7:06 PM ET Andrew LopezESPN Cleveland Cavaliers forward Kevin Love returned to action on Friday night in a 116-82 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans after missing all but two games this season. Love played just 10 minutes, scoring 4 points, and did not play in the second half. “His role tonight is going to

Mar 12, 2021 Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr benched rookie center James Wiseman for the first half of Thursday’s 130-104 loss to the LA Clippers after Wiseman missed the first two COVID-19 tests he was scheduled for during the All-Star break. The missed tests caused Wiseman, 19, to miss Wednesday’s practice in Los Angeles.

8:53 PM ET LOS ANGELES — With the week-and-a-half All-Star break behind him to rest his 36-year-old legs, LeBron James said he’s locked in for the home stretch as the Los Angeles Lakers attempt to defend their title. “It’s go time,” James told reporters on a video conference call Thursday before the Lakers’ first practice

11:30 AM ET Miami Heat center Meyers Leonard has been fined $50,000, suspended from the team’s facilities and banned from team activities for a week for the anti-Semitic slur he made while playing video games Monday. Leonard will also be required to participate in a cultural diversity program. “Meyers Leonard’s comment was inexcusable and hurtful

6:30 PM ET Associated Press New Orleans Pelicans guard JJ Redick underwent a nonsurgical procedure Thursday to relieve inflammation and soreness in his right heel and will be out of the lineup for at least a week. The Pelicans said Redick will remain away from the team and continue to adhere to the NBA’s health

9:37 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN Toronto Raptors guard Kyle Lowry doesn’t know where his future lies after this season or even after this year’s trade deadline. But he is sure of one thing: Whenever his career comes to an end, he will be retiring in a Raptors uniform. “Let me say this: I will retire

6:55 AM ET One of the many criticisms about New York Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau was that he would be unable to adapt his eat-breathe-sleep basketball ways to a new wave of young players. But after being fired by the Minnesota Timberwolves in January 2019, Thibodeau is at the start of a third basketball

7:00 AM ET Eric WoodyardESPN THE UTAH JAZZ were moments away from tipping off against the Oklahoma City Thunder on March 11, 2020. A positive COVID-19 test from center Rudy Gobert abruptly halted the game, and the official announcement that night said the league was going on hold “until further notice.” At the time, league

6:04 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN The Philadelphia 76ers said Tuesday that All-Stars Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons would both miss Thursday’s game against the Chicago Bulls — and that Simmons will miss Friday’s game against the Washington Wizards — due to the same contact tracing that kept both of them from participating in Sunday’s All-Star

Mar 7, 2021 Tim BontempsESPN Thanks to a perfect 16-for-16 performance from the field — including banking in multiple jump shots — Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo won his first NBA All-Star Game Most Valuable Player Award, as Team LeBron cruised to a 170-150 victory over Team Durant on Sunday night in Atlanta. “You know,