LOS ANGELES (AP) — Lakers point guard Rajon Rondo will be sidelined at least a month after undergoing surgery to repair a ligament on his right ring finger.Rondo sprained his finger during Los Angeles' surprising Christmas Day victory at Golden State. He missed the Lakers' last-second loss at Sacramento on Thursday night along with LeBron James, who strained his groin against the Warriors.Rondo had surgery Friday, and he is expected to fully recover in four to five weeks, according to the team. Rondo initially hoped to play through the pain in his troublesome shooting hand, but decided it would be impossible without surgery."He tried to pick up a basketball and palm it, and it was killing him," Lakers coach Luke Walton said. "His decision was based on, 'All right, I can fight through this and see how much I can do, or I just get it done ASAP and come back 100 percent and try to make a late-season push.' That was what all parties decided was the best option."The Lakers also played without... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Lakers point guard Rajon Rondo will be sidelined at least a month after undergoing surgery to repair a ligament on his right ring finger.Rondo sprained his finger during Los Angeles' Christmas Day victory at Golden State. He missed the Lakers' last-second loss at Sacramento on Thursday night along with LeBron James, who strained his groin against the Warriors.Rondo had surgery Friday, and he is expected to fully recover in four to five weeks, according to the team.The Lakers face the Clippers on Friday night in the first game of the season against their Staples Center co-tenants. The Lakers (20-15) have vaulted back into playoff contention with the Western Conference's fifth-best record, a half-game behind the Clippers (20-14).Rondo is averaging 8.4 points, 6.7 assists and 4.4 rebounds while providing solid leadership in his first season with the Lakers, who signed him as a free agent in July.But the veteran has appeared in only 14 games because of a three-game suspension... [More]

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — LeBron James was held out of the Lakers' game against the Sacramento Kings on Thursday night with a groin injury, ending his consecutive games played streak at 156.James was injured during the Lakers' 127-101 victory over two-time defending NBA champion Golden State on Christmas when he slipped while going for a loose ball.An MRI showed that James suffered a left groin strain rather than a tear, but no timetable has been set for his return. Lakers coach Luke Walton said the team will take a cautious approach with the four-time MVP."It's one of those things we want to make sure he's healthy before we get him back out there," Walton said Thursday. "That could be an injury where if you come back too early you re-injure it and then you're out longer. We'll be careful and cautious when he starts playing again."James, who remained in Los Angeles while his teammates flew to Sacramento, has played in every game since the final game of the 2016-17 regular season, when he sat out to rest. His last extended absence due to injury was an eight-game stint to deal with back and knee aches midway through the 2014-15 season.James is averaging 27.3 points, 8.3 rebounds and 7.1 assists this season, his 16th in the NBA and first with the Lakers.__More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/tag/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

NEW YORK (AP) — The NBA had its most-watched Christmas schedule since 2011, with 10.2 million viewers tuning in for the Lakers' victory over Golden State.ESPN says Wednesday that the audience for that game, the first matching the defending champion Warriors and LeBron James since he moved to Los Angeles, was its fifth-largest for one on Christmas.The 2011-12 season began on Christmas after the lockout.The five games Tuesday averaged 5.8 million viewers, an increase of 14 percent from last year.___More AP NBA: www.apnews.com/NBA and www.twitter.com/AP_Sports

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (AP) — LeBron James got good news Wednesday on his injured groin.But his games-played streak will end anyway.An MRI exam showed that the four-time NBA MVP merely strained his left groin in the Los Angeles Lakers' victory at Golden State Warriors on Christmas night. James will likely be dealing with soreness for several days, and the Lakers said he won't travel with them for their game Thursday in Sacramento.From there, he will be listed as day-to-day."Dodged a bullet," James tweeted.Thursday will mark the first time James has sat since the final game of the 2016-17 regular season, which he took off for rest.James had appeared in 156 consecutive games, going back to the start of the 2017 playoffs with Cleveland. His last extended absence due to injury was an eight-game stint to deal with back and knee aches midway through the 2014-15 season.James is averaging 27.3 points, 8.3 rebounds and 7.1 assists this season, his 16th in the NBA and first with the Lakers.___More AP NBA: www.apnews.com/NBA and www.twitter.com/AP_Sports

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (AP) — LeBron James got good news Wednesday on his injured groin.An MRI exam showed that the four-time NBA MVP merely strained his left groin in the Los Angeles Lakers' win over the Golden State Warriors on Christmas night. James will likely be dealing with soreness for several days, and the Lakers are listing him as day to day.They play next on Thursday, against Sacramento.James has appeared in 156 consecutive games, going back to the start of the 2017 playoffs with Cleveland. His last extended absence due to injury was an eight-game stint to deal with back and knee aches midway through the 2014-15 season.James is averaging 27.3 points, 8.3 rebounds and 7.1 assists this season, his 16th in the NBA and first with the Lakers.___More AP NBA: www.apnews.com/NBA and www.twitter.com/AP_Sports

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — LeBron James left Los Angeles' 127-101 win against Golden State midway through the third quarter with a strained left groin, and the Lakers expected to know more about his status following an MRI exam Wednesday.The Lakers star grabbed at his left groin after slipping under the Warriors basket at the 7:51 mark of the third trying for a loose ball. He said he has had the injury before but "not in a long time.""It's pretty rare for me to have an injury, period," he said. "It happens and we've got a great medical staff here, I've got a great trainer."James grabbed at his left groin area with 7:51 left in the third after slipping under the Warriors' basket while trying for a loose ball. He tried to stretch it out, awkwardly walked toward the Lakers bench trying to loosen up before leaving on his own though gingerly out the tunnel for the locker room.Members of the training staff came out and James tried to stretch it out, awkwardly walked toward the Lakers bench trying... [More]

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — LeBron James left Los Angeles' 127-101 win against Golden State midway through the third quarter with a strained left groin, and the Lakers expected to know more about his status following an MRI exam Wednesday.The Lakers star grabbed at his left groin after slipping under the Warriors basket at the 7:51 mark of the third trying for a loose ball. He said he has had the injury before but "not in a long time.""I wasn't able to go back into the game, obviously. I'll get an MRI tomorrow and see what's up," James said. "With me with injuries, I'm never too concerned about them. I was able to walk off on my own power. I felt a pop, see if I could stretch it a few times, see if it would relieve but it didn't."Members of the training staff came out and James tried to stretch it out, awkwardly walked toward the Lakers bench trying to loosen up before leaving on his own though gingerly out the tunnel for the locker room.James, playing his second straight Christmas game against... [More]

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — LeBron James left Tuesday's game against Golden State midway through the third quarter with a strained left groin and was listed as questionable to return.The Lakers star grabbed at his left groin after slipping under the Warriors basket at the 7:51 mark of the third trying for a loose ball.Members of the training staff came out and James tried to stretch it out, awkwardly walked toward the Lakers bench trying to loosen up before leaving on his own though gingerly out the tunnel for the locker room.James, playing his second straight Christmas game against the Warriors at Oracle Arena after losing last year's matchup with Cleveland, had 17 points, 13 rebounds and five assists before exiting.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/tag/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — LeBron James left Tuesday's game against Golden State midway through the third quarter with an apparent left groin injury.The Lakers star grabbed at his left groin after slipping under the Warriors basket at the 7:51 mark of the third trying for a loose ball.Members of the training staff came out and James tried to stretch it out, awkwardly walked toward the Lakers bench trying to loosen up before leaving on his own though gingerly out the tunnel for the locker room.James, playing his second straight Christmas game against the Warriors at Oracle Arena after losing last year's matchup with Cleveland, had 17 points, 13 rebounds and five assists before exiting.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/tag/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

LeBron James is sorry for posting a lyric that referenced "Jewish money." The Los Angeles Lakers star says he simply got caught up in the music, thought the lyric was a "compliment" and offers "apologies, for sure."The lyric comes from the song "ASMR" by rapper 21 Savage. James shared it over the weekend on his Instagram account, which has nearly 46 million followers.The lyric says, "We been getting that Jewish money, Everything is Kosher."James apologized on ESPN — "if I offended anyone." He says he regularly posts lyrics and listens to "great music" in his car. He adds: "That was the byproduct of it. So I actually thought it was a compliment, and obviously it wasn't through the lens of a lot of people."Later the rapper tweeted his own apology .James' posting was highlighted by Darren Rovell of The Action Network, a media company.

LeBron James is sorry for posting a lyric that referenced "Jewish money." The Los Angeles Lakers star says he simply got caught up in the music, thought the lyric was a "compliment" and offers "apologies, for sure."The lyric comes from the song "ASMR" by rapper 21 Savage. James shared it over the weekend on his Instagram account, which has nearly 46 million followers.The lyric says, "We been getting that Jewish money, Everything is Kosher."James apologized on ESPN — "if I offended anyone." He says he regularly posts lyrics and listens to "great music" in his car. He adds: "That was the byproduct of it. So I actually thought it was a compliment, and obviously it wasn't through the lens of a lot of people."Later the rapper tweeted his own apology .The posting was highlighted by Darren Rovell of The Action Network, a media company.

LeBron James is sorry for posting a lyric that referenced "Jewish money." The Los Angeles Lakers star says he simply got caught up in the music, thought the lyric was a "compliment" and offers "apologies, for sure."The lyric comes from the song "ASMR" by rapper 21 Savage. James shared it over the weekend on his Instagram account, which has nearly 46 million followers.The lyric says, "We been getting that Jewish money, Everything is Kosher."James apologized on ESPN — "if I offended anyone." He says he regularly posts lyrics and listens to "great music" in his car. He adds: "That was the byproduct of it. So I actually thought it was a compliment, and obviously it wasn't through the lens of a lot of people."The posting was highlighted by Darren Rovell of The Action Network, a media company.

There's no NBA Finals rematch this year on Christmas. Not technically, anyway. It's LeBron James vs. the Golden State Warriors for the fourth consecutive year on Dec. 25, though James will be wearing a Los Angeles Lakers uniform this time.It was a predictable matchup.It isn't, however, a break from tradition.That's one of the biggest misnomers about the NBA and the schedule. An NBA Finals rematch is not common, not the norm, not a guarantee for the last two teams that were standing the previous season. The league has crowned a champion every year since 1947, and the tradition of Christmas Day games started later that same year. (They've been an annual fixture since, with the exception of 1998, when a lockout didn't allow that season to begin until February.)But there have been only nine NBA Finals rematches on Dec. 25. The recent Golden State-Cleveland history may make it seem like more.James has been in five Finals rematches on Christmas, all since 2011: Miami vs. Dallas that year, Oklahoma... [More]

There's no NBA Finals rematch this year on Christmas. Not technically, anyway. It's LeBron James vs. the Golden State Warriors for the fourth consecutive year on Dec. 25, though James will be wearing a Los Angeles Lakers uniform this time.It was a predictable matchup.It isn't, however, a break from tradition.That's one of the biggest misnomers about the NBA and the schedule. An NBA Finals rematch is not common, not the norm, not a guarantee for the last two teams that were standing the previous season. The league has crowned a champion every year since 1947, and the tradition of Christmas Day games started later that same year. (They've been an annual fixture since, with the exception of 1998, when a lockout didn't allow that season to begin until February.)But there have been only nine NBA Finals rematches on Dec. 25. The recent Golden State-Cleveland history may make it seem like more.James has been in five Finals rematches on Christmas, all since 2011: Miami vs. Dallas that year, Oklahoma... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — New Orleans coach Alvin Gentry made it clear Friday that center Anthony Davis will not be traded to the Los Angeles Lakers or anywhere else as long as he remains under contract to the Pelicans.Gentry's stance on comments by Lakers forward LeBron James about Davis was less consistent.Gentry defended James against allegations of tampering, hours after declaring an interview with ESPN earlier in the week in which James said it would be "amazing" if the Lakers traded for Davis represented an effort to interfere with the Pelicans' star."We keep talking LeBron James, LeBron James, LeBron James," Gentry said prior to the game between New Orleans and Los Angeles on Friday night. "He was asked a question and he answered it, you know. If he doesn't answer it, then you guys talk about him not answering it. If he answers it, then everybody says he's tampering. I think it puts him in a bad situation."Gentry clarified his comments in a reversal from his press conference following the... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — New Orleans coach Alvin Gentry had one coherent message Friday, that center Anthony Davis will not be traded to the Los Angeles Lakers or anywhere else as long as he remains under contract to the Pelicans.Gentry's stance on comments by Lakers forward LeBron James about Davis were not as clear.Gentry defended James against allegations of tampering, hours after declaring an interview with ESPN earlier in the week in which James said it would be "amazing" if the Lakers traded for Davis represented an effort to interfere with the Pelicans' star."We keep talking LeBron James, LeBron James, LeBron James," Gentry said prior to the game between New Orleans and Los Angeles on Friday night. "He was asked a question and he answered it, you know. If he doesn't answer it, then you guys talk about him not answering it. If he answers it, then everybody says he's tampering. I think it puts him in a bad situation."Gentry clarified his comments in a reversal from his press conference following... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — All the makings of another lost season in Brooklyn were there.The Nets had lost their leading scorer and then eight straight games. Talk of tanking was growing louder.Just two weeks ago, a lottery appearance seemed a certainty.Maybe the Nets are headed to the playoffs instead.An out-of-nowhere turnaround that started when they stunned the top team in the league and really gained attention when they beat LeBron James and the Lakers has given the Nets seven consecutive wins, the longest current streak in the league and matching their best run since moving to Brooklyn six years ago.Ten games under .500 when they took the floor to host league-leading Toronto on Dec. 7, the Nets (15-18) have risen within a half-game of eighth place and the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference."It's really encouraging," center Jarrett Allen said. "It's showing all the hard work we put in during the summer is now paying off."Allen authored the signature highlight during the streak when... [More]

DENVER (AP) — The topic: Denver leading the Western Conference and whether teams are starting to take the Nuggets more seriously.The look from Nikola Jokic: Nearly expressionless. The Joker doesn't jest about this subject."To be honest, I don't really care," Jokic said . "Because we know that we're good."Denver is missing three starters and still boasts a percentage points lead over Golden State in the conference standings . This marks the latest into a season the Nuggets have been leading the conference since December 18, 1984.The Nuggets have swagger, confidence and Jokic, the big Serbian center/forward/guard who's blossoming into one of the league's most hard-to-defend players."A lot of people just think we are on a hot run right now," said forward Torrey Craig, whose team has won 10 of 12 heading into Tuesday's game against Dallas. "They don't really believe in us. But I think we have started to open a lot of eyes. We just have to realize how we win."Grind it out? They can do that.... [More]

WASHINGTON (AP) — This was hardly the ideal way for LeBron James and his Los Angeles Lakers to cap what amounted to an eventful week of highs and lows.And arriving one night after what seemed to be a breakthrough performance, this dud demonstrated just how much more room for improvement four-time NBA MVP James and his new teammates have.James shot just 5 for 16, managing merely a season-worst 13 points. He and the rest of the Lakers put up barely any resistance at the defensive end and trailed by as many as 27 points while stumbling their way to a 128-110 loss to the Washington Wizards on Sunday night."We're a good team," James insisted afterward. "Tonight was just one of those instances where we didn't play well."That's certainly true, at both ends of the court and in various ways.The 22 turnovers. The 51-43 rebounding deficit. The 0-for-8 start on 3-point attempts. The way they allowed Wizards point guard John Wall to dominate en route to a 40-point, 14-assist performance."Not a lot of... [More]