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Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has confirmed he does not expect to see centre-back John Stones in action until after the September international break. Stones played 90 minutes in the Community Shield defeat to Arsenal but has missed City's last three Game s in all com Pet itions with a hip problem. After City's latest 1-0 victory over Newcastle United, Guardiola revealed Stones is still a few weeks away from being able to return . "John will not be ready until after the international break," Guardiola revealed. That means Stones, who has transitioned into a midfield role at club level, is likely to miss Game s against Sheffield United and Fulham, with the trip to West Ham United on 16 September a potential target for Stones. READ MORE FROM 90MIN'S TALKING TRANSFERS TEAM feed While Mateo Kovacic has impressed alongside Rodri in City's midfield, Stones' absence could prove problematic for England manager Gareth Southgate. The Three Lions have a Europ...

Los Angeles Clippers star Kawhi Leonard appears to be making progress in his bid to return to action, and Friday's news was the best indication that he's closer although there is still no official timetable for when he'll see game action next, the team said. Leonard return ed to the floor last month after missing the entire 2021-22 season due to a torn ACL, but he's appeared in just two of Clippers' first three games, coming off of the bench in both contests, before again missing time due to a knee injury . Leonard has not played since Oct. 23, and while the Clippers have offered no definitive timeline yet for his return , coach Ty Lue acknowledged that he is getting closer on Friday. "He played five-on-five this morning with some of our guys, some of the players and some of our coaches," Lue said. "It was the first time he was able to get on the floor and play five-on-five. He ...

Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving is nearing the completion of the process laid out by team owner Joe Tsai to return to the floor, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. That return could come as soon as Sunday's game against the Memphis Grizzlies, which is Brooklyn's first home game after a lengthy road trip through the Western Conference. Irving has already missed seven games, and will miss his eighth Thursday against the Portland Trail Blazers. "Kyrie is continuing his journey of dialogue and education," NBPA executive director Tamika Tremaglio told ESPN on Wednesday night. "He has been grappling with the full weight of the impact of his voice and actions, particularly in the Jewish community. Kyrie rejects antisemitism in any form, and he's dedicated to bettering himself and increasing his level of understanding. He plans to continue this journey well into the future to ensure ...

After playing in only two games so far this season, Kawhi Leonard will be making his return for the Los Angeles Clippers on Thursday night against the Detroit Pistons. Leonard was initially listed as "questionable" for the contest and he was ultimately upgraded to available shortly before the scheduled tip. Leonard has missed 12 consecutive games due to lingering knee pain after missing the entirety of last season after undergoing ACL surgery.  In Leonard's two regular-season appearances this season -- against the Los Angeles Lakers on Oct. 20 and the Phoenix Suns on Oct. 23 -- he came off the bench and played 21 minutes. Before that, he started preseason games against the Portland Trail Blazers on Oct. 3 and the Minnesota Timberwolves on Oct. 9.  ...

And now ... the end is near ... and so we face ... the final play-in spots . The NBA postseason is just around the corner, with merely a week left in the regular season. It feels like only yesterday we were picking our jaws up off the floor after the Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert trades went down. My, how far we've come. The Boston Celtics succumbed to the Power Rankings curse, with a blowout loss to the Washington Wizards the day after they were proclaimed No. 1 last week -- but guess what? They're still No. 1 thanks to a thorough dismantling of the Milwaukee Bucks a couple days later. The biggest risers of the week are the Phoenix Suns, partly due to the return of Kevin Durant, who shook off an uncharacteristically rusty return game and is right back to his old, metronomic self. Speaking of returns, LeBron James' Los Angeles Lakers also made a significant jump, entering the top 10 behind some utt...

Ben Simmons made his highly-anticipated return to Philadelphia as a member of the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday night to face off against the 76ers . It was Simmons' first game played in the city since Game 7 of the 2021 Eastern Conference semifinals -- the game in which he infamously passed up on a dunk opportunity in the closing minutes of what would be his last contest as a member of the Sixers. Simmons never played another game with the Sixers after that, as he requested a trade -- a wish that was ultimately granted when he was moved to Brooklyn in exchange for James Harden in February.  The Nets played in Philadelphia once after the trade last season, but Simmons was sidelined for the contest. This time around, though, he was prepared to play, and the crowd was prepared for him. Simmons was met with boos as soon as he hit the floor during warmups, and those boos only intensified as the arena filled up and fan...

LeBron James has missed the past five games for the Los Angeles Lakers due to an adductor strain , but it seems as though he's nearing his return to the lineup. On TNT's broadcast of Wednesday's game between the Lakers and Phoenix Suns, Chris Haynes reported that James will make his return to the lineup in their next game on Friday, when the Lakers travel to San Antonio to face off with the Spurs. James has been out for five games, and the Lakers have held their own without him. They are 3-2 in that stretch after opening the season with a 2-9 record. Anthony Davis has picked up the slack in that stretch, averaging 32.6 points and 17.4 rebounds per game since James has been out.  According to James , Davis has looked like his old self recently, and the Lakers have benefitted tremendously from his return to form. ...

The Chicago Bulls announced Tuesday morning that Lonzo Ball will be shut down for the remainder of the season. Ball, who hasn't played since Jan. 14, 2022, has suffered several setbacks in what's been a lengthy recovery process from a meniscus tear in his left knee. After first undergoing arthroscopic surgery to address what at the time was called a small meniscus tear in January 2022, Ball never returned last season following the injury and had an additional surgery eight months later in September for the same meniscus tear.   Back in September, Ball was expected to be out for "at least a few months" with January being earmarked as the potential return date for the former No. 2 overall pick. However, when the Bulls would give updates on the star guard, it didn't sound like he was making any forward progress toward a return. Most recently on Jan. 28, Bulls head coach Billy Donovan said that B...

James Harden made his highly anticipated return to the Philadelphia 76ers active lineup on Monday night against the team he spent the bulk of his career with -- the Houston Rockets. Harden last played in a game for Philly on Nov. 2, against the Washington Wizards. He injured his foot during that contest and has been sidelined with a right foot tendon strain since. The Sixers played 14 games in Harden's absence and went 8-6 during that span. Harden may have been out for a month, but he was immediately tasked with playing some major minutes. Sixers coach Doc Rivers said that Harden would be on a minutes restriction before the game against Houston, but an additional 10 minutes were needed to determine a victor . By the time the second overtime ended, Harden had logged 38 minutes of action . In that time, he tallied 21 points, seven assists, and four rebounds, but his return and resulting production weren't ...

It's been over two years since Jonathan Isaac has suited up for the Orlando Magic. The 6-foot-11 forward last played in an NBA Game on Aug. 2, 2020 before tearing his left ACL, which has sidelined him since. However, after a lengthy rehab process, Isaac is set to play for the Magic's G League team, the Lakeland Magic, this week per ESPN. It's promising step toward his NBA return . Isaac is expected to play two Game s in the G League before rejoining the Magic, but has been practicing with Orlando since early December. The last time we saw Isaac play, he was showing flashes of becoming a versatile defensive threat using his length and size to be a quality rim protector, but being agile enough to guard out on the perimeter. On offense, he could stretch the floor out to the 3-point line, knocking down 34 percent of his attempts. Isaac could also put the ball on the deck and get his own bucket, and was ...

LaMelo Ball is nearing a return to Game action for the Charlotte Hornets. After missing 11 Game s with an ankle sprain, Ball was upgraded to questionable for Charlotte's matchup with the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday night, per the team. The star guard is " hopeful " to make his return , according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.  Ball has been sidelined since Nov. 16 when he exited a Game against the Indiana Pacers after stepping on the foot of a courtside fan and rolling his left ankle.  LaMelo Ball just rolled his left ankle stepping on the foot of a fan sitting courtside. pic.twitter.com/QdeXDrZNdw — Bally Sports: Hornets (@HornetsOnBally) November 17, 2022 The left ankle has been a lingering issue for Ball all season. He missed Charlotte's first 13 Game s after spraining the ankle during preseason play. The Game against Indiana was just Ball's third G...