12:57 PM ET As his team wraps up the regular season with the NBA’s worst record, Houston Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta emphasized his excitement about the franchise’s future, declaring confidence in the leadership the team has in place after a year of extreme turnover. “I never thought I could feel this good after winning only
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10:35 AM ET Alperen Sengun, the No. 14 prospect in the ESPN Top 100, has submitted paperwork to the league office to make himself eligible for the 2021 NBA draft, he told ESPN on Wednesday. “At the beginning of the season, I didn’t think my performance would be this high, but with every passing game
3:25 AM ET LOS ANGELES — The final few possessions that Talen Horton-Tucker was involved in during the Los Angeles Lakers‘ 101-99 overtime win against the New York Knicks on Tuesday mimicked the situation his team finds itself in as the regular season winds down. Things might not have gone as planned up to this
2:21 AM ET SAN FRANCISCO — After the Golden State Warriors wore a proverbial target on their back for years thanks to five straight NBA Finals appearances, Draymond Green said he is enjoying the prospect of going into next week’s play-in tournament with relatively low expectations from pundits across the league. “For a second there
1:40 AM ET With the addition of play-in games to the 2021 NBA playoffs, the scramble for seeding is wilder — and more important — than ever, with almost every game down the stretch having significant postseason implications. Play-in matchups following Monday’s games Play-in games to be held May 18-21 • How the play-in tournament
1:11 AM ET NBA Insiders The Los Angeles Lakers find themselves in an unfamiliar position for a defending champion, as the final days of the season see the wounded Western Conference power eyeing the improved health of LeBron James while fighting for playoff positioning. Meanwhile, teams like the Golden State Warriors and Washington Wizards find
10:39 PM ET Adrian Wojnarowski Close Senior NBA Insider Host of The Woj Pod Joined ESPN in 2017 Malika Andrews Close ESPN Staff Writer Staff Writer Joined ESPN in 2018 Appears regularly on ESPN Chicago 1000 After missing five weeks with a hamstring injury, Brooklyn Nets star James Harden‘s return is expected to be a
10:00 PM ET With the addition of play-in games to the 2021 NBA playoffs, the scramble for seeding is wilder — and more important — than ever, with almost every game down the stretch having significant postseason implications. Play-in matchups following Monday’s games Play-in games to be held May 18-21 • How the play-in tournament
10:00 PM ET Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving was ruled out for the remainder of Tuesday night’s game against the Chicago Bulls with a facial contusion, the team announced. During the third quarter, Irving collided with Bulls center Nikola Vucevic while going up for a rebound. Irving was hit in the face by Vucevic’s elbow.
7:51 PM ET Utah Jazz star Donovan Mitchell will not play in the team’s last three games of the regular season as he “continues to make progress towards a return” from a sprained right ankle, the team announced Tuesday. He will be reevaluated prior to the start of the NBA playoffs. Mitchell suffered the injury
3:54 PM ET LeBron James will give his injured right ankle one more day of rest Tuesday, when the Los Angeles Lakers take on the New York Knicks. James is targeting a return on Wednesday against the Houston Rockets, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Dave McMenamin. Frank Vogel said James was a full participant
9:47 AM ET Tech entrepreneur Marc Lore and baseball star Alex Rodriguez’s 30-day exclusive negotiating window to purchase the Minnesota Timberwolves from Glen Taylor has ended without a formal deal. Both sides are continuing to negotiate in good faith in an attempt to reach an agreement and it is possible extension to the window could
11:20 PM ET With the addition of play-in games to the 2021 NBA playoffs, the scramble for seeding is wilder — and more important — than ever, with almost every game down the stretch having significant postseason implications. Here’s a breakdown of the key games from Monday and what the results mean for the seedings:
12:48 AM ET SAN FRANCISCO — Washington Wizards guard Bradley Beal called out Kent Bazemore on Twitter Monday night after the Golden State Warriors swingman appeared to take a shot at Beal while weighing in on Stephen Curry‘s place atop the NBA scoring race. During Monday’s shootaround, Bazemore, a close friend of Curry’s, praised his
12:41 AM ET Andrew LopezESPN In last season’s playoffs, the Memphis Grizzlies participated in the first play-in game but fell to the Portland Trail Blazers in a close contest. On Monday night, the Grizzlies clinched a return trip to the revised and more advanced play-in tournament, but they don’t want to suffer the same fate.
9:29 PM ET Russell Westbrook made history on Monday with 8:30 remaining in the fourth quarter against the Atlanta Hawks when he collected his 182nd triple-double and broke Oscar Robertson’s record for most career triple-doubles. Westbrook passed Robertson when the Wizards’ point guard grabbed his 10th rebound in the fourth quarter at State Farm Arena.
6:05 PM ET The Boston Celtics say forward Jaylen Brown will miss the remainder of the season due to a torn scapholunate ligament in his left wrist. The injury, which was diagnosed over the weekend, is expected to require surgery later this week, according to the team. It’s a massive blow to a Celtics team
4:53 PM ET LeBron James will likely return for Tuesday’s game against the New York Knicks as his injured right ankle has been pain free after several days off, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski on Monday. Head coach Frank Vogel said James was a full participant in Lakers practice on Monday but did not officially