8:20 PM ET LOS ANGELES — Detroit Pistons forward Blake Griffin turned in an emphatic, 44-point performance in his first meeting at Staples Center against his former team, as the Pistons prevailed over the LA Clippers, 109-104. “It was nice to get that game over with,” Griffin said. “I kind of compare it to the

8:29 AM ET A FEW MONTHS BACK, Blake Griffin announced he was quitting comedy, his favorite extracurricular activity away from basketball, to pursue music as his next sideline. This declaration was the premise of the four-part mockumentary-ish “Comedy by Blake” digital series for Funny or Die. After Jeff Ross broke the news with a smirk

12:58 AM ET The Dallas Mavericks fear that sixth man J.J. Barea tore his right Achilles tendon during Friday’s 119-115 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves, a source told ESPN. Mavs coach Rick Carlisle told reporters that Barea would get an MRI on Saturday to determine the severity of what the team officially referred to as

7:35 PM ET Associated Press PHILADELPHIA — 76ers center Joel Embiid sat out Friday night against Atlanta because of a sore left ankle. Embiid hurt his ankle in a loss at Washington on Wednesday night. Embiid was one of the final players to leave the court during warm-ups and shot long jumpers wearing “Trust the

3:47 AM ET SAN ANTONIO — LaMarcus Aldridge saw the double team, spun baseline and fired a jumper that found the bottom of the net, and he immediately knew: “This is one of those nights,” he said. Aldridge scored a career-high 56 points to help the Spurs survive the Oklahoma City Thunder and Russell Westbrook‘s

1:25 AM ET The San Antonio Spurs outlasted the Oklahoma City Thunder 154-147 in double overtime in what might end up being the game of the year in the NBA. The Spurs didn’t miss a 3-pointer for nearly the entire game, the Thunder erased a 16-point deficit to force overtime, LaMarcus Aldridge became the newest

6:27 PM ET OAKLAND, Calif. — Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr says DeMarcus Cousins will start when he makes his season debut, likely Jan. 18 against the Clippers. Cousins, who signed a one-year deal with the Warriors last summer, will make his long-awaited return to the floor after rehabbing a torn left Achilles tendon

3:19 AM ET LOS ANGELES — A week after suffering a lower back contusion and two days after missing 16 of the 20 shots he attempted in his return to the court, Kyle Kuzma scored a career-high 41 points in the Los Angeles Lakers‘ 113-100 win over the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday. And he did

2:32 AM ET LOS ANGELES — Detroit Pistons forward Blake Griffin made his first appearance at Staples Center as an opponent Wednesday night after playing nearly eight seasons as a member of the LA Clippers. Griffin’s return was dampened by the Pistons’ 113-100 defeat to the Lakers, Detroit’s eighth loss in 10 games. After the

6:32 PM ET Adrian WojnarowskiESPN The Toronto Raptors are signing free-agent guard Patrick McCaw for the rest of the season, league sources told ESPN. McCaw cleared waivers on Wednesday afternoon, sources said. McCaw, 23, has been the subject of some intrigue in recent weeks — a Golden State restricted free agent who signed a non-guaranteed