NEW YORK (AP) — The NBA fined three players a total of $85,000 on Friday for their roles in a dustup during a game between Charlotte and Dallas. The Mavericks' James Johnson was fined $40,000. For the Hornets, Cody Martin lost $25,000 and Caleb Martin $20,000. The commotion happened with about 2:40 left in Wednesday's game, a 118-99 victory by Charlotte. The NBA said Johnson deliberately pushed Cody Martin out of bounds, “aggressively confronting him and initiating the incident." Cody Martin's fine was for pushing Johnson in retaliation and making contact with a game official. Caleb Martin was fined for entering the action and making contact with a referee. ___ More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — The New York Knicks might have been able to take advantage of the absence of Toronto forward Pascal Siakam on Thursday night if they could have made some outside shots. Fred VanVleet scored 25 points and the Raptors, playing without their star forward, earned their first victory this season by beating the Knicks 100-83. New York's bid for a three-game win streak was ruined by 3-for-36 shooting from 3-point range. “If we would have made some of our 3s, we probably would have had a good chance to win,” Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said. Siakam, who left the court promptly in frustration Tuesday night after fouling out of a game at Philadelphia, was on the Toronto bench but not in uniform. Norman Powell started at small forward and finished with 17 points after making three of Toronto's first four baskets. “Obviously it was a disciplinary thing for an internal matter. Let's keep it at that for tonight,” Toronto coach Nick Nurse said. Kyle Lowry had 20 points and seven rebounds... [More]

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Fred VanVleet scored 25 points and the Toronto Raptors, playing without star forward Pascal Siakam, earned their first victory this season by beating the New York Knicks 100-83 on Thursday night. New York's bid for a three-game win streak was ruined by 3-for-36 shooting from 3-point range. Siakam, who left the court promptly in frustration Tuesday night after fouling out of a game at Philadelphia, was on the Toronto bench but not in uniform. Norman Powell started at small forward and finished with 17 points after making three of Toronto's first four baskets. Kyle Lowry had 20 points for the Raptors (1-3). Julius Randle had 16 points and 10 rebounds for the Knicks (2-3). Reggie Bullock and RJ Barrett combined to go 0 for 17 from behind the arc. The Knicks fell behind by as many as 11 points early in the game and were were shooting only 29% (11 for 38) midway through the second quarter. But Randle scored eight straight points and put New York ahead for the first time with... [More]

ATLANTA (AP) — Atlanta Hawks guard Kris Dunn will rest his right ankle for two weeks after having arthroscopic surgery to remove loose cartilage. Dunn, who has not played this season, will be placed in a walking boot and his status will be updated following the two weeks. The Hawks said Thursday he had surgery Tuesday at the Hospital of Special Surgery in New York. Dunn developed the ankle soreness while compensating for torn cartilage in his right knee. He signed a a $10 million, two-year contract with the Hawks in the offseason. ___ More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

WASHINGTON (AP) — Four Chicago Bulls players are in the NBA’s health and safety protocol and are not available for Thursday’s game with the Washington Wizards. Forwards Lauri Markkanen, the team’s second leading scorer and top rebounder and Chandler Hutchison and guards Ryan Arcidiacono and Tomas Satoransky have been ruled out. “You’ve got to stay flexible,” Chicago coach Billy Donovan said. “A lot of different things can happen. You’ve got to be able to handle them. Obviously, a lot for us to digest and deal with going into this game.” The Bulls play at Milwaukee on Friday night, and Donovan expects his team to be short-handed again. “My guess is yes, it’s going to go on here for a period of time,” Donovan said. “How long, I’m really unsure of that. I think daily testing helps bring some clarity where guys are at. I don’t know how long it will be, but I think it will be some time.” Markkanen was already questionable for the game with a left calf injury. ___ More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — NBA Rookie of the Year Ja Morant will miss three to five weeks after spraining his left ankle. The Memphis Grizzlies said Tuesday that further tests revealed Morant suffered a Grade 2 ankle sprain during Monday night's 116-111 overtime win over Brooklyn. “i know God is working, so I smile,” Morant wrote Tuesday on Twitter. Morant was defending a shot by Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot and rolled his ankle when he landed on Luwawu-Cabarrot's foot. Morant hopped off the court and was taken by wheelchair to the locker room. He returned to watch the end of the game with his left foot in a walking boot. The Grizzlies already are without Jaren Jackson Jr., who is recovering from surgery to repair the meniscus in his left knee in August, and Justise Winslow, who is coming back from a left hip injury. Morant led Memphis in scoring last season, averaging 17.8 points a game. He also opened this season scoring a career-high 44 points. ___ More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

CLEVELAND (AP) — Cavaliers forward Kevin Love could miss more than a month with a right calf injury he aggravated Sunday night in a game against Philadelphia. The team said Tuesday that an MRI confirmed a calf strain and that Love will begin treatment and rehab and will not be reassessed for three to four more weeks. The 32-year-old’s injury is a setback for the Cavs, who are off to their first 3-0 start since 2016. They host the New York Knicks on Tuesday night. Love initially got hurt in Cleveland's first exhibition game on Dec. 12 and sat out the opener against Charlotte last week to give it more rest. The five-time All-Star made his season debut and played 38 minutes in the Cavaliers' double-overtime win at Detroit on Saturday. He started and scored four points in nine minutes against the 76ers before leaving in the second quarter. Before the game against the Pistons, Love said he had gotten kicked in the leg earlier this month in a preseason game against Indiana and that the injury... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Spencer Dinwiddie will have surgery to repair a partially torn ACL in his right knee, an early blow to a Brooklyn Nets team that hoped it had left its injury troubles behind. Dinwiddie was hurt Sunday in Charlotte during the third quarter of the Nets' first loss of the season. The team said Monday his surgery was scheduled for next week and further updates would be provided afterward. The veteran guard didn't rule out returning this season, recalling in an Instagram post that he made it back from a more severe knee injury in college seven months later. Dinwiddie excelled in a reserve role for the Nets in the past but had been in the starting lineup for the first three games this season under new coach Steve Nash, averaging 6.7 points. “It’s just a tough break for him and for us obviously,” Nash said before the Nets lost 116-111 to Memphis in overtime Monday night. “He’s a terrific player that was able to fill multiple roles for us and give us a great athlete on top of that,... [More]

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Milwaukee Bucks reserve forward Torrey Craig fractured his nose during a loss to the New York Knicks on Sunday. The Bucks announced the severity of Craig’s injury Monday and said he won’t play Tuesday at Miami. Craig was injured in the fourth quarter of the Knicks’ 130-110 victory. The fracture was discovered after Craig had a CT scan and additional evaluation Monday in New York. Milwaukee signed Craig last month after he spent three seasons with the Denver Nuggets. Craig averaged 5.4 points, 3.3 rebounds and 18.5 minutes for Denver last season. The 6-foot-7 forward hasn’t scored in two games for the Bucks. He has averaged 2 rebounds, 1 assist and 6.5 minutes. ___ More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

NEW YORK (AP) — The Brooklyn Nets are resting Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving against Memphis on the second night of their first back-to-back of the season. The Nets announced that Durant would be out early Monday. Irving wasn't added to the injury report until a few hours later. Both players are coming off lengthy injury absences. Durant missed the entire 2019-20 season while rehabbing from right Achilles tendon surgery, while Irving was limited to 20 games because of a right shoulder injury. Coach Steve Nash said the decision to rest Durant was made Sunday night after the Nets lost in Charlotte, their first defeat after two victories to open the season. He played a season-high 36 minutes. Their absence leaves the Nets without three starters after guard Spencer Dinwiddie partially tore the ACL in his right knee in the third quarter of the game in Charlotte. The Nets planned to start Caris LeVert, Taurean Prince and Timothé Luwawu-Cabarrot along with remaining starters Joe Harris and DeAndre Jordan. ___ More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

NEW YORK (AP) — The Brooklyn Nets are resting Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving against Memphis on the second night of their first back-to-back of the season. The Nets announced that Durant would be out early Monday. Irving wasn't added to the injury report until a few hours later. Both players are coming off lengthy injury absences. Durant missed the entire 2019-20 season while rehabbing from right Achilles tendon surgery, while Irving was limited to 20 games because of a right shoulder injury. Coach Steve Nash said the decision to rest Durant was made Sunday night after the Nets lost in Charlotte, their first defeat after two victories to open the season. Their absence leaves the Nets without three starters after guard Spencer Dinwiddie partially tore the ACL in his right knee in the third quarter of the game in Charlotte. Nash did not announce who would start for the Nets. ___ More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

NEW YORK (AP) — The NBA fined Philadelphia president of basketball operations Daryl Morey $50,000 on Monday for a since-deleted tweet about Houston’s James Harden that violated the league’s anti-tampering rule. A tweet was posted to Morey's account Dec. 20 in commemoration of the anniversary of another tweet he had sent commemorating Harden breaking Calvin Murphy’s record for most assists as a member of the Rockets. Morey was with the Rockets at that time. The tweet from this year was deleted. Typically, teams are prohibited from discussing players under contract to other teams and the NBA has warned clubs that it can be considered tampering. Harden has been mentioned in trade talks for several weeks. A tweet by Morey in 2019 led to major problems for the NBA and its relationship with China. He posted support for anti-government protesters in Hong Kong. NBA games were not shown on CCTV, China's state broadcaster, for one year after that since-deleted tweet.

NEW YORK (AP) — Spencer Dinwiddie will have surgery to repair a partially torn ACL in his right knee, an early blow to a Brooklyn Nets team that hoped it had left its injury troubles behind. Dinwiddie was hurt Sunday in Charlotte during the third quarter of the Nets' first loss of the season. The Nets said Monday the guard's surgery was scheduled for next week and further updates would be provided afterward. Dinwiddie excelled in a reserve role for the the Nets in the past but had been in the starting lineup for the first three games under Steve Nash, averaging 6.7 points. Though his numbers are down this season with more firepower around him, Dinwiddie remains valued for the numerous roles he has played on the Nets since arriving in 2016. “He means a lot. When Spencer is going he can’t be stopped," center Jarrett Allen said. “His offensive game, he’s going downhill and creating shots for others. Even off the court, everybody loves having Spencer around and his energy and personality is... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Kawhi Leonard won’t play for the Los Angeles Clippers against the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday. Leonard needed eight stitches in his mouth after accidentally getting elbowed by 7-foot teammate Serge Ibaka while going for a rebound in Friday’s win at Denver. Leonard was bleeding heavily when he left the court in the fourth quarter. Leonard was replaced in Sunday’s lineup by Luke Kennard for the Clippers' home opener at Staples Center. Coach Tyronn Lue didn't directly answer when asked about Leonard's prognosis. “Hopefully, he's fine,” the first-year coach said. Leonard had 21 points, five rebounds and seven assists on Friday. ___ More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/tag/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Marveling once again, Stephen Curry made 105 straight 3-pointers from the same baseline spot to finish practice Saturday leading into Golden State's game Sunday game at Chicago. The Warriors said they captured the final 103 on video at the Bulls' practice facility. Curry's shots were counted by his longtime shooting man, assistant Bruce Fraser, and coach Steve Kerr only heard about his shooting star afterward. Curry finally missed, then pumped his arms and yelled in delight. “I think his previous record was 77. That’s insane,” Kerr said. “I don't know if the Guinness Book of World Records still exists. That was one of my favorite books growing up. If it still exists that should go in the book, because we have video evidence now apparently.” You bet, two-time MVP Curry can still dazzle day after day at age 32 and at the start of his 12th NBA season. With his next made 3, Curry will have 2,500 for his career — joining only Ray Allen and Reggie Miller to reach that mark. “It was SO amazing... [More]

Marveling once again, Stephen Curry made 105 straight 3-pointers to finish practice Saturday leading into Golden State's game Sunday game at Chicago. The Warriors said they captured the final 103 on video at the Bulls' practice facility. Curry's shots were counted by his longtime shooting man, assistant Bruce Fraser, and coach Steve Kerr only heard about his shooting star afterward. “I think his previous record was 77. That’s insane,” Kerr said. “I don't know if the Guinness Book of World Records still exists. That was one of my favorite books growing up. If it still exists that should go in the book, because we have video evidence now apparently.” You bet, two-time MVP Curry can still marvel day after day at age 32 and at the start of his 12th NBA season. With his next made 3, Curry will have 2,500 for his career — joining only Ray Allen and Reggie Miller to reach that mark. “It was SO amazing — 105 3s in a row,” Fraser said via text message. “I knew it could be special around 30. Just... [More]

DETROIT (AP) — Kevin Love will be back in Cleveland's starting lineup Saturday night against the Pistons after missing the season opener with a calf injury. Love had been sidelined since the team's first exhibition game against Indiana on Dec. 12, when he got kicked in the calf. Love said his leg was swollen from his knee to his Achilles tendon. He wanted to play in Wednesday's game against Charlotte, but the team decided that two more days of rest would be beneficial. The 32-year-old, five-time All-Star forward said he “feels great” but knows he may struggle with his conditioning early on. Cleveland's first road game will also mark center Andre Drummond's return to Detroit. He was traded to the Cavaliers in February after seven seasons with the Pistons. He made two All-Star teams while with Detroit. Drummond had 14 points and 14 rebounds in the Cavs' opening-night win over the Hornets. ___ More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

DETROIT (AP) — Kevin Love will be back in Cleveland's starting lineup Saturday night against the Pistons after the star forward missed the season opener with a calf injury. Love had been sidelined since the team's first exhibition game against Indiana on Dec. 12, when he got kicked in the calf. Love said his leg was swollen from his knee to Achilles tendon. He wanted to play in Wednesday's game against Charlotte, but the team decided that two more days of rest would be beneficial. The 32-year-old five-time All-Star said he “feels great” but knows he may struggle with his conditioning early on. Cleveland's first road game will also mark center Andre Drummond's return to Detroit. He was traded to the Cavaliers in February after seven seasons with the Pistons. He made two All-Star teams while with Detroit. Drummond had 14 points and 14 rebounds in the Cavs' opening-night win over the Hornets. ___ More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports n

CLEVELAND (AP) — Cavaliers rookie forward Dylan Windler broke his left hand in the season opener, another unlucky medical setback for the promising player. The team said Thursday that Windler suffered a fourth metacarpal fracture (on his ring finger) when he took a hard fall in the third quarter against the Charlotte Hornets. X-rays after the game were negative, but further tests revealed the fracture. Windler, who missed last season with a lower leg stress fracture he sustained before preseason training camp, will be re-evaluated in a week. The team said only that he will begin a rehab program and did not provide any timeline for his return. It's an unfortunate development for Windler, the former Belmont star taken with the No. 26 pick in 2019. Cleveland has high hopes for the 6-foot-6 shooter and exercised the third-year option on his contract before the opener. Windler was making a strong move to the basket and was in the air when he was hit by Charlotte's Gordon Hayward and crashed in the foul lane. Cavs center Javale McGee covered his head after seeing Windler go down. Windler scored three points in nine minutes before getting hurt. The Cavs held on to beat the Hornets 121-114. They play at Detroit on Saturday before hosting the Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday. ___ More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

CLEVELAND (AP) — Cavaliers rookie forward Dylan Windler broke his left hand in the season opener, another unlucky medical setback for the promising player. The team said Thursday that Windler suffered a fourth metacarpal fracture (on his ring finger) when he took a hard fall in the third quarter against the Charlotte Hornets. X-rays after the game were negative, but further tests revealed the fracture. Windler, who missed last season with a lower leg stress fracture he sustained before preseason training camp, will be re-evaluated in a week. The team said only that he will begin a rehab program and did not provide any timeline for his return. It's an unfortunate development for Windler, the former Belmont star taken with the No. 26 pick in 2019. Cleveland has high hopes for the 6-foot-6 shooter and exercised the third-year option on his contract before the opener. Windler was making a strong move to the basket and was in the air when he was hit by Charlotte's Gordon Hayward and crashed in the foul lane. Cavs center Javale McGee covered his head after seeing Windler go down. Windler scored three points in nine minutes before getting hurt. The Cavs held on to beat the Hornets 121-114. They play at Detroit on Saturday before hosting the Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday. ___ More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports