NBA

7:15 AM ET The NBA’s plot is twisting in the final third of the 2022-23 regular season, and it could be just the beginning of more unexpected turns down the stretch. The Boston Celtics have comfortably dominated the Eastern Conference this season but fell out of first place for the first time in 2023 after

10:37 PM ET Vanessa Bryant settled her remaining claims with Los Angeles County for $28.85 million over photos that deputies shared after a 2020 helicopter crash that killed her husband, former Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant; their 13-year-old daughter, Gianna; and seven others. The settlement included the $15 million a jury already awarded Vanessa

12:33 PM ET The Los Angeles Lakers expect to reassess LeBron James‘ injured right foot in two weeks to see how much progress he has made, but the timeline for his return is expected to extend beyond that checkpoint, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The Lakers entered Tuesday night’s games at 29-32 and are 0.5

9:43 PM ET ESPN News Services Charlotte Hornets star LaMelo Ball suffered a fracture in his right ankle during Monday night’s win over the Detroit Pistons, the team announced after the game. Ball appeared to turn the ankle early in the third quarter while dribbling the ball behind his back. He immediately went down in

6:30 PM ET LeBron James is feared to be out several weeks with a right foot injury, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski on Monday. James is undergoing further testing and conversations to learn the full extent of the injury, which he suffered in the Los Angeles Lakers‘ victory at the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday. The

8:46 AM ET Tim BontempsESPN Milwaukee Bucks co-owner Marc Lasry has reached an agreement to sell his portion of the team to Cleveland Browns owners Jimmy and Dee Haslam at a $3.5 billion valuation, sources told ESPN. The deal, which represents Lasry’s portion of the Bucks, or approximately 25% of the team, is still pending

7:34 AM ET Nearly 15 minutes into an All-Star interview session, the Denver Nuggets‘ back-to-back MVP was starting to get a little punchy. “Do you care about winning the MVP?” a reporter asked. “Yes,” Nikola Jokic answered, with a hint of exasperation in his voice. Why? “Because the last seven times, I said no,” Jokic

12:48 AM ET Brianna Williams The Houston Rockets didn’t have an answer for Damian Lillard in the Portland Trail Blazers‘ 131-114 win. Editor’s Picks Lillard set franchise and career highs with 71 points and 13 3-pointers. As evidenced by LeBron James‘ tweet, it was simply Dame Time on Sunday night. ⌚️ — LeBron James (@KingJames)

11:36 AM ET Giannis Antetokounmpo did not play Sunday in the Milwaukee Bucks‘ 104-101 victory over the Phoenix Suns. He was replaced in the lineup by Bobby Portis, who finished with 10 points in the victory. Antetokounmpo sustained the injury Friday night in the first quarter of the Bucks’ 128-99 victory over the Miami Heat.

1:22 AM ET Tim BontempsESPN PHILADELPHIA — When Jayson Tatum‘s step-back 3-pointer fell through the net at Wells Fargo Center with 1.3 seconds to go in Saturday night’s thriller between the Celtics and 76ers, it looked to all the world like he had just won the game for the Celtics. As it turned out, Tatum

2:19 AM ET LOS ANGELES — Russell Westbrook received a rousing ovation when he started and finished his LA Clippers debut. Westbrook had as impressive a start as any point guard playing in his first game with the franchise. But the Clippers and Sacramento Kings weren’t done playing when Westbrook picked up his sixth personal

3:04 AM ET Kendra AndrewsESPN SAN FRANCISCO — Klay Thompson doesn’t like to think there are two versions of himself or his game — pre-injuries versus post-injuries — nor does he follow the mindset that he’s “getting back” to who he was. He has found that it doesn’t do him any favors and results in

7:43 AM ET Kendra AndrewsESPN NEARING THE END of the NBA offseason last September and over 5,000 miles from his adopted home of Denver, Nikola Jokic was playing alongside his Serbian National teammates in the EuroBasket tournament when a familiar face took a seat in the O2 Arena in Prague. Jokic thought he was still

8:45 PM ET Jamal CollierESPN MILWAUKEE — Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo suffered a right knee injury and exited with 1:13 remaining in the first quarter of Friday night’s 128-99 victory over the Miami Heat. Antetokounmpo was hurt when he knocked knees with a Heat player, and the team announced during the second quarter that he

1:07 PM ET The Atlanta Hawks and Quin Snyder are progressing in talks on a deal to make him the franchise’s next coach and a resolution could be reached within days, sources told ESPN on Friday. Since firing coach Nate McMillan on Tuesday, the Hawks have made Snyder the full focus of the coaching search,

5:18 PM ET PHOENIX — Kevin Durant isn’t ready yet for the curtain to lift on his debut with the Phoenix Suns, but the preparation got serious Thursday as he entered the final stages of his return from a knee injury. Durant took part in all of an intense, two-hour workout and scrimmage in the

12:19 AM ET Tim BontempsESPN PHILADELPHIA — As Joel Embiid missed shot after shot throughout the first half of Thursday night’s game against the Memphis Grizzlies at Wells Fargo Center — ultimately finishing 1-for-8 in the first quarter and 2-for-14 through the first half — he knew that if he was to have his usual

6:37 PM ET EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — Los Angeles Lakers coach Darvin Ham opened up his team’s final stretch of the season after the All-Star break by stating Los Angeles’ goal loud and clear: The Lakers don’t want to just make the playoffs, they want to avoid the play-in tournament. “The goal is for us