LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — The Utah Jazz said guard Mike Conley left Walt Disney World on Sunday to return to Columbus, Ohio, for the birth of his son.The sixth-seeded Jazz begin a first-round playoff series against No. 3 seed Denver on Monday. Players who leave the bubble are subject to a quarantine upon their return, though the length won't be determined until then. It's a blow to a Jazz team already missing Bojan Bogdanovic, who underwent right wrist surgery in May. Denver and Utah are also scheduled to play Wednesday, Friday and Sunday.The 32-year-old Conley is averaging 14.4 points and 4.4 assists in his first season with Utah. He was acquired as part of a deal with Memphis on July 6, 2019.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — Rudy Gobert sank two free throws with 6.9 seconds left to cap a 14-point, 12-rebound and three-block performance, giving the Utah Jazz a 106-104 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans in the first game of the NBA's restart on Thursday night.New Orleans, which led for most of the game and by as many as 16 points, nearly pulled out the victory as time expired when Brandon Ingram's 3-point attempt rimmed out in a bitter end to his 23-point night.“He’s made a ton of big shots for us this year, but the bottom line is I don’t think it should have come down to that,” Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry said. “We let a golden opportunity slip away.”Zion Williamson, who missed nearly two weeks of practice after leaving the team for a family medical matter on July 16, was deemed fit to start, although his playing time was limited.He scored 13 points in just more than 15 minutes, highlighted by a couple alley-oop dunks, one on a nearly half-court lob from Lonzo Ball.But Williamson... [More]

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — Rudy Gobert sank two free throws with 6.9 seconds left to cap a 14-point, 12-rebound and three-block performance, giving the Utah Jazz a 106-104 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans in the first game of the NBA's restart on Thursday night.New Orleans, which led for most of the game and by as many as 16 points, nearly pulled out the victory as time expired when Brandon Ingram's 3-point attempt rimmed out in a bitter end to his 23-point night.Zion Williamson, who missed nearly two weeks of practice after leaving the team for a family medical matter on July 16, was deemed fit to start, although his playing time was limited.He scored 13 points in just more than 15 minutes, highlighted by a couple alley-oop dunks, one on a nearly half-court lob from Lonzo Ball.But Williamson checked out for good with 7:19 left in the fourth quarter and had to watch the tense finish from the sideline.Jordan Clarkson scored 23 points for Utah and helped lead a second-half comeback,... [More]

There were the tweets from strangers. “I hate you.” “You ruined the whole world.” “You deserve it.” And there was the scorn from inside his own locker room, the presumption that he infected a teammate with coronavirus, the suggestion that his recklessness somehow caused the entire sporting world to come to an absolute standstill.Utah center Rudy Gobert is still standing tall, after all that and more.Plenty of eyes will be on Gobert when the NBA season , the one that shut down March 11 when he became the first player in the league to be diagnosed with the coronavirus, takes a giant step toward returning by having teams gather at the Disney complex in Central Florida over the next few days. The Jazz will be a fascinating case study during this restart, particularly regarding whether or not Gobert and Donovan Mitchell — a fellow All-Star who was diagnosed with the virus shortly after the shutdown began and did not hide his anger with Gobert about it all — can coexist peacefully again.“I’m... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — Bojan Bogdanovic scored 28 points, Rudy Gobert added 20 and the Utah Jazz began a four-game trip against Eastern Conference teams with a 126-113 win on Monday night over the short-handed Cleveland Cavaliers, who dressed only nine players and used just seven.Donovan Mitchell had 19 points and nine rebounds, and the Jazz made 20 3-pointers while staying in the fifth playoff spot out West.Collin Sexton scored a career-high 32 points and Kevin Love scored 22 for Cleveland, which dropped to 3-4 under coach J.B. Bickerstaff.Utah was flat for long stretches, and some of that may have had to do with Cleveland's poor record and depleted roster. The Jazz seemed in control while building an 18-point lead in the fourth, but the Cavs kept fighting and were still within 11 with 6 minutes left.But Bogdanovic buried a pair of 3-pointers — one coming after one of Gobert's five blocks — and Utah recorded 30 assists while winning for the second time in six games.“We’re persistent. It’s just... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — Bojan Bogdanovic scored 28 points, Rudy Gobert added 20 and the Utah Jazz began a four-game trip against Eastern Conference teams with a 126-113 win on Monday night over the short-handed Cleveland Cavaliers, who dressed only nine players and used just seven.Donovan Mitchell had 19 points and nine rebounds, and the Jazz made 20 3-pointers while staying in the fifth playoff spot out West.Collin Sexton scored a career-high 32 points and Kevin Love scored 22 for Cleveland, which dropped to 3-4 under coach J.B. Bickerstaff.Utah was flat for long stretches, and some of that may have had to do with Cleveland's poor record and depleted roster. The Jazz seemed in control while building an 18-point lead in the fourth, but the Cavs kept fighting and were still within 11 with 6 minutes left.But Bogdanovic buried a pair of 3-pointers — one coming after one of Gobert's five blocks — and Utah won for the second time in six games.The Cavs were missing two starters: center Andre Drummond... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — The Jazz answered a big run with one of their own and withstood a final push down the stretch to walk away with another victory. Those are adding up for Utah.Bojan Bogdanovic scored 19 points and the surging Jazz held off the Chicago Bulls 102-98 on Thursday night.The Jazz went on a 24-4 run in the third quarter to grab a nine-point lead and emerged with their 10th win in 12 games after Chicago tied it in the closing minutes.Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert each scored 17 for Utah. Mitchell hit two free throws with 19 seconds remaining, and Gobert had 12 rebounds. The Jazz also got big contributions from their bench, with their reserves outscoring the Bulls' 36-23.“Everybody did a little something in a given time to help us win the game," coach Quin Snyder said. "And that's how you win on the road and that's how you win close games.”Zach LaVine led Chicago with 26 points and Lauri Markkanen scored 18. Wendell Carter Jr. added 18 points and 13 rebounds. The Bulls lost for... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — Bojan Bogdanovic scored 19 points and the surging Utah Jazz held off the Chicago Bulls 102-98 on Thursday night.The Jazz went on a 24-4 run in the third quarter to grab a nine-point lead and came away with their 10th win in 12 games after Chicago tied it in the closing minutes.Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert each scored 17 for Utah. Mitchell hit two free throws with 19 seconds remaining, and Gobert had 12 rebounds.Zach LaVine led Chicago with 26 points and Lauri Markkanen scored 18. Wendell Carter Jr. added 18 points and 13 rebounds but the Bulls lost for the third time in four games.The Jazz led 96-88 in the closing minutes before Chicago scored eight straight, tying it on LaVine's 3 with 1:43 remaining. Bogdanovic hit two free throws and Gobert drove for a dunk to make it a four-point game, before Carter made two free throws for Chicago with 47 seconds remaining.After Mitchell missed a 3, LaVine missed on a wild drive. The Jazz got the rebound, and Mitchell hit two free... [More]

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Utah changed the entire dynamic of its backcourt after acquiring veteran point guard Mike Conley from the Memphis Grizzlies in July. Will it be enough to turn the Jazz into an NBA championship contender?That's what Utah is banking on heading into the 2019-20 season. Conley joins rising star Donovan Mitchell to form what could be one of the league's more potent backcourt duos in the season ahead.Mitchell averaged 23.8 points and 4.2 assists in his second season, but struggled at times with his scoring efficiency. Conley promises to relieve some of the playmaking burden that Mitchell felt at times as an NBA sophomore."Mike Conley is an elite point guard," Quin Snyder said at the team's media day on Monday. "When I say elite that manifests in a lot of different ways. Certainly on the court, some of the things he does and the feel he has for the game and for players around him is really unique. He impacts the game."Conley is one of the league's most efficient point guards... [More]

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Utah changed the entire dynamic of its backcourt after acquiring veteran point guard Mike Conley from the Memphis Grizzlies in July. Will it be enough to turn the Jazz into an NBA championship contender?That's what Utah is banking on heading into the 2019-20 season. Conley joins rising star Donovan Mitchell to form what could be one of the league's more potent backcourt duos in the season ahead.Mitchell averaged 23.8 points and 4.2 assists in his second season, but struggled at times with his scoring efficiency. Conley promises to relieve some of the playmaking burden that Mitchell felt at times as an NBA sophomore."Mike Conley is an elite point guard," Quin Snyder said at the team's media day on Monday. "When I say elite that manifests in a lot of different ways. Certainly on the court, some of the things he does and the feel he has for the game and for players around him is really unique. He impacts the game."Conley is one of the league's most efficient point guards... [More]

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A person familiar with the situation says the New Orleans Pelicans have acquired veteran center Derrick Favors from the Utah Jazz in exchange for a pair of second-round draft choices.The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Monday because the deal has not been announced.The Jazz dealt away 6-foot-10 Favors shortly after agreeing to contract terms with free agent center Bojan Bogdanovic, who played for Indiana last season.Favors, who'll be 28 next season, was the Nets' first round draft choice in 2010 and was traded during his rookie season to Utah. He brings career averages of 11.6 points, 7.2 rebounds and 1.3 blocks to New Orleans, where he'll join two other centers — veteran Jahlil Okafor and No. 8 overall draft pick Jaxson Hayes — on the roster. Christian Wood, a 6-10 forward signed by New Orleans late last season, also can play center.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — General manager Kevin Pritchard convinced himself the Indiana Pacers could contend for an Eastern Conference title by basically keeping the core rotation intact.Victor Oladipo's season-ending knee injury changed the whole equation.While the Pacers continued playing hard and won more often than many expected over the final two months, the absence of their All-Star guard prevented the Pacers from retaining one of the top four seeds or reaching the conference semifinals for the first time since 2014."Vic has been our closer for the last couple of years. To not have him on the court is big," point guard Darren Collison following Sunday's season-ending 110-106 loss to Boston. "Think about the playoffs he had last year and how amazing he was. Now, just imagine if we had that this year."It's hard not to.But even before Oladipo was wheeled off the court with a ruptured quad tendon in his right knee on Jan. 23, he struggled with a sore knee and it showed in the stats that were... [More]

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — The stars have been stars in these playoffs.Kyrie Irving has Boston on the cusp of sweeping away Indiana Pacers. Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry and Golden State are coming off a game against the Los Angeles Clippers where the Warriors looked very much like the NBA champions again. Damian Lillard and Russell Westbrook are going at each other big-time in the Portland-Oklahoma City series.And then there's Pascal Siakam.Toronto's surprise story is no surprise anymore.Siakam has been perhaps the biggest breakout player in these playoffs, adding to his breakout season for the Raptors — who lead the Orlando Magic 2-1 in their first-round matchup thanks largely to the 25-year-old from Cameroon and his 24.3 points and 10 rebounds per game in the series.It's easy to forget that Siakam only started playing organized basketball seven years ago."Seriously?" Raptors guard Danny Green asked, unaware of his teammate's unique background.Seriously.Raptors coach Nick Nurse was amused by... [More]

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Thaddeus Young and Bojan Bogdanovic ignored those who doubted the Indiana Pacers last season.They're even more determined to prove them wrong in the playoffs.The veterans who helped the Pacers exceed expectations after losing Paul George in a trade and kept them together following Victor Oladipo's season-ending knee injury now insist they can help the Pacers overcome a 2-0 deficit against Boston."I think the biggest thing for us over the last couple of years is that we've always been a resilient team," Young said Thursday. "We continue to stay confident, continue to trust in one another, I think that helps put us in a better position to win games."It's a test they've faced, and passed, many times over the past 22 months.And every time, it seems the two soft-spoken forwards find themselves playing the calming role in the locker room."I can tell you we wouldn't be the No. 5 seed if not for those two guys," Doug McDermott said not long after the Pacers sang "Happy Birthday"... [More]

BOSTON (AP) — The Celtics are preparing for their Game 2 matchup with the Pacers aware their series-opening win was notable more for its ugliness more than the outcome.Meanwhile, the Rockets and Bucks are heading into their respective Game 2s with the Jazz and Pistons expecting more competitive games after dominating victories.Boston limited Indiana to eight points in the third quarter of its 84-74 Game 1 win. It was the Celtics' lowest point total of the season and the first time they won a game in 2018-19 in which they didn't reach 100 points.Change is on the minds of both teams.For the Celtics that could mean tweaks to the starting lineup as they continue to adjust to the absence of Marcus Smart, who is recovering from a torn left oblique."It's frustrating, but you have to take it day-by-day and one day at a time," Smart said Tuesday.Celtics coach Brad Stevens acknowledged Smart's absence forced them to play differently and will continue to require adjustments.Without Smart to help with... [More]

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — When Victor Oladipo crashed to the floor in late January, the silence inside Bankers Life Fieldhouse was deafening.Teammates quietly expressed best wishes to their injured teammate as he was wheeled off the court on a stretcher. Fans wondered aloud if this was just another chapter in Indianapolis' injury curse that has claimed Peyton Manning, Paul George and Andrew Luck during the previous eight years. League insiders debated how far the Pacers would slide in the Eastern Conference standings.Somehow, after four consecutive losses, Indiana turned the page and won six of its next seven games heading into the All-Star break, still third in the East."We're just going out there and playing basketball," point guard Darren Collison said. "We're keeping the game simple and easy. Everybody is confident. It's getting closer to playoff basketball."After tinkering with his lineup for a few games, coach Nate McMillan settled on a rotation that looks remarkably similar to what he... [More]

Go back to the 1999-2000 NBA season, and there were only two foreign-born players in the NBA who averaged 15 points per game: Dirk Nowitzki and Tim Duncan.This season, there are 24 names on that list — by far the most in league history.The NBA international imprint just keeps getting bigger, providing the sort of transformative impact the likes of which the league probably hasn't seen since the ABA merger.One of the MVP front-runners at this point is Greece's Giannis Antetokounmpo, who has led Milwaukee to the NBA's best record entering Wednesday. Dallas' Luka Doncic looks like an overwhelming favorite to become the first Slovenian rookie of the year. Cameroon's Joel Embiid might be the dominant big man in the league, and keeps getting better for Philadelphia.These aren't just some guys taking up roster spots, either.These are franchise players. At least one-third of the league's teams have a foreign-born player who would classify as its best, or at least its most important."It's been fun... [More]

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The Indiana Pacers were full of surprises this season.They won more games than expected. They proved more competitive than projected. Heck, they even forced the three-time defending Eastern Conference champs into a decisive seventh game all while receiving the stamp of approval from the world's best player.Not bad for a team that was supposed to be sitting home and plotting draft strategy long ago."This was one of the most amazing seasons of my career," forward Thaddeus Young said. "We played for one another, not as individuals. It's tough (being eliminated), but this is a great group of guys. We all gave our blood and sweat to the game and each other."And it could be just the start.The Pacers' future looks far brighter now than it did 12 months ago after they were swept out of the playoffs by LeBron James and the Cavaliers.Back then, there questions about Paul George's future in Indiana loomed heavily over the franchise. By late June, new general manager Kevin Pritchard... [More]

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The Indiana Pacers have been winning together, losing together and fighting together all season.Now they need to demonstrate their resilience once more as they try to save their season by rebounding from an emotional loss to LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers."Nobody thought we'd be in this situation," Victor Oladipo said, referring to the playoffs. "It's important for us to stick together now because we've seen where it can go, where it can take us and it's great."The immediate problem is recent history doesn't bode well for the underdog Pacers, who trail 3-2 with Game 5 set for Friday in Indianapolis.Cleveland swept Indiana in the first round last year, winning four games by a record low 16 total points. James has won 10 straight close-out games and has never lost a first-round series. Indiana, meanwhile, is trying to reach the conference semifinals for the first time since 2014.But the Pacers don't care about stats, projections or conventional wisdom — as they've... [More]

F Bojan Bogdanovic scored 17 points in Wednesday's win over Chicago. He is averaging 17.8 points and shooting 45.1 percent from 3-point range in his last nine games.