DETROIT (AP) — Kevin Love will be back in Cleveland's starting lineup Saturday night against the Pistons after missing the season opener with a calf injury. Love had been sidelined since the team's first exhibition game against Indiana on Dec. 12, when he got kicked in the calf. Love said his leg was swollen from his knee to his Achilles tendon. He wanted to play in Wednesday's game against Charlotte, but the team decided that two more days of rest would be beneficial. The 32-year-old, five-time All-Star forward said he “feels great” but knows he may struggle with his conditioning early on. Cleveland's first road game will also mark center Andre Drummond's return to Detroit. He was traded to the Cavaliers in February after seven seasons with the Pistons. He made two All-Star teams while with Detroit. Drummond had 14 points and 14 rebounds in the Cavs' opening-night win over the Hornets. ___ More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

DETROIT (AP) — Kevin Love will be back in Cleveland's starting lineup Saturday night against the Pistons after the star forward missed the season opener with a calf injury. Love had been sidelined since the team's first exhibition game against Indiana on Dec. 12, when he got kicked in the calf. Love said his leg was swollen from his knee to Achilles tendon. He wanted to play in Wednesday's game against Charlotte, but the team decided that two more days of rest would be beneficial. The 32-year-old five-time All-Star said he “feels great” but knows he may struggle with his conditioning early on. Cleveland's first road game will also mark center Andre Drummond's return to Detroit. He was traded to the Cavaliers in February after seven seasons with the Pistons. He made two All-Star teams while with Detroit. Drummond had 14 points and 14 rebounds in the Cavs' opening-night win over the Hornets. ___ More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports n

CLEVELAND (AP) — LaMelo Ball summed up his NBA debut in one word. “Disappointing,” he said. And forgettable. The hyped Hornets rookie guard didn't score in his first game for Charlotte and Cleveland pulled away in the first half and held on for a 121-114 victory Wednesday night in the Cavaliers' first home regular-season game in nearly 300 days. Collin Sexton scored 27 points, Darius Garland added 22 and the Cavs overcame a scorching shooting performance by Charlotte's Terry Rozier, a Cleveland native who finished with a career-high 10 3-pointers and 42 points. Beyond Ball's rough night — he missed all five shots and didn't play in the fourth quarte — Charlotte also suffered a major injury as center Cody Zeller broke his left hand. “Cody is obviously going to miss some time and we need other guys to step up,” Hornets coach James Boorego said. One of those would be Ball, the No. 2 overall pick in this year’s draft who has revived interest and hope in Charlotte. But Ball's first performance... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — Collin Sexton scored 27 points, Darius Garland added 22 and the Cleveland Cavaliers won their first home game in nearly 300 days, overcoming the hot shooting of Terry Rozier for a 121-114 win Wednesday night over the Charlotte Hornets. Hyped rookie LaMelo Ball didn't score in his NBA debut with Charlotte, and Hornets center Cody Zeller broke his left hand. Rozier made a career-high 10 3-pointers and scored 42 points to lead the Hornets, who made it interesting with a late rally. Upset by their exclusion from the NBA's “bubble” in Orlando, the Cavs made the most of getting back on their home floor for the first time in the regular season since March 8. Andre Drummond added 14 points and 14 rebounds and Larry Nance had 13 and 13 for Cleveland, which played without star forward Kevin Love. He's out with a strained right calf. Gordon Hayward scored 28 points in his first game with the Hornets, who signed him to a 4-year, $120 million deal after he opted out in Boston. Rozier... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — The eight-month, pandemic-induced layoff deprived the Cavaliers of valuable games and drained coach J.B. Bickerstaff of some competitive juices. He took drastic measures to replenish them. “I’m ashamed to say it, but I found myself at 8-year-old and 9-year-old girls' soccer games yelling at referees,” Bickerstaff said on a Zoom call as the Cavs opened training camp Tuesday. “I’m sitting there watching second- and third-grade girls and I’m on edge, and the hair on the back of my neck is standing up.” Bickerstaff can finally relax — a little. The Cavs, who had an already tumultuous 2019-20 season hijacked by COVID-19 and after just 11 games with Bickerstaff in charge, returned to the floor Tuesday for individual workouts as they began cramming for an upcoming season that's only weeks away. For now, players are only permitted to work out individually before the team can practice as a group starting Friday. Due to a storm that dumped up to a foot of snow across northeast Ohio,... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — The Cavaliers have found either a temporary replacement for Tristan Thompson or an asset to bring in other talent. Cleveland announced Monday it has acquired center JaVale McGee and a 2026 second-round draft pick from the Los Angeles Lakers for forwards Alfonzo McKinnie and Jordan Bell. The teams agreed to the deal on Sunday but needed league approval before finalizing it. Also, the team has a worked out an agreement with free agent guard Matthew Dellavedova, one of the Cavs' most popular players. McGee, who won NBA titles during two seasons with Golden State before two in Los Angeles, gives the Cavaliers a proven front-line player who can protect the rim and give starting center Andre Drummond a break. The 30-year-old McGee also has an expiring contract, which makes him appealing to teams looking to create salary-cap space. The Lakers needed to move McGee to make room for free agent center Marc Gasol. Thompson left the Cavs last week, agreeing to a two-year free agent... [More]

CLEVEAND (AP) — Looking to replace Tristan Thompson, the Cavaliers have acquired center JaVale McGee and a future draft pick from the Los Angeles Lakers for forwards Alfonzo McKinnie and Jordan Bell, a person familiar with the deal told The Associated Press on Sunday night. The Cavs will get a second-round pick in 2026 from the Lakers, said the person who spoke on condition of anonymity because the teams have not announced the swap. On Saturday, Thompson, who played nine seasons with the Cavs and helped them win a championship in 2016, agreed to a two-year, free-agent deal with the Boston Celtics. The 32-year-old McGee spent the past two seasons with Los Angeles after two with Golden State. The 7-footer averaged 6.6 points, 5.7 rebounds and 1.5 blocks for the NBA champions this past season. The Lakers needed to move McGee in order to open up salary space after getting Marc Gasol to agree to a two-year contract. McGee will likely serve as a backup to Cleveland center Andre Drummond, who picked up his $28 million player option last week to stay with the Cavs. ___ More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

CLEVEAND (AP) — Looking to replace Tristan Thompson, the Cavaliers have acquired center JaVale McGee and a future draft pick from the Los Angeles Lakers for forwards Alfonzo McKinnie and Jordan Bell, a person familiar with the deal told The Associated Press on Sunday night. The Cavs will get a second-round pick in 2026 from the Lakers, said the person who spoke on condition of anonymity because the teams have not announced the swap. On Saturday, Thompson, who played nine seasons with the Cavs and helped them win a championship in 2016, agreed to a two-year, free-agent deal with the Boston Celtics. The 32-year-old McGee spent the past two seasons with Los Angeles after two with Golden State. The 7-footer averaged 6.6 points, 5.7 rebounds and 1.5 blocks for the NBA champions this past season. The Lakers needed to move McGee in order to open up salary space after getting Marc Gasol to agree to a two-year contract. McGee will likely serve as a backup to Cleveland center Andre Drummond, who picked up his $28 million player option last week to stay with the Cavs. ___ More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

CLEVELAND (AP) — Center Andre Drummond has told the Cavaliers he will exercise his $28.7 million contract option and stay with them this season. Drummond was acquired by Cleveland in a surprising trade from Detroit in February. He had been expected for months to pick up the option. A two-time All-Star with Detroit, the 27-year-old Drummond has consistently said he enjoys playing with the young Cavs. But now that he's under contract for 2021, he could be packaged by the team in a trade because he has an expiring deal. Drummond averaged 17.5 points and 11.1 rebounds in eight games with the Cavs, who were one of the eight teams excluded form the Orlando bubble. For his career, Drummond, the No. 9 overall pick in 2012, has averaged 14.5 points and 13.8 rebounds. ___ More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports The

CLEVELAND (AP) — Cavaliers center Andre Drummond plans to exercise his $28.7 million player option for the 2020-21 season and stay with Cleveland.Drummond, who was acquired in a trade from the Detroit Pistons in February, said on an ESPN podcast Tuesday that he intends to pick up the option. Drummond's decision had been expected, but it's the first time he had publicly stated his intentions.“Yeah, that’s going to be pretty hard to give up, so you can count on me being in Cleveland still,” Drummond said with a laugh during the interview in which he discussed beer, his love of music and that he had started taking acting lessons. "I definitely will be in Cleveland.”Drummond must notify the Cavs in writing about the option by Oct. 17. The NBA's offseason calendar has been pushed back due to the COVID-19 pandemic.The Cavs surprised many around the league when they obtained Drummond, a two-time All-Star in Detroit. His arrival seemed to create a logjam in the front court since Cleveland already... [More]

DETROIT (AP) — The Detroit Pistons hired former Oklahoma City Thunder executive Troy Weaver as their new general manager Thursday.The 52-year-old Weaver spent the past 12 seasons with the Thunder, including three-plus years as vice president of basketball operations. He served eight seasons as vice president/assistant general manager.The Pistons had been without an official GM since overhauling their front office two years ago. Stan Van Gundy had been Detroit's coach and team president, with Jeff Bower serving as GM. After the Pistons moved on from Van Gundy in 2018, Ed Stefanski took over the front office and Dwane Casey became the coach.“It’s an honor for me to join a franchise with the history and tradition of the Detroit Pistons,” Weaver said in a statement. “I’m excited for the challenge of building this team into a consistent winner and assembling the pieces to compete at a very high level.”Weaver joined the Thunder in May 2008, and since then, Oklahoma City has made the Western Conference... [More]

Cleveland (AP) — The Cleveland Cavaliers are missing from the NBA's Disney World summer bubble. They hope Commissioner Adam Silver doesn't need to pop their plans again.One of eight teams whose COVID-19-interrupted season ended when the league decided to resume play with 22 teams in Florida next month, the Cavs are using their omission as fuel."Whatever it is we have to do as a group this summer to get better, we need to go out and do that,” coach J.B. Bickerstaff said Tuesday on a Zoom call. “Whatever party the NBA is throwing, this one happens to be in Orlando, we need to do whatever we can in our power to make sure that we’re getting invited to the party — and that’s been the message to our guys.”The Disney slight was an odd finish to the Cavs' strange, staggered season. It will be remembered for first-year coach John Beilein's stunning departure at the All-Star break, the acquisition of star center Andre Drummond and the team's brief resurgence under Bickerstaff, who exuded restraint... [More]

Cleveland (AP) — The Cleveland Cavaliers are missing from the NBA's Disney World summer bubble. They hope NBA Commissioner Adam Silver doesn't need to pop their plans again.One of eight teams whose COVID-19-interrupted season ended when the league decided to resume play with 22 teams in Florida next month, the Cavs are using their omission as fuel."Whatever it is we have to do as a group this summer to get better, we need to go out and do that,” coach J.B. Bickerstaff said Tuesday on a Zoom call. “Whatever party the NBA is throwing, this one happens to be in Orlando, we need to do whatever we can in our power to make sure that we’re getting invited to the party — and that’s been the message to our guys.”The Disney slight was an odd finish to the Cavs' strange, staggered season. It will be remembered for first-year coach John Beilein's stunning departure at the All-Star break, the acquisition of star center Andre Drummond and the team's brief resurgence under Bickerstaff, who exuded restraint... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — Andre Drummond returned from a leg injury to score 28 points and add 17 rebounds, and Kevin Love shook off a tough shooting night to make a big 3-pointer in overtime and lift the improving Cleveland Cavaliers to a 132-129 win over the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday.Drummond, who missed the past three games with a strained left calf, put the Cavs up 124-22 with a layup and Love followed with his 3 from the corner 28 seconds later to put Cleveland up by five.Love had missed his first four attempts from long range before his clutch shot and he finished just 3 of 12 from the field, but added 18 rebounds.Derrick White hit a 3 to pull the Spurs within 131-129 in the final seconds, but Collin Sexton made a free throw for the Cavs and San Antonio didn't get off a last-second heave in time.It was the second straight close win for the young Cavs, who beat Denver 104-102 on Saturday. Cleveland improved to 5-5 under coach J.B. Bickerstaff and matched its win total from last season, when... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — Andre Drummond returned from a leg injury to score 28 points and add 17 rebounds, and Kevin Love made a big 3-pointer in overtime to lift the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 132-129 win over the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday night.Drummond, who missed the past three games with a strained left calf, put the Cavs up 124-22 with a layup and Love followed with his 3 from the corner 28 seconds later to put Cleveland up by five.Love had missed his first four attempts from long range before his clutch shot and he finished just 3 of 12 from the field, but added 18 rebounds.Derrick White hit a 3 to pull the Spurs within 131-129 in the final seconds, but Collin Sexton made a free throw for the Cavs and San Antonio didn't get off a last-second heave in time.It was the second straight close win for the young Cavs, who beat Denver 104-102 on Saturday. Cleveland improved to 5-5 under coach J.B. Bickerstaff.Sexton scored 26, Larry Nance Jr. 19 and Matthew Dellavedova had 14 and 11 assists. Dellavedova... [More]

GRAFTON, Ohio (AP) — Andre Drummond and his teammates leaned in and listened intently as if they were in a huddle during a timeout in the frantic closing seconds of a playoff game.This time, the Cleveland Cavaliers didn't hear any strategy or talk of fouls or final shots. These messages were far more profound: tales of addiction, abuse, second chances and relapses, personal renewal.Sitting in a large circle along with his teammates, coaches and members of Cleveland's front office, Drummond remained riveted for an hour as prisoners at the Grafton Correctional Institution talked about how their lives were changed by bad decisions — and their determination to help themselves and others.Drummond was deeply moved.“A lot of these guys have been through so much, the trials and tribulations,” the center said afterward. “So to be here and to be open to sharing their stories of what they’ve been through and have it resonate with all of us, it touched each and every one of us.”On Friday, Drummond,... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — The Boston Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers were missing several key players Wednesday night because of injuries.Guards Kemba Walker (left knee rehab) and Jaylen Brown (strained right hamstring) and forward Gordon Hayward (bruised right knee) were out of the starting lineup for the Celtics, who couldn't hold a 21-point, second-half lead and lost in overtime to Brooklyn on Tuesday night.Center Andre Drummond (strained left calf) and rookie guard Darius Garland (strained left groin) were both out of the lineup for Cleveland for the second straight game. Center Tristan Thompson missed his third straight game with a bruised left knee.Celtics coach Brad Stevens said Brown, who was injured Tuesday, will miss a minimum of seven days. Walker scored 21 points Tuesday after missing five games with the knee injury. There's no timetable for when the 6-foot guard will play in back-to-back games. Stevens said Hayward's status is day-to-day,Forward Jayson Tatum, who didn't play Tuesday because of an illness, will return.Cleveland dressed 10 against Boston after signing swingman Sir'Dominic Pointer to a 10-day contract.

CLEVELAND (AP) — Bojan Bogdanovic scored 28 points, Rudy Gobert added 20 and the Utah Jazz began a four-game trip against Eastern Conference teams with a 126-113 win on Monday night over the short-handed Cleveland Cavaliers, who dressed only nine players and used just seven.Donovan Mitchell had 19 points and nine rebounds, and the Jazz made 20 3-pointers while staying in the fifth playoff spot out West.Collin Sexton scored a career-high 32 points and Kevin Love scored 22 for Cleveland, which dropped to 3-4 under coach J.B. Bickerstaff.Utah was flat for long stretches, and some of that may have had to do with Cleveland's poor record and depleted roster. The Jazz seemed in control while building an 18-point lead in the fourth, but the Cavs kept fighting and were still within 11 with 6 minutes left.But Bogdanovic buried a pair of 3-pointers — one coming after one of Gobert's five blocks — and Utah recorded 30 assists while winning for the second time in six games.“We’re persistent. It’s just... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — Bojan Bogdanovic scored 28 points, Rudy Gobert added 20 and the Utah Jazz began a four-game trip against Eastern Conference teams with a 126-113 win on Monday night over the short-handed Cleveland Cavaliers, who dressed only nine players and used just seven.Donovan Mitchell had 19 points and nine rebounds, and the Jazz made 20 3-pointers while staying in the fifth playoff spot out West.Collin Sexton scored a career-high 32 points and Kevin Love scored 22 for Cleveland, which dropped to 3-4 under coach J.B. Bickerstaff.Utah was flat for long stretches, and some of that may have had to do with Cleveland's poor record and depleted roster. The Jazz seemed in control while building an 18-point lead in the fourth, but the Cavs kept fighting and were still within 11 with 6 minutes left.But Bogdanovic buried a pair of 3-pointers — one coming after one of Gobert's five blocks — and Utah won for the second time in six games.The Cavs were missing two starters: center Andre Drummond... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — The Cleveland Cavaliers, already with the worst record in the Eastern Conference, will dress nine players against Utah because of injuries Monday night. Center Andre Drummond (strained left calf) and rookie point guard Darius Garland (strained left groin) have been ruled out of the starting lineup. Center Tristan Thompson, one of the first players off the bench, is out with a bruised left knee.Cavaliers coach J.B. Bickerstaff said Kevin Love will start at center against 7-foot-1 Rudy Gobert. Larry Nance Jr. will take Love's spot at power forward, while Kevin Porter Jr. will start in the backcourt.Drummond had 27 points and 13 rebounds in 35 minutes against Indiana on Saturday after missing the two previous games with the injury. He averaged 15.2 points and 10.8 rebounds in six games since being acquired from Detroit at the trade deadline.Garland will miss his second game this season while Thompson is out for the second straight game.Forward Alfonso McKinnie (left foot plantar fasciitis) and guard Dante Exum (sprained left ankle) have missed the last several games. Guard Dylan Windler hasn't played in his rookie season because of a stress reaction in his left leg.Matt Mooney and Dean Wade, who have been playing with Canton of the G-League, will dress for Cleveland.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports