Preseason numbers often mean almost nothing. Rotations are unusual, starters rarely play much, and few if any teams are putting a premium on winning games.As such, it's tough to glean much from exhibition stats.But what the Boston Celtics and New Orleans rookie Zion Williamson — the No. 1 pick in this year's draft — have been doing so far in the preseason certainly stands out.The Celtics are 3-0 after beating Cleveland on Sunday — and have put together a huge run in all three of those games. The latest was a 50-17 spurt against the Cavaliers, a game that was close for most of the first quarter before Boston built what eventually became a 54-point lead.Boston's other big runs of note in this preseason were a 41-17 stretch last Sunday against Charlotte, and opening the game with a 29-4 burst at Orlando on Friday. On top of the 50-17 run against the Cavs, they added a 26-8 run in the fourth quarter as well.No matter who the Celtics have on the court, defense has been the constant. Boston is... [More]

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The tension that the Minnesota Timberwolves lugged into last season has been long stamped out, replaced by talk of creating culture, establishing process and building relationships under a new regime.This team will be flying under the radar in the star-bursting Western Conference, facing a steep climb to the fringe of the playoff picture after finishing in 11th place in 2018-19. How much impact a fully healthy roster, an upbeat mood and a modernized on-court strategy will ultimately have on performance remains a mystery, but for now it's clear at least that these players have been enjoying each other's company.Whether through a trip to the Bahamas led by center Karl-Anthony Towns or the well-attended informal workouts on the court at team headquarters, the Timberwolves didn't have to share how-they-spent-their-summer-vacation stories when they showed up on Monday for the start of training camp. They spent so much of the offseason together they already knew the details."They've... [More]

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Three decades after their entry into the NBA, the Minnesota Timberwolves have deployed an aggressive plan to modernize their operation.What better way, they concluded, than to hire the youngest head coach in the league?Ryan Saunders, at the ripe old age of 33, has been tasked with using his lifelong passion for the organization, player-friendly communication style and tech-savvy analytical skill to help take the Timberwolves to championship contention, something they've only briefly reached in a mostly clumsy history. Saunders, the first millennial to hold the job in the NBA, is the 13th head coach the franchise has had in 30 seasons."It was hard for me to find another leader who could connect with our players at the level he has connected, not just on the court but off the court," said president of basketball operations Gersson Rosas, who feted Saunders at a news conference just two weeks after his own introduction . "It was hard for me to find a leader that shares my... [More]

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Timberwolves have chosen Ryan Saunders as their full-fledged head coach — and the first millennial to hold the job in the NBA.The team announced Monday that the 33-year-old Saunders will stay in the post he held on an interim basis during the second half of this past season, the role long held by his father. The widely expected decision was made by new president of basketball operations Gersson Rosas."I've known Ryan for many years and have always respected his approach to the game, work ethic, basketball knowledge and passion," Rosas said in a statement."His coaching style and philosophies are ideal for the modern NBA, and I am confident that as a partner he will get the most out of our players as we build an identity and a sustainable winning model."With Saunders and the 40-year-old Rosas, the Timberwolves have a leadership duo that, at the combined age of 73, is only three years older than San Antonio president and coach Gregg Popovich and 12 years older... [More]

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Gersson Rosas has firsthand experience with success from unconventional strategy from his 17-year run with the Houston Rockets.An outside-the-box approach might be necessary, if the Minnesota Timberwolves are going to catch up in the cutthroat Western Conference."We're going to question the norm with everything that we do," Rosas said.The first Latino to lead an NBA front office has landed with a 30-year-old franchise defined by bad-luck setbacks and self-induced dysfunction as much as any accomplishments on the court. The hiring of Rosas as president of basketball operations was greenlighted by Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor as the remedy to one of the latest backfires, the hiring of Tom Thibodeau three years ago for the dual role of president and coach.As Taylor and chief executive officer Ethan Casson narrowed their search, they couldn't help but notice Rosas appeared as confident and eager about joining them as they were about offering the job to him. The Timberwolves... [More]

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Rarely has a pro sports team experienced such a difference in drama levels from the start to finish of one season that these Minnesota Timberwolves did.As the Timberwolves wound down the second half of their schedule that was as dull as the first part was eventful, they were outspoken in their desire to establish a healthier and steadier environment for 2019-20 in which the excitement would be confined to contention for the playoffs instead of off-the-court issues."Stability is such a big key component in winning in the NBA," All-Star Karl-Anthony Towns said this week. "So hopefully this summer we can find that stability in our coaching staff and everything and find a way to come back ready to go and have a head start this time."Soap opera status was achieved before training, when Jimmy Butler's wish to be traded after just one season in Minnesota became public. Tom Thibodeau, one of the rare dual-role president-coach authorities remaining in the league who acquired Butler... [More]

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Karl-Anthony Towns sat on a hallway couch outside the movie theater, hunched over a tiny screen to watch the live unveiling of this year's NBA All-Star teams.When the image of Minnesota's blossoming big man appeared on the screen during TNT's broadcast of the announcement, signaling his second consecutive selection as a reserve, he dropped the smartphone on the floor and started to cry. His parents approached for congratulatory hugs a few seconds later.After all the drama that has dogged the Timberwolves this season, this simple moment triggered in the 23-year-old a wave of pride, relief and joy."It meant a lot to me, especially through everything I've went through from work to personal life," Towns said after practice on Friday. "A lot of emotion came out yesterday when I found out, because I just felt like I had so much doubt against me. I worked so tremendously hard on my body, on my mind, on my spirit. When I got that moment, it just felt really special. It felt more... [More]

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Thunder reserve center Nerlens Noel has passed through concussion protocol and was available for Thursday night's game against the Los Angeles Lakers.A Thunder spokesman made the announcement Thursday.Noel was injured Jan. 8 when he collided with Minnesota's Andrew Wiggins and his head hit the floor. The team said Noel lost consciousness while being knocked to the floor. He was down for several minutes before being taken from the court on a stretcher. Noel was held overnight at the University of Oklahoma's hospital for tests and observations and was released the next day.Noel has been a critical reserve for the Thunder this season, averaging 5.1 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.4 blocks in 14 minutes per contest. The Thunder have lost two of three without him.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/tag/NBAbasketball and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — About two months after Jimmy Butler initiated their breakup, the Minnesota Timberwolves are going to pay him a visit.Just one week after the ouster of basketball boss Tom Thibodeau , the Timberwolves have enough of their own issues to work through. They did their best to downplay the significance of Tuesday's game at Philadelphia that will pit them against Butler for the first time since the trade , but there are sure to be some raw emotions that night. The question is whether they'll stay bottled up."Philly's a really good team, one of the best teams in the East, so I feel like it'll be a great battle," Wolves guard Andrew Wiggins said Monday after practice, adding: "Jimmy, every game he plays hard. So it's not like he's going to play harder."The energy that Butler brought, of course, was never in doubt. The problem was how disruptive his presence became, after he requested a trade.Thibodeau tried to hang on to his hand-picked locker-room leader as long as he could,... [More]

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Saying he respects the gay and lesbian community, Minnesota forward Andrew Wiggins tried Wednesday to clarify comments he made about Oklahoma City Thunder guard Dennis Schroder's behavior during a heated game.Thunder center Nerlens Noel was taken off the court on a stretcher in the third quarter after Wiggins collided with Noel on a dunk attempt Tuesday night. Schroder, unhappy about the play and other incidents, eventually was given a technical foul for an altercation with Timberwolves guard Jeff Teague.After the game, Wiggins said Schroder's actions were unwarranted. According to audio from the locker room, Wiggins appeared to say: "He was just gay. He was acting crazy for no reason."A few hours later, Wiggins went on Twitter and tried to explain what he said ."I'd like to clarify what I said tonight during my post game media session. I said: 'I don't know what's wrong with him he was just getting... acting crazy for no reason,'" he tweeted.In his next post , Wiggins... [More]

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — The Thunder's Nerlens Noel has been placed in the NBA's concussion protocol after he collided with Andrew Wiggins and hit the floor Tuesday night during Oklahoma City's game with the Minnesota Timberwolves.The team announced that Noel was held overnight at the University of Oklahoma's hospital for tests and observations and was released Wednesday. There is no timetable for Noel to complete the protocol process.Noel took an elbow in the face as Wiggins drove to the basket, and Noel's head hit the ground hard . The team said Noel lost consciousness while being knocked to the floor. A defensive foul was called on Noel. The play was reviewed, and no additional fouls were accessed. Noel was down for several minutes before being taken from the court on a stretcher. Players from both teams exchanged words while Noel was on the ground.Noel has been a critical reserve for the Thunder this season, averaging 5.1 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.4 blocks in 14 minutes per contest.Wiggins... [More]

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Minnesota forward Andrew Wiggins attempted to clarify comments Wednesday that he used the word gay to describe Oklahoma City Thunder guard Dennis Schroder's behavior during their game.Thunder center Nerlens Noel was taken off the court on a stretcher in the third quarter after Wiggins collided with Noel on a dunk attempt Tuesday night. Schroder, unhappy about the play and other incidents in what was a testy game, eventually was given a technical foul for an altercation with Timberwolves guard Jeff Teague.Wiggins thought Schroder's actions were unwarranted."He was just gay," Wiggins said afterward. "He was acting crazy for no reason."A few hours later, Wiggins tried on social media to clarify his comments ."Id like to clarify what I said tonight during my post game media session. I said: "I don't know what's wrong with him he was just getting... acting crazy for no reason," he said on Twitter.In his next post , Wiggins did not use the word apology, but said: "I have... [More]

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Minnesota forward Andrew Wiggins has apologized for using the word gay to describe Oklahoma City Thunder guard Dennis Schroder's behavior during their game.Thunder center Nerlens Noel was taken off the court on a stretcher in the third quarter after Wiggins collided with Noel on a dunk attempt Tuesday night. Schroder, unhappy about the play and other incidents in what was a testy game, eventually was given a technical foul for an altercation with Timberwolves guard Jeff Teague.After the game, Wiggins says he thought Schroder's actions were unwarranted and that "he was just gay. He was acting crazy for no reason."Later, on Twitter, Wiggins apologized, saying: "I have the utmost love and respect for the LGBTQIA community and I would never use any term to disrespect them in anyway."___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/tag/NBAbasketball and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Thunder center Nerlens Noel was taken off the court on a stretcher in the third quarter of Tuesday's game against Minnesota after the Timberwolves' Andrew Wiggins made contact with him on a dunk attempt.Noel took an elbow in the face as Wiggins went up, and Noel's head hit the ground hard. A defensive foul was called on Noel. The play was reviewed, and no additional fouls were called. Noel was down for several minutes before being taken from the court. Players from both teams jawed at each other while Noel was on the ground.Thunder coach Billy Donovan said after the game that Noel was taken to the University of Oklahoma's OU Medical Center. He did not offer details on the injury.Wiggins said he didn't mean to hurt Noel."I just tried to make an aggressive move and dunk," Wiggins said. "He tried to contest it. I think he fell wrong. I didn't really see it until I saw him on the ground. Hopefully, he's good. I hope nothing but the best for him. I hope he gets healthy soon and comes back stronger."A few minutes after the collision, there was a skirmish between Thunder guard Dennis Schroder and Timberwolves guard Jeff Teague. Two technicals were called on Teague and he was ejected. Schroder also was called for a technical.Minnesota won the game 119-117.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/tag/NBAbasketball and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Thunder center Nerlens Noel was taken off the court on a stretcher in the third quarter of Tuesday's game against Minnesota after the Timberwolves' Andrew Wiggins made contact with him on a dunk attempt.Noel took an elbow in the face as Wiggins went up, and Noel hit the ground hard. A defensive foul was called on Noel. The play was reviewed, and no additional fouls were called. Noel was down for several minutes before being taken from the court. Players from both teams jawed at each other while Noel was on the ground.A few minutes later, there was a skirmish between Thunder guard Dennis Schroder and Timberwolves guard Jeff Teague. Two technicals were called on Teague and he was ejected. Schroder also was called for a technical.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/tag/NBAbasketball and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Ryan Saunders has always had basketball in his blood, the consummate coach's son who as a kid would sometimes doze off on the couch after joining dad for a late-night review of game film.Roughly three years after the death of his father, Flip Saunders , the 32-year-old Ryan Saunders has assumed the job in Minnesota he's been aiming for all along, albeit earlier and more abruptly than ever expected."He is very capable of doing this job. We all have a lot of confidence in him," Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns said. "We're ready to follow him. He's our new captain."Appointed interim coach of Minnesota on Sunday after Tom Thibodeau was fired halfway through his third season , Saunders ran practice for the first time on Monday before the team took off for a game at Oklahoma City on Tuesday."You never know if you're ready until you're in the situation," Saunders said, "but I have great support."His dad, by far the winningest coach in Timberwolves history, would of course... [More]

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Timberwolves had just posted their fourth-largest margin of victory of the season, and Tom Thibodeau looked and sounded satisfied Sunday as the demanding and intense coach used his postgame news conference to praise the attitude and energy with which his team had just played.Minutes later, Thibodeau was fired.Halfway into his third season with Minnesota that began in turmoil surrounding the eventual trade of All-Star Jimmy Butler, Thibodeau's final game was a 108-86 victory over the LeBron James-less Los Angeles Lakers .Assistant coach Ryan Saunders, who is 32, was named interim head coach for the remainder of the season. Scott Layden will stay as the general manager, assuming oversight of the roster. Thibodeau was also the president of basketball operations, with full authority over personnel decisions."We would like to thank Tom for his efforts and wish him all the best," Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor said in a statement released by the team. "These decisions... [More]

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Timberwolves fired coach Tom Thibodeau on Sunday, halfway into his third season with the team that began with the turmoil surrounding the eventual trade of All-Star Jimmy Butler.Thibodeau was dismissed about an hour after the 108-86 victory over the LeBron James-less Los Angeles Lakers .Scott Layden will remain the general manager overseeing the basketball operations and assistant coach Ryan Saunders will be the interim head coach for the remainder of the season."We would like to thank Tom for his efforts and wish him all the best," Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor said in a statement. "These decisions are never easy to make, but we felt them necessary to move our organization forward."The Athletic first reported that Thibodeau, who was also the president of basketball operations with full authority over the roster, had been let go. Saunders is the son of the late Flip Saunders, who's the winningest coach in club history.Thibodeau finished 97-107 with the... [More]

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — With a baseline drive by Chris Paul and a bounce pass into the paint to Clint Capela, the Houston Rockets had what appeared to be an uncontested dunk early in the fourth quarter that would have cut Minnesota's lead to five points.Robert Covington closed in from behind, stopped the 6-foot-10 Capela cold and, managing to avoid the body contact that would have drawn him a foul, tied up the NBA's most accurate shooter last season to earn a jump-ball call .Yes, the Timberwolves are playing legitimate defense these days, even after trading their best defensive player.They erased a 19-point deficit in the final minute of the second quarter Monday night and outscored the high-octane Rockets 55-29 in the second half to notch one of the most remarkable victories in three seasons under coach Tom Thibodeau. That was the fewest points allowed in a second half by the Timberwolves in almost 11 years."We've got to change things," said center Karl-Anthony Towns, who had a plus-17 rating... [More]

Jimmy Butler has his wish: He's out of Minnesota.And just like that, Philadelphia has a new Big Three — one that could make serious noise in the Eastern Conference.A person with knowledge of the situation said Saturday that Butler is being traded to the 76ers in a package that will send Dario Saric and Robert Covington to the Timberwolves. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the trade had not yet been announced by either team and was still pending NBA approval, which is not expected until Monday.Justin Patton will also be sent to Philadelphia, and Jerryd Bayless and a 2022 second-round pick are also going to Minnesota, the person said.The Athletic first reported the agreement.Because the trade was not official, Sixers coach Brett Brown had little comment."I can't speak much about it. I'm sorry," he said before the Sixers played Memphis.Sixers guard T.J. McConnell said he learned of the deal through social media."I didn't think it was true until more... [More]