8:00 AM ET JALEN GREEN HEARS the wrath from the old man with the unmistakable, raspy voice. It’s a little less than an hour before the Rockets’ shootaround begins, but almost half the roster is already on the Footprint Center floor in Phoenix, running three-man pick-and-roll drills. John Lucas, the Rockets’ 68-year-old assistant coach, provides

6:13 PM ET After initial resistance, Philadelphia 76ers All-Star guard Ben Simmons met with a team-recommended medical specialist to discuss his mental health on Monday, sources told ESPN. It is unclear what Monday’s meeting means for the Sixers’ ultimate hopes of a Simmons return to play, but it was a change of direction for Simmons

11:55 AM ET Kelly CohenESPN Add prophet to Candace Parker‘s resume, which got a little more stacked a few weeks ago when she won the 2021 WNBA championship with the Chicago Sky. The basketball great — who also is an analyst on TNT — was able to look into a crystal ball Monday night and

5:32 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN WASHINGTON — The Milwaukee Bucks became the first NBA team to visit the White House in almost five years Monday, when they were honored for winning the 2021 NBA title, and said they were excited to restart what had previously been an annual tradition. “You grow up and you watch

2:27 PM ET Associated Press CLEVELAND — Cavaliers starting guard Collin Sexton will be sidelined indefinitely after suffering a knee injury on Sunday in a win over the New York Knicks. Sexton got hurt in the second quarter of Cleveland’s 126-109 victory, which pushed the surprising Cavs to 7-4 this season. The team said Sexton

8:00 PM ET Denver Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr. is out for the “foreseeable future” as he continues to undergo testing on his back, according to coach Michael Malone. Porter exited Saturday’s win over the Houston Rockets in the first quarter with what the team called back tightness. He was ruled out for Monday’s game

12:26 PM ET Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown will miss the next 1-2 weeks with a right hamstring strain, coach Ime Udoka announced Monday. Brown is leading the Celtics in scoring with a career-high 25.6 points per game. The injury has already forced Brown to miss one game, a buzzer-beater loss to the Dallas Mavericks

1:59 PM ET Associated Press MIAMI — The NBA told its players, coaches and referees Sunday that they should receive booster shots against the coronavirus, with particular urgency for those who received the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine. The league and the National Basketball Players Association — working jointly based on guidance from the league’s

2:45 AM ET PORTLAND — Having already navigated speculation about his desire to be traded and pushback over the hiring of his franchise’s new coach in recent months, Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard said his duty will remain the same while the team opens an investigation into president of basketball operations Neil Olshey. “The games

Nov 5, 2021 DETROIT — Mayor-elect Eric Adams said Friday night that New York City will not change its COVID-19 vaccination mandate that currently prevents Kyrie Irving from playing in games there. Adams, who won the city’s mayoral election Tuesday, put the onus on the NBA and Irving to find a resolution. The mandate requires