Miami freshman Kyshawn George entered the NBA Draft on Thursday and will hire an agent.

George is a projected first-round pick.

"I decided to follow my basketball dream and make it a reality. I did not expect anything from this season besides working on my game and getting better every day," said George.

George averaged 7.6 points, 3.0 rebounds and 2.2 assists this season.

Khris Middleton is questionable for Game 3 against the Indiana Pacers with a sprained right ankle.

"It's another holding-our-breath situation. Honestly, I don't know," said Doc Rivers about Middleton's status.

Middleton, who did not practice on Thursday, suffered the injury in Game 2.

The series is tied 1-1.

Rivers added that Giannis Antetokounmpo is "getting close" to returning to the Bucks lineup.

"Does that mean a day, four days? I'm not sure," added Rivers.

Joel Embiid has been treated for a mild case of Bell's palsy over the past week. Bell's palsy is an unexplained episode of facial muscle weakness or paralysis. 

The condition began during the Philadelphia 76ers' Play-In win last week against the Miami Heat. Embiid has been spotted wearing sunglasses inside, which is related to the condition. Embiid had wanted to keep the situation private to avoid distractions for the Sixers.

Embiid had 50 points in Philadelphia's Game 3 win over the New York Knicks.

Stephen Curry has won the Jerry West Trophy as the 2023-24 NBA Clutch Player of the Year. 

The award, which was introduced last season, honors the NBA player who best comes through for his teammates in the clutch.  

In the 2023-24 regular season, Curry scored an NBA-high 189 points in clutch situations, which are defined as possessions in the final five minutes of the fourth quarter or overtime when the score is within five points.  He also led the league in clutch field goals made (59) and clutch three-pointers made (32). 

Curry shot 49.6% from the field, 45.7% from three-point range and 95.1% from the free throw line in clutch time. 

The Milwaukee Bucks held practice on Thursday before flying to play at the Indiana Pacers in Game 3. The Bucks and Pacers are tied at 1-1 in the series.

Giannis Antetokounmpo remained out of full participation as he continues to deal with a calf injury.

Doc Rivers said Antetokounmpo "did a lot of floor stuff today, probably the most I've seen."

Antetokounmpo did no live practicing, but advanced beyond just walking through drills by "shooting and moving."

"He's getting close," Rivers said. "But, I don't know what that even means. I'm being honest. I saw him moving around and in my mind I said he's getting close. Does that mean a day, four days? I'm not sure."

Ja Morant has hired Mike Miller of Lift Sports Management as his new representation. Miller also represents Paolo Banchero and Wendell Carter Jr.

Morant was previously represented by Jim Tanner.

Morant signed a five-year, $193 million extension with the Memphis Grizzlies during the 2022 offseason and cannot become a free agent until 2028.

Tidjane Saluan of Cholet Basket in France has declared as an Early Entry Candidate for the 2024 NBA Draft. Salaun won't turn 19 until mid-August, making him one of the younger prospects in this year's draft class.

In 48 games for Cholet Basket this season, the 6-foot-9 forward has averaged 9.6 points and 3.9 rebounds in 23.3 minutes per game. Salaun has shot 40.4% from the field, including 33% on three-pointers. The expectation is that Salaun's offensive game will round to complement his already good defense.

Salaun is projected to be lottery pick by most draft experts.

What happened in two snapshots in the NBA Playoffs on Wednesday, April 24, 2024.

Thierry Darlan, who spent most of the season with G League Ignite, has declared as an Early Entry Candidate for the 2024 NBA Draft. The 20-year-old wing is currently playing for Bangui Sporting Club out of the Central African Republic in Basketball Africa League qualifiers.

With the Ignite, Darlan averaged 5.4 points and 3.7 rebounds in 19.1 minutes per game off the bench. The 6-foot-8 wing has shown better in BAL qualifiers. Darlan has averaged 19.5 points, 10.5 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.3 blocks for Bangui Sporting Club.

Most draft experts have Darlan as being picked late in the second round or going undrafted.

While ESPN and TNT didn't extend their media rights deals with the NBA before their exclusive negotiating window closed, sources tell Front Office Sports that both networks have matching provisions that allow each an opportunity to respond to outside bids before contracts are finalized. The provision applies to both streaming and linear rights packages.

The NBA currently gets nearly $2.7 billion annually from its nine-year $24 billion deals with ESPN and TNT expiring at the end of next season and a doubling of that annual average is possible. 

The NBA has been tied to WBD in various ways since 1984, while ESPN has been a partner for more than 20 years. ESPN also provides significant programming beyond live sports that help promote the league.