8:34 PM ET Associated Press NEW YORK — – The Dallas Mavericks were fined $25,000 by the NBA on Friday for players and coaches straying too far onto the court from the bench in a Game 2 loss to Phoenix in the Western Conference semifinals. Coach Jason Kidd criticized the decision before Game 3 in
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11:49 AM ET Tim BontempsESPN CAMDEN, N.J. — The Philadelphia 76ers announced Friday morning that superstar center Joel Embiid has cleared the NBA’s concussion protocol and participated in the team’s morning shootaround ahead of Game 3 of Philadelphia’s Eastern Conference semifinal against the Miami Heat on Friday night, moving him a couple of steps closer
12:49 PM ET Andrew LopezESPN BOSTON — All signs are pointing to Marcus Smart making his return to the Boston Celtics‘ lineup for Game 3 against the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday. Celtics coach Ime Udoka on Friday said that Smart, who missed Game 2 of the Eastern Conference semifinal series after reaggravating a right quad
8:00 AM ET As soon as they saw each other at the American Airlines Center, Donovan Mitchell made a simple request of Theo Pinson before the Utah Jazz and Dallas Mavericks met in the first round of the NBA’s Western Conference playoffs. “Theo, shut up, please,” Mitchell told Pinson. Mitchell is quite familiar with his
2:55 PM ET Kendra AndrewsESPN Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green has been fined $25,000 by the NBA after he flipped off Memphis Grizzlies fans during Tuesday’s Game 2 of the Western Conference semifinals. In first quarter of the Warriors’ 106-101 loss, Green held up his two middle fingers as he walked back to the
2:58 PM ET Grizzlies forward Dillon Brooks has been suspended one game without pay by the NBA for his flagrant foul on Gary Payton II in Memphis’ playoff series against the Warriors. Brooks, who was ejected Tuesday for a flagrant 2 foul that fractured Payton’s left elbow, will serve the suspension Saturday for Game 3.
4:33 PM ET Associated Press ATLANTA — Hawks principal owner Tony Ressler said Thursday the team won’t repeat the “mistake” of complacency that he believes set the stage for this season’s disappointing first-round exit from the playoffs. Ressler said the Hawks won’t stand pat this offseason — even if that means paying a salary tax.
1:37 PM ET Andrew LopezESPN BOSTON — On Thursday afternoon after practice, Boston Celtics coach Ime Udoka took a question about how his team played without Marcus Smart, the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year, in their Game 2 win over the Milwaukee Bucks. Udoka looked up and noticed Smart’s green-tipped hair standing behind a
6:32 PM ET LA Clippers forward Robert Covington has agreed to a two-year, $24 million contract extension, his agent, Andrew Morrison of CAA Sports, told ESPN on Thursday. Covington, who will avoid a summer free-agency marketplace that is limited in salary-cap space, returns to a loaded Clippers roster that will start the season among the
6:11 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN PHILADELPHIA — 76ers superstar center Joel Embiid is currently being listed as out for Game 3 of Philadelphia’s Eastern Conference semifinal against the MiamI Heat, but there is still progress that could be made to change his availability in time to play Friday, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. As 76ers