As a kid, Rayan Rupert attended Nic Batum's basketball camp. As they face off on an NBA court, Batum says he has "become like my brother."

Batum (finger) has been cleared to play in Thursday's game against the Wizards, Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN.com reports. Batum missed the first game of a back-to-back against the Celtics but will be available to play in the second leg Thursday against the visiting Wizards.

Out Wednesday

Washington aims to break its 18-game road losing streak with a victory over Los Angeles. The teams square off Thursday for the first time this season.

James Harden scored 40 points to lead the Los Angeles Clippers to a 127-117 win over the Milwaukee Bucks in their NBA game on Sunday. Norman Powell added 33 points, and Kawhi Leonard contributed 18. Giannis Antetokounmpo had 36 points and 13 rebounds,

Norman Powell scored 22 points, James Harden had a double-double and the Los Angeles Clippers defeated LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers 116-102.

Amid a grueling stretch of four games in five days, the Clippers chose to sit nearly all of their regulars for the Wednesday matchup with Boston at the Intuit Dome. LA ruled out the following seven players: James Harden (right groin soreness) Kawhi Leonard (right knee injury management) Norman Powell (back soreness) Ivica Zubac (left eye corneal abrasion) Kris Dunn (left knee soreness) Nicolas Batum (right finger soreness) P.

The Chicago Bulls are visiting the Los Angeles Clippers for their first meeting this season. The Bulls are coming off the heels of a loss in Portland last night

The Clippers released their injury report for their game against the Bulls that included Kawhi Leonard and James Harden.

LOS ANGELES — The Celtics will be without three rotation players on Wednesday night as they face off against a shorthanded Clippers squad at the Intuit Dome.

The Boston Celtics defeated the Los Angeles Clippers 117-113 in overtime. Both teams were shorthanded in this contest and Los Angeles nearly pulled off a shocking win.

The only first-round pick the Cavs can trade is in 2031. That leaves them with few future assets that can be moved for a big swing. Jaylon Tyson is the only young player on the roster who could conceivably be moved and have value as a young prospect for other teams.