7:40 AM ET The concept of “can’t” hasn’t really applied to the NHL during the COVID-19 pandemic. When faced with adversity, it has shown undeniable and admirable ingenuity. This is a league that halted its 2019-20 season, restarted it in two Canadian “bubble” cities and rewrote its postseason rules to allow 24 teams to participate
4:00 AM ET Real Madrid want to pair Kylian Mbappe with Erling Haaland in a forward line that would be the envy of world football — ESPN’s Insider Notebook has the latest. PLUS: Arsenal have plans to replace Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. Jump to: Arsenal’s list of Auba replacements | City goodwill towards Barca in Torres deal
6:42 PM ET Rob DawsonCorrespondent MANCHESTER, England — “That’s more like it,” said the presenter as he opened MUTV’s half-time coverage of Burnley‘s visit to Old Trafford on Thursday, and you could almost hear the relief spill out of the TVs dotted around the stadium. The past 12 months have been a tough sell for
1:07 AM ET Michigan State defeated Pittsburgh 31-21 in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl on Thursday night, capping off a turnaround 11-2 season for Mel Tucker in his second year as head coach. The Spartans faced a 21-10 deficit in the third quarter, but outscored Pitt 21-0 in the fourth quarter to complete the comeback victory.
7:03 PM ET After one game with the Dallas Mavericks, former All-Star guard Isaiah Thomas entered the NBA’s health and safety protocols on Thursday. Thomas was signed to a 10-day hardship deal on Wednesday to replace Brandon Knight, another hardship-deal addition who entered the league’s protocols after testing positive for COVID-19. Thomas, whose 10-day deal
11:35 PM ET NEW YORK — As the Brooklyn Nets prepare for the return of Kyrie Irving, they do so believing that Irving’s status as a part-time player, who only plays on the road, will not affect their continuity. “Have you watched him play?” Nets star Kevin Durant said after Thursday’s 110-102 loss to the
10:14 PM ET Jamal Collier The Toronto Raptors and Maple Leafs will begin hosting home games without selling tickets to fans for the next three weeks starting Friday following a decision by the province of Ontario to limit venue capacities. Ontario’s government capped attendance at concert venues, arenas and theaters to 1,000 people or 50%,
7:22 PM ET The Cleveland Cavaliers are nearing a trade to acquire Los Angeles Lakers guard Rajon Rondo, and an agreement is expected to be completed as soon as Friday, sources told ESPN. The sides are working out terms on a deal, but the Cavaliers need to create a roster spot to make room for
12:09 AM ET Tim BontempsESPN NEW YORK — Two weeks ago, Kevin Durant led a short-handed Brooklyn Nets team to a win over Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers and waved his opponents off the court inside Barclays Center. Thursday night, Embiid gave Durant a taste of his own medicine, waving him and the rest
12:33 AM ET San Antonio Spurs assistant Becky Hammon is finalizing a five-year deal with the WNBA’s Las Vegas Aces that’ll make her the league’s highest-paid coach, sources confirmed to ESPN on Thursday. Hammon plans to finish the season with the Spurs, sources said. A six-time All-Star during her playing career in the WNBA, Hammon,