3:21 AM ET On the eve of opening weekend for the NBA playoffs, members of the Phoenix Suns organization gathered together to pop bottles of champagne. They might as well have been on ice for a decade. For the first time since 2010, the Suns are back in the postseason, thanks in large part to
NBA
9:21 PM ET For a player still seeking his first playoff series victory, Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic has assembled an extraordinary list of postseason performances. Doncic added to it with his 31-point, 10-rebound, 11-assist afternoon to lead the Mavericks to a 113-103 win over the LA Clippers in Saturday’s Game 1 at Staples Center.
9:49 PM ET LOS ANGELES — As Luka Doncic grabbed a defensive rebound in the closing seconds of the Dallas Mavericks‘ Game 1 upset win over the LA Clippers, Mavs team owner Mark Cuban punched the air with his fist in celebration as disappointed Clippers fans filed out of Staples Center. This was not how
9:13 PM ET LOS ANGELES — There are a lot of things different inside Staples Center, and all NBA arenas, this season. Cardboard fan cutouts and masks — including for the 7,000 fans allowed in for the LA Clippers‘ 113-103 loss to the Dallas Mavericks on Saturday afternoon in Game 1 of their best-of-seven Western
12:50 PM ET After a second surgery in 28 months to repair his right quadriceps tendon, Miami Heat guard Victor Oladipo could be cleared to return to full-contact basketball as soon as November, orthopedic surgeon Dr. Jonathan Glashow told ESPN. Glashow performed the procedure on May 13, and he expressed surprise that Oladipo had even
12:20 PM ET Associated Press Just in time for the playoffs, the NBA told its head coaches Saturday they may work without masks during games if they have been fully vaccinated against the coronavirus. Assistant coaches and players will still be required to wear masks in the bench area. Head coaches may choose to go
7:25 PM ET Two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo is the focal point of the Bucks‘ attack, but Khris Middleton was the closer for Milwaukee on Saturday in Game 1 of their first-round series against the Miami Heat. Middleton drained a contested, game-winning fadeaway jumper with less than a second remaining in overtime, lifting the Bucks to
6:35 PM ET The 16-team field for the 2021 NBA playoffs is set. The Boston Celtics captured the No. 7 seed in the Eastern Conference with a win over the Washington Wizards, who took advantage of their second chance and secured the No. 8 seed with a blowout win over the Indiana Pacers. The Los
12:18 AM ET SAN FRANCISCO — The Memphis Grizzlies are headed to the playoffs because Ja Morant delivered in the biggest moment of his young career. The 21-year-old scored 35 points, grabbed six rebounds and dished out six assists in a thrilling 117-112 overtime win over the Golden State Warriors. The win not only gave
9:56 PM ET LOS ANGELES — Friends since their high school days and former USA Basketball teammates and NBA Players Association leadership members together, LeBron James and Chris Paul are about to go against each other in the playoffs for the first time in their storied careers. “It’s going to be comparable to playing against