James Harden has backed his Philadelphia 76ers teammate Joel Embiid to be named as the NBA's MVP.

Embiid has been one of the top performers in the league this season, and his points per game average of 29.8 is second only to LeBron James (30.0), also averaging 11.3 rebounds and 4.3 assists.

Harden – who moved to the Sixers in a blockbuster trade with the Brooklyn Nets in February – has been impressed with Embiid since arriving in Philadelphia.

When asked about the Cameroonian's MVP prospects, Harden told ESPN: "He deserves it, man. I've only been here for a few weeks, but I already see his mindset. He wants to win.

"Some guys just want numbers, but he has both. He has the mentality of winning, and he scores the ball at a high level. I think he's prepared himself, especially coming off last year, for this year to be one of his best years.

"Most of the games he's played this year, we've been fighting for the number one seed.

"And he's not only top two, top three in scoring, but he's impactful to our team winning."

Harden is averaging 22.5 points, 7.8 rebounds and 10.2 assists across the season, and has won nine of his 12 appearances for the Sixers so far.

Embiid and Harden recorded 54 points, 17 rebounds and 10 assists between them in Wednesday's 126-121 win at the Los Angeles Lakers.

Devin Booker demanded respect and the recognition he considers overdue as the Phoenix Suns clinched top spot in the Western Conference.

With a 60-14 record so far, the Suns will finish the regular season with the NBA's best win-loss record, and now they can start to think about chasing the franchise's first championship.

Defeat to the Milwaukee Bucks in last season's NBA Finals has only served to galvanise Monty Williams' Phoenix team this time around, and Booker made his appeal after scoring a season-high 49 points in a 140-130 win over the Denver Nuggets.

Booker was annoyed when at the pre-game arena team announcement on Thursday, his face was not shown on screen. Booker said that, instead, the screen showed Clippers guard Amir Coffey.

"That was disrespectful. I was laughing. I know that was purposefully done," he said.

"It's all fun and games, but we got the last laugh and every other laugh for the last few games against them. It's a good team they've got over there to put that up there because it got me going for sure."

The Arizona Republic newspaper said a Nuggets official had denied that error was deliberate.

Booker said the Suns would continue to talk themselves up, even if they consider there is insufficient attention on their achievements from elsewhere.

The Suns have secured the NBA's best record for the third time in franchise history, following on from 1992-93 and 2004-05.

"The vibes are there, man," he said. "Everybody's proud of each other.

"We're not the type of team to act like we haven't done nothing. We always talk about celebrating everything, and 60 wins is something I never even thought of."

Booker spoke of "day-to-day grind" and the hunger to keep improving and progressing.

"It's turned into something really nice," he said. "Now we have the one seed locked up, been winning basketball games for two years straight now.

"This team needs some flowers. Coach Monty should have been coach of the year last year. There's so much that I feel doesn't get talked about in this team.

"We've done a good job of not worrying about what people say about us, but it needs some recognition."

DeMar DeRozan sat out the Chicago Bulls' 126-109 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans on Thursday due to a groin strain which they feared may turn into "something bigger".

The loss meant the Bulls have suffered their fifth loss from their past six games, sliding to a 42-31 record and hanging on to fifth spot in the Eastern Conference.

DeRozan had been feeling some tightness in his groin recently, with a modest return of 21 points, four rebounds and two assists in Tuesday's 126-98 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks before sitting out against the Pelicans.

"DeMar knows his body better than anybody else," Bulls head coach Billy Donovan told reporters before Thursday's game.

"I think he felt like, 'Okay, this could get into something else a little bit more significant if I don't take care of this.'

"We just don't want it to turn into something bigger."

Donovan said the Bulls would know more on DeRozan's status on Friday ahead of their next game against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Saturday.

Giannis Antetokounmpo missed his second game in the Milwaukee Bucks' past three as they won 114-102 over the Washington Wizards but head coach Mike Budenholzer insists there is nothing to worry about.

The reigning NBA Finals MVP missed the game with a sore right knee, leaving Jrue Holiday to star with 24 points and 10 assists as the Bucks improved to 46-27.

Antetokounmpo also missed Saturday's 138-119 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves with knee soreness.

"I don't think it's anything long-term or anything significant, but we'll see whether he travels tomorrow and make decisions on the game Saturday as we kind of see how he feels and learn more," Mike Budenholzer told reporters before Thursday's game.

Khris Middleton has missed Milwaukee's past two games with a sore left wrist but Budenholzer was bullish he would be available to face the in-form Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday.

"I fully expect him to travel with us to Memphis," Budenholzer said. "I think I'd go as far as to say we're hopeful he'll play against Memphis.

"We'll see how he does in the next day or two, but as of now, I'd expect him to be on the flight and we're hopeful that he'll play."

Memphis Grizzlies ascending superstar Ja Morant will be out for at least two more weeks as he recovers from knee soreness, according to head coach Taylor Jenkins.

Morant has missed the Grizzlies' past three games with the complaint, with the injury perhaps being more serious than first thought as he is scheduled to miss perhaps the entirety of the remaining regular season.

While the Grizzlies are notorious for playing their cards close to their chest when it comes to reporting player injuries, there is likely no hurry to rush Morant back as the team has compiled a staggering 16-2 record in his absences this season.

Speaking before Memphis' 133-103 win against the Indiana Pacers on Thursday night, Jenkins said he was confident of Morant making a full recovery, even if the timeline is unclear.

"We expect him to make a full recovery before the playoffs, and we're excited about that with two and a half weeks left in the season," he told reporters.

"We'll offload him early, then he'll start reloading pretty soon here with that two weeks in mind to reevaluate."

Morant is the odds-on favourite to take home the NBA's Most Improved Player award, and will likely also receive some votes MVP further down the ballot.

Devin Booker put on a show with 49 points as Chris Paul returned from a broken wrist as the Phoenix Suns clinched top spot in the Western Conference with a 140-130 win over the Denver Nuggets.

Booker's 49 points was a season-high, while 36-year-old Paul returned for the first time since February 20 with 17 points, including 15 in the first half, and 13 assists as the Suns secured their sixth straight win.

Three-time All-Star Booker shot 16-of-25 from the field and also had 10 assists, with Mikal Bridges contributing 22 points from eight-of-nine shooting.

The win means the Suns have secured the NBA's best record for the third time in franchise history, following on from 1992-93 and 2004-05.

Reigning MVP Nikola Jokic had 28 points with six rebounds and six assists for the Nuggets, who are 43-31 and holding on to sixth spot in the Western Conference.

Grizzlies and Bucks win without stars

The Memphis Grizzlies won again without Ja Morant with a 133-103 victory over the Indiana Pacers. Desmond Bane scored 30 points with five assists and five rebounds as the Grizzlies improved to 16-2 without Morant.

The Milwaukee Bucks triumphed without Khris Middleton (wrist) and Giannis Antetokounmpo (knee) with Jrue Holiday starring with 24 points and 10 assists in a 114-102 win over the Washington Wizards.

Pascal Siakam equalled his season-high 35 points as the Toronto Raptors beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 117-104 in a crucial game in the Eastern Conference playoff race.

DeRozan out as Bulls slide continues

The Chicago Bulls slipped to their fifth defeat from their past six games, going down 126-109 to the New Orleans Pelicans. The Bulls are fifth in the east with a 42-31 record, just ahead of the Cavs and Raptors (both 41-32).

The Bulls, who were without DeMar DeRozan due to a left groin issue, were dominated 40-24 by the Pels in the fourth quarter, led by Devonte' Graham (30 points including five three-pointers) and Jonas Valanciunas (16 points and 19 rebounds).

Zach LaVine was Chicago's best with 39 points in DeRozan's absence, going 12-of-23 from the field, while Coby White added 23 points off the bench including five triples.

Paul George has given the Los Angeles Clippers a lift with his return to practice on Thursday for the first time since December.

The Clippers have seen their season wrecked by injuries but have still managed to hover around .500, entering Thursday's games eighth in the West with a 36-38 record.

They are set to finish the regular season in that position, securing a place in the play-in tournament – an impressive achievement given the absence of key players.

Kawhi Leonard is yet to play in 2021-22 due to the partial tear of the ACL in his right knee that curtailed his playoff campaign last year.

George carried the Clippers in his stead, averaging 24.7 points, 7.1 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 2.0 steals until he tore a ligament in his right elbow late last year.

A trade for Norm Powell sought to breathe new life into the Clippers' season, yet he lasted just three games – scoring 21.0 points per game – before fracturing a bone in his left foot.

The team's competitive results have given the trio time to recover, though, and now George is back in the mix, cleared for practice even if he remains out on gameday.

"He is doing good," coach Ty Lue said on Thursday. "He hasn't felt any pain, so that is a positive thing.

"He is just working on his conditioning and just making sure he can continue to go through the minimal contact without having any issue. So as of right now, it hasn't been a problem."

The Phoenix Suns' All-Star guard Chris Paul is "probable" to return to action on Thursday against the Denver Nuggets.

The 36-year-old suffered an avulsion fracture in his right thumb in a 124-121 win over former team the Houston Rockets on February 16, though he still played two minutes for Team LeBron in the All-Star Game four days later.

Paul has missed the past 15 games for the Suns, his absence coinciding with a slight wobble from the 59-14 league leaders as they lost four of their next nine games.

However, Phoenix have won six in a row since then, and the return of Paul will be a welcome boost with the playoffs on the horizon.

Paul had been a key part of the season up to his injury, averaging 14.9 points and a league-leading 10.7 assists.

Even with his injury, only Atlanta's Trae Young (634) has more total assists this season than Paul's 619, having played nine games more.

Kyrie Irving has been cleared to play home games for the Brooklyn Nets after changes to New York's vaccine mandate were officially announced on Thursday.

It means Irving will be eligible to take to the court when the Nets host the Charlotte Hornets at Barclays Center on Sunday.

New York City mayor Eric Adams recently removed restrictions requiring proof of COVID-19 vaccination to enter establishments including bars, restaurants and sports arenas, but the mandate for private sector employees remained in place.

As a result, Irving – who is unvaccinated – was only able to attend home games as a spectator.

However, at a media conference at Citi Field on Thursday, Adams confirmed the mandate for athletes and performers had been lifted.

"This is about putting New York athletes on a level playing field," he said. "We were treating our performers differently because they live and play in New York City."

Adams did reiterate his previous stance that athletes, including Irving, should reconsider their stance on vaccination.

"Kyrie, you should get vaccinated," he said. "This does not change my message that everyone should get vaccinated."

Irving, who has played just 20 games this season, scored 43 points in Brooklyn's 132-120 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday.

Erik Spoelstra said his mid-game spat with Jimmy Butler showed the passion within the Miami Heat ranks and their unwillingness to tolerate slumping performances.

Coach Spoelstra and six-time All-Star Butler, along with Udonis Haslem on the Heat bench, appeared to exchange fiery words and gestures during a timeout as the Heat struggled against the Golden State Warriors.

Golden State bolted to a 69-50 lead after scoring the first 19 points of the third quarter, and amid this slide came the dispute within the Heat ranks.

Spoelstra slammed a clipboard down onto the court and confronted Butler before others attempted to separate the pair.

Allowing himself to joke after the game, which saw the Heat roar back to establish an 84-81 lead before crumpling to a 118-104 defeat, Spoelstra explained the incident.

"Everybody was wondering where the dinner plans were tonight after the game," he said, before answering more seriously.

"It was pretty clear, we have a very competitive, gnarly group, and we were getting our a***s kicked, and it's two straight games we were not playing to the level we wanted to play.

"Every person in that huddle was pretty animated about our disappointment at how we were playing."

This game followed a 113-106 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers, and the Eastern Conference-leading Heat's record now stands at 47-26.

Asked about whether the public bickering could have a lasting impact, Spoelstra said: "It won't, we have bigger things to accomplish, but we do want to play better, and everything has to be better across the board.

"It starts with our leadership, our veteran players have to lead, and then we just have to play better, play better to our identity and that's really all the discussions were.

"I know how it can look from the outside, but that is more our language than playing without passion or without toughness, or without multiple efforts and lifelessness.

"Everything that happened in the hall from then on, as we cut that 19-point lead, that's way more to our personality."

Spoelstra even hinted the flash point could have a positive impact.

"You can use moments during a season to catapult you. You can galvanise together over frustration and disappointment," he said. "Teams can also go the other way. I don't see that with our group. But we have needed a kick in the butt from these two games.

"These two games were disappointing to everybody. You see a competitive group that is not playing to the level or the standards we want to play at.

"Let's give credit to Golden State. We played with great passion to get back into the game, but they executed well, and they made some big shots."

Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving delivered big performances, but the Memphis Grizzlies were unstoppable in the first half on the way to a 132-120 win over the Brooklyn Nets.

Irving finished with 43 points (15-of-27 shooting, six-of-11 from three) and eight assists, while Durant posted figures of 35 points (12-of-28 shooting, 10-of-10 from the free-throw line) with 11 rebounds, eight assists, two blocks and two steals.

But the Grizzlies would not be denied in front of their home fans, clicking on all cylinders early to jump out to a 76-62 half-time lead.

It was yet another stunning showing without MVP candidate Ja Morant who missed again through injury, with seven Grizzlies scoring double figures to pick up the slack.

Desmond Bane (eight-of-17 shooting) and De'Anthony Melton (eight-of-13 shooting) led the way with 23 points each, while Jaren Jackson Jr swatted away four shots as he continued his charge for Defensive Player of the Year.

With the win, the Grizzlies moved to 50-23 for the year, and an incredible 15-2 in games Morant has missed.

Warriors 'punk' the Heat

A day after Draymond Green said his Golden State Warriors were being "punked" in recent losses, they responded in style, beating the Miami Heat 118-104 without Green and injured star Stephen Curry.

In a game where Heat All-Star Jimmy Butler had to be physically separated from coach Erik Spoelstra during a time-out, the Miami defence simply could not get stops in the second half as tempers flared.

Jordan Poole shone yet again for the Warriors, scoring 30 points on 10-of-18 shooting, going three-of-seven from long range, while rookie Jonathan Kuminga, All-Star Andrew Wiggins and bench player Damion Lee chipped in with 22 points each.

Ayton and the Suns shine in Minnesota, Davion dominates

A 42-point fourth quarter capped off a terrific 125-116 comeback win for the Phoenix Suns on the road against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Trailing 64-51 at the halfway stage and by five at three-quarter time, the Suns got 11 points from centre Deandre Ayton down the stretch to cap off a big 35-point (15-of-24 shooting), 14-rebound performance.

Devin Booker controlled the contest for the Suns, scoring 28 points on only 15 field goal attempts, going 13-of-16 from the free throw line while also dishing out seven assists.

Meanwhile, rookie top-10 pick Davion Mitchell starred in the Sacramento Kings' 110-109 away win against the Indiana Pacers, scoring 25 points on 10-of-15 shooting and collecting seven assists in arguably his best game as a professional.

Joel Embiid scored 30 points and had 10 rebounds, three steals and three blocks for the Philadelphia 76ers in their 126-121 win over a Los Angeles Lakers side who were without LeBron James.

Kyrie Irving will make his Brooklyn Nets home debut for the season on Sunday after changes to New York's vaccine mandate come into effect on Thursday, according to reports.

Irving, 29, has only played 19 games this season after deciding not to get vaccinated, but has excelled when in the line-up, averaging 27 points, five rebounds and five assists.

Despite athletes playing for New York teams requiring vaccination to play, visiting players were not subjected to the same requirements, with this move seen as 'levelling the playing field', as put by The Athletic's Shams Charania.

With the new exemption for in-town athletes and performers kicking in on Thursday, it means Irving will be eligible to suit up for the Nets' Sunday fixture against the visiting Charlotte Hornets.

It is important timing for the Nets as their positioning in the play-in tournament means they likely will need to win a home game to earn their way into the playoffs.

Head coach Michael Malone has agreed a new multi-year contract extension with the Denver Nuggets.

Malone's existing deal at the Ball Arena was due to expire at the conclusion of the 2022-23 season.

However, the Nuggets have announced the 50-year-old has put pen to paper on fresh terms – although they are yet to be released.

Nuggets owner Stan Kroenke said in a statement: "This extension is well deserved for Coach Malone and one we are very excited to announce.

"You can easily point to the on-court success that Michael has brought and the improvements the team has made each year under his watch, and you can also point to the selfless, hard-working culture that has developed and grown during his tenure."

Malone has guided the Nuggets to the play-offs on three occasions since taking over in June 2015, including the Conference finals in 2019-20.

The former Sacremento Kings coach has steered them to sixth in the Western Conference this term with a 43-30 record.

Malone has registered 309 career victories with the Nuggets – a tally only bettered by Doug Moe and George Karl.

LeBron James will miss Wednesday's showcase game between his Los Angeles Lakers and the visiting Philadelphia 76ers.

The team is calling it knee soreness after he also missed a string of games in February with left-knee swelling.

James, 37, has played 54 out of a possible 72 games so far this season for the Lakers, and currently leads the league in points-per-game at 30.0, leading Joel Embiid (29.8) and Giannis Antetokounmpo (29.7).

If James were to hold off Embiid and Antetokounmpo, it would be just the second scoring title of his career after he also averaged 30.0 in the 2007-08 season with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Embiid will need to score 45 points to finish the night in the lead for the scoring title.

In the four games the Lakers have won since the All-Star break, James is averaging 45 points, nine rebounds and seven assists.

The Lakers are ninth in the Western Conference with a 31-41 record going into the game.

Draymond Green says the Golden State Warriors are "playing stupid" after they got "punked" by "one of the worst teams in the league" the Orlando Magic on Tuesday.

The Warriors slumped to a third consecutive defeat, going down 94-90 after scoring only 16 points in the final quarter at Amway Center.

Golden State slipped to 47-25 and are third in the Western Conference, with the struggling Magic registering only a 20th win of the season.

Steve Kerr's Warriors side were once again out of sorts in the absence of the injured Stephen Curry and Green pulled no punches with his verdict on their latest loss.

The four-time NBA All-Star said: "I think we're playing soft. We're playing stupid. We're just not playing good basketball and we're getting punked.

"It's hard to win a game getting punked. So that's where we are right now."

Green added: "In order to execute, that requires a certain level of physicality. We're not meeting that.

"No disrespect to the Orlando Magic, but that's one of the worst teams in the league. We can't match that with them. And if you can't match that with them, you definitely can't match that going against a great team."

Head coach Kerr also gave a frank assessment of Golden State's shortcomings.

He said: "We have to be smarter. There has to be a level of discipline and accountability, of competitive desire.

"And, I know these are great guys. I love these guys. I know they want to win. But we have to learn how to win. Right now we don't know how to win."