3:37 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN GREENBURGH, N.Y. — The New York Knicks are in line to get more reinforcements back for their Christmas Day matinee against the Atlanta Hawks after RJ Barrett participated in the team’s brief practice Friday afternoon. “He did more today,” Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said of Barrett. “We’ll see how he
NBA
1:23 PM ET After clearing the NBA’s health and safety protocols, there’s optimism that Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo will be in the lineup against the Boston Celtics on Saturday, sources told ESPN. Antetokounmpo, the reigning NBA Finals MVP, planned to get on the court Friday for a workout. He will make a decision on
5:20 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN Facebook Twitter Facebook Messenger Pinterest Email print The Boston Celtics had another five players officially enter the NBA’s health and safety protocols Friday afternoon, further battering one of the hardest-hit rosters in the league as the omicron variant of COVID-19 sweeps through the NBA. Guard C.J. Miles, forwards Aaron Nesmith
12:32 PM ET Jamal Collier Chicago Bulls coach Billy Donovan has entered the NBA’s health and safety protocols, it was announced Friday. He becomes the fourth NBA head coach to enter into COVID-19 protocols, joining the Lakers‘ Frank Vogel, Indiana‘s Rick Carlisle and Sacramento‘s Alvin Gentry. Bulls assistant Chris Fleming will be the acting head
1:45 PM ET After a sudden retirement in 2019, guard Darren Collison is returning to the NBA on a 10-day contract with the Los Angeles Lakers, sources told ESPN on Friday. Collison, who’ll sign a hardship exemption, is expected to be in the lineup on Saturday against the Brooklyn Nets. He worked out for the
12:51 PM ET The Brooklyn Nets will have James Harden on Christmas, but Kyrie Irving will not travel to Los Angeles, and Kevin Durant remained in health and safety protocols as of Friday morning. Nets coach Steve Nash said Harden will play against the Los Angeles Lakers on Christmas night after he cleared health and
1:23 PM ET Milwaukee Bucks two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo has cleared the NBA’s health and safety protocols and could play Christmas Day against the Boston Celtics, sources told ESPN. Antetokounmpo, the reigning NBA Finals MVP, planned to get on the court Friday for a workout. He will make a decision on Saturday’s game prior to
3:00 AM ET SAN FRANCISCO — As the Golden State Warriors roll into a Christmas Day showdown with the Phoenix Suns on Saturday, they do so with a little frustration. It’ll mark their second straight year being on the road during the NBA’s biggest regular-season showcase day. “Generally I like playing on Christmas,” Warriors coach
12:25 AM ET LOS ANGELES — Fans at Thursday night’s game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the San Antonio Spurs commemorated the arena known for more than 22 years as Staples Center at its final event before it will be christened as Crypto.com Arena on Saturday. “Staples,” as it was known colloquially in Los
7:21 PM ET Portland Trail Blazers guard CJ McCollum‘s right lung is fully healed and he will be re-evaluated next week, the team said Thursday. McCollum was diagnosed with a collapsed lung earlier this month after suffering a rib injury in a Dec. 4 loss to the Boston Celtics. A CT scan on Wednesday revealed
6:44 PM ET The Washington Wizards announced that star Bradley Beal would miss Thursday’s game at the New York Knicks because of health and safety protocols. Beal, 28, joins fellow starter Kentavious Caldwell-Pope in the protocols. Beal, who missed out on the chance to play in the Olympics last year after testing positive for COVID-19,
6:15 PM ET Four more members of the Detroit Pistons — center Isaiah Stewart, point guard Saben Lee, point guard Killian Hayes and shooting guard Rodney McGruder — entered the NBA’s COVID-19 protocols on Thursday. That gives the Pistons five players in the health and safety protocols, including rookie point guard Cade Cunningham, the top
6:28 PM ET Timberwolves star Karl-Anthony Towns entered the NBA’s health and safety protocols ahead of Minnesota’s game in Utah on Thursday. He joins six Timberwolves players in the protocols, including starters Patrick Beverley, Anthony Edwards and Jarred Vanderbilt. 1 Related In a tweet shortly after the announcement, Towns lamented that he can’t catch a
3:59 PM ET The NBA and National Basketball Players Association are near an agreement to reduce the 10-day quarantine periods for COVID-positive players, sources told ESPN on Thursday. The arrangement — expected to soon be shared with teams — could return some players to active play in six days, based on testing procedures, sources said.
3:46 PM ET Jamal Collier CHICAGO — All Bulls players have cleared health and safety protocols and will be available to play in the team’s next game against the Indiana Pacers, coach Billy Donovan said Thursday. The Bulls had as many as 10 players in the league’s protocols at the start of last week, which
11:06 AM ET James Harden, Paul Millsap and Jevon Carter have been cleared from health and safety protocols, and the Brooklyn Nets are expecting to have enough players for their Christmas Day game against the Los Angeles Lakers despite having three more players enter protocols. Nets coach Steve Nash said that while Harden, Millsap and
9:45 AM ET Nick DePaulaESPN The NBA’s board of governors has approved an additional sponsorship patch for team uniform sets for the 2021-22 season, with the upcoming shooting shirt patch program allowing teams to include branded sponsor patches on both team shooting shirts and warm-up jackets. Teams can add an existing jersey patch program partner’s
8:00 AM ET Since it first opened its doors in 1999, Staples Center has played host to seven NBA Finals, five WNBA Finals, four UFC pay-per-view cards, two Stanley Cup Finals and countless championship boxing matches. It was the home of the Pac-12 men’s basketball tournament for a decade and has seen multiple All-Star games