NBA

PelicansLakers Field Goal % NO55.6 38.2LAL Three Point % NO37.5 23.1LAL Turnovers Rebounds Full Team Stats STAPLES Center Coverage: TNT Los Angeles, CA Line: LAL -7.5 Over/Under: 240 Capacity: 19,068 Referees: Eric Lewis, Curtis Blair, Justin Van Duyne To help make this website better, to improve and personalize your experience and for advertising purposes, are

4:51 PM ET Philadelphia 76ers star Ben Simmons has a nerve impingement in his lower back and is expected to be sidelined for an extended period of time, league sources told ESPN on Tuesday. Simmons is undergoing treatment and will be reevaluated in two weeks, but there’s little expectation that he will be close to

11:00 PM ET LOS ANGELES — In the 6 a.m. hour, a line begins snaking down Olympic Blvd. “It’s going to be a crazy day, bro,” one security guard says to another as people flood the plaza outside Staples Center. Peddlers hawk memorabilia on nearby corners. City bus signages blink, “RIP KOBE.” In the seven

2:19 PM ET ESPN News Services LOS ANGELES — Vanessa Bryant offered a poignant portrait of her NBA superstar husband and their daughter Monday at a sold-out memorial service for the two, who were among nine people killed last month in a helicopter crash in Los Angeles. Speaking at times through tears, Vanessa praised Kobe’s

1:11 PM ET A memorial service celebrating the lives of Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna is underway at Staples Center in downtown L.A. The date — Feb. 24 — reflects the basketball jersey numbers worn by Kobe (No. 24) and Gianna (No. 2). The service is being held just less

10:33 PM ET The Milwaukee Bucks have clinched the earliest playoff berth in at least 15 years, according to Elias Sports Bureau research. The NBA postseason is not set to begin for another 55 days. The Bucks clinched Sunday despite not playing because the Washington Wizards lost to the Chicago Bulls. Milwaukee is 48-8 and

2:12 PM ET Memphis Grizzlies forward Jaren Jackson Jr. has a sprained left knee and will be reevaluated in two weeks, the team said Sunday. Jackson left Friday’s 117-105 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers late in the second quarter after an awkward fall when he was contesting a shot. He didn’t return for the

1:19 AM ET Eric WoodyardESPN MILWAUKEE — With Lil Wayne’s “Kobe Bryant” song blasting throughout Fiserv Forum, reigning NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo went through an intense pregame workout, two hours ahead of the tipoff against the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday. Once the sweaty, 6-foot-11 Milwaukee Bucks superstar wrapped up on the court, he hit the

11:04 PM ET MIAMI — In the arena he made “his house” and the county nicknamed after him, Dwyane Wade starred up to the rafters with a wide grin as his No.3 jersey was lifted to its rightful place. Suited in an all-black suit and shirt combination, Wade stood center-court at halftime and delivered a

1:49 AM ET OKLAHOMA CITY — Before training camp, as nine new Oklahoma City Thunder players were getting to know one another while the organization itself was recalibrating to a post-Russell Westbrook world, Billy Donovan sat down with the three point guards on the roster and presented a bold plan. They — being Chris Paul,

7:19 PM ET The Los Angeles Lakers intend to waive DeMarcus Cousins to clear a roster spot for Markieff Morris, if he clears waivers on Sunday, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Ramona Shelburne. Morris negotiated a buyout with the Detroit Pistons on Friday, leaving $4.3 million (the remainder of this season and his 2020-21

8:36 PM ET Lawrence Tanter had read through the plans dozens of times before he got into his car, put on John Coltrane’s “A Love Supreme” and drove to Staples Center on Jan. 31. The Los Angeles Lakers were going to play their first game since the death of Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna and

9:42 AM ET The fifth-place Philadelphia 76ers are underperforming, and the spiciest take surrounding the team right now is that its two young superstars can’t play together. But is that true? A quick look at recent Sixers history reveals that Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid can be an awesome duo. During 1,306 minutes with both

1:49 AM ET Tim BontempsESPN PHILADELPHIA — After putting up 39 points and 17 rebounds to lead the Philadelphia 76ers to a 112-104 victory over the Brooklyn Nets, Joel Embiid declared he is the best player in the world, and that the aggression with which he played against Brooklyn was a carryover from the way

Field Goal % BKN31.8 45.0PHI Three Point % BKN37.5 16.7PHI Turnovers Rebounds Full Team Stats Wells Fargo Center Coverage: TNT Philadelphia, PA Line: PHI -6.5 Over/Under: 214 Capacity: 20,155 Referees: Ed Malloy, Mark Lindsay, Jacyn Goble Win %:80.7 0.0 – 1st End of the 1st Quarter End of the 1st Quarter Josh Richardson defensive rebound

1:27 PM ET The media company owned by Lakers All-Star LeBron James is being sued by a Maryland youth group over its use of the “More Than An Athlete” phrase. The suit, filed in federal court on Tuesday, also names ESPN, Nike and the maker of the NBA 2K video game for using the phrase

7:46 PM ET It is a “good assumption” the NBA will use a target score to end next season’s All-Star Game after experimenting with the concept for the first time on Sunday, Byron Spruell, the NBA’s president of league operations, told ESPN Wednesday in New York. That is not set in stone yet, as league

5:43 PM ET Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns will remain sidelined indefinitely as he continues to recover from a left wrist injury. Coach Ryan Saunders told reporters that the team held Towns out of its first practice after the All-Star break on Wednesday. Saunders said Towns will miss upcoming games, but the coach did not