NBA

2:54 AM ET LOS ANGELES — LeBron James scored 13 points and threw down two thunderous dunks in the span of four-plus minutes to cut a 21-point Clippers lead down to 10 in the fourth quarter Tuesday night. “It was scary,” Clippers star guard Paul George said. “I’ve seen that look in Bron.” This, though,

7:25 PM ET Associated Press The NBA All-Star Game is Feb. 19. And nobody will know the All-Star rosters until that night. Not even the players themselves. The team captains — probably LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers and either Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo or Brooklyn’s Kevin Durant — will make their picks in a

10:11 PM ET Associated Press DETROIT — Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 20 of his 29 points in the first quarter, returning to the lineup after a five-game absence to lead the Milwaukee Bucks in a 150-130 win over the Detroit Pistons on Monday night. The two-time MVP had been out with a sore left knee and

11:58 PM ET Andrew LopezESPN ORLANDO, Fla. — Magic forward Jonathan Isaac stood at the scorer’s table, had a brief talk with coach Jamahl Mosley and calmly removed his shooting shirt. He turned to the court, stuck his mouthpiece in and walked onto an NBA floor to play his first game in over 900 days.

1:07 PM ET The Los Angeles Lakers acquired Washington Wizards forward Rui Hachimura for Kendrick Nunn and three second-round picks, the team announced on Monday. The deal includes a 2023 second-round pick via Chicago, the Lakers’ own in 2029 and the less favorable of the Wizards’ and Lakers’ 2028 second-round picks, sources told ESPN’s Adrian

7:22 AM ET Somewhere along his path toward becoming the NBA’s all-time scoring leader, LeBron James reached the ultimate state of being as an offensive force: unguardable. “Early on, it was a lot of just speed and jumping and then figuring it out,” James said in January, looking back at his career the day after

2:56 AM ET PORTLAND, Ore. — With his team down by 25 points at the half after being outscored 45-13 by the Trail Blazers in the second quarter, Los Angeles Lakers coach Darvin Ham kept his comments to his team brief during the break. “Darvin walked out of here and said, ‘Y’all figure this s—

1:53 PM ET Andrew LopezESPN Orlando Magic forward Jonathan Isaac is set to make his return from a severe left knee injury that has sidelined him since Aug. 2, 2020. Isaac’s pastor said during a Sunday morning service that Isaac was set to return, and then a team source confirmed to ESPN that Isaac is

11:18 PM ET Associated Press WASHINGTON — Rui Hachimura doesn’t seem too disturbed by the idea he could be traded. “I just want to be somewhere that wants me as a basketball player, and I want to be somewhere that likes my game,” the Washington Wizards forward said Saturday night. When asked if Washington is

7:49 PM ET Associated Press ATLANTA — Charlotte point guard LaMelo Ball missed the Hornets’ 122-118 win over the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday with a sore left ankle and sore right knee. Ball, the third overall draft pick of 2020, is also dealing with right wrist soreness. It’s the third time this season that Ball

6:47 PM ET ESPN News Services TORONTO — Boston guard Marcus Smart and center Robert Williams both missed the second half of the Celtics’ 106-104 win at Toronto on Saturday because of injuries. Smart injured his right ankle in the final minute of the first half and had to be helped to the locker room.

1:17 AM ET SALT LAKE CITY — The most impressive part of Kyrie Irving‘s 48-point performance Friday night actually came about an hour after he carried the Brooklyn Nets to a much-needed 117-106 win over the Utah Jazz. In the midst of describing the most defining game of Irving’s season, a reporter prefaced a question

12:06 AM ET LOS ANGELES — Tempers flared just after the second-quarter buzzer sounded in Friday night’s game between the Memphis Grizzlies and Los Angeles Lakers when several members of the Grizzlies engaged in a shouting match with Pro Football Hall of Famer Shannon Sharpe, who was seated near the court. Referees and security intervened

5:40 PM ET Los Angeles Lakers All-Star Anthony Davis continues to make pain-free progress on his right foot and there’s optimism for a return to the lineup as soon as late next week, sources told ESPN on Friday. The Lakers start a five-game trip Jan. 28 in Boston. Davis, who has been out with a

1:05 AM ET Tim BontempsESPN BOSTON — The Golden State Warriors returned here Thursday night for the first time since they beat the Celtics in Game 6 to claim the 2022 NBA championship. For much of the 53 minutes of basketball that followed, it felt like a repeat of how that series played out: lots

12:38 AM ET Kendra AndrewsESPN BOSTON — For the first three quarters of the Golden State Warriors‘ game against the Boston Celtics on Thursday, Stephen Curry and company looked like themselves. Coach Steve Kerr went as far as to say they looked like a championship team. But then, in the fourth quarter and through overtime,

Jan 18, 2023 For as much as Luka Doncic does for his team on the court, his team does that much less when he’s not on the court. The Dallas Mavericks have recentered themselves in the Western Conference playoff picture courtesy of their young superstar, but they have failed to gain momentum despite Doncic’s nightly

10:07 PM ET William E. Ricks NBA draft prospect Victor Wembanyama continues to captivate the basketball world. The 7-foot-4 forward with an 8-foot wingspan showed during his latest game why he is projected to go No. 1 overall in the upcoming draft. Editor’s Picks Wembanyama’s Metropolitans 92 team faced Fos-sur-Mer in LNB Betclic Elite action,