LeBron James says there is a sense of urgency that the Los Angeles Lakers need to play better now after slumping to their ninth defeat of the season on Friday.
James returned from an abdominal strain after eight games out but was unable to lift the Lakers who went down 130-108 to the Boston Celtics.
After 17 games in an 82-game season, the Lakers have an 8-9 record, having lost their past three games and seven of their past 10.
"We damn straight need to play better, no matter who's in the line-up," James said at a post-game news conference. "We have our system and we need to fast-track it and get better with it.
"It's never that we've got 65 games and we can figure it out. There's no level of panic but there should be some sense of urgency every time we hit the floor."
Lakers head coach Frank Vogel said offensively his side needs to "get committed to playing as a team" while he labelled their rebounding (51-33) against the Celtics as "atrocious".
Russell Westbrook was among a host of new players added during the offseason at the Lakers and James said it was taking time for the side to develop cohesion.
The four-time NBA MVP also said patience was required having only just returned, along with starting forward Talen Horton-Tucker.
"As we continue to log more minutes, I continue to see where we're great at and not so good at," James said. "Things that we can improve on.
"Like I said, it's my first game in two and a half weeks. I believe it's Talen third or fourth game back. We're trying to figure out rotations and who to play when."
The Lakers led by eight points at quarter time and held the most slender advantage at the main break, before a 33-21 third quarter.
Vogel added: "We did not have a good third. We were stuck in mud. [But] it's about the whole game more than the third quarter.
"Our group has got to strike the balance of how we're going to play offensively. That's going to take some time. We have to get committed to playing as a team offensively.
"When we do, like we saw in the first quarter, it looks beautiful. You see the potential of what we can be."
James added that recovery from his first game back would be key to his short-term future as he rebuilds following his abdominal strain. The 36-year-old forward finished with 23 points and six rebounds on his return.
"Physically I felt okay. I know I can trust my body and play," he said. "I'm looking forward to seeing how I feel when I wake up. That's the tell-tale sign if I'm moving in the right direction with my injury."
Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr says winning without Stephen Curry was "huge" but offered no update on the two-time MVP's return.
Curry missed Friday's 105-102 victory over the Detroit Pistons having admitted he was nursing a hip contusion after Thursday's 104-89 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers where he shot 40 points.
The 33-year-old point guard has been in MVP-like form this season, averaging 29.5 points, 6.1 rebounds and 6.5 assists per game.
Curry has shot at 41.9 percent from three-point range and averaging a career-high 5.7 three-point attempts made per game.
Curry was joined by Draymond Green on the sidelines against the Pistons, with Andre Igoudala, Otto Porter, Klay Thompson and James Wiseman already unavailable, yet Golden State claimed the win to move to 14-2.
Guard Jordan Poole top scored in Curry's absence with 32 points including four triples, while center Andrew Wiggins contributed 27 points.
"It is a huge win," Kerr said at the post-game news conference. "To win without Steph, Draymond, Andre, Otto and obviously Klay and James are out, so many guys to come in here and really get contributions from everybody.
"I think we're 6-1 now on the road, it's a great sign. I think we've got guys who know how to step up when they need to.
"Wigs and Jordan, knowing they had to score some points for us tonight and be the focal point offensively, they both stepped up."
The Warriors return home for Sunday's game against the Toronto Raptors, although Kerr did not confirm if Curry or Green would play.
"We'll see. We'll see," Kerr said. "We have tomorrow off. The guys who are injured [will] come in and get treatment tomorrow and then we have a five o'clock game, so no shoot-around Sunday.
"We'll see how everyone is doing on Sunday."
LeBron James returned after a fortnight out with an abdominal strain as the Los Angeles Lakers took on the Boston Celtics on Friday.
James, 36, had not played for the Lakers since their 119-117 win over the Houston Rockets on November 1.
The four-time NBA MVP and NBA champion was averaging 24.8, 5.5 rebounds and 7.0 assists across six games this season.
James only played 45 games across the 2020-21 season as the Lakers' title defence ended in the first round of the NBA playoffs against the Phoenix Suns.
Reigning MVP Nikola Jokic was ruled out of the Denver Nuggets' side for their game against the Chicago Bulls on Friday with a wrist sprain.
The Serbian center appeared to hurt his wrist in Thursday's 103-89 shock loss to the depleted Philadelphia 76ers.
The Golden State Warriors have ruled Stephen Curry and Draymond Green out of Friday's game at the Detroit Pistons as they rest a number of players.
The Warriors lead the NBA after a stunning 13-2 start, in which Curry and Green have been influential.
Curry is leading the early race for the scoring title with 29.5 points per game, while Green has also started all 15 games.
But that sequence will end with the final stop on a four-game road trip at the Pistons, who are struggling at 4-10 despite having the first overall draft pick in Cade Cunningham.
Andre Iguodala and Otto Porter have also been rested, meaning Golden State will be without four of their eight most-used players in terms of minutes.
Since Green came into the league in 2012-13, the Warriors are 17-27 when both he and Curry are missing.
Klay Thompson is yet to return from consecutive major injuries, and the Warriors are 7-22 when all three of their stalwarts have sat out.
Kevin Durant will be absent for the first time this season when the Brooklyn Nets welcome the Orlando Magic on Friday.
The superstar forward leads the NBA with 457 points this year, albeit now just behind Stephen Curry (29.5 points per game) in the early stages of the race for the scoring title (28.6 points per game).
Durant's MVP-calibre form has helped the Nets make an 11-5 start. Only in 2020-21 has the two-time champion previously scored more points through his first 16 games of a season (495).
But Durant will be out of the lineup for Brooklyn's next game after appearing on Friday's injury report due to a shoulder sprain.
The Magic game will bring to an end a run of 36 consecutive starts for Durant across the regular season and playoffs, having put behind him the Achilles injury he had upon arriving as a free agent in 2019.
Since his signing, the Nets are 41-22 with Durant playing some part and 60-53 when he is absent.
Stephen Curry is the "greatest three-point shooter of all time" according to his Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr following his latest domination in a 104-89 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Curry scored 40 points, including 20 in the fourth quarter, as the Warriors went on a 17-0 run to reverse a 13-point deficit and claim the road win on Thursday.
The point guard made four three-pointers in the final quarter to finish the game with nine triples, which is the 10th time he has netted nine or more from the beyond the arc since April.
Curry has achieved that feat in a bit over six months, while James Harden is next best in the history of the league, with nine games with nine or more three-pointers across his career.
The two-time NBA MVP also brought up his 53rd career game where he has dropped 40 points or more, which he has done 15 times since turning 32 years old. Only Kobe Bryant (18) and Michael Jordan (38) have had more 40-point games at age 32 or older than Curry, who went past Alex English (14).
"He's one of the greatest players in the history of the game," Kerr said at the post-game news conference. "He's the greatest three-point shooter of all time.
"The way he moves off the ball, he's so strong and fluid. He understands the game on and off the ball. He's fearless.
"You throw all of that together, he's always capable of catching fire like that. As amazing as it was, it didn’t shock me because this is what he does."
Curry had gone into the game under an injury cloud with a left hip contusion but overcame that to play 35 minutes.
The 33-year-old admitted he was not sure if he would be able to play in Friday's game against the Detroit Pistons who are 4-10.
"I'll get an assessment," Curry said at the post-game news conference. "That [fourth quarter] charge really messed with me a little bit.
"I'm just trying to deal with that. We'll see how that feels when I wake up."
Stephen Curry led the Golden State Warriors' fourth-quarter charge and registered his fourth 40-point game of the season in a 104-89 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday.
Curry had been listed as "questionable" for the game due to a hip complaint but overcame that to post 40 points including nine three-pointers for the Warriors who improve to 13-2.
Golden State had trailed by 13 points early in the final quarter, before going on a 17-0 initiated by three consecutive Curry triples.
Curry had 13 points during the 17-0 run and 20 for the final quarter, as the Warriors flicked the switch with a 36-8 last period.
Draymond Green played a strong deputy hand with 14 assists for the Warriors, while Darius Garland had 25 points for the Cavs.
Curry also broke his own record for the most triples made by a player in the first 15 games of season, overtaking his 2018-19 haul of 80 and moving his 2021-22 tally to 85.
Sixers snap five-game skid
Guards Seth Curry (20 points, six rebounds and five assists) and Tyrese Maxey (22 points, five rebounds and four assists) helped the Philadelphia 76ers end their five-game skid with a 103-89 win over the Denver Nuggets. Nikola Jokic had 22 points in the first half but finished with 30 for the game, along with 10 rebounds and seven assists.
Jimmy Butler had 32 points, five assists and four steals while Kyle Lowry dished off 12 assists as the Miami Heat downed the Washington Wizards 112-97, despite Bradley Beal's 30 points.
Ja Morant starred with 28 points, five rebounds and five assists for the Memphis Grizzlies in a 120-108 win over the Los Angeles Clippers, with Paul George managing 23 points, including five from beyond the arc.
Murray loses his radar
Dejounte Murray only managed seven points, shooting at 17 percent from the field, missing all four three-point attempts in the San Antonio Spurs' 115-90 defeat to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
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