PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The Philadelphia 76ers fired coach Brett Brown on Monday, a day after his seventh season ended in a first-round postseason sweep.The 76ers were 43-30 this season and had woefully underachieved in a year when they were expected to be serious contenders in the Eastern Conference.Instead, they weren't close, and the move was expected after the sixth-seeded Sixers were swept by the Boston Celtics.Brown had guided the 76ers back from the bottom of the NBA, but now someone else will try to take them further.“I have a tremendous level of respect for Brett both personally and professionally and appreciate all he’s done for the 76ers organization and the City of Philadelphia,” general manager Elton Brand said in a statement. “He did many positive things during his time here, developing young talent and helping position our team for three straight postseason appearances. Unfortunately, we fell well short of our goals this year and I believe it is best to go in a new direction."Brown... [More]

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A year ago against Toronto, four bounces of the basketball finished the 76ers. This season, four straight playoff losses ended Philly’s season and sent the Sixers to the brink of a serious shakeup.Brett Brown has but a slim chance of a return after seven seasons on the bench where he endured a 10-win season and losing streaks of 28 and 26 games. But, of most recent importance, Brown failed to mold the team out of the growing pains of the “Process” into championship contenders, with a mismatched roster that included All-Stars Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons. The Sixers were swept out of the postseason by Boston with Simmons sidelined with a knee injury and Embiid tasked with carrying the franchise toward an unlikely title.Much like every season since 1983, it was never going to happen.Brown will likely pay the price. He seemed resigned to his fate after Game 4 and said Philly never got him at his best, mostly from the ugly mix of years of rebuilding, injury-prone players... [More]

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A year ago against Toronto, four bounces of the basketball finished the 76ers. This season, four straight playoff losses ended Philly’s season and sent the Sixers to the brink of a serious shakeup.Brett Brown has but a slim chance of a return after seven seasons on the bench where he endured a 10-win season and losing streaks of 28 and 26 games. But, of most recent importance, Brown failed to mold the team out of the growing pains of the “Process” into championship contenders, with a mismatched roster that included All-Stars Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons. The Sixers were swept out of the postseason by Boston with Simmons sidelined with a knee injury and Embiid tasked with carrying the franchise toward an unlikely title.Much like every season since 1983, it was never going to happen.Brown will likely pay the price. He seemed resigned to his fate after Game 4 and said Philly never got him at his best, mostly from the ugly mix of years of rebuilding, injury-prone players... [More]

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — 76ers forward Tobias Harris returned to Game 3 of Philadelphia's first-round playoff matchup with Boston on Sunday after bloodying his face in a fall.Harris was trying to contest a shot by Jayson Tatum at the 2:40 mark of the third quarter and inadvertently had his legs taken out from under him by Tatum. Harris fell on the left side of his face. He laid on the court for several minutes as medical staff attended to him.He was eventually able to walk off the court on his own power with a towel over his face, but blood was visible both on the towel and on the court. Coach Brett Brown told ESPN after the quarter ended that Harris told him he was OK shortly before he left the court.The team said he suffered a left eye laceration and was cleared after a concussion evaluation. He returned to the game with 5:12 left in the fourth quarter with a bandage over his eye. ___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — 76ers forward Tobias Harris left Game 3 of Philadelphia's first-round playoff matchup with Boston after bloodying his face in a fall. The team said he suffered a left eye laceration and was being evaluated for a possible concussion.Harris was trying to contest a shot by Jayson Tatum at the 2:40 mark of the third quarter and inadvertently had his legs taken out from under him by Tatum. Harris fell on the left side of his face. He laid on the court for several minutes as medical staff attended to him.He was eventually able to walk off the court on his own power with a towel over his face, but blood was visible both on the towel and on the court. Coach Brett Brown told ESPN after the quarter ended that Harris told him he was OK shortly before he left the court.Harris led the 76ers with 16 points on 5-of-9 shooting at the time of the injury. Philadelphia trailed Boston 89-77 entering the final quarter. ___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — The Dallas Mavericks will work around the clock on Luka Doncic, hoping he can be healthy enough to play Sunday.The Philadelphia 76ers and Brooklyn Nets can tell them all about how hard the playoffs are without star guards.Doncic hopes to make a quick recovery, and the 76ers and Nets look to avoid quick exits heading into Game 4 of their series.Doncic sprained his left ankle in the third quarter of Dallas' 130-122 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday night. He came back in the fourth but wasn't moving well and eventually left for good.The Mavericks were hoping to get him an MRI exam Saturday and planning to keep him off the court all day. Coach Rick Carlisle said Doncic would likely be a game-time decision.“Obviously, we know the nature of the game. Sometimes injuries happen,” Dallas guard Trey Burke said. “If he can’t go, guys have got to be ready to play, step up and we’ve got to have the same mentality going out there and that’s to win.”The Mavs beat... [More]

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — Anyone not giving the Toronto Raptors much of a chance to repeat as NBA champions without Kawhi Leonard might want to reconsider.The Raptors have played mostly under the radar this season, yet earned the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs. They are the only No. 1 or 2 seed not to get upset in the first two games of the first round of the postseason.Fred VanVleet, Kyle Lowry and Pascal Siakam have the Raptors with a 2-0 lead over the Brooklyn Nets entering Game 3 Friday.Their battle-tested playoff experience was on display Wednesday when the Raptors trailed for most of the game but rallied to take a lead in the fourth quarter and then held on to beat the Nets 104-99.“There is no situation we haven’t been in before,” VanVleet said.Raptors coach Nick Nurse called it a “gut it out” win on a night when the Raptors struggled with the Nets continuously switching on defense.In the end, the Raptors found a way to win as they have all season, going with a... [More]

Kobe Bryant will be announced Friday at All-Star Weekend in Chicago as one of the finalists for this year’s Basketball Hall of Fame induction class, which isn’t a secret and never was.Bryant always was a lock to be a first-ballot pick. Fellow first-time nominees Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett will almost certainly also be among those announced Friday as finalists. The complete class that will be enshrined at Springfield, Massachusetts in August will be announced on April 4 at the Final Four in Atlanta.But Friday’s announcement of the finalists in Chicago will be largely about the memory of Bryant, and rightly so. This All-Star weekend is the first huge gathering of the NBA family since Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven others were killed in a helicopter crash in Southern California on Jan. 26. They’ll be remembered and honored throughout the weekend, and it’s a safe bet that Commissioner Adam Silver — in his annual All-Star news conference Saturday — has plenty to say about... [More]

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Joel Embiid needs more surgery, this time for a torn ligament in a finger in his left hand, the latest setback in the injury-riddled career of the Philadelphia 76ers' All-Star center.Embiid, averaging 23.4 points and 12.3 rebounds in 31 games this season, will have surgery Friday and will be evaluated in one to two weeks.He has never played more than 64 games in a season and won't again this season after he was hurt Monday night in a victory over Oklahoma City. Embiid injured the radial collateral ligament in the ring finger in the first half, a grotesque injury that made teammate Ben Simmons say “I nearly threw up" when he saw the finger.Embiid's finger overlapped his pinkie to the point that it seemed he had his fingers crossed. He played most of the game with his finger taped and said he "couldn't go up with two hands.""There were a couple of times I could have grabbed with both hands but I just couldn't. I just kept tapping it," Embiid said Monday.The Sixers had... [More]

PHOENIX (AP) — First-year Phoenix coach Monty Williams is the epitome of stoic, with a coaching and news conference demeanor that ranges from subdued to serious to slightly bemused. He preaches consistency from day to day and month to month, painstakingly discussing how he plans to build this program the right way.So in the aftermath of Monday's thrilling 114-109 win over the previously undefeated Philadelphia 76ers, the 48-year-old was trying to stay grounded, launching into another answer about how his team had to stay steady and improve each day.Then something weird happened: The facade cracked.Even Williams had to acknowledge this winning run of basketball was pretty darn cool."This is a huge win," Williams said. "This is great for the fans, it's great for our city."Two weeks into the season, Phoenix (5-2) is one of the NBA's surprise stories, beating some of the league's top teams like the 76ers and Los Angeles Clippers after finishing last season with a 19-63 record.The Suns have... [More]

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — While his front office contemporaries enjoyed the spoils of splashy signings and bold trades, Elton Brand flew halfway across the world to serve as perhaps the most overqualified ball boy for the league's most enigmatic talent.As Joel Embiid hoisted jumpers in his offseason workouts in Cameroon, his general manager gladly grabbed loose rebounds, the game plan of an equal parts hectic and intensely personal visit Brand hoped would deepen the bond between Embiid and the only franchise he's ever known. No member of the Philadelphia 76ers had ever made the pilgrimage to Africa's west coast to spend time in Embiid's homeland. Yet there Brand was, running a local hill with Embiid's cousin. Taking in home-cooked meals prepared by Embiid's mom, Christine. Getting a tour of the city of 2.8 million.It wasn't something Brand needed to do. Embiid is locked up in Philadelphia indefinitely . Yet the trip was significant to Brand, who called it "touching."The man tasked with helping... [More]

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — While his front office contemporaries enjoyed the spoils of splashy signings and bold trades, Elton Brand flew halfway across the world to serve as perhaps the most overqualified ball boy for the league's most enigmatic talent.As Joel Embiid hoisted jumpers in his offseason workouts in Cameroon, his general manager gladly grabbed loose rebounds, the game plan of an equal parts hectic and intensely personal visit Brand hoped would deepen the bond between Embiid and the only franchise he's ever known. No member of the organization had ever made the pilgrimage to Africa's west coast to spend time in Embiid's homeland. Yet there Brand was, running a local hill with Embiid's cousin. Taking in home-cooked meals prepared by Embiid's mom, Christine. Getting a tour of the city of 2.8 million.It wasn't something Brand needed to do. Embiid is locked up in Philadelphia indefinitely. Yet the trip was significant to Brand, who called it "touching."The man tasked with helping the 76ers... [More]

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The crowd screamed for Ben Simmons to shoot as he dribbled near the perimeter in a preseason game against a team from China. Joel Embiid motioned for him to let it fly. Simmons took a couple more steps, stopped and popped.Swish.Fans celebrated Simmons' first career 3-pointer as if the Philadelphia 76ers had just won Game 7 of the NBA Finals. Embiid ran over and hugged him, teammates rushed the court and the internet went wild.It's been nearly impossible to mention Simmons without adding jump shot in the conversation since his debut in October 2017. The 23-year-old Simmons is considered one of the best players in the world despite his reluctance to shoot jumpers in his first two seasons.The All-Star point guard told The Associated Press last month that he allowed criticism to bother him, but he "fell in love with the game again" over the summer during the countless hours he spent in the gym working on his shot.Simmons realizes adding a jumper would make him a complete... [More]

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]

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]

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Videos of Ben Simmons making jumpers flooded social media over the summer and the All-Star point guard is ready to take his game to another level when the Philadelphia 76ers open camp next week."I feel like this summer I fell in love with the game again," Simmons told The Associated Press on Wednesday. "I kind of got back to who I was and having fun with the game. I felt like the past season I lost that enjoyment side of it but I feel like this summer has been huge for me. Just the work I've been putting in, I kinda fell in love with putting that work in again and I've been in the gym every day working and the results have been paying off so I'm excited for the season to start.Simmons, the No. 1 overall draft pick in 2016, has helped lead the Sixers to the second round of the NBA playoffs two straight seasons after making his debut in 2017. He was the Rookie of the Year that season and an All-Star for the first time last season. Simmons has averaged 16.4 points, 8.5... [More]

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Videos of Ben Simmons making jumpers flooded social media over the summer and the All-Star point guard is ready to take his game to another level when the Philadelphia 76ers open camp next week."I feel like this summer I fell in love with the game again," Simmons told The Associated Press on Wednesday. "I kind of got back to who I was and having fun with the game. I felt like the past season I lost that enjoyment side of it but I feel like this summer has been huge for me. Just the work I've been putting in, I kinda fell in love with putting that work in again and I've been in the gym every day working and the results have been paying off so I'm excited for the season to start.Simmons, the No. 1 overall draft pick in 2016, has helped lead the Sixers to the second round of the NBA playoffs two straight seasons after making his debut in 2017. He was the Rookie of the Year that season and an All-Star for the first time last season. Simmons has averaged 16.4 points, 8.5... [More]

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The Philadelphia 76ers and star guard Ben Simmons have agreed to a $170 million, five-year contract extension, a person familiar with the situation told The Associated Press. The max deal is the latest big commitment by a team expected to make a serious push at its first NBA championship since 1983.Simmons, 22, will make about $8.1 million this season, the last of his four-year rookie deal. His salary for the next season will jump to about $29.3 million and rise to nearly $39 million in 2024-25, according to the person who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity Monday because the contract is not official.The deal solidifies the 76ers' core for the next few seasons. All-Star Joel Embiid and Al Horford are under contract though 2023, Tobias Harris through 2024 and now Simmons through 2025. Horford got a $109 million, four-year deal and Embiid agreed last season to a $147 million, five-year deal.Sixers general manager Elton Brand had until the middle of October to reach... [More]

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A person familiar with the situation says the Philadelphia 76ers and star guard Ben Simmons have agreed to a $170 million, five-year contract extension. The max deal is the latest big commitment by the team.The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Monday because the contract is not official.Simmons will make about $8.1 million this season, the last of his four-year rookie deal. His salary for the next season should jump to about $29.3 million and rise to nearly $39 million in 2024-25.The deal solidifies the 76ers' core for the next few seasons. All-Star Joel Embiid and Al Horford are under contract though 2023, Tobias Harris through 2024 and now Simmons through 2025.Simmons was the No. 1 overall draft pick in the 2016. He made his NBA debut in the 2017-18 season and was Rookie of the Year. He was an All-Star for the first time last season. He has averaged 16.4 points, 8.5 rebounds and 7.9 assists in his two on-court seasons.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

CAMDEN, N.J. (AP) — Al Horford took a seat at one of the three tables needed to fit six players, an owner and a general manager and admired the Philadelphia skyline in the distance."This view gets me excited," Horford said . "This view back there of the city."It's the city he will call his basketball home for the next four years, one that hasn't held a championship parade for the 76ers since 1983 and where the franchise went nearly 20 years without creating much of a stir until Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons arrived on the scene.But to try to finally get over that title hump, the 76ers need more — they needed Horford.Horford could be the difference for the Sixers this season, not just because he's a four-time All-Star who can thrive as a low post defender and shoot the 3. It's because Horford can spell Embiid, the notoriously injury-prone franchise player, at center. The theory goes, keep Embiid fresh and healthy in the regular season, and watch him carry the Sixers through a dominant postseason."We... [More]