LeBron James' status for the Los Angeles Lakers is unclear ahead of their meeting with the Denver Nuggets after he reinjured his right ankle in Sunday's loss to the Toronto Raptors.
Superstar James was playing for just the second time since missing 20 straight games due to a right ankle sprain, the longest injury absence during his career.
He put up 19 points, seven rebounds and six assists but exited with six minutes and 42 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter and did not return to the contest.
James said he has no particular worries over the ankle, but that it is imperative for the team that he is fit and firing ahead of the postseason.
"First half it feels really good, obviously warming up for the game everything is going well," he said.
"The last two games at half-time, at the break, it's gotten a little sore on me, got a little tight, obviously coach decided not to put me back in because of that, that's it.
"I really don't have too much level of concern, but I need to be healthy and make sure my ankle is where it was before my injury.
"I need to be smart with it, talk to my trainer Mike and go over with the coaching staff and some of the players as well, most important thing to me is to be healthy and be at full strength when it really matters.
"It matters now to me because I hate sitting out games and not being out on the floor, but I'm also not helping myself or helping my team when I'm not out there at full strength."
Asked whether it is a case of wait and see for the Denver game, James replied: "That's the plan, the plan is to see how I feel, go from there.
"I definitely want to get healthy, not just for myself but for our team, it's definitely challenging right now, but I'll be fine."
The defending champions are in a lull right now, with the Raptors loss representing a sixth defeat over their previous seven games.
It leaves the Lakers seventh in the Western Conference, a finish that would require them to feature in the play-in tournament to make the playoffs – a concept James clearly has little time for.
"It doesn't matter at the end of the day if I'm not 100 per cent, close to 100 per cent it don't matter where we land," he said.
"That's my mindset, if it happens we end up as sixth, or fifth whatever the case may be, you know the playoff whatever that thing is, whoever came up with that s*** need to be fired, but whatever."
The Lakers have been blighted by injury concerns this season and had starting point guard Dennis Schroder unavailable versus Toronto due to health and safety protocols.
James believes the key to getting the Lakers firing again is having a fully fit roster available.
"Our team is predicated on health, we're a team that we need to be healthy and need to be full, if it's not one thing it's the other," he said.
"Today our starting point guard is not in the line-up, that's the biggest thing down the stretch more than the games we're playing is how healthy we're going to be going into the stretch run."
Joshua 'will retire' if he loses to Franklin
Anthony Joshua will retire from boxing if he loses to Jermaine Franklin on Saturday.
Former WBO world champion Johnny Nelson had suggested Joshua should call time on his career if he loses for the fourth time, having already been defeated by Andy Ruiz Jr. and Oleksandr Usyk (twice).
And the 33-year-old confirmed he does intend to hang up his gloves if he is beaten by his American opponent at the O2 Arena in London.
"I will. I will retire if I lose. I'm not here to battle people. If people want me to retire I will retire," Joshua said to MailOnline.
"I'm not going to fight if people don't want me too. It's not even about the money. It's about the competitor in you. That's what's important."
Joshua said he would like to face Tyson Fury if the Gypsy King is unable to revive negotiations on a unification fight with Usyk, but also sounded as if he is looking forward to retirement and getting away from the pressure of elite boxing.
"It [pressure] comes with the business and it comes with the territory, I know that," he said. "I know when I am retired, I am gonna be chilling. I'm gonna be thinking f*** everyone. I am done.
"You lot put so much pressure on me so when I am done, the chains are going to be gone. I am going to be laughing and loving life."
Nikola Jokic believes his main rival for a third-straight NBA MVP award, Joel Embiid, will "be remembered as one of the most dominant players in the league."
The clash between the Denver Nuggets and the Philadelphia 76ers had been billed as the league's two leading players facing off, only for the Sixers to rest Embiid due to a calf injury.
Jokic led Denver to a 116-111 victory on Monday, scoring 25 points with 17 rebounds and 12 assists, joining Wilt Chamberlain and Oscar Robertson as the only players in NBA history to produce 10 games of at least 20 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists in the same season.
With James Harden also out, Tyrese Maxey led Philadelphia with 29 points, five assists, four rebounds and three steals, but the main talking point after the game remained Embiid, with Jokic reserving words of praise for his rival.
"I think he's a great player," he said. "I think he's gonna be remembered as one of the most dominant players in the league. The guy's a beast, and he's so talented.
"He can affect [the game] many ways on the floor. He can post up, he can face up, he can shoot threes. He can defend really well. He can, in some situations, guard one through five. So he's a really, really good player."
Embiid leads the league for points-per-game this season (33.3), ahead of Luka Doncic (32.9), Damian Lillard (32.2), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (31.3) and Giannis Antetokounmpo (31.1).
Sixers coach Doc Rivers said prior to the game he was tired of the animosity brought about by the debate around this year's MVP award, with Jokic having won it the last two seasons and having had another stellar year for the Nuggets.
"It's like we can't celebrate people," Rivers said. "The league is in a great place. It's in an amazing place.
"You've got Joel Embiid and Joker, two centers, in a non-center league, dominating the league. You've got Giannis, and I always put him as a whatever, because we don't know what [position] Giannis is, but he's one of the best players in the league. Jayson Tatum is playing unbelievable. Kevin Durant, if he wasn't hurt. You can just keep going.
"You can like them all, and you can actually not like one because you love the other one. But you don't have to hate on anybody. I think we just need to get back to judging whatever your flavour is, and I don't think you have to hate the other one, for sure."
Timberwolves 'playing every game like it is our last' – Gobert
Rudy Gobert says the Minnesota Timberwolves will continue treating "every game like it is our last" after strengthening their playoff hopes with a fourth victory in a row.
The Wolves beat the Sacramento Kings 119-115 on Monday to add to recent wins over the New York Knicks, the Atlanta Haws and the Golden State Warriors.
They are now 39-27 for the season and climbed above the Warriors into the Western Conference's sixth seed with their latest triumph.
After turning their season around over the past week or so, Gobert is eager for his side to keep their winning streak alive.
"We have the talent and personnel to be able to beat anybody on any given night," said Gobert, who controlled the paint with 16 points (five-of-nine), 16 rebounds and two blocks.
"It's really out of urgency and consistency. We play every game like it's our last and we play every game like there's no tomorrow. That's the mindset that we need."
Minnesota were without Karl-Anthony Towns but had seven players score at least 14 points each in a well-rounded effort at Golden 1 Center.
Jaden McDaniels led the Wolves in scoring with 20 points (eight-of-15 shooting), while Kyle Anderson had a game-high 11 assists.
"These guys really like each other and love playing with each other," coach Chris Finch said. "They have lifted their game with the games being so big."
The defeat for Sacramento meant they were unable to officially end the longest playoff drought in NBA history in front of their success-starved fans.
Having missed the chance to clinch a first playoff berth since 2006 on their own patch, the Kings will now look to do so when they travel to the Portland Trail Blazers.
Sacramento guard De'Aaron Fox said: "The guys wanted to clinch a playoff spot at home and wanted to share it with our fans.
"But at the end of the day, regardless of where we do it, I think people are going to be appreciative and people are going to love it."
The Timberwolves are back in action of Wednesday at the Phoenix Suns.
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