SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA – DECEMBER 17: Kelly Oubre Jr. #12 of the Golden State Warriors reacts after making a basket against the Sacramento Kings at Golden 1 Center on December 17, 2020 in Sacramento, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the
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3:01 AM ET LOS ANGELES — A 22-point lead had shrunk to one and the LA Clippers could feel the Los Angeles Lakers coming for them on championship ring night. The Clippers could’ve felt déjà vu as they were on the verge of blowing another massive lead. But Paul George made sure the Clippers didn’t
Kyrie Irving, Brooklyn Nets. (Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports) Keyontae Johnson gives us a positive update on his recovery (Video) by John Buhler Brooklyn Nets point guard Kyrie Irving had some Boston Celtics demons to exorcise Friday. Kyrie Irving burned some sage ahead of the Brooklyn Nets‘ road game vs. the Boston Celtics. I
LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLORIDA – AUGUST 21: Kemba Walker #8 of the Boston Celtics (Photo by Kim Klement – Pool/Getty Images) Raheem Mostert’s suffers another high-ankle sprain, season is jeopardy by Braulio Perez Kemba Walker sounds a long way away from getting back on the floor. Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics will once again
9:22 PM ET NEW YORK — Ahead of the Nets’ season opener against the Warriors, Golden State coach Steve Kerr sat down to watch some film of his former player, Kevin Durant. He pulled up Brooklyn’s preseason game against Boston and took in Durant’s first competitive games since tearing his Achilles in June of 2019.
With Chris Paul’s arrival, the Phoenix Suns face playoff expectations for the first time in years. Here are their five big questions for the 2020-21 NBA season. The Phoenix Suns have spent more time aimlessly wandering the desert than most Biblical characters lately. Thanks to Devin Booker‘s tireless efforts, head coach Monty Williams and general
With their signing of Danilo Gallinari, the Atlanta Hawks have signaled their intent to build around Trae Young and compete right away. With rumored interest in Gordon Hayward via a possible sign-and-trade, the Atlanta Hawks signaled they might mean business this offseason. On Friday night ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported they pivoted to forward Danilo Gallinari,
The Atlanta Hawks are paying quite a handsome sum for Danilo Gallinari to be a bench player. When the news first broke that the Atlanta Hawks had landed one of the biggest fish in 2020 NBA free agency, it was a sign the front office was ready to start competing in the playoffs with Trae
7:00 AM ET It seems like only 2½ months ago, LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers were hoisting the Larry O’Brien Trophy as champions inside the Orlando bubble. Oh, wait. That’s exactly what happened. Yes, after only 72 days away, NBA basketball is back! Are the Lakers a lock for another title, or could
Mandatory Credit: Nick Wass/Pool Photo-USA TODAY Sports DK Metcalf is tired of your player comparisons by Scott Rogust Thomas Bryant wanted to fight Blake Griffin, but the Detroit Pistons star just laughed. Thursday’s NBA preseason game between the Detroit Pistons and Washington Wizards could hardly be considered appointment viewing, but in the third quarter of
The Washington Wizards resisted the urge to blow things up and brought in Russell Westbrook to flank Bradley Beal. Here are their five biggest questions for 2020-21. 1. Russell Westbrook + Bradley Beal = ?? WASHINGTON’S GLORIOUS RETURN TO THE POSTSEASON! Yes, the Eastern Conference continues to grow stronger but those bottom-rung playoff seeds are
6:56 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN In a change from his past statements on the topic of expansion, NBA commissioner Adam Silver said Monday afternoon that the league has looked at some of its analysis of the ramifications of expanding beyond the league’s 30 teams. “I think I’ve always said that it’s sort of the manifest
The San Antonio Spurs saw their multi-decade playoff streak broken last year. Are they ready to start a new one? Is there an NBA team run by Jawas? The real issue with LaMarcus Aldridge and DeMar DeRozan is that they have outlived their usefulness in the basketball world. The words are cruel, but so is
Rudy Gobert is staying with the Utah Jazz for the next five seasons. The Utah Jazz have been among the busiest teams in the league this offseason, signing Jordan Clarkson to a four-year deal after locking up star shooting guard Donovan Mitchell for the last five years. After some long negotiation, the Rudy Gobert domino
LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLORIDA – AUGUST 08: Rudy Gobert #27 of the Utah Jazz reacts after being charged with a foul during the third quarter against the Denver Nuggets at The Arena at ESPN Wide World Of Sports Complex on August 08, 2020 in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and
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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. Production in the preseason can be all over the map, with players feeling out unfamiliar roles, with unfamiliar teammates and against unfamiliar opponents, often experimenting with scoring or
The Raptors managed to retain Fred VanVleet in free agency, but will that be enough to keep them in the hunt for an Eastern Conference title? Masai Ujiri and the Raptors front office quietly had a lot of work to do this offseason. They managed to retain Fred VanVleet which was crucial for the team’s
9:00 AM ET With the NBA season tipping off this week, here’s a look at the betting market around the country — including the teams attracting the most and least action, the biggest bets and some of the odds that have been on the move. Lots of Lakers love • The defending champion Los Angeles
It makes sense for the Lakers to overpay Kyle Kuzma, but giving him a player option was a clear capitulation by Los Angeles’ front office. Kyle Kuzma’s new contract is going to raise a lot of eyebrows around the NBA. The idea that the Lakers needed to overpay Kuzma to prevent him from hitting restricted
4:09 PM ET Ty Lue plans on utilizing Kawhi Leonard like Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant by employing some triangle sets for the LA Clippers. The new Clippers coach said on Sunday that Leonard will have opportunities to emulate Jordan and Bryant — two players Leonard has spent a lot of time studying and patterning
5:11 PM ET Los Angeles Lakers forward Kyle Kuzma has agreed to a three-year, $40 million extension, including a player option prior to the 2023-24 season, sources tell ESPN. Kuzma, 25, finalized talks on his rookie extension on Sunday, sources said. In a rare non-max contract rookie extension that includes a player option, the deal
SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA – DECEMBER 15: Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors cheers for his team during their game against the Sacramento Kings at Golden 1 Center on December 15, 2020 in Sacramento, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to
One of the biggest players of the offseason, the Portland Trail Blazers made a splash in their chase for a championship. Here are their five big questions for them heading into 2020-21. 1. Is Robert Covington the wing Portland has been waiting for? The Blazers spent all of last season putting a band-aid on the
9:55 AM ET All-NBA big man Rudy Gobert will sign a five-year, $205 million contract extension with the Utah Jazz, he told ESPN after agreeing to the largest deal for a center in league history. “It means that they believe in me,” Gobert told ESPN. “They believe in what we’ve been building over the years
Devin Booker seized his moment the first chance he got in the NBA spotlight. After the 8-0 bubble run, what’s next for the star of the Phoenix Suns? Ever since he entered the 2015 NBA Draft pegged as a spot-up shooter, Devin Booker has spent the first five years of his career defying expectations. And
LOS ANGELES, CA – JANUARY 01: Deandre Ayton #22 of the Phoenix Suns gets a dunk while Anthony Davis #3 of the Los Angeles Lakers looks on in the second half at Staples Center on January 1, 2020 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using
12:04 AM ET Russell Westbrook drove the lane, found Thomas Bryant open for an easy dunk while the Washington Wizards‘ big man was fouled and then immediately ran to Bryant to scream his approval. In his first game with the Wizards, Westbrook only logged 17 first-half minutes in Washington’s 99-96 victory over the Detroit Pistons.
The sports world makes for a beautiful palette but individual images can get lost in the constant shuffle. Here are the best Getty Images sports photos from this week. Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images C.J. Elleby of the Portland Trail Blazers collides with Justin James of the Sacramento Kings in the fourth quarter during their preseason game at
The Philadelphia 76ers may be willing to include Ben Simmons in a James Harden trade. James Harden wants out of Clutch City, and after showing up late to training camp because he was partying with rapper Lil Baby, the Houston Rockets can sense this is becoming a bad situation. Harden had already given his list