LeBron James is nearly certain to miss his third consecutive contest when the Los Angeles Lakers visit the Portland Trail Blazers on Monday night.

James is dealing with a painful left foot injury and hasn’t played since surpassing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to become the all-time leading scorer in NBA history on Tuesday.

James underwent tests that didn’t detect a serious injury and the club is hoping he will be able to play in Wednesday’s home game against the New Orleans Pelicans.

Los Angeles coach Darvin Ham said after Saturday’s 109-103 road win over the Golden State Warriors that James needs to rest the foot.

“For him to continue to get treatment, stay off of it,” Ham said of what’s necessary for the injury to heal. “… We got some imaging done and everything came back clean, just again a normal wear-and-tear and just a little irritated in one area.

“We’re just taking this time that we have to get him treated and hopefully get him back so we can make a good run and he can be in the midst of it down the stretch.”

James is having a stellar season with averages of 30.2 points, 8.5 rebounds and 7.0 assists, but it isn’t reflected in the team’s record. The Lakers are a meager 26-31 and stand 13th (out of 15 teams) in the Western Conference.

The clash with the Trail Blazers is pivotal because Portland (27-29) is 12th in the West and the first team Los Angeles needs to surpass.

The Lakers drew encouragement from the win over the Warriors as they trotted out a revamped team after a flurry of trade deadline activity.

D’Angelo Russell, acquired from the Minnesota Timberwolves for his second stint with Los Angeles, stood out with 15 points, six assists and five rebounds.

“It was a little weird but I’m trying to normalize it,” Russell said. “The sooner the better. I’ve been in this situation. … After that first stint, you get kind of comfortable again.”

Dennis Schroder paced the Lakers with 26 points.

Portland has lost three of its four games and 16 of its past 26.

The Trail Blazers are coming off Saturday’s 138-129 home loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder. Portland is 0-3 against the 10th-place Thunder this season.

“I think it’s evident that it’s a tough matchup for us,” star guard Damian Lillard said afterward. “They get into the paint. They attack the rim. And they do that against everybody. I think they have good enough shooting.

“They got a lot of like-sized defenders to where they do well on the ball. They make you play in the crowd. And they play hard. They’re well-coached. They keep coming for the whole game.”

Lillard scored 38 points to score at least 30 for the 14th time in the past 18 contests. That run includes a season-high 60 in a 134-124 home win over the Utah Jazz on Jan. 25.

Portland almost surely will be without forward Jerami Grant, who was placed in the NBA concussion protocol on Saturday, one day after the loss to Oklahoma City.

Grant sustained a bruised right eye when he was hit in the face in the first quarter. He returned in the second period and finished with 23 points in 37 minutes against the Thunder. But the Trail Blazers said he began exhibiting concussion symptoms on Saturday. Grant will have to pass a series of steps before he can return.

Cam Reddish made his Portland debut against the Thunder and scored 11 points in 17 minutes. He was acquired from the New York Knicks prior to Thursday’s trade deadline.

–Field Level Media

Two teams sitting in ninth place in their respective conferences hope to take a step forward at the other’s expense when the Washington Wizards visit the Golden State Warriors on Monday night in San Francisco.

The game is a rematch of a 127-118 Warriors road win on Jan. 16, but much has changed in the four weeks since.

The Wizards were without injured Bradley Beal that day, and were helped by reserve Rui Hachimura, who finished with 16 points.

The Warriors saw enough of Hachimura on Saturday night, when he helped his new team — the Los Angeles Lakers — record an important 109-103 win in San Francisco. He had two late baskets that proved to be key and, coincidentally, scored 16 points in the victory.

Hachimura was dealt late last month to the Lakers for Kendrick Nunn, who has helped Washington win its last two games. He contributed six points and four rebounds off the bench in just 11 minutes in a 118-104 triumph over the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday, then had 10 points and six assists in increased minutes (22) in a 127-113 homestand-closing victory over the Indiana Pacers on Saturday.

The Wizards have been streaky this season. The last time they opened a two-game winning streak, it grew into a six-game run last month. But in between those six wins and the current two-game streak, they dropped three straight.

“I mean, we’ve gotta win games, plain and simple. We’ve gotta just figure it out. We’ve been incredibly consistent at being inconsistent this year,” Kyle Kuzma said. “It’s definitely been tough with some injuries and guys coming in and coming out. We’re trying to figure out playing with different lineups and different groups. That’s the NBA, it’s not an excuse because all 30 teams go through that.”

The poster boy for the ins-and-outs has been Beal, who has missed five, six, five, three and two straight games at different points of the season. But he’s healthy now, having had a 17-point, 10-assist double-double in the Charlotte win before going for 32 points against Indiana.

With Beal watching, Stephen Curry was the star of the show in the Warriors’ earlier visit to Washington, bombing in 41 points. But Curry has missed the last three games with a left leg injury that’s expected to keep him out through the All-Star break, and perhaps longer.

Golden State also finds itself distracted by the status of Gary Payton II, who was acquired at the trade deadline from Portland. A physical examination required to complete the deal reportedly revealed internal issues possibly related to core-muscles surgery he had in the offseason.

According to reports Sunday night, the Warriors will go through with the trade and acquire Payton, but what impact the injury will have on his playing time remains unknown.

With Curry missing and Payton not around, the Warriors went out and suffered Saturday’s loss to the Lakers, with Klay Thompson’s 3-for-13 night on 3-pointers mirroring the team’s 12-for-44 performance from deep.

With the Wizards’ visit and a trip to Los Angeles to face the Clippers standing between his .500 team and an eight-day break, Warriors coach Steve Kerr found himself counting the days after Saturday’s defeat.

“I think our guys are frustrated,” he insisted. “We’ve had so many close losses and we’re right up against the All-Star break. I think our guys, like everybody around the league, they need a break. We just haven’t been able to string together enough wins to kind of create a little momentum and some separation in the standings.”

–Field Level Media

If their first game together is any indication of what’s to come, Dallas Mavericks guards Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving won’t need long to find a rhythm.

The talented duo returns to the court Monday when the Mavericks face the visiting Minnesota Timberwolves, who also shook up their roster last week.

Dallas had its three-game winning streak halted on Saturday with a 133-128 overtime loss to the Sacramento Kings. In his second game since being acquired from the Brooklyn Nets, Irving tallied 28 points and seven assists.

Monday’s contest in Dallas marks the home debut for Irving, who began his Mavericks career with back-to-back games in Sacramento.

“I’m excited to bring my game to Dallas and excite those fans,” Irving said. “I don’t think they’ve ever seen anybody like me before.”

Doncic returned after missing four games due to a heel injury and had 27 points and nine rebounds in Saturday’s loss.

“For the first time for those guys to play minutes together, I thought it was really, really good,” Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said. “It was just natural. There was nothing forced. I thought this was a great game for us, as much as we would like to be on the winning side, just to play late with the game going back and forth, just understanding the dynamic of those two.”

Irving’s arrival has resulted in additional playing time for center JaVale McGee, who was buried on the team’s bench before averaging 9.5 points and 6.0 rebounds over the past two games. Kidd said McGee is a perfect fit with Irving on pick-and-roll situations.

The Mavericks are monitoring the status of guard Tim Hardaway Jr., who missed the second half of Saturday’s game with right hamstring tightness.

The Mavs and the Wolves are meeting for the first time since splitting back-to-back games in Minnesota in mid-December. The Mavericks have won five straight and 22 of the last 30 matchups against the Timberwolves in Dallas.

Doncic is averaging 22.2 points (his lowest scoring average against any team) in 12 career games against the Wolves, who are hoping for a spark from newly acquired point guard Mike Conley.

Minnesota is concluding a four-game road trip after losing 128-107 to the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday. Conley, acquired from the Utah Jazz at the trade deadline, scored nine points on 3-of-7 shooting in 26 minutes.

Last week’s trade reunited Conley with Wolves center Rudy Gobert after the pair played together in Utah the past three seasons. Minnesota coach Chris Finch said Conley’s arrival could provide immediate benefits for Gobert.

“We feel there’s more meat on the bone in being able to help maximize Rudy offensively,” Finch said. “We’ve been getting better at it. You’ve seen it, but it’s still not been seamless. Mike’s experience of playing alongside of him is going to really help.”

Minnesota has battled inconsistent play minus star Karl-Anthony Towns, who has been out for more than two months because of a calf injury. The Wolves are hoping the veteran Conley can bring some much-needed stability on both ends of the floor.

“This team hasn’t reached the potential that is out there, and that’s an exciting thing,” Conley said. “Coming in here and being a part of that, and hopefully helping that develop really quickly and allowing us to get to the playoffs and make a run at it.”

–Field Level Media

The New Orleans Pelicans looked like they were starting to figure things out.

That was before Friday’s 118-107 home loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers ended the Pelicans’ three-game winning streak that had immediately followed a 10-game losing skid.

New Orleans will try to bounce back from that loss Monday when it takes on the host Oklahoma City Thunder.

“We can’t walk into games like we did tonight,” Pelicans coach Willie Green said after his team looked listless in the loss to the Cavaliers.

New Orleans is looking to snap a six-game road losing streak.

The Pelicans will have to do that without Zion Williamson, who hasn’t played since Jan. 2 with a right hamstring injury. Williamson was expected to return before the All-Star break but recently suffered a setback that will keep him out for several more weeks.

While Williamson won’t be with New Orleans, the Pelicans figure to have Josh Richardson available after he was acquired from the San Antonio Spurs at the trade deadline on Thursday.

Richardson is averaging 11.5 points, 3.3 assists and 2.8 rebounds while shooting 35.7 percent from beyond the arc this season.

The Pelicans are going for the season-series victory over the Thunder, as New Orleans won the first two meetings between the teams this season. The Western Conference foes will meet again on March 11. The Pelicans’ two previous victories were by a combined seven points.

Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has averaged 37.5 points per game against the Pelicans this season, including scoring a career-high 44 points in New Orleans’ 128-125 overtime victory on Dec. 23.

Gilgeous-Alexander is coming off his second 44-point effort in the Thunder’s 138-129 win at Portland on Friday.

All of Gilgeous-Alexander’s baskets in that game came in the paint, as he went 13-of-15 inside the arc. Only one of those shots came from outside the restricted area underneath the basket. He was also 18-of-19 at the free-throw line.

“When I’m out there, it’s all instincts,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “I don’t even know what I’m about to do, when I’m about to do it. It just happens.”

Oklahoma City could have a trade-deadline addition Monday as well.

Dario Saric has yet to make his Thunder debut after being acquired in a deal with the Phoenix Suns that cost Oklahoma City Darius Bazley.

The 6-foot-10 Saric is shooting 35.9 percent from 3-point range in his career and 39.1 percent this season. He will be the oldest player on Oklahoma City’s roster.

“Even with a guy like him that’s got the level of experience that he does, you don’t know quite what a guy’s gonna look like once they’re on your team, in your system, in your environment every day,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said of Saric. “Our approach has always been to be very open-minded with that, and he’ll be no different.

“But on the surface, a guy that really knows how to play the game is what humps out. He’s got a really good passing feel, an understanding for spacing.”

The Thunder added Olivier Sarr on a two-way deal Sunday, two days after converting Eugene Omoruyi’s two-way deal to a regular NBA contract. Oklahoma City also waived Justin Jackson, who the Thunder had acquired from the Celtics the trade deadline.

–Field Level Media

The Chicago Bulls’ three-game losing streak has hinged on a series of leaky fourth quarters.

It’s a troubling trend the team will aim to reverse Monday against the visiting Orlando Magic.

Chicago was outscored 97-50 in the fourth quarter of successive road losses to Memphis, Brooklyn and Cleveland, reaching triple-digit scoring as a team just one over that span.

“Whether you see it or not, it’s like, ‘Here we go again,'” the Bulls’ DeMar DeRozan said. “It seems like everything just shifts. It’s on us to understand that, muster up the will to play hard. We have to understand teams are going to pick it up and play hard and be aggressive.”

Chicago provided proof such urgency exists in its first meeting against Orlando this season. Trailing by 19 points in the third quarter on Nov. 18, the Bulls rallied to take a late lead, but two crucial missed free throws by former Magic center Nikola Vucevic were costly.

That left the door open for Jalen Suggs, who swished a game-winning 3-pointer with 4.1 seconds left to seal Orlando’s 108-107 victory.

Behind 32 points apiece from DeRozan and Zach LaVine, the Bulls responded with a 128-109 win at Orlando on Jan. 28. Chicago has won three of five in the series, with DeRozan averaging 34.4 points over that period.

Orlando has lost two of three entering an abbreviated, two-day road trip that concludes Tuesday in Toronto.

The Magic squandered their bid to secure a winning three-game homestand with Saturday’s 107-103 overtime loss to Miami. The Heat outscored the Magic 25-18 in the fourth quarter to force OT, as Orlando had just 12 points over the final 6:40 of regulation and overtime.

“We had a couple lapses on both ends of the floor, but I think offensively we started to slow down a little and not play our style of basketball,” said Markelle Fultz, who paced the Magic with 17 points. “We kind of let it stick a little bit. I think they turned up the heat and got a couple of calls to go their way as well.”

Magic coach Jamahl Mosley reminded his team it can’t be distraught about officiating.

“You just have to put your head down, stay the course, come together as a team, and continue to fight,” he said.

Fultz led six Orlando players in double figures. Paolo Banchero notched a double-double of 16 points and 13 rebounds, while three players chipped in 14 points, including Wendell Carter Jr., who was acquired as part of the Vucevic trade in March 2021.

Vucevic on Saturday contributed 14 points and 14 rebounds for his eighth straight double-double, while LaVine had 23 points.

Still, the Bulls committed a season-high 23 turnovers in a 97-89 loss at Cleveland while scoring just 60 points over the final three quarters.

“It’s been (56) games and we still haven’t figured it out,” Vucevic said. “It’s obviously a concern. The more time goes by, the less time you have to figure it out. If we keep dropping games like that we might drop out of the play-in, too. There’s a lot at stake.”

–Field Level Media

The four-team trade that is sending Gary Payton II to the Golden State Warriors from the Portland Trail Blazers was completed on Sunday night, multiple outlets reported, ending a brief saga that had the deal in limbo since Thursday’s trade deadline.

The trade had been held up by the Warriors’ concerns over Payton’s physical, which reportedly revealed that he would miss a significant portion of the rest of the regular season due to an abdominal injury. The teams had a 9:30 p.m. ET deadline Sunday to finalize the trade.

Along with Payton, 30, reuniting with the Warriors, the deal is sending Golden State’s James Wiseman to the Pistons, Detroit’s Saddiq Bey to the Atlanta Hawks and another Pistons player, Kevin Knox II, to the Trail Blazers. The Warriors would also send five second-round draft picks to Portland.

According to several reports, the Warriors will not officially pass Payton with respect to his physical. The injury forced him to miss the first 35 games of the season following offseason surgery.

The NBA will conduct an inquiry into the Trail Blazers’ handling of the injury, in particular a potential failure to provide sufficient medical information before agreeing to the trade, according to ESPN.

Among the consequences Portland could face should it found of any wrongdoing are a fine, a loss of draft picks and a re-examination by the league of the package of picks the Warriors sent to the Blazers.

Payton averaged 4.1 points, 2.6 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 15 games (one start) for Portland this season. In seven seasons and with five teams, Payton has appeared in 157 games, with 40 starts. He is averaging 5.1 points, 2.8 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.1 steals in 14.7 minutes per game.

–Field Level Media

The Indiana Pacers hope to get an assist from a familiar face in their efforts to snap out of their recent funk.

George Hill, an Indianapolis native who played for the Pacers from 2011-16, and Jordan Nwora are expected to be available for action Monday night when Indiana hosts the Utah Jazz. The two players were traded to the Pacers last week ahead of the deadline.

“Looking at things bigger than basketball, like I said, it’s a place that I always wanted to be,” Hill said after the trade. “I don’t think I ever (wanted) to leave when I got traded out of here. I just think it’s a great opportunity. I think it’s a great situation. But, you know, puts me close to family and friends in a city that I love.”

The Pacers made the Eastern Conference finals twice and were in the playoffs four times during Hill’s first tenure in Indy. His former teammates are looking forward to the reunion, too.

“He was my OG when I first got to the league, man,” Pacers center Myles Turner said. “And I think he’s going to be really good for this locker room. He fills a much-needed void for us as far as a veteran voice and what not. I’m glad to have him back. He was one of the vets that treated me right.”

Indiana is in desperate need of a shot in the arm on the court. The Pacers have lost four straight and 15 of 17 since going 23-18 in the first half of the season.

Utah beat the Pacers in the first matchup of the season 139-119 in Salt Lake City on Dec. 2. Although the Jazz also went through an overhaul leading up to the trade deadline, the team still has the key players from that win.

In that game, Lauri Markkanen scored 24 points with five 3-pointers and 13 rebounds, Walker Kessler totaled 20 points and 11 rebounds, Jordan Clarkson had 19 points and Collin Sexton chipped in with 18 points.

“I thought our guys maintained their aggressiveness,” Jazz coach Will Hardy said after the December game. “Our pace didn’t slow down.”

The Jazz are coming off an interesting weekend in the aftermath of trading Mike Conley, Malik Beasley, Jarred Vanderbilt and Nickeil Alexander-Walker. Utah rallied in the final minutes to overcome a double-digit deficit in a win at Toronto on Friday and then played the Knicks well in New York before falling 126-120.

Clarkson tied New York at 109 late in the fourth quarter before Jalen Brunson, who had 38 points, sparked a game-clinching spurt for the Knicks.

It was another testament of the resilience of this overachieving Jazz squad.

“Madison Square Garden, it’s tied, four minutes left, the place is rocking,” Hardy said. “It’s a great environment for our team and we relish those moments. Obviously we wish we could have executed better down the stretch.”

The Jazz, however, have lost four of five games and are 1-1 on a four-game Eastern road trip.

–Field Level Media

Fred VanVleet scored 16 of his 35 points in the first quarter, and the Toronto Raptors held on to defeat the visiting Detroit Pistons 119-118 Sunday afternoon.

Pascal Siakam added 28 points for the Raptors, who have started their five-game homestand 2-1. Scottie Barnes contributed 20 points for Toronto and Precious Achiuwa had 11 points and 11 rebounds.

Bojan Bogdanovic scored 33 points for the Pistons. Alec Burks added 21 points, Hamidou Diallo and Jaden Ivey each scored 18 points and Isaiah Stewart had 16 points.

After the Raptors led by 14 early in the fourth quarter, Detroit trimmed the deficit to nine with 3:04 left. VanVleet answered with a 13-footer. Bogdanovic made a 3-pointer to cut the lead to six with 1:08 to play, and Ivey’s 3-pointer trimmed the margin to 116-113 with 10.8 seconds remaining.

After the Raptors put it out of reach with free throws, Ivey hit another 3-pointer at the final buzzer.

Detroit’s Jalen Duren injured his ankle during the second quarter and returned in the third quarter. He finished with six points.

The Raptors were without coach Nick Nurse (personal reasons) and were led by assistant coach Adrian Griffin. Gary Trent Jr. (calf) and O.G. Anunoby (wrist) did not play for Toronto.

Toronto shot 48.3 percent (42-for-87) from the field. Detroit shot 50.6 percent (40-for-79), including 53.7 percent (22-for-41) in the second half.

Toronto led 31-29 after one quarter. Diallo opened the second quarter with a jumper to tie the game.

Toronto opened a five-point lead with 9:00 to play, but the Pistons came back to take a 51-47 lead with 1:37 remaining on Bogdanovic’s three free throws. Toronto answered with a 6-1 spurt to lead 53-52 at halftime.

Toronto used an 10-0 surge to take a 67-58 lead with 7:48 left in the third quarter. Siakam’s layup had Toronto ahead by 10 points with 4:26 remaining, and Toronto led 84-77 after three quarters.

The Raptors opened the fourth quarter on an 8-1 run to lead 92-78. Detroit reduced the margin to five points on Diallo’s layup with 7:39 remaining. Achiuwa’s layup gave Toronto a 13-point lead with 4:22 to play.

–Field Level Media

Terrence Ross and the Orlando Magic finalized a buyout Sunday, paving the way for the veteran guard to join a playoff contender.

According to an ESPN report late Saturday night, the leading contender to sign Ross is the Phoenix Suns.

Ross, 32, began his career with the Raptors, who selected him with the No. 8 overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft. He spent four-plus seasons in Toronto before being shipped to the Magic at the 2017 trade deadline.

In 712 career games (187 starts), Ross has averages of 11.0 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game.

This season, he’s averaging 8.0 points, 2.0 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 22.5 minutes in 42 games (nine starts).

Ross is in the final season of a four-year, $54 million contract signed in July 2019.

Orlando also waived veteran guard Patrick Beverley on Sunday.

Beverley, 34, was acquired from the Los Angeles Lakers along with cash considerations and a future second-round draft pick from the Denver Nuggets, as part of a four-team trade Thursday.

In 45 starts with the Lakers this season, Beverley averaged 6.4 points, 3.1 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game. He didn’t play in any games since the trade to the Magic.

A second-round pick by the Lakers in 2009, Beverley has averaged 8.7 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.4 assists in 571 games (483 starts) with the Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Clippers, Minnesota Timberwolves and Lakers.

–Field Level Media

Derrick White had 23 points and 10 assists to lead the NBA-leading Boston Celtics to a 119-109 win over the visiting Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday afternoon.

Sam Hauser (20 points) tied a career-high with six 3-pointers as Boston finished 21 of 51 from downtown en route to its fourth straight win.

Jayson Tatum and Al Horford each added 16 points. Tatum did not record a field goal in the second half but did add two steals and two blocks for the game.

Robert Williams III had a 10-point, 16-rebound double-double.

Eight Celtics finished with at least 10 points.

After Memphis erased Boston’s 13-point halftime lead, the Celtics separated in the fourth quarter. White and Payton Pritchard hit triples early in the frame, but it was White’s three-point play and a Hauser 3-pointer that highlighted a 9-2 run by the 8:32 mark.

Boston led 107-97 after Horford stuck the team’s 20th 3-pointer with 3:41 left. Horford beat the timer with another triple, extending the lead to 112-100 and clinching the game with 1:27 to go.

Ja Morant led Memphis with 25 points and added seven assists and six rebounds. Desmond Bane scored 18 points.

Tatum and Hauser’s 3-pointers fueled an 8-2 run that gave the Celtics their first lead.

The Grizzlies followed on an 13-2 run during which Bane scored a three-point play and another layup. Morant’s first make and two trips to the line followed, making it a 24-15 game.

Pritchard scored two right-side treys late in the first as Boston closed with an 11-4 spurt.

After another Pritchard trey started Boston’s second, Memphis put up a 7-0 spurt to move ahead 35-29. Boston led 41-39 on White’s layup with 5:10 left before halftime.

White canned another three and drove for a three-point play, scoring eight straight points during a 13-0 run. A late highlight was his alley-oop lob to Williams with 2:08 left.

The Celtics closed the quarter on a 22-9 run and led 61-48 at intermission.

Memphis responded with a 15-2 start to the third. Bane sank a 3-pointer to begin the quarter and the game was tied at 63 by the 7:13 mark.

Morant’s jumper and long pass to Clarke to finish through traffic gave Memphis a 75-74 lead with 2:40 left in the third.

Boston led 82-81 after three after Luke Kennard hit a corner trey, answering Mike Muscala’s floater and a Luke Kornet tip-in in the paint in the final minute.

–Field Level Media