9:24 PM ET As the LA Clippers watched a 23-point lead shrink to six with just over nine minutes left in Game 6, Kawhi Leonard didn’t need to say much. The reigning NBA Finals MVP closed out the Dallas Mavericks by making four consecutive shots to fuel a series-clinching 17-7 run and propel the Clippers
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8:26 PM ET It’s highly unlikely anyone around the NBA needed to see a second of Luka Doncic‘s first NBA playoff series to believe the Dallas Mavericks have a bonafide superstar. They didn’t need to watch Doncic’s 42-point Game 1 outing, the highest-scoring playoff debut in NBA history, against the heavily-favored LA Clippers. They didn’t
6:24 PM ET Andrew LopezESPN Toronto Raptors coach Nick Nurse sat down for his postgame news conference and started looking for answers. For only the second time since the NBA season restarted, his Raptors dropped a game. It just so happened to occur against the same team — the Boston Celtics. Boston dominated the Raptors
6:34 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — When Boston Celtics forward Gordon Hayward limped off the court with a right ankle sprain late in the fourth quarter of Game 1 of their first-round series against the Philadelphia 76ers, it appeared Boston’s status as a credible championship contender was in danger. The Celtics
4:46 PM ET LA Clippers forward Marcus Morris Sr. was ejected late in the first quarter of Game 6 due to a flagrant 2 foul committed against Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic, a continuation of the heated rivalry that has developed between the two players in the first-round series. As Doncic drove to the basket,
5:20 PM ET Oklahoma City Thunder guard Dennis Schroder and Houston Rockets forward P.J. Tucker each has been fined $25,000 after their altercation in Game 5 on Saturday. NBA executive vice president of basketball operations announced the punishment Sunday. As Schroder ran through a Tucker screen, he swung his arm between Tucker’s legs, catching him
6:56 AM ET As we move into the second round of the 2020 NBA playoffs, Sunday brings the first postseason matchup between the Boston Celtics and the Toronto Raptors (ESPN and the ESPN app, 1 p.m. ET). The Eastern Conference semifinals continue Monday with Game 1 of the Miami Heat–Milwaukee Bucks series, another compelling matchup.
7:10 AM ET The Toronto Raptors, Boston Celtics and Miami Heat all swept their way into the Eastern Conference semifinals, while the Milwaukee Bucks, after a Game 1 hiccup against the Orlando Magic, cruised through the rest of a five-game series to the second round. Here’s where the battle to win the East gets interesting.
12:19 PM ET Toronto Raptors guard Kyle Lowry is set to play in Sunday’s Game 1 against the Boston Celtics after previously being uncertain because of a sprained left ankle. Coach Nick Nurse told reporters that he didn’t expect any limitations on Lowry in Sunday’s game. “We’re going to have to see how it goes
4:41 AM ET LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — A few uneasy days off the court for LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers were followed by a relatively straightforward win on it, as the Lakers’ 131-122 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers on Saturday closed out their first-round playoff series 4-1. As much as Los