1:40 PM ET LeBron James says he will be “ready to go” for the Los Angeles Lakers‘ game against the Dallas Mavericks on Friday despite rolling his left ankle in the season opener. “I’ll be ready to go tomorrow on Christmas Day,” James told reporters Thursday. “I’ve never missed a Christmas Day game, and I

5:39 PM ET Associated Press CLEVELAND — Cavaliers rookie forward Dylan Windler broke his left hand in the season opener, another unlucky medical setback for the promising player. The team said Thursday that Windler suffered a fourth metacarpal fracture (on his ring finger) when he took a hard fall in the third quarter against the

9:12 AM ET Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green will miss his second straight game Friday against the Milwaukee Bucks because of a foot injury. Green was a full participant in Wednesday’s practice after missing Tuesday’s season-opening blowout loss to the Brooklyn Nets, but coach Steve Kerr said the three-time All-Star would remain sidelined for

2:48 PM ET The NBA is eliminating restrictions on recruiting and acquiring veteran free agents for G League rosters, according to a memo to teams obtained by ESPN. Eliminating these restrictions will ease the process for NBA free agents with five years of service or more to join G League teams and be part of

11:43 PM ET Russell Westbrook needed only three quarters to get his first triple-double with the Washington Wizards, but he will have to wait a bit longer to get his first victory. The All-Star point guard made his Wizards debut in typical Westbrook fashion with 21 points, 15 assists and 11 rebounds. But it wasn’t

11:01 PM ET ESPN News Services Charlotte Hornets center Cody Zeller suffered a fractured left hand in Wednesday night’s game against the Cleveland Cavaliers, the team said. He was quickly ruled out for the remainder of the game, but it is too soon to tell how much time Zeller will miss, a source told ESPN’s

9:22 PM ET NEW YORK — Ahead of the Nets‘ season opener against the Warriors, Golden State coach Steve Kerr sat down to watch some film of his former player Kevin Durant. He pulled up Brooklyn’s preseason game against Boston and took in Durant’s first competitive play since tearing his Achilles in June of 2019.

9:42 PM ET LOS ANGELES — Jason Arasheben, aka Jason of Beverly Hills, waited 10 years for a chance to design another Los Angeles Lakers championship ring. And then when the jeweler got his opportunity, Arasheben had to turn the ring around in just four weeks, rather than the customary three to four months he

8:01 PM ET Associated Press CLEVELAND — Cavaliers forward Kevin Love will miss the season opener Wednesday night against Charlotte because of a strained right calf. The team officially ruled Love out on Tuesday, hours after Cavs coach J.B. Bickerstaff said he was preparing not to have the five-time All-Star in the lineup. Love got

9:22 AM ET The Los Angeles Lakers will tip off their season as the consensus favorites to win a second straight NBA championship. And the betting public is on board. More money has been bet on the Lakers to win the title than has been bet on every other team combined at William Hill sportsbooks.