NBA

12:45 AM ET ESPN News Services TORONTO — Denver Nuggets coach Michael Malone was critical of his team’s effort following Tuesday night’s 125-110 loss to the Toronto Raptors, saying that being in first place for so long has made them complacent. The slumping Nuggets (46-23), who have lost four straight but maintain a four-game lead

5:48 PM ET Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic will miss his third consecutive game because of a left thigh strain, having been ruled out Wednesday against the San Antonio Spurs. Fellow All-Star guard Kyrie Irving, who was sidelined by right foot soreness the past two games, is listed as questionable. The Mavs lost twice to

6:33 AM ET Marc J. Spears SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Sacramento Kings coach Mike Brown wasn’t exactly sure what happened in a skirmish between both teams toward the end of a 133-124 loss to the visiting Milwaukee Bucks on Monday night. But Brown had a message for any NBA team hoping to test his Kings as

8:35 PM ET Adrian Wojnarowski Close Adrian Wojnarowski Senior NBA Insider Host of The Woj Pod Joined ESPN in 2017 Tim MacMahon Close Tim MacMahon ESPN Staff Writer Joined ESPNDallas.com in September 2009 Covers the Dallas Cowboys and Dallas Mavericks Appears regularly on ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant has entered a

5:38 PM ET ESPN News Services The NBA on Monday fined Marcus Smart $25,000, with head of basketball operations Joe Dumars saying the veteran Boston Celtics guard initiated an on-court altercation and pulled Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young to the floor during the teams’ game over the weekend. With 1:25 remaining and Boston leading 129-121,

8:09 AM ET ORLANDO, Fla. — The sounds of Nickelback coming from the portable speaker inside the Miami Heat locker room were unmistakable. As the rest of his teammates and Heat staffers quietly showered, got dressed and picked over a postgame pizza spread following a 126-114 overtime loss to the Orlando Magic on Saturday, Jimmy

1:51 AM ET LOS ANGELES — The surging Los Angeles Lakers lost 112-108 to the New York Knicks on Sunday, and Anthony Davis blamed himself for the halt in momentum as his team squandered a chance to get back to .500 for the first time since opening the season schedule at 0-0. “My play,” Davis

6:26 PM ET Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic will miss his second consecutive game Monday because of a left thigh strain. Fellow All-Star guard Kyrie Irving, who is dealing with right foot soreness, is listed as questionable for Monday’s home game against the Memphis Grizzlies. Doncic and Irving both missed Saturday’s 112-108 loss to the

1:39 AM ET Kendra AndrewsESPN SAN FRANCISCO — Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry brought the ball over midcourt with Jevon Carter of the Milwaukee Bucks right in his face. Curry accelerated and then quickly stopped at the top of the 3-point arc, making Carter skid a few feet away. Curry had just enough space

6:56 PM ET ORLANDO, Fla. — Miami Heat guard Kyle Lowry did something during the start of Saturday night’s 126-114 overtime loss to the Orlando Magic that he hadn’t done in over 10 years: He sat on the bench. Lowry, who hadn’t played since Feb. 2 because of left knee soreness, entered Saturday’s game with

3:21 PM ET Giannis Antetokounmpo will miss his third straight game Saturday night when the Milwaukee Bucks take on the Golden State Warriors on ABC at 8:30 p.m. ET. Antetokounmpo was questionable with a sore right hand, an injury that also sidelined him for Thursday night’s win over the Brooklyn Nets. He missed Tuesday’s game

3:00 AM ET LOS ANGELES — It wouldn’t be a stretch to describe D’Angelo Russell‘s return to the lineup in the Lakers’ 122-112 win over the Toronto Raptors on Friday as perfect. Russell, who missed L.A.’s previous six games with a sprained right ankle, scored 16 of his 28 points in the fourth quarter —

12:48 AM ET Tim BontempsESPN PHILADELPHIA — When Joel Embiid caught the ball with 7 seconds to go in Friday night’s game at Wells Fargo Center between his Philadelphia 76ers and the Portland Trail Blazers, he had one thing on his mind: Get to his favorite spot on the floor — the free throw line

3:23 PM ET Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic will not play in Saturday night’s road game against the Memphis Grizzlies because of his left thigh strain, and Kyrie Irving‘s status is in question after he missed Friday’s practice for personal reasons. “Hopefully, he’ll be able to join us in Memphis,” Mavs coach Jason Kidd told

7:37 AM ET Jamal CollierESPN MILWAUKEE — DURING A TIMEOUT late in the fourth quarter of a Feb. 24 game against the Miami Heat, Jrue Holiday picked up an orange Gatorade bottle and channeled his inner Backstreet Boy. Holiday had gone to the bench for the final time with 4:30 remaining and his Milwaukee Bucks

7:04 PM ET Phoenix Suns star Kevin Durant is expected to miss two to three weeks because of a left ankle injury, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski on Thursday. The team said in a release that Durant has a left ankle sprain and will be reevaluated in three weeks. Durant, who had an MRI on

3:04 PM ET An MRI on the left thigh of Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic revealed no damage, and a return to the lineup will come as the discomfort allows him, sources told ESPN on Thursday. Doncic will undergo treatment to alleviate the soreness, but he isn’t expected to miss significant time, sources said. Doncic

3:08 AM ET LOS ANGELES — Toronto Raptors point guard Fred VanVleet blasted referee Ben Taylor for his officiating during the Raptors’ 108-100 loss to the LA Clippers on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. VanVleet didn’t hold back in his postgame news conference and is likely to receive a hefty fine from the NBA. “I