Claire Rothman, a trailblazing sports and entertainment industry executive indelibly tied to the Los Angeles Lakers during their 1980s heyday, has died. Family members confirmed her death, on Saturday, was due to complications from a fall. She was 97. As the president and general manager of the "Fabulous Forum," Rothman was pivotal in bringing big-name musicians to the Inglewood venue and had deep ties to the Lakers when it was the team's home during the "Showtime" era, when the Lakers won five championships in a decade.
Tyler Herro is set to return to the Miami Heat's lineup Monday night against the Dallas Mavericks, and when he does, there are some huge concerns that he'll have to calm for fans. Most of them revolve around whether he'll be able to fit in the Heat's new and improved offensive philosophy. With how the Heat have played through the first month of the season, it's a fair (and understandable) question.
Ja Morant's season-even when he has been healthy or between suspensions-has been nothing to write home about. The Memphis Grizzlies' highest-paid player has been one of the most disappointing performers in the NBA this season, averaging just 17.9 points per game (lowest since his rookie year) on 36/13/94 shooting splits (at least he's making his free throws). Memphis is 6-11, not good enough to compete in a loaded Western Conference but also not bad enough to blow it up.
Houston Rockets star Kevin Durant will miss the next two games while tending to a family matter, sources told ESPN's Shams Charania on Sunday. Durant will miss road games against two of his former teams -- the Phoenix Suns on Monday and the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday. Durant is averaging 24.6 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.3 assists for the Rockets this season, while shooting 48.5% from the field.
The Thunder trailed by as many as 18 points in the first half; their 32-point win was the largest by any team that trailed by 15 or more point in the play-by-play era (since 1997-98). It was also Oklahoma City's second-largest comeback win this season, after they trailed the Memphis Grizzlies by 19 points on Nov. 9. The Thunder improved to 5-0 when trailing by double digits, the only team without a loss in such games.
Here's how the unexpected happened: Minnesota pushed ahead 113-105 with after Donte DiVincenzo hit his second free throw with 1:09 left. Phoenix brought the ball up the court and Brooks' 3-pointer was off the mark, but Royce O'Neale was there for the offensive rebound and putback, cutting it to 113-107 with 49.3 seconds left. A few seconds later, Gillespie stole the in-bounds pass and Brooks found Jordan Goodwin for a 3-pointer, slicing the lead to 113-110. There were still 43.4 seconds remaining.
With a current FanDuel offer, new users who sign up can place a qualifying moneyline bet on any team to win, and if that bet is successful, they will receive bonus bets. This means you could place a $5 wager on the Knicks to win their matchup against the Magic, and if they do, you'll get your cash profit from the bet plus an extra $150 in bonus bets.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- James Harden made 10 3-pointers and scored 55 points, the most in LA Clippers' history, to help beat the Charlotte Hornets 131-116 on Saturday. It was the 25th 50-point game in Harden's 17-year career, tying Kobe Bryant for the third-most 50-point games in NBA history, according to ESPN Research. Charles Smith and Bob McAdoo previously held the Clippers' scoring record with 52 points.
Basically every rotation player has average to elite scoring efficiency, they pass the ball a ton, they score from a lot of different places with a lot of different players. Brandon Ingram is the NBA's best mid-range scorer. RJ Barrett is one of the best cutters in the league. Quickley is on a stretch of 45% shooting from downtown. Scottie Barnes is filling in wherever available and driving transition offense.
Farhan Zaidi and Andrew Friedman, two key executives with the Los Angeles Dodgers, have begun playing advisory roles with theLos Angeles Lakersas part of the ownership transition from the Buss family to Mark Walter, multiple sources told ESPN. Zaidi, currently a special adviser to the Dodgers and renowned for his analytics background, is functioning as Walter's representative in helping with the transition, sources close to the situation said.
There were many questions about how he would fit into this new role and team, and I shared some of those concerns. He was good, but just how good could Ingram be when it mattered most? I always believed BI could be the prolific scorer he's proven to be, even if his time as the primary option with the Pelicans didn't fully realize the potential it seemed to hold when he first arrived as part of the blockbuster Anthony Davis trade.
It was announced today that Jakob Poeltl will miss tomorrow night's action against the Brooklyn Nets for lower back injury management, an injury that has plagued the 30-year old center all season. Resting him on the first night of a back-to-back against the Brooklyn Nets will allow him to be ready for a Monday matchup with the Cleveland Cavaliers, who sit just behind Toronto in the standings.
The WNBPA does not see the WNBA's latest collective bargaining agreement proposal as something that moves negotiations forward, sources told ESPN on Thursday, 10 days before the current CBA is set to expire. The league's proposal, first reported by the Associated Press and confirmed by ESPN, includes a revenue sharing component that, in combination with a base salary, would allow players to earn a maximum of more than $1.1 million, an average of more than $460,000 and a minimum of more than $220,000.
Miami Heat big man Bam Adebayo was seen wearing a hat after their 110-96 win over the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday. It wasn't just any hat, however. Adebayo was wearing a "Joy Dealer," hat, with many speculating that Adebayo, uncoincidentally, decided to wear the hat with Jimmy Butler (who did not play Wednesday) back in town, 11 months after his infamous "joy" comments.
Bilal Coulibaly entered the season with a lot to prove as a third-year man who's struggled to stay on the court long enough to prove why the Washington Wizards took a swing on his potential in the 2024 NBA Draft. As a former No. 7 overall pick, expectations were high for the French product entering the league, and as they should be considering the stock Washington invested in him when they opted to select him top 10.
