Pep Guardiola insists there's reason for optimism at Manchester City, despite a troubled campaign that has seen the defending champions reduced to battling for a place in the top four.

Following Wednesday's 1-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur, a result that boosted their hopes of playing Champions League football next season, the City boss laid out what he believes should be a "bright future" at the Etihad Stadium. (The victory moved them into fourth place, a point above Chelsea, with 11 games remaining.) "The young players and the new acquisitions maybe the club will do in the summertime -- in the next transfer window -- have to lead this club for the next few years," he said.

They echoed his comments after Sunday's 2-0 defeat to Liverpool. "I saw a bright future," Guardiola told the BBC. "Other than Kevin [De Bruyne] and Nathan [Ake], they are the future of this club in the next years, with others who will come in future windows.

Guardiola and new director of football Hugo Viana -- who has replaced the outgoing Txiki Begiristain -- are facing a summer rebuild as they plot their way back to the top. There's a core of established stars to build around and some exciting young players with huge potential, but also decisions to be made on some of the old guard, including Kevin De Bruyne, who is out of contract in the summer.

Ahead of Saturday's FA Cup fifth-round tie vs. Plymouth Argyle (stream LIVE, Saturday, 12:15 p.m., ESPN+), we take a look at the state of City and whether the future is as bright as Guardiola believes.

The untouchables

One nice thing for City is that they're not starting their rebuild from scratch. Erling Haaland has signed a mammoth contract that runs through 2034, and Phil Foden, who has already racked up more than 300 club appearances before the age of 25, has shown no desire to ever leave the Etihad.

Beyond those two, defender Rúben Dias has been a key part of City's success since arriving from Benfica in 2020 and is a vocal presence in the squad. He has struggled for form and fitness this season -- like many of his teammates -- but is still only 27 and a strong character in the dressing room. Dias could take on an even more prominent role if there is an exodus of experienced players in the summer.

There has been a long-held belief by some at City that Rodri would one day be keen to return to Spain, but that talk has died down and there's hope he will be fully recovered from his knee injury by the time preseason training begins in July and August.

The significant investment in Omar Marmoush in January means he will also be part of City's future. The Egyptian, signed for 60 million from Eintracht Frankfurt, has made a positive start in a difficult situation after joining an underperforming team midseason.

Legends coming to the end?

This is where Guardiola and Viana will have to make big decisions.

Éderson, Bernardo Silva, Ilkay Gündogan and Kevin De Bruyne have been cornerstones of the team that won the treble in 2023 and completed four titles in a row in 2024. But nothing lasts forever, and there are now serious question marks about their futures.

Each situation is different and delicate. De Bruyne is out of contract in the summer, while Gündogan has a one-year option in his deal that would take him to 2026 if it's exercised. There's interest in De Bruyne from teams in Saudi Arabia and the United States, and Galatasaray believe they have got a good chance of landing Gündogan. Éderson was close to moving to the Saudi Pro League last summer, and Silva has long wanted to return to continental Europe, whether Spain, France or Portugal.

The problem facing City is that Éderson, De Bruyne and Bernardo would need to be replaced, and that won't be cheap. Florian Wirtz at Bayer Leverkusen is a target to replace De Bruyne, but there would be stiff competition from Bayern Munich and possibly Real Madrid.

If Éderson leaves, City could either make Stefan Ortega first-choice and sign an understudy or make a move for another No. 1 such as FC Porto's Diogo Costa.

Are they part of the future, or is it time to go?

Top of the list is Jack Grealish. At 29 and with four years at City under his belt, he should be indispensable. But he's not. He has not been a regular in the team since the treble season, which means, naturally, his future is up in the air.

With two years left on his contract, City would demand a fee before letting him leave. There have been vague links with Tottenham Hotspur or a return to Aston Villa, but it's likely to take significant investment -- translation: wages plus transfer fee -- to get a deal over the line.

It's different with John Stones because the issue isn't his performances, but his durability. Into his ninth season at the Etihad and approaching his 31st birthday, he has only once been able to make more than 25 league appearances in a single campaign. His latest injury picked up against Real Madrid is set to rule him out for between eight and 10 weeks.

Guardiola's biggest problem this season has been injuries, and it would be natural if he began to favor players he knows can stay fit.

Youngsters looking to establish themselves

The success of City's next cycle will depend heavily on the young players the club have already invested in. If defenders Abdukodir Khusanov and Vitor Reis; midfielders Nico Gonzalez, Claudio Echeverri and Rico Lewis; and forwards Savinho, Jérémy Doku, Oscar Bobb and James McAtee can realize their undoubted potential, then their next formidable team won't be far away.

Savinho, Khusanov and Lewis -- all starters against Liverpool on Sunday -- are only 20, while Reis and Echeverri, two of the most exciting prospects to come out of South America in recent, are still teenagers. The main issue with young players is that there's always an element of risk.

It's impossible to tell at 19 or 20 who might be a world-beater by the time they're 25 or 26. City can only hope that the gambles pay off.

The next generation coming through

City have one of the best academy setups in the country and they currently sit top of Premier League 2 (for under-21s) and the under-18 Premier League north group. Midfielder Nico O'Reilly (19) and defender Jahmai Simpson-Pusey (19) have both made appearances this season, while striker Divin Mubama (20) scored against Salford City in the FA Cup in January.

City have been good at moving on young players for big fees, although they turned down a substantial bid from Chelsea for O'Reilly on deadline day in January. The decision might have been influenced by a growing feeling that City missed a trick by not asking for more when Cole Palmer moved to Stamford Bridge in 2023.

And what about Pep in all of this?

The City boss quieted the noise around his own future by signing a contract extension in November. His deal runs until 2027, and he insisted after the Champions League defeat to Real Madrid that he intends to honor it. But it hasn't stopped nagging questions about whether Guardiola needs the stress that comes with another rebuild. He has achieved everything in England and the only challenge left in management is to lead a national team at a major tournament. After such a grueling campaign and so many problems to navigate, City fans will only feel confident he's definitely staying when they see him on the training pitch preparing for next season.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- New York Knicks center Mitchell Robinson returned to action against the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday night, making his season debut following left ankle surgery.

Robinson finished with six points and five rebounds in 12 minutes off the bench in the Knicks' 114-113 victory.

"The first game back, for the amount of time he's been out, I thought it was really, really good." Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said. "We've been seeing it in practice, too. So this is the next step."

But as the 7-foot Robinson returned, New York dealt with the extended loss of reserve Ariel Hukporti. The Knicks announced Friday that the 6-11 rookie out of Germany underwent surgery to address a left knee meniscus tear sustained in Wednesday's win over Philadelphia.

Robinson, in his seventh season, averaged 5.6 points and 8.5 rebounds in 31 games in 2023-24 before he was lost for good in the second round of the playoffs. He has shot 70% from the floor in his career.

Thibodeau said before the game that Robinson "brings a different dimension to our team." Thibodeau expects rebounding and defense to be ahead of Robinson's offense as he returns after missing the first 58 games of the season.

"Short stints for a while to see where he is. Been out a long time," Thibodeau said, adding: "Obviously, games are a lot different than practice. He's a vet, so I think he understands who he is. Just playing to your strengths. Go as hard as you can."

Hukporti played 16 minutes in the win over the 76ers -- his first start of the season -- shooting 4-of-5 from the field for eight points. He also grabbed a pair of rebounds. For the season, Hukporti is averaging 2.1 points and 2.0 rebounds in 25 games.

He will be reevaluated in four to six weeks.

Orlando Magic guard Jalen Suggs is out indefinitely due to a trochlea injury in his left knee, the team announced Friday.

Suggs left a Jan. 3 game with back spasms and since then has made only one appearance -- in a Jan. 25 win over the Detroit Pistons. It was during his ramp-up to return to play that he experienced discomfort and had further testing.

Suggs is expected to make a full recovery. Known for his defense, Suggs is averaging career highs of 16.2 points and 4.0 rebounds in his fourth year.

The Magic (29-32) have lost three of their past four games and entered Friday seventh in the Eastern Conference. Orlando has three more games remaining on its seven-game homestand that continues Sunday against the Toronto Raptors.

LOS ANGELES -- Lakers guard Austin Reaves exited Friday night's 106-102 win against the LA Clippers in the first quarter with right calf soreness and did not return.

Reaves will undergo an MRI on the calf Saturday, sources told ESPN.

The fourth-year veteran subbed out with 2:58 remaining in the first quarter with the Lakers trailing 21-13 and went straight to the locker room. He finished with six points on 2-for-4 shooting.

"He was experiencing some tightness in the calf, some soreness," Lakers coach JJ Redick said after the game. "Was held out as a precaution."

Reaves had been enjoying some of the best basketball of his career, averaging 23.5 points, 6.1 assists and 4.5 rebounds in 11 games in February entering Friday. L.A. went 9-2 in those games.

The Lakers already came into the night down one starter in Rui Hachimura, who was ruled out because of a left knee strain he suffered Thursday against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Lakers coach JJ Redick said Hachimura had an MRI on Friday, but did not provide a timeline for the forward to return to game action.

"We're optimistic this is not a serious injury," Redick said. "It's still not quite clear on when he will be available to play. But we're optimistic."

Dorian Finney-Smith started the Clippers game in Hachimura's place. Gabe Vincent started the second half on Friday with Reaves out.

Luka Doncic (31 points, five assists, three steals) and LeBron James (28 points, 13 rebounds) led the way Friday night, with the Lakers' bench outscoring the Clippers' reserves 29-14.

The Lakers have won 15 of their past 18 games to surge to No. 4 in the Western Conference standings, just a half game behind the No. 3 Memphis Grizzlies and a game back of the No. 2 Denver Nuggets.

"We're in a good place, but we're not comfortable at all," James said. "We haven't played our best game we're capable of playing, honestly. We have a couple injuries and things of that nature that we need to attend to as well. And that's always very important to be able to keep it going in this league to have that type of luck, too. So, we'll see what happens."

BOSTON -- Less than five minutes had passed in Friday night's final regular-season showdown between the top two teams in the Eastern Conference, the Cavaliers and the Celtics, and the game already felt over.

Cleveland coach Kenny Atkinson already had burned his second timeout, the Celtics already had made seven 3-pointers and Boston led 25-3, appearing well on its way to a massive statement win.

"We got punched in the mouth," Cavaliers star Donovan Mitchell said later. "What are we going to do about it? How are we going to respond?"

As it turned out, the Cavaliers responded rather splendidly. And it was thanks in large part to Mitchell, the six-time All-Star who finished with 41 points and five assists in 35 minutes in what eventually became a 123-116 Cavaliers victory at a sold-out and stunned TD Garden.

"I think they trust each other," Atkinson said. "They trust the message and they trust each other."

Entering Friday, the Cavaliers hadn't lost since falling to these same Celtics on Feb. 4 in Cleveland, a game that came less than 48 hours before the trade deadline. In response to Boston largely controlling that contest en route to a 112-105 victory, the Cavaliers went out and acquired De'Andre Hunter from the Atlanta Hawks for Caris LeVert and Georges Niang.

The move was designed to give Cleveland another big wing to throw at the likes of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. But by the time Hunter entered Friday's game, at the 7:11 mark of the first quarter, it looked like his minutes might only come in mop-up duty.

That quickly changed as the first quarter played out. Cleveland cut its deficit to 12 by the end of the quarter. And from there, it kept plugging away at Boston's lead thanks to multiple sustained runs led by Mitchell and a hot shooting night across the board. The Cavaliers finished 17-for-39 from 3-point range, with eight players hitting at least one from deep.

"It means we got grit," said Evan Mobley, who struggled for much of the game but finished with 17 points and 12 rebounds overall, including 11 and 8, respectively, in the fourth quarter. "No matter how down we get, we're going to keep fighting, we're going to keep going all the way to the end of the game, and tonight we kept fighting and they let us back in the game a few times."

The win erased any sliver of hope Boston (42-18) had of chasing down Cleveland (49-10) for the top seed in the East. The Cavaliers moved eight games up in the loss column with 23 to play and evened the season series at 2-2.

It also raised the specter of the Celtics' repeated issue of letting teams back into games.

And while Atkinson repeatedly pointed out that Boston was missing both Kristaps Porzingis (illness) and Jrue Holiday (finger), while Cleveland was fully healthy, the depth of the Cavaliers undoubtedly played a factor.

Cleveland used 10 players, with each seeing at least 12 minutes of action. Boston essentially played only seven, was outscored 33-6 in bench points (Payton Pritchard and Luke Kornet were minus-34 and minus-26, respectively) and was extraordinarily reliant on Tatum (46 points on 19-for-37 shooting, 16 rebounds, 9 assists) and Brown (37 points on 13-for-24 shooting).

"That was one of the most incredible shotmaking performances I've seen," Atkinson said of Tatum's performance.

Added Tatum: "Just being aggressive in a good rhythm. I think obviously the start of the game on defense ignited our offense and how we were playing. We did a really good job of what we were trying to do, and the actions and the spacing and we were trying to attack. And guys on both ends tonight were making shots. I think in the second half, they made a run in that third quarter, getting some offensive rebounds. They took more shots than we did, so that just kind of gave them some life. And in the moments that we needed to get a stop, we didn't, and that was tough."

As a result, Cleveland came away with a victory that instilled further confidence in a young, ascendant team a week after it throttled another potential playoff foe, the New York Knicks, at home.

And as both teams walked out of the Garden on Friday night, they already were thinking about what feels like a fated showdown in the Eastern Conference semifinals come late May.

"For sure," Darius Garland said when asked if it was meaningful that the Cavaliers had evened the season series, and how they did so, Friday night.

"It is 0-0. Hopefully, we'll be back here in the summertime, and we'll see it again for seven [more]."