NBA News Update: LeBron James lauds Blazers' fighting spirit, George Hill has a bizarre explanation for missing the national anthem

With NBA playoff action back, all basketball talk is centered around the upcoming second-round games in the Eastern Conference. The Milwaukee Bucks have made it into the second round after beating the Orlando Magic in Game 5.

In the Western Conference, on the other hand, the Houston Rockets beat the OKC Thunder to take a 3-2 lead in the first round while the LA Lakers moved to the second round.

With all this excitement, a lot of NBA news may not have made it to your feed. Here are some NBA news updates that you might have missed out on.

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LeBron James and LA Lakers laud the Portland Trail Blazers for their valiant effort this season

Although the Portland Trail Blazers were knocked out 4-1 in the first round by the LA Lakers, their spirit cannot be overlooked. Fighting an uphill battle against injuries all season, they battled hard in the seeding games to make it to the playoffs.

The Lakers' Jared Dudley and LeBron James took to Twitter to voice their admiration for how the Blazers played all season.

FACTS!!!! And proud as hell of my brother @carmeloanthony doing what he did on his return!! 🙏🏾✊🏾 https://t.co/D169bP6UFY

— LeBron James (@KingJames) August 30, 2020

LeBron James was particularly proud of his close friend Carmelo Anthony for his excellent season on his return to NBA basketball.

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In other NBA news, Charles Barkley hilariously fumbles names on live TV

Inside the NBA analyst, Charles Barkley

Ever the entertainer, Charles Barkley had us in splits once again after he seemingly forgot Eric Bledsoe's name and called him Eric Randolph. His slip-up had his fellow hosts doubled over in laughter.

Chuck: "It's going to come down to Middleton & Eric Randolph"Ernie: 🤦‍♂️ pic.twitter.com/YyB29QuK6D

— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) August 30, 2020

We look forward to more hilarious NBA news from the highly entertaining Shaquille O'Neal and Charles Barkley as the playoffs progress.

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LeBron James and Anthony Davis continue to break LA Lakers records

In other NBA news, the LA Lakers' dynamic duo of LeBron James and Anthony Davis became the first duo to score over 35 points each in a playoff game since Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal in 2002.

Anthony Davis (43 points) and LeBron James (36 points) become the first @Lakers teammates to score 35+ points in the same #NBAPlayoffs game since Kobe Bryant (36 points) and Shaquille O'Neal (35 points) on June 9, 2002. @EliasSports pic.twitter.com/oxX3i7vizR

— NBA.com/Stats (@nbastats) August 30, 2020

LeBron James also became the first Laker to notch up a 30 point triple-double since James Worthy in 1988.

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In other NBA news, George Hill explains why he missed the national anthem

George Hill in action for the Milwaukee Bucks

In some hilarious NBA news, Geroge Hill had a bizarre explanation for his absence during the national anthem in Game 5 of the first round. He cited his absence to a pre-game ritual of visiting the bathroom before games in what was quite an anti-climatic reveal.

So George Hill explained part of his pre-game ritual and tbh his answer is definitely not what you're expecting. 😂 pic.twitter.com/qPX8ljzXbY

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) August 30, 2020

We look forward to more NBA news reports as the teams prepare for the second round of the playoffs.

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