5:20 PM ET Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid is experiencing significant pain and discomfort in his right thumb and could get an MRI in the near future to determine whether there is ligament damage, sources told ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne and Adrian Wojnarowski. Despite the discomfort, Embiid practiced on Friday and expects to play in Game
Devin Booker #1 of the Phoenix Suns (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) Charlotte Hornets make shocking decision to fire James Borrego by John Buhler With Devin Booker ruled out for Game 3 against the New Orleans Pelicans, Cam Johnson may be next up to start in his place. Devin Booker will miss Game 3 against
Kyrie Irving, Brooklyn Nets, Jaylen Brown, Boston Celtics. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) Jayson Tatum game winner: Celtics steal show from Kyrie Irving, Nets by Mark Powell Brooklyn Nets star guard Kyrie Irving absolutely hates everything about the Boston Celtics. The pure unrivaled disdain Kyrie Irving of the Brooklyn Nets has for the Boston Celtics is
Kevin Durant #7 of the Brooklyn Nets. (Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) How many games are in the first round of the NBA Playoffs? by Patrick Schmidt Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant had a miserable performance in Game 2 against the Celtics and NBA Twitter won’t let him live it down. The Nets fell down 0-2 in
8:00 AM ET JUST ACROSS THE street from FTX Arena, on a billboard space that was regularly occupied by Dwyane Wade during his legendary Miami Heat tenure, Tyler Herro is all angles, pictured in a Hudson Jeans advertisement dribbling a basketball, wearing a short-sleeved black T-shirt, ripped black jeans and black boots. Inside the arena
The Whiteboard is The Step Back’s daily basketball newsletter, covering the NBA, WNBA and more. Subscribe here to get it delivered to you via email each morning. In yesterday’s installment of The Whiteboard, I began the annual exercise of examining the offensive style of each team using the same NBA offensive style charts I’ve been building
Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry. (Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports) Ja Morant buried entire state of Minnesota with tweet after comeback vs. Timberwolves by Scott Rogust Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry made a fan’s day when he stopped to sign her jersey before Thursday’s playoff game. Steph Curry makes fans dreams come true
Kevin Durant gave his opinion on the Boston Celtics’ hostility toward Kyrie Irving and the way Irving reacted. Kevin Durant was asked by reporters about the way Kyrie Irving reacted to the Boston Celtics’ crowd during Game 1 of the playoffs. He chalked up Irving’s reaction to the fans as him not being in the
Marcus Smart of the Boston Celtics Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports 3 teams that should trade for Deebo Samuel and Jimmy Garoppolo by Braulio Perez Video of Mike Tyson assaulting a passenger on a plane leaked by Sapphires Sealey Marcus Smart lets everyone know that he is DPOY by showing up to TD Garden
12:47 AM ET MINNEAPOLIS — In one of the most dramatic comebacks in NBA postseason history, the Memphis Grizzlies clawed their way out of a 26-point hole on Thursday night to defeat the Minnesota Timberwolves 104-95. Improbably, the Grizzlies now lead the best-of-seven first-round series 2-1. “We all know the game is never over until
Ben Simmons #10 of the Brooklyn Nets . (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) Alex Morgan raising the standards, as a professional athlete and a mom by Mark Carman Kevin Durant explains Celtics’ defense: ‘two or three guys hitting me’ by Sapphires Sealey Fans may finally get to see Ben Simmons make his Brooklyn Nets debut for
Jan 21, 2022; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler (22) and Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young (11) fight for the ball on the court during the second half at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports Look: Georgia football players show off national championship rings at G-Day by John Buhler Atlanta
The Miami Heat have a 2-0 series lead over the Atlanta Hawks, and look to make it 3-0 with a Game 3 win on Friday. The Miami Heat entered the NBA Playoffs as the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference. Meanwhile, the Atlanta Hawks earned the eighth seed after defeating the Charlotte Hornets and
6:48 PM ET Milwaukee Bucks star Khris Middleton will miss the rest of the opening-round playoff series against the Chicago Bulls due to a sprained medial collateral ligament in his left knee, sources told ESPN on Thursday. Middleton will be re-evaluated in two weeks when a timeline on his possible return in these playoffs —
Kevin Durant #7 of the Brooklyn Nets (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) Ben Simmons could make his Nets’ debut at home in Game 4 by Sapphires Sealey Kevin Durant has not been his best offensively in the first two games of the Brooklyn Nets-Boston Celtics series. He explained why. Kevin Durant has not been himself
8:00 AM ET Kendra AndrewsESPN JUST SEVEN MONTHS ago, one of the most important role players on a club desperate to return to its dynastic reign and the son of the legendary Seattle Supersonics’ Gary Payton, was preparing to apply for a desk job in the team’s video department. Seven months ago. Gary Payton II,
Aaron Rodgers No. 12 of the Green Bay Packers. (Dylan Buell/Getty Images) Joel Embiid talked s**t to Drake after sinking game-winning shot vs. Raptors [Video] by Patrick Schmidt Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers doesn’t just attend Milwaukee games as a fan. He’s a minority owner of the Bucks. If you caught Packers stars Aaron
TORONTO, ON – APRIL 20: Joel Embiid #21 of the Philadelphia 76ers holds his thumb in the second half of Game Three of the Eastern Conference First Round against the Toronto Raptors at Scotiabank Arena on April 20, 2022 in Toronto, Canada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or
The Utah Jazz look to hold serve when they host the Dallas Mavericks in Game 3 of their first-round playoff series on Thursday night. All tied up at a game apiece, the Utah Jazz are hoping to win their first one at home in their first-round playoff series vs. the Dallas Mavericks in Game 3
11:41 PM ET Brianna Williams Joel Embiid knows what it’s like to be losing on the side of a go-ahead 3-pointer in the NBA playoffs, but that wasn’t the case on Wednesday night. The Philadelphia 76ers star splashed a turnaround three with under one second remaining in overtime to secure a 104-101 win against the
Cleveland Cavaliers’ President of Basketball Operations Koby Altman, spoke on Collin Sexton’s future with the team The Cleveland Cavaliers‘ season ended with a play-in game loss to the Atlanta Hawks. But now that their season is over, the front office has some decisions to make, and one of those decisions has to do with the
Toronto Raptors forward Pascal Siakam and his teammates. (John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports) UFC Vegas 51: Drakkar Klose takes shot at old coach, Mark Madsen after winning comeback fight (Video) by Thomas Albano The Toronto Raptors earned the fifth-seed in the Eastern Conference. Here is the team’s full playoff schedule. After missing the playoffs last
Philadelphia 76ers guard James Harden. (Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports) Ump interferes with Kenley Jansen’s warm-up routine by Scott Rogust During the 76ers playoff game against the Raptors, Philadelphia star James Harden got away with taking six steps between dribbles. James Harden already has a bit of a reputation for traveling. Like many stars in this
2:43 PM ET Phoenix Suns star Devin Booker is likely to miss Games 3 and 4 against the New Orleans Pelicans with a mild right hamstring strain, but he hasn’t been ruled out for the rest of the opening-round Western Conference series, sources told ESPN. The Suns were still evaluating results of an MRI on
Jordan Poole has been the breakout star of the NBA Playoffs so far and he looks like just what the Golden State Warriors need to make another title run In Game 2 of their first-round match-up with the Denver Nuggets, the Golden State Warriors went on one of their patented third-quarter runs. They outscored Denver
3:27 AM ET Andrew LopezESPN PHOENIX — Before every game when his team is doing pregame handshakes, New Orleans Pelicans forward Larry Nance Jr. has a message for Brandon Ingram. “You’re the best player on the floor,” Nance tells him. Nance and Ingram were teammates on the Los Angeles Lakers for the 2016-17 season and
The Whiteboard is The Step Back’s daily basketball newsletter, covering the NBA, WNBA and more. Subscribe here to get it delivered to you via email each morning. The Utah Jazz are in trouble. They’ve split the first two games of their series with the Dallas Mavericks but Luka Doncic didn’t play for the Mavs in either
Apr 5, 2022; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker celebrates in the second half against the Los Angeles Lakers in the second half at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports Rockies lock up lefty Kyle Freeland to new five-year deal by Eric Treuden After hitting a buzzer-beating shot in the
12:18 AM ET PHOENIX — After a prolific 31-point first half, Phoenix Suns star Devin Booker was forced from his team’s playoff game against the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday with right hamstring tightness. Booker appeared to suffer an injury with 4:30 left in the third quarter after challenging a Jaxson Hayes dunk in transition.
In Joel Embiid’s postgame interview, following the Philadelphia 76ers’ win over the Toronto Raptors, he spoke about what was said to Nick Nurse. During the NBA playoffs, it is expected for players to heckle their opponents. It is a high-intensity atmosphere, and it often brings out the best in the players. Most would expect the