The Utah Jazz has decided to shut down their franchise player for the rest of the regular season before playoffs begin in a few weeks. Utah guard Donovan Mitchell will end up missing the final three games—having missed the last 13 games prior to—with a sprained right ankle. Mitchell has been on the sidelines since
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The Phoenix Suns may draw the short stick when it comes a potential first-round matchup. Even if this is the best season the Phoenix Suns have had in a decade, they are on the precipice of a potentially horrendous first-round matchup come playoff time. With the 2020-21 NBA regular season entering its final week, the Suns find themselves two
LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Los Angeles Lakers. (Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports Cubs give injury update on Kris Bryant after he was hit by pitch by Steven Kubitza LeBron James, Anthony Davis will miss Wednesday night’s game vs. the Houston Rockets. Nobody respects the Houston Rockets more than Los Angeles Lakers stars Anthony Davis and
10:55 PM ET With the addition of play-in games to the 2021 NBA playoffs, the scramble for seeding is wilder — and more important — than ever, with almost every game down the stretch having significant postseason implications. Play-in matchups following Tuesday’s games Play-in games to be held May 18-21 • How the play-in tournament
In what’s been a challenging season for Miami Heat star guard Victor Oladipo, the eighth-year pro has opted to have a season-ending surgery on his right quadriceps, having played just 33 games in the 2020-21 season. Oladipo, who will have the surgery on Thursday in New York, has no timetable for his return. Having originally
Steph Curry, Draymond Green, Golden State Warriors. (Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports) The Whiteboard: Jazz and Warriors get bricky and the Spurs go off by Ian Levy Steph Curry continues to play out of his mind while leading the Golden State Warriors. The Utah Jazz thought they had a hard-earned road victory over the
The Whiteboard is The Step Back’s daily basketball newsletter, covering the NBA, WNBA and more. Subscribe here to get it delivered to you via email each morning. The Chicago Bulls aren’t quite finished yet. They made a big swing at the trade deadline, acquiring Nikola Vucevic in the hopes of locking in a playoff appearance but
Michael Jordan revealed the final text message exchange he had with Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant. This weekend, Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant will be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2020. The event was scheduled to take place last year, but was ultimately
12:57 PM ET As his team wraps up the regular season with the NBA’s worst record, Houston Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta emphasized his excitement about the franchise’s future, declaring confidence in the leadership the team has in place after a year of extreme turnover. “I never thought I could feel this good after winning only
When the WNBA was first launched in 1997, its first well-known tagline was We Got Next. Twenty-five years later, the League is about to embark on a historic season as it celebrates its quarter of a century existence, and it’s no longer about We Got Next but We Got Now. Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi
Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports The Whiteboard: How are teams trying to stop Zion Williamson? by Ian Levy He’s operating off the radar on a bad team, but Saddiq Bey is making NBA rookie history as a 3-point shooter. In a battle of the teams with the two worst records in the Eastern Conference, the Detroit
3:25 AM ET LOS ANGELES — The final few possessions that Talen Horton-Tucker was involved in during the Los Angeles Lakers‘ 101-99 overtime win against the New York Knicks on Tuesday mimicked the situation his team finds itself in as the regular season winds down. Things might not have gone as planned up to this
In early April, Minnesota Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor announced that he intended on selling the Minnesota Timberwolves to Alex Rodriguez and Marc Lore. However, things haven’t gone as smooth as planned. As first reported by ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, the exclusive 30-day negotiating window Rodriguez and Lore were given to purchase the Timberwolves from Taylor has ended
LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers. (Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports) Explaining the Stanley Cup playoff bracket: How do the NHL playoffs work? by Dave Stevenson Rasheed Wallace has identified the elephant in the room with the Los Angeles Lakers. Former NBA star Rasheed Wallace knows exactly what the Los Angeles Lakers need to win big in
Mandatory Credit: Troy Babbitt-USA TODAY Sports Nikola Jokic has made it clear he should be the only choice for NBA MVP this season. The Denver Nuggets entered the season with dreams of winning a championship. Then Jamal Murray went down with a season-ending knee injury. That would have ended the dream for most teams. But
Denver Nuggets. (Photo by C. Morgan Engel/Getty Images) The Denver Nuggets aren’t the favorites to win the championship this year, but here’s why they could still strike gold. It’s the question of the year for Denver: What if Jamal Murray never got hurt? Before Murray’s ACL injury in April, the Denver Nuggets were poised to
LOS ANGELES, CA – APRIL 30: LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers dribbles the ball after returning to the starting lineup against the Sacramento Kings at Staples Center on April 30, 2021 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User
10:39 PM ET Adrian Wojnarowski Close Senior NBA Insider Host of The Woj Pod Joined ESPN in 2017 Malika Andrews Close ESPN Staff Writer Staff Writer Joined ESPN in 2018 Appears regularly on ESPN Chicago 1000 After missing five weeks with a hamstring injury, Brooklyn Nets star James Harden‘s return is expected to be a
With the Islamic holy month of Ramadan coming to a close this week, a number of NBA players are participating in its daily fasting–which entails refraining from any food or drink (yes, water included) from the time of dawn until sunset for 30 days. On the longest days of the month, the fast lasts from
3:54 PM ET LeBron James will give his injured right ankle one more day of rest Tuesday, when the Los Angeles Lakers take on the New York Knicks. James is targeting a return on Wednesday against the Houston Rockets, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Dave McMenamin. Frank Vogel said James was a full participant
Jordan was like Jesus, SLAM was like the Bible... As J. Cole transitioned from up-and-coming rapper to full-blown vet, he came to a realization: staying sharp and fighting off complacency ain’t easy. Inspired by his love for basketball and his desire to remain on top of the game, the 36-year-old has been treating music like
Mavericks star Luka Doncic (Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports) Trevor Bauer had strong words for the Dodgers’ struggles this season by Scott Rogust Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic was ejected from Sunday’s game against the Cleveland Cavaliers when he took a swipe at Collin Sexton’s groin area. Referees tossed Luka Doncic for a flagrant found on
CLEVELAND, OHIO – DECEMBER 23: Assistant coach Lindsay Gottlieb of the Cleveland Cavaliers listens while in the coaches huddle during a time-out during the second quarter against the Charlotte Hornets at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse on December 23, 2020 in Cleveland, Ohio. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this
Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports With the NBA final week of the 2020-21 season, and we are here to tell you why Anthony Edwards of the Minnesota Timberwolves should be the favorite to win Rookie of the Year. The 2020-21 NBA regular season is set to reach its conclusion by the end of the week,
12:48 AM ET SAN FRANCISCO — Washington Wizards guard Bradley Beal called out Kent Bazemore on Twitter Monday night after the Golden State Warriors swingman appeared to take a shot at Beal while weighing in on Stephen Curry‘s place atop the NBA scoring race. During Monday’s shootaround, Bazemore, a close friend of Curry’s, praised his
Rappers want to be pro athletes and pro athletes want to be rappers. At least, that’s how the familiar mantra goes. On Monday, the adage had a chance to be manifested once again, as Shams Charania of Stadium and The Athletic reports that rap star J. Cole is signing a contract with the newly-formed Basketball
There is a chance the Boston Celtics don’t even make the Eastern Conference Playoffs this year. After falling to the Miami Heat in the 2020 Eastern Conference Finals down in the Orlando bubble, the Boston Celtics are on the verge of missing out on the 2021 NBA Playoffs entirely. With four games left in the 2020-21 NBA regular
Zach LaVine absolutely torched the Atlanta Hawks in the first half. Zach LaVine has spent his 2019-20 NBA campaign showing everyone that he truly is a star player. While the Chicago Bulls are barely clinging to the final play-in spot in the Eastern Conference in 10th place with their 22-28 record, LaVine has put together
Mike Dinovo-USA TODAY Sports Seahawks sign Aldon Smith to bolster defense by Russell S. Baxter Brett Favre is mumbling to clouds about politics in sports, again by Brad Berreman The Chicago Bulls have already been in a tailspin and the loss of Zach LaVine could push their postseason hopes to the brink. The deadline trade
9:29 PM ET Russell Westbrook made history on Monday with 8:30 remaining in the fourth quarter against the Atlanta Hawks when he collected his 182nd triple-double and broke Oscar Robertson’s record for most career triple-doubles. Westbrook passed Robertson when the Wizards’ point guard grabbed his 10th rebound in the fourth quarter at State Farm Arena.