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9:55 AM ET SECAUCUS, N.J. — The lottery has become a party for the damned. It is usually held in a fancy hotel, with pre-show mingling over cocktails and appetizers for VIPs. Once a team contingent showed up, let’s say, a little rowdier than usual after a private flight to New York. Representatives from each

11:26 PM ET Portland Trail Blazers star guard Damian Lillard left Thursday’s 111-88 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers in the third quarter because of a dislocated left index finger. X-rays on Lillard’s finger were negative, the team announced. Lillard, who scored 18 points on 6-of-14 shooting in 30 minutes, did not return to the

4:55 PM ET Andrew LopezESPN Toronto Raptors president Masai Ujiri issued a statement on Thursday afternoon in his first public comments since video footage showed the altercation with Ujiri and a San Francisco-area sheriff’s deputy following the clinching game of the NBA Finals last year. Ujiri starts the statement thanking everyone who expressed “disappointment and

1:48 AM ET Luka Doncic described it as “an amazing feeling” to get his first NBA playoff win after the Dallas Mavericks‘ 127-114 victory over the LA Clippers in Wednesday’s Game 2, and it’s a sensation he expects to experience again soon. “We’ve just got three left,” Doncic said, referring to how many more wins

12:41 AM ET With about eight minutes to go in the third quarter Wednesday night, Philadelphia 76ers guard Josh Richardson tried to throw an entry pass to teammate Joel Embiid, who had established post position in the middle of the lane. The pass was awful. Richardson jumped to throw it and it was loopy and

1:35 PM ET Dallas Mavericks big man Kristaps Porzingis is listed as questionable for Wednesday’s Game 2 against the LA Clippers because of right knee soreness. A source told ESPN that Porzingis is experiencing irritation in the knee but hopes to play in Game 2. Meanwhile, Clippers guard Patrick Beverley was added to the afternoon

11:19 PM ET A countersuit filed by Toronto Raptors president of basketball operations Masai Ujiri includes new video footage that shows the San Francisco Bay Area police officer with whom he had an altercation in the moments after the Raptors won Game 7 of the 2019 NBA Finals was the aggressor. The suit was filed

11:06 PM ET NBA Insiders Should we be concerned about the Milwaukee Bucks and the Los Angeles Lakers after Game 1? The first round of the NBA playoffs has officially kicked off with all 16 teams in contention having a game under their belts in the Florida bubble. As a result, injuries, trends and difficult

1:30 PM ET Boston Celtics forward Gordon Hayward will miss around four weeks due to a Grade III sprain of his right ankle suffered in Monday’s win over the Philadelphia 76ers. Hayward, who scored 12 points on 5-for-13 shooting with 4 rebounds, 3 assists and 4 steals in 34 minutes, was trying to box out

6:30 AM ET NBA Insiders In early July, a couple of days before the Los Angeles Lakers boarded a plane for Orlando, Florida, hoping their trip would extend to the NBA Finals in October, Jared Dudley made a prescient remark. “[LeBron James] is ready for this moment, you can tell,” Dudley said. “You can see

9:35 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — The Boston Celtics lost forward Gordon Hayward to a right ankle sprain in the fourth quarter of their 109-101 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers. “Sprained ankle,” Celtics coach Brad Stevens said afterward. “Don’t know the severity, but he’s clearly in pain, and it looked like

3:24 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — The NBA announced the results of its draft tiebreakers on Monday, setting the order for both the draft lottery on Thursday night as well as the order of picks 15-60 for the NBA draft itself, which is scheduled for Oct. 16. The Sacramento Kings earned

6:48 AM ET SECONDS BEFORE ENTERING the Serbian gym, Mike D’Antoni casually mentioned to Steve Kerr that this stop on their European scouting trip was essentially pointless. It was the spring of 2004, just after Kerr joined the Phoenix Suns as a front-office consultant. D’Antoni was entering his first full season as head coach and

Aug 14, 2020 After 66 scrimmages, 88 seeding games, one Play-In — and plenty of fishing — the matchups for the 2020 NBA playoffs are finally set. And in an unprecedented atmosphere that could negate the benefits of home-court advantage, we could be in for another wild two months inside Disney’s ESPN Wide World of

12:35 PM ET Jimmy Butler is apparently a budding barista. And by the looks of it, the Miami Heat star might have a successful business on his hands inside the NBA bubble. According to the menu outside his Walt Disney World hotel room, Butler’s offerings include a latte, a cappuccino, a macchiato and more. A

7:15 AM ET The good news for the Los Angeles Lakers is they are the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference playoffs, the first time they’ve earned pole position in a decade and an honorable accomplishment after a traumatic season. The bad news is they appear to have won the least valuable No. 1

6:03 PM ET Attention is the utmost compliment in public life, and Damian Lillard has received plenty of it over the past week. In his Portland Trail Blazers‘ win-or-go-home squeaker on Thursday night, the Brooklyn Nets threw two bodies at Lillard before he even crossed half court. It seemed the most sensible strategy after Lillard

12:28 PM ET The New Orleans Pelicans dismissed coach Alvin Gentry, sources told ESPN on Saturday morning. After a disappointing performance in the NBA’s Orlando restart, the franchise moved quickly on Gentry’s removal. Gentry had one year left on his contract. The Pelicans move into the coaching marketplace with the Brooklyn Nets and Chicago Bulls.

6:38 PM ET Vlade Divac has stepped down as general manager of the Sacramento Kings and Joe Dumars has assumed the role of the team’s interim executive vice president of basketball operations, the team announced Friday. Divac’s exit came a day after the Kings concluded bubble play with a 136-122 win against the Lakers. They

11:29 PM ET NBA Insiders Saturday’s play-in game (2:30 p.m. ET, ABC) between the Portland Trail Blazers and Memphis Grizzlies is the rare NBA win-or-go-home contest, at least for the Grizzlies. If Memphis wins on Saturday, the rematch is Sunday (4:30 p.m. ET, ESPN), with the winner advancing to the NBA playoffs to face the

9:32 AM ET The Chicago Bulls have fired coach Jim Boylen after two seasons, executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas announced Friday. Boylen was 39-84 without a playoff appearance after taking the head-coaching job in December 2018. His .317 win percentage is the second lowest to Tim Floyd (.205) in Bulls history for

11:00 AM ET All the scenarios, all the magic numbers, all the scoreboard watching — it’s all getting settled on Thursday. Here is where things stand as four teams battle for two spots in this weekend’s Western Conference play-in: Portland Trail Blazers: win and they’re in (as the No. 8 seed). Memphis Grizzlies: win and

10:38 PM ET Eric WoodyardESPN Puff Daddy and Mase topped the Billboard Hot 100 charts with their smash song “Can’t Nobody Hold Me Down” the last time the San Antonio Spurs missed the NBA playoffs. That’s how long it’s been — way back in the 1996-1997 season. The final buzzer sounded Thursday night with the

11:00 AM ET All the scenarios, all the magic numbers, all the scoreboard watching — it’s all going to be settled and easy to understand by close of business on Thursday night. But here’s where it’s at before we get there: Portland Trail Blazers: win and they’re in (as the 8-seed). Memphis Grizzlies: win and

7:10 AM ET NBA Insiders Thursday is the biggest day of the NBA restart, as we reach the conclusion of the red-hot Western Conference play-in battle. The Portland Trail Blazers, Memphis Grizzlies, San Antonio Spurs and Phoenix Suns will all be in action, and only two will advance to face off on Saturday. We asked

11:30 PM ET Before the NBA season restarted, the league decided that the 88 seeding games at ESPN’s Wide World of Sports Complex would not count toward season-long awards voting this year. Then on Tuesday the league announced that it would name an MVP and All-NBA teams for the restart games before the playoffs begin.

6:00 AM ET As we approach the 2020 postseason, the NBA title remains fully up for grabs. No one should be considered a clear favorite to win it all, and given the quirks of the bubble environment, more teams than ever are heading to the playoffs with visions of triumph. But one reason there’s no

10:19 PM ET The final spot in the Western Conference playoffs will come down to a weekend play-in, where the No. 9 seed will have to win two games against the No. 8 seed — Saturday at 2:30 p.m. ET on ABC and, if necessary, Sunday at 4:30 p.m. ET on ABC — to make

10:24 PM ET Eric WoodyardESPN After initially being questionable to participate, Milwaukee Bucks reigning MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo‘s night on Tuesday ended early against the Washington Wizards after he was ejected in the first half. Antetokounmpo was hit with a flagrant foul 2 for his head-butt against Moritz Wagner at 8:50 in the second quarter. Antetokounmpo

1:50 PM ET Four days of seeding games remain, and the West’s play-in race is reaching its breaking point. The seeding games run through Friday, but all relevant play-in games will be settled by Thursday, when the Portland Trail Blazers play the Brooklyn Nets. There are many scenarios still in play, but the picture will