4:18 AM ET LOS ANGELES — As LeBron James walked to the free-throw line with 12.9 seconds left, an approving Kobe Bryant clapped and pumped both of his fists, encouraging his old team and its new superstar to close out their best win of the early season. Seated at the corner of the baseline, Bryant

6:47 PM ET Adrian WojnarowskiESPN The Houston Rockets are making a renewed bid to acquire Minnesota Timberwolves All-Star Jimmy Butler, including four future first-round draft picks in their most recent offer, league sources told ESPN. The Timberwolves have continued to solicit offers on Butler since the start of the regular season, the sources said. Houston’s

3:34 PM ET Chicago Bulls forward Bobby Portis is expected to miss four to six weeks with an MCL sprain in his right knee, the team annnounced. Portis suffered the injury Wednesday in the Bulls’ 112-110 win over the Charlotte Hornets — Chicago’s first win of the season — when he collided with Hornets guard

3:46 AM ET PHOENIX — After an angry Luke Walton held nothing back on his team’s poor defense at the morning team meeting, the Los Angeles Lakers responded to their coach and rode a dominant second quarter to their first victory of the season. “We could feel his anger,” Lance Stephenson told ESPN’s Dave McMenamin

10:40 PM ET James Harden left the Houston Rockets‘ 100-89 loss to the visiting Utah Jazz on Wednesday night with tightness in his hamstring, coach Mike D’Antoni said. The team is not certain about the severity of the injury. Harden will be re-evaluated Thursday. Harden was subbed out at 5:19 of the fourth quarter and

3:29 PM ET Los Angeles Lakers coach Luke Walton was fined $15,000 on Wednesday for publicly criticizing the officiating following Monday’s 143-142 overtime loss to the San Antonio Spurs. Walton, clearly frustrated with the Lakers’ 0-3 start, opened his postgame news conference by saying several missed calls on LeBron James and his teammates were “not

12:21 AM ET DETROIT — Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid may have lost to the Detroit Pistons on Tuesday night, but there is a place he might have won. In Pistons center Andre Drummond‘s head. “I think I own a lot of real estate in his head,” Embiid told reporters after the Sixers’ 133-132 loss

9:10 AM ET AUBURN HILLS, Mich. — Andre Drummond grabs the rebound, stops, turns and momentarily freezes. For years, he had been used to the same routine: Pass the ball to a specific player, or turn to Stan Van Gundy to pick up the next play. Now, there is none of that. For a second

3:12 PM ET Chicago Bulls point guard Kris Dunn, who made his season debut Monday, will miss four to six weeks with a moderate sprain of the medial collateral ligament in his left knee, the team announced. Dunn had nine points, seven assists, and four rebounds in 30 minutes during Monday’s 115-109 loss to the

3:50 AM ET LOS ANGELES — After enduring a wild first week with the Los Angeles Lakers that featured a multiplayer brawl, several close calls and, ultimately, LeBron James’ first 0-3 start since his second year in the league, the star forward said he isn’t fazed one bit by what’s unfolded so far. “It’s not