12:25 AM ET Tim BontempsESPN BOSTON — All season long, the Celtics have struggled in late-and-close situations. And, all season long, Jayson Tatum has struggled to make jump shots. Both trends converged here at TD Garden Friday night to send the struggling Celtics to one of their most disappointing losses in a season featuring more
NBA
1:09 AM ET Jamal CollierESPN MILWAUKEE — Chicago Bulls coach Billy Donovan wants the NBA to consider further discipline for Milwaukee Bucks guard Grayson Allen after he was ejected in the third quarter of Milwaukee’s 94-90 victory for a Flagrant 2 foul on Bulls guard Alex Caruso. Caruso went up for a layup on a
12:55 AM ET SAN ANTONIO — Fresh off dominating the third quarter, James Harden engaged in a constructive confrontation with his backcourt mate Kyrie Irving on the Brooklyn Nets‘ bench. “James kind of yelled at me,” Irving said. “It’s not a negative yell, but he yelled at me, ‘Kai, get the f’ing ball!’ in the
12:19 AM ET ORLANDO — Russell Westbrook made up for his unceremonious exit from Wednesday’s loss to Indiana by showing up ready to play in the Los Angeles Lakers’ 116-105 win over the Magic on Friday, starting their six-game road trip off right. “My job as a player, as a professional is to do my
9:43 AM ET Free-agent center DeMarcus Cousins will sign a 10-day contract with the Denver Nuggets on Friday, sources told ESPN. Cousins has been in conversations with the Nuggets for two weeks and will be eligible for six games in the stretch beginning with Friday’s home game against the Memphis Grizzlies. Cousins, 31, averaged 9.1
8:00 AM ET Los Angeles Lakers star Russell Westbrook told ESPN that he was disappointed with his fourth-quarter benching in Wednesday’s loss to the Indiana Pacers but that he remains undeterred about how to “figure s— out and do what’s best for our team to win in the long run.” Asked whether he was surprised
8:00 AM ET As Kyrie Irving stayed away from his Brooklyn Nets teammates the past three months, he wondered what it would be like to venture out and watch a game like a fan. “I can’t really go out and watch at a local bar or anything like that,” Irving, who is still not vaccinated
3:29 AM ET Kendra AndrewsESPN SAN FRANCISCO — The Golden State Warriors felt good heading into their Thursday night matchup against the Indiana Pacers. They held a home run derby at Chase Center the day before to boost morale after a tough road trip and were ready to build momentum on their dominant win over
11:58 PM ET DALLAS — Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic said his neck was “pretty sore” due to a hard fall after a drive to the basket during Thursday’s 109-101 loss to the Phoenix Suns, but he was optimistic that he would not miss any time due to the injury. Doncic landed on his back after
11:24 PM ET Andrew LopezESPN New Orleans Pelicans forward Brandon Ingram did not play in the fourth quarter of Thursday’s 102-91 win over the New York Knicks because of a sprained right ankle. Pelicans head coach Willie Green told reporters after the game that Ingram could not have played in the final 12 minutes and
8:43 PM ET Associated Press NEW YORK — Brooklyn assistant coach David Vanterpool was fined $10,000, and the Nets were penalized $25,000 by the NBA on Thursday after he interfered with play in a victory at Washington. Vanterpool reached across the sideline and deflected a pass with 5:42 remaining in the fourth quarter of the
6:00 PM ET Eric MoodyESPN Who is trending up? Which rotations are changing? What’s the latest with the notable injuries around the NBA? Here’s a look around the league at the most fantasy relevant news and notes for all 30 teams: Atlanta Hawks De’Andre Hunter was mentioned in last week’s column, and he’s still available
2:09 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James has surged past Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry and into the lead among all NBA players in All-Star voting ahead of polls closing Saturday night at midnight ET. James, who trailed Curry in the first two rounds of voting, had 6.8 million votes
12:50 PM ET Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving has been fined $25,000 for directing obscene language toward a fan, the NBA announced Thursday. The incident occurred with 4:19 remaining in the second quarter of the Nets’ 114-107 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday. A fan courtside could be heard heckling Irving, who responded with
10:50 AM ET Chicago Bulls guard Lonzo Ball may need arthroscopic surgery on his left knee for a meniscus tear and a decision on the procedure is expected to come this week, sources told ESPN on Thursday. The scope would sideline Ball for four to six weeks, sources said. The Bulls and Ball’s agent —
8:00 AM ET Tim BontempsESPN MADISON SQUARE GARDEN had just played host to one of the season’s most thrilling comebacks. It was Jan. 6, and New York Knicks fans had witnessed a ridiculous buzzer-beating bank shot 3-pointer by RJ Barrett that capped a 24-point rally and win against the Boston Celtics. It was the Knicks’
4:03 AM ET LOS ANGELES — Long before Russell Westbrook was benched down the stretch of Wednesday’s 111-104 loss to the Indiana Pacers, Los Angeles Lakers coach Frank Vogel was given assurances that the organization would support him in taking a hard line while coaching the star, sources told ESPN. Over the past week and
1:55 AM ET Associated Press DENVER — Nikola Jokic had 49 points, 14 rebounds and fed Aaron Gordon for a tiebreaking 3-pointer with 1.9 seconds left in overtime for his 10th assist, giving the Denver Nuggets a 130-128 victory over the LA Clippers on Wednesday night. Jokic drew a double-team, then whipped a pass across