12:49 AM ET MIAMI — LA Clippers star Kawhi Leonard earned the first triple-double of his career in Friday night’s 122-117 comeback victory over the Miami Heat. Leonard finished the game with 33 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists, bringing the Clippers back from a 15-point deficit, while handing the Heat just their second home
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8:08 PM ET MIAMI — Heat coach Erik Spoelstra responded swiftly to swingman Jimmy Butler not being selected as a starter for next month’s NBA All-Star Game in Chicago, calling his omission “a joke” and adding that he’s hopeful it will help change the voting process. “I just think it’s ridiculous that we’re still in
7:52 PM ET Eric WoodyardESPN CHICAGO — After six consecutive losses, Sacramento Kings coach Luke Walton decided to mix things up on Friday night. Walton decided to start Bogdan Bogdanovic at guard over Buddy Hield against the Chicago Bulls — but not as a form of punishment. And his gamble worked. “We don’t win that
5:58 PM ET Associated Press PARIS — Giannis Antetokounmpo had 30 points and 16 rebounds and the NBA-leading Milwaukee Bucks beat the Charlotte Hornets 116-103 on Friday night in the first NBA regular-season game in France. Milwaukee improved to 40-6 with its eighth consecutive victory. The Bucks have the best 46-game start in franchise history.
6:19 PM ET The Golden State Warriors have traded center Willie Cauley-Stein to the Dallas Mavericks for a 2020 second-round draft pick, it was announced Saturday. Cauley-Stein, 26, provides the Mavericks with a backup big man to replace Dwight Powell, who suffered a ruptured right Achilles tendon Tuesday. Dallas is sending the Utah Jazz‘s 2020
6:19 PM ET The Golden State Warriors are finalizing a deal to trade center Willie Cauley-Stein to the Dallas Mavericks for a 2020 second-round draft pick, league sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Cauley-Stein, 26, provides the Mavericks with a backup big man to replace Dwight Powell, who suffered a ruptured right Achilles tendon Tuesday. Dallas
3:59 PM ET ESPN News Services Chicago Bulls forward Lauri Markkanen will be out for four to six weeks after an MRI of his right hip revealed an early stress reaction of his right pelvis, the team announced Friday. Markkanen, who is averaging 15 points and 6.5 rebounds per game, was coming off a 21-point
3:53 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN PHILADELPHIA — All-Star center Joel Embiid, who practiced Friday for the first time since undergoing surgery on his finger, said he hopes to return to the court for the Philadelphia 76ers next week. “Just trying to get back into it and make the progress that’s necessary,” Embiid said after a
3:47 PM ET PARIS — All eyes have been on New Orleans Pelicans rookie Zion Williamson this week, including those of six-time NBA champion and Charlotte Hornets owner Michael Jordan. Speaking at a news conference ahead of the Hornets’ game against the Milwaukee Bucks in France on Friday, Jordan said he believes Williamson’s dazzling inaugural
2:16 AM ET PORTLAND — After his team’s 133-125 loss to the Dallas Mavericks on Thursday, Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard expressed frustration with a no-call that eventually led to him receiving a technical foul in the game’s closing seconds. With 3 minutes, 42 seconds left and Portland down by 15, Lillard scored on a