NBA

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

5:10 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,

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

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,”

1:54 AM ET After a disappointing finish to their season, losing in six games to the Denver Nuggets, the Portland Trail Blazers appear to be at an offseason crossroads, with questions about roster and coaching changes lingering over their future. Following their 126-115 Game 6 loss where they blew a 14-point second half lead, the

12:13 AM ET Los Angeles Lakers forward Anthony Davis has been ruled out for the remainder of Thursday night’s Game 6 against the Phoenix Suns after aggravating his strained left groin in the first quarter. Davis suffered the injury in Game 4 of the first-round series and sat out Game 5. He was a game-time

10:32 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard was named the winner of the Twyman-Stokes Teammate of the Year Award on Thursday, just edging out Phoenix Suns star Chris Paul after voting by more than 300 NBA players. The award, named after Hall of Famers Maurice Stokes and Jack Twyman and their

10:02 PM ET LOS ANGELES — With the Los Angeles Lakers‘ season on the line, Anthony Davis will return to the lineup Thursday after missing the previous game and a half of L.A.’s first-round series against the Phoenix Suns with a strained groin, the team announced. Lakers coach Frank Vogel told reporters before the game

9:40 PM ET The Memphis Grizzlies have signed executive vice president of basketball operations Zach Kleiman to a long-term extension, the team announced on Thursday. Kleiman, who also serves as the team’s general manager, has played an immense part in reshaping the Grizzlies, who made the playoffs for the first time since 2017. Memphis boasts

7:45 PM ET Utah Jazz point guard Mike Conley underwent an MRI on Thursday morning that revealed a mild right hamstring strain, the team announced. Conley will be reevaluated before Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals against the winner of the LA Clippers–Dallas Mavericks series. Conley left the top-seeded Jazz’s series-ending Game 5 win

6:48 PM ET Associated Press MIAMI — Pat Riley has identified an immediate priority for the Miami Heat: Do absolutely nothing. After a nonstop year, that’s his requirement. There will be more than enough time for roster decisions, offseason workouts, preparing for the combine and draft even though Miami doesn’t currently have a pick, piecing

3:23 PM ET At least one fan joined the Utah Jazz bandwagon after their five-game series win in the first round: Tee Morant, the father of Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant. Moments after top-seeded Utah ended the series with a 126-110 win Wednesday night, Tee Morant told Donovan Mitchell that he’d be rooting for the