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5:08 PM ET Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James got another birthday greeting after he turned 38 on Friday. This time from the man he is chasing on the NBA’s all-time scoring list: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Abdul-Jabbar, the Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer and six-time NBA champion, shouted out LeBron on Saturday morning. Happy birthday, LeBron.

12:33 AM ET ESPN News Services MILWAUKEE — Giannis Antetokounmpo had 43 points and 20 rebounds and the Milwaukee Bucks snapped a four-game losing streak with a 123-114 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday night. Antetokounmpo finished two points off his season high and also had five assists to join Wilt Chamberlain and Elgin

10:49 PM ET ATLANTA – Coming into a Friday night showdown with the Hawks on his 38th birthday, Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James told his teammates he had a gift in store for them. He was going to score 40 points to get them back on track after L.A. had lost five of its

10:41 AM ET Associated Press PARIS — Teen prodigy Victor Wembanyama embellished his fast-growing reputation when he became the youngest MVP in the French league’s All-Star game. The 18-year-old Wembanyama finished with 27 points, 12 rebounds and 4 assists Thursday night as the All-Star France team won 136-128 against the All-Star World team — an

8:04 PM ET Buddy Hield wasted no time finding the scoring column Thursday night. And he did so in record-breaking fashion. The Pacers sharpshooter grabbed the game-opening jump ball out of midair that Cleveland Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen had swatted his way, pivoted at the top of the key and coolly connected on a 3-pointer

10:13 PM ET Associated Press NEW YORK — Detroit guard Killian Hayes and Orlando’s Moritz Wagner were each given multigame suspensions for their roles in a scuffle, while the NBA suspended eight Magic players one game apiece Thursday for leaving the bench area during an altercation. Hayes, who struck Wagner in the back of the

9:11 PM ET ESPN News Services DETROIT — Orlando’s Moritz Wagner appeared to briefly get knocked out by a punch to the back of the head after starting a fight in the first half against the Pistons that led to three ejections Wednesday night in a scene that triggered memories of an ugly brawl outside

12:59 AM ET Andrew LopezESPN With time ticking away in the fourth quarter and the New Orleans Pelicans trailing the Minnesota Timberwolves, CJ McCollum joked that the Pelicans’ game plan became quite simple. “Get the ball to Z and get the f— out the way,” he said. Zion Williamson finished with a career-high 43 points,

12:24 AM ET MIAMI — Back in the arena where he played arguably the best basketball of his career, LeBron James was asked to look to the future rather than back into the past and share how much longer he plans to play in the NBA. “I don’t have a number,” James said Wednesday after

2:13 PM ET Associated Press PHOENIX — Suns All-Star guard Devin Booker will miss at least four weeks with a left groin strain. The team confirmed Booker’s injury on Wednesday and said he’ll be reevaluated after the four weeks. Booker, 26, has missed six of the past nine games because of hamstring and groin ailments.

8:00 AM ET One Eastern Conference contender is streaking up the NBA standings. With a win on Monday over the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Brooklyn Nets have run their streak to nine games, tying the longest in the league this season. (The other two teams to pull it off, the Boston Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks, sit

11:35 PM ET Luka Doncic is unreal. Get exclusive access to more than 3,000 premium articles a year from top writers.• Miller: Ranking CFB’s top players »• Givony: New 2023 NBA mock draft »• Doolittle: Post-FA MLB stock watch » More ESPN+ content » The Dallas Mavericks star put up a triple-double for the ages

12:16 AM ET CLEVELAND — Prior to leading his team to its ninth straight win — a 125-117 triumph over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday night — Brooklyn Nets coach Jacque Vaughn acknowledged what he thought was the key to his team’s recent hot play. “Basketball,” Vaughn said before the game. “We have not steered

7:04 PM ET ESPN staff Top 2023 NBA draft prospect Victor Wembanyama continues to catch the eye of the basketball world with his superstar potential. The 18-year-old, 7-foot-4 sensation has consistently produced for his team, Paris-based Metropolitans 92, and that trend continued in his latest outing against Strasbourg. Wembanyama put up a 26-point,18-rebound double-double in

7:51 PM ET Sacramento Kings All-Star center Domantas Sabonis has been diagnosed with an avulsion fracture of the ulnar collateral ligament of the right thumb, the team announced Monday. The Kings said he will be listed as questionable for Tuesday’s home game against the Denver Nuggets, indicating he may try to play through the injury.

10:38 PM ET Jamal CollierESPN BOSTON — Jayson Tatum scored 41 points, including 20 during the third quarter, to lead the Boston Celtics to a 139-118 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks, turning a marquee Christmas Day matchup featuring the two teams with the best records in the league into a blowout. Boston held a one-point

2:23 AM ET ESPN News Services DENVER — Nikola Jokic authored a triple-double, and the Denver Nuggets outlasted the short-handed Phoenix Suns 128-125 in overtime Sunday night, bringing a grand conclusion to the NBA’s annual Christmas Day slate. According to ESPN Stats & Information research, Jokic’s effort, which closed with 41 points, 15 rebounds and

7:55 PM ET DALLAS — The Los Angeles Lakers‘ Christmas Day took a turn for the worse after halftime, with the Mavericks blitzing L.A. in the third quarter to win 124-115, L.A.’s fourth straight loss without Anthony Davis. Lakers coach Darvin Ham has continued to start the 6-foot-1 Patrick Beverley alongside the 6-1 Dennis Schroder

3:53 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN NEW YORK — After a Joel Embiid tip-in put the Philadelphia 76ers up by 14 with under five minutes remaining Sunday afternoon, the superstar center stretched his arms out wide above his head and soaked in the boos from the partisan crowd at Madison Square Garden. Thanks to dominant performances

3:32 PM ET Sacramento Kings All-Star Domantas Sabonis suffered a right hand injury and will undergo further testing and evaluation on treatment options that will help determine how much time — if any — Sabonis will miss, sources told ESPN on Saturday. X-rays confirmed the injury and the need for further examination after Friday’s loss

9:47 PM ET Phoenix Suns star Devin Booker is expected to return from a groin injury Sunday for the Christmas Day matchup with the Denver Nuggets, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Booker last played one week ago, when he scored 58 points in a comeback win over the New Orleans Pelicans. He landed on the

Dec 21, 2022 Christmas Day is often filled with holiday cheer, presents and, most importantly, basketball. The NBA will host five games throughout the day airing on ABC, ESPN and the ESPN app, and this year’s matchups are worth the watch. Joel Embiid and James Harden will tip things off and are sure to bring

8:00 AM ET The NBA’s star-studded slate of Christmas Day games will pit the game’s best against the best in a high-stakes day of action between top contenders. The surging New York Knicks, with their newest star point guard, Jalen Brunson, and a revitalized Julius Randle, will host MVP candidate Joel Embiid, James Harden and

5:33 PM ET Kendra AndrewsESPN SAN FRANCISCO — Forward Draymond Green had a blunt assessment about what is holding the Golden State Warriors back following the team’s 1-5 road trip. “Right now, I think we are very fragile,” Green said Friday after practice. “You start going through these things and then you start believing them.

3:29 PM ET LOS ANGELES — Lakers star big man Anthony Davis has a stress injury in his right foot and will continue to be sidelined indefinitely, the team announced Friday. Davis injured his foot last week during a game against the Denver Nuggets after his lower leg bumped with Nikola Jokic while the two

Dec 21, 2022 Tim BontempsESPN The NBA announced Wednesday afternoon that the New York Knicks would lose their 2025 second-round pick as a result of the league’s investigation into the team’s signing of guard Jalen Brunson this summer as a free agent. “This outcome reflected a finding, following an investigation, that the Knicks engaged in

Dec 21, 2022 Kendra AndrewsESPN NEW YORK — As the Golden State Warriors‘ road struggles boiled over in a 143-113 loss to the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday night, head coach Steve Kerr said his team has hit rock bottom. The Warriors are depleted, playing without five rotational players, including three starters, and there is no

6:30 PM ET Andrew LopezESPN New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson has been placed in the league’s health and safety protocols and will not play Thursday against the San Antonio Spurs. Williamson has been a driving force this season for the Pelicans, who are 18-12 and in third place in the Western Conference. He’s averaging

10:44 PM ET ESPN News Services NEW YORK — Pascal Siakam scored a career-high 52 points and the Toronto Raptors snapped the New York Knicks‘ NBA-leading eight-game winning streak 113-106 Wednesday night. “It’s cool,” Siakam said of posting his first 50-point game at Madison Square Garden. “I’m not a super basketball historian. I didn’t start

3:55 PM ET Associated Press Gregg Popovich has been at the Hall of Fame enshrinement ceremony many times over the years, always there to show support for someone on the stage. Next year, he might be there in a different capacity. The NBA’s all-time winningest coach — who has quietly declined overtures from the Hall