NBA

1:10 AM ET DALLAS — With the Phoenix Suns trailing by two points with 10 seconds remaining Monday night, coach Monty Williams drew up a play he borrowed from Doc Rivers, one that Chris Paul used to run to create 3-point looks for JJ Redick during their days with the LA Clippers. A few teams

12:50 AM ET Eric WoodyardESPN Milwaukee Bucks guard D.J. Augustin hasn’t been around the organization long. Neither has guard Bryn Forbes. Nevertheless, after suffering back-to-back losses on Friday and Saturday in New Orleans and Charlotte to fall to 11-8, it didn’t take them long to learn what is accepted and what’s not. Losing is not.

9:48 PM ET Golden State Warriors star guard Stephen Curry says he is motivated by watching Tom Brady, at age 43, lead the Tampa Bay Buccaneers back to the Super Bowl. “It’s a different sport, different position, but it’s definitely — the little things that you can do, that I’ve been doing, that I’m doing

9:16 PM ET Monday’s Detroit Pistons–Denver Nuggets game was postponed minutes before its scheduled 9 p.m. ET tip at Ball Arena due to contact tracing within the Pistons, the NBA announced. Detroit returned a positive/inconclusive coronavirus test on a player, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The Pistons were watching pregame film when they learned of

6:57 PM ET Golden State Warriors rookie James Wiseman will be out at least a week after suffering a sprained left wrist in Saturday night’s win over the Detroit Pistons. Wiseman will be re-evaluated in 7-10 days, the Warriors announced Monday. Wiseman has flashed the potential that made him the No. 2 overall pick in

7:12 PM ET Charlotte Hornets rookie LaMelo Ball will make the first start of his career Monday night against the Miami Heat. Ball replaces Terry Rozier, who is out with a sprained ankle, in the starting lineup. The No. 3 overall pick in the 2020 NBA draft, Ball has earned big minutes off the bench

7:01 AM ET The month of January ended in style in the NBA. On Sunday, Bradley Beal and Russell Westbrook each played hero in a wild, game-ending sequence that saw the Washington Wizards use an 8-0 run in the final 12 seconds to stun the Brooklyn Nets. On Saturday night in Chicago, Damian Lillard and

12:10 AM ET Russell Westbrook and Bradley Beal rattled off a quick six points in a stunning 3.8-second sequence that propelled the Washington Wizards to a 149-146 comeback win over the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday night. “At this time, we don’t have nothing to lose,” Westbrook said. “It’s win or go home.” The Wizards, down

7:15 PM ET Steve RichardsESPN Someone finally beat the Utah Jazz, and it took a herculean effort by one of the NBA’s best big men to get it done. Nikola Jokic matched his career high with 47 points and the Denver Nuggets rode a torrid first half to emphatically end Utah’s 11-game winning streak with

6:28 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN The Philadelphia 76ers were without All-Star center Joel Embiid Sunday night against the Indiana Pacers due to lingering back tightness in the wake of taking a hard fall against the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday night. “I don’t know if he took a step backwards,” Sixers coach Doc Rivers said

6:49 PM ET Associated Press DENVER — Nikola Jokic matched his career high with 47 points and the fast-starting Denver Nuggets beat Utah 128-117 on Sunday to end the Jazz’s winning streak at 11. Jokic was 17 for 26 from the field, hit all four of his 3-point attempts, made 9 of 10 free throws

12:32 PM ET NEW YORK — James Harden has been ruled out of the Brooklyn Nets‘ game against the Washington Wizards on Sunday. Harden is listed out with a thigh contusion. It comes two days after Kevin Durant rested in the Nets’ last game, a 147-125 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday. Sunday’s

11:12 AM ET Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart is expected to miss one to two weeks with a Grade 1 left calf strain, a source told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Smart underwent an MRI on Sunday after leaving in the fourth quarter of Boston’s 96-95 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday with the injury.

12:30 AM ET SAN FRANCISCO — Golden State Warriors swingman Klay Thompson said it “kills” him to be missing his second straight season, this time because of an Achilles tear, but the former All-Star said his rehab is coming along well and that he still plans on playing for “a long time.” Speaking for the

11:42 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN Celtics coach Brad Stevens said Marcus Smart will get an MRI on his left leg Sunday after the guard was helped off the court following an awkward landing while fighting for a rebound in the fourth quarter of Boston’s 96-95 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers Saturday night. Smart, who

2:01 AM ET The latest chapter in the storied Los Angeles Lakers–Boston Celtics rivalry featured plenty of starpower in LeBron James and Anthony Davis on one side versus Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown on the other. However, the visiting Lakers held on to win 96-95 on Saturday thanks in large part to a hustle play

12:46 AM ET ESPN News Services Heat guard Tyler Herro revealed after Miami’s 105-104 win over Sacramento on Saturday that he learned a housemate has tested positive for COVID-19 He said he got that news at halftime and was uncertain if he will have to quarantine because of possible exposure. His revelation came on the

12:08 AM ET Eric WoodyardESPN Down five points to the Chicago Bulls on Saturday night with 8.9 seconds left, the Portland Trail Blazers entered what NBA fans have come to know simply as “Dame Time.” Damian Lillard hit a 37-foot 3-point shot with less than 10 seconds left to put the Blazers within two points.