1:31 PM ET CJ McCollum has doubled down on the Portland Trail Blazers‘ expectations for this season, leveling a championship-or-bust mantra after an offseason of unprecedented player movement within the rest of the NBA. McCollum, in an essay published by The Players’ Tribune, set NBA title expectations for the Blazers in a Western Conference he
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The Phoenix Suns just can’t have nice things, as star center Deandre Ayton is facing a 25-game suspension for violating the NBA’s Anti-Drug policy. It legitimately took less than 24 hours. Not even a full day after the Phoenix Suns enjoyed one of their most encouraging wins in recent memory, a 124-95 thrashing of the
3:28 AM ET SAN FRANCISCO — The Golden State Warriors officially moved into their dream home Thursday night and then proceeded to live out a nightmare in an embarrassing 141-122 loss to the LA Clippers in the first ever regular-season game at Chase Center. After watching his team get run up and down the floor
The NBA is a star-driven league and, as always, it’s almost impossible to win without one. But as important as they are, you still need role players to fill the gaps in-between. To wit, you need an X-Factor, a player that can elevate his game either as a complement or when the stars are struggling.
9:47 PM ET ESPN News Services HOUSTON — A group of fans at the Houston Rockets‘ season opener against Milwaukee held signs and wore shirts in support of anti-government protesters in Hong Kong on Thursday night. Houston general manager Daryl Morey angered China with a since-deleted tweet in support of the protesters earlier this month.
The NBA‘s regular-season kicked off in earnest on Wednesday night with 11 teams playing their first game. Here are some quick statistical takeaways from the league’s first big slate. Kyrie goes off Kyrie Irving‘s 50-point explosion was a nice way for him to formally introduce himself as a Net. He finished 17-of-33 from the field
1:14 PM ET Associated Press WASHINGTON — Vice President Mike Pence took a swipe at Nike and the NBA in a speech criticizing China’s record on trade and human rights. Pence singled out the shoe company for removing Houston Rockets merchandise from stores in China after the team’s general manager angered the Chinese government with
Here we go again! Last year, this writer dove into what the association was like ten years before the incoming season. Now here we are again. We’re traveling back to the year 2010. Back when the iPad was first sweeping the nation, the economy was still in the toilet, and the Toy Story trilogy had
1:22 AM ET Tim BontempsESPN PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia 76ers spent the offseason building a team focused on a very specific identity: being big and physical and imposing their will on their opponents at both ends of the court. And, if Philadelphia’s season-opening 107-93 victory over the Boston Celtics at Wells Fargo Center on Wednesday
Dejounte Murray is blazingly fast, and a lengthy and impactful defender. But until he adds a jump-shot, the Spurs’ future won’t be as bright as its past. The Spurs were winning 51-40, midway through the third quarter, when the Houston announcer couldn’t help himself. “Murray lined up on Harden…Harden takes him to school!” To him,
8:46 PM ET Eric WoodyardESPN CHARLOTTE — There were no first game jitters for former Kentucky star PJ Washington during his NBA debut for the Charlotte Hornets. The 12th overall pick made a huge splash on Wednesday against Chicago with seven 3-pointers in his career debut, the most in the NBA’s 3-point era since 1979-80,
Here we go again! Last year, this writer dove into what the association was like ten years before the incoming season. Now here we are again. We’re traveling back to the year 2010. Back when the iPad was first sweeping the nation, the economy was still in the toilet, and the Toy Story trilogy had
12:28 PM ET LaVar Ball is “restructuring” Big Baller Brand and plans to relaunch a new website, according to a company spokesman. The company has been effectively defunct for several months in the wake of a financial and legal dispute with his former business partner Alan Foster. The company’s previous website now redirects to a
The first Coach’s Challenges in NBA history were issued in the 2019-20 season opener between the Raptors and Pelicans. Unfortunately, both were lost. The 2019-20 NBA season marked the first time in league history that head coaches would be able to challenge an official’s decision in the middle of a game. Much like football, the
3:41 AM ET LOS ANGELES — Kawhi Leonard‘s long-awaited Clippers debut began with Lakers fans booing his introduction and interrupting his pregame message thanking the fans in L.A. Once the game tipped off, he got off to a slow start. By the time his first home game at Staples Center was over, though, Leonard made
Here we go again! Last year, this writer dove into what the association was like ten years before the incoming season. Now here we are again. We’re traveling back to the year 2010. Back when the iPad was first sweeping the nation, the economy was still in the toilet, and the Toy Story trilogy had
9:07 PM ET Chinese state television did not air the NBA’s opening night games Tuesday, and the league’s streaming partner, Tencent, reduced its schedule and was showing just the Los Angeles Lakers–LA Clippers game. CCTV has customarily shown the league’s opening night games but has pulled all NBA broadcasts in the wake of Houston Rockets
The Thunder and Pelicans received numerous future first-round draft picks in trades this offseason. What can we say about the value of picks far in the future? In the few years before the 2019 offseason, front offices seemed reticent to part with future unprotected first-round draft picks. No one wanted to repeat the mistakes of
Ahead of Monday’s deadline for rookie contract extensions, Buddy Hield and Jaylen Brown both earned four-year deals with their respective teams. With the deadline for rookie contract extensions rapidly approaching, the Sacramento Kings and Boston Celtics were able to lock down their respective wing players who were eligible. As reported by The Athletic‘s Sam Amick
11:16 AM ET Golden State Warriors star guard Klay Thompson is unlikely to play at all this season as he recovers from a torn ACL, according to coach Steve Kerr. Thompson tore the ACL in his left knee on June 13 in Game 6 of the NBA Finals, and Warriors general manager Bob Myers said
Anything can happen in the NBA. Every season, there are so many things that seem to come out of the blue, whether it be a team that was or wasn’t expected to be competitive or big trade that no one saw coming. There is just too much randomness involved in the day-to-day to be certain
6:59 PM ET Utah Jazz forward Joe Ingles has agreed to a one-year, $14 million extension, keeping him under contract with the franchise through 2021-2022, agent Mark Bartelstein of Priority Sports tells ESPN. Ingles, 32, had two years and $22.8 million left on his Jazz deal. The additional year secures one of the franchise’s most
The Utah Jazz have agreed to a one-year, $14 million contract extension with wing Joe Ingles. On a day full of deals, this one might be the most cost-effective. On a day full of contract extensions before the NBA‘s Oct. 21 deadline, the Utah Jazz wound up giving out perhaps the most reasonable deal of
4:47 PM ET Andrew LopezESPN Zion Williamson‘s first dance with the New Orleans Pelicans will have to wait. The team announced on Monday afternoon that Williamson had arthroscopic surgery on his right knee to treat a torn meniscus. The Pelicans expect Williamson will miss six to eight weeks. Williamson would miss approximately 20 games on
Anything can happen in the NBA. Every season, there are so many things that seem to come out of the blue, whether it be a team that was or wasn’t expected to be competitive or big trade that no one saw coming. There is just too much randomness involved in the day-to-day to be certain
12:29 PM ET Sacramento Kings guard Buddy Hield has agreed to a four-year, $94 million contract extension, league sources told ESPN. The deal includes $86 million in guaranteed money, eight million in exceedingly reachable bonuses and another $12 million in incentives that could elevate the deal to $106 million over the term of the deal,
Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images Returning college players get undervalued on preseason big boards, but often make or break the depth of a class. Here are five players who could do this for the 2020 NBA Draft. NBA Draft classes are defined by their freshmen in the one-and-done era. The last nine No. 1 overall
3:44 AM ET Associated Press About a dozen NBA players gathered for a teleconference with officials in the league office this summer, making their case about what they believe is one of the biggest problems in the game. Fan behavior, they said, is getting worse. The numbers show they’re right, and if that isn’t troubling
As it stands right now, the Eastern Conference is wide open. It definitely has its favorites, like the Milwaukee Bucks and Philadelphia 76ers. But even they have their question marks. There are teams who could be at that level, or possibly higher should things break their way, like the Boston Celtics and Indiana Pacers. But,
In 2017, the San Antonio Spurs extended LaMarcus Aldridge because they had no other option. When it comes to DeMar DeRozan, however, they do. Extensions should be reserved for cornerstone pieces in the NBA. Tying up future cap space in a player that may not positively impact the team’s title odds is a move losing