The better he gets on that end, the easier it’ll be for New Orleans to reclaim the defensive identity that’s slipped away during this injury-riddled season. As always, the most important aspect of Williamson’s maturation is consistency and health. The better he is in those two areas, the quicker he can prove his two-way dominance is here to stay.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Paul George scored 30 points, Tyrese Maxey had 29 and the short-handed Philadelphia 76ers beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 132-129 on Friday night to end a seven-game losing streak. Cleveland lost its second straight to drop into a tie for the NBA lead with Oklahoma City at 36-8. Philadelphia is 16-27.

Six-time NBA champion Scottie Pippen went in on Zion Williamson, who is struggling to remain healthy and be the impactful player the New Orleans Pelicans and the rest of the NBA thought he would be.

The Philadelphia 76ers defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers 132-129, ending a seven-game losing streak with key performances from Paul George and Tyrese Maxey.

Philadelphia star center Joel Embiid missed his 10th straight game because of a left knee injury. He also was ruled out by coach Nick Nurse at Chicago on Saturday night

Over at FedExForum, the Memphis Grizzlies thumped the New Orleans Pelicans 139-126 for their fifth straight victory. Read more at straitstimes.com.

Fox is the new name on the market after sending signals he doesn't want to commit long term to the Kings. Meanwhile, Butler remains suspended as the Heat decide his future.

The pecking order at the top of the league has been set for a while (as evidenced by very little movement at the top of this week's Power Rankings), but the deadline provides a quick shot of adrenaline and variety,

Stephen Curry bounced back from a four-point first half with five second-half 3-pointers and the Golden State Warriors rallied to overcome Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's 52 points and stun the Oklahoma Cit

N ew Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson has had a roller-coaster career in his six years in the NBA. He came into the league as one of the most touted players in recent NBA

The Los Angeles Lakers picked up their biggest win of the season with a 134-96 game over the Washington Wizards. The entirety of the fourth quarter boiled