Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid is available for Tuesday night’s game against the Dallas Mavericks after missing the last 15. Embiid has appeared in just 13 games in an injury-plagued season. The left knee injury was the latest ailment to sideline the seven-time All-Star. Coach Nick Nurse said there are no minutes restriction on the 7-footer and expects him to play around 30 minutes, depending on how Embiid feels and how the game is going.

The Los Angeles Lakers’ acquisition of Luka Doncic has altered the future of a franchise that had been trying to squeeze one more championship run out of 40-year-old LeBron James’ partnership with Anthony Davis. The Lakers’ next decade suddenly looks much brighter with Doncic at center stage, and they could even contend for a ring this year if Doncic makes a quick connection with James. Doncic is out with a strained left calf, but he is expected to be healthy fairly soon. He will practice with the Lakers this week before they make a firm plan for his debut.

West Virginia's Tucker DeVries will have surgery for an upper-body injury and miss the rest of the season. His father, West Virginia’s first-year coach, Darian DeVries, made the announcement Tuesday. Darian DeVries says the school will apply for a medical redshirt that would allow his son to play another season. Before the injury, Tucker DeVries started the first eight games of the season, averaging nearly 15 points and five rebounds per game. While Tucker DeVries’ latest injury hasn’t been specified, he injured his right shoulder in January 2024 while at Drake, continued to play through it and underwent surgery last March.

Real Madrid's problems on defense have been compounded by a muscle injury to David Alaba. The club says Alaba has “ an adductor injury in his left leg.” Spanish media say Alaba is expected to be out for two to three weeks. He is likely to miss key matches against Atletico Madrid in La Liga on Saturday and Manchester City in the Champions League next week. Alaba returned to action only last month after being sidelined for more than a year because of a knee injury.

Argentina defender Lisandro Martinez has been carried off on a stretcher with a left leg injury during Manchester United’s Premier League match against Crystal Palace. Martinez sustained the injury as he stretched to make a challenge on Palace forward Ismaila Sarr in the 76th minute. The 27-year-old Martinez was in tears as he left the field at Old Trafford to applause from United fans. United was losing the game 1-0 at the time. Martinez had an injury-hit campaign last season, including time out with knee ligament damage.

The Alpine skiing world championships start on Tuesday with Lindsey Vonn and Mikaela Shiffrin among the most awaited skiers competing. The skiing “worlds" are held every other year at different Alpine resorts. This year’s competition is being held in Saalbach-Hinterglemm in the Austrian state of Salzburg. There are 11 medal events this year. Vonn has returned after nearly six years of retirement with a new titanium knee and will compete in the super-G and downhill on Thursday and Saturday. Shiffrin has just returned from a severe puncture wound following a crash in late November and will compete in the giant slalom and slalom on Feb. 13 and 15.

UConn freshman Liam McNeeley is close to returning from the high ankle sprain that has kept him from playing for the last month. Huskies coach Dan Hurley said Saturday he expects McNeeley to be available Friday when the 25th-ranked Huskies host No. 15 St. John’s. McNeeley ranks third on the team in scoring and second on the team in rebounding. He last played on Jan. 1.

Finland has ruled out injured defenseman Jani Hakanpää for the 4 Nations Face-Off. The Finnish Ice Hockey Federation confirmed Saturday that Hakanpää won't play in the NHL-run tournament later this month. Hakanpää has played in only two games this season and none since mid-November because of a lower-body injury. He's the second defenseman the team has lost from its original roster after Miro Heiskanen was injured earlier this week. General manager Jere Lehtinen said Finland would name replacements next week for Heiskanen and Hakanpää. There are only four eligible players to choose from.