NBA

2:42 AM ET Tim BontempsESPN PHILADELPHIA — After acquiring James Harden at the trade deadline, the Philadelphia 76ers hoped this would finally be the year they break through and make it into the conference finals — and beyond — in the NBA playoffs. Instead, for the fourth time in five years, Philadelphia saw its season

9:34 PM ET PHILADELPHIA — The Miami Heat are headed to the Eastern Conference finals for the second time in three years after closing out the Philadelphia 76ers 99-90 in Game 6 of their second-round series on Thursday night. As has been the case throughout the series, it was Jimmy Butler who led the way

8:00 AM ET Maya A. Jones It’s a Monday afternoon at the Footprint Center in Phoenix, and Suns center Deandre Ayton is locked in. He’s not focused on his team’s upcoming game against the Los Angeles Lakers the next day, thinking ahead to a playoff run, or worrying about his contract negotiations with the Suns.

1:32 AM ET BOSTON — The relationship between Giannis Antetokounmpo and teammate Khris Middleton, now nine years in, is well known for its depth and trust. But about that Jrue Holiday relationship … “It’s blooming, it’s blooming!” Antetokounmpo said after the Milwaukee Bucks finished off a jaw-dropping display of clutch play in stealing a 110-107

1:13 AM ET Jamal CollierESPN BOSTON — The Milwaukee Bucks leaned on their championship pedigree in Game 5 on Wednesday night, rallying from a 14-point fourth-quarter deficit to escape Boston with a 110-107 victory against the Celtics and take a 3-2 series lead in the Eastern Conference semifinals. The winner of Game 5 in a

1:51 PM ET Associated Press NEW YORK — Kyrie Irving might have to show the Brooklyn Nets he’s more than a great basketball player if he wants a future with the team. General manager Sean Marks made clear Wednesday that Irving will have to prove a commitment to being available to his team, a commitment

12:59 AM ET ESPN News Services Bob Lanier, the left-handed big man who muscled up beside the likes of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as one of the NBA’s top players of the 1970s, died Tuesday. He was 73. The NBA said in a statement that the legendary center died after a short illness. The Hall of Famer

1:09 AM ET When the definitive history of the Process-Era Philadelphia 76ers is written someday, there will be many moments and decisions to revisit. Without the benefit of hindsight yet, it’s impossible to know which were the most consequential. But it’s impossible to watch what Jimmy Butler did to the Sixers Tuesday night in the

8:00 AM ET What’s next in four thrilling NBA conference semifinal series? After Boston Celtics center Robert Williams III was a late scratch Monday night, Al Horford picked up the slack with a playoff career-high 30 points in a series-tying Game 4 win over Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks. Despite shooting 9-for-37 from 3-point

11:32 PM ET MILWAUKEE — There was a point this season when the Boston Celtics were 16-19 overall. There was a point last season when Al Horford was shut down by the Oklahoma City Thunder with 28 games left, unsure of where the twilight of his pro career was headed. There was a point late

12:23 AM ET Andrew LopezESPN MILWAUKEE — Al Horford knew he’d get his revenge. After Giannis Antetokounmpo dunked on him early in the third quarter Monday night, the Milwaukee Bucks superstar received a technical foul for saying something in Horford’s direction. As Horford walked back up the court, he just nodded his head and said

8:00 AM ET Tim BontempsESPN When the Boston Celtics arrived at Washington’s Capital One Arena to take on the Wizards for a matinee on Jan. 23, there was no indication it would serve as the turning point of Boston’s tumultuous season. The Celtics had been coming off one of their most dispiriting losses of the

8:47 AM ET Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic has been voted the NBA’s Most Valuable Player for a second consecutive season, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. A formal announcement is expected this week, sources told Wojnarowski. Jokic’s raw stats were even better this year than last year, as he averaged career highs of 27.1 points

9:31 PM ET DALLAS — Several family members of Phoenix Suns point guard Chris Paul in attendance for Game 4 of the Western Conference semifinals against the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday were harassed and physically contacted by a fan in the crowd, sources told ESPN. Paul addressed the disturbing Mother’s Day incident on social media

1:23 AM ET SAN FRANCISCO — The Memphis Grizzlies are concerned about their star point guard Ja Morant, who limped off the court with over five minutes remaining in a blowout loss to Golden State after Jordan Poole grabbed Morant’s right knee during a trap near half court. Morant left without talking to reporters but

1:55 AM ET Kendra AndrewsESPN SAN FRANCISCO — The Golden State Warriors almost made history on the way to their 142-112 rout of the Memphis Grizzlies in Game 3 of the Western Conference semifinals. The Warriors shot 63.1% from the field and had a 76.1 true shooting percentage — the second-best in both categories in

9:15 PM ET Andrew LopezESPN MILWAUKEE — Every member of the Boston Celtics inside Fiserv Forum on Saturday afternoon was incredulous. With the clock ticking down and the Celtics training by three, Boston’s Jaylen Brown handed the ball off to Marcus Smart on the perimeter. Immediately, Smart attempted to get his shot off with Milwaukee

2:34 PM ET Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart will start Saturday’s game against the Milwaukee Bucks after missing Game 2 of the series with a thigh injury. Smart, the 2021-22 NBA Defensive Player of the Year, was dealing with a right quad contusion and then took two shots to the quad on back-to-back plays in