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The NFL expressed on Tuesday that it's "confident" that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents won't be at the Super Bowl on Sunday, in conflict with previous statements from Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officials. 

The NFL's chief security officer, Cathy Lanier, addressed the topic during a security briefing with reporters ahead of Sunday's game at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California.

"There's no planned ICE enforcement activities," Lanier said. "We are confident of that."

Lanier's claim stands in conflict with repeated statements from DHS officials that ICE will have a presence at the Super Bowl amid a nationwide campaign targeting immigrants for deportation under President Donald Trump.

DHS: Super Bowl not a 'safe haven'

DHS adviser Corey Lewandowski said on a podcast in October that the Super Bowl would not be a "safe haven" for targets of ICE activities.

“There is nowhere that you can provide safe haven to people who are in this country illegally," Lewandowski said. "Not the Super Bowl and nowhere else. We will find you. We will apprehend you. We will put you in a detention facility, and we will deport you.”

DHS Secretary Kristi Noem echoed Lewandowski's statement, saying on the same podcast that ICE will be "all over" the Super Bowl.

Lewandowski and Noem made their statements shortly after the NFL announced that Puerto Rican artist Bad Bunny would headline the Super Bowl halftime show. Noem said this of the NFL when asked what message she wanted send the league in response to its decision to feature Bad Bunny:

"They suck, and we'll win," Noem said. "They won't be able to sleep at night because they don't know what they believe. And they're so weak, we'll fix it."

Bad Bunny pushes back

Bad Bunny is a vocal critic of the Trump administration's immigration enforcement campaign and reiterated his stance during an acceptance speech at the Grammy awards Sunday night. 

“Before I say thanks to God, I’m going to say ICE out,” he said. “We’re not savages, we’re not animals, we’re not aliens, we are humans and we are Americans ... The hate gets more powerful with more hate. The only thing that is more powerful than hate is love. 

"So please, we need to be different. If we fight, we have to do it with love.”

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell reiterated the league's support for Bad Bunny as the Super Bowl halftime performer in a news conference on Monday. 

ICE, DHS plans for Super Bowl remain murky

DHS has not confirmed in recent days whether or not it has plans for ICE enforcement at and around the Super Bowl. Per the Associated Press, DHS spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin refused to say whether federal immigration agents will be present around the game.

AP reports that DHS official Jeff Brannigan indicated in private calls with local law enforcement and the the NFL that ICE does not plan to conduct enforcement activities around the Super Bowl. DHS has not publicly confirmed that stance, and concerns remain among critics that a Trump administration prone to changing its mind could do so if that is the plan. 

ICE and its tactics are under increased nationwide scrutiny in the aftermath of the shooting deaths of U.S. citizens Alex Pretti and Renee Good by agents. 

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The Seattle Mariners are closing in on a deal to acquire All-Star infielder/outfielder Brendan Donovan from the St. Louis Cardinals in a three-team trade that also involves the Tampa Bay Rays, ESPN's Jeff Passan reports. 

Other terms of the pending deal were not initially reported. 

Donovan is a former Gold Glove winner who can play multiple positions in the infield and outfield. A four-year MLB pro, he's played his entire career with the Cardinals and made his first All-Star team last season.

This story will be updated.

LeBron James will walk away with a loss from what could be his final NBA game at Madison Square Garden. 

Buoyed by an 18-point first half from Luka Dončić, the Los Angeles Lakers opened up a 56-52 halftime lead over the host New York Knicks Sunday night. But a 13-5 Knicks run to close the third quarter turned a tie game into a 90-82 lead that New York never relinquished en route to a 112-100 win. 

Knicks bounce back from January swoon

The Knicks rode an 18-of-42 (43%) night from 3 and a balanced offensive effort in which six players scored in double figures and three players scored 20-plus to secure the win. The victory was New York's sixth straight following a 2-9 stretch that raised alarms in New York and reportedly prompted a players-only meeting spearheaded by team captain Jalen Brunson.

The Knicks are now 31-18 and in a second-place tie in East with the Boston Celtics behind the first-place Detroit Pistons. And the noise surrounding their January swoon has dissipated.

The win for the Knicks spoiled would might have been James' final game in one the basketball's most iconic arenas. If so, James put up a strong effort with 22-point, 5 rebounds and 6 assists. He posted one of the highlights of his season with an alley-oop dunk in traffic to extend a Lakers lead early in the third quarter.

But it wasn't enough to fend off a Knicks team that's returned to form from an 11-game slump.

Will James play another game at MSG?

James, 41, hasn't announced whether or not he'll retire at the conclusion of this season. But there's speculation that this might be his last. If so, he's in the midst of an Eastern Conference swing that could represent his final game in opposing arenas. 

He wiped away tears last week amidst a standing ovation and tribute video in Cleveland from a Cavaliers team with which he played 11 seasons and led to its first and only NBA championship in 2016.

There was no such tribute from the longtime rival Knicks on Sunday. 

But the sense that this could be James' final moment on one of basketball's biggest stages was unavoidable. The game was scheduled for one of the biggest time slots of the regular season as NBC reclaimed its longtime Sunday territory for the first time since returning to NBA coverage this season. And tickets were in high demand for James' potential final game at MSG.

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Balanced Knicks effort tops big games from Luka, LeBron

If so, Knicks fans got their money's worth. They got a good show from James, but a better one from their Knicks in victory. OG Anunonby (25 points, 8 rebounds), Josh Hart (20 points, 4 rebounds) and Landry Shamet (23 points, 6 of 10 from 3) each scored 20 points or more.

All-Star Jalen Brunson made up for a cold shooting night (4 of 15) with one of his best nights of the season as a distributor while tally 12 points and 13 assists. Karl-Anthony Towns, who learned before tip that he's also an All-Star, likewise found other ways to contribute on an off scoring night with 11 points, 13 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals. 

Dončić led the Lakers with 30 points, 15 rebounds and 8 assists while shooting 5 of 14 from 3. But he was the only Laker to hit more than 2 3s on a night when they shot 12 of 42 (29%), failing to keep up with New York's hot shooting. 

The Knicks also controlled the boards with a 47-36 rebounding advantage. New York will visit the Washington Wizards Tuesday before returning home for another high-profile Western Conference matchup against the Denver Nuggets Wednesday. 

The Lakers will conclude an eight-game road swing with a Tuesday game against the Brooklyn Nets before returning home to host the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday.