NBA

7:00 AM ET Andrew LopezESPN THE ONLY THING standing between Zion Williamson and the rim was Steven Adams. It was the fourth quarter of Williamson’s 10th career NBA game, and the No. 1 overall pick had just caught the ball at the elbow. Adams waited just above the restricted circle, ready for contact. Someone was

3:00 AM ET LOS ANGELES — LeBron James, now 36 years old and in his 18th NBA season, said that seeing a 43-year-old Tom Brady win his seventh Super Bowl title in his 21st season was “inspiring” but not necessarily informative. The Los Angeles Lakers star won’t be planning the final stage of his playing

1:50 AM ET After a 105-100 loss to the San Antonio Spurs on Monday night that again saw Stephen Curry on the bench for half of the fourth quarter, Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr said he will not extend the star guard’s minutes to “chase wins” this season. Kerr noted coming into the season

10:20 PM ET Have a Monday night LaMelo Ball. The Charlotte Hornets‘ rookie point guard tied team records, had some amazing assists and buried a season-high, seven 3-pointers in the Hornets’ 119-94 win over the Houston Rockets. The effort also helped slow down the Rockets, who had won four of their last five road games

6:25 PM ET Indiana Pacers assistant coach Bill Bayno has resigned his job, citing mental health issues, sources told ESPN on Monday. Bayno, 58, began a leave of absence two weeks ago and worked through terms of a departure with the organization in recent days. Bayno has privately described a need to step away from

8:54 AM ET Working the waiver wire is pivotal to succeeding in fantasy basketball. With so many games, injuries and endless shifts in rotations throughout the marathon campaign, we’ll need to source stats from free agency to maximize imaginary rosters. A willingness to entertain competition for the last few spots on your fantasy hoops roster

4:37 PM ET Associated Press NEW YORK — The Brooklyn Nets made another addition to their frontcourt Monday by signing Noah Vonleh. The 6-foot-10 forward has played for six previous teams after being the No. 9 pick in the 2014 draft by Charlotte. He has averaged 5.0 points and 5.2 rebounds in 335 games. Vonleh

8:32 AM ET In a season already rich with exciting bench scorers, it’s fitting that the legendary Lou Williams is finally starting to hit his stride for the LA Clippers. While the Clippers lost to the surging Sacramento Kings on Sunday, Williams scored 23 points (to go along with five assists and five rebounds) for

12:45 PM ET Eric WoodyardESPN The Chicago Bulls were hit with another injury blow after an MRI confirmed that forward Lauri Markkanen will miss two to four weeks with a sprained shoulder. The Bulls announced the injury Monday, saying that Markkanen has a sprained right acromioclavicular joint. He originally injured the joint at the top

7:01 AM ET The Milwaukee Bucks have won four straight games and are back within striking distance of the Eastern Conference’s best record — a mark they’ve owned in each of the past two seasons. Meanwhile, the top two teams in the Western Conference, the Utah Jazz and Los Angeles Lakers, are on four-game win

12:27 AM ET LOS ANGELES — Lakers All-Star big man Anthony Davis is listed as questionable for Monday’s game against the Oklahoma City Thunder with tendonosis of his right Achilles tendon, the team announced. A league source told ESPN it is “very likely” Davis will miss the Thunder game as a precaution and Davis, 27,

5:24 PM ET ESPN News Services The Atlanta Hawks will be without De’Andre Hunter for at least another two weeks as the forward will undergo a knee procedure Monday. Hunter will have a lateral meniscus arthroscopic debridement done to help his ailing right knee. The forward has missed the Hawks’ past four games since undergoing

3:51 PM ET The New York Knicks have reached agreement on a trade to acquire Detroit Pistons guard Derrick Rose and reunite him with coach Tom Thibodeau, sources told ESPN on Sunday. The Knicks are sending guard Dennis Smith Jr., and a 2021 second-round draft pick via the Charlotte Hornets to Detroit, sources said. The

12:22 PM ET Oklahoma City big man Mike Muscala sustained a concussion during Saturday night’s 120-118 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves and has been placed in the NBA’s concussion protocol, the Thunder announced Sunday. Muscala exited the game after taking an elbow to the face in the fourth quarter. He finished the night with 22

12:02 PM ET Brian Windhorst Close ESPN Senior Writer ESPN.com NBA writer since 2010 Covered Cleveland Cavs for seven years Author of two books Adrian Wojnarowski Close Senior NBA Insider Host of The Woj Pod Joined ESPN in 2017 Cleveland Cavaliers forward Larry Nance Jr. has a fractured finger on his left hand that likely

1:44 AM ET DALLAS — Luka Doncic hasn’t had a lot of reason to flash his infectious smile lately. He’s a firm believer in the professional benefits of enjoying basketball, but that’s difficult to do when his Dallas Mavericks have lost 10 of their last 13 games, as was the case when he reported for

11:19 PM ET Stephen Curry scored 57 points but it wasn’t enough to overcome a 42-point, 11-assist performance from Luka Doncic as the Golden State Warriors lost to the Dallas Mavericks 134-132 Saturday night. Curry finished 19-for-31 from the field and 11-for-19 from beyond the arc in 37 minutes. Doncic went 12-for-23 from the field

6:56 PM ET NEW YORK — Kevin Durant will be ineligible to play in the Nets’ next three games after he drove with a team employee who tested positive for COVID-19 on Friday, sources told ESPN. Durant will be eligible to rejoin the team on Friday, Feb. 12, coach Steve Nash said on Saturday. The