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’
NBA
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
1:00 AM ET Andrew LopezESPN Last Saturday following a disappointing loss to the San Antonio Spurs, New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson told reporters he felt like his team was close to what it wanted to be. The Pelicans had just played two tough games with losses to the Milwaukee Bucks and the Spurs, but
1:15 AM ET After James Harden recorded his seventh triple-double since joining the Brooklyn Nets in a 124-113 overtime win over the San Antonio Spurs on Monday night, his teammate Kyrie Irving didn’t bat an eyelash. “We have to implement the phrase ‘get used to it,'” Irving said with a smile. It didn’t faze Irving
9:52 PM ET Former ESPN production executive Mike Pearl, a member of the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame who had a major influence on a wide range of high-profile events over four decades and multiple networks, died at the age of 77, according to Sports Video Group. Pearl spent two stints at ABC Sports during
8:02 PM ET Tuesday’s Detroit Pistons–Toronto Raptors game in Tampa, Florida, has been postponed and tentatively rescheduled for Wednesday, the NBA announced. The Raptors have been dealing with COVID-19-related issues, and their game Sunday against the Chicago Bulls was postponed because they couldn’t field the required eight players due to the league’s health and safety
6:24 PM ET The San Antonio Spurs will begin welcoming some fans back to games March 12, meaning half the NBA now has a plan in place to allow limited attendance a year and a day after it shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic. In addition, a 16th team, the Boston Celtics, have a
4:50 PM ET The Atlanta Hawks have dismissed Lloyd Pierce as their coach. “We would like to thank Lloyd for his work and commitment to not only the Hawks organization but the city of Atlanta. He and his wife, Melissa, are tremendous people who have made a positive impact throughout the city,” Hawks president of
7:00 AM ET If the season ended today, the New York Knicks would be hosting a first-round playoff series. Backed by three straight wins, the Knicks are one of only four Eastern Conference teams — the Philadelphia 76ers, Brooklyn Nets and Milwaukee Bucks being the others — with records greater than .500. But the Miami
2:32 AM ET ESPN News Services SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Charlotte guard Malik Monk converted a three-point play with 1.4 seconds remaining to complete a frantic Hornets rally in the final minute Sunday night and hand the Sacramento Kings what coach Luke Walton called a “painful loss” for his group. Sacramento led 123-115 following a dunk
9:57 PM ET Warriors forward Draymond Green was forced from Golden State’s 117-91 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday night with a left ankle sprain. The injury occurred with 4:53 remaining in the second quarter when Green went up for a block on Lakers guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and rolled his ankle after coming
10:10 PM ET With 24 seconds left in a 1-point game, the Milwaukee Bucks came out of a timeout and passed the ball five times, moving it around until it returned to Giannis Antetokounmpo‘s hands. With the LA Clippers defense in full scramble mode and leaving the paint as wide open as a runway, Antetokounmpo
6:57 PM ET Houston Rockets guard Victor Oladipo recently turned down a two-year, $45.2 million maximum contract extension, the most the franchise could offer him before summer free agency, sources told ESPN. As expected, Oladipo is pursuing a longer-term deal, sources said, something that the Collective Bargaining Agreement doesn’t allow the Rockets to offer him
6:35 PM ET Portland Trail Blazers guard Anfernee Simons and Indiana Pacers rookie Cassius Stanley are expected to join New York Knicks rookie Obi Toppin in the slam dunk contest, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski on Sunday. The NBA is continuing a recent trend of highlighting some of the league’s younger players in the contest,
5:32 PM ET Marc J. Spears Portland Trail Blazers forward Robert Covington, the NBA’s lone player from a Historically Black College and University, is expected to take part in the Skills Challenge during the NBA All-Star Weekend, a source told ESPN’s The Undefeated. The competition, which will feature the ex-Tennessee State star, will be held