NBA

4:42 AM ET Denver Nuggets guard Monte Morris has joined the Brooklyn Nets‘ Spencer Dinwiddie in committing to playing for Nigeria internationally as a naturalized player, head coach Mike Brown has confirmed to ESPN. Multiple reports in local media emerged on Friday that Morris would be playing for the African nation at the Olympics. The

7:14 PM ET Golden State Warriors star guard Stephen Curry will not play Friday against the Memphis Grizzlies and is doubtful for Saturday’s game as he continues to recover from a tailbone contusion. “Steph is still pretty sore,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said before Friday’s game. “Frustrated he wants to be going tonight, but will

2:52 PM ET Associated Press NEW YORK — Gary Payton II is following in his father’s footsteps when it comes to elite defense. Payton II was announced Friday as the G League’s Defensive Player of the Year — a trophy that comes 26 years after his father, Basketball Hall of Famer Gary Payton, won the

3:14 AM ET LOS ANGELES — LeBron James has been awarded the NBA’s MVP award four times in his career, tied with Wilt Chamberlain for the third most all time, but one of his teammates, Los Angeles Lakers forward Kyle Kuzma, says James should have double that. At least. “The NBA MVP is a very

2:48 AM ET Kyle Kuzma cocked his arm back like a quarterback about to hit a tight end on a go route. His target was LeBron James, and the Los Angeles Lakers ‘ star had a step on LaMelo Ball of the Charlotte Hornets. Not many defenders in any sport are going to stop James

12:04 AM ET Tim BontempsESPN After Giannis Antetokounmpo hit a turnaround jumper in the lane to cap a personal 7-0 run and give his Milwaukee Bucks what turned out to be an insurmountable lead in an eventual 109-105 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers, he celebrated by sitting down on the court inside Philadelphia’s Wells Fargo

6:53 AM ET What is projected to happen in the 2021 NBA draft lottery? This will be the third lottery since the NBA flattened the odds, which introduced more uncertainty at the top of the draft order. Last season, the Minnesota Timberwolves won the lottery with the league’s third-worst record and the Charlotte Hornets jumped

2:29 AM ET DALLAS — Sometimes it doesn’t matter who defends Luka Doncic. Case in point — or 42 points, actually — Paul George, the LA Clippers superstar whose name always comes up in conversations about the NBA’s premier perimeter stoppers. Doncic made the four-time All-Defensive selection look foolish on numerous occasions during his masterful

7:23 PM ET The Houston Rockets have agreed to a trade with the Milwaukee Bucks that will send P.J. Tucker, Rodions Kurucs and the Bucks’ 2022 first-round pick back to Milwaukee for D.J. Augustin, D.J. Wilson and a 2023 unprotected first-round pick, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski on Wednesday. Houston also gets the right to

12:53 PM ET Houston Rockets center Christian Wood is expected to return for Wednesday night’s home game against the Golden State Warriors after a sprained right ankle sidelined him for the entirety of a franchise-record-tying 17 game losing streak, sources told ESPN. Wood, who leads the Rockets with 22.0 points and 10.2 rebounds per game,

12:50 AM ET When Rookie of the Year frontrunner LaMelo Ball takes the court against LeBron James for the first time in his young career later this week, he says he doesn’t expect to feel any added excitement competing against the 18-year veteran. “I mean, nah,” Ball, 19, told reporters on a videoconference call Tuesday

3:25 PM ET LeBron James has become a partner in the Fenway Sports Group, making the NBA superstar a part owner of the Boston Red Sox, a source has confirmed to ESPN. The Boston Globe first reported Tuesday that James and Maverick Carter — his longtime friend and business partner — are now partners at

6:53 AM ET Tim BontempsESPN The NBA trade market had been quiet in 2021, but the unofficial tipoff to deadline season arrived last week. The Detroit Pistons sent Svi Mykhailiuk and a 2027 second-round pick to the Oklahoma City Thunder in exchange for Hamidou Diallo. Two lottery-bound teams swapping bench players headed for restricted free

10:29 PM ET Sacramento Kings forward Marvin Bagley III suffered a fractured left hand in the first half of Monday’s game against the Charlotte Hornets, the team announced. The third-year big man exited the game with 2:59 remaining in the first half having already registered 12 points on 6-for-9 shooting, three rebounds and one blocked

3:10 PM ET The NBA and Utah Jazz‘s joint investigation into allegations by former player Elijah Millsap found no evidence to support a claim that team executive Dennis Lindsey made a racially insensitive comment in an April 2015 meeting, the league said Monday in a statement. “The investigation was unable to establish that the alleged

6:56 AM ET We’re 10 days away from the NBA trade deadline. Which contenders will make a splash heading into March 25? One of the season’s biggest moves has already been made, with the Brooklyn Nets signing Blake Griffin last week after the former All-Star forward agreed to a buyout with the Detroit Pistons. The

1:44 AM ET After the LA Clippers failed to respond and were routed by a more aggressive and hungrier New Orleans Pelicans squad on Sunday night, Kawhi Leonard said his team’s lack of consistency is “very concerning.” The Clippers never led and trailed by as much as 33 before falling 135-115 to the up-and-down Pelicans

5:53 PM ET SAN FRANCISCO — Golden State Warriors swingman Klay Thompson acknowledged that 2020 was “the worst year of my life” and is hopeful he’ll be ready for the start of next season as he continues to recover from a torn right Achilles. Speaking to the media for the first time since suffering the