1:06 AM ET Malika AndrewsESPN MILWAUKEE — The Bucks have developed a bad habit over the course of the season that has led to stern locker room speeches from Mike Budenholzer. The Bucks have an impressive record and boast the best offensive rating in the league, but they’ve been outscored by their opponents in first

11:27 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN PHILADELPHIA — As the Philadelphia 76ers finally roared to life in the second half of Monday night’s game at Wells Fargo Center against the hapless Phoenix Suns, reserve guard T.J. McConnell seemed to be right in the middle of all of it. His stat line — two points, one rebound,

7:30 PM ET Adrian WojnarowskiESPN The Washington Wizards fined All-Star guard John Wall for unloading a verbal barrage at coach Scott Brooks in a recent practice session, league sources told ESPN. Every Wizards player, including John Wall and Bradley Beal, is available in trade talks, league sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. After teammate Jeff Green

8:38 AM ET I REMEMBER MY very first draft workout was against Joe Johnson and Rodney White. I’d never heard of these guys. One went to Arkansas. One went to UNC Charlotte. Both of them were really, really good. I came into the draft process as a very raw athlete who had worked hard in

5:07 PM ET Malika AndrewsESPN Denzel Valentine will be out four to six months after undergoing surgery on his left ankle for the second time, the Bulls announced Monday, putting his return this season in doubt. Valentine, who has missed the entire 2018 season because of ongoing ankle injuries, was diagnosed with ongoing ankle instability,

4:52 PM ET Josh Richardson has been fined $25,000 for throwing his shoe into the crowd during the Miami Heat‘s 113-97 loss to the visiting Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday night. The Heat guard was assessed a technical foul and ejected from the game when he tossed his shoe midway through the fourth quarter. Miami’s

1:50 PM ET Miami Heat point guard Goran Dragic and will be out for at least the next couple of games after having his swollen right knee drained Monday morning, the team announced. The Heat said the hope is that the procedure and some rest will allow the knee inflammation to subside by next week.

12:50 PM ET New Orleans Pelicans point guard Elfrid Payton will have surgery on his fractured left pinkie finger and is expected to miss approximately six weeks. Payton suffered the injury in the Pelicans’ victory over the New York Knicks. He had missed the previous nine games because of an ankle sprain before returning to

7:48 AM ET As the shell-shocked Portland Trail Blazers dressed in the visiting locker room in New Orleans, processing a humiliating sweep that stretched their postseason losing to streak 10 games, Paul Allen, the team’s longtime owner, walked in to address them. Allen typically thanked the team after the final game each season. He began

10:54 AM ET Adrian WojnarowskiESPN As the Washington Wizards‘ season spirals, the franchise has started to deliver teams an impression that every player on their roster — including All-Star guards John Wall and Bradley Beal — is available for discussion in trade scenarios, league sources told ESPN. Washington’s preference remains to reshape the team around