We have new front-runners for a couple of individual races, though things could change over the season's final week.

LeBron James and Luka Dončić helped the Lakers clinch a playoff spot with a win over the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday. Dončić is less than one year removed from leading the Dallas Mavericks to the Western Conference Finals. He will now look to power his new team on a similarly deep playoff run.

Ahkeema Love, the mother of New Orleans Pelican Zion Williamson's child, was arrested in a home invasion case involving an unidentified woman who is allegedly also linked to Williamson. NBC News' Marquise Francis has more on the arrest.

A video of crowds gathering in 2021 at an NBA watch party in Wisconsin has been reshared online to falsely claim it shows people in April protesting against U.S. President Donald Trump and his billionaire ally Elon Musk.

That's because all three expert mocks featured all five of the following players within the top 10 picks: Baylor wing VJ Edgecombe, Rutgers swingman Ace Bailey, Texas guard Tre Johnson, Duke wing Kon Knueppel and Duke big man Khaman Maluach.

Georgia freshman big man Asa Newell will enter the 2025 NBA draft, his agents at Excel Sports Management told ESPN on Wednesday. Newell, the No. 21 prospect in ESPN's NBA draft projections, was named to the SEC All-Freshman team after averaging 15.4 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.0 block in 29.0 minutes per game.

The Denver Nuggets will play their first game since parting ways with Michael Malone on Tuesday when they visit the Sacramento Kings ( 10 ET, ESPN ). Denver has lost four in a row and fell to fifth in the West, but the Kings have rattled off three consecutive wins to secure a Play-In berth.

Worth noting that all those other teams won the NBA title. 2. Boston Celtics (56-19, LW 2). Boston is hitting its stride at just the right time — the Celtics just recorded the first 6-0 road trip in franchise history (it’s kind of shocking that the Bill Russell Celtics didn’t pull that off).