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11:59 AM ET Only a few weeks after signing with the Brooklyn Nets, seven-time NBA All-Star LaMarcus Aldridge announced his retirement on social media. 1 Related “My last game I played while dealing with an irregular heartbeat,” Aldridge wrote. “Later on that night, my rhythm got even worse which really worried me even more. The

1:25 AM ET In the midst of one of the hottest streaks of his brilliant 12-year career, Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry had to chuckle when asked if he’d like the NBA single-game 3-point record back from his longtime teammate Klay Thompson. “Absolutely,” Curry said after scoring 42 points during Wednesday’s 147-109 win over

3:41 PM ET In the wake of Golden State Warriors star guard Stephen Curry setting a franchise record for points — and passing Wilt Chamberlain in the process — forward Draymond Green treated his longtime teammate to dinner Tuesday night in Oklahoma City to celebrate the two-time league MVP’s latest achievement. Making the meal even

7:03 AM ET LUKA DONCIC HITS the brakes, changes directions with a behind-the-back dribble, then picks up the ball and steps back to his left before launching a 3-pointer. It’s March 31 inside Boston’s TD Garden, and Celtics guard Marcus Smart, one of the NBA’s premier on-ball defenders, has just gone from within breathing distance

7:00 AM ET NBA Insiders The Brooklyn Nets, Philadelphia 76ers and Milwaukee Bucks have all separated themselves from the pack in the Eastern Conference. The rest of the standings? Well, that picture is much less clear. With six teams — the Atlanta Hawks, Miami Heat, Charlotte Hornets, Boston Celtics, New York Knicks and Indiana Pacers

5:00 PM ET As the Minnesota Timberwolves and Brooklyn Nets resume play after Monday’s game was postponed in the wake of the police shooting of Daunte Wright, Wolves president of basketball operations Gersson Rosas said he hoped playing Tuesday would “give our guys a platform to show and say what they feel.” “We live here,”

11:11 AM ET Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray has been diagnosed with a torn anterior cruciate ligament of the left knee and will be out indefinitely, the team announced Tuesday. Murray suffered what appeared to be a noncontact injury during the Nuggets’ 116-107 loss to the Golden State Warriors on Monday night. He crumpled to

12:54 AM ET SAN FRANCISCO — Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray injured his left knee at the end of the fourth quarter of Monday’s game against the Golden State Warriors and did not return. The Nuggets are working to get Murray an MRI on the knee to evaluate the severity of the injury, a source

2:51 PM ET The Minnesota Twins, Minnesota Timberwolves and Minnesota Wild all postponed games on Monday following the police shooting of Daunte Wright on Sunday night. “Out of respect for the tragic events that occurred yesterday in Brooklyn Center, and following the additional details in this evolving situation, the Minnesota Twins have decided it is

7:00 AM ET Even Stephen Curry can’t believe he’s on the verge of surpassing a record held by the great Wilt Chamberlain. “That’s surreal to be honest,” Curry said after a loss to the Atlanta Hawks last week, after which he sat 129 points behind the Warriors’ all-time lead. “[Chamberlain has] got a lot of

5:55 PM ET NEW YORK — Kyrie Irving will not play in the Brooklyn Nets‘ game against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday. He is out due to personal reasons, the team announced. The Nets will also be without LaMarcus Aldridge, who is listed as out for a non-coronavirus-related illness. James Harden was diagnosed with a

3:33 PM ET Golden State Warriors rookie center James Wiseman suffered a tear to the meniscus in his right knee and could miss the rest of the season, sources told ESPN. Wiseman, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2020 NBA draft, underwent imaging Sunday for an injury suffered on Saturday night. Further consultation with

9:14 AM ET Forward Alize Johnson has agreed to a multi-year deal with the Brooklyn Nets worth up to $4.1 million, his agent George Langberg told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Johnson’s productivity parlayed two consecutive 10-day contracts into the new deal with the Nets. Johnson had his choice of a bit more guaranteed money elsewhere, but

2:06 AM ET It was a potential NBA Finals preview, albeit with superstars on both squads sidelined with injuries. Nevertheless, Los Angeles Lakers guard Dennis Schroder called L.A.’s 126-101 beatdown of the Brooklyn Nets on Saturday “the best win of the year.” The Lakers were playing without stars LeBron James and Anthony Davis as well

7:29 PM ET Former major league slugger Alex Rodriguez and billionaire Marc Lore are finalizing a deal to purchase the Minnesota Timberwolves from majority owner Glen Taylor, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski on Saturday. Taylor will continue to hold full control of the team for two years before Rodriguez and Lore take over in 2023.

10:17 AM ET Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant is no longer driven by championships. After all, he has won two. Instead, he says it’s the desire to be at his best that fuels him. “I wasn’t expecting to be a happy human being from a title,” Durant told ESPN’s Rachel Nichols in an interview that

12:18 AM ET Tim BontempsESPN BOSTON — All it took for the Boston Celtics to end their season-long seven-game homestand with a victory Friday night was a 17-point comeback to force overtime, and the best game of Jayson Tatum‘s career. The 23-year-old All-Star finished with a career-high 53 points — including 35 points in the

7:38 PM ET Associated Press MILWAUKEE — The Milwaukee Bucks were without all five of their usual starters Friday night as they hosted the Charlotte Hornets a night after losing at Dallas. Reigning two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo sat out his fourth straight game with a sore left knee. He missed his sixth game in the

3:02 AM ET The LA Clippers and Phoenix Suns have played twice this season, and there have been contentious moments resulting in technical fouls, flagrant fouls, ejections and plenty of “chirping.” After Paul George scored 33 points to help the Clippers take a 113-103 win over the Suns at Staples Center in a game that

1:38 AM ET Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green said Thursday that he believes his tweets about women’s sports and the pay-gap with male athletes have been “extremely misconstrued,” saying in part, “I am on their side.” Green spoke about the topic one day after U.S. women’s national team star Megan Rapinoe ripped his remarks,

12:31 PM ET Toronto Raptors guards Fred VanVleet and DeAndre’ Bembry and Los Angeles Lakers guard Talen Horton-Tucker have been suspended one game each without pay for leaving the bench area during an on-court altercation during the Lakers’ 110-101 win on Tuesday. Raptors forward OG Anunoby and Lakers big man Montrezl Harrell were fined for

8:52 PM ET Associated Press DETROIT — Dr. Benjamin Paolucci, a longtime team physician for the Detroit Pistons who was with the franchise for each of its three NBA championships, has died. He was 84. The Pistons said Paolucci died Wednesday in Florida. Paolucci retired from the organization in 2015 after serving the Pistons’ medical

12:43 AM ET After missing almost two months because of a left hamstring strain, Brooklyn Nets forward Kevin Durant quieted any lingering doubts about his health as the playoffs near: He looked like same superstar he has always been. Durant, coming off the bench in his return from a 23-game absence, scored 17 points on

10:56 AM ET Tennessee freshman Keon Johnson will declare for the 2021 NBA draft and forgo his remaining college eligibility by hiring an agent, he told ESPN Wednesday. Johnson, the No. 6 prospect in the ESPN 100, was named to the SEC’s all-rookie team after averaging 11.3 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 25

7:00 AM ET Andrew LopezESPN THE SECOND THE basketball slips into Lonzo Ball‘s hands, he’s got one target in mind. It’s March 1 and the New Orleans Pelicans are down by six to the Utah Jazz early in the third quarter. After a Mike Conley 3, Pelicans wing Brandon Ingram takes the inbounds pass and

2:42 AM ET LOS ANGELES — Less than a minute into his first game as a member of the LA Clippers, DeMarcus Cousins maneuvered his way around Enes Kanter, tapped an offensive rebound to himself and scored on a putback right in front of a delighted Clippers owner Steve Ballmer. Making his debut for the

7:00 AM ET How does the NBA play-in tournament work and which teams will participate during the 2020-21 season? The league first tested out the play-in round during the 2020 NBA restart in Orlando, Florida, with the Portland Trail Blazers topping the Memphis Grizzlies to get the final spot in the Western Conference playoffs. In

8:03 PM ET NEW YORK — Brooklyn Nets star James Harden played just four minutes before he was ruled out for the remainder of Monday night’s game against the New York Knicks because of right hamstring tightness. Harden’s brief return came after he missed the Nets’ past two games while dealing with the same tightness.

5:43 PM ET The LA Clippers have signed DeMarcus Cousins to a 10-day contract for some much-needed depth at center. Cousins cleared health and safety protocols required for any free agent signing with a new team. The Clippers need a backup center and will take a close look at the veteran Cousins. Starting center Serge

7:04 AM ET NBA Insiders The Brooklyn Nets and the Los Angeles Lakers are the favorites to reach the NBA Finals. On paper, no teams come close to matching the star power of Brooklyn’s trio of Kevin Durant, James Harden and Kyrie Irving or L.A.’s dynamic duo of LeBron James and Anthony Davis. But plenty