LaMelo Ball will be out for the rest of the NBA season after the Charlotte Hornets point guard underwent surgery on a fractured right ankle.
Ball suffered the injury during the Hornets' 117-106 victory over the Detroit Pistons on Monday.
The 21-year-old went down awkwardly with the ball during the third quarter.
Charlotte revealed Ball has undergone a successful operation and further updates will be provided on his recovery.
The third overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, Ball averaged 23.3 points, 6.4 rebounds, 8.4 assists and 1.3 steals in the 36 games he played this season.
He became the fourth-youngest All-Star in NBA history when he featured in the 2021-22 showpiece.
Ball was named the NBA Rookie of the Year for the 2020-21 season, having averaged 15.7 points, 5.9 rebounds, 6.1 assists and 1.6 steals.
Kevin Durant felt he "fit in pretty well" during an impressive Phoenix Suns debut against the Charlotte Hornets but still feels under pressure to prove himself.
Durant scored 23 points in his first appearance for the Suns in a 105-91 win over the Hornets on Wednesday following his blockbuster trade from the Brooklyn Nets last month.
Returning to the court after recovering from a knee injury that had kept him out since January 8, the 13-time NBA All-Star was 10-of-15 shooting and racked up his points haul in just 27 minutes.
Devin Booker scored 37 points, claimed six rebounds and provided seven assists as Phoenix – fourth in the Western Conference – snapped the Hornets' five-game winning streak to go 34-29 for the season.
Durant said: "I feel like I fit in pretty well, everybody out there was trying to make me as comfortable as possible.
"I just got to keep grinding, man, and this jersey on me will look normal as games go on."
Despite all he has achieved over the years, Durant was nervous prior to his Suns bow.
He added: "New environment, new situation, new team-mates, I mean I always feel I got to prove myself to my team-mates and my coaches every single day no matter what I've done in the league. So I feel like there's pressure to be who I am every day."
Booker was pinching himself over being on the same side as Durant.
He said: "This is one of those moments that doesn't really feel real. I mean, it's just every time he shoots the ball, it's just so effortless.
"You can see defenders trying their hardest to contest or fight over a screen and he just looks unbothered, unfazed."
Suns head coach Monty Williams wants Durant to focus on playing to the best of his ability rather than feel he must be a leader.
"I think there's too many players in the NBA that get too much pressure to lead," Williams said. "I just don’t think it's necessary. It’s my job to lead.
"The players do it in spots, but that's the one thing I told him, I said, 'I'm not looking for you to lead. We just want you to be yourself and hoop,' and I think that's where he's the most free to be himself."
Kevin Durant scored 23 points in his Phoenix Suns debut as Devin Booker stole the show with 37 points in a 105-91 victory over the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday.
Durant stepped out for the Suns for the first time since his trade last month, having been sidelined with a sprained right knee, shooting 10-of-15 from the field and two-of-four from beyond the arc with six rebounds, two assists and two blocks.
Booker shot 15-of-26 from the field in his 37-point haul with six rebounds and seven assists, while Deandre Ayton scored 16 points with 16 rebounds.
Veteran guard Chris Paul took a back seat, with only two points whilst providing 11 assists as the new-look Suns showed off their multi-dimensional line-up.
The victory snapped the Hornets' five-game winning streak, with the Suns going wire to wire in a strong display, improving their record to 34-29.
Charlotte got within six points at three-quarter time but Durant played his part at the start of the fourth with nine points, registering only 19 minutes for the opening three periods, as Phoenix pulled away.
Tatum and Mitchell record 40-point games
Jayson Tatum recorded his ninth 40-point game of the season as the Boston Celtics overcame Donovan Mitchell's Cleveland Cavaliers 117-113.
Tatum finished with 41 points with improved 13-of-21 shooting including four-of-six three-pointers with 11 rebounds and eight assists, while Al Horford added 23 points and 11 rebounds.
Mitchell shrugged off an apparent quad concern in the third quarter with 44 points, piling only 29 in the second half. That was Mitchell's seventh 40-point game of his season.
Knicks down Nets to continue win streak
The New York Knicks extended their winning streak to seven games as Jalen Brunson scored 39 points in a 142-118 victory over the Brooklyn Nets.
Brunson hit 30 of his 39 points in the first half, with the Knicks piling on 47 points in the first quarter as they opened up 81-57 half-time lead. The Knicks improved their record to 37-27, sitting fifth in the Eastern Conference.
Cam Johnson scored a season-high 33 points for the Nets, who fall to their fourth straight loss and a 34-28 record as they continue to slide in the east.
Anthony Davis will join LeBron James on the sidelines and miss the Los Angeles Lakers' game with the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday due to a foot injury.
The Lakers said Davis had a right foot stress injury, which is an issue that has caused him to miss 20 games earlier this season.
Darvin Ham's 29-33 side are already without James (ankle) and D'Angelo Russell (foot) as they look to launch a charge to qualify for the playoffs. Entering Wednesday's slate of games, the Lakers are 12th in the Western Conference.
Wednesday's game was the second of a back-to-back for LA, having lost 121-109 to the Memphis Grizzlies on Tuesday.
Joel Embiid will also not play on Wednesday due to a sore foot, missing the Philadelphia 76ers' clash with the Miami Heat.
The 76ers said it was left foot soreness, forcing him to miss a game for the 13th time this season.
Stephen Curry has stepped up his recovery from a leg injury amid suggestions the two-time NBA MVP could return during the Golden State Warriors' three-game road stretch next week.
Curry has missed the Warriors' last nine games after suffering the injury in a collision with McKinley Wright IV against the Dallas Mavericks last month.
Scans subsequently revealed Curry had sustained tears to his superior tibiofibular ligaments and interosseous membrane, as well as a contusion to his lower left leg.
While Curry initially planned to return "after the All-Star break" without setting a specific date, the team confirmed last Thursday he was to sit out at least one more week.
On Wednesday, however, a report from ESPN claimed the Warriors were optimistic Curry could feature in their upcoming road trip, which begins against the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday before taking them to the Oklahoma City Thunder and Memphis Grizzlies.
The team then released an update regarding the four-time NBA champion, revealing he had increased his workload in practice and would soon be reassessed.
"Stephen Curry, who has missed the last nine games due to injury, is making good progress and has recently increased his on-court workload to include scrimmaging," a statement on the team's Twitter account read.
"His return to play will be based on his continued progress and response to full practice and scrimmages."
The Warriors are 32-30 for the season and sit fifth in the Western Conference, having made it three consecutive wins with Tuesday's 123-105 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers.
Giannis Antetokounmpo believes fans take the level of his game for granted, though it is not something he has a problem with.
The Milwaukee Bucks forward scored 33 points in a 118-104 victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday, which extended the team's winning streak to 15 matches.
Antetokounmpo returned for the game after missing Sunday's win over the Phoenix Suns due to a quad injury, having also dealt with a wrist injury during the All-Star break.
His return saw his highest points total since a haul of 36 against the Boston Celtics in mid-February and he feels supporters take his performances for granted.
"Yes. And it's okay. I don't think I'm the first, I don't think I'm the last," he replied when asked if felt that was the case.
"I feel like people take for granted Kevin Durant, people take for granted LeBron James, people take for granted Stephen Curry. You see all this greatness every day and they take it for granted until they're not there no more.
"And you're like, 'Oh, man. I miss those guys. I miss the show that they put on.' It's okay.
"As I said, I'm not the first. I'm not going to be the last. I just got to keep on going out there, enjoying the game of basketball.
"Because when I stop enjoying the game of basketball, the game is done. I got to keep on enjoying, keep on building, keep on trying to win games.
"I can't control what other people think. If they take it for granted, I can't control that, I don't take it for granted.
"When I go out there I try to give everything that I have – four minutes, five minutes that I played against Chicago, that's all I had.
"The All-Star Game when I played 10 seconds, that's all I had. Against Miami at home, I don't know how much I played, that's all I had.
"Today, I played 30 minutes, that's all I had. If I keep on giving everything I have, and I know I don't take it for granted, I'm okay with that. If other people take it for granted, it's their opinion, their mindset, it's okay."
Kyrie Irving accepts he needs "scale back" the pressure he is putting on himself after his shooting struggles continued in the Dallas Mavericks' loss to the Indiana Pacers.
The eight-time NBA All-Star scored 16 points in Tuesday's 124-122 defeat at American Airlines Center as the Mavs dropped to seventh in the Western Conference.
He has averaged 24.7 points in his seven games since joining in a high-profile trade from the Brooklyn Nets, taking his overall average for the season to 26.7.
Irving has made just 15 of his 40 field-goal attempts over the Mavs' past two games and missed a potential game-winning three late on against the Pacers.
Speaking after his side's fifth defeat in six outings, Irving said: "I appreciate the coaching staff and my team-mates trusting me with that shot and the comfort they gave me.
"I really want to win here. I really put a lot of pressure on myself at times. I think I need to scale it back a little bit.
"In the second half of the season, we feel we've got to be great every single possession. Usually these learning curves happen in preseason, but it's happening now.
"It definitely puts a glaring eye on what we're doing right and what we're doing wrong.
"It's easy to criticise, but for us, I've just got to focus on being the best that I can be and showing up for not only Luka [Doncic], but for my team-mates."
Partnering Irving with fellow superstar Doncic was supposed to bring instant success to the Mavs, but the former does not believe he has yet to truly arrive.
"It's the big business, baby," Irving said. "As much pressure as I put on myself, I have goals that I would love to accomplish, but all those are pushed to the side.
"I know I have 15 other guys on this team that are relying on me to do things that they've either seen me do or they're expecting me to do as one of the best players in the league.
"So sitting alongside Luka, I just have to show up to the party.
"I've been in situations in this league. Some have been failures, some have been successes, but over the last few years I've made it a goal of mine to be stronger mentally, especially dealing with the rigours of this mentally, physically, emotionally. It'll come. It'll come."
The Mavs are back in action on Thursday when taking on the Philadelphia 76ers.
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