Vince Carter led a balanced attack with 25 points as the Magic defeated the Lakers 96-94 in a rematch of last season’s NBA Finals.

Ray Allen scored 24 points to lead Boston to an 87-86 victory over the Lakers. Kevin Garnett added 13 points and eight rebounds and Rajon Rondo had 14 points and 11 assists.

The 31-year-old eleven-time All-Star and the four-time world champion is seen wearing a grey suit and holding a black ball on the magazine’s cover, with his injured right index finger wrapped in cloth.

Bryant has missed the Lakers’ last three games because of an ankle injury. Commissioner David Stern has named Dallas point guard Jason Kidd to replace Bryant in the West roster.

The starting five for the teams in the upcoming NBA All Star Games have been named. Lebron James topped the votes with more than 2.5 million, making him the only player to breach the mark three times.

Kobe Bryant became the 15th NBA player to achieve the 25,000 career points and the youngest in NBA history to do so. He is 31 years and 151 days old Thursday, January 21.

The Los Angeles Lakers failed to get their revenge and have lost their two-game season series over the Cleveland Cavaliers. Final Score: Cavaliers 93, Lakers 87.

The most popular jersey sales list is out. Topping the list for the second year in a row is Lakers guard Kobe Bryant.

Shannon Brown notched 22 points, and Pau Gasol added 17 points and 10 rebounds as the Lakers beat the Magic 98-92 in a rematch of last year’s NBA finals.

Mo Williams notched 28 points, LeBron James added 26 and the Cavs beat Los Angeles 102-87 in a game that ended with angry Lakers fans throwing dozens of items onto the court.