Even if the devastating injuries to Jayson Tatum, Damian Lillard Tyrese Haliburton, opened the championship door wide open for Cleveland and New York, it might close just as quickly. Here’s why.
ESPN analyst Zach Kram analyzes our Now or Later rankings, where the first-place team is the most desperate to win now and the 30th-place franchise is the most content to win later.
Jimmy Butler, with a focus on getting to the line and making free throws, and Jonathan Kuminga, with an offseason contract standoff behind him, helped lead the Warriors to a season-opening win over the Lakers.
After playing a game-high 41 minutes and scoring 43 points in the Lakers’ 119-109 opening night loss to the Warriors on Tuesday, Luka Doncic spent even more time in the training room receiving treatment after the game on the inside of his right leg.
In his debut with Houston on Tuesday, Kevin Durant blamed himself for the Rockets’ 125-124, double-overtime loss to the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder at Paycom Center, telling reporters that he made “two plays” that were “the reason we lost.”
On a night the Thunder received their championship rings, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander finished in style by hitting two free throws to lift OKC to a 125-124 double-overtime win over the Rockets.
Michael Jordan made his debut as a special contributor to NBC Sports’ return to NBA broadcasting on Tuesday night, saying he’s doing so as a way to give back to basketball.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver said more regulation is needed to reduce opportunities for game manipulation related to gambling and to combat bad fan behavior in arenas, which may stem from losing wagers.