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1:05 AM ET The Los Angeles Lakers were seemingly in control, up by 13 late in the third quarter, before Ja Morant nearly outproduced them on his own down the stretch in the Memphis Grizzlies‘ 104-99 win on Wednesday. Morant scored 16 of his 41 points from the 3-minute, 38-second mark in the third through

4:30 PM ET Kyrie Irving returned to a Brooklyn Nets‘ practice for the first time since the preseason and said he understood why the team decided to have him stay away because of New York City’s vaccine mandate. “I understood their decision and respected it,” Irving told beat writers Wednesday at the Nets practice facility

2:34 PM ET Former All-Star guard Isaiah Thomas has agreed to a 10-day hardship deal with the Dallas Mavericks after the team had two more players enter the NBA’s health and safety protocols, sources told ESPN. Center Boban Marjanovic and guard Brandon Knight entered the protocols Wednesday after testing positive for COVID-19, sources said. Thomas,

1:21 AM ET Starting at center for not only the first time of his 19-year career, but for what he said was the first time in his life, LeBron James keyed a 132-123 victory for the Los Angeles Lakers over the Houston Rockets. The win snapped a five-game losing streak for an L.A. team that

12:57 AM ET ESPN News Services SAN ANTONIO — Jordan Clarkson helped lift the short-handed Utah Jazz over the Spurs after he got into a confrontation with a Spurs fan he said “crossed the line” on Monday. Clarkson, who is from San Antonio, was upset by a non-call on his shot attempt and did not

12:44 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN The Brooklyn Nets announced Tuesday that Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and LaMarcus Aldridge had cleared the NBA’s health and safety protocols. Aldridge has been in the protocols for two weeks, while Durant and Irving both entered them 10 days ago. Brooklyn had a massive COVID-19 outbreak across its roster, with

11:46 PM ET SAN FRANCISCO — Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green will not play Tuesday against the Denver Nuggets and is expected to miss several games after entering health and safety protocols. The Warriors made that official Monday in an injury report that includes three other players who remain in the protocols. Green’s absence

4:15 PM ET Adrian Wojnarowski Close Senior NBA Insider Host of The Woj Pod Joined ESPN in 2017 Baxter Holmes Close ESPN Senior Writer Baxter Holmes (@Baxter) is a senior writer for ESPN Digital and Print, focusing on the NBA. He has covered the Lakers, the Celtics and previously worked for The Boston Globe and

8:00 AM ET Health and safety protocols continue to be a concern around the league. Several stars sat out their teams’ Christmas Day matchups, including Trae Young, Luka Doncic and Kevin Durant, though James Harden and Giannis Antetokounmpo returned to action for Saturday’s slate of games. Antetokounmpo led the Milwaukee Bucks past the Boston Celtics,

12:47 AM ET ESPN News Services SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Kings interim coach Alvin Gentry lashed out at his team after a 127-102 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday night, calling its performance “absolutely ridiculous.” “It’s the most disappointed I’ve been in 34 years in the NBA, I can honestly say that,” said Gentry, who

5:22 PM ET Utah Jazz star guard Donovan Mitchell will miss at least the next two games due to a left lower back strain, the team announced Sunday. Mitchell will remain in Salt Lake City to receive treatment during the Jazz’s two-game road trip to San Antonio and Portland. Mitchell suffered the strain during the

1:46 AM ET LeBron James passed Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant as the NBA’s all-time leading scorer on Christmas Day. James’ 13th point of the first half, coming on a free throw with 3 minutes, 52 seconds remaining in the second quarter, gave him 396 career points on the holiday, eclipsing Bryant’s 395. James

1:28 AM ET When the NBA schedule makers locked in the Los Angeles Lakers and Brooklyn Nets to play on Christmas Day, the vision was to pit L.A.’s big three of LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook against Brooklyn’s Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and James Harden in a star-studded affair. Thanks to a left

9:04 PM ET There’s renewed momentum for the creation of a future in-season NBA tournament among the league’s 30 teams, sources told ESPN. The NBA and National Basketball Players Association have been discussing elements of the tournament, which could become part of the calendar as soon as the 2022-2023 or 2023-2024 seasons, sources said. Negotiations

10:40 AM ET Amid a dramatic franchise transformation, Cleveland Cavaliers coach J.B. Bickerstaff has agreed on a long-term extension that will keep him under contract through the 2026-27 season, sources told ESPN on Saturday. Bickerstaff and general manager Koby Altman have worked together to reshape the Cavaliers around a young core — including guard Darius

1:23 PM ET After clearing the NBA’s health and safety protocols, there’s optimism that Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo will be in the lineup against the Boston Celtics on Saturday, sources told ESPN. Antetokounmpo, the reigning NBA Finals MVP, planned to get on the court Friday for a workout. He will make a decision on

5:20 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN Facebook Twitter Facebook Messenger Pinterest Email print The Boston Celtics had another five players officially enter the NBA’s health and safety protocols Friday afternoon, further battering one of the hardest-hit rosters in the league as the omicron variant of COVID-19 sweeps through the NBA. Guard C.J. Miles, forwards Aaron Nesmith

1:23 PM ET Milwaukee Bucks two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo has cleared the NBA’s health and safety protocols and could play Christmas Day against the Boston Celtics, sources told ESPN. Antetokounmpo, the reigning NBA Finals MVP, planned to get on the court Friday for a workout. He will make a decision on Saturday’s game prior to

3:00 AM ET SAN FRANCISCO — As the Golden State Warriors roll into a Christmas Day showdown with the Phoenix Suns on Saturday, they do so with a little frustration. It’ll mark their second straight year being on the road during the NBA’s biggest regular-season showcase day. “Generally I like playing on Christmas,” Warriors coach

3:59 PM ET The NBA and National Basketball Players Association are near an agreement to reduce the 10-day quarantine periods for COVID-positive players, sources told ESPN on Thursday. The arrangement — expected to soon be shared with teams — could return some players to active play in six days, based on testing procedures, sources said.

11:06 AM ET James Harden, Paul Millsap and Jevon Carter have been cleared from health and safety protocols, and the Brooklyn Nets are expecting to have enough players for their Christmas Day game against the Los Angeles Lakers despite having three more players enter protocols. Nets coach Steve Nash said that while Harden, Millsap and

12:12 AM ET Tim BontempsESPN BOSTON — It’s been 20 years since Joe Johnson made an NBA debut, but he still knows how to score in isolation. Johnson, who earned the nickname “Iso Joe” for his scoring prowess in those situations over the course of his long and decorated NBA career, scored the final points

7:47 PM ET New York Knicks point guard Derrick Rose had surgery Wednesday on his right ankle, the team said. Per the Knicks, Rose will be reevaluated in eight weeks. However, a source told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski that there is optimism his return could be closer to a six-week timetable. Rose had been out with

10:05 AM ET Thursday’s scheduled game between the Nets and Trail Blazers has been postponed, as the NBA announced that coronavirus-struck Brooklyn does not have the required eight players available for the contest. This is the third straight Nets game that has been postponed over the past week. Games against the Denver Nuggets on Sunday

2:53 AM ET Back at .500 at 16-16 following a 108-88 loss to the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday, Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James made it sound like he knows as much about his team’s potential now as he did when they were 0-0 to start the season. “We don’t know,” James said. “We have

4:30 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN NBA commissioner Adam Silver told ESPN’s Malika Andrews that the league has no plans to suspend its season as COVID-19 surges through the league. “No plans right now to pause the season,” Silver said in an interview on NBA Today on Tuesday afternoon. “We have of course looked at all

9:04 PM ET LA Clippers star swingman Paul George will return and start against the San Antonio Spurs on Monday night. George had not played since Dec. 6 at Portland when he scored 21 points. He missed five games after that with a right elbow sprain. George is averaging 25 points, 7.3 rebounds and 5.4

8:48 PM ET Nick DePaulaESPN In the aftermath of his record-breaking game last week at Madison Square Garden, Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry has launched a new NFT collection to celebrate each and every one of those 2,974 made 3-pointers. The “2974 Collection” launched Monday at 2974SC.com, and it features a series of nonfungible

7:34 PM ET One of the hottest teams in the league is getting their star point guard back. Ja Morant returned for the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday against the visiting Oklahoma City Thunder after missing more than three weeks with a left knee sprain. Morant sprained his knee in a Nov. 26 loss to the

8:00 AM ET Stephen Curry took center stage to start the week as he continued his pursuit of Ray Allen’s 3-point record. Curry hit six 3s on Monday night against the Indiana Pacers to pull within two shots of the top spot, then quickly hit two 3s in the first quarter of Tuesday’s win over