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Jan 16, 2023 Tim BontempsESPN NEW YORK — As Jalen Brunson‘s potential game-winning 3-pointer sailed through the air, Toronto Raptors coach Nick Nurse had a clear look at its trajectory. And, as it arced toward the basket, Nurse only had one thing going through his mind. “I just kind of said, ‘Please don’t go in,'”

6:17 PM ET Kendra AndrewsESPN WASHINGTON — In June, the Golden State Warriors became just the second team in NBA history to clinch a title on the parquet floor of the TD Garden. Now, seven months later, the Warriors are one day away from returning to Boston since that day. “It was such a beautiful

9:08 PM ET LOS ANGELES — Paul George returned to the lineup in the LA Clippers‘ 120-110 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday night. George had missed five straight games after tweaking a right hamstring injury that kept him out of seven straight games earlier this season. George scored 13 points and added eight

5:00 PM ET ESPN News Services WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden celebrated the NBA champion Golden State Warriors at the White House on Tuesday. The Warriors have won four championships in eight years, but they didn’t visit the White House while Donald Trump was president. He publicly disinvited them after Stephen Curry, the team’s star,

3:57 AM ET LOS ANGELES — Twenty years after LeBron James was the No. 1 overall pick in the NBA draft, the No. 3 selection in the league’s most recent draft — Houston Rockets forward Jabari Smith Jr. — told the Los Angeles Lakers star something to make him feel his age. “Hey,” Smith said

6:15 PM ET ESPN News Services CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Jayson Tatum knew he was sitting on 48 points entering the final minute of the Boston Celtics‘ Martin Luther King Jr. Day matinee against the Charlotte Hornets on Monday and briefly thought about backing the ball out and letting the clock run down with the outcome

4:31 PM ET Hours after the NBA released its Last Two Minute report for the Los Angeles Lakers‘ 113-112 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday, determining that Russell Westbrook was not fouled by Joel Embiid on L.A.’s final offensive possession, LeBron James took to Twitter to share his frustration with the league’s officiating. Quote

3:25 AM ET LOS ANGELES — For the second straight game, the Los Angeles Lakers couldn’t close out a winnable game in the clutch. And for the second straight game, the Lakers were left lamenting a foul they believed went uncalled that affected the outcome. After Sunday’s 113-112 loss to Philadelphia, Russell Westbrook claimed Sixers

5:52 PM ET NEW YORK — The Brooklyn Nets‘ Ben Simmons was a late scratch for Sunday’s 112-102 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder because of back soreness. Nets coach Jacque Vaughn did not think Simmons would need an MRI on his back and was hopeful this latest setback would not put him out long.

11:59 AM ET Houston Rockets guard Jalen Green and forward Jae’Sean Tate have been suspended one game for leaving the bench area during an altercation with the Sacramento Kings, the NBA announced. The incident occurred early in the fourth quarter of the Rockets’ 139-114 road loss Friday, beginning after Houston’s Garrison Mathews fouled Sacramento’s Malik

10:10 PM ET ESPN News Services INDIANAPOLIS — Ja Morant had 23 points, 10 assists and another ferocious dunk as the Memphis Grizzlies beat the Indiana Pacers 130-112 on Saturday night to extend the NBA’s longest current winning streak to nine games. Desmond Bane scored 25 points to lead the Grizzlies, who tied Denver for

5:17 PM ET EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — The Los Angeles Lakers hosted a pair of free agent centers, Meyers Leonard and DeMarcus Cousins, for a workout on Friday, according to coach Darvin Ham. “They both looked great,” Ham said after practice Saturday. “Whether or not we’re able to do something with them is a different

8:59 PM ET A non-call on LeBron James‘ potential game winner in the first overtime period was one of seven incorrect calls in the final two minutes of the fourth quarter and the two overtimes during Thursday night’s game between the Dallas Mavericks and Los Angeles Lakers, according to the NBA’s Last Two Minute Report

1:12 AM ET Associated Press SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Domantas Sabonis had 19 points, a career-high 16 assists and 15 rebounds in his fourth triple-double of the season, and the Sacramento Kings beat the skidding Houston Rockets 139-114 on Friday night for their third straight win. The Kings (23-18) moved five games over .500 for the

9:42 PM ET ESPN News Services SAN ANTONIO — The Spurs hosted the largest crowd ever for an NBA regular-season game in their return to the Alamodome, with 68,323 on hand for Friday’s game against the Golden State Warriors The Spurs returned to their former home to celebrate their 50th anniversary season. Spurs Hall of

4:07 PM ET Associated Press CLEVELAND — Anderson Varejão has bounced back to the Cavaliers. One of the most popular players in Cleveland’s history, Varejão has been hired as a player development consultant and global ambassador for the team that he played with for 14 NBA seasons. Known for his hustle and frizzy hair, Varejão,

3:01 AM ET LOS ANGELES — For most of the fourth quarter, the Los Angeles Lakers prioritized forcing the ball out of Luka Doncic‘s hands, sending a steady diet of double-teams at the MVP candidate and daring his Dallas Mavericks teammates to beat him. The strategy worked, allowing the Lakers to rally from a deficit

5:27 PM ET Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton was diagnosed with a left elbow sprain and a mild left knee bone contusion and will be reevaluated in around two weeks, the team announced on Thursday. Haliburton suffered the injuries in Wednesday night’s 119-113 loss to the New York Knicks after losing a shoe and falling

1:34 PM ET Associated Press NEW YORK — LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers is well on his way to catching Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on more than the NBA’s career scoring list. James is on pace to be an All-Star for the 19th time, after the NBA said Thursday that he remains the overall leading

7:50 AM ET Since the turn of the new year the Denver Nuggets have beaten the Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers and LA Clippers, and have taken over the top spot in the Western Conference alongside the Memphis Grizzlies. Two-time defending MVP Nikola Jokic is putting together his third legitimate campaign for the award and is

10:49 PM ET Associated Press MIAMI — Reserve center Dewayne Dedmon has been suspended without pay by the Miami Heat for one game for conduct detrimental to the club. The move came one night after Dedmon had an outburst after being subbed out of a game against the Oklahoma City Thunder. He exchanged words with

1:43 PM ET After a full year of rehabilitating an ACL tear in his left knee, Cleveland Cavaliers guard Ricky Rubio is targeting a return against the Portland Trail Blazers on Thursday, sources told ESPN. Rubio will practice Wednesday, and if all goes well, he will play in Portland on Thursday, the sources said. The

1:01 AM ET Kendra AndrewsESPN SAN FRANCISCO — Heading into Tuesday night’s game, the Golden State Warriors were confident Stephen Curry‘s return would be just what they needed to build on the momentum they had established earlier on their homestand without him. They finally had their best player back. Their starting lineup — the league’s

5:00 PM ET Phoenix Suns president and CEO Jason Rowley told a group of team employees that a recent story placing him at the center of allegations of verbal abuse, retaliation and intimidation in the workplace misrepresented him, and that he would not be resigning from his role, multiple current employees told ESPN. Rowley made

Jan 9, 2023 The pain in Anthony Davis‘ right foot continues to subside and the Los Angeles Lakers star plans to begin the ramp-up process to return to play when the team returns to L.A. this week, league sources told ESPN. Davis missed his 13th straight game Monday — a 122-109 loss to the Nuggets

5:29 PM ET Kendra AndrewsESPN SAN FRANCISCO — Stephen Curry is poised to return to the court Tuesday. The Warriors say Curry, who has missed the past 11 games with a left shoulder subluxation, is likely to be back for the team’s matchup against the Phoenix Suns. Warriors general manager Bob Myers and coach Steve

11:55 AM ET Brooklyn Nets star forward Kevin Durant is expected to be sidelined for approximately a month, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski on Monday. The Nets announced Monday that Durant was diagnosed with an isolated MCL sprain of his right knee and will be reevaluated in two weeks. Durant missed six weeks with a

7:49 AM ET Tim BontempsESPN THE TORONTO RAPTORS are a rarity in the modern NBA: a franchise with options. Plenty of teams have sold off their draft picks to chase contention immediately. Plenty more have moved their stars to pursue futures built around young talent and the NBA draft. But Toronto is stuck somewhere in

1:48 AM ET LOS ANGELES — Ty Lue tried shaking up his starting lineup by replacing Reggie Jackson at point guard, but the Clippers watched the Atlanta Hawks‘ Trae Young take over in the fourth quarter and deal Los Angeles a sixth straight loss. Young scored 14 of his 30 points in the final 6:27

8:08 PM ET MIAMI — Brooklyn Nets star forward Kevin Durant was ruled out of Sunday’s 102-101 win over the Miami Heat after injuring his knee in the third quarter. He is expected to get an MRI on Monday, according to Nets coach Jacque Vaughn. The injury occurred with 1:05 left in the third quarter