The NBA's top two scorers will share the court on Christmas Day when the New York Knicks visit the Los Angeles Lakers. Kobe Bryant, however, thinks the Staples Center floor might as well be replaced with a boxing ring when he and Carmelo Anthony square off.

Kobe Bryant leads the NBA in scoring while Carmelo Anthony ranks second. (Getty Images)"He's a weight class above," Bryant said. "But I know where to fight at.

"It's a very interesting puzzle. You have to prepare for him a lot more than anybody else with his bag of tricks to go to. You have to be extremely, extremely prepared."

Bryant leads the NBA in scoring this season with 29.7 points per game while Anthony is averaging 28.3 and shooting a career-best 43.7 percent from 3-point range. Preparing for Anthony – who can shoot from any range or post inside – has never been tougher than now. He has played like an MVP and led the Knicks to a 20-7 record while Amar'e Stoudemire has been sidelined.

[Also: Clippers lead NBA Power Rankings]

Anthony has been criticized throughout his career for caring too much about

Read More »from Kobe Bryant expecting heavyweight fight against Carmelo Anthony and Knicks

The Los Angeles Clippers are now the best team in not only L.A., but the entire NBA.

The Clippers make their debut atop the Yahoo! Sports NBA power rankings this week after earning their franchise-record 13th straight victory by beating the Phoenix Suns on Sunday night. Led by Chris Paul, Blake Griffin and reserve Jamal Crawford, the deep Clippers have also won a franchise-record six straight road games.

The Clippers' last loss?

Nov. 26 against the New Orleans Hornets.

Records are through Sunday's games.

1. Los Angeles Clippers (21-6, previous ranking: second): The Clippers play host to the Los Angeles Lakers on Jan. 4. Good luck getting that ticket on a Friday night at Staples Center.

[Also: NYC DJs trolled Kris Humphries with Kanye West songs]

2. Oklahoma City Thunder (21-5, previous ranking: first): After losing to the Heat in last season's NBA Finals, the Thunder get a chance to measure themselves against the champs on Christmas.

3. San Antonio Spurs (21-8,

Read More »from NBA Power Rankings: Clippers surge to No. 1

Steve Nash celebrates with Darius Morris and Kobe Bryant during the Lakers' win over the Warriors. (AP)OAKLAND, Calif. – A very sore 38-year-old Steve Nash sat calmly with two towels covering most of his body and feet submerged in a frigid ice bucket. The 17-year NBA veteran may have looked worn out, but his play on the court was anything but sluggish.

Playing in his first game since Halloween, Nash provided a much-needed spark for the floundering Los Angeles Lakers, contributing a solid 40-plus minutes to power his team to a 118-115 overtime win over the lively Golden State Warriors.

"I got through it. It was only my third day of basketball in seven-plus weeks, so it was a lot. But I didn't feel too bad," said Nash, who finished with 12 points and nine assists.

The veteran missed 24 games after fracturing his left fibula against the Portland Trail Blazers on Oct. 31. While the leg healed well, a nerve irritation prolonged his absence a month longer than expected. Without Nash and injured backup point guard Steve Blake (who told Yahoo! Sports he could return as early as

Read More »from Steve Nash proves vital cog in return, fueling Lakers to gritty comeback win over Warriors

New Orleans coach Monty Williams is asking Hornets fans for a favor regarding Eric Gordon, who plans to return to practice next week after rehabbing a knee injury: Give him a second chance.

"Our city has been a city of second chances," Williams told Yahoo! Sports. "This situation should be the same way. Eric said some things. But if you polled most of the people in our city about the things they said at [age] 23, I'm sure they had some regrets. We want our city to embrace him because that's who we are." Eric Gordon expects to return soon from a knee injury that has sidelined him all year. (Reuters)

The words that caused such a stir for Gordon in New Orleans came in a statement he made after signing a maximum four-year, $55 million offer sheet with the Phoenix Suns this past summer. "I strongly feel they are the right franchise for me. Phoenix is just where my heart is now," Gordon stated.

Gordon told Yahoo! Sports he regretted those words, but there was a reason he was so cavalier.

"Of course I did [regret it]," Gordon said. "But that was the only way to push the

Read More »from Hornets coach urges Big Easy to take it easy on Eric Gordon when star returns from knee injury

Oklahoma City is riding high, winners of 11 straight. (AP) The Oklahoma City Thunder is the latest NBA team to make their first appearance this season atop the Yahoo! Sports NBA power rankings.

The Thunder clinched this week's top spot after a 107-93 win over the San Antonio Spurs, who were without Manu Ginobili on Monday night. Oklahoma City became the first NBA team to reach 20 wins this season and has won 11 straight.

1. Oklahoma City Thunder (20-4, previous ranking: second): Before the Miami showdown on Christmas, the Thunder have a challenging back-to-back this week on the road against Atlanta and Minnesota.

2. Los Angeles Clippers (18-6, previous ranking: fourth): The Clippers have won 10 straight. More wins likely on horizon against New Orleans, Sacramento and Phoenix.

3. San Antonio Spurs (19-7, previous ranking: first): The Spurs have lost three of their past four games after being ranked first in these rankings last week. Doesn't get easier with game at Denver on Tuesday.

4. New York Knicks (18-6, previous

Read More »from NBA power rankings: Thunderous applause awaits league's hottest team

Steve Nash looks on during a Lakers game. (AP) Steve Nash is eyeing a return to the Los Angeles Lakers' lineup Saturday against the Golden State Warriors if practice goes well this week, sources told Yahoo! Sports.

Nash, 38, had a light practice workload Monday. He has missed 23 games this season after suffering a fractured left fibula on Nov. 1 against the Portland Trail Blazers. The Lakers might have three days' worth of workouts in between Tuesday's game against the Charlotte Bobcats and Saturday against the Warriors.

The Lakers originally thought the injury was just a bone bruise, but an MRI showed worse. Nash appeared set to return about a month ago after his fibula healed, but he had a setback due to a nerve irritation.

He has yet to play for new Lakers coach Mike D’Antoni, who coached him with the Phoenix Suns. The Lakers are also without backup point guard Steve Blake due to an abdominal injury.

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Read More »from Sources: Barring setback, Steve Nash eyes Saturday return to Lakers

Most NBA players who signed contracts during the past offseason become eligible on Saturday to be traded. What that means: With a much larger pool of players available for deals, NBA general managers will start spending a lot more time on the phone in the coming weeks.

"It's about to heat up on Dec. 15," one Eastern Conference general manager said. "Conversations are definitely happening because once Dec. 15 comes, the pool increases. You've heard a lot of rumors about Pau Gasol, Andrea Bargnani. The names are only going to grow on Dec. 15."

From conversations with several NBA executives, here's a list of players whose names figure to frequently surface in trade talks between now and the league's Feb. 21 deadline for deals.

Andrea Bargnani (Getty Images)Andrea Bargnani: Toronto Raptors, 27, PF-C

Contract status: Three years, $33.25 million remaining. Player opt-out in 2014. Due 5 percent bonus if traded.

Buzz: Bargnani is sidelined with elbow and wrist injuries, tempering his short-term value. He

Read More »from NBA's top trade candidates

As the anesthesia was about to be given to Stephen Curry prior to his second ankle surgery last April, the Golden State point guard's mind was racing for good reason about his NBA future.

"If my ankle was unstable it could have taken up to a year to rehab and recover from," Curry said. "They couldn't tell me if I would be able to play the way I used to or if my ankle would ever feel the same as before. That's a tough thought to have before you go in [the operating room]."

The injury forced Curry to miss 40 games in the lockout shortened 2011-12 season, when he averaged career lows of 14.7 points and 3.4 assists. He had missed eight games in the 2010-11 season before having his first ankle surgery. Stephen Curry (AP)

The second operation was of an exploratory nature. Curry's wife, Ayesha, his father/former NBA player Dell Curry and agent, Jeff Austin, waited nervously at the hospital during the surgery. But the procedure wasn't as feared as doctors only cleaned out loose debris and scar tissue.

Read More »from Warriors' Stephen Curry finally has his step back