Basketball

Charlotte Hornets (23-51, 14th in the Eastern Conference) vs. Dallas Mavericks (36-37, eighth in the Western Conference) Dallas; Friday, 8:30 p.m.

Oklahoma City Thunder (36-37, 11th in the Western Conference) vs. Los Angeles Lakers (36-37, ninth in the Western Conference) Los Angeles; Friday, 10:30 p.m. EDT FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK NBA LINE : Lakers -5.

Brooklyn Nets (39-34, seventh in the Eastern Conference) vs. Miami Heat (40-34, sixth in the Eastern Conference) Miami; Saturday, 8 p.m. EDT BOTTOM LINE: Brooklyn comes into the matchup with Miami as losers of five in a row.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Kawhi Leonard scored 32 points on 15 shots, and the Los Angeles Clippers defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder 127-105 on Thursday night in their first game since losing Paul George to a knee injury.

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Paolo Banchero scored 21 points, included a 3-pointer with 1:26 remaining and two free throws in the final seconds, to help the Orlando Magic beat the New York Knicks 111-106 on Thursday night.

NEW YORK (AP) — Isaac Okoro hit a 3-pointer from the corner with 0.

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Brandon Ingram had 30 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists for the first triple-double of his seven-year NBA career, leading the New Orleans Pelicans to a 115-96 victory over the short-handed Charlotte Hornets on Thursday night.

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Paolo Banchero's 21 points included a 3 with 1:26 remaining and two free throws in the final seconds to help the Orlando Magic turn back the New York Knicks 111-106 on Thursday night. “It was the right play.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — The Sacramento Kings might just be riding the beam all the way to the NBA playoffs.

Aliyah Boston recalls her parents prodding her to be more active on social media, to extend her brand as her basketball prowess began to draw national attention.