TORONTO (AP) — The Toronto Raptors have reason to believe this is the year their playoff run doesn't end in failure and frustration.Just ask the Orlando Magic, who have seen firsthand how good this Raptors team can be.Kawhi Leonard scored 27 points, Pascal Siakam added 24 and the Raptors routed the Magic 115-96 on Tuesday night, winning their first-round playoff series in five games.Toronto, which has made six straight postseason appearances, has reached the second round for the fourth straight year.Buoyed by the offseason additions of Leonard and guard Danny Green, plus trade deadline pickup Marc Gasol, these Raptors are focused on a conference finals berth, and maybe more."We know what we are and what we can be," guard Kyle Lowry said.So does Orlando coach Steve Clifford."To me, this is by far the best team they've had here in this stretch," Clifford said of the Raptors. "This is a terrific team here. Terrific."Toronto lost 104-101 in Game 1 when Orlando's D.J. Augustin hit a tiebreaking... [More]

TORONTO (AP) — The Toronto Raptors have reason to believe this is the year their playoff run doesn't end in failure and frustration.Just ask the Orlando Magic, who have seen firsthand how good this Raptors team can be.Kawhi Leonard scored 27 points, Pascal Siakam added 24 and the Raptors routed the Magic 115-96 on Tuesday night, winning their first-round playoff series in five games.Toronto, which has made six straight postseason appearances, has reached the second round for the fourth straight year.Buoyed by the offseason additions of Leonard and guard Danny Green, plus trade deadline pickup Marc Gasol, these Raptors are focused on a conference finals berth, and maybe more."We know what we are and what we can be," guard Kyle Lowry said.So does Orlando coach Steve Clifford."To me, this is by far the best team they've had here in this stretch," Clifford said of the Raptors. "This is a terrific team here. Terrific."Toronto lost 104-101 in Game 1 when Orlando's D.J. Augustin hit a tiebreaking... [More]

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Steve Clifford knew very quickly that he was going into the family business. His father was a teacher and a high school coach in a tiny town in northern Vermont, and when he was a sophomore on his dad's team Clifford was telling his parents that he intended to head down that very same career path.The NBA was not on his radar."Never," Clifford said. "Not at all."But he got there, and he's persevered since. He dealt with a heart scare a few years ago, with debilitating headaches that left him unable to coach for a long stretch of last season, even getting fired by Michael Jordan's Charlotte Hornets this past offseason after five years and two playoffs berths there. And now he's got a new challenge, taking over the Orlando Magic and leading a team that has the Eastern Conference's longest active playoff drought.Regardless of how much turmoil he's gone through, Clifford is still counting his blessings — even now, as he inherits a rebuilding project."There's definitely times... [More]

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Orlando Magic forward Aaron Gordon figures it is time to take on some new responsibility now that is starting the season with a new coach and a new long-term contract.After signing a four-year, $76 million contract in July, the 23-year-old forward says the responsibility for turning around the fortunes of the Orlando Magic is on him as much as anyone."I'm here to spearhead, to make sure it's all-systems-go and make sure everybody is fighting every single night," Gordon said Monday at the team's media day. "I feel like I need to set the tempo, the energy. Energy is very contagious, and I know if my energy is low, then the next person's energy is low, and that's not how it's going to be."The Magic have had six straight losing seasons, four of them since drafting Gordon fourth overall in 2014. They are a long way from NBA respectability, but Gordon believes they can get there under new coach Steve Clifford."That's why I came back," he said. "It's to win with this franchise... [More]

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Utah Jazz rookie Donovan Mitchell will compete in the Slam Dunk contest during NBA All-Star weekend in Los Angeles after Orlando Magic forward Aaron Gordon left because of a hip injury.Mitchell will play in the Rising Stars Challenge, but will no longer take part in the Skills Challenge. The 6-foot-3, 215-pounder out of Louisville was the No. 13 overall pick and leads the Jazz with 19.7 points per game. He tops all rookies in points and 3-pointers made (115).Mitchell has been one of the biggest surprises of the class. He's in the running for Rookie of the Year.Mitchell will join Indiana guard Victory Oladipo, Los Angeles Lakers center Larry Nance Jr. and Dallas rookie guard Dennis Smith Jr. in the dunk contest.

LOS ANGELES -- Stephen Curry scored 13 of his 28 points in overtime to lift the Golden State Warriors to a 127-123 victory against the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday.Curry was 1 of 7 from 3-point range before starting overtime with back-to-back 3-pointers to give the Warriors a 115-109 lead. He shot 5 of 6 from the free-throw line in the final 1:14 to hold off Los Angeles.Kevin Durant scored 29 points and Klay Thompson had 20 for the Warriors. Draymond Green had 15 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists, and Zaza Pachulia matched his season high with 11 points Brandon Ingram scored a career-high 32 points to lead the Lakers. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Jordan Clarkson contributed 21 points apiece, and Julius Randle scored 20.Rockets 118, Pacers 97HOUSTON -- James Harden posted 29 points, eight rebounds and 10 assists as Houston beat Indiana.With the Rockets leading 70-64, Harden scored 13 points over the final 3:54 of the third, including three consecutive 3-pointers after starting the... [More]

CLEVELAND -- LeBron James scored 34 points and piled up 13 assists while serving as the Cavaliers' point guard in Cleveland's 119-112 victory over the Chicago Bulls on Tuesday.Kevin Love added 20 points and 12 rebounds for Cleveland, which snapped a five-game losing streak to Chicago. Jeff Green and Dwyane Wade came off the bench to score 16 and 11, respectively, for the Cavaliers.Justin Holiday paced the Bulls with 25 points. Rookie Lauri Markkanen scored 17 of his 19 points in the first half and finished with five 3-pointers. Markkanen is the first rookie in league history to make 10 treys in his first three games.James usually handles the ball for Cleveland and is its assists leader on the season, but he played the point because Derrick Rose (sprained left ankle) was out and coach Tyronn Lue sought a bigger lineup.Magic 125, Nets 121ORLANDO, Fla. -- Aaron Gordon scored a career-high 41 points and hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with 35 seconds remaining to lead Orlando over Brooklyn.The Magic's... [More]

Aaron Gordon kept raising the bar. Zach LaVine kept matching it. inally, LaVine was able to top the Orlando Magic forward to repeat as the NBA All-Star Game slam-dunk contest winner on Saturday night.LaVine, the Minnesota Timberwolves guard, won the contest with a perfect 50 in a final that required two extra dunks from each competitor. In all, there were a total of seven perfect scores between the two in the contest with six of them in a row, which has never happened before in the event.LaVine joined Michael Jordan (1987-88), Jason Richardson (2002-03) and Nate Robinson (2009-10) as the only solo back-to-back winners of the contest. Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson won the 3-point shooting contest and Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns beat won the skills contest.Thompson defeated teammate Stephen Curry, the defending champion, in the 3-point shooting contest with a 27-point effort in the final round. Curry had 23 points.Towns beat out Boston Celtics guard Isaiah Thomas win... [More]

TORONTO -- Minnesota Timberwolves guard Zach LaVine needed to be perfect more than once and needed two extra rounds to become the repeat champion of the NBA All-Star Game slam dunk contest on Saturday.He defeated Orlando Magic forward Aaron Gordon, who matched his perfection until his final dunk."We should share the trophy because he's done some stuff I've never seen before," LaVine said.LaVine joined Michael Jordan (1987-88), Jason Richardson (2002-03) and Nate Robinson (2009-10) as the only solo back-to-back winners of the contest. LaVine also was MVP of the Rising Stars Challenge on Friday, leading the U.S. team over the World team 157-154 when he scored 30 points.LaVine started in the first round with a spectacular behind-the-back dunk that earned 10s from all five judges. The 50 points put him ahead of Gordon (45), guard Will Barton (44) of the Denver Nuggets and center Andre Drummond (36) of the Detroit Pistons. Drummond was eliminated when he got 39 from his second dunk. Barton scored... [More]

The Orlando Magic exercised their third-year team options on forward Aaron Gordon, guard Shabazz Napier and guard Elfrid Payton, while also exercising their fourth-year team option on guard Victor Oladipo.Gordon was a first-round pick in the 2014 NBA Draft and averaged 5.2 points and 3.6 in 47 games as a rookie, including eight starts. Napier was a first-round pick by Charlotte last year and traded to Miami, where he averaged 5.1 points and 2.5 assists in 51 games as a rookie. He was traded to Orlando for a second-round pick and cash considerations in July.Payton played in all 82 games as a rookie, averaging 8.9 points and a team-high 6.5 assists while starting 63 games. Selected 10th overall by Philadelphia last year, he was acquired by the Magic in June 2014 for the draft rights to Dario Saric, a future first-round pick and a future second-round pick.

Gordon (jaw) will make his preseason debut Tuesday against the Heat, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel reports.

Gordon had been out with a broken jaw suffered over the summer, but after returning to full-contact practice Monday, he's been given the green light to play Tuesday night. Orlando may ease the second-year forward into action with the goal of having him at 100 percent, from a conditioning standpoint, for the start of the regular season.

Gordon went through a full contact practice Monday, Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel reports.

Gordon is recovering from a broken jaw, and Monday marked his first full-contact practice since the injury. Barring a setback, he should be ready for the start of the regular season, and the versatile, hyper-athletic wing is expected to step into a larger role in year 2.

Gordon (fractured jaw) has been running sprints during Magic practices this week and is hopeful to return to full-contact sessions within the next 7-to-10 days, John Denton of OrlandoMagic.com reports.

Gordon's activities in camp have been limited while he waits for his jaw to fully heal, but the progress he's made in his recovery to this point have him on course to be ready for the start of the regular season. Once he's cleared to play again, Gordon is expected to enter the lineup as the starting power forward. After an impressive performance in the Orlando Summer League before suffering the injury, Gordon could be primed to take a major leap forward in his second NBA season.

Gordon (jaw) is expected to be cleared for full contact in about two weeks, John Denton of OrlandoMagic.com reports.

Gordon underwent surgery to repair his fractured jaw on July 14 and is almost fully healed. He's been able to take part in a few practices so far during the Magic's training camp, but he's had to sit out full-contact drills and scrimmages for precautionary purposes. The second-year forward was a standout for the Magic during the Orlando Summer League before suffering the jaw injury, and looks like a candidate to see increased responsibility in 2015-16, particularly on the defensive end. New coach Scott Skiles envisions the hyper-athletic, 6-foot-9 Gordon as a player who can capably defend as many as four positions.

Gordon (jaw) has been cleared to practice this weekend, but he won't participate in 5-on-5 contact until mid-October, Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel reports.

Gordon underwent surgery to repair a broken jaw in mid-July. The Magic will be monitoring him closely and limiting him until he's fully cleared. Missing the start of training camp could hinder his chances of earning a spot in the starting lineup, but his summer league performance and defensive versatility will accentuate coach Scott Skiles' philosophy.

Gordon underwent surgery Friday to repair a broken jaw, NBA.com reports.

Gordon, who led the Orlando Summer League in scoring and rebounding, suffered the injury while "horsing around" with his older brother, Drew, while visiting family. The Arizona product is expected to require several weeks to recover, but the team expects him to be ready before the start of the regular season. Gordon could miss part of the preseason, however, and it would appear that his status for the start of training camp is in serious jeopardy.

Gordon will miss the rest of the Orlando Pro Summer League, the Orlando Sentinel reports.

Gordon joins teammates Elfrid Payton and Mario Hezonja on the sidelines for the final two contests. He had nothing left to gain by dominating inferior competition to the tune of 21.7 points, 11.7 rebounds, 1.7 blocks, and 1.3 steals in 32.7 minutes per game. He's certainly caught the eye of coach Scott Skiles, and Gordon may just earn a spot in the starting lineup this season.

Gordon is averaging 21.7 points, 11.7 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.3 steals, 1.7 blocks, and 2.0 three-pointers in 32.7 minutes per game through three summer league contests.

Gordon's transformation from his rookie season has been astounding. He's making his three-pointers, hitting shots off the dribble, and running the offense at times. He was considered a versatile athlete coming out of college with an inconsistent shot. Over the past two summers, he's worked with shooting coach David Love to correct his form. Heading into the season, Gordon has a chance to replace Channing Frye in the starting lineup and become extremely useful in fantasy circles.

Gordon impressed in the team's first summer league game, efforting 22 points (8-of-18 FG, 2-5 3Pt, 4-10 FT), 18 rebounds, one assist, and two blocks in 33 minutes against the Clippers on Saturday.

Gordon scored 10 points in the first four minutes on a bevy of jump shots. He's been working with shooting coach Dave Love for the second straight offseason, and this performance could be a precursor to a starting nod in the opening night lineup. Gordon did struggle from the free-throw line but converted 72 percent during his rookie campaign.

Gordon bounced back from early season foot surgery, costing him 31 consecutive games, to average 5.2 points, 3.6 rebounds, 0.5 blocks, and 0.4 steals in 17.0 minutes per game in 47 games total.

Gordon finished the season shooting 45 percent from the field, but his accuracy declined every month. After shooting an unsustainable 47 percent on his three-pointers pre-All-Star break, Gordon reverted to form by canning 4-of-29 from downtown post-All-Star break. However, after shooting 42 percent from the free-throw line in college and 48 percent during Summer League, Gordon shot 72 percent from the line during his rookie season. Gordon spent last offseason reworking his form with shooting coach David Love, and for being the second-youngest player in the league, the results are astounding. He'll participate in the Orlando Pro Summer League while continuing to work on his shot with coach Love. His role next season is still undetermined and is predicated on improved shooting, the head coaching search, and whether or not the front office re-signs restricted free agent Tobias Harris.