1:20 AM ET Andrew LopezESPN Staring at a double-digit deficit and watching their dwindling playoff hopes fade away late in the fourth quarter against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday night, the New Orleans Pelicans leaned on Zion Williamson, Lonzo Ball and Brandon Ingram to keep them fighting. Trailing by 10 with under four minutes left,
NBA
12:41 AM ET OKLAHOMA CITY — Behind a franchise record 152 points, the Indiana Pacers handed the Oklahoma City Thunder the largest home loss in NBA history on Saturday, 152-95. The 57-point margin is tops the previous mark of 56, set by the Celtics over the Bulls in 2018 and the SuperSonics over the Rockets
9:07 PM ET LA Clippers All-Star Kawhi Leonard will return to the court on Saturday against the Denver Nuggets. Leonard missed the previous five games due to right foot soreness and has sat out nine of the Clippers’ previous 10 games. With eight games remaining in the season, the Clippers want to develop as much
9:53 PM ET The LaMelo Ball campaign for Rookie of the Year is officially back on. The Charlotte Hornets point guard dazzled in Saturday’s 107-84 win over the Detroit Pistons, his first game action in six weeks while recovering from a fractured right wrist. Ball finished with 11 points, eight assists and seven rebounds and
6:06 PM ET ESPN News Services After missing Friday’s game because of a right ankle sprain, Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo is listed as probable to play Sunday against the Brooklyn Nets, according to Milwaukee’s injury report. Antetokounmpo sat out the Bucks’ 108-98 win over the Chicago Bulls on Friday, after he exited in the opening
1:39 PM ET Charlotte Hornets rookie LaMelo Ball, who has been out since March 20 with a fractured wrist, could return to play Saturday, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Ball will test his wrist pregame before making a final determination on whether he’ll play against the Detroit Pistons, sources said. He could be joined in
12:04 AM ET Jayson Tatum‘s 60-point performance on Friday night was nothing short of spectacular. Along with tying Larry Bird’s Celtics franchise record for points in a game, he helped Boston overcome a 32-point deficit in a 143-140 OT win over the San Antonio Spurs. He trails only Devin Booker as the second-youngest player with
10:50 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN BOSTON — At halftime of Friday night’s game here at TD Garden between the Celtics and San Antonio Spurs, the only history anyone would’ve thought might happen on this night would be Boston setting one for margin of defeat. Instead, a dismal first half only set the stage for a
8:47 PM ET Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James will return from the longest absence of his career against the Sacramento Kings on Friday night. James, who has been out since March 20 with a high ankle sprain, will not be on a hard minutes restriction, according to coach Frank Vogel. Friday’s game is one
5:49 PM ET Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo was ruled out of Friday’s game against the Chicago Bulls with a right ankle sprain he suffered early in Thursday’s loss to the Houston Rockets. Antetokounmpo played just 46 seconds Thursday before he appeared to step on the foot of Kelly Olynyk, rolling what was already an
2:40 PM ET Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James, who has been out since March 20 with a high-ankle sprain, could return from the longest absence of his career against the Sacramento Kings on Friday night, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. James plans to test his ankle and make a game-time decision, sources said. He
12:49 AM ET Steve Kerr believes there is a fundamental flaw plaguing this era’s NBA game. After watching his Golden State Warriors get outrebounded 57-34 in Thursday night’s 126-114 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves, Kerr spoke matter-of-factly about the lack of boxing out he sees in today’s game. Brushing off the idea that his team
11:02 PM ET ESPN News Services HOUSTON — Kevin Porter Jr. scored a career-high 50 points to go along with 11 assists, becoming the youngest player ever to log a 50-point double-double with assists. The performance helped Houston snap a five-game losing streak as they beat the the Milwaukee Bucks 143-136 on Thursday night. Porter
10:34 PM ET Associated Press ATLANTA — Kevin Huerter will miss his second straight game with a sprained left shoulder, dealing another blow to the injury-plagued Atlanta Hawks as they try to make a push for the playoffs. An MRI confirmed Huerter’s injury. It’s not known how long the swingman will be out, but he
9:17 PM ET Dallas Mavericks center/power forward Kristaps Porzingis exited Thursday night’s 115-105 win over the Detroit Pistons due to soreness in his right knee. Porzingis, who had missed the previous three games due to a sprained left ankle, complained of the knee soreness midway through the third quarter. The Mavericks announced at the beginning
8:49 PM ET Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo was ruled out of Thursday’s game against the Houston Rockets with a right ankle sprain, the team announced. Antetokounmpo injured the ankle while trying to Eurostep around Kelly Olynyk, who was called for a personal foul. He collapsed to the ground in pain but was able to
1:40 AM ET When it was over Wednesday night, after Anthony Davis‘ “must win” declaration in Washington ended with a 116-107 loss to the Wizards, the Los Angeles Lakers‘ star big man stayed on the bench for a bit pondering his team’s predicament. After Davis missed nine weeks with a calf strain and Achilles tendinosis
1:37 AM ET Andrew LopezESPN New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson is second in the NBA in free throw attempts and fourth in the league in free throw attempts per game, but head coach Stan Van Gundy thinks he should be shooting even more. On Wednesday night against the Denver Nuggets, Williamson had a chance