CLEVELAND (AP) — The Cavaliers' injury list continues to grow with starting forward Cedi Osman the latest addition.Osman will miss Saturday's game at Chicago with back spasms that forced him to leave Wednesday's loss to Orlando. The Cavs, who are 1-10 and missing three other starters, had hoped rest would help Osman, but he's not ready to play.Cleveland is already without All-Star forward Kevin Love, point guard George Hill and backup forward Sam Dekker, who moved into the starting lineup before Love underwent foot surgery.Coach Larry Drew said Friday that Osman will miss one game and be reassessed.Drew, who recently signed a new contract after taking over following Tyronn Lue's firing, said the Cavs aren't "snakebit." He acknowledged the team needs its reserves to step up while the team is short-handed.Because of the injuries, Drew will shuffle his lineup again.The Cavs signed guard Andrew Harrison to a two-way contract.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/tag/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP-Sports

CLEVELAND (AP) — The Cavaliers are losing games and players at an alarming rate.Starting point guard George Hill could miss two weeks with a sprained right shoulder, the latest setback for the Cavs, who have won just one game and are expected to be without All-Star forward Kevin Love for at least another five weeks following foot surgery.Cleveland is also missing forward Sam Dekker, who sprained his ankle and is out for a month.Hill was a late scratch before Wednesday night's loss to Oklahoma City. The 32-year-old, who hurt his shoulder on the final possession of Monday's loss in Orlando, went through his usual pregame workout, but was experiencing pain in his shoulder and couldn't play against the Thunder. Further medical tests performed Thursday revealed the sprain.Hill's setback is yet another obstacle for the Cavs, who are an NBA-worst 1-10 and recently fired coach Tyronn Lue. Cleveland's had other issues in its first season since LeBron James bolted as a free agent after leading the... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — A person familiar with the situation says Cavaliers starting point guard George Hill will miss at least two weeks with a shoulder injury.Hill has a sprained shoulder, said the person who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because Cleveland has not yet provided an update on the veteran guard's condition. Hill was kept out of Wednesday's loss to Oklahoma City because of soreness.ESPN was first to report Hill's injury.Hill's setback is another shot to the Cavs, who are an NBA-worst 1-10 and will be without All-Star forward Kevin Love for another five weeks — and possibly longer.While Hill is out, rookie Collin Sexton will likely stay in the starting lineup. The No. 8 overall pick made his first start against the Thunder and finished with a season-high 15 points, two rebounds and an assist in 42 minutes.Cleveland coach Larry Drew has urged his veterans to be patient with Sexton while he develops.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Sacramento Kings coach Dave Joerger wants his team to run more this season and plans to give speedy point guard De'Aaron Fox all the room he needs.Fox was one of the fastest players in the NBA last year as a rookie, but the Kings offense was uneven most of the season and frequently bogged down in the half-court.With an influx of young, quick players added to an already youthful roster, the hope is that Fox can get Sacramento out and running and, possibly, back into the postseason."The best thing you can do for him is play fast and give him as much room as possible," Joerger said Monday at the Kings practice facility during media day. "To play small and try to do that is best for De'Aaron. He's our franchise guy. I think he is and I think everybody kind of agrees on that."The fifth overall pick in 2017, Fox started 60 games and averaged 11.6 points with 4.4 assists, but shot only 41.2 percent while struggling with an inconsistent mid-range jumpshot.The Kings were... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — LeBron James' face said it all. J.R. Smith messed up. And the Cleveland Cavaliers paid for his mistake as they lost Game 1 of the NBA Finals 124-114 to the Golden State Warriors in overtime.The score was tied at 107 with 4.7 seconds left in the fourth quarter. Cleveland was at the line. George Hill's free-throw attempt bounced off the rim, and Smith rebounded. Instead of putting a shot up while near the basket, Smith dribbled out toward midcourt and kept it , despite James' shouts for the ball.Time ran out. Overtime ensued. Golden State won.Welcome to the club of big blunders, Smith.___CHRIS WEBBER - 1993The announcer said it before the game-deciding moment even happened: "Remember, the Wolverines are out of timeouts." Well, Michigan's Chris Webber didn't remember.After dribbling into a corner with 11 seconds left in the championship, surrounded by defenders, Webber called a timeout . Automatic technical foul. North Carolina hit two free throws, then two more to seal it.Michigan... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — LeBron James' face said it all. J.R. Smith messed up. And the Cleveland Cavaliers paid for his mistake as they lost Game 1 of the NBA Finals 124-114 to the Golden State Warriors in overtime.The score was tied at 107 with 4.7 seconds left in the fourth quarter. Cleveland was at the line. George Hill's free-throw attempt bounced off the rim, and Smith rebounded. Instead of putting a shot up while near the basket, Smith dribbled out toward midcourt and kept it , despite James' shouts for the ball.Time ran out. Overtime ensued. Golden State won.Welcome to the club of big blunders, Smith.___CHRIS WEBBER - 1993The announcer said it before the game-deciding moment even happened: "Remember, the Wolverines are out of timeouts." Well, Michigan's Chris Webber didn't remember.After dribbling into a corner with 11 seconds left in the championship, surrounded by defenders, Webber called a timeout . Automatic technical foul. North Carolina hit two free throws, then two more to seal it.Michigan... [More]

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — The ending was weird.The postgame was weird.At least Game 1 of what was supposed to be a lopsided NBA Finals was anything but boring. It had a little of everything: A player stumbled and buckled Klay Thompson's knee to send the Warriors' sharp-shooter limping to the locker room in the opening minutes; let Stephen Curry get loose for a 30-footer at the halftime buzzer; grabbed a rebound in the final seconds of regulation with the score tied and inexplicably ran toward midcourt as if he thought the game was over.And all that was just J.R. Smith.The opener of this Cleveland-Golden State series should have been memorable for other reasons — LeBron James scoring a playoff career-high 51 points, the Warriors having three players score at least 24 and Draymond Green nearly getting a triple-double. Instead, this game's legacy is an overturned charge call late in regulation, Smith's gaffes, contradictory explanations from Cleveland and hot tempers in the final seconds.Warriors... [More]

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — The ending was weird.The postgame was weird.At least Game 1 of what was supposed to be a lopsided NBA Finals was anything but boring. It had a little of everything: A player stumbled and buckled Klay Thompson's knee to send the Warriors' sharp-shooter limping to the locker room in the opening minutes; let Stephen Curry get loose for a 30-footer at the halftime buzzer; grabbed a rebound in the final seconds of regulation with the score tied and inexplicably ran toward midcourt as if he thought the game was over.And all that was just J.R. Smith.The opener of this Cleveland-Golden State series should have been memorable for other reasons — LeBron James scoring a playoff career-high 51 points, the Warriors having three players score at least 24 and Draymond Green nearly getting a triple-double. Instead, this game's legacy is an overturned charge call late in regulation, Smith's gaffes, contradictory explanations from Cleveland and hot tempers in the final seconds.Warriors... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — Kevin Love won't be able to help LeBron James and the Cavaliers in Game 7 against the Celtics.Love was placed in the NBA's concussion protocol and the All-Star forward will miss Sunday's series finale of the Eastern Conference finals, a personal blow and yet another challenge for Cleveland to overcome.The Cavaliers said Love, who inadvertently bashed heads with Celtics rookie Jayson Tatum in the first quarter of Game 6, experienced concussion-like symptoms Saturday before the team's flight to Boston.Moments before the Cavs sent a news release updating Love's status, coach Tyronn Lue held a confusing teleconference during which he said the 29-year-old was still being evaluated and there was a possibility he could play.However, like everything else in this erratic, convoluted season for Cleveland, things changed quickly.Now, the Cavs will be without their second-leading scorer and top rebounder as they try to win their fourth straight conference title against a younger team... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — Kevin Love won't be able to help LeBron James and the Cavaliers in Game 7 against the Celtics.Love was placed in the NBA's concussion protocol and the All-Star forward will miss Sunday's series finale of the Eastern Conference finals, a personal blow and yet another challenge for Cleveland to overcome.The Cavaliers said Love experienced concussion-like symptoms Saturday before the team's flight to Boston. Moments before the Cavs sent a news release updating Love's status, coach Tyronn Lue said the 29-year-old, who inadvertently bashed heads with Celtics rookie Jayson Tatum on Friday, was still being evaluated and there was a possibility he could play.However, like everything else in this erratic, convoluted season for Cleveland, things changed quickly.Now, the Cavs will be without their second-leading scorer as they try to win their fourth straight conference title. Love is averaging 13.9 points and 10.0 rebounds in 17 playoff games, and he's the No. 2 scoring option on... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — Cavaliers All-Star forward Kevin Love will miss Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals against the Celtics with a concussion.The team said Saturday that Love, who bashed heads with Boston rookie Jayson Tatum in the first half of Cleveland's Game 6 win on Friday night, experienced concussion-like symptoms before the team's flight and has been placed in the NBA's concussion protocol.Just minutes before the team announced Love's status, coach Tyronn Lue said he was still being evaluated.Love was kept out of the second half of Cleveland's 109-99 victory as a precaution after he and Tatum accidentally knocked heads. Love has suffered at least two other known concussions in his career.The Cavaliers were able to overcome the loss of Love, their second-leading scorer and top rebounder, as LeBron James scored 46 and Cleveland got solid contributions from George Hill, Jeff Green and others.___More AP basketball: https://apnews.com/tag/NBAbasketball

CLEVELAND (AP) — Kevin Love's troubled season has twisted again.The Cavaliers All-Star forward, who has battled injuries and criticism while revealing he suffered panic attacks in the past, may have to sit out Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals after injuring his head Friday night during the first quarter of Cleveland's 109-99 win over the Boston Celtics.Love was kept out of the second half of Game 6 following his violent collision with Celtics rookie Jayson Tatum.Cleveland's medical staff checked Love for a concussion, and the team announced at halftime the 29-year-old would not return to the game as a precaution.Love has not been placed in concussion protocol, but that could change if he has an onset of symptoms — headaches, dizziness, sensitivity to light — in the hours ahead. He will be re-examined Saturday before the team flies to Boston.Cavs coach Tyronn Lue did not know if he would have his second-best player for the season's biggest game as the Cavs try to win their fourth... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — Cavaliers All-Star forward Kevin Love will miss the remainder of Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals after banging heads with Boston's Jayson Tatum.Love and Tatum inadvertently collided midway through the quarter and both dropped to the floor. Love, who missed a March 28 game at Charlotte with a concussion, immediately raised his left arm as if to signal he needed help.He stayed down for several minutes before he was pulled to his feet. Love walked unsteadily to the bench with guard George Hill holding one of his arms. Love sat briefly before heading to the locker room for further evaluation.The Cavs said Love is being evaluated for a concussion and being kept out as a precaution.Love was replaced by Jeff Green, who sparked the Cavs to a 54-43 halftime lead.Tatum stayed in the game.Love, who is in his fourth season with Cleveland and is the club's second-best player, is averaging 15 points and 11 rebounds in the series.

CLEVELAND (AP) — Cavaliers All-Star forward Kevin Love left Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals after banging heads with Boston's Jayson Tatum.Love and Tatum inadvertently collided midway through the quarter and both dropped to the floor. Love, who missed a March 28 game at Charlotte with a concussion, immediately raised his arm as if to signal he needed help.He stayed down for several minutes before he was helped to his feet. He walked unsteadily to the bench with guard George Hill holding one of his arm. Love sat briefly before heading to the locker room for further evaluation.The team had no immediate word on Love's condition. He was replaced by Jeff Green.Tatum stayed in the game.Love, who is in his fourth season with Cleveland and is the club's second-best player, is averaging 15 points and 11 rebounds in the series.

CLEVELAND (AP) — Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue was answering a question about Boston's defense on LeBron James during a teleconference when he tripped the security system at his home.A piercing alarm sounded."Uh-oh," Lue said Thursday as he punched in a code to silence the screaming siren.While Lue and his home were clearly safe, and the light-hearted moment passed quickly, it was also symbolic of Cleveland's urgent situation.The Cavs are in a dangerous spot.Beaten for the third time in Boston in these home-sweet-home Eastern Conference finals, Cleveland will face its second elimination game of the postseason on Friday night at Quicken Loans Arena.Game 6 is for everything.Except, of course, if there's a Game 7 on Sunday in Boston.Fueled by fueled-up Boston fans who must feel some sort of birthright to see their cherished team play in the Finals, the youthful Celtics again showed zero fear or hesitation on their parquet floor on Wednesday night during a 96-83 win in Game 5 that was never in... [More]

INDEPENDENCE, Ohio (AP) — They've survived amid turmoil for months, their season morphing into the NBA's most compelling reality show — or, as some have called it, spectacle.The must-watch Cleveland Cavaliers have been hardened by the nonstop drama around them. So it's not a surprise they're calm despite trailing the Boston Celtics 2-0 in the Eastern Conference finals."We know what it takes," coach Tyronn Lue said. "We're down 0-2. No need to panic.""We know what we've got to do," added All-Star forward Kevin Love on the eve of Saturday's Game 3.The Cavs have been in dire straits before in the postseason.Just two years ago, Cleveland trailed 2-0 and then 3-1 in the NBA Finals to Golden State before coming back to win in seven games and end the city's 52-year championship drought. And back in the 2007 playoffs, LeBron James rallied the Cavs from a 2-0 deficit against Detroit, the hardwood king commencing his legacy by scoring Cleveland's final 25 points during a Game 5 road win.But while... [More]

INDEPENDENCE, Ohio (AP) — LeBron James recovered quickly from his neck strain. There's still too much stress on his back.He's carrying the Cavaliers. It's a springtime tradition.As has been the case for much of his 15-year career, James has had to perform at an extraordinary level throughout these playoffs, most recently in Cleveland's Game 2 loss at Boston.Bouncing back after taking a blow to the jaw from Jayson Tatum's shoulder that violently twisted his head and sent a chill down the spines of Cleveland fans, James finished with 42 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists.It was not enough, however. His teammates failed him and the Cavs fell into a 2-0 hole in the Eastern Conference finals.Kevin Love (22 points, 15 rebounds) helped, so did Kyle Korver (four 3-pointers) and Tristan Thompson (8 points, 7 rebounds). But too many other Cavs ranged from mediocre to awful.If Cleveland is to even the series at home, that has to change starting in Game 3 on Saturday."We have to ramp it up," said J.R.... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — J.R. Smith reached out, placed his hands on Al Horford's back and shoved Boston's big man out of bounds.It was the only time Smith was on target.Smith's shoddy performance in Game 2 — he missed all seven shots and committed a flagrant 1 foul in 27 forgettable minutes — underscored a startling disparity between Cleveland's and Boston's starting backcourts that allowed the fearless Celtics to withstand a brilliant, 42-point effort by LeBron James and take a 2-0 series lead.Smith and point guard George Hill were outscored 41-3 by Boston's Jaylen Brown and Terry Rozier, who were faster, hungrier and maybe tougher."I don't think tougher," Smith said afterward, showing better defensive instincts than during the game. "They made shots, we missed shots at the end of the day. We had some good looks, they didn't fall. For them playing on their home court, they fell. It's a matter for us to bounce back, go home, try and get (win) two, even the series up and come back here."Smith will... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — J.R. Smith reached out, placed his hands on Al Horford's back and shoved Boston's big man out of bounds.It was the only time Smith was on target.Smith's shoddy performance in Game 2 — he missed all seven shots and committed a flagrant 1 foul in 27 forgettable minutes — underscored a startling disparity between Cleveland's and Boston's starting backcourts that allowed the fearless Celtics to withstand a brilliant, 42-point effort by LeBron James and take a 2-0 series lead.Smith and point guard George Hill were outscored 41-3 by Boston's Jaylen Brown and Terry Rozier, who were faster, hungrier and maybe tougher."I don't think tougher," Smith said afterward, showing better defensive instincts than during the game. "They made shots, we missed shots at the end of the day. We had some good looks, they didn't fall. For them playing on their home court, they fell. It's a matter for us to bounce back, go home, try and get (win) two, even the series up and come back here."Smith will... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — J.R. Smith reached out, placed his hands on Al Horford's back and shoved Boston's big man out of bounds.It was the only time Smith was on target.Smith's shoddy performance in Game 2 — he missed all seven shots and committed a flagrant foul in 27 forgettable minutes — underscored a startling disparity between Cleveland's and Boston's starting backcourts that allowed the fearless Celtics to withstand a brilliant, 42-point effort by LeBron James and take a 2-0 series lead.Smith and point guard George Hill were outscored 41-3 by Boston's Jaylen Brown and Terry Rozier, who were faster, hungrier and maybe tougher."I don't think tougher," Smith said afterward, showing better defensive instincts than during the game. "They made shots, we missed shots at the end of the day. We had some good looks, they didn't fall. For them playing on their home court, they fell. It's a matter for us to bounce back, go home, try and get (win) two, even the series up and come back here."Thanks to... [More]