8:00 AM ET Steve Alexander Now that the fantasy basketball playoffs are here, there’s never a more important time to pay attention to which direction players are trending. Here are five guys currently exceeding expectations and five others who are struggling as the season winds down. Risers Brook Lopez, C, Milwaukee Bucks: Bro-Lo cooled off
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11:02 PM ET LOS ANGELES — LA Clippers star Paul George avoided torn ligaments in his sprained right knee and is not expected to require surgery. While George will miss the remainder of the regular season and will not be reassessed for two to three weeks, the Clippers breathed a sigh of relief that he
5:25 PM ET Michigan freshman guard Jett Howard will declare for the 2023 NBA draft, he told ESPN on Thursday. “This was a great learning year for me,” Howard told ESPN. “It’s what I needed. It taught me how to play within a pro-style offense and be effective, to get out of my comfort zone,
2:10 PM ET Dave McMenamin Close Dave McMenamin ESPN Staff Writer Lakers and NBA reporter for ESPN. Covered the Lakers and NBA for ESPNLosAngeles.com from 2009-14, the Cavaliers from 2014-18 for ESPN.com and the NBA for NBA.com from 2005-09. Adrian Wojnarowski Close Adrian Wojnarowski Senior NBA Insider Host of The Woj Pod Joined ESPN in
2:37 PM ET Eric MoodyESPN Close Former manager at a Fortune 100 financial services company, now living my dream creating fantasy and sports betting content about the NFL, NBA, and WNBA for ESPN. The best fantasy basketball managers make a habit of looking at the NBA schedule, examining box scores and scouring the news for
7:51 AM ET Jamal CollierESPN MIAMI HEAT CENTER Bam Adebayo came flying in from behind for a rebound late in the fourth quarter of their March 10 game against the Cleveland Cavaliers, inadvertently scraping Cavs center Jarrett Allen across the eye in the process. The 6-foot-11 All-Star immediately fell to the ground and covered his
11:14 PM ET Associated Press MINNEAPOLIS — Karl-Anthony Towns scored 22 points in his long-awaited return from a strained right calf, and the Minnesota Timberwolves rallied to beat the Atlanta Hawks 125-124 on Wednesday night. Naz Reid added 26 points off the bench, and Jaden McDaniels had 25 for Minnesota, which trailed by 10 points
3:23 AM ET LOS ANGELES — Lakers coach Darvin Ham sat down in front of reporters following his team’s 122-111 win over the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday and, before fielding any questions, couldn’t help but smile at how his new-look starting lineup performed. “You like the little trick up the sleeve?” Ham asked. He was
2:43 AM ET ESPN News Services Phoenix Suns coach Monty Williams gave just one answer before leaving his postgame news conference Wednesday night, his team furious with the large free throw disparity that favored the Lakers in Los Angeles’ 122-111 home victory. Williams ripped the game officials and described what he sees as a pattern
1:00 AM ET In the NBA’s Western Conference, where just three games separate the No. 4 and No. 12 seeds, every game counts. For the Dallas Mavericks — and team governor Mark Cuban — make that every bucket. The Mavs fell to the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday night 127-125 in a game that pushed