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11:18 PM ET Shortly after the game started between No. 1 Duke and No. 8 North Carolina on Wednesday, Duke freshman Zion Williamson left the court after ripping through his left shoe when trying to reverse his dribble. The potential No. 1 overall pick of the 2019 NBA draft, Williamson did not return to the

8:00 PM ET OAKLAND, Calif. — Golden State Warriors center DeMarcus Cousins will see his minutes increase as he continues his comeback from a torn left Achilles injury. Cousins, who made his return on Jan. 18 in a win over the LA Clippers after missing almost a year to rehab, is averaging 23.4 minutes per

11:23 PM ET Associated Press OAKLAND, Calif. — Former President Barack Obama and Golden State Warriors superstar Stephen Curry told a roomful of minority boys on Tuesday that they matter and urged them to make the world a better place. Obama was in Oakland to mark the fifth anniversary of My Brother’s Keeper, an initiative

9:38 PM ET LOS ANGELES — Houston Rockets center Clint Capela declared himself ready to return after missing 15 games because of ligament damage in his right thumb that required surgery. James Harden, who has scored 30 points in 31 consecutive games to tie Wilt Chamberlain’s second-longest streak, stressed in a sit-down interview with ESPN’s

12:11 PM ET Associated Press ABERDEEN, Md. — Former NBA player Glen “Big Baby” Davis has agreed to pay $15,000 to avoid jail time on drug charges. News outlets report the forward had faced up to five years in jail. He was arrested at a Maryland hotel with 126 grams (4 ounces) of marijuana and

11:47 PM ET James Harden cites necessity as the root of his historic scoring streak, stressing that the Houston Rockets have needed him to go on the run that has him chasing Wilt Chamberlain. Harden has scored at least 30 points in 31 consecutive games, tying Chamberlain for the second-longest such streak in NBA history

6:12 PM ET The National Basketball Players Association elected Golden State’s Andre Iguodala as First Vice President during its Board if of Player Representatives meeting on Monday. Igoudala has served as Vice President of the Executive Committee since 2013. He will replace LeBron James in his new role. James’ four-year term has expired. “I am

11:53 AM ET Duke’s Zion Williamson has been in the spotlight since videos of his dunks went viral when he was in high school. Even though we’re not yet in March and Williamson hasn’t declared, you can already bet on if he’ll be the No. 1 pick in the 2019 NBA draft. DraftKings opened odds

1:19 AM ET CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Dallas Mavericks legend Dirk Nowitzki and Miami Heat legend Dwyane Wade said goodbye to the All-Star Game stage in style as both future Hall of Famers were honored during Sunday night’s Team LeBron 178-164 victory over Team Giannis. Nowitzki and Wade were added to the All-Star pool of players

7:05 PM ET Team LeBron and Team Giannis are going head-to-head in the 2019 NBA All-Star Game. Follow along as we deliver the best sights and sounds from Charlotte. The All-Stars have arrived Klay improved his photo form 😂 pic.twitter.com/kvBcGhb3Kq — SportsNation (@SportsNation) February 18, 2019 #NBAAllStar teammates Harden and Kawhi sharing some moves 😆

8:44 PM ET Betting on LeBron James to make the postseason has been a wise (and profitable) move historically. Since missing the playoffs in his first two seasons with the Cleveland Cavaliers, James’ teams have made the postseason 13 consecutive times. But will his Los Angeles Lakers make the playoffs this season? One Las Vegas

12:16 AM ET CHARLOTTE — On Saturday, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver held his annual state-of-the-league news conference. He spoke for about 40 minutes, said thousands of words and covered an array of topics. Here are six of the most important things he said and what they mean for the future of the NBA: On public

3:18 PM ET CHARLOTTE, N.C. — With Michael Jordan hosting All-Star weekend as the only former player to serve as the principal owner of an NBA team, LeBron James said that while team ownership is a goal for when he’s finished playing, it’s not his singular focus. “It’s not that it’s intoxicating to me, and

11:40 PM ET Led by 35 points from Rising Stars MVP Kyle Kuzma, Team USA broke a two-year drought with a 161-144 win over Team World. So how did the league’s best rookies and sophomores fare on the national stage? We’re grading all 20 players. More: Friday’s best | Build your own All-Star team |

12:51 AM ET CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Golden State Warriors superstar Stephen Curry is used to pulling off trick shots that make fans go crazy and videos go viral — but Friday it was his mother, Sonya, who delivered the kind of moment her son has perfected. As part of a Curry Family Foundation event at

4:26 PM ET Adrian WojnarowskiESPN The New Orleans Pelicans have parted ways with general manager Dell Demps, the team announced on Friday, clearing the way for a new top basketball executive to oversee the Anthony Davis trade talks. Demps had been Pelicans GM for nine years, which included three trips to the playoffs, but advancing

7:10 PM ET We have the official 24 selections for the 2019 NBA All-Star Game. But how well do you know these dudes? Let’s see how you fare in our first edition of shot chart trivia. Shot chart trivia: Who am I? Here we go: 10 multiple-choice questions featuring some All-Stars and some players with

11:11 PM ET The New York Knicks snapped their single-season franchise record 18-game losing streak on Thursday with a 106-91 win at the Atlanta Hawks on Thursday. “It would have been very easy for us to check out and get to wherever we were going to go (during the All Star break), but we were

7:31 AM ET It has been said that Michael Jordan‘s decision to sign with Nike was one of the greatest deals in sports history, launching a multibillion-dollar business, helping turn the company into a basketball juggernaut and changing the game for hundreds of athletes who came after him. But what if it was only the

3:36 AM ET PORTLAND, Ore. — Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr was ejected from Wednesday’s 129-107 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers after arguing with official Kenny Mauer when a Draymond Green common foul was upgraded to a flagrant foul 1 late in the fourth quarter. The play in question occurred with 3:54

10:41 PM ET Malika AndrewsESPN Minneapolis — Rockets star James Harden put himself in rare company on Wednesday night, scoring at least 30 points in his 31st consecutive game. He is now tied with Wilt Chamberlain for the second-longest such streak in NBA history. Harden’s dominant 42-point effort was not enough to fend off the

1:38 PM ET Adrian WojnarowskiESPN Nearly a year after a hip procedure, Denver Nuggets guard Isaiah Thomas will make his return to play against the Sacramento Kings Wednesday, league sources tell ESPN. Thomas, who was upgraded to questionable for the Nuggets game against Sacramento in Denver, made his decision to play on Wednesday morning. Thomas

2:20 AM ET ATLANTA — The Los Angeles Lakers limped into the All-Star break on Tuesday, falling below .500 for the first time since Nov. 7 after a 117-113 loss to Atlanta Hawks. At 28-29, the Lakers are 2.5 games back of the Sacramento Kings for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference. For

6:35 PM ET Adrian WojnarowskiESPN Nearly a year after a hip procedure, Denver Nuggets guard Isaiah Thomas could make his return to the lineup on Wednesday night, league sources told ESPN. Thomas, who was upgraded to questionable for the Nuggets game against Sacramento in Denver, will make a determination about playing earlier in the day

12:32 AM ET Tim BontempsESPN TORONTO — Jonas Valanciunas had been one of the faces of the Toronto Raptors the past several years. The gregarious, giant Lithuanian became a fan favorite as a mainstay of Toronto’s rise from Eastern Conference afterthought to perennial power. Valanciunas is a nice player, just like the Raptors had become

10:51 PM ET OKLAHOMA CITY — As the crowd showered him with a raucous standing ovation, Russell Westbrook turned to the Portland Trail Blazers bench and gave a little wink. A drive and kick to set Paul George up for a 3 made NBA history: A 10th consecutive triple-double, breaking Wilt Chamberlain‘s mark of nine

2:21 PM ET Adrian WojnarowskiESPN Atlanta Hawks guard Jeremy Lin is finalizing a contract buyout, clearing the way for him to sign with the Toronto Raptors, his agents told ESPN. Agents Jim Tanner and Roger Montgomery were expected to complete the buyout with the Hawks as soon as Monday, they said, and Lin could sign

1:31 AM ET OAKLAND — Dwyane Wade knows something about assembling a super team, and the Miami Heat great believes the addition of DeMarcus Cousins makes the Golden State Warriors‘ All-Star starting five perhaps the best the NBA has ever seen. “That is as good as it gets in our game with any team ever

8:24 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia 76ers made almost 58 percent of their shots in Sunday’s 143-120 win over the Los Angeles Lakers, but the most discussed shot after the game was one that didn’t go in. That would be the 3-pointer Ben Simmons took less than a minute into the third

8:31 AM ET If Friday’s win over the Denver Nuggets is any indication, this new version of the Philadelphia 76ers might spell trouble for the rest of the Eastern Conference. Coach Brett Brown wasted no time implementing new forward Tobias Harris and showing the NBA the potential of his loaded starting lineup, dubbed the Phantastic