Lakers coach JJ Redick dropped major praise on LeBron James for his effort during the team's win against the Wizards.

Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James linked up with some of the NFL's NFC champions on Tuesday night, who were in the house to ring the bell at Wells Fargo Center ahead of the Philadelphia 76ers' game.

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — P.J. Washington scored 25 points, making all four of his 3-point attempts in the fourth quarter, and Kyrie Irving added 25 points and six assists as the Dallas Mavericks outlasted the New Orleans Pelicans 137-136 on Wednesday night.

In doing so, James (2,533) has now passed Houston Rockets and Philadelphia 76ers legend Moses Malone (8,531) for the 2nd-most free throws made in NBA history. The NBA congratulated "King James" with a post on X.

Before the Eagles head to New Orleans for a Super Bowl matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs, several players attended Tuesday’s Sixers game against the Los Angeles Lakers.

No part of the box score was kind to the Washington Wizards in Thursday’s game against the Los Angeles Lakers at Capital One Arena. The Wizards lost the shooting battle by 22.5 percentage points, the rebounding battle by 10, the assist battle by 13 and, most importantly, the scoring battle, 134-96.

There will be at least 15 players who "start" at the All-Star Game this season. It's the first year of a new All-Star format, with three games. The 24 All-Stars will be drafted into three teams of eight players apiece by TNT personalities and former NBA greats Shaquille O'Neal, Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith.

On Thursday night, Pistons guard Cade Cunningham earned the first All-Star selection of his career. The coaches voted him as a reserve for the Eastern Conference. Cunningham became the Pistons' first All-Star since Blake Griffin, in 2019.

Whenever we see a little separation in their ranks, the standings tighten again. So with apologies to Sacramento and Golden State — both 24-23 but tied for ninth behind too many rivals — here is a look at the eight West teams lined up behind Oklahoma City, with reasons why and why not they might climb as high as No. 2:

If the Washington Wizards’ New Year’s Resolution was to win more basketball games, it’s safe to say they’ve dropped the ball. Washington hasn’t won since January 1, dragging a 15-game losing skid into tonight’s home stand vs. the Los Angeles Lakers.

Washington racked up 25 points (10-20 FG, 4-7 3Pt, 1-1 FT), 14 rebounds, eight assists and one block across 38 minutes during Wednesday's 137-136 victory over New Orleans. Washington has been helping shoulder the offensive load for the Mavericks,