NBA

12:00 PM ET KARL ANTHONY-TOWNS backed down Aaron Gordon in the post, as Jamal Murray was lurking with an eye locked on the Minnesota big man the entire possession. The moment Towns went to pass out of the ensuing double-team by Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Murray jumped the passing lane, intercepted the ball and slammed down a

1:54 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN CAMDEN, N.J. — Philadelphia 76ers coach Doc Rivers said Saturday afternoon that “if I was a betting man” superstar center Joel Embiid will be doubtful to play in “at least” Monday’s Game 1 of the titanic Eastern Conference semifinal against the Boston Celtics. “There is no latest,” Rivers said Saturday,

3:30 AM ET LOS ANGELES — Lakers coach Darvin Ham arrived early to Crypto.com Arena Friday afternoon. He’d had less than 48 hours to process the situation his team found itself in after a demoralizing Game 5 loss in Memphis on Wednesday night. His team had looked exhausted and disjointed in that game. The schedule

1:26 AM ET LOS ANGELES — LeBron James vowed to be better for Friday’s Game 6 of the Los Angeles Lakers‘ first-round series against the Memphis Grizzlies. He kept his word, and his teammates kept up the pressure on the Grizzlies from the opening tip, destroying the No. 2-seeded Grizzlies 125-85 to win the series

DOMANTAS SABONIS IS the funnel through which the NBA’s best offense flows, and it all begins when he grabs a defensive rebound and dribbles up the court, his 7-foot body proceeding with its uniquely equine gait. He generally picks up his dribble near the top of the key, holding the ball in one hand away

10:59 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN Ever since the Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers opened the 2022-23 NBA season, the two rivals seemed destined to meet in the playoffs. Here we are. After the Celtics dispatched the pesky Atlanta Hawks in Game 6 Thursday night — and 11 days after the 76ers swept the Brooklyn Nets

11:18 PM ET ATLANTA — After they were hurt by the last six minutes of Game 5 on Tuesday, the Boston Celtics played that same end-of-game stretch in Thursday’s Game 6 with added urgency, leading to a win that pushed them into the next round of the playoffs. Effective defense and timely 3s from a

4:03 AM ET SACRAMENTO — Over the years, these Golden State Warriors have sent and delivered a lot of messages. Sometimes the coaching staff will splice in a funny video clip with a particular theme, hoping it cuts through and lands. Other times one of the veteran players will speak up, publicly or privately. There

4:02 AM ET Jamal CollierESPN MILWAUKEE — Giannis Antetokounmpo took a deep breath and ran his hands through his hair before answering a question at his news conference Wednesday night following the Milwaukee Bucks‘ stunning 128-126 overtime loss to the Miami Heat in Game 5 of their first-round playoff series. The Bucks, who owned the

12:59 AM ET Tim BontempsESPN MILWAUKEE — Less than two weeks ago, the Miami Heat were trailing with under five minutes to go in the final Eastern Conference play-in game against the Chicago Bulls. At that point, it was easy to see a world in which the Heat wouldn’t even make the playoffs — and

7:33 PM ET Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards was cited for third-degree assault on Tuesday night after he allegedly swung a folding chair that struck two female employees following the team’s series-ending loss to the Denver Nuggets in Game 5 at Ball Arena, the Denver Police Department said. The incident occurred as Edwards headed toward

10:47 AM ET The Portland Trail Blazers will begin operating a G League franchise in the 2023-2024 season — leaving only the Phoenix Suns without a minor-league affiliate team, sources told ESPN on Tuesday. The Blazers are fast-tracking a team that’ll play its home games at the University of Portland and conduct practices at the

2:09 AM ET BOSTON — It was a scene Trae Young had rehearsed in his mind as a kid. Less than 10 seconds remaining. A must-win game. His team on the road, down one point. Basketball in his hands. Make a play. As TD Garden’s fourth-quarter game clock ticked down in Tuesday’s Game 5 against

5:28 PM ET Sacramento Kings star guard De’Aaron Fox says he is planning to play Game 5 against the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday despite a fractured index finger on his shooting hand. Fox participated in a non-contact practice on Tuesday and told reporters afterward there’s “no ifs, ands or buts. I’m playing.” Fox suffered

4:11 AM ET LOS ANGELES — Hours after coach Taylor Jenkins’ pregame admission that the Grizzlies are “far from where we need to be from a maturity standpoint,” shooting guard Desmond Bane blamed a lack of game-plan discipline for the defensive failure that allowed the Los Angeles Lakers to force overtime in Memphis’ 117-111 Game

1:47 AM ET ESPN News Services LOS ANGELES — LeBron James made the tying layup with 0.8 seconds left in regulation before scoring four of his 22 points in overtime, and the Los Angeles Lakers surged to a 3-1 lead in their first-round playoff series with a 117-111 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday

5:30 PM ET Ime Udoka has agreed to a deal to become the next Houston Rockets coach, sources told ESPN on Monday. The Rockets probed the circumstances around Udoka’s departure from the Boston Celtics with the team and league office, sources said. Udoka — who led the Celtics to the 2022 NBA Finals in his

10:01 PM ET Kendra AndrewsESPN SAN FRANCISCO — Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry was trapped with 40 seconds to go in Game 3 of the series against the Sacramento Kings. He had nowhere to move and no one to pass to. He saw the trap and realized there were no real outlets, so instead