LeBron James celebrated his 38th birthday with 47 points in a near triple-double as the Los Angeles Lakers downed the Atlanta Hawks 130-121 on Friday.

James scored 47 points on 18-of-27 shooting from the field with 10 rebounds and nine assists, showing the four-time NBA MVP is evergreen.

The 18-time All-Star scored 16 points in both the second and fourth quarters on his way to a season-high points haul.

The Lakers rallied back from a 15-point deficit before getting the edge in a tight fourth quarter, with James' three-pointer giving them a 103-101 lead which they never surrendered.

James iced the game with a pair of free-throws amid chants of "MVP! MVP!" from the State Farm Arena crowd, who appeared to be willing to switch allegiance for the star on his birthday.

Thomas Bryant scored 19 points with a  season-high 17 rebounds, while Russell Westbrook added 14 points and 11 assists off the bench.

Trae Young returned from a calf contusion for the Hawks to top score with 29 points and eight assists, while Dejounte Murray contributed 20 points, seven rebounds and nine assists.

The result improves the Lakers to a 15-21 record, having lost nine of their past 13 games entering the game. The Hawks fell to 17-19 having lost their past three.

Giannis drops another 40-point game

Giannis Antetokounmpo powered an almighty third-quarter comeback from the Milwaukee Bucks, who won 123-114 over the Minnesota Timberwolves, dropping 40 points for the fourth time in six games.

The Bucks trailed 61-50 at half-time, but won the third 39-22 led by Antetokounmpo, who finished the game with 43 points on 14-of-23 shooting with 20 rebounds, five assists and two blocks.

Milwaukee had good contributions off the bench from Bobby Portis with 22 points and 14 rebounds and Joe Ingles with 14 points and 10 assists. Anthony Edwards top scored for the Wolves with 30 points and 10 rebounds.

McCollum hits franchise-record 11 threes

C.J. McCollum scored a franchise-record 11 three-pointers on his way to 42 points as the New Orleans Pelicans downed the Philadelphia 76ers 127-116.

McCollum shot 11-of-16 from beyond the arc in a dazzling display, well supported by Zion Williamson with 36 points on 13-of-19 shooting with five rebounds.

Joel Embiid was strong for the 76ers with 37 points on 14-of-22 shooting with eight rebounds and five assists, while James Harden added 20 points including four triples and 10 assists.

Los Angeles Lakers' All-Star Anthony Davis says the stress injury in his right foot that has sidelined him since mid-December is "healing pretty quickly".

Davis declined to discuss timelines for a return to play for the Lakers, having originally been ruled out "indefinitely", but was upbeat about the progress of the injury when he spoke to reporters prior to Friday's 130-121 win over the Atlanta Hawks.

The 29-year-old power forward had been enjoying a bounce-back season with the Lakers, averaging 27.4 points, with a career-best 12.1 rebounds and 2.1 blocks, prior to the injury which has halted his campaign.

"Feeling a lot better, pain has subsided tremendously," Davis said. "I think the next step is [the foot] healing right now. I don't want to use timetables because that's a whole different thing, but it's healing pretty quickly.

"When we get back to LA, we'll do another image of the foot, and see how far it's healed."

Davis said that the injury was identified before it turned into a stress fracture which was a "whole different ballgame", while he added that the pain had significantly subsided.

"I'm just really excited to get back on the floor," Davis said.

"[It] hasn't been a 'Man, it's going to take me X amount of games to get back in rhythm,' or, 'Might not be the same.' That's not even been a thought in my mind. My thought has been, whenever that day is, it's go time."

Lakers head coach Darvin Ham was equally bullish about Davis' progress, which would significantly boost the 15-21 Lakers' playoff hopes, having rebounded from a 2-10 start to the season.

"He's trending in the right direction," Ham said.

"Everything he's being asked to do he's done and continues to do. We all feel comfortable, starting with our medical staff."

The Philadelphia Eagles will likely be without quarterback Jalen Hurts for a second straight week after listing the NFL MVP candidate as doubtful for Sunday's game against the New Orleans Saints.

Gardner Minshew is set to make a second consecutive start in place of Hurts, who sprained his right shoulder in Philadelphia’s 25-20 win over the Chicago Bears on December 18, as the 13-2 Eagles try to secure the NFC's number one seed and home-field advantage for the conference playoffs.

Hurts did return to practice Thursday and took part in Friday's session on a limited basis as well. However, ESPN reported that the Eagles decided to give the 2022 Pro Bowler an additional week of rest to ensure he can be healthy for the upcoming playoffs.

"Obviously the first and foremost thing that’s most important for Jalen is that his health is always taken into consideration first and if it’s safe for him to be out there," Eagles coach Nick Sirianni told reporters on Friday.

"Then from there, then you do what’s best for the team, but you first do what’s best for the individual."

Minshew also filled in for Hurts last week against the Dallas Cowboys, throwing for 355 yards and two touchdowns, including a fourth-quarter strike to Devonta Smith that briefly gave the Eagles a 34-27 lead.

The former Jacksonville Jaguars starter was intercepted twice as well, with the last leading to a tie-breaking field goal by Dallas in a game the rival Cowboys ultimately won 40-34.

"Gardner has been in this position where he has to do everything he has to do to prepare, on limited reps, on a lot of reps – all those different things," Sirianni said. "That’s why Gardner is a great pro.

"We have a lot of confidence in him that he’s going to be ready no matter what the scenario is."

The Eagles enter Week 17 with a one-game lead on the Minnesota Vikings for the NFC’s best record and are one-and-half games ahead of second-place Dallas in the NFC East. Philadelphia will clinch the conference’s top seed with a win in one of their two remaining regular-season games.

The Philadelphia Eagles will likely be without quarterback Jalen Hurts for a second straight week after listing the NFL MVP candidate as doubtful for Sunday's game against the New Orleans Saints.

Gardner Minshew is set to make a second consecutive start in place of Hurts, who sprained his right shoulder in Philadelphia’s 25-20 win over the Chicago Bears on December 18, as the 13-2 Eagles try to secure the NFC's number one seed and home-field advantage for the conference playoffs.

Hurts did return to practice Thursday and took part in Friday's session on a limited basis as well. However, ESPN reported that the Eagles decided to give the 2022 Pro Bowler an additional week of rest to ensure he can be healthy for the upcoming playoffs.

"Obviously the first and foremost thing that’s most important for Jalen is that his health is always taken into consideration first and if it’s safe for him to be out there," Eagles coach Nick Sirianni told reporters on Friday.

"Then from there, then you do what’s best for the team, but you first do what’s best for the individual."

Minshew also filled in for Hurts last week against the Dallas Cowboys, throwing for 355 yards and two touchdowns, including a fourth-quarter strike to Devonta Smith that briefly gave the Eagles a 34-27 lead.

The former Jacksonville Jaguars starter was intercepted twice as well, with the last leading to a tie-breaking field goal by Dallas in a game the rival Cowboys ultimately won 40-34.

"Gardner has been in this position where he has to do everything he has to do to prepare, on limited reps, on a lot of reps – all those different things," Sirianni said. "That’s why Gardner is a great pro.

"We have a lot of confidence in him that he’s going to be ready no matter what the scenario is."

The Eagles enter Week 17 with a one-game lead on the Minnesota Vikings for the NFC’s best record and are one-and-half games ahead of second-place Dallas in the NFC East. Philadelphia will clinch the conference’s top seed with a win in one of their two remaining regular-season games.

The Arizona Cardinals will have their fourth starting quarterback this season after coach Kliff Kingsbury announced that David Blough will get the nod for Sunday's game at Atlanta.

Blough, signed off the Minnesota Vikings' practice squad on December 14, will fill in for a still-injured Colt McCoy.

McCoy had cleared the NFL's concussion protocol earlier this week but reported a recurrence of symptoms following Thursday's practice.

Kingsbury told reporters on Friday that McCoy, who inherited the starting job after Kyler Murray tore his ACL in Week 14, will likely be held out of Arizona's final game of the season at San Francisco as well.

McCoy also missed the Cardinals' 19-16 overtime loss to Tampa Bay on Christmas Day. Trace McSorley made his first NFL start and threw for 217 yards with one interception while completing 24 of 45 passes.

Kingsbury said the Cardinals want to get a further look at Blough, a five-game starter for the Detroit Lions in 2019, and then will decide between his options as to who will start on Week 18.

"We'll give him a chance, evaluate him, and see how that goes," Kingsbury said of Blough.

"The last week, we'll see where we're at and name a starter then.

"[Trace] is a competitor, but he understands the situation we are in and where we are at. There is some evaluation that needs to be done at this point."

Blough went 0-5 when pressed into duty as a rookie for the Lions. The 27-year-old threw for 280 yards and two touchdowns in his NFL debut on Thanksgiving Day of 2019, but completed just 52.9 per cent of his passes with five interceptions over his four subsequent starts.

He will be taking the field on Sunday for a Cardinals team that has lost five straight games and sits last in the NFC West at 4-11, one year after finishing 11-6 and reaching the playoffs. 

Tampa Bay Buccaneers backup quarterback Blaine Gabbert assisted in a water rescue after a helicopter crash near the Florida city.

Gabbert and his brothers were riding jet skis nearby when they saw a helicopter with four passengers make an emergency water landing near the Davis Islands.

Tampa police said that the chopper had been on an aerial tour and was returning to Peter O. Knight Airport when it lost power, forcing the pilot to attempt a water landing.

No one was injured in the crash, although one passenger, 28-year-old Hunter Rapp, said that he was trapped underwater for nearly a minute.

"I vaguely remember seeing two yellow life jackets, so I was like, 'We've got to go check this out,'" Gabbert recalled to reporters Friday.

"They looked like they were in duress; we raced over there.

"The youngest kid had just come up and said he was pinned in there, and I asked if anyone else was trapped. Then I called 9-1-1 and tried to remain as calm as possible, but it all turned positive."

Gabbert credited the first responders on the scene for the rescue and their quick response.

"I was just in the right place, right time, I guess," Gabbert said.

"I got two on my jet ski and my brothers got one. The pilot was still in the water, and that's when [Tampa police] pulled up, and I dragged him a little towards the boat.

"It was a pretty crappy situation that turned good in the end."

Gabbert was drafted in the first round of the 2011 NFL Draft by the Jacksonville Jaguars and is in his 12th professional season, his third backing up Tom Brady in Tampa Bay. 

Maria Sakkari sealed victory for top-seeded Greece over Bulgaria in the United Cup with a straight sets win over Viktoriya Tomova.

Team-mates Stefanos Tsitsipas and Despina Papamichail had already won their matches on Thursday, and Sakkari's 6-3 6-2 triumph gave Greece an unassailable 3-0 lead.

Michail Pervolarakis was defeated by Dimitar Kuzmanov in the final singles match between the nations, but Tsitsipas and Sakkari teamed up to earn Greece a 6-4 6-4 success in the doubles encounter to end on a high.

World number 16 Matteo Berrettini helped Italy topple Brazil by overcoming Thiago Monteiro 6-4 7-6 (9-7).

That gave Italy a 2-1 lead, and Lucia Bronzetti finished the job by demolishing Laura Pigossi in straight sets, with Brazil powerless to overturn the deficit despite Berrettini and Camilla Rosatello's defeat in the doubles match.

US Open semi-finalist Frances Tiafoe clinched a win for the United States over the Czech Republic after opponent Tomas Machac retired with an ankle injury with the score at 6-3 2-4.

Petra Kvitova had defeated Jessica Pegula 7-6 (8-6) 6-4 in the third singles match to give Czech Republic hope, but Tiafoe's win settled the contest before Pegula and Taylor Fritz joined up for success in the doubles.

Great Britain were 3-2 victors over Australia despite a pair of defeats on day two in Sydney.

Cameron Norrie's triumph over Nick Kyrgios' replacement Alex De Minaur on day one had helped Great Britain to a 2-0 lead over the hosts, and Harriet Dart prevailed over Maddison Inglis to wrap up the victory.

Dan Evans was then beaten 6-3 7-6 (7-3) by Jason Kubler before Dart and Jonny O'Mara fell to defeat in the doubles, but Great Britain's strong start saw them through.

France and Switzerland completed 5-0 sweeps of Argentina and Kazakhstan respectively, with Caroline Garcia winning both her singles and doubles matches in straight sets while Stan Wawrinka saw off Alexander Bublik 6-3 7-6 (7-3).

Nick Kyrgios accused Australia co-captain Lleyton Hewitt of throwing him "under the bus" following his decision to withdraw from the United Cup.

The 2022 Wimbledon finalist, who has been struggling with an ankle injury, was due to line up alongside the likes of Alex De Minaur and Jason Kubler in the inaugural edition of the team event.

However, Kyrgios surprised team-mates with his decision to pull out of the event, with the 27-year-old switching his focus to achieving full fitness for next month's Australian Open.

Hewitt was unaware of Kyrgios' withdrawal until his public announcement and said he needs to improve his communication skills.  

Kyrgios' withdrawal was followed by that of Ajla Tomljanovic, who pulled out of her match against Great Britain's Harriet Dart due to a knee injury.

Kyrgios responded to a Twitter post about the news, questioning whether co-captain Sam Stosur would respond the same way Hewitt did.

"Mmm I wonder if Stosur will throw her under the bus like our captain did for me... 'hard to prepare when you don't know what's going on'," Kyrgios wrote.

Australia suffered a 3-2 defeat to Great Britain in their Group D meeting, although they will have another chance to progress to the knockout stage when they face Spain next week.

New York Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau would not champion Julius Randle and Immanuel Quickley's standout performances in Thursday's loss to the San Antonio Spurs, stressing his focus is on the whole team.

The duo posted 41 and 36 points respectively in their 122-115 defeat at AT&T Center, becoming the first pair of Knicks team-mates to score 35-plus points in the same game since 2008.

Their efforts, however, could not prevent a fifth consecutive loss for their team, whose eight-game win streak earlier this month is now firmly a thing of the past.

Thibodeau refused to be drawn on the standout efforts of his two players afterwards, instead reaffirming his immediate need is to figure out why his side have fallen out of form.

"I don't get wrapped up in the individual, I look at what the team does," he said. "That's the important thing, how you impact the team.

"We didn't play well. Numbers when you don't win don't mean anything to me. They hit us, and it was too little, too late at the end. We've got to figure it out."

With an 18-18 record following their difficult festive run, the Knicks will have a chance to resume a winning advantage when they face off with the Houston Rockets on Saturday.

Thibodeau will hope to drill his side through the basics again before then, suggesting his team posted enough points to win their match before mistakes cost them.

"We scored 115 points, that's enough," he added. "That puts you in a position to win.

"Everyone is capable of playing defense, everyone is capable of rebounding, everyone is capable of taking care of the ball. If we do those things as a team, we can beat anybody."

Dak Prescott was just glad to get the job done as the Dallas Cowboys kept alive their hopes of winning the NFC East division with a 27-13 victory over the Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium.

The Cowboys improved to a 12-4 record after capitalising on a series of penalties to lead from start to finish, leaving them hot on the trail of the 13-2 Philadelphia Eagles in their division.

Mike McCarthy's team must now defeat the Washington Commanders in the final game and hope the Eagles lose both of their remaining two to claim top spot.

Prescott threw both touchdown passes for Dalton Schultz, but also stretched his run to six games with an interception, giving up two in the second quarter as the Titans rallied to 10-6 at half-time with two Randy Bullock field goals.

"A win's a win, and we're going to take it and we're going to get better from the mistakes and make sure that we're improving," said Prescott.

"But a road win, short week, you've got to take them all. And style points and all that, that's for all of you who think games are won on paper."

Asked about the preparations required for the Cowboys' potentially pivotal clash with the Commanders, Prescott added: "Obviously get the rest we need, get our bodies back underneath us and then mentally understanding what's to come.

"Take a couple of days or two and get away from it, but know when we come back we've got to finish this season off on the right foot and we've got a long, long run ahead of us that we know we're capable of making."

Prescott completed 29 of 41 attempts for 282 yards with two TDs and two interceptions, tying Troy Aikman with 165 passing TDs for second most in franchise history.

While McCarthy recognised some shortcomings in the team's performance, much like Prescott he was just content to put another win on the board, particularly with a growing injury list.

"I'm in tune with the injuries and all the things that are going on," he said. "All the little stuff. Yeah, it wasn't clean. This was not a clean performance. We recognise that. I'm not disputing that at all.

"But I do know my football team. I know that they came out of a hard victory on Sunday and took a little longer to get their bodies back.

"That's what Thursday night football is. It's a tough challenge. But the most important thing is we answered the bell and we got it done."

Luka Doncic is "playing like an MVP", according to his team-mate Christian Wood, after a second successive triple-double inspired the Dallas Mavericks to a 129-114 victory over the Houston Rockets on Thursday.

Doncic had scored a franchise-best and NBA season-high 60 points two days earlier as the Mavericks beat the New York Knicks 126-121.

And although he did not hit quite the same heights at the American Airlines Center, the 23-year-old was still the Mavs' inspiration.

He finished with 35 points, 12 rebounds and 13 assists, his eighth triple-double of the season, as the Slovenian guard helped the Mavs to a fifth straight win that improves them to 20-16.

Doncic shot 11-of-21 from the field against the Rockets, including four-of-nine from beyond the arc, making nine-of-12 free-throws, with his collective 95 points across the past two games an NBA record in consecutive triple-doubles.

Despite the obvious heroics of Doncic, there has been a particular focus on the collective for the Mavs – though Wood could not resist giving his colleague a little praise.

"We're just playing together," former Rockets forward Wood said.

"If you look at the last game [against the Knicks], we stayed together even though everybody probably thought we were going to lose.

"Today we stayed together, everybody was moving the ball and even the games before that we were piggy-backing off each other, playing off each other and it's really working out.

"Also, Luka's playing like an MVP."

Undoubtedly Doncic's brilliance proved telling once again against the Rockets, but Mavs coach Jason Kidd had previously demanded more support for their talisman.

Only three players scored 15 points or more in the defeat of the Knicks, but this time Doncic was one of five to do so, with Tim Hardaway Jr. (18), Wood (21), Spencer Dinwiddie (15) and Dwight Powell (19) all chipping in.

Understandably, Kidd was pleased by such a reaction.

"I did ask a couple of players that we needed to step up and not wait for Luka, and they responded," Kidd said.

"We talked about it before the game and they understand the time or the stress we put on Luka.

"So, we needed some guys to be able to get some easy baskets and take that stress off of him and they did that tonight."

A host of teams can start 2023 on a high note by clinching an NFL playoff place in an eagerly awaited Week 17.

There are also divisional titles to be won on New Year's Day, with Tom Brady's Tampa Bay Buccaneers within touching distance of winning the NFC South ahead of a clash against the Carolina Panthers.

The Seattle Seahawks and the New York Jets lock horns scenting a spot in the postseason, while the Miami Dolphins could seal a playoff berth when they do battle with the New England Patriots.

Here Stats Perform used its data to preview the biggest games with plenty at stake at the beginning of a new year.

SUNDAY (all times EST)

Panthers (6-9) at Buccaneers (7-8) 1pm

The Buccaneers can clinch the NFC South title for a second straight season if they beat the Panthers, a feat they have never previously achieved.

After a 21-3 win in Week 7, the Panthers are going for the season sweep of the Buccaneers for the first time since 2017. That was also the last season they made the playoffs.

Tampa Bay beat the Arizona Cardinals 19-16 in their final game of 2022. The Buccaneers have scored 21 or fewer points in all seven of their wins this season. 

Carolina overcame the Detroit Lions 37-23 in Week 16 behind 320 yards rushing and 250 yards passing. They were the first NFL team with 300 rush yards and 250 pass yards in a game since the San Francisco 49ers in Week 12, 2012.

Jets (7-8) at Seahawks (7-8) 4.05pm

The Seahawks have dominated the Jets in recent years, winning all four games against them since 2005 and conceding only 30 points in the process. That is just 7.5 points per game, which is the fewest allowed by any NFL team against a single opponent over that time.

Pete Carroll is in his 17th season as an NFL head coach and has never missed the playoffs in consecutive seasons. The Seattle boss is the only head coach in NFL history to coach at least 15 seasons in the league and never have consecutive seasons in which he did not lead his team to the playoffs.

DK Metcalf has had at least five receptions in eight straight games, tied with John L. Williams (1989-90) and Brian Blades (1995) for the longest streak in Seahawks franchise history.

The Jets are allowing 10.8 fewer points per game than they did last season (29.6 to 18.8), on pace to be the second-largest season-to-season improvement in the NFL in the past 40 years behind the 2000-01 Rams (29.4 to 17.1, -12.3). 

Dolphins (8-7) @ Patriots (7-8) - 1pm

New England are due a win over the Dolphins, who have beaten them in four consecutive games - the last of which was a 20-7 success in Week 1.

Miami are the only team to beat the Patriots four times in a row since Bill Belichick took over as head coach of the Patriots in 2000. With a loss this week, Miami would join Tennessee as the only teams this season with a winning streak of at least five games and a losing streak of at least five games.

Tua Tagovailoa posted a career-high 12.4 yards per pass attempt in last week's loss to the Green Bay Packers. It was the highest yards-per-attempt in a loss by a starting Dolphins quarterback in team history. He misses out this week due to concussion, though, so Teddy Bridgewater steps in.

New England’s comeback bid fell short in a 22-18 loss to the Bengals last week. The Patriots have lost nine straight games when trailing after three quarters, with only the Panthers (41 straight losses) and Seahawks (13 straight) having longer active streaks.

MONDAY

Bills (12-3) @ Bengals (11-4) - 8.30pm

The Bills know they will get a first-round bye in the playoffs if they see off the Bengals and the Kansas City Chiefs lose to the Denver Broncos. Following Cincinnati's win over the Bills in the 1988 AFC Championship Game, the Bills won 10 straight in this series. Since then, Cincinnati are 4-2 against Buffalo, with the most recent meeting resulting in a 21-17 Buffalo win in Week 3, 2019.

The Bills beat the Bears 35-13 in Chicago last week, extending their winning run to six games. Buffalo have scored at least 20 points in each of those wins – they have just two longer streaks of wins with 20+ points – a nine-game streak in 1964 and a seven-game streak in 1990.

The Bengals' road win over the Patriots extended their winning streak to seven games, one shy of tying the franchise record of eight – achieved in the first eight games of the 2015 season (also an eight-game streak spanning the 1970 and 1971 seasons).

Joe Burrow had 375 passing yards last week, his second-highest total of the season. It was his seventh career game with at least 350 passing yards, fourth most in the NFL since 2020 behind Tom Brady (13), Patrick Mahomes (12) and Josh Allen (9). 

Elsewhere...

The Denver Broncos start life after Nathaniel Hackett with a tough trip to take on the Kansas City Chiefs in their first game since the head coach's firing. The Chiefs have won 14 straight games against the Broncos dating back to the 2015 season. Just five teams in NFL history have beaten another team 15 times in a row, with the last team to do so being the Patriots against the Bills from 2003 to 2010.  

The Philadelphia Eagles host the New Orleans Saints knowing they can clinch the NFC East and the number one seed in their conference with a win.

The Eagles are 11-3 (.786) all-time at home against the Saints, which includes an active three-game winning streak. That is the Eagles' third-best home record against any opponent all-time (3-0 versus the Texans and 6-1 versus the Broncos). 

A playoff place is in the New York Giants' sights as they prepare to take on the Indianapolis Colts. 

The Colts have won four straight games against the Giants, with the most recent win coming in Week 16 of 2018 with a 28-27 home victory.

There appears to be no stopping the San Francisco 49ers, who can win a ninth game in a row when they take on the Las Vegas Raiders. The 49ers are the only NFL team in the Super Bowl era to win eight straight games in a single season while holding their opponents to fewer than 80 rushing yards in each victory.