Brandon Ingram of the New Orleans Pelicans has not played in a while. He suffered what the team has termed a "left great toe contusion" in a game against the Memphis Grizzlies on Nov. 25 and has been sidelined since. At practice on Thursday, Ingram told reporters that "confidence" is the biggest thing in between him and his return to the court. 

Ja Morant put on a passing clinic in the Memphis Grizzlies' 119-106 win over the Toronto Raptors on Thursday night. In 36 minutes of action, Morant dropped a career-high 17 assists to go along with 19 points and four rebounds. Morant's previous career high in assists was 14. 

The NBA has handed down punishments for the altercation that took place between players on the Orlando Magic and Detroit Pistons on Wednesday night. In all a whopping 11 players were suspended -- two Pistons players and nine players from Orlando, the league announced on Thursday night. 

Another night, another win for the red-hot Brooklyn Nets. This one wasn't easy, as they had to come back from a 15-point deficit in the first half, but they eventually did just enough to beat the Atlanta Hawks, 108-107. 

Playing the Miami Heat on the second game of a road back-to-back is never a fun time for any team, but the experience was especially rough for the short-handed Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday night. The Lakers turned the ball over 26 times and trailed by as much as 22 en route to a 112-98 defeat, their fifth in the past six games. 

Paolo Banchero knows what a pure scorer looks like. He sees one every time he looks in the mirror. The 2022 No. 1 overall pick and odds-on favorite to win Rookie of the Year, Banchero is averaging 21.7 points per game and has all the makings of a future scoring champion. He creates off the dribble. He's strong in the paint. He scores at all three levels and will almost certainly develop into a plus 3-point shooter. He already gets to the free throw line like a seasoned vet. 

Joe Mazzulla has exceeded expectations as interim coach of the Boston Celtics. He is 24-10 through 34 games, leading the Celtics to the NBA's best record thus far this season. Caesars Sportsbook has him as the early favorite to win the NBA's Coach of the Year award with strong odds at plus-175. For a coach who took over in September, it would be hard to ask for much more.

Sacramento Kings head coach Mike Brown has entered the NBA's health and safety protocols and will miss Tuesday's game against the Denver Nuggets, the team announced. Brown is dealing with mild symptoms and hopes to return to the team shortly, according to Andscaped's Marc Spears. 

Who's Playing

Charlotte @ Portland

Current Records: Charlotte 9-24; Portland 17-16

Sacramento Kings star Domantas Sabonis has been diagnosed with an avulsion fracture in his right thumb, the team announced on Monday. He will attempt to play through the injury and has been listed as questionable for the team's next game on Tuesday against the Denver Nuggets. 

Nets star forward Kevin Durant made some NBA history during Brooklyn's 125-117 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday night. On a jumper he knocked down midway through the second quarter of the contest, Durant passed San Antonio Spurs legend Tim Duncan to move into 15h place on the NBA's all-time scoring list. Duncan scored 26,496 points over the course of his illustrious career -- a number that Durant has now eclipsed. 

The NBA's five-game Christmas schedule is in the books, and it finished with a bang as the Denver Nuggets needed overtime to outlast the visiting Phoenix Suns, 128-125. 

The five-game Christmas Day NBA schedule concludes with a matchup in the Mile High City. The Denver Nuggets (20-11) host the Phoenix Suns (19-14) in a battle of Western Conference contenders. Phoenix has dropped two straight games and Devin Booker (groin) remains day-to-day. Denver, meanwhile, has won three straight games.

We're 60 percent of the way through the five-game Christmas slate. In the opener, the 76ers dominated the second half to defeat the Knicks, 119-112, which was followed by the Mavericks taking out the Lakers, 124-115, behind a 51-point third quarter. 

Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green called out the team's mental fortitude on Friday while speaking to reporters after practice. The Warriors are back in San Francisco after a disastrous road trip, during which they went 1-5 and lost Steph Curry for a month due to a shoulder injury.

Luka Doncic scored 50 points on 30 shots on Friday, and the Mavericks needed every one of them to fend off the Rockets in a 112-106 victory. Doncic added 10 assists, eight rebounds and three steals for fun. 

The end of Friday night's game between the Los Angeles Lakers and Charlotte Hornets probably isn't what Dr. James Naismith envisioned when he invented the modern game of basketball. The final minute of the Lakers' 134-130 loss was marked by goaltending calls, turnovers and one unbelievable moment involving LeBron James.

Who's Playing

Charlotte @ Los Angeles

Current Records: Charlotte 8-23; Los Angeles 18-14

Before the season, a Toronto Raptors victory over the New York Knicks hardly would have qualified as news. The Knicks were coming off of a lottery season. The Raptors looked like an ascending contender. But based on just the last several weeks? Toronto's 113-106 victory over New York at Madison Square Garden Wednesday night qualifies as one of the season's bigger upsets.

Kevin Durant will forever be tied to the Golden State Warriors after winning two championships with them, but on Wednesday, he and his Brooklyn Nets laid a historic beating on his former team. Though things calmed down significantly in the second half, the Nets scored an incredible 91 points in the first two quarters against the Warriors in what will go down as one of the greatest offensive halves of basketball in NBA history.

No NBA city is perfect, but the one market that consistently seems to create issues between players and fans is Salt Lake City. The Utah Jazz have played there for over four decades, but a common thread in that time has been players voicing frustrations about the actions of the fan base there. Both Russell Westbrook and Ja Morant have had run-ins with those fans in recent years, but even Utah players themselves have struggled in their interactions with them.

The NBA world has spent the past several years trying to separate Damian Lillard from the Portland Trail Blazers. Year after year he has watched superstars team up and win championships in other cities as he remained on flawed Blazer rosters, waiting for the opportunity to get there himself. He still hasn't quite reached that pinnacle, but on Monday, his loyalty to Portland was rewarded in another way.

The Dallas Mavericks have had perhaps the most frustrating season of any team in the Western Conference this season, and things just went from bad to worse on Monday in a loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves. That defeat, their 16th of the season, dropped the Mavericks below .500, but it wasn't just the loss itself that will bother Dallas fans. It was the way in which it came.

This version of the Brooklyn Nets goes as Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving go, and perahaps no game this season has encapsulated that truth as well as their 124-121 victory over the Detroit Pistons on Sunday evening, which extended their season-long winning streak to six games. 

Nikola Jokic is one of the most unique and skilled big men to ever play the game of basketball, a fact he proved yet again on Sunday night with a performance that, even by the standards he's set as the reigning two-time MVP, was astounding. Jokic finished with 40 points, 27 rebounds and 10 assists in the Nuggets' 119-115 win over the Charlotte Hornets. 

With Steph Curry set to miss the next month or so with a shoulder injury, everyone on the Golden State Warriors will have to step up in his absence, but especially Jordan Poole. The young guard did just that on Sunday, leading the Warriors to a much-needed 126-110 win over the Toronto Raptors.

Milwaukee Bucks forward Joe Ingles will make his return to the floor after missing the past 10 months when the Bucks face the New Orleans Pelicans Monday, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. The last hurdle for Ingles was a five-on-five workout Saturday and after clearing that he was deemed to be good to go for the Pelicans game.

Who's Playing

New Orleans @ Phoenix

Current Records: New Orleans 18-10; Phoenix 17-12

The Denver Nuggets have won three of their last four games, but are coming off of a loss to the Los Angeles Lakers ahead of their home game against LaMelo Ball and the Charlotte Hornets on Sunday. Making things a little more complicated for the Nuggets and daily Fantasy players is Nikola Jokic (knee) and Jamal Murray (ankle) are listed with day-to-day injuries heading into the matchup. Both played in the Nuggets game against the Lakers, but should you be concerned about their status when building your NBA DFS lineups on Sunday?

The Golden State Warriors aim to right the ship on the road on Friday. The Warriors are just 2-13 on the road this season, leading to a 14-15 overall record, and Golden State visits the Philadelphia 76ers for a high-profile tilt. Philadelphia is 15-12 overall, including three straight wins, and 10-5 at home this season. Stephen Curry (shoulder), Andrew Wiggins (adductor) and Draymond Green (quad) are out for the Warriors, with Klay Thompson (knee) questionable. Tyrese Maxey (foot) is out for Philadelphia.

When Kyle Kuzma signed his current contract, he was a reserve for the then-defending champion Los Angeles Lakers. Since then, he has grown into a core player for the Washington Wizards following a 2021 trade. As such, his personal circumstances have changed a great deal, and he is eager to see that reflected in his bank account. According to The Washington Post's Ava Wallace, Kuzma plans to opt out of the final year of his contract and become a free agent next summer.

Kyrie Irving has been a polarizing player over the course of his 12-year NBA career, but his incredible one-on-one shot-making ability has never been up for debate. Irving displayed those unique skills on the final possession of the Brooklyn Nets' 119-116 win over the Toronto Raptors on Friday night, knocking down a game-winning, step-back 3-pointer as time expired.

This is the problem with getting out the gate slowly, even if you're a championship horse. You're biding your time before you kick into high gear, but then something goes wrong somewhere around the first turn, and suddenly, as the great Yogi Berra once said, it starts getting late early. 

Who's Playing

Phoenix @ Los Angeles

Current Records: Phoenix 16-12; Los Angeles 17-13

Heat guard Tyler Herro had the most productive performance of his career in Miami's 111-108 win over the Houston Rockets on Thursday night. The shorthanded Heat, who were without Kyle Lowry and Bam Adebayo, needed Herro to step up, and he did exactly that. 

Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry will be out of the lineup with a left shoulder subluxation (i.e. a partial dislocation), the team announced on Thursday. While the Warriors have not released an official timeline for his return, The Athletic's Shams Charania reported that Curry will be sidelined for at least two weeks. Curry will not require surgery and is expected to return to the court in about a month, Charania reported during an appearance on Bally Sports. 

Charlotte Hornets coach Steve Clifford was fed up after his team's 141-134 overtime loss to the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday night. Instead of his usual post-game press conference, Clifford sat down and delivered a two-minute rant without taking a single question. 

With just over 30 seconds to play in overtime on Wednesday night, Jalen Brunson held the ball up top and let some extra time melt away. Then, as the shot clock neared expiration, he went to work. Driving to his left, Brunson put on the brakes and sent Alex Caruso to the deck with a vicious pull-back dribble, and he drained a 3-pointer to put the finishing touches on the New York Knicks' 128-120 win over the Chicago Bulls.

One of the NBA's greatest rivalries is rekindled on Tuesday evening. The Los Angeles Lakers host the Boston Celtics in a prime-time showdown. Los Angeles is 11-15 overall and 6-6 at home, with Boston bringing the NBA's best record into the proceedings. LeBron James (ankle) and Anthony Davis (back) are listed as probable for the Lakers, with Juan Toscano-Anderson (ankle) and Wenyen Gabriel (shoulder) ruled out. Al Horford (personal), Robert Williams III (knee), and Danilo Gallinari (knee) are all out for Boston. 

Giannis Antetokounmpo has reverted back to his paint-drying free-throw routine this season, and it cost him two more 10-second violations against the Warriors on Tuesday. 

MILWAUKEE -- Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green says a fan threatened his life during the team's 128-111 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday night. 

Who's Playing

Boston @ Los Angeles

Current Records: Boston 21-6; Los Angeles 15-13

Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham will undergo surgery on his shin and miss the remainder of the season, according to Adrian Wojnarowski. Cunningham is expected to make a full recovery and be back with the team for training camp ahead of the 2023-24 campaign. 

Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard had one of the most prolific shooting performances of his career against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday night, and given his track record, that's saying something.

Stephen Curry is having yet another MVP-level season, and even that undersells how dominant he's been. It would be hard to argue there has been a better player in the league so far. That doesn't mean Curry is going to win MVP; the Warriors probably need to rise in the standings for that to become a reality, particularly with the way Jayson Tatum and the Celtics are rolling. But for a quick glance at the gap between Curry and and everyone else, have a look at the three numbers below. 

Another game, another spectacular performance by Joel Embiid. The big man was dominant on Sunday evening, putting up 53 points to lead the Philadelphia 76ers to a comfortable win over the visiting Charlotte Hornets, 131-113. After a frustrating three-game losing streak, the Sixers have now bounced back with two consecutive wins to climb to fifth place in the Eastern Conference. 

There have been a number of thrilling finishes in the NBA this season, but none of them have matched the sheer absurdity of the ending to the Atlanta Hawks' 123-122 overtime win over the Chicago Bulls on Sunday evening. And over the final four months of the regular season it's hard to imagine any remaining game will either. 

Who's Playing

Minnesota @ Portland

Current Records: Minnesota 13-12; Portland 13-12

Bob Myers is among the most accomplished general managers in basketball, but at the moment, his future with the Golden State Warriors appears uncertain. His contract with Golden State is believed to expire in June, and according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, talks on a new deal are on a hiatus at the moment. "My entire focus is on the season and the team," Myers told ESPN on Saturday, without offering further comment. 

Bill Russell may be best known for his remarkable run as the star and eventually coach of the dynastic Boston Celtics, but his basketball legend began in the Bay Area. Russell arrived on the campus of the University of San Francisco in 1953 and proceeded to win two national championships for the Dons while also competing in track and field for the school. 

The Golden State Warriors blew a four-point lead the Utah Jazz on Wednesday night, dropping a game they had completely in hand, 124-123, to fall back to .500 for the season at 13-13. Nobody was happy about the meltdown. Least of all Steve Kerr, who spoke with palpable frustration afterward. 

Stephen Curry was just named Sports Illustrated's 2022 Sportsperson of the Year, and during his conversation with SI he was asked to put together his all-time starting lineup. There was one stipulation: Curry had to include himself, which isn't really a stretch as it is getting harder and harder to make a case for anyone else as the greatest point guard ever. 

Like Gloria Clemente wisely observed in "White Men Can't Jump," sometimes when you win, you really lose. The Philadelphia 76ers escaped Wells Fargo Center with a 133-122 overtime victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday night, but they took a big, fat "L" in terms of late-game execution.

Golden State Warriors forward Anthony Lamb has been accused of rape in a civil lawsuit filed against the University of Vermont by three former students, who allege that the school showed a "deliberate indifference" to "student-on-student harrassment and sexual assault." Lamb is not a defendant in the lawsuit. 

The Miami Heat got back on track on Thursday night, snapping a mini two-game losing streak with a nail-biting 115-110 win over the Los Angeles Clippers. There were 11 ties and 11 lead changes, and neither team led by more than 10 points in what was an entertaining back-and-forth battle. 

The Denver Nuggets and Portland Trail Blazers always seem to produce magic when they step on the court together, and Thursday night's thriller would fit right in with their instant classic quadruple-overtime game in the 2019 playoffs and the double-overtime affair from the 2021 postseason. 

Prior to returning for the Clippers matchup with the Hornets in Charlotte on Monday night, Kawhi Leonard had missed L.A.'s previous six games with a right ankle injury. During that time on the sideline, he clearly didn't lose his touch when it comes to hitting clutch shots. 

James Harden made his highly anticipated return to the Philadelphia 76ers active lineup on Monday night against the team he spent the bulk of his career with -- the Houston Rockets. Harden last played in a game for Philly on Nov. 2, against the Washington Wizards. He injured his foot during that contest and has been sidelined with a right foot tendon strain since. The Sixers played 14 games in Harden's absence and went 8-6 during that span.

One week after draining a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to drop the Lakers, Pacers rookie Andrew Nembhard put together a night against Stephen Curry and the Warriors on Monday that he won't ever forget. In leading Indiana, which was playing without Tyrese Haliburton and Myles Turner, to a 112-104 victory, Nembhard dropped 31 points, 13 assists and eight rebounds on five 3-pointers in 41 minutes, all of which go down as early career highs. 

New Orleans Pelicans guard Jose Alvarado had the best game of his young career against the Denver Nuggets on Sunday afternoon, and he made some franchise history in the process. Alvarado came off the bench for New Orleans in the contest, and he provided the team with an enormous spark. In 27 minutes of action, Alvarado scored 38 points while shooting 12 of 19 from the floor. He also added three rebounds, two assists and a steal. 

Back in 2002, Powerade released a commercial in which Michael Vick could be "seen" throwing a football clear out of a stadium. You knew it was fake. It had to be. Editing wasn't that great back then. And yet, for a very brief second, you actually had to entertain the possibility that the video, the feat, was real. That's how superhuman Vick seemed at the time. That's how strong of an arm he had. It was borderline cartoonish. 

On Friday, Anthony Davis played against a Milwaukee Bucks defense that ranks No. 6 in both restricted area field goal attempts allowed and restricted area field goal percentage. He scored 44 points on that defense. On Sunday, he faced a Washington Wizards defense that ranks fifth in both categories. So naturally, he scored 55 points to go along with 17 rebounds, three blocks and, most importantly, an eighth win in the past 10 games for his team.

Who's Playing

Houston @ Golden State

Current Records: Houston 6-16; Golden State 12-11

Who's Playing

Portland @ Utah

Current Records: Portland 11-11; Utah 14-11

Minnesota Timberwolves big man Rudy Gobert was sent to the showers early on Saturday night for a bizarre incident in which he tripped Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kenrich Williams. Gobert was assessed a Flagrant 2 foul after the referees determined his actions were unnecessary and excessive. 

Luka Doncic has looked like an MVP frontrunner in 2022-23 and all eyes will be on him as the Dallas Mavericks take on the Detroit Pistons on Thursday night. Mavericks vs. Pistons is the only game on the NBA schedule and that means that NBA daily Fantasy players will be parsing every matchup in great detail. Unfortunately, the Pistons will be without former No. 1 overall pick Cade Cunningham as he battles a shin injury that has already caused him to miss 11 games this season.

When the season began, the Los Angeles Lakers leaked their intent to hold off on making any trades until around Thanksgiving or the 20-game mark. The idea was to evaluate the team as it existed on opening night and make a more informed decision about how many, if any, future assets to invest in improving the current group. Well, the 20-game mark arrived Wednesday. No trades have been made, and fans are starting to get antsy.

The Detroit Pistons (5-18) will host the Dallas Mavericks (10-10) in a Thursday night battle. This will be the first matchup of the season between these two, and Dallas has won five straight games in the head-to-head series. The Mavericks own a league-worst 5-14-1 record against the spread, while the Pistons own an 11-10-2 record against the spread. Cade Cunningham (shin) is out for Detroit with Jaden Ivey (knee) listed as questionable, while Christian Wood (illness) is also questionable for Dallas.

Phoenix Suns star guard Devin Booker showed why he's one of the most elite scorers in the entire NBA against the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday night. In 31 minutes of action, Booker dropped 51 points while only missing five shots from the floor (he went 20 for 25). He also added six assists, four rebounds and a steal for good measure. 

Around 10 months ago, the Los Angeles Lakers faced off with the Portland Trail Blazers in what could have been a springboard for a desperate team. It was the night before the trade deadline, and the Lakers, missing Russell Westbrook, were eager to prove to their front office that they should go out and make a splash by beating a Blazers team without Damian Lillard and several other key players. Instead, the Lakers lost the game, the front office stood pat at the deadline, and the season went down the drain.

The Los Angeles Lakers are waiving sharpshooter Matt Ryan, according to The Athletic's Shams Charania. Ryan made one of the biggest shots of the season for the Lakers when he nailed a game-tying 3-pointer against the New Orleans Pelicans to send that game to overtime. The Lakers would later win the game. Ryan was shooting 38.2 percent from deep on the season for the Lakers in a limited role.

For years now Jaylen Brown has been thought of as a second fiddle. A really good one, but a second fiddle nonetheless. Jayson Tatum was in the same spot for a while, a secondary, evolving star next to Kyrie Irving. But Tatum graduated from that perception, taking his rightful conversational spot among the game's elite as an MVP candidate and worthy No. 1 on a championship-caliber team. 

Zion Williamson played his 100th career NBA game on Monday night, a New Orleans Pelicans' 105-101 win over the visiting Oklahoma City Thunder, thanks to a game-winning and-1 by Williamson in the final minute. His career has been like a lightning bolt. You don't see him often, but when you do he's spectacular.

With 9:59 remaining in the fourth quarter of Monday's game against the Indiana Pacers, Los Angeles Lakers big man Wenyen Gabriel slammed home a dunk that put the purple and gold up by a score of 101-84. No lead is insurmountable in the NBA, but a 17-point advantage with under 10 minutes to play is about as close as it gets. According to ESPN's win probability chart, the Lakers had a 99.1 percent chance to win the game and move to 8-11 on the season at that point in the game.