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10:53 PM ET Washington Wizards guard Isaiah Thomas was ejected late in the fourth quarter of Saturday’s 125-108 road loss against the Philadelphia 76ers after going into the stands and verbally confronting a fan at Wells Fargo Center. After he made one of two free throws with 3 minutes, 6 seconds left, Thomas said he

1:07 AM ET Tim BontempsESPN PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia 76ers went the first two months of the season without losing a game at home. Then they lost two in the span of three days. And, after getting blown out by the Luka Doncic-less Dallas Mavericks 117-98 at Wells Fargo Center on Friday night, Joel Embiid

2:05 AM ET PHILADELPHIA — There must have been a lot of confused NBA fans around the country as the ESPN broadcast went to commercial break after the first quarter. Not because the Dallas Mavericks, minus MVP candidate Luka Doncic, held a seven-point lead over a Philadelphia 76ers squad that entered Friday night with the

8:00 AM ET THE OBSESSION STARTED a long time ago, in a state far, far away, when they were just the size of Ewoks and not the Wookiee-sized big men they are today. Brook and Robin Lopez grew up with a love of Star Wars. They were fascinated by the struggle between good and evil,

12:08 PM ET An MRI result for the left foot of Boston Celtics forward Gordon Hayward came back clean, coach Brad Stevens told reporters Friday. Hayword will not play in Boston’s game against the Detroit Pistons on Friday, but Stevens said it’s not a long-term concern. Hayward missed Wednesday’s game against the Dallas Mavericks because

3:25 AM ET LOS ANGELES — The normally laid back Lou Williams had to be restrained from going after an official before being ejected. Minutes later, Patrick Beverley fouled out and went on to be ejected for jawing with Russell Westbrook. In the fourth quarter of a hotly contested, back-and-forth game against the Houston Rockets,

5:49 PM ET Toronto Raptors center Marc Gasol will miss a period of weeks with a left hamstring strain, league sources told ESPN. Gasol’s rehabilitation program will dictate how soon he’ll be able to return, but he’s expected to be out of the lineup for the foreseeable future, sources said. Gasol has started all of

7:29 AM ET The Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers — basketball’s two best teams at the moment — face off on Thursday in the premier matchup of the 2019-20 NBA regular season so far. What are the biggest things to watch in this game? Where are these two championship contenders weakest? And what is

12:52 AM ET Tim BontempsESPN PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia 76ers entered Wednesday night as the only unbeaten team at home in the NBA. It turned out, however, the Miami Heat had just the thing to trip the Sixers up: zone defense. Miami employed the zone liberally Wednesday night, using it on 39 possessions, per Second

8:53 PM ET OKLAHOMA CITY — Initially, the last time Steven Adams could remember wearing proper pants — non-sweatpant division — he was about to be drafted into the NBA. That was in 2013. But though Adams later remembered putting on a suit in 2016 for Russell Westbrook‘s Oklahoma Hall of Fame event — “That

7:11 AM ET NBA Insiders Who is the favorite for MVP — LeBron James, Giannis Antetokounmpo, James Harden, Luka Doncic or another contender? Who is winning the Finals: One of the Los Angeles teams or the field? We polled the ESPN Forecast panel of experts for their votes about a third of the way through

2:02 AM ET INDIANAPOLIS — Asked to look back at the team that arrived at Bankers Life Fieldhouse last February and imploded with a 42-point loss, Indiana Pacers coach Nate McMillan was diplomatic. “LeBron [James] had some injuries and a lot was going on with the Lakers last year,” McMillan said before the Lakers played

6:14 PM ET Sacramento Kings guard De’Aaron Fox, who missed 17 games because of a sprained left ankle, returned to action Tuesday night against the Charlotte Hornets. Fox, who came off the bench, finished with a team-high 19 points, 8 assists and 2 rebounds in 30 minutes. Fox was averaging 18.2 points, 7.0 assists and

12:06 PM ET The NBA has announced that former commissioner David Stern remains in serious condition following emergency surgery Thursday to address a sudden brain hemorrhage. “He is receiving great care and surrounded by his loved ones,” the league said Tuesday as part of a statement. Stern was admitted to a New York City hospital

1:26 AM ET Eric WoodyardESPN MILWAUKEE — Inside the Milwaukee Bucks’ locker room following Monday’s 120-116 loss to the Dallas Mavericks, players were not hanging their heads. They don’t have time to. Their 18-game win streak was snapped, two wins shy of matching the franchise record of 20 set during the 1970-71 championship season. But

7:58 PM ET MILWAUKEE — After suffering a moderate ankle sprain Saturday, Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic already has shed his crutches and walking boot, coach Rick Carlisle said. “He is responding well to treatment,” Carlisle said before the Mavericks game against the Milwaukee Bucks on Monday night. “He is progressing well.” Carlisle said that

10:22 AM ET The National Basketball Players Association is meeting with G League players this week to discuss further a plan to unionize the NBA’s minor league system, league sources told ESPN. The NBPA sent an email to player agents on Monday morning to “continue that conversation” with players at the G League Showcase in

1:19 AM ET SAN FRANCISCO — The Sacramento Kings set a an NBA season high with 29 turnovers but still managed to overwhelm the Golden State Warriors 100-79 on Sunday night. The two teams combined for 50 turnovers and countless mental errors leaving both players and coaches on both sides searching for answers. “We made

6:05 PM ET Andrew LopezESPN NEW ORLEANS — New Orleans Pelicans guard Jrue Holiday has seen his fair share of losing streaks. So when he was asked on Sunday afternoon following New Orleans’ 130-119 loss to the Orlando Magic — setting a new record for franchise futility with 12 consecutive defeats — Holiday remembered back

1:16 PM ET Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic might be able to return within a couple of weeks after suffering a moderate right ankle sprain, league sources told ESPN on Sunday. Doncic injured the ankle early in Saturday’s 122-118 loss to the Miami Heat when he stepped on Heat guard Kendrick Nunn‘s foot while driving

12:00 AM ET Associated Press DENVER — Breaking out of a mini-slump, Nikola Jokic is reasserting himself as the centerpiece of the Denver Nuggets’ offense. Jokic had 28 points, 14 rebounds and 12 assists for his fourth triple-double of the season, leading the Nuggets past the Oklahoma City Thunder 110-102 on Saturday night. Jokic now

4:52 PM ET Charlotte Hornets rookie PJ Washington is expected to be sidelined through Christmas with a fractured finger, league sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The Hornets play five games in that stretch. The injury occurred in the fourth quarter of Charlotte’s 83-73 victory over the Chicago Bulls on Friday, the team said in a

12:41 PM ET The Los Angeles Lakers will pack up their bags in Miami on Saturday and fly to Atlanta for the third leg of their five-game road trip Sunday, but the team plane will be missing some precious cargo. LeBron James chartered a flight of his own on L.A.’s off day in between games

2:29 AM ET MINNEAPOLIS — With Lou Williams out, LA Clippers coach Doc Rivers wanted Kawhi Leonard and Paul George to be even more aggressive in their staggered minutes Friday night in Minnesota. What Rivers got in return was the first pair of teammates in franchise history to score at least 40 points each in

6:53 PM ET Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo returned Friday night against the Grizzlies after initially being listed as questionable with a right quad tendon injury. The reigning MVP and candidate to repeat missed Wednesday’s 127-112 win over the Pelicans with the injury, the first game he had missed this season. He was upgraded to probable

7:51 AM ET Let’s plant ourselves in the lane for 10 NBA things: 1. Jimmy Butler and the Heat, cutting you to pieces The post-LeBron James Miami Heat adapted to their superstar void by crafting a whirring motion offense designed to add up to more than the sum of its parts. They cut and screened

1:21 AM ET Tim BontempsESPN BOSTON — Joel Embiid declared Thursday morning that Charles Barkley and Shaquille O’Neal were right: He needed to start looking to dominate games. He didn’t waste time taking their advice to heart. In a spectacular performance at TD Garden on Thursday night, Embiid had 38 points, 13 rebounds, six assists

8:18 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN BOSTON — Al Horford sat out what was supposed to be his first game back at TD Garden against the Boston Celtics on Thursday night with left knee soreness and left hamstring tightness. “I won’t be able to go tonight,” Horford said shortly before his Philadelphia 76ers faced the Celtics.

11:14 AM ET Eric GomezMexico writer MEXICO CITY — Through 14 seasons, the unlikely journey of the Dallas Mavericks‘ J.J. Barea has seen the 5-foot-10 guard scrap his way onto an NBA roster as an undrafted free agent, transform into a key contributor on a championship team and seize the attention of budding superstars. “No

12:03 AM ET ORLANDO, Fla. — The Los Angeles Lakers were perplexed as to why Jared Dudley‘s role in a fourth-quarter shoving match in the team’s 96-87 win over the Orlando Magic on Wednesday night warranted an ejection. However, they were impressed he stuck up for teammate Dwight Howard nonetheless. “I mean, that’s all it