7:38 AM ET LaMelo Ball’s season in Australia is over, his manager Jermaine Jackson told ESPN via text message. A bone bruise suffered in early December sidelined Ball 12 games into the season, and he’s run out of time to complete the required rehab before the season ends. “Melo’s foot is totally healed, but the

12:11 AM ET Tim BontempsESPN PHILADELPHIA — Kyrie Irving said “it’s glaring” that the Brooklyn Nets have more work to do in order for their roster to reach the level necessary for championship contention. “I mean, it’s transparent. It’s out there. It’s glaring, in terms of the pieces that we need in order to be

1:55 PM ET The New Orleans Pelicans anticipate that rookie Zion Williamson will make his regular-season debut Jan. 22 against the San Antonio Spurs. Williamson, the No. 1 overall pick in the NBA draft, has missed the entire season thus far while recovering from October knee surgery. David Griffin, the Pelicans’ executive vice president of

3:16 AM ET LOS ANGELES — Kawhi Leonard reached the halfway point of the season for the LA Clippers with his most explosive game, scoring 43 points in just under 29 minutes Tuesday night at Staples Center. But after helping the Clippers temporarily bust out of their recent funk and make quick work of the

11:48 PM ET SAN FRANCISCO — Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr believes Dallas Mavericks star guard Luka Doncic will be a “cornerstone” of the NBA for years to come, while comparing parts of Doncic’s game to Larry Bird and James Harden. “He’s really good for the NBA,” Kerr said prior to Tuesday’s game against

12:25 PM ET ESPN News Services Trailing by 16 in the fourth quarter against the New Orleans Pelicans on Monday night, Detroit Pistons coach Dwane Casey benched center Andre Drummond. And Detroit responded, rallying to force overtime. “It wasn’t a message for Andre as much as a message for everyone who wasn’t on the floor,”

3:30 AM ET LOS ANGELES — LeBron James and Kevin Love shared an intricate postgame handshake — a flurry of patted hands, fist pounds and high-fives — then hugged and made their way to separate locker rooms. The Los Angeles Lakers‘ 128-99 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday was the first time James and

11:04 PM ET ESPN News Services Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 20 points, a career-high 20 rebounds and 10 assists to lead the visiting Oklahoma City Thunder to a 117-104 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday night. His first career triple-double is a historic one. At 21 years and 185 days old, he’s the youngest player

5:11 PM ET ESPN News Services NEW YORK — Kyrie Irving is back for the Brooklyn Nets, and his impact was immediate. Irving had 21 points on 10-of-11 shooting to go with four rebounds and three assists, leading the Nets to a 108-86 victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday at Barclays Center. Although he

9:22 AM ET What has changed in the NBA Power Rankings this week? Our experts rank the best teams in the league, from No. 1 to No. 30, with the Utah Jazz rising and the Brooklyn Nets sliding. Throughout the regular season, our panel (ESPN’s Tim MacMahon, Andre’ Snellings, Royce Young and Bobby Marks, and