NBA

12:10 AM ET Months ago, when Blake Griffin came to terms that he was going to forego $13.3 million to get out of his contract with the Detroit Pistons, he’d come to terms with the fact that he was no longer a franchise player in body or mind. But that did not mean he could

12:40 PM ET As the Orlando Magic move into a full rebuilding process, coach Steve Clifford and the franchise have together agreed to a parting, sources told ESPN on Saturday. Clifford, who led the Magic to the playoffs in successive seasons before this year, had several meetings with management over recent weeks that ultimately drove

7:00 AM ET After a thrilling play-in tournament and opening-round action that saw the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers get bounced by the Phoenix Suns and the Milwaukee Bucks sweep the reigning Eastern Conference champion Miami Heat, we’ve reached the conference semifinals. What will the Suns do for an encore against the Denver Nuggets? Can

1:34 AM ET NBA Insiders With their season on the line, the fourth-seeded LA Clippers overcame a seven-point deficit in the third quarter of Game 6 to stave off elimination, defeating the fifth-seeded Dallas Mavericks 104-97. It marked the sixth time in six games the road team has won in this series. Five-time All-Star Kawhi

7:00 AM ET NBA Insiders One season after dropping a 3-1 lead to the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference semifinals, the LA Clippers once again find themselves facing elimination, this time in Round 1 against the Dallas Mavericks in a pivotal Game 6 on Saturday. Luka Doncic, who delivered one of the league’s most

1:08 AM ET The Denver Nuggets have grown quite accustomed to playing seven game series. But for once they didn’t need to go the distance, instead closing out the Portland Trail Blazers in six with a 126-115 win on Thursday. “I love our team. I love every player in that locker room, one through seventeen,”

1:27 AM ET LOS ANGELES — Anthony Davis could barely move and the Los Angeles Lakers could not move on, seeing their repeat title hopes cut short with a 113-100 loss in Game 6 of their first round series with the Phoenix Suns. Davis, cleared by L.A.’s medical staff and starting on Thursday after being

3:23 PM ET At least one fan joined the Utah Jazz bandwagon after their five-game series win in the first round: Tee Morant, the father of Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant. Moments after top-seeded Utah ended the series with a 126-110 win Wednesday night, Tee Morant told Donovan Mitchell that he’d be rooting for the

2:45 AM ET Luka Doncic posted another historic statistical line to lead the Dallas Mavericks to a 105-100 win over the LA Clippers in Wednesday night’s pivotal Game 5, but he didn’t impress himself. “I could have played way better,” Doncic said after his 42-point, eight-rebound, 14-assist performance. “I missed a lot of shots, some

2:17 AM ET LOS ANGELES — From the moment Luka Doncic declared for the NBA draft in 2018, this game was coming. The game when it became clear he wasn’t just a great talent, but one who was ready to lead a team to a win against any opponent, in any playoff series, in any

7:24 PM ET LOS ANGELES — Anthony Davis, who has missed the past game and a half of the Los Angeles Lakers‘ first-round series against the Phoenix Suns because of a strained groin, will be a gametime decision in Thursday’s Game 6. And that decision will be made not by him but by the Lakers’

10:32 AM ET Tim BontempsESPN Danny Ainge is stepping down as the Boston Celtics president of basketball operations and the franchise is elevating coach Brad Stevens to run basketball operations, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The Celtics will start a search to hire a head coach to replace Stevens, sources said. Celtics staff were informed

12:30 AM ET Dame Time. You know what that means. On Tuesday night, Damian Lillard put on an electric 55-point performance, becoming the first player in NBA history with at least 50 points, 10 assists and 10 three-pointers in a game, regular season or playoffs. With his twelfth 3-pointer, the pride of the Portland Trail

5:07 PM ET The Philadelphia 76ers‘ Joel Embiid will be doubtful for Game 5 against the Washington Wizards on Wednesday night, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Embiid had an MRI on his right knee Tuesday and is expected to be evaluated further Wednesday. He suffered the knee injury after a hard fall that knocked him

7:02 AM ET NBA Insiders The Milwaukee Bucks have taken care of business, blitzing past the Miami Heat in four games. The Philadelphia 76ers, Brooklyn Nets and Atlanta Hawks are each one win away from joining them in the Eastern Conference semifinals. What happens next in the Western Conference playoffs, though, is anyone’s guess. Outside

8:30 PM ET Philadelphia 76ers‘ star Joel Embiid was ruled out of Monday night’s potential closeout game against the Washington Wizards with right knee soreness. Embiid crashed to the floor after he was met in the air at the rim by Wizards center Robin Lopez just over seven minutes into Game 4. Lopez cleanly blocked

6:25 PM ET LOS ANGELES — Lakers forward Anthony Davis is questionable for Game 5 of L.A.’s first round series with the Phoenix Suns after an MRI on Monday confirmed a strained groin for the eight-time All-Star, coach Frank Vogel said. There is not great optimism within the Lakers organization that Davis will be able

10:27 PM ET A fan at TD Garden for Game 4 of the Brooklyn Nets and Boston Celtics first-round series appeared to throw a water bottle at the head of Nets guard Kyrie Irving. The bottle missed Irving, who was walking toward the tunnel following the Nets’ 141-126 win on Sunday night. “You’re seeing a