NBA

2:14 PM ET NEW YORK — Brooklyn Nets star James Harden is available to play Monday against the New York Knicks after missing the past two games with right hamstring tightness. Harden had stayed back from the Nets’ trip to Chicago on Sunday — along with Kevin Durant — to continue to treat the tightness.

7:00 AM ET The battle for the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference is shaping up to be a three-team race. The Philadelphia 76ers, Brooklyn Nets and Milwaukee Bucks are separated by just 1.5 games. The rest of the conference, however, is in a logjam. Right now — with the No. 4 through No.

7:04 AM ET NBA Insiders The Brooklyn Nets and the Los Angeles Lakers are the favorites to reach the NBA Finals. On paper, no teams come close to matching the star power of Brooklyn’s trio of Kevin Durant, James Harden and Kyrie Irving or L.A.’s dynamic duo of LeBron James and Anthony Davis. But plenty

12:41 AM ET Golden State Warriors star guard Stephen Curry couldn’t hide his frustration after his team’s latest setback, a 117-111 loss to the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday night. It’s the Warriors’ seventh defeat in its last eight games. “It’s tough,” Curry said, when asked about how his younger teammates are dealing with all the

8:34 PM ET LOS ANGELES — It didn’t take Paul George long to see what Rajon Rondo can do for the LA Clippers. Rondo made his Clippers debut Sunday, playing 13 minutes off the bench in a 104-86 win over the undermanned Los Angeles Lakers at Staples Center. While Rondo had just two points, three

12:46 PM ET Milwaukee Bucks guard Jrue Holiday has agreed to a four-year, $135 million extension that includes bonuses that could take the deal to $160 million, agent Jason Glushon told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The deal includes a player option, according to Glushon. Holiday joined the Bucks in a four-team trade in November, providing shooting

10:13 PM ET Los Angeles Lakers star Anthony Davis responded to a crash scene involving his personal security guard on Saturday, sources close to Davis confirmed to ESPN. Davis’ security guard, Garrett “GP” Pullman, was riding a motorcycle at the time of the collision and needed to be taken to a local hospital for observation,

7:42 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid is returning to the lineup Saturday night against the Minnesota Timberwolves after missing the past 10 games with a bone bruise in his left knee. Embiid, who suffered the injury during an awkward fall on a dunk in the third quarter of Philadelphia’s win over

7:11 PM ET Andrew LopezESPN Isaiah Thomas will wear No. 24 for the New Orleans Pelicans in a nod to Kobe Bryant. The Pelicans officially signed the point guard to a 10-day contract on Saturday. Thomas responded to the team’s tweet detailing his jersey selection by saying, “Kobe!!!!” He started his career wearing No. 22

3:08 PM ET ESPN News Services Charlotte Hornets forward Gordon Hayward is set to miss at least four weeks after suffering a sprained right foot during Friday’s game against the Indiana Pacers, the team announced Saturday. Hayward suffered the injury in the second quarter of the 114-97 win, which knocked him out of the game.

3:28 PM ET Rajon Rondo is expected to make his LA Clippers debut against the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday according to coach Ty Lue. The Clippers acquired Rondo from Atlanta in a trade involving Lou Williams at the trade deadline on March 25. Both teams are without key players. The Lakers are without LeBron

2:17 PM ET NEW YORK – There is a “high probability” that Kevin Durant will return to the court this upcoming week after missing more than seven weeks with a hamstring strain, Brooklyn Nets coach Steve Nash said Saturday. Nash said there is a chance Durant could play as soon as Monday against the New

12:18 PM ET Associated Press Grant Hill helped the U.S. win Olympic gold in 1996. He would have been on the team again in 2000 if not for injury. And he was among the college kids who famously beat the first “Dream Team” in a scrimmage before the 1992 Olympics. Now, USA Basketball is bringing

2:56 AM ET Los Angeles Lakers center Marc Gasol admitted Friday night that he has been questioning his place on the team since Andre Drummond was added from the buyout market last weekend. Drummond was named the starter almost immediately after he arrived, and Gasol was relegated to the bench on a team that already

1:17 AM ET ESPN News Services Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 47 points while missing just three shots as the Milwaukee Bucks snapped the Portland Trail Blazers‘ four-game winning streak with a 127-109 victory Friday night. Jrue Holiday added 22 points and 10 assists for the Bucks, who led by 24 points during the third quarter. The

11:34 PM ET The Golden State Warriors suffered one of the most “humiliating” losses in franchise history Friday night during a 53-point defeat at the hands of the Toronto Raptors — a team that came into the game having lost 13 of its last 14 games. “You saw it,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said after

8:22 PM ET Andrew LopezESPN New Orleans Pelicans‘ guard Josh Hart suffered a torn UCL in his right thumb in Thursday’s game, the team announced Friday evening. While the team said a timetable for Hart’s return will be announced at a later date, a source told ESPN Hart is expected to miss significant time because

7:31 PM ET LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Lakers and LA Clippers are planning to welcome fans back to Staples Center for a game for the first time this season. The Lakers are finalizing plans to have fans in attendance when they play the Boston Celtics on April 15. The Clippers are planning on