News

7:33 PM ET Associated Press TORONTO — Another frustrating finish left the Miami Heat‘s playoff hopes hanging by a thread. An untimely whistle by an official led to a disjointed final sequence in regulation, and the Heat wound up losing 117-109 in overtime to the Toronto Raptors on Sunday. Miami had the ball in the

9:14 PM ET Adrian WojnarowskiESPN Phoenix Suns owner Robert Sarver has become focused on the candidacy of former Detroit and New Orleans general manager Jeff Bower to assume a high-ranking front-office role with the Suns, league sources told ESPN on Saturday. Sarver has begun to inform other serious candidates that he’s retreating from them and

10:11 PM ET Malika AndrewsESPN MILWAUKEE — After Kenny Atkinson fulfills his postgame duties, loosens his tie and boards the team plane to Indianapolis, he plans to have a glass of red wine. The head coach of the Brooklyn Nets is cautious to get too high off a win over the Milwaukee Bucks, but he

5:16 PM ET Malika AndrewsESPN MILWAUKEE — With home-court advantage throughout the playoffs already clinched, the Milwaukee Bucks have turned their attention toward managing their players’ health in preparation for the postseason. In that spirit, Giannis Antetokounmpo will not play against the Brooklyn Nets on Saturday due to a sore left calf. Coach Mike Budenholzer

11:57 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN INDIANAPOLIS — As the Boston Celtics have meandered their way through the regular season — failing to live up to their lofty preseason expectations — many around the NBA have been ready to abandon them as a potential option to emerge from the East. At some point, the reasoning goes,

12:18 AM ET Adrian WojnarowskiESPN Milwaukee Bucks great Sidney Moncrief has been elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame’s Class of 2019, sources tell ESPN. A formal announcement will come Saturday in Minneapolis. Moncrief was named to the All-Star team and the all-NBA team each season from 1981-82 to 1985-86. He averaged 15.6

3:25 PM ET Dwyane Wade, down to what could be the final four games of his career as the Miami Heat‘s playoff status remains in flux, says he will seek professional help to deal with life after basketball. In an interview with ESPN’s Rachel Nichols that aired Friday on The Jump, Wade said he has

1:14 AM ET Tim BontempsESPN PHILADELPHIA — The last time the Milwaukee Bucks ended the regular season with the NBA’s best record, they also had the NBA’s Most Valuable Player. Forty-five years later, history might be about to repeat itself. Thanks to the latest spectacular performance from Giannis Antetokounmpo — who finished with 45 points,

9:17 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN PHILADELPHIA — Milwaukee Bucks guard Eric Bledsoe was ejected less than three minutes into Thursday night’s game against the Philadelphia 76ers after an aggressive game of catch with Sixers center Joel Embiid. At the 2:36 mark of the first quarter, Embiid and Bledsoe got tangled up, and Embiid extricated himself

11:54 AM ET LeBron James believes this offseason will be “critical” for himself and the Los Angeles Lakers after the franchise missed the postseason for the sixth consecutive season. “I’ve never played fantasy basketball,” James told Bleacher Report in a story published Wednesday. “But I will be as active as I need to be for

1:15 AM ET Tim BontempsESPN NEW YORK — Most players go out of their way to give the impression they don’t have a clue what’s being written about them. Kyle Lowry isn’t like most players. The All-Star guard for the Toronto Raptors has no problem admitting he reads plenty, and when it comes to the

6:19 PM ET DETROIT — Blake Griffin will not play for the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday night against Indiana as he continues to rest a sore left knee. Pistons coach Dwane Casey said Griffin still needed some time to recover. He has been largely healthy this season, playing in 72 games; now, in a critical

2:06 AM ET OAKLAND, Calif. — Golden State Warriors forward Kevin Durant was ejected from Tuesday’s game against the Denver Nuggets for arguing a call early in the third quarter. Warriors stars Draymond Green, Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant were all issued fines on Tuesday for their comments about the officiating during Friday night’s OT

11:28 PM ET ESPN News Services Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook became the second player in NBA history with a 20-point, 20-rebound, 20-assist triple-double, accomplishing the feat Tuesday night in a 119-103 home victory over the Los Angeles Lakers. Westbrook clinched the mark with a rebound in the final minute, drawing a large ovation

3:46 PM ET ESPN News Services The Washington Wizards have fired president Ernie Grunfeld, the team announced. Washington is next to last in the Southeast Division with a 32-46 record and has been eliminated from playoff contention. “We did not meet our stated goals of qualifying for the playoffs this season and, despite playing with

7:26 AM ET Nick DePaulaESPN Zion Williamson is about to get paid. Long before he steps on an NBA court, the projected No. 1 overall pick in June’s NBA draft is expected to land a sneaker endorsement deal that will make him far richer than his first NBA contract will. In fact, many in the

8:58 PM ET Celtics president Danny Ainge presented Dwyane Wade with a plaque featuring a photo and a piece of the old Boston Garden parquet floor Monday night to commemorate his retirement. Ainge met with Wade in a TD Garden hallway before the Celtics hosted the Heat in Wade’s final regular-season game in Boston. “Thank

8:41 AM ET Adrian WojnarowskiESPN Eight months after a 29-year-old woman says that NBA star Kristaps Porzingis sexually assaulted her inside his apartment, she contacted the New York Knicks‘ legal department to seek to “mediate in private” a payment of $68,000, according to emails obtained by ESPN. At the time of the woman’s documented communication

2:02 AM ET ESPN News Services NBA players are mourning the death of Grammy-nominated West Coast rapper Nipsey Hussle, who was killed outside his Los Angeles clothing store on Sunday, according to Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti. Police confirmed that three men were shot Sunday, and one of them was killed outside Marathon Clothing, the

3:51 PM ET Associated Press ATLANTA — Trae Young grabbed a deflected inbounds pass and made a last-second jumper to lift the Atlanta Hawks to a 136-135 overtime win over the short-handed Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday. Justin Anderson had 24 points and 12 rebounds for Atlanta, and John Collins finished with 23 points and 12

10:51 PM ET Associated Press It’s official: In the NBA, this was the year of the 3-pointer. Again. The NBA has set a record for 3-pointers made for the seventh consecutive year, after the 25,808th of the season was made Saturday night. The league is on pace for about an 8 percent rise in 3-pointers

12:45 AM ET Tim BontempsESPN NEW YORK — At halftime of Saturday night’s game here at Barclays Center between the Boston Celtics and Brooklyn Nets, the home team’s season was on the line. Clinging to a one-point halftime lead, and needing a win to avoid falling into a tie for the Eastern Conference’s eighth and

4:33 PM ET Associated Press TORONTO — The Toronto Raptors will be without forward Patrick McCaw for about three weeks because of a sprained right thumb. He was hurt during Thursday night’s win at New York. He will wear a splint while he is sidelined. McCaw is averaging 2.7 points and 1.7 rebounds through 26

3:53 AM ET LOS ANGELES — After becoming the first Los Angeles Lakers player since Magic Johnson in 1989 to register 17 assists and five steals in a game, Rajon Rondo said he hoped to stick around L.A. a little longer. “Absolutely,” Rondo told ESPN when asked if he wanted to come back to the

9:28 PM ET Nick DePaulaESPN Oregon Ducks freshman Bol Bol has decided to turn pro, agreeing to hire an agent at CAA for representation in his eventual NBA career, the agency told ESPN on Friday. The 7-foot-2 center is No. 12 on ESPN’s rankings of the top 100 NBA draft prospects. Bol played in nine

1:27 PM ET Knicks second-year point guard Frank Ntilikina has been shut down for the remainder of the season after aggravating a groin injury earlier this week. Ntilikina had returned to the team last Friday from a groin injury that had sidelined him since late January. He played 25 minutes in a loss to the

1:06 AM ET Malika AndrewsESPN MILWUAKEE — Giannis Antetokounmpo‘s troublesome right ankle is acting up again. With just under eight minutes left in the Bucks on Thursday night game against the Clippers, Antetokounmpo threw down a dunk that gave the Bucks a 108-91 lead. As he retreated, Antetokounmpo collided with Garrett Temple and fell down

1:33 PM ET Utah Jazz reserve point guard Dante Exum underwent surgery to repair a partially torn patellar tendon in his right knee Wednesday and remains out indefinitely, the team announced Thursday. Exum left last week’s 120-100 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves after three minutes with what was described as knee soreness. The extent of

8:39 AM ET ESPN News Services The NBA is going to play a regular-season game in Paris for the first time next year, with the league announcing Thursday that the Charlotte Hornets and Milwaukee Bucks are headed there. The game will be on Jan. 24. Paris has hosted preseason games before, and the league hinted

1:38 AM ET OKLAHOMA CITY — Down nine at halftime to the Indiana Pacers and with their season sliding over the past few weeks, Paul George knew something had to change for the Oklahoma City Thunder. It did. The biggest run without an opposing point in the NBA this season — a 24-0 burst early