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12:31 AM ET Tim BontempsESPN Toronto Raptors guard Kyle Lowry repeatedly insisted Wednesday night that he doesn’t know what will happen between now and Thursday’s 3 p.m. trade deadline. But that didn’t stop an air of finality from hanging over the proceedings following a 135-111 victory over the Denver Nuggets, as the greatest player in

7:34 PM ET The NBA is investigating coordinating with national pharmacy chains to “to host on-site vaccination clinics for players, team and arena personnel, and household members at team facilities and arenas in the coming weeks and as state eligibility requirements permit,” according to a league memo that was sent to teams Wednesday and was

1:13 AM ET The Toronto Raptors are hurtling toward a roster transformation at Thursday’s NBA trade deadline, engaging in talks on multiple fronts centered on separate deals for six-time All-Star guard Kyle Lowry and Norman Powell, sources told ESPN. In the final year of his contract, Lowry’s chances of leaving Toronto in a trade are

9:54 PM ET SAN FRANCISCO — Golden State Warriors star guard Stephen Curry will miss at least another week as he continues to recover from a bruised tailbone. Warriors coach Steve Kerr said that Curry underwent an MRI on Tuesday morning that showed inflammation and led to the organization’s decision to keep him out for

2:53 PM ET The Houston Rockets are progressing on several fronts in talks to trade guard Victor Oladipo, and there’s strong confidence they’ll execute a deal ahead of Thursday’s NBA trade deadline, sources tell ESPN. The Rockets are increasingly comfortable with the offers on Oladipo in the marketplace, which include young players and first-round pick

7:00 AM ET NBA Insiders The 2021 NBA trade deadline is just two days away, and teams at the top and bottom of the standings are lining up to make their moves. While there isn’t a superstar on the market who’ll redefine the race for the championship — not after James Harden was already traded

12:47 AM ET His mask could barely contain Houston Rockets coach Stephen Silas’ smile Monday night following a 117-99 win over the Toronto Raptors that brought a franchise-record 20-game losing streak to a merciful end. A day earlier, Silas was visibly distraught after the Rockets’ 114-112 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder. Silas’ postgame news

2:40 PM ET Hall of Fame forward Elgin Baylor, who followed his illustrious playing career with a decades-long tenure as LA Clippers general manager, has died at the age of 86. Baylor died of natural causes Monday and was surrounded by his wife, Elaine, and his daughter, Krystal, the Los Angeles Lakers said in a

7:29 AM ET LeBron James‘ high ankle sprain — combined with Anthony Davis‘ continued right leg issues — has a massive impact on the Western Conference playoff picture. What does it mean for our NBA Power Rankings moving forward? Add the fact that the NBA-best Utah Jazz are showing signs of a mid-season funk, the

8:59 PM ET Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball is expected to miss the rest of the season with a fracture to his right wrist, a source told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Ball, considered a frontrunner for NBA rookie of the year, is seeking a second opinion to confirm the diagnosis, the source said. Ball, 19, appeared

2:31 PM ET Blake Griffin will make his debut with the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday against the Washington Wizards. Griffin said that he will be on a minutes restriction. Griffin last played on Feb. 12 against the Boston Celtics when he was still a member of the Detroit Pistons. After agreeing to a buyout with

4:42 AM ET Denver Nuggets guard Monte Morris has joined the Brooklyn Nets‘ Spencer Dinwiddie in committing to playing for Nigeria internationally as a naturalized player, head coach Mike Brown has confirmed to ESPN. Multiple reports in local media emerged on Friday that Morris would be playing for the African nation at the Olympics. The

1:20 AM ET Eric WoodyardESPN The Bucks have won 11 of their last 12 games thanks to Saturday night’s 120-113 victory over the San Antonio Spurs in Milwaukee. But the national hype hasn’t been the same around this year’s group compared to the past two seasons, when it finished atop the league standings. And for

4:53 PM ET LOS ANGELES — LeBron James exited the Lakers’ game against the Atlanta Hawks in the first half on Saturday after Solomon Hill collided with James’ right ankle. James, 36, knocked over a chair in frustration on his way to the locker room. Hill was called for a foul with 10:50 remaining in

3:40 PM ET LA Clippers All-Star Paul George was fined $35,000 by the NBA for critical comments he made about officiating following Wednesday’s loss to the Dallas Mavericks. Frustrated over not getting foul calls after repeatedly drawing contact in the paint, George characterized his conversations with officials as “just a bunch of lies” when he

7:14 PM ET Golden State Warriors star guard Stephen Curry will not play Friday against the Memphis Grizzlies and is doubtful for Saturday’s game as he continues to recover from a tailbone contusion. “Steph is still pretty sore,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said before Friday’s game. “Frustrated he wants to be going tonight, but will

2:52 PM ET Associated Press NEW YORK — Gary Payton II is following in his father’s footsteps when it comes to elite defense. Payton II was announced Friday as the G League’s Defensive Player of the Year — a trophy that comes 26 years after his father, Basketball Hall of Famer Gary Payton, won the

3:14 AM ET LOS ANGELES — LeBron James has been awarded the NBA’s MVP award four times in his career, tied with Wilt Chamberlain for the third most all time, but one of his teammates, Los Angeles Lakers forward Kyle Kuzma, says James should have double that. At least. “The NBA MVP is a very

12:51 AM ET ESPN News Services PHOENIX — Anthony Edwards scored a career-high 42 points, Karl-Anthony Towns added 41 and the Minnesota Timberwolves rallied to stun the Phoenix Suns 123-119 on Thursday night. At 19 years and 225 days old, Edwards became the third-youngest player in NBA history with a 40-point game. The Timberwolves still

7:23 PM ET The Houston Rockets have agreed to a trade with the Milwaukee Bucks that will send P.J. Tucker, Rodions Kurucs and the Bucks’ 2022 first-round pick back to Milwaukee for D.J. Augustin, D.J. Wilson and a 2023 unprotected first-round pick, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski on Wednesday. Houston also gets the right to

6:53 AM ET What is projected to happen in the 2021 NBA draft lottery? This will be the third lottery since the NBA flattened the odds, which introduced more uncertainty at the top of the draft order. Last season, the Minnesota Timberwolves won the lottery with the league’s third-worst record and the Charlotte Hornets jumped

12:04 AM ET Tim BontempsESPN After Giannis Antetokounmpo hit a turnaround jumper in the lane to cap a personal 7-0 run and give his Milwaukee Bucks what turned out to be an insurmountable lead in an eventual 109-105 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers, he celebrated by sitting down on the court inside Philadelphia’s Wells Fargo

7:00 AM ET Malika Andrews Close ESPN Staff Writer Staff Writer Joined ESPN in 2018 Appears regularly on ESPN Chicago 1000 Ohm Youngmisuk Close ESPN Staff Writer Ohm Youngmisuk has covered the Giants, Jets and the NFL since 2006. Prior to that, he covered the Nets, Knicks and the NBA for nearly a decade. He

2:46 AM ET Andrew LopezESPN Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard sat down for his post-game availability with his right hand wrapped in ice and sporting a Marvelous Marvin Hagler sweatshirt. Lillard, perhaps the NBA’s biggest boxing fan, looked like he just gone through a 12-round fight Tuesday night. And while it looked like the

12:50 AM ET When Rookie of the Year frontrunner LaMelo Ball takes the court against LeBron James for the first time in his young career later this week, he says he doesn’t expect to feel any added excitement competing against the 18-year veteran. “I mean, nah,” Ball, 19, told reporters on a videoconference call Tuesday

3:25 PM ET LeBron James has become a partner in the Fenway Sports Group, making the NBA superstar a part owner of the Boston Red Sox, a source has confirmed to ESPN. The Boston Globe first reported Tuesday that James and Maverick Carter — his longtime friend and business partner — are now partners at

6:53 AM ET Tim BontempsESPN The NBA trade market had been quiet in 2021, but the unofficial tipoff to deadline season arrived last week. The Detroit Pistons sent Svi Mykhailiuk and a 2027 second-round pick to the Oklahoma City Thunder in exchange for Hamidou Diallo. Two lottery-bound teams swapping bench players headed for restricted free

10:29 PM ET Sacramento Kings forward Marvin Bagley III suffered a fractured left hand in the first half of Monday’s game against the Charlotte Hornets, the team announced. The third-year big man exited the game with 2:59 remaining in the first half having already registered 12 points on 6-for-9 shooting, three rebounds and one blocked

6:56 AM ET We’re 10 days away from the NBA trade deadline. Which contenders will make a splash heading into March 25? One of the season’s biggest moves has already been made, with the Brooklyn Nets signing Blake Griffin last week after the former All-Star forward agreed to a buyout with the Detroit Pistons. The

1:44 AM ET After the LA Clippers failed to respond and were routed by a more aggressive and hungrier New Orleans Pelicans squad on Sunday night, Kawhi Leonard said his team’s lack of consistency is “very concerning.” The Clippers never led and trailed by as much as 33 before falling 135-115 to the up-and-down Pelicans