The Los Angeles Lakers do not know how long they will be without LeBron James but expect it to be more than two weeks, according to reports.

James' right foot soreness appeared on the Lakers' injury report on Monday as he was ruled out of Tuesday's game against the Memphis Grizzlies.

That will not be the extent of the 38-year-old's absence, however, having appeared to sustain the injury in the third quarter of Sunday's win over the Dallas Mavericks.

Replays showed there was no contact made with James before he went down.

The Athletic's Shams Charania reported James would miss "an extended period of time", and ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski added he would be reassessed in a fortnight with the expectation he would not be fit to return.

There are just shy of six weeks remaining of the regular season, of which James is likely to be absent for a significant chunk.

The Lakers are running out of time to rescue their season, improving following the trade deadline but still half a game outside the play-in places.

Kevin Durant is expected to make his long-awaited Phoenix Suns debut when they face the Charlotte Hornets at Spectrum Center.

The two-time NBA Finals MVP has not played since suffering a knee injury on January 8, and while he was recovering, he was traded to Phoenix in exchange for Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson and four first-round draft picks.

Durant did not feature during Sunday's narrow 104-101 defeat by the Milwaukee Bucks, but the Suns revealed they expect the small forward to debut against the Hornets.

The franchise tweeted: "Kevin Durant is expected to make his Phoenix Suns debut tomorrow in Charlotte."

The Suns sit fourth in the Western Conference with a 33-29 record.

Charlotte Hornets point guard LaMelo Ball will miss the rest of the NBA campaign through injury, with the news coming just a week after it was confirmed his brother will also remain sidelined until next season.

Ball fractured his right ankle during Monday's 117-106 win over the Detroit Pistons.

Chicago Bulls star Lonzo Ball has not played at all in 2022-23 due to a knee injury that has required multiple surgeries, and the Bulls said last week that due to continued "discomfort during high-level basketball-related activities", the player would not be risked before the end of the season.

LaMelo – a 2022 NBA All-Star – has had issues with his left ankle throughout the season, meaning he was only able to play 36 games, and The Athletic's Shams Charania tweeted on Tuesday that he will "miss the remainder of the season", according to sources.

The 21-year-old has averaged 23.3 points per game this season, with 8.4 assists and 6.4 rebounds.

The Hornets are well short of playoff contention, with a record of 20-43, though are on a five-game win streak after Monday's win against the only team with a worse record than them in the Eastern Conference, the Pistons.

Jayson Tatum revealed he was ejected for describing the Boston Celtics' tussle with the New York Knicks as "the best-officiated game I've been a part of".

The seemingly sarcastic comment towards the game officials cost Tatum his place on the court with 3:46 remaining in the fourth quarter at Madison Square Garden.

By then, the Knicks were almost home and hosed, and they saw out a 109-94 victory to extend their streak to six games and improve to 36-27 overall.

It was the 24-year-old Tatum's first ejection of his NBA career, and defeat means the Celtics (44-18) no longer have the best record in the league, dropping below the Milwaukee Bucks (43-17).

Tatum managed just 14 points on six-of-18 shooting from the field, with seven rebounds and nine assists.

Asked what was the cause of his ejection, Tatum said: "I don't know, but all the great players get thrown out a few times in their career, so, it's good for my rep."

Tatum did know the reason, though. He felt the officials missed a foul on a three-point shot and he made his feelings known.

He had already seen a technical foul given against him, for raising a grievance over no foul being called on a dunk late in the third quarter.

"That one was the tough one. The first one, no call. If you look, it was clearly a foul," Tatum said. "Those are the ones that are tough. You get a tech for something that you probably was right about.

"The second one, I just told him this was probably the best-officiated game I've been a part of. I tried to give him a compliment. It didn't go over so well."

Although obviously a jibe rather than praise, Tatum repeated his message: "I said it was the best-officiated game I've been a part of. I meant it."

The Charlotte Hornets have confirmed point guard LaMelo Ball fractured his right ankle during Monday's 117-106 win over the Detroit Pistons.

Ball went down awkwardly with the ball in the third quarter, before being subbed out of the game.

The Hornets revealed the severity of the injury for the 2020 NBA Draft third overall selection after the game.

"Ball suffered a fracture in his right ankle in tonight’s home game vs. Detroit," the Hornets update said.

"Ball left the game in the third quarter and an x-ray taken at the arena revealed the fracture. Ball will be listed as out for the Hornets’ next game vs. Phoenix on March 1 and updates regarding his status will be provided as appropriate."

The 2022 NBA All-Star has struggled with his left ankle throughout the season, forcing him to miss multiple stretches of games.

The Hornets are 14th in the Eastern Conference with a 20-43 record and are not in playoff contention with 19 games remaining, although Hornets head coach Steve Clifford did not say how long Ball is expected to be out.

"It's just a basketball ankle and there is nothing that you can do about that," Clifford said.

Jayson Tatum was ejected for the first time in his NBA career as the New York Knicks extended their win streak to six games with a 109-94 victory over the Boston Celtics on Monday.

Tatum was tossed after remonstrating with the referees with 3:46 remaining in the fourth quarter with the Celtics destined for a defeat, which sees them drop below the Milwaukee Bucks atop the NBA standings.

The Bucks (43-17) are ahead of the Celtics (44-18) on percentage, marking the first time Boston have not been top of the league since December 22.

The Celtics were not helped by two-of-19 three-point shooting in the first half, the worst of any half this season.

Tatum played his part in that, finishing the game with 14 points on six-of-18 shooting from the field, with seven rebounds and nine assists. Marcus Smart added 19 points while Jaylen Brown was out for personal reasons.

The Knicks were led by Julius Randle and Immanuel Quickley who both scored 23 points, while Jalen Brunson added 17.

New York are 8-1 since February 5, marking the second-best record in the NBA during that period, while they have a point differential per game of 10.2 during that stretch, also second best in the league.

Butler acrobatics in Heat triumph

Jimmy Butler led the way as five Miami Heat players hit double figures in their 101-99 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers.

Butler produced a go-ahead acrobatic reverse layup scoop with 1:28 remaining, finishing the game with 23 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists.

James Harden's game-winning three-point attempt bounced off the rim, meaning he scored 20 points with 12 assists. Joel Embiid top scored with 27 points and 12 rebounds, while Tyrese Maxey had 23 points off the bench.

The Heat have now won 13 games this season in one-score games, which is comfortably the most in the NBA.

Clutch Banchero leads Magic past Pels

Last year's NBA Draft top overall selection Paolo Banchero came up clutch in the dying minutes to lead the Orlando Magic past the New Orleans Pelicans 101-93.

Banchero finished with 29 points on 10-of-18 shooting from the field with eight rebounds and four assists. The talent landed three clutch mid-range jumpers in the final few minutes.

Brandon Ingram top scored for the Pels, who continue to struggle without their former top NBA Draft pick Zion Williamson, with 25 points, six rebounds and five assists.

LeBron James is missing the Los Angeles Lakers' game against the Memphis Grizzlies after appearing to sustain an injury in his last outing.

James was clearly limping by the end of Sunday's win over the Dallas Mavericks.

The 38-year-old went down in some pain late in the third quarter of that game, although replays showed there was no contact with a Mavericks player.

Now, the Lakers have confirmed James will not play any part against the Grizzlies on Tuesday, listing his right foot soreness on their injury report.

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski has reported James is feared to be out for several weeks, although he is still undergoing further testing.

James said after Sunday's game his foot had "been better".

The team have increasingly limited options, with D'Angelo Russell already doubtful due to the right ankle sprain that kept him out of the Mavericks game.

Anthony Davis was probable to play despite what the Lakers described as a right foot stress injury.

The 29-32 Lakers are a game back from the play-in places in the Western Conference.

New Atlanta Hawks head coach Quin Snyder is hopeful of going on a run this season while also building a culture within the franchise.

The Hawks confirmed the appointment of Snyder on Sunday, replacing Nate McMillan, who was fired last week.

Snyder has been out of a job since leaving the Jazz at the end of last season, having led them to six straight playoff appearances.

Atlanta are eighth in the Eastern Conference with a 31-30 record but the appointment of ex-Utah Jazz head coach Snyder offers instant hope, although he said the decision to take over now rather than at the end of the season was not simple given the expectation of immediate results.

"As I thought about it, I think the opportunity to come in now, although maybe challenging, is also an opportunity to hopefully go on a run," Snyder told reporters.

"Also, and I think these things are not mutually exclusive, to begin to build a foundation, a culture. It's always a challenge, but those challenges are often most rewarding and the best opportunity."

The Hawks boast a strong roster featuring All-Stars Trae Young and Dejounte Murray and Snyder was bullish about getting the best out of them.

"I think players want to get better, and they want to be coached," Snyder said. "I think the relationships are what allows you to coach them effectively.

"In those things again, it's part of the reason I wanted to start now, and I think that our group here needs to just decide to trust each other. it's incumbent upon all of us – myself, first and foremost – to not violate that trust."

Hawks general manager Landry Fields said Snyder was their first choice and that he ticked all the boxes.

"Everything we were looking for, it was check, check, check," he said.

LeBron James is missing the Los Angeles Lakers' game against the Memphis Grizzlies after appearing to sustain an injury in his last outing.

James was clearly limping by the end of Sunday's win over the Dallas Mavericks.

The 38-year-old went down in some pain late in the third quarter of that game, although replays showed there was no contact with a Mavericks player.

Now, the Lakers have confirmed James will not play any part against the Grizzlies on Tuesday, listing his right foot soreness on their injury report.

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski has reported James is feared to be out for several weeks although he is still undergoing further testing.

James said after Sunday's game his foot had "been better".

The team have increasingly limited options, with D'Angelo Russell already doubtful due to the right ankle sprain that kept him out of the Mavericks game.

Anthony Davis was probable to play despite what the Lakers described as a right foot stress injury.

The 29-32 Lakers are a game back from the play-in places in the Western Conference.

All-Star Draymond Green's MRI on his bruised right knee has come back clean with the Golden State Warriors listing him as probable for Tuesday's game against the Portland Trail Blazers.

Warriors head coach Steve Kerr offered the positive update, having revealed on Monday that Green had suffered a "setback" after the injury "flared up" again.

Green has missed the Warriors' past two games, wins over the Houston Rockets and the Minnesota Timberwolves, due to the knee issue.

"[Green] practised today, so seems to be on the right track, but we'll see tomorrow," Kerr told reporters, having said Green was questionable before the side later updated him as probable for Tuesday.

The four-time NBA champion suffered the injury in Thursday's 124-111 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers when he clashed knees with Jarred Vanderbilt.

The reigning NBA champions are already without two-time NBA MVP Stephen Curry due to a leg injury and Andrew Wiggins for personal reasons.

Golden State are seventh in the Western Conference with a 31-30 record.

Damian Lillard revelled in being in "attack mode" as he scored a record-breaking 71 points in the Portland Trail Blazers' 131-114 win over the Houston Rockets.

Lillard stole the show with an incredible performance at the Moda Center on Sunday, helping himself to a franchise record and career-high points tally.

The seven-time NBA All-Star matched Cleveland Cavaliers star Donovan Mitchell for the highest points haul of the season and had a personal best of 11 three-pointers in a game when he came off court with 44 seconds to play.

Houston were unable to live with the ruthless point guard, who has scored at least 60 points in an NBA game on five occasions - behind only Wilt Chamberlain (32) and Kobe Bryant (six).

Lillard said: "I think any hooper enjoys those moments when you're hot, you're in attack mode, you're feeling good.

"But it's the stuff afterward that I struggle with, like when I walked off the court, was I supposed to be overly excited, or what?"

Lillard was swiftly brought back down to earth when he was drug tested following his astonishing display.

"I know I’ve got a lot of tattoos, but when you're doing a blood draw, it's different from tattoos," Lillard, who has a fear of needles, said. "It brought me down from here to the floor."

Lillard scored 41 points in the first half, including eight of his three-pointers. That was the most points any player has posted in a half this season.

Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups said: "It really, really was a masterful performance. It was a piece of art. That was incredible."

The Los Angeles Lakers came back from 27 points down on Sunday against the Dallas Mavericks to produce the largest comeback of the season.

Early in the second quarter the Lakers trailed 48-21, before going on to escape with a 111-108 victory for their third win in a row, and their biggest comeback since 2002.

Trade deadline acquisition Malik Beasley announced his arrival with a 25-point outburst in Thursday's win against the Golden State Warriors, and this time around it was Jarred Vanderbilt showing why he has forced his way into the Lakers' starting line-up.

The rangy six-foot-eight defensive menace was everywhere, working as the primary defender on Luka Doncic on his way to 15 points (six-of-eight shooting), 17 rebounds (eight offensive) and four steals in his 27 minutes.

Anthony Davis was the star of the show on the offensive end, scoring a game-high 30 points on 12-of-20 shooting with 15 rebounds and four assists, and the league's active leader for career blocked shots per game swatted away three Maverick attempts.

LeBron James had an injury scare, and while he is still not out of the woods, he stayed in the game and put up 26 points on 10-of-23 shooting with eight rebounds.

For the Mavericks, Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving shot a combined 18-of-44 (40 per cent) from the field for 47 points, while the other three members of the starting line-up combined for 18 points.

With the win, the Lakers improved their record to 29-32 and now sit just one game out of the Play-In Tournament placings, while they are also just 2.5 games away from the Mavericks in the sixth seed.

Lillard puts on a show

Damian Lillard matched Donovan Mitchell's season-best 71 points as he scored 13 three-pointers in the Portland Trail Blazers' 131-114 win over the Houston Rockets.

The Blazers guard's 71-point mark was both a franchise and career high, topping his previous record of 61.

Lillard had 41 points with eight triples by half-time, the most points of any player in a half this season. He shot 13-of-22 from beyond the arc for the game, having a perfect 14-of-14 from the line.

Klay stays hot

After 42 points and 12 three-pointers on Friday's win, Klay Thompson led the Golden State Warriors to a 109-104 home win against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

The future Hall of Fame sharpshooter hit another six threes on his way to a team-high 32 points, shooting 12-of-23 from the field and six-of-14 from deep. Donte DiVincenzo was strong in a supporting role, chipping in 21 points (seven-of-13 shooting), eight rebounds, five assists and four steals.

After shooting a red-hot 43.1 per cent on a gaudy 11.6 three-point attempts per game in the month of January, Thompson has elevated even further this month, getting up 12.1 attempts per game and connecting at 45.9 per cent.

LeBron James conceded he was troubled by a foot issue in Sunday's 111-108 victory over the Dallas Mavericks where the Los Angeles Lakers rallied from 27 points down.

The Lakers pulled off the biggest comeback win of the NBA season, with James playing out the game despite sustaining a right foot problem late in the third quarter.

James appeared to tell teammates "I heard it pop" as he lay on the ground after his failed lay-up attempt where he suffered the injury.

Despite a noticeable limp post-game, James finished with 26 points on 10-of-23 shooting from the field with eight rebounds and three assists.

"It's been better," James told reporters. "That's for sure. But I definitely wasn't going to go to the locker room and not finish the game out tonight.

"Just understood the importance of the game and then with the momentum that we had, I felt like we could still win after being down.

"We'll monitor it the next couple days, see how it feels and go from there."

On the injury, Lakers head coach Darvin Ham added: "He's good. Our medical people are looking at him right now, he'll get reevaluated again in the morning."

Ham denied that James had said he heard a "pop" upon sustaining the injury.

The victory means the Lakers are 4-1 since their NBA deadline day trades that included the acquisitions of Jarred Vanderbilt and Malik Beasley, who both started on Sunday, along with D'Angelo Russell.

The Lakers are in a race to make the playoffs or the play-in tournament, sitting 11th in the Western Conference with a 29-32 record.

Their recent run of wins has boosted their playoffs hopes, particularly given the new-look line-up.

"I feel like we're in a good place," James said. "We're gonna try to continue that."

Ham added that the Lakers never got "discouraged" as they mounted the biggest comeback win of the season.

"The guys never got discouraged," Ham said. "They had that look of frustration, but it wasn't a look of defeatedness on their faces. Everybody just wanted to stay encouraged."

Draymond Green has suffered an injury "setback" forcing him out of a second straight game, according to Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr.

Kerr revealed Green's right knee contusion had "flared up", meaning he was a late scratch for Sunday's game against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

The four-time NBA All-Star had missed Friday's 116-101 win over the Houston Rockets due to the same injury.

"It flared up today," Kerr told reporters pre-game. "He will be more thoroughly checked today by our medical staff.

"It was sort of unexpected, the way he came through treatment yesterday, everything was looking good. He had a setback today, so we'll learn more today and we'll have more for you tomorrow."

Kerr confirmed it was likely Green, who is averaging 7.4 rebounds and 6.8 assists this season, would undergo an MRI on the injury.

The reigning NBA champions are already without two-time NBA MVP Stephen Curry due to a leg injury.

Milwaukee Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer offered reassurance on the severity of Giannis Antetokounmpo's knee injury after missing Sunday's 104-101 win over the Phoenix Suns.

Antetokounmpo sustained the injury after a clash of knees forced him out of Friday's 128-99 win over the Miami Heat in the first quarter after playing only six minutes.

Budenholzer was unable to offer much detail after Friday's game, but provided more clarity following Sunday's win, which was Milwaukee's 14th in a row.

"It's enough where he can't play today, but I think we're also confident that this is a fairly common occurrence in our league," Budenholzer told reporters.

"You hit knees, you knock, sometimes it takes a day or two and it's really nothing more than that. The level of conversations have all been along that line."

The Bucks' 14-game win streak is the longest in the NBA this season, with the 43-17 side behind only the Boston Celtics (44-17).

MVP candidate Antetokounmpo, who recently spent time out with a wrist injury, has been a key part of the Bucks' success this campaign.

Antetokounmpo (31.3) is behind only Luka Doncic (33.2), Joel Embiid (33.1) and Damian Lillard (31.4) for points per game this season and is second for rebounds, averaging 12.0 per game behind only Domantas Sabonis (12.3).

Jrue Holiday top scored with 33 points against the Suns, while center Brook Lopez made a strong contribution with 22 points and 13 rebounds.