11:25 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN BOSTON — As the Boston Celtics trailed by two in the final 30 seconds of regulation in Tuesday’s Christmas Day thriller against the Philadelphia 76ers, they had the ball right where they wanted it: in Kyrie Irving’s hands. There is, perhaps, no better shotmaker in the entire NBA than Irving,
NBA
10:03 PM ET OAKLAND, Calif. — LeBron James hobbled off into the locker room in the third quarter with a strained left groin and was questionable to return against the Golden State Warriors. James appeared to injure his groin as he was on the floor trying to secure the basketball and pass out a teammate
7:57 PM ET Michael C. Wright HOUSTON — James Harden strolled into the Toyota Center sporting a fluorescent green Grinch-colored suit and gifted MacBooks and Beats by Dre headphones to teammates, before stealing away Oklahoma City’s holiday joy Tuesday by leading the Houston Rockets to a 113-109 victory. On the way, Harden dropped 41 points,
6:37 PM ET As he walked off the court at Madison Square Garden on Christmas Day, Giannis Antetokounmpo received the kind of ovation that’s normally reserved for the home team. “This is why New York is so special. The energy, the atmosphere is great,” Antetokounmpo said after hearing the loudest cheer of the afternoon in
8:31 PM ET Adrian WojnarowskiESPN Philadelphia 76ers guard Markelle Fultz‘s agent, Raymond Brothers, told ESPN that his client is progressing well in rehabilitation on his right shoulder and that he expects Fultz to return to the team this season. “We want to make sure he’s 100 percent and healthy when he does come back,” Brothers
10:09 PM ET Rachel Nichols In an interview ahead of the Christmas Day matchup between the Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors, LeBron James sat down with ESPN’s Rachel Nichols to talk about the start of the 2018-19 season, recruiting stars to his team and how he reacted to Finals MVP Kevin Durant‘s comments
10:09 PM ET LeBron James is keenly aware that his success with the Los Angeles Lakers could come down just as much to his effectiveness as a recruiter off the court as it does to his production on the court. And he is already planning to fulfill his pitchman duties. “I’ve always recruited,” James told
7:14 AM ET This year’s NBA Christmas Day slate features 10 teams — some are title contenders, some are playoff teams and some are the Knicks. Let’s explore each squad and try to identify a few things that help exemplify their seasons thus far. Bucks @ Knicks | 12 p.m. ET | ESPN/WatchESPN The Bucks
10:23 AM ET There are 45 minutes until the Golden State Warriors play the Cleveland Cavaliers. Kevin Durant is methodically going through his pregame routine, taking shots from various spots on the floor. As he makes his way toward the left corner a fan behind him yells out. “Draymond hates you!” A couple of nights
11:55 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN BOSTON — Any discussion about the Boston Celtics over this holiday weekend was centered around the team meeting that took place after Friday’s dismal showing at home against the Milwaukee Bucks. There was plenty more talk about it after the Celtics came out and blew the doors off the Charlotte