And on this roadtrip, where the Jazz will face the Pelicans once more on Monday night, it was really, really important for the Jazz decision makers to find a way to finagle a loss against the Pelicans.

The Utah Jazz have hit the cellar of the Western Conference. Zion Williamson highlighted a 24-point, 14-rebound performance with an array of thunderous dunks during a dominant fourth-quarter stint, and the New Orleans Pelicans beat the Utah Jazz 136-123 on Friday night to open a two-game set.

The battle of the second and third-ranked teams in the Western Conference features some of the league's up-and-coming franchises. The third-seeded Memphis Grizz

The Miami Heat and Jimmy Butler have had a falling out and all indications are that the relationship could be beyond repair. A new piece by ESPN's Ramona Shelbu

BOTTOM LINE: Detroit takes on Houston for a non-conference matchup. The Rockets are 14-6 on their home court. Houston is the Western Conference leader with 14.6 offensive rebounds per game led by Alperen Sengun averaging 3.4.

Is it the sort of Earth-shattering move that we expected the Suns to make in the buildup to the deadline? No, but it's an interesting deal to address a major need with weeks of wo

Players have reported to camp this week, as preseason has officially begun across MLS. You can jump on the social media platform of your choice and see clips of your dudes jogging, joking and hopefully not sporting too many extra pounds from the holidays.

The Cavaliers are 20-2 on their home court. Cleveland ranks third in the Eastern Conference with 29.1 assists per game led by Darius Garland averaging 6.8. The Suns are 8-12 on the road. Phoenix allows 114.3 points to opponents and has been outscored by 1.1 points per game.

Early returns: Utah made a high-risk trade for Sergachev — in terms of acquisition cost and with the seven seasons left on his contract at an $8.5 million cap hit, especially coming off an injury-plagued year. It’s too early to make a long-term read on the trade, but the early dividends have been promising.

The Thunder has a 99.8% chance of being the No. 1 seed in the West, according to basketball-reference.com. Seems low.

Following a cross-checking incident in a recent game, one of the Vancouver Canucks' top defensemen is likely facing a suspension. The NHL's Department of Player

Brandin Podziemski has missed the Golden State Warriors last 10 games due to an abdominal strain. The versatile shooting guard's injury has compounded a tough start to his sophomore season. Podziemski has struggled to find consistency in Steve Kerr's rotation.