12:46 AM ET Eric WoodyardESPN CHICAGO — Only one NBA team will enter 2020 with 30 wins under their belt: the Milwaukee Bucks. Following Monday’s 123-102 victory over the Chicago Bulls, the Bucks reached 30 wins in the earliest calendar date since December 1980, when both the Philadelphia 76ers and Phoenix Suns accomplished the feat,
Injuries are never something that NBA teams want to deal with, but they’re an unfortunate part of the game — ask any franchise, they’ll agree. But when NBA teams get hit with injuries, it usually opens up opportunities and playing time for other players to step up and contribute. The Washington Wizards are currently in
1:35 AM ET LOS ANGELES — Dallas Mavericks star guard Luka Doncic briefly entered the concussion protocol during Sunday’s loss to the Los Angeles Lakers after suffering a hard fall to the court during a first-half drive to the hoop. Doncic was fouled on the drive and stayed in to sink a pair of free
The Detroit Pistons are taking a unique path to the middle of the NBA standings. What even is this team? Every once in a while, I like to sit down with a list of all 30 NBA teams for a little thought exercise: I put myself in the shoes of each team’s lead decision-makers and
2:42 AM ET LOS ANGELES — Anthony Davis said there’s a simple solution to keeping the Los Angeles Lakers atop the league standings: lockdown defense. “We just had to find ourselves again,” Davis said after the Lakers’ 108-95 win over the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday. “We were able to get back to what we do
Wilson Chandler is a unique NBA player. He’s more willing to speak with the media than most, and when asked a thoughtful question, he’ll provide an even more thoughtful response. Since the summer, Chandler has tweeted and discussed his thoughts on many topics that are somewhere between sports and societal issues. So this writer had
12:34 AM ET Andrew LopezESPN NEW ORLEANS — For the first two months of the season, the New Orleans Pelicans seemed to have little direction. A season that started with hopes of postseason play seemed to get dashed early when Zion Williamson went down with a knee injury that has kept him out the entire
In our first move of the holiday season, the Cleveland Cavaliers and Utah Jazz are swapping bench guards in Jordan Clarkson and Dante Exum. Here are NBA Trade Grades for both teams. NBA trade fanatics, we have our first notable (kinda, sorta) move of the season! According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojanarowski, the Cleveland Cavaliers and
1:37 PM ET Associated Press He left Cleveland for Miami, finally became a champion, went back to his beloved northeast Ohio, delivered on another title promise, then left for the Los Angeles Lakers and the next challenge. He played in eight straight finals. No NBA player won more games or more MVP awards over the
Wilson Chandler is a unique NBA player. He’s more willing to speak with the media than most, and when asked a thoughtful question, he’ll provide an even more thoughtful response. Since the summer, Chandler has tweeted and discussed his thoughts on many topics that are somewhere between sports and societal issues. So this writer had
3:31 AM ET PORTLAND, Ore. — It was just more than a week ago when Kyle Kuzma sat out in Milwaukee and could only watch as the Los Angeles Lakers mustered a season-low four bench points in a loss to the Milwaukee Bucks without him. That was fifth straight game he missed, as he, in
Here’s a look at the top poachables in the NBA right now — guys who are showing signs and worth targeting but don’t currently have a clear path to minutes. There are a group of players in the NBA that I call the poachables. They’re guys who are, for one reason or another, kind of
11:47 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN BOSTON — Three days ago, the Toronto Raptors were soundly beaten at home on Christmas Day by the Boston Celtics. Saturday night, however, the Raptors turned the tables, and beat the Celtics 113-97 here at TD Garden, in a game Toronto led wire-to-wire. So, what changed? “We’ve got pros,” Raptors
2:54 PM ET Giannis Antetokounmpo will sit for a second straight game Saturday as his Milwaukee Bucks host the Orlando Magic. The NBA’s reigning MVP missed Friday’s victory over the Atlanta Hawks due to back soreness. He will now have an additional two days of rest before the team’s next game on Monday at the
NBA players are just like us — hoping and dreaming for the perfect gifts this holiday season. Here’s what your favorites are pining for. Klay Thompson A life-size, topiary chess set where each individual piece is also on wheels so that Thompson may shuffle them around on his own, or with a friend. Nikola Jokić
2:51 AM ET SAN FRANCISCO — Draymond Green called his team’s shot. The veteran forward could see that his Golden State Warriors were improving in practice, and he could feel the camaraderie of the group improving on a daily basis. So as the group went through a practice last week, he let Warriors swingman Alec
There’s a certain variation of comfortability in rookies who make the transition to the NBA. The Memphis Grizzlies have two from this past year’s draft: No. 2 overall pick Ja Morant and No. 21 Brandon Clarke. Both have been impactful, both have shown flashes of the potential — yet each impacts the game in different
9:14 PM ET Associated Press ATLANTA — Hawks guard Trae Young sprained his right ankle Friday and will miss at least one game. Young had to be helped off the floor and was ruled out for the rest of the night late in the second quarter of a 112-86 loss to Milwaukee. He said after
In a Christmas Day win over the Milwaukee Bucks the Philadelphia 76ers performed like the title contender they’ve mostly just been on paper. The 76ers came into this season with some key rotation changes — Al Horford and Josh Richardson in, Jimmy Butler and J.J. Redick out — and championship aspirations. A 22-10 start looks
The Minnesota Timberwolves are in a rut, with no discernible identity and an ugly cap situation. How can they build properly around Karl-Anthony Towns? Two years ago, the Minnesota Timberwolves made the playoffs for the first time in 14 years. It looked like it might be the beginning of something, with the acquisition of Jimmy
1:54 PM ET Houston Rockets guard Eric Gordon is expected to play in Sunday’s game against the New Orleans Pelicans after missing nearly seven weeks because of a knee injury. Gordon practiced with the Rockets on Friday, but coach Mike D’Antoni said Gordon would not play Saturday against the Brooklyn Nets — the first game
There’s a certain variation of comfortability in rookies who make the transition to the NBA. The Memphis Grizzlies have two from this past year’s draft: No. 2 overall pick Ja Morant and No. 21 Brandon Clarke. Both have been impactful, both have shown flashes of the potential — yet each impacts the game in different
1:11 AM ET DALLAS — The right ankle that Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic sprained two weeks earlier felt fine during his return. His lungs were another story. “I’m not going to lie, I was pretty tired going to the end of the game,” Doncic said after the Mavs’ 102-98 win over the San Antonio Spurs
As Zion Williamson continues his rehabilitation from preseason knee surgery, the New Orleans Pelicans reportedly tinkering with his biomechanics. This is good for both the athlete and team. Rookie phenom Zion Williamson has yet to step foot on the court for an official NBA game, though according to ESPN’s Jorge Sedano, that may change soon after
11:42 PM ET NEW YORK — There have been times, after a loss, that Spencer Dinwiddie would shuffle into the middle of a throng of reporters and dissect each mistake the Brooklyn Nets made. There have been times after losses that he scowled, sighed in disappointment and curtly answered questions. After Thursday’s 94-82 loss to
12:47 PM ET The Dallas Mavericks are planning for Luka Doncic to make his return from a sprained right ankle on Thursday against the San Antonio Spurs, sources told ESPN’s Tim MacMahon. Doncic has missed the past four games and is listed as questionable. He ranks third in the NBA with 29.3 points and 8.9
ORLANDO, FL – AUGUST 11: Mike Conley of the Utah Jazz speaks with the media during the Boys Jr. NBA Global Championship on August 11, 2019 at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting
2:01 AM ET LOS ANGELES — A collision with Patrick Beverley in the first quarter of the Lakers‘ 111-106 loss Wednesday night to the Clippers caused LeBron James to aggravate a nagging groin injury and could cause the Lakers star to miss some game time moving forward. “I felt healthy going into the game,” James
The New York Knicks are playing better basketball of late. They’re 3-3 under interim head coach Mike Miller and they’ve won three of their last four games. They also recently added former EuroLeague and Cleveland Cavaliers coach David Blatt as a basketball operations consultant. That, naturally, is an improvement on the usual state of affairs,
11:39 PM ET Andrew LopezESPN DENVER — If it were up to Zion Williamson, he would have already made his NBA debut for the New Orleans Pelicans. That’s what the No. 1 pick in the 2019 NBA Draft told ESPN’s Jorge Sedano prior to the Pelicans’ Christmas night game against the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday.