7:20 AM ET After an offseason of furious player movement — including eight 2019 All-Stars changing teams — one intriguing storyline of this NBA season will be how players are received by fans when they return to the cities they left. Some will be easier to predict than others. Kyrie Irving in Boston? Won’t be
NBA Betting Tip Sheet is a daily rundown of NBA betting lines and key factors that could impact the numbers in Las Vegas. All NBA odds are courtesy of The Action Network. Tonight’s lines (odds are subject to change): Washington Wizards (+4, +153 ML) @ Indiana Pacers (-4, -171 ML) (O/U 224.5) Notes: The Wizards remain without backup center Ian Mahinmi
Star centers Joel Embiid and Karl-Anthony Towns got into an old-fashioned brawl rarely seen in the NBA these days. Now the question is what kind of punishment they’ll face. The on-court action between the Philadelphia 76ers and Minnesota Timberwolves took a backseat Wednesday night, as star centers Joel Embiid and Karl-Anthony Towns stole the show
10:23 PM ET 76ers guard Ben Simmons did not return for the second half Wednesday at Utah because of what the team called a minor sprain in his AC joint in his right shoulder and will be re-evaluated Thursday in Denver. Simmons appeared to injure the shoulder in the first quarter when he collided with
In the season’s early going, a familiar cast of characters has emerged in the race for Defensive Player of the Year. In a league increasingly reliant on versatility and the implementation of pace and space, though, some new candidates have emerged, as other, position-less defenders have a greater opportunity than ever to force their way
4:21 PM ET Despite All-NBA star Kawhi Leonard sitting out consecutive national television games one week apart, the league said that the LA Clippers are in compliance of its rules on resting players. Leonard will miss Wednesday night’s game against the Milwaukee Bucks on ESPN, his second straight week that a national TV absence fell
Malcolm Brogdon looked like the perfect role player with the Milwaukee Bucks. In his first season with the Indiana Pacers, he’s playing like a star. The term “role player” is an all-encompassing one, and it is almost always construed to mean any player who is not a star. But the truth is that there are
The Miami Heat have a proclivity for finding valuable rotation players other teams have missed. Kendrick Nunn is just the latest example. What one thing does the following list of players all have in common? Udonis Haslem. Joel Anthony. Rasual Butler. Mario Chalmers. James Ennis. Tyler Johnson. Hassan Whiteside. Josh Richardson. Rodney McGruder. Derrick Jones.
1:24 AM ET CHICAGO — With LeBron James catching his breath after playing nearly the entire third quarter and Anthony Davis sitting on the bench right beside him, saddled with four fouls, the Los Angeles Lakers relied on an unlikely lineup to key a fourth-quarter comeback against the Chicago Bulls. When Kyle Kuzma, Quinn Cook,
In the season’s early going, a familiar cast of characters has emerged in the race for Defensive Player of the Year. In a league increasingly reliant on versatility and the implementation of pace and space, though, some new candidates have emerged, as other, position-less defenders have a greater opportunity than ever to force their way
11:58 PM ET LeBron James turns 35 next month. He’s in his 17th season in the NBA. He has played more than 56,000 minutes between the regular season and postseason in his career. All of this is to say that it wouldn’t be outside the ordinary to expect the Los Angeles Lakers forward to begin
MIAMI, FLORIDA – OCTOBER 14: Head coach Lloyd Pierce of the Atlanta Hawks talks with John Collins #20 against the Miami Heat during the first half of the preseason game at American Airlines Arena on October 14, 2019 in Miami, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using
3:50 PM ET Portland Trail Blazers forward Zach Collins will miss around four months after undergoing surgery to repair his left labrum, the team announced on Tuesday. Collins dislocated his shoulder in the third quarter of a game in Dallas on Oct. 27. Collins will begin a treatment and rehabilitation process and will be re-evaluated
The length, athleticism and dogged defense the Toronto Raptors rode to their first ever championship made it easy to forget that O.G. Anunoby watched his team’s title run in street clothes. With Pascal Siakam, Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green, Toronto had as much or more defensive talent on the wing than any team in basketball,
2:52 AM ET SAN FRANCISCO — Golden State Warriors rookie forward Eric Paschall celebrated his 23rd birthday in style with a 127-118 win Monday night over the Portland Trail Blazers, scoring a career high 34 points, pulling down 13 rebounds and leading the Warriors to the organization’s first win at Chase Center. It was all
Dwight Howard is embracing his role with the Los Angeles Lakers, and his performance on Sunday night continued what has been an excellent start to the season. In search of a big man who could embrace a specific role, and come cheaply, the Los Angeles Lakers signed Dwight Howard to a non-guaranteed contract in August.
11:59 PM ET ESPN News Services PHOENIX — Devin Booker scored 40 points, Ricky Rubio added 21 points and 10 assists, and the Phoenix Suns beat the NBA’s final undefeated team by knocking off the Philadelphia 76ers 114-109 on Monday night. Phoenix (5-2) is three games over .500 for the first time in more than
As the young NBA season rolls into November, storylines have swirled in every which way. The Phoenix Suns and Golden State Warriors have flip-flopped, the Boston Celtics look to be real and Joel Embiid and Karl-Anthony Towns are clearly not friends. There is a buzz, some good, some bad, around almost every team, with plenty
4:37 PM ET SAN FRANCISCO — Portland Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard admits that he has never seen anything like the rash of injuries the Golden State Warriors have endured dating to the 2019 NBA Finals. “I’ve never seen it,” Lillard said, in advance of Monday’s game against the Warriors. “I think they might be
NBA Betting Tip Sheet is a daily rundown of NBA betting lines and key factors that could impact the numbers in Las Vegas. All NBA odds are courtesy of The Action Network. Tonight’s lines (odds are subject to change until tip): Chicago Bulls (+2.5, +120 ML) @ Indiana Pacers (-2.5, -140 ML) (O/U 214) Notes: Both teams won Friday
The Warriors defense has been the driving force in their rough start and inexperience could be a compounding factor all season long. Throughout their run to five straight NBA Finals, most of the attention lavished on the Golden State Warriors was concentrated on the sheer magnitude of their star power, and how difficult it was
Stephen Curry broke his left hand in the Golden State Warriors’ latest blowout loss, and it’s time for this fading dynasty to tank for the rest of the year. In 1996-97, the San Antonio Spurs tanked their way to a 20-62 record as David Robinson missed all but six games due to a back injury
3:17 AM ET LOS ANGELES — Kawhi Leonard maneuvered into the paint where he was greeted by a wall of Utah Jazz defenders before another one blocked his shot from behind. Everywhere Leonard seemed to move in the first half on Sunday night, Jazz defenders surrounded and harassed him into 1-for-9 shooting before the break.
As the young NBA season rolls into November, storylines have swirled in every which way. The Phoenix Suns and Golden State Warriors have flip-flopped, the Boston Celtics look to be real and Joel Embiid and Karl-Anthony Towns are clearly not friends. There is a buzz, some good, some bad, around almost every team, with plenty
12:27 AM ET SAN ANTONIO — The Los Angeles Lakers look dominant on defense and, in the early going, LeBron James has been a linchpin rather than a liability on that end of the floor. “I’m playing injury free. I’m not injured. My quick twitch is back. My speed is back, my strength is back,”
The Utah Jazz have lost Ed Davis for at least four weeks after he broke his left fibula on Thursday night. Despite not being a starter, this injury may hurt the Jazz in unexpected ways. Thursday night, despite winning against the Sacramento Kings, the Utah Jazz suffered perhaps the greatest loss of the evening, losing
11:54 PM ET OKLAHOMA CITY — New Orleans Pelicans forward Brandon Ingram left Saturday’s game against the Oklahoma City Thunder midway through the second quarter with a head injury and did not return. Ingram apparently was struck in the head at some point during play and asked the bench for a sub. At the first
As the young NBA season rolls into November, storylines have swirled in every which way. The Phoenix Suns and Golden State Warriors have flip-flopped, the Boston Celtics look to be real and Joel Embiid and Karl-Anthony Towns are clearly not friends. There is a buzz, some good, some bad, around almost every team, with plenty
Mavericks owner Mark Cuban wants a catchy nickname for his team’s bench unit. We’ve got him covered. Recently, Mark Cuban laid down the challenge — find a name for the Mavericks’ lovable, hardscrabble, effective bench unit. It’s been a long time since Mark has taken our advice but we’re glad he came to us with
1:44 AM ET Lawrence MurrayESPN.com The Philadelphia 76ers found themselves down two points on the road against the Portland Trail Blazers with 2.2 seconds left to play. Prior to the timeout, the 76ers lost their only lead of the game as Portland All-Star point guard Damian Lillard took advantage of the fear that “Lillard Time”