With Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves sidelined by injury, the Lakers are signing two-way guard Nick Smith Jr. to a new two-year contract, his agent told ESPN.
Victor Wembanyama reached the 65-game threshold for awards eligibility on Friday with a 40-point outing that included 13 rebounds in a 139-120 win over the Dallas Mavericks.
Around the NBA, no fewer than 168 players were held out of Friday’s games, including reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, three-time MVP Nikola Jokic and 14 members of the Memphis Grizzlies.
Lakers coach JJ Redick believes other West teams that still have their seeding to be determined prefer L.A. as their first-round opponent in the playoffs.
The Celtics tied the franchise and NBA record with 29 3s on their way to clinching the Eastern Conference’s No. 2 playoff seed in a blowout win over the Pelicans on Friday night.
Sixers star Joel Embiid has been discharged from a Houston hospital and is heading back to Philadelphia, with the team saying there is no set timeline for his return to the court.