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Lakers Provide LeBron James Update Before Thunder Game
© Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

The Los Angeles Lakers enter Tuesday with a 48-30 record, which is good for third place in the Western Conference with just four games remaining in the regular season. 

On Sunday, Luka Doncic led the way with 30 points, seven rebounds and six assists in a 126-99 win over the Western Conference-leading Oklahoma City Thunder on the road. 

On Tuesday, the Lakers face the Thunder again in hopes of trying to secure the third-place spot. 

However, it marks the first game of a back-to-back with the second leg coming on Wednesday on the road against the Dallas Mavericks in the Doncic return game. 

The Lakers entered Tuesday with LeBron James, Doncic, Reaves and others on the injury report, putting into question their availability for the game. 

On Tuesday afternoon, Lakers reporter Mike Trudell revealed that James was upgraded to probable. 

"Update: Luka Dončić (right groin strain), Dorian Finney-Smith (left ankle effusion), LeBron James (left groin strain), Austin Reaves (right ankle sprain) and Gabe Vincent (left knee effusion) have been upgraded to probable tonight in Oklahoma City," Trudell wrote. 

The Lakers' stars were all listed as questionable, with some thoughts that they might rest them for the Mavericks game instead. 

If the Lakers go 2-2 in the final four games, they will clinch the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference, so there is a lot at stake still in a crowded standings group. 

In James' last game against the Thunder, he had 19 points with seven assists in 34 minutes. 

During the year, the Lakers superstar is averaging 24.5 points with 8.4 assists and 7.9 rebounds. 

The Lakers face the Mavericks on the road on Wednesday before facing the Houston Rockets and Portland Trail Blazers to conclude the regular season. 

The Lakers and Thunder game tips off at 8:00 pm ET at the Paycom Center. 

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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Lakers Officially Sign Former Ivy League Star
NBA

Lakers Officially Sign Former Ivy League Star

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Raiders releasing former big-ticket addition after just one season
NFL

Raiders releasing former big-ticket addition after just one season

Before the 2024 NFL season the Las Vegas Raiders signed defensive lineman Christian Wilkins to a four-year, $110M contract in free agency to make him a key part of their defensive line. On Thursday, just one year later, the Raiders are releasing him. It is also a situation that is likely to get messy in the coming weeks due to a grievance that Wilkins has filed with the NFLPA. At the center of his release — and grievance — is Wilkins' rehab from a foot injury that cut short his 2024 season after just five games. The Raiders wanted Wilkins to correct the issue with surgery. Wilkins opted not to have the surgery, and as the rehab continued to drag on, there was uncertainty of when he would be able to get back on the field. As recently as Tuesday Raiders head coach Pete Carroll said there was no definitive timeline on when that would be. Just 48 hours later, Wilkins was released, with the Raiders attempting to void the remaining $35.2M in guarantees that he was owed on his contract. Wilkins spent the first five year of his career with the Miami Dolphins, and turned a career-year performance in 2023 into a big-ticket free agency contract with the Raiders. The hope was that he could form a dominant 1-2 punch with Maxx Crosby, and for the five games he played he showed the ability to do that. He was just never healthy enough to continue the rest of the season. Now Las Vegas is going to be left asking what could have been, while Wilkins tries to get the money he believes he is owed. Wilkins will turn 30 in December, and if anyone is confident in his ability to come back from the injury, he could still land on a new team and potentially play a big role.

Biggest impact of Josh Naylor trade may still be to come
MLB

Biggest impact of Josh Naylor trade may still be to come

While the Seattle Mariners landed an impact bat on Thursday night, their trade for Josh Naylor has also likely impacted the entire upcoming MLB trade deadline. On Thursday, Seattle sent a pair of top pitching prospects to the Arizona Diamondbacks in exchange for Naylor, with left-hander Brandyn Garcia (ranked as Seattle's 13th-best prospect by MLB.com) and right-hander Ashton Izzi (ranked as Seattle's 16th-best prospect by the same rankings) heading to the desert. Knowing what the Diamondbacks received in exchange for Naylor could well set the market for what is to come between now and the conclusion of the 2025 MLB trade deadline, set for 6 p.m. (Eastern) on July 31. The 28-year-old first baseman was ranked by The Athletic as the 17th-best trade candidate likely to be available, but ranked behind just one other first baseman (Baltimore's Ryan O'Hearn, who was slotted in at 16th). If Naylor brought in a pair of pitching prospects, including Garcia, who has appeared in two games this season for Seattle, the Diamondbacks could be salivating over what third baseman Eugenio Suarez and his 36 home runs could bring in return. All MLB teams who will be buying or selling at this year's trade deadline have had the first price bar set for them with the Naylor deal. Now it will be fascinating to see what comes next, especially knowing that Naylor will be a free agent at the end of this season. If Seattle gave up two pitching prospects for a player who could be a late-season rental only, imagine what the Minnesota Twins may be able to recoup for starting pitcher Joe Ryan (under team control through the 2027 season) or the Boston Red Sox might get back for outfielder Jarren Duran, who won't be a free agent until the 2029 campaign. While Naylor may not be the biggest move to come during this span before the trade deadline comes to a close, his deal could be the one that establishes selling prices for the trades that are to come. With so few MLB teams expected to be outright sellers, the price for available talent was expected to be high. We learned on Thursday night with the Naylor swap just how high those prices may go.

Paula Badosa hints at rocky relationship between ex-boyfriend Stefanos Tsitsipas and father, Apostolos
Tennis

Paula Badosa hints at rocky relationship between ex-boyfriend Stefanos Tsitsipas and father, Apostolos

Having been in an on and off relationship for over two years, Paula Badosa and Stefanos Tsitsipas are quite familiar with each other and their families. It comes as no surprise when the Spanish WTA star appeared to be in agreement with a statement by former player Ivan Ljubicic, where the Croat urged parents of tennis stars to focus less on tennis and more on raising their kids. The high-profile couple made their relationship public in May 2023, and were seen at each other's matches. A year later, they would take to social media to announce they had split ways, only to get back together three weeks later. Known for his volatility on the court, Tsitsipas would engage in a rather heated exchange with his father Apostolos during an opening round loss against Kei Nishikori at the 2024 Canadian Open. The elder Tsitsipas was acting as Stefanos coach at that point, and the Greek star would later take shots at his father in his post-match conference. However, Tsitsipas would later reveal he had apologized to his father soon after the incident. In an interview with SDNA, Tsitsipas stated both men had a long conversation, during which they aired their grievances and the former World No.3 admitted to apologizing to his dad. Badosa co-signs statement by Ljubicic "We discussed it, from my side I had to apologize because it was a big mistake on my part," said Tsitsipas to SDNA. "We have found a new line of communication and a way to talk to each other, so that such things don't happen again and such tensions don't arise again." Ivan Ljubicic, former player who would later coach Roger Federer during the tail end of his career, would chime in on the role of tennis parents, a day after Jannik Sinner dethroned Carlos Alcaraz at the 2025 Wimbledon Championships. "Following last night, second note to parents: your role is CRUCIAL," said Ljubicic. "Your responsibility is to build independent, responsible, strong human beings. Let the professionals do their job, make sure they have all they need. I promise that this is the best formula." Soon after Tsitsipas' interview with SDNA was published, Badosa would return to Ljubicic's post and express her support. "Soooo good ", wrote the Spanish WTA star on Twitter. Although Badosa did not mention Apostolos specifically, the elder Tsitsipas has received backlash for being overbearing towards Stefanos.

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