NBA

12:45 PM ET The ESPN fantasy and betting cheat sheet is your pregame destination for our best intel and data to help you make smart fantasy and wagering decisions. NBA game odds are provided by Caesars Sportsbook and fantasy advice is based on ESPN 10-team leagues. Jump ahead: Game of the night | Picks and

11:29 AM ET NEW YORK — Brooklyn Nets star forward Kevin Durant says he will play Thursday against the Miami Heat after missing a month and a half because of a sprained left MCL. Durant has not played since getting hurt in the Nets’ Jan. 15 win over the New Orleans Pelicans and will provide

4:33 AM ET Lindsay du Plessis The second edition of the BAL sees 12 teams from around the continent compete in a very different format from 2021, across three months instead of a two-week COVID-induced bubble. The tournament is divided into three stints, with the Sahara Conference taking place in Dakar, Senegal from March 5-15,

12:49 AM ET Tim BontempsESPN PHILADELPHIA — After a third straight sterling performance in a 76ers uniform — but a first in front of the fans here inside Wells Fargo Center — James Harden declared Philadelphia feels like home. “Just exciting,” Harden said after finishing with 26 points, nine rebounds and nine assists in Philadelphia’s

12:54 AM ET Andrew LopezESPN NEW ORLEANS — The New Orleans Pelicans wore yellow socks during their game Wednesday night against the Sacramento Kings in a show of solidarity with Ukraine and to “bring more attention” to the large-scale invasion of the country by Russian military. Pelicans center Jonas Valanciunas, who is from Lithuania, along

5:31 PM ET NEW YORK — Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant is expected to return Thursday night against the Miami Heat after missing a month and a half of action because of a sprained left MCL. Durant, who was not listed in Wednesday’s injury report for the first time since suffering the inj in a

4:35 PM ET Andrew LopezESPN Zion Williamson‘s fractured right foot is showing signs of “improved bone healing,” the New Orleans Pelicans said in a statement Wednesday afternoon. The team added that while Williamson will gradually progress to full weight-bearing exercises and basketball activities, he still remains out indefinitely. “We’re all pleased with the results, that

12:59 PM ET ESPN News Services All-Star guard Devin Booker has entered the NBA’s health and safety protocol and will miss the Phoenix Suns‘ game against the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday night. The Suns made the announcement at the team’s shootaround. Booker is a three-time All-Star and the team’s leading scorer, averaging 25.6 points,

5:11 PM ET The ESPN fantasy and betting cheat sheet is your pregame destination for our best intel and data to help you make smart fantasy and wagering decisions. NBA game odds are provided by Caesars Sportsbook and fantasy advice is based on ESPN 10-team leagues. Jump ahead: Game of the night | Picks and

7:41 AM ET The Basketball Africa League will see each team fielding a very youthful face this season, as the NBA-affiliated league launches BAL Elevate, a project that places one NBA Academy Africa player with each of the 12 teams. The African arm of the NBA Academy system is housed in Saly, Senegal, and was

8:00 AM ET Tim BontempsESPN EXACTLY TWO YEARS ago, the New York Knicks officially hired Leon Rose as president of basketball operations. Since then, Rose has had one in-person news conference — a gathering with a small group of reporters prior to the 2021-22 NBA season at the team’s practice facility in Westchester, New York.

8:00 AM ET SIXTY YEARS AGO, Wilt Chamberlain posted what is widely regarded to be the greatest individual performance in NBA history, scoring 100 points for the Philadelphia Warriors in a win over the New York Knicks. On March 2, 1962, Chamberlain made 36 of his 63 shot attempts and 28 of his 32 free

3:14 AM ET LOS ANGELES — As bleak as things might seem for the Lakers after Tuesday’s 109-104 loss to the Dallas Mavericks — their 10th defeat in their last 13 games — dropped Los Angeles just two games away from falling out of the play-in tournament altogether, LeBron James insisted he won’t give up

1:01 AM ET Kendra AndrewsESPN MINNEAPOLIS — After stringing together their worst stretch of the season through the month of February, the Golden State Warriors were looking to turn the page when they came out of the All-Star break and the calendar flipped to March. But instead, it was more of the same — perhaps

12:53 AM ET ESPN News Services The Minnesota Timberwolves‘ Anthony Edwards sat out Tuesday night because of tendinitis in his left knee, and coach Chris Finch said “everything is on the table” in terms of an extended rest plan for the star small forward. The Wolves’ 129-114 win over the Golden State Warriors was Edwards’

9:36 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN BOSTON — Boston Celtics forward Jaylen Brown (right ankle sprain) and Atlanta Hawks forward Onyeka Okongwu (concussion protocols) exited Tuesday night’s game at TD Garden and did not return. Brown went down in a heap on a drive early in the first quarter, when it appeared he either slipped or

10:41 PM ET Toronto Raptors coach Nick Nurse said Tuesday that OG Anunoby won’t need surgery to repair a fractured right ring finger that’s sidelined him for the past several days. Anunoby saw a hand specialist Monday. “The specialist said it was nearly healed, it’s getting better every day,” Nurse told reporters. “He’s able to

1:52 PM ET Kelly CohenESPN Allen Iverson, who was an elite scorer during his days in the NBA, is now admiring another young bucket-getter. 1 Related Memphis Grizzlies point guard Ja Morant scored a career-high 52 points Monday against the San Antonio Spurs. He shot 22-of-30 from the field to help the Grizzlies beat the