Basketball

LOS ANGELES (AP) — That sound heard this week was the Los Angeles Clippers breathing a sigh of relief that Paul George's knee injury wasn't as devastating as it first appeared.

DENVER (AP) — The squeaks from the sneakers on the court sound the same. But these are far from your classic Chuck Taylors or vintage Air Jordans. Or any version of high tops at all.

NEW YORK (AP) — Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic was fined $35,000 on Friday for directing a money sign toward officials in the final seconds of a loss to Golden State. Doncic walked toward officials while rubbing his fingers together with 1.

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — South Carolina leading scorer Gregory “GG” Jackson II said Friday that he's entering the NBA draft after one season in college.

New Orleans Pelicans (36-37, 10th in the Western Conference) vs. Los Angeles Clippers (39-35, fifth in the Western Conference) Los Angeles; Saturday, 10:30 p.m.

Charlotte Hornets (23-51, 14th in the Eastern Conference) vs. Dallas Mavericks (36-37, eighth in the Western Conference) Dallas; Friday, 8:30 p.m.

Oklahoma City Thunder (36-37, 11th in the Western Conference) vs. Los Angeles Lakers (36-37, ninth in the Western Conference) Los Angeles; Friday, 10:30 p.m. EDT FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK NBA LINE : Lakers -5.

Brooklyn Nets (39-34, seventh in the Eastern Conference) vs. Miami Heat (40-34, sixth in the Eastern Conference) Miami; Saturday, 8 p.m. EDT BOTTOM LINE: Brooklyn comes into the matchup with Miami as losers of five in a row.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Kawhi Leonard scored 32 points on 15 shots, and the Los Angeles Clippers defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder 127-105 on Thursday night in their first game since losing Paul George to a knee injury.

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Paolo Banchero scored 21 points, included a 3-pointer with 1:26 remaining and two free throws in the final seconds, to help the Orlando Magic beat the New York Knicks 111-106 on Thursday night.