NBA

1:00 PM ET Patrick Beverley’s trash talking to the LA Clippers cost him $30,000 after the Minnesota Timberwolves point guard was fined by the NBA for “egregious use of profanity” in postgame comments to the media and on social media. Beverley was emotional after Minnesota’s come-from-behind 109-104 play-in win over his former team. He talked

9:45 AM ET For roughly two hours late Tuesday night at Caesars Sportsbook, the seventh-seeded Brooklyn Nets were favored to defeat the second-seeded Boston Celtics in their first-round playoff series. Caesars installed the Nets as -135 favorites to win the series, shortly after Brooklyn beat the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA play-in tournament. The Celtics

9:00 AM ET Mark Fainaru-Wada Close ESPN Staff Writer Investigative reporter for ESPN’s Enterprise and Investigative Unit since 2007 Co-author of New York Times best-selling books “League of Denial” and “Game of Shadows” Co-winner, 2004 George Polk Award Steve Fainaru Close ESPN Senior Writer Winner, 2008 Pulitzer Prize in International Reporting Four-time first-place winner in

2:26 AM ET Andrew LopezESPN NEW ORLEANS — Wherever CJ McCollum goes in New Orleans right now, he says he feels the buzz in the city about the Pelicans. On Wednesday, in front of a sold-out crowd at the Smoothie King Center, that carried over as the Pelicans walked away with a 113-103 victory over

11:02 PM ET Charlotte Hornets forward Miles Bridges struck a young fan with his mouthpiece after he was ejected from the team’s 132-103 play-in loss to the host Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday night, later calling his actions as he exited the court “unacceptable.” With Atlanta up big in the second half and Charlotte’s season winding

12:24 AM ET ATLANTA — Atlanta Hawks coach Nate McMillan took some heat from his coaching staff — as well as some fans on social media — for having starters on the court with just over five minutes left in Wednesday night’s 132-103 play-in victory over the Charlotte Hornets. “The coaches were yelling and screaming

8:11 PM ET Associated Press DENVER — The NBA has suspended Denver Nuggets guard Facundo Campazzo for Game 1 of their first-round playoff series against the Golden State Warriors for a shoving incident in the regular-season finale. Campazzo forcefully pushed down Los Angeles Lakers guard Wayne Ellington in the second quarter Sunday. Campazzo was assessed

8:54 PM ET Kendra AndrewsESPN SAN FRANCISCO — Stephen Curry participated in team practice for the first time since straining his left foot on Wednesday. According to Warriors coach Steve Kerr, the practice consisted of situational prep work for the Warriors” upcoming series against the Denver Nuggets, shooting drills and skill work. 2 Related “He

7:03 AM ET Joe Fortenbaugh Let’s start with a trivia question: When was the last time a team seeded outside of the top three won the NBA championship? Answer: 1995, when the 6-seed Houston Rockets defeated Shaquille O’Neal’s Orlando Magic in a four-game sweep. Ponder that for a moment. Bill Clinton was president of the

7:05 AM ET Our fantasy and betting analysts give you the best intel to help you make smart fantasy and wagering decisions. Odds are provided by Caesars Sportsbook Jump ahead: Games of the night | Analytics edge What you need to know for Wednesday’s play-in games Bench Mob: Charlotte and Atlanta meet in a game

7:00 AM ET Andrew LopezESPN ON THE FINAL night of the All-Star break, New Orleans Pelicans guard CJ McCollum, forward Brandon Ingram and coach Willie Green went out for a small, private dinner at FLINT by Baltaire in Phoenix. The Pelicans had gone 1-4 since the Feb. 8 trade that sent Josh Hart, Tomas Satoransky,

3:23 AM ET MINNEAPOLIS — Anthony Edwards and Patrick Beverley stood on the Target Center scorer’s table, screaming and celebrating in an ode to an iconic moment in Minnesota Timberwolves franchise history when Kevin Garnett stood on the table and celebrated in the 2004 playoffs. Not long after jumping off the table, Beverley sat on

8:00 AM ET What lies ahead in the NBA postseason? The Brooklyn Nets and Cleveland Cavaliers kicked things off tonight with the No. 7 vs. No. 8 game in the Eastern Conference play-in, followed by the 7-8 game in the Western Conference between the LA Clippers and Minnesota Timberwolves. (Here’s a refresher on how the

12:38 AM ET NEW YORK — Brooklyn Nets star forward Kevin Durant has been in the league long enough to know that it’s not wise to give a playoff opponent any extra motivation before a series begins. So when Durant heard Nets guard Bruce Brown‘s critique of the Boston Celtics, saying that the Nets can

5:39 PM ET Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry could return to full practice this week as he recovers from a sprained ligament and a bone bruise in his left foot. Coach Steve Kerr said Curry is “day-to-day” but won’t suit up for the Warriors in the postseason until after he has scrimmaged. The team

4:04 PM ET NEW YORK — Kevin Durant believes that Joel Embiid should be the 2021-22 NBA MVP. Durant, who won the award during the 2013-14 season, said that while there were plenty of deserving candidates, he felt Embiid’s season was a cut above the rest. “If I had to choose, I would go Joel

3:09 PM ET Phoenix Suns coach Monty Williams — architect of the NBA’s best regular-season team — has been voted the National Basketball Coaches Association Coach of the Year for a second consecutive time. The award, named in honor of the late NBCA executive director Michael H. Goldberg, is based on a vote of the

1:23 PM ET NEW YORK — A shooting on the New York City subway hit especially close to home for the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday morning, with Kevin Durant and his teammates reacting to the “devastating” news with shock. At least 10 people were shot by a gunman at the 36th Street station, which is