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. I fully recognize that the headline to today’s newsletter is a bit strange to be asking the morning after Stephen Curry scored a career-high 62 points. It was
Photo by Noah Graham/NBAE via Getty Images Trevor Lawrence vs. Justin Fields is the next great NFL rivalry by Ian Wharton NCAA basketball Week 7: Texas is for real, LSU’s Cameron Thomas emerges, more by Mike Phillips Stephen Curry poured in a career-high 62-points against the Trail Blazers and teammate Klay Thompson welcomed him warmly
5:32 PM ET Malika Andrews Close ESPN Staff Writer Staff Writer Joined ESPN in 2018 Appears regularly on ESPN Chicago 1000 Adrian Wojnarowski Close Senior NBA Insider Host of The Woj Pod Joined ESPN in 2017 NEW YORK — After being exposed to someone who tested positive for COVID-19, Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant is
The Washington Wizards’ 1-5 start to the season has clearly been a rocky one – an early journey with several close heartbreakers and blown leads along the way. While frustrations have been mounting in D.C., Deni Avdija is seeing this stretch as a growing opportunity, one that paid off after the team’s first win against
6:49 AM ET The Cleveland Cavaliers are tied for the second-best record in the Eastern Conference. The Dallas Mavericks and Denver Nuggets are both two games under .500. The Toronto Raptors have one win. Reigning MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks are currently tied for the East’s No. 7 seed — with the New
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA – JANUARY 03: Stephen Curry #30 and Draymond Green #23 of the Golden State Warriors celebrate after Kelly Oubre Jr. #12 made a three-point basket against the Portland Trail Blazers at Chase Center on January 03, 2021 in San Francisco, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading
There’s little doubt the Denver Nuggets possess a talented trio, but how does Michael Porter Jr.’s skillset mesh with Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray? With all the hype surrounding Michael Porter Jr., many Denver Nuggets fans have neglected to consider the chemistry-building process, as it’s widely assumed Porter will slide next to Nikola Jokic and
Coming off a surprise run to the conference finals, the Denver Nuggets are in the thick of the West’s top tier. Can they meet these new expectations? 1. Who leads the Nuggets in scoring this season — Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray or Michael Porter Jr.? Murray. His performance in The Bubble was incredible: 26.5 points
11:48 PM ET It was a big night for Stephen Curry. The Golden State Warriors‘ superstar set a career-high with 62 points in Golden State’s win over the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday night at the Chase Center in San Francisco. Curry’s 62 points are the most by a Warrior since Rick Barry scored 64
The Washington Wizards’ 1-5 start to the season has clearly been a rocky one – an early journey with several close heartbreakers and blown leads along the way. While frustrations have been mounting in D.C., Deni Avdija is seeing this stretch as a growing opportunity, one that paid off after the team’s first win against
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – DECEMBER 03: Boban Marjanovic #51 of the Dallas Mavericks warms up against the New Orleans Pelicans before a game at the Smoothie King Center on December 03, 2019 in New Orleans, Louisiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting
Dec 17, 2020; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Josh Richardson (0) brings the ball up court against the Minnesota Timberwolves during the first quarter at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports Dallas Cowboys looking thin at safety heading into must-win game by Steven Kubitza Dallas Mavericks guard Josh Richardson was
4:09 PM ET Seven members of the LA Clippers support staff — including one who tested positive for COVID-19 — are in quarantine away from the team, sources told ESPN. The quarantined group, which traveled via vans from Salt Lake City to Los Angeles over the weekend, includes no players, coaches or team management, sources
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – JANUARY 13: Kevin Love #0 of the Cleveland Cavaliers hugs LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers after a game at Staples Center on January 13, 2020 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to
Jan 11, 2020; Denver, Colorado, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Collin Sexton (2) and guard Darius Garland (10) Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports NBA Rookie of the Year Rankings: Way-too-early edition by Ian Levy Leon Edwards calls out Jorge Masvidal via NSWF tweet after Khamzat Chimeav fight falls apart by Amy Kaplan Larry Nance Jr.
Cleveland fans have had a lot to cheer about early this NBA season with the Cavaliers starting 3-1. But can they keep it up? While the 2020-21 NBA season has been full of surprises, the Cleveland Cavaliers starting the season 3-1 is one of the biggest. Their best win was against a Sixers team lacking
4:41 PM ET Houston Rockets star guard James Harden was a late scratch for Saturday afternoon’s home game against the Sacramento Kings due to a sprained right ankle. Harden turned the ankle late in Thursday’s win over the Kings, but he was not listed on the official injury report. The Rockets announced that he would
We’re just over a week into the NBA’s 75th regular season and, already, we’ve seen some significant developments. From the new direction teams that made an offseason coaching change have taken, to the impact of some of the more critical offseason acquisitions with their new teams or even the development of the rookie class as
12:21 AM ET Andrew LopezESPN With the New Orleans Pelicans clinging to a three-point lead with 2.6 seconds left and Brandon Ingram at the free throw line to put the game away with one more shot, he already knew what was about to happen. He looked to the side and television cameras captured Ingram telling
CHARLOTTE, NC – FEBRUARY 16: Paul Westphal speaks after receiving the Jerry Colangelo Award at the All Star Breakfast held by the National Basketball Retired Players Association at the Renaissance Charlotte Suites Hotel on February 16, 2019 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by John McCoy/Getty Images) 5-star recruit Tristan Leigh commits to Clemson over Oklahoma
After just one game, Cody Zeller has gone down with a potentially serious injury. Last night’s season opener was a very mixed bag for Michael Jordan and the Charlotte Hornets. While Terry Rozier played the game of his life, rookie sensation LaMelo Ball was held scoreless in his debut as the Hornets fell to the
LaMelo Ball, Charlotte Hornets. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images) George Kittle returns for 49ers, plays spoiler vs Cardinals by Scott Rogust Wife announces Jon Huber aka Brodie Lee has died of ‘non-COVID-related lung issue by Thomas Albano LaMelo Ball finally scored his first points as an NBA basketball player. After not registering a single
3:11 PM ET Paul Westphal, a Hall of Fame guard who was a five-time All-Star and a three-time All-NBA first-team selection, has died at the age of 70, the Phoenix Suns announced Saturday. Westphal had been diagnosed with brain cancer in August 2020. He grew up in Southern California and played college basketball at USC
We’re just over a week into the NBA’s 75th regular season and, already, we’ve seen some significant developments. From the new direction teams that made an offseason coaching change have taken, to the impact of some of the more critical offseason acquisitions with their new teams or even the development of the rookie class as
Steve Nash won his debut game as Brooklyn Nets head coach, and he was rewarded with the game ball by Kyrie Irving. The Brooklyn Nets signed superstars Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving over a year ago, and following the firing of Kenny Atkinson, many wondered who would be the man to coach up the team.
Spencer Dinwiddie has a partially torn ACL and is expected to miss the rest of the season. How will this injury impact the Brooklyn Nets? The Brooklyn Nets received some unfortunate news Monday afternoon when news broke that starting guard Spencer Dinwiddie had suffered a partial tear of his right ACL during Sunday night’s 106-104
3:15 AM ET SAN FRANCISCO — The Golden State Warriors were hoping that Draymond Green‘s return would give the team a defensive edge it has been missing since the start of the regular season. Green missed most of training camp, all three preseason games and the first four regular-season games because of a combination of
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – DECEMBER 22: LeBron James #23 and Anthony Davis #3 of the Los Angeles Lakers pose with their rings during the 2020 NBA championship ring ceremony before their opening night game against the Los Angeles Clippers at Staples Center on December 22, 2020 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly
LANDOVER, MD – CIRCA 1984: Head coach K.C. Jones of the Boston Celtics looks on with Larry Bird #33 against the Washington Bullets during an NBA basketball game circa 1984 at the Capital Centre in Landover, Maryland. Jones coached the Celtics from 1983-88. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images) When will Jordan Love realistically take
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – DECEMBER 23: Jaylen Brown #7 of the Boston Celtics looks to pass the ball against the Milwaukee Bucks during the first half at TD Garden on December 23, 2020 in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the