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Kobe Bryant had 21 points, 14 assists and nine rebounds, Steve Nash added seven of his 17 points in the final 5 1/2 minutes, and the Los Angeles Lakers held off the NBA-leading Oklahoma City Thunder 105-96 Sunday.

Though Dwight Howard is shooting 46.9 percent from the foul line this season, the Lakers center said he's had enough of people giving him advice.

After four years apart, Steve Nash and Mike D'Antoni are back on the title hunt in Los Angeles. Marc Stein has that and all the latest buzz from around the league in the latest Weekend Dime.

From cheating equipment managers to LeBron's politics to annoying songs, Adena Andrews has questions on all fronts in her latest I'm Just Askin.

From liftoff in Houston to hope in New York to panic in L.A., our writers pick the biggest early NBA surprises in this week's roundtable.

Dwight Howard had a big smile on his face a day after making his Los Angeles Lakers debut, but he still feels the sting of how things ended in Orlando when he thinks about his trophy shelf.

Chris Bosh is willing to reconsider playing center for the Heat.

Neil Paine projects how the NBA's three best teams would fare against each other in seven-game series: Lakers versus Heat, Heat versus Thunder and Thunder versus Lakers.

Story | Conversation | August 31, 2012

As part of Insider's series looking at the top candidates to beat the Miami Heat in 2012-13, Chris Palmer examines whether the Los Angeles Lakers have improved after their offseason moves.

Story | Conversation | August 30, 2012

Chris Broussard addresses issues facing the Oklahoma City Thunder: Are they actually second in the West? Can they keep James Harden?

Story | Conversation | August 30, 2012

Bradford Doolittle projects win totals for every Western Conference team, with the Lakers jumping up the standings to push the Thunder for the West's top seed.

Story | Conversation | August 21, 2012

Bradford Doolittle rates all the trades of the offseason, offering a thumbs up or thumbs down.

Story | Conversation | August 10, 2012

By adding Dwight Howard, the Lakers are suddenly the team to beat once again.

While the NBA's other top teams load up on high-priced talent through free agency and trades, the Oklahoma City Thunder are trying to improve while facing a budget crunch.

The Dallas Mavericks, in the aftermath of Thursday's stunning departure of point guard Jason Kidd, have reached out for a second time to Ramon Sessions, this time with a starting job to pitch.

Tom Haberstroh takes a look at five burning questions facing the Oklahoma City Thunder this offseason.

Story | Conversation | June 21, 2012