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12:19 AM ET With the Los Angeles Lakers already down double-digits late in the first quarter on Wednesday, LeBron James put his head down and drove to the cup, looking to salvage a smidgen of momentum heading into the quarter break. Awaiting him at the rim was the Philadelphia 76ers’ hulking Joel Embiid, who swatted

2:05 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN The NBA announced that All-Star voting for this season will begin Thursday at noon and will conclude at midnight on Feb. 16. Fans can submit one full ballot each day through either the NBA App or NBA.com throughout the voting period, and they can vote for up to 10 unique

2:32 PM ET Eric WoodyardESPN Indiana Pacers guard Caris LeVert is expected to make a full recovery after undergoing surgery to treat renal cell carcinoma of his left kidney Monday, the team announced. The surgery was performed by Dr. Jason Sprunger at Community Hospital North in Indianapolis, and the team said no further treatment is

12:54 AM ET John Wall and Russell Westbrook, the pair of point guards with maximum salaries swapped for each other just before training camps opened, stood near the free throw line midway through the fourth quarter and barked at each other Tuesday night at the Toyota Center. Wall, who readily acknowledged that his adrenaline was

Kanye West dropped a reference to the No. 24 jersey in his lyrics, rapping on Jay-Z and T.I.’s “Swagga Like Us,” “Tryin’ to get that Kobe number, one over Jordan.” From the moment he came into the league, Bryant paid homage to the greats who came before him. Now it’s current NBA players who pay

7:05 AM ET This story was originally published on Feb. 24, 2020. Jan. 26 is the one-year anniversary of the helicopter crash that killed Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna and seven others. THE WEARY GROUP trudged across the tarmac and onto the team plane at Philadelphia International Airport. Awaiting the Los Angeles Lakers at the

3:01 AM ET It had been more than two years since LeBron James played a game in Cleveland, due to the coronavirus pandemic. The Los Angeles Lakers star certainly made up for lost time on Monday, turning in perhaps his greatest performance against his former team. James scored a season-high 46 points in the Lakers’

And they’re not alone; the top three teams in the conference are rolling right now, as the Clippers’ win streak hit seven after Sunday’s win over the Oklahoma City Thunder. The defending-champion Lakers, meanwhile, have won eight of their past 10. Check out which other teams are cruising into Week 6, and which teams are

6:57 AM ET Kobe Bryant liked to tell people he didn’t have time for friends. Not in the conventional way most people have friends in which they talk regularly or grab a meal when they’re in the same part of town. Ever on brand, Bryant even trademarked the slogan, “Friends hang sometimes, Banners hang forever.”

10:54 PM ET ESPN News Services SAN ANTONIO — Russell Westbrook had nine points, eight rebounds and six assists in 25 minutes in his first game in more than two weeks due to a left quadriceps injury. His return came in the Washington Wizards‘ 121-101 loss to the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday night. The

11:41 AM ET Associated Press MIAMI — The Miami Heat are bringing back some fans, with help from some dogs. The Heat will use coronavirus-sniffing dogs at AmericanAirlines Arena to screen fans who want to attend their games. They’ve been working on the plan for months, and the highly trained dogs have been in place

2:56 AM ET Three-hundred and sixty-three days following Kobe Bryant’s death and 104 days after winning the championship in his honor, the Los Angeles Lakers‘ co-captains, LeBron James and Anthony Davis, reflected on the time that’s passed since the world lost Bryant. “Man, it’s a saying that time heals all,” James said after a win

10:24 PM ET Golden State Warriors star guard Stephen Curry passed Hall of Famer Reggie Miller for the second-most made 3-pointers in NBA history after making his 2,561st career 3-pointer early in the second-half against the Utah Jazz on Saturday. Curry entered the fourth quarter of the game 411 made 3-pointers behind Hall of Famer

1:32 PM ET Associated Press WASHINGTON — The short-handed Wizards signed free-agent centers Alex Len and Jordan Bell on Saturday, trying to fill out a roster decimated by COVID-19 and injuries. The Wizards have scrapped six games since a win over the Phoenix Suns on Jan. 11 made them 3-8. They are scheduled to play

12:45 AM ET After a 125-113 loss to the Cavaliers on Friday night, the Brooklyn Nets leave their road trip to Cleveland 0-2 and have a slew of defensive breakdowns to review in their next film session. “This was two humbling losses,” Kyrie Irving said after Friday’s game. Scoring wasn’t an issue for the Nets,

1:41 AM ET Tim BontempsESPN As Friday night’s game between the Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers wore on, Ben Simmons was nowhere to be seen. Through three quarters, Simmons had eight assists but only four points on just three shots, and he appeared well on his way to a fifth straight game with single-digit shot

3:48 PM ET The NBA has rescinded Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green‘s second technical foul from Thursday night’s loss to the New York Knicks, a league source told ESPN, confirming multiple reports. The quick reversal does not come as a surprise given that Warriors coach Steve Kerr said after the game that Ben Taylor,

11:54 PM ET SAN FRANCISCO — Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green was ejected from Thursday night’s game against the New York Knicks after appearing to yell at rookie teammate James Wiseman. Green, who picked up his first technical of the game with 4 minutes, 2 seconds left in the first quarter after arguing too

10:56 PM ET The Houston Rockets are acquiring Cleveland Cavaliers wing Kevin Porter Jr. for a future protected second-round pick, a source told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Cleveland was looking to trade Porter following an incident last week that involved a screaming match with team officials, sources confirmed to ESPN. Porter hasn’t played for Cleveland this

2:33 PM ET Denver Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr. is nearing a return and listed as questionable to play Friday night against the Phoenix Suns. Porter has been cleared from the NBA’s health and safety protocols and returned to the team, a league source told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Nuggets coach Michael Malone said that Porter

7:00 AM ET STEPHEN CURRY KNOWS exactly how far he has left to go. Now that he’s on the verge of passing Reggie Miller for second place on the NBA’s career 3-pointer list — he’s nine away from passing the Pacers great — Curry needs just 422 more to eclipse Ray Allen to become the

6:13 PM ET Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving was in the starting lineup for Wednesday’s game against the Cleveland Cavaliers alongside Kevin Durant and James Harden. Irving practiced with the team on Tuesday. He had missed the Nets’ last seven games — five for personal reasons and two while conditioning. During the time away for

3:48 PM ET After witnessing some opposing players disregarding new league rules against unnecessary contact on game nights, the NBA is moving team security into the midcourt area to dissuade violations that include hugging and handshakes, according to a league memo obtained by ESPN on Wednesday. As infections for the coronavirus increased amid a darkening

6:28 PM ET Portland Trail Blazers center Jusuf Nurkic had surgery on his fractured right wrist and will be reevaluated in six weeks, the team announced Tuesday. Nurkic was injured in last Thursday’s 111-87 loss to the visiting Indiana Pacers. He could be seen holding his wrist after swiping at the ball in the third

4:17 PM ET Eric WoodyardESPN New Indiana Pacers wing Caris LeVert roamed the practice facility sidelines Tuesday for the first time as a member of the squad — and after an MRI recently revealed a small mass on his left kidney. Though LeVert is out indefinitely, the 26-year-old sees the situation as something bigger than

2:08 PM ET Associated Press NEW YORK — Kyrie Irving rejoined the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday, saying he took a leave of absence in part because he “just needed a pause.” Irving practiced with the team and could play Wednesday in Cleveland. He has missed the past seven games, five while away from the team

1:33 AM ET Eric WoodyardESPN Under normal circumstances, some kid and his family would have left the Barclays Center on Martin Luther King Day with a story for the ages. For starters, there was no school for the holiday as three former MVPs, Giannis Antetokounmpo, James Harden and Kevin Durant, went toe to toe in

1:05 AM ET NEW YORK — Brooklyn Nets stars Kevin Durant and James Harden are jelling at an impressive pace — and the history books back that up. On Monday, they became the first duo to score 30-plus points in each of their first two games with a franchise as the Nets defeated the Bucks

7:05 AM ET Jrue Holiday was conflicted. Then a member of the New Orleans Pelicans, he mulled for two weeks last summer whether to commit to the NBA’s restart in Orlando, Florida. In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, Holiday’s wife, Lauren, was five months pregnant and could sense his discomfort over leaving the family.

7:06 AM ET James Harden is a Brooklyn Net, finally answering the biggest question hovering over the early part of this NBA season. The next question is how Harden, Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving share the court. The Nets answered part of it in Harden’s debut Saturday night against the Orlando Magic, as The Beard