NBA

8:57 PM ET In an epic showdown among some of the league’s most talented stars, Giannis Antetokounmpo dropped 49 points to outduel Kevin Durant‘s 42 points and lift the Bucks to a 117-114 victory over the Nets on Sunday. The game — which came down to the final seconds — was one that many considered

2:08 AM ET DALLAS — Luka Doncic couldn’t hardly believe the box score from the Dallas Mavericks‘ 125-124 win over the Washington Wizards. He wasn’t too amazed by his 31-point, 12-rebound, 20-assist triple-double despite joining an exclusive club with that line. The only other players in NBA history to record 30-point, 20-assist triple-doubles: Oscar Robertson,

12:41 AM ET OKLAHOMA CITY — Behind a franchise record 152 points, the Indiana Pacers handed the Oklahoma City Thunder the largest home loss in NBA history on Saturday, 152-95. The 57-point margin is tops the previous mark of 56, set by the Celtics over the Bulls in 2018 and the SuperSonics over the Rockets

6:06 PM ET ESPN News Services After missing Friday’s game because of a right ankle sprain, Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo is listed as probable to play Sunday against the Brooklyn Nets, according to Milwaukee’s injury report. Antetokounmpo sat out the Bucks’ 108-98 win over the Chicago Bulls on Friday, after he exited in the opening

12:04 AM ET Jayson Tatum‘s 60-point performance on Friday night was nothing short of spectacular. Along with tying Larry Bird’s Celtics franchise record for points in a game, he helped Boston overcome a 32-point deficit in a 143-140 OT win over the San Antonio Spurs. He trails only Devin Booker as the second-youngest player with

10:50 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN BOSTON — At halftime of Friday night’s game here at TD Garden between the Celtics and San Antonio Spurs, the only history anyone would’ve thought might happen on this night would be Boston setting one for margin of defeat. Instead, a dismal first half only set the stage for a

8:47 PM ET Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James will return from the longest absence of his career against the Sacramento Kings on Friday night. James, who has been out since March 20 with a high ankle sprain, will not be on a hard minutes restriction, according to coach Frank Vogel. Friday’s game is one

12:49 AM ET Steve Kerr believes there is a fundamental flaw plaguing this era’s NBA game. After watching his Golden State Warriors get outrebounded 57-34 in Thursday night’s 126-114 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves, Kerr spoke matter-of-factly about the lack of boxing out he sees in today’s game. Brushing off the idea that his team

11:02 PM ET ESPN News Services HOUSTON — Kevin Porter Jr. scored a career-high 50 points to go along with 11 assists, becoming the youngest player ever to log a 50-point double-double with assists. The performance helped Houston snap a five-game losing streak as they beat the the Milwaukee Bucks 143-136 on Thursday night. Porter

1:37 AM ET Andrew LopezESPN New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson is second in the NBA in free throw attempts and fourth in the league in free throw attempts per game, but head coach Stan Van Gundy thinks he should be shooting even more. On Wednesday night against the Denver Nuggets, Williamson had a chance

5:28 PM ET ESPN News Services The NBA has fined Houston Rockets guard Kevin Porter Jr. $50,000 for violating its COVID-19 health and safety protocols, the league said in a statement Wednesday. Porter violated the NBA’s rules against attending indoor social gatherings of 15 or more people and entering bars and similar establishments when he

12:49 AM ET Associated Press PHOENIX — Chris Paul scored 28 points, Devin Booker added 21 and the Phoenix Suns beat the LA Clippers 109-101 on Wednesday night to clinch a spot in the playoffs for the first time in 11 years. The Suns finally figured out a way to beat the Clippers, who won

12:26 PM ET Associated Press CLEVELAND — Cavaliers forward Kevin Love has apologized for his on-court tantrum Monday night, saying his behavior was out of line and out of character. “That wasn’t me,” Love said. The five-time All-Star spoke Wednesday following Cleveland’s shootaround practice before facing the Orlando Magic. Love did not take any questions

7:00 AM ET Eric WoodyardESPN HEATHER MAYFIELD WAS five months pregnant when she went to Mercy Health Saint Mary’s hospital in Grand Rapids, Michigan, with her husband, Brian, accompanying her for an ultrasound appointment on a chilly January day in 2000. Upon the revelation that their first child would be a boy, the couple quickly

12:10 AM ET The Brooklyn Nets clinched a playoff berth on Tuesday night, after defeating the Toronto Raptors 116-103. They are the first Eastern Conference team to confirm a spot in the postseason. Now, the Nets can slip no lower than sixth in the Eastern Conference standings. “It’s great,” Nets coach Steve Nash said of

7:00 PM ET Josh Giddey — a 6-foot-8 Australian playmaking guard — is entering the 2021 NBA draft, his agents Daniel Moldovan and Alex Saratsis of Octagon Sports told ESPN on Tuesday. Giddey is the No. 13 prospect in ESPN’s Top 100 NBA draft rankings, and could climb higher in the lottery. Giddey, 18, has

9:02 AM ET The Golden State Warriors launched a Non-Fungible Token (NFT) collection on the OpenSea platform Tuesday morning, becoming the first professional sports team to do so. “This is the wave of the future,” new Warriors president Brandon Schneider said. “So we’ve been studying what the best way for us to get involved and

1:07 AM ET Chants of “Defense!” echoed through Madison Square Garden when Chris Paul pulled out a cross over, spun and then flung up an 18-foot fadeaway over Julius Randle that silenced the Garden and ultimately snapped the New York Knicks’ nine-game winning streak. The Phoenix Suns’ All-Star point guard scored seven points in the