11:02 PM ET NBA Insiders Zion Williamson‘s NBA debut with the New Orleans Pelicans is here. Williamson’s surgery to fix the meniscus in his right knee happened on Oct. 21, the day before the Pelicans opened the 2019-20 season against the Toronto Raptors. The original timeline for Williamson was six-to-eight weeks, which would have put
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If the Cleveland Cavaliers are going to move Kevin Love at the NBA trade deadline, we’d love to see one of these deals come to fruition. Ball-slamming aside, Kevin Love has been a loyal soldier for the Cleveland Cavaliers. The fact of the matter, though, is that he’s an expensive soldier for a team that’s
In a season full of sparkling individual performances, Damian Lillard just raised the bar significantly. Damian Lillard has thrown up some monster games before, but his 61-point effort against the Warriors on Monday night was exceptional. He earned those points, the most anyone has scored in a game this season, on 17-of-37 from the field,
3:36 PM ET Andrew LopezESPN METAIRIE, La. — Sleep might be hard to come by for New Orleans Pelicans rookie Zion Williamson on Tuesday night. The No. 1 overall pick in last year’s draft is set to make his NBA regular-season debut on Wednesday against the San Antonio Spurs, but he said on Tuesday that
Life on a non-guaranteed contract in the NBA can be a little bit stressful. Players have to work just a little bit harder and be just a little more efficient than everyone else. They’ve got to do about their daily grind with the thought they can be cut at any moment in the back of
1:35 AM ET ESPN News Services PORTLAND, Ore. — Damian Lillard set a franchise record with 61 points, including a career-best 11 3-pointers, and the short-handed Portland Trail Blazers outlasted the equally depleted Golden State Warriors 129-124 in overtime Monday night. Lillard’s previous career high was 60 points earlier this season against Brooklyn. He now
Knee issues have kept Chandler Parsons off the floor a lot in recent years, but severe injuries in a car accident last week have put his NBA playing career in jeopardy. Chandler Parsons was not going to play much for the Atlanta Hawks this season after being traded to them last July, so it’s not
10:30 PM ET HOUSTON — There were no puns intended with the stormy metaphors used by some members of the Houston Rockets after their fourth-quarter collapse in a 112-107 loss Monday to the Oklahoma City Thunder. Forward Danuel House Jr. described it as feeling like the Rockets were in a “dark cloud” after their fourth
2:01 PM ET NEW YORK — Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving is being held out of Monday’s matinee against the Philadelphia 76ers in the hope that resting his tight left hamstring will prevent another extended absence. Nets coach Kenny Atkinson said that Irving first presented with the hamstring symptoms on Sunday. He underwent treatment to
These NBA players have depth, danger, flaws and hidden values. The Safdie brothers would definitely describe them as uncut gems. There’s a really good interview with the Safdie brothers about Uncut Gems. All interviews with the Safdie brothers are good because of the general disorderliness of their train of thought, but this one with Vulture
5:48 PM ET ESPN News Services Dallas Mavericks forward Kristaps Porzingis, who has missed the last 10 games because of right knee soreness, said he is targeting a return to the lineup on Tuesday against the LA Clippers. 2 Related “The way I’m feeling, I don’t see why there should be any hurdles,” Porzingis told
With the trade deadline only a few weeks away, teams are zeroing in on potential deals. Some teams hope to improve for a playoff push, while others are looking to capitalize on the urgency of contenders. Whichever side of that equation your favorite team finds itself on, they are surely weighing all of their options.
6:12 PM ET Andrew LopezESPN New Orleans Pelicans rookie Zion Williamson is officially listed as doubtful for Monday’s contest against the Memphis Grizzlies. The team announced the change in the injury report on Sunday evening, but don’t read too much into it. Williamson is still expected to make his NBA debut on Wednesday night against
Ja Morant #12 of the Memphis Grizzlies looks on during the game against the Oklahoma City Thunder on December 26, 2019 at Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. 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
12:09 PM ET Utah Jazz forward Royce O’Neale has agreed to a four-year, $36 million contract extension, agents Ty Sullivan and Steven Heumann of CAA Sports told ESPN. O’Neale plans to sign the deal on Sunday, the agents said. Although he could’ve become a restricted free agent this summer, O’Neale and his reps negotiated a
With the trade deadline only a few weeks away, teams are zeroing in on potential deals. Some teams hope to improve for a playoff push, while others are looking to capitalize on the urgency of contenders. Whichever side of that equation your favorite team finds itself on, they are surely weighing all of their options.
1:45 AM ET HOUSTON — It was halftime in Houston. The Rockets led by six, and Russell Westbrook was rolling, already up to 22 points on 9-of-12 shooting, when Los Angeles Lakers guard Rajon Rondo made a coaching suggestion. Why not try putting Kyle Kuzma on him? Kuzma, known more for his scoring potency than
The Portland Trail Blazers have agreed to send Kent Bazemore and filler to the Sacramento Kings for Trevor Ariza and filler. Here are NBA Trade Grades for both sides. Mark the Portland Trail Blazers down as the latest team to fall into the Trevor Ariza trap. As first reported by The Athletic’s Shams Charania, the
Mikal Bridges’ numbers are underwhelming at first glance, but he’s the linchpin behind the Phoenix Suns’ recent success and their long-term goals. In most cases, a 3-and-D wing averaging fewer than seven points a night and shooting below 30 percent from 3-point range would be considered wholly underwhelming, and that’s before adding the designation of
9:05 PM ET Associated Press PULLMAN, Wash. — Whenever Isaac Bonton drained a 3-pointer or dished out an assist, NBA and Washington State great Klay Thompson was on his feet, cheering on the young point guard. Thompson ended up spending a lot of time on his feet as Bonton scored a career-high 34 points and
The NBA trade deadline can transform great teams into contenders. Let’s rank who the best available players are this year. As Dwane Casey is fond of saying, there’s more than one way to skin a cat. A trade hasn’t always been how champions have built their teams, however. In the NBA, teams can build contenders
With the trade deadline only a few weeks away, teams are zeroing in on potential deals. Some teams hope to improve for a playoff push, while others are looking to capitalize on the urgency of contenders. Whichever side of that equation your favorite team finds itself on, they are surely weighing all of their options.
2:15 PM ET Portland Trail Blazers guard CJ McCollum will not play in Saturday’s road game against the Oklahoma City Thunder because of a left ankle sprain, the team announced. McCollum was injured in Friday’s 120-112 loss against the Dallas Mavericks, on a drive when his foot landed on the foot of Dallas forward Maxi
Right on cue, the Utah Jazz are hitting their stride. What are we to make of them entering the second half of the season? It has become a rite of winter for the Jazz to find their rhythm just as they begin to inspire doubt. This time last year, Utah was just beginning a 29-12
7:15 AM ET FRANK VOGEL WAS introduced as the Los Angeles Lakers‘ head coach in the midst of a profoundly bizarre week for the franchise. And it was about to get even stranger. Last May, alongside general manager Rob Pelinka, Vogel took the podium on the team’s practice court. Just hours earlier, Magic Johnson had
With the trade deadline only a few weeks away, teams are zeroing in on potential deals. Some teams hope to improve for a playoff push, while others are looking to capitalize on the urgency of contenders. Whichever side of that equation your favorite team finds itself on, they are surely weighing all of their options.
6:44 PM ET ESPN News Services INDIANAPOLIS — Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns, back in the starting lineup after missing 15 games because of a sprained left knee, had a team-high 27 points Friday night, but Minnesota lost 116-114 to the Indiana Pacers. Coach Ryan Saunders, who told reporters before the game that the Timberwolves would
The Pistons may be looking to move Andre Drummond at the trade deadline. Here are a few deals that offer a fun spin in both directions. The Pistons are currently outside the playoff picture and won’t see Blake Griffin on the court again this season. The obvious path forward is figuring out how to shed
The New Orleans Pelicans have been on a nice run lately, but how high could they really climb in the Western Conference standings? The New Orleans Pelicans beat the Utah Jazz 138-132 in overtime on Thursday night, pulling out their ninth win in their last 12 games and ending Utah’s 10-game winning streak. Brandon Ingram
8:50 AM ET How about a fresh serving of 10 NBA things: 1. The tricks of Ja Morant Morant’s athleticism and fearlessness strike you first. He is so fast. He wants to dunk on everyone — to humiliate victims, the bigger the better. All that is cool. But what is most impressive about Morant —