NBA

MILWAUKEE — Bucks center Brook Lopez has undergone surgery to address the back injury that has kept him from playing since the opening game of the season. The Bucks announced Thursday that Lopez had back surgery earlier that day in Los Angeles. “He’s basically been making very, very slow but little progress from the beginning,”

12:28 AM ET Tim BontempsESPN BOSTON — Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid said “it’s going to take awhile” for him to fully round back into form after an extended bout with COVID-19. Embiid had his second straight rough shooting performance in Wednesday’s 88-87 loss to the Boston Celtics. “I would never use it as an

After a four-month investigation, the NBA has punished the Chicago Bulls and Miami Heat with the loss of second-round draft picks because of premature discussions into the free agency of guards Lonzo Ball and Kyle Lowry, the league announced Wednesday. Chicago and Miami will lose their next available second-round pick after the league concluded that

CHICAGO — Chicago Bulls guard Coby White tested positive for COVID-19, coach Billy Donovan announced after practice Wednesday afternoon. White will enter the NBA’s health and safety protocols and will not travel with the team to New York this week for games against the Knicks and Brooklyn Nets. White is the second Bulls player to

Denver Nuggets guards Bones Hyland and Austin Rivers have entered into the league’s health and safety protocols, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski on Wednesday. If they test positive for the virus, they will be away from the team for at least 10 days, which would result in at least six missed games. Hyland had returned

The New York-based law firm leading the NBA’s investigation into the workplace culture of the Phoenix Suns under owner Robert Sarver has begun scheduling and conducting in-person interviews of current and former team employees, but it’s unclear whether those who have signed non-disclosure agreements will be able to speak freely to investigators. The Suns organization

3:41 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN BOSTON — Boston Celtics center Enes Kanter Freedom said he would welcome the opportunity to speak to Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James — whom he has criticized, along with Nike, of hypocrisy because of not speaking out about human rights violations in China — and “educate” him on the

NEW YORK — Brooklyn Nets guard Joe Harris underwent arthroscopic surgery on his injured left ankle on Monday, the team announced. He is expected to miss four to eight weeks but there is optimism he can return on the shorter end of that timeline, Harris’ agent, Mark Bartelstein of Priority Sports, told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

2:18 AM ET Andrew LopezESPN Jonas Valanciunas wasn’t exactly a marksman when he entered the NBA in 2012. In fact, in his first five seasons in the league, he went 1-of-4 from 3-point range. But those days are long gone. Valanciunas hit his first seven 3-pointers on Monday night — all in the first half

The Milwaukee Bucks are signing four-time All-Star center DeMarcus Cousins, sources told ESPN on Sunday. Cousins, 31, will sign a non-guaranteed deal to join the defending NBA champions, sources said. Teams must guarantee contracts for the balance of the season by Jan. 7. The Bucks have been without center Brook Lopez because of a back

Houston Rockets guard John Wall met with general manager Rafael Stone and coach Stephen Silas on Sunday to reiterate his desire to return to the lineup in a feature role — an idea that team officials continue to be reluctant to accept in a possible return to play, sources told ESPN. The Rockets have wanted

The Golden State Warriors assigned Klay Thompson and James Wiseman to their G League affiliate on Sunday, the team announced Sunday. The hope is that Thompson (left ACL/right Achilles) and Wiseman (meniscus) receive practice time at that level while they continue their respective rehabilitation programs. Thompson, 31, who was cleared for contact more than a

CHIHUAHUA, Mexico — Isaiah Thomas made sure USA Basketball’s road to the 2023 World Cup didn’t begin with a major upset. Thomas scored 21 points, including a sealing 3-pointer with 13.3 seconds left, and the Americans erased a seven-point deficit in the fourth quarter to beat Cuba 95-90 on Sunday in their World Cup qualifying

TORONTO — Goran Dragic has left the Toronto Raptors because of a personal matter. The Raptors said Sunday before their game against the Boston Celtics that the 35-year-old guard — acquired along with Precious Achiuwa in the offseason deal that sent Kyle Lowry to Miami — wasn’t with the team. “First of all, he’s a

LOS ANGELES — After the Los Angeles Lakers blew yet another double-digit lead before losing to the Sacramento Kings 141-137 in triple-overtime Friday, LeBron James put the onus on himself to improve as L.A. dropped below .500 with a quarter of the season in the books. “I felt like I played a horrible game individually,

NEW YORK — LeBron James was fined $15,000 for an obscene gesture Friday by the NBA, which also warned the Lakers superstar about using profane language. James made the gesture after making a shot late in Los Angeles’ 124-116 overtime victory in Indiana on Wednesday night. 2 Related He had missed a loss at New

Preliminary imaging revealed Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant suffered a left knee sprain in the first quarter of Friday night’s 132-100 home loss to the Atlanta Hawks, the Grizzlies said. Morant was hurt while dribbling the ball toward the paint, although there was no contact that appeared to cause the injury. He began to limp,

11:04 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN NEW YORK — The Phoenix Suns haven’t lost a game in a month. And, after beating the New York Knicks here at Madison Square Garden Friday night, they are two wins away from equaling the franchise’s all-time consecutive win streak of 17 games. To do so, however, the Suns will