4:25 AM ET In what’s too early to call a complete collapse but too stunning to label a mere stumble, the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers are now slated to compete in the NBA’s play-in tournament with a little more than a week remaining in the regular season. Friday’s 106-101 loss to the Portland Trail
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12:48 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. Here’s a breakdown of all the key games from Friday night and what the results mean for
10:02 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 all the key games from Friday night and what the results mean for
6:50 PM ET Utah Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell will miss at least one more week after having his sprained right ankle re-evaluated by the Jazz’s medical staff Friday, the team announced. Utah said Mitchell “continues to make progress towards a return” and would be re-evaluated in one week. Mitchell suffered the injury April 16 against
5:13 PM ET New Orleans Pelicans star Zion Williamson is out indefinitely with a fractured left ring finger, the team announced on Friday. Williamson underwent a CT scan on Thursday that revealed the injury. A treatment plan and timetable for his return will be determined after further evaluation. The Pelicans (30-36) entered Friday’s game against
7:00 AM ET IT WAS NOV. 5, 2017, game nine for the newly formed superteam in Oklahoma City. After a bumpy 4-4 start, the Thunder were in Portland to take on a division rival. Trail Blazers coach Terry Stotts had taken his spot in the narrow hallway of the Moda Center pregame to talk with
2:48 AM ET LOS ANGELES — As Kawhi Leonard makes his way back from a foot injury and ramps up for the postseason, the LA Clippers are being cautious and maintaining a minutes restriction on their All-Star. Clippers coach Ty Lue said he has had to adjust his rotations with Leonard not yet cleared to
11:15 PM ET SAN FRANCISCO — Golden State Warriors guard Damion Lee said he tested positive for COVID-19 despite being fully vaccinated. Lee, 28, is considered one of the rare “breakthrough cases” — one of only 6,000 or so people who have tested positive for the virus after going through the full vaccination process, according
12:28 AM ET After the Brooklyn Nets fell to the Dallas Mavericks on Thursday night and extended their losing streak to a season-high four games, the team tried to focus on the silver lining: This is all preparation for the challenges it expects to face in the playoffs. “I think it’s good we have those
12:04 AM ET LOS ANGELES — Anthony Davis was ruled out of the second half of Thursday’s game against the LA Clippers because of back spasms, giving the Los Angeles Lakers two stars — along with LeBron James — who made their return from a long-term injury only to go back on the mend with
11:37 PM ET DALLAS — Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic, who has vowed to avoid an automatic one-game suspension by being called for his 16th technical foul of the season, acknowledged Thursday that he has been “complaining way too much.” Doncic addressed the issue during his postgame interview with the TNT crew after the Mavericks’
11:00 PM ET The Nets are in serious jeopardy of slipping to the East’s third seed after their 113-109 loss to the Dallas Mavericks on Thursday as Brooklyn has lost four straight games for the first time all season. The Milwaukee Bucks are only a half game behind Brooklyn and own the tiebreaker between the
9:06 PM ET SAN FRANCISCO — Golden State Warriors swingman Kelly Oubre Jr. will not need surgery on his injured left wrist and will be re-evaluated later next week, the team announced prior to Thursday’s game against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Oubre injured the wrist initially in an April 9 loss to the Washington Wizards.
6:17 PM ET A 500-1 long shot to start the season, the New York Knicks have emerged as the best bet in basketball and are covering the spread at a historic rate — although that hasn’t meant a surge in bets on them winning a title. Entering Friday’s game at the Phoenix Suns, the Knicks
2:25 PM ET Brooklyn Nets guard James Harden, who has been out for over a month with a hamstring strain, says he is “very confident” he will return before the playoffs begin. “The plan is to hopefully get an opportunity to play a couple games before the postseason,” Harden said Thursday. “We’re just taking one
1:16 PM ET The Indiana Pacers are suspending assistant coach Greg Foster for one game and fining center Goga Bitadze for an emotionally-charged on-court exchange Wednesday night in a loss to the Sacramento Kings, sources told ESPN. Foster will serve the suspension Thursday night for the Pacers’ home game against the Atlanta Hawks, sources said.
11:55 AM ET Andrew LopezESPN The New Orleans Pelicans have agreed to a multi-year contract with two-way player Naji Marshall, sources told ESPN on Thursday. Marshall has been a large part of the Pelicans’ rotation in the last month. In the last 19 games, he’s averaged 8.6 points, 5.5 rebounds and 3.4 assists in 25.8
6:48 PM ET Kyrie Irving and the Brooklyn Nets each have been fined $35,000 for violating the NBA’s media access rules, the league announced on Wednesday. “The fines result from Irving’s repeated refusal to participate in postgame media availability,” the league said in a statement. The NBA requires that healthy players be made available upon