Michael Malone: I probably have to be a little smarter with Nikola’s regular season minutes

In the pre-League Pass days of minimal cable channels and a national TV “schedule” that made it seem as though the NBA had five teams (Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York and Philadelphia) playing a round-robin, the exploits of Alex English and the Denver Nuggets could feel fictional. Newspapers said…

Photo: Tom Pennington/Getty Images Star swingman Paul George (right knee soreness) was ruled out by the L.A. Clippers for their Monday matchup against the Utah Jazz, per NBA.com’s Mark Medina. The deactivation obviously serves as a precautionary measure by the Clippers for George, who took an early leave on the…

Photo: AP Photo/Nell Redmond With one win away to advance to their second NBA Finals in three years, the Miami Heat will seriously bet on Tyler Herro to play his best basketball.  League sources have confirmed that the microwave two-guard is set to take the floor this Sunday after missing…

The Toronto Raptors have officially inked a deal with big man Malik Williams following the conclusion of his 10-day contract with the team on Saturday. During his brief stint with Toronto, the 6-foot-11 center saw action in six games, contributing averages of 2.2 points and 5.7 rebounds in 15.9 minutes…

The Los Angeles Lakers (17-19) find themselves in a challenging stretch, suffering a 127-113 defeat against the Memphis Grizzlies (12-23), marking their fourth consecutive loss and the 10th in the last 13 games. Despite the Lakers’ recent struggles, head coach Darvin Ham is urging a measured perspective. “It is what…

Paolo Banchero has been diagnosed with a torn right oblique muscle, which means he will be sidelined indefinitely. His return to the court hinges on how well he responds to treatment and rehabilitation efforts. The medical staff plans to re-evaluate his condition in approximately four to six weeks. This injury…