Lakers star LeBron James will miss Sunday’s game against the New Orleans Pelicans as he manages a right foot injury, the team announced.

The Lakers (14-4) host the Phoenix Suns on Monday, which will be the team’s third game in four days after a win over the Dallas Mavericks on Friday.

In just his fourth game of the season, James played 34 minutes in the 129-119 win, scoring 13 points with seven assists. He missed the beginning of the season for the first time in his 23-year NBA career because of sciatica that sidelined him for 14 games.

Read more:Former Lakers star Anthony Davis makes long-awaited return to L.A. after trade

Despite James’ limited playing time, the Lakers still have thrived behind Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves. Doncic leads the NBA in scoring with 35.1 points per game. The dynamic duo combined for 73 points in Friday’s win, led by 38 points on 12-for-15 shooting from Reaves. The Lakers’ fifth-year guard scored 31 points in the team’s first matchup against the Pelicans, a 118-104 win Nov. 14 in New Orleans.

The Pelicans (3-17) have the worst record in the Western Conference. The Lakers need James for the tougher matchup against the Suns (12-9) on Monday before playing in Toronto on Thursday, the opener of a three-game East Coast trip.

The Lakers also will be without guard Marcus Smart (back spasms) for the second consecutive game.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

The Los Angeles Lakers won’t have LeBron James when the team takes on the New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday, but it doesn’t sound like a serious issue. James was downgraded to out for Sunday’s game as he manages a foot injury.

The move comes as the Lakers are set to play back-to-back days.

“We’re going to build him up,” Lakers coach J.J. Redick said on Sunday afternoon before the game, adding that the team is “just being cautious.” The goal, according to ESPN, is to get James able to play in back-to-back games moving forward.

James, who missed the team’s first 14 games due to sciatica, has performed well in his return, but has yet to take part in back-to-back games. The Lakers sitting James on Sunday may be part of the 40-year-old’s recovery process. It’s also possible the Lakers are just giving James a day of rest so he’s fresh for Monday’s game against the Phoenix Suns. 

[Get more Lakers news: Los Angeles team feed]

The latter makes sense, as the Lakers may not need James to defeat the 3-17 Pelicans. At 12-9, the Suns present a tougher matchup. Having James available for that game could make a difference for the Lakers. 

James has seen some decline in his numbers during his first four games of the regular season. The 23-year veteran is averaging a career-low 16.5 points in four games. With Luka Dončić playing at a high level and Austin Reaves taking a big step forward, however, the Lakers haven’t needed James to carry the offensive load. His field-goal attempts are down to a career-low 6.5 so far, so it’s possible he still has plenty left in the tank, but hasn’t felt compelled to take over games yet.

Additionally, four games is an extremely small sample and James did drop 25 points in one of those games, so there’s no reason for concern yet. 

With Dončić, Reaves and now James, the Lakers find themselves at 14-4, good for second place in the Western Conference. If the team can keep this up, James may have one more championship run in him before he calls it quits. 

It’s unclear when that will happen. Despite his age, James has made no announcements related to retirement. For this season, at least, he’s focused on leading the Lakers to another title. 

The Los Angeles Lakers won’t have LeBron James when the team takes on the New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday, but it doesn’t sound like a serious issue. James was downgraded to out for Sunday’s game as he manages a foot injury.

The move comes as the Lakers are set to play back-to-back days.

“We’re going to build him up,” Lakers coach J.J. Redick said on Sunday afternoon before the game, adding that the team is “just being cautious.” The goal, according to ESPN, is to get James able to play in back-to-back games moving forward.

James, who missed the team’s first 14 games due to sciatica, has performed well in his return, but has yet to take part in back-to-back games. The Lakers sitting James on Sunday may be part of the 40-year-old’s recovery process. It’s also possible the Lakers are just giving James a day of rest so he’s fresh for Monday’s game against the Phoenix Suns. 

[Get more Lakers news: Los Angeles team feed]

The latter makes sense, as the Lakers may not need James to defeat the 3-17 Pelicans. At 12-9, the Suns present a tougher matchup. Having James available for that game could make a difference for the Lakers. 

James has seen some decline in his numbers during his first four games of the regular season. The 23-year veteran is averaging a career-low 16.5 points in four games. With Luka Dončić playing at a high level and Austin Reaves taking a big step forward, however, the Lakers haven’t needed James to carry the offensive load. His field-goal attempts are down to a career-low 6.5 so far, so it’s possible he still has plenty left in the tank, but hasn’t felt compelled to take over games yet.

Additionally, four games is an extremely small sample and James did drop 25 points in one of those games, so there’s no reason for concern yet. 

With Dončić, Reaves and now James, the Lakers find themselves at 14-4, good for second place in the Western Conference. If the team can keep this up, James may have one more championship run in him before he calls it quits. 

It’s unclear when that will happen. Despite his age, James has made no announcements related to retirement. For this season, at least, he’s focused on leading the Lakers to another title. 

Australia’s Tim David crashed a stunning 98 from 30 balls as UAE Bulls won their first Abu Dhabi T10 League title with an 80-run win over Aspin Stallions.

After being put in to bat, James Vince retired hurt early for Bulls, before Phil Salt (18) fell in the third over.

From there it was the David show. He had hit 57 off 18 balls earlier in the day to lead Bulls to the final, but this was even better.

He hit three fours and 12 sixes as he shared an unbroken 128 with Rovman Powell (24* off 20) to power Bulls to 150-1.

Stallions, who were playing in the competition for the first time, never got going in reply and were 10-1 after two overs and already well behind the required run-rate.

They finished on 70-4 with Rahmanullah Gurbaz top-scoring with 18.

David finishes the tournament as the leading run-scorer (393), with England’s Salt second on 256.

Australia’s Andrew Tye was the leading wicket-taker with 13.

Jalen Brunson finished with 37 points on 21 shots in Friday night’s win over the Milwaukee Bucks, his ninth 30-point effort of the early season. The performance drew calls for Brunson to receive recognition in the MVP race, first from Stan Van Gundy during the broadcast, then from head coach Mike Brown after the game. 

It’s tough to argue for Brunson’s season being anything but MVP-worthy thus far. He’s averaging a career high 29.1 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 6.2 assists on 54.5 percent shooting from two and 38 percent from three. 

Last season, Brunson was similarly impressive and valuable, yet only mustered one fifth-place vote. He fell short of nine of his peers, including Cade Cunningham and Jayson Tatum,both of whom he would go on to eliminate in the Playoffs. 

Others are calling it out early, but we need to see proper respect given to Brunson this year. He’s one of the league’s most consistent performers and feared scorers, yet dumbfoundedly, isn’t recognized as one of its most valuable players. 

No matter your personal criteria in determining the award’s winner, Brunson fits the bill. If you’re looking for the best player on the best team, the Knicks are 12-6 and slowly rising in the East, and there’s no dispute who their captain has been. 

Sure, OKC is a juggernaut that may be on its way to 74 wins, but having historically exceptional candidates doesn’t delegitimize Brunson’s case. It only shows how well he’s made it in spite of who he’s up against. 

If you’re dead set on the “value” piece of the award, the Knicks are outscoring their opponents by eight more points per 100 possessions with Brunson on the court vs off, in line with the effect Luka Doncic has had this season. Brunson also has much less ball handling and creation help than his other candidates, further emphasizing his importance.

When the game comes down to its closing moments, nobody outshines Brunson. What’s more valuable than having the league’s ultimate closer?

At least that’s what he was crowned last season when he won the Clutch Player of the Year award. He’s off to a hot start this year, with a last-minute and-one and some clutch passing against the Bucks, another key dime in Dallas and some daggers thrown against Boston. 

Other candidates have their share of teammate injuries, but Brunson has had to deal with that plus the installation of an entirely revamped offense. He’s taken the new system in stride, while injecting his own flavor to it, but it took a few games to get going and may still need tweaking.

For those caught up on Brunson’s physical, savvy play that’s misconstrued as foul-baiting or unethical, just note every leading MVP candidate is top-20 in free throw attempts per game, but not Brunson. His defense also likes to get nitpicked, but the Knicks’ D has held up well with Brunson, being far more heavily swayed by OG Anunoby’s absence and Mitchell Robinson’s struggles.

It shouldn’t take elite basketball minds like Brown’s or Van Gundy’s to get across what’s obvious to anybody watching: Brunson is an MVP-caliber player, and the voters and coverage should reflect that.

Kevon Looney clarifies ‘they forgot about me’ comments regarding Warriors exit  originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Kevon Looney’s first trip back to Chase Center in a different uniform brought a swirl of nostalgia — and a chance to clarify a comment that surfaced after his Golden State departure this offseason.

The longtime Warriors center — now with the New Orleans Pelicans — acknowledged previously feeling like Golden State had forgotten about him toward the end of his tenure, as he fell out of coach Steve Kerr’s NBA playoff rotation.

But before Saturday’s matchup against his former team, he made it clear there’s no resentment behind that sentiment.

“It wasn’t really difficult,” Looney said in the pregame press conference with Bay Area reporters. “Steve is the guy that changes lineups, and you kind of have to wait on your opportunity, and he does it to anybody on the team. He just wants to win. He puts the best lineups out there just to win games. And so, it was a real frustration. I kind of know how he thinks, and I know what he’s trying to do.”

Looney admitted that the competitor in him wanted to be out there helping against postseason matchups he has handled for years. But he understands how Kerr operates — and why decisions were made.

“As a player, you see the matchups, and you just want something bad to get out there, to leave an impact,” Looney explained. “It was more along that line, but it was no hard feelings. You know, 10 years, I had a lot of great memories. More great than bad. There were times when I probably didn’t deserve the opportunity, and the coaching staff put me out there, so it kind of all balances out.”

In July, a week after signing with the Pelicans, Looney spoke to The Athletic’s Marcus Thompson II on the “Warriors Plus/Minus” podcast and expressed his frustration with his role.

“I guess,” Looney said when Thompson II asked him if Post was the final straw for him. “I wouldn’t say it like that, but it was anybody but me it seemed like at this point. It wasn’t no one moment. Even this year, probably the playoffs. We going up against Steven Adams. This is what I do. They’re not really giving me the chance to really let me do what I do.

“It’s like, ‘All right, y’all don’t trust me? I thought y’all trusted me.’ They put me at the end in Game 7, it’s like why’d we have to wait for that point?”

Looney spent a decade anchoring the Warriors’ frontcourt with relentless rebounding performances during three NBA championship runs, and he earned a reputation as one of the franchise’s most respected locker-room voices.

Those will always outweigh the frustrations of his final season in the Bay.

“It’s all love — those guys are like my family,” Looney said. “When I come back here, all I think about is all the winning we did.”

Looney signed a two-year deal with New Orleans in June, taking on a new role with a young roster. But his long tenure and three rings ensure his Warriors chapter won’t be forgotten, no matter where he plays.

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