Crossover World

  There has never been more talent in the NBA than there is right now. You could close your eyes and pick a League Pass game and you'll have a good chance of seeing something that will bring you out of your seat by the end of the night. For a long time, Stephen Curry was the league's must-see superstar. Almost every game he would pull some magic act out that you'd never seen before.  Now that guy is Ja Morant.  Morant's nightly antics continue to test the limits of athletic possibility. Gravity-defying dunks, 360 layups in traffic, it's baffling what this guy can do on a basketball court. He's the most ferociously freaky NBA athlete since prime Derrick Rose, and on Monday night, en route to a career-high 52-point effort as Memphis defeated San Antonio 118-105, he dropped two more highlights that you have to see to believe.  First, with just over two minutes remaining in the first half, he caught an outlet pass just past half court, casually angled toward the rim

  The Los Angeles Lakers are making some tweaks to their roster before the final stretch of the season. The team plans to waive backup big man DeAndre Jordan and sign free agent guard DJ Augustin, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic. With the move, the Lakers are clearly placing an emphasis on guard play and shooting, as opposed to post play. The Lakers also plan to sign forward Wenyen Gabriel to a two-way contract, per Charania.  Jordan appeared in 32 games for the Lakers this season and played 12.8 minutes per performance. Augustin played in 34 games for the Houston Rockets, but he was waived by the team earlier this month. Given the fact that he's a career 38 percent shooter from long range, it's not surprising to see a team like the Lakers pick him up for their playoff push.  Similarly, Jordan will likely be signed elsewhere in order to provide some frontcourt fortification for a team in the playoff hunt. The Philadelphia 76ers are expected to pursue him and could v

Brooklyn Nets star forward Kevin Durant is expected to return to the floor this upcoming week. Head coach Steve Nash says it just won't be against the Raptors, either Monday or Tuesday night in the team's home-and-home against Toronto. Durant has started doing more on-court work recently as he recovers from the sprained MCL he suffered in his left knee last month, and Nash is optimistic about his prognosis moving forward. The former MVP will not play on Monday night against the Toronto Raptors, however.  "I think with Kevin he's been a great healer throughout his career," Nash said Saturday. "So the No. 1 thing is to get him back healthy and feeling secure in his health and his body so he can move and be free. When he's back, obviously he adds a ton to our team on both ends of the floor ... one of the greatest scorers of all time. And we also know he helps us defensively; he gives us more size and length. So he's a big miss for us, and whenever he get

  Nikola Jokic has largely been left to carry the Denver Nuggets on his own this season, and he's done an admirable job of it. The MVP candidate has Denver tied for the No. 5 seed in the Western Conference at 36-25, but fortunately, reinforcements appear to be on the way.  Jamal Murray has been out all season after tearing his ACL in April. Michael Porter Jr. has missed most of the season due to a back injury. However, sources told The Athletic's Sam Amick that "there is a strong sense within Denver's locker room that they'll both be back in time for the playoffs. If not sooner." Porter's timeline is a bit clearer. He is set to be cleared for on-court contact within the next week, according to his agent Mark Bartelstein. From there, he would be expected to return at some point in March. Porter has not played since Nov. 6, and he struggled in the nine games he appeared in averaging a mere 9.9 points on 35.9 percent shooting. Should he return in March, he wo

  On Jan. 5, Stephen Curry missed eight of his nine 3-point attempts in a loss to the Dallas Mavericks: an ice-cold night that had become all too familiar. At that point in the season, Curry was making 38 percent of his 3s, and he was at 35 percent over the previous five weeks.  And he wasn't just missing. He was missing badly. On Nov. 30, Curry had the worst volume shooting night of his career, 4 for 21, in a loss to the Phoenix Suns. Three nights later, he had the second-worst volume shooting night of his career, 7 for 28, including a paltry 29 percent on 17 3-pointers, against the San Antonio Spurs. Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr said it "looked like fatigue" on the second night of a back-to-back.  Indeed, theories abounded as to what was going on with the greatest shooter in history.  His minute rotations had been altered, screwing up his rhythm with shorter bursts of playing time. He was tired from his admirable commitment to defense in the absence in Klay T

  The Golden State Warriors and Dallas Mavericks will square off for a third time this season when the teams meet at the Chase Center on Sunday night. The Western Conference contenders have split their first two meetings, with the home team winning each time. The Warriors (43-17) are second in the conference and returned from the All-Star break with a dominant 132-95 victory over Portland on Thursday. They had lost four of five going in, but Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson led eight Warriors in double figures with 18 points each. The Mavericks came up short in their last outing, a 114-109 setback against the Jazz.  Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET. Caesars Sportsbook lists Golden State as a 3.5-point favorite in its latest Mavericks vs. Warriors odds, and the over-under for total points is set at 218. Before you make any Warriors vs. Mavericks picks, be sure to see the NBA predictions and betting advice from SportsLine's proven computer model.  The SportsLine Projection Model simulat

The Dallas Mavericks used a 33-8 run over the final 10 minutes of the fourth quarter to steal a 107-101 win on the road against the Golden State Warriors on Sunday night. The Warriors built a 93-74 lead at the start the fourth quarter, and looked in great position to pull away as Stephen Curry surpassed the double-double mark with a 27-point, 10-assist performance. But the Mavericks stormed from behind to secure the win in large part because of the strong fourth-quarter performances from Luka Doncic and Spencer Dinwiddie. Dinwiddie specifically showed exactly why the Mavericks traded for him in the deal that sent Kristaps Porzingis to the Washington Wizards and also brought Davis Bertans to Dallas. While Doncic spent the first half of the fourth quarter on the bench, Dinwiddie orchestrated Dallas' offense, scoring 10 of his 24 points in the final frame. "He's amazing with the ball, he can do a lot of things," Doncic said. "I remember in Brooklyn -- you can see he

  With the All-Star break now in the rear view mirror, it's time to start the stretch run to the playoffs. Unfortunately, many teams, including top contenders in each conference, are still shorthanded as they deal with injuries to key players.  In the Western Conference, Phoenix Suns point guard Chris Paul has a thumb injury that will keep him out for most of the remainder of the regular season, Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green is still out indefinitely with a back injury, Paul George may not return to the Los Angeles Clippers this season and Anthony Davis is likely out another several weeks with a mid-foot sprain.  Meanwhile, in the Eastern Conference, the flailing Brooklyn Nets are expected to get Kevin Durant back within a week from the MCL sprain that has kept him out for a month, and Orlando Magic guard Markelle Fultz is set to make his return after over a year on the sidelines due to a torn ACL. The Chicago Bulls, though, are still without the likes of Lonzo Ball

  The Philadelphia 76ers finally pulled off the long-rumored Ben Simmons-for-James Harden trade at the deadline this year, but due to Harden's sore hamstring and the All-Star break, they had to wait a while for him to make his debut. The patience has more than paid off.  Harden has had a borderline perfect start with his new club. After going for 27 points, eight rebounds and 12 assists in a win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday, he made history by putting up 29 points, 10 rebounds, 16 assists and five steals as the Sixers pulled away from the New York Knicks on Sunday afternoon for 125-109 victory.  In the process, Harden became the first player in NBA history to put up at least 25 points and 10 assists in each of his first two games with a team. Furthermore, he became the first player in Sixers franchise history to have at least 25 points, 10 rebounds, 15 assists and five steals in a game.  Any concerns that may have been floating around out there about how Harden and Joe

  Brooklyn Nets star forward Kevin Durant is expected to return to the floor this upcoming week, Nets coach Steve Nash said Saturday. Durant has started doing more on-court work recently as he recovers from the sprained MCL he suffered in his left knee last month, and Nash is optimistic about his prognosis moving forward. The former MVP will not play on Monday night against the Toronto Raptors, however.  "I think with Kevin he's been a great healer throughout his career," Nash said. "So the No. 1 thing is to get him back healthy and feeling secure in his health and his body so he can move and be free. When he's back, obviously he adds a ton to our team on both ends of the floor ... one of the greatest scorers of all time. And we also know he helps us defensively; he gives us more size and length. So he's a big miss for us, and whenever he gets back, he'll impact our team." Durant has missed Brooklyn's last 18 games, and the team has plummeted in

  The Portland Trail Blazers announced on Sunday that star guard Damian Lillard has progressed through the first phase of his rehabilitation from abdominal surgery without any setbacks. He has now been cleared to begin reconditioning, which includes basketball skill work, and will be reevaluated in two-to-three weeks.  Lillard, who had been dealing with a lingering abdominal problem for years, finally underwent surgery to correct the issue on Jan. 13. He was initially expected to miss six-to-eight weeks, so he is currently right on track with his recovery. That's good news for Lillard and the Blazers, but it's still unclear if he'll play again this season.  Lillard is looking at a mid-to-late March return at the earliest, and at that point there will be less than a month left in the regular season. At that point it's probably not worth bringing him back, even if the team is still in the mix for a play-in tournament spot. After all, every move the team has made since Lil