DETROIT (AP) — Detroit Pistons owner Tom Gores says he's undecided about Stan Van Gundy's future with the franchise."I wouldn't make a decision without Stan," Gores said at halftime of Monday night's 108-98 loss to the Toronto Raptors. "He's been our partner for four years."Gores said changes need to be made because the team isn't winning enough, adding none will happen until he speaks with Van Gundy. The two are expected to meet next week."I think he deserves the conversation," Gore said. "He's been good for us."The Pistons are 151-176 under Van Gundy as their coach and president of basketball operations. His 2016 team was swept in the first round of the playoffs.Detroit (38-43) will finish the season Wednesday night at Chicago, failing to make earn a spot in the postseason for the third time in Van Gundy's four years.Injuries were a big problem. Blake Griffin, Andre Drummond and Reggie Jackson were only in the lineup together for four games."We probably need a few more games with them... [More]

DETROIT (AP) — Andre Drummond is out for Monday night's game between the Detroit Pistons and Toronto Raptors with a sore Achilles tendon.With the Pistons out of playoff contention and Toronto having wrapped up the top seed in the Eastern Conference, the game has little significance, although it is the home finale for Drummond's Pistons. Detroit is also without star forward Blake Griffin, who is out with a right ankle injury, and guard Reggie Bullock, who has a left knee issue.Toronto is playing without guard Fred VanVleet, who is out with lower back tightness. Raptors forward Serge Ibaka has the night off to rest.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/tag/NBAbasketball

DETROIT (AP) — Philadelphia center Joel Embiid is out for a fourth straight game with a concussion and orbital fracture.Embiid is missing Wednesday night's matchup with the Detroit Pistons, who are without star forward Blake Griffin.Griffin is missing his fourth game in a row because of a bruised right ankle.Embiid had surgery Saturday to repair the broken bone around his left eye. He was injured when guard Markelle Fultz accidentally head-butted him last week against the New York Knicks.The 76ers are also without forward Dario Saric, who is out with a right elbow issue.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/tag/NBAbasketball

Philadelphia wants to open the playoffs at home. Toronto wants home-court advantage all the way to the NBA Finals.How they get through some marquee games this week will go a long way in determining if they reach those goals.For the Raptors, it's a game Wednesday against the team right behind them. For the red-hot 76ers, it's the one just in front of them: LeBron James and the reigning East champs from Cleveland on Friday.Toronto hosts Boston, with both teams playing for the second straight night. The Raptors lost Tuesday in Cleveland and Boston later fell in Milwaukee, keeping the Raptors two games ahead with five to play.A win Wednesday and the Raptors will be on the verge of locking up the No. 1 seed. Lose their third consecutive game, and the door stays open for Boston to grab it for the second straight season. The Celtics trimmed three games off their deficit during a six-game winning streak that was snapped Tuesday, and would clinch the head-to-head tiebreaker with a win Wednesday."It's... [More]

Philadelphia wants to open the playoffs at home. Toronto wants home-court advantage all the way to the NBA Finals.How they get through some marquee games this week will go a long way in determining if they reach those goals.For the Raptors, it's a game Wednesday against the team right behind them. For the red-hot 76ers, it's the one just in front of them: LeBron James and the reigning East champs from Cleveland on Friday.Toronto hosts Boston, with both teams playing for the second straight night. The Raptors lost Tuesday in Cleveland and Boston later fell in Milwaukee, keeping the Raptors two games ahead with five to play.A win Wednesday and the Raptors will be on the verge of locking up the No. 1 seed. Lose their third consecutive game, and the door stays open for Boston to grab it for the second straight season. The Celtics trimmed three games off their deficit during a six-game winning streak that was snapped Tuesday, and would clinch the head-to-head tiebreaker with a win Wednesday."It's... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Blake Griffin sat with his injured ankle wrapped on one side of the locker room while Reggie Jackson dressed on the other.The Detroit Pistons didn't get to see much of them together on the court, part of the reason their playoff hopes are just about finished.So they're trying to take the positives from a strong finish in a season where so much else went wrong.Andre Drummond narrowly missed a second straight 20-20 game with 22 points and 17 rebounds, and the Pistons beat the New York Knicks 115-109 on Saturday for their fourth straight victory."It's been a long season. It's been a tough one for us. We're not where we necessarily envisioned ourselves, but like I said I'm just proud of the resiliency this team's had," Jackson said. "Despite what our record may say, coming in every day and trying to get better and continue to battle."Jackson and Anthony Tolliver each scored 17 points for the Pistons, who won for the sixth time in seven games despite playing without Griffin because... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Andre Drummond narrowly missed a second straight 20-20 game with 22 points and 17 rebounds, and the Detroit Pistons beat the New York Knicks 115-109 on Saturday for their fourth straight victory.Reggie Jackson and Anthony Tolliver each scored 17 points for the Pistons, who won for the sixth time in seven games despite playing without the injured Blake Griffin. Reggie Bullock added 16.Drummond was 8 for 13 from the floor and the formerly woeful free throw shooter was 6 of 8 from the line. The All-Star center had 24 points and 23 rebounds in a victory over Washington on Thursday and leads the NBA with seven 20-point, 20-rebound games this season.Griffin had an MRI Thursday on his right ankle that revealed a bone bruise. The Pistons said he will be re-evaluated in one week and a timetable for his return to action will be provided as appropriate.Michael Beasley scored 32 points and Trey Burke Jr. added 18 points and 15 assists for the Knicks, who have dropped three straight.... [More]

DETROIT (AP) — The Detroit Pistons say star forward Blake Griffin has a bone bruise on his right ankle and will be evaluated again in a week.Griffin was scratched from Thursday night's win over Washington and had an MRI that night. The Pistons say a timetable for his return will be provided "as appropriate" — Detroit's playoff chances are slim, and the regular-season finale is April 11.The Pistons acquired Griffin in January in a blockbuster trade with the Los Angeles Clippers. Detroit is five games behind Milwaukee for the final postseason spot in the Eastern Conference.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/tag/NBAbasketball

DETROIT (AP) — Detroit Pistons forward Blake Griffin will miss Thursday's game against the Washington Wizards because of an ankle injury.The announcement was made about a half-hour before a game Detroit needs to win to keep its faint playoff hopes alive. The Pistons trail the Milwaukee Bucks by five games for the final Eastern Conference playoff spot with eight games left.Griffin is averaging 19.8 points, 7.4 rebounds and 5.8 assists since being traded to Detroit on Jan. 29.

CHICAGO (AP) — The Los Angeles Clippers say guard Avery Bradley could miss the rest of the season after having surgery to repair muscles in his pubic area.The Clippers expect the recovery time to be six to eight weeks, meaning they would need to make the playoffs for him to play again this season. They were seventh in the Western Conference entering Tuesday's game against the Chicago Bulls.Acquired in late January from Detroit in the Blake Griffin trade, Bradley is averaging 14.3 points in 46 games. He missed seven games with the Pistons because of a right adductor strain and has not played since Feb. 14.Bulls forward Lauri Markkanen sat out Tuesday's game because of back spasms.___More NBA basketball: https://apnews.com/tag/NBAbasketball

DETROIT (AP) — Toronto forward Serge Ibaka was ejected from the Raptors' game at Detroit on Wednesday night in the second quarter.With 4:38 remaining in the half, Ibaka was called for a foul against Blake Griffin, and as he was heading back to the bench, he was given a technical foul and thrown out of the game.Ibaka scored four points on 2-of-8 shooting. The Pistons outscored Toronto 36-18 in the second quarter and led 59-45 at halftime.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/tag/NBAbasketball

DETROIT (AP) — The Detroit Pistons capped a busy couple of weeks with an active deadline day.The Pistons acquired James Ennis from the Memphis Grizzlies on Thursday for Brice Johnson and a 2022 second-round draft pick. It was the second deal announced by Detroit on the day of the NBA's trade deadline. The Pistons also acquired Jameer Nelson from Chicago.Detroit made a major splash last week when it landed star forward Blake Griffin in a trade with the Los Angeles Clippers. The Pistons acquired Johnson and Willie Reed in that deal along with Griffin, but now they're moving on without Reed and Johnson. Reed was traded in the deal for Nelson.The 6-foot-7 Ennis has averaged 6.9 points in 45 games this season.The Pistons had lost eight straight when they traded for Griffin. They've won five in a row since then, with Griffin available for four of those victories. Griffin will face his former team Friday night, when Detroit hosts the Clippers.The Pistons sent Avery Bradley and Tobias Harris to... [More]

DETROIT (AP) — The Detroit Pistons and Memphis Grizzlies have agreed to a trade sending James Ennis to the Pistons for Brice Johnson and a 2022 second-round draft pick.The Pistons announced the deal Thursday night.Detroit also acquired Jameer Nelson from Chicago on Thursday. It's been a busy couple of weeks for the Pistons, who landed star forward Blake Griffin last week in a trade with the Los Angeles Clippers.Detroit acquired Johnson and Willie Reed in that deal along with Griffin, but now the Pistons are moving on without Reed and Johnson. Reed was traded in the deal for Nelson.The 6-foot-7 Ennis has averaged 6.9 points in 45 games this season.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/tag/NBAbasketball

DETROIT (AP) — A person with knowledge of the deal says the Detroit Pistons and Memphis Grizzlies have agreed to a trade sending James Ennis to the Pistons for Brice Johnson and a second-round draft pick.The person spoke on condition of anonymity Thursday because the deal had not been announced.Detroit also acquired Jameer Nelson from Chicago on Thursday. It's been a busy couple of weeks for the Pistons, who landed star forward Blake Griffin last week in a trade with the Los Angeles Clippers.Detroit acquired Johnson and Willie Reed in that deal along with Griffin, but now the Pistons are ready to move on without Reed and Johnson. Reed was traded in the deal for Nelson.The 6-foot-7 Ennis has averaged 6.9 points in 45 games this season.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/tag/NBAbasketball

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — The Portland Trail Blazers traded forward Noah Vonleh to the Chicago Bulls in exchange for the rights to center Milovan Rakovic at the trade deadline Thursday.Vonleh, the No. 9 overall pick by Charlotte in the 2014 NBA draft, averaged 3.6 points and 5.1 rebounds in 33 games for the Blazers this season, including 12 starts. For his career, Vonleh has averaged 3.9 points and 4.5 rebounds."That's the unfortunate part of the business because Noah's a really good person, a really good player and a really good teammate," Trail Blazers coach Terry Stotts said. "I'm certainly appreciative of the time he spent here, and wish him nothing but the best."Vonleh, 22 will be a restricted free agent this summer. The trade, which also gave the Blazers a $3.5 million traded player exception, helps Portland get under the luxury tax threshold. The team now has two open roster spots.Rakovic currently plays in the Swiss Basketball League. He was originally drafted by Dallas in 2007, but... [More]

From Isaiah Thomas to Dwyane Wade and Derrick Rose, the Cleveland Cavaliers loaded up on big names last summer.None will be there if the Cavaliers get back to the NBA Finals.In what felt like an unprecedented do-over for a contending team, the Cavaliers simply changed the pieces that weren't fitting for new ones on Thursday at the trade deadline.Fans who usually marvel at LeBron James were instead praising his general manager, as Koby Altman used a series of swaps to strengthen a sputtering team and leave open the possibility for more moves."They got better. They made the moves they wanted to make and I'm sure they're going to make it work over there," Golden State's Kevin Durant said. "It's fun for all the fans and the media to kind of see what's going on with the trade deadline."Cavs' fans probably had the most fun, and for good reason. Cleveland was the story Thursday .The Cavaliers acquired Jordan Clarkson and Larry Nance Jr. in the deal with Los Angeles, which also got Channing Frye... [More]

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — The Portland Trail Blazers have traded forward Noah Vonleh to the Chicago Bulls in exchange for Milovan Rakovic, said a person with knowledge of the situation.The person spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity because the move at Thursday deadline had not formally announced.Vonleh, the No. 9 overall pick by Charlotte in the 2014 NBA draft, averaged 3.6 points and 5.1 rebounds in 33 games this season, including 12 starts. For his career, Vonleh has averaged 3.9 points and 4.5 rebounds.Vonleh, 22 will be a restricted free agent this summer. The trade, which also gave the Blazers a $3.5 million traded player exception, helps Portland get under the luxury tax threshold. The team now has two open roster spots.Rakovic currently plays in the Swiss Basketball League. He was originally drafted by Dallas in 2007, but has never played in the NBA.The trade was first reported by ESPN.The Bulls also dealt Jameer Nelson to the Detroit Pistons in exchange for center... [More]

DETROIT (AP) — The Detroit Pistons have acquired guard Jameer Nelson from the Chicago Bulls for center Willie Reed.The teams announced the trade Thursday.The Bulls also received the right to swap second-round draft picks with Detroit in 2022. Chicago immediately waived Reed.Nelson, who turns 36 on Friday, averaged 5.1 points a game with New Orleans this season before being traded to Chicago last week. He hasn't played since.The Pistons acquired Reed last week as well, as part of the trade that sent Blake Griffin to Detroit. Reed was suspended six games Tuesday after the NBA looked into the circumstances surrounding his arrest last August on a domestic violence charge.Nelson played for Detroit coach Stan Van Gundy when they were both with the Orlando Magic.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/tag/NBAbasketball

LeBron James says he won't be traded, though every other move should be on the table for the Cleveland Cavaliers.It's just unclear if anything can make a difference.The Cavaliers are a team that's deeply in a rut and badly in need of a change to jump-start a season that shows signs of slipping away. But they're down to their final hours to find help via trade, with the deadline set for Thursday afternoon.Impact players are traded, but this season the biggest ones may have already been moved. Jimmy Butler, Chris Paul, Paul George and Carmelo Anthony all were dealt over the summer, as was Kyrie Irving — in a move that may have backfired for the Cavs. Their former point guard has led Boston to the top of the Eastern Conference, while Isaiah Thomas has struggled in the brief time he's been available since returning from his hip injury.Cleveland also acquired the Brooklyn Nets' No. 1 pick in that deal, a likely high lottery selection. But the type of names most heavily mentioned in the days... [More]

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. (AP) — Blake Griffin described his reaction when he found out he had been traded."Shocked is a good way to put it," he said. "I didn't know anything. I pretty much found out when everybody else found out. It just kind of took a second to realize, OK, like, everything's changing."Griffin has arrived in Detroit now, and on Wednesday the Pistons introduced him and the two other players they received from the Los Angeles Clippers in the blockbuster deal earlier this week. Griffin, Brice Johnson and Willie Reed should be available to play Thursday night when Detroit hosts the Memphis Grizzlies, and that's when the idea of Griffin in a different uniform will really become a reality.The Pistons sent Tobias Harris, Avery Bradley, Boban Marjanovic and two draft picks to the Clippers. The trade came seven months after Griffin signed a $171 million, five-year contract to stay with Los Angeles — a fact that's been duly noted. LeBron James described the deal as "unfortunate" — pointing... [More]