3:10 AM ET SACRAMENTO — LA Clippers star guard Paul George was in the middle of a big second quarter when he said a technical foul “turned my aggression up.” He proceeded to take his anger out on the Sacramento Kings. George exploded for 40 points to go with six rebounds and six assists to

12:06 AM ET NEW YORK — Brooklyn Nets coach Steve Nash said he was “proud of” Ben Simmons for the way the talented swingman bounced back in Friday night’s 109-105 win over the Toronto Raptors after a poor showing in the Nets’ season opener. “A step up for Ben,” Nash said after seeing Simmons score

6:04 PM ET Associated Press PARIS — Victor Wembanyama scored his team’s first points after just 54 seconds, then pumped his arms when he assisted on the last score of the Friday night game with a pass that traveled nearly the length of the court. “Wembamania” is sweeping France and everyone is trying to get

2:30 AM ET Kendra AndrewsESPN SAN FRANCISCO — Jordan Poole put the Golden State Warriors down just one point with 14 seconds remaining after stealing the ball off a lazy Denver Nuggets pass and laying it back in. But just a split second later, as the Warriors were still getting back in transition, Nikola Jokic

11:36 AM ET Associated Press The daughters of former NBA All-Star Jayson Williams have denounced St. John’s for its decision to induct their father into the school’s athletics hall of fame because of accusations of neglect in their lives following his role in the 2002 fatal shooting of a limousine driver. Tryumph and Whizdom Williams

8:00 AM ET NBA Insiders NBA opening week is here, and a number of players returned after having not played since 2021, while the latest crop of rookies suited up for their first regular-season games. The return of Kawhi Leonard — off the bench for the time being — immediately made the LA Clippers contenders

9:22 PM ET LOS ANGELES — After missing all of last season, Kawhi Leonard opted to wait a little longer before making his much-anticipated return for the LA Clippers. For the first time with the team, Leonard decided not to start in order to maximize his limited minutes. He ended up finishing the game as

7:38 PM ET ESPN News Services Tony Brown always embraced a challenge. He worked his way through Clark Atlanta University, when there was no scholarship available to him. He worked his way up the basketball officiating ladder, eventually becoming one of the NBA’s best referees. And even in his final days of a fight with

9:30 AM ET D’Arcy MaineESPN.com Kevin Durant has joined the list of superstar athletes to own a pickleball team. Durant was announced Thursday as an owner of a Major League Pickleball expansion team, along with manager Rich Kleiman and their joint Thirty Five Ventures. “35V is committed to investing in the future of sports and

3:19 AM ET PHOENIX — The first half of Wednesday night’s season opener conjured up the still-fresh painful feelings from last spring’s embarrassing playoff exit for the Phoenix Suns. Once again, the Suns were being dominated by Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks at home. That made the rally from a 22-point deficit for a