Los Angeles Lakers All-Star Anthony Davis is nervously awaiting X-ray results after he suffered a foot injury in Friday's 126-108 home win against the Denver Nuggets.

Davis, who entered the game averaging career-highs in both points (28.1) and rebounds (12.4) this season, came up hopping after a lay-up attempt early in the contest, briefly returning in the second quarter before sitting out the entire second half.

Head coach Darvin Ham told the media after the contest that X-rays were administered at the arena and they expect to have more clarity on the situation on Saturday, while ESPN's Dave McMenamin reported there is hope the injury is not severe and Davis will likely undergo an MRI.

A prodigious talent, Davis has been plagued by injuries in his 11-season career, only reaching the 70-game mark twice while only mustering a combined 76 appearances in the past two regular seasons.

He has played in 25 of the Lakers' 28 outings so far this year, and the Lakers' chances of a playoff push will likely hinge on the length of his potential absence.

However, against the Nuggets they were just fine, led by LeBron James' 30 points on 13-of-20 shooting with nine rebounds, four assists and two steals in 36 minutes.

The Lakers' bench picked up the slack as Russell Westbrook continued to make his case for Sixth Man of the Year, posting a 15-point triple-double with 12 assists and 11 rebounds, while also facilitating Thomas Bryant's best game in a Los Angeles uniform.

Bryant scored a season-high 21 points on nine-of-11 shooting, adding six rebounds and two steals, while fan-favourite Austin Reaves had 16 points of his own and an equal game-high plus/minus of plus 26.

Speaking immediately after the win, James pointed out the efforts of Bryant and rookie Max Christie in helping to bounce back from a disappointing overtime loss to the Boston Celtics.

"That's what this league is all about, you've got to be able to stay even-keel," he said. "Yes, it was a disappointing loss, but there are more games to be played. 

"I loved our effort tonight. The game ball goes to Thomas Bryant, and also rookie Max Christie coming in and giving us gigantic minutes, especially with AD's absence in the second half.

"We were just solid. Not only did we get defensive stops, but we got defensive rebounds and we were able to finish a lot on the break, not having turnovers.

"That's been an Achilles heel for us throughout this season, those unforced turnovers, and I think tonight we did a great job protecting the ball."

The Lakers will next face the visiting Washington Wizards on Sunday, who enter the contest on an eight-game losing streak.

The Orlando Magic have quietly won five games in a row, punctuating their terrific form with a surprise 117-109 upset on the road against the league-leading Boston Celtics on Friday.

Orlando had lost nine in a row prior to their current streak, following it with four consecutive home wins against the Los Angeles Clippers, the Atlanta Hawks and back-to-back victories over the Toronto Raptors before heading to Boston.

They were led by this year's number one draft pick Paolo Banchero, with the 20-year-old posting 20 points, five rebounds and five assists, but it was the less-heralded Wagner brother doing the most damage.

Mo Wagner was the Magic's top-scorer with 25 points on nine-of-12 shooting in 23 minutes, while younger brother Franz Wagner chipped in 19 points on a far less efficient six-of-19.

There were also strong signs of life from starting point guard and former number one overall draft pick Markelle Fultz, with 12 points (five-of-10), four rebounds, four assists and two steals.

Speaking to the media after the game, Banchero said his side were not looking for excuses against a Boston side entering the game with the league's best record at 22-7 and 11-2 at home.

"One of the coaches came up to me before the game and said: 'We’re on the road against the best team in the NBA. Either we can prove that we’re a good team and really rolling, or blame that we’re on the road and just roll over.'

"We didn’t want to do that. To get a lead and keep a lead is the biggest thing I’m proud of about tonight."

Magic head coach Jamahl Mosley pointed towards his side's willingness to stick to the game plan and "stay the course".

"They went on their run in the third, but our guys understand that they have to stay the course and continue to communicate with one another, and stick back to the principles of what we do," he said.

That message about staying the course stuck, at least with Mo Wagner, who echoed his coach in his on-court interview.

"I think we've been very consistent with our work all year, and it's starting to translate," he said. "We've done a great job focusing on the game plan, and I think with a young team that's a challenge. 

"It's finally translating to wins, so now it's up to us to stay solid, keep going and keep staying the course."

Franz chose to highlight the Orlando defense against what he pointed out is a historically good Boston offense.

"They're the best offense in the league," he said. "Their numbers – even historically – match up really well.

"They shoot the ball really well, they play really free and creative basketball. It required multiple efforts, and I thought we did that tonight."

The Magic will get a chance to prove it was no fluke on Sunday when they remain in Boston for another crack at the Celtics.

Kyrie Irving's game-winner gave the Brooklyn Nets their fifth win in a row, and ninth from their past 10, after defeating the Toronto Raptors 119-116.

Irving was terrific on the offensive end, scoring a team-high 32 points on 13-of-22 shooting, with five assists and only one turnover. 

His big moment came after Scottie Barnes' two free throws tied the game at 116-116 with eight seconds to play, and after a smart foul from Fred VanVleet, the Nets had the ball out of bounds with just three seconds to find a shot.

But that would be all Irving would need, taking a few dribbles to his right before pulling it back for a three-pointer as the buzzer sounded.

Kevin Durant was at his efficient best, shooting 10-of-15 from the field for his 28 points, while Ben Simmons finished with 10 points, five rebounds and five assists.

It was the second consecutive strong outing from VanVleet in a loss, scoring 39 points on 14-of-24 shooting just two days after scoring 39 on 13-of-25 shooting against the Sacramento Kings.

The Nets began the season 1-5, but have recovered strongly to 18-12 and now occupy the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference through 30 games.

Embiid improves league-leading scoring average

Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid scored a game-high 34 points in Friday's 118-106 win against the Golden State Warriors.

Embiid entered the game averaging 33.4 points per game – the best figure in the league – and improved it ever-so-slightly to 33.5 as he shot 11-of-23 from the field, adding 13 rebounds, four assists, four steals and two blocks.

He is narrowly ahead of Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic in second (33.0 points per game), with Embiid currently on track for the scoring title, and perhaps even league MVP, having finished runner-up in each of the past two seasons.

Edwards and the Timberwolves fight off SGA

The Minnesota Timberwolves had to deal with the third-leading scorer in the NBA, but got the job done thanks to a mature performance from franchise centerpiece Anthony Edwards.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, averaging 31.0 points per game, scored a game-high 35 on 11-of-23 shooting, with seven rebounds and five assists, but none of his Oklahoma City Thunder teammates scored more than 14 in the 112-110 loss.

For the Timberwolves, Edwards played a strong team game as he shot at least 50 per cent from the field (eight-of-16) and from three-point range (two-of-three) for his 19 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists.

He was supported in fine fashion by Naz Reid, who finished one point away from his career-high with 28, nine rebounds, three assists and three steals.

The Chicago White Sox made a big move in the free-agent market Friday, signing All-Star outfielder Andrew Benintendi to a $75million, five-year contract.

The deal will be the largest contract ever given by the White Sox once it becomes official, surpassing the $73m Chicago gave to catcher Yasmani Grandal in 2019.

Benintendi finished last season with the New York Yankees after he was acquired from the Kansas City Royals on July 27.

After batting .320 in 93 games with the Royals, Benintendi slumped to a .254 mark in 33 games for the Yankees before his season was cut short in early September by a broken right wrist. He finished the season with a career-best batting average of .304.

The left-handed hitting Benintendi was a first-time All-Star for Kansas City before he was traded, following a 2021 season where he batted .276 with 17 home runs and 73 RBIs in 134 games and also won a Gold Glove.

Benintendi, 28, broke into the majors with Boston in 2016 and spent five seasons with the Red Sox, helping them win a World Series championship in 2018.

The White Sox are coming off a disappointing 81-81 record in 2022 after entering the season with high expectations. They were coming off back-to-back playoff appearances and won the AL Central by 13 games in 2021.

Benintendi will be reunited with new White Sox manager Pedro Grifol, who was a coach in Kansas City.

Denver Broncos wide receiver Jerry Jeudy has been fined a total of $36,281 for an instance in Sunday's loss to the Kansas City Chiefs where he made contact with a referee.

Jeudy, who had only one reception for three yards at the time of the incident, felt he was held on a play, and angrily confronted one of the game's officials about it.

He was fined $23,020 for bumping into the official, and a further $13,261 for removing his helmet as part of his tirade.

The league's rules state he could have been ejected from the game for the offense, but he was allowed to remain, going on to have his best game of the season. He scored a career-high three touchdowns with his 78 yards from eight catches.

In comments to the media on Wednesday, Jeudy said he expected a fine was coming.

"I know they're going to fine me,'' he said. "It is what it is. I know the consequences of the situation and I'm going to learn from it.

"I was just – on that certain play, I got held. I was just frustrated because we didn't have things going, so I was out there playing with frustration wanting to make a play for my team. 

"I feel like at that point, I was just held and that should've been called, but I have to know how to control my anger and just move on from there.''

Head coach Nathaniel Hackett added: "He definitely knew that he was wrong. That's unacceptable. You can't do that.

"We've addressed that and I know that he knows he can't do that. I know he was very frustrated at the time, but that's just something you can't do."

The Milwaukee Bucks are preparing for the debut of Joe Ingles, with the 35-year-old Australian reportedly aiming to return from his ACL injury on Monday.

Ingles, who spent the first eight years of his NBA career with the Utah Jazz after debuting as a 27-year-old, signed a one-year, $6.5million free agent deal with the Bucks in the offseason.

He was signed in the midst of his rehabilitation from an ACL injury in late January, with the idea that the career 40.8 per cent three-point shooter could provide a boost down the stretch and in the playoffs for a Bucks team with title aspirations.

Ingles' injury came during a relatively down year by his standards, as he set career-highs in the 2020-21 campaign with 12.1 points per game at a career-best 48.9 per cent figure from the field, and a blistering 45.1 per cent from downtown on 6.1 three-point attempts per game.

He is also a capable 'point-forward', being officially listed by the Bucks at six-foot-nine while averaging 5.3 assists per-36 minutes.

His addition should elevate the Bucks from the middle of the pack in terms of assist percentage – 14th in the league at 60.9 per cent – and boost their three-point percentage, as they currently attempt the seventh-most (37.4 per game), but own the 19th-ranked percentage (34.7 per cent).

Casper Ruud has been voted by his fellow ATP players as the winner of the Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship Award.

The 23-year-old enjoyed a fine season and sits third in the end-of-year rankings after winning three titles.

He also reached the final of the French Open, US Open and the ATP Finals, losing to Rafael Nadal, Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic respectively.

However, one title he does have is the Stefan Edberg Award, which according to the ATP's official website recognises "fair play, professionalism and integrity on and off the court".

Nadal and the now retired Roger Federer had won the award every year since 2004, with the Spaniard taking it five times – and the last four years running – and the Swiss on 13 occasions.

"A big thanks to everyone who voted for me for this year's ATP Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship Award," said Ruud.

"I feel very, very honoured and happy to win this prize this year. I will try to keep my mood in the right place for next year. Can't wait to be back on court."

Tiger Woods is not fearing an injury setback by playing at the PNC Championship, as he prioritises spending time on the course with his son Charlie.

The 15-time major winner, who suffered serious leg injuries in a car crash in early 2021, has struggled through 2022 and has only played a handful of events since missing the cut at The Open Championship in July.

A case of plantar fasciitis saw him withdraw from the Hero World Challenge earlier this month, before he returned to partner Rory McIlroy in The Match.

There had been questions whether Woods would play at the PNC Championship, where pro golfers partner up with family members, but the 46-year-old is unconcerned by the risks.

"You know, I really don't care about that," he said at a press conference, after acknowledging he might well make his injury worse over the weekend.

"I think being [here] alongside my son is far more important. To get to have this experience with him is far better than my foot being a little creaky."

Woods acknowledged his year had been a tough one, with his recovery taxing, but stressed he had outperformed his own expectations in terms of golf played.

"It's been a lot harder than people probably imagine," he explained. "There are players who are very close to me, and they're the ones encouraging me to back off a little bit.

"But that's not really in my nature. My nature is trying to get better, and I have. I was able to play and compete in three major championships this year.

"I played more this year than I certainly thought [I would]. I was just hoping to play St Andrews. So that's far, far more than what I had expected going into the year."

Woods has kept a busy card during the PGA Tour off-season, but says he is ready to wrap matters up once the PNC Championship is done.

"I've kind of ramped things up," he said. "After this, come Monday, we'll shut it all down and take care of this foot.

"As you've seen, I can hit golf balls. I can do all that. I can practice at home. I can hit shots around the green. I can do all that. I just can't get from point A to point B."

Woods was less equivocal about what he may do in 2023 however, conceding his decision to eschew rest this weekend could impact his ability to play on regularly in the new year.

"If I didn't have this, I could tell you," he added. "I'd have a better idea. But I'm supposed to be resting this [foot] and I'm not doing that at the moment."

The Denver Broncos will be without Russell Wilson against the Arizona Cardinals.

Denver confirmed on Friday that Wilson was out for Sunday's game as the quarterback continues his recovery from a concussion.

Wilson passed NFL concussion protocol and wanted to feature against the Cardinals, but the decision was taken out of his hands.

The 34-year-old is in line to return against the Los Angeles Rams on Christmas Day.

Coach Nathaniel Hackett told reporters: "Russell Wilson has passed concussion protocols.

"With that being said, as an organisation we've decided to give him another week to get ready, so he's ready to go for the Rams.

"Russ is one of our ultimate competitors in this game, he's unbelievable.

"We informed him of the decision. He's not happy with it, he wants to be out there and play, he's very competitive as we all know – he wants to be there for this team and be out there.

"We as an organisation, after talking throughout this entire week, have decided it's what's best for our organisation, best for Russell.

"We've talked about this from the top all the way to the bottom. We looked at every single thing and decided to give him another week to get ready."

Wilson suffered the issue during the fourth quarter of the Broncos' loss to the Kansas City Chiefs last week - a defeat that eliminated Denver, who sit bottom of the AFC West with a 3-10 record, from playoff contention.

He has thrown 2,805 yards for 11 touchdowns this season, following his switch from the Seattle Seahawks.

Brett Rypien, who has played twice this year, will fill in on Sunday.

"We're very confident in Ryp, very excited about Ryp and this opportunity to go against Arizona Cardinals," Hackett added.

While he believes he could have played, Wilson understands the team's call.

"For me, I always want to be out on the field, no matter what the circumstances are," he told reporters.

"At the same time it was a collective decision by the organisation to get some extra rest. Ryp is ready to rock and roll, and our team – it was a great week of practice, it was good to be out there and practice.

"These guys are special, I want to be out there and compete with them. I'm going to do everything I can on the sideline to make sure we get the win.

"Concussion is a serious thing. Everybody did a great job all week, making sure I was good to go. I feel great."

Karim Benzema took to social media with a cryptic message saying he is "not interested" just two days ahead of France's World Cup final showdown with Argentina.

Real Madrid striker Benzema was ruled out of Qatar 2022 on the eve of the tournament due to a thigh injury he aggravated in training.

There had been suggestions the reigning Ballon d'Or winner could link back up with the squad having recovered from the injury and returned to training with his club.

However, asked if Benzema could make a shock return ahead of Sunday's final, France boss Didier Deschamps said: "I don't want to answer you. It's a stupid question."

Further reports from Spain on Friday claimed Benzema was unhappy to have been sent home in the first place and did not take kindly to Deschamps' latest comments.

The 34-year-old has now posted an ambiguous message on social media, simply translated as "I'm not interested", accompanied by an explosion emoji.

Former Lyon striker Benzema has scored 37 goals in 97 appearances for France.

Les Bleus are aiming to become just the third side – and first since Brazil in 1962 – to retain the World Cup trophy after beating Morocco 2-0 in the semi-finals to advance.

Jurgen Klopp has suggested he will not consider selecting Virgil van Dijk for Liverpool's return to action against Manchester City next week.

Van Dijk returned to training with Liverpool in Dubai this week on the back of the Netherlands' elimination from the World Cup against Argentina last Friday.

The 31-year-old played a full part in all five of his country's matches in Qatar – including extra time in the quarter-final loss to Argentina – totalling 480 minutes of action.

However, while Klopp does not want to rush Van Dijk's comeback, he has yet to make a call on England duo Jordan Henderson and Trent Alexander-Arnold.

Henderson did not finish any of the three England matches he started, while Alexander-Arnold managed just 33 minutes on the field across the Three Lions' five matches.

"Yes, there's a chance, of course – they're training already," Klopp told Liverpool's official website when asked if any returning World Cup players would be in action against City.

"Hendo is already training here. Virgil is training here, but I don't think we will try that. Hendo we will see, Trent we will see. 

"But this group worked now together for nearly two weeks and we made a real step and that's cool. I don't know in this moment.

"I hope we all get through it and we all know in England, and in Europe in general, there's kind of a virus going around, so we hope we can stay out of that. 

"Then we'll make the decision obviously on Wednesday who can play on Thursday. But it's good and will be a very interesting game after that period, but I'm looking forward to it."

Liverpool defeated Milan 4-1 in their second mid-season friendly on Friday, with Darwin Nunez – who suffered early World Cup heartbreak with Uruguay – scoring twice.

Mohamed Salah and Thiago Alcantara were also on target for Liverpool in the United Arab Emirates, where Klopp used 22 different players, including a number of youngsters.

"In general, tonight was the result of the last 10 days what we saw in training and tonight we could bring it on the pitch, which is obviously nice," Klopp said.

"I'm not sure the academy [players] could watch the game tonight but when you see these boys and performing in a game like this, it's cool. 

"It's a real physical game, adult football is a physical game and the boys need to make these steps so they can get ready for it step by step. 

"The physical part will come but until you are that strong, you can create a lot of ideas, you can do things a bit smarter. 

"There was a lot of really good things tonight and that's why we play football. We want to see good football games."

Liverpool's trip to the Etihad Stadium is followed four days later by a visit to Aston Villa on their return to Premier League action, before hosting Leicester City on December 30.

Though the Golden State Warriors will be without Stephen Curry for several weeks, the two-time NBA MVP is relieved the prognosis on his injured left shoulder was not worse.

Curry is expected to be sidelined for around a month with a shoulder subluxation he sustained in the Warriors' loss at the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday, according to a report from The Athletic. 

However, the injury will not require surgery that would threaten the star guard's availability for the rest of the season.

"From what I know about shoulder injuries and situations like that, anytime you can avoid anything [involving] surgery, it's great news,” Curry told reporters following Golden State's shootaround for Friday's game with the Philadelphia 76ers.

"That changed the whole dynamic of the conversation, both personally and as a team. 

"It was a matter of making sure I didn't need surgery and that my shoulder will be able to heal on its own, however long that took, because I know the surgeries are four to six months [recovery time]. Nobody wants to be dealing with that right now."

Since Curry has never dealt with shoulder problems over the course of his 14-year NBA career, he said he is hopeful the healing process will be smoother than if he had a recurring injury.

"I'm just trying to stay positive and understand that I'll be back sooner than later, hopefully, and hopefully I won't miss a beat in terms of how I feel and how I've been playing," said Curry, one of seven players currently averaging at least 30 points per game this season.

"My body's in good shape. I feel I can maintain that for the most part while [I'm] injured, then get back there in hoop.”

Curry's injury still comes at an inopportune time for the defending NBA champions, who have lost four of five and are also without starting forward Andrew Wiggins. 

Golden State is in the midst of a challenging six-game road trip and has the second worst winning percentage away from home this season at 2-13.

The Warriors enter Friday's game 10th in the Western Conference, which would place them in the play-in tournament if the season ended today.

"It's just a matter of other guys stepping up," Curry said. "Every team goes through this at some point throughout the year, dealing with injuries, dealing with some of your main guys being out. 

"You've got to figure out how to perform and embrace this challenge. I'm super confident in the guys we have on this team to figure it out. We can talk ourselves into we're still in good shape, but you've got to go out and be a consistent basketball team. I think we can do that."

Baker Mayfield says "everything does happen for a reason" after his dream start to life at the Los Angeles Rams.

The former first overall draft pick started the season with the Carolina Panthers, having been waived with a dismal 1-5 record for the campaign.

Picked up by the Rams in the midst of a quarterback injury crisis, Mayfield unexpectedly led the Super Bowl holders to a comeback win against the Las Vegas Raiders in his first game for the team.

Ahead of Monday's match with the Green Bay Packers, the 27-year-old has acknowledged it has been an unusual start to life in California, but suggested his move offered a second chance after his Panthers frustrations.

"Refreshing is an interesting way to put it, considering how stressful last week has been," he said.

"But in the end, everything does happen for a reason. I'm thankful for the group that is here."

Though tasked with leading the Rams against the Raiders, Mayfield was able to call on veteran quarterback Matthew Stafford for advice throughout the match.

Head coach Sean McVay was impressed with the latter's contributions, highlighting his crucial impact in helping his new team-mate keep focused on the game.

"He was even on the headset on the last drive," he added. "He was able to add in a couple of things that would be helpful to Baker.

"That tells you everything that you need to know about Matthew and who he is. I think sometimes being able to get a different perspective can be beneficial."