12:49 AM ET NEW YORK — Kyrie Irving tied his season high of 40 points on Thursday night against the Boston Celtics, notching his fifth game with 40 or more points since joining the Brooklyn Nets prior to the 2019-20 season. Only two players — Vince Carter and John Williamson — have had more such
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3:10 AM ET Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr benched rookie center James Wiseman for the first half of Thursday’s 130-104 loss to the LA Clippers after Wiseman missed the first two COVID-19 tests he was scheduled for during the All-Star break. The missed tests caused Wiseman, 19, to miss Wednesday’s practice in Los Angeles.
12:29 AM ET Andrew LopezESPN NEW ORLEANS — New Orleans Pelicans coach Stan Van Gundy lit into his team after a 135-105 drubbing at the hands of the Minnesota Timberwolves on Thursday night, calling its defensive performance “embarrassing.” “Look, I understand it’s on me and what we’re putting out there defensively is embarrassing, quite honestly,”
6:30 PM ET New Orleans Pelicans guard JJ Redick underwent a nonsurgical procedure on his right heel to relieve inflammation and soreness, the team announced Thursday. Redick will be away from the team while receiving follow-up treatment. His status will be updated in one week. Redick, 36, is averaging 8.7 points and shooting 36.4% on
8:53 PM ET LOS ANGELES — With the week and a half All-Star break behind him to rest his 36-year-old legs, LeBron James said he’s locked in for the home stretch as the Los Angeles Lakers attempt to defend their title. “It’s go time,” James told reporters on a video conference call Thursday before the
10:15 PM ET Indiana Pacers guard Caris LeVert could return from an extended absence during the team’s three-game road trip that begins Friday against the Los Angeles Lakers. LeVert, who was acquired in the four-team trade that sent James Harden to the Nets and Victor Oladipo to the Rockets, had been out since a post-trade
4:41 PM ET Patrick Ewing, minutes after coaching Georgetown to a thrilling victory over rival Villanova in the Big East tournament, said he was annoyed by the security measures he has encountered this week at Madison Square Garden — the hub of his Hall of Fame NBA playing career. The Hoyas’ 72-71 upset of the
11:30 AM ET The NBA fined Miami Heat center Meyers Leonard $50,000 and suspended him from the team facility and all its activities for one week on Thursday after he used an anti-Semitic slur during a video game livestream earlier this week. Leonard will also be required to take part in a cultural diversity program,
11:54 AM ET New Orleans Pelicans star Zion Williamson was placed on Team USA’s prospective roster for the Tokyo Olympics on Thursday, one of 15 names added as the team prepares for roster uncertainty as it heads into an unprecedented summer. The New York Knicks‘ Julius Randle and Chicago Bulls‘ Zach LaVine, both first-time All-Stars
11:00 AM ET Team USA enters the Olympics in Tokyo as the three-time defending gold medal winner, but is coming off a disappointing seventh-place finish at the 2019 FIBA World Cup, the worst finish ever in a major international competition by a team from the United States. Despite finishing seventh in China, Team USA has