3:00 AM ET SAN FRANCISCO — Golden State Warriors guard Damion Lee has made a career out of proving people wrong. That determination has helped him earn the respect of his teammates and coaches over time, and is part of the reason why so many people within the Warriors organization were so happy to see
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2:14 PM ET Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry will not play Saturday against the Philadelphia 76ers, missing the first game since he returned from a 58-game absence earlier this week. The Warriors listed Curry as out with a “General/Illness” designation. On Friday, coach Steve Kerr had said Curry was a “good sore” after playing
9:31 AM ET The Brooklyn Nets and head coach Kenny Atkinson are parting ways, the team announced Saturday morning. “After discussions with Kenny about the progress of the season, we mutually agreed that a coaching change would be in the best interest of the team,” general manager Sean Marks said in a statement. “This was
2:57 AM ET Mulitple Contributors LOS ANGELES — Carrying the main card billing of an NBA Finals preview and perhaps the decisive showdown between the league’s top MVP front-runners, Friday’s heavyweight bout between the Los Angeles Lakers and Milwaukee Bucks possessed the sort of stakes offered in June, not March. And from the opening tip
5:01 PM ET Free-agent center Joakim Noah has agreed to a deal with the LA Clippers, league sources tell ESPN. Noah, 35, will join the Clippers on a 10-day contract next week, but there’s optimism that he would finish the season with the team barring any setbacks, league sources said. Noah will fill the franchise’s
9:00 AM ET Before March gets too crazy, let’s look at 10 (actually, 11) NBA things: 1. Here come the Clippers Remember when people were worried about the Clips losing games without two or three starters, including one of the league’s 10 best players? That was cute. After destroying the Rockets in Houston Thursday, the
11:14 PM ET SAN FRANCISCO — Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry took the 14 steps from his team’s locker room up to the tunnel that leads to the floor at Chase Center on Thursday night and couldn’t wait to see what was in front of him. He started running as soon as he got
6:49 PM ET EL SEGUNDO, Calif. – LeBron James was named the NBA’s MVP four times through his first 16 seasons in the league, however the Los Angeles Lakers superstar claims he never set out to acquire a pile of Maurice Podoloff Trophies. “It’s never motivated me,” James said Friday on the eve of the
6:46 AM ET Stephen Curry has just completed his first contact practice in almost four months and Golden State Warriors officials are breathing a collective sigh of relief. Curry, who broke his hand on Oct. 30, is speaking to reporters for the first time since November. His reemergence in early March is a bright light
12:18 AM ET Eric WoodyardESPN MILWAUKEE — Although they’re fierce competitors on the court, both being All-Star Game captains, Giannis Antetokounmpo says he’s inspired by LeBron James‘ ability to perform at an elite level at age 35. Before they previously tipped off, 11 days ahead of James’ December birthday, Antetokounmpo even referred to James as
8:14 PM ET The Golden State Warriors say guard Stephen Curry will return to the lineup Thursday night against the Toronto Raptors. Curry has missed the last 58 games with a fractured left hand he suffered Oct. 30. About time!!! 😂 pic.twitter.com/yVs6r4UTZI — Stephen Curry (@StephenCurry30) March 5, 2020 He’ll join a Golden State team
2:59 AM ET LOS ANGELES — In an intimate gathering of season-ticket holders Monday, Lakers owner Jeanie Buss shared how excited she feels to have her team break its six-year postseason dry spell next month, thanks in large part to an offseason trade with the New Orleans Pelicans for the next great Lakers big man.
12:36 AM ET Tim BontempsESPN BOSTON — With the Celtics leading by 17 points at the end of the third quarter Tuesday night, Brooklyn Nets guard Caris LeVert wasn’t even sure he’d get a chance to play in the fourth. “I thought [Nets coach Kenny Atkinson] was going to pull [me], too,” LeVert said. “[But]
NetsCeltics Field Goal % BKN52.6 51.9BOS Three Point % BKN33.3 38.5BOS Turnovers Rebounds Full Team Stats TD Garden Coverage: TNT Boston, MA Line: BOS -6.5 Over/Under: 219 Capacity: 18,624 Win %:83.6 0.0 – 1st End of the 1st Quarter End of the 1st Quarter Celtics offensive team rebound Carsen Edwards misses 37-foot three point jumper
7:50 AM ET HE WILL LIKELY have his number retired in Miami, deserves a statue in Cleveland and has left an indelible mark on Team USA. But now, 17 years in and past his 35th birthday, the word “Lakers” across LeBron James‘ chest seems to have inspired a transformation. James has embraced playing a position,
12:15 AM ET MIAMI — It felt like a statement win at the perfect time Monday night, but according to Miami Heat All-Star Bam Adebayo, his team’s 105-89 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks shows the Heat’s potential yet doesn’t change their underdog status. “We’re always the underdog. I feel like we can play with anybody.
6:09 PM ET Among the NBA’s short-term recommendations to teams in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak, players should utilize fist-bumps over high-fives with fans and avoid taking items such as pens, balls and jerseys to autograph, according to a memo to teams obtained by ESPN. Among larger concerns being addressed in NBA front offices
9:00 AM ET As we enter the last full month of the NBA regular season, the Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers maintain the league’s two best records. In what could be an NBA Finals preview, reigning MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks travel to Los Angeles to square off against LeBron James and the
1:40 AM ET Andrew LopezESPN NEW ORLEANS — On Sunday morning prior to the New Orleans Pelicans final regular-season matchup of the year with the Los Angeles Lakers, Pelicans guard Josh Hart was asked about the potential of playing his former team in the playoffs. “That’s gonna be us being here and he stays there,
4:29 PM ET ESPN News Services Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo reeled off 41 points, 20 rebounds and six assists — in just 35 minutes — in Sunday’s 93-85 win over the Charlotte Hornets. It was the fewest minutes played in a 40-20-5 game in NBA history, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. The previous
6:34 AM ET NBA Insiders How are the 2020 NBA playoffs and draft lottery likely to shake out with teams approaching the 60-game mark? The postseason picture is starting to take shape, with 15 teams already having greater than a 99% chance to make it in, according to ESPN’s Basketball Power Index. But which team
2:37 AM ET Tim BontempsESPN BOSTON — Since the moment James Harden became a member of the Houston Rockets in October 2012, the team has been almost exclusively built around him and his prodigious talent. That has led to plenty of Rockets victories on the back of Harden’s incredible offensive displays. And when Houston has
8:00 AM ET It’s not St. Patrick’s Day, but there’s something lucky about Leap Day for the Boston Celtics. Feb. 29 comes around only once every four years, but it’s been 36 years since the Celtics had to suffer through a defeat on Leap Day. Their 102-98 loss to the New York Knicks on Feb.
12:53 AM ET Eric WoodyardESPN MILWAUKEE — On the heels of James Harden‘s interview with ESPN’s Rachel Nichols — in which the Houston Rockets star appeared to take aim at Giannis Antetokounmpo‘s skill set — the reigning league MVP responded with a statement performance against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday night. The Milwaukee Bucks‘
12:25 AM ET MILWAUKEE — The Milwaukee Bucks staged another in a series of artful basketball exhibitions on Friday night at Fiserv Forum. Giannis Antetokounmpo padded his MVP résumé with skillful efficiency and gaudy athleticism (32 points, 13 rebounds, 6 assists in 27 minutes, before taking yet another fourth quarter off in a blowout). Of
9:00 AM ET OKLAHOMA CITY — A couple days into training camp, Chris Paul needed to set the record straight. Again. He had already cleared things up on Twitter, but as he stood in the corner of the Oklahoma City Thunder practice facility and peered across the floor with an eye toward Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Paul
9:05 AM ET Let’s move into the weekend with 10 NBA things: 1. Jayson Tatum is here When was the last time this happened — a player in the middle of the season making The Leap, everyone digesting the revelation together and knowing it is real and lasting? Perhaps Kawhi Leonard toward the start of
2:48 AM ET SAN FRANCISCO — The Los Angeles Lakers hardly ever practice, and shootarounds are even rarer for the veteran squad. So getting Markieff Morris, who signed with the team this week after receiving a buyout from the Detroit Pistons, up to speed takes some creativity. “We’ve kind of beefed up our film sessions,”
8:00 AM ET Reigning MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo helped the Milwaukee Bucks clinch the earliest NBA playoff berth in 15 seasons on Sunday. Meanwhile, LeBron James has the Los Angeles Lakers at the top of the Western Conference, but is that enough to stop Antetokounmpo from repeating as MVP? Will Zion Williamson make an All-NBA team
9:22 AM ET Associated Press NEW YORK — Some key Kobe Bryant memorabilia, including two of his Los Angeles Lakers uniforms and cement handprints from his induction into the Grauman’s Chinese Theater hall of fame gallery, are going up for sale in April. Julien’s Auctions said Thursday that the items would be up for sale