NBA

12:13 PM ET NEW YORK — As the Brooklyn Nets prepare for their final two regular-season games of the season, they do so in control of their own playoff destiny. If the Nets — currently seeded eighth in the Eastern Conference with a 42-38 record — win their final two games, they will lock up

9:56 AM ET Former NBA players Ike Diogu and DJ Strawberry will need to use all their experience to help Basketball Africa League champions Zamalek in their title defence, which starts April 9 in Cairo. The Nile Conference, the second leg of this year’s BAL, tips off at the Hassan Moustafa Sports Arena on Saturday,

12:57 AM ET ESPN News Services DENVER — Nikola Jokic made history on the night his Denver Nuggets clinched a fourth consecutive playoff berth with a 122-109 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies. Jokic became the first player in NBA history with 2,000 points, 1,000 rebounds and 500 assists in a season. He had 35 points,

11:16 PM ET ESPN Facebook Twitter Facebook Messenger Pinterest Email print The Miami Heat clinched the No. 1 overall seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs on Thursday. Losses by the Philadelphia 76ers and Boston Celtics gave Miami their fourth No. 1 seed in team history. The Heat came out on top of the competitive conference

8:22 PM ET Associated Press DENVER — The Memphis Grizzlies would like for All-Star guard Ja Morant to play at least once before the regular season ends. The final decision for Morant’s return rests with the team’s medical staff. “He’s doing great,” Memphis coach Taylor Jenkins said Thursday. “All signs are in a really good

6:58 PM ET Andrew LopezESPN New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson has progressed to doing full-court work, but there is still no definitive timetable on his return to competitive play. Williamson participated in a pregame scrimmage with Pelicans player development coaches and some players at the end of the roster, Pelicans coach Willie Green said

4:04 PM ET Associated Press NEW YORK — The Brooklyn Nets waived veteran forward James Johnson on Thursday, opening a roster spot ahead of the postseason. The move would allow the Nets to convert Kessler Edwards‘ two-way contract to a standard NBA deal, making him eligible for the postseason. The second-round pick has become a

4:22 PM ET As the Los Angeles Lakers wind down one of the most disappointing seasons in franchise history and brace for a consequential summer that could include major changes to try to return to a championship trajectory, Anthony Davis says he doesn’t concern himself with hypothetical trade scenarios that involve him. “I can’t control

12:11 PM ET The Golden State Warriors, plus K-Pop music star BamBam, equaled viral success on Wednesday, when the two partnered with New Style Media Group to launch limited-edition t-shirts, sweatshirts and other merchandise. Even better, for BamBam fans, the first 50 people who made purchases got to meet the musician — which helped draw

12:43 AM ET NEW YORK — For the first time since they both spurned the New York Knicks and joined forces with the Brooklyn Nets in the summer of 2019, Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving played together inside Madison Square Garden and helped lead their team to a 110-98 victory over a Knicks team that

10:05 PM ET Brianna Williams The NBA’s 75th anniversary has opened the door to plenty of celebration. Earlier this season, the league put together a list of its 76 greatest players to honor the milestone and returned to Cleveland, the site of the NBA’s 50th anniversary, for the 2022 All-Star Game. But that was just

7:42 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN NEW YORK — NBA commissioner Adam Silver said Wednesday that while there was no specific discussion of the impending arbitration between Ben Simmons and the Philadelphia 76ers, he said his bigger concern moving forward is “a trend of star players not participating in a full complement of games,” and hopes

7:10 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN The Philadelphia 76ers listed guard Matisse Thybulle as “ineligible to play” in Thursday’s game in Toronto against the Raptors, a sign Thybulle could also be unable to play in the three road games of a potential playoff series between the two franchises. Last week, ESPN asked the four teams atop

4:19 PM ET After a foot fracture sidelined him for nearly two months, Los Angeles Clippers guard Norman Powell plans to make his return to the lineup against the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday night, sources said. Powell, who was upgraded to “questionable” for the game this afternoon, intends to warm up pregame before a final

11:51 AM ET Chicago Bulls point guard Lonzo Ball will not return for the remainder of the season, the team announced Wednesday. Ball, who has not played since Jan. 14, had surgery on his left knee on Jan. 28 to repair a slight meniscus tear. The team said he is still experiencing pain “with high-level

12:57 AM ET PHOENIX — A season that started with championship promise for the Los Angeles Lakers ended with the pain of failing to even qualify for the play-in tournament. Tuesday’s 121-110 loss to the Phoenix Suns — coupled with a 116-97 win by the San Antonio Spurs over the Denver Nuggets — officially eliminated

1:04 AM ET Jamal CollierESPN CHICAGO — Milwaukee Bucks guard Grayson Allen found himself in the middle of yet another controversial foul call during a game against the Chicago Bulls, when Allen got knocked to the floor while driving to the basket in the fourth quarter of Tuesday’s 127-106 victory after a hard foul from

6:50 PM ET Jamal CollierESPN CHICAGO — After another setback while ramping up the rehab of his left knee, there is increasing pessimism that Chicago Bulls point guard Lonzo Ball will return to the lineup this season, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. No final decision has been made, but a meeting in the coming days