NBA

2:19 AM ET Andrew LopezESPN NEW ORLEANS — The Point God was at it again. Just five days after Chris Paul scored 19 fourth-quarter points to will the Phoenix Suns to a Game 1 victory, Paul scored 19 fourth-quarter points again on Friday night to lead the top-seeded Suns to a 114-111 win over the

12:14 AM ET ATLANTA — Miami Heat point guard Kyle Lowry suffered a left hamstring injury in the third quarter of the Hawks’ 111-110 Game 3 victory on Friday night. He could only watch from the bench as Atlanta, the Eastern Conference’s No. 8 seed, erased a double-digit deficit to draw within 2-1 of the

5:20 PM ET Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid is experiencing significant pain and discomfort in his right thumb and could get an MRI in the near future to determine whether there is ligament damage, sources told ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne and Adrian Wojnarowski. Despite the discomfort, Embiid practiced on Friday and expects to play in Game

11:47 AM ET Tim BontempsESPN The Charlotte Hornets have fired coach James Borrego, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Borrego, 44, was 138-163 over his four seasons in Charlotte — the last three of which came as the Hornets were rebuilding in the wake of franchise icon Kemba Walker‘s leaving for Boston in free agency in

12:47 AM ET MINNEAPOLIS — In one of the most dramatic comebacks in NBA postseason history, the Memphis Grizzlies clawed their way out of a 26-point hole on Thursday night to defeat the Minnesota Timberwolves 104-95. Improbably, the Grizzlies now lead the best-of-seven first-round series 2-1. “We all know the game is never over until

6:48 PM ET Milwaukee Bucks star Khris Middleton will miss the rest of the opening-round playoff series against the Chicago Bulls due to a sprained medial collateral ligament in his left knee, sources told ESPN on Thursday. Middleton will be re-evaluated in two weeks when a timeline on his possible return in these playoffs —

8:00 AM ET Kendra AndrewsESPN JUST SEVEN MONTHS ago, one of the most important role players on a club desperate to return to its dynastic reign and the son of the legendary Seattle Supersonics’ Gary Payton, was preparing to apply for a desk job in the team’s video department. Seven months ago. Gary Payton II,

11:41 PM ET Brianna Williams Joel Embiid knows what it’s like to be losing on the side of a go-ahead 3-pointer in the NBA playoffs, but that wasn’t the case on Wednesday night. The Philadelphia 76ers star splashed a turnaround three with under one second remaining in overtime to secure a 104-101 win against the

2:43 PM ET Phoenix Suns star Devin Booker is likely to miss Games 3 and 4 against the New Orleans Pelicans with a mild right hamstring strain, but he hasn’t been ruled out for the rest of the opening-round Western Conference series, sources told ESPN. The Suns were still evaluating results of an MRI on

12:10 PM ET BOSTON — Brooklyn Nets swingman Ben Simmons continues “progressing and moving forward” in his rehab from a herniated disk in his back, but it’ll be up to the former All-Star whether he plays in the first-round playoff series against the Boston Celtics, coach Steve Nash said. Nash remained noncommittal on a timeline

12:18 AM ET PHOENIX — After a prolific 31-point first half, Phoenix Suns star Devin Booker was forced from his team’s playoff game against the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday with right hamstring tightness. Booker appeared to suffer an injury with 4:30 left in the third quarter after challenging a Jaxson Hayes dunk in transition.

5:09 PM ET BOSTON — Brooklyn Nets swingman Ben Simmons has been cleared for contact as he continues to make his way back from a back injury that has prevented him from playing since he was acquired from the Philadelphia 76ers just before February’s trade deadline. Nets head coach Steve Nash ruled Simmons out of

8:00 AM ET Andrew LopezESPN IT WAS AN early April evening, and the Miami Heat had just gone up by 18 points with 1:36 to play against the Chicago Bulls. It was time to call it. So when coach Erik Spoelstra looked down his bench, he called out a familiar name. Udonis Haslem, now 41

1:11 AM ET Tim BontempsESPN PHILADELPHIA — 76ers star Joel Embiid heard Toronto Raptors coach Nick Nurse complain about the way Embiid was officiated in the opener of the teams’ first-round playoff series on Saturday night. So, after Embiid finished with 31 points, 11 rebounds and went 12-for-14 from the free throw line — taking

7:19 PM ET Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart has been named NBA Defensive Player of the Year, the league announced Monday. It’s the first DPOY award for Smart, who is the first primary guard to take home the honor since Gary Payton in the 1995-96 season. Smart received 257 points (37 first-place votes) to finish

8:00 AM ET If NBA fans outside of Pennsylvania didn’t know the name Tyrese Maxey, they sure do now. While the Toronto Raptors were keying in on superstars Joel Embiid and James Harden, the Philadelphia 76ers‘ second-year guard was showcasing why he is such an important player in their success with 38 points in a

8:49 PM ET BOSTON — Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving said he was responding to words he heard from the crowd when he flipped off several Boston Celtics fans on two separate occasions during Sunday’s 115-114 loss in Game 1. After the game, Irving made it clear that he would have “the same energy for

6:45 PM ET ESPN News Services BOSTON — Jayson Tatum made a layup at the buzzer on a pass from Marcus Smart to give the Boston Celtics a dramatic 115-114 victory over the Brooklyn Nets in Game 1 of their first-round playoff series on Sunday. Tatum scored 16 of his 31 points in the second