NBA

12:13 PM ET Golden State Warriors president and chief operating officer Rick Welts, a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, will retire after the 2020-21 NBA season, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski on Thursday. Welts has spent 46 years working in the NBA and, in 2011, became the most prominent sports executive

12:31 PM ET Toronto Raptors guards Fred VanVleet and DeAndre’ Bembry and Los Angeles Lakers guard Talen Horton-Tucker have been suspended one game each without pay for leaving the bench area during an on-court altercation during the Lakers’ 110-101 win on Tuesday. Raptors forward OG Anunoby and Lakers big man Montrezl Harrell were fined for

10:32 AM ET Center Khem Birch is finalizing a contract buyout with the Orlando Magic and plans to sign with the Toronto Raptors upon clearing waivers, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski on Thursday. The 28-year-old Birch, a native of Montreal, is averaging 5.3 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 19.8 minutes per game for

12:43 AM ET After missing almost two months because of a left hamstring strain, Brooklyn Nets forward Kevin Durant quieted any lingering doubts about his health as the playoffs near: He looked like same superstar he has always been. Durant, coming off the bench in his return from a 23-game absence, scored 17 points on

8:52 PM ET Associated Press DETROIT — Dr. Benjamin Paolucci, a longtime team physician for the Detroit Pistons who was with the franchise for each of its three NBA championships, has died. He was 84. The Pistons said Paolucci died Wednesday in Florida. Paolucci retired from the organization in 2015 after serving the Pistons’ medical

8:00 AM ET With COVID-19 testing becoming more available and more vaccines being administered, the NBA expects all arenas to be at full capacity next season and is hopeful that it can safely welcome additional fans into arenas this season, league sources said. A key aspect toward that effort is the NBA’s new multiyear league-wide

7:00 AM ET Andrew LopezESPN THE SECOND THE basketball slips into Lonzo Ball‘s hands, he’s got one target in mind. It’s March 1 and the New Orleans Pelicans are down by six to the Utah Jazz early in the third quarter. After a Mike Conley 3, Pelicans wing Brandon Ingram takes the inbounds pass and

2:28 AM ET SAN FRANCISCO — Golden State Warriors star guard Stephen Curry has won two MVPs and three NBA championships, but those who have watched him closely for years believe he continues to play the best basketball of his life during a year in which his team is struggling to hold on to a

2:42 AM ET LOS ANGELES — Less than a minute into his first game as a member of the LA Clippers, DeMarcus Cousins maneuvered his way around Enes Kanter, tapped an offensive rebound to himself and scored on a putback right in front of a delighted Clippers owner Steve Ballmer. Making his debut for the

1:19 AM ET Marc Gasol might have just turned in his best effort since joining the Los Angeles Lakers in Tuesday’s 110-101 win over the Toronto Raptors, but L.A. coach Frank Vogel remained resolute: Andre Drummond is the team’s starting center. “No, we’re going to start Andre. That’s what we signed him here for,” Vogel

11:34 PM ET Andrew LopezESPN The 3-pointers just kept coming for the Atlanta Hawks in the third quarter Tuesday night against the visiting New Orleans Pelicans. And as the Hawks kept launching, the shots kept falling. When it was all said and done, Atlanta had hoisted 11 3-point attempts and hit every one, setting a

5:15 PM ET NEW YORK — Brooklyn Nets guard James Harden will miss at least 10 days with a right hamstring strain, but teammate Kevin Durant is probable to return Wednesday against the New Orleans Pelicans, the team announced Tuesday. Harden played just four minutes before he was ruled out of Monday’s 114-112 win over

3:25 PM ET The Los Angeles Lakers will sign shooting guard Ben McLemore to fill their final open roster spot, his agent, Rich Paul of Klutch Sports, told ESPN. The eight-year veteran was released by the Houston Rockets over the weekend, becoming a free agent. The No. 7 pick in the 2013 NBA draft shot

1:44 PM ET Andrew LopezESPN Isaiah Thomas was always sure another call would come for him to get back to the NBA. Despite having been out the league for 14 months, Thomas never doubted in himself. So when the New Orleans Pelicans called an offered a chance to get back, even on a 10-day contract,

7:00 AM ET How does the NBA play-in tournament work and which teams will participate during the 2020-21 season? The league first tested out the play-in round during the 2020 NBA restart in Orlando, Florida, with the Portland Trail Blazers topping the Memphis Grizzlies to get the final spot in the Western Conference playoffs. In

10:42 PM ET SAN FRANCISCO — The Golden State Warriors remain confident that center James Wiseman will find his rhythm during the final stretch of the regular season despite an up-and-down rookie campaign, but head coach Steve Kerr says the team can’t “force the issue.” The No. 2 overall pick in the 2020 draft is

6:05 PM ET The Minnesota Timberwolves say guard Malik Beasley will miss four to six weeks with a left hamstring injury. Beasley missed the team’s loss to the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday due to the injury. An MRI on Monday revealed a Grade 3 injury. He will be reassessed in three weeks, per the team.

8:03 PM ET NEW YORK — Brooklyn Nets star James Harden played just four minutes before he was ruled out for the remainder of Monday night’s game against the New York Knicks because of right hamstring tightness. Harden’s brief return came after he missed the Nets’ past two games while dealing with the same tightness.