3:10 AM ET PHOENIX — Dallas Mavericks coach Jason Kidd has delivered a similar message after both games so far in the Western Conference semifinals: Luka Doncic needs a lot more help against the top-seeded Phoenix Suns. Dallas wasted another brilliant offensive performance by Doncic in Wednesday’s Game 2, when he scored 35 points on
NBA
8:00 AM ET How much has each NBA conference semifinals shifted after Game 2? For the Boston Celtics vs. Milwaukee Bucks and Memphis Grizzlies vs. Golden State Warriors showdowns, plenty. In Boston, Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum combined for 59 points as the league’s No. 1 defense limited the Bucks to 3-for-18 from the 3-point
12:42 AM ET Tim BontempsESPN MIAMI — After dropping their first two games on the shores of Biscayne Bay to open up this Eastern Conference semifinal against the Heat without superstar big man Joel Embiid, one question looms over the Philadelphia 76ers as the series shifts back to the City of Brotherly Love for Game
7:50 PM ET Brooklyn Nets swingman Ben Simmons will require three to four months of rehabilitation after undergoing back surgery on Thursday, but is expected to be fully recovered to return to the court well ahead of preseason training camp in September, sources told ESPN on Wednesday. Simmons, 25, is undergoing a microdiscectomy procedure to
9:32 PM ET Kendra AndrewsESPN SAN FRANCISCO — Golden State Warriors guard Gary Payton II is expected to miss approximately a month with a fractured left elbow, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski on Wednesday. The possibility that Payton could return for the NBA Finals remains, but only if the Warriors advance in the playoffs. Payton
9:41 PM ET Brianna Williams It can be common to hear critiques of referees, especially during the NBA playoffs, but Scott Foster and Ed Malloy made it a little easier to appreciate the men under the zebra stripes. The duo went viral during the series opener between the Boston Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks when Foster
7:45 AM ET All odds are provided by Caesars Sportsbook. What you need to know for Wednesday’s playoff games Backing off Brunson: The Mavs ranked fifth in percentage of points from beyond the arc during the regular season, something that they should look to embrace against the top-seeded Suns. But while Dallas has largely built
3:41 AM ET MEMPHIS, Tenn. — All Ja Morant needed was one good eye to match his playoff career-high of 47 points and even the Memphis Grizzlies‘ series with the Golden State Warriors. Playing with blurred vision in his left eye after being poked in the third quarter, Morant scored the Grizzlies’ final 15 points
2:19 AM ET MEMPHIS, Tenn. — On Monday, coming off the Golden State Warriors‘ 117-116 victory in Game 1, Stephen Curry reminisced about his absentminded youth. Like every student on Davidson’s campus, Curry was issued a CatCard that admitted him to every facility, from the gym to the cafeteria. While his counterpart in the Western
10:20 PM ET MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Memphis Grizzlies forward Dillon Brooks was ejected less than three minutes into Tuesday night’s game against the Golden State Warriors for a flagrant foul 2 on Gary Payton II, marking the second straight game in this second-round series that a starter was ejected for a flagrant 2. Brooks was