NBA

8:00 AM ET FOR MOST OF Monty Williams’ tenure coaching the Phoenix Suns, the downs have followed the ups. An 8-0 record in the NBA bubble two seasons ago still resulted in missing the play-in game to qualify for the postseason. Last season, making the franchise’s first Western Conference finals in a decade was met

12:39 AM ET DALLAS — Dirk Nowitzki watched and listened to two tribute videos and three high-profile speakers Wednesday night before he finally took his place behind the lectern, which featured “41 FOREVER” on the front and was set up in the center of the American Airlines Center court for a postgame ceremony in which

11:46 AM ET INDIANAPOLIS — Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving will make his season debut Wednesday night against the Indiana Pacers — but Nets coach Steve Nash didn’t want to reveal whether Irving would start or come off the bench. No matter what Nash decides to do, he is confident that Irving will play “a

8:00 AM ET IT’S A FEW hours after dusk on a Monday in early December, and the Golden State Warriors‘ gleaming spaceship, the Chase Center, is about to transform into a vibrating dance party. The frenzy will be identical to those created by superstar Stephen Curry‘s one-man scoring blitzkriegs, but Curry will be swaying and

8:00 AM ET “Will Kyrie Irving play tonight?” is about to become a regular question throughout the rest of the 2021-22 NBA season. Irving, who is not vaccinated for COVID-19, hasn’t played because of the Brooklyn Nets‘ decision prior to the start of the regular season not to allow him to participate due to New

7:11 PM ET The Miami Heat have ruled out forward Jimmy Butler for Wednesday night’s game against the Trail Blazers in Portland. Butler injured his right ankle late in the third quarter of Monday night’s 115-108 loss to the Golden State Warriors. The Heat provided no other updates Tuesday beyond ruling him out against the

10:38 AM ET After missing four games in the NBA’s COVID-19 protocols, Phoenix Suns coach Monty Williams has been cleared and will join the team for Tuesday’s game against the New Orleans Pelicans, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The Suns, at 28-8, have the second-best record in the league. Williams entered the league’s health and

12:27 AM ET Tim BontempsESPN NEW YORK — Memphis Grizzlies guard Desmond Bane has heard the chatter about whether his backcourt mate, Ja Morant, should make his first All-Star Game this season. But after Morant’s latest dominant performance — 36 points, 6 rebounds, 8 assists and a game-high plus-24 in 33 minutes of a 118-104

4:20 PM ET After a two-year layoff with significant injuries, there’s optimism that Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson will make his return against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday, sources told ESPN. A final decision on Thompson’s debut is expected to be made once the Warriors return from back-to-back games on Wednesday and Thursday in

8:00 AM ET DeMar DeRozan and the Chicago Bulls ended 2021 with fireworks. They started 2022 with some too. The NBA’s leader in fourth-quarter scoring was at it again this past week, knocking down wild, buzzer-beating 3-pointers in back-to-back fashion to stun the Indiana Pacers and Washington Wizards. Thanks to DeRozan’s late-game heroics, the Bulls

11:11 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN BOSTON — For just under 44 minutes Sunday night at TD Garden, it appeared the Boston Celtics were going to start their new year off about as badly as they possibly could. But then Jaylen Brown decided that wouldn’t happen. And, as a result, what seemed destined to be one

10:03 PM ET ESPN News Services OKLAHOMA CITY — Oklahoma City Thunder rookie guard Josh Giddey, back after missing three games while in the NBA’s health and safety protocols, became the youngest player in league history to record a triple-double during Sunday night’s game against the Dallas Mavericks. Giddey finished with 17 points, 14 assists

12:08 AM ET NEW YORK — Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant didn’t mince words after a disappointing 120-116 loss to a severely undermanned LA Clippers squad on Saturday night. He was frustrated by not only the fact that the Nets dropped their second straight game, but that they did so against a team he thought

12:02 AM ET Jamal Collier Chicago Bulls star DeMar DeRozan hit a buzzer-beating, game-winning 3-pointer for the second consecutive night Saturday, leading the Bulls to a 120-119 road victory over the Washington Wizards, their seventh straight win. DeRozan, who hit a game-winner Friday to defeat the Indiana Pacers, is the first player in NBA history

2:28 PM ET Superstar point guard Luka Doncic is among three Dallas Mavericks who have cleared the NBA’s health and safety protocols and are expected to rejoin the team before Sunday’s game in Oklahoma City. Shooting guard Tim Hardaway Jr. and power forward Maxi Kleber have also cleared the protocols after missing several games because

2:28 PM ET Superstar point guard Luka Doncic is among three Dallas Mavericks who are expected to clear the NBA’s health and safety protocols and rejoin the team before Sunday’s game in Oklahoma City, sources told ESPN. Shooting guard Tim Hardaway Jr. and power forward Maxi Kleber are also expected to clear the protocols after

3:56 AM ET LOS ANGELES — If 2022 goes anything for the Los Angeles Lakers like LeBron James‘ first game since turning 37, L.A. could have big things in store. James scored a season-high 43 points in just 29 minutes in the Lakers’ 139-106 win over the Portland Trail Blazers, dominating the action from the

7:57 PM ET Jamal Collier After Chicago Bulls star DeMar DeRozan knocked down a 3-pointer at the buzzer, a one-legged heave as the clock expired to lead the Bulls to a 108-106 victory over the Indiana Pacers on Friday afternoon, he stood several steps behind the 3-point line and raised both arms in the air.