NBA

2:29 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN BOSTON — Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic had high praise for the Celtics‘ star tandem of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown ahead of Wednesday’s game in Boston. “They’re probably the No. 1 team in the league, and they probably have the best duo in the league, too,” Doncic said. “And we’re

8:00 AM ET Five weeks into the 2022-23 NBA season, the Utah Jazz still have the most wins in the Western Conference. But the topsy-turvy standings fun doesn’t end there, because now the red-hot Sacramento Kings are gaining ground with a seven-game winning streak. In between the world-beating Jazz and Kings, the Phoenix Suns, Denver

11:48 PM ET PHILADELPHIA — Ben Simmons knew exactly the type of reception he was going to get from Sixers fans Tuesday night inside Wells Fargo Center. After going through a contentious divorce with the team that made him the No. 1 overall pick in 2016, forcing his way out of Philadelphia before the start

8:00 AM ET Ten days ago, the idea of Ben Simmons making his return to Philadelphia and actually playing in a game was unfathomable. The Brooklyn Nets had just played the LA Clippers and Simmons looked wholly out of sorts: timid, uncomfortable, unsure of his role on the team. The Nets beat the Clippers, 110-95,

8:00 AM ET Brian Windhorst and a team of ESPN’s Insiders sort out life and the news from in and around the NBA world. As Philadelphia 76ers coach Doc Rivers, himself limping, came onto the floor Saturday night to check on yet another injured star, his face showed an appropriate mix of disgust and exasperation

12:23 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN CAMDEN, N.J. — Joel Embiid will miss at least the next two games — including Tuesday’s reunion with former co-star Ben Simmons and the Brooklyn Nets — with a left midfoot sprain he suffered in Saturday’s loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves. “How do I make up for Joel? We’ve just

2:54 PM ET Jamal CollierESPN CHICAGO — Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown said he does not endorse the group of protesters who lined up Sunday outside of Barclays Center before Kyrie Irving‘s return from suspension, reiterating that he was happy to see support for the Brooklyn Nets‘ guard getting to play again. Members of Israel

11:15 PM ET NEW YORK — Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving said he “never had a doubt” he would return to the team after serving an eight-game suspension for what the Nets termed the “harmful impact of his conduct” relating to social media posts around a book and movie that contained antisemitic ideas. Irving, who

Nov 16, 2022 TIBURON, Calif. — The first thing Klay Thompson does, before any of the boat stuff — untying the docking lines from the bollards, tossing the fenders onto the deck, checking the instruments and gas tank — is turn on the music. Nine times out of 10 he picks Michael Jackson. Lately, though,

11:57 AM ET NEW YORK — Kyrie Irving‘s eight-game suspension is over. The Brooklyn Nets guard has been cleared to play and will start Sunday night against the Memphis Grizzlies. It will mark his first game since he was suspended Nov. 3 for “harmful impact of his conduct” relating to social media posts around a

5:55 PM ET NEW YORK — Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving gave his most formal apology to date in a video published Saturday, saying clearly he is “not antisemitic” and that he wanted to “apologize deeply” for his social media post around a book and movie featuring antisemitic ideas. “I’m not antisemitic,” Irving said in

4:40 PM ET Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant has been diagnosed with a Grade 1 left ankle sprain and is “week-to-week,” the team announced on Saturday. Morant suffered the injury late in Friday’s win over the Oklahoma City Thunder after getting his foot tangled with Thunder guard Lu Dort. Morant went down in immediate pain

4:23 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN Emerging Philadelphia 76ers star Tyrese Maxey suffered a small fracture in his left foot during Friday night’s 110-102 win over the Milwaukee Bucks that will cause him to miss the next three to four weeks, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. After X-rays came back negative Friday, an MRI Saturday revealed

8:00 AM ET ANTHONY EDWARDS AND Rudy Gobert, the two players left in the FedEx Forum locker room, have just struck up a conversation. It’s Nov. 11, and the Minnesota Timberwolves‘ had just suffered their sixth loss in seven games, this night’s coming on the road against the Memphis Grizzlies, the team that last season

10:59 PM ET Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic beat Los Angeles Lakers legend Magic Johnson to the 50 triple-double milestone by a game. Doncic’s 33-point, 12-rebound, 11-assist performance in Friday’s 127-99 win over the visiting Denver Nuggets made him the 10th player in NBA history to record 50 career triple-doubles. Doncic accomplished the feat in

11:38 AM ET Associated Press For the first time in 12 years, USA Basketball is not atop the world men’s rankings. FIBA, the sport’s governing body, updated its rankings Friday, and Spain moved into the top spot, a sliver ahead of the U.S. The four-time defending Olympic champion Americans moved into the top spot after

2:52 AM ET PORTLAND, Ore. — Kevin Durant didn’t mince words after watching Ben Simmons play the best game of his brief Brooklyn Nets career in Thursday night’s 109-107 win over the Portland Trail Blazers. “Incredible,” Durant said after watching Simmons score 15 points, grab 13 rebounds and dish out seven assists in 32 minutes.

2:07 PM ET Kawhi Leonard will return and start against the Detroit Pistons on Thursday night, coach Ty Lue said. Leonard was previously listed as out, but his status was upgraded to questionable at the LA Clippers‘ Thursday morning shootaround. After playing in two of the first three games of the season, coming off the