NBA notebook: Rockets G Harden close to return

Coach Mike D'Antoni said Sunday that Harden could potentially be back in time
for home games against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Thursday and the Golden
State Warriors on Saturday.

Harden, 28, suffered the injury on Dec. 31, when he drove for a layup late in
the fourth quarter of a double-overtime win over the Los Angeles Lakers. He
scored 40 points before leaving with the injury when he came up limping with
54 seconds remaining in regulation.

Harden will miss his seventh consecutive game when he sits out Monday night at
the Los Angeles Clippers. Harden leads the league in scoring with 32.3 points
per game and ranks fourth in assists (9.1) in 35 games this season.

--Los Angeles Lakers rookie Lonzo Ball woke up with a sore left knee Sunday
and is undergoing a "precautionary" MRI exam in Memphis as a result, team
reporter Mike Trudell tweeted.

Ball has played in five games since missing six with a shoulder injury
suffered in late December. He's been playing some of his best basketball of
late, averaging 11.2 points, 8.4 rebounds, 7.0 assists and 2.6 steals this
month in helping the Lakers to a season-high four-game winning streak.

Overall, the No. 2 pick is averaging 10.2 points, 7.1 rebounds and 7.1 assists
in 36 games this season. The Lakers (15-27) will face the Memphis Grizzlies on
Monday night.

--Philadelphia 76ers rookie Markelle Fultz has appeared to be nearing his
return from a right shoulder injury for the last month. However, his issues
might be beyond his health.

Videos of Fultz practicing Sunday were posted on Twitter by Philly Voice
reporter Kyle Neubeck. In the videos, Fultz is sporting a less-than-stellar
shooting motion that has reignited the conversation that his shot is broken.

The Sixers said Fultz had been cleared to begin the final stage of his
return-to-play program on Jan. 2, but coach Brett Brown said Sunday that the
19-year-old is still experiencing discomfort in his shoulder. Fultz averaged
6.0 points and 2.3 rebounds in Philly's first four games but shot a woeful
33.3 percent from the field and 50 percent from the free throw line before
being shut down.

--Former NBA star Dennis Rodman was arrested on suspicion of driving under the
influence in southern California on Saturday night.

The Newport Beach Police Department told USA Today on Sunday that Rodman, 56,
was pulled over because of unspecified vehicle code violations. A subsequent
investigation led to his arrest for DUI.

According to police, Rodman was cooperative and agreed to take a breathalyzer
test at the scene. He was then arrested, booked at the Newport Beach Jail and
released about seven hours later. Rodman also was arrested for DUI in 1999 and
2003.

--The New York Knicks signed guard Trey Burke from their G League team ahead
of Sunday's home game against the New Orleans Pelicans.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed. The move reunites Burke with Knicks
swingman Tim Hardaway Jr., former backcourt teammates at the University of
Michigan.

The 6-foot-1, 191-pound Burke, the No. 9 pick in the 2013 NBA draft, was
called up from the Westchester Knicks of the G League, where he ranked second
in scoring this season with 26.6 points per game while averaging 5.4 assists,
3.3 rebounds and 1.9 steals. Burke, 25, holds career NBA averages of 10.6
points, 3.6 assists and 2.1 rebounds over 267 games (111 starts) across four
seasons (2013-17) with Utah and Washington.

--Field Level Media