Irving has held the Mavs together as the team’s unquestioned leader. You’d think he’d have gotten the benefit of the doubt in the All-Star

Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker would support the NBA potentially expanding All-Star rosters to 15 players per conference after being left out of the

The Lakers and Clippers have moved into the top 10 of the NBA power rankings and are beginning to look like true contenders.

P.J. Washington and Daniel Gafford had double-doubles, four of their Dallas teammates scored in double figures and the visiting Mavericks defeated the New Orleans Pelicans 137-136 on Wednesday night.

The latest misfortune in the Mavericks' injury-riddled season occurred Thursday night when the All-Star reserves were announced by TNT. Kyrie Irving, who had the best chance of qualifying for the Western Conference team, was not selected as part of the 14 reserves.

The teams that placed higher in the power rankings were the Sacramento Kings, Los Angeles Clippers, Milwaukee Bucks, New York Knicks, Denver Nuggets, Memphis Grizzlies, Houston Rockets, Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers and Oklahoma City Thunder.

Given that schedule, the Celtics also chose a cautious approach with several of their veterans. Jrue Holiday (shoulder), Kristaps Porzingis (illness) and Al Horford (big toe) all were ruled out against the Clippers after being listed as questionable.

Boston’s starting five is finding cohesion, and its defense stifled Golden State. The Celtics’ ability to stay consistent will be tested against the Clippers, who sit fifth in the Western Conference standings and sport a 15-7 record at the Intuit Dome.

The Dallas Mavericks and Charlotte Hornets kick off an early slate of NBA games on Martin Luther King Day with a noon ET tip at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte.

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The Los Angeles Clippers are hopeful to get a first-time NBA All-Star by the name of Norman Powell following a strong start to the year.

One team to keep an eye on is the Los Angeles Lakers ... A potential trade target that could help them bridge that gap? Dallas Mavericks center Daniel Gafford. According to the Spotrac trade ...