NEW YORK (AP) — Milwaukee Bucks guard Jrue Holiday has won the Joe Dumars Trophy as the NBA player who best represents the ideals of sportsmanship on the court. Each NBA team nominated a player for the award. After a panel of league executives chose one finalist from each of the NBA’s six divisions, 343 current players confidentially cast votes to select the winner. “Just knowing that it came from the players, the guys who go through this with me and put their bodies on the line, train in the offseason, it means a lot,” Holiday said Friday. Other finalists were Miami’s Bam Adebayo, Sacramento’s Harrison Barnes, Minnesota’s Josh Okogie, Boston’s Kemba Walker and San Antonio’s Derrick White. Holiday received 130 first-place votes and 2,752 total points in the balloting. Walker, who won this award in 2017 and 2018, was second with 2,474 points. Last season, Holiday won the NBA’s Twyman-Stokes teammate of the year award. The 30-year-old Holiday averaged 17.7 points, 6.1 assists and 4.5 rebounds... [More]

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — After relying heavily on veterans for two decades, the San Antonio Spurs are having growing pains in their transformation to a younger roster. For the first time, San Antonio missed the playoffs for a second straight season after an NBA-record 22 straight appearances. “Unique, roller coaster, weird,” Spurs veteran guard DeMar DeRozan said. “I think those are three things that sum up this season.” The days of Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili guiding a veteran roster have given way to Dejounte Murray, Derrick White, Keldon Johnson and Lonnie Walker learning on the fly through injuries, little practice and a compacted schedule because ot he pandemic. It was one of the most confounding seasons for Gregg Popovich, but also one of the most rewarding in his 25 years as Spurs coach. “If any team needs practices to work on consistency and execution, we did,” Popovich said. “(But) I don’t know if I have ever been more proud of a team that just doesn’t quit. No matter what... [More]

MIAMI (AP) — The San Antonio Spurs do not expect starting guard Derrick White back this season because of a sprained right ankle, coach Gregg Popovich said Wednesday. White was injured in the Spurs’ win in Washington on Monday. The fourth-year guard is averaging a career-best 15.4 points this season for San Antonio, which played 18 of its first 19 games this season without White because of a toe injury. “You can imagine, his spirits are not high," Popovich said. San Antonio was at Miami on Wednesday night. White is not expected to require surgery. Rookie guard Devin Vassell will take White’s place in the starting lineup, Popovich said. “When he gets minutes, he's played well," Popovich said of Vassell. White has averaged 10.8 points in 188 games over his four seasons in San Antonio. He’s been the Spurs’ third-leading scorer this season behind DeMar DeRozan and Dejounte Murray.

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — San Antonio Spurs point guard Derrick White is out indefinitely after breaking his left second toe. White had offseason surgery on the same toe, but the Spurs said Monday the fracture is a new injury. White missed training camp, the preseason and the first four games of the regular season after undergoing surgery on the toe last August. He made his season debut Friday against the Los Angeles Lakers. The four-year veteran suffered the non-displaced fracture after falling in the second quarter of that game. White, who was on a minutes restriction, had nine points in 23 minutes in the Lakers’ 109-103 victory. White missed San Antonio’s loss to Utah on Sunday, the team’s fourth straight defeat after opening the season with two wins. The 29th pick in the 2017 draft out of Colorado, White has been one of the Spurs’ primary scorers and distributors the past two seasons. He averaged a career-high 11.3 points last season along with 3.5 assists. In seven games after the restart, White averaged 18.9 points, 5.0 assists and 4.3 rebounds in 29.8 minutes. ___ More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Gregg Popovich brushed off a question about whether he will return as coach of the San Antonio Spurs after their attempt to set an NBA record for consecutive playoff appearances fell short in the bubble.DeMar DeRozan didn't even get a question about his future because the four-time All-Star guard acquired in the Kawhi Leonard trade had already made it clear he hasn't decided about the player option for the final year of his contract.Waiting back in San Antonio is LaMarcus Aldridge, who missed the restart to have shoulder surgery and will soon rejoin a young group of guards that helped keep alive faint hopes of a record 23rd straight trip to the playoffs longer than expected.“The future is bright,” said Dejounte Murray, one of those young guards. “You’ve got a bunch of young dudes who are willing to learn, willing to put the work in and willing to build the chemistry off the floor and on the floor.”San Antonio (32-39) finished with a losing record for the first time since 1996-97, the year... [More]

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]

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — The San Antonio Spurs understand how they can be overlooked in the Western Conference given the flurry of trades and free agent signings in the offseason that reshaped so many of their rivals.That doesn't mean they have to like it."We've got a lot of dogs," Spurs guard Dejounte Murray said. "A lot of dudes with chips on their shoulders. A lot of guys are ready to go and go to war against any team in the NBA."That resolve is needed if San Antonio hopes to earn its 23rd straight postseason berth under Gregg Popovich.Already long regarded as the league's strongest conference, the West got even tougher during a whirlwind first week in July.Former Spurs star Kawhi Leonard has teamed with Paul George on the Los Angeles Clippers. Anthony Davis joined LeBron James on the Los Angeles Lakers. Russell Westbrook is again playing alongside James Harden but this time in Houston. Utah traded for Mike Conley to pair with Donovan Mitchell.The Spurs' offseason consisted of adding DeMarre... [More]

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — The Spurs suffered through an odd, erratic season filled with injuries, strife and drama before a second straight ouster from the playoffs in the first round.Gregg Popovich enjoyed it so much he is coming back for a 24th season as coach in San Antonio.Normally extremely private, Popovich said Monday he is negotiating a new deal with the Spurs after his current contract expired this season. There was some uncertainty surrounding his return, but the 70-year-old Popovich put an end to that with a quip or two."I'm currently in negotiations and could very well end up with either the Portofino Flyers or the Positano Pirates (or the Spurs)," Popovich said dryly. "I think it's like one-third Positano, one-third Portofino and one-third San Antonio. So, we'll see where I end up."There is little chance Popovich ends up anywhere but San Antonio, where he has enjoyed unprecedented success. His desire to return was apparent during an 18-minute news conference to wrap up a season that... [More]

Just a few months ago, Enes Kanter was toiling for a New York Knicks team that was heading nowhere.Now, he's a significant contributor for a Portland Trail Blazers team heading to the Western Conference semifinals.Kanter is one of several players starring in their supporting roles and helped put their respective teams in the second round of the NBA playoffs. Others have helped put their teams on the brink of advancing.The Knicks waived Kanter after the trade deadline in February and Portland swooped in to pick him up. The 6-foot-11 center stepped in as a starter for the Trail Blazers after Jusuf Nurkic suffered a leg injury. The Blazers' playoff hopes looked bleak after Nurkic went down, but Kanter has taken full advantage of his new situation. Kanter averaged 13.2 points and 10.2 rebounds in the Trail Blazers' 4-1 series win against Oklahoma City."I would like to appreciate the teams that didn't pick me," Kanter said after Portland's clinching Game 5 win on Thursday night. "I tried to... [More]

San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich goes to the playoffs every season.And he usually sticks around for a while.The Spurs have never gone back-to-back years without a trip to the second round of the playoffs during the Popovich era. But the Denver Nuggets are one win away from changing that, as they'll take a 3-2 lead into San Antonio for Game 6 of their Western Conference first-round series on Thursday night.It's the only game on Thursday's NBA schedule.It'll also be nothing like most of these Nuggets — playoff neophytes, for the most part — have ever experienced."The toughest game of our lives," Denver big man Nikola Jokic said.The second-seeded Nuggets are looking to advance to a West semifinals matchup against third-seeded Portland; the seventh-seeded Spurs are trying to send this series back to Denver for a winner-take-all Game 7 on Saturday night."Leave it all out there," San Antonio forward LaMarcus Aldridge said of the Spurs' mindset going into Game 6. "Nothing to lose right now, go... [More]

San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich goes to the playoffs every season.And he usually sticks around for a while.The Spurs have never gone back-to-back years without a trip to the second round of the playoffs during the Popovich era. But the Denver Nuggets are one win away from changing that, as they'll take a 3-2 lead into San Antonio for Game 6 of their Western Conference first-round series on Thursday night.It's the only game on Thursday's NBA schedule.It'll also be nothing like most of these Nuggets — playoff neophytes, for the most part — have ever experienced."The toughest game of our lives," Denver big man Nikola Jokic said.The second-seeded Nuggets are looking to advance to a West semifinals matchup against third-seeded Portland; the seventh-seeded Spurs are trying to send this series back to Denver for a winner-take-all Game 7 on Saturday night."Leave it all out there," San Antonio forward LaMarcus Aldridge said of the Spurs' mindset going into Game 6. "Nothing to lose right now, go... [More]

DENVER (AP) — In response to an early call, Toronto coach Nick Nurse formed the perfect "O'' with his mouth and held it for a dozen or so seconds.Oh, these playoffs. They can leave your mouth agape — just like Nurse's gone-viral expression on the bench during a win Sunday in Orlando.Now leading 3-1, Nurse and the Raptors look to close out their series with the Magic at home Tuesday. The same goes for Philadelphia against Brooklyn and Portland against Oklahoma City.The second-seeded Denver Nuggets return home Tuesday following their first victory in San Antonio since 2012. Tied at 2, they've reclaimed home-court advantage as Nuggets coach Michael Malone finds himself in quite a chess match with his counterpart Gregg Popovich."He's Bobby Fischer," Malone said, in comparing Popovich to the chess prodigy. "He's a savant. So I'm not worried about matching wits with Gregg Popovich. I'm worried about helping our team."Face it, this was comical: The look of Nurse, who instantly became a meme with... [More]

DENVER (AP) — In response to an early call, Toronto coach Nick Nurse formed the perfect "O'' with his mouth and held it for a dozen or so seconds.Oh, these playoffs. They can leave your mouth agape — just like Nurse's gone-viral expression on the bench during a win Sunday in Orlando.Now leading 3-1, Nurse and the Raptors look to close out their series with the Magic at home Tuesday. The same goes for Philadelphia against Brooklyn and Portland against Oklahoma City.The second-seeded Denver Nuggets return home Tuesday following their first victory in San Antonio since 2012. Tied at 2, they've reclaimed home-court advantage as Nuggets coach Michael Malone finds himself in quite a chess match with his counterpart Gregg Popovich."He's Bobby Fischer," Malone said, in comparing Popovich to the chess prodigy. "He's a savant. So I'm not worried about matching wits with Gregg Popovich. I'm worried about helping our team."Face it, this was comical: The look of Nurse, who instantly became a meme with... [More]

Little Caesars Arena in Detroit will finally host its first playoff game — in what is probably the last chance the Pistons have to make their series against Milwaukee competitive."Let's make it hard on them," Detroit coach Dwane Casey said. "Let's make it a home atmosphere, because we need everything."The Milwaukee-Detroit matchup is one of two series shifting sites Saturday. Houston and Utah will also play Game 3 in Salt Lake City. There are a couple Game 4s on tap as well: Philadelphia at Brooklyn, and Denver at San Antonio.The Pistons are in their second season at their new arena, but even after moving downtown, they've had their share of small, dreary crowds — similar to the atmosphere during their final years at The Palace of Auburn Hills. But there's every reason to expect a more charged scene Saturday night. Little Caesars Arena has hosted the NCAA and Horizon League tournaments in basketball, but there have been no home playoff games yet for the Pistons — or for the Red Wings, who... [More]

Little Caesars Arena in Detroit will finally host its first playoff game — in what is probably the last chance the Pistons have to make their series against Milwaukee competitive."Let's make it hard on them," Detroit coach Dwane Casey said. "Let's make it a home atmosphere, because we need everything."The Milwaukee-Detroit matchup is one of two series shifting sites Saturday. Houston and Utah will also play Game 3 in Salt Lake City. There are a couple Game 4s on tap as well: Philadelphia at Brooklyn, and Denver at San Antonio.The Pistons are in their second season at their new arena, but even after moving downtown, they've had their share of small, dreary crowds — similar to the atmosphere during their final years at The Palace of Auburn Hills. But there's every reason to expect a more charged scene Saturday night. Little Caesars Arena has hosted the NCAA and Horizon League tournaments in basketball, but there have been no home playoff games yet for the Pistons — or for the Red Wings, who... [More]

DENVER (AP) — The thinking of DeMar DeRozan before joining San Antonio: Shoot.The mentality now: Share.Always a skilled scorer, the 29-year-old and four-time All-Star has taken his game to another level in San Antonio by taking to the floor with a different approach — a get-teammates-even-more-involved approach."Spurs' way, baby," said DeRozan, whose team leads 1-0 heading into Game 2 on Tuesday against the second-seeded Denver Nuggets.A year under coach Gregg Popovich has rubbed off on DeRozan , who was acquired in a deal last summer that sent Kawhi Leonard to Toronto. He's coming off a regular season in which he averaged 21.2 points, 6.2 assists and 6.0 rebounds. Those are the sorts of numbers no Spurs player has averaged for a season. Not David Robinson. Not Tim Duncan. Not Tony Parker. Not George Gervin.Flattering, for sure."All the great players who came through this organization, the history, for me to be mentioned in something like that is definitely amazing," DeRozan said. "I'm... [More]

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Derrick White's ascension into the starting lineup and the pivotal role he has played in helping San Antonio earn its 22nd straight postseason appearance was a greater surprise to him than anyone else.To hear his teammates and coach Gregg Popovich tell it, the soft-spoken kid not only belongs in the spotlight, he commands it."He has been spectacular," Popovich said. "Everything he's done has been off the charts and I couldn't be more thrilled for him."The second-year point guard who did not receive a single scholarship offer from a four-year institution coming out of high school is about to step onto an even bigger stage: His first postseason start comes Saturday in his native Colorado as the seventh-seeded Spurs take on the second-seeded Nuggets in Denver, not far from where he played high school ball in suburban Parker. He averaged 8.2 points, 3.2 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 2.2 steals and only one turnover as the Spurs split their four-game season series against the Nuggets.A... [More]

MIAMI (AP) — Dwyane Wade missed Miami's game against San Antonio on Wednesday night for personal reasons.It's the first game Wade has missed this season, his 16th and final in the NBA. He's averaging 14.3 points on 45 percent shooting in nine games, all of them as a reserve.The Heat were also without starting point guard Goran Dragic, out with a sore right knee, and Dion Waiters and James Johnson remain out for the foreseeable future as they recover from surgeries. Heat center Hassan Whiteside returned to the starting lineup after sitting Monday with knee pain.The Spurs not only got point guard Derrick White (heel) back for the first time this season, but he was in the starting lineup. Pau Gasol was out with a sore right foot and Rudy Gay was sidelined with a right heel problem.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

MIAMI (AP) — Dwyane Wade is missing Miami's game against San Antonio on Wednesday night for personal reasons.It's the first game Wade has missed this season, his 16th and final in the NBA. He's averaging 14.3 points on 45 percent shooting in nine games, all of them as a reserve.The Heat again will be without Dion Waiters and James Johnson as they recover from surgeries. Goran Dragic is questionable because of knee soreness after an MRI this week revealed some inflammation. Heat center Hassan Whiteside is expected to play, after sitting Monday with knee pain.The Spurs expect to have point guard Derrick White available off the bench for his season debut. White has been sidelined by a heel injury.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports