11:51 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN BOSTON — Almost exactly 21 years ago, Vince Carter’s Hall of Fame career began in an innocuous way: with a baseline jumper over fellow 1998 draftee Paul Pierce. Friday night, before Carter — now playing for the Atlanta Hawks in his 22nd NBA season — played his final game here
NBA
8:56 PM ET PHILADELPHIA — One day after the NBA trade deadline, Philadelphia 76ers general manager Elton Brand held a news conference addressing the state of the team. Brand said he believed in the team’s roster construction and stood behind coach Brett Brown, but expressed discontent with the Sixers’ road record. “Brett is our head
8:27 PM ET The Charlotte Hornets are finalizing a contract buyout for veteran forward Marvin Williams — clearing the way for him to become a premium target for contending teams, league sources told ESPN on Friday. Williams, 33, will clear waivers with the remainder of his $15 million expiring salary and become an unrestricted free
7:21 PM ET Free-agent guard Darren Collison has a meeting set with his agent, Bill Duffy, early next week to finalize a decision on a potential comeback, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski on Friday. Upon a decision to return, Duffy’s next step will be to set up formal meetings for Collison with the Los Angeles
7:52 PM ET ESPN News Services Orlando Magic coach Steve Clifford was fined $25,000 for verbally abusing game officials, the league announced Friday. The incident occurred following the conclusion of the Magic’s 105-103 loss to the New York Knicks on Thursday. Clifford screamed at the referees at half court and criticized them afterward for what
6:39 PM ET Associated Press MINNEAPOLIS — Not yet finished with his fifth NBA season, D’Angelo Russell has landed with his fourth team. Karl-Anthony Towns and the Minnesota Timberwolves sure don’t want him to leave. “It’s surreal to really think that instead of us just talking on the phone or playing video games with each
5:46 PM ET SAN FRANCISCO — The Golden State Warriors are confident new swingman Andrew Wiggins will fit well into the culture that the championship-caliber organization has built over time. They also believe he’ll be a better fit with their roster than D’Angelo Russell, who went to the Minnesota Timberwolves as the key player in
2:44 PM ET Associated Press LOS ANGELES — Wreckage from the helicopter that crashed last month and killed Lakers legend Kobe Bryant, his daughter and seven others did not show any outward evidence of engine failure, the National Transportation Safety Board said Friday. Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna, and the others died in the Jan.
2:47 PM ET Miami Heat All-Star Jimmy Butler will be out for Friday night’s game with the Sacramento Kings. Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said at shootaround that an MRI on Butler’s shoulder came back clean, but he won’t play in Sacramento. Butler sustained what the Heat termed a right shoulder strain during the third quarter
2:44 PM ET Associated Press LOS ANGELES — A witness to the deadly crash of a helicopter carrying Kobe Bryant and eight others said it sounded normal just before slamming into a hillside and wreckage at the scene showed no sign of engine failure, federal investigators said in a report released Friday. The Jan. 26