1:33 AM ET CLEVELAND — It’s tempting to issue a referendum on the relationship the fans of Cleveland have with LeBron James. They stood and cheered Wednesday night so it means…he’s appreciated? He’s always welcome? He’s… what? It was lovely but it’s still hard to have perspective on James’s journey, one that’s unique among the

1:08 AM ET OAKLAND, Calif. — Oklahoma City Thunder rookie Hamidou Diallo left the floor on a stretcher in the fourth quarter Wednesday night with an apparent serious leg injury. Diallo jumped for a rebound in transition, and after landing, Golden State Warriors forward Jonas Jerebko landed awkwardly on Diallo’s legs. Diallo immediately began rolling

11:12 PM ET Associated Press BOSTON — Boston coach Brad Stevens knows what is wrong with the Celtics. Plenty. Trey Burke scored 29 points, Tim Hardaway Jr. had 21 and the New York Knicks snapped a six-game losing streak with a 117-109 victory over the surprisingly inconsistent Celtics on Wednesday night. Noah Vonleh had 16

11:13 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN PHILADELPHIA — Raymond Brothers, the agent for Philadelphia 76ers guard Markelle Fultz, told ESPN on Wednesday that he has not requested a trade on behalf of his client. “I have given no indication to Elton Brand or anyone else that Markelle would prefer to be traded,” Brothers told ESPN’s Adrian

10:48 PM ET ATLANTA — Hawks wingman Vince Carter became the 22nd player in NBA history to score 25,000 points in Atlanta’s 124-108 loss to the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday. Carter, an eight-time All-Star playing in his 21st season and 1,423rd career NBA game, notched the milestone bucket in the final second of the game.

10:30 PM ET This season, LeBron James has been taking advantage of the NBA’s relaxed sneaker rules to wear all sorts of exclusive colorways of his signature LeBron 16 sneaker. However, for his return to Cleveland on Wednesday night, James dug deep into the archives, wearing a pair of sneakers more connected with his home.

9:12 PM ET Associated Press DALLAS — Dirk Nowitzki hopes to start his record 21st season with the same franchise in December as the Dallas Mavericks star continues a longer-than-expected recovery from ankle surgery seven months ago. The 13-time All-Star said he was gradually increasing activity without any setbacks after having one before the start

8:56 PM ET CLEVELAND — LeBron James was welcomed back to Quicken Loans Arena for the first time as a member of the Los Angeles Lakers with a hearty ovation from Cleveland fans on Wednesday. It was volatile. It was tense. It was a blowout. Remembering LeBron’s first game in Cleveland as a member of

7:29 AM ET NBA InsidersESPN.com Who are the early leaders and surprises in the NBA awards races? Our experts answer the big questions and make bold predictions after a month of games 1. Who is your MVP so far? Kevin Arnovitz, ESPN: LeBron James. This is a pick ’em with Giannis Antetokounmpo of the 13-4

1:26 AM ET Warriors forward Kevin Durant told Yahoo! Sports that last week’s heated in-game exchange with teammate Draymond Green — which then carried into the Golden State locker room — won’t have any impact on his impending free-agency decision. “Nah, [it won’t factor],” Durant told Yahoo! of the incident, which led to Green’s being