto Raptors vice-chairman and president Masai Ujiri has tested positive for COVID-19, he said in a statement released by the team Thursday. Ujiri said he is fully vaccinated and has received a booster shot. He was present at a Giants of Africa event Sunday and later learned of “positive COVID-19 tests among

11:58 AM ET Evidence exists that this works: For a span of 1 minute, 39 seconds, LeBron James and Russell Westbrook flashed that they can be the two-headed, turbocharging, floor-commanding, do-everything duo that motivated the Los Angeles Lakers to overhaul their roster in the offseason. Trailing the Cleveland Cavaliers late in the second quarter on

1:52 AM ET ESPN staff The Golden State Warriors notched an NBA-best 21st win and Steph Curry pulled within 10 3-pointers of becoming the all-time leader in career triples in beating the Portland Trail Blazers. Although Curry and Co. were at the forefront, there was plenty of action across the league Wednesday night. 1 Related

10:44 PM ET LA Clippers star swingman Paul George was ruled out before Wednesday night’s game against the Boston Celtics with a right elbow contusion. George was originally listed as questionable and went through pre-game warmups before he was ruled out. Veteran forward Nicolas Batum returned after missing nine straight games and replaced George in

12:10 AM ET DALLAS — Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant understands the concern over his increased minutes, given his lengthy injury history that includes a ruptured Achilles tendon suffered two and a half years ago. He just doesn’t want to hear about it. “I know people might be concerned about my minutes and I got

11:41 PM ET DALLAS — Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic acknowledged that his conditioning has “got to be better.” Doncic’s weight and conditioning were a frequent subject on the TNT broadcast of the Mavs’ 102-99 loss to the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday night. Analyst Reggie Miller, a Hall of Fame shooting guard, criticized Doncic, saying he

8:42 PM ET ESPN News Services Portland Trail Blazers guard CJ McCollum has been diagnosed with a pneumothorax in his right lung, the team announced Tuesday night. A pneumothorax is a collapsed lung, and it was discovered Tuesday after the veteran underwent a CT scan. On Saturday, in the fourth quarter of a game against

10:56 AM ET Any unvaccinated NBA player with temporary visa status who leaves the country will be unable to reenter the United States, according to a memo obtained by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski on Tuesday. For example, a player who is not vaccinated against COVID-19 would be unable to reenter the United States after playing in

11:56 PM ET ESPN News Services Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler aggravated a tailbone injury that had kept him out four games in his return to the court on Monday, a 105-90 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies. Butler favored his back after a hard fall on a missed driving layup early in the first quarter.

7:27 PM ET EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — LeBron James said he and his teammates have to play better when asked about the scrutiny facing Los Angeles Lakers coach Frank Vogel. “I think criticism comes with the job, you know? Frank is a strong-minded guy. He has a great coaching staff. And we as his players

7:20 AM ET The two best teams in the NBA met twice last week, splitting the series. Deandre Ayton and the Phoenix Suns shut down Stephen Curry on Tuesday in Phoenix, but the Golden State Warriors bounced back on their home floor on Friday. They both start the week at a league-best 19-4, but which

10:13 PM ET ESPN News Services ATLANTA — Miles Bridges scored 32 points and the Charlotte Hornets, without four players, leaned on their best 3-point shooting game of the season to beat the Atlanta Hawks 130-127 on Sunday night. Bridges made each of his four shots in the fourth quarter when he scored 13 points.

3:19 PM ET Associated Press DALLAS — Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic will miss Saturday night’s game against Memphis, the second night of a back-to-back, with what the team says is left ankle soreness. Doncic missed three consecutive games last month because of left ankle and knee sprains. Dallas lost all three. The 22-year-old showed

7:12 PM ET Jamal Collier Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo will miss Saturday’s game against the Miami Heat with right calf soreness, coach Mike Budenholzer announced before the game. It’s the second straight game Antetokounmpo has been sidelined because of the injury, which kept him out of the second half of a back-to-back on Thursday

1:31 AM ET NEW YORK — With DeMar DeRozan drawing James Harden and Kevin Durant with him on a drive into the paint, Lonzo Ball was all alone on the right wing as he launched a 3, crouched in anticipation and then turned toward courtside to the fans behind him after drilling a late dagger

5:45 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN NEW YORK — After the New York Knicks lost their third straight game, and for the fourth time in their last five, against the Denver Nuggets Saturday afternoon, All-Star forward Julius Randle said it’s up to him and his teammates to decide what kind of season they want to have.

9:57 AM ET ESPN News Services The Charlotte Hornets have had four players — LaMelo Ball, Jalen McDaniels, Mason Plumlee and Terry Rozier — enter into the NBA’s health and safety protocols, it was announced Saturday. The Hornets have sent players and staff home from their practice facility as there’s concern of possible positive COVID-19

3:25 AM ET LOS ANGELES — LeBron James said his brief stint in the NBA’s health and safety protocols left him feeling “confused,” “frustrated” and “angry” after his first game back in the Lakers’ 119-115 loss to the LA Clippers on Friday night. James missed the Lakers’ game against the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday after

1:57 AM ET ESPN News Services PORTLAND, Ore. — New Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups questioned his team’s effort after a 114-83 loss to the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday night. The Blazers were without All-Star guard Damian Lillard but still put up little fight against a Spurs team which came into the

12:14 PM ET The Portland Trail Blazers have fired general manager and president of basketball operations Neil Olshey following an investigation into workplace misconduct, the team announced Friday. “Following the conclusion of the independent review of concerns and complaints around our workplace environment at the practice facility, the Portland Trail Blazers organization has decided to

11:37 PM ET Andrew LopezESPN Even with history looming as it approached a franchise record win streak, Phoenix Suns coach Monty Williams said he tried not to bring it up to his team. But after a 114-103 victory Thursday night over the visiting Detroit Pistons set a franchise mark with 18 consecutive wins, Williams allowed

6:23 PM ET LOS ANGELES — LeBron James has been cleared to return to the lineup for the Los Angeles Lakers‘ game against the LA Clippers on Friday after a brief stint in the NBA’s health and safety protocols, the league announced Thursday. James has returned eight negative tests since returning to Los Angeles on

12:28 AM ET Tim BontempsESPN BOSTON — Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid said “it’s going to take awhile” for him to fully round back into form after an extended bout with COVID-19. Embiid had his second straight rough shooting performance in Wednesday’s 88-87 loss to the Boston Celtics. “I would never use it as an

1:26 AM ET Jamal Collier MILWAUKEE — As Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo charged toward the basket during the closing seconds of a tie game against the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday night, he knew he was going to have to get creative to score. So, Antetokounmpo flipped the ball off the bottom of the glass with

3:20 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN Miami Heat All-Star center Bam Adebayo will undergo surgery to repair a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his left thumb, the team announced Wednesday. Sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski that Adebayo is expected to be out for four to six weeks, which would cause him to miss between 15 to

11:07 AM ET Denver Nuggets guards Bones Hyland and Austin Rivers have entered into the league’s health and safety protocols, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski on Wednesday. If they test positive for the virus, they will be away from the team for at least 10 days, which would result in at least six missed games.

11:10 PM ET PHOENIX — Devin Booker left the Phoenix Suns‘ big matchup against the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday night with a left hamstring injury and did not return. He suffered the injury during the second quarter, grabbing his leg after a drive six minutes before halftime. He left the game moments later. Booker

6:51 PM ET SACRAMENTO — LeBron James has entered the league’s health and safety protocols and will miss Tuesday’s game against the Kings, the Los Angeles Lakers announced. James has already missed 11 of the Lakers’ 22 games coming into Tuesday because of injuries and a suspension. L.A. is 7-4 with James this season and

2:11 PM ET NEW YORK — Brooklyn Nets guard Joe Harris will undergo surgery on his injured left ankle and is expected to miss four to eight weeks, with optimism he can return on the shorter end of that timeline, Harris’ agent, Mark Bartelstein of Priority Sports, told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski on Monday. Nets head

2:18 AM ET Andrew LopezESPN Jonas Valanciunas wasn’t exactly a marksman when he entered the NBA in 2012. In fact, in his first five seasons in the league, he went 1-of-4 from 3-point range. But those days are long gone. Valanciunas hit his first seven 3-pointers on Monday night — all in the first half

2:52 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN New York Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau told reporters Monday afternoon that he is removing guard Kemba Walker from not only the team’s starting lineup but also the rotation as a whole, beginning with Tuesday’s showdown with the crosstown-rival Nets in Brooklyn. “It’s a tough decision to make, but you always

7:35 AM ET The battle for No. 1 in the NBA Power Rankings is on. The Golden State Warriors, winners of seven straight games, take their league-best 18-2 record into Tuesday night’s Western Conference showdown with the Phoenix Suns. Phoenix, meanwhile, hasn’t lost in over a month and is one win shy of matching the

8:38 PM ET Stephen Curry was angry at the officials during Sunday’s 105-90 victory over the Clippers in Los Angeles, then made the other team pay for it. The Golden State Warriors star scored 13 of his team-high 33 points in the fourth quarter and caught fire with just over nine minutes left, after a

4:45 PM ET The Milwaukee Bucks are signing four-time All-Star center DeMarcus Cousins, sources told ESPN on Sunday. Cousins, 31, will sign a non-guaranteed deal to join the defending NBA champions, sources said. Teams must guarantee contracts for the balance of the season by January 7. The Bucks have been without center Brook Lopez with

12:20 AM ET NEW YORK, N.Y. — Moments after winning their 16th straight game, the Phoenix Suns could be heard clapping and shouting in celebration of their latest victory on their way into the visitor’s locker room at Barclays Center. “We run New York!” one member of the Suns team could be heard shouting in

5:56 PM ET Philadelphia 76ers star center Joel Embiid returned for Saturday’s home game against the Minnesota Timberwolves after a nine-game absence due to health and safety protocols. Tobias Harris also returned to the starting lineup after missing the last two games with a hip injury. The shorthanded Sixers went 2-7 without Embiid, who is

3:53 PM ET Houston Rockets guard John Wall has expressed his hopes to the organization that he can resume playing for the team in the near future, sources tell ESPN. Wall and the Rockets had agreed on him sitting out until a trade could be found, but the five-time All-Star guard talked to Houston general

8:28 PM ET Associated Press NEW YORK — LeBron James was fined $15,000 for an obscene gesture Friday by the NBA, which also warned the Lakers superstar about using profane language. James made the gesture after making a shot late in Los Angeles’ 124-116 overtime victory in Indiana on Wednesday night. He had missed a

2:07 AM ET Associated Press LOS ANGELES — De’Aaron Fox scored 34 points, Buddy Hield had 13 of his 25 after regulation and the Sacramento Kings beat the Los Angeles Lakers 141-137 in triple overtime Friday night. In a game that saw 19 ties and 23 lead changes, the Lakers led 126-124 a minute into

1:01 PM ET Houston Rockets rookie guard Jalen Green will miss at least one week because of a strained left hamstring, coach Stephen Silas told reporters Friday. Green, the No. 2 overall pick in the NBA draft, exited Wednesday’s 118-113 win over the Chicago Bulls in the second quarter because of the injury. Silas said

8:18 AM ET Denver Nuggets guard P.J. Dozier is feared to have suffered a torn ACL in his left knee, sources told ESPN. Dozier crumbled to the floor on a collision at the rim during Tuesday night’s 119-100 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers, and initial imaging suggested a possible end to Dozier’s season, sources

5:21 PM ET Associated Press MADRID — Former NBA player Marc Gasol will play for Girona, the club he founded in the second division of Spanish basketball, he announced Thursday. The 36-year-old Gasol said he will play until the end of the season before deciding whether to retire. Gasol is the owner and president of

11:59 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN BOSTON — Nets star Kevin Durant said it “means the world” to him to pass Hall of Famer Allen Iverson for 25th on the NBA’s all-time scoring list during Brooklyn’s 123-104 victory over the Celtics here at TD Garden on Wednesday night. “I mean, it means the world. I dedicated

1:53 AM ET INDIANAPOLIS — LeBron James was napping in the city that never sleeps on Monday when the NBA announced that the Los Angeles Lakers star would be suspended for the first time in his 19-year career and have to miss Tuesday’s game against the New York Knicks. “Rob [Pelinka] called me. I missed

4:11 AM ET LOS ANGELES — As Luka Doncic walked past Dallas Mavericks coach Jason Kidd in the Staples Center hallway late Tuesday night, the All-Star smiled through the fatigue of his 41 minutes logged in his first game back from knee and ankle injuries. But the Mavericks star could not have felt any better

7:21 AM ET Tim BontempsESPN THE BALL SWUNG from Jayson Tatum to Dennis Schroder to Al Horford to Marcus Smart, pinging around the perimeter in search of the best possible shot. It was Nov. 19, and the Boston Celtics — already leading by 14 points with just over five minutes to go against LeBron James

1:11 AM ET NEW YORK — Russell Westbrook was tremendous in the second half of the Los Angeles Lakers‘ 106-100 loss to the New York Knicks, scoring 25 of his game-high 31 points after the break to help get his team back into a game in which it trailed by as many as 25 points

5:31 PM ET SAN FRANCISCO — Golden State Warriors swingman Klay Thompson participated in a full team practice on Tuesday for the first time since tearing his left ACL in Game 6 of the 2019 NBA Finals and his right Achilles in November 2020. “It’s so exciting,” Thompson said. “Just to be running up and

7:15 AM ET From his days as a rookie with the Denver Nuggets, to becoming a featured act in New York, to picking up monikers based on his apparel, to his preeminence in international competition, Carmelo Anthony‘s basketball reputation has morphed in his 19 years in the NBA. Yet, as Anthony begins to carve out

7:36 AM ET The Golden State Warriors rolled past the Brooklyn Nets 117-99 on Tuesday, cruising to a league-best 15-2 record. And while coach Steve Nash has the Nets trending in the right direction, the loss to the Warriors at home is a reminder of the work still needed to be done. Stephen Curry dropped

11:56 PM ET Phoenix Suns big man Frank Kaminsky has been diagnosed with a stress reaction in his right knee and will be out indefinitely, the team announced Sunday. Kaminsky had missed the last two games after logging just under four minutes in the Suns’ victory over Minnesota last week. A key depth piece for

1:26 AM ET SAN FRANCISCO — Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green says he has found “love and joy for the game” again after two up-and-down seasons. Green, 31, made the proclamation after leading the Warriors — now a league-best 15-2 — to another dominating win against the Toronto Raptors on Sunday night. “I’ve just

8:03 PM ET DETROIT — LeBron James was ejected from the Los Angeles Lakers game against the Detroit Pistons on Sunday for striking Pistons big man Isaiah Stewart in the face while jostling for rebounding position. The hit led to a stoppage in action while Stewart, with blood coming down his face, had to be

1:05 PM ET The Sacramento Kings fired coach Luke Walton on Sunday, sources told ESPN. The Kings have lost seven of eight games and dropped to 6-11 on season — leaving them 12th in the Western Conference. Kings associate head coach Alvin Gentry — a five-time head coach in the NBA — is expected to

1:07 PM ET Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant has been ruled out of Friday night’s home game against the Orlando Magic because of a right shoulder sprain, the team announced. Durant said Sunday that he had been getting treatment on his shooting shoulder but had been playing through the issue. Friday will mark Durant’s first

9:28 PM ET ESPN News Services CLEVELAND — Cavaliers guard Collin Sexton‘s season is over after surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee. Sexton, 22, hurt his knee on Nov. 7 in a game against the New York Knicks. The Cavs didn’t provide an update until Friday, when they said Sexton underwent

8:21 PM ET Associated Press DENVER — The Denver Nuggets were without reigning MVP Nikola Jokic on Friday night against the Chicago Bulls because of a sprained right wrist. Jokic appeared to hurt the wrist the night before in a home loss to Philadelphia. The Nuggets big man is averaging 26.4 points, 13.6 rebounds and

2:09 AM ET BOSTON — LeBron James‘ return from an extended absence couldn’t cure the inconsistent play that has plagued his team on both ends and was on full display in the Los Angeles Lakers‘ 130-108 loss to the Boston Celtics on Friday. The defeat dropped L.A. — one of the oddsmakers’ favorites to win

8:16 PM ET Jamal Collier MILWAUKEE — Milwaukee Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said the organization would “continue to fight for better” in the aftermath of a jury’s verdict Friday that Kyle Rittenhouse, who fatally shot two men and wounded another during protests in Kenosha, Wisconsin, last year, was acquitted of all charges. The Bucks performed

1:57 PM ET The NBA has suspended New Orleans Pelicans guard Didi Louzada 25 games without pay for violating the NBA/NBPA’s anti-drug program. Louzada tested positive for drostanolone and testosterone. In a statement to ESPN, Louzada, 22, described the source of unknowingly ingesting the banned substances as an offseason trip back to his Brazilian home

7:40 AM ET Brian Windhorst Close ESPN Senior Writer ESPN.com NBA writer since 2010 Covered Cleveland Cavs for seven years Author of two books Andrew Lopez In a sobering statement about the New Orleans Pelicans‘ season, the team has announced more delays to Zion Williamson‘s return from a broken foot than it has victories this

12:06 AM ET CLEVELAND — The Golden State Warriors have gotten so used to seeing star guard Stephen Curry dominate on so many levels that nothing he does surprises them anymore. The latest example came during Thursday night’s 104-89 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers — one in which Curry scored 20 of his 40 points

8:48 AM 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 NBA general managers are working to finalize the formation of a professional association that would collectively support executives

7:33 AM ET Bobby Marks The NBA season is a month old, and already we’re seeing the impact of the biggest moves of the offseason. After a run to the NBA Finals, Chris Paul re-signed in Phoenix and has the Suns near the top of the West again. Kyle Lowry went from Toronto to Miami

12:43 AM ET NEW YORK — Golden State Warriors swingman Klay Thompson has been cleared for full contact as he continues his rehab from a torn Achilles suffered in 2020. Thompson, who stayed behind on the Warriors’ four-game East Coast swing with several members of the Warriors’ support staff, has started doing some 5-on-5 work

12:54 PM ET Associated Press WASHINGTON — Wizards general manager Tommy Sheppard has received a contract extension amid Washington’s fast start to the season. Monumental Sports & Entertainment announced Wednesday that Sheppard and Sashi Brown signed multiyear extensions and received promotions. Sheppard now becomes president and GM of the Wizards. Brown, who has served as

12:42 AM ET Tim BontempsESPN BROOKLYN, N.Y. — After the Brooklyn Nets were routed by the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday night on their home floor, losing 117-99 to fall to 0-4 this season against the Warriors, Miami Heat, Chicago Bulls and Milwaukee Bucks, Nets coach Steve Nash said his team doesn’t belong in the

5:17 PM ET Andrew LopezESPN New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson has been cleared to participate in contact drills, the team announced, the latest step toward his eventual return to the court. Williamson, who is in his third year, has missed every game this season because of a right foot fracture suffered in the summer.

12:04 PM ET There’s growing optimism that Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James — who has been out two weeks with an abdominal strain — could make his return against the Boston Celtics on Friday, sources told ESPN. James has been making good progress, and Friday’s meeting with the Celtics (7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN) looms

3:48 AM ET Jamal Collier LOS ANGELES — Bulls forward DeMar DeRozan scored a season-high 38 points on Monday night to help lift Chicago to a 121-103 victory against the Los Angeles Lakers, the fifth time in the past nine games he has notched at least 30 points. Even though DeRozan reached his season high

10:26 PM ET In initial remarks made to Phoenix Suns employees Monday, lawyers from the New York-based Wachtell Lipton firm that’s investigating the team and majority owner Robert Sarver addressed concerns about retaliation, confidentiality and a timeline for completion, league sources told ESPN. Two attorneys from the firm — David Anders and Sarah Eddy —

8:00 AM ET The NBA’s last remaining one-loss team suffered its second defeat Sunday when the Golden State Warriors fell to the Charlotte Hornets. Stephen Curry kicked off the week with a 50-point performance against the Atlanta Hawks — and dropped 40 against the Chicago Bulls on Friday — but was 7-of-22 from the field

11:19 PM ET Kevin Durant‘s MVP-like start to the season continued Sunday with 33 points against the Oklahoma City Thunder despite a sore right shoulder. After helping the Brooklyn Nets beat the Thunder 120-96, Durant acknowledged that he is getting treatment on his shooting shoulder. He could be seen at one point moving and feeling

9:57 PM ET LOS ANGELES — Anthony Davis “imposed his will” and Talen Horton-Tucker reintroduced his skill as the Lakers bounced back from a disappointing loss to beat the San Antonio Spurs 114-106 on Sunday. Davis scored 27 of his game-high 34 points in the first half, accounting for his biggest scoring half since December

8:21 PM ET Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert and Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner were among four players fined by the NBA on Friday after the two players got into a scuffle late in Thursday night’s game. Gobert was fined $35,000 for initiating the on-court altercation, while Turner received a $25,000 fine for escalating it,

6:05 PM ET Portland Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard has been ruled out for Sunday’s game against the Denver Nuggets with lower abdominal pain. Lillard has struggled to start the season, shooting below 40% from the field and below 30% from 3-point range. The Blazers officially ruled Lillard out with “lower abdominal tendinopathy.” He had

9:37 PM ET Philadelphia 76ers top assistant coach Dave Joerger is leaving the team for several weeks to undergo chemotherapy and radiation treatments for a form of “head and neck” cancer, Joerger told ESPN. Joerger, 47, has undergone treatments while coaching for the past two weeks — missing only one road game — but the

12:40 AM ET NEW ORLEANS — When he got off to a slow scoring start this season, James Harden said his body and conditioning weren’t yet ready to score 30 and 40 points. It took him 13 games but Harden cracked 30 points for the first time this season, and nearly hit 40. The Brooklyn

2:52 AM ET LOS ANGELES — Anthony Davis unloaded on the Lakers after Friday night’s 107-83 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves that was largely determined by a third quarter in which his team was outscored 40-12. “We sucked,” Davis said when asked about the third. “No defense. Can’t score. That’s not just this third quarter,

8:07 PM ET The NBA’s probe into possible pre-free agency tampering centered on the sign-and-trade acquisitions of Chicago’s Lonzo Ball and Miami’s Kyle Lowry appears to have reached the advanced stages, sources told ESPN on Friday. The NBA has conducted numerous interviews with team executives and player agents and have gathered electronic messaging of front

10:06 PM ET Associated Press DETROIT — Pistons power forward Kelly Olynyk will miss at least six weeks with a sprained left knee. Olynyk was hurt Wednesday in the Pistons’ 112-104 victory over the Houston Rockets, limping off the court in the fourth quarter. The Pistons said he underwent testing Thursday that revealed a Grade

1:54 AM ET ESPN News Services SALT LAKE CITY — Four players were ejected after Rudy Gobert and Myles Turner got into a scuffle late in the Indiana Pacers‘ 111-110 victory over the Utah Jazz on Thursday night. The tussle began after Gobert appeared to pull Turner down to the ground with him after Turner

2:44 PM ET Chicago Bulls center Nikola Vucevic tested positive for COVID-19 and entered the NBA’s health and safety protocols on Thursday, sources told ESPN. The Bulls listed Vucevic in the protocols, but the positive test means the two-time All-Star selection will be sidelined for 10 days or until he has two negative PCR tests

8:00 AM ET NBA Insiders The NBA season is — almost — a month old. What standouts are here to stay? The Eastern Conference standings is full of early-season surprises, including impressive starts from the Chicago Bulls, Washington Wizards and Cleveland Cavaliers. Meanwhile, the defending champion Milwaukee Bucks are dealing with injuries as they work

12:23 AM ET Andrew LopezESPN NEW ORLEANS — Throughout the New Orleans Pelicans‘ much maligned start to the 2021-22 season, coach Willie Green has tried to stay positive about the direction in which his team is headed. But after a 108-100 loss to Oklahoma City on Tuesday night in which his team picked up five

3:52 PM ET LOS ANGELES — Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra had no interest in rehashing Monday’s on-court incident involving his team and the Denver Nuggets, or the subsequent penalties handed down by the NBA on Tuesday. “I’m done talking about it,” Spoelstra said Wednesday after his team’s shootaround in advance of Miami’s game against

4:49 PM ET Three former Phoenix Suns employees have received messages from Penny Sarver, the wife of Robert Sarver, who is the team’s majority owner. Two messages came from the @pennsar Instagram account and another was a text message from a number that belongs to Penny Sarver. These former employees say they consider the messages

9:59 PM ET Denver Nuggets star and reigning MVP Nikola Jokic has been suspended for one game without pay for forcefully pushing Miami Heat forward Markieff Morris in the back on Monday night. The Nuggets will not have their franchise center against Indiana on Wednesday Markieff Morris was also fined $50,000 for his flagrant two

1:11 PM ET Emotions from NBA MVP Nikola Jokic‘s retaliatory bodycheck from behind on Miami Heat forward Markieff Morris on Monday night have spilled onto social media as the brothers of both players weighed in. As the league looks into whether to levy any further punishment over the Denver Nuggets star’s ejection after his run-in

11:56 PM ET Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic could be facing a possible suspension from the NBA after the reigning league MVP was ejected with 2:39 left in the fourth quarter against the Miami Heat for aggressively blindsiding Heat power forward Markieff Morris in retaliation to a hard foul. Jokic was bringing the ball down

12:41 AM ET SAN FRANCISCO — Warriors star guard Stephen Curry scored an NBA-season-high 50 points in Golden State’s 127-113 win over the Atlanta Hawks on Monday night. Curry finished the night 14-for-28 from the field, 9-for-19 from 3-point range and 13-for-13 from the free throw line, while chipping in 10 assists and seven rebounds

6:13 PM ET After initial resistance, Philadelphia 76ers All-Star guard Ben Simmons met with a team-recommended medical specialist to discuss his mental health on Monday, sources told ESPN. It is unclear what Monday’s meeting means for the Sixers’ ultimate hopes of a Simmons return to play, but it was a change of direction for Simmons

8:00 AM ET Who are the best teams in the NBA right now? The Milwaukee Bucks certainly don’t look like a team that belongs in the upper tier of the league. The defending champs, who continue to be without Khris Middleton after the All-Star tested positive for COVID-19 last week, have lost five of their

12:20 AM ET Fantasy staff We are merely two weeks into the fantasy basketball season, but already it’s easy to identify some draft-day hits and misses. Our team of fantasy experts — Eric Karabell, Andre Snelllings, Eric Moody, Jim McCormick and John Cregan — got together to discuss some of the things that have stuck

1:59 PM ET Associated Press MIAMI — The NBA told its players, coaches and referees Sunday that they should receive booster shots against the coronavirus, with particular urgency for those who received the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine. The league and the National Basketball Players Association — working jointly based on guidance from the league’s

11:44 PM ET PORTLAND — A stomach illness caused Los Angeles Lakers star Anthony Davis‘ night to end prematurely during Saturday night’s game against the Portland Trail Blazers, according to the team. Davis exited the game with 4:51 remaining in the first quarter. He went straight to the locker room and did not return. The

2:45 AM ET PORTLAND — Having already navigated speculation about his desire to be traded and pushback over the hiring of his franchise’s new head coach in recent months, Portland Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard said his duty will remain the same while the team opens an investigation into general manager Neil Olshey. “The games

12:33 PM ET Jake Paul‘s next fight card will feature a familiar name to sports fans. Deron Williams, the former NBA All-Star point guard, will compete in a boxing match at the event headlined by Paul and Tommy Fury on Dec. 18 in Tampa, Florida, Most Valuable Promotions co-founder Nakisa Bidarian confirmed Friday with ESPN.

1:29 PM ET Portland Trail Blazers president of basketball operations Neil Olshey is under an independent investigation commissioned by the team into allegations of workplace misconduct, a source confirmed to ESPN on Saturday. In a statement, the team acknowledged an investigation but did not name Olshey, saying the Blazers were “recently notified of concerns around

2:38 AM ET SAN FRANCISCO — The Golden State Warriors are quickly becoming the talk of the NBA after starting the season 7-1 and looking like the dominant two-way force that they proved to be during their championship reign. After a 126-85 demolition over the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday night, star guard Stephen Curry

8:19 PM ET DETROIT — Mayor-elect Eric Adams said Friday night that New York City will not change its COVID-19 vaccination mandate that currently prevents Kyrie Irving from playing in games there. Adams, who won the city’s mayoral election Tuesday, put the onus on the NBA and Irving to find a resolution. The current mandate

12:36 PM ET The Philadelphia 76ers fined All-Star guard Ben Simmons his $360,000 game salary for missing Thursday night’s victory over the Detroit Pistons and plan to continue fining him until he cooperates with team physicians on his mental health and fulfills other basketball-related obligations, sources told ESPN on Friday. The Sixers will again place

3:29 AM ET LOS ANGELES — If the Lakers had managed to protect two massive leads against the Oklahoma City Thunder — up 26 on the road last week and up 19 at Staples Center on Thursday night — they would be sitting pretty with a 7-2 record and OKC would be winless at 0-8.

2:46 PM ET LOS ANGELES — Lakers superstar LeBron James has been ruled out of Thursday’s game against the Oklahoma City Thunder because of an abdominal strain, the team announced. While no timeline for his return has been provided by the Lakers, a source familiar with the injury told ESPN that the team’s medical staff

12:00 PM ET ON THE EVENING of Oct. 30, 2016, at Talking Stick Resort Arena in downtown Phoenix, Earl Watson, in just his third game as the Suns’ head coach, faced a tall task: beat the powerhouse Golden State Warriors. The young Phoenix Suns team had been toiling at the bottom of the NBA’s standings

11:12 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN The Boston Celtics had a players-only meeting ahead of Wednesday’s 92-79 win in Orlando over the Magic, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The meeting came in the wake of Boston’s fourth-quarter meltdown Monday against the Chicago Bulls, as Boston went from being up 14 at the start of the fourth

1:26 PM ET Associated Press CLEVELAND — Cavaliers forward Lauri Markkanen has joined teammate Kevin Love and entered the NBA’s health and safety protocols. The team said Markkanen will miss Wednesday’s game against Portland and his status will be updated “at the appropriate time.” The 7-foot Markkanen is in his first season with Cleveland after

Monty McCutchen, the NBA’s vice president of referee development and training, said Tuesday afternoon that he’s pleased with the league’s progress toward eliminating foul calls on non-basketball moves. He added that his officials are still working to strike the right balance between not calling those non-basketball moves and missing some defensive fouls, and that the

11:12 PM ET Andrew LopezESPN Phoenix Suns guard Chris Paul moved into No. 3 on the all-time assists list with his eighth against the visiting New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday night. With 1:34 left in the second quarter, on a 3-pointer by Jae Crowder, Paul notched career assist No. 10,336 to push past Suns legend

5:13 PM ET Ramona Shelburne Close ESPN Senior Writer Senior writer for ESPN.com Spent seven years at the Los Angeles Daily News Adrian Wojnarowski Close Senior NBA Insider Host of The Woj Pod Joined ESPN in 2017 The Philadelphia 76ers are increasingly frustrated with Ben Simmons‘ refusal to accept organizational assistance to address his mental

11:39 PM ET ESPN News Services BOSTON — Marcus Smart called out Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown after the Boston Celtics lost their third game in a row on Monday night, saying the star duo needs to get their teammates more involved. “Every team knows we’re trying to go to Jayson and Jaylen,” Smart said

11:04 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN PHILADELPHIA — After yet another ugly individual performance Monday night in a season full of them so far, Portland Trail Blazers superstar Damian Lillard said his poor start is a chance for him to show the world what he’s really about. “I always look at struggles as an opportunity to

3:20 PM ET Andrew LopezESPN METAIRIE, La. — New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson is “progressing” in his recovery from a fractured right foot, but his return to play is still up in the air. Pelicans coach Willie Green told reporters on Monday that doctors were encouraged by the latest set of scans on Williamson’s

8:00 AM ET After falling to 3-4, the Milwaukee Bucks have forfeited the No. 1 spot this week. The Utah Jazz, who were the league’s final unbeaten team before falling to the Chicago Bulls on Saturday, handed Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks their third straight loss on their way to the top of our list.

10:58 AM ET The son of Turner Sports broadcaster Ernie Johnson has died at the age of 33. Johnson tweeted about the death of his son, Michael, on Friday night. “We are grieving and at the same time so grateful for having been witnesses to a miraculous 33 years with michael,” Ernie Johnson wrote. We

12:47 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN The Milwaukee Bucks are scheduled to make a trip to the White House to celebrate winning the 2021 NBA title on Nov. 8, sources told ESPN. The Bucks will be the first NBA team to visit the White House since the 2016 Cleveland Cavaliers visited former President Barack Obama. Milwaukee

6:52 PM ET Brooklyn Nets forward Kevin Durant was fined $25,000 by the NBA for “forcefully throwing the game ball into the spectator stands” during the third quarter of Friday’s Nets win over the Indiana Pacers. After play was stopped with a foul while Durant was driving, he fired the basketball into the stands with

1:43 AM ET SAN FRANCISCO — Draymond Green is enjoying basketball a lot more these days. And it’s not just because his Golden State Warriors have started the season 5-1 after a 103-82 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday. “Can I also say how satisfying it’s been to watch the game of basketball

5:33 PM ET Eric WoodyardESPN DETROIT, Mich. — The wait is over. A new era of Detroit Pistons basketball is officially underway as No. 1 pick Cade Cunningham will make his debut on Saturday against the Orlando Magic, coach Dwane Casey announced ahead of the 7 p.m. ET tipoff. Cunningham missed the entire preseason and

7:36 PM ET Associated Press NEW YORK — Trae Young was fined $15,000 by the NBA on Friday for making contact with a referee. The star guard was penalized for his actions with 6:41 left in the second quarter of Atlanta’s 122-111 loss to Washington on Thursday. Young was driving left and bumped by defender

12:49 AM ET NEW YORK — James Harden was in his bag Friday night, dribbling, creating space, draining 3’s and letting everyone know that he was starting to feel more like himself as he yelled out during a timeout while clenching his fists and flexing his arms. Harden also was finally back at a place

2:39 PM ET Chicago Bulls forward Patrick Williams will undergo surgery to repair a dislocated left wrist and is expected to miss the rest of the regular season, sources told ESPN. Williams tumbled out of the air on a flagrant foul by New York’s Mitchell Robinson on Thursday night, landing on his left wrist and

7:03 PM ET Bob Ferry, who guided the Washington Bullets to their only title in 1978 as part of a prolific 17-year run as general manager, died Wednesday at age 84. Ferry ran the Bullets from 1973 to 1990, and the team made the playoffs 13 times in that 17-year span, including three Finals appearances.

11:51 PM ET Associated Press WASHINGTON — Trae Young paused in the middle of his postgame comments, perhaps wondering if he was going too far — or sensing that he already had. “I don’t want to get fined too much, but it’s frustrating,” the Atlanta star said. There’s no telling how the league will receive

5:08 PM ET HOUSTON — The NAACP sent a letter to the players’ associations in five professional sports Thursday asking players to reconsider signing with teams in Texas due to recent laws passed in the state. In a two-page letter signed by NAACP president and CEO Derrick Johnson that was sent to the MLB, NBA,

12:31 AM ET NEW YORK — Brooklyn Nets guard James Harden said he is regaining his confidence but that his offensive game is limited right now as he makes his way back from an offseason spent rehabbing his hamstring injury. Harden’s slow start to the season continued Wednesday night when he finished with 14 points,

1:31 AM ET OKLAHOMA CITY — Russell Westbrook said, “It’s my fault, it’s on me,” when asked about his double-digit turnovers in the Lakers‘ 123-115 loss to the Thunder on Wednesday. But he stood by his actions that led him to be ejected in the final seconds, marring his return to OKC. “How I play

5:28 PM ET After medical testing Wednesday, there was no structural damage found in Denver Nuggets center and reigning NBA MVP Nikola Jokic‘s knee, a source confirmed to ESPN. Jokic suffered a right knee contusion late in the second quarter Tuesday night against the Jazz and was held out of the remainder of the 122-110

11:52 PM ET Denver Nuggets center and reigning league MVP Nikola Jokic was ruled out of Tuesday night’s 122-110 loss to the Utah Jazz in the third quarter with a right knee contusion. Utah’s Rudy Gobert was attempting to drive on Jokic along the baseline in the second quarter when he banged knees with him.

7:06 PM ET SAN ANTONIO — LeBron James will not play in the Los Angeles Lakers‘ game against the Spurs on Tuesday because of a sore right ankle, the team announced. Lakers coach Frank Vogel, when asked about James’ injury, said the team is taking “a marathon approach” with him. Malik Monk will start in

9:29 PM ET OKLAHOMA CITY — Draymond Green is going to celebrate another one of Stephen Curry‘s historical feats with an expensive bottle of wine — and for the second year in a row he’s going to put it on Warriors owner Joe Lacob’s tab. In honor of Curry making the NBA’s 75th anniversary team,

8:00 AM ET Jamal Collier MILWAUKEE — Before winning his first NBA championship, Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo used to imagine how it would change his life: how it would be a weight lifted off his shoulders and how he’d finally be able to exhale. “But it’s false,” Antetokounmpo said after the Bucks received their

11:57 PM ET Jamal Collier The Chicago Bulls are off to the franchise’s best start since the 1996-97 season. They improved to 4-0 on Monday night with a 111-108 victory against the Toronto Raptors at Scotiabank Arena, making Chicago the last remaining unbeaten team in the Eastern Conference. After overhauling their roster in free agency,

3:27 AM ET LOS ANGELES — Carmelo Anthony said the best part about passing Moses Malone for No. 9 on the all-time scoring list in the Los Angeles Lakers’ 121-118 win over the Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday is the level he’s been able to sustain nearly two decades into his NBA career. “I’m still here

8:00 AM ET The small sample size of the NBA’s opening week usually provides an interesting look at the standings. The start of the 2021-22 season was no different. The Chicago Bulls and Charlotte Hornets, two teams that missed the Eastern Conference playoffs last season, are each off to 3-0 starts. (The latter spoiled the

9:18 PM ET NEW YORK — After Kevin Durant and James Harden were the only two Nets players to score in double figures Sunday against the Charlotte Hornets, Durant said Brooklyn is not losing confidence amid a 1-2 start and has enough to win without Kyrie Irving. Durant, who poured in 38 points in the

5:19 PM ET NEW YORK — A group of protesters gathered outside Barclays Center waving flags and signs while chanting, “No vaccine mandate, stand with Kyrie” before the Brooklyn Nets‘ home opener against the Charlotte Hornets on Sunday. Around 100 people stood in the plaza outside the arena and on the street blocking traffic on

7:26 PM ET EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — As much as the new-look Los Angeles Lakers have preached patience, a winless exhibition slate, a handful of injuries and now an 0-2 start to the regular season — that included tensions boiling over in Friday’s loss to the Phoenix Suns — would test any team’s resolve. Yet

11:14 PM ET The Golden State Warriors decided to poke a little fun at Klay Thompson in honor of him being left off the NBA’s 75th anniversary team. Before Saturday’s practice, some of Thompson’s teammates hung a No. 77 jersey in his locker. Warriors forward Draymond Green posted two short videos on his Instagram stories

1:27 AM ET Tim Bontemps Ohm Youngmisuk Close ESPN Staff Writer Ohm Youngmisuk has covered the Giants, Jets and the NFL since 2006. Prior to that, he covered the Nets, Knicks and the NBA for nearly a decade. He joined ESPNNewYork.com after working at the New York Daily News for almost 12 years and is

3:14 AM ET LOS ANGELES — The Lakers‘ rocky start to the season continued with teammates Anthony Davis and Dwight Howard getting involved in a heated exchange in the first half of Friday’s 115-105 loss to the Phoenix Suns. Amid a 27-11 run by Phoenix to take a 13-point halftime lead, Howard and Davis had

12:04 AM ET Tim BontempsESPN PHILADELPHIA — In the wake of Ben Simmons meeting with and addressing his teammates for the first time since his holdout, 76ers forward Tobias Harris gave an impassioned defense of Simmons after Philadelphia’s 114-109 loss to the Brooklyn Nets on Friday night. “I think it’s obviously a good start,” Harris

8:00 AM ET NBA Insiders As part of the celebration of the NBA’s 75th season, the league unveiled its list of the greatest players in its history over a three-day span in opening week — a list that ended up having one extra name due to a tie in voting. Every player who made the

8:00 AM ET Having coached LeBron James for two seasons already, coach Frank Vogel knows the drill by now. When the Los Angeles Lakers superstar is approaching a statistical milestone to further add to James’ decorated career, Vogel will get a heads-up from a public relations staffer. “Our PR team, more than anyone, will just

2:28 PM ET Ben Simmons did not take part in a scheduled individual workout at the Philadelphia 76ers‘ practice facility Thursday, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. It is unclear whether Simmons, who was suspended by the 76ers for Wednesday’s season-opening, 117-97 win over the New Orleans Pelicans for conduct detrimental to the team, will play

8:00 AM ET Brian Windhorst Close ESPN Senior Writer ESPN.com NBA writer since 2010 Covered Cleveland Cavs for seven years Author of two books Ohm Youngmisuk Close ESPN Staff Writer Ohm Youngmisuk has covered the Giants, Jets and the NFL since 2006. Prior to that, he covered the Nets, Knicks and the NBA for nearly

12:43 AM ET NEW ORLEANS — After a stressful day Tuesday with Ben Simmons being tossed out of practice and then suspended, the Philadelphia 76ers players gathered for a team dinner after flying to New Orleans in an effort to clear the air. After laughing and getting their minds off basketball for a few hours,

1:02 AM ET Tim BontempsESPN NEW YORK — When the Knicks took a four-point lead with nine seconds to go in Wednesday night’s season opener against the Boston Celtics at Madison Square Garden, it appeared the home team was on the verge of a feel-good win to start Kemba Walker‘s Knicks career. It turned out

8:00 AM ET Tim BontempsESPN KEMBA WALKER‘S FIRST basket in a New York Knicks uniform was a simple one. A couple minutes into New York’s preseason opener at Madison Square Garden against the Indiana Pacers, Walker had the ball at the top of the key. He then executed a give-and-go with Julius Randle, darted around

4:16 AM ET LOS ANGELES — LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook failed their first real test together, a 121-114 loss to the Golden State Warriors on opening night, but they found some common ground. The defeat meant that all three of them lost in their Lakers debut: James against the Portland Trail Blazers

8:02 PM ET Jamal Collier MILWAUKEE — The Milwaukee Bucks handed out their championship rings and unveiled the banner for the franchise’s first championship in 50 years ahead of Tuesday night’s season-opening 127-104 win over the Brooklyn Nets. “Milwaukee, we did it,” Bucks forward Khris Middleton said to the crowd at Fiserv Forum during the

8:00 AM ET It’s opening night of the 2021-22 NBA season, but our experts are already looking ahead to the postseason. Will Tuesday’s game between the Milwaukee Bucks and Brooklyn Nets be an Eastern Conference finals preview? Last year, the playoff series between the two juggernauts came down to Kevin Durant‘s foot, and the Nets

8:00 AM ET The 2021-22 NBA season is here! Less than three months ago, Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks were hoisting the Larry O’Brien Trophy after winning Game 6 of the NBA Finals over the Phoenix Suns. After somehow squeezing in the NBA draft, free agency, summer league and preseason into another truncated offseason,

6:22 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN NBA commissioner Adam Silver said Monday that he would have “preferred” that the NBA and the National Basketball Players Association come to an agreement on a vaccine mandate, in part to avoid it becoming an “adversarial” issue for the league’s players, as it has for Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving.

3:35 PM ET Talks between the Phoenix Suns and Deandre Ayton on an extension to his rookie contract have ended without a deal, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski on Monday. Ayton expected a maximum contract and owner Robert Sarver hasn’t offered it yet for the 2018 No. 1 overall pick. Ayton, a key part of

8:00 AM ET It’s time for our dumbest NBA preseason tradition: League Pass Rankings! These rankings turn 10 today. I can’t believe I continue to trick publications into running them. These are not power rankings! They are watchability scores, derived from an ancient formula Bill Simmons claims appeared before him when he ingested too many

3:33 PM ET Phoenix Suns guard/forward Mikal Bridges has agreed to a four-year, $90 million rookie contract extension, his agents, Sam Goldfeder and Jordan Gertler of Excel Sports, told ESPN on Sunday. Bridges’ deal — averaging $22.5 million per season — is fully guaranteed, the agents said, and starts with the 2022-23 season. Goldfeder and

1:58 PM ET Associated Press CAMDEN, N.J. — Ben Simmons practiced with the Philadelphia 76ers for the first time this season Sunday, though no decision was made on his status for the season opener. “He was just one of the players,” coach Doc Rivers said. Simmons was a holdout for training camp and the early

6:18 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN The Charlotte Hornets signed guard LiAngelo Ball to a non-guaranteed contract Thursday, paving the way for him to eventually sign with their G League team, a source confirmed to ESPN. Ball, who averaged 9.6 points, 2.0 rebounds and 1.6 steals in 17.4 minutes across five games for the Hornets’ entry

4:45 PM ET Andrew LopezESPN THIBODAUX, La. — For roughly an hour, the New Orleans Pelicans mostly rode in silence as they traveled to Nicholls State University for an open practice. The drive from the practice facility in the suburb of Metairie out to the campus is among one of the hardest-hit areas of the

5:15 PM ET ESPN News Services The Sacramento Kings are exercising the third-year option on guard Tyrese Haliburton, a source told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski on Friday. Haliburton averaged 13.0 points, 5.3 assists and 1.5 steals in 58 games last season and was named to the NBA All-Rookie first team. He suffered a season-ending knee injury