LeBron James injury update: Lakers star hurts elbow in hard fall

Anotherrecord-setting night for LeBron Jamesended painfully, as he hurt his elbow in a hard fall during the fourth quarter of theLos Angeles Lakers' game against theDenver Nuggets.

James drove and hit a layup with just over 4 minutes to go, but he came down hard and immediately grasped at his elbow. TheAmazon Prime cameras captured James saying"elbow" and using some NSFW language as he was checked on.

Jaxson Hayes subbed in for James after the ensuing timeout and James received treatment from trainers while sitting on the bench, working his elbow area.

James' basket had cut the Lakers' deficit to 110-106 late. He returned to the court about two minutes later, with 2:05 on the clock and the Lakers trailing 112-111. James was removed for good with 22.3 seconds left

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The Nuggets held on to win, 120-113.

ESPN's Dave McMenamin, relaying what Lakers coach JJ Redick said after the contest, reported that James was "icing his left elbow after the game and that he was experiencing enough discomfort that it caused him to be unable to finish the game."

Earlier in the contest, James broke Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's NBA record for most made field goals.

Oct. 26: The Brooklyn Nets' Michael Porter Jr. dunks in front of the San Antonio Spurs' Victor Wembanyama at Frost Bank Center.

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Dribble into this collection of dunk photos as NBA stars posterize opponents

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:LeBron James injury update, why he left Lakers-Nuggets game in 4th

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March 06, 2026

LeBron James injury update: Lakers star hurts elbow in hard fall

Anotherrecord-setting night for LeBron Jamesended painfully, as he hurt his elbow in a hard fall during the fourth quarte...

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Lakers' LeBron James hurts elbow in loss to Nuggets

Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James left a record-setting game due to a left elbow injury on Thursday in Denver.

With 4:05 to play in the Lakers' 120-113 loss to the Nuggets, James drove for a layup but went down hard beyond the baseline.

Play went up to the other end, where the Lakers committed a foul. When the television cameras cut back to James on the floor, the broadcast microphones clearly picked up James saying, "My elbow. F---. F---."

James came out of the game for good at that point, with Los Angeles trailing 110-106.

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After the game, Lakers coach JJ Redick didn't have any details about James' prognosis.

"He fell on it," Redick said of James' elbow. "It was bothering him enough that he didn't feel comfortable (remaining in the game)."

Late in the first quarter of the game, James sank a jumper for his 15,838th career field goal, passing Lakers great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the all-time NBA record.

Three years ago, James topped Abdul-Jabbar to become the NBA's all-time leading scorers.

--Field Level Media

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March 06, 2026

Lakers' LeBron James hurts elbow in loss to Nuggets

Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James left a record-setting game due to a left elbow injury on Thursday in Denver. ...

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John Carlson trade grades: Who won Capitals-Ducks deal?

TheWashington Capitalstraded longtime defenseman John Carlson to theAnaheim Ducksearly Friday morning in one of the surprise moves of theNHL trade deadline. At least on the surface.

Carlson, 36, has been a career Capital, appearing in 1,143 games for the franchise over 17 seasons after he was selected with the 27th overall pick in the 2008 NHL Draft. He owns basically every major franchise record for a defenseman — games played, goals (166), assists (605) and points (771) — and was a key component of the franchise's breakthrough Stanley Cup win in 2018. He finished in the top five in Norris Trophy voting three times, including a runner-up finish in 2019-20.

"Since joining our organization 17 years ago, John Carlson has exemplified what it means to be a Washington Capital every day," Capitals GM Chris Patricksaid in a statement. "John's determination, leadership, persistence and skill helped our franchise reach new heights and cemented him as a cornerstone and one of the greatest players in Capitals history. His contributions to our organization and the Washington, D.C., community both on and off the ice have been immeasurable.

"We are incredibly grateful for everything John has given to our team and wish him and his family nothing but the best moving forward with Anaheim."

So ... who won the deal?

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Capitals trade grade: A-

Sentimentality aside, getting a first-round pick — either this summer if the Ducks make the playoffs or next year — and third-round pick for a 36-year-old defenseman who will be a free agent this summer is a tidy bit of business. The Capitals are just four points out of the playoffs, but they are tied for the most games played in the conference. They made a shrewd decision to throw in the towel in what seems to be a seller's market, earlier on Thursday trading another veteran in Nic Dowd.

The Capitals now have 22 picks in the next three NHL drafts and clearly have their eyes on the future ... which could also see franchise icon Alex Ovechkin depart this summer with the 40-year-old's contract set to expire. A trade of a franchise icon is never fun, but this move helps set the Capitals up for more winning down the road.

Feb. 4: The Los Angeles Kings acquired left wing Artemi Panarin from the New York Rangers in exchange for forward Liam Greentree and conditional third-round (2026) and fourth-round (2028) picks.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Jan. 27: The New York Islanders acquired left wing Ondrej Palat, a 2026 third-round pick and a 2027 sixth-round pick from the New Jersey Devils in exchange for forward Maxim Tsyplakov.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Jan. 20: The San Jose Sharks acquire forward Kiefer Sherwood from the Vancouver Canucks for second-round picks in 2026 and 2027, plus defenseman Cole Clayton.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Jan. 16: The Anaheim Ducks acquire winger Jeffrey Viel from the Boston Bruins for a 2026 fourth-round pick. Anaheim will give up the better of the fourth-rounder previously acquired from Philadelphia and Detroit.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Jan. 8: The San Jose Sharks acquire goaltender Laurent Brossoit, defenseman Nolan Allan and a 2028 seventh-round pick from the Chicago Blackhawks for defensemen Ryan Ellis, Jake Furlong and a 2028 fourth-rounder.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Dec. 29: The Pittsburgh Penguins acquire forward Yegor Chinakhov from the Columbus Blue Jackets for forward Danton Heinen, a 2026 second-round draft pick and a 2027 third-rounder.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Dec. 12: The Minnesota Wild acquired Quinn Hughes from the Vancouver Canucks for Marco Rossi, Zeev Buium, Liam Ohgren and a 2026 first-round pick.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Dec. 12: The Edmonton Oilers acquired Tristan Jarry and Samuel Poulin from the Pittsburgh Penguins for Stuart Skinner, Brett Kulak and a 2029 second-round pick.

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NHL trade tracker: Who changed teams in 2025-26

Ducks trade grade: B+

This trade feels very much like a win-win as the Ducks are adding a defenseman who can still get it done, particularly on the offensive end. Carlson has been quite productive again this season, scoring 10 goals and dishing 36 assists for 46 points in 55 games. He carries a plus-11 rating.

He also brings loads of playoff experience for a team that hasn't played spring hockey in a while, having appeared in 137 postseason contests, winning the Stanley Cup in 2018. That's the last year the Ducks made the playoffs. Maybe you'd like to keep your first-round pick, but getting a player like Carlson comes at a price; plus, Anaheim is already oozing with young talent thanks to its years in the wilderness.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:John Carlson trade grades for Capitals-Ducks deal

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March 06, 2026

John Carlson trade grades: Who won Capitals-Ducks deal?

TheWashington Capitalstraded longtime defenseman John Carlson to theAnaheim Ducksearly Friday morning in one of the surpr...

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Blue Jackets start NHL trade deadline day by acquiring Conor Garland from the Canucks

The Columbus Blue Jackets started NHL trade deadline day with a bang by acquiring winger Conor Garland from Vancouver.

Canucks Kraken Hockey

Just after midnight Friday, they sent a third-round pick in the draft this year and a 2028 second-rounder to the Canucks for the soon-to-be 30-year-old who drew interest from multiple Eastern Conference contenders.

"Conor is a versatile player who brings great energy to the lineup every night," Blue Jackets general manager Don Waddell said. "He has tremendous character, plays a reliable two-way game and will be an important part of our club now and in the future."

Garland has seven goals and 19 assists for 26 points in 50 games this season. He's signed through 2032 at a salary cap hit of $6 million, a contract that begins in 2026-27.

The Blue Jackets moved one point back of the second and final wild-card spot in the East by beating back-to-back champion Florida on the eve of the deadline.

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Garland was one of the top available players left on the market aftera flurry of activityThursday, which including Western Stanley Cup contenders Colorado, Dallas, Vegas and Minnesota all making a move.

The New York Rangers still have center Vincent Trocheck to potentially move before the deadline at 3 p.m. EST. After playing andbeating Torontoon Thursday night, they agreed to trade Sam Carrick to Buffalo and still could have more to sell.

The Panthers also remain a team to watch in the final hours, sitting 10 points out of a playoff position with 20 games to play. Goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky is a pending free agent, though depth forward A.J. Greer appears more likely to get traded.

AP NHL:https://apnews.com/NHL

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March 05, 2026

Blue Jackets start NHL trade deadline day by acquiring Conor Garland from the Canucks

The Columbus Blue Jackets started NHL trade deadline day with a bang by acquiring winger Conor Garland from Vancouver. ...

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Zion Williamson scores 23 as the Pelicans beat the Kings 133-123

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Zion Williamson had 23 points on 10-for-14 shooting, Trey Murphy III added 21 points and the New Orelans Pelicans beat the NBA-worst Sacramento Kings 133-123 on Thursday night.

Pelicans Kings Basketball

Saddiq Bey shot 6 for 11 (3 for 5 from 3-point range) and 5 of 6 from the free-throw line for 20 points for the Pelicans, who had lost two in a row after a four-game win streak.

Williamson added nine rebounds and five assists.

Precious Achiuwa had 29 points and 12 rebounds and Russell Westbrook had 19 points and 10 assists for the Kings, who fell to 14-50 overall and lost their ninth in a row at home. They have lost three in a row and are 2-4 following a franchise-worst 16-game losing streak.

The Pelicans entered halftime up 67-61. The Pelicans took a 14-point lead in the third quarter thanks to a 15-0 scoring run.

The Pelicans made 12 3-pointers compared to the Kings eight.

All-Star point guard Dejounte Murray (return to competition reconditioning) did not play for the first game of a back-to-back (New Orleans plays at Phoenix on Friday).

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Kings forward Keegan Murray missed his fourth straight game because of ankle injury.

DeMar DeRozan kad 15 points to move into 19th place on the NBA's career scoring leaders list.

Up next

Pelicans: Visit the Phoenix Suns on Friday night.

Kings: Host the Chicago Bulls on Sunday night.

AP NBA:https://apnews.com/hub/nba

The Associated Press created this story using technology provided byData Skriveand data fromSportradar.

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March 05, 2026

Zion Williamson scores 23 as the Pelicans beat the Kings 133-123

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Zion Williamson had 23 points on 10-for-14 shooting, Trey Murphy III added 21 points and the Ne...

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Cooper Flagg scores 18, reaches 1,000 career points in return to Mavericks' lineup vs. Magic

Cooper Flagg returned to the Dallas Mavericks' lineup forThursday's 115-114 lossto the Orlando Magic and quickly reached a milestone in his very young NBA career.

Flagg reached 1,000 career points on his first basket of the game, laying in a shot after rebounding a miss by Khris Middleton. That made him the second-youngest player to achieve quadruple figures in his NBA career, following LeBron James.

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James was 19 years and 41 days old when he reached 1,000 points during his rookie season of 2004. Flagg scored his milestone basket at the age of 19 years and 74 days.

Thenext youngest playersto score 1,000 points were Kobe Bryant (19 years, 127 days), Kevin Durant (19 years, 146 days) and Devin Booker (19 years, 162 days).

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Flagg, the 2025 No. 1 overall draft pick, finished with 18 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists and 4 blocks in his first appearance in the Mavericks' past nine games, previously sidelined with a left mid-foot sprain. He gave Dallas a 4-point lead with 37.3 seconds remaining in regulation. After blocking Wendell Carter Jr.'s layup attempt, Flagg cut to the basket, drew a foul and made the basket for a 3-point play.

Orlando quickly cut the deficit to 114-113 on a 3-pointer from Jalen Suggs and Flagg had an opportunity to extend the Mavericks' lead again. But his pull-up jumper from 13 feet missed and Carter got the rebound. Streaking down the court, Suggs found him with an open path to the basket and a dunk with 1.4 seconds left. Dallas could not get off a shot with the time remaining.

Cooper Flagg was activated three hours before tip-off

Flagg was upgraded to doubtful for Dallas' loss Tuesday to the Charlotte Hornets and was listedas questionable for the Magic gamebefore the Mavericks confirmed he would play. Head coach Jason Kidd told reporters that Flagg wouldplay 20 to 25 minutesversus Orlando before seeing an uptick in minutes Friday at the Boston Celtics, his favorite childhood team. He played 26 minutes against the Magic.

The Mavericks won only two of the eight games they played without Flagg during this most recent injury. He also missed time this seasonwith a sprained ankleand an illness.

Through 49 games this season, Flagg averaged 20.4 points, 6.6 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 1.2 steals per game. With 20 games remaining in the regular season, Dallas is 21-41.

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March 05, 2026

Cooper Flagg scores 18, reaches 1,000 career points in return to Mavericks' lineup vs. Magic

Cooper Flagg returned to the Dallas Mavericks' lineup forThursday's 115-114 lossto the Orlando Magic and quick...

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Deion Sanders discusses player death: 'Toughest thing for me to digest'

Colorado footballcoachDeion Sandersmade his first extensive public comments about the recent death ofColoradoquarterbackDominiq Ponder, revealing that Ponder had recently earned a new jersey number and was going to wear itfor the first time on March 2, one day after hedied in a car accident at age 23.

Sanders discussed Ponder's death on his weekly talk show on Tubi which aired March 5. Ponder was a non-scholarship backup quarterback at Colorado who had spent two seasons in Boulder and had previously worn jersey No. 22, which is unusual for a quarterback.

But Sanders said he encouraged Ponder to fight for the right to wear a more coveted jersey number - No. 7. He was going to wear it when histeam started spring practice March 2.

"He worked his butt off, and this season he was gonna wear No. 7," Sanders said on the show"We Got Time Today.""But the teammates love him so much. One of the kids came to my office today and said, `Coach, can I wear 22? You know, for my roommate?' I said, 'Yeah, but you know, he was getting ready to wear 7.' Like, the next day, he would have been in 7 for his first time ever."

Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders and his father Deion Sanders on the sideline before the game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Huntington Bank Field on Dec. 28, 2025. Shedeur Sanders made seven starts during his rookie season with the Browns, going 3-4 in those games.

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Deion Sanders through the years

Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders and his father Deion Sanders on the sideline before the game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Huntington Bank Field on Dec. 28, 2025. Shedeur Sanders made seven starts during his rookie season with the Browns, going 3-4 in those games.

Colorado still deciding which number to use on patch

The number change has presented Sanders' team with a decision to make. The Buffaloes plan to honor Ponder's memory with a patch on their jerseys, but is still deciding which number to use in it – the one Ponder was known for (22) or the one he worked hard to get (7).

"Everybody knows he's 22," Sanders said. "But I know how much 7 meant to him. So we're going back and forth with that right now."

What else did Deion Sanders say about Dominiq Ponder?

Sanders said Ponder was "one of my favorites" and a team leader. He also had a nickname for Ponder: "Black Flutie," referring to white former quarterback Doug Flutie, who wore No. 22 at Boston College before switching to No. 7 in the NFL.

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Sanders spoke with Ponders' parents after his death.

"It was tough, because I'm like, you send a kid to college to become a man and to get education, and to just soar through life.," Sanders said. "You don't send a kid to college to lose him. And that's the toughest thing for me to digest."

MASSIVE CHANGES:Is Deion Sanders fighting for his job? Not yet, but there are issues

Coloradoheld an emergency meeting on March 1after learning of Ponders' death and elected to start spring practice as scheduled March 2 instead of taking the day off.

"They said, `Dom would have wanted to practice, coach; He wasn't missing no practice,'" Sanders said. "I said, `Wow.' So we went out to work."

Colorado continues spring practice through April 11 and begins the seasonat Georgia Tech on Sept. 3.

Follow reporter Brent Schrotenboer@Schrotenboer. Email: bschrotenb@usatoday.com

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Deion Sanders discusses death of Colorado player Dominiq Ponder

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March 05, 2026

Deion Sanders discusses player death: 'Toughest thing for me to digest'

Colorado footballcoachDeion Sandersmade his first extensive public comments about the recent death ofColoradoquarterbackD...

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