NBA

12:10 AM ET Months ago, when Blake Griffin came to terms that he was going to forego $13.3 million to get out of his contract with the Detroit Pistons, he’d come to terms with the fact that he was no longer a franchise player in body or mind. But that did not mean he could

8:17 PM ET NEW YORK — James Harden played just 43 seconds of Game 1 between the Brooklyn Nets and Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday before injuring his right hamstring. He was ruled out for the rest of the game and left Barclays Center to have imaging on the hamstring, a team spokesperson said. Harden missed

12:40 PM ET As the Orlando Magic move into a full rebuilding process, coach Steve Clifford and the franchise have together agreed to a parting, sources told ESPN on Saturday. Clifford, who led the Magic to the playoffs in successive seasons before this year, had several meetings with management over recent weeks that ultimately drove

7:00 AM ET After a thrilling play-in tournament and opening-round action that saw the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers get bounced by the Phoenix Suns and the Milwaukee Bucks sweep the reigning Eastern Conference champion Miami Heat, we’ve reached the conference semifinals. What will the Suns do for an encore against the Denver Nuggets? Can

7:00 AM ET After no first-round series in the Eastern Conference went more than five games, here we are in the second round with two star-studded matchups. Can the two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks get past the Brooklyn Nets‘ Big Three of Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and James Harden? How much will

2:49 AM ET Kawhi Leonard treated Friday night like a Game 7 and it showed, from wanting to guard Luka Doncic to matching his playoff career-high with 45 points. With the LA Clippers‘ season and title hopes on the line, Leonard delivered arguably his finest all-around performance as a Clipper to help L.A. beat the

12:35 AM ET Nick DePaulaESPN Vanessa Bryant revealed in a series of social media posts earlier this week that she was blindsided upon seeing an image of a shoe she helped design, a black and white “Mamba Forever” special edition of the Nike Kobe 6 Protro, from her late husband Kobe Bryant’s signature series with

12:34 AM ET LOS ANGELES — The Lakers thought they would be gathering as a team Friday to catch a flight to Phoenix for Game 7 of their first-round series against the Suns. Instead, they met for exit interviews to rehash a season that went awry. “I think when you fall short of the goal

1:34 AM ET NBA Insiders With their season on the line, the fourth-seeded LA Clippers overcame a seven-point deficit in the third quarter of Game 6 to stave off elimination, defeating the fifth-seeded Dallas Mavericks 104-97. It marked the sixth time in six games the road team has won in this series. Five-time All-Star Kawhi

10:50 PM ET After a fourth first-round playoff exit in five seasons, the Portland Trail Blazers and coach Terry Stotts mutually agreed to part ways on Friday, sources told ESPN. Stotts leaves Portland as the second-winningest coach in franchise history, including eight consecutive playoff appearances — the longest streak in the league. Portland’s season ended

5:12 PM ET Associated Press WASHINGTON — Katherine Evans is joining the Wizards as the first woman to head the research or analytics department of an NBA franchise. Monumental Basketball announced the hire Friday, saying Evans would oversee its research department, supporting the Wizards, the WNBA’s Washington Mystics, the G League’s Capital City Go-Go and

5:10 PM ET Associated Press PHILADELPHIA — Joel Embiid‘s status for Game 1 of Philadelphia’s playoff series is still unknown because of a cartilage tear in his knee. The 76ers center remained day to day, and coach Doc Rivers said no decision has been made on the All-Star’s availability for Game 1 against Atlanta. The

4:51 PM ET NEW YORK — Jeff Green has been ruled out of the Nets‘ series opener against the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday and his status will be “day-to-day” moving forward, according to Brooklyn coach Steve Nash. “Just going to continue to monitor it and then over the course of the next two, three days,

3:39 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN Milwaukee Bucks guard Jrue Holiday is the winner of the 2020-21 NBA sportsmanship award, the NBA announced Friday. “It means a lot,” Holiday said after receiving the Joe Dumars Trophy, which is given to the NBA player who best represents the ideals of sportsmanship on the court. “Just knowing that

1:06 PM ET Phoenix went from 60-1 long shots to 8-1 contenders to win the NBA title in a week, a meteoric shift that has some sportsbooks wary of the rising Suns. Phoenix finished off the defending-champion Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday, rallying from a 2-1 deficit to win the series and advance to take

7:00 AM ET NBA Insiders One season after dropping a 3-1 lead to the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference semifinals, the LA Clippers once again find themselves facing elimination, this time in Round 1 against the Dallas Mavericks in a pivotal Game 6 on Saturday. Luka Doncic, who delivered one of the league’s most

1:27 AM ET LOS ANGELES — Anthony Davis could barely move and the Los Angeles Lakers could not move on, seeing their repeat title hopes cut short with a 113-100 loss in Game 6 of their first round series with the Phoenix Suns. Davis, cleared by L.A.’s medical staff and starting on Thursday after being

1:08 AM ET The Denver Nuggets have grown quite accustomed to playing seven game series. But for once they didn’t need to go the distance, instead closing out the Portland Trail Blazers in six with a 126-115 win on Thursday. “I love our team. I love every player in that locker room, one through seventeen,”