11:40 PM ET Houston Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni offered a simple explanation for his team’s terrible performance through three and a half quarters of Thursday’s 110-100 Game 4 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers. “Just a lack of spirit,” D’Antoni said. “It just seems like we got down. We lost our way a little bit.”
NBA
6:43 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — The NBA’s Last Two Minute Report from Wednesday’s heart-stopping 125-122 victory for the Toronto Raptors over the Boston Celtics said the officials got one key call wrong — and another one right. The document — which analyzed more than 50 decisions the referees did, or
7:52 PM ET Since games began on July 30, several NBA general managers and team athletic training officials have noticed that the play looks crisp, players are moving up and down the court with speed, and there were top-notch performances almost every night even though teams were playing every other day at the ESPN Wide
5:02 PM ET Andrew LopezESPN Brooklyn Nets forward Kevin Durant made his first public comments about new coach Steve Nash on Thursday saying he’s “excited” about the opportunity to be coached by the former two-time league MVP. Durant, speaking on JJ Redick‘s “The Old Man and the Three” podcast, said he’s excited about any former
7:20 AM ET A lot of fans seem to hate watching James Harden play. I get it. There is a numbing effect to the thump-thump-thump of Harden dribbling 20 times while four teammates stand in places chosen by Harden. But I have a soft spot for the visual Harden experience. He inspires a chess match
6:00 AM ET With his suits, his hair and his style, Miami Heat team president Pat Riley has long presented a Hollywood image. But those who have worked for him know his mindset is closer to that of a general. Riley’s life has been in basketball, but as someone in his teens and 20s during
1:57 AM ET Denver Nuggets rookie forward Michael Porter Jr. flashed his raw offensive talent in the first half of Game 4 on Wednesday against the LA Clippers, using his size to score inside and his smooth jumper to shoot over L.A.’s rangy wing defenders on his way to 15 points on 5-of-6 shooting. He
10:14 PM ET Five-time NBA All-Star Chauncey Billups has emerged as a candidate in the Indiana Pacers‘ coaching search, sources told ESPN. As the Pacers begin preliminary interviews with a number of candidates, Billups and team officials have recently engaged and are planning to talk further about the job, sources said Wednesday. Billups, 43, fits
7:30 PM ET LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — The Los Angeles Lakers will have an earlier tipoff time for Game 4 of the Western Conference semifinals on Thursday, a schedule change that couldn’t come soon enough for L.A. The Lakers will play the Houston Rockets at 7 p.m. ET, a welcome adjustment after having their
11:25 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — For many reasons — primarily the loss of NBA Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard in free agency — the Toronto Raptors entered the 2019-20 season as the least-heralded league champion since the 2011 Dallas Mavericks. Bookmakers in Las Vegas set the line for Raptors wins at