NBA

12:00 AM ET Associated Press DENVER — Chris Paul returned from a broken right thumb to help the Phoenix Suns wrap up the top seed in the NBA playoffs with a 140-130 victory over the Denver Nuggets on Thursday night. Devin Booker led Phoenix with a season-high 49 points, and Paul had 17 points —

8:00 AM ET IT WAS DARK on the Minnesota Timberwolves team plane as it took off from San Antonio late on the night of March 14, headed home to Minneapolis. But it wasn’t especially quiet. There was no chance of that after the game star center Karl-Anthony Towns just had, scoring a career-high 60 points

8:00 AM ET The NBA playoffs are less than a month away and both conferences feature seeding races that are sure to come down to the wire. Several top teams are missing key players who could return in time for the playoffs and help their teams’ postseason hopes. The No. 5 Chicago Bulls and No.

12:40 AM ET ESPN News Services MIAMI — Jimmy Butler and Udonis Haslem were shouting at each other, fingers were pointed in various directions, some Miami players were trying to play peacemaker and Heat coach Erik Spoelstra slammed a clipboard to the floor in frustration. And that wasn’t the evening’s low point for the Heat.

8:00 AM ET Tim MacMahon Close ESPN Staff Writer Joined ESPNDallas.com in September 2009 Covers the Dallas Cowboys and Dallas Mavericks Appears regularly on ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM Kevin Pelton Close ESPN Senior Writer Co-author, Pro Basketball Prospectus series Formerly a consultant with the Indiana Pacers Developed WARP rating and SCHOENE system For a guy

8:00 AM ET Andrew LopezESPN WHEN HE WAKES up in the morning, Josh Hart is greeted by a smiling family. Every morning he opens his eyes and looks at the wall in his bedroom, where he sees a wedding photo and a picture of a newborn baby. Except it isn’t from his wedding. And it

10:04 PM ET Andrew LopezESPN New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson has tried to keep a low profile on social media while rehabbing his fractured right foot that has kept him out the entire 2021-22 season. That changed on Tuesday night. Williamson posted a 5-second clip to his Instagram story showing him at the Pelicans’

8:00 AM ET NOT LONG AFTER Tyronn Lue had been doused with cold water by his team after matching the second-largest NBA comeback since 1996, his cellphone was ringing. On the other end, Lue heard a familiar, distinct and drawn voice. “So you just going to keep getting down 25, come back and win, huh?”

8:00 AM ET As the NBA’s 2021-22 regular season draws to a conclusion on April 10, teams near the middle of the standings are battling for postseason seeding with a special focus on the league’s play-in tournament. Held before the first round of the 2022 NBA playoffs, the play-in tournament adds an exciting wrinkle to

12:57 AM ET CLEVELAND — With the Los Angeles Lakers‘ flat-lining season experiencing a bit of blip with Monday’s 131-120 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers, LeBron James says he still has something left to play for. “I’m literally having the time of my life right now,” James said after the Lakers finished their four-game road

12:00 PM ET With a layup in the first half against the Washington Wizards on March 19, 2022, LeBron James moved past Karl Malone for second place on the NBA’s career regular-season points list. Now the Los Angeles Lakers star has his eyes set on another Lakers legend, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the NBA’s current all-time leading

8:00 AM ET While the Los Angeles Lakers are in the middle of a disappointing NBA season, LeBron James continues to be the lone bright spot. James passed Karl Malone on Saturday night, moving into the No. 2 spot on the all-time scoring list. Though James racked up another individual milestone, his team fell to

12:58 AM ET Kendra AndrewsESPN SAN FRANCISCO — The Golden State Warriors had a chance to start their two weeks (at least) without Stephen Curry on a good note. Led by Klay Thompson and Jordan Poole, they fought back from trailing the San Antonio Spurs by 10 in the third quarter. Momentum was on the

1:36 PM ET NEW YORK — As the Brooklyn Nets prepare for the final 11 games of the regular season, center Andre Drummond offered an interesting perspective on how he hopes the team approaches the stretch run. “Got to treat this s— like pickup,” Drummond said, laughing, after Sunday’s practice. “Just take the best five

9:13 PM ET WASHINGTON, D.C. — With a cut to the basket and an uncontested driving layup, Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James became the NBA’s all-time second leading scorer Saturday night in the second quarter against the Washington Wizards. James passed former Utah Jazz Hall of Famer Karl Malone with 5 minutes, 20 seconds

6:23 PM ET Jamal CollierESPN MINNEAPOLIS — A small fracas in the game Saturday between the Milwaukee Bucks and Minnesota Timberwolves led to a pair of ejections midway through the first quarter. Bucks forward Serge Ibaka and Wolves forward Taurean Prince were face-to-face after fighting for positioning following a free throw from Karl-Anthony Towns, when

4:47 PM ET Kendra AndrewsESPN SAN FRANCISCO — Golden State Warriors center James Wiseman‘s return to game action has been pushed back again because of more swelling in his right knee. Wiseman was held out of practice Friday and Saturday and will not play in either Santa Cruz Warriors G League games this weekend. There

1:25 AM ET Just seconds after badly missing a 3-pointer off the backboard, Russell Westbrook came up with a big steal before sinking a clutch 3 that forced overtime to help the Los Angeles Lakers snap an 11-game road losing streak in Toronto. Westbrook’s 3, which he hit after looking down and moving his foot