12:20 PM ET Phoenix Suns coach Monty Williams has been voted as the National Basketball Coaches Association’s Coach of the Year, sources told ESPN on Tuesday. The league’s 30 head coaches vote on the award, which was named in honor of late NBCA executive director, Michael Goldberg. Williams resurrected the Suns’ floundering franchise, leading Phoenix
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11:44 PM ET The Sacramento Kings will bring head coach Luke Walton back for a third season, sources confirmed to ESPN. The Kings extended their record-tying 15-year playoff drought after a second consecutive 31-41 season under Walton, who has two years left on his deal. Sacramento is in the midst of a multiyear rebuilding process
3:27 PM ET Andrew LopezESPN New Orleans Pelicans guard Lonzo Ball has heard his name swirl in trade rumors almost from the time he entered the NBA with the Los Angeles Lakers four years ago. But now, for the first time, Ball could have a say in his next destination as he approaches restricted free
2:00 AM ET The Los Angeles Lakers‘ repeat title bid will commence with LeBron James facing a familiar foe in the Golden State Warriors during the play-in tournament, led by James’ pick for MVP, Stephen Curry. “I mean, just look at what he’s done this year,” James said after L.A.’s 110-98 win at the New
The 2020-21 NBA playoffs — and play-in! — are finally here. And this thing is as wide open as ever. But before we lock in the full 16-team field, here’s a look at the first round of the play-in tournament, during which two teams from each conference will secure the Nos. 7 and 8 seeds:
5:39 PM ET SAN FRANCISCO — Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry is the NBA’s scoring king for the 2020-21 season. An 11-foot floater late in the first quarter of Sunday’s 113-101 win over the Memphis Grizzlies gave Curry enough points to clinch the scoring title over Washington Wizards All-Star Bradley Beal. After Beal scored
11:24 PM ET As the regular season comes to a close, each team has something to play for: seeding or draft picks. With the addition of play-in games to the 2021 NBA playoffs, the scramble for seeding is wilder — and more important — than ever, with almost every game down the stretch having significant
8:15 PM ET On Saturday, Kobe Bryant was officially inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Bryant, who died in a helicopter crash in January, 2020, was presented by Michael Jordan before Bryant’s wife, Vanessa Bryant, made a moving speech honoring the former Laker. In addition to Bryant, who won five NBA titles
6:08 PM ET SAN FRANCISCO — As his Golden State Warriors prepare for Sunday’s all important regular-season finale against the Memphis Grizzlies, Warriors coach Steve Kerr wants his team to have a clear mindset about exactly how much is at stake. With a win, the Warriors will finish the regular season with a 39-33 record,
11:47 AM ET As the Los Angeles Lakers seek to win out and avoid the play-in tournament, LeBron James is set for his return Saturday against the Indiana Pacers, according to coach Frank Vogel. James has missed the past six games to continue to recover from a high ankle sprain, but he practiced Friday and
11:42 PM ET With the addition of play-in games to the 2021 NBA playoffs, the scramble for seeding is wilder — and more important — than ever, with almost every game down the stretch having significant postseason implications. Play-in matchups after Thursday’s games Play-in games to be held Tuesday through Friday of next week •
12:00 AM ET NBA Insiders The second edition of the NBA’s play-in tournament starts Tuesday and the final participants have narrowed. The teams that finish between seventh and 10th in the standings from each conference will qualify for the tourney to determine who will earn the No. 7 and No. 8 seeds in the playoffs.
9:15 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN It took almost five months for Udonis Haslem to play in a game for the Miami Heat this season — and he didn’t last very long. Haslem, who appeared in a game for an 18th straight season, played three minutes before getting ejected early in the second quarter of Thursday
1:35 AM ET With the addition of play-in games to the 2021 NBA playoffs, the scramble for seeding is wilder — and more important — than ever, with almost every game down the stretch having significant postseason implications. Play-in matchups following Wednesday’s games Play-in games to be held May 18-21 • How the play-in tournament
3:10 PM ET ESPN News Services Minnesota Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor has reached a verbal agreement on a $1.5 billion sale of the team to former baseball star Alex Rodriguez and e-commerce mogul Marc Lore, sources told ESPN, confirming multiple reports. NBA approval of the deal was still pending, and neither side has publicly announced
9:00 AM ET The NBA has created a new award in honor of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the league’s all-time leading scorer and a noted civil rights activist, that will recognize a player who best embodies his strive for social justice and racial equality, the league announced Thursday. The winner of the inaugural Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Social Justice
10:55 PM ET With the addition of play-in games to the 2021 NBA playoffs, the scramble for seeding is wilder — and more important — than ever, with almost every game down the stretch having significant postseason implications. Play-in matchups following Tuesday’s games Play-in games to be held May 18-21 • How the play-in tournament
6:29 PM ET NEW YORK — James Harden will return to the Brooklyn Nets‘ lineup on Wednesday against the San Antonio Spurs after missing more than a month with a hamstring strain. Still, the Nets will have to wait, once again, to see their ‘Big Three’ in action. Kyrie Irving will not play in Wednesday’s
3:25 AM ET LOS ANGELES — The final few possessions that Talen Horton-Tucker was involved in during the Los Angeles Lakers‘ 101-99 overtime win against the New York Knicks on Tuesday mimicked the situation his team finds itself in as the regular season winds down. Things might not have gone as planned up to this
1:11 AM ET NBA Insiders The Los Angeles Lakers find themselves in an unfamiliar position for a defending champion, as the final days of the season see the wounded Western Conference power eyeing the improved health of LeBron James while fighting for playoff positioning. Meanwhile, teams like the Golden State Warriors and Washington Wizards find
3:54 PM ET LeBron James will give his injured right ankle one more day of rest Tuesday, when the Los Angeles Lakers take on the New York Knicks. James is targeting a return on Wednesday against the Houston Rockets, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Dave McMenamin. Frank Vogel said James was a full participant
9:47 AM ET Tech entrepreneur Marc Lore and baseball star Alex Rodriguez’s 30-day exclusive negotiating window to purchase the Minnesota Timberwolves from Glen Taylor has ended without a formal deal. Both sides are continuing to negotiate in good faith in an attempt to reach an agreement and it is possible extension to the window could
10:50 PM ET Oscar Robertson has owned the record for most career triple-doubles since 1961-62. Now, the Big O will share that record with Russell Westbrook. And that might only last two days because Westbrook will go for sole possession of the record on Monday against the Atlanta Hawks. It had become an afterthought of
6:05 PM ET The Boston Celtics say forward Jaylen Brown will miss the remainder of the season due to a torn scapholunate ligament in his left wrist. The injury, which was diagnosed over the weekend, is expected to require surgery later this week, according to the team. It’s a massive blow to a Celtics team
7:00 AM ET The NBA play-in tournament races — more importantly, the races to stay out of the play-in — sure make the regular season’s final week compelling. The Miami Heat took a huge step in securing their top-6 seed — and avoiding a spot among Nos. 7 to 10 — by defeating the seventh-seeded
1:00 AM ET With the addition of play-in games to the 2021 NBA playoffs, the scramble for seeding is wilder — and more important — than ever, with almost every game down the stretch having significant postseason implications. Play-in matchups following Sunday’s games Play-in games to be held May 18-21 • How the play-in tournament
3:53 PM ET With the addition of play-in games to the 2021 NBA playoffs, the scramble for seeding is wilder — and more important — than ever, with almost every game down the stretch having significant postseason implications. Here’s a breakdown of all the key games from Saturday and what the results mean for the
7:36 AM ET Tim BontempsESPN ON OPENING NIGHT in Indianapolis, New York Knicks guard RJ Barrett stood wide open in the left corner before taking a crosscourt pass and gathering for the shot. Despite Indiana Pacers guard Aaron Holiday closing hard, Barrett rose and fired a high-arching shot that hit all net and gave the
12:42 AM ET With the addition of play-in games to the 2021 NBA playoffs, the scramble for seeding is wilder — and more important — than ever, with almost every game down the stretch having significant postseason implications. Here’s a breakdown of all the key games from Saturday and what the results mean for the
6:50 PM ET Utah Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell will miss at least one more week after having his sprained right ankle re-evaluated by the Jazz’s medical staff Friday, the team announced. Utah said Mitchell “continues to make progress towards a return” and would be re-evaluated in one week. Mitchell suffered the injury April 16 against