NBA

6:56 PM ET ORLANDO, Fla. — Miami Heat guard Kyle Lowry did something during the start of Saturday night’s 126-114 overtime loss to the Orlando Magic that he hadn’t done in over 10 years: He sat on the bench. Lowry, who hadn’t played since Feb. 2 because of left knee soreness, entered Saturday’s game with

3:21 PM ET Giannis Antetokounmpo will miss his third straight game Saturday night when the Milwaukee Bucks take on the Golden State Warriors on ABC at 8:30 p.m. ET. Antetokounmpo was questionable with a sore right hand, an injury that also sidelined him for Thursday night’s win over the Brooklyn Nets. He missed Tuesday’s game

3:00 AM ET LOS ANGELES — It wouldn’t be a stretch to describe D’Angelo Russell‘s return to the lineup in the Lakers’ 122-112 win over the Toronto Raptors on Friday as perfect. Russell, who missed L.A.’s previous six games with a sprained right ankle, scored 16 of his 28 points in the fourth quarter —

12:48 AM ET Tim BontempsESPN PHILADELPHIA — When Joel Embiid caught the ball with 7 seconds to go in Friday night’s game at Wells Fargo Center between his Philadelphia 76ers and the Portland Trail Blazers, he had one thing on his mind: Get to his favorite spot on the floor — the free throw line

3:23 PM ET Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic will not play in Saturday night’s road game against the Memphis Grizzlies because of his left thigh strain, and Kyrie Irving‘s status is in question after he missed Friday’s practice for personal reasons. “Hopefully, he’ll be able to join us in Memphis,” Mavs coach Jason Kidd told

7:37 AM ET Jamal CollierESPN MILWAUKEE — DURING A TIMEOUT late in the fourth quarter of a Feb. 24 game against the Miami Heat, Jrue Holiday picked up an orange Gatorade bottle and channeled his inner Backstreet Boy. Holiday had gone to the bench for the final time with 4:30 remaining and his Milwaukee Bucks

10:12 PM ET Toronto Raptors point guard Fred VanVleet was fined $30,000 by the NBA on Thursday for his blistering criticism of official Ben Taylor that came after a 108-100 loss to the LA Clippers on Wednesday night. VanVleet reiterated his frustration at the time with the officiating, not just in the loss to the

7:04 PM ET Phoenix Suns star Kevin Durant is expected to miss two to three weeks because of a left ankle injury, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski on Thursday. The team said in a release that Durant has a left ankle sprain and will be reevaluated in three weeks. Durant, who had an MRI on

3:08 AM ET LOS ANGELES — Toronto Raptors point guard Fred VanVleet blasted referee Ben Taylor for his officiating during the Raptors’ 108-100 loss to the LA Clippers on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. VanVleet didn’t hold back in his postgame news conference and is likely to receive a hefty fine from the NBA. “I

4:29 PM ET Memphis Grizzlies point guard Ja Morant will not face criminal charges stemming from his Instagram Live video in which he appeared to display a handgun at a nightclub, the Glendale, Colorado, Police Department announced Wednesday afternoon. Shortly afterward, the Grizzlies announced that Morant will be away from the team for at least

8:59 PM ET PHOENIX — Kevin Durant slipped and turned his left ankle during warmups Wednesday, knocking him out of what was supposed to be his first home game with the Phoenix Suns. A little more than an hour before scheduled tipoff against Oklahoma City, Durant was doing an individual drill with coaches when he

7:39 AM ET PRIOR TO THE Portland Trail Blazers‘ first preseason game in Seattle in October, a member of the Blazers’ front office strolled up to general manager Joe Cronin and three of his staff members sitting courtside. Anyone in the area could hear the comment to Cronin. Hey Joe, you’ve got the makings of

11:58 PM ET LOS ANGELES — Pau Gasol, the perfect complementary player to Kobe Bryant, was paid the best compliment possible by his former team: The Los Angeles Lakers retired his jersey. “I mean life goes by pretty fast, right? In the blink of an eye, you can be a kid playing basketball in your

1:44 PM ET Associated Press ORLANDO, Fla. — The Milwaukee Bucks won’t have either of their two 2023 All-Stars available for their game Tuesday night at Orlando. Milwaukee’s injury report for the game lists two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jrue Holiday as unavailable. Antetokounmpo has a non-COVID-19 illness, and Holiday has a sore neck. The

3:22 PM ET ESPN News Services Giannis Antetokounmpo said he stole a triple-double. The NBA took it back. The league adjusted the statistics from the Bucks’ win over the Wizards on Sunday night, erasing Antetokounmpo’s final rebound that would have given him his fourth triple-double this season. He grabbed a defensive rebound with about nine

2:48 PM ET Police in Colorado said Monday they are investigating Ja Morant‘s actions from the weekend after the Memphis Grizzlies star posted an Instagram Live video in which he displayed what appeared to be a gun while at a nightclub. The Glendale Police Department confirmed the incident took place at a bar in Glendale,

8:50 PM ET DALLAS — Four superstars in their primes combined for 137 points in a premium Sunday matinee between the Phoenix Suns and the Dallas Mavericks on national television that came down to the final seconds. Two of the combatants, Luka Doncic and Devin Booker, were in each other’s faces furthering a festering feud

7:04 AM ET PAU GASOL’S HAIR is coiffed short and tidy now. Sensible. Hints of gray show on the sides and contrast with the brown waves up top. He looks every bit the part as the husband and father of two he has become in his post-playing days. At first glance, the 42-year-old version of