8:47 PM ET Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James will return from the longest absence of his career against the Sacramento Kings on Friday night. James, who has been out since March 20 with a high ankle sprain, will not be on a hard minutes restriction, according to coach Frank Vogel. Friday’s game is one
NBA
5:49 PM ET Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo was ruled out of Friday’s game against the Chicago Bulls with a right ankle sprain he suffered early in Thursday’s loss to the Houston Rockets. Antetokounmpo played just 46 seconds Thursday before he appeared to step on the foot of Kelly Olynyk, rolling what was already an
2:40 PM ET Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James, who has been out since March 20 with a high-ankle sprain, could return from the longest absence of his career against the Sacramento Kings on Friday night, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. James plans to test his ankle and make a game-time decision, sources said. He
12:49 AM ET Steve Kerr believes there is a fundamental flaw plaguing this era’s NBA game. After watching his Golden State Warriors get outrebounded 57-34 in Thursday night’s 126-114 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves, Kerr spoke matter-of-factly about the lack of boxing out he sees in today’s game. Brushing off the idea that his team
11:02 PM ET ESPN News Services HOUSTON — Kevin Porter Jr. scored a career-high 50 points to go along with 11 assists, becoming the youngest player ever to log a 50-point double-double with assists. The performance helped Houston snap a five-game losing streak as they beat the the Milwaukee Bucks 143-136 on Thursday night. Porter
10:34 PM ET Associated Press ATLANTA — Kevin Huerter will miss his second straight game with a sprained left shoulder, dealing another blow to the injury-plagued Atlanta Hawks as they try to make a push for the playoffs. An MRI confirmed Huerter’s injury. It’s not known how long the swingman will be out, but he
9:17 PM ET Dallas Mavericks center/power forward Kristaps Porzingis exited Thursday night’s 115-105 win over the Detroit Pistons due to soreness in his right knee. Porzingis, who had missed the previous three games due to a sprained left ankle, complained of the knee soreness midway through the third quarter. The Mavericks announced at the beginning
8:49 PM ET Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo was ruled out of Thursday’s game against the Houston Rockets with a right ankle sprain, the team announced. Antetokounmpo injured the ankle while trying to Eurostep around Kelly Olynyk, who was called for a personal foul. He collapsed to the ground in pain but was able to
1:40 AM ET When it was over Wednesday night, after Anthony Davis‘ “must win” declaration in Washington ended with a 116-107 loss to the Wizards, the Los Angeles Lakers‘ star big man stayed on the bench for a bit pondering his team’s predicament. After Davis missed nine weeks with a calf strain and Achilles tendinosis
1:37 AM ET Andrew LopezESPN New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson is second in the NBA in free throw attempts and fourth in the league in free throw attempts per game, but head coach Stan Van Gundy thinks he should be shooting even more. On Wednesday night against the Denver Nuggets, Williamson had a chance
12:49 AM ET Associated Press PHOENIX — Chris Paul scored 28 points, Devin Booker added 21 and the Phoenix Suns beat the LA Clippers 109-101 on Wednesday night to clinch a spot in the playoffs for the first time in 11 years. The Suns finally figured out a way to beat the Clippers, who won
5:47 PM ET Associated Press BOSTON — Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart was suspended by the league for one game Wednesday because of “threatening language” he directed at a referee a night earlier. The suspension forced him to miss Wednesday night’s home game against Charlotte. “I just found out about 15 minutes ago,” Boston coach
7:15 PM ET Associated Press MIAMI — The San Antonio Spurs do not expect starting guard Derrick White back this season because of a sprained right ankle, coach Gregg Popovich said Wednesday. White was injured in the Spurs’ win Monday in Washington. The fourth-year guard is averaging a career-best 15.4 points this season for San
5:28 PM ET ESPN News Services The NBA has fined Houston Rockets guard Kevin Porter Jr. $50,000 for violating its COVID-19 health and safety protocols, the league said in a statement Wednesday. Porter violated the NBA’s rules against attending indoor social gatherings of 15 or more people and entering bars and similar establishments when he
12:26 PM ET Associated Press CLEVELAND — Cavaliers forward Kevin Love has apologized for his on-court tantrum Monday night, saying his behavior was out of line and out of character. “That wasn’t me,” Love said. The five-time All-Star spoke Wednesday following Cleveland’s shootaround practice before facing the Orlando Magic. Love did not take any questions
7:00 AM ET Eric WoodyardESPN HEATHER MAYFIELD WAS five months pregnant when she went to Mercy Health Saint Mary’s hospital in Grand Rapids, Michigan, with her husband, Brian, accompanying her for an ultrasound appointment on a chilly January day in 2000. Upon the revelation that their first child would be a boy, the couple quickly
7:00 AM ET Anthony OlivieriESPN.com MONTHS AFTER THE 1998 NBA Finals, Michael Jordan sat on one side of a giant table inside a Manhattan conference room. It was the site of a bargaining session between NBA owners and players. The league was embroiled in a lockout. The season was in jeopardy. But Jordan had other
1:20 AM ET The Golden State Warriors were stuck on 12 points for nine minutes and 38 seconds, the NBA’s longest scoring drought in almost a dozen years, during a 133-103 loss to the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday. The Mavs scored 28 points during that stretch, matching the second-biggest scoring run in the NBA over