12:43 AM ET After missing almost two months because of a left hamstring strain, Brooklyn Nets forward Kevin Durant quieted any lingering doubts about his health as the playoffs near: He looked like same superstar he has always been. Durant, coming off the bench in his return from a 23-game absence, scored 17 points on
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8:52 PM ET Associated Press DETROIT — Dr. Benjamin Paolucci, a longtime team physician for the Detroit Pistons who was with the franchise for each of its three NBA championships, has died. He was 84. The Pistons said Paolucci died Wednesday in Florida. Paolucci retired from the organization in 2015 after serving the Pistons’ medical
7:00 AM ET Andrew LopezESPN THE SECOND THE basketball slips into Lonzo Ball‘s hands, he’s got one target in mind. It’s March 1 and the New Orleans Pelicans are down by six to the Utah Jazz early in the third quarter. After a Mike Conley 3, Pelicans wing Brandon Ingram takes the inbounds pass and
10:56 AM ET Tennessee freshman Keon Johnson will declare for the 2021 NBA draft and forgo his remaining college eligibility by hiring an agent, he told ESPN Wednesday. Johnson, the No. 6 prospect in the ESPN 100, was named to the SEC’s all-rookie team after averaging 11.3 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 25
8:00 AM ET With COVID-19 testing becoming more available and more vaccines being administered, the NBA expects all arenas to be at full capacity next season and is hopeful that it can safely welcome additional fans into arenas this season, league sources said. A key aspect toward that effort is the NBA’s new multiyear league-wide
2:28 AM ET SAN FRANCISCO — Golden State Warriors star guard Stephen Curry has won two MVPs and three NBA championships, but those who have watched him closely for years believe he continues to play the best basketball of his life during a year in which his team is struggling to hold on to a
2:42 AM ET LOS ANGELES — Less than a minute into his first game as a member of the LA Clippers, DeMarcus Cousins maneuvered his way around Enes Kanter, tapped an offensive rebound to himself and scored on a putback right in front of a delighted Clippers owner Steve Ballmer. Making his debut for the
1:19 AM ET Marc Gasol might have just turned in his best effort since joining the Los Angeles Lakers in Tuesday’s 110-101 win over the Toronto Raptors, but L.A. coach Frank Vogel remained resolute: Andre Drummond is the team’s starting center. “No, we’re going to start Andre. That’s what we signed him here for,” Vogel
11:34 PM ET Andrew LopezESPN The 3-pointers just kept coming for the Atlanta Hawks in the third quarter Tuesday night against the visiting New Orleans Pelicans. And as the Hawks kept launching, the shots kept falling. When it was all said and done, Atlanta had hoisted 11 3-point attempts and hit every one, setting a
5:15 PM ET NEW YORK — Brooklyn Nets guard James Harden will miss at least 10 days with a right hamstring strain, but teammate Kevin Durant is probable to return Wednesday against the New Orleans Pelicans, the team announced Tuesday. Harden played just four minutes before he was ruled out of Monday’s 114-112 win over