PHOENIX (AP) — Coach Monty Williams could sense a few eye rolls earlier this summer when the Phoenix Suns and their extremely mediocre 26-39 record were invited to the NBA's bubble.A few months later, the Suns are the talk of the league after winning all eight games in Florida and nearly making a run all the way to the playoffs.“I think we've gained the respect of the league and that's huge,” Williams said. “It's huge for us as an organization. It's huge for us as a team. There was some sentiment before this that we didn't belong. I think we changed that sentiment.”The Suns won't be in the playoffs for a 10th straight season after the Portland Trail Blazers edged the Brooklyn Nets 134-133 on Thursday night to clinch the final spot in the Western Conference play-in series. But for Phoenix, it's hard not to be encouraged by its 8-0 run in the bubble.“We took tremendous strides in so many different ways,” All-Star guard Devin Booker said. “Other than just basketball, too. We became closer... [More]

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — The last time Devin Booker walked off the court as a winner in four consecutive games, these were the opponents: Hampton, Cincinnati, West Virginia and Notre Dame.That is, until now.Booker and the Phoenix Suns — the team that came to the NBA restart at Walt Disney World with the worst record in the Western Conference and the second-worst record of the 22 teams in the field — are perhaps the best story of the bubble.They’re 4-0 at Disney, breathing real life into playoff hopes that basically were nonexistent when the season was suspended because of the coronavirus pandemic on March 11. It’s the team’s first four-game winning streak since December 2018; Booker missed one of those games, so it’s his first run of four wins in a row since helping Kentucky make its Final Four run in 2015.“It definitely feels like a tournament, a big AAU tournament, the March Madness tournament,” Phoenix’s Cameron Payne said Friday. “That’s something I never even got a chance to be... [More]

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — The last time Devin Booker walked off the court as a winner in four consecutive games, these were the opponents: Hampton, Cincinnati, West Virginia and Notre Dame.That is, until now.Booker and the Phoenix Suns — the team that came to the NBA restart at Walt Disney World with the worst record in the Western Conference and the second-worst record of the 22 teams in the field — are perhaps the best story of the bubble.They’re 4-0 at Disney, breathing real life into playoff hopes that basically were nonexistent when the season was suspended because of the coronavirus pandemic on March 11. It’s the team’s first four-game winning streak since December 2018; Booker missed one of those games, so it’s his first run of four wins in a row since helping Kentucky make its Final Four run in 2015.“It definitely feels like a tournament, a big AAU tournament, the March Madness tournament,” Phoenix’s Cameron Payne said Friday. “That’s something I never even got a chance to be... [More]

TORONTO (AP) — The Toronto Raptors have signed Cameron Payne, a guard who played last season with Chicago and Cleveland.The NBA champions on Thursday did not disclose financial terms for the free agent. They are looking to bolster a backcourt led by Kyle Lowry and Fred VanVleet.The 6-foot-3 Payne averaged 6.3 points, 2.7 assists and 17.8 minutes in 40 games last season. For his career, he has averaged 6.0 points and 2.5 assists in 153 games.Payne was drafted 14th by Oklahoma City in 2015 after two seasons at Murray State.

With Zion Williamson and Ja Morant out with injuries and R.J. Barrett struggling, the opportunity has presented itself for lesser-known players to get noticed during Las Vegas Summer League.Chris Clemons, an undrafted rookie from Campbell, has made an impact. In a loss to the Dallas Mavericks on Saturday, he scored 25 points on 9-for-20 shooting , made 7 of 13 3-pointers and launched his muscular 5-foot-9 frame for an alley-oop. The next day, he scored 22 points and made 5 of 11 3-pointers in a loss to Portland.He ranked third overall in Las Vegas scoring after Sunday's games — not bad for someone who wasn't even invited to the draft combine."I know I can play with these guys at this level," Clemons said.He just needs one NBA team to agree.Clemons achieved notoriety for his college scoring, leading the nation with 30 points per game this past season. He tied for the scoring title and won MVP honors at the Portsmouth Invitational in April, then earned an invitation to the G League Select... [More]

With Zion Williamson and Ja Morant out with injuries and R.J. Barrett struggling, the opportunity has presented itself for lesser-known players to get noticed during Las Vegas Summer League.Chris Clemons, an undrafted rookie from Campbell, has made an impact. In a loss to the Dallas Mavericks on Saturday, he scored 25 points on 9-for-20 shooting , made 7 of 13 3-pointers and launched his muscular 5-foot-9 frame for an alley-oop. The next day, he scored 22 points and made 5 of 11 3-pointers in a loss to Portland.He ranked third overall in Las Vegas scoring after Sunday's games — not bad for someone who wasn't even invited to the draft combine."I know I can play with these guys at this level," Clemons said.He just needs one NBA team to agree.Clemons achieved notoriety for his college scoring, leading the nation with 30 points per game this past season. He tied for the scoring title and won MVP honors at the Portsmouth Invitational in April, then earned an invitation to the G League Select... [More]

With Zion Williamson and Ja Morant out with injuries and R.J. Barrett struggling, the opportunity has presented itself for lesser-known players to get noticed during Las Vegas Summer League.Chris Clemons, an undrafted rookie from Campbell, has made an impact. In a loss to the Dallas Mavericks on Saturday, he scored 25 points on 9-for-20 shooting , made 7 of 13 3-pointers and launched his muscular 5-foot-9 frame for an alley-oop. The next day, he scored 22 points and made 5 of 11 3-pointers in a loss to Portland.He ranked third overall in Las Vegas scoring after Sunday's games — not bad for someone who wasn't even invited to the draft combine."I know I can play with these guys at this level," Clemons said.He just needs one NBA team to agree.Clemons achieved notoriety for his college scoring, leading the nation with 30 points per game this past season. He tied for the scoring title and won MVP honors at the Portsmouth Invitational in April, then earned an invitation to the G League Select... [More]

With Zion Williamson and Ja Morant out with injuries and R.J. Barrett struggling, the opportunity has presented itself for lesser-known players to get noticed during Las Vegas Summer League.Chris Clemons, an undrafted rookie from Campbell, has made an impact. In a loss to the Dallas Mavericks on Saturday, he scored 25 points on 9-for-20 shooting , made 7 of 13 3-pointers and launched his muscular 5-foot-9 frame for an alley-oop. The next day, he scored 22 points and made 5 of 11 3-pointers in a loss to Portland.He ranked third overall in Las Vegas scoring after Sunday's games — not bad for someone who wasn't even invited to the draft combine."I know I can play with these guys at this level," Clemons said.He just needs one NBA team to agree.Clemons achieved notoriety for his college scoring, leading the nation with 30 points per game this past season. He tied for the scoring title and won MVP honors at the Portsmouth Invitational in April, then earned an invitation to the G League Select... [More]

With Zion Williamson and Ja Morant out with injuries and R.J. Barrett struggling, the opportunity has presented itself for lesser-known players to get noticed during Las Vegas Summer League.Chris Clemons, an undrafted rookie from Campbell, has made an impact. In a loss to the Dallas Mavericks on Saturday, he scored 25 points on 9-for-20 shooting , made 7 of 13 3-pointers and launched his muscular 5-foot-9 frame for an alley-oop. The next day, he scored 22 points and made 5 of 11 3-pointers in a loss to Portland.He ranked third overall in Las Vegas scoring after Sunday's games — not bad for someone who wasn't even invited to the draft combine."I know I can play with these guys at this level," Clemons said.He just needs one NBA team to agree.Clemons achieved notoriety for his college scoring, leading the nation with 30 points per game this past season. He tied for the scoring title and won MVP honors at the Portsmouth Invitational in April, then earned an invitation to the G League Select... [More]

With Zion Williamson and Ja Morant out with injuries and R.J. Barrett struggling, the opportunity has presented itself for lesser-known players to get noticed during Las Vegas Summer League.Chris Clemons, an undrafted rookie from Campbell, has made an impact. In a loss to the Dallas Mavericks on Saturday, he scored 25 points on 9-for-20 shooting , made 7 of 13 3-pointers and launched his muscular 5-foot-9 frame for an alley-oop. The next day, he scored 22 points and made 5 of 11 3-pointers in a loss to Portland.He ranked third overall in Las Vegas scoring after Sunday's games — not bad for someone who wasn't even invited to the draft combine."I know I can play with these guys at this level," Clemons said.He just needs one NBA team to agree.Clemons achieved notoriety for his college scoring, leading the nation with 30 points per game this past season. He tied for the scoring title and won MVP honors at the Portsmouth Invitational in April, then earned an invitation to the G League Select... [More]

The Chinese and Croatian national teams both lost in their NBA Summer League debuts on Friday.Both teams are competing with NBA teams in Las Vegas, marking the first time the league will feature two international teams. China previously played in the summer league in 2007.The Miami Heat had no troubles with China, jumping out to a 34-point halftime lead and cruising to a 103-62 victory behind 23 points from Tyler Herro and 20 points from Nick Mayo. Miami held China to 26.7 percent shooting in the first half, and outrebounded the Chinese 25-15 before intermission.There were estimates that at least 30 million people in China — even though the game started at 4:30 a.m. Saturday in Beijing — would be watching their national team."I know China loves the game and they take a lot of pride in their national team," said Heat guard Duncan Robinson, who had 14 points. "So it was an incredible opportunity for us to be able to compete against them."The Heat had some idea of what the Chinese team would... [More]

The Chinese and Croatian national teams both lost in their NBA Summer League debuts on Friday.Both teams are competing with NBA teams in Las Vegas, marking the first time the league will feature two international teams. China previously played in the summer league in 2007.The Miami Heat had no troubles with China, jumping out to a 34-point halftime lead and cruising to a 103-62 victory behind 23 points from Tyler Herro and 20 points from Nick Mayo. Miami held China to 26.7 percent shooting in the first half, and outrebounded the Chinese 25-15 before intermission.There were estimates that at least 30 million people in China — even though the game started at 4:30 a.m. Saturday in Beijing — would be watching their national team."I know China loves the game and they take a lot of pride in their national team," said Heat guard Duncan Robinson, who had 14 points. "So it was an incredible opportunity for us to be able to compete against them."The Heat had some idea of what the Chinese team would... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — The struggling Cavaliers signed guard Cameron Payne to a 10-day contract.To make roster space, the Cavs waived swingman Patrick McCaw, who signed with the club as a free agent on Dec. 28. He played in three games with Cleveland.Payne will give the Cavs a backup for rookie Collin Sexton and backcourt depth while Matthew Dellavedova deals with a sore foot. Payne averaged 5.7 points and 2.7 assists in 31 games — 12 starts — for Chicago before he was waived by the Bulls.He has appeared in 144 games over four seasons with Chicago and Oklahoma City. Payne played at Murray State before he was drafted with the No. 14 overall pick by the Thunder in 2015.At 8-32, the Cavs have the NBA's worst record and they've lost nine straight games, their last five at home by at least 20 points — a league record.Cleveland hosts Indiana on Tuesday.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/tag/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

CHICAGO (AP) — The struggling Memphis Grizzlies have acquired guard Justin Holiday from the Chicago Bulls for guards MarShon Brooks and Wayne Selden Jr.Memphis also sent second-round picks in 2019 and 2020 to Chicago in the deal Thursday. The Bulls waived guard Cameron Payne in another move.The Grizzlies hope Holiday — averaging 11.6 points — provides a lift. They have dropped 10 of 13 and had what general manager Chris Wallace described as an "emotionally charged" meeting following a loss to Detroit on Wednesday.Memphis has fallen from first to 10th in the Western Conference after a 12-5 start.With Holiday gone, rookie Chandler Hutchison figures to play a bigger role for Chicago. Brooks is averaging 6.6 points and Selden is scoring 5.4.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

CHICAGO (AP) — Kawhi Leonard of the Toronto Raptors and Zach LaVine of the Chicago Bulls are being held out of Saturday night's matchup between the teams.Leonard isn't injured. The Raptors don't want to overextend him early in the season, so he'll sit after logging 43 minutes Friday night at Boston. He has not played back-to-back games this season and is averaging 24.8 points and 8.4 rebounds.Fred VanVleet will start in Leonard's spot. OG Anunoby (sprained right wrist), C.J. Miles (right abductor strain) and Norman Powell (left shoulder) also won't play for Toronto.LaVine is sitting out due to an illness. Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg said LaVine first started feeling the symptoms on Thursday night and was affected Friday night at Milwaukee.Cameron Payne will start in place of LaVine, who is averaging 25.3 points.

CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago Bulls like to think they are one of the NBA's up-and-coming teams, one that could challenge for a playoff berth next season.They also admit there are many more boxes to check off first.Led by forward Lauri Markkanen, the Bulls return a slew of young talent but the team lacks depth and key playmakers. Much will depend on Markkanen's development along with that of swingman Zach LaVine, guards Kris Dunn, Cameron Payne and Denzel Valentine, and big men Cristiano Felicio and Bobby Portis. Like center Wendell Carter Jr. and forward Chandler Hutchison, the team's first-round draft picks, all are 25 or younger.Although the Bulls are nearly $40 million below the salary cap, executive vice president of basketball operations John Paxson said a significant move was "unlikely" this offseason. Free agency begins this weekend."We have loads of (salary) cap space," Paxson said Monday, when Carter and Hutchison were introduced at a news conference. "What we don't have are many... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — John Paxson insisted the Chicago Bulls are in a good position. And the Bulls' top executive hopes they are never in this spot again."We did this year what we felt was in the long-term best interests of the Bulls," Paxson said Thursday. "It's not a situation that any of us want to ever be in again. It goes against everything as a competitive person that you believe in, but it's the way the system is set up. To be very honest, we believe we've done it the right way."The Bulls went 27-55, their worst record since the 2003-04 season, and missed the playoffs for the second time in three years. But they are staying the course after going all-in on rebuilding.Paxson, Chicago's executive vice president of basketball operations, praised coach Fred Hoiberg and said he will "absolutely" return for a fourth season. He said most of the roster will be back "because we're headed in the right direction" and called this "as important a summer as we've had in a very long time."Here are some... [More]

Chicago Bulls guard Cameron Payne underwent successful foot surgery and will be sidelined three to four months, the team announced Friday.Payne's surgery on his right foot (fifth metatarsal) was performed Wednesday by Dr. Johnny Lin of Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush performed the surgery.The Bulls said Payne will remain in a splint for the next 7-to-10 days followed by a boot for 6-to-8 weeks, and he is expected to make a full return.Payne is no stranger to issues with his right foot, as he sustained an acute fracture last September and had surgery in July 2016 to fix a Jones fracture in the same foot.The 23-year-old Payne was acquired by the Bulls, along with Anthony Morrow and Joffrey Lauvergne, in a February deal that sent Taj Gibson, Doug McDermott and a future second-round selection to the Oklahoma City Thunder.The 6-foot-3, 185-pound Payne averaged 4.9 points in 11 games with Chicago last season.Payne was a first-round draft pick (14th overall) of the Thunder in 2015. He owns averages of 5.0 and 1.9 assists in 88 career games.

Chicago Bulls guard Cameron Payne will undergo surgery for a fractured right foot next week, the team announced Thursday.The Bulls issued a statement saying Payne fractured the fifth metatarsal of his right foot during a workout on July 18. Payne spent six weeks in a boot, but the team said the fracture hadn't healed properly and will require surgery.While Chicago did not divulge a timetable for his absence, ESPN reported that Payne will likely miss at least a couple of months.Payne is no stranger to issues with his right foot, as he sustained an acute fracture last September and had surgery in July 2016 to fix a Jones fracture in the same foot.The 23-year-old Payne was acquired by the Bulls, along with Anthony Morrow and Joffrey Lauvergne, in a February deal that sent Taj Gibson, Doug McDermott and a future second-round selection to the Oklahoma City Thunder.Payne averaged 4.9 points in 11 games with Chicago last season.The 6-foot-3, 185-pound Payne was a first-round draft pick (14th overall) of the Thunder in 2015.

The Chicago Bulls recalled guard Cameron Payne from the Windy City Bulls of the NBA Development League on Wednesday.In Windy City's 101-92 win over the Erie BayHawks on Tuesday night, Payne finished with 20 points, nine assists and five steals in 39 minutes.Payne, 22, has appeared in 30 games combined this season with Chicago and the Oklahoma City Thunder. He is averaging 5.4 points and 14 minutes in 10 games with the Bulls.The 6-foot-3, 185-pound Payne was a first-round draft pick (14th overall) of the Thunder in 2015.