NBA

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 scored six points in 25 minutes in his first game in more than three weeks, and the LA Clippers beat the Detroit Pistons 96-91 on Thursday night in Los Angeles. Leonard was previously listed as out for the game, but his status was upgraded to questionable at Thursday morning’s shootaround

8:00 AM ET NBA Insiders The early part of the 2022-23 NBA season has been a welcomed fresh start for a number of surprise players looking to add some hardware to their résumés. While there is still plenty of season left, a handful of players have hopped into the driver’s seats for the NBA’s biggest

1:28 AM ET Kendra AndrewsESPN PHOENIX — Over the past 10 years, the Golden State Warriors built a dynasty on playing free, competitively and with a sense of togetherness that could rarely be shaken. Yet, just 15 games into this season, it all seems to be crashing down. On Wednesday, the Warriors suffered their latest

6:46 PM ET Suspended All-Star guard Kyrie Irving is nearing completion on the process needed for a return to play and could rejoin the Brooklyn Nets as soon as Sunday’s game against the Memphis Grizzlies at Barclays Center, sources told ESPN. Irving will miss his eighth consecutive game on Thursday night in Portland, but he

8:00 AM ET The murkiness is clearing on the picture of legitimate contenders in the Eastern Conference, while the West is increasingly mysterious. The Milwaukee Bucks, who once were 9-0, have dropped three of their past four games, including two lopsided losses to the Atlanta Hawks. Atlanta’s dominance of Milwaukee has allowed the reigning East

7:00 AM ET TIBURON, California — 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,

6:34 PM ET Andrew LopezESPN NEW ORLEANS — Memphis Grizzlies forward Jaren Jackson Jr. made his season debut in Tuesday night’s 113-102 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans. Jackson had surgery in June to repair a stress fracture in his right foot and had yet to play a game this season. He was in the

2:15 AM ET Kendra AndrewsESPN SAN FRANCISCO — James Wiseman will go down to the Golden State Warriors‘ G League affiliate, the Santa Cruz Warriors, on Tuesday for an extended period, Warriors coach Steve Kerr said Monday night. Wiseman’s stint could last up to 10 consecutive days, Kerr said. The team informed Wiseman of this

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. Victor Wembanyama carries the date in his mind, a sinister anniversary he apparently has been unable to let go. “That loss, I have thought about it every day since July, 11,

8:07 PM ET Kendra AndrewsESPN SAN FRANCISCO — The Golden State Warriors are pausing all FTX-related promotional assets, the team told ESPN on Monday. The final FTX promotion will be on the Jordan Poole bobblehead given out at Chase Center on Monday night — an item made several months ago before the cryptocurrency exchange firm

9:36 PM ET Associated Press CLEVELAND — All-Star point guard Darius Garland was watching the scoreboard but not his individual statistics on Sunday night. He received a pleasant surprise. Garland poured in a career-high 51 points — 27 of them in the fourth quarter — and made a career-best 10 3-pointers as the Cleveland Cavaliers

12:53 AM ET Tim BontempsESPN PHILADELPHIA — After 76ers superstar Joel Embiid scored 42 points to lead them to a win Saturday night at Wells Fargo Center over the Atlanta Hawks, Embiid declared he was simply doing “whatever it takes” to lead his team to victories. Little did anyone realize what Embiid had in store

Nov 10, 2022 Matt Ryan hit the biggest shot of the Los Angeles Lakers‘ season for free. Well, kind of. The training camp invitee, who earned a partially-guaranteed contract and a spot in coach Darvin Ham’s early-season rotation, is waiting on the first direct deposit to hit his account. “I haven’t even gotten a paycheck

4:42 PM ET ESPN News Services Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball made his regular-season debut vs. the host Miami Heat on Saturday night in a 132-115 loss. Ball had missed the Hornets’ first 13 games this season with a left ankle sprain he suffered in a preseason game on Oct. 10. He had 15 points,

12:57 AM ET DALLAS — Luka Doncic, who admitted fatigue following a pair of off games during the Dallas Mavericks‘ 0-2 road trip this week, reported for work Saturday night reinvigorated. He attributed his energy to a great recovery day and “two, three, four” shots of pregame espresso as well as a Red Bull. The

3:29 PM ET LOS ANGELES — Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant and his teammates still aren’t sure when Kyrie Irving will return to the team, but Durant says he’s been in communication with Irving recently and his spirits are “high.” “Looking forward to playing the game, you know Ky, he’s a gamer, he loves to

7:43 PM ET Associated Press CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Charlotte Hornets swingman Cody Martin will miss at least four weeks after having arthroscopic surgery on his left knee Friday. Martin injured his left quad in the team’s regular-season opener and has not played since. He had also been bothered by a left knee injury in the