3:38 PM ET New Orleans Pelicans executive vice president David Griffin clarified comments he made about the challenges of building a title contender around LeBron James during their three seasons in Cleveland together, saying Friday that he maintains a “positive relationship” with James. In a Sports Illustrated story published Thursday, the former Cavaliers general manager

3:23 PM ET A marquee matchup of two new dynamic duos created this offseason will headline the NBA’s Christmas slate this year. The LA Clippers and Los Angeles Lakers will play at Staples Center on Dec. 25, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The meeting will pit LeBron James and new teammate Anthony Davis against reigning

7:40 PM ET What are the best NBA Christmas Day games this year? The 2019 slate will feature plenty of star power and revamped rosters, including Anthony Davis and LeBron James vs. Paul George and Kawhi Leonard. The five games: • Los Angeles Lakers vs. LA Clippers • Houston Rockets @ Golden State Warriors •

10:40 AM ET Carmelo Anthony says the end of his tenure with the Houston Rockets made him question whether he wanted to still play in the NBA. “I felt like the game didn’t want me back at that point in time,” Anthony told ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith on First Take, referring to a period in

7:03 AM ET Nick DePaulaESPN WHEN ZION WILLIAMSON arrived at the sold-out Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas for his prime-time debut at the NBA summer league in early July, his choice of footwear had the NBA buzzing. Could Puma actually pull this off? A year after Puma landed 2018 No. 1 overall pick

7:28 PM ET Associated Press TORONTO — While the Toronto Maple Leafs and Raptors gear up for next season, Scotiabank Arena is getting a multimillion-dollar face-lift. Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment president and CEO Michael Friisdahl calls it a “reimagination” of the venue that opened in February 1999. “We’ve got to keep getting better, we’ve

7:22 PM ET ESPN News Services MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The Grizzlies haven’t called Vancouver home since 2000. That’s not stopping them from tapping their Canadian roots to celebrate the NBA franchise’s 25th season. Memphis unveiled two throwback uniforms Thursday in a video posted to Twitter. 🔥🔥🔥 The #ThrowbackThursday you’ve been waiting for 🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/xK0QMwNosQ —

6:58 PM ET Warriors star Klay Thompson, in his first in-depth interview since suffering a torn ACL in Game 6 of the NBA Finals in June, characterized the injury as “obviously the most tragic part of sports,” saying he was humbled when Golden State then offered him a five-year max contract. “I knew I did

6:45 AM ET THE UNMISTAKABLE WAIL of electric guitar prompted Nick Nurse to bound to his feet. The grand finale he’d been waiting on was finally here, and the Toronto Raptors coach waved his arms to the heavens, gleefully swaying to the beat with the rest of the packed house at the Tropicana in Las

11:33 PM ET In the weeks leading up to the NBA season last October, a bettor at the SuperBook at the Westgate Resort & Casino in Las Vegas placed a $67,000 wager on the Golden State Warriors to make the playoffs at minus-10,000 odds. The bettor was rewarded with a $670 profit when the Warriors