The Houston Rockets are brimming with confidence after avoiding elimination twice with consecutive wins to force Game 6 against the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round of the playoffs.

Jabari Smith Jr. scored 22 points, Tari Eason added 18 and the Houston Rockets avoided playoff elimination for the second straight game with a 99-93 victory over the Lakers in Game 5.

Austin Reaves and the Los Angeles Lakers will wait until right before Game 5 to determine whether he is ready to return from nearly four weeks on the sidelines with a strained oblique muscle.

Former NBA player and assistant coach Damon Jones has become the first person to plead guilty in a gambling sweep that led to the arrests of more than 30 people, including reputed mobsters and other basketball figures.

Amen Thompson scored 23 points, Tari Eason added 20 and the Houston Rockets avoided elimination with a 115-96 rout of the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 4 of the Western Conference playoff series.

With Victor Wembanyama absent because of a concussion, the San Antonio Spurs' young players stepped up for a 120-108 victory over the Trail Blazers.

LeBron James scored 29 points, including a tying 3-pointer with 13 seconds left in regulation, Marcus Smart had eight points in overtime and the Los Angeles Lakers took advantage of a Houston Rockets team missing Kevin Durant for a 112-108 win Friday night to take a 3-0 lead in the Western Conference first-round series.

Austin Reaves has been upgraded to questionable for Game 3 of the Los Angeles Lakers’ first-round playoff series against the Houston Rockets.

76ers rookie V.

The first six games in this season’s playoffs all had something in common.

LeBron James had 28 points, eight rebounds and seven assists, and the short-handed Los Angeles Lakers outlasted the Houston Rockets for a 101-94 victory and a stunning 2-0 lead in their first-round playoff series.

There had never been a unanimous NBA Defensive Player of the Year.

It has proven almost as difficult to rattle Victor Wembanyama as it is to get a shot off against San Antonio’s 7-foot-4 star.

Luke Kennard scored a career playoff-high 27 points, LeBron James had 19 points and 13 assists, and the short-handed Los Angeles Lakers capitalized on Kevin Durant’s injury absence for a 107-98 victory over the Houston Rockets in the opener of their first-round playoff series.

Kevin Durant was ruled out of Houston’s playoff opener against the Los Angeles Lakers with a bruised right knee about 90 minutes before tipoff.

Donovan Mitchell has more support on the Cleveland Cavaliers roster going into this year’s postseason run.

This NBA season has been unusual, with three teams finishing over.

LeBron James and Kevin Durant have faced each other in the playoffs three times, and the superstar with the superior supporting cast won a championship every time.

Oscar Schmidt, the Basketball Hall of Famer known to his Brazilian compatriots as the “Holy Hand,” died Friday.

The Lakers spent six months building and working toward the opportunity to make some noise in the playoffs.

LeBron James and Bronny James seem likely to play postseason minutes together this month when the Los Angeles Lakers face the Houston Rockets in the first round.

Ex-NBA player and assistant coach Damon Jones is expected to become the first person to plead guilty in a gambling sweep that led to the arrests of more than 30 people, including reputed mobsters and other basketball figures.

The Los Angeles Lakers’ Luka Doncic and Detroit’s Cade Cunningham will be eligible for awards such as MVP and All-NBA this season despite falling short of the 65-game minimum.

Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves will not return from injury in time to begin the Lakers’ first-round playoff series against the Houston Rockets.

LeBron James probably thought he was done playing this particular role.

Sunday is the final day of the NBA regular season, and exactly zero playoff and postseason matchups have been decided so far.

Los Angeles Lakers coach JJ Redick downplayed his mid-game shouting match with Jarred Vanderbilt during their loss to Oklahoma City.

Cooper Flagg scored 45 points and the Dallas Mavericks ended their longest home losing streak in 32 years at 14 games with a 134-128 victory over the depleted Los Angeles Lakers.

Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves are finished for the rest of the regular season due to injuries, and the Los Angeles Lakers could finish anywhere from third to fifth in the Western Conference playoff race.

Austin Reaves will miss the rest of the Los Angeles Lakers’ regular season with a Grade 2 oblique muscle injury.

A pair of NBA head coaches defended Memphis and its culture Friday following criticism by Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James that the Grizzlies should just relocate.

Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic is likely to win the NBA scoring title this season, but he might not make the All-NBA team.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 28 points as the Oklahoma City Thunder routed the Los Angeles Lakers 139-96 in a game in which NBA leading scorer Luka Doncic left due to injury.

This year’s Webby Award nominations highlight the internet’s wildest hits, from celebrity campaigns to strange viral products.

The final day of the NBA regular season is here.

Luka Doncic had 41 points and eight rebounds while also picking up his suspension-triggering 16th technical foul during the Los Angeles Lakers’ 116-99 victory over the Brooklyn Nets.

LeBron James literally passed it on to the next generation.

Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark was taking a different kind of shot while the Indiana Pacers hosted LeBron James, Luka Doncic the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday night.

Detroit guard Cade Cunningham’s eligibility for individual honors such as a spot on the All-NBA team is in some doubt because of the 65-game rule for such awards.

LeBron James set the NBA record by playing in his 1,612th regular-season game and Luke Kennard made a 3-pointer off a pass from James with 0.6 seconds left to send the Los Angeles Lakers to a 105-104 comeback victory over the Orlando Magic.

LeBron James might be running out of records to chase.

Luka Doncic stepped to the foul line in the final moments and couldn’t help but hear what the crowd was yelling, over and over and over again.

LeBron James started for the Los Angeles Lakers against the Miami Heat, making it the 1,611th regular-season game of his career and tying Robert Parish’s all-time NBA mark.

Luka Doncic had 40 points and LeBron James added 30 as the Los Angeles Lakers extended their winning streak to seven games with a 124-116 win over the Houston Rockets.

Luka Doncic doesn’t need an excuse to pile on points, so when Chicago guard Matas Buzelis started jawing with him Thursday night, it became the fuel for his first 50-point game with the Los Angeles Lakers.

Luka Doncic had 51 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists, LeBron James had 18 points in his return after missing three games because of injuries, and the Los Angeles Lakers used a strong third quarter to defeat the Chicago Bulls 142-130 on Thursday night.

Bam Adebayo scored 83 points, the second-best scoring effort in league history to carry the Miami Heat to a 150-129 win over the Washington Wizards on Tuesday night.

It’s Wilt, then Bam.

Wilt Chamberlain has some NBA records that might never get touched, like the 100-point game, 4,000 points in a season and a 50-point-per-game scoring average.

LeBron James is missing his second consecutive game to rest injuries to his left elbow and left foot when the Los Angeles Lakers host the New York Knicks.

Luka Doncic scored 44 points in the first three quarters of the Los Angeles Lakers' 128-117 victory over the Indiana Pacers without LeBron James.

LeBron James broke Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s record for career field goals in the Los Angeles Lakers’ 120-113 loss to Denver on Thursday night, with the Nuggets getting 28 points each from All-Stars Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic.

LeBron James has become the NBA’s leader in career field goals.

Luka Doncic had 27 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists, LeBron James added 21 points and the Los Angeles Lakers rallied past the New Orleans Pelicans 110-101 for their third straight victory.

Luka Doncic had 26 points, eight assists and six rebounds, LeBron James added 22 points, nine assists and seven rebounds, and the Los Angeles Lakers ran away from the short-handed Golden State Warriors for a 129-101 win.

Zhuri James stood with her back to the basket at the free-throw line and heaved an over-the-head shot that banked in after several previous attempts.

When Luka Doncic had the ball in his hands with a chance to win the game for the Los Angeles Lakers, the Slovenian scoring machine passed.

When Luka Doncic had the ball in his hands with a chance to win the game for the Los Angeles Lakers, the Slovenian scoring machine passed.

Wendell Carter Jr. made a go-ahead putback with 6.7 seconds to play, Paolo Banchero scored 36 points and the Orlando Magic finished a strong West Coast trip with a 110-109 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers.

The Detroit Pistons have surged from years of misery to the NBA’s best record as play resumes after the All-Star break.

If you still didn’t like the NBA’s newest All-Star Game format, you probably just don’t like All-Star games.

Anthony Edwards won the Most Valuable Player award while leading his “Stars” team past their fellow Americans on the “Stripes” team 47-21 to win the final of the NBA All-Star Game.

LeBron James still hasn’t decided whether his unprecedented 23rd NBA season will be his last.

The NBA is trying its fourth All-Star Game format in four years this weekend as it attempts again to answer one of the bigger existential questions in professional basketball.

For two solid decades, LeBron James was a main attraction at every NBA All-Star weekend.

Chris Paul has announced he is retiring from the NBA after a 21-season career that stacks up as Hall of Fame worthy.

LeBron James became the oldest player in NBA history to have a triple-double, accomplishing the feat for the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday night against the Dallas Mavericks.

Victor Wembanyama began his 40-point performance against the Lakers with a 25-point first quarter.

Victor Wembanyama scored 37 of his season high-tying 40 points in the first half and the San Antonio Spurs beat the short-handed Los Angeles Lakers 136-108 for their fifth straight victory.

LeBron James will sit out of the Los Angeles Lakers’ game against the San Antonio Spurs due to left foot arthritis.

Gen Z and Gen Alpha are creating new challenges and opportunities for sports leagues and teams courting their fandom.

NBA All-Star weekend is back in California for the second straight year.

Stephen Curry is teaming up with LeBron James and Kevin Durant at the NBA All-Star Game.

LeBron James being an All-Star was almost a certainty for two decades.

OG Anunoby scored 25 points, Landry Shamet added 23 and the New York Knicks beat the Los Angeles Lakers 112-100 on Sunday night to spoil LeBron James’ 32nd game at Madison Square Garden.

LeBron James is an All-Star again, marking his 22nd consecutive selection.

Madison Square Garden says anyone fighting at the arena may be “banned for life” after there were multiple altercations at one of its events.

Donovan Mitchell scored 25 points, Jaylon Tyson had 20 and the Cleveland Cavaliers used a big third quarter to beat the Los Angeles Lakers 129-99 and spoil LeBron James’ return to Northeast Ohio.

LeBron James doesn’t know if Wednesday night will end up being his last trip to Cleveland as a player.

Luka Doncic walked toward the wrong locker room at halftime before a quick U-turn by the Los Angeles Lakers star in his second trip to Dallas.

Luka Doncic had 33 points and 11 assists, and the Lakers erased a 15-point deficit in the final seven minutes of a 116-110 victory over the Mavericks in the star guard’s second visit to Dallas since his shocking trade to Los Angeles almost a year ago.

A former Miami Heat security officer has been sentenced to three years in federal prison and ordered to pay nearly $1.9 million in restitution for stealing hundreds of game-worn jerseys and other valuable sports memorabilia while working for the team.

Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo, Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Denver’s Nikola Jokic, the Los Angeles Lakers’ Luka Doncic, Golden State's Stephen Curry, New York’s Jalen Brunson, Detroit’s Cade Cunningham, Philadelphia’s Tyrese Maxey, Boston’s Jaylen Brown and San San Antonio's Victor Wembanyama were announced as NBA All-Star starters Monday.

Luka Doncic had 25 points and seven assists, LeBron James added 24 points and seven assists, and the Los Angeles Lakers returned to form with a 110-93 victory over the Toronto Raptors.

James Harden has passed Shaquille O’Neal for ninth place on the NBA’s all-time scoring list.

Giannis Antetokounmpo blocked a shot by LeBron James and stole the ball from him on consecutive possessions in the final minute, and the Milwaukee Bucks blew a fourth-quarter lead before rallying for a 105-101 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers.

Anthony Edwards became the third-youngest player in NBA history to reach 10,000 career points when the Minnesota Timberwolves star swished a 13-foot fadeaway jumper from the baseline in the fourth quarter against Cleveland.

Keldon Johnson had 27 points, Victor Wembanyama added 16 points and 14 rebounds, and the San Antonio Spurs overcame 38 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists from Luka Doncic to beat the Los Angeles Lakers 107-91 on Wednesday night.

Lakers coach JJ Redick compares LeBron James at 41 years old to Hall of Fame pitcher Greg Maddux at the end of his career.

LeBron James scored 30 points, Luca Doncic capped his 30-point, 10-assist performance with a pair of off-balance, bail-out 3s as the shot clock wound down, and the Los Angeles Lakers held off the reeling New Orleans Pelicans 111-103.

The NBA is heading back to China next season.

Luka Doncic and LeBron James topped 30 points each in the same game for the first time this season as the Los Angeles Lakers rallied for a 128-121 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies.

LeBron James scored 17 points on his 41st birthday, but Cade Cunningham had 27 points and 11 assists while leading the Detroit Pistons to a 128-106 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers.

The NBA is dealing with a wave of injuries affecting top players.

The evolution of the Christmas Day sports calendar in the U.S. has given fans a respite if they need a break from family gatherings or just some entertainment while they sip on eggnog.

Luka Doncic suffered an injury and didn't return after halftime of the Lakers' game against the Clippers.

LeBron James was amazed by Luka Doncic's performance after Doncic scores 45 points, 14 assists, and 11 rebounds in a win over the Utah Jazz.

Cooper Flagg scored the most points by an 18-year-old in NBA history, but he couldn’t enjoy the accomplishment because it came in a loss.

LeBron James made two free throws with 3.9 seconds left, Luka Doncic added 29 points and the Los Angeles Lakers recovered from blowing a 20-point lead in the fourth quarter to top the Phoenix Suns 116-114 on Sunday night.

LeBron James hit a late go-ahead 3-pointer and scored 29 points, Luka Doncic had a triple-double and the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Philadelphia 76ers 112-108 on Sunday night.