9:08 AM ET Tim BontempsESPN INDIANAPOLIS — In a quiet moment after his team finished up practice Thursday afternoon, Indiana Pacers forward Thaddeus Young was asked a question: Do you ever, even for a second, think about what this series against the Boston Celtics would look like if Victor Oladipo — who has been sidelined
NBA
9:45 AM ET What James Harden has done to the Utah Jazz through two blowouts goes back to his greatest humiliation — Harden’s meltdown, and Houston’s collective disintegration, against the San Antonio Spurs in the 2017 conference semifinals. Harden eviscerated the Spurs in Game 1 of that series — a 27-point Rockets win that seemed
10:27 AM ET BRETT BROWN WAS 25 and lost. It’s not an unfamiliar place for many. He was single and stir-crazy, unfulfilled in a sales job, a few years out of Boston University — where he played for Rick Pitino — and with an itch to see more. He had made some sound investments and
2:40 AM ET OKLAHOMA CITY — Russell Westbrook vowed to be better in Game 3 against the Portland Trail Blazers, and with 33 points on 11-of-22 shooting and 11 assists in a 120-108 win Friday night, he followed through. “Man of his word,” Paul George said. “He came out, he led, we got behind him
ORLANDO, Fla. — The last time the Orlando Magic hosted a postseason game in 2012, Toronto Raptors power forward Pascal Siakam had just started playing organized basketball. Seven years later, a polished and self-fulfilled Siakam dominated Game 3, as Toronto held off Orlando 98-93 to take a 2-1 series lead. “He’s unbelievable,” said Raptors point
6:49 PM ET The Oakland Athletics, in what appeared to be a clever if not wry dig at soon-to-be free agent and Golden State Warriors star Kevin Durant, took out a full-page advertisement in Friday’s San Francisco Chronicle that reads “KD commits to Oakland.” The ad came with Durant set to hit free agency this
7:42 PM ET NEW YORK — Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid is listed as doubtful for Saturday’s Game 4 in the Sixers’ first-round series against the Brooklyn Nets, the NBA announced in its injury report Friday evening. Embiid sat out Game 3, a dominant 131-115 win by Philadelphia to take a 2-1 series lead, with
5:22 PM ET SAN ANTONIO — Denver head coach Michael Malone once again challenged the Nuggets, especially Jamal Murray, to play more physical and take things more personally against Derrick White and the San Antonio Spurs in Game 4. “Derrick White didn’t feel us last night,” Malone said at the Nuggets’ team hotel a day
4:45 PM ET SALT LAKE CITY – Two days after declaring himself a no-show in the Houston Rockets’ Game 2 rout, Utah Jazz star guard Donovan Mitchell vowed to take a different, much more aggressive approach. Mitchell has put much of the blame on his shoulders for the Rockets jumping out to insurmountable leads in
1:06 PM ET The NBA has rescinded technical fouls called against the Warriors‘ Kevin Durant and the Clippers‘ JaMychal Green during Thursday’s Game 3, the league announced Friday. Both players appeared surprised by the third-quarter call, since they were just exchanging a few words when the double-technical was given. Durant said after the game that