NBA

10:40 AM ET Amid a dramatic franchise transformation, Cleveland Cavaliers coach J.B. Bickerstaff has agreed on a long-term extension that will keep him under contract through the 2026-27 season, sources told ESPN on Saturday. Bickerstaff and general manager Koby Altman have worked together to reshape the Cavaliers around a young core — including guard Darius

5:20 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN Facebook Twitter Facebook Messenger Pinterest Email print The Boston Celtics had another five players officially enter the NBA’s health and safety protocols Friday afternoon, further battering one of the hardest-hit rosters in the league as the omicron variant of COVID-19 sweeps through the NBA. Guard C.J. Miles, forwards Aaron Nesmith

1:23 PM ET After clearing the NBA’s health and safety protocols, there’s optimism that Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo will be in the lineup against the Boston Celtics on Saturday, sources told ESPN. Antetokounmpo, the reigning NBA Finals MVP, planned to get on the court Friday for a workout. He will make a decision on

6:28 PM ET Timberwolves star Karl-Anthony Towns entered the NBA’s health and safety protocols ahead of Minnesota’s game in Utah on Thursday. He joins six Timberwolves players in the protocols, including starters Patrick Beverley, Anthony Edwards and Jarred Vanderbilt. 1 Related In a tweet shortly after the announcement, Towns lamented that he can’t catch a

3:00 AM ET SAN FRANCISCO — As the Golden State Warriors roll into a Christmas Day showdown with the Phoenix Suns on Saturday, they do so with a little frustration. It’ll mark their second straight year being on the road during the NBA’s biggest regular-season showcase day. “Generally I like playing on Christmas,” Warriors coach

3:59 PM ET The NBA and National Basketball Players Association are near an agreement to reduce the 10-day quarantine periods for COVID-positive players, sources told ESPN on Thursday. The arrangement — expected to soon be shared with teams — could return some players to active play in six days, based on testing procedures, sources said.

11:06 AM ET James Harden, Paul Millsap and Jevon Carter have been cleared from health and safety protocols, and the Brooklyn Nets are expecting to have enough players for their Christmas Day game against the Los Angeles Lakers despite having three more players enter protocols. Nets coach Steve Nash said that while Harden, Millsap and

12:12 AM ET Tim BontempsESPN BOSTON — It’s been 20 years since Joe Johnson made an NBA debut, but he still knows how to score in isolation. Johnson, who earned the nickname “Iso Joe” for his scoring prowess in those situations over the course of his long and decorated NBA career, scored the final points

2:42 PM ET Adrian Wojnarowski Close Senior NBA Insider Host of The Woj Pod Joined ESPN in 2017 Tim MacMahon Close ESPN Staff Writer Joined ESPNDallas.com in September 2009 Covers the Dallas Cowboys and Dallas Mavericks Appears regularly on ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM Dallas Mavericks All-NBA guard Luka Doncic has entered the league’s health and

10:05 AM ET Thursday’s scheduled game between the Nets and Trail Blazers has been postponed, as the NBA announced that coronavirus-struck Brooklyn does not have the required eight players available for the contest. This is the third straight Nets game that has been postponed over the past week. Games against the Denver Nuggets on Sunday

2:53 AM ET Back at .500 at 16-16 following a 108-88 loss to the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday, Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James made it sound like he knows as much about his team’s potential now as he did when they were 0-0 to start the season. “We don’t know,” James said. “We have

4:30 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN NBA commissioner Adam Silver told ESPN’s Malika Andrews that the league has no plans to suspend its season as COVID-19 surges through the league. “No plans right now to pause the season,” Silver said in an interview on NBA Today on Tuesday afternoon. “We have of course looked at all

8:48 PM ET Nick DePaulaESPN In the aftermath of his record-breaking game last week at Madison Square Garden, Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry has launched a new NFT collection to celebrate each and every one of those 2,974 made 3-pointers. The “2974 Collection” launched Monday at 2974SC.com, and it features a series of nonfungible

7:34 PM ET One of the hottest teams in the league is getting their star point guard back. Ja Morant returned for the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday against the visiting Oklahoma City Thunder after missing more than three weeks with a left knee sprain. Morant sprained his knee in a Nov. 26 loss to the

12:38 PM ET Associated Press Steve Kerr saw everything that Gregg Popovich went through as coach of the U.S. men’s national team, saw exactly how difficult it was last summer for the Americans to emerge from the Tokyo Olympics with another gold medal. And when he walked off the floor for the last time in

8:00 AM ET Stephen Curry took center stage to start the week as he continued his pursuit of Ray Allen’s 3-point record. Curry hit six 3s on Monday night against the Indiana Pacers to pull within two shots of the top spot, then quickly hit two 3s in the first quarter of Tuesday’s win over

12:33 AM ET Tim BontempsESPN The NBA and the National Basketball Players Association came to an agreement Sunday night on rules over allowing additional replacement players for teams dealing with players entering the league’s health and safety protocols, according to a memo obtained by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The amended rules, which were outlined in the

6:12 PM ET Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker is set to return against the Charlotte Hornets on Sunday after missing the past seven games with a left hamstring strain. Booker suffered the injury during the second quarter of a Nov. 30 win over the Golden State Warriors, and the Suns have taken a cautious approach