1:26 PM ET Associated Press CLEVELAND — Cavaliers forward Lauri Markkanen has joined teammate Kevin Love and entered the NBA’s health and safety protocols. The team said Markkanen will miss Wednesday’s game against Portland and his status will be updated “at the appropriate time.” The 7-foot Markkanen is in his first season with Cleveland after
NBA
12:20 AM ET Fantasy staff We are merely two weeks into the fantasy basketball season, but already it’s easy to identify some draft-day hits and misses. Our team of fantasy experts — Eric Karabell, Andre Snelllings, Eric Moody, Jim McCormick and John Cregan — got together to discuss some of the things that have stuck
11:12 PM ET Andrew LopezESPN Phoenix Suns guard Chris Paul moved into No. 3 on the all-time assists list with his eighth against the visiting New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday night. With 1:34 left in the second quarter, on a 3-pointer by Jae Crowder, Paul notched career assist No. 10,336 to push past Suns legend
Monty McCutchen, the NBA’s vice president of referee development and training, said Tuesday afternoon that he’s pleased with the league’s progress toward eliminating foul calls on non-basketball moves. He added that his officials are still working to strike the right balance between not calling those non-basketball moves and missing some defensive fouls, and that the
6:49 PM ET Jamal Collier Milwaukee Bucks forward Khris Middleton has tested positive for COVID-19, coach Mike Budenholzer revealed before Tuesday’s game against the Detroit Pistons. Middleton missed Sunday’s game against the Utah Jazz with what the team initially believed was a non-COVID illness, before he entered the NBA’s health and safety protocols ahead of
7:02 PM ET Associated Press LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles County agreed Tuesday to pay $2.5 million to two families who lost relatives in last year’s helicopter crash that killed Kobe Bryant, his daughter and seven other people. The Board of Supervisors approved a settlement of two federal lawsuits filed by the Altobelli and Mauser
5:13 PM ET Ramona Shelburne Close ESPN Senior Writer Senior writer for ESPN.com Spent seven years at the Los Angeles Daily News Adrian Wojnarowski Close Senior NBA Insider Host of The Woj Pod Joined ESPN in 2017 The Philadelphia 76ers are increasingly frustrated with Ben Simmons‘ refusal to accept organizational assistance to address his mental
5:13 PM ET Ramona Shelburne Close ESPN Senior Writer Senior writer for ESPN.com Spent seven years at the Los Angeles Daily News Adrian Wojnarowski Close Senior NBA Insider Host of The Woj Pod Joined ESPN in 2017 The Philadelphia 76ers are increasingly frustrated with Ben Simmons‘ refusal to accept organizational assistance to address his mental
8:00 AM ET After falling to 3-4, the Milwaukee Bucks have forfeited the No. 1 spot this week. The Utah Jazz, who were the league’s final unbeaten team before falling to the Chicago Bulls on Saturday, handed Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks their third straight loss on their way to the top of our list.
11:39 PM ET ESPN News Services BOSTON — Marcus Smart called out Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown after the Boston Celtics lost their third game in a row on Monday night, saying the star duo needs to get their teammates more involved. “Every team knows we’re trying to go to Jayson and Jaylen,” Smart said
12:58 AM ET Associated Press LOS ANGELES — Kobe Bryant’s widow won’t have to undergo psychiatric testing for her lawsuit over graphic photos of the 2020 helicopter crash that killed the basketball star, her 13-year-old daughter and seven others, a federal judge ruled Monday. Los Angeles County sought to compel psychiatric evaluations for Vanessa Bryant
11:04 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN PHILADELPHIA — After yet another ugly individual performance Monday night in a season full of them so far, Portland Trail Blazers superstar Damian Lillard said his poor start is a chance for him to show the world what he’s really about. “I always look at struggles as an opportunity to
7:32 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN PHILADELPHIA — Already without Ben Simmons, the Philadelphia 76ers also were missing both Joel Embiid and Tobias Harris for Monday night’s game against the Portland Trail Blazers at Wells Fargo Center. Embiid, who has been questionable for each of the past five games because of right knee soreness, was ruled
7:55 PM ET Associated Press MIAMI — Max Strus expects to be sidelined for maybe just a couple weeks. Given how badly he initially feared his left knee was injured, that’s a major win for the Miami Heat guard. The Heat diagnosed Strus’ injury as a sprain Monday, learning he did not suffer major structural
6:11 PM ET SAN FRANCISCO — Golden State Warriors center James Wiseman has been cleared to participate in full-team practices, the team announced Monday. Wiseman, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2020 NBA draft, played in just 39 games during a rookie year that was cut short in large part due to a right
4:34 PM ET Associated Press CLEVELAND — Cavaliers forward Kevin Love has been placed in the NBA’s health and safety protocols and will miss Monday’s game at Charlotte — and likely several more. It’s not known if Love is still with the team. The Cavaliers provided a brief statement on Love as they got ready
3:20 PM ET Andrew LopezESPN METAIRIE, La. — New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson is “progressing” in his recovery from a fractured right foot, but his return to play is still up in the air. Pelicans coach Willie Green told reporters on Monday that doctors were encouraged by the latest set of scans on Williamson’s
10:00 AM ET Working the waiver wire is pivotal to succeeding in fantasy basketball. With so many games, injuries and endless shifts in rotations throughout the marathon campaign, we’ll need to source stats from free agency to maximize imaginary rosters. A willingness to entertain competition for the last few spots on your fantasy hoops roster