NBA

1:59 AM ET DALLAS — Tom Thibodeau, the notoriously gruff first-year New York Knicks head coach, cracked a hint of a grin when asked about his demeanor following a 117-109 win Friday night over the Dallas Mavericks. It was New York’s fifth consecutive victory, marking the franchise’s longest winning streak in seven years. The Knicks,

10:20 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN The Boston Celtics have signed former No. 2 overall pick Jabari Parker, the team announced Friday. At just 26-years-old, Parker has only played a combined 41 games over the past two seasons — including only three this season for the Sacramento Kings before getting waived last month. He’s also played

8:14 PM ET NEW YORK — Ten days after James Harden was diagnosed with a right hamstring strain, Brooklyn Nets general manager Sean Marks said that the All-Star guard is “progressing well.” Marks added that Harden will need “at least one or two” practice days when he plays 4-on-4 and 5-on-5 before returning to the

7:57 PM ET Portland Trail Blazers star guard Damian Lillard did not play Friday night against the San Antonio Spurs because of a right hamstring injury. “I don’t know if there was a specific moment that he injured it,” Blazers coach Terry Stotts said before the game. “I talked to him, he said he felt

5:11 PM ET Utah Jazz star Donovan Mitchell needed to be helped off the floor and into the locker room by teammates during the third quarter of Friday’s game against the Indiana Pacers due to a right ankle injury. He did not return. X-rays were negative on Mitchell’s ankle, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Sources

12:19 PM ET Three-time NBA champion Dwyane Wade has purchased an ownership stake in the Utah Jazz, joining majority owner and governor Ryan Smith with plans to take an active role in the franchise and region. Wade, an eight-time All-NBA player with the Miami Heat, is the latest of several Hall of Fame-level players with

8:36 PM ET Golden State Warriors center James Wiseman had surgery to fix the meniscus injury in his right knee and will miss the rest of the season, the team announced Thursday. The Warriors called the surgery successful. Coach Steve Kerr said before Thursday’s game against the Cleveland Cavaliers that he spoke to Wiseman after

9:46 PM ET LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles Lakers star Anthony Davis has been cleared for full-contact practice and his return to game action is imminent, Lakers coach Frank Vogel said Thursday. It’s been a while since Vogel has had a reason to smile when asked about the health of his players — the latest

2:09 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame has announced the list of Hall of Famers scheduled to present the 2020 class of honorees — led by Michael Jordan honoring Kobe Bryant. Jordan, who spoke at Bryant’s memorial service in February 2020, will also introduce Baylor women’s coach Kim Mulkey, making

2:52 PM ET Chicago Bulls All-Star guard Zach LaVine is expected to miss several games after entering into the NBA’s health and safety protocol, sources told ESPN. The Bulls called off practice Thursday because of health and safety protocol concerns, the team said. Chicago’s playoff hopes have been dampened lately, as the Bulls have dropped

11:59 AM ET Only a few weeks after signing with the Brooklyn Nets, seven-time NBA All-Star LaMarcus Aldridge announced his retirement on social media. 1 Related “My last game I played while dealing with an irregular heartbeat,” Aldridge wrote. “Later on that night, my rhythm got even worse which really worried me even more. The

11:10 AM ET NEW YORK — Brooklyn Nets center LaMarcus Aldridge announced on Thursday that he is retiring from the NBA after 15 seasons. “For 15 years I’ve put basketball first,” Aldridge wrote. “And now, it is time to put my health and family first.” Aldridge said that he experienced an irregular heartbeat during the

7:00 AM ET NBA Insiders What will happen in the key NBA standings races in the final weeks of the regular season? What are the biggest storylines and teams to watch? We polled the ESPN Forecast panel of experts — including NBA writers, editors and analysts — for their predictions now that we are two-thirds

7:00 AM ET Tim BontempsESPN Two months ago, this year’s race for the NBA’s Most Valuable Player award looked as competitive as any in recent memory. But injuries have laid waste to the deep field of contenders, leaving Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic clearly standing above the rest of the field. Jokic, who has not

1:25 AM ET In the midst of one of the hottest streaks of his brilliant 12-year career, Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry had to chuckle when asked if he’d like the NBA single-game 3-point record back from his longtime teammate Klay Thompson. “Absolutely,” Curry said after scoring 42 points during Wednesday’s 147-109 win over

1:59 AM ET Luka Doncic doesn’t recall getting a glimpse of the rim before he let the shot go. He was off balance, stumbling as he split a pair of Memphis Grizzlies‘ defenders after catching the inbounds pass on the left wing with 1.8 seconds remaining, and he released the runner from inches behind the

10:21 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN Before the Philadelphia 76ers squared off with the Brooklyn Nets Wednesday night to see who would end up atop the Eastern Conference at the end of the night, Sixers coach Doc Rivers was asked whether he has made getting the top seed in the East a priority for his team

10:06 PM ET Golden State Warriors rookie center James Wiseman will have surgery Thursday in Los Angeles to repair a meniscus injury in his right knee, coach Steve Kerr said Wednesday. “We won’t know the extent of what we’re looking at until after the surgery,” Kerr said, prior to the Warriors taking on the Thunder