7:21 AM ET By the time Wenyen Gabriel joined the Los Angeles Lakers last March, the team was already a mess. Still, signing a two-way contract with a team with championship aspirations that was six games under .500 was better than the instability he had experienced trying to climb his way back into the league
NBA
1:17 AM ET NEW YORK — The New York Knicks didn’t just beat the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals on Friday night, they made a statement on how they hope the rest of the series plays out. The Knicks won 99-79, holding the Cavs to the fewest points by any
2:36 AM ET Andrew LopezESPN MINNEAPOLIS — After the Denver Nuggets defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 3 of their first-round series on Friday night, their focus shifted to doing something that has never been accomplished in franchise history: a playoff sweep. The Nuggets’ 120-111 win gave them a 3-0 series lead, putting them in
8:29 PM ET ESPN News Services PHILADELPHIA — Joel Embiid will sit out because of a sprained right knee when the Philadelphia 76ers try to complete a sweep of the Brooklyn Nets on Saturday. The 76ers added the All-Star center to the injury report Friday night, a night after he was limping multiple times during
8:49 PM ET PLAYA VISTA, Calif. — The LA Clippers won’t have star forward Kawhi Leonard for a second straight game because of a right knee sprain. The team ruled Leonard out for Saturday’s Game 4 against the Phoenix Suns at Crypto.com Arena. All-Star forward Paul George also remains out with a right knee sprain.
12:00 AM ET ATLANTA — For at least one night, the Atlanta Hawks appeared to have finally found the fearsome twosome they tried to form last offseason, when they traded for All-Star Dejounte Murray. The late June swap with the San Antonio Spurs was intended to pair Murray with fellow guard Trae Young, Atlanta’s All-NBA
4:36 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN NEW YORK — Philadelphia 76ers coach Doc Rivers gave an impassioned speech Friday in defense of Joel Embiid‘s kick at Brooklyn Nets center Nic Claxton, saying the NBA needs to do something about teams trying to goad star players into retaliatory actions during games. “I’m gonna say this, and I
5:46 PM ET EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — LeBron James will let his game do the talking when the Los Angeles Lakers‘ first-round series against the self-proclaimed bear-poking Dillon Brooks and the Memphis Grizzlies continues with Game 3 on Saturday. “I’m not here for the bulls—,” James said after practice Friday, cutting off his media availability
7:26 PM ET LOS ANGELES — Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant was a full participant in practice Friday afternoon and will be listed as questionable for Game 3 of the team’s first-round series against the Los Angeles Lakers. Morant missed Game 2 of the series on Wednesday with a sore right hand, which he suffered
3:06 PM ET Victor Wembanyama, the projected No. 1 pick, officially declared for the 2023 NBA draft on Friday and has submitted paperwork to the league office, he said on ESPN’s “NBA Today.” “Declaring for the draft … it’s something crazy I’m not realizing yet,” Wembanyama told ESPN. “I realized pretty young I wanted to