DALLAS (AP) — Kristaps Porzingis can now count in days what he once couldn't even really count at all: his return to the court for a real game for the first time since a knee injury nearly 20 months ago.The 7-foot-3 Latvian preparing for his debut with the Dallas Mavericks might even be willing to count the first preseason game for his new team, in about a week.That Porzingis will be doing all that with new Euro sidekick and reigning rookie of the year Luka Doncic as the Mavericks move on from 21 seasons with German superstar Dirk Nowitzki makes it all the more interesting for a club that hasn't been to the playoffs since 2016."I can't even explain in words how excited I am," said Porzingis, who tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee in what ended up being his final game with the New York Knicks on Feb. 6, 2018. "It's been a long time."On media day Monday — the first without Nowitzki since 1997 — coach Rick Carlisle wasn't ready for any playoff proclamations for a franchise... [More]

DALLAS (AP) — The Dallas Mavericks have signed Seth Curry to complete the guard's return after a year away and re-signed one of their restricted free agents in forward Maxi Kleber.Curry signed a $32 million, four-year contract after spending one season with Portland. Kleber is returning on a $35 million, four-year deal.Stephen Curry's younger brother had the best year of his career with the Mavericks in 2016-17, averaging 12.8 points, 2.7 assists and 29 minutes per game. The 28-year-old Curry missed all of 2017-18 with a stress reaction in his lower left leg before averaging 7.9 points with the Trail Blazers last season.Kleber's return means Dallas will have a German on its roster for a 22nd consecutive season. Dirk Nowitzki retired in April after setting an NBA record by playing 21 seasons with the same franchise. Both were born in Wurzburg, German.The 27-year-old Kleber spent his first two NBA seasons with the Mavericks, averaging 6.1 points and 3.9 rebounds.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

In a story May 13 about the Curry family, The Associated Press misspelled the name of Seth Curry's fiance. Her name is Callie Rivers, not Callie Rogers.A corrected version of the story is below:Steph or Seth? Coin flip to decide who mom, dad representSteph or Seth? Coin flip to decide who mom, dad will represent each game of the Western Conference finalBy STEVE REEDAP Sports WriterDell Curry was standing near the loading dock at the Pepsi Center in Denver when Trail Blazers guard CJ McCollum approached, gave him a big hug and asked, "Which shirt are you wearing?" for the Western Conference final."Got to flip a coin," Curry responded.Literally.With sons Stephen and Seth Curry becoming the first siblings to face each other in an NBA conference final, it's a dilemma most any parent would love.Dell and his wife, Sonya, decided wearing a split jersey with the Warriors and Blazers would be "too easy." Instead, they'll flip a coin before each game in the best-of-seven series to determine which... [More]

Dell Curry was standing near the loading dock at the Pepsi Center in Denver when Trail Blazers guard CJ McCollum approached, gave him a big hug and asked, "Which shirt are you wearing?" for the Western Conference final."Got to flip a coin," Curry responded.Literally.With sons Stephen and Seth Curry becoming the first siblings to face each other in an NBA conference final, it's a dilemma most any parent would love.Dell and his wife, Sonya, decided wearing a split jersey with the Warriors and Blazers would be "too easy." Instead, they'll flip a coin before each game in the best-of-seven series to determine which team they'll represent.Stephen Curry can't imagine how this might feel for his folks."I just know watching Seth play I get nervous watching him like on TV and stuff," Stephen said after practice Monday. "For them, it's family and parents who supported us all the way through the ranks."The parents' routine will go something like this: If Sonya flips heads, she will wear Blazers attire... [More]

Dell Curry was standing near the loading dock at the Pepsi Center in Denver when Trail Blazers guard C.J. McCollum approached, gave him a big hug and asked, "Which shirt are you wearing" for the Western Conference final?"Got to flip a coin," Curry responded.Literally.With sons Stephen and Seth Curry becoming the first siblings to face each other in an NBA conference final, it's a dilemma most any parent would love to have.Dell and his wife, Sonya, decided wearing a split jersey with the Warriors and Blazers would be "too easy." Instead, they'll flip a coin before each game in the best-of-seven series to determine which team they'll represent.It will go something like this: If Sonya flips heads, she'll wear Blazers attire to support Seth, while Dell wears Stephen's Warriors colors. If the coin lands on tails, she'll dress in Warriors clothing while Dell dons Blazers gear.The next game Dell gets to flip the coin, and so on — until the series is decided.So who gets to flip the coin for Game... [More]

Bravo, Portland.Bravo.Doing the right thing isn't easy in the NBA, where patience is a rare virtue. The Trail Blazers were swept in the first round of the 2017 playoffs. They got swept again in the first round last season. Portland had lost 10 consecutive playoff games going into this year. Ordinarily, that's a recipe for firings, trade demands and roster dismantling.Instead, the Blazers stayed the course.And their reward is a trip to the Western Conference final, starting Tuesday against two-time defending champion Golden State."It speaks to the character of our organization and what we've become," All-Star guard Damian Lillard said.The Blazers have become a model of consistency.They could have gone the other way. A lot of teams have gone the other way.Neil Olshey, the Blazers' general manager, took an uncommonly measured approach last season and kept Terry Stotts — currently the fourth-longest-tenured coach in the NBA. Lillard stayed committed and didn't stomp his feet or force a trade... [More]

Denver and Toronto started this second round of the playoffs feeling great about their chances.And then things went bad.And then they bounced back.So now, going into a pair of big-time swing games on Tuesday night — Denver plays host to Portland, Toronto plays host to Philadelphia — the Nuggets and Raptors can either take a firm grip on their respective series or get themselves into pits of trouble that would be even deeper than the ones they were in a couple of days ago.Game 5s await. Blazers-Nuggets, tied 2-2. 76ers-Raptors, tied 2-2. Toronto and Denver both reclaimed home-court advantage with series-tying road wins on Sunday, and the task now is to keep that momentum going with very high stakes."You win a game, and you've got to play another one," Raptors coach Nick Nurse said Monday. "To borrow a phrase that everybody uses, this is a grind. These things are grinders, and being even-keeled, professional, hard-working, tough mentality is what it needs on each game and each possession,... [More]

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — After he made his unforgettable 3-pointer at the buzzer to clinch Portland's first-round series over Oklahoma City, Damian Lillard was mobbed by his teammates.The television camera moved into the scrum, and Lillard looked directly into the lens. His expression was pure told-you-so."Obviously he can score the ball with the best of them. But Dame has a chip on his shoulder, and he has since the day he walked into this league," said Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green. "Just the way he grinds, he played like a guy from Oakland with a chip on his shoulder and a guy who has been doubted forever."The doubters don't bother the 6-foot-3 Lillard. They seem to motivate him, fuel his hunger to prove them wrong.He enters the NBA conference semifinals on a roll, as confident as ever.And it's not just because of the 37-footer that eliminated the Thunder: He had 50 points in last Tuesday's deciding game, a 118-115 Game 5 victory that sent the Blazers through to the Western... [More]

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Damian Lillard is just going to assume that Portland won't have backcourt teammate CJ McCollum through the rest of the regular season so that the Trail Blazers can respond to his absence effectively.McCollum, who is averaging more than 21 points a game for Portland, has a strained left knee. He'll be re-evaluated next week, but at this point there's no timetable for his return.The injury comes at an inopportune time for the Blazers, who sit in fourth in the tight Western Conference standings with 12 games left to secure home-court advantage."Mentally, I don't want him to have to rush it," Lillard said about McCollum's return. "When he does come back I want him to be himself and be healthy, so in my mind, we're going to finish the regular season without him, maybe the last couple of games of the regular season. I think that's how I should think of it, knowing that we have to have a great effort for these last 12 games, planning on not having him out there."While the... [More]

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Boston's Jayson Tatum got his gamewinner from midcourt. Oklahoma City's Hamidou Diallo went over Shaquille O'Neal to help win his trophy. And Brooklyn's Joe Harris made all the shots at all the right times to deny Golden State's Stephen Curry a storybook ending in his hometown.Say this for All-Star Saturday Night: It had flair.Tatum won the skills competition, Diallo put on a show for the league's annual slam dunk title, and in easily the most anticipated part of the night Harris held off the Warriors' shooting star for the win in the 3-point contest.Harris made 12 straight shots in the final round and went a staggering 15 for 18 on moneyballs — the shots worth the most — to win the 3-point title. He finished with 26 of a possible 34 points in the final round, beating Curry by two. Sacramento's Buddy Hield was third with 19 final-round points."Obviously, it's incredible," Harris said. "Steph is the greatest shooter of all time. But, again, shooting off of the rack... [More]

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — The Latest on NBA All-Star Weekend (all times local):10:55 p.m.Kyle Kuzma of the Los Angeles Lakers scored 35 points, Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics added 30 and the U.S. beat the World team 161-144 in the Rising Stars game for first- and second-year players at All-Star Weekend.Trae Young of the Atlanta Hawks finished with 25 points and 10 assists, and De'Aaron Fox of the Sacramento Kings had 15 assists for the U.S. Utah's Donovan Mitchell added 20 points, nine assists and seven rebounds.Philadelphia's Ben Simmons led the World team with 28 points. Chicago's Lauri Markkanen had 21 points for the World squad, and Dallas' Luka Doncic had 13 points and nine assists.Both teams shot 55 percent.It was the fifth time the U.S. vs. the World format was used for what was once known as the rookie game. The World now leads the all-time series 3-2, after its two-game winning streak was snapped.___9:05 p.m.Famous Los scored 22 points to win MVP honors, and the Home team held... [More]

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — The Latest on NBA All-Star Weekend (all times local):9:05 p.m.Famous Los scored 22 points to win MVP honors, and the Home team held on to beat the Away team 82-80 in the All-Star Celebrity Game on Friday night.Jay Williams scored 18 points for Home. Quavo scored 27 for Away and Hall of Famer Ray Allen scored 24 — though the NBA's all-time leader in 3-pointers made went 0 for 8 from beyond the arc.___8:35 p.m.NBA executive Monty McCutchen has a less-than-surprising confession.Travels get missed.McCutchen, the former referee who moved to the league office last season and now helps oversee the officiating program, said Friday that about two traveling violations get called per game on average. He says the league believes that the real number of travels that should be called is closer to five per game.The NBA is no different than any other basketball league — if every letter-of-the-law travel was called, games could last for days. But McCutchen says the league is continuing... [More]

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — The Latest on NBA All-Star Weekend (all times local):8:35 p.m.NBA executive Monty McCutchen has a less-than-surprising confession.Travels get missed.McCutchen, the former referee who moved to the league office last season and now helps oversee the officiating program, said Friday that about two traveling violations get called per game on average. He says the league believes that the real number of travels that should be called is closer to five per game.The NBA is no different than any other basketball league — if every letter-of-the-law travel was called, games could last for days. But McCutchen says the league is continuing to work with its referees on making that (and every) call consistently, and remains in constant contact with teams about concerns and interpretations.But don't expect a change to a four-ref system anytime soon. The NBA has tinkered with it at the G League level, and McCutchen says "when we looked into it, accuracy did not go up."___6:45 p.m.Basketball... [More]

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — The Latest on NBA All-Star Weekend (all times local):6:05 p.m.So, the best shooter in the Curry family is.... Sonya Curry?The mother of Stephen and Seth Curry sank a one-handed, half-court shot — that she took underhanded — to help her three-person team beat teams led by her NBA sons and one by her daughter to win a family shootout at a newly refurbished at a community center in Charlotte, North Carolina.It's a shot the Currys will be talking about for a long time.After sinking the shot, Sonya raced around the court as fans in the crowded center went wild. She then did a celebration dance as her sons looked on in amazement and husband Dell applauded.Seth Curry couldn't hold back laughter knowing he just got beat by his mom, a former volleyball player.The Portland guard said afterward "that was a lucky shot, but she knocked it down on the big stage. That was good to see."Seth joked getting beat by his mom was better than losing to his brother.He said, laughing, "Hey,... [More]

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Dell Curry looks forward to those nights when he can open a bottle of wine, take a seat on his recliner in front of the fireplace alongside wife Sonya and watch their NBA sons play basketball simultaneously on two large-screen television sets in his living room.Those are the nights he has to pinch himself realizing how blessed his family is.Everyone in the Curry clan has been pinching themselves lately; the family has been downright giddy about NBA All-Star Weekend."It's going to be incredible," said Curry, a former NBA player and color commentator for the Hornets TV network who still lives in Charlotte. "It's going to be a mini family reunion."There will be plenty of fellowshipping in Charlotte, including family dinners and group outings. Of course there also will be a little basketball. Stephen and Seth Curry will be returning to their hometown for the festivities. Stephen, a two-time league MVP, will join younger brother Seth in the 3-point shootout Saturday night... [More]

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Center Enes Kanter has joined the Portland Trail Blazers.Kanter was waived by the New York Knicks along with Wesley Matthews following the trade deadline last week. Kanter announced Wednesday on Twitter that he had signed with the Blazers for the rest of the season. The deal was first reported by ESPN."I look forward to helping the Blazers achieve the ultimate goal of competing for a championship," he said on the post. "Excited to meet my new teammates, coaches, staff and most importantly the fans. It is a blessing to continue to compete at the highest level."Kanter was once a starter for the Knicks but fell out of the rotation altogether when the team — with the worst record in the league — turned its focus to younger players. The Knicks could not find a deal for Kanter before the deadline.The center from Turkey came to the Knicks from Oklahoma City in the Carmelo Anthony trade in September 2017 and averaged 14 points and 10.8 rebounds in 115 games over two seasons.... [More]

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Center Enes Kanter has joined the Portland Trail Blazers.Kanter was waived by the New York Knicks along with Wesley Matthews following the trade deadline last week. Kanter announced Wednesday on Twitter that he had signed with the Blazers for the rest of the season. The deal was first reported by ESPN."I look forward to helping the Blazers achieve the ultimate goal of competing for a championship," he said on the post. "Excited to meet my new teammates, coaches, staff and most importantly the fans. It is a blessing to continue to compete at the highest level."Kanter was once a starter for the Knicks but fell out of the rotation altogether when the team — with the worst record in the league — turned its focus to younger players. The Knicks could not find a deal for Kanter before the deadline.The center from Turkey came to the Knicks from Oklahoma City in the Carmelo Anthony trade in September 2017 and averaged 14 points and 10.8 rebounds in 115 games over two seasons. He had become frustrated after first losing his starting spot and then any spot at all in recent weeks.The Blazers previously made a four-year, $70 million offer for Kanter in 2015 when he was a restricted free agent, but the Thunder matched it.Kanter will play behind Portland's starting center Jusuf Nurkic in a strong second unit that includes Seth Curry, Jake Layman, Rodney Hood and Evan Turner.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Kemba Walker is preparing for his third NBA All-Star game — and his first as a starter — this weekend on his home court in Charlotte, North Carolina, where he once shouted "This is my city!" after a game-winning shot.The big question is how many more he'll play in as a member of the Hornets.The eight-year NBA veteran is set to become one of several All-Star free agents in July and will surely be an attractive option for more than a few teams.On the surface, it seems like Walker re-signing a long-term deal is a no-brainer — he has repeatedly stated his desire to continue playing for the Hornets, and the organization wants him back.But there are other factors at play.For the highly competitive Walker, he hasn't much of a supporting cast and he's only been to the playoffs twice in his previous seven seasons, losing both times to the Miami Heat in the first round. So the chance of going to an established winning team before too much of his career slips away could be luring.The... [More]

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Devin Booker is ready to take on the Curry brothers.The Phoenix Suns guard will look to defend his NBA All-Star 3-point championship from a year ago against brothers Stephen and Seth Curry on Feb. 16 in Charlotte, North Carolina. Stephen Curry, who plays for the Golden State Warriors, won the event in 2015 while brother Seth, who plays for the Portland Trail Blazers, is competing in his first 3-point contest.Charlotte's Kemba Walker, Dallas' Dirk Nowitzki, Portland's Damian Lillard, Milwaukee's Khris Middleton, Toronto's Danny Green, Brooklyn's Joe Harris and Sacramento's Buddy Hield round out the 10-player field.The 3-point contest will held on the same night as the dunk contest and the skills challenge at the Spectrum Center, home of the Charlotte Hornets.The dunk contest features Charlotte's Miles Bridges, Oklahoma City's Hamidou Diallo, Atlanta's John Collins and New York Knicks' Dennis Smith Jr.The skill challenge includes first-time NBA All-Stars Nikola Jokic... [More]

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Devin Booker of the Phoenix Suns will look to defend his 3-point contest title at the NBA All-Star game against brothers Stephen and Seth Curry on Feb. 16 in Charlotte, North Carolina.Charlotte's Kemba Walker, Dallas' Dirk Nowitzki, Portland's Damian Lillard, Milwaukee's Khris Middleton, Toronto's Danny Green, Brooklyn's Joe Harris and Sacramento's Buddy Hield round out the 10-player field.The dunk contest features Charlotte's Miles Bridges, Oklahoma City's Hamidou Diallo, Atlanta's John Collins and New York Knicks' Dennis Smith Jr.The skill challenge includes first-time NBA All-Stars Nikola Jokic of the Nuggets and Nikola Vucevic of the Magic and Luka Doncic of the Mavericks. Atlanta's Trae Young, Memphis' Mike Conley, Sacramento's De'Aaron Fox, Los Angele Lakers' Kyle Kuzma and Boston's Jayson Tatum will also compete.___More AP NBA: www.apnews.com/NBA and www.twitter.com/AP_Sports