6:42 PM ET EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — With a 28-29 record, the Lakers are three games out of the playoff picture with 25 regular-season games left. Even tougher: they have the fourth-toughest remaining schedule in the NBA, according to ESPN Stats & Information projections. So for LeBron James, it’s time to turn on the afterburners,
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6:06 PM ET Boston Celtics forward Gordon Hayward sprained his ankle during a workout Tuesday, coach Brad Stevens said, and is listed as questionable for Thursday’s game against the Milwaukee Bucks. Stevens, speaking Wednesday on 98.5 The Sports Hub, said the injury was “not a long-term thing.” Stevens said the injury was to Hayward’s right
5:52 PM ET Boston Celtics forward Gordon Hayward twisted his ankle during a workout Tuesday and is expected to be questionable for Thursday’s game against the Milwaukee Bucks, coach Brad Stevens said. Stevens, speaking Wednesday on 98.5 The Sports Hub, said the injury was “not a long-term thing.” Stevens said the injury was to Hayward’s
4:21 PM ET Associated Press MIAMI — Goran Dragic and Derrick Jones Jr. are on their way back to the Miami Heat rotation. Both practiced Wednesday and are available for Miami’s game at Philadelphia on Thursday. Dragic has played in only two of Miami’s last 41 games, and underwent surgery to clean out his right
3:11 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN Kyrie Irving said his phone call to LeBron James earlier this year to apologize was necessary in part because he “didn’t address the situation” while the two of them were teammates in Cleveland. “Well, I think that, you know, it takes a very, very strong individual to replay a lot
2:37 PM ET Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid is out for at least a week with left knee soreness, the team announced Wednesday. An MRI revealed no structural damage, so he will undergo treatment and be evaluated in a week, the team said in a statement. Embiid is averaging 27.3 points, 13.5 rebounds and 1.9
9:38 PM ET LOS ANGELES — Houston Rockets center Clint Capela declared himself ready to return after missing 15 games because of ligament damage in his right thumb that required surgery. James Harden, who has scored 30 points in 31 consecutive games to tie Wilt Chamberlain’s second-longest streak, stressed in a sit-down interview with ESPN’s
11:23 PM ET Associated Press OAKLAND, Calif. — Former President Barack Obama and Golden State Warriors superstar Stephen Curry told a roomful of minority boys on Tuesday that they matter and urged them to make the world a better place. Obama was in Oakland to mark the fifth anniversary of My Brother’s Keeper, an initiative
8:17 PM ET Adrian WojnarowskiESPN Free-agent guard Jodie Meeks has agreed to a 10-day contract with the Toronto Raptors, league sources told ESPN. Meeks made a good impression on the Raptors in a workout this week, offering the Eastern Conference contender some belief that he could make impact off the bench with his shooting ability.
8:58 AM ET Based on a sampling of attitudes on the topic over All-Star Weekend, there’s a chance the coming Most Valuable Player race could morph into a bit of a basketball culture war. Just to be clear, there are no hard feelings. Everyone, particularly the dozen-plus players surveyed on the matter, agrees the Houston