9:01 PM ET Golden State Warriors swingman Kelly Oubre Jr. will not play in Wednesday’s game against the Portland Trail Blazers because of a sprained left wrist. The injury took place during Tuesday’s practice in Los Angeles after Oubre went up for a dunk and landed awkwardly after falling from the rim. “He’s just out
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2:08 PM ET Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic has been downgraded to doubtful for Wednesday night’s home game against the Oklahoma City Thunder due to low back tightness. A source told ESPN that Doncic is still expected to play in Sunday’s All-Star Game even if he sits out Wednesday, which is the Mavs’ final game
Mar 2, 2021 Eric WoodyardESPN Those behind this weekend’s All-Star Game in Atlanta view the event as something bigger than just basketball. To that end, as part of this year’s festivities, the NBA will provide more than $3 million in support to Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) through the Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF),
8:50 AM ET Eric WoodyardESPN Earvin “Magic” Johnson is proud of this generation of NBA athletes. They’re more versatile on the court and have used their platform to speak on issues of activism off the court. And like many of the players, Johnson continues to campaign for the hiring of more Black coaches and executives
6:58 AM ET James Harden isn’t worried about the details of his divorce with the franchise as he returns to Houston to face the Rockets on Wednesday night (7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN) for the first time since his trade request was finally granted. “They showed me mad love and respect, and I am just
3:13 AM ET LeBron James will miss his first game of the season when the Los Angeles Lakers play a road game against the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday in their final game before the NBA All-Star break, the Lakers said. James did not accompany the team on its flight to Sacramento following a 114-104 loss
3:26 AM ET LOS ANGELES — After beating the Lakers 114-104 on Tuesday without their leading scorer and All-Star, Devin Booker, down the stretch, the Phoenix Suns said they put a stamp of legitimacy on their season. “I think Jae Crowder said it best: We got better tonight,” said Suns coach Monty Williams after the
2:25 AM ET Nikola Jokic continues to build an MVP case by doing things that no center has done since Wilt Chamberlain. On Tuesday, Jokic collected the 50th triple-double of his career with 37 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds to help the Denver Nuggets rout the Milwaukee Bucks 128-97 at the Fiserv Forum. Jokic’s
12:44 AM ET As James Harden prepares to face his former team for the first time since being traded to the Brooklyn Nets, the superstar guard reflected on his eight-year tenure with the Houston Rockets and said that when he enters Houston’s Toyota Center on Wednesday night (7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN), he hopes to
8:03 PM ET ESPN News Services The Toronto Raptors will have enough players to get back on the floor Wednesday, after a pair of games earlier this week were postponed for virus-related issues. But the Raptors will be seriously short-handed when they host the Detroit Pistons in Tampa, Florida, with starters Fred VanVleet, Pascal Siakam
8:11 PM ET Associated Press Golden State’s Stephen Curry and Phoenix’s Devin Booker have been 3-point champions at NBA All-Star Weekend before, and they’ll try to win that trophy again Sunday. The league revealed the 15 players Tuesday who will be taking part in the other on-court events besides the All-Star Game in Atlanta, with
8:28 PM ET Kawhi Leonard was ruled out of Tuesday night’s game against the Boston Celtics because of back spasms that hampered the LA Clippers All-Star forward during warm-ups. Leonard warmed up but left the TD Garden court shortly before tipoff with his back not feeling right. He was replaced in the starting lineup by
5:55 PM ET In an email sent to season ticket holders on Tuesday, the Oklahoma City Thunder announced they will not be hosting fans at home games at any capacity for the 2020-21 season, becoming the first NBA team to decide to go fanless for the entire season. “The decision was based on several factors,”
6:34 PM ET LOS ANGELES — Lakers center Marc Gasol has been ruled out against the Phoenix Suns Tuesday night because of the NBA’s health and safety protocols, according to a team spokesperson. Los Angeles is riding a two-game winning streak since the return of starting point guard Dennis Schroder who had missed the Lakers’
3:18 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN The NBA’s Board of Governors is expected to approve two significant changes to the rules governing two-way contracts next week, sources told ESPN: allowing players on them to be active for more than 50 games, and also allowing them to be playoff eligible. While there is no official agreement in
3:33 PM ET Associated Press Nate McMillan reluctantly agreed to serve as the Atlanta Hawks‘ interim coach and only accepted the position after conferring with Lloyd Pierce following Pierce’s firing on Monday. Even then, McMillan didn’t rest easy. He immediately felt the burden of his increased responsibility. “The sleepless nights have already started,” McMillan said
7:00 AM ET ON THAT MONUMENTAL day, the only thing Kobe Bryant carried with him was a basketball. It was early June 1996, on the morning of his now-legendary pre-draft workout in Los Angeles, when a skinny, smiley Bryant, then 17, stepped out of the swanky Shutters on the Beach resort in Santa Monica, California,
6:40 AM ET Tim BontempsESPN THERE ARE TWO versions of the Boston Celtics. One is led by two under-25 All-Stars and carries the expectations of having reached the conference finals in three of the past four seasons. The other has eight players in their first or second year in the NBA, most of whom have