LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — Giannis Antetokounmpo figured somebody was in trouble.Even though the Milwaukee Bucks had just defeated Orlando for a 3-1 lead in their playoff series, Mike Budenholzer wanted to talk to them in the locker room afterward.Antetokounmpo looked around, wondering if a teammate was about to be scolded.“Usually when coach wants to talk to us after a game, somebody messed up,” Antetokounmpo said. This time, it was because the Greek Freak did really well. Antetokounmpo was voted NBA Defensive Player of the Year on Tuesday, becoming the fifth player to win that award and MVP in a career.The All-Star, who was MVP last year and is the favorite to repeat this season, ended the two-year reign of Utah center Rudy Gobert as Defensive Player of the Year.He got the news with the rest of his teammates on the league's best defensive team a day earlier.“Coach was so excited, he was so happy,” Antetokounmpo said. “He told me I won Defensive Player of the Year. He jumped on the... [More]

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — Giannis Antetokounmpo was voted NBA Defensive Player of the Year on Tuesday, becoming the fifth player to win that award and MVP in a career.The Milwaukee Bucks All-Star, who was MVP last year and is the favorite to repeat this season, ended the two-year reign of Utah center Rudy Gobert as Defensive Player of the Year.Antetokounmpo received 75 first-place votes from a panel of 100 sportswriters and broadcasters, finishing with 432 points. Los Angeles Lakers forward Anthony Davis was second (200 points; 14 first-place votes) and Gobert (187 points; six first-place votes) third.Antetokounmpo joined Michael Jordan, Hakeem Olajuwon, David Robinson and Kevin Garnett as players to do the MVP-Defensive Player of the Year double.He led the Bucks to the NBA's best record and helped them limit opponents to 101.6 points per 100 possessions, the league's top defensive rating, as of March 11. Voting was conducted on games through then, before the season was suspended because of the coronavirus pandemic.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — As the NBA sought to resume the season, players had to weigh whether playing basketball aided or distracted from their calls for social justice reform.Those discussions are starting again.With the second round of the postseason set to begin Thursday when Toronto plays Boston, players from both teams say there have been discussions about whether they should boycott games following the police shooting in Wisconsin of Jacob Blake, a Black man.Players and coaches around the league say they have been frustrated and are upset after seeing cellphone video that showed Blake being shot multiple times after they have spent a month and a half in the bubble calling for reform.“But it’s not working, so obviously something has to be done and right now our focus really shouldn’t be on basketball,” Celtics guard Marcus Smart said. “I understand it’s the playoffs and everything like that but we still have a bigger issue, an underlying issue that’s going on and the things that... [More]

It was only a week ago when the sky was falling on the Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers. The NBA’s two best teams in the regular season, the top seeds in their respective conferences, both lost their playoff openers and looked vulnerable.Not so much now.Order has been emphatically restored, the Bucks and Lakers are a combined 6-0 since — winning those games by an average of 15.8 points — and both teams can reach the second round of the NBA playoffs with victories on Wednesday at the Disney complex in Lake Buena Vista, Florida.The Bucks lead the Orlando Magic 3-1; the Lakers lead the Portland Trail Blazers 3-1. The other game in Wednesday’s tripleheader is Game 5 between the Houston Rockets and Oklahoma City Thunder, that series knotted at two games apiece.“Obviously, in Game 1, we were all disappointed in ourselves,” Milwaukee center Brook Lopez said Tuesday. “We felt we weren’t the team that we are and capable of being. Each and every game, our effort has been there since then. ...... [More]

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — Portland guard Damian Lillard has a sprained right knee and will be sidelined Wednesday when the Trail Blazers play a win-or-else Western Conference first-round game against the Los Angeles Lakers.The Blazers trail the best-of-seven series 3-1, and now will play without their leading scorer.Lillard got hurt while driving to the basket and drawing a foul with 7:16 left in the third quarter of Monday’s game against the Lakers. The knee seemed to buckle as Lillard made an awkward landing and he was clearly limping as he made his way to the foul line.During a time-out that was called about a minute later, Lillard briefly made his way into an area of the arena that isn’t visible from the court. He returned to the bench before the time-out was over and remained in the game for about another minute, before departing for good with 5:18 left in the third.An MRI performed Monday night was inconclusive, prompting the Blazers to schedule the second one Tuesday — after... [More]

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Myles Turner has been to the playoffs each of his first five seasons with the Indiana Pacers. He still hasn't reached the second round.“At some point, you have to get over the hump," the 24-year-old center said, emphatically acknowledging he's taking it personally.Whether that happens next season largely depends on how the front office, the coaches and his teammats handle this offseason, however long it lasts.How much of a struggle has the postseason been for Indiana?The loss to Miami on Monday sealed a second straight first-round sweep and the team's third in four years — the only best-of-seven series sweeps in the franchise's NBA history. They've lost a franchise-record nine consecutive playoff games, too.Sure, there are obvious explanations.Two-time All-Star Victor Oladipo wasn't available last season because of a season-ending knee injury. Then he missed most of Game 1 against Miami after getting poked in the eye.Domantas Sabonis, who made his first All-Star appearance... [More]

It was only a week ago when the sky was falling on the Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers. The NBA’s two best teams in the regular season, the top seeds in their respective conferences, both lost their playoff openers and looked vulnerable.Not so much now.Order has been emphatically restored, the Bucks and Lakers are a combined 6-0 since — winning those games by an average of 15.8 points — and both teams can reach the second round of the NBA playoffs with victories on Wednesday at the Disney complex in Lake Buena Vista, Florida.The Bucks lead the Orlando Magic 3-1; the Lakers lead the Portland Trail Blazers 3-1. The other game in Wednesday’s tripleheader is Game 5 between the Houston Rockets and Oklahoma City Thunder, that series knotted at two games apiece.“Obviously, in Game 1, we were all disappointed in ourselves,” Milwaukee center Brook Lopez said Tuesday. “We felt we weren’t the team that we are and capable of being. Each and every game, our effort has been there since then. ...... [More]

It was only a week ago when the sky was falling on the Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers. The NBA’s two best teams in the regular season, the top seeds in their respective conferences, both lost their playoff openers and looked vulnerable.Not so much now.Order has been emphatically restored, the Bucks and Lakers are a combined 6-0 since — winning those games by an average of 15.8 points — and both teams can reach the second round of the NBA playoffs with victories on Wednesday at the Disney complex in Lake Buena Vista, Florida.The Bucks lead the Orlando Magic 3-1; the Lakers lead the Portland Trail Blazers 3-1. The other game in Wednesday’s tripleheader is Game 5 between the Houston Rockets and Oklahoma City Thunder, that series knotted at two games apiece.“Obviously, in Game 1, we were all disappointed in ourselves,” Milwaukee center Brook Lopez said Tuesday. “We felt we weren’t the team that we are and capable of being. Each and every game, our effort has been there since then. ...... [More]

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — Dallas Mavericks center Kristaps Porzingis will miss Game 5 of a first-round playoff series against the Los Angeles Clippers because of right knee soreness.It will be the second straight game the 7-foot-3 Latvian is sidelined. He was ruled out a few hours before the game Tuesday night after being a late scratch for Game 4.It's not the same knee Porzingis had surgically repaired after an injury in what ended up being his final game with the New York Knicks in early 2018. He tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee. Dallas acquired him in a trade last year.The Mavericks pulled off the biggest playoff comeback in franchise history without Porzingis in Game 4, evening the series with a 135-133 overtime victory when young star Luka Doncic hit a long 3-pointer at the buzzer. Dallas trailed by 21 points in the first half.The right knee gave Porzingis trouble before the pandemic-forced shutdown of the NBA in March. He missed 10 games in January. During the restart, he has been listed on the injury both with right knee soreness and a left heel contusion.The Mavericks might be without another starter in Game 5. Dorian Finney-Smith is questionable because of issues in each of his hips.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — Milwaukee Bucks guard George Hill vented his frustration at social injustice Monday following the shooting by police of a Black man in Wisconsin, saying the NBA's decision to resume its season in a bubble at Walt Disney World has prevented players from working to address the country's problems with racial violence and police brutality.Hill spoke after he watched a video of the wounding of Jacob Blake, a 29-year-old man who was shot, apparently in the back, by police in Kenosha, Wisconsin, as he leaned into his SUV while his three children sat in the vehicle. The shooting sparked violent protests, turning Kenosha into the nation's latest flashpoint in a summer of racial unrest. Blake remained hospitalized on Monday.The NBA resumed its season on July with players isolated at Disney after a 4 1/2-month break because of the coronavirus pandemic.“First of all, we shouldn’t have even come into this damn place, to be honest,” Hill said on a video conference call following... [More]

One after the other, Luka Doncic and Donovan Mitchell turned in record book-worthy performances on the same court at Disney.In different series. And in different fashions, too.But the two young players have their opponents sharing a similar dilemma: How to stop them? Or at least, slow them down.Doncic and the seventh-seeded Dallas Mavericks are tied at two games apiece with the Los Angeles Clippers heading into Game 5 on Tuesday in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. The dynamic Doncic made sure of that with a buzzer-beating, 3-pointer in overtime Sunday to cap another triple-double. Adding even more to the intrigue was this: His step-back shot was on a left ankle so tender he was a game-time decision.Not to be outdone in the nightcap, Mitchell erupted for 51 points in Game 4 to give the sixth-seeded Utah Jazz a 3-1 lead over Denver. It was just enough to hold off the Nuggets and Jamal Murray, who went for 50 points. Mitchell “is playing out of this world right now,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone... [More]

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — The Brooklyn Nets went down meekly in the playoffs, their decimated roster no competition for the reigning NBA champions.The Nets won't be overmatched by anyone next season, assuming Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving are healthy.The question going into the offseason is who will lead them.Jacque Vaughn finished out the season as coach and did as well as anyone could have expected, leading the Nets to a 5-3 record in the NBA’s restart in Florida before they were swept by the Toronto Raptors. He started 2-0 after replacing Kenny Atkinson in March, including a victory over the Lakers in Los Angeles, and picked up victories over the powerful Bucks and Clippers at Walt Disney World.“I think if you ask anybody who was a part of JV’s two games before the cutoff and the whole experience here, I think they’ll tell you that he’s very deserving of the job,” guard Caris LeVert said. “He’s done a great job down here winning with less and I think everybody saw that.”With Durant... [More]

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — Toronto guard Kyle Lowry hurt his left foot in the first quarter of Game 4 against Brooklyn on Sunday and left to get it evaluated.The Raptors announced that Lowry had left the arena to be examined elsewhere on the NBA campus. They said the injury was Lowry's ankle, but coach Nick Nurse said after the game it was Lowry's foot. The Raptors went on to finish a sweep and set up a second-round series against the Boston Celtics that will begin Thursday. Lowry had two points and three assists in nine minutes.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — Toronto guard Kyle Lowry hurt his left ankle in the first quarter of Game 4 against Brooklyn on Sunday and left to get it evaluated.The Raptors announced that Lowry had left the arena to have the ankle examined elsewhere on the NBA campus. They said further updates would be provided when available.Lowry was hurt as the Raptors were trying to finish a sweep and set up a second-round series against the Boston Celtics. Lowry had two points and three assists in nine minutes.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — In a crammed schedule after the NBA's restart, rest has been hard to find.Teams played eight games in two weeks after play resumed on July 30, then jumped into the postseason. Midway through the first round, fatigue might start to show.That's why wrapping up series quickly, almost always a good thing, might be even more important this year. Miami has its chance. The Lakers and Bucks look like they still might.And Houston might regret if it let its opportunity get away.After wasting a late lead and dropping Game 3 in overtime, the Rockets look to regain control of their series against Oklahoma City when the teams meet Monday.“Playoffs, you've got some adversity somewhere and this is adversity,” Rockets coach Mike D'Antoni said. “Now we've got to come out, make another statement, so that's what we're going to do.”Houston had a five-point lead with under a minute remaining in regulation Saturday, before the Thunder rallied for a 119-107 victory in overtime that... [More]

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — The Dallas Mavericks were without forward/center Kristaps Porzingis for Game 4 against the Los Angeles Clippers because he has right knee soreness.The last-minute scratch occurred after the Mavericks learned that guard Luka Doncic would play Sunday despite a left ankle sprain. It wasn’t the same knee that sidelined Porzingis for the 2018-19 season.Porzingis is averaging 23.7 points and 8.7 rebounds in the Western Conference first-round series. He is coming off a Game 3 performance in which he had 34 points and 13 rebounds. It's the first time a Dallas player has scored 30 or more points and grabbed 10 or more rebounds since Dirk Nowitzki in the 2011 NBA Finals.The 7-foot-3 Porzingis has been dealing with a bruised left heel. The Clippers lead the series 2-1.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — Orlando Magic forward James Ennis and Milwaukee Bucks forward Marvin Williams were fined $15,000 each by the NBA on Sunday for a fight that led to their ejections from Game 3 of their teams’ first-round playoff series.Ennis and Williams had been competing for rebounding position midway through the second quarter of the Bucks’ 121-107 victory Saturday. When they headed back up the floor, Ennis shoved Williams, and Williams shoved Ennis back.As the two players were separated, Williams grabbed Ennis’ jersey. Ennis appeared to throw a fist in an attempt to free his jersey.During the Bucks’ media availability Sunday, Williams said he didn’t believe either player should have been ejected.“I’ve seen a lot more take place and guys have received a lot less punishment,” said Williams, who spoke before the fines were announced. “I don’t think he should have been ejected, and I certainly don’t think I should have been ejected for that. I was very surprised, especially... [More]

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — 76ers forward Tobias Harris returned to Game 3 of Philadelphia's first-round playoff matchup with Boston on Sunday after bloodying his face in a fall.Harris was trying to contest a shot by Jayson Tatum at the 2:40 mark of the third quarter and inadvertently had his legs taken out from under him by Tatum. Harris fell on the left side of his face. He laid on the court for several minutes as medical staff attended to him.He was eventually able to walk off the court on his own power with a towel over his face, but blood was visible both on the towel and on the court. Coach Brett Brown told ESPN after the quarter ended that Harris told him he was OK shortly before he left the court.The team said he suffered a left eye laceration and was cleared after a concussion evaluation. He returned to the game with 5:12 left in the fourth quarter with a bandage over his eye. ___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — 76ers forward Tobias Harris left Game 3 of Philadelphia's first-round playoff matchup with Boston after bloodying his face in a fall. The team said he suffered a left eye laceration and was being evaluated for a possible concussion.Harris was trying to contest a shot by Jayson Tatum at the 2:40 mark of the third quarter and inadvertently had his legs taken out from under him by Tatum. Harris fell on the left side of his face. He laid on the court for several minutes as medical staff attended to him.He was eventually able to walk off the court on his own power with a towel over his face, but blood was visible both on the towel and on the court. Coach Brett Brown told ESPN after the quarter ended that Harris told him he was OK shortly before he left the court.Harris led the 76ers with 16 points on 5-of-9 shooting at the time of the injury. Philadelphia trailed Boston 89-77 entering the final quarter. ___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — The Dallas Mavericks will work around the clock on Luka Doncic, hoping he can be healthy enough to play Sunday.The Philadelphia 76ers and Brooklyn Nets can tell them all about how hard the playoffs are without star guards.Doncic hopes to make a quick recovery, and the 76ers and Nets look to avoid quick exits heading into Game 4 of their series.Doncic sprained his left ankle in the third quarter of Dallas' 130-122 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday night. He came back in the fourth but wasn't moving well and eventually left for good.The Mavericks were hoping to get him an MRI exam Saturday and planning to keep him off the court all day. Coach Rick Carlisle said Doncic would likely be a game-time decision.“Obviously, we know the nature of the game. Sometimes injuries happen,” Dallas guard Trey Burke said. “If he can’t go, guys have got to be ready to play, step up and we’ve got to have the same mentality going out there and that’s to win.”The Mavs beat... [More]