NBA

It might take a Christmas miracle to save the 2022-23 Los Angeles Lakers.

Los Angeles' losing streak extended to four Sunday thanks to its 124-115 loss to the Dallas Mavericks in a Christmas Day showdown at American Airlines Center. The Purple and Gold were once again without Anthony Davis because of a foot injury and fell to an ugly 13-20 on the season.

At this point, the playoffs seem like a long shot at best.

LeBron James carried his team with 38 points, six rebounds and five assists, but his supporting cast had nowhere near enough pieces to keep up with Luka Dončić and Co. on the road.

Social media certainly noticed:

It seemed like the Lakers were going to earn a much-needed win against a Western Conference playoff contender when they built an 11-point halftime lead. James was in full control, Russell Westbrook was providing a spark off the bench and the supporting cast was doing enough on the defensive side to keep the home team at bay.

And then the third quarter happened.

The Mavericks poured in 51 points in an overwhelming third quarter that saw Los Angeles counter with just 21. It was a beautiful or ugly display of basketball depending on which side one focused on, and it left the visitors fighting an uphill battle with any comeback hopes heading into the final stretch.

James did what he could by shifting into takeover mode in the fourth quarter, but Dallas had an answer every time thanks in large part to its outside shooting (18 three-pointers).

Attention now turns to a road game against the Orlando Magic on Tuesday as the Lakers attempt to snap out of this sluggish stretch.

The NBA's hottest team resides in Philadelphia.

Joel Embiid had 35 points and James Harden added a 29-point, 13-assist double-double as the 76ers came from behind to earn a 119-112 win over the New York Knicks on Christmas Day at Madison Square Garden.

The Sixers have reeled off eight straight wins, tied with the Brooklyn Nets for the longest streak in the NBA.

Sunday's Christmas matinee did not start the way Philly hoped, as the Knicks got off to a red-hot start and led by as many as 14 points in the first half. Embiid sleepwalked through a quiet first quarter before finally turning it on late in the second, scoring seven points in the final two minutes, nine seconds to help the Sixers pull within three at the break.

The margin closed to one by the end of the third quarter, with Harden taking on a starring role thanks to a series of jaw-dropping threes. His 29 points were his most in more than two months, while his five threes tied a season high.

Dreadful over the first three quarters, the Philadelphia defense finally locked in during the fourth, limiting the Knicks to just 16 points.

New York has dropped three straight since its own eight-game winning streak. The Knicks are now just 0.5 games from dropping back into the play-in picture.

The Sixers (20-12) would be the East's No. 5 seed if the season ended today.

Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry is making "good progress" on his shoulder injury and will be re-evaluated in two weeks, Kendra Andrews of ESPN reported Saturday.

Curry suffered a left shoulder subluxation during his team's Dec. 14 game against the Indiana Pacers, which came with a reported recovery timeline of "a few weeks," per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

The guard was relieved the injury didn't require surgery.

"Surgery would've been 4-6 months," he told reporters. "Nobody was trying to deal with that right now."

Curry is a difficult player to replace considering his production as an eight-time All-Star and two-time MVP. He was named Finals MVP last season after winning his fourth NBA title.

In 26 games this year, the superstar guard is averaging 30.0 points, 6.8 assists and 6.6 rebounds per game.

With Curry unavailable, the Warriors have turned to Jordan Poole and Klay Thompson to take on bigger roles in the backcourt.

Golden State has still lost three of its four games since Curry's injury, falling to 15-18 on the season. The squad is currently in 11th place in the Western Conference.

Jae Crowder's ongoing holdout from the Phoenix Suns is reportedly not winning him any fans around the NBA.

One anonymous general manager ripped into the Suns forward, saying Crowder has alienated teams by choosing to sit out over frustration with his contract.

"He just didn't show up," the general manager told Steve Bulpett of Heavy.com. "He said he's not playing unless he gets a contract extension that he wants. I think a lot of teams are turned off by that in and of itself. Like, 'What? You don't want to play for one of the best teams in the NBA and PROVE that you're worth it so you can get a contract next year? Like, you're not that good, bro. What are you doing?' It's a weird dynamic. It's one thing if Kevin Durant's holding out because he's not getting paid enough, but Jae Crowder? Seriously?"

Crowder seemingly responded to the comments via a post on his Twitter account:

Crowder is in the final year of his contract and is being paid $10.2 million this season. He is coming off a largely unspectacular 2021-22 campaign, which saw him average 9.4 points and 5.4 rebounds while shooting just 39.9 percent from the field.

While Crowder is a solid role player who provides rugged defense on the perimeter, the anonymous general manager isn't particularly wrong in this case. If the market for Crowder was what he expected it to be, he'd already be wearing a different uniform.

Instead, Crowder is wasting the final year of his contract and doing nothing to help out his value on the open market. Rather than proving his worth on the court, he chose to make his stand after a largely shaky season.

The Suns have also played just fine without him, sitting at 19-14 despite missing Chris Paul for much of the season.

This gamble has already backfired in a major way for Crowder.

The New York Knicks were tied with or leading the Chicago Bulls for all but four-tenths of a second in the second half Friday.

However, that's all the Bulls needed as DeMar DeRozan knocked down the game-winning jumper in the final second to lead his team to a 118-117 road win over the Knicks at Madison Square Garden.

It was a devastating loss for the Knicks, who wasted a season-high 44 points from RJ Barrett and a 29-point, 12-rebound outing from Julius Randle. The Knicks have dropped to 18-15 with their second consecutive loss after an eight-game winning streak.

This was a tough offensive night for Jalen Brunson, who shot 5-of-15 en route to 12 points. He dished out nine assists but also missed three of his four free throws, including a pair with 6.1 seconds remaining while the Knicks were up 117-116. DeRozan played some mind games with the 89.1 percent free-throw shooter beforehand.

Regardless of whether that had an effect on Brunson, the Knicks didn't make enough stops or shots down the stretch to win.

Quentin Grimes also missed a pair of free throws when the Knicks were up 115-112 a minute earlier. He shot just 3-of-11 from the field and served as the primary defender on DeRozan on the last shot after a switch. Guarding DeRozan in the mid-range is tough for anyone, though, and the longtime NBA veteran got the job done.

Brunson and Grimes have both played pivotal roles in helping the Knicks turn their season around after a sluggish 10-13 start, with the former arguably serving as the team's MVP this year after signing as a free agent from the Dallas Mavericks.

Still, this was a tough loss to stomach. NBA Twitter took notice, with some fans lamenting the loss and Brunson's late-game performance and others looking at the bigger picture.

The Knicks will stay home to host the Philadelphia 76ers on Christmas Day at noon ET.

It hasn't been surprising to see the Los Angeles Lakers consistently getting linked to new players in trade rumors during the 2022-23 NBA season. With the team underperforming again, at least one move seems likely to happen.

However, nobody knows exactly what type of deal the Lakers will make. There have been quite a few players who Los Angeles has had reported interest in recently, and any of them could eventually end up wearing purple and gold.

One player who we just learned the Lakers may want to target is Orlando Magic guard Terrence Ross.

According to Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports, Ross has "long garnered interest" from Los Angeles. However, the Lakers haven't been alone, as the New York Knicks had also been pursuing the 31-year-old wing player in recent seasons, per Fischer.

None of this necessarily means Ross will end up getting traded anytime soon, though. Especially because teams may not be willing to meet the Magic's asking price.

"While Orlando has rebuffed offers below a first-round pick for the veteran swingman in recent seasons, sources said, it's difficult to foresee a playoff contender sacrificing more than a single second-round selection for Ross' services," Fischer wrote.

Will that be enough for the Magic to part with Ross this time? That remains to be seen. But it's possible the 11-year NBA veteran's stock is a bit lower than it's been in some recent seasons.

Ross is averaging only 8.1 points in 30 games during the 2022-23 campaign. That would end up as his lowest scoring output since he averaged 6.4 points in 73 games as a rookie with the Toronto Raptors in the 2012-13 season.

However, Ross is still shooting 40.6 percent from the field and 35.4 percent from three-point range. He just isn't getting off as many attempts as he has for much of his career.

So there's a good chance that a change of scenery could result in Ross returning to form a bit. And what better place to go than Los Angeles, where he could play alongside LeBron James and try to help the Lakers get back into playoff contention?

Los Angeles is 13-18 after its loss to the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday, which was its sixth defeat in its past nine games. It's still only two games out of a spot for the play-in tournament, though, and there's plenty of time for the team to get hot and turn its season around.

A deal or two before the Feb. 9 trade deadline should help the Lakers have a better chance of doing that. While Ross alone couldn't give Los Angeles enough of a boost to be a playoff team, he could be a solid contributor.

The Lakers need wing players who are efficient shooters, and Ross can fit that bill. If he plays up to his full potential, he could even become a key member of Los Angeles' rotation.

So it would be wise for the Lakers to try to acquire Ross, assuming the Magic's asking price isn't too high. Los Angeles owns only two first-round draft picks for the rest of the decade, and it shouldn't part with either of those in a trade for Ross.

But if the Lakers can get him for a second-round pick and/or a player, they'd improve by having him available to come off their bench (or possibly even take a spot in the starting lineup).