9:57 AM ET Tim BontempsESPN THE BOSTON CELTICS thought they had LeBron James right where they wanted him. For the third time in five seasons, Boston had a chance to close James out on its home court inside TD Garden. After taking Game 5 of the 2012 Eastern Conference finals in Miami, the Celtics returned
NBA
12:24 AM ET Tim BontempsESPN BOSTON — After missing two free throws with 7.6 seconds to go in overtime that would’ve given the Boston Celtics the lead, star guard Jaylen Brown took the blame for Boston’s 120-117 overtime loss to the New York Knicks at TD Garden Thursday night. “I’ve just got to be better,
10:58 PM ET Dallas superstar Luka Doncic exited in the first quarter of the Mavericks’ 99-95 win over the Phoenix Suns on Thursday because of a sprained left ankle. Doncic suffered the injury when he stepped on a Suns defender’s foot while pivoting a few minutes into the game. Dallas called a timeout with 8:39
9:25 PM ET NEW YORK — Brooklyn Nets big man Ben Simmons left Thursday’s 130-122 loss to the Detroit Pistons because of left knee soreness. Simmons, who has already missed 11 games this season because of injury, exited in the third quarter but it is unclear exactly when he got hurt. Editor’s Picks 1 Related
7:30 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN BOSTON — LeBron James and Giannis Antetokounmpo were named the captains of the two teams that will take part in the 2023 NBA All-Star Game next month in Salt Lake City. James ties Kareem Abdul-Jabbar — whom he is about to pass as the league’s all-time scoring leader — for
8:22 PM ET NBA Insiders NBA All-Star Weekend is always a time of debate, and this year’s event in Salt Lake City on Feb. 17-19 will be no exception. With only 24 roster spots in the event and 10 starters, there will be an array of stars on the court, but some talented and well-respected
2:30 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
NBA scoring has seen a notable explosion so far this season, particularly among the league’s stars. Already, 17 players have scored 50 points or more this season, which is the most the league has seen through the month of January since 1963, per ESPN Stats & Information research. The NBA could be on pace for
3:55 AM ET Kendra AndrewsESPN SAN FRANCISCO — With Golden State leading Memphis by just two points with 1:14 remaining Wednesday night, Stephen Curry clapped his hands at Jordan Poole after what Curry said he thought was an ill-advised 3-point attempt by his Warriors teammate. While running back on defense, a frustrated Curry took out
2:08 AM ET PHILADELPHIA — Jacque Vaughn has a simple message for Ben Simmons. The former All-Star struggled to find consistency in his game throughout the season, but again showed flashes of potential in a strong third quarter in Wednesday’s 137-133 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers. Simmons scored 10 points and looked like a different