BOSTON (AP) — Kyrie Irving says banning fans who mistreat NBA players won’t solve the problem. It goes much deeper than that. “(It’s) just underlying racism, and treating people like they’re in a human zoo,” Irving said after a water bottle was thrown at him following Brooklyn’s 141-126 victory over the Celtics on Sunday night. “Throwing stuff at people, saying things. There’s a certain point where it gets to be too much,” said the Nets guard, who spent two years playing in Boston and revealed last week he was the victim of racism during his time in the city. “You see people just feel very entitled out here. ... As a Black man playing in the NBA, dealing with a lot of this stuff, it’s fairly difficult. You never know what’s going to happen.” Irving had 39 points and 11 rebounds to quiet the first post-pandemic full house at the TD Garden and lead the Nets to victory in Game 4 of their first-round playoff series. The win gave Brooklyn a 3-1 lead and a chance to clinch at home on Tuesday.... [More]

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Memphis Grizzlies fans cheered Mike Conley earlier this year when he finally earned All-Star recognition in his 14th season. Now they're trying hard not to boo the guard they loved for so long. “Sometimes you live long enough to become the villain, and I’ve become that for I guess the Memphis Grizzlies now," Conley said. Conley is trying to lead the top-seeded Utah Jazz to the NBA Finals, which eluded him during a seven-year playoff run in Memphis. Conley is taking on his replacement in Memphis in Ja Morant, who has the Grizzlies back in the playoffs for the first time in four years. Morant is leading the youngest roster in this postseason with 33.7 points per game, trailing only Luka Doncic and Kawhi Leonard. Conley, who scored 27 in a 121-111 win that gave the Jazz a 2-1 lead, says it feels he's come full circle in a way he never expected. “It’s amazing to be playing against a guy like Ja first off, just seeing a guy that is so talented, a young superstar in the... [More]

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — A lawsuit against the Utah Jazz by a fan who was banned for life from the team's arena over what were called racial taunts directed at point guard Russell Westbrook was dismissed by a judge, according to court documents filed Thursday. Shane Keisel has said there was nothing racial about his heckling during the 2019 game and that the high-profile incident cost him his job and exposed him to online threats. The Jazz, however, said the team investigated the episode that ignited a national conversation about race and fan behavior and stood by the decision to bar him from the arena. The ruling came just hours after Westbrook was once again a victim of unruly fan behavior, this time in Philadelphia where someone sitting over the tunnel that leads from the floor threw popcorn on him as he left the game with an ankle injury Wednesday night. The 76ers apologized Thursday and announced the unnamed fan who was a season-ticket holder would be banned from all events at the arena.... [More]

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Ben Simmons put a spin move on Russell Westbrook that sent him sprawling to the floor several minutes before an ankle injury sent the NBA’s triple-double king to the locker room and nearly into the stands to confront a misbehaving fan. With Simmons soaring and Westbrook ailing, the Philadelphia 76ers beat the Washington Wizards 120-95 on Wednesday night to take a 2-0 lead in the first-round playoff series. Game 3 is Saturday night at Washington. Westbrook went down after colliding with Furkan Korkmaz early in the fourth quarter. He limped off the floor and then was restrained by security after a fan threw popcorn at him as he was headed under the tunnel. “We’ll see," Westbrook said about his availability for the next game. "Hurt it twice in a short amount of time. We’ll see what happens.” As for the incident with the fan, Westbrook said: “I wouldn’t come up to me on the street and throw popcorn on my head, because you know what happens. ... In these arenas, you gotta... [More]

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Ben Simmons put a spin move on Russell Westbrook that sent him sprawling to the floor several minutes before a leg injury sent the NBA’s triple-double king to the locker room. With Simmons soaring and Westbrook ailing, the Philadelphia 76ers beat the Washington Wizards 120-95 on Wednesday night to take a 2-0 lead in their first-round playoff series. Game 3 is Saturday night at Washington. Westbrook went down after colliding with Furkan Korkmaz early in the fourth quarter. He limped off the floor and was restrained by security after a fan threw popcorn at him as he was headed under the tunnel. Simmons and Joel Embiid each scored 22 points and Tobias Harris added 19 for the top-seeded Sixers. Simmons added nine rebounds and eight assists after becoming just the sixth player in NBA history to have at least 15 rebounds and 15 assists in a playoff game in a 125-118 win in Game 1 The three-time All-Star still heard plenty of criticism in Philadelphia following that stellar... [More]

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Doc Rivers can’t fathom criticism of Ben Simmons, especially after the three-time All-Star became just the sixth player in NBA history to have at least 15 rebounds and 15 assists in a playoff game. “Only in Philadelphia,” Rivers said Tuesday when asked about the critics. “If you guys don’t know the treasure you have by now, then shame on everyone because he’s been fantastic for us. He creates points every single night for us. When Ben was on the floor, we were really good. “I’m amazed that people don’t see what he does. We’re so caught up in the amount of points he scored. ... Does it matter if Ben had all 125? Would we be mad that Joel (Embiid) didn’t score? Who cares who scores as long as we’re scoring. ... When Ben plays, we score more points.” Simmons scored six points in Philadelphia's 125-118 victory over Washington in Game 1 of their first-round series opener. He missed all six of his free throws and his shooting deficiencies sometimes overshadow his all-around... [More]

ATLANTA (AP) — Oscar Robertson's NBA record of 181 triple-doubles had stood since 1974 and was once thought to be untouchable — until Russell Westbrook surpassing it became inevitable. Westbrook got it done Monday night, hardly a surprise given that he's averaging a triple-double this season and this was his 36th, including seven in his last eight games. “I normally don’t like to pat myself on the back but tonight I will just because I’m so grateful for the ones before me and so blessed to the man above to allow me to go out and do it," Westbrook said. “I take this job very seriously and I’m super grateful for my teammates and coaches on my journey so far." The 32-year-old Westbrook, in his 13th season overall and his first with the Washington Wizards, completed his 182nd triple-double when he grabbed his 10th rebound with 8:29 remaining in the game against the Atlanta Hawks. He finished with 28 points, 13 rebounds and 21 assists and missed a potential game-winning 3-pointer as the Wizards... [More]

ATLANTA (AP) — Russell Westbrook set the NBA record with his 182nd triple-double on Monday night, surpassing the mark set by Oscar Robertson in 1974. The 32-year-old Westbrook, in his 13th season overall and his first with the Washington Wizards, reached the milestone when he grabbed his 10th rebound with 8:29 remaining in the game against the Atlanta Hawks. He finished with 28 points, 13 rebounds and 21 assists and missed a potential game-winning 3-pointer as the Wizards fell to the Hawks 125-124. Westbrook began the night averaging 11.5 assists, tops in the NBA and the only player in double digits. He ranked sixth in rebounds with 11.6 per game and was averaging 22 points. He has recorded a triple-double in each of Washington's last five games, three of them before the start of the fourth quarter. Westbrook, the 2016-17 MVP and a nine-time All-Star, praised Robertson after he tied the record in Saturday’s overtime win at Indiana. He had 33 points, 19 rebounds and 15 assists, closing out... [More]

ATLANTA (AP) — Russell Westbrook has set the NBA record with his 182nd triple-double, surpassing the mark set by Oscar Robertson in 1974. The 32-year-old Westbrook, in his 13th season overall and his first with the Washington Wizards, reached the milestone when he grabbed his 10th rebound with 8:29 left in Monday night's game against the Atlanta Hawks. He was already into double figures in points and assists. Westbrook began the night averaging 11.5 assists, tops in the NBA and the only player in double digits. He ranked sixth in rebounds with 11.6 per game and was averaging 22 points. He has recorded a triple-double in each of Washington's last five games, three of them before the start of the fourth quarter. Westbrook, the 2016-17 MVP and a nine-time All-Star, praised Robertson when he tied the record in Saturday’s overtime win at Indiana. He had 33 points, 19 rebounds and 15 assists, closing out the game with a blocked shot. “I take a lot of pride in doing everything I can to impact... [More]

WASHINGTON (AP) — Russell Westbrook’s stat lines have been looking like typos in the box score lately — the 14-point, 21-rebound, 24-assist game this week, for example, or the 18-18-14 five nights earlier — and now he’s on the verge of something historic. The Washington Wizards point guard’s next triple-double, which could come as soon as Saturday in a game at the Indiana Pacers that has playoff implications, will be the 181st of Westbrook's career, tying Oscar Robertson’s NBA record that has stood for nearly a half-century. “That’s one of those records that I read about when I was younger. They always made it sound like nobody was ever going to break that, nobody was ever going to pass that,” Wizards center Robin Lopez said. “And Russ has it in his grasp. That’s pretty special.” Westbrook's stellar play of late not only has guaranteed him his fourth season averaging a triple-double — the current numbers are 21.8 points, an NBA-best 11.4 assists and 11.4 rebounds (sixth in the league) —... [More]

WASHINGTON (AP) — Bradley Beal, Russell Westbrook and the rest of the Washington Wizards wore black T-shirts with one word in white capital letters on each -- “accountability,” “equality” or “justice” -- for their annual team photo. “It’s definitely a statement piece for us,” Beal, who is second in the NBA in scoring average this season, said in a video posted Tuesday by the Wizards on Twitter. “This is us just kind of choosing a few words that we kind of live by and we kind of hold ourselves to as men and as teammates,” Beal added. His shirt said “Justice.” Westbrook’s said “Accountability.” “I think it’s amazing how we are, as a team, doing something a little different ... having shirts that actually have some substantial meaning behind it,” said Westbrook, who leads the league in assists and is assured of averaging a triple-double over the course of an entire season for the fourth time in his career. Washington has made a late-season surge to get itself in position to earn a play-in berth. ___ More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

HOUSTON (AP) — Houston Rockets guard John Wall is likely to miss the rest of the season with strained right hamstring. Wall was injured on Friday against the Los Angeles Clippers. He had an MRI on Monday and was diagnosed with the injury by Dr. Steven Flores. His injury is yet another blow in a difficult season for the Rockets, who at 15-46 have become the NBA's worst team since the trade of superstar James Harden. Houston has 11 games remaining. Wall has dealt with various injuries this season and missed 21 games in his return after missing all of last season following Achilles tendon surgery. When healthy, he's been one of the team's top players, averaging 20.6 points and 6.9 assists in 40 games. The Rockets traded Russell Westbrook to Washington for Wall and a future first-round pick in December. Wall, the No. 1 overall pick out of Kentucky in the 2010 draft, spent a decade with the Wizards, making the All-Star game five times and helping the team to the playoffs four times. ___ More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

WASHINGTON (AP) — NBA scoring leader Bradley Beal will be held out of a game for rest for the first time this season, sitting out Washington's matchup with the New York Knicks on Friday. Beal is averaging 32.8 points and 35.3 minutes per game for Washington (6-16), which is among the league's worst teams. The Wizards' ongoing struggles have fueled persistent rumors that Beal will be traded. The only previous game Beal missed this season was a loss to the Miami Heat on Jan. 9 because of the league's COVID-19 protocols. Washington's other starting guard, Russell Westbrook — who was acquired in a trade with Houston before the season — has missed seven games this season for rest or because of injury. ___ More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago Bulls expect forward Lauri Markkanen to miss two to four weeks because of a sprained right shoulder, another setback for a 7-footer off to his best start as a pro. The Bulls said Monday an MRI confirmed he has a sprained acromioclavicular joint. Markkanen was hurt Friday at Orlando when he was fouled by Magic forward Gary Clark early in the third quarter. The Bulls were scheduled to host Washington on Monday. Coach Billy Donovan described the injury as a “bit freakish” with Markkanen “driving to the basket, being physical.” Markkanen is averaging a career-high 19.1 points and 6.1 rebounds coming off a disappointing season. He is shooting 51% overall and about 40% on 3-pointers — both personal bests. Markkanen had back-to-back outings with 30 or more points against Portland and New York on Jan. 30 and Feb. 1. He missed seven consecutive games early in the season because of COVID-19 protocols. The No. 7 overall pick in the 2017 draft, Markkanen has not played in... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — James Harden will sit out the Brooklyn Nets' game Sunday at Washington, preventing his first matchup with Russell Westbrook since both left Houston. Harden was added to the injury report Sunday because of a bruised left thigh. It will be his first game since the Nets acquired him from Houston earlier this month. The NBA's leader in assists, Harden had 25 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds Friday when the Nets routed Oklahoma City 147-125. Harden and Westbrook played together last season, helping the Rockets reach the second round of the playoffs. Harden then pushed to be traded but Westbrook was dealt first to Washington for John Wall.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The shorthanded Washington Wizards signed free agent centers Alex Len and Jordan Bell on Saturday, trying to fill out a roster decimated by COVID-19 and injuries. The Wizards have scrapped six games since a win over Phoenix on Jan. 11 made them 3-8. They’re scheduled to play Sunday at San Antonio. Six Washington players have tested positive for the coronavirus and three other players were sidelined after contact tracing determined they might have been exposed to the illness. Starting center Thomas Bryant is out for the season with an injured left knee and point guard Russell Westbrook is still dealing with a left quadriceps injury. The 7-foot Len averaged 7.9 points and 6.2 rebounds in 474 games over eight seasons with Phoenix, Atlanta, Sacramento and Toronto. He played seven games for the Raptors this season. The 27-year-old from Ukraine played at Maryland before he was the fifth overall pick by Phoenix in the 2013 draft. The 6-8 Bell averaged 3.8 points and 3.1 rebounds in 154 games over three seasons with Golden State, Minnesota and Memphis. The 26-year-old hadn’t played in the NBA this season. ___ More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

HOUSTON (AP) — James Harden forced his way out of Houston without bringing the Rockets an NBA title. Now that he’s in Brooklyn, the Rockets hope the huge haul of draft picks they received in the trade will allow them to chase championships in the future. “Our goal remains unchanged,” general manager Rafael Stone said Sunday, addressing the trade for the first time. “I think we’re well-positioned to develop something really special.” Houston dealt Harden to the Nets last week, a day after he said the Rockets weren't “good enough,” in a four-team trade that also involved Cleveland and Indiana. The Rockets didn’t receive a franchise cornerstone in the deal but got many draft picks that should position them to build a talented roster. The Rockets received Brooklyn’s unprotected first-round picks in 2022, 2024 and 2026 and the right to swap first-round selections with the Nets in 2021, 2023, 2025 and 2027. Houston also got Milwaukee’s 2022 first-round pick from Cleveland. Houston acquired three... [More]

Having a Big Three is great. That is, if those players want it to be great. And that’s the challenge in Brooklyn now, after agreeing to the trade that landed three-time reigning scoring champion James Harden from Houston: Getting Harden, Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, all individually great, to want to be great together. A lot of futures and a lot of legacies depend on what happens. Durant found a way to make it happen in Golden State when he played alongside Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson on the way to a pair of NBA titles. It worked there because Curry and Thompson, more than happily, checked their egos at the door and made it seem like a seamless incorporation. Harden never made the NBA Finals in Houston with big-time backcourt partners like Chris Paul and Russell Westbrook, plus didn’t even give it a chance this season alongside John Wall. He wanted a trade, stars who want trades almost always get their way, and after what amounted to a resignation speech on Tuesday night after a loss... [More]

Having a Big Three is great. That is, if those players want it to be great. And that’s the challenge in Brooklyn now, after agreeing to the trade that landed three-time reigning scoring champion James Harden from Houston: Getting Harden, Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, all individually great, to want to be great together. A lot of futures and a lot of legacies depend on what happens. Durant found a way to make it happen in Golden State when he played alongside Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson on the way to a pair of NBA titles. It worked there because Curry and Thompson, more than happily, checked their egos at the door and made it seem like a seamless incorporation. Harden never made the NBA Finals in Houston with big-time backcourt partners like Chris Paul and Russell Westbrook, plus didn’t even give it a chance this season alongside John Wall. He wanted a trade, stars who want trades almost always get their way, and after what amounted to a resignation speech on Tuesday night after a loss... [More]

WASHINGTON (AP) — Washington Wizards point guard Russell Westbrook is expected to sit out a week with an injured left leg, the latest blow to a team that entered Monday with a 2-8 record. The Wizards announced before Monday night’s game against the Phoenix Suns that Westbrook's left quadriceps was hurt because of “repeated contact to the area since the beginning of the season.” The team said the 2016-17 MVP and nine-time All-NBA selection would be re-evaluated at the end of the week. Washington is scheduled to play five games through next Monday. “He got hit pretty bad in his quad in training camp,” Wizards coach Scott Brooks said before Monday's game with Phoenix. “And the thing about him is, he's as tough as nails. He as tough a competitor I've ever been around as a player and as a coach, and it's bothered him. He pushed through it with the treatments and the padding, but he's never made an excuse, not even to me.” Westbrook, acquired shortly before the preseason in the trade that sent... [More]