2:03 PM ET Austin Rivers has agreed to a guaranteed deal for rest of the season with the Houston Rockets, a league source told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Rivers will likely help Houston replace Chris Paul, who will miss at least two weeks with a Grade 2 strain of his left hamstring suffered in Thursday’s loss

3:32 AM ET Tim BontempsESPN PHILADELPHIA — As Joel Embiid has emerged from two seasons wiped out by injuries to begin his professional career, he has become one of the faces of the modernization and evolution of the center position. By pairing his massive 7-foot frame with the ability to space the floor beyond the

9:08 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN PHILADELPHIA — Toronto Raptors forward Kawhi Leonard has yet to play in both halves of a back-to-back this season. But that could soon be a thing of the past. Before Saturday night’s game against the Philadelphia 76ers, which Leonard sat out after scoring 37 points in 32 minutes Friday night

12:19 PM ET Money is nice, but it’s not the goal for New Orleans Pelicans star Anthony Davis. “Legacy” is what matters. “I’d take legacy over money,” Davis told Yahoo Sports after Friday’s 112-104 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers. “I want to have a legacy. “All my people that look up to me, the

2:58 AM ET LOS ANGELES — LeBron James defended his comments about wanting to play with Pelicans star Anthony Davis, rattling off the names of several other stars he would love to team with and rejecting the notion that he did anything wrong. Speaking with reporters after Friday’s 112-104 win over New Orleans, James was

6:52 PM ET OAKLAND, Calif. — Golden State Warriors center DeMarcus Cousins took another step in his recovery from a torn Achilles tendon on Friday by dunking on teammate Kevin Durant in a playful one-on-one battle at the end of practice. The pair, which has had a handful of post-practice duels over the last couple

11:39 AM ET Adrian WojnarowskiESPN In the wake of Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James publicly endorsing pursuit of a trade for Anthony Davis, several small-market general managers are privately expressing outrage over what they believe is the NBA’s unwillingness to enforce the league’s tampering rules. Several GMs told ESPN that they reached out to

3:36 AM ET LOS ANGELES — On a night that Dallas Mavericks center DeAndre Jordan was welcomed back and honored by his former team at Staples Center, Clippers coach Doc Rivers said he hoped to see Jordan’s LA jersey retired when all is said and done. “When you think of [Jordan] more than anybody, you

9:22 PM ET Houston Rockets point guard Chris Paul suffered a strained left hamstring and will not return against the Miami Heat on Thursday night. Paul played 12 minutes and had four points before exiting in the second quarter. He lost control of the ball while dribbling past midcourt, and while attempting to take it

8:33 AM ET LUKA DONCIC’S HELLO KITTY backpack has rarely been seen inside the American Airlines Center. Never mind the rules for Dallas Mavericks rookies. Last season, Dennis Smith Jr. dragged a variety of his own kid-themed backpacks around to every arena, a harmless rookie rite of passage the Mavs share with many NBA teams.