NBA Pacific

The Los Angeles Lakers seem very happy with Russell Westbrook's play off the bench.

So much so, in fact, that reports continue to emerge that the team won't deal the $47 million man in an effort to build a better roster around LeBron James and Anthony Davis.

The latest such report came from Sam Amick of The Athletic, who wrote on Thursday: "According to a source with knowledge of the Lakers' plans, Westbrook's play this past month has made it increasingly unlikely that he will be traded before the league's Feb. 9 deadline."

Westbrook, 34, has responded well to moving to the bench. In 14 November games he averaged 15.6 points and eight assists per game while shooting 41.9 percent from the field and 35.5 percent from three.

That production has dipped somewhat in seven December games (13.7 PPG, 8.3 APG, 7.9 RPG, 41.4 percent from the field, 15 percent from three), though it's still been an improvement from Westbrook's struggles last season.

The Lakers, in turn, have responded to a 2-10 start to the season by winning nine of the last 15 games. While they will likely spend much of the season trying to dig themselves out of the hole they created, the angst over Westbrook's fit into the team seems to have waned.

Still, Westbrook's massive contract and the fact that his ball-handling style of play and poor perimeter shooting doesn't mesh well with James means trading him would still be the most logical route toward building a better and more well-rounded roster around James and AD.

The Lakers, quite simply, need more shooting and better defense; Westbrook isn't going to provide either.

As The Athletic's Jovan Buha reported earlier in December, the Lakers have seen a Westbrook trade—which would likely include giving up draft compensation as well—as one potential avenue to fix their roster issues. The second would be to "trade some combination of Patrick Beverley, Kendrick Nunn and picks (one first-round and/or multiple second-round picks) for role players who better address needs and upgrade the rotation."

And the third route would be some combination of the aforementioned approaches.

Per Amick, the team's "dream scenario" is a star player on a struggling team becoming available via trade. For now, that hasn't materialized. And it sounds as though the Lakers are content, for the moment, letting things play out with Westbrook in the sixth man role.

As the Chicago Bulls look for ways to end their recent rough stretch, the Los Angeles Lakers are keeping an eye on one of their best players in a potential trade if they decide to tear things down.

Per Yahoo Sports' Jake Fischer, Zach LaVine would satisfy the Lakers' "dreamiest returns" for the two future first-round draft picks they have available to trade.

Fischer did note "a far more realistic outcome" for the Lakers would be flipping Russell Westbrook to Chicago for DeMar DeRozan and Nikola Vučević if the Bulls decide to sell.

Amid speculation the Lakers could make a trade during the offseason, general manager Rob Pelinka explained what it would take for him to use the 2027 and 2029 first-round draft picks in a deal.

Pelinka says their “draft capital,” if included in a trade, must bring back talent that clearly improves L.A.’s championship chances https://t.co/e6XpMQG1Vz

— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) September 26, 2022

At the same press conference, Pelinka also expressed a desire to make sure the Lakers do right by LeBron James after he gave them a commitment by signing a two-year contract extension.

"Let me abundantly clear: We have one of the great players in LeBron James to ever play the game on our team," Pelinka told reporters. "He committed to us with a long-term contract, a three-year contract. So of course we will do everything we can, picks included, to make deals that give us a chance to help LeBron get to the end."

Most of the talk during the offseason was centered around Myles Turner and Buddy Hield with the Indiana Pacers, but the Lakers didn't want to give up both of those first-round picks for those players.

LaVine would give the Lakers a primary ballhandler who is capable of creating on his own and can score from anywhere on the floor. The two-time All-Star is only shooting 35.4 percent from three-point range to start this season, but he made 39.6 percent of his attempts behind the arc in the previous three seasons.

Another aspect that likely appeals to the Lakers is LaVine's contract. He is in the first season of a five-year, $215 million deal that includes a player option for 2026-27.

The Lakers have won nine of their last 15 games after a 2-10 start, but they are still in 12th place in the Western Conference.

Golden State Warriors point guard Stephen Curry has been ruled out for the remainder of Wednesday night's matchup with the Indiana Pacers after suffering a shoulder injury. Head coach Steve Kerr told reporters he would be undergoing an MRI on the shoulder on Thursday, and was in "good spirits" after the game.

The two-time league MVP immediately grabbed his left shoulder after reaching for the ball while the Pacers' Jalen Smith drove to the basket. Curry exited the game with 38 points, seven rebounds and seven assists.

Curry has posted 29.6 points on 49.7 percent shooting (43.2 percent from three-point range), 6.8 assists and 6.6 rebounds this year.

The ex-Davidson star averaged a team-high 25.5 points for the Warriors en route to leading the squad to its fourth NBA title since 2015 last season. He capped off the year with the NBA Finals MVP award.

Obviously, losing the two-time NBA MVP and eight-time All-Star for any amount of time is a significant blow to Golden State.

The Warriors were a far better team with him in 2021-22, going 45-19 with Curry on the court and 8-10 otherwise. He notably missed the final 12 regular-season games with a sprained ligament in his left foot but returned for the team's championship run.

Two years before, Curry nearly missed the entire 2019-20 season with a broken second metacarpal bone. The Warriors went a league-worst 15-50.

This Warriors team is far better equipped to handle missing Curry, but it will still be tough to go without him.

Sans Curry, the onus will be on Jordan Poole to run the point alongside backcourt mate Klay Thompson. In 2021-22, Poole notably averaged 25.9 points starting the final 15 regular-season games, 12 of which were without Curry. Donte DiVincenzo should also see more playing time.

Expect Draymond Green to do more facilitating as well.

Darrell Bailey, better known as Clipper Darrell because of his love for the Los Angeles Clippers, was punched on the concourse at Crypto.com Arena after Monday's game against the Boston Celtics.

In footage obtained by TMZ Sports, Bailey appears to be in an argument with an arena security guard. The guard put up his forearm near Bailey's neck to prevent him from walking by, and Bailey swiped at his arm to push it off him.

"That's when the man in the red balled up his fist and swung on Clipper Darrell—connecting straight with the superfan's jaw," TMZ Sports wrote. "Darrell crashed into a nearby trash receptacle...and appeared to lose consciousness."

Lee Zeidman, the president of Crypto.com Arena, told TMZ Sports that Bailey received immediate medical attention and was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment and further evaluation.

"An investigation of the incident was launched which determined the employee's behavior to be a direct violation of our training and approved responses resulting in the immediate termination and arrest of the employee by the LAPD," Zeidman added.

According to TMZ Sports, the Clippers are aware of the incident. Bailey told the site he is on medication and has been suffering from headaches.

Clipper Darrell has been featured on several local and national talk shows where he speaks about his fandom. He told HBO's Real Sports in 2020 that rooting for the team became a lifeline for him after he was fired from a job.

"My boss told me I'd never amount to anything in life," he said. "You know how you get fired, you feel sorry for yourself. Went home, plopped on the couch, turned the TV on. The Clipper game comes on. They said the same thing about them, how horrible they was, how they'd never amount to anything. I said, 'This is gonna be my team.' We're gonna ride and die together."

Per his website, Bailey has been a Clippers season-ticket holder since the 2000-01 season, and he dons a half-red, half-blue suit on game day. He also "dances, leads cheers and taunts the opposing team" during home games.

Basketball took something of a back seat Tuesday when Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green had a fan removed from Milwaukee's Fiserv Forum during a game against the Bucks.

Green explained after the game that he took such actions because the fan threatened his life, per C.J. Holmes of the San Francisco Chronicle.

The Bucks released a statement following the game that said they are "investigating the situation and we're conferring with the NBA," per Kendra Andrews of ESPN.

A fan first started jawing at Green when Giannis Antetokounmpo was on the free-throw line in the third quarter, and the Michigan State product then had that person removed when Stephen Curry was on the line during the next stoppage in play.

"There are no real consequences," Green said of fans' behavior. "Yeah, you can't come back to the game, or even if you get arrested, nothing really happens ... you just hope it gets to a point where these leagues can work with legislators to implement laws, because that's the only thing that's really going to correct the issue."

The comments and latest incident came after the NBA fined the four-time All-Star $25,000 earlier this month for the language he used toward a fan during a game against the Dallas Mavericks.

As for Tuesday's contest, the Bucks won 128-111 and improved to 20-7 on the campaign.

Green finished with just two points on 1-of-3 shooting from the field but impacted the game in other ways with seven assists and six rebounds.

Golden State has dealt with some inconsistency to start the season and fell to just 14-14 overall and 1-3 in the last four. It was the first contest of a six-game Eastern Conference road trip for the reigning champions, who will be in Indiana to face the Pacers on Wednesday.

The Golden State Warriors are an experienced team used to overcoming adversity, so seeing the reigning NBA champions lose their composure isn't a typical occurrence.

However, that's exactly what happened to the Warriors in Tuesday's 128-111 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks at Fiserv Forum. Golden State grew frustrated with the referees early in the game and never recovered, trailing by as many as 26 in the blowout.

The whistles started flying early and often, as the Warriors were called for three technical fouls in the first quarter alone. Golden State was unhappy with the free throw disparity, as none of its players made it to the line until late in the second quarter.

The Warriors shot just 19 free throws on the night, while Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo shot 17 by himself on his way to a game-high 30 points.

Warriors star point guard Stephen Curry was among those to receive a technical foul when he surprisingly let his anger get the better of him after a referee didn't call what he thought was an obvious foul on a three-pointer. Golden State finished with five techs, while three were called on Milwaukee.

Fans online called out the Warriors for letting the referees throw them off their game in what was supposed to be an exciting matchup against an Eastern Conference powerhouse:

Warriors have gone ice cold and are letting the refs get to them

— Golden State of Mind (@unstoppablebaby) December 14, 2022

Three first quarter techs. The referee fraternity is close and they definitely talk. The dubs have intentionally showed them up a few times in the last year and it seems like the refs remember and have been sticking it to them this season.

— Jason Dumas (@JDumasReports) December 14, 2022

Warriors Franchise worth 900 Billy’s, most in the NBA and NBA/Refs treat’em like they the Tropic Thunder 🥴

— Sir $leepy Flo¥d™ VALLEJO’FIED ☕️Face Of Dubnation (@ElSleepyFloyd) December 14, 2022

Warriors and refs need a peace treaty or something lol

— Marcus Thompson II (@ThompsonScribe) December 14, 2022

Andre Iguodala picks up Golden State's fourth tech of the night for yelling at the refs during the Warriors' coach's challenge timeout.

— Kendra Andrews (@kendra__andrews) December 14, 2022

https://twitter.com/KerithBurke/status/1602849165838467072

10 more MIL techs and the Warriors are right back in this. And that's not impossible the way this is going.

— Tim Kawakami (@timkawakami) December 14, 2022

Steph would be chasing Kareem if the refs actually gave him obvious calls

— De🅿️ressed Warriors Fan 💔 (@GoIdenState) December 14, 2022

Hate to say it, but the refs aren’t going to rule in favor of Dubs come post season.. they’ve made that very clear. Better get used to it now

— Emily Kate (@_PickEm) December 14, 2022

Seems like refs vs warriors!

— Intan (@ilymoon___) December 14, 2022

https://twitter.com/freegamep_/status/1602832888118099970

There is a serious warriors vs the NBA/refs war going on this year.

— Crypto Agenda (@SprdsheetAgenda) December 14, 2022

Glad I tuned in to watch the NBA refs show tonight. Quite the performance going on.

— r/Warriors 🏆 (@GSWReddit) December 14, 2022

Nah Refs put money on this game l actually feel sorry for the Warriors rn

— aunty_mufasa (@Aunty_MufasaOG) December 14, 2022

The refs tonight handing out techs #bucks #warriors #nba pic.twitter.com/UemTRW14fl

— fuck zach edey (@mrthxgivin1125) December 14, 2022

At 14-14, Golden State has struggled to find consistency this season. Perhaps the slow start is just a championship hangover, but at this point, it's starting to become concerning.

The Warriors have the expectations of contending for a title once again, but there are multiple issues they need to fix if they want to achieve their goal.

Golden State will look to bounce back in the second matchup of its six-game road trip on Wednesday against the Indiana Pacers (14-14).

Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green had a fan removed during his team's 128-111 road loss against the Milwaukee Bucks at Fiserv Forum on Tuesday evening.

Draymond had this fan ejected from the Bucks-Warriors game 👀 https://t.co/hCN5pO7USH

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) December 14, 2022

Green explained to reporters what happened after the game.

Draymond says the fan that got ejected said “some threatening stuff to [his] life” before going over to an official

(via @anthonyVslater) pic.twitter.com/Ivs35q58a3

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) December 14, 2022

ESPN's Kendra Andrews provided more context on the interaction between the fan and Green prior to the ejection, which occurred while Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo shot free throws.

Draymond Green was going back and forth with a fan during Giannis' free throws a few minutes ago. That fan is now being escorted out by security.

— Kendra Andrews (@kendra__andrews) December 14, 2022

The TNT broadcast showed Green emphatically going to the officials and pointing to the fan in question. Security was then seen speaking with the fan, who then left the seat.

Green previously had an interaction with a fan at a Nov. 29 road game against the Dallas Mavericks, and it led to a $25,000 fine.

The fan, Alykhan Rehmatullah, told Green on Twitter that he would match $25,000 to charity.

@Money23Green I’m the guy you yelled at. Shouldn’t be like that, we were just having fun.

I’ll match the $25k to your favorite charity, or @nbacares, your call lmk! 🙏🏽 https://t.co/EdAUH3h51z

— Alykhan Rehmatullah (@AlykhanR) December 2, 2022

"You don't see that happen," Green told Andrews about the match, which he also called "a cool gesture."

Green, a four-time All-Star and NBA champion, has been in the NBA for 11 seasons.

Two months into his first real foray into being a sixth man off the bench, Los Angeles Lakers guard Russell Westbrook is earning high marks for his play from people in the NBA.

One high-ranking team executive told Sports Illustrated's Chris Mannix that Westbrook's willingness to come off the bench "will change how people view him" around the league.

"If he's willing to be a change-of-pace point guard, to play less minutes, to have defensive energy, top-tier teams are going to be interested in him this summer. The Iverson comparisons are fair," the executive said. "Allen could have played three or four more years if he had been willing to come off the bench. He would have had a field day against second units. Westbrook can do the same."

There have been comparisons made between Westbrook and Iverson for a long time. Iverson's NBA career came to an abrupt end after the 2009-10 season in part because he was unhappy about coming off the bench.

When Lakers head coach Darvin Ham first experimented using Westbrook off the bench during the preseason, the former NBA MVP suffered a hamstring injury that he blamed on sitting for too long after pregame warmups.

"I've been doing the same thing for 14 years straight," Westbrook told reporters. "Honestly, I didn't even know what to do pregame. Being honest, I was trying to figure out how to stay warm and loose. ... That's something I just wasn't accustomed to."

After starting the first three games of the season, Westbrook has come off the bench in each of his next 25 games. The nine-time All-Star is averaging 15.0 points, 8.0 assists and 5.4 rebounds in 25 games since Oct. 28. He's shooting 42.0 percent from the field and 32.1 percent from three-point range.

The results haven't been stellar, but it's at least an indication he can be a productive player in a different role.

Westbrook is still playing almost 28 minutes per game during this stretch.

Being willing to take on a different role at this later stage of his career shows other teams that Westbrook is capable of doing what's in the best interest of the team.

This is a crucial step for a player who may or may not finish this season with the Lakers, is also going to be a free agent next summer and presumably wants to make a good impression on teams that might be interested in signing him.

Carmelo Anthony has been a free agent since the end of the 2021-22 season, but the 10-time All-Star isn't necessarily chasing an opportunity to play again.

Speaking to ESPN's Malika Andrews on Monday (starts at 2:20 mark), Anthony was asked about his aspirations for a potential return to the NBA.

"I love the game, I will say that," he said. "But I realize there's a lot of things that's not in my control. So I can just sit back and let it play out, and whatever it's going to be, it's going to be, and I accept that. I'm at peace with that."

Anthony was being interviewed at halftime of a high school showcase game between Sierra Canyon and Christ the King. His son, Kiyan, is a sophomore at Christ the King and was playing against Bronny James.

He went on to say if he "would love to play" and is "still in the gym every single day."

"If the opportunity presents itself, it presents itself, but it's not something that I'm pressing about," Anthony told Andrews.

Anthony spent last season with the Los Angeles Lakers. He was an effective scorer off the bench, averaging 13.3 points per game on 44.1 percent shooting (37.5 percent from three) in 69 appearances.

Speaking to Mark Medina of USA Today in September 2021, Anthony admitted it was "hard to say" how much longer he would keep playing.

"My body will tell me when it's time to go," he explained. "Your body is not going to lie to you. I did have a year and some change to conserve some gas in the tank. I've thought about it before. But now, I don't think about it."

There have been no indications that Anthony is thinking about formally retiring. The 38-year-old was rumored to be generating interest from the Boston Celtics before the start of this season after Danilo Gallinari suffered a torn ACL.

The Celtics don't appear to need any help at this point with an NBA-best 21-7 record.

Anthony has had a successful transition to a role player off the bench late in his career. He averaged 14.0 points per game with a 38.9 percent three-point rate in 196 games from 2019 to '22.

The stars were out Monday night in Chatsworth, California, when Bronny James and Sierra Canyon faced Kiyan Anthony and Christ the King in the Geico High School Showcase on ESPN.

James is the son of Los Angeles Lakers star and NBA legend LeBron James, while Anthony is the son of longtime NBA star Carmelo Anthony, and both fathers were on hand to support their sons Monday.

According to ESPN's Dave McMenamin, several other current and former NBA players, as well as celebrities were also on hand for the game.

Former NBA players Kenyon Martin, Nick Young and John Lucas III were all present, as were current Lakers Scotty Pippen Jr. and Cole Swider. Hall of Famer and Chicago Bulls legend Scottie Pippen also attended the game since his son, Justin Pippen, plays for Sierra Canyon.

Other notable people at the game were Kim and Khloe Kardashian, radio host Big Boy, Basketball Wives star Laura Govan and Natalia Bryant, who is the oldest daughter of late NBA legend Kobe Bryant.

ESPN caught up with Carmelo during the game, and he discussed what it meant for him and LeBron to watch their sons play against each other:

LeBron and Melo are longtime rivals on the court, but also longtime friends off of it. They were two of the top three picks in the 2003 NBA draft and went on to face each other many times over the course of nearly 20 years.

They were also teammates for the United States at the Olympics on three occasions, winning two gold medals and one bronze together. Also, they were teammates in the NBA for the first time last season when they both played for the Lakers.

Bronny and Sierra Canyon came out on top Monday, as Bronny finished with 12 points, six rebounds, three assists and two steals in a 62-51 win. Kiyan finished with eight points in Christ the King's loss.

Sierra Canyon was ranked 25th in the nation compared to Christ the King's ranking of No. 22, but Bronny's squad figures to move up after improving to 7-1 on the year.