As outsiders, it’s easy to make generalizations, to misunderstand the actual dynamics happening on the court and overlook legitimate reasons for a player to be frustrated. For example, how could Butler be upset with his role in the 76ers offense when, numerically, he’s getting almost the exact same opportunities he received in Minnesota? In Philadelphia, Butler
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Pascal Siakam isn’t a superstar, but his wide skill-set and infectious energy have helped the Toronto Raptors be one of the NBA’s best teams this season. Kawhi Leonard may be the do-it-all forward holding down headlines for the Toronto Raptors. But the energy and burgeoning versatility of Pascal Siakam have been just as important to
Thanks to a strong weekend, the Toronto Raptors have more wins than any team in the NBA. They are percentage points behind the Milwaukee Bucks for the best record in the league and are one of just four teams that currently sit inside the top 10 in both offensive and defensive efficiency, per NBA.com. The
7:35 PM ET Associated Press PHILADELPHIA — 76ers center Joel Embiid sat out Friday night against Atlanta because of a sore left ankle. Embiid hurt his ankle in a loss at Washington on Wednesday night. Embiid was one of the final players to leave the court during warm-ups and shot long jumpers wearing “Trust the
The atmosphere is buzzing. On one side of the court, bleachers are almost to capacity with roughly 1,200 people in attendance. The other side has been cleared out to welcome multiple bounce houses for the children. It’s Pirate Night. There are foam swords and pirate hats galore. This is the NBA G-League. The Salt Lake
For a No. 1 overall pick who is averaging 16 points, 10 rebounds, and 2 assists per game while shooting better than 60 percent from the field, Deandre Ayton catches a whole lot of criticism in certain corners of the basketball internet. Whether it’s for lackadaisical pick-and-roll defense or poor rim-protection numbers or simply having
1:25 AM ET The San Antonio Spurs outlasted the Oklahoma City Thunder 154-147 in double overtime in what might end up being the game of the year in the NBA. The Spurs didn’t miss a 3-pointer for nearly the entire game, the Thunder erased a 16-point deficit to force overtime, LaMarcus Aldridge became the newest
3:47 AM ET SAN ANTONIO — LaMarcus Aldridge saw the double team, spun baseline and fired a jumper that found the bottom of the net, and he immediately knew: “This is one of those nights,” he said. Aldridge scored a career-high 56 points to help the Spurs survive the Oklahoma City Thunder and Russell Westbrook‘s
No player in the NBA more ruthlessly pursues the most efficient possible shot on every single possession than James Harden. Harden fully embodies the Houston Rockets’ layups and threes ethos, eschewing almost entirely any shots other than those from the most advantageous areas of the floor. It’s a style of play that has swept through
Ice Cube announced in a BIG3 conference call today that the league will expand from eight to twelve teams and lower the player entry age from 30 to 27. BIG3 is flourishing into its third season, with Ice Cube announcing that the league is officially expanding from eight to twelve teams and putting out games
In case you didn’t know, James Harden’s beard protects against basketballs getting fired directly at his face. James Harden has been in the NBA since 2009, and for most of his career, he’s been famous for having one of the biggest and thickest beards we’ve ever seen in professional sports. Heck, that’s why he’s earned
The media — in pre- or post-game instances — gather in a room to press the coach on nuances of a game, and what the coach might consider bringing back to his team in the coming weeks of a basketball season. For the most part, questions can be as basic as asking about the hustle of
6:27 PM ET OAKLAND, Calif. — Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr says DeMarcus Cousins will start when he makes his season debut, likely Jan. 18 against the Clippers. Cousins, who signed a one-year deal with the Warriors last summer, will make his long-awaited return to the floor after rehabbing a torn left Achilles tendon
2:32 AM ET LOS ANGELES — Detroit Pistons forward Blake Griffin made his first appearance at Staples Center as an opponent Wednesday night after playing nearly eight seasons as a member of the LA Clippers. Griffin’s return was dampened by the Pistons’ 113-100 defeat to the Lakers, Detroit’s eighth loss in 10 games. After the
3:19 AM ET LOS ANGELES — A week after suffering a lower back contusion and two days after missing 16 of the 20 shots he attempted in his return to the court, Kyle Kuzma scored a career-high 41 points in the Los Angeles Lakers‘ 113-100 win over the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday. And he did
6:32 PM ET Adrian WojnarowskiESPN The Toronto Raptors are signing free-agent guard Patrick McCaw for the rest of the season, league sources told ESPN. McCaw cleared waivers on Wednesday afternoon, sources said. McCaw, 23, has been the subject of some intrigue in recent weeks — a Golden State restricted free agent who signed a non-guaranteed
On Thursday, the NBA released the first returns of voting for next month’s All-Star Game. Within the hour, people everywhere — both fans and media members alike — were sharing their thoughts. Of course, this is hardly a new phenomenon and, more often than not, the shakier results end up smoothing out by the final
Despite winning by nine points and improving to an 11-1 record, the Toronto Raptors were just relieved to leave Sacramento with a win. “I think they controlled [the tempo] more than we did,” Raptors guard Danny Green told The Step Back after the game. “I think we’re lucky to come out with this one.” There
If you read any NBA previews this fall, there were a few consensus ideas that kept appearing. Almost everyone picked the Warriors to win their third championship in a row, that LeBron James would vastly improve the Lakers, and that the playoff race in the Western Conference would be a bloodbath, albeit one that was
8:26 AM ET James Harden is having a moment, smack-dab inside one of the great individual stretches of professional basketball we’ve ever seen. After hitting one of the biggest shots of his life last Thursday, he finds himself at the center of the NBA universe. The impossible game-winning 29-footer over the Golden State Warriors sparked
After three weeks of holiday indulgence off, the NBA Power Rankings are back to check in on which teams are rising and falling. 30 Cleveland Cavaliers 8-32 Last week: 1-9Last rank: 28 The Cavaliers have the worst record in the league but…they also have the worst point differential in the league, more than two points
The Miami Heat weren’t lauded for signing Derrick Jones Jr., but he seems to be ready to develop into an effective contributor on the wing. Derrick Jones Jr. may not be a household name, or even a name familiar to most NBA fans, but the Miami Heat swingman might end up at that level some
Jonathan Isaac and Mohamed Bamba hosted a block party on Sunday. Ever since Dwight Howard left, the Orlando Magic have been trying to find a suitable replacement down low to resurrect their defense from the ashes. Nikola Vucevic isn’t a defensive presence, and the acquisitions of Serge Ibaka and Bismack Biyombo backfired. The Magic may
The new Magic coach, Steve Clifford, brings in a philosophy that tells his team not to take risks. That makes him a risky hire, but also makes the payout even higher if he does work out. Often when a team starts with a new coach, there’s not all that much that you know about them.
10:38 PM ET Marc J. Spears OAKLAND, Calif. — Golden State Warriors center DeMarcus Cousins is targeting the Jan. 18 game at the LA Clippers for his season debut, a source told The Undefeated’s Marc Spears. Cousins, who tore his left Achilles tendon last January as a member of the New Orleans Pelicans and hasn’t
3:53 PM ET ESPN News Services Hornets star guard Kemba Walker says he has talked to general manager Mitch Kupchak about what Charlotte has in store for roster upgrades but that he wasn’t getting involved beyond that, signaling he will take a wait-and-see approach to his free agency this summer. “They know. They know what
1:59 AM ET DALLAS — A late-night phone call between Lonzo Ball and Brandon Ingram after their coach publicly challenged the pair to play with more passion for the undermanned Los Angeles Lakers helped spark a 107-97 come-from-behind road win over the Dallas Mavericks on Monday. Ingram scored a season-high 29 points, adding six assists,
The Milwaukee Bucks game operations staff trolled Kawhi Leonard in hilarious fashion during Saturday’s game against the Toronto Raptors. Seriously, get these people some more money. The game operations folks at the Fiserv Forum came up with an all-time tremendous troll on Saturday night. The Milwaukee Bucks were hosting the Toronto Raptors in a matchup
Lonzo Ball is one of the more divisive players in the NBA. We attempt to argue both sides of his case before the Lakers may decide his future with the team. Ladies and gentleman of the jury…I first want to thank you for the time and attention you’ve given to this matter over these last
We’re about to see what the Los Angeles Lakers are made of outside of LeBron James. When Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James went down with a groin injury on Christmas Day against the Golden State Warriors, it seemed like the ending was inevitable. Of course, the Warriors would take advantage of the opportunity and