9:47 PM ET LOS ANGELES — LeBron James might have made the go-ahead turnaround jumper with 30.4 seconds left in the Los Angeles Lakers‘ 114-112 win over the Boston Celtics on Sunday, but he worked the defense the first 47½ minutes before that to get that shot. “I had been setting him up all night
NBA
9:16 PM ET LOS ANGELES — Two tentpole franchises that were languishing in a cultural malaise just one year ago waged intense basketball warfare on Sunday afternoon at Staples Center, with the Los Angeles Lakers eking out a 114-112 win over the Boston Celtics. LeBron James drained the decisive field goal, a high-arcing fallaway jumper
8:42 PM ET LOS ANGELES — Moments after a thrilling finish befitting the storied history between two longtime rivals, LeBron James and Jayson Tatum met at center court and shared a long embrace. James, the Los Angeles Lakers superstar, had just drilled a go-ahead jumper with 30.4 seconds left to tilt the balance in his
5:31 PM ET Forward Markieff Morris cleared waivers Sunday and signed with the Los Angeles Lakers, who waived DeMarcus Cousins to open a spot on the roster, the team announced Sunday. The Lakers signed Morris via the $1.75 million disabled player exception they received for Cousins earlier this season, league sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
5:35 PM ET The Dallas Mavericks have filed a protest to the NBA league office over their 111-107 loss to the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday night. The protest focuses on a putback by Hawks power forward John Collins that gave Atlanta a four-point lead with 8.4 seconds remaining, essentially sealing the game. The officiating crew
2:33 AM ET A memorial service celebrating the lives of Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna will be held Monday at Staples Center in downtown L.A. The date — Feb. 24 — reflects the basketball jersey numbers worn by Kobe (No. 24) and Gianna (No. 2). The service will be held
2:14 AM ET SALT LAKE CITY — The most fascinating matchup in a potential playoff preview Saturday night at Vivint Smart Home Arena pitted the tallest man on the floor against the shortest, a 7-foot-1, two-time reigning NBA Defensive Player of the Year guarding a 6-foot-3 recent MVP. The Houston Rockets‘ unprecedented commitment to a
1:19 AM ET Eric WoodyardESPN MILWAUKEE — With Lil Wayne’s “Kobe Bryant” song blasting throughout Fiserv Forum, reigning NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo went through an intense pregame workout, two hours ahead of the tipoff against the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday. Once the sweaty, 6-foot-11 Milwaukee Bucks superstar wrapped up on the court, he hit the
11:04 PM ET MIAMI — In the arena he made “his house” and the county nicknamed after him, Dwyane Wade starred up to the rafters with a wide grin as his No.3 jersey was lifted to its rightful place. Suited in an all-black suit and shirt combination, Wade stood center-court at halftime and delivered a
11:27 PM ET Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban lashed out anew at the overall quality of NBA officiating in a series of tweets Saturday night after Dallas lost 111-107 to the Atlanta Hawks. Cuban’s rant began with a tweet after Atlanta’s John Collins converted on a follow shot, which was credited after a goaltending call