2:09 AM ET PORTLAND — After playing more than 500 regular-season games together as teammates with the Portland Trail Blazers, guards Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum squared off against each other for the first time Wednesday, more than a year after McCollum was traded to the New Orleans Pelicans in February 2022. “At first, it
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12:11 AM ET Tim BontempsESPN BOSTON — As Donovan Mitchell laid on the ground in pain after tweaking his groin midway through the third quarter, it wasn’t clear if he’d be able to keep playing. But after Cavaliers coach J.B. Bickerstaff called timeout, Mitchell returned to the game to help Cleveland mount a furious comeback
11:21 PM ET ESPN News Services DETROIT — Zach LaVine scored 41 points and the Detroit Pistons called one too many timeouts, helping the Chicago Bulls hold on for a 117-115 win Wednesday night. The Pistons were trailing by two points with 9.7 seconds left when rookie Jaden Ivey called a timeout that the team
7:45 PM ET ESPN News Services MIAMI — Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid missed Wednesday’s 119-96 win over the Miami Heat because of left foot soreness. Embiid was ruled out about 30 minutes before the game. It’s the 13th game he has missed this season; Philadelphia entered Wednesday 8-4 this season in games in which
9:33 PM ET CHARLOTTE, N.C. — It was in Charlotte over All-Star Weekend in 2019 that Kevin Durant solidified his decision to partner with Kyrie Irving when both became free agents the following summer. Four years later, a new partnership was unveiled in the same arena, this one with hope for a better outcome. Playing
7:39 PM ET Associated Press CHARLOTTE, N.C. — LaMelo Ball‘s season is officially over. The Charlotte Hornets announced that the third-year point guard underwent surgery Wednesday to repair a fracture in his right ankle and will miss the remainder of the season. Ball was injured in Charlotte’s victory Monday night over the Detroit Pistons. The
2:22 PM ET There is optimism that Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry will return from his left leg injury during the team’s three-game road trip next week, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski on Wednesday. Curry has not played since Feb. 4, when he suffered partial tears to his superior tibiofibular ligaments and interosseous membrane
2:17 PM ET OKLAHOMA CITY — Anthony Davis will not play against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday because of the right foot stress injury that already caused him to miss a chunk of the season, the Los Angeles Lakers announced. Already depleted thanks to a right foot injury for LeBron James and a right
2:42 PM ET Associated Press David Benner, who spent nearly 30 years as the director of media relations for the Indiana Pacers, died Wednesday after a long illness. Benner’s death was announced by the team, which learned of it from his family. He was 67. The Indiana native was prominent in the chronicling of sports
7:15 AM ET The NBA’s plot is twisting in the final third of the 2022-23 regular season, and it could be just the beginning of more unexpected turns down the stretch. The Boston Celtics have comfortably dominated the Eastern Conference this season but fell out of first place for the first time in 2023 after
7:13 AM ET Tim BontempsESPN JAYSON TATUM‘S NBA FINALS debut did not go as planned. Not only did the Boston Celtics fall to the Golden State Warriors in six games last season, watching Stephen Curry and the Warriors claim a fourth championship in the past eight years on the floor at TD Garden, but Tatum
1:43 AM ET DALLAS — Once again, the Mavericks failed to finish with their pair of All-Stars on the floor together. On this occasion, Kyrie Irving missed a contested step-back 3-pointer on the final possession of a 124-122 loss to the Indiana Pacers on Tuesday night. It marked the fourth time in five games that
12:25 AM ET NEW YORK — Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo believes that people take the greatness of his game for granted — and he’s OK with it. The two-time MVP acknowledged Tuesday that he feels fans take his level of play for great like he feels they have done in the past with other
10:37 PM ET Vanessa Bryant settled her remaining claims with Los Angeles County for $28.85 million over photos that deputies shared after a 2020 helicopter crash that killed her husband, former Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant; their 13-year-old daughter, Gianna; and seven others. The settlement included the $15 million a jury already awarded Vanessa
10:35 PM ET ESPN News Services HOUSTON — Nikola Jokic recorded his 100th career triple-double and Jamal Murray had 32 points as the Denver Nuggets coasted to a 133-112 victory over the Houston Rockets on Tuesday night. Jokic had 14 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists for his NBA-leading 24th triple-double this season and his
7:31 PM ET Andrew LopezESPN The New Orleans Pelicans said Tuesday that Zion Williamson “continues to make progress” in his recovery from a right hamstring strain that has sidelined him for nearly two months, and that additional updates will be provided after he undergoes medical imaging next week. The Pelicans have been without Williamson since
4:25 PM ET ESPN News Services Free-agent guard Will Barton has signed with the Toronto Raptors after completing a buyout with the Washington Wizards on Tuesday. Barton will be eligible for a playoff roster. He has played in 29 career postseason games with the Denver Nuggets and Portland Trail Blazers. Barton, 32, was traded to
4:55 PM ET Jamal CollierESPN The Chicago Bulls have waived guard Goran Dragic, the team announced on Tuesday. Dragic, 36, had not played since the All-Star break while recovering from a knee injury, but his minutes had been dwindling recently and he was facing even more of a reduced role after the team signed Patrick