National Basketball Association

National Basketball Association

PHILADELPHIA -- The Orlando Magic's Jalen Suggs was ejected with 27 seconds left in the first half of Tuesday night's game against the Philadelphia 76ers after receiving two technicals during a heated altercation between the teams. Philadelphia's Andre Drummond squared off with Orlando's Wendell Carter Jr. near the Magic's free throw line, though no punches were thrown. Suggs came in and shoved Drummond.

Eight straight for the boys up north, ladies and gentlemen. This is the first time we've seen the Toronto Raptors embark on this long of a winning stretch, since back in the 2021-22 campaign, when they logged eight in a row from January 29 to February 10 of that year. Of course, at that time, the Raptors were just getting a taste of their soon to be crowned ROTY, Scottie Barnes, and still revelling in a core that featured Pascal Siakam, Fred VanVleet, Gary Trent Jr., and OG Anunoby.

James, standing on the right side of the court by the Crypto.com Arena logo, passed the ball to Luka Doncic, who was positioned on the perimeter to his left. Once James released the ball, Austin Reaves sprung up from the paint to the 3-point line to set a back screen on Utah Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen, who was guarding the Lakers star. The action freed James to advance toward the basket

Dallas Mavericks center Dereck Lively II will miss at least the next three games while being evaluated for swelling and discomfort in his surgically repaired right foot, the team announced Tuesday. Lively underwent surgery on the foot in July to clean out bone spurs. He missed more than two months last season due to a stress fracture in his right ankle.

That swish you hear? That's the latest NBA 2K26 ratings update. 2K Games has announced its next round of changes to ratings for NBA 2K26 to better reflect players' real-life ability on the court. Donovan Mitchell is in his prime and the latest stats reflect that, moving the Cleveland Cavaliers guard up one point to a 94 OVR. Over the last two weeks, Mitchell has posted 32.1 points, 6.6 rebounds and 6.4 assists per game.

In bouncing back from a sophomore slump a year ago, Jaquez Jr. is averaging 17 points, seven rebounds, and six assists per game on 53 percent shooting from the field. He's been one of the most important players for the Heat this season, and his versatility on both ends of the floor has been a natural fit for Erik Spoelstra's new offensive philosophy.

Claire Rothman, a trailblazing sports and entertainment industry executive indelibly tied to the Los Angeles Lakers during their 1980s heyday, has died. Family members confirmed her death, on Saturday, was due to complications from a fall. She was 97. As the president and general manager of the "Fabulous Forum," Rothman was pivotal in bringing big-name musicians to the Inglewood venue and had deep ties to the Lakers when it was the team's home during the "Showtime" era, when the Lakers won five championships in a decade.

Ja Morant's season-even when he has been healthy or between suspensions-has been nothing to write home about. The Memphis Grizzlies' highest-paid player has been one of the most disappointing performers in the NBA this season, averaging just 17.9 points per game (lowest since his rookie year) on 36/13/94 shooting splits (at least he's making his free throws). Memphis is 6-11, not good enough to compete in a loaded Western Conference but also not bad enough to blow it up.

Houston Rockets star Kevin Durant will miss the next two games while tending to a family matter, sources told ESPN's Shams Charania on Sunday. Durant will miss road games against two of his former teams -- the Phoenix Suns on Monday and the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday. Durant is averaging 24.6 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.3 assists for the Rockets this season, while shooting 48.5% from the field.