Entering the season, there were high hopes for the Indiana Pacers following an impressive bubble showing and eruption from T.J. Warren. However, the team finished at a disappointing 34-38 mark, finishing at ninth in the Eastern Conference and getting eliminated in the play-in tournament. A myriad of factors played into Indiana’s rough season, but no
2:19 AM ET Mike Conley still can’t quite believe the way the basketball stars have aligned. After spending 12 seasons with the Memphis Grizzlies, the veteran Utah Jazz guard is still adjusting to the fact that his new team is facing his old team in an emotional first-round playoff series. But after scoring 27 points,
The Portland Trail Blazers stormed past the Denver Nuggets in Game 4 of their first-round playoff series thanks to Norman Powell’s big night. After giving home-court advantage right back to the Denver Nuggets with a demoralizing Game 3 loss at the Moda Center, the Portland Trail Blazers badly needed to bounce back in Game 4.
Portland Trail Blazers fans inside the Moda Center sang “Happy Birthday” to Carmelo Anthony during Game 4 against the Denver Nuggets on Saturday. Saturday was a special day for Portland Trail Blazers forward Carmelo Anthony. Not only was i Game 4 of Portland’s first-round series against the Denver Nuggets, but it was also Anthony’s 37th
Julius Randle, New York Knicks. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images) Steelers wide receiver wants Julio Jones to join him in Pittsburgh by Rucker Haringey Former NFL quarterback on Tua Tagovailoa not knowing playbook: ‘That should never, ever happen’ by John Buhler Julius Randle’s poor shooting is a big reason why the New York Knicks trail
Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports The New York Knicks have not played well in the 2021 NBA Playoffs and are facing a crucial Game 4 on the road. Here are three keys to getting back on track. Down 2-1 in their first-round playoff series, the New York Knicks are facing a crucial Game 4
8:21 PM ET It’s not unusual for Denver Nuggets coach Michael Malone to tell it like it is and he put it quite bluntly again after a 115-95 loss in Game 4 to the Portland Trail Blazers. “Our starters were awful,” he said. “I thought we had some guys that were tentative, that looked a
Welcome back to Basketball Insiders’ Now What? Series. Previously, we went over the slowly rebuilding Cleveland Cavaliers. Today we’re focusing on the young, energetic, and, for some reason, stagnant Pelicans. Two years ago, it seemed New Orleans had the ideal start on their rebuild. They had their face of the future, his second-in-command, their supporting
Zion Williamson once again found himself in elite company as he made more NBA history. Kareem Adbul-Jabbar. Hakeem Olajuwon. David Robinson. And now, Zion Williamson. According to ESPN Stats & Info, that is the complete four-man list of players in NBA history to ever put up 10 or more 30-point games on 70 percent shooting
1:39 PM ET ESPN News Services Mark Eaton, the 7-foot-4 shot-blocking king who twice was the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year during his career with the Utah Jazz, has died, the team said Saturday. He was 64. The Jazz said police said Eaton was found lying in the road around 8:30 p.m. Friday night
The contentious relationship between Kyrie Irving and Boston Celtics fans didn’t get any better on Friday as fans rained down boos on the Brooklyn Nets guard. There was no question Kyrie Irving’s reception at TD Garden for Game 3 between the Boston Celtics and Brooklyn Nets would be less-than-friendly. Boston fans and the former Celtic
Alex Rodriguez. (Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports) UFC Vegas 27: Who is Chris “Huggy Bear” Barnett? by Zain Bando New Minnesota Timberwolves owner and former MLB star Alex Rodriguez is getting into makeup for men. Alex Rodriguez is a man of the people, especially after launching his own makeup line for men. Since
SALT LAKE CITY, UT – JANUARY 25: General view of the Minnesota Timberwolves logo shown on game shorts in a NBA game against the Utah Jazz at Vivint Smart Home Arena on January 25, 2019 in Salt Lake City, Utah. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this
1:16 AM ET Tim BontempsESPN BOSTON — Every one of the 4,789 fans who entered TD Garden on Friday night came ready to boo Kyrie Irving until their voices were hoarse. But after Boston came away with a stunning 122-115 victory over the Brooklyn Nets in Game 3 of their first-round playoff series, those same
Atlanta Hawks center Clint Capela did his best Dikembe Mutombo impression, complete with iconic finger wag, against Knicks forward Julius Randle in Game 3. Clint Capela and the Atlanta Hawks enjoyed their Game 3 victory over the New York Knicks to the fullest. Back in Atlanta for the first time in the series, the Hawks didn’t
After parting with Wendell Carter Jr. and sacrificing two top-four protected first-round picks to acquire Nikola Vucevic at the trade deadline, the Chicago Bulls proceeded to go 12-17, failing to finish in the top-10 in the Eastern Conference. For his part, Vucevic played well. In 26 games with the Bulls, the two-time All-Star averaged 21.5
May 24, 2021; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Miami Heat forward Trevor Ariza (8) pushes off of Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) as he gets up after fouling him in the third quarter during game two in the first round of the 2021 NBA Playoffs at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Michael McLoone-USA TODAY Sports Former NBA
Donte DiVincenzo, Milwaukee Bucks. (Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-USA TODAY Sports) How to watch NBA Playoffs: What channel is Celtics vs. Nets Game 3 on? by Steven Kubitza The Milwaukee Bucks get the worst news possible regarding the health of Donte DiVincenzo. Even if the Milwaukee Bucks should cakewalk to the Eastern Conference Semifinals with a commanding
5:27 PM ET Washington Wizards guard Russell Westbrook did not practice Friday and is being listed as questionable for Game 3 of their series against the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday. Westbrook rolled his ankle with 10 minutes in the fourth quarter of the Wizards’ 120-95 Game 2 loss in Philadelphia on Wednesday night and did
Down the stretch of the Los Angeles Lakers’ Game 3 win over the Phoenix Suns, fans at Staples Center started chanting for Kobe Bryant. The Los Angeles Lakers may be the defending NBA champions, but Game 3’s win over the Phoenix Suns actually marked the team’s first playoff win at the Staples Center since 2013.
Nobody is going to outwork Jimmy Butler and his Miami Heat. But this time around, that just may not be enough. Every NBA player wants to win a championship, but few are more overt about how badly they want to do so than the Miami Heat’s Jimmy Butler. He is almost theatrical in how he
MIAMI, FLORIDA – MAY 27: Giannis Antetokounmpo #34 of the Milwaukee Bucks goes up for a layup against the Miami Heat during the first quarter in Game Three of the Eastern Conference first-round playoff series at American Airlines Arena on May 27, 2021 in Miami, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that,
1:02 PM ET Milwaukee Bucks starting guard Donte DiVincenzo will miss the rest of the playoffs with a tendon injury in his left foot, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. DiVincenzo left Thursday’s 113-84 win over the Miami Heat in the second quarter due to the injury. The 24-year-old had started 66 games for the Bucks
Donovan Mitchell was less-than-thrilled about not playing for the Utah Jazz in Game 1 of their Western Conference Playoffs series vs. the Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday. The Utah Jazz medical staff holding out star shooting guard Donovan Mitchell in Game 1’s playoff game vs. the Memphis Grizzlies was a controversial and ill-advised decision. ESPN’s Brian Windhorst and Tim MacMahon
The Utah Jazz have banned three fans indefinitely for reportedly heckling the family of Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant. The return of fans for the 2021 NBA Playoffs have been universally lauded, but things turned ugly all across the league on Wednesday night. From a Philadelphia 76ers fan dumping popcorn on Washington Wizards guard Russell Westbrook
3:47 AM ET LOS ANGELES — Playing in their first home playoff game in eight years, the Los Angeles Lakers looked like a true championship contender for the first time in a while. L.A., the No. 7 seed, won 109-95 on Thursday night to take a 2-1 lead in its first-round matchup against the No.
Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images It appears the Miami Heat don’t have what it takes to repeat as Eastern Conference champions after a great run in last year’s bubble. The Miami Heat have officially run out of gas. Thursday night saw the Heat host the Milwaukee Bucks in a must-win Game 3. The Heat responded
Bubbleball, the new book from Washington Post NBA writer Ben Golliver, takes you inside last year’s NBA bubble and offers an unprecedented look at an unprecedented season. The 2019-20 NBA season was the longest and strangest in league history. Interrupted by a months-long hiatus caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, it eventually concluded up at Disney
Lakers center Montrezl Harrell. (Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports) Paul George sounds confident despite the Clippers’ Game 2 loss to Mavericks by Alicia de Artola 3 Los Angeles Clippers who must step up in Dallas by Brad Berreman Lakers forward Montrezl Harrell seems to be enjoying the Los Angeles Clippers struggling in the playoffs after
PHOENIX, ARIZONA – MAY 25: LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers reacts to a three-point shot against the Phoenix Suns during the second half of Game Two of the Western Conference first-round playoff series at Phoenix Suns Arena on May 25, 2021 in Phoenix, Arizona. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees