11:23 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN BOSTON — The Celtics spent the first half of the season blowing fourth-quarter leads. Wednesday night, Boston entered the All-Star break on a sour note after doing so once again, coughing up an eight-point lead in the final four minutes and losing 112-111 to the Detroit Pistons to snap the
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12:29 AM ET Jamal CollierESPN CHICAGO — Chicago Bulls All-Star forward DeMar Derozan stayed on a roll offensively heading into the All-Star break and set an NBA record in Wednesday’s 125-118 victory over the Sacramento Kings. DeRozan scored 38 points on 16-for-27 (59%) shooting on Wednesday, making him the first player in NBA history to
11:27 PM ET LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles Lakers big man Anthony Davis exited Wednesday night’s game against the Utah Jazz with a right ankle sprain and will not return. X-rays revealed no fracture, and according to the team, Davis will be re-evaluated after the upcoming All-Star break. Davis came down on Rudy Gobert‘s heel,
12:53 AM ET NEW YORK — As Tom Thibodeau watched his beleaguered Knicks blow a 28-point lead to the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday night, even he couldn’t quite believe what he was seeing. The veteran coach flailed his arms and shook in apparent disbelief as he watched his team get outhustled down the stretch in
12:36 AM ET ESPN News Services Phoenix Suns star Chris Paul was ejected in his team’s 124-121 win over the Houston Rockets on Wednesday night. Paul was tossed after two quick technicals in the third quarter. He was angry after getting his right hand jammed on a pass and argued for the first technical. He
10:55 PM ET The Pacers will waive Tristan Thompson on Thursday, and the veteran big man will sign a deal with the Chicago Bulls, Indiana coach Rick Carlisle said Wednesday night. In a surprising moment, Carlisle announced the news following the Pacers’ 113-108 win against the Washington Wizards in Indianapolis. Thompson had joined the Pacers
7:41 PM ET After missing two months due to an ankle injury, there’s optimism guard Derrick Rose will return to the New York Knicks‘ lineup out of the All-Star Break next week, sources told ESPN on Wednesday. Rose has been progressing on the court for a return, and barring setbacks, there’s confidence he’ll be ready
7:31 PM ET Jamal CollierESPN CHICAGO — Chicago Bulls All-Star guard Zach LaVine‘s visit with a knee specialist in Los Angeles this week went “very well,” according to coach Billy Donovan, who said Wednesday LaVine is cleared to resume play for the team after the All-Star break. LaVine had fluid drained to relieve the swelling
4:15 PM ET Associated Press CLEVELAND — Some of the players who gave the NBA its global bounce will be in attendance when the league celebrates its 75th anniversary team during a special halftime ceremony at Sunday’s All-Star Game. Members of the diamond anniversary team will be inside Cleveland’s Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse for the ceremony
12:42 PM ET As the dust from a seismic NBA trade deadline settles, tell yourself the season is nearly 3/4 done. And that the means to make meaningful changes to your fantasy franchises are narrowing. To strategically re-align for the stretch run, there’s only one place to start. Take an extended gander at the NBA
2:31 PM ET NEW YORK — As Brooklyn Nets swingman Ben Simmons gets acclimated to his new team, veteran guard Patty Mills says he sees a “fire built up” inside the 25-year-old former All Star as Simmons restarts his NBA career again after requesting a trade from the Philadelphia 76ers. “I see a real hunger-ness
12:34 PM ET Associated Press SALÉ, Morocco — Trailblazing basketball coach Liz Mills has become the first female head coach of a men’s team in Morocco. Mills has been hired by AS Salé, which competes in Morocco’s top division, and she is set to be the first female head coach in the Basketball Africa League
10:46 AM ET Andrew LopezESPN NBA commissioner Adam Silver said the New York City vaccination mandate that is preventing Nets guard Kyrie Irving from playing in home games “doesn’t quite make sense to me” during an appearance on ESPN’s Get Up on Wednesday morning. As an unvaccinated player against COVID-19, Irving cannot play at the
11:37 PM ET Jamal CollierESPN MILWAUKEE — Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 50 points and made 17 of his 21 shots from the field Tuesday night to lead the Milwaukee Bucks to a 128-119 victory over the Indiana Pacers. The 21 attempts were the fourth fewest in a 50-point game in NBA history. It marked the first
9:18 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN PHILADELPHIA – Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart suffered a right ankle sprain in the second quarter of Tuesday night’s 135-87 win over the Philadelphia 76ers at Wells Fargo Center and did not return. Smart drove down the lane and stepped onto the foot of 76ers center Joel Embiid, bending his
1:16 PM ET Kendra AndrewsESPN James Wiseman has been cleared to participate in a 5-on-5 scrimmage Tuesday morning, sources confirmed to ESPN. Warriors general manager Bob Myers first shared news of this plan on “The Morning Roast” radio show. This is the latest step in Wiseman’s rehab process after tearing his meniscus last April, and
3:42 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN CAMDEN, New Jersey — James Harden on Tuesday said his newfound partnership with center Joel Embiid can deliver the Philadelphia 76ers their first championship in almost 40 years. “For me, it made sense, man,” Harden said of the blockbuster trade during his introductory news conference at the team’s practice facility.
12:53 PM ET Associated Press COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Joe Johnson answered USA Basketball’s call again. A year removed from his last playing experience with the national team, the 40-year-old Johnson was among 12 players announced Tuesday as the roster for a pair of Basketball World Cup qualifying games later this month. Also picked: Jordan