Rockets' Eric Gordon: Off injury report

We have seen NBA players pick up technical fouls for taunting. We've seen them get technicals for cursing, for obscene gestures and for making unnecessary contact with an official. On one hilarious occasion, we even saw Tim Duncan get T'd up for laughing. But never in the history of the NBA have we seen a technical foul quite like the one Eric Lewis hit Patrick Beverley with at the end of regulation of Saturday's game between the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics.

The 2023 NBA trade deadline is next week and the rumor mill has begun to overflow with potential trade targets. We're starting to get a clearer picture of who the buyers and sellers are ahead of the deadline, but we've yet to see any deals that will seriously change the landscape for the rest of the season. As we get closer to the Feb. 9 deadline the rumors will only heat up and we should start to see some deals happen over this week.

LeBron James is steaming toward Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's all-time scoring record. With another 41 points on Saturday, albeit in a losing effort at Boston, James is now legitimately within three or four games of the NBA record. However, James will sit out the Lakers next game Monday against the Nets in Brooklyn. He's likely to play next Tuesday against the Knicks at Madison Square Garden.

Antetokounmpo (knee) is available for Sunday's game against New Orleans. Antetokounmpo dealt with knee soreness ahead of Sunday's matchup but was listed as probable and will be able to suit up for a fourth consecutive game. Over his last three appearances, he's averaged 34.3 points, 12.7 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 1.3 steals in 30.7 minutes per game.

Nurkic (calf) played 26 minutes and finished with 12 points (5-7 FG, 2-3 3Pt, 0-1 FT), five rebounds, one assist, one steal and one block in Monday's 129-125 win over the Hawks. Nurkic missed just one game on account of the calf injury he suffered in last Wednesday's win over...

Embiid is questionable for Monday's matchup against the Magic due to left foot soreness. Embiid showed why he's an MVP candidate Saturday, posting 47 points (18-31 FG, 4-7 3Pt, 7-10 FT), 18 rebounds, five assists, three steals and two blocks across 38 minutes in a win over Denver. However, the star big man continues to battle left foot soreness, which has cost him four games in January, and may have his workload managed again Monday. If that's the case, Montrezl Harrell and Paul Reed would be candidates for expanded roles.

Pippen did not play in Sunday's 152-118 win over the G League Warriors with a concussion. Pippen missed Sunday's contest after being placed in concussion protocols. However, his usual scoring impact was not missed by South Bay as the team dominated Santa Cruz. It's unclear when Pippen will clear protocols, but his next chance to play will come Wednesday.

The Los Angeles Lakers, against all odds, have found a way to maximize Russell Westbrook in the regular season. He may be a bit overrated, but he's at least actively contributing to a Lakers team that spent an entire offseason trying to trade him. Without his playmaking, they may not have been able to stay afloat when they were without stars LeBron James and Anthony Davis. As a regular-season player, he has been solid.

Gobert (groin) is questionable for Monday's game against Sacramento. Gobert has been dealing with a sore right groin recently but has appeared in the last four games, averaging 13.0 points and 13.8 rebounds in 34.3 minutes per game. If he'd be unavailable Monday, Naz Reid would presumably see increased run for Minnesota.

Ingram has been ruled out for Sunday's matchup against the Bucks due to left toe injury management, Jim Eichenhofer of the Pelicans' official site reports. Ingram has appeared in back-to-back games following a two-month absence due to a toe injury, but he'll be sidelined for the second half of New Orleans' current back-to-back set to manage his workload. Barring a setback, it's safe to presume Ingram will return to action Tuesday in Denver. Meanwhile, CJ McCollum (thumb) has also been ruled out Sunday, so Jose Alvarado, Devonte' Graham and Kira Lewis are all candidates for increased roles against the Bucks.

McCollum (thumb) is off the injury report ahead of Tuesday's game in Denver. McCollum missed Sunday's game with a sprained right thumb but will be back in the starting lineup Tuesday alongside Brandon Ingram (toe). His return will likely take opportunities away from Jose Alvarado, Kira Lewis and Devonte' Graham. In the month of January, McCollum has averaged 24.9 points, 5.3 assists and 3.4 rebounds across 35.3 minutes per game.

Beal finished with 21 points (8-14 FG, 3-6 3Pt, 2-2 FT), seven rebounds, seven assists and two blocks in 30 minutes in Monday's 127-106 win over the Spurs. Making his sixth consecutive appearance following a recent five-game absence due to a hamstring injury, Beal came through with his best fantasy performance during that stretch. Thanks largely to having already missed 20 games this season while seeing his minutes per game drop from 36.0 in 2021-22 to 32.8 so far in 2022-23, Beal hasn't lived up to draft-day expectations, but his outlook could be more promising moving forward now that the nagging hamstring issue looks to be behind him. Even though his averages in the counting categories are slightly down across the board from last season, Beal has been able to offset those declines to some degree by converting at a career-best rate from the field (51.2 percent).

After going off for 38 points, eight rebounds and 12 assists in the Golden State Warriors' 128-120 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday night, Steph Curry weighed in on the load management debate, which has been raging across the league in recent weeks. "I campaign to play every...

A late-January, Monday-night game between the Washington Wizards and San Antonio Spurs is not exactly a marquee matchup. Still, there was more on the line in this contest than most people probably realized. With their 127-106 win, the Wizards ended one of the NBA's strangest losing streaks. Before this game,...

Love (back) is listed as probable for Tuesday's game against the Heat. After experiencing a recurrence of back spasms shortly before Sunday's eventual win over the Clippers, Love ended up sitting out a third game in a row. He participated in practice Monday, however, and avoided any apparent complications, setting the stage for him to rejoin the rotation Tuesday. In his last nine appearances prior to the back injury, Love averaged 4.8 points and 5.2 rebounds across 16.4 minutes per game.

Saturday's game between the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics was much more than just a battle between the NBA's two greatest franchises. No, it also served as a duel between the NBA's two Sixth Man of the Year award favorites. One of those players finished with 26 points, six assists and four rebounds. He defended Anthony Davis for lengthy stretches despite giving him half a foot in height, and thanks in large part to his performance, his team won. The other player missed 10 of his 14 shots, committed five turnovers and didn't play in the fourth quarter.

Sean Payton is set to become the next head coach for the Denver Broncos, according to CBS Sports NFL Insider Jonathan Jones. The New Orleans Saints and Broncos have finalized trade compensation for head coach Sean Payton, according to ESPN, which removes the final hurdle for Payton to become Denver's next head coach.

The Los Angeles Lakers aren't getting along with officials this season. Los Angeles ranks third in the NBA in restricted area field goal attempts, but just 19th in clutch free throw attempts per minute. For whatever reason, the offense that scores more in the paint than any other can't seem to get calls at the end of games. And against the Celtics Saturday night in Boston, the situation hit a new low.