Lakers guard Luka Doncic was injured in the first quarter of the game against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday after slipping on a fadeaway three.

Doncic was hoping backwards on one leg after he took the shot with 7:58 remaining in the first quarter and slipped off the edge of the court. He immediately grabbed at his lower left leg and was unable to stand up. The Lakers called a timeout and trainers helped Doncic to his feet. He hobbled toward the Lakers locker room, putting almost no weight on his left leg.

He returned to the court with 1:32 left in the first quarter. He has four points on one-of-six shooting from the field, missing all three of his shots from deep early in the second quarter.

Cleveland’s home court is raised above the arena floor to accommodate for an ice hockey rink underneath. It’s the only arena in the NBA with the unique set up. Miami Heat guard Dru Smith suffered a severe anterior cruciate ligament sprain from slipping off the court in 2023.

Doncic, the NBA’s leading scorer, is averaging 33.8 points for the Lakers, who are in the midst of an eight-game road trip. They are just getting healthy as guard Austin Reaves is expected to return from a calf injury by the end of the trip that stretches to Feb. 3.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — The most successful player ever in men’s tennis felt disrespected, and had to pause before summarizing the offending question out loud just to process it again.

Novak Djokovic, winner of 24 Grand Slam singles titles, including 10 at the Australian Open, was fielding questions about his pending semifinal with defending champion Jannik Sinner when he returned serve on one that he didn’t like.

In a nutshell, he was asked to compare eras from when he broke onto the scene while Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal were at the top of tennis to now, when Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz have blocked him from winning a major for the last two seasons.

“I’m chasing Jannik and Carlos? he responded. “In which sense?”

In terms of trying to break the “Sincaraz” streak of eight titles.

“So I’m always the chaser, and I’m never being chased?” he asked. “I find it a little bit disrespectful that you kind of miss out on what happened in between where the times when I started chasing, as you say, Rafa and Roger, and now that I’m chasing Carlos and Jannik, and there’s probably about a 15-year period in between where I was dominating the Grand Slams.

“It’s important to put that in perspective. I don’t feel like I’m chasing, to be honest. I’m creating my own history.”

The top four seeds reached the final four in the Australian Open men’s draw, with No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz and No. 3 Alexander Zverev set to meet in Friday’s other semifinal. The winners will advance to the championship decider on Sunday.

Sinner vs. Djokovic, 2 vs. 4

Make no mistake, the 38-year-old Djokovic is in Melbourne with one objective: to win a 25th Grand Slam singles title. That would cement him as the most decorated tennis player of all time. He reached the semis at all four majors last year, but didn’t contest a final.

He concedes he’s “lucky this time” to still be in the running, after trailing fifth-seeded Lorenzo Musetti 6-4, 6-3 in Wednesday’s quarterfinal before the 23-year-old Italian retired in the third set with an injured right leg.

And that followed a walkover in the fourth round. In pure statistics, he hasn’t won a set since the third round.

But Sinner is also counting his luck. He was on the verge of a third-round exit when he was cramping and stumbling while down a break against No. 85-ranked Eliot Spizzirri in the third set. He only got a reprieve when the Extreme Heat Policy was activated, and an eight-minute delay to close the roof completely swung momentum.

Sinner is on a 19-match winning streak at Melbourne Park after his comprehensive 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 quarterfinal win over eighth-seeded Ben Shelton.

The 24-year-old Italian has a 6-4 lead in head-to-heads with Djokovic, including wins in the last five. The sequence includes semifinals at the 2024 Australian Open and at Roland Garros and Wimbledon last year.

It was the semifinal win over Djokovic here two years ago that propelled him toward the first of his four Grand Slam titles.

“It improves you as a player and a person,” Sinner said of his matches against Djokovic. “We’re still lucky to have Novak here playing incredible tennis at his age.

“I’m lucky to have someone like him in front of my eyes and I can hopefully learn something. I feel like every day, every time he plays, I can learn something about him.”

Alcaraz vs. Zverev, 1 vs. 3

The 22-year-old Alcaraz is bidding to become the youngest player to complete a career Grand Slam — which is winning all four major titles. The 28-year-old Zverev, seeded third, is bidding for his first major trophy. He’s been runner-up three times, including last year in Australia when his trip was overshadowed by German court proceedings.

Alcaraz said Zverev edged him in a recent practice match with a “high level of tennis, high level of intensity.”

“It was impressive the level he’s been playing so far, so it’s going to be a great battle,” Alcaraz said. “I’m excited about playing him here in AO in a semifinal. I know what I have to do. I will be well-prepared and if he wants to beat me, he has to sweat a lot!”

They’re 6-6 in career head-to-heads, including two wins apiece at the Slams. In 2024, Alcaraz beat Zverev in the French Open final, after Zverev defeated Alcaraz in the quarterfinals in Australia.

“In my case, I’m still chasing that desired Slam,” Zverev said. “Of course, I still want to achieve that, but I also want to enjoy my tennis. Right now I’m doing that.” ___

More AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Torrey Pines looked plenty familiar to Brooks Koepka. The PGA Tour? Not so much.

Koepka was playing the back nine on the South Course the day he arrived as a footnote in PGA Tour history as the first member to defect to LIV Golf and then be allowed to come back. He was asking about the two paths for players to get into the $20 million signature events.

“Man, I’ve got a lot of catching up to do,” he said, not even taking into account all the changes still in the works on a new schedule.

It all starts for him Thursday in the Farmers Insurance Open when Koepka plays his first PGA Tour event (majors excluded) since he lost to Dustin Johnson in the quarterfinals of Match Play in 2022.

“I guess it’s a fresh start for me, which is cool,” Koepka said, conceding he would have more nerves than usual because of the response he might get.

It probably helped that a day before he returned to PGA Tour competition, Patrick Reed announced he also was done with the Saudi-funded LIV Golf League and would return later this year.

“Is it coincidence? I don’t know,” Adam Scott said about two LIV players announcing in a span of a few weeks they were coming back to the PGA Tour. “I guess it’s inevitable given the structure they (LIV) are operating in with contracts expiring.

“As far as the PGA Tour goes, I think it benefits from having more good players here.”

It’s given a boost to the first tournament of the year on network television. CBS has the weekend. And there’s so much interest in the return of Koepka, a five-time major champion, that ESPN will have coverage on its flagship channel from noon to 3 p.m. EST on Thursday and Friday. It will be the first time in nearly 20 years that ESPN has live coverage of a regular PGA Tour event.

Torrey Pines already holds some appeal with its location (a good forecast helps), a public course on edge of the Pacific Ocean with a tournament that dates to 1952, though most of the history starts with Tiger Woods winning eight times as a pro, including the 2008 U.S. Open.

This also marks the 2026 debut of Xander Schauffele, the two-time major champion and San Diego native who hasn’t played since winning in Japan last fall.

And it has a pair of defending champions.

Harris English won the tournament last year, a special moment for him because the Georgia native fell in love with Torrey Pines when his father brought him as a kid during his first trip to California.

He was at another tournament recently when someone brought up his win and English looked over at Ludvig Aberg and said, “He’s actually won more recently than I have.”

The Genesis Invitational had to be relocated to Torrey Pines last year because of the deadly wildfires in Pacific Palisades near Riviera, and Aberg held off a strong field down the stretch.

“We’re kind of both defending coming into this week,” English said.

Koepka’s return came with some stipulations, along with a bonus to two players. Koepka has to make a $5 million charity donation, he has no access to PGA Tour equity shares for five years, can’t take an exemption to signature events and cannot get FedEx Cup bonus money this year.

And then to make sure no one is affected by his return, the tour said Koepka would be added to the field whenever he plays. It also wants to make sure the opening rounds are all threesomes, so Koepka playing means two more players get in.

“Thank you, Brooks,” Lanto Griffin said, the 147th player in what otherwise is a 144-man field.

Griffin has conditional status from finishing No. 125 in the FedEx Cup the first year the tour decided only the top 100 keep full cards. This is his favorite tournament on the schedule, and he was losing hope as the seventh alternate a week ago.

But then a few players decided not to play and Griffin started doing the math as he moved up the alternate list. Leaving nothing to chance, he was on the 11th hole in cart checking out the course used for Monday qualifying when he heard another player might withdraw.

“Monday morning my wife said I was three out, and then Michael Kim withdrew. That means I’m in,” Griffin said. “I texted Brooks’ caddie and they said they were playing for sure. Very fortunate.”

Koepka doesn’t have great history at Torrey Pines, except for his tie for fourth in the 2021 U.S. Open. He missed the cut three times and tied for 41st in the Farmers Insurance Open. He has broken par only twice in 10 rounds in the PGA Tour event.

And now he has a week as the center of attention for reasons he would not have imagined when he first played Torrey in 2015. Koepka says he is excited. Another part of him, uncertain of what to expect this week, is looking forward.

“Would just like to get this week over and just feel like I can start playing golf again,” Koepka said.

___

AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf

LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers’ annual trip to play the Cleveland Cavaliers always brings extra attention. This season, it was the report that the Cavs would reportedly be interested in a reunion with James. According to head coach Kenny Atkinson, that isn’t something he’s put much thought into.

“Oh man, that’s above my pay grade,” Atkinson said when asked whether he’s conceptualized coaching James.

“I know what he means to this community and this organization. I do know that. After that, my focus is on this roster and trying to improve this team that we have.”

Atkinson doesn’t know what it’s like to coach a James-led team, but he does have experience coaching against them. Atkinson has been on coaching staffs that have gone up against James in either the playoffs or the Olympics five times. Atkinson’s team hasn’t won any of those matchups. Most recently, that includes the 2024 Olympics when Atkinson served as an assistant coach for the French men’s national basketball team.

“I’m going to ask him tonight if he orchestrated those last plays against us in the gold medal game,” Atkinson said. “I have a feeling he did.”

Even though James has lost a step athletically, he hasn’t tactically. That has allowed him to continue being an All-NBA caliber player into his 40s.

Whether or not the Cavs pursue James in the off-season remains to be seen. What we do know is that James’s current head coach, JJ Redick, hasn’t found a downside in coaching someone of James’s stature.

“I haven’t found it challenging,” Reddick said of James.

“At age 41, in his 23rd season, he loves new challenges. What we tried to do as a coaching staff is challenge him in different ways. That could be three-point volume or getting more transition opportunities for our team. It could be very specific stuff like that. It could be continuing to be a fantastic leader. … To me, it hasn’t been hard to coach him. You just have to kind of understand what he needs and then coach him that way.”

For now, Atkinson will continue to coach against James. Whether or not that changes in the future remains to be seen.

In the meantime, Atkinson isn’t taking games like Wednesday’s for granted.

“This is the best,” Atkinson said of this game. “You’re playing agianst LeBron and Luka (Doncic). These are the fun games with LeBron. I mean, you never know how many times you get to compete in the same arena.”

Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo is ready to move on, according to reports Wednesday. The trade request will have suitors looking at their roster to see how they can make a move for him ahead of the Feb. 5 deadline.

The Golden State Warriors are ready to make a blockbuster move to position themselves in the trade sweepstakes for the two-time league MVP.

According to Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix, Golden State is reportedly ready to ship Jonathan Kuminga, who recently requested a trade, and Jimmy Butler, who is recovering from a season-ending torn ACL he sustained on Jan. 9 against the Miami Heat.

NBA trade rumors: Warriors updates on possible Giannis move

ESPN’s Brian Windhorst believes the Warriors could have a promising offer, as they also own all of their picks.

He compared their assets to Oklahoma City nearly a decade when they traded Paul George and Russell Westbrook for picks and said “everyone else is gonna have to try to beat a strong Golden State offer if it comes.”

According to ESPN insider Shams Charania, Antetokounmpo “is ready for a new home ahead of the Feb. 5 trade deadline” and he added that he thinks Milwaukee is “more open than ever to Antetokounmpo offers between now and the deadline.”

NBA trade rumors Latest Giannis Antetokounmpo trade rumors, updates

Warriors’ potential trade contracts

Kuminga, 23, was drafted by the Warriors with the No. 7th overall pick of the 2021 NBA Draft. He has one-year (team option) remaining after this season after signing a two-year, $46.8 million deal with the Warriors on Sept. 30, 2025.

Butler, 36, arrived in the Bay Area from Miami nearly a year ago on Feb. 6, 2025, as a result of a five-team trade that sent Detroit Pistons‘ Kenyon Martin Jr. and a 2028 second round pick to the Utah Jazz for Dennis Schroder, Lindy Waters III and a 2031 second round pick.

That same day, Butler signed a two-year, $110.96 million contract extension with Golden State.

Giannis Antetokounmpo contract

Antetokounmpo, a 10-time All-Star, signed a three-year, $175.37 million veteran contract extension with Milwaukee on Oct. 23, 2023.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Will Warriors trade for Giannis Antetokounmpo? Latest NBA rumors

The Cleveland Cavaliers have been dealt a rough hand this season. Injuries have already caused them to deploy more starting lineups than all of last season. And while they still don’t have Darius Garland or Max Strus, they will at least get a few rotational players back in the lineup tonight with De’Andre Hunter and Sam Merrill.

Merrill has been dealing with a hand injury since earlier in the season. He’s been banged up multiple times this year, but it hasn’t stopped Merrill from having the best start to a season of his career. He’s averaging 13.8 points while shooting a red-hot 45.5% from deep on 7.8 attempts per game.

Hunter, on the other hand, hasn’t been as hot. He’s struggled to find his rhythym this season, shooting a career-low 30.6% from downtown and fitting out more than he’s fit in. Some knee soreness throughout the year hasn’t helped. Hopefully, Hunter can put it together now that he’s back in the lineup.

This was a positive update for Hunter and Merrill. Sadly, it wasn’t all good news for the Cavs. There are no updates for Strus or Garland — and we learned of another Evan Mobley calf strain yesterday. Mobley missed nearly two weeks with a calf injury in December and has suffered another strain to the same leg.

Mobley is expected to be re-evaluated in 1-3 weeks. He’s historically been a fast healer, but calf injuries are no joke in today’s NBA. I don’t expect the Cavs to push their luck or gamble with fate when it comes to Mobley’s latest injury.

Cleveland has their longest road trip of the season coming up after tonight’s game against the Los Angeles Lakers. They’ll travel West, playing against the Suns, Trail Blazers, Kings, and Clippers. They return home for a game against the Washington Wizards before the All-Star break.

In yet another incredibly tight vote, it was Big Sugar who emerged victorious!

With 36 votes out of 124 responses in this round, big right-hander Zach Maxwell claimed the plurality, narrowly topping the likes of Leo Balcazar (34 votes) and Aaron Watson (29 votes) – with the latter two holding slim leads of their own at various points during the open voting window.

Maxwell – who throws 102 mph, created the Mississippi River by dragging his axe, and dug the Great Lakes with his footprints – made it to the actual Cincinnati Reds during the 2025 season, the 25 year old product of Georgia Tech tossing 10.0 innings and allowing 5 ER with 13 K in that time. He’s the owner of an impressive 13.1 K/9 across 143 appearances at the minor league level, and will enter spring camp in Goodyear, Arizona vying for a spot on the Opening Day roster.

Congrats to Zach!