News

12:45 AM ET Jamal CollierESPN CHICAGO — After starting the season unavailable to play in back-to-back games while coming off arthroscopic left knee surgery in the offseason, Chicago Bulls guard Zach LaVine‘s performance in Chicago’s back-to-back this weekend — 41-points and 11 3s in a victory in Philadelphia on Friday and 36 points and six

3:10 AM ET SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The Los Angeles Lakers extended their winning streak to a season-best five games with a 136-134 victory over the Kings on Saturday, but not without some controversy. Sacramento guard De’Aaron Fox was called for a foul on the Lakers’ Dennis Schroder with 3.1 seconds remaining, with the score tied

12:27 AM ET NEW ORLEANS — Despite finishing with a 7-for-22 shooting night, Kyrie Irving couldn’t help but smile as he walked off the floor following a 108-102 win over the Pelicans on Friday at Smoothie King Center. As has been the case throughout his star-crossed career, the 30-year-old hit the biggest shot of the

11:30 PM ET ESPN News Services DENVER — For the second time this week, a Denver Nuggets game was delayed because of a crooked rim. Officials stopped play with 11:22 left in the fourth quarter Friday night with the Nuggets leading Cleveland 96-82 when Cavaliers players noticed the same rim that caused a 35-minute delay

1:01 AM ET LOS ANGELES — With the Lakers heading to Sacramento this weekend and LeBron James needing fewer than 500 points to pass Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s all-time mark of 38,397 points, James reflected on the time he scored his first NBA points in the home of the Kings. “I knew that I was ready for

11:51 AM ET DALLAS — The Mavericks are waiving guard Kemba Walker a day before the four-time All-Star’s salary would have become guaranteed for the rest of the season, the team announced Friday morning. Walker, 32, averaged 8.0 points and 2.1 assists in nine games with the Mavericks. He signed for the veteran’s minimum in

7:32 AM ET Kevin Durant is still standing as a member of the Brooklyn Nets. After a tumultuous summer, and an even rougher start to the season, the superstar who requested a trade some seven months ago enters Friday’s game against the New Orleans Pelicans (7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN) playing arguably the best basketball of

11:26 PM ET Associated Press HOUSTON — Lauri Markkanen scored a career-high 49 points to lead the Utah Jazz to a 131-114 victory over the Houston Rockets on Thursday night that snapped a five-game skid. Markkanen got out to a quick start with 18 points in the first quarter to help the Jazz to an

6:34 PM ET San Antonio Spurs guard Devin Vassell will undergo an arthroscopic procedure on his left knee next week and is out indefinitely, the team announced Thursday. Vassell has been dealing with knee soreness that kept him out of three of the Spurs’ past four games. He’s set to undergo surgery on Jan. 11

8:08 AM ET Tim Bontemps Dave McMenamin Close ESPN Staff Writer Lakers and NBA reporter for ESPN. Covered the Lakers and NBA for ESPNLosAngeles.com from 2009-14, the Cavaliers from 2014-18 for ESPN.com and the NBA for NBA.com from 2005-09. LEBRON JAMES IS well-known for his uncanny ability to recall specific moments from any point throughout

12:25 AM ET Jamal CollierESPN CHICAGO — The Chicago Bulls snapped the Brooklyn Nets‘ 12-game winning streak with a 121-112 victory Wednesday night, handing Brooklyn its first loss since Dec. 4. Nets star Kevin Durant scored 44 points on 15-of-22 shooting, but the Bulls halted the longest winning streak in the NBA this season by

4:17 PM ET LOS ANGELES — LeBron James will miss the Lakers‘ game against the Miami Heat on Wednesday because of an illness, the team announced. The illness is not COVID-19 related, the team clarified. James will have to put his hot play of late on pause. The 20-year veteran is coming off consecutive 40-point

7:50 AM ET It’s officially 2023, and time is ticking for the Los Angeles Lakers to get in position to make the playoffs — though LeBron James is doing everything he can to give them a chance. As James closes in on the NBA’s all-time scoring record, he has helped the Lakers win three of

11:00 PM ET Associated Press MILWAUKEE — Giannis Antetokounmpo says he wants to produce with so much consistency that it causes boredom. That’s the only respect in which the two-time MVP has fallen shortly lately. Antetokounmpo scored a career-high 55 points with a series of thrilling dunks and drives as the Milwaukee Bucks beat Washington

7:09 PM ET Andrew LopezESPN New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson has been diagnosed with a right hamstring strain, the team announced Tuesday evening. The team said Williamson will be reevaluated in three weeks. Williamson was injured late in the third quarter Monday night in a loss to the 76ers in Philadelphia. After gathering a

1:33 AM ET Kendra AndrewsESPN SAN FRANCISCO — Before the Golden State Warriors tipped off against the Atlanta Hawks on Monday night, Klay Thompson had a conversation with Dominique Wilkins. They discussed how Wilkins’ return from an Achilles tendon tear decades ago has made him an inspiration to Thompson, as the Warriors guard has been

10:41 PM ET ESPN News Services CLEVELAND — Already an All-Star, Donovan Mitchell added his name to one of the NBA’s most rarefied lists Monday night. Mitchell set a Cleveland record with 71 points, most by an NBA player in 17 years, and the Cavaliers rallied from 21 down to beat the Chicago Bulls 145-134

Jan 1, 2023 ESPN News Services SALT LAKE CITY — Tyler Herro drilled a wild, running 3-pointer as time expired to give the Miami Heat a 126-123 victory over the Utah Jazz on Saturday night. Bam Adebayo scored 32 points and Herro finished with 29 points, nine rebounds and six assists for the Heat. Victor

7:59 PM ET Associated Press DENVER — Boston Celtics interim coach Joe Mazzulla returned to the bench Sunday after missing two games with an eye injury sustained in a pickup game. Mazzulla said he is part of regular, late-afternoon games at Boston’s TD Garden and got hit in the face Tuesday before the Celtics faced

1:11 AM ET ESPN News Services The Sunday night game between the Boston Celtics and Denver Nuggets was a matchup of the NBA’s Eastern and Western conference leaders, as well as top MVP contenders Jayson Tatum and Nikola Jokic. But the showdown was overshadowed by a bent rim that caused a delay of about 35

6:35 PM ET Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo is out for Sunday night’s game against the Washington Wizards with left knee soreness, head coach Mike Budenholzer announced two hours before tipoff. Antetokounmpo was a late addition to the injury report after participating in shootaround earlier Sunday. The Bucks are already without Jrue Holiday (non-COVID illness)

12:13 AM ET CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Brooklyn Nets went through a lot in 2022. At times throughout the year, the drama surrounding the organization seemed to overwhelm the team. But as the calendar year came to a close Saturday night, Kevin Durant and his teammates and coach reflected on one of the most eventful

10:16 PM ET Associated Press SAN ANTONIO — Superstar Luka Doncic capped a historic five-game run with 51 points, and the Dallas Mavericks needed all of them to beat the San Antonio Spurs. Doncic had two rebounds and two free throws in the final 4.5 seconds, helping Dallas escape with a 126-125 victory over San

5:08 PM ET Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James got another birthday greeting after he turned 38 on Friday. This time from the man he is chasing on the NBA’s all-time scoring list: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Abdul-Jabbar, the Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer and six-time NBA champion, shouted out LeBron on Saturday morning. Happy birthday, LeBron.

12:33 AM ET ESPN News Services MILWAUKEE — Giannis Antetokounmpo had 43 points and 20 rebounds and the Milwaukee Bucks snapped a four-game losing streak with a 123-114 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday night. Antetokounmpo finished two points off his season high and also had five assists to join Wilt Chamberlain and Elgin

10:49 PM ET ATLANTA – Coming into a Friday night showdown with the Hawks on his 38th birthday, Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James told his teammates he had a gift in store for them. He was going to score 40 points to get them back on track after L.A. had lost five of its

10:41 AM ET Associated Press PARIS — Teen prodigy Victor Wembanyama embellished his fast-growing reputation when he became the youngest MVP in the French league’s All-Star game. The 18-year-old Wembanyama finished with 27 points, 12 rebounds and 4 assists Thursday night as the All-Star France team won 136-128 against the All-Star World team — an

8:04 PM ET Buddy Hield wasted no time finding the scoring column Thursday night. And he did so in record-breaking fashion. The Pacers sharpshooter grabbed the game-opening jump ball out of midair that Cleveland Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen had swatted his way, pivoted at the top of the key and coolly connected on a 3-pointer

10:13 PM ET Associated Press NEW YORK — Detroit guard Killian Hayes and Orlando’s Moritz Wagner were each given multigame suspensions for their roles in a scuffle, while the NBA suspended eight Magic players one game apiece Thursday for leaving the bench area during an altercation. Hayes, who struck Wagner in the back of the

9:11 PM ET ESPN News Services DETROIT — Orlando’s Moritz Wagner appeared to briefly get knocked out by a punch to the back of the head after starting a fight in the first half against the Pistons that led to three ejections Wednesday night in a scene that triggered memories of an ugly brawl outside