News

8:00 AM ET The race atop the Eastern Conference is shaping up to be a wild one in the NBA’s second half. The Miami Heat are the current leaders after their win over the Los Angeles Lakers combined with the Brooklyn Nets‘ loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday, but plenty of contenders are right

12:36 AM ET MINNEAPOLIS — Brooklyn Nets guard James Harden does not believe he is getting the benefit of the whistle the same way he did in years past. The 32-year-old made that clear after getting to the line only four times in a 136-125 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday night. When asked

4:53 PM ET Jamal CollierESPN The NBA suspended the Milwaukee Bucks‘ Grayson Allen for one game on Sunday for his flagrant 2 foul on Alex Caruso that caused a fractured wrist for the Chicago Bulls guard. The league punished Allen, who was ejected from the Bucks’ 94-90 victory over the Bulls on Friday night after

5:40 PM ET ESPN News Services During the Tokyo Olympics last summer, when Damian Lillard‘s abdominal injury flared up, Jrue Holiday suggested it was time for surgery. Lillard finally took his fellow Olympian’s advice and had the procedure Jan. 13. The Portland Trail Blazers‘ star point guard spoke to reporters Saturday for the first time

8:44 PM ET MIAMI — Anthony Davis, out for the past five weeks with a sprained MCL in his left knee, has been upgraded to questionable for the Los Angeles Lakers‘ game against the Heat on Sunday and is considered a game-time decision, according to the team. Davis missed the past 16 games since the

3:53 PM ET Chicago Bulls guard Alex Caruso will undergo surgery early next week for a fractured right wrist, the team announced Saturday. Caruso suffered the injury during the Bulls loss to the Bucks on Friday night in Milwaukee. Caruso was fouled hard by the Bucks’ Grayson Allen, who was assessed a flagrant 2 foul

1:09 AM ET Jamal CollierESPN MILWAUKEE — Chicago Bulls coach Billy Donovan wants the NBA to consider further discipline for Milwaukee Bucks guard Grayson Allen after he was ejected in the third quarter of Milwaukee’s 94-90 victory for a Flagrant 2 foul on Bulls guard Alex Caruso. Caruso went up for a layup on a

3:30 AM ET Kendra AndrewsESPN SAN FRANCISCO — As the Golden State Warriors and Houston Rockets sat with a tied score with just over five seconds left Friday night, Steve Kerr had a clear play in mind for their final offensive possession: “Get the ball to Steph and get out of the way.” They executed

8:00 AM ET Los Angeles Lakers star Russell Westbrook told ESPN that he was disappointed with his fourth-quarter benching in Wednesday’s loss to the Indiana Pacers but that he remains undeterred about how to “figure s— out and do what’s best for our team to win in the long run.” Asked whether he was surprised

8:00 AM ET As Kyrie Irving stayed away from his Brooklyn Nets teammates the past three months, he wondered what it would be like to venture out and watch a game like a fan. “I can’t really go out and watch at a local bar or anything like that,” Irving, who is still not vaccinated

3:29 AM ET Kendra AndrewsESPN SAN FRANCISCO — The Golden State Warriors felt good heading into their Thursday night matchup against the Indiana Pacers. They held a home run derby at Chase Center the day before to boost morale after a tough road trip and were ready to build momentum on their dominant win over

8:43 PM ET Associated Press NEW YORK — Brooklyn assistant coach David Vanterpool was fined $10,000, and the Nets were penalized $25,000 by the NBA on Thursday after he interfered with play in a victory at Washington. Vanterpool reached across the sideline and deflected a pass with 5:42 remaining in the fourth quarter of the

8:00 AM ET Tim BontempsESPN MADISON SQUARE GARDEN had just played host to one of the season’s most thrilling comebacks. It was Jan. 6, and New York Knicks fans had witnessed a ridiculous buzzer-beating bank shot 3-pointer by RJ Barrett that capped a 24-point rally and win against the Boston Celtics. It was the Knicks’

10:14 PM ET ESPN News Services PHILADELPHIA — Joel Embiid tied his career high with 50 points in just 27 minutes, leading a dominant third quarter that carried the Philadelphia 76ers to a 123-110 victory over the Orlando Magic on Wednesday night. Embiid also had 12 rebounds and three blocks while making 17 of 23

8:12 PM ET Jamal CollierESPN Chicago Bulls guards Zach LaVine and Lonzo Ball will not travel with the team for its upcoming road trip while each recovers from his respective knee injury, coach Billy Donovan said prior to Wednesday night’s game against the Cleveland Cavaliers. It will leave the Bulls without their starting backcourt for,

3:11 AM ET Kendra AndrewsESPN SAN FRANCISCO — Klay Thompson knew he needed to use the same patience he learned over the past 2½ years and apply it to his shot coming back. And for the most part, it looked to have paid off in the Golden State Warriors‘ 102-86 win over the Detroit Pistons

12:15 AM ET The Denver Nuggets are acquiring San Antonio Spurs guard Bryn Forbes in a three-way deal with the Boston Celtics, sources told ESPN on Tuesday night. The Nuggets will send Bol Bol and P.J. Dozier to the Celtics, and the Spurs will acquire Boston forward Juancho Hernangomez and Denver’s 2028 second-round pick, sources

4:17 PM ET The LA Clippers are extending Paul George‘s period of rest for the torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow a few more weeks to see how it responds, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. George has not played since scoring 17 points in a win at the Sacramento Kings on Dec. 22.

3:35 AM ET LOS ANGELES — LeBron James apologized to Lakers fans and the next night Los Angeles made the No. 1 offense in the league look sorry in a 101-95 win over the Utah Jazz on Monday. “I think there’s a huge lesson to be learned with this group that we’re going nowhere without

9:05 PM ET CLEVELAND — Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving made clear Monday that his stance regarding the COVID-19 vaccine will not change in the wake of Kevin Durant‘s knee injury that is expected to sideline him for four to six weeks. Irving is unvaccinated and therefore ineligible to play at home because of a

3:20 PM ET CLEVELAND — As the Brooklyn Nets prepare for life without Kevin Durant for at least the next month, coach Steve Nash wants them to do so with as positive an outlook as possible. Durant sprained the MCL in his left knee during Saturday’s win over the New Orleans Pelicans. While Nash said

8:00 AM ET The Memphis Grizzlies‘ franchise-record 11-game win streak ran out of steam during Friday’s loss to the Dallas Mavericks, but something tells us Ja Morant & Co. aren’t done putting their stamp on the NBA this season. Even with the defeat, the Grizzlies’ 30-15 record is the second best in franchise history through

1:48 AM ET DENVER — After the Los Angeles Lakers‘ 37-point loss to the Denver Nuggets on Saturday, the second-biggest loss of LeBron James‘ 19-year career, another franchise great weighed in with his disgust. “We as Lakers fans can accept being outplayed but we deserve more than a lack of effort and no sense of

6:35 PM ET Golden State Warriors star forward Draymond Green will be out at least two more weeks after evaluations indicated that the soreness in his left calf is tied to “the involvement of a disc in his lower back.” Green left last Sunday’s win over the Cleveland Cavaliers early because of a sore left

11:09 AM ET After the Brooklyn Nets diagnosed All-NBA forward Kevin Durant with a sprained MCL of his left knee, the franchise expects a four- to six-week rehabilitation before his return, sources told ESPN. Durant underwent imaging on Sunday morning after Saturday night’s injury, and a realistic benchmark for Durant could be a return coming

8:58 PM ET NEW YORK — Brooklyn Nets star forward Kevin Durant injured his left knee during the second quarter of Saturday’s game against the New Orleans Pelicans. The team called it a left knee sprain, and it occurred with just under six minutes left in the quarter as Pelicans guard Herb Jones drove to

12:36 PM ET DALLAS — Mavericks power forward/center Kristaps Porzingis has cleared the NBA’s health and safety protocols after missing the past seven games and is expected to play in Saturday night’s home game against the Orlando Magic. Mavericks coach Jason Kidd also cleared the protocols. Dallas won six of the seven games missed by

12:08 AM ET Tim BontempsESPN PHILADELPHIA — After beating the Boston Celtics to win for the ninth time in 11 games Friday night, 76ers superstar Joel Embiid said “there’s really no urgency to change anything” with his team with just under four weeks to go until the NBA’s trade deadline. “I feel great, man,” Embiid

8:40 PM ET Jamal CollierESPN CHICAGO — Bulls guard Zach LaVine exited Friday’s 138-96 loss to the Golden State Warriors in the first quarter with a left knee injury and did not return. LaVine did not travel with the team to Boston for its matchup against the Celtics on Saturday night, and instead will remain

5:26 PM ET LOS ANGELES — Anthony Davis participated in an individual on-court workout on Friday, four weeks to the day since spraining the MCL in his left knee. There is optimism within the Los Angeles Lakers organization that the star big man could return to game action sometime during L.A.’s long road trip at