ATLANTA (AP) — Atlanta Hawks coach Lloyd Pierce was fired on Monday following a disappointing start to a season of heightened expectations. Hawks president Travis Schlenk announced the move in a short statement released by the team. The Hawks are 14-20 and 11th in the Eastern Conference, following a 109-99 loss at Miami on Sunday night. The teams play again in Miami on Tuesday. “We would like to thank Lloyd for his work and commitment to not only the Hawks organization but the city of Atlanta," Schlenk said in the statement. Schlenk said the move, which comes less than a week before Atlanta hosts the All-Star Game, is timed to help the team enjoy a second-half resurgence. “We have high expectations for our team on the court and we believe by making this change now that we can have a strong second half of the season,” Schlenk said. The Hawks last appeared in the playoffs in 2017. The team has rebuilt around point guard Trae Young and forward John Collins and invested heavily in veterans... [More]

ATLANTA (AP) — De'Andre Hunter's knee surgery is only the latest medical setback that threatens the Atlanta Hawks' efforts to end a streak of three consecutive losing seasons. The Hawks have been without guard Bogdan Bogdanovic for a month due to a knee injury. Hunter, enjoying a breakout season as the starting small forward, missed four games before Monday's arthroscopic procedure on his right knee. His status will be updated in two weeks. Atlanta (11-12) will be without the two starters when it plays at Dallas on Wednesday night. Hunter has emerged as one of Atlanta's top players in his second season. He is third on the team with 17.2 points per game, adding important scoring balance behind Trae Young and John Collins. Hunter's breakout has been especially important while the team awaits the return of Bogdanovic, who had been expected to provide scoring punch from the wing before fracturing his right knee. Coach Lloyd Pierce has been forced to make constant changes to his rotation. Forward... [More]

ATLANTA (AP) — Atlanta Hawks guard Bogdan Bogdanovic could miss extended time after fracturing his right knee. The Hawks announced Sunday that MRI found Bogdanovic sustained an avulsion fracture the previous night when he went down awkwardly in a loss to Charlotte. Soft tissue inflammation and a bone bruise also was diagnosed. According to the Mayo Clinic, an avulsion fracture is when a small chunk of bone attached to a tendon or ligament gets pulled away from the main part of the bone. In most cases, it is treated with icing and rest, followed by controlled exercises to strengthen the knee and improve the range of motion. Surgery can be required in more serious cases, which would lengthen the recovery period. The Hawks have not determined how long Bogdanovic will be out. His treatment plan was being reviewed and will be updated later in the week. Bogdanovic was one of the major offseason acquisitions for the rebuilding Hawks, signing a four-year, $72 million contract in free agency. He... [More]

Pelicans first-year coach Stan Van Gundy was hired less than two months before the Pelicans first preseason game earlier this week. Never mind that he's taking over a roster that is loaded with young players and has been entirely overhauled since New Orleans hired David Griffin as executive vice president of basketball operations in 2019. So when Van Gundy was asked whether he expected to have a clear vision for individual players' roles and minutes during the preseason, he didn't hesitate to say he did not even expect to know that when New Orleans' regular season slate opens on Dec. 23. “I’m not sure I’ll be there on Jan. 15 either. It’s going to take some time," Van Gundy continued. "I want these guys in a mindset of competing and having to produce for minutes.” While coaches with overhauled rosters face similar challenges trying to navigate a compressed timeline that is loaded with uncertainty, it's even more difficult for Van Gundy and the eight other NBA teams with new coaches this... [More]

ATLANTA (AP) — Rajon Rondo is planning for a future in coaching. Maybe he'll get a shot as as a general manager. Not that he's ready to get started on those career goals just yet. After capturing his second NBA championship ring with the Lakers, the 34-year-old Rondo has moved on to the youthful Atlanta Hawks, where he will serve as a mentor to budding superstar Trae Young while providing valuable minutes off the bench for one of the league's more intriguing teams. For the first time in his long career, Rondo is the oldest guy on the team. “It's kind of weird to look at the roster and I'm the oldest date on the sheet," he said with a smile. “But it's a natural fit as far as mentoring these young guys. So many great veterans helped me become the player I am today. It's only right to give it back full circle.” Rondo has also been taking steps to get prepared for his post-playing life. He's constantly mentioned as a coach in the making. He also has his sights on running a team of his own as... [More]

ATLANTA (AP) — Bogdan Bogdanovic is tired of losing. In what seems a rather strange twist, he believes the Atlanta Hawks can make him a winner. “This is a perfect group for success,” Bogdanovic said Wednesday. “I can see only a bright future here.” The sharp-shooting guard was the prize of Atlanta's hefty free-agent class, which also included Danilo Gallinari, Rajon Rondo and Kris Dunn. They're joining one of the league's most intriguing teams, a franchise that has gone through a complete overhaul the last three seasons but now feels it is poised for major success. Gallinari was thrilled when the Hawks made a big pitch for him, even accepting an expected role coming off the bench after starting most of his career. “The young guys we've got are very, very good,” said Gallinari, who agreed to a three-year, $61 million deal. “If I didn't believe in these young guys, I wouldn't have picked the A-T-L. I really believe in the group that we've got. My focus since I've been playing basketball is... [More]

ATLANTA (AP) — Just like that, the Atlanta Hawks transformed themselves into a playoff contender. A team that averaged less than 25 wins the last three seasons added to its impressive young core with a whirlwind of free-agent signings, capped by the news late Tuesday that Sacramento would not match a four-year, $72 million offer sheet to Bogdan Bogdanovic. “It's go time,” tweeted Hawks All-Star guard Trae Young, clearly excited by the bulked-up supporting case he'll have around him in 2021. “Let's work!!!” Bogdanovic tweeted back. Flush with more cap space than any other team heading into free agency after beginning a major overhaul three years ago, the Hawks quickly signed forward Danilo Gallinari (three years, $61.5 million) and guards Rajon Rondo (two years, $15 million) and Kris Dunn (two years, $10 million). Then, after a proposed sign-and-trade that would have sent Bogdanovic to the Milwaukee Bucks fell through, Hawks general manager Travis Schlenk pounced at the opportunity to grab... [More]

ATLANTA (AP) — Just like that, the Atlanta Hawks transformed themselves into a playoff contender. A team that averaged less than 25 wins the last three seasons added to its impressive young core with a whirlwind of free-agent signings, capped by the news late Tuesday that Sacramento would not match a four-year, $72 million offer sheet to Bogdan Bogdanovic. “It's go time,” tweeted Hawks All-Star guard Trae Young, clearly excited by the bulked-up supporting case he'll have around him in 2021. “Let's work!!!” Bogdanovic tweeted back. Flush with cash heading into free agency after beginning a major overhaul three years ago, the Hawks quickly signed forward Danilo Gallinari (three years, $61.5 million) and guards Rajon Rondo (two years, $15 million) and Kris Dunn (two years, $10 million). Then, after a proposed sign-and-trade that would have sent Bogdanovic to the Milwaukee Bucks fell through, Hawks general manager Travis Schlenk pounced at the opportunity to grab the 28-year-old Serbian guard... [More]

Billy Donovan won't return as coach of the Oklahoma City Thunder after five seasons, the team announced Tuesday night, ending a largely successful run that ought to make him an attractive candidate for jobs around the league.Donovan, who was at the end of his contract, took the Thunder to the playoffs every year and was a finalist for NBA Coach of the Year this season after his squad outperformed expectations and pushed the Houston Rockets to seven games in the first round of the playoffs.Donovan went 243-157 with Oklahoma City. “I have a great respect and admiration for the players I coached in Oklahoma, and I also want to thank the coaches I worked with, who gave unbelievable time and expertise to our common goal,” Donovan said in a statement.The Thunder and Donovan described his departure as a mutual decision. Oklahoma City general manager Sam Presti said he couldn’t give Donovan the assurances he wanted about the future.“In knowing where he is and the caliber of coach he is, I wouldn’t... [More]

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Giannis Antetokounmpo and the NBA-leading Milwaukee Bucks made quick work of the Oklahoma City Thunder.Antetokounmpo had 32 points and 13 rebounds and Milwaukee surged to a 24-point lead in the second quarter in a 133-86 victory Friday night. The 47-point margin was the Bucks' largest of the season — and the Thunder’s worst of the season. “It feels good. It feels good seeing other guys going out there, playing hard and being up 40 points, sitting on the bench, relaxing, having fun," Antetokounmpo said. "Everyone is smiling. Games like these are always the best games. “We were extremely ready. We moved the ball. We were defending. We know that in the fourth quarter, they always come back to the game. We never relaxed.” Chris Paul scored 18 points for Oklahoma City.“We got a lot of really good looks, but our defense and our rebounding wasn’t much tonight,” Paul said. “It’s just an old-fashioned butt whooping.” Both teams were without their second-leading scorers. Bucks All-Star... [More]

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Giannis Antetokounmpo and the NBA-leading Milwaukee made quick work of the Oklahoma City Thunder.Antetokounmpo had 32 points and 13 rebounds and Milwaukee Bucks surged to a 24-point lead in the second quarter in a 133-86 victory Friday night. The 47-point margin was the Bucks' largest of the season — and the Thunder’s worst of the season. “It feels good. It feels good seeing other guys going out there, playing hard and being up 40 points, sitting on the bench, relaxing, having fun," Antetokounmpo said. "Everyone is smiling. Games like these are always the best games. “We were extremely ready. We moved the ball. We were defending. We know that in the fourth quarter, they always come back to the game. We never relaxed.” Chris Paul scored 18 points for Oklahoma City.“We got a lot of really good looks, but our defense and our rebounding wasn’t much tonight,” Paul said. “It’s just an old-fashioned butt whooping.” Both teams were without their second-leading scorers. Bucks All-Star... [More]

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Giannis Antetokounmpo had 32 points and 13 rebounds and the Milwaukee Bucks surged to a 24-point lead in the second quarter in a 133-86 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday night.The 47-point loss was the Thunder’s worst of the season.Chris Paul scored 18 points for Oklahoma City.Both teams were without their second-leading scorers. Bucks All-Star Khris Middleton was a late scratch with a sore neck. An ankle injury kept Thunder forward Danilo Gallinari out.The Bucks had won four in a row and the Thunder had won five straight.The Bucks built their second-quarter lead behind 14 second-quarter points from Antetokounmpo, seven from Donte Divincenzo, who started in place of Middleton, and back-to-back 3-pointers from Wesley Matthews.A key moment occurred late in the second period.With Milwaukee leading, 54-43, Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer got a technical foul after approaching a referee during a timeout with 3:43 left in the quarter. That was moments after Eric Bledsoe... [More]

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Chris Paul gets annoyed when the topic of the Thunder’s “surprising” success comes up.Expectations for Oklahoma City were low for many after an offseason during which the Thunder collected draft picks, traded Russell Westbrook to the Houston Rockets for Paul and sent Paul George to the Los Angeles Clippers for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Danilo Gallinari. Many weren’t sure if Oklahoma City’s new players would function well together — or if the group would stay together. It also wasn't clear if Paul could perform at an elite level at age 34, or if he could stay healthy. But Paul has embraced what appeared to be an undesirable situation and was named an All-Star for the 10th time. The Thunder not only stayed intact but come out of the All-Star break sixth in the Western Conference and firmly in the playoff race. Asked what skeptics might have missed when projecting Oklahoma City to be one of the worst teams in the league, Paul bluntly said, “That I was here.” Paul also... [More]

MIAMI (AP) — Each of the last nine NBA Finals have included either the Miami Heat or Andre Iguodala.They’d like to go there together now.Iguodala is about to get back on the floor, and the Heat are hoping that they’re closer to becoming legitimate contenders again. The trade sending Iguodala to Miami is official, finally getting completed on Thursday with league approval one day after the Heat struck a deal with the Memphis Grizzlies to land the 2015 NBA Finals MVP.“He won, what, three championship rings?” Heat guard Goran Dragic said in Los Angeles after the deal was agreed upon. “Happy to have him. Can't wait to pick his brain. He's going to do great things for us.”It ended up as a three-team deal: Miami sent Justise Winslow, James Johnson and Dion Waiters to Memphis, with the Grizzlies sending Iguodala, Jae Crowder and Solomon Hill to the Heat. The Grizzlies then flipped Johnson to Minnesota for Gorgui Dieng. The Grizzlies were also working on either waiving or buying out Waiters.Before... [More]

MIAMI (AP) — Andre Iguodala's trade to Miami was getting closer to the finish line Thursday after the Heat and Memphis Grizzlies agreed to terms on a six-player trade, according to two people with direct knowledge of the terms.The portion of the trade involving Iguodala was agreed upon Wednesday night, as was the 2015 NBA Finals MVP agreeing to a two-year extension with Miami that will be formalized when the totality of the deal actually gets approved by the league sometime Thursday.Justise Winslow knew he was leaving Miami for Memphis on Wednesday night, as evidenced by some social-media posts and a late-night visit to his now-former locker room to pack up his belongings and wish a security guard well. Also in the deal: Dion Waiters and James Johnson leaving Miami for Memphis, with Jae Crowder and Solomon Hill leaving the Grizzlies for the Heat.Miami and Memphis were also working on a third component, that being adding Oklahoma City in what could have brought Danilo Gallinari to the Heat.... [More]

MIAMI (AP) — A person familiar with the negotiations says Andre Iguodala is headed to Miami after the Heat and Memphis Grizzlies agreed Wednesday night on his long-awaited trade.As part of the deal, Iguodala agreed to a two-year extension, with the second of those years being a team option, according to the person who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the trade has not been finalized.The person also said Miami and Memphis were still working to complete terms of what the Heat are giving up in the deal, and that a third team — Oklahoma City, in a package that would include Danilo Gallinari potentially headed to the Heat — was still in play. Oft-injured forward Justise Winslow said he was part of the deal and was headed to Memphis, the former Heat starter reaching out to fellow former Duke players Tyus Jones and Grayson Allen with a message.Jones and Allen are both members of the Grizzlies. Winslow has missed much of this season with a bone bruise in his back.Iguodala,... [More]

MIAMI (AP) — A person familiar with the negotiations says Andre Iguodala is headed to Miami after the Heat and Memphis Grizzlies agreed Wednesday night on his long-awaited trade.As part of the deal, Iguodala agreed to a two-year extension, with the second of those years being a team option, according to the person who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the trade has not been finalized.The person also said Miami and Memphis were still working to complete terms of what the Heat are giving up in the deal, and that a third team — Oklahoma City, in a package that would include Danilo Gallinari potentially headed to the Heat — was still in play. Oft-injured forward Justise Winslow said he was part of the deal and was headed to Memphis, the former Heat starter reaching out to fellow former Duke players Tyus Jones and Grayson Allen with a message.Jones and Allen are both members of the Grizzlies. Winslow has missed much of this season with a bone bruise in his back.Iguodala,... [More]

MIAMI (AP) — A person familiar with the negotiations says Andre Iguodala is headed to Miami after the Heat and Memphis Grizzlies agreed Wednesday night on his long-awaited trade.As part of the deal, Iguodala agreed to a two-year extension, with the second of those years being a team option, according to the person who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the trade has not been finalized.The person also said Miami and Memphis were still working to complete terms of what the Heat are giving up in the deal, and that a third team — Oklahoma City, in a package that would include Danilo Gallinari potentially headed to the Heat — was still in play. Oft-injured forward Justise Winslow said he was part of the deal and was headed to Memphis, the former Heat starter reaching out to fellow former Duke players Tyus Jones and Grayson Allen with a message.Jones and Allen are both members of the Grizzlies. Winslow has missed much of this season with a bone bruise in his back.Iguodala,... [More]

ROME (AP) — At a Lakers preseason game in Beijing in 2013, the arena rang out with chants of “Kobe! Kobe!” — despite the injured superstar not even having suited up.From Los Angeles to Italy, Asia and beyond, Kobe Bryant was bigger than just a basketball player. He was the sport’s global ambassador.It was a role that Bryant began studying for at an early age, during his seven-year childhood tour of Italy while his father played pro basketball in the country.“Because of that, he was fluent, he could understand the mentality,” Italian coach Ettore Messina, a former consultant with the Los Angeles Lakers, told The Associated Press. "And he played soccer so he learned to use his feet, not only his hands. Because of that he was open minded.”Bryant, an 18-time NBA All-Star with the Lakers and a lifelong soccer fan, died Sunday with his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, in a helicopter crash near Calabasas, California. He was 41.“The other thing that was crucial in his career was USA Basketball. Because... [More]

Once Russell Westbrook headed to Houston, the Oklahoma City Thunder were supposed to be headed toward a rebuild.The team Westbrook returns to face this week doesn’t look like a team headed for the lottery. It’s playing like one Westbrook might see again in the postseason.The Thunder welcome back their former point guard Thursday, with both doing just fine since going their separate ways last summer.That’s not a surprise for Westbrook, given that he was sent to join former MVP — and one-time Oklahoma City teammate — James Harden on a high-scoring contender. He has scored 20 or more points in 12 straight games, with three straight of at least 30 late last month, and averaged 27.8 in that span to raise his average to 24.1.He said his return would be emotional because of how much Oklahoma City and the organization meant to him, but he didn't want to detail much leading into it. “I don’t want to get that much into before the game and on and on, but after the game we can discuss whatever you... [More]