9:00 AM ET Some people like power rankings. I prefer tiers. It’s a big-picture method of capturing how good teams are today, and where they are in the NBA’s rise-and-fall cycle. It is an especially interesting exercise approaching the most wide-open season in recent memory. More teams than usual have claims to membership in the
NBA
10:14 PM ET Ohn Youngmisuk HONOLULU — LA Clippers owner Steve Ballmer made it clear he will not back down from a fight with Madison Square Garden and New York Knicks owner James Dolan and that MSG should be prepared for a long battle over litigation trying to block the building of Ballmer’s proposed new
7:51 PM ET EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — Frank Vogel instructed the scoreboard operator to put 2 minutes on the clock and have the score read 99-96 in the reserves’ favor. It was time for the Los Angeles Lakers to test out their crunch-time lineup with LeBron James at the point and Anthony Davis at center
3:32 PM ET Eric WoodyardESPN EAST LANSING, Mich. — From winning MVP of Ice Cube’s Big3 league to suiting up for the Detroit Pistons during training camp, the past few months have been a whirlwind for NBA veteran Joe Johnson. After sitting out the 2018-19 NBA season, Johnson, 38, revitalized his career through 3-on-3 professional
3:30 PM ET Associated Press WASHINGTON — Washington Wizards backup center Ian Mahinmi will miss the start of the regular season because of a strained right Achilles tendon, joining the team’s long list of injured players. The Wizards said Thursday that Mahinmi “will be treated conservatively” and will be re-evaluated in six weeks. Washington is
7:35 AM ET Manoj BhagavatulaESPN MUMBAI — Over the last weekend of September, a visitor to the Gateway of India in the evening would have seen the city’s iconic landmark lit up in varying patterns of red, white and blue. Someone passing close to the Bandra-Worli Sealink bridge on the evening of October 2 and
1:44 AM ET Lonzo Ball and LaVar Ball have been countersued by their former business partner, Alan Foster, for fraudulent concealment and breach of contract. According to legal documents obtained by The Blast, Foster alleges that LaVar Ball embezzled more than $2.6 million from Big Baller Brand and other companies associated with the Ball Family
11:27 PM ET Nick DePaulaESPN As he looks to expand his personal brand both on and off the court, Los Angeles Lakers forward Kyle Kuzma has signed a five-year footwear and apparel endorsement deal with Puma. The deal is expected to pay him north of $20 million over the life of the contract, with additional
9:57 PM ET HONOLULU — Kawhi Leonard went through his first full-contact practice with the LA Clippers on Wednesday. Head coach Doc Rivers said Leonard did full contact when he was on the floor for “probably half the live stuff.” “Kawhi practiced today,” Rivers said at the University of Hawaii, where the Clippers are holding
6:27 PM ET Andrew LopezESPN METAIRIE, La. — For a split second, New Orleans Pelicans guard Frank Jackson couldn’t believe his eyes. As the Pelicans worked on inbounds plays on the second day of training camp Wednesday, Lonzo Ball floated a pass to the goal that looked like it was going to hit off the