MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — The Grizzlies are expecting forward Jaren Jackson Jr. to return from an injured left knee within the next week along with Justise Winslow also making his debut with Memphis in that same time span.Memphis gave an injury update Monday. Jackson hurt his knee Feb. 21 in a road loss to the Los Angeles Lakers, and the Grizzlies originally said the No. 4 overall pick of the 2018 draft would be out at least two weeks before updating his status. The Grizzlies acquired Winslow on Feb. 6 in a deal sending Andre Iguodala to Miami, knowing he wouldn't be available immediately because of back soreness that limited him to 11 games this season. Winslow spent his first five seasons in the NBA with Miami, missing most of his second with an injured shoulder. Memphis also said rookie Brandon Clarke is progressing well in his recovery and is expected to return this season. Clarke strained his right quadriceps Feb. 24 in a loss at the Los Angeles Clippers. The Grizzlies currently sit in the eighth spot in the Western Conference with a four-game lead over New Orleans and Sacramento with 18 games remaining this season. ___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Clippers have signed free-agent center Joakim Noah, giving them an aggressive, physical presence with playoff experience.The 35-year-old two-time All-Star played 42 games with Memphis last season after agreeing to a buyout with the New York Knicks. He averaged 7.1 points, 2.1 assists and 5.7 rebounds for the Grizzlies.Noah attended the Clippers' loss to the Lakers on Sunday at Staples Center, where he was warmly received as he made his way through the crowd and sat in the stands."Joakim is a relentless competitor and a proven winner," Lawrence Frank, director of basketball operations, said Monday. “His experience, acumen and toughness fit well in our locker room.”Noah has been limited to 124 games since the end of the 2014-15 season in Chicago, which selected him with the ninth overall pick in the 2007 NBA draft. He was the NBA defensive player of the year in 2014.Noah led Florida to NCAA championships in 2006 and '07.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

CLEVELAND (AP) — Andre Drummond returned from a leg injury to score 28 points and add 17 rebounds, and Kevin Love shook off a tough shooting night to make a big 3-pointer in overtime and lift the improving Cleveland Cavaliers to a 132-129 win over the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday.Drummond, who missed the past three games with a strained left calf, put the Cavs up 124-22 with a layup and Love followed with his 3 from the corner 28 seconds later to put Cleveland up by five.Love had missed his first four attempts from long range before his clutch shot and he finished just 3 of 12 from the field, but added 18 rebounds.Derrick White hit a 3 to pull the Spurs within 131-129 in the final seconds, but Collin Sexton made a free throw for the Cavs and San Antonio didn't get off a last-second heave in time.It was the second straight close win for the young Cavs, who beat Denver 104-102 on Saturday. Cleveland improved to 5-5 under coach J.B. Bickerstaff and matched its win total from last season, when... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — Andre Drummond returned from a leg injury to score 28 points and add 17 rebounds, and Kevin Love made a big 3-pointer in overtime to lift the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 132-129 win over the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday night.Drummond, who missed the past three games with a strained left calf, put the Cavs up 124-22 with a layup and Love followed with his 3 from the corner 28 seconds later to put Cleveland up by five.Love had missed his first four attempts from long range before his clutch shot and he finished just 3 of 12 from the field, but added 18 rebounds.Derrick White hit a 3 to pull the Spurs within 131-129 in the final seconds, but Collin Sexton made a free throw for the Cavs and San Antonio didn't get off a last-second heave in time.It was the second straight close win for the young Cavs, who beat Denver 104-102 on Saturday. Cleveland improved to 5-5 under coach J.B. Bickerstaff.Sexton scored 26, Larry Nance Jr. 19 and Matthew Dellavedova had 14 and 11 assists. Dellavedova... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Portland guard CJ McCollum was fined $20,000 and Sacramento forward/center Alex Len $15,000 by the NBA on Sunday for an altercation Saturday night in the Kings' victory at Portland.Both players were given technical fouls with 8:50 remaining in the third quarter.McCollum was fined for shoving Len and attempting to escalate the altercation. Len was fined for shoving McCollum.

PHOENIX (AP) — Reigning MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo has a minor knee sprain and will miss at least the Milwaukee Bucks' next two games.The Bucks said Sunday that Antetokounmpo had an MRI and was examined by team doctor William Raasch. The evaluation showed a minor joint capsule sprain of Antetokounmpo's left knee.The 6-foot-11 forward will miss the two remaining games on the Bucks’ trip — Sunday at Phoenix and Monday at Denver. His status for the Bucks’ home game Thursday against Boston will be determined later.“The way they described it to me is we’ll see how the next few days go and kind of evaluate him and see where he is then," Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said. Antetokounmpo took a hard fall late in a 113-103 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday night. He remained in the game but appeared to be limping as he walked off the court afterward.“Overall we’re very pleased," Budenholzer said. “I think this is about as good an outcome and prognosis as we could hope for, I guess, unless it was nothing.”Antetokounmpo ranks third in the NBA in scoring (29.6 points per game) and fourth in rebounding (13.7). He also averages 5.8 assists.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

PHOENIX (AP) — Reigning MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo has a minor knee sprain and will miss at least the Milwaukee Bucks' next two games.The Bucks said Sunday that Antetokounmpo had an MRI and was examined by team doctor William Raasch. The evaluation showed a minor joint capsule sprain of Antetokounmpo's left knee.The 6-foot-11 forward will miss the two remaining games on the Bucks’ trip — Sunday at Phoenix and Monday at Denver. His status for the Bucks’ home game Thursday against Boston will be determined later.Antetokounmpo took a hard fall late in a 113-103 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday night. He remained in the game but appeared to be limping as he walked off the court afterward.Antetokounmpo ranks third in the NBA in scoring (29.6 points per game) and fourth in rebounding (13.7). He also averages 5.8 assists.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Indiana Pacers point guard Malcolm Brogdon will be out indefinitely with a torn left hip muscle, the team announced Saturday.He is listed as week to week.Brogdon left Wednesday's game at Milwaukee with a sore left hip, did not return and missed Friday's game at Chicago.It's yet another blow to the Pacers, who played without Doug McDermott (sore right big toe) on Friday and already have lost Jeremy Lamb with season-ending injuries to his left knee. Two-time All-Star Victor Oladipo also has missed four of the Pacers' last six games with lower back and right knee ailments.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

NEW YORK (AP) — Kenny Atkinson won't have the chance to coach Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving together in Brooklyn.The Nets and their coach decided his influence with the team ran out before that pair could get started.The Nets surprisingly split with their coach Saturday, even as they remain on track for a second consecutive playoff berth.The announcement came less than 12 hours after Atkinson guided the Nets to a 139-120 rout of San Antonio. General manager Sean Marks said he and Atkinson had been talking long before that about what was best for the Nets, and they finally concluded it wasn't their fourth-year coach.“He has taken us to where we stand today and I think the discussions that he and I had were what’s best for the Nets for a variety of different reasons, which I don’t think either one of us will get into,” Marks said. “But it’s time for another voice in the locker room and it’s time that we both part ways.”Marks offered no specifics but said the decision had nothing to do with... [More]

GRAFTON, Ohio (AP) — Andre Drummond and his teammates leaned in and listened intently as if they were in a huddle during a timeout in the frantic closing seconds of a playoff game.This time, the Cleveland Cavaliers didn't hear any strategy or talk of fouls or final shots. These messages were far more profound: tales of addiction, abuse, second chances and relapses, personal renewal.Sitting in a large circle along with his teammates, coaches and members of Cleveland's front office, Drummond remained riveted for an hour as prisoners at the Grafton Correctional Institution talked about how their lives were changed by bad decisions — and their determination to help themselves and others.Drummond was deeply moved.“A lot of these guys have been through so much, the trials and tribulations,” the center said afterward. “So to be here and to be open to sharing their stories of what they’ve been through and have it resonate with all of us, it touched each and every one of us.”On Friday, Drummond,... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Kenny Atkinson won't have the chance to coach Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving together in Brooklyn.The Brooklyn Nets and their coach decided his influence with the team ran out before that pair could get started.The Nets surprisingly split with their coach Saturday, even as they remain on track for a second consecutive playoff berth.The announcement came less than 12 hours after Atkinson guided the Nets to a 139-120 rout of San Antonio. General manager Sean Marks said he and Atkinson had been talking long before that about what was best for the Nets, and they finally concluded it wasn't their fourth-year coach.“He has taken us to where we stand today and I think the discussions that he and I had were what’s best for the Nets for a variety of different reasons, which I don’t think either one of us will get into,” Marks said. “But it’s time for another voice in the locker room and it’s time that we both part ways.”Marks offered no specifics but said the decision had nothing... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Kenny Atkinson won't have the chance to coach Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving together in Brooklyn.The Nets surprisingly split with their coach Saturday, even as they remain on track for a second consecutive playoff berth.The morning after Atkinson guided the Nets to a 139-120 rout of San Antonio, the Nets announced the decision to part with the fourth-year coach.“After discussions with Kenny about the progress of the season, we mutually agreed that a coaching change would be in the best interest of the team,” general manager Sean Marks said in a statement. “This was an extremely difficult decision, however the organization believes it is one that is necessary at this time." Assistant Jacque Vaughn will serve as coach for the rest of the season. He coached Orlando for two-plus seasons, from 2012-15.The Nets are in seventh place in the Eastern Conference. Atkinson was 118-190 in 3 1/2 seasons of his first NBA head coaching job. They returned to the postseason last year and... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Kenny Atkinson won't have the chance to coach Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving together in Brooklyn.The Nets surprisingly split with their coach Saturday, even as they remain on track for a second consecutive playoff berth.The morning after Atkinson guided the Nets to a 139-120 rout of San Antonio, the Nets announced the decision to part with the fourth-year coach.“After discussions with Kenny about the progress of the season, we mutually agreed that a coaching change would be in the best interest of the team,” general manager Sean Marks said in a statement. “This was an extremely difficult decision, however the organization believes it is one that is necessary at this time." Jacque Vaughn will serve as coach for the rest of the season. The Nets are in seventh place in the Eastern Conference. Atkinson was 118-190 in 3 1/2 seasons of his first NBA head coaching job. They returned to the postseason last year and are five games clear of ninth-place Washington despite a 28-34 record.That comes despite only 20 games from Irving and none from Durant, the two superstars they signed last summer to bring heightened expectations to Brooklyn.But the Nets had ruled Durant out from the start as he recovers from Achilles tendon surgery, and Irving is out for the season after playing just 20 games before having shoulder surgery.

NEW YORK (AP) — The NBA wants its teams to prepare to play games without fans if necessary because of the coronavirus crisis, but LeBron James already says he won't play basketball in an empty arena.The league circulated a memo to its teams Friday telling them to prepare in case it becomes necessary to play games without fans or media, as sports leagues in Europe have already done. The memo detailed potential actions that teams might need to take “if it were to become necessary to play a game with only essential staff present.”But when James was asked about that possibility after he scored 37 points in his Los Angeles Lakers' 113-103 win over the league-leading Milwaukee Bucks on Friday night, the NBA's leading active scorer was definitive.“We play games without the fans? Nah, that’s impossible,” James said. “I ain’t playing if I ain’t got the fans in the crowd. That’s who I play for. I play for my teammates, and I play for the fans. That’s what it’s all about. So if I show up to an arena... [More]

The National Basketball Players Association said Friday it has begun looking for a successor to executive director Michele Roberts, the first woman to lead a union for any of the major U.S. pro sports leagues.She is midway through her second and what will be her final four-year term and is set to hold office until 2022 No timetable for finding a replacement was announced.“When I agreed to a second contract as executive director, I made clear that I would not be seeking a third,” Roberts said in a statement distributed by the union. She added that the goal is make sure her successor is “thoroughly prepared to assume the position.”Roberts, a lawyer for 40 years, was on the job when the league’s most recent collective bargaining agreement was ratified in 2017. Those negotiations were far less contentious than the ones that led to previous deals between the league and its players and resulted with both sides satisfied with how things went.That CBA will remain in place through at least the 2022-23... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Los Angeles Lakers have signed guard Dion Waiters for their postseason push.The Western Conference-leading Lakers made the move Friday before they hosted the NBA-leading Milwaukee Bucks.Waiters is an eight-year NBA veteran who had been a free agent since Memphis waived him last month, three days after acquiring him from Miami in the three-team trade that landed Andre Iguodala with the Heat.Waiters played in just three games and served three suspensions this season for the Heat. He missed Miami's road game against the Lakers in November and was subsequently suspended for 10 games after having a drug-related panic attack on the team plane.But Waiters is a talented veteran and an excellent 3-point shooter who could contribute to the Lakers as they move toward their first playoff run since 2013. He also played with LeBron James in Cleveland during the 2014-15 season.Waiters began his career with three seasons in Cleveland, followed by two in Oklahoma City. He never played for the Grizzlies after he was traded from Miami to Memphis midway through his fourth season with the Heat.The Lakers waived Troy Daniels on March 1 to open the roster spot filled by Waiters, who impressed the team in a recent workout. Daniels struggled for consistent playing time in Los Angeles.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Stephen Curry is confident he has put his left hand through every possible test aside from actually getting into an NBA game.He will get that chance Thursday night, when the two-time MVP is set to return following a more than four-month absence with a broken left hand to play for Golden State against the Toronto Raptors. Curry said he is comfortable enough to play, though it may be months before his hand feels completely “normal” again to where he can compare it to the right side. Yet he still plans to play in the Tokyo Olympics this summer with the Team USA training camp scheduled to open in July.“Hopefully, there aren't any thoughts and I get to play my game the way I see it and just be able to react and make plays without having second thoughts or hesitation,” Curry said after shootaround Thursday morning at Chase Center. “If I need to make a left-handed pass, no matter where it is, or finish with my left or defend and get a deflection or take a hit with it, that... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — The NBA fined Boston guard Marcus Smart $35,000 on Thursday for his treatment of referees — a punishment the league said reflected his history of misconduct on the court.The league cited Smart for confronting and verbally abusing the game officials at the end of the Celtics' 129-120 overtime loss to the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday.Smart was called for a foul with 0.2 seconds left in regulation and the Celtics leading by three. Caris LeVert made all three free throws and Smart fouled out of the game on an offensive foul early in overtime.The league said the amount of the fine “reflects his multiple prior violations of acceptable on-court decorum.”Smart had been fined $15,000 for criticizing officials earlier this season and was penalized three times in 2018-19 for his actions, including a couple of altercations.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — This Philadelphia 76ers star has a new nickname because of a hilarious wrong answer on "Jeopardy."Who is Joel Embiid?The Sixers All-Star center was featured on the quiz show Wednesday night in the first-round category of “Current Sports Nicknames.” The $1,000 question was, "Joel Embiid in 2019 won the trademark for this nickname that also describes the 76ers' strategy of improving the team."The answer is The Process. The guess was, "What is, do a 180?"How about that slogan during the Sixers long rebuild, "Trust the 180!"Embiid, introduced at home games as The Process, poked fun at the viral clip, changing his Twitter handle to Joel "Do a 180" Embiid??? and he posted a picture of himself on Instagram with the caption, "New Year, New Me!!!! You can now call me JOEL "DO A 180" EMBIID."Someone on the "Jeopardy" staff might be a 76ers fan -- Allen Iverson was the answer to a question in an episode late last year, and he also was guessed incorrectly.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

MIAMI (AP) — Duncan Robinson is about to collect a whole slew of records.Most 3-pointers by any player in either of his first two NBA seasons. Most 3-pointers by a Miami Heat player in a season. And he’s already tied the league record for most 3-pointers by an undrafted player in a season.He’s not just going to break them. He might smash them. There are 20 games left in the season, and Robinson is up to 225 3-pointers — the most recent nine coming in Miami’s 116-113 win over Orlando on Wednesday night, a game in which he made seven in a row to end the first half.“If you took a poll on NBA players and asked who Duncan Robinson was coming into training camp, I would say probably 70% of the league didn’t know who he was,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said.Robinson wasn’t offended. If anything, he thinks his coach is low-balling that 70% estimate.“I would probably say more than that,” Robinson said. “But no, no, that doesn’t bother me. You’ve got to expect that. The path that I’ve taken is a little... [More]