11:40 PM ET DALLAS — Sacramento Kings coach Dave Joerger sees unlimited potential in Dallas Mavericks rookie Luka Doncic, the player selected with the pick immediately after the Kings drafted Marvin Bagley III. “He’s got a lot of different skills and I think he’s going to become a heck of a shooter,” Joerger said of
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10:03 AM ET Nick DePaulaESPN While he’s most known for wearing collectible kicks worth as much as $20,000 per pair — and sometimes even more — Houston Rockets power forward PJ Tucker has been showcasing a love for sneakers that extends far beyond the hype this season. From obscure, decade-old Kevin Durant models to vintage
3:47 AM ET SAN ANTONIO — Both coaches tossed about the T-word for different reasons Saturday after the Chicago Bulls crushed a 21-point deficit to top the San Antonio Spurs 98-93 — souring a flawless 4-0 start to San Antonio’s six-game homestand. Bulls coach Jim Boylen called starting point guard Ryan Arcidiacono “a tough nut,”
3:05 PM ET CHARLOTTE, N.C. — With LeBron James set to meet Michael Jordan’s Charlotte Hornets later Saturday, the Los Angeles Lakers star thought back to the first time he met the former Chicago Bulls superstar on a June day in 2001, ages before he would be considered on par with the six-time champion and
3:23 AM ET Sacramento Kings rookie Marvin Bagley III will be sidelined at least 10 days after an MRI revealed a bone bruise in his left knee, the team announced Friday night. The Kings said he will be re-evaluated in 10-14 days. Bagley suffered the injury in the second quarter of Friday’s 130-125 loss to
9:02 PM ET Associated Press NEW YORK — There was no big celebration for Spencer Dinwiddie when he signed a contract extension with Brooklyn that guarantees a paycheck in an NBA where he once couldn’t even hold a job. Outside of the satisfaction of knowing his parents can retire, Dinwiddie said nothing really changed. “Other
7:57 AM ET ESPN News Services Amid uncertainty surrounding a proposed renovation to their arena, Suns owner Robert Sarver said Thursday that he is fully committed to keeping the team in Phoenix. Sarver put out a video message via Twitter a day after a Phoenix City Council vote to approve $230 million in renovations was
2:56 AM ET Associated Press PHOENIX — Dirk Nowitzki at last began his record-breaking 21st season with the Dallas Mavericks on Thursday night, coming off the bench in the first quarter of a 99-89 loss to the Phoenix Suns. No other NBA player has played that many seasons with the same team. “It is good
6:18 PM ET The Brooklyn Nets and guard Spencer Dinwiddie have agreed to a three-year contract extension, the team announced Thursday. The deal is for $34 million, league sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. There will be a player option on the third year, sources said. Dinwiddie was eligible for four years and $47 million, but
10:26 AM ET New York Knicks guard Allonzo Trier — a rookie revelation on a two-way contract — has agreed to a two-year, $7 million contract with a team option for the second year, sources told ESPN on Wednesday. The Knicks were rapidly closing on 45 days of allowable NBA service under Trier’s two-way deal,
1:14 AM ET NEW ORLEANS — Two nights after dropping 41 points on the NBA’s second-best defense in the Boston Celtics, Anthony Davis followed with 44 points against the league’s top defense in the New Orleans Pelicans‘ 118-114 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday. Davis went 16-of-32 shooting, including 11-of-11 from the line,
6:10 PM ET Associated Press PHOENIX — The city council has postponed a vote on a proposed $230 million renovation of the Talking Stick Resort Arena that would keep the Suns in downtown Phoenix. The council agreed unanimously Wednesday to postpone a decision until Jan. 23 so residents can attend five public meetings to be
8:47 AM ET Nick DePaulaESPN The first colorway of the Curry 6 is based on the famed Fox Theater in Oakland. Courtesy Under Armour As he played host to an Under Armour product meeting at his home near Oakland, California, in 2017, Stephen Curry was asked to think two signature sneakers ahead. What ideas would he
1:29 AM ET SAN ANTONIO — Self-deprecating as usual, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich walked away before the obvious question could leave anyone’s lips just minutes after he moved past Pat Riley for fourth on the NBA’s all-time wins list with San Antonio’s 111-86 triumph Tuesday night over the Phoenix Suns. Informed of his latest milestone,
4:23 PM ET Philadelphia 76ers forward Jimmy Butler suffered no structural damage in his groin, league sources told ESPN’s Zach Lowe. Butler underwent an MRI on Tuesday after leaving Monday night’s win over the Detroit Pistons in the first quarter with a groin strain. Despite the good news, Butler is still listed as doubtful for
1:32 AM ET Nick DePaulaESPN MOBILE, Ala. — It was early Saturday morning when Mobile’s biggest active homegrown star athlete, Golden State Warriors center DeMarcus Cousins, welcomed 100 hand-picked students into an airline hangar, instantly recognizing the unmistakable surprise on each of the kids’ faces. The Warriors had just closed out a road win over
8:19 PM ET Philadelphia 76ers guard Jimmy Butler left Monday night’s game against the Detroit Pistons with a groin strain and was declared out for the rest of the game. Butler has averaged 21.4 points a game since coming over to the Sixers in a trade with the Minnesota Timberwolves last month. Philadelphia has gone
11:58 AM ET The injury-ravaged Denver Nuggets signed veteran guard Nick Young on Monday. Financial terms were not disclosed, but the Nuggets announced they signed Young to the injury hardship relief exception, which is granted by the NBA, and waived guard Brandon Goodwin in a corresponding move. Young, 33, played 80 games last season with
10:51 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN TORONTO — With 90 seconds to go in Sunday’s showdown between the top two teams in the NBA’s Eastern Conference, the Toronto Raptors and Milwaukee Bucks, the ball found its way to Kyle Lowry in the corner for a wide-open shot. As the Raptors clung to a 97-94 lead, it
7:50 PM ET Adrian WojnarowskiESPN The Los Angeles Lakers are engaged in talks trying to acquire Phoenix Suns forward Trevor Ariza, league sources told ESPN. The teams have been working to reach an agreement with a third team that would take on Lakers guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope as part of a potentially larger deal, league sources
2:42 AM ET Malika AndrewsESPN CHICAGO — “The worst defeat in Chicago Bulls franchise history” sounds bad, but it looked worse. Boos rained down from the United Center crowd as the Boston Celtics slaughtered the Bulls 133-77, with the 56-point margin of defeat being the largest in the 53-year history of the franchise. Afterwards, Chicago
11:03 PM ET DALLAS — The person least impressed by Dallas Mavericks rookie star Luka Doncic‘s performance in Saturday night’s 107-104 comeback win over the Houston Rockets was probably the Slovenian teen himself. “I wasn’t playing great,” he said after scoring 21 points and taking over the game down the stretch. “My game wasn’t good
2:41 PM ET Los Angeles Lakers forward Brandon Ingram has an ankle sprain, an MRI showed, according to the team. He will be re-evaluated in a week. The Lakers are at Memphis on Saturday night, host Miami on Monday and are back on the road Thursday against Houston. Ingram injured his left ankle in the
12:46 PM ET Adrian WojnarowskiESPN Denver Nuggets guard Gary Harris is expected to need three to four weeks to rehabilitate a right hip injury, league sources told ESPN. Veteran Nuggets forward Paul Millsap suffered a broken toe in Friday night’s loss at Charlotte, sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. It’s the latest in a string of
2:31 AM ET MILWAUKEE — As he patiently answered questions during a post-shootaround media availability Friday afternoon, Steve Kerr was asked if there was any more pressure on his team heading into Friday night’s showdown with the Milwaukee Bucks given that the Bucks smoked the reigning champs by 23 points last month at Oracle Arena.
6:35 PM ET Associated Press LOS ANGELES — It was a “short but sweet” search to find the new coach of the Los Angeles Sparks. Turns out he has been sitting in the courtside seats for years. Derek Fisher was introduced Friday as coach of the team he watched play at Staples Center while helping
Dec 6, 2018 Last Monday in Chicago, San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich arrived at his pregame interview in the gloomy concourse of the United Center, the house that Michael Jordan built. So many of the league’s iconic highlights played out here in the 1990s, and those images seemed to be on Pop’s mind. In
12:14 AM ET Tim BontempsESPN BOSTON — Boston Celtics guard Kyrie Irving isn’t concerned after tweaking his right shoulder late in Boston’s 128-100 victory over the New York Knicks. Kyrie Irving scored 22 points before leaving the game in the final minutes nursing his right shoulder, Al Horford had 19 points and 12 rebounds, and
12:35 PM ET Associated Press NEW YORK — Cleveland Cavaliers center Tristan Thompson has been fined $15,000 for making an “inappropriate gesture” to a spectator. The NBA announced the punishment Thursday. Thompson’s action came at the end of the Cavaliers’ 99-97 win over the Brooklyn Nets on Monday at the Barclays Center. Thompson finished with
3:38 AM ET LOS ANGELES — After a whirlwind week in Laker Land in which Magic Johnson, Kobe Bryant and even Kevin Durant weighed in publicly about how LeBron James should play, or in Durant’s case what it’s like to play with him, James capped the Los Angeles Lakers‘ 4-0 homestand with 42 points in