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The NBA responded to the call that caused such controversy late Tuesday night through a statement from Rod Thorn, president of basketball operations. Thorn supported the officials' decision, stating that there was not enough evidence available to reverse the call made on the floor. MORE: Paul accepts blame for Clippers loss | Rivers: We got robbed “With 11.3 seconds left in the game, the basketball went out of bounds on the baseline and the referees ruled the ball belonged to the Thunder," Thorn said in a statement....

The Phoenix Suns’ bid for a first NBA Finals appearance since 1993 got off to the perfect start on Sunday, with a 120-114 win at home against the LA Clippers, courtesy of Devin Booker’s triple-double. The two-time All-Star finished with 40 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists as the Suns overcame the absence of star point guard Chris Paul to take a one-game lead in the series. “I don’t understand why everyone’s acting surprised at this point,” Suns forward Jae Crowder told ESPN about his teammate....

MORE: 76ers’ Joel Embiid slams media for pushing rumors The trailer revealed some iconic voices from around the NBA, including the Lakers’ Lawrence Tanter and the Celtics’ Eddie Palladino. Here is a list of every current PA announcer who was featured. Scott Moak, Kings Eric Smith, Clippers Vince Marotta, Suns Lawrence Tanter, Lakers Matt Pitman, Warriors Mark Fratto, Wizards Paul Porter, Magic Patrick “Big Pat” Doughty, Hornets Herbie Kuhn, Raptors Olivier Sedra, Nets Eddie Palladino, Celtics Matt Cord, 76ers Michael Baiamonte, Heat Mike Walczewski, Knicks Mark Mason, Trail Blazers Shawn Parker, Timberwolves Dan Roberts, Jazz Kyle Speller, Nuggets Mario Nanni, Thunder Shawn Sullivan, Pacers Tim Sinclair, Bulls Sean Peebles, Cavaliers Eric Jensen, Bucks John Mason, Pistons Roland Ruiz, Spurs Marcus Tucker, Grizzlies Wild Wayne, Pelicans Sean Heath, Mavericks The video also featured former Bulls public address announcer Tommy Edwards, who worked with Chicago from 1976 to 1981 and 1983 to 1990 at the Chicago Stadium, and again from 2006 to 2019....

BOSTON, Mass. — Bob Cousy was playing his customarily brilliant game for the Celtics at the Garden, but the sharps around the floor shook their heads and said, “He’s forcing himself. He’s worn down to his ankles.” The history of basketball does not include a precedent which medical men can use to measure the number of foot-pounds of energy a player can give before he loses his muscular response. Three weeks ago, a physician, who is also a basketball fan, said casually, “How long does Bob Cousy expect to go on playing this new game of basketball?...

Sunday’s NBA All-Star Game, despite taking place in the nation’s largest media market and airing on both TNT and TBS, drew a 4.3 final rating and 7.2 million viewers — flat in ratings and down 4 percent from last year (4.3, 7.5M) and down 7 and 10 percent, respectively, from 2013 (4.6, 8.0M). The numbers were clearly depressed by hefty competition on NBC, which aired the Saturday Night Live anniversary....

Following the announcement of the players participating in each category, sportsbooks have released betting odds for each of the events, as well as the All-Star Game. Newsweek has detailed the different odds for the All-Star Game, Slam Dunk Contest and Skills Challenge, below. All-Star Game Instead of the game being a classic matchup between the best players from the Eastern and Western conferences, the NBA’s All-Star Game teams were decided through a draft by this year’s team captains, Lebron James and Giannis Antetokounmpo....

The NBA is announcing the 2021-22 award winners through TNT’s postseason coverage, as Ernie Johnson, Kenny Smith, Shaquille O’Neal and Charles Barkley will have a hand in naming who will take home the MVP, Rookie of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, Sixth Man of the Year, Most Improved Player and Coach of the Year. Voting was conducted by media members and is based only on the 2021-22 regular season....

With every team in the league hitting the 20-game mark, we’re officially entering the part of the season where small sample sizes aren’t so small anymore. At this point, trends – both the good and the bad – may be what they present themselves as. Players and teams who are still thriving or experiencing success just might keep things going the rest of the year. The same could be said for the ones who are still struggling....

While the Spurs’ odds have been trimmed from 7-to-1 last week, the Warriors remain the second betting choice at the Westgate and had their price reduced as well. The Rockets also saw a slight shortening of their championship number. Some teams’ odds have naturally moved in the other direction, as the Grizzlies, Blazers, Mavericks and Thunder saw their prices increase. Oklahoma City is hanging on to the eighth seed in the West but will be without Kevin Durant for the remainder of the season, making their title hopes appear dim....

Instead of our usual chart full of players and analysis, we’re going with a game-by-game breakdown because of the short slate. Note: This is a FREE preview of Fantasy Alarm’s NBA DFS Playbook. For more ways to dominate, check out DFS site-specific advice and the rest of Fantasy Alarm’s great season-long and DFS tools available to subscribers. MORE: SN DFS | Fantasy Alarm PRO tools NBA DFS Picks: DraftKings, FanDuel advice for Tuesday, November 14 Celtics at Nets...

The former Duke forward and Naismith Award winner was taken first overall by the Pelicans in the NBA Draft on Thursday to the surprise of absolutely no one. He has been the most hyped player coming into the draft since LeBron James in 2003 and he knew exactly where he was going to be picked. Despite that, he couldn’t hold back tears as he spoke to ESPN after being taken first overall....

LIVE: Follow SN’s draft tracker for grades and analysis Like, the 2020 NBA Draft is Wednesday. Yes, that’s right, it’s in November. There will be 60 players selected. Some of them will become capable NBA players. If yours is one of those teams that tanked during the 2019-20 season in order to choose earlier in this draft, however, you are not likely to find your version of Zion Williamson or Anthony Davis contained within....

Garnett and former Boston Celtics teammate Pierce had their first Brooklyn home game spoiled Saturday night as Andre Drummond 15 scored points and first-round pick Kentavious Caldwell-Pope added 12 for the Detroit Pistons in a 99-88 victory on Saturday night. For the second straight game, Brooklyn had some defensive lapses inside the paint and couldn't stop the lobs that Drummond was getting at the rim. The Nets gave up 32 points in the paint after allowing 46 against the Washington Wizards on Tuesday night....

Toronto took down the two-time defending champion Warriors 118-109 at Scotiabank Arena on Thursday and now hold a 1-0 series lead. And the Raptors owe much of their success in Game 1 to Pascal Siakam. The 25-year-old forward scored a team-high 32 points on 14-of-17 shooting and was virtually unstoppable, getting into the paint even when Draymond Green was on him. “We’ve got a lot of bodies, we’ve got guys just willing to move and play defense and we use it to our advantage,” Siakam told ESPN after the game....

With three full days of action across Las Vegas sports books, the public appears to be siding with the defending champs, but there’s almost an equal mixture numbers available with the Warriors posted as -5.5 to 6-point favorites. William Hill sports books opened the Warriors Monday night as 5.5-point favorites and the number stood still until Wednesday morning when they moved to -6, but the move wasn’t necessarily based on action....

Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving are heading to Brooklyn. Jimmy Butler is taking his talents to South Beach. Kemba Walker will replace Irving in Boston. Tobias Harris and Al Horford both chose Philadelphia, helping to form one of the biggest teams in league history. NBA FREE AGENCY 2019: Follow SN’s live rumors tracker Kawhi Leonard is still on the board, of course, though his decision is reportedly down to the Clippers, Lakers and Raptors....

Pippen and podcast host Dan Patrick discussed some of the Michael Jordan–era Bulls dramatics that have been left simmering since the release of The Last Dance ESPN documentary last summer. Their talk about Jackson and Pippen centered on a 1994 playoff game between the Bulls and the New York Knicks. Ultimately, Jackson set up a play that was designed to give newly added Croatian player Toni Kukoc the last-second, game-winning shot....

Reasons for optimism abound on both sides of the divide in the City of Angels, with the two franchises pulling off arguably the biggest coups in a summer heralded by statement signings. The Lakers’ lengthy pursuit of Anthony Davis ended with the six-time All-Star moving to Hollywood to join forces with LeBron James. The latter’s arrival in Los Angeles last summer was expected to be the moment the Lakers revived past glories, but injuries and internal discord saw the purple and yellow miss the playoffs for the sixth season in a row....

According to an ESPN.com report, the NBA instituted the restriction, effective immediately, in response to an incident during a Jan. 21 game between the Nuggets and Grizzlies when referee Scott Wall tripped over a cameraman sitting along the midcourt sideline and rolled his ankle. MORE: PHOTOS: Shaq plays street basketball against children | Damian Lillard, snubbed forever ESPN’s national broadcast of the Spurs-Cavaliers game Saturday night was the first to apply the ban....