NBA

2:30 AM ET LOS ANGELES — For the second time this season, Russell Westbrook was benched by Lakers coach Frank Vogel to close out a game. Only this time, the Lakers won, beating the New York Knicks 122-115 in overtime on Saturday. And the result made all the difference to Westbrook in accepting the decision.

4:13 PM ET ESPN News Services LeBron James, who has missed the Los Angeles Lakers‘ past five games with swelling in his left knee, could return tonight against the New York Knicks (8:30 p.m. ET, ABC), sources told ESPN’s Dave McMenamin. James will go through a pregame warmup to determine if he is ready to

5:12 PM ET Sashi Brown is leaving Monumental Sports and the NBA’s Washington Wizards to return to the NFL as an executive with the Baltimore Ravens, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Adam Schefter on Friday. The Ravens haven’t announced the news, but team officials confirmed the hiring to ESPN. Brown had just been promoted

1:47 AM ET SALT LAKE CITY — Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving doesn’t want his team getting too down on itself despite the fact it has now dropped a season-high seven straight games after an embarrassing 125-102 loss to the Utah Jazz on Friday night. As the losses pile up, skepticism around the league grows

12:06 PM ET ESPN.com Facebook Twitter Facebook Messenger Pinterest Email print NBA trade time is here for the 2021-22 regular season. The Cleveland Cavaliers lost guard Ricky Rubio for the season Tuesday when he suffered an ACL tear in his left knee in a loss to the New Orleans Pelicans. Rubio’s injury follows last month’s

3:25 AM ET LOS ANGELES — The LA Clippers might find out more about whether Paul George will play again this season when he undergoes an MRI on his right elbow on Feb. 24, but head coach Ty Lue did not sound optimistic about a potential Kawhi Leonard return this season. After the Clippers squeezed

7:42 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN Chris Paul and Devin Booker, the starting backcourt for the NBA-leading Phoenix Suns, headlined the NBA’s announcement of the 14 reserves for the NBA’s All-Star Game in Cleveland later this month. Paul, who is averaging 14.9 points and 10.4 assists, is making his 12th All-Star appearance, while Booker, who is

2:11 PM ET Legendary Hall of Fame coach Bill Fitch, who coached some of the NBA’s biggest names and helped guide Larry Bird and the Boston Celtics to an NBA championship in 1981, died at the age of 89 on Wednesday. Fitch, a two-time NBA Coach of the Year, was named to the Top 10

8:00 AM ET NBA Insiders The NBA trade deadline is one week away. Which stars could be on the move? Last season’s deadline saw two major deals among the flurry of last-minute trades, both involving the Orlando Magic‘s massive rebuild: The Denver Nuggets acquired forward Aaron Gordon, while the Chicago Bulls dealt for center Nikola

11:34 PM ET LOS ANGELES — As someone who hones his craft in a league in which minority coaches occupy the majority of the head-coaching positions, Chauncey Billups of the Portland Trail Blazers said he can’t help but appreciate how the NBA operates compared to the NFL. “I’m really just kind of so proud of

7:48 PM ET Washington Wizards guard Bradley Beal will miss at least his team’s next four games after being diagnosed with a ligament injury in his left wrist. The Wizards said Beal was diagnosed with an injury to the scapholunate ligament and would be reevaluated in one week. Beal will miss Tuesday night’s game against

8:00 AM ET SENSING AN ACROBATIC opportunity, Ja Morant skips with excitement and raises his left hand. He’s already calling for a lob as he approaches the 3-point line on the left wing, with Memphis Grizzlies backcourt mate Desmond Bane crossing half court in transition. Bane picks up his dribble, takes two long strides down

3:57 PM ET Kendra AndrewsESPN SAN ANTONIO — The Golden State Warriors will be without more than half of their active roster, including Stephen Curry, when they face the San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday in the second game of a back-to-back. After dropping 40 points against the Houston Rockets on Monday, Curry is listed as

1:26 PM ET PHOENIX — James Harden (right hand strain) went through all of the Brooklyn Nets‘ shootaround Tuesday and has been upgraded to probable for the game Tuesday night against the Phoenix Suns. “I think he’s feeling less irritation,” Nets coach Steve Nash said after the shootaround. “So the inflammation’s come down. Therefore, the

12:56 AM ET Kendra AndrewsESPN HOUSTON — For the second time in 10 days, the Houston Rockets were giving the Golden State Warriors every inch of fight they had in them. And for about three quarters, it looked to be wearing the Warriors down. But then in the fourth, Stephen Curry erupted. He scored 21

2:41 PM ET After tests revealed a torn ACL in his left knee, Utah Jazz forward Joe Ingles will miss the rest of the season and need to rehabilitate into the start of the 2022-23 season, sources told ESPN. The Jazz revealed a torn ACL that included no other structural damage after an MRI on

12:53 PM ET The 2022 NBA trade deadline (Feb. 10, 3 p.m. ET) has already started buzzing with some moves, including a voided trade, to put players with new teams for the 2021-22 regular season. The Atlanta Hawks are trading Cam Reddish to the New York Knicks for Kevin Knox II in a swap of

8:00 AM ET The Phoenix Suns won their 10th straight game on Sunday, cementing Monty Williams’ spot as head coach of the NBA All-Star Game’s Team LeBron as he leads the top squad in the Western Conference. The 40-9 Suns sit atop the NBA, ahead of the West rival Golden State Warriors, who own the