LOS ANGELES (AP) — Anthony Davis is playing like his superstar self again. At the same time, he's reminding everyone just how dangerous the Los Angeles Lakers can be. Davis had 42 points and 12 rebounds and the Lakers never trailed in a 123-110 win over the Phoenix Suns on Sunday night. “I feel good, man,” Davis said. “I’m getting my legs back, I’m getting my rhythm back. Getting my steps back on both ends of the floor, so feeling good. I’m getting better each game, getting my wind back each game. We’re headed in the right direction.” Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Alex Caruso each had 17 points and the short-handed Lakers won for just the third time in their past 11 games. Playing without LeBron James, who missed his fourth straight game for Los Angeles because of a sprained right ankle, and Kyle Kuzma, held out because of tightness in his back, an energized Davis led the way for the defending NBA champions as they try to avoid the play-in tournament. Davis set the tone with his one-handed... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Anthony Davis had 42 points and 12 rebounds and the Los Angeles Lakers never trailed in a 123-110 win over the Phoenix Suns on Sunday night. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Alex Caruso each had 17 points and the short-handed Lakers won for just the third time in their past 11 games. LeBron James missed his fourth straight game for Los Angeles because of a sprained right ankle, and Kyle Kuzma was held out because of tightness in his back. Cameron Payne had 24 points for the Suns, who have lost two of three following a five-game winning streak. Devin Booker added 21 points and Mikal Bridges 15. An energized Davis led the way for the defending NBA champions as they try to avoid the play-in tournament, with his one-handed alley-oop from Andre Drummond setting the tone as Los Angeles scored the first seven points. The Lakers led 30-19 after the first quarter. Los Angeles built its biggest advantage early in the fourth to go ahead by 23 points en route to avoid being swept in... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Los Angeles Lakers were dealt another disappointing loss, this time by the short-handed Toronto Raptors. But seeing LeBron James head to the locker room early served as a reminder it could have been much worse. James left with 6:42 to play as the Raptors defeated the Lakers 121-114 on Sunday night. Los Angeles coach Frank Vogel said it was a precautionary move to pull James in his second game back after missing 20 because of a sprained right ankle. James said he would wait to see how his ankle felt before deciding if he could play against Denver on Monday, but acknowledged it has yet to hold up for an entire game. “The first half, it feels really good. Obviously warming up for the game, everything is going well,” said James, who had 19 points, seven rebounds and six assists. “Last two games at halftime, you know, after the break, it’s kind of gotten a little sore on me — a little tight. "And obviously Coach decided not to put me back in towards the end because of... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Kyle Lowry had 37 points and 11 assists, Pascal Siakam had 39 points and 13 rebounds and the short-handed Toronto Raptors defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 121-114 on Sunday night. LeBron James had 19 points, seven rebounds and six assists before going back to the locker room with 6:42 to play. It was the second game back for James after missing 20 because of a sprained right ankle. Toronto ended a three-game losing streak despite not having Fred VanVleet, OG Anunoby, Chris Boucher or Gary Trent Jr. available because of injuries or to rest after losing at Utah on Saturday. DeAndre’ Bembry had 14 points off the bench and the Raptors led by as many as 21 to hand the defending NBA champion Lakers another baffling defeat. Kyle Kuzma had 24 points for Los Angeles, Anthony Davis chipped in with 12 and Andre Drummond had 19 points and 11 rebounds. After trailing by as many as 12 points in the first quarter, the Raptors led 72-59 at the half after blitzing the Lakers for 40 points... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — When Anthony Davis' right leg became too painful to play on two months ago, the big man and the Los Angeles Lakers decided he wouldn't return until he was completely ready to be himself again. More than two months later, Davis is confident that time has arrived with 14 regular-season games left in the Lakers' push to defend their NBA title. Davis intends to play Thursday night when the Lakers open a four-game road trip at Dallas, he said after a workout at the team's training complex. He hasn't suited up since Feb. 14, missing Los Angeles' last 30 games in the longest injury absence of his nine-year NBA career. “I wanted to make sure I was coming back 100%, because it wouldn’t be fair to myself, wouldn’t be fair to my team,” Davis said Wednesday. “I feel great. These last games leading to the playoffs, a lot of teams aren’t healthy, a lot of players aren’t healthy. I’m 100%, and we’ve got Bron coming back as well who’s going to be 100% healthy. I think we’ve put ourselves... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — LeBron James was warned Saturday for violating the NBA's anti-flopping rule after a play in which the superstar appeared to fall dramatically with little or no contact. The league also warned teammate Kyle Kuzma for flopping in the same game, the Los Angeles Lakers' 115-105 victory over Memphis on Friday. James was between two Memphis players when teammate Anthony Davis took a shot from the other side of the court. James fell backward and threw his arms into the air, and a foul was called as the Grizzles players looked on in frustration. Kuzma was defending against Dillon Brooks when he spun all the way around and tumbled across the baseline. Flopping penalties have been infrequent in recent years after the league began cracking down on the act of trying to fool referees into calling fouls by initiating penalties in the 2012-13 season. After a first-time warning, a player is fined $5,000 fine for a second offense. ___ More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Los Angeles Lakers received their NBA championship rings Tuesday night in an empty arena that still felt filled with warmth from their families, friends and millions of fans worldwide. And while they put the blindingly brilliant jewelry on their fingers, the Lakers promised to hold a real party for their 17th championship as soon as everyone can attend. “I’m going to take a second to speak directly to Lakers fans: We miss you so much,” Lakers owner Jeanie Buss said. “The team misses you, but someday soon, we’ll be together. And when we are together, we have something special to celebrate.” Just 72 days after LeBron James, Anthony Davis and their teammates finished off the Miami Heat in the NBA bubble, the Lakers returned from the shortest offseason in league history to get their reward. The coaches, executives and 11 returning players from last season’s championship team received their rings at Staples Center in a brief, warm ceremony before their regular season opener... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Forward Kyle Kuzma has agreed to a three-year, $40 million extension to remain with the NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers, a person familiar with the deal said Sunday. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the Lakers didn't disclose the terms of the deal in their announcement of an extension. ESPN first reported the terms of Kuzma's rookie contract extension, which begins in 2021 and includes a player option for the 2023-24 season. Kuzma has been a key component of the Lakers' core for three seasons since the team acquired him in a draft-day trade in 2017. “It is especially gratifying for our Lakers franchise to draft, develop and now sign one of our own to a contract extension,” Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka said. “Kyle has shown tremendous growth over the last three years, and played a crucial role on last season's championship team.” Kuzma made the All-NBA rookie first team in 2018, and the smooth scorer averaged a career-best... [More]

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (AP) — The Los Angeles Lakers have re-signed veteran Jared Dudley to a one-year contract. The NBA champions announced the move Tuesday, giving them 13 players under contract as they head into training camp for the new season. The 35-year-old Dudley was a minor bench contributor during the Lakers' championship season, averaging 1.5 points and 1.2 rebounds in 45 regular-season games and appearing sparingly in the playoffs. He is heading into his 14th NBA season and has played for seven teams. Dudley has hit 39.3% of his 3-pointers during his career, and he serves as a key veteran leader in the Lakers' locker room, particularly as a mentor to Kyle Kuzma. The Lakers still haven't re-signed Anthony Davis, but the All-Star big man is expected to finalize the length of his new contract with the team this week. ___ More AP NBA: https;//apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Montrezl Harrell did not make the trip lightly when he moved down the Staples Center hallway last weekend to join the Los Angeles Lakers. The NBA's reigning Sixth Man of the Year realizes the gravity of his decision to leave the Los Angeles Clippers after three seasons — and to leave them for their bigger, more successful intra-city rivals, no less. The decision turned out to be surprisingly simple, though. According to Harrell, the NBA champion Lakers made it clear they badly wanted him in the opening minutes of free agency. The Clippers did not. “If you spend your career in any place long enough, you're going to want to continue playing there and growing there,” Harrell said Monday. “Of course, I still have great respect for those guys and for that organization. But as far as if they wanted me back? Obviously, it just doesn't seem that way, does it?” The tenacious forward who plays much bigger than his 6-foot-7 frame agreed to a two-year deal during the Lakers' impressive... [More]

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — Houston forward Robert Covington was taken to the locker room after colliding with Los Angeles Lakers center Anthony Davis in the fourth quarter of Game 3 of the teams' Western Conference playoff series Tuesday night.Less than five minutes remained in the game when the collision took place.Covington and Los Angeles' Kyle Kuzma were trying to get into rebounding position. A push from Kuzma caused Covington to run into Davis, who was stationed under the basket. The left side of Covington’s face hit Davis’ right arm, while Covington’s left elbow hit Davis’ right side. Covington had a towel on his face as he headed to the locker room.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — This is the land of in-between for the Los Angeles Lakers.Games right now matter, in the sense that only three contests are left to build momentum for the postseason. And games right now don’t matter, in the sense that the Lakers basically knew five months ago that they would be the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference playoffs.They lost again Thursday night, with LeBron James getting the night off in a defeat to the Houston Rockets. The Lakers are 2-3 so far in the bubble, and their offensive numbers are brutal.There are 22 teams here at the NBA restart at Walt Disney World. Of those 22, the Lakers — the team with the second-best record in the NBA — rank last in field goal percentage (.408), last in 3-point percentage (.234), last in points per game (98.8) and next-to-last in free throw percentage (.729).“This is a totally different season, a totally different drastic situation for all of us, including myself,” James said this week.If they win Game 1 of the... [More]

Bam Adebayo thinks injuries could be more prevalent than usual when the NBA gets back on the floor next month, given the demands that will be on players’ bodies after a long layoff.Miami’s All-Star center is also thinking about the financial risks.Adebayo confirmed Tuesday that he is among five players — a group who could soon graduate from rookie contracts to extensions worth in excess of $100 million — seeking assurances from the NBA about if they’ll be protected in the case of catastrophic injury when the season resumes at the Disney campus near Orlando, Florida.“Our whole thing was, ‘Look, we’re all due for extensions and we want to make sure that going into this bubble we are safe and we don’t get hurt,’” Adebayo said. “If we get hurt, we still have some backups ... something in the back pocket that ensures that we still get paid.”Adebayo said he, Utah’s Donovan Mitchell, Boston’s Jayson Tatum, Sacramento’s De’Aaron Fox and the Los Angeles Lakers’ Kyle Kuzma met with the union last... [More]

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The Lakers have ruled out forward Anthony Davis and guard Alex Caruso for their game against the New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday night.The Lakers said Davis, who played his first seven seasons in New Orleans, has a sore right knee. Caruso has a sore right hamstring.Both players started Saturday night in the Lakers' 105-88 loss at Memphis, but Davis played 10 fewer minutes than usual and Caruso played just 20:33.The Lakers also were without Troy Daniels, who was waived shortly before Sunday's game. Los Angeles listed Danny Green and Avery Bradley as starters alongside LeBron James, Kyle Kuzma and JaVale McGee. Meanwhile, the Pelicans said reserve shooting guard JJ Redick, who left Friday night's victory over Cleveland early with a left hamstring injury, has been diagnosed with a strain and is expected to miss at least two weeks.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — LeBron James and Anthony Davis missed the Lakers' game against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday.Lakers coach Frank Vogel said James has a chest cold. Officially, the team said he has flu-like symptoms. James is averaging 25.4 points, a league-leading 10.7 assists and 8.7 rebounds and has helped the Lakers to the best record in the Western Conference. He played on Friday night and had 35 points, 16 rebounds and seven assists in a win over the Dallas Mavericks. Vogel said the performance was especially impressive because James struggled with breathing throughout.Davis, who leads the Lakers with 27.1 points per game, missed his second straight game with a gluteus maximus contusion. Danny Green also sat out with a sore right hip. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Rajon Rondo moved into the starting lineup and Kyle Kuzma got his third start of the season.The short-handed Lakers faced a Thunder team that has won 11 of 13 games and rolled past the Houston Rockets on Thursday night.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Los Angeles Clippers were resilient and dominant in the second half to put away the Los Angeles Lakers, using the NBA’s marquee Christmas game to show why the city and the Western Conference might belong to them this season. Kawhi Leonard scored 11 of his 35 points in the fourth quarter and had 12 rebounds and five assists to help the Clippers beat Lakers 111-106 on Wednesday night.The Clippers trailed by 12 points at halftime, by 15 in the third quarter, and by seven in the fourth quarter with 6:39 remaining, but they rallied to improve to 2-0 against the Lakers this season.“And we didn’t flinch,” Clippers coach Doc Rivers said. “Like, we just kind of hung in there. Almost felt like we were biding our time and just trying to make a run. That’s something you have to have when things aren’t going great for you. You just got to hang in there, and I thought we did that tonight.”Leonard set a franchise record for points on Christmas, and he became the 10th player in NBA... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Kawhi Leonard scored 11 of his 35 points in the fourth quarter and had 12 rebounds to help the Los Angeles Clippers beat the Los Angeles Lakers 111-106 on Wednesday night in the NBA’s marquee Christmas game.Montrezl Harrell had 18 points off the bench, Paul George added 17 and the Clippers improved to 2-0 against the Lakers this season.Kyle Kuzma led Los Angeles with 25 points. LeBron James had 23 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds, and Anthony David had 24 points. The Lakers have lost four straight games.Los Angeles had a chance to tie in the final seconds, but video review showed James touched the ball last after Patrick Beverly knocked it away as James went up for a 3. George hit two free throws for the final margin. Lou Williams made two free throws — after a questionable foul call against Davis for tapping the swingman after his transition layup rimmed out — to give the Clippers a 105-103 lead with 3:29 Leonard, who had a 3 to cap a 7-0 run and tie it at 101 with 5:14 remaining, then made four late free throws.TIP-INS Clippers: Williams had six points and seven rebounds. ... The Clippers had a 50-42 edge in rebounds.Lakers: The Lakers bench outscored the Clippers' backups 49-36. … James played in 14th Christmas Day game, second in NBA history to Kobe Bryant at 16.UP NEXTClippers: Host Utah on Saturday night.Lakers: At Portland on Saturday night.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

LOS ANGELES (AP) — LeBron James won't play for the Los Angeles Lakers against the Denver Nuggets, the first game he's missed this season.The 34-year-old superstar sat out Sunday night because of a thoracic muscle strain. He's listed as day-to-day and coach Frank Vogel had no estimate on how long James would be out. He was hurt in a loss at Indiana on Tuesday and then played through it in a defeat at Milwaukee two nights later.James has averaged nearly 35 minutes this season, helping the Western Conference-leading Lakers to a 24-5 start. He's averaging 25.8 points, 7.5 rebounds and 10.6 assists in his 17th season.Last season, his first with the Lakers, James was limited to 55 games because of a groin injury. Forward Kyle Kuzma returned Sunday for the Lakers after missing five games with a sprained left ankle. He also missed four games in October with a stress reaction in the same ankle.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Giannis Antetokounmpo looked over at LeBron James and Anthony Davis and thought about his past.“I wasn't supposed to be here,” the 6-foot-11 Greek Freak said. Hardly looked that way Thursday night. Antetokounmpo had 34 points and 11 rebounds, and the Milwaukee Bucks beat James, Davis and the Los Angeles Lakers 111-104 in a showdown of the NBA's top teams.The reigning MVP had seven assists and a career-best five 3-pointers as Milwaukee improved to 25-4 after ending an 18-game winning streak against Dallas on Monday night.“I wasn't the No. 1 pick, AD was, LeBron was," Antetokounmpo said. "I wasn't supposed to be here. I wasn't supposed to go up against these two beasts. So I’m just happy that I’m here and happy that I’m going through the process and I always want to be better, do better for my team and that’s what gives me joy.” James had 21 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists for his seventh triple-double of the season, and Davis had 36 points and 10 rebounds. “You tip your... [More]

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Giannis Antetokounmpo looked over at LeBron James and Anthony Davis and thought about his past.“I wasn't supposed to be here,” the 6-foot-11 Greek Freak said. Hardly looked that way Thursday night. Antetokounmpo had 34 points and 11 rebounds, and the Milwaukee Bucks beat James, Davis and the Los Angeles Lakers 111-104 in a showdown of the NBA's top teams.The reigning MVP had seven assists and a career-best five 3-pointers as Milwaukee improved to 25-4 after ending an 18-game winning streak against Dallas on Monday night.“I wasn't the No. 1 pick, AD was, LeBron was," Antetokounmpo said. "I wasn't supposed to be here. I wasn't supposed to go up against these two beasts. So I’m just happy that I’m here and happy that I’m going through the process and I always want to be better, do better for my team and that’s what gives me joy.” James had 21 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists for his seventh triple-double of the season, and Davis had 36 points and 10 rebounds. “You tip your... [More]