2:33 AM ET LOS ANGELES — A Los Angeles Lakers season that started with a loss to the LA Clippers and then skyrocketed to a first-place perch in the Western Conference standings for weeks has hit a bit of a snag heading into the Christmas Day rematch with their Staples Center cohabitants. Sunday’s 128-104 loss

7:43 PM ET OKLAHOMA CITY — With his name called first in the starting lineups, the LA Clippers‘ Paul George was greeted with a very loud, extended ovation in his return to Oklahoma City on Sunday. As George was introduced, the Thunder public address announcer greeted him by acknowledging George’s time with the franchise, as

8:34 PM ET TORONTO — For a brief moment, Toronto Raptors coach Nick Nurse considered waving the white flag before the fourth quarter Sunday afternoon, as his injury-depleted squad was down 23 points to the Dallas Mavericks in the first game of a back-to-back. Then Nurse’s mind flashed to the Raptors’ Dec. 8 loss in

Clippers ‘still learning each other’ despite hanging 150 on Wizards For the second time this season, the Clippers scored 150 points at home, this time in a rout of the Wizards. But Kawhi Leonard remained humble, saying, “It’s going to take time, just learning each other, playing in these games,” referring to Paul George.

11:05 PM ET Associated Press SAN ANTONIO — The crowd in San Antonio turned on Kawhi Leonard again, showering the Clippers forward with deafening boos and angry shouts. Leonard shrugged — and dominated. Leonard earned his first victory in San Antonio since his exodus from the franchise, getting 26 points, nine assists and seven rebounds

5:19 PM ET Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James is doubtful for Sunday’s home game against the Nuggets with a thoracic muscle strain, coach Frank Vogel announced Saturday. James first sustained the injury, a pull in the rib cage area, against the Indiana Pacers on Tuesday and played through it during Thursday’s loss to the

2:05 AM ET PHILADELPHIA — There must have been a lot of confused NBA fans around the country as the ESPN broadcast went to commercial break after the first quarter. Not because the Dallas Mavericks, minus MVP candidate Luka Doncic, held a seven-point lead over a Philadelphia 76ers squad that entered Friday night with the

1:07 AM ET Tim BontempsESPN PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia 76ers went the first two months of the season without losing a game at home. Then they lost two in the span of three days. And, after getting blown out by the Luka Doncic-less Dallas Mavericks 117-98 at Wells Fargo Center on Friday night, Joel Embiid

4:00 PM ET The NBA is discussing a $1 million per player purse for the winners of the proposed 30-team in-season tournament, league sources told ESPN. The league is hopeful that an additional financial incentive would motivate players to treat a new tournament with a competitive fervor. The NBA wants an in-season tournament that would

12:08 PM ET An MRI result for the left foot of Boston Celtics forward Gordon Hayward came back clean, coach Brad Stevens told reporters Friday. Hayword will not play in Boston’s game against the Detroit Pistons on Friday, but Stevens said it’s not a long-term concern. Hayward missed Wednesday’s game against the Dallas Mavericks because