3:01 AM ET PORTLAND, Ore. — Facing a team below them in the standings that was playing with a patchwork roster, the Los Angeles Lakers still managed to find a way to lose to the Trail Blazers on Wednesday, 107-105, to fall four games under .500 for the first time this season. Afterward, LeBron James
2:50 AM ET The second edition of the Basketball Africa League [BAL] is set to tip off in Dakar, Senegal, on March 5, with the 12 competing teams confirmed and defending champions Zamalek returning. The group phase will take place in Dakar (Sahara Conference – March 5-15th) and in Cairo (Nile Conference – April 9-19th)
12:31 AM ET ESPN News Services INDIAN WELLS, Calif. — Top-ranked Novak Djokovic is on the entry list for the BNP Paribas Open in California, where the Serb would face a vaccine mandate. Djokovic, who was unvaccinated against COVID-19 as of last month, was detained and eventually deported from Australia for failing to meet that
11:33 PM ET Associated Press COLLEGE PARK, Md. — Brian Williams is taking over as Maryland’s defensive coordinator. Williams has been on the staff for all three of Michael Locksley’s seasons as head coach. He was outside linebackers coach in 2019, defensive line coach in 2020 and became co-defensive coordinator in 2021. Maryland said Wednesday
11:46 PM ET Associated Press DALLAS — John Isner beat Kevin Anderson to advance to the quarterfinals of his hometown Dallas Open on Wednesday night, outlasting the South African in their first meeting since a marathon in the Wimbledon semifinals in 2018. All three sets went to tiebreakers, with Isner holding on, 7-6 (1), 6-7
10:55 PM ET Andrew LopezESPN New Orleans Pelicans forward Larry Nance Jr. will undergo right knee surgery on Friday and is expected to miss up to six weeks, sources told ESPN. Nance, whom the Pelicans acquired from the Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday in the deal that also sent CJ McCollum and Tony Snell to
8:36 PM ET Just over two months out from his rematch with Israel Adesanya, Robert Whittaker is pounding away on the pads during a striking session at his sprawling new gym in Sydney’s south western suburbs. With the mercury already nudging 30 degrees Celsius outside, a gigantic ceiling fan is doing its best to disperse
3:14 PM ET ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates — Romelu Lukaku had to come to the desert to end his goal drought. The 28-year-old’s first goal in a month was enough to ensure Chelsea beat Al Hilal by a score of 1-0 and book their place in Saturday’s Club World Cup final against Brazilian side
9:22 PM ET PORTLAND — Los Angeles Lakers guard Russell Westbrook will not play in Wednesday night’s game against the Portland Trail Blazers because of tightness in his lower back, the team announced. It will be the first game Westbrook has missed all season. Westbrook felt the same tightness in his back in Tuesday night’s
9:37 PM ET FORT WORTH, Texas — Tyler Skaggs’ mother painted a portrait Wednesday of the late Los Angeles Angels pitcher as a loving son who first struggled with a Percocet “issue” in 2013. Debbie Hetman appeared as a prosecution witness in the federal criminal case against former Angels communications director Eric Kay, providing emotional
8:20 PM ET Associated Press BUENOS AIRES — Top-seeded Casper Ruud of Norway defeated Spain’s Roberto Carballes Baena 7-6 (2), 6-2 on Wednesday to advance to the quarterfinals of the Argentina Open. Ruud, the No. 8-ranked men’s player in the world, will face local favorite Federico Coria, who earlier beat fifth-seeded Dusan Lajovic of Serbia
8:47 PM ET Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank said the franchise would “absolutely” like to have receiver Calvin Ridley back with the team next year while also acknowledging they will eventually need a succession plan for quarterback Matt Ryan. Ridley missed 12 games last season for Atlanta so he could focus on his mental health
7:02 PM ET Former major league baseball player Jeremy Giambi died Wednesday at his parents’ home in Southern California, according to a statement from agent Joel Wolfe. He was 47. No cause of death was immediately provided. Giambi spent six seasons in the majors, including a stint with the Oakland Athletics with his older brother,
News Andrew McGlashan, Alex Malcolm, Tristan Lavalette and Gaurav Sundararaman look back at Perth Scorchers’ title success After a season that had to navigate multiple Covid-19 challenges, Perth Scorchers emerged as champions for a record fourth time after a campaign played largely on the road. They were the best team from start to finish having
6:34 PM ET Associated Press AUSTIN, Texas — The Big 12 on Wednesday fined Texas $25,000 and issued a public reprimand as penalty for fans storming the court after the No. 20 Longhorns beat No. 8 Kansas in men’s basketball. Hundreds of fans rushed onto the court after Texas won 79-76 on Monday night. Host
5:11 PM ET How did I get here? Already two cups of coffee in at 5:06 a.m. Managing three points-league squads. Me… the former avowed roto proponent. Lover of efficiency. Gaming out the benefits of post-deadline possibilities of Russell Westbrook, who has averaged 18.3 PPG, 7.8 RPG, 7.6 APG…43.5 FG%, 66.5 FT%, 29.8 3PT%, 50.3
5:35 PM ET Washington Commanders defensive tackle Jonathan Allen apologized for a since-deleted tweet in which he said Adolf Hitler was one of three people living or dead with whom he’d like to have dinner. Allen, Washington’s nominee for the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award for the second consecutive year, had told his
5:56 PM ET Associated Press NEW YORK — James Harden will miss a fourth straight game Thursday when Brooklyn visits the Washington Wizards — assuming he is still on the Nets. Coach Steve Nash has said the Nets won’t trade the All-Star guard before the trade deadline on Thursday afternoon, though there continues to be