Basketball great LeBron James will be the official starter when the 24 Hours of Le Mans sportscar race celebrates its centenary this weekend, organizers of the endurance classic said on Monday. The Los Angeles Lakers forward, the NBA’s all-time leading scorer and four-time champion, joins a list of celebrity starters who have carried out the…

Nikola Jokic compiled 30 points, 14 rebounds and 13 assists as the visiting Denver Nuggets advanced to the NBA Finals for the first time in franchise history with a 113–111 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday, May 22. Jokic, the NBA MVP in 2020–21 and 2021–22 seasons, set a record for total triple-doubles…

Jamal Murray was the knockout closer in Game 2 and his role changed drastically for Game 3. The Denver star was filling up the basket early and often on Saturday night, May 20, and scored 30 of his 37 points in the first half, and the Nuggets maintained control of the Western Conference finals with…

Nikola Jokic delivered a triple-double with 23 points and Jamal Murray turned some late 3-point shooting into 37 points as the Denver Nuggets earned a 108–103 victory over the visiting Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday, May 18, to take a 2–0 lead in the Western Conference finals. Jokic added 17 rebounds and 12 assists, while…

DENVER—Nikola Jokic recorded his sixth triple-double of these playoffs with 34 points, 21 rebounds and 14 assists, powering the Denver Nuggets to a 132–126 win over the Los Angeles Lakers in the opener of the Western Conference finals on Tuesday night, May 16. Behind Jokic’s sizzling start and strong finish, and Jamal Murray’s 31 points,…

DENVER—If the Denver Nuggets can continue their dominance at Ball Arena, they’ll not only conquer LeBron James and Anthony Davis but they’ll also vanquish the ghosts of their horrendous playoff performances against the Los Angeles Lakers. The Nuggets have lost all seven playoff series against the Lakers in their history, including inside the NBA bubble…

LOS ANGELES—Six months and a day after the Los Angeles Lakers fell to 2–10 to start the regular season, they emphatically eliminated the defending NBA champions to reach the Western Conference finals. Although the Lakers’ transformation has become increasingly incredible over the past several weeks, the primary forces are LeBron James and Anthony Davis, who…

Reviving a storied franchise from midseason doldrums was never going to be easy, leaving the Los Angeles Lakers to try once more to advance to the Western Conference finals. The Lakers will play host to Game 6 on Friday, May 12, still up 3–2 in the conference semifinal series against the defending-champion Golden State Warriors…

SAN FRANCISCO—Stephen Curry had 27 points and eight assists, Andrew Wiggins added 25 points, seven rebounds and five assist, and the defending champion Golden State Warriors staved off elimination by beating the Los Angeles Lakers 121–106 in Game 5 of the Western Conference semifinals Wednesday night, May 10. LeBron James had 25 points and nine…

LOS ANGELES—Lonnie Walker scored all of his 15 points in a phenomenal fourth quarter, and the Los Angeles Lakers rallied late to take a 3–1 series lead with a 104–101 victory over the Golden State Warriors in Game 4 on Monday night, May 8. LeBron James scored 27 points and Anthony Davis had 23 points…