Sports

Viewers will “also have access to commentary from” Shaquille O’Neal, Ernie Johnson, Kenny Smith and Charles Barkley on NBA Tip-Off and Inside the NBA. ESPN Disney and ESPN have reached a multiyear deal to “bring live NBA games to Disney+ in the Philippines,” where basketball is “widely regarded as the country’s most popular sport.” Under the deal, Filipino basketball fans “will be able to stream select live NBA games on Disney+, alongside ESPN’s acclaimed sports documentaries and live broadcasts of NBA Countdown.” Viewers will “also have access to commentary from” Shaquille O’Neal, Ernie Johnson, Kenny Smith and Charles Barkley on NBA Tip-Off and Inside the NBA. The partnership marks “an expansion of Disney and ESPN’s international relationship with the NBA” and “represents a significant s...

MINNEAPOLIS — In so many ways, the Minnesota Timberwolves are Naz Reid’s team as much as they are anyone else’s.Anthony Edwards is the face of the franchise, the vocal leader and superstar who draws all the attention. Julius Randle puts the power in power forward, the battering ram who might be playing the best basketball of his career. Rudy Gobert is the defensive fulcrum, the one most responsible for the identity shift that pushed the Wolves to two straight conference finals appearances.Ask any one of them where this team gets the audacity to believe it is capable of going one step further, and they all look to the one who was here before any of them.Naz Reid.“When he comes in, we just have this mental toughness and just this aggressiveness,” Gobert said.Those qualities were glaringly ab...

CLEVELAND — Milwaukee Bucks All-Star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo could be sidelined for a while after he left the second quarter of Monday night's game against the Cleveland Cavaliers due to a left groin strain. What You Need To Know Milwaukee Bucks All-Star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo could be sidelined for a while after he left the second quarter of Monday night’s loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers due to a left groin strain Coach Doc Rivers didn’t have an update on Antetokounmpo after the game and said the next step would be imaging on his left groin Antetokounmpo had 14 points, five rebounds and four assists in 13 minutes He immediately went to the locker room with 3:03 remaining in the second quarter after committing a foul and did not return Coach Doc Rivers didn't have an...

CLEVELAND — Milwaukee Bucks All-Star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo could be sidelined for a while after he left the second quarter of Monday night's game against the Cleveland Cavaliers due to a left groin strain. What You Need To Know Milwaukee Bucks All-Star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo could be sidelined for a while after he left the second quarter of Monday night’s loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers due to a left groin strain Coach Doc Rivers didn’t have an update on Antetokounmpo after the game and said the next step would be imaging on his left groin Antetokounmpo had 14 points, five rebounds and four assists in 13 minutes He immediately went to the locker room with 3:03 remaining in the second quarter after committing a foul and did not return Coach Doc Rivers didn't have an...

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — You saw the gray in his beard. You heard the cracks in his voice. And you knew, as much as ever, that you were speaking to a 40-year-old NBA star.LeBron James was, after all, talking about the problems his sciatic nerve irritation had caused, the anxiety about the discomfort he might feel when he’d hit his mattress at night, or the pain he might feel when he took his first steps each morning.As much as ever, you wouldn’t need to squint too hard to see the end.But this isn’t that. No, James’ first practice on Monday was more of a beginning. It was the start of his entering a team and environment he wasn’t solely responsible for defining.It was the first day for the Los Angeles Lakers in full, with James back with his teammates and on the cusp of joining them for a game....

We’re almost a full month through the NBA season. Some developments make sense — the Oklahoma City Thunder are thoroughly dominant in their title defense, while slimmed-down Luka Dončić is the league’s leading scorer. Others are harder to parse — the Detroit Pistons sit atop the East, Lauri Markkanen is averaging more than 30 points per game and second-round rookie Ryan Kalkbrenner is dominating the paint. It’s early enough to max out imagination, but there’s enough of a sample size for clear analysis.This week’s schedule is once again built around network doubleheaders and in-season tournament games. Here’s a reason to watch each listing … yes, even the ones with Victor Wembanyama on ice.NBA national TV guideWatching in person? Get tickets on StubHub. GameTime (ET)TVSt...

With per diem money burning a hole in their pockets, they’d hop on charter flights, head to the back of the plane and start shuffling the cards. Usually, they’d play poker, sometimes bourré but almost always some sort of card game for money. “And by the time the plane hit the ground,’’ chuckles one former NBA player who still works in the league and asked not to be identified, “your per diem would be gone. God forbid it was a 10-day trip.” To understand how professional athletes are getting caught in the crosshairs of illegal gambling activity, it helps to understand their culture. Theirs is a world consumed by competition and hyper-competitive people who have disposable income and time on their hands. “It is,’’ said an N...

Another night, another dominant outing from Jalen Duren and the Detroit Pistons.Aside from an Indiana Pacers fourth-quarter run the Pistons quickly combated, Detroit was in the driver’s seat throughout Monday night’s 127-112 home victory. It’s what good teams tend to do against the league’s bottom feeders.A left hip contusion sidelined Cade Cunningham for the third consecutive game, and Ausar Thompson missed his fourth straight with a right ankle sprain. Nonetheless, the depleted Pistons (12-2) roster showed once again why depth is its most valuable asset during the team’s 10th straight victory, the franchise’s longest win streak since 2008.Duren, who turns 22 on Tuesday, notched his fifth-straight double-double with a game-high 31 points on 12-of-13 shooting, 15 rebounds and three assists...

The Nets are so invested in rebuilding that their owner admitted they’re prioritizing a good draft pick and their fans are mad they’re still not tanking hard enough. At 2-11. That’s just how much focus is being put on the May lottery, and the (possible) franchise-changing talents it could give the Nets a chance to draft. Right now, the Nets have the fourth-best odds in the lottery standings for a loaded draft with three perceived franchise-changers. Source link

Photo by Elsa/Getty Images Karl-Anthony Towns, New York Knicks The New York Knicks lost their fifth game of the season on Monday, Nov. 17, falling to the Miami Heat 113-115.When speaking to the media after the game, Miami’s sharpshooter, Norman Powell, detailed the team’s plan heading into the night.“The emphasis was winning the closeout. That closeout battle is huge, especially when they got Shamit and Clarkson and McBride, they got quick triggers,” Powell said via Zachary Weinberger of ClutchPoints. “So it was winning those closeout battles, being a step closer, making them put the ball on the ground instead of having to be able to lace it up.”Powell continued.“I mean, they still got. I’m going to say get 36 threes. They...