Oct 25, 2018 This story appears in ESPN The Magazine’s Oct. 29 NBA Preview Issue. Subscribe today! It’s a Tuesday in late June, and all over Oklahoma City, email inboxes are about to catch fire. When the subject line “Russell Westbrook‘s Summer Hype House Party” hits the accounts of Thunder season-ticket holders, prominent local businesspeople
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8:05 AM ET OKLAHOMA CITY — The last player out of the home locker room Thursday night, Russell Westbrook had just taken responsibility for a flat fourth quarter in which he went 0-of-7 from the field and missed a potential tying 3-pointer. “Obviously we’re not starting the way we wanted to,” Westbrook said. “But we’ll
8:16 AM ET Nick DePaulaESPN While the opening week’s sneakers around the league were more about blatant flashiness and contrasting colors to take advantage of the NBA’s new footwear rules, to close the month out, players looked to highlight causes and people close to them with their kicks. In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness month,
1:35 AM ET SAN ANTONIO — With the Los Angeles Lakers trailing the San Antonio Spurs by three with 15.9 seconds remaining, Rajon Rondo had a clear path toward the basket but opted to pass up an open layup in hopes of finding a 3-point shooter for the tie. Passed by LeBron James for sixth
1:40 AM ET Associated Press MILWAUKEE — With Giannis Antetokounmpo sidelined to start the second half while being evaluated for a possible concussion, the Milwaukee Bucks built a big third-quarter lead and cruised to a 113-91 win over the Orlando Magic on Saturday. The Bucks have won six consecutive games to start the season, one
10:59 PM ET SAN ANTONIO — Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James passed Dirk Nowitzki for sixth place on the all-time scoring list on Saturday, and Nowitzki thinks James will end up as the greatest scorer ever to play the game. “If he stays healthy, the way he’s looking and moving, he has a chance
7:02 PM ET Associated Press NEW ORLEANS — The New Orleans Pelicans have ruled forward Anthony Davis out of the lineup for Saturday night’s game against the Utah Jazz because of a right elbow sprain. Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry said Davis hurt his elbow during Friday night’s 117-115 victory over Brooklyn. He played with the
11:44 PM ET Associated Press CLEVELAND — Cavaliers forward Kevin Love sat out Saturday night’s 119-107 loss to the Indiana Pacers because of a sore left foot. Bojan Bogdanovic scored 25 points, Victor Oladipo had 24 and the Indiana Pacers defeated Cleveland 119-107 on Saturday night, keeping the Cavaliers winless this season. It was the
6:03 PM ET Philadelphia 76ers coach Brett Brown said Saturday that X-rays on star center Joel Embiid‘s left ankle came back negative and the injury is not as severe as originally thought. The center will be a gametime decision for Saturday night’s matchup with the Charlotte Hornets. He’ll test the ankle before determining whether he
4:23 PM ET SAN ANTONIO — The Los Angeles Lakers will keep Lonzo Ball in the starting lineup Saturday against the San Antonio Spurs when Rajon Rondo returns to the team after serving a three-game suspension, sources told ESPN. The Lakers went 2-1 in Rondo’s absence with Ball providing steady play on both ends of