10:22 AM ET SHANGHAI — As expected, Team USA routed Japan in its final pool-play game of the FIBA World Cup on Thursday and set up one of the most anticipated matchups of the tournament. That will come Saturday when the Americans relocate to Shenzhen, China, for the first game of the second round, which

3:58 PM ET LOS ANGELES — Before signing with the Lakers in one of the more surprising reunions in NBA history, Dwight Howard said his life away from the court hit rock bottom this summer. “It didn’t have anything to do with basketball,” Howard said Wednesday during an introductory phone call with reporters. “It was

12:10 PM ET Associated Press MILWAUKEE — Milwaukee city officials are offering Bucks guard Sterling Brown $400,000 to settle his lawsuit accusing police of using excessive force and targeting him because he’s black when they confronted him over a parking violation. The city’s Common Council authorized the offer Wednesday during a closed session. Brown has

9:08 AM ET It was heralded as the summer of the Big Two. In spurning a galactic Big Three with the Los Angeles Lakers, Kawhi Leonard perhaps unknowingly realigned the NBA’s distribution of star power in a way that promised more parity — and left the league without a bona fide Big Three for the

6:37 PM ET The Nets are looking into allegations of domestic violence against Rodions Kurucs after the forward was arrested in Brooklyn and released without bail Tuesday. The New York Daily News, citing police sources, reports Kurucs choked his then-girlfriend in his Brooklyn apartment on June 27. “After learning of the allegations against Rodions Kurucs,

2:38 PM ET ESPN News Services Brazil overcame a double-digit deficit and beat Greece 79-78 in a thriller at the FIBA World Cup in Nanjing, China, on Tuesday. NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo finished with 13 points but fouled out late in the fourth quarter for Greece. Brazil’s Alex Garcia, 39, seemed to stifle Antetokounmpo at

4:48 PM ET Fresh off an MVP and championship campaign in the BIG3, veteran swingman Joe Johnson is scheduled to work out for three NBA teams next week in attempt to get back into the league, sources told ESPN. Johnson, who last played in the NBA in 2017-18, will audition for three Eastern Conference playoff

7:20 AM ET SHANGHAI — The grandstands at the Oriental Sports Arena for Team USA’s first game were like a rainbow of NBA fandom. There were gold Steph Curry jerseys, a bunch of Giannis Antetokounmpo jerseys in various colors and plenty of Los Angeles Lakers attire. But then there were the Charlotte Hornets colors, with

10:24 AM ET SHANGHAI — Kemba Walker and Jayson Tatum are probably going to win a lot of games with the Boston Celtics over the next few years. Sunday they combined to play important roles in the first consequential win together as Team USA opened the FIBA World Cup with a 88-67 victory over the

9:21 AM ET Kevin Pelton’s NBA mailbag returns, featuring your questions on how Team USA would do against the rest of the league, how long to believe in potential for high draft picks, gaps between advanced stats and the eye test and veteran players signing international deals. You can tweet your questions using the hashtag