1:59 AM ET DALLAS — Tom Thibodeau, the notoriously gruff first-year New York Knicks head coach, cracked a hint of a grin when asked about his demeanor following a 117-109 win Friday night over the Dallas Mavericks. It was New York’s fifth consecutive victory, marking the franchise’s longest winning streak in seven years. The Knicks,
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The seventh edition of The Defensive Player of the Year Watch for Basketball Insiders is here! In this week’s ranking, there’s not much change beyond the addition of the formerly-injured Philadelphia 76ers star, Joel Embiid. It’s impossible to leave him off of this list and it should come as no surprise if he ends the
Indiana Pacers’ player Myles Turner did a mother a strange but endearing favor by signing her baby’s head. Talladega Nights, anyone? The sports world has its fair share of crazy (but mostly well-intentioned) fans, whether it’s a Cleveland Cavaliers supporter preemptively getting a “2015 NBA Champs” tattoo or parents who named their newborn child “ESPN.” In
5:11 PM ET Utah Jazz star Donovan Mitchell needed to be helped off the floor and into the locker room by teammates during the third quarter of Friday’s game against the Indiana Pacers due to a right ankle injury. He did not return. X-rays were negative on Mitchell’s ankle, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Sources
Kawhi Leonard broke out a goofy grin during the Los Angeles Clippers’ win, despite sitting the entire game. What’s got him so tickled? Every once in a blue moon, Leonard reminds the world that he is not, in fact, a robot, and he can display human emotion. It may just be a fleeting moment that
2:09 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame has announced the list of Hall of Famers scheduled to present the 2020 class of honorees — led by Michael Jordan honoring Kobe Bryant. Jordan, who spoke at Bryant’s memorial service in February 2020, will also introduce Baylor women’s coach Kim Mulkey, making
The Atlanta Hawks had quite the offseason. After a dreadful 2019-20 season in which they finished 14th in the Eastern Conference standings, Travis Schlenk completely overhauled his roster. When the free agent market opened up, the Hawks dished out $158.2 million to bring in some immediate upgrades. The first big splash was the highly sought-after
Stephen Curry shoots 3s for breakfast, so to no one’s surprise whatsoever, he set a new 3-point record for the league last night. The Golden State Warriors handily beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 147-109, and the star of the show was none other than Stephen Curry. Shocker. Two days after surpassing Wilt Chamberlain to become
Golden State Warriors rookie center James Wiseman is done for the season after tearing his meniscus. The Golden State Warriors turned an uncharacteristically down season last year into the second overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, which they used on Memphis big man James Wiseman. Like many other rookies before him, Wiseman struggled in
9:46 PM ET LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles Lakers star Anthony Davis has been cleared for full-contact practice and his return to game action is imminent, Lakers coach Frank Vogel said Thursday. It’s been a while since Vogel has had a reason to smile when asked about the health of his players — the latest
Over more than two decades, the design of sweat has become central to the evolution and reputation of NBA 2k. To sweat in sports is to grind. At the end of Game 7 in the 2016 NBA Finals, an emotional LeBron James speaks to Doris Burke with a bit of moisture on his left temple.
Blake Griffin looks revived playing for the Brooklyn Nets after looking listless with the Detroit Pistons. The dunks are definitely back. By the end of his tenure with the Detroit Pistons, Blake Griffin looked washed up. It turns out, he still has plenty left in the tank. All he needed was a fresh start. The
7:00 AM ET NBA Insiders What will happen in the key NBA standings races in the final weeks of the regular season? What are the biggest storylines and teams to watch? We polled the ESPN Forecast panel of experts — including NBA writers, editors and analysts — for their predictions now that we are two-thirds
The Western Conference has been dominating the league once again, in terms of quality teams from top to bottom. The 13th worst team in the West would be a playoff team in the Eastern Conference. Though their depth is lacking, the East still has a few teams that are championship contenders this season. The Brooklyn
The MVP race looked like one of the most engaging of the last decade, but as other stars faded away, Nikola Jokic has become the clear frontrunner The NBA has never officially said what the word “valuable” means, so voters and fans have all created their own particular mix of criteria for what it means
Austin Rivers. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images) Robert Whittaker says he’s ‘a very different beast than I was back then’ ahead of UFC Vegas 24 by Nicole Bosco The Denver Nuggets are reportedly interested in signing free agent guard Austin Rivers to boost their roster for postseason. The Nuggets and the 28-year-old guard might be
7:00 AM ET Tim BontempsESPN Two months ago, this year’s race for the NBA’s Most Valuable Player award looked as competitive as any in recent memory. But injuries have laid waste to the deep field of contenders, leaving Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic clearly standing above the rest of the field. Jokic, who has not
Every NBA team’s offensive style is in a constant state of evolution. Which teams have undergone the biggest changes this season? Last week, I took a first look at the offensive style for every team in the league this season, using offensive style charts. I’ve used these charts for the past few seasons as a way
DALLAS, TEXAS – MARCH 03: Mark Cuban, owner of the Dallas Mavericks at American Airlines Center on March 03, 2021 in Dallas, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ronald
Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports Carlos Rodon completes his road to redemption with a no-hitter by David Salituro Even Luka Doncic couldn’t have planned Wednesday night’s buzzer beater against the Memphis Grizzlies. Down two points with just seconds remaining against the Grizzlies, Doncic made one of the shots of
1:25 AM ET In the midst of one of the hottest streaks of his brilliant 12-year career, Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry had to chuckle when asked if he’d like the NBA single-game 3-point record back from his longtime teammate Klay Thompson. “Absolutely,” Curry said after scoring 42 points during Wednesday’s 147-109 win over
The Atlanta Hawks had quite the offseason. After a dreadful 2019-20 season in which they finished 14th in the Eastern Conference standings, Travis Schlenk completely overhauled his roster. When the free agent market opened up, the Hawks dished out $158.2 million to bring in some immediate upgrades. The first big splash was the highly sought-after
Larry Nance Jr., Cleveland Cavaliers. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images) Si Woo Kim breaks putter at Masters, pars final holes using 3-wood by Cody Williams The Masters 2021: 5 golfers primed to overtake Justin Rose on the weekend by Cody Williams Cleveland Cavaliers big man Larry Nance Jr. lost 20 pounds while battling an illness
3:41 PM ET In the wake of Golden State Warriors star guard Stephen Curry setting a franchise record for points — and passing Wilt Chamberlain in the process — forward Draymond Green treated his longtime teammate to dinner Tuesday night in Oklahoma City to celebrate the two-time league MVP’s latest achievement. Making the meal even
LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers. (Photo by Michael Owens/Getty Images) This Julius Randle story about Kobe Bryant is going viral by John Buhler 76ers had to hide Allen Iverson’s jersey and shoes to keep him from playing hurt by Kristen Wong The Los Angeles Lakers have seen the NBA title odds increase after Jamal Murray’s
Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports A’s announcer owns D-Backs’ pitcher after giving up game-tying home run (Video) by Braulio Perez Sixers’ Joel Embiid scores off of a Dream Shake that no one saw coming. On Monday night, Embiid channeled Hakeem “The Dream” Olajuwon to successfully pull off the Dream Shake move, scoring on Dallas Mavericks’ Willie
Zach LaVine absolutely torched the Atlanta Hawks in the first half. Zach LaVine has spent his 2019-20 NBA campaign showing everyone that he truly is a star player. While the Chicago Bulls are barely clinging to the final play-in spot in the Eastern Conference in 10th place with their 22-28 record, LaVine has put together
7:03 AM ET LUKA DONCIC HITS the brakes, changes directions with a behind-the-back dribble, then picks up the ball and steps back to his left before launching a 3-pointer. It’s March 31 inside Boston’s TD Garden, and Celtics guard Marcus Smart, one of the NBA’s premier on-ball defenders, has just gone from within breathing distance
Injuries to LeBron James and Joel Embiid, two of the top three MVP frontrunners for a majority of the season, are continuing to affect the MVP race. Now, several other players caught the injury bug and are likely to lose ground on the ladder. Let’s take a look at some of the major shake-ups in
Miles Bridges’ incredible dunk over Clint Capela had the Charlotte Hornets broadcaster spiraling. In the early morning Sunday game, it’s usually hard for NBA players to look alive. Even in a pandemic-dominated world, where going out and enjoying the nightlife isn’t allowed by the league, it can be hard to get up for those earlier