With the NBA playoffs starting Saturday, here are 10 things to know:LEBRON'S STREAKPacers fans, avert your eyes.LeBron James hasn't experienced losing a first-round game in nearly six years.James' teams have won 21 consecutive opening-round contests, a streak that started in Game 5 of the Miami-New York series in 2012. Combining his Cleveland and Miami years, James' teams have won 46 of their last 51 first-round games.James and the Cavs play Indiana in the first round this season.MORE LEBRONJames could set a slew of NBA records in these playoffs.He's already the all-time postseason leader in points, is seven steals from passing Scottie Pippen (395) for the playoff record in that department, is four shots from passing Kobe Bryant (4,499) for another career postseason mark.Depending on how long Cleveland's postseason lasts, James also has a shot at passing Ray Allen (385) for career postseason 3-pointers; he's 55 shy of taking over the No. 1 spot there. And if the Cavs make a deep run James... [More]

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Portland's Damian Lillard says he likes the first-round matchup against the Pelicans, but in almost the same breath he lists the reasons why New Orleans is dangerous.After splitting their four regular-season meetings, the third-seeded Blazers and sixth-seeded Pelicans open the playoffs Saturday night at the Moda Center."They stole one from us here, and we felt like that was a game that we should have had. We had a bad third quarter," Lillard said. "But they have Anthony Davis, Jrue Holiday, Rondo, E'Twaun Moore, they've got a lot of guys that make them a dangerous team."The Blazers won the season's first meeting with New Orleans, 103-93, back in October. But two months later the Pelicans beat the Blazers 123-116 in Portland without Davis. DeMarcus Cousins had 38 points and New Orleans extended its lead to as many as 18 points in the third quarter.The Pelicans lost Cousins for the season because of an Achilles injury in January, and many thought the team's playoff hopes... [More]

With the NBA playoffs starting Saturday, here's 10 things to know:LEBRON'S STREAKPacers fans, avert your eyes.LeBron James hasn't experienced losing a first-round game in nearly six years.James' teams have won 21 consecutive opening-round contests, a streak that started in Game 5 of the Miami-New York series in 2012. Combining his Cleveland and Miami years, James' teams have won 46 of their last 51 first-round games.James and the Cavs play Indiana in the first round this season.MORE LEBRONJames could set a slew of NBA records in these playoffs.He's already the all-time postseason leader in points, is seven steals from passing Scottie Pippen (395) for the playoff record in that department, is four shots from passing Kobe Bryant (4,499) for another career postseason mark.Depending on how long Cleveland's postseason lasts, James also has a shot at passing Ray Allen (385) for career postseason 3-pointers; he's 55 shy of taking over the No. 1 spot there. And if the Cavs make a deep run James... [More]

MIAMI (AP) — LeBron James has someone in mind for the MVP award this season.Himself.This is a season where prohibitive MVP favorite James Harden has done phenomenal things with NBA-leading Houston, where reigning MVP Russell Westbrook has been fantastic again for Oklahoma City, and where Anthony Davis has found a new stratosphere to take his game, especially after New Orleans lost DeMarcus Cousins.James raves about them all. But ..."I would vote for me," James told The Associated Press. "The body of work, how I'm doing it, what's been happening with our team all year long, how we've got so many injuries and things of that nature, guys in and out, to be able to still keep this thing afloat, I definitely would vote me."It's not an unreasonable take.His numbers this season compare favorably — or exceed — the five-season run between 2008-09 and 2012-13 where he won the MVP award four times. His averages then: 27.8 points, 7.6 rebounds and 7.3 assists on 52 percent shooting while playing 38... [More]

MIAMI (AP) — LeBron James has someone in mind for the MVP award this season.Himself.This is a season where prohibitive MVP favorite James Harden has done phenomenal things with NBA-leading Houston, where reigning MVP Russell Westbrook has been fantastic again for Oklahoma City, and where Anthony Davis has found a new stratosphere to take his game, especially after New Orleans lost DeMarcus Cousins.James raves about them all. But ..."I would vote for me," James told The Associated Press. "The body of work, how I'm doing it, what's been happening with our team all year long, how we've got so many injuries and things of that nature, guys in and out, to be able to still keep this thing afloat, I definitely would vote me."It's not an unreasonable take.His numbers this season compare favorably — or exceed — the five-season run between 2008-09 and 2012-13 where he won the MVP award four times. His averages then: 27.8 points, 7.6 rebounds and 7.3 assists on 52 percent shooting while playing 38... [More]

MIAMI (AP) — LeBron James has someone in mind for the MVP award this season.Himself.This is a season where prohibitive MVP favorite James Harden has done phenomenal things with NBA-leading Houston, where reigning MVP Russell Westbrook has been fantastic again for Oklahoma City, and where Anthony Davis has found a new stratosphere to take his game, especially after New Orleans lost DeMarcus Cousins.James raves about them all. But ..."I would vote for me," James told The Associated Press. "The body of work, how I'm doing it, what's been happening with our team all year long, how we've got so many injuries and things of that nature, guys in and out, to be able to still keep this thing afloat, I definitely would vote me."It's not an unreasonable take.His numbers this season compare favorably — or exceed — the five-season run between 2008-09 and 2012-13 where he won the MVP award four times. His averages then: 27.8 points, 7.6 rebounds and 7.3 assists on 52 percent shooting while playing 38... [More]

MIAMI (AP) — LeBron James has someone in mind for the MVP award this season.Himself.This is a season where prohibitive MVP favorite James Harden has done phenomenal things with NBA-leading Houston, where reigning MVP Russell Westbrook has been fantastic again for Oklahoma City, and where Anthony Davis has found a new stratosphere to take his game, especially after New Orleans lost DeMarcus Cousins.James raves about them all. But ..."I would vote for me," James told The Associated Press. "The body of work, how I'm doing it, what's been happening with our team all year long, how we've got so many injuries and things of that nature, guys in and out, to be able to still keep this thing afloat, I definitely would vote me."It's not an unreasonable take.His numbers this season compare favorably — or exceed — the five-season run between 2008-09 and 2012-13 where he won the MVP award four times. His averages then: 27.8 points, 7.6 rebounds and 7.3 assists on 52 percent shooting while playing 38... [More]

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry says guard Jrue Holiday has recovered enough from flu symptoms to play Wednesday night against the Indiana Pacers.Gentry says the Pelicans are fortunate that Holiday, who missed Tuesday night's victory over Dallas, was able to get better so quickly. The combo guard is averaging 19.1 points and 5.9 assists per game. He has been New Orleans' second-leading scorer, behind only All-Star forward Anthony Davis, since DeMarcus Cousins went out for the season with a torn Achilles in late January.Meanwhile, Gentry says small forward Solomon Hill will get the night off to rest so he can return against the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday, which will be New Orleans third game in three consecutive nights.Hill is just two games into his comeback from hamstring surgery last August.___More NBA basketball: https://apnews.com/tag/NBAbasketball

With the Houston Rockets on top of the NBA and James Harden on top of the scoring race, he may be running away with the MVP vote.Anthony Davis and Damian Lillard might have something to say about that.With stellar play steering their sizzling teams, they have at least entered their names in the conversation with a little more than a month left in the regular season.Harden has been runner-up to Stephen Curry and Russell Westbrook in recent years, but it's looked like his time this season. With more than 31 points and nearly nine assists per game — third in the league in that category — for a team with the league's best record, it's hard to imagine needing to look elsewhere."What Harden and Houston is doing right now, he's the MVP of the league right now," Hall of Famer Isiah Thomas said on NBA TV.Davis and Lillard could deserve some thought.Davis has carried New Orleans with dominant basketball since DeMarcus Cousins was lost for the season last month. The Western Conference player of the... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — LeBron James and Kevin Durant swarmed all over Stephen Curry in the final seconds, preventing the NBA's best shooter from finding even a patch of open air to launch a tying 3-pointer.Defense? In an All-Star Game?That was just one of the many exciting surprises created by a big change to the league's midseason showcase. After James and Curry got to draft their own teams, this exhibition really seemed to matter to basketball's best.And LeBron picked a winner.James scored 29 points and hit the go-ahead layup with 34.5 seconds to play, winning his third All-Star Game MVP award while his team rallied to win an uncommonly entertaining edition of the event, beating Team Stephen 148-145 Sunday night.For the first time in 67 All-Star games, the league abandoned the traditional East-West format used since 1951, instead allowing the two captains to pick their sides. That twist turned a sometimes staid event into the world's richest pickup game, and the intrigue was reflected on... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — LeBron James picked a winner in the NBA All-Star Game.James scored 29 points and hit the go-ahead layup with 34.5 seconds to play, winning his third All-Star Game MVP award while his hand-picked team rallied to win an uncommonly entertaining showcase, beating Team Stephen 148-145 Sunday night.For the first time in the 67 editions of the All-Star Game, the league abandoned the traditional East-West format used since 1951 and allowed team captains James and Stephen Curry to choose their own rosters.That twist turned a sometimes staid event into the world's richest pickup game, and the intrigue was reflected on the Staples Center court, where a real basketball game broke out.LeBron's team even won an All-Star game with defense: On the final possession, James and Kevin Durant blanketed Curry, preventing the 3-point-shooting superstar from getting off a potential tying shot."I think myself and Stephen took it upon ourselves when we took on this format that we had to change... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Latest from Sunday's NBA All-Star Game and events around the league's annual showcase (all times local):8:20 p.m.LeBron James made a go-ahead, finger-roll layup with 34.5 seconds left and finished with a game-high 29 points to lead Team LeBron to a 148-145 victory against Team Stephen in the NBA All-Star Game.James, who was named the All-Star game MVP for the third time, gave his team a 146-145 lead with the layup and Russell Westbrook added a layup to complete the scoring."We got stops when we needed to," Westbrook said after the game.Indeed.Team Stephen couldn't get a good look for a tying 3 at the buzzer as both teams played with more effort than in recent years.In a departure from the traditional East vs. West format, Stephen Curry and LeBron James picked the teams. The players seemed to enjoy the new format. While there were the usual fancy passes and slam dunks, there was also a lot more defense — blocks, traps that lead to turnovers were all part of this showcase.Damian... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Latest from Sunday's NBA All-Star Game and events around the league's annual showcase (all times local):7:45 p.m.Stephen Curry hit one of his signature 3-point shots with 27.7 seconds left in the third quarter to give his team a 112-109 lead over Team LeBron in the NBA All-Star Game at Staples Center.Curry finally broke into double figures with 11 points. Karl Anthony-Towns leads Team Steph with 17 points.LeBron James leads his team with 19 points.With the new format of the teams being picked by captains James and Curry, the players seem much more into it than in the past games, which have been largely devoid of defense.The final score of this game won't come anywhere near last year's game, when the Western Conference beat the Eastern Conference 192-182 behind Anthony Davis' All-Star Game record of 52 points.After the halftime show by N.E.R.D. and Pharrell Williams, injured Kristaps Porzingis of the New York Knicks chatted with Jerry West and Bill Russell, who were... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Latest from Sunday's NBA All-Star Game and events around the league's annual showcase (all times local):6:40 p.m.LeBron James is heating up but his team trails Team Stephen 78-76 at halftime of the NBA All-Star Game at Staples Center.James has scored 15 points. He had a big dunk and a 3-pointer to help pull his team within one point, but then Team Stephen opened another big lead. Team LeBron closed the gap again on 3-pointers by Paul George and Victor Oladipo.Stephen Curry had a slow start, going scoreless in the first quarter, and finally got his first points with a 3-pointer with 3:16 before halftime to push the lead to 67-58.Klay Thompson has 15 points for Team Stephen, all on 3-pointers.James and Curry are the captains and picked the teams in an attempt to freshen up the game.Anthony Davis of New Orleans wore a DeMarcus Cousins jersey in the first quarter to honor his injured teammate, but then switched back to his own No. 23 jersey in the second quarter.___6:10... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Latest from Sunday's NBA All-Star Game and events around the league's annual showcase (all times local):6:10 p.m.Team Stephen took a 42-31 lead over Team LeBron after the first quarter of the new-look NBA All-Star Game.Rather than the traditional East vs. West matchup, the teams were picked by captains LeBron James and Stephen Curry.The players seemed to be giving more effort than in most All-Star Games, but the play wasn't always better. However, players did seem to be actually playing some defense.Karl Anthony-Towns of Minnesota led Team Stephen with 11 points while Anthony Davis of New Orleans had six for Team LeBron.Davis wore the jersey of Pelicans teammate DeMarcus Cousins, who was voted to start but then suffered a season-ending injury.___5:40 p.m.First, there were elaborate pregame introductions by Kevin Hart, and then the Canadian national anthem by the Barenaked Ladies and the American national anthem by Fergie.Then it was time for the NBA All-Star Game... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Latest from Sunday's NBA All-Star Game and events around the league's annual showcase (all times local):5:40 p.m.First, there were elaborate pregame introductions by Kevin Hart, and then the Canadian national anthem by the Barenaked Ladies and the American national anthem by Fergie.Then it was time for the NBA All-Star Game between Team LeBron and Team Stephen at Staples Center.LeBron James has started his 14th straight NBA All-Star Game, breaking a tie with Bob Cousy for the longest streak in league history. James is one behind Kobe Bryant for the most overall.Two intriguing subplots with Team LeBron are that James is teaming up again with Kyrie Irving, the Boston guard who campaigned to leave James' side in Cleveland last summer; and Russell Westbrook is once again teammates with Kevin Durant, who ditched him in Oklahoma City in 2016 to win a championship in Oakland last year. The final starter on Team LeBron is Anthony Davis of New Orleans.James' original roster... [More]

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The New Orleans Pelicans have acquired forward Nikola Mirotic and a second-round draft pick from the Chicago Bulls for center Omer Asik, guards Jameer Nelson and Tony Allen and a 2018 first-round pick.The trade, announced by both teams late Thursday afternoon, comes less than a week after New Orleans lost All-Star DeMarcus Cousins for the season to a left Achilles tear and with the Pelicans still in the playoff picture.Mirotic has averaged 16.8 points and 6.4 rebounds per game since missing the first 23 games this season with two broken bones in his face stemming from a fight in practice with Bobby Portis.Nelson has averaged 5.1 points and 3.6 assists in 43 games for New Orleans this season. Allen averaged 4.7 points before a broken leg sidelined him for 22 games. He returned to the active roster this week. Asik has averaged 1.3 points and 2.6 rebounds in 14 games this season.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/tag/NBAbasketball

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The New Orleans Pelicans acquired forward Nikola Mirotic and a second-round draft pick from the Chicago Bulls for center Omer Asik, guards Jameer Nelson and Tony Allen and a first-round pick, a person familiar with the deal said.The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Thursday because neither team has announced the trade.The trade comes less than a week after New Orleans lost All-Star DeMarcus Cousins for the season because of left Achilles tear and with the Pelicans still in the playoff picture.Mirotic has averaged 16.8 points and 6.4 rebounds since missing the first 23 games this season because of two broken bones in his face stemming from a fight in practice with Bobby Portis.Nelson has averaged 5.1 points and 3.6 assists in 43 games for New Orleans. Allen averaged 4.7 points before a broken leg sidelined him for 22 games. He returned to the active roster this week, but did not play in Tuesday night's loss to Sacramento. Asik has averaged... [More]

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A person familiar with the decision says the New Orleans Pelicans have acquired forward Nikola Mirotic and a second-round draft pick from the Chicago Bulls for center Omer Asik, guards Jameer Nelson and Tony Allen, and a future first-round pick.The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Thursday because neither team has announced the trade.The deal, first reported by ESPN, comes less than a week after New Orleans lost All-Star DeMarcus Cousins for the season to a left Achilles tear and with the Pelicans still in the playoff picture.Mirotic has averaged 16.8 points and 6.4 rebounds per game since missing the first 23 games this season with two broken bones in his face stemming from a fight in practice with Bobby Portis.Nelson has averaged 5.1 points and 3.6 assists in 43 games for New Orleans this season. Allen averaged 4.7 points before a broken leg sidelined him for 22 games. He returned to the active roster this week. Asik has averaged 1.3 points and 2.6 rebounds in 14 games this season.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/tag/NBAbasketball

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The New Orleans Pelicans says front-court All-Star DeMarcus Cousins has had surgery to repair his ruptured left Achilles tendon.The club says the operation was performed by Dr. Richard Ferkel of the Southern California Orthopedic Institute in Los Angeles, California.Ferkel says the surgery "went very well" and that Cousins is expected to make "a full recovery and be able to return to basketball after an intensive rehabilitation program."The Pelicans have said Cousins will miss the remainder of this season but no timeline for his return has been announced for the 27-year-old Cousins, 27, who has averaged 25.2 points, 12.9 rebounds and 5.4 assists this season and is due to become a free agent this offseason.Dr. Steven Weinfeld, chief of Foot and Ankle Surgery at The Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, says basketball players with the same injury Cousins had usually need nearly a year of rehabilitation before playing again, and routinely up to two years before returning to peak physical performance.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/tag/NBAbasketball