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3:48 PM ET HOUSTON — With reigning MVP James Harden having scored 57 and 58 points, respectively, in his last two games, Lakers coach Luke Walton has a modest defensive goal for his team heading into Saturday’s game against the Houston Rockets. “If we can keep him anything under 50, we feel like we’ve succeeded

11:39 PM ET Even in a losing effort, James Harden is still making history. Harden finished with 58 points in the Houston Rockets‘ overtime loss to the Brooklyn Nets Wednesday night, two days after dropping 57 on the Memphis Grizzlies. Until Spencer Dinwiddie (33 points) and Jarrett Allen (20 points, 24 rebounds) led impressive comebacks

11:54 PM ET Adrian WojnarowskiESPN Kenneth Faried has agreed to a contract buyout with the Brooklyn Nets, clearing the way for him to sign a free agent deal with the Houston Rockets, league sources told ESPN. Faried is expected to be waived on Saturday and clear to sign with Houston on Monday, by which time

2:14 PM ET Dallas Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle on Friday said he has tried to reach out to point guard Dennis Smith Jr. and would “love to have him back.” Sources told ESPN on Thursday that the Mavericks are optimistic that they can reconcile and move forward with Smith Jr., who has recently expressed that

2:51 AM ET OKLAHOMA CITY — The referees admitted that a shooting foul called on the Los Angeles Lakers‘ final defensive possession in regulation Thursday night against the Oklahoma City Thunder should not have been called on the floor. The call ultimately didn’t matter, with the Lakers going on to win in overtime 138-128. With

7:43 PM ET Houston Rockets center Clint Capela had surgery to repair a torn ligament in his right thumb Thursday and is expected to miss four to six weeks, general manager Daryl Morey said Thursday. Capela suffered the injury while getting hit on a lob play during Sunday night’s loss to Orlando. He has career-high

3:43 AM ET OAKLAND, Calif. — Golden State Warriors superstar Stephen Curry became the first player in NBA history to knock down eight or more 3-pointers in three straight games, after he hit nine in Wednesday night’s 147-140 win over the New Orleans Pelicans. “When Mark Jackson said [Curry] was ruining the game, I know

1:46 AM ET [embedded content] After missing nearly a year of action due to a ruptured Achilles tendon, DeMarcus Cousins is set to make his NBA return. When he does, he’ll be debuting as a member of the Golden State Warriors, after signing with the two-time defending champions in July. In advance of his Warriors

2:43 PM ET The Harlem Globetrotters announced Wednesday that they are offering complimentary tickets to currently furloughed U.S. government employees. Furloughed employees can receive two free tickets to the Globetrotters’ 2019 Fan Powered World Tour until the end of the partial government shutdown, which on Wednesday was in its 26th day. “As the Ambassadors of

2:50 AM ET LOS ANGELES — LeBron James will miss at least the next two games for the Los Angeles Lakers as he continues to rehabilitate a strained left groin, his agent, Rich Paul of Klutch Sports, told ESPN on Tuesday. James has missed the Lakers last 11 games since suffering the injury on Christmas

3:43 PM ET EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — One day before he will be medically re-evaluated, LeBron James did the most he’s done at a shootaround since injuring his groin by shooting and passing during half-court situations Tuesday morning. While James has yet to do any full-court basketball activities with the team, Los Angeles Lakers coach

8:53 AM ET Tim BontempsESPN When faced with questions about a team’s upcoming schedule, most people in the NBA will go to great lengths to avoid saying anything interesting. They’ll instead offer platitudes and clichés about respecting each opponent and taking things one game at a time. Joel Embiid is not like most people in

5:58 PM ET EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — As LeBron James and Rajon Rondo continue to slowly make their way back to the court, Lonzo Ball is trying to fill the massive leadership void left for the Los Angeles Lakers. Nowhere near as vocal as James, Rondo and veteran center Tyson Chandler, Ball wants to try

11:49 PM ET DALLAS — The Golden State Warriors believe that Dallas Mavericks rookie Luka Doncic is not only an All-Star caliber player — he’s a superstar in the making. Even on a night in which Stephen Curry scored 48 points and hit 11 three-pointers in a 119-114 win over the Mavericks, it was Doncic’s

2:05 AM ET LOS ANGELES – LeBron James’ second stint in Cleveland – the four NBA Finals appearances, the first championship in franchise history that snapped a 52-year title-less drought for the city — was an unabashed success. But it came at a cost. While James was brilliant in those postseason runs, he played 81

5:44 PM ET Associated Press MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Memphis Grizzlies forward Kyle Anderson is expected to miss at least two to four weeks because of a sprained left ankle. The Grizzlies announced Sunday that Anderson had a Grade 2 sprain. Anderson hurt the ankle Saturday in a 112-108 loss at Miami. Anderson has made 38

12:13 AM ET A season of inconsistency for the Boston Celtics took another downward turn with Saturday night’s 105-103 loss to the Magic in Orlando, Florida. Asked what’s keeping Boston from being the team that so many expected entering the season, star point guard Kyrie Irving was blunt in his assessment. “Experience,” Irving told reporters.

1:35 AM ET OKLAHOMA CITY — Dennis Schroder was mad at himself. After a scoreless first half against the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday, and looking out of sorts, showing signs of frustration, he was trying to find some personal spark, something to ignite him. He’s an emotional, temperamental player and it wasn’t just the

3:48 PM ET Dallas Mavericks sixth man J.J. Barea suffered a torn right Achilles tendon during Friday’s 119-115 road victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves, sources told ESPN. An MRI on Saturday confirmed the Mavs’ initial fear that Barea tore the Achilles. The team officially announced a “right lower leg injury” for the veteran guard after

8:56 AM ET NBA InsidersESPN.com How solid are the Los Angeles Lakers‘ playoff chances with LeBron James out? Should the team make a significant move? Our NBA experts answer the big questions with the Lakers on the playoff bubble and James out. 1. Which is closer to your estimate of the Lakers’ playoff chances? 538:

7:35 PM ET Associated Press PHILADELPHIA — 76ers center Joel Embiid sat out Friday night against Atlanta because of a sore left ankle. Embiid hurt his ankle in a loss at Washington on Wednesday night. Embiid was one of the final players to leave the court during warm-ups and shot long jumpers wearing “Trust the

1:25 AM ET The San Antonio Spurs outlasted the Oklahoma City Thunder 154-147 in double overtime in what might end up being the game of the year in the NBA. The Spurs didn’t miss a 3-pointer for nearly the entire game, the Thunder erased a 16-point deficit to force overtime, LaMarcus Aldridge became the newest

3:47 AM ET SAN ANTONIO — LaMarcus Aldridge saw the double team, spun baseline and fired a jumper that found the bottom of the net, and he immediately knew: “This is one of those nights,” he said. Aldridge scored a career-high 56 points to help the Spurs survive the Oklahoma City Thunder and Russell Westbrook‘s

6:27 PM ET OAKLAND, Calif. — Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr says DeMarcus Cousins will start when he makes his season debut, likely Jan. 18 against the Clippers. Cousins, who signed a one-year deal with the Warriors last summer, will make his long-awaited return to the floor after rehabbing a torn left Achilles tendon

2:32 AM ET LOS ANGELES — Detroit Pistons forward Blake Griffin made his first appearance at Staples Center as an opponent Wednesday night after playing nearly eight seasons as a member of the LA Clippers. Griffin’s return was dampened by the Pistons’ 113-100 defeat to the Lakers, Detroit’s eighth loss in 10 games. After the

3:19 AM ET LOS ANGELES — A week after suffering a lower back contusion and two days after missing 16 of the 20 shots he attempted in his return to the court, Kyle Kuzma scored a career-high 41 points in the Los Angeles Lakers‘ 113-100 win over the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday. And he did

6:32 PM ET Adrian WojnarowskiESPN The Toronto Raptors are signing free-agent guard Patrick McCaw for the rest of the season, league sources told ESPN. McCaw cleared waivers on Wednesday afternoon, sources said. McCaw, 23, has been the subject of some intrigue in recent weeks — a Golden State restricted free agent who signed a non-guaranteed

8:26 AM ET James Harden is having a moment, smack-dab inside one of the great individual stretches of professional basketball we’ve ever seen. After hitting one of the biggest shots of his life last Thursday, he finds himself at the center of the NBA universe. The impossible game-winning 29-footer over the Golden State Warriors sparked

10:38 PM ET Marc J. Spears OAKLAND, Calif. — Golden State Warriors center DeMarcus Cousins is targeting the Jan. 18 game at the LA Clippers for his season debut, a source told The Undefeated’s Marc Spears. Cousins, who tore his left Achilles tendon last January as a member of the New Orleans Pelicans and hasn’t

3:53 PM ET ESPN News Services Hornets star guard Kemba Walker says he has talked to general manager Mitch Kupchak about what Charlotte has in store for roster upgrades but that he wasn’t getting involved beyond that, signaling he will take a wait-and-see approach to his free agency this summer. “They know. They know what