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🤕 Five things to know Friday

LeBron James will miss the start of the 2025-26 season with sciatica . For the first time in his 23-year career, James will miss the season opener as he battles sciatica on his right side. The Lakers' superstar is expected to miss the next 3-4 weeks, and he will be reevaluated after that. Luka Dončić will now have to pick up the slack created by James' absence, at least in the early going.

The Dodgers are onto the NLCS, and the Cubs live to see another day. The Dodgers are going back to the NLCS after walking off the Phillies in Game 4 on a wild play (more on that later).

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