NBA

11:09 AM ET After the Brooklyn Nets diagnosed All-NBA forward Kevin Durant with a sprained MCL of his left knee, the franchise expects a four- to six-week rehabilitation before his return, sources told ESPN. Durant underwent imaging on Sunday morning after Saturday night’s injury, and a realistic benchmark for Durant could be a return coming

1:48 AM ET DENVER — After the Los Angeles Lakers‘ 37-point loss to the Denver Nuggets on Saturday, the second-biggest loss of LeBron James‘ 19-year career, another franchise great weighed in with his disgust. “We as Lakers fans can accept being outplayed but we deserve more than a lack of effort and no sense of

8:58 PM ET NEW YORK — Brooklyn Nets star forward Kevin Durant injured his left knee during the second quarter of Saturday’s game against the New Orleans Pelicans. The team called it a left knee sprain, and it occurred with just under six minutes left in the quarter as Pelicans guard Herb Jones drove to

12:36 PM ET DALLAS — Mavericks power forward/center Kristaps Porzingis has cleared the NBA’s health and safety protocols after missing the past seven games and is expected to play in Saturday night’s home game against the Orlando Magic. Mavericks coach Jason Kidd also cleared the protocols. Dallas won six of the seven games missed by

8:40 PM ET Jamal CollierESPN CHICAGO — Bulls guard Zach LaVine exited Friday’s 138-96 loss to the Golden State Warriors in the first quarter with a left knee injury and did not return. LaVine did not travel with the team to Boston for its matchup against the Celtics on Saturday night, and instead will remain

5:26 PM ET LOS ANGELES — Anthony Davis participated in an individual on-court workout on Friday, four weeks to the day since spraining the MCL in his left knee. There is optimism within the Los Angeles Lakers organization that the star big man could return to game action sometime during L.A.’s long road trip at

10:26 AM ET After years of front-office and coaching disarray, Chicago Bulls president and chief operating officer Michael Reinsdorf hired Arturas Karnisovas in April 2020 to reshape his basketball operations and restore playoff contention. So far, the results are remarkable. Years of organizational missteps and mistrust faded fast, replaced with a fully functional first-place franchise.

12:25 AM ET Jamal CollierESPN MILWAUKEE — The Milwaukee Bucks delivered another statement win on Thursday night with a 118-99 thumping of the Golden State Warriors, continuing their trend of being at their best this season when matched up against other likely title contenders. The Bucks blitzed the Warriors from the start, jumping out to

11:40 AM ET The Atlanta Hawks are trading Cam Reddish to the New York Knicks for Kevin Knox in a swap of former first-round draft selections, sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Atlanta also will receive a protected first-round draft pick via Charlotte, sources tell Wojnarowski, while the Knicks will acquire veteran forward Solomon Hill and

8:00 AM ET JIMMY BUTLER INTERRUPTED his pregame warmup and made a beeline toward half court. There, Utah Jazz swingman Joe Ingles stood, watched and waited as the All-Star closed in. Butler’s mission: Peace. At this point, the quick wits, sharp tongues and competitive fires of both Butler and Ingles had been clashing for years,

5:41 PM ET Portland Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard is planning to have surgery to address a lingering abdominal injury, sources told ESPN. A final decision on the procedure and the timeline are expected to be determined after consultations with doctors this week. The procedure is likely to keep Lillard out at least 6 to

6:45 PM ET With the NBA trade deadline a month away, Ben Simmons‘ agent — Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul — met with Philadelphia 76ers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey and general manager Elton Brand on Wednesday, and the sides remain at a stalemate over the All-Star guard’s immediate future, sources told ESPN. Simmons

1:04 AM ET Emerging superstar point guard Ja Morant sliced through the Golden State Warriors‘ defense and finished with a left-handed layup despite being fouled, making it a three-possession game with 28.9 seconds remaining, a dagger that sealed the Memphis Grizzlies‘ 10th consecutive win. After Morant landed, he flexed in celebration and strutted a few

9:54 PM ET While more than 300 NBA players have entered the league’s health and safety protocols this season because of COVID-19-related issues, several league general managers told ESPN that a debilitating issue remains the recent surge of team staffers — from coaches to support staff and beyond — entering protocols for the same reason.

7:50 PM ET Cleveland Cavaliers general manager Koby Altman has agreed to a contract extension through the 2027-28 season — and will assume a new title of president of basketball operations, sources told ESPN on Tuesday. Altman has engineered a franchise renaissance and reshaped a roster that has shown the promise of becoming a long-term

6:45 PM ET PORTLAND, Ore. — Brooklyn Nets guard James Harden will not play Monday night against the Portland Trail Blazers because of a left knee hyperextension, the team announced. Nets coach Steve Nash said after Sunday’s 121-119 overtime win over the San Antonio Spurs that both Harden and star forward Kevin Durant wanted to

10:20 PM ET PORTLAND, Ore. — Portland Trail Blazers coach and former NBA Finals MVP Chauncey Billups says he believes Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving is “the most skilled player” ever to play the point guard position. “Kyrie is just, he’s a wizard, man,” Billups said before Monday’s game against the Nets. “He’s must-see TV.

3:25 PM ET The Orlando Magic have extended the contracts of president Jeff Weltman and general manager John Hammond through the 2025-2026 season, sources told ESPN on Monday. Talks on new deals for Weltman and Hammond started at the end of last season, sources said. Both executives were headed into the final year of their