9:33 AM ET Associated Press DONGGUAN, China — Luis Scola scored 20 points, Facundo Campazzo finished with 18 points and 12 assists and Argentina earned its first trip to the World Cup semifinals in 13 years by ousting Serbia 97-87 in a quarterfinal matchup on Tuesday. Patricio Garino added 15 for Argentina (6-0), which will
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9:42 AM ET SHENZHEN, China – In the Rio Olympics three years ago, Team USA averaged 101 points a game with Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and Carmelo Anthony leading an electric offense. In the 2014 World Cup in Spain the Americans averaged 105 points with Irving, James Harden, Steph Curry and Klay Thompson combining to
4:34 PM ET The NBA won’t allow players to wear “ninja-style headwear” this season. Several players — including the Miami Heat‘s Jimmy Butler, the New Orleans Pelicans‘ Jrue Holiday, the LA Clippers‘ Montrezl Harrell, the Minnesota Timberwolves‘ Karl-Anthony Towns and the Brooklyn Nets‘ Jarrett Allen — regularly wore the headgear a season ago. The NBA
8:52 AM ET Brittni Donaldson is joining Nick Nurse’s staff to become the 10th current female coach in the NBA. Courtesy Toronto Raptors Brittni Donaldson was almost literally born into basketball in Iowa, but even she could never have imagined her improbable path to becoming the league’s 10th current female assistant coach, and the youngest at
12:25 AM ET SHENZHEN, China — Jayson Tatum returned to Team USA practice after an ankle injury but will miss a third consecutive World Cup game Monday when the team faces Brazil (8:30 a.m. ET, ESPN+). Kemba Walker missed Monday’s shootaround with illness but was listed as probable to play in the final second-round game.
3:08 PM ET ESPN News Services PHILADELPHIA — Philadelphia 76ers forward Mike Scott was involved in a fight with Eagles fans outside Lincoln Financial Field after wearing a Redskins jersey and hat at a tailgate party before the Eagles’ game against Washington. Scott didn’t appear to get injured in the video of the fight. He
10:29 PM ET Nick DePaulaESPN NEW YORK — New Orleans Pelicans rookie Zion Williamson made his first public appearance as the newest face of Jordan Brand on Saturday morning, when he helped unveil the upcoming Air Jordan 34 sneaker at a community event in Harlem. The newest annual Air Jordan model will officially release on
11:48 PM ET Dwyane Wade may have recently retired from his NBA playing career, but he plans to be on the court with Lakers star LeBron James at Staples Center often in the coming season. Wade, who is now living in suburban Los Angeles, told the Los Angeles Times that he plans to work out
2:20 PM ET SHENZHEN, China – Before each game at the FIBA World Cup the entire teams are announced to the crowd, culminating with the head coach. Without fail as Team USA has progressed from Shanghai and now to Southern China, Gregg Popovich has gotten the loudest ovation. Popovich, for better or worse, is maybe
10:47 PM ET SPRINGFIELD, Mass. — SuperSonics legend Jack Sikma, a driving force behind the franchise’s only NBA title 40 years ago, pleaded with the league to bring back pro basketball to Seattle for the first time since 2008 during his Hall of Fame induction speech Friday night. “To all the diehard Sonic fans who
12:29 AM ET SHENZHEN, China — Marcus Smart went through Friday’s shootaround and is planning to play when Team USA faces Greece in the FIBA World Cup on Saturday. The Boston Celtics guard missed Thursday’s game against Japan with a left quadriceps strain. He missed several weeks in August with a left calf strain. “Today
4:16 PM ET NBA stars Deandre Ayton and Buddy Hield are helping raise money to aid their native Bahamas, which was devastated by Hurricane Dorian. Ayton, the Phoenix Suns center, announced Friday that he and his family are pledging $100,000 toward relief efforts in the archipelago nation of 400,000. He also asked Suns fans to
7:46 AM ET Associated Press Poland had not been to the World Cup in 52 years. It’s making up for lost time. Poland is in the driver’s seat for a quarterfinal berth next week after beating Russia 79-74 in a second-round opener on Friday in Foshan, China. Adam Waczynski scored 18 points and Mateusz Ponitka
2:20 PM ET SHANGHAI — It should’ve been a forgettable game, just a formality in pool play. But Jayson Tatum always remembered the big athletic guy on Team Japan. It was four years ago in Dubai, and Tatum was playing for the U.S. team in the under-17 world championships. He had a nice game, leading
8:32 AM ET SHANGHAI — Marcus Smart missed Team USA‘s World Cup game Thursday with a left quad strain and will be day-to-day. Smart missed most of Team USA’s training in August with a calf strain on the same left side. He only played 11 minutes in the Americans’ victory over Turkey on Tuesday. He
12:10 PM ET Associated Press MILWAUKEE — Milwaukee city officials are offering Bucks guard Sterling Brown $400,000 to settle his lawsuit accusing police of using excessive force and targeting him because he’s black when they confronted him over a parking violation. The city’s Common Council authorized the offer Wednesday during a closed session. Brown has
3:58 PM ET LOS ANGELES — Before signing with the Lakers in one of the more surprising reunions in NBA history, Dwight Howard said his life away from the court hit rock bottom this summer. “It didn’t have anything to do with basketball,” Howard said Wednesday during an introductory phone call with reporters. “It was
7:20 AM ET SHANGHAI — Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum will miss at least the next two World Cup games for Team USA with a sprained left ankle. Tatum turned the ankle in the final seconds of overtime in Team USA’s 93-92 win over Turkey Tuesday night. He was examined Wednesday and was declared to
6:37 PM ET The Nets are looking into allegations of domestic violence against Rodions Kurucs after the forward was arrested in Brooklyn and released without bail Tuesday. The New York Daily News, citing police sources, reports Kurucs choked his then-girlfriend in his Brooklyn apartment on June 27. “After learning of the allegations against Rodions Kurucs,
2:38 PM ET ESPN News Services Brazil overcame a double-digit deficit and beat Greece 79-78 in a thriller at the FIBA World Cup in Nanjing, China, on Tuesday. NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo finished with 13 points but fouled out late in the fourth quarter for Greece. Brazil’s Alex Garcia, 39, seemed to stifle Antetokounmpo at
4:48 PM ET Fresh off an MVP and championship campaign in the BIG3, veteran swingman Joe Johnson is scheduled to work out for three NBA teams next week in attempt to get back into the league, sources told ESPN. Johnson, who last played in the NBA in 2017-18, will audition for three Eastern Conference playoff
7:20 AM ET SHANGHAI — The grandstands at the Oriental Sports Arena for Team USA’s first game were like a rainbow of NBA fandom. There were gold Steph Curry jerseys, a bunch of Giannis Antetokounmpo jerseys in various colors and plenty of Los Angeles Lakers attire. But then there were the Charlotte Hornets colors, with
11:38 AM ET New Orleans Pelicans forward Darius Miller is expected to miss seven to eight months after suffering a ruptured right Achilles tendon, a source told ESPN’s Malika Andrews. The Pelicans announced Thursday that Miller had undergone Achilles surgery in New York earlier in the day. The source told Andrews that Miller suffered the
9:21 AM ET Kevin Pelton’s NBA mailbag returns, featuring your questions on how Team USA would do against the rest of the league, how long to believe in potential for high draft picks, gaps between advanced stats and the eye test and veteran players signing international deals. You can tweet your questions using the hashtag
10:24 AM ET SHANGHAI — Kemba Walker and Jayson Tatum are probably going to win a lot of games with the Boston Celtics over the next few years. Sunday they combined to play important roles in the first consequential win together as Team USA opened the FIBA World Cup with a 88-67 victory over the
3:41 PM ET An arrest warrant for Los Angeles Lakers center DeMarcus Cousins on a misdemeanor domestic violence charge has been issued in Mobile, Alabama. The Mobile municipal court website lists a third-degree harassing communications charge against Cousins, but no other details have been disclosed. A police spokesperson told USA Today Sports that “an arrest
6:34 PM ET LeBron James wants a little lettuce on his Taco Tuesday. The Los Angeles Lakers superstar is looking to monetize his popular videos by filing to trademark the term “Taco Tuesday.” One of James’ companies, LBJ Trademarks, submitted the necessary paperwork with the United States Patent and Trademark Office in August. The application
9:25 AM ET SHANGHAI — Watching Gregg Popovich work is one of the joys of being around Team USA. During the NBA season when he’s in San Antonio he builds walls, actual and figurative, that purposely shield nuance. It’s understandable because it’s a competitive game, and Popovich, while often gregarious, prefers privacy. But it’s also
12:43 AM ET Houston Rockets guard Eric Gordon has agreed to a three-year, $54.5 million contract extension that will take him through the 2022-23 season, league sources told ESPN. Gordon’s deal — which starts with the 2020-21 season — includes a $20.9 million season in 2023-24 that would become guaranteed if Gordon makes an All-Star
10:24 AM ET Skill. Age. Versatility. A proven track record. What’s the criteria to be a top-level NBA player? What’s the most important quality if you were going to build a team around a superstar? The Hoop Collective crew debated the topic and re-drafted the league’s best players from 1 to 21. If they could