NEW YORK (AP) — Four Brooklyn Nets players, including Kevin Durant, have tested positive for the new coronavirus, bringing the total to seven known players in the NBA.The Nets did not name the players Tuesday, but Durant confirmed he was one of them to The Athletic, saying: “Everyone be careful, take care of yourself and quarantine. We're going to get through this.”The Nets announced that one player is exhibiting symptoms, while the other three are asymptomatic. All four players have been isolated and are under the care of team physicians.“The health of our players and staff is of the highest priority to the organization and the team is doing everything within its power to ensure that those affected receive the best care possible,” the Nets said in a statement.For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia.... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Four Brooklyn Nets players have tested positive for the new coronavirus, bringing the total to seven known players in the NBA.The team announced Tuesday that one player is exhibiting symptoms, while the other three are asymptomatic. All four players have been isolated and are under the care of team physicians.The Nets added that all players and members of their travel party are being asked to remain isolated and closely monitor their health.“The health of our players and staff is of the highest priority to the organization and the team is doing everything within its power to ensure that those affected receive the best care possible,” the Nets added in a statement.Brooklyn last played on March 10 in Los Angeles, beating the Lakers. The Nets were then to face the Golden State Warriors two nights later in San Francisco — a game that was to be played without fans — before the NBA season was suspended after Utah's Rudy Gobert tested positive for the COVID-19 virus.Jazz teammate... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Four Brooklyn Nets players have tested positive for the new coronavirus, bringing the total to seven known players in the NBA.The team announced Tuesday that one player is exhibiting symptoms, while the other three are asymptomatic. All four players have been isolated and are under the care of team physicians.The Nets added that all players and members of their travel party are being asked to remain isolated and closely monitor their health.Brooklyn last played on March 10 in Los Angeles, beating the Lakers. The Nets were then to face the Golden State Warriors two nights later in San Francisco before the NBA season was suspended after Utah's Rudy Gobert tested positive for the COVID-19 virus.Jazz teammate Donovan Mitchell and Detroit's Christian Wood are the other players who have tested positive.For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia. The vast majority of people recover from the new virus. ___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell of the Utah Jazz says he showed no symptoms of being sick before testing positive for the coronavirus, and he continues to have no signs of illness since going into isolation.Mitchell, speaking to ABC’s “Good Morning America" in an interview broadcast Monday, also revealed that it “took awhile for me to kind of cool off” at Rudy Gobert, his All-Star teammate who was the first NBA player to have a positive test for the virus revealed. Gobert has said in recent days that he did not take the threat of the illness seriously.“I’m glad he’s doing OK. I’m glad I’m doing well,” said Mitchell, who did not say if he has spoken to Gobert in recent days. He has seen video updates Gobert has posted to social media updating fans about his own condition.Meanwhile, a person familiar with the situation said the league's Board of Governors scheduled a teleconference for Tuesday to share various updates with one another and likely discuss next steps. The person confirmed the... [More]

All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell of the Utah Jazz says he showed no symptoms of being sick before testing positive for the coronavirus, and he continues to have no signs of illness since going into isolation.Mitchell, speaking to ABC’s “Good Morning America" in an interview broadcast Monday, also revealed that it “took awhile for me to kind of cool off” at Rudy Gobert, his All-Star teammate who was the first NBA player to have a positive test for the virus revealed. Gobert has said in recent days that he did not take the threat of the illness seriously.“I’m glad he’s doing OK. I’m glad I’m doing well,” said Mitchell, who did not say if he has spoken to Gobert in recent days. He has seen video updates Gobert has posted to social media updating fans about his own condition.Mitchell said he continues to feel fine, and that the worst physical issue he’s had during this process was going through the test for COVID-19 itself. He said getting swabbed was so uncomfortable that it left him in tears.“I’m... [More]

Christian Wood of the Detroit Pistons has tested positive for the coronavirus, a person with direct knowledge of the situation said Saturday night.Wood is feeling fine, according to the person who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because neither the Pistons nor Wood had publicly confirmed his positive result. Wood’s diagnosis became known one week after he played against the Utah Jazz — spending much of that night matched up with Rudy Gobert, who was the first NBA player known to test positive for the virus.Utah’s Donovan Mitchell has also tested positive for the virus. It cannot be concluded that any of those three players were involved in spreading it to one another.The Pistons later confirmed that a player — they did not name Wood — tested positive Saturday and has been in self-isolation.“A player on the Detroit Pistons, who is under the care of team medical staff and in self-isolation since Wednesday night, was tested for COVID-19," the team said. “A preliminary... [More]

Christian Wood of the Detroit Pistons has tested positive for the coronavirus, a person with direct knowledge of the situation said Saturday night.Wood is feeling fine, according to the person who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because neither the Pistons nor Wood had publicly confirmed his positive result. Wood’s diagnosis became known one week after he played against the Utah Jazz — spending much of that night matched up with Rudy Gobert, who was the first NBA player known to test positive for the virus.Utah’s Donovan Mitchell has also tested positive for the virus. It cannot be concluded that any of those three players were involved in spreading it to one another.The Pistons later confirmed that a player — they did not name Wood — tested positive Saturday and has been in self-isolation.“A player on the Detroit Pistons, who is under the care of team medical staff and in self-isolation since Wednesday night, was tested for COVID-19," the team said. “A preliminary... [More]

LeBron James was making a statement on the court when the Milwaukee Bucks had to make one of their own.Giannis Antetokounmpo had been hurt two nights earlier while losing to James and the Los Angeles Lakers, and on Sunday afternoon they said the reigning MVP had a minor sprain of his left knee and would miss at least two games.Shortly after, James and the Lakers closed out the Clippers for another big win. Milwaukee lost again later Sunday and dropped a third in a row Monday in Denver while resting other regulars.It was a reminder that everything in the NBA always comes down to health.James and the Lakers have it right now, along with suddenly the look of the team to beat.“I feel like right now I’m just playing some really good basketball,” James said. “Last year obviously started out really well but the injury hurt me a lot physically and mentally as well, having an injury like that.” That was a groin injury he sustained while the Lakers were blowing out Golden State on Christmas Day.... [More]

DETROIT (AP) — Ed Stefanski needed only about a minute in his conference call before he said the word the Detroit Pistons have seemingly avoided for so long.“We were always discussing that we were going to have to probably rebuild here,” said Stefanski, a team executive. "We're in the middle of the pack. To me, that's not the place that we want to be in and where fans want to be in.”The Pistons have been hesitant to rebuild, but Stefanski said Friday that injuries and the team's performance made it the best option. Detroit traded Andre Drummond on Thursday to Cleveland, a team in the Pistons' own division. The return wasn't much. In exchange for a two-time All-Star center, Detroit received Brandon Knight, John Henson and a second-round draft pick in 2023.It's hard to view that as anything other than an attempt to remove a high-priced player from the roster and break up the core of a team that hasn't performed as hoped. The Pistons haven't won a playoff game since 2008. Drummond has put... [More]

DETROIT (AP) — The Detroit Pistons are without Blake Griffin and Derrick Rose for Saturday night's game against Chicago.Griffin has been dealing with an illness, and Rose has a sore left knee. Griffin also missed Friday night's loss at Boston.Griffin has also been dealing with a sore left knee. He has played in only 15 games this season for the Pistons, who were 11-18 entering Saturday's game. Rose has played in 24 games.Detroit is also without reserve Christian Wood, who is out with an injured left knee. The Pistons did get Luke Kennard back after he missed Friday's game with knee soreness.The Bulls are without Otto Porter Jr. because of a fractured left foot.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Robin Lopez and Frank Mason III both scored 14 points to lead the Milwaukee Bucks over the Chicago Bulls 122-112 in preseason action on Monday night.Milwaukee didn't play most of its major contributors, including last year's league Most Valuable Player Giannis Antetokounmpo, Eric Bledsoe and Khris Middleton.Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said before the game that most of them had a good scrimmage on Sunday so he didn't want to play them in what was essentially a back-to-back stretch.All five of the Bucks' starters scored in double figures. Brook Lopez scored 13 points, Sterling Brown added 12 points and nine rebounds and Wesley Matthews scored 10.Zach LaVine led the Bulls with 16 points. Lauri Markkanen added 14 points, making 4 of 8 of his 3-point attempts.PELICANS 133, HAWKS 109Jrue Holiday led New Orleans with 21 points and Zion Williamson scored 16, including several highlight-reel dunks.Williamson, the No. 1 overall pick in June's draft, threw down his first preseason dunk, a tomahawk... [More]

Robin Lopez and Frank Mason III both scored 14 points to lead the Milwaukee Bucks over the Chicago Bulls 122-112 in preseason action on Monday night.Milwaukee didn't play most of its major contributors, including last year's league Most Valuable Player Giannis Antetokounmpo, Eric Bledsoe and Khris Middleton.Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said before the game that most of them had a good scrimmage on Sunday so he didn't want to play them in what was essentially a back-to-back stretch.All five of the Bucks' starters scored in double figures. Brook Lopez scored 13 points, Sterling Brown added 12 points and nine rebounds and Wesley Matthews scored 10.Zach LaVine led the Bulls with 16 points. Lauri Markkanen added 14 points, making 4 of 8 of his 3-point attempts.PELICANS 133, HAWKS 109Jrue Holiday led New Orleans with 21 points and Zion Williamson scored 16, including several highlight-reel dunks.Williamson, the No. 1 overall pick in June's draft, threw down his first preseason dunk, a tomahawk... [More]

METAIRIE, La. (AP) — The New Orleans Pelicans have waived Christian Wood despite his productive showing with the club late last season.The 6-foot-10 Wood, who can play forward or center, averaged nearly 17 points and eight rebounds during the eight games he played for New Orleans at the end of last season.The Pelicans claimed the 23-year-old Wood off waivers from Milwaukee on March 20.Wood is a former UNLV player who turned pro in the summer of 2015 and has bounced back and forth between the NBA and the G-League. He played 17 games for Philadelphia in the 2015-16 season and 13 games for Charlotte in the 2016-17 season.He appeared in 13 games for the Bucks last season before being waived and picked up by the Pelicans.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/tag/NBAbasketball and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

LAS VEGAS (AP) — An earthquake that struck Southern California on Friday night forced the NBA to cancel the finish of a two Summer League games, including a marquee sold-out matchup between New Orleans and New York, while engineers checked to see if the integrity of the Thomas & Mack Center on UNLV's campus was compromised in any way by the tremors.The Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres played through the earthquake during their game at Dodger Stadium , though a WNBA game in Las Vegas was also stopped.The primary issue at Summer League was the arena's overhead scoreboard, which is suspended from the roof by cables and swayed noticeably when the quake hit. A game between Phoenix and Denver, scheduled for later Friday in the Thomas & Mack, never started and was ultimately canceled — and a San Antonio-Orlando game in the adjacent Cox Pavilion, which does not have an overhead scoreboard, was also halted for precautionary reasons. The Magic were leading 75-59 and were declared... [More]

LAS VEGAS (AP) — An earthquake that struck Southern California on Friday night forced the NBA to cancel the finish of a two Summer League games, including a marquee sold-out matchup between New Orleans and New York, while engineers checked to see if the integrity of the Thomas & Mack Center on UNLV's campus was compromised in any way by the tremors.The Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres played through the earthquake during their game at Dodger Stadium , though a WNBA game in Las Vegas was also stopped.The primary issue at Summer League was the arena's overhead scoreboard, which is suspended from the roof by cables and swayed noticeably when the quake hit. A game between Phoenix and Denver, scheduled for later Friday in the Thomas & Mack, never started and was ultimately canceled — and a San Antonio-Orlando game in the adjacent Cox Pavilion, which does not have an overhead scoreboard, was also halted for precautionary reasons. The Magic were leading 75-59 and were declared... [More]

LAS VEGAS (AP) — An earthquake that struck Southern California forced the NBA to postpone the finish of a Summer League game between New Orleans and New York on Friday night, while engineers checked to see if the integrity of the Thomas & Mack Center on UNLV's campus was compromised in any way by the tremors.The Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres played through the earthquake during their game at Dodger Stadium , though a WNBA game in Las Vegas was also stopped.The primary issue at Summer League was the arena's overhead scoreboard, which is suspended from the roof by cables and swayed noticeably when the quake hit. A game between Phoenix and Denver, scheduled for later Friday in the Thomas & Mack, was moved out of there — and a game in the adjacent Cox Pavilion, which does not have an overhead scoreboard, was also halted for precautionary reasons."Safety comes first, second, third," Summer League executive director Warren LeGarie said.The Knicks-Pelicans game, the NBA debuts... [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

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Giannis Antetokoumpo and LeBron James, who served as competing All-Star captains, both will miss Tuesday night's game between the Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers.Antetokounmpo, an MVP front-runner, turned his right ankle during the Bucks' loss to the Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday. He crumpled to the ground after colliding with Joel Embiid while driving to the basket late in the third quarter."Yesterday was an off day but a lot of guys still come in on off days to get treatment," Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said. "He got some treatment. Coming in today, he's in a place where he's not good to play. He can't play."James is sitting out with a sore left groin, the same injury that caused him to miss a career-high 17 consecutive games earlier this season.The NBA-leading Bucks have been beset by injuries and took the court against the Lakers without guard Sterling Brown (right wrist soreness), guard Donte DiVincenzo (bilateral heel bursitis) and center Pau Gasol (left ankle... [More]

LAS VEGAS (AP) — The NBA Summer League has its elite eight.The quarterfinals were set by the end of play Saturday, and include a few surprises.Philadelphia and Toronto, the two lowest seeds in the 30-team tournament, both pulled out close games Saturday to stay alive. Toronto, the No. 29 seed that was winless in the preliminary round, has put together two straight wins in the tournament and will face 12th-seeded Cleveland and rookie Collin Sexton, who like Lonzo Ball last year is a highly touted point guard trying to win a summer title.No. 27 Memphis is next up for Philadelphia. Detroit, the No. 25 seed, is also still alive.The top-seeded Lakers and No. 2 Portland had byes into the quarterfinals. No other single-digit seeds remain in the field.Saturday's results:76ERS 91, BUCKS 89Furkan Korkmaz scored eight of his 19 points in the final 40 seconds, including the go-ahead points on a three-point play with 3.6 seconds left for the No. 30 seed 76ers (2-3).Jonah Bolden added 13 points and eight... [More]

LAS VEGAS (AP) — The NBA Summer League is nearing its elite eight.The quarterfinals would be set by the end of play Saturday, and will include a few surprises.Philadelphia and Toronto, the two lowest seeds in the 30-team tournament, both pulled out close games Saturday to stay alive. The Raptors, the No. 29 seed that was winless in the preliminary round, has put together two straight wins in the tournament and will face 12th-seeded Cleveland and rookie Collin Sexton, who like Lonzo Ball last year is a highly touted point guard trying to win a summer title.Detroit, the No. 25 seed in the 30-team field, is also still alive.Saturday's results:76ERS 91, BUCKS 89.Furkan Korkmaz scored eight of his 19 points in the final 40 seconds, including the go-ahead points on a three-point play with 3.6 seconds left for the No. 30 seed 76ers (2-3).Jonah Bolden added 13 points and eight rebounds and Isaiah Miles scored 12 points for Philadelphia.Christian Wood had 27 points and 12 rebounds for the 14th-seeded... [More]