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
NBA
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
6:49 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
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
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.
11:30 PM ET ESPN News Services NEW YORK — The Brooklyn Nets are bringing back Iman Shumpert, signing the veteran swingman to a deal on Saturday. Shumpert, 30, spent a month with the Nets last season, averaging 4.2 points and 2.6 rebounds in 13 games. Brooklyn doesn’t need much scoring from him now but will
4:40 PM ET Associated Press ATLANTA — De’Andre Hunter, who has emerged as the Atlanta Hawks‘ second-leading scorer in his second season, will miss at least one game with a knee injury. The Hawks said Saturday that Hunter will not play in Monday’s home game against the Los Angeles Lakers. Hunter had a non-surgical procedure
7:16 PM ET NBA Insiders The NBA season is nearly a quarter complete and the contenders for the league’s top awards are coming into focus. Will LeBron James be able to add a fifth MVP award to his trophy room? Or, can a center win the MVP for the first time in over two decades?
1:59 AM ET OKLAHOMA CITY — Even with the NBA’s second-leading scorer sitting out, the Brooklyn Nets matched a franchise record Friday for the most points in a regulation game, dropping 147 on the Oklahoma City Thunder in a 22-point win. “We’re getting there. … We’re slowly inching forward on both ends of the floor,”
1:00 AM ET Andrew LopezESPN NEW ORLEANS — New Orleans Pelicans point guard Lonzo Ball is no stranger to trade rumors. He spent an entire season with the Los Angeles Lakers hearing about how he could possibly get dealt before ultimately landing with the Pelicans in the summer of 2019. But as Ball tried to