Three teams in the Eastern Conference are expected to compete for a spot in the NBA Finals. The Brooklyn Nets, Philadelphia 76ers and Milwaukee Bucks are clearly head-and-shoulders above the next tier of teams in the East. Still, those organizations are not going to just lay down and concede defeat. Last year the Miami HEAT
7:00 PM ET Josh Giddey — a 6-foot-8 Australian playmaking guard — is entering the 2021 NBA draft, his agents Daniel Moldovan and Alex Saratsis of Octagon Sports told ESPN on Tuesday. Giddey is the No. 13 prospect in ESPN’s Top 100 NBA draft rankings, and could climb higher in the lottery. Giddey, 18, has
Phoenix Suns guard Chris Paul ended New York Knicks’ nine-game winning streak with dagger shots on Monday night. The New York Knicks of old are no more, as they are an entertaining, tough team in the Eastern Conference. Entering Monday night, the Knicks were looking to increase their win streak to 10 straight games at
LeBron James could be back as early as next week for the Los Angeles Lakers. To no one’s surprise, the Los Angeles Lakers have struggled over the last few months with LeBron James and Anthony Davis sidelined. While AD recently returned to the lineup and has since seen his nightly minutes limit upgraded to 25
The Los Angeles Lakers need point guard Dennis Schröder to keep playing at this high level. Dennis Schröder has helped keep the Los Angeles Lakers afloat with its two star players Anthony Davis and LeBron James missing significant time this spring due to injury. Schröder’s latest performance vs. the struggling Orlando Magic on Monday night was
9:02 AM ET The Golden State Warriors launched a Non-Fungible Token (NFT) collection on the OpenSea platform Tuesday morning, becoming the first professional sports team to do so. “This is the wave of the future,” new Warriors president Brandon Schneider said. “So we’ve been studying what the best way for us to get involved and
Brooklyn Nets forward Kevin Durant and Utah Jazz guard Mike Conley Jr. won an Oscar as producers of a live-action short honored at the Academy Awards. Kevin Durant was a big winner as the Nets star returned from injury with 33 points off the bench against the Suns on Sunday. He won again on Sunday
The LA Clippers’ injury woes continue, with Kawhi Leonard now out for at least one week. The LA Clippers look like legitimate title contenders in the NBA‘s Western Conference … if they can just get everyone healthy, that is. In what’s been an injury-ravaged season for both the Clippers and the league at large, Tuesday
The LA Clippers are finalizing a deal to keep DeMarcus Cousins for the remainder of the 2020-21 season. Boogie’s staying in Los Angeles. It took a 20-day trial period, but the LA Clippers decided to keep Boogie on board for … well, at least the rest of this season. After starting this year with the
1:07 AM ET Chants of “Defense!” echoed through Madison Square Garden when Chris Paul pulled out a cross over, spun and then flung up an 18-foot fadeaway over Julius Randle that silenced the Garden and ultimately snapped the New York Knicks’ nine-game winning streak. The Phoenix Suns’ All-Star point guard scored seven points in the
The New York Knicks are currently on their longest winning streak since 2014. Along the way, they’ve defeated several teams with whom they’re competing for a playoff spot – and unbelievably, home-court advantage in the first round – including the Atlanta Hawks and the Charlotte Hornets. While the Knicks still have the sixth-hardest remaining schedule,
Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner is out indefinitely after suffering a partial tear in his right great toe. The Indiana Pacers currently sit two games behind the Charlotte Hornets for the 8-seed in the Eastern Conference. With a month remaining in the regular season, the Pacers need to have all hands on deck. Unfortunately, they
Orlando Magic guard Devin Cannady had to be removed from the court on a stretcher after suffering a scary injury against the Pacers. After the UFC had a terrible injury scare on Saturday night, the sports world could have gone a while without having to see another. Unfortunately, a similar injury struck the NBA less
7:07 PM ET Houston Rockets point guard John Wall is expected to be sidelined for the remainder of the season due to a Grade 2 hamstring strain, sources told ESPN. The typical recovery time for such an injury is approximately three weeks, and the Rockets have no intention of rushing Wall back with the team
The Whiteboard is The Step Back’s daily basketball newsletter, covering the NBA, WNBA and more. Subscribe here to get it delivered to you via email each morning. Last week we looked at the surging New York Knicks through the prism of the individual improvement of Julius Randle and R.J. Barrett. Randle will likely run away with
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – JANUARY 30: Sterling Brown #0 of the Houston Rockets reacts against the New Orleans Pelicans during a game at the Smoothie King Center on January 30, 2021 in New Orleans, Louisiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to
Kevin Porter Jr. tried to protect his Houston Rockets teammate Sterling Brown during an assault at the strip club on Monday and faces severe consequences. More details are coming to light about a bloodied assault on Houston Rockets player Sterling Brown at a strip club in Miami. Apparently, teammate Kevin Porter Jr. stepped in to
7:00 AM ET If the NBA season ended today, Madison Square Garden would be hosting Game 1 of a first-round playoff series. The New York Knicks have won nine straight games for the first time since the 2012-13 season, the year they finished as the Eastern Conference’s No. 2 seed. While Julius Randle & Co.
Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors. (Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports) Russell Westbrook recreated his own meme when he was told an interesting stat (Video) by Kristen Wong Steph Curry believes he is the only choice for NBA MVP this season. Steph Curry is the reason why the Golden State Warriors remain in the Western Conference playoff
Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors. (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images) Ryan Garcia withdraws from bout due to ‘health and wellbeing’ concerns by Curtis Calhoun The Golden State Warriors’ road game vs. the New Orleans Pelicans will be Marvel-themed. If you are really into The Avengers, then you are really going to be into ESPN’s May 3 telecast of
3:01 AM ET SAN FRANCISCO — Stephen Curry‘s record-setting month of April rolled on Sunday night against the Sacramento Kings, as Curry hit seven 3-pointers in a 117-113 Warriors victory to set a new NBA record for most 3s in a calendar month with 85 and counting. The previous record was held by Brooklyn’s James
New York Knicks fans are so excited about their team they got a NSFW chant about the Brooklyn Nets going. Following the New York Knicks‘ 120-103 win over the Toronto Raptors on Saturday afternoon, basketball fans in the Big Apple were feeling pretty pumped about their team. And why wouldn’t they? The Knicks have won
The Whiteboard is The Step Back’s daily basketball newsletter, covering the NBA, WNBA and more. Subscribe here to get it delivered to you via email each morning. It’s been a rough year for the Pistons in terms of the standings, but from a player development perspective, they’ve had plenty of wins. Jerami Grant has thrived in
7:23 PM ET After missing the past three games because of a bruised thigh, Brooklyn Nets forward Kevin Durant returned on Sunday and erupted for 33 points in 28 minutes in a 128-119 victory over the Phoenix Suns. “It’s like riding a bike,” Durant said. “You get your footing right and just get your rhythm
The New York Knicks are currently on their longest winning streak since 2014. Along the way, they’ve defeated several teams with whom they’re competing for a playoff spot – and unbelievably, home-court advantage in the first round – including the Atlanta Hawks and the Charlotte Hornets. While the Knicks still have the sixth-hardest remaining schedule,
Another injury for the Denver Nuggets will only add to the difficulty as the playoffs near, with small forward Will Barton sidelined by a hamstring. Losing Jamal Murray to an ACL tear was bad enough for the Denver Nuggets. Monte Morris suffering a hamstring injury a few days later poured salt on the wound. It
Forget Drew Lock, Nikola Jokic should be the Denver Broncos’ quarterback. It’s been well established that Denver Nuggets superstar Nikola Jokic is the best passing big man in NBA history, and one of the best passers in the league, period. But in all honesty, after the dime he threw in Saturday’s game against the Houston
10:34 AM ET Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant is planning to return to the lineup for Sunday’s game against the Phoenix Suns, sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarwoski. Durant missed three games with a left leg contusion. He injured himself early in the first quarter of the Nets game against the Miami Heat last weekend. Durant
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA – JANUARY 18: Head coach Steve Clifford of the Orlando Magic looks on during the first half against the Golden State Warriors at the Chase Center on January 18, 2020 in San Francisco, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting
2:07 AM ET There’s only a dozen games left in the regular season for the Los Angeles Lakers after Saturday’s 108-93 loss to the Dallas Mavericks. And even though the defending champions have been playing together for more than four months since the start of training camp, Lakers star Anthony Davis said the critical juncture