Danny Ainge is a gambler, only not in the typical sense. Yes, Ainge does, on occasion, deal with money. It’s just part of the job. But, more so than cash, Ainge is often one to gamble on players, whether they are his own or on some other roster. For better or worse, the Boston Celtics
1:50 AM ET ESPN Betting Insiders On Sunday, for only the 19th time in recorded sports history, we have a “Sports Equinox,” where there are games in NFL, NBA, NHL and MLB all in the same day. Since this is a rare feat, we decided to join in the fun and pick a “Sports Equinox
The Sacramento Kings’ season-opening rout at the hands of the Phoenix Suns just got even worse with the Marvin Bagley injury news. If betting walloped by a team that won 19 games last year wasn’t a bad enough start for the Sacramento Kings‘ new season, their situation got even tougher Thursday afternoon. According to the
11:54 PM ET NEW YORK — The New York Knicks were being blown out by double digits in their home opener, New York fans had viciously booed Dennis Smith Jr. and yet with three minutes remaining in what would be an ugly Knicks loss, the Madison Square Garden crowd was on its feet hollering with
Danny Ainge is a gambler, only not in the typical sense. Yes, Ainge does, on occasion, deal with money. It’s just part of the job. But, more so than cash, Ainge is often one to gamble on players, whether they are his own or on some other roster. For better or worse, the Boston Celtics
10:36 PM ET HOUSTON — Russell Westbrook climbed a rung on the all-time triple-doubles list by recording his first with the Houston Rockets. Westbrook’s outing Saturday night against the New Orleans Pelicans was the 139th triple-double of his career, passing Magic Johnson for second all-time behind Oscar Robertson. Westbrook finished with 28 points, 10 rebounds
Tyrese Maxey won’t always have the ball in his hands as a freshman but he should thrive at Kentucky to become a top-10 pick in the 2020 NBA Draft. Since John Calipari was hired as Kentucky’s head coach in 2009, eight Wildcat guards have been drafted as lottery picks: John Wall, Brandon Knight, Devin Booker,
Entering the season, many were worried about the Lakers’ lack of depth. After their season-opening loss, those worries seem to be well-founded. When those skeptical about the Lakers’ chances of winning the 2020 NBA Championship voiced their doubts, no one ever questioned if pairing Anthony Davis and LeBron James was a good decision. What was
1:51 PM ET Andrew LopezESPN New Orleans Pelicans guard Jrue Holiday will miss Saturday’s game against the Houston Rockets with a left knee sprain but should be day-to-day in his recovery, multiple sources told ESPN. Holiday injured the knee when he drove down the lane with 5:18 left in the third quarter in Friday’s loss
Well, that didn’t take long. Then again, did it have to? Coming into the season, the Los Angeles Clippers were projected to be the favorite to win the NBA title, but barely. Unlike the Golden State Warriors over the last three years, they were nowhere near as unanimous as a title favorite. Plus, with Paul
3:42 AM ET LOS ANGELES — Anthony Davis earned six All-Star selections with the New Orleans Pelicans by playing power forward, but he earned his first win with the Los Angeles Lakers by playing center. Lakers coach Frank Vogel moved Davis from the 4 to the 5 at halftime on Friday night, sparking a 95-86
We have NBA picks for Friday, Oct. 25, 18 teams in action and seven of them hosting their 2019-20 season home opener. Overall, I am off to less-than-desirable 3-6 start, following a 1-3 debut and a 2-3 encore Wednesday night. Tough sledding so far, obviously, but we power on for a Friday evening with 18
INDIANAPOLIS – SEPTEMBER 24: Domantas Sabonis #11 and Myles Turner #33 of the Indiana Pacers pose for a head shot during the Pacers Media Day on September 24, 2018 in Indianapolis, Indiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and
2:56 PM ET Jimmy Butler‘s debut with the Miami Heat has been put off for a few more games. Butler’s girlfriend gave birth to the couple’s child Wednesday night, coach Erik Spoelstra said, so the Heat’s high-profile offseason addition will not travel with the team on its two-game road trip to play the Milwaukee Bucks
The NBA is a star-driven league and, as always, it’s almost impossible to win without one. But as important as they are, you still need role players to fill the gaps in-between. To wit, you need an X-Factor, a player that can elevate his game either as a complement or when the stars are struggling.
We just saw James Harden and Russell Westbrook‘s first game together as Rockets teammates. What did we learn? Not that much, actually. Of all the major transactions made this offseason, none seemed to carry as much combined potential risk and reward as the Houston Rockets’ trade for Russell Westbrook. Harden and Westbrook are two of
1:31 PM ET CJ McCollum has doubled down on the Portland Trail Blazers‘ expectations for this season, leveling a championship-or-bust mantra after an offseason of unprecedented player movement within the rest of the NBA. McCollum, in an essay published by The Players’ Tribune, set NBA title expectations for the Blazers in a Western Conference he
The Phoenix Suns just can’t have nice things, as star center Deandre Ayton is facing a 25-game suspension for violating the NBA’s Anti-Drug policy. It legitimately took less than 24 hours. Not even a full day after the Phoenix Suns enjoyed one of their most encouraging wins in recent memory, a 124-95 thrashing of the
3:28 AM ET SAN FRANCISCO — The Golden State Warriors officially moved into their dream home Thursday night and then proceeded to live out a nightmare in an embarrassing 141-122 loss to the LA Clippers in the first ever regular-season game at Chase Center. After watching his team get run up and down the floor
The NBA is a star-driven league and, as always, it’s almost impossible to win without one. But as important as they are, you still need role players to fill the gaps in-between. To wit, you need an X-Factor, a player that can elevate his game either as a complement or when the stars are struggling.
9:47 PM ET ESPN News Services HOUSTON — A group of fans at the Houston Rockets‘ season opener against Milwaukee held signs and wore shirts in support of anti-government protesters in Hong Kong on Thursday night. Houston general manager Daryl Morey angered China with a since-deleted tweet in support of the protesters earlier this month.
The NBA‘s regular-season kicked off in earnest on Wednesday night with 11 teams playing their first game. Here are some quick statistical takeaways from the league’s first big slate. Kyrie goes off Kyrie Irving‘s 50-point explosion was a nice way for him to formally introduce himself as a Net. He finished 17-of-33 from the field
1:14 PM ET Associated Press WASHINGTON — Vice President Mike Pence took a swipe at Nike and the NBA in a speech criticizing China’s record on trade and human rights. Pence singled out the shoe company for removing Houston Rockets merchandise from stores in China after the team’s general manager angered the Chinese government with
Here we go again! Last year, this writer dove into what the association was like ten years before the incoming season. Now here we are again. We’re traveling back to the year 2010. Back when the iPad was first sweeping the nation, the economy was still in the toilet, and the Toy Story trilogy had
1:22 AM ET Tim BontempsESPN PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia 76ers spent the offseason building a team focused on a very specific identity: being big and physical and imposing their will on their opponents at both ends of the court. And, if Philadelphia’s season-opening 107-93 victory over the Boston Celtics at Wells Fargo Center on Wednesday
Dejounte Murray is blazingly fast, and a lengthy and impactful defender. But until he adds a jump-shot, the Spurs’ future won’t be as bright as its past. The Spurs were winning 51-40, midway through the third quarter, when the Houston announcer couldn’t help himself. “Murray lined up on Harden…Harden takes him to school!” To him,
8:46 PM ET Eric WoodyardESPN CHARLOTTE — There were no first game jitters for former Kentucky star PJ Washington during his NBA debut for the Charlotte Hornets. The 12th overall pick made a huge splash on Wednesday against Chicago with seven 3-pointers in his career debut, the most in the NBA’s 3-point era since 1979-80,
Here we go again! Last year, this writer dove into what the association was like ten years before the incoming season. Now here we are again. We’re traveling back to the year 2010. Back when the iPad was first sweeping the nation, the economy was still in the toilet, and the Toy Story trilogy had
12:28 PM ET LaVar Ball is “restructuring” Big Baller Brand and plans to relaunch a new website, according to a company spokesman. The company has been effectively defunct for several months in the wake of a financial and legal dispute with his former business partner Alan Foster. The company’s previous website now redirects to a
The first Coach’s Challenges in NBA history were issued in the 2019-20 season opener between the Raptors and Pelicans. Unfortunately, both were lost. The 2019-20 NBA season marked the first time in league history that head coaches would be able to challenge an official’s decision in the middle of a game. Much like football, the