3:18 PM ET NEW YORK — The Brooklyn Nets are preparing for their play-in game Tuesday night against the Cleveland Cavaliers with Ben Simmons‘ status still hanging over any potential deep postseason run. While it remains unclear when Simmons might be able to make his season debut as he continues to deal with a back

2:15 PM ET EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — LeBron James says he will be hands-off when it comes to the Los Angeles Lakers‘ offseason decision-making process in the wake of one of the most disappointing seasons in franchise history. “That’s not my decision,” James said Monday ahead of the team’s exit interviews. “It’s not my decision

9:40 AM ET Serbian forward Nikola Jovic has submitted paperwork to the NBA office to make himself eligible for the 2022 draft, his agent, Misko Raznatovic, told ESPN. Jovic, the No. 23 prospect in the ESPN Top 100, is having a productive season in the Adriatic League for Mega Mozzart, averaging 11.8 points, 4.3 rebounds

10:58 PM ET ESPN News Services PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia 76ers will take on the Toronto Raptors in the first round of the NBA playoffs, and defensive specialist Matisse Thybulle will be able to play in only the Sixers’ home games. Unvaccinated foreign nationals are currently prohibited from entering Canada, and Thybulle is not fully

12:42 AM ET Frank Vogel, who led the Los Angeles Lakers to the 2020 NBA championship, has coached his final game for the organization, a decision expected to be shared with him as soon as Monday, sources told ESPN. The Lakers’ search for his replacement is expected to be expansive and lengthy — without a

3:10 PM ET Charlotte Hornets forward Gordon Hayward will miss this week’s play-in tournament and is out indefinitely because of ongoing discomfort in his left foot. The Hornets announced Sunday that Hayward, who has appeared in only one game since Feb. 8, will have his foot placed in a cast and will be reevaluated in

12:13 PM ET NEW YORK — As the Brooklyn Nets prepare for their final two regular-season games of the season, they do so in control of their own playoff destiny. If the Nets — currently seeded eighth in the Eastern Conference with a 42-38 record — win their final two games, they will lock up

Apr 8, 2022 ESPN News Services Cleveland Cavaliers rookie Evan Mobley returned in Friday’s 118-107 loss to the Brooklyn Nets. Mobley missed the previous five games with a sprained left ankle and the Cavaliers lost four of them without their big man. Mobley is a leading contender for Rookie of the Year and tops all

6:44 PM ET Lindsay du Plessis Nigeria international Ike Diogu top-scored for Zamalek in their opening game of the BAL Nile Conference in Cairo, leading the Egyptian side to an 80-63 win over South Sudanese outfit Cobra Sports. The scoreline was slightly deceptive in that the defending BAL champions were pushed by the youthful Sudanese

10:24 AM ET Lindsay du Plessis Nigeria is not represented at the 2022 edition of the Basketball Africa League, and BAL president Amadou Gallo Fall is cognisant of the country’s importance to the business of basketball on the continent. Nigerian team Rivers Hoopers played in the inaugural edition of the BAL in 2021, and again