NEW YORK (AP) — D'Angelo Russell was an All-Star and the Brooklyn Nets became a playoff team. Neither looked likely four months ago.So it was a surprisingly successful season, though there's plenty of work left for the Nets to do — including deciding whether Russell will have a role.Nets players were proud of their accomplishments but realistic about the future Wednesday, a day after they were routed by the 76ers in Game 5 of their return to the postseason.Changes are necessary if the Nets want to contend with a team like Philadelphia. So players heading into free agency can't be certain of their futures in Brooklyn.Not even Russell, the former No. 2 pick, who had a breakout season."Hell yeah, I definitely want to be here," he said. "But I also know it's a business too, so I'm not going to play that role like I don't know what could possibly happen."Early in the season, Caris LeVert was the Nets' best player and Russell sometimes sat on the bench in the fourth quarter. But with the Nets... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — D'Angelo Russell was an All-Star and the Brooklyn Nets became a playoff team. Neither looked likely four months ago.So it was a surprisingly successful season, though there's plenty for the Nets to build on — including a decision on whether Russell will have a role.Nets players were proud of their accomplishments but realistic about the future Wednesday, a day after they were routed by Philadelphia in Game 5 of their return to the postseason.Changes are necessary if the Nets want to contend with a team like Philadelphia. So players heading into free agency can't be certain of their futures in Brooklyn.Not even Russell, the former No. 2 pick, who had a breakout season."Hell yeah, I definitely want to be here," he said. "But I also know it's a business too, so I'm not going to play that role like I don't know what could possibly happen."Early in the season, Caris LeVert was the Nets' best player and Russell sometimes sat on the bench in the fourth quarter. But with the Nets... [More]

Little Caesars Arena in Detroit will finally host its first playoff game — in what is probably the last chance the Pistons have to make their series against Milwaukee competitive."Let's make it hard on them," Detroit coach Dwane Casey said. "Let's make it a home atmosphere, because we need everything."The Milwaukee-Detroit matchup is one of two series shifting sites Saturday. Houston and Utah will also play Game 3 in Salt Lake City. There are a couple Game 4s on tap as well: Philadelphia at Brooklyn, and Denver at San Antonio.The Pistons are in their second season at their new arena, but even after moving downtown, they've had their share of small, dreary crowds — similar to the atmosphere during their final years at The Palace of Auburn Hills. But there's every reason to expect a more charged scene Saturday night. Little Caesars Arena has hosted the NCAA and Horizon League tournaments in basketball, but there have been no home playoff games yet for the Pistons — or for the Red Wings, who... [More]

Little Caesars Arena in Detroit will finally host its first playoff game — in what is probably the last chance the Pistons have to make their series against Milwaukee competitive."Let's make it hard on them," Detroit coach Dwane Casey said. "Let's make it a home atmosphere, because we need everything."The Milwaukee-Detroit matchup is one of two series shifting sites Saturday. Houston and Utah will also play Game 3 in Salt Lake City. There are a couple Game 4s on tap as well: Philadelphia at Brooklyn, and Denver at San Antonio.The Pistons are in their second season at their new arena, but even after moving downtown, they've had their share of small, dreary crowds — similar to the atmosphere during their final years at The Palace of Auburn Hills. But there's every reason to expect a more charged scene Saturday night. Little Caesars Arena has hosted the NCAA and Horizon League tournaments in basketball, but there have been no home playoff games yet for the Pistons — or for the Red Wings, who... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — D'Angelo Russell stood high above Times Square, a spot where stars are showcased in New York.He was front and center on a billboard celebrating the Nets' midseason success, pictured with three teammates who joined him in Charlotte for the NBA's All-Star festivities."Brooklyn is having an All-Star weekend," it read.Russell hopes it will turn into a playoff season.Brooklyn heads into the stretch run in good position for the first postseason berth of his career, sitting in sixth place in the Eastern Conference when play resumes Thursday."I think we're in a great position right now," Russell said.And after some tough times, so is Russell.The point guard Magic Johnson didn't want has become the floor leader the Nets need, raising his level of play after injuries to Caris LeVert, Spencer Dinwiddie and Allen Crabbe left them severely short-handed in the backcourt.Russell had 36 points, eight assists and seven rebounds in the final game before the break, a 148-139 triple-overtime... [More]

BOSTON (AP) — Brooklyn Nets guard Spencer Dinwiddie had surgery Monday to fix torn ligaments in his right thumb.The team announced the operation prior to a game against the Boston Celtics. Nets coach Kenny Atkinson said he'd been texting with Dinwiddie — presumably using his left hand — and says the 25-year-old is in "good spirits."Atkinson declined to provide a timeline for Dinwiddie's return.Dinwiddie has been a bright spot for the surprising Nets, who entered on a six-game winning streak. They have 27 victories overall, one off last season's total.The 6-foot-6 guard is averaging 17.2 points, mostly coming off the bench.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NHL and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

NEW YORK (AP) — Spencer Dinwiddie will need surgery for torn ligaments in his right thumb, though the Nets don't know how soon that would be or the length of the recovery.For now, the Nets are only ruling their sixth man out for their game Friday against the New York Knicks. The team says it is consulting with doctors on the best course of action.Coach Kenny Atkinson said it's even possible Dinwiddie could continue playing with the injury and delay surgery until the offseason, but didn't want to speculate further. He said the decision will be made by doctors, Dinwiddie and his family.Dinwiddie is averaging 17.2 points. Atkinson says the guard was originally hurt about two months ago and the injury has gotten progressively worse.

NEW YORK (AP) — The Brooklyn Nets say guard Spencer Dinwiddie is being evaluated for a right thumb injury.The team gave no other details Thursday about the injury to Dinwiddie, one of the keys to their surprising run to sixth place in the Eastern Conference. They said more information would be provided after the diagnosis had been completed.Dinwiddie has been one of the top reserves in the NBA this season. He scored 29 points Wednesday night as the Nets beat Orlando for their fifth straight victory. It was his 10th 25-point game off the bench this season.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

NEW YORK (AP) — All the makings of another lost season in Brooklyn were there.The Nets had lost their leading scorer and then eight straight games. Talk of tanking was growing louder.Just two weeks ago, a lottery appearance seemed a certainty.Maybe the Nets are headed to the playoffs instead.An out-of-nowhere turnaround that started when they stunned the top team in the league and really gained attention when they beat LeBron James and the Lakers has given the Nets seven consecutive wins, the longest current streak in the league and matching their best run since moving to Brooklyn six years ago.Ten games under .500 when they took the floor to host league-leading Toronto on Dec. 7, the Nets (15-18) have risen within a half-game of eighth place and the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference."It's really encouraging," center Jarrett Allen said. "It's showing all the hard work we put in during the summer is now paying off."Allen authored the signature highlight during the streak when... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — There was no big celebration for Spencer Dinwiddie when he signed a contract extension with Brooklyn that guarantees a paycheck in an NBA where he once couldn't even hold a job.Outside of the satisfaction of knowing his parents can retire, Dinwiddie said nothing really changed."Other than that, basketball-wise we're not where we want to be, so we've got to continue to push and go forward," he said Friday. "We're trying to make the playoffs and we're trying to win championships in the future. That's what I signed on to be a part of and I'm also trying to push my limits individually and hopefully that helps the ballclub as much as it possibly can."The Nets are counting on it.They signed the 6-foot-6 guard to a three-year extension worth about $34 million, rewarding Dinwiddie for his rise from the NBA G League to one of the league's top sixth men this season who scored a career-high 39 points in his previous outing.Nets leadership believes there's more to come."We want more.... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — There was no big celebration for Spencer Dinwiddie when he signed a contract extension with Brooklyn that guarantees a paycheck in an NBA where he once couldn't even hold a job.Outside of the satisfaction of knowing his parents can retire, Dinwiddie said nothing really changed."Other than that, basketball-wise we're not where we want to be, so we've got to continue to push and go forward," he said Friday. "We're trying to make the playoffs and we're trying to win championships in the future. That's what I signed on to be a part of and I'm also trying to push my limits individually and hopefully that helps the ballclub as much as it possibly can."The Nets are counting on it.They signed the 6-foot-6 guard to a three-year extension worth about $34 million, rewarding Dinwiddie for his rise from the NBA G League to one of the league's top sixth men this season who scored a career-high 39 points in his last outing.Nets leadership believes there's more to come."We want more. I... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — The Brooklyn Nets gave Spencer Dinwiddie a contract extension Thursday, a day after the best game of his career.The three-year extension will be worth about $34 million for the guard who was playing in the NBA G League before he signed with the Nets on Dec. 8, 2016.He has gone on to become one of their top players and scored a career-high 39 points, the most by any player off the bench in the NBA this season, in a victory at Philadelphia on Wednesday."The journey is just beginning," Dinwiddie wrote on Twitter. "I'm thankful that @brooklynnets believe in me enough to give me a home."Not to mention a nice raise from the $1.7 million he's making this season.Dinwiddie was third in voting for the Most Improved Player last season and could find himself in the race for the Sixth Man of the Year award this season. He is averaging 16.9 points, helping the Nets overcome the loss of scoring leader Caris LeVert to injury."It's just so evident, you can't take him out and he's playing... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — The Brooklyn Nets and guard Spencer Dinwiddie have agreed to a three-year contract extension worth about $34 million.The deal Thursday came a day after Dinwiddie scored a career-high 39 points, the most by any player off the bench in the NBA this season, in a victory at Philadelphia.Dinwiddie was third in voting for the Most Improved Player last season and could find himself in the race for the Sixth Man of the Year award this season. He is averaging 16.9 points, helping the Nets overcome the loss of scoring leader Caris LeVert to injury.Dinwiddie became eligible to sign an extension last week but it was unclear if the Nets would offer one, which would cut into the cap space that will be available to them this summer. But Dinwiddie has played well enough on the court and been one of the team's leaders off it, so they decided it was worth it to pay now.The third year of the deal is a player option and all three years are guaranteed.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

MIAMI (AP) — Spencer Dinwiddie is wearing art on his feet this season.It's for a good cause.The Brooklyn guard is planning to have a different set of sneakers in every game this year, paying tribute to either various people or causes on that particular night. On Tuesday in Miami, his shoes were an homage to Heat guard Dwyane Wade — and Dinwiddie proudly got one of his childhood idols to sign the kicks afterward.And they were truly one-of-a-kind: The words "One Last Dance" were across the tongues of the shoes, a nod to what Wade is calling his 16th and final NBA season. There were images of palm trees, a Miami signature, as well as the No. 3 that Wade has worn on his jersey for the entirety of his time with the Heat."I knew when the schedule came out and he had said this is his last year, that we had to do something special," Dinwiddie said after Brooklyn's 104-92 victory.Dinwiddie isn't keeping the Wade-themed shoes or any others this season. They're all getting auctioned off for charities... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — The Nets arrived in Brooklyn six years ago with big boasts about winning over New York and eventually winning a title.They don't say much now at all.There are no promises about how much they will win or how soon. In fact, they don't even really talk about winning.The goal remains to be better, which isn't quite the same as being good. The Nets are content to do things slowly, knowing there are no quick fixes to the problems their former win-now attitude created.So it's all about improvement, just as it was last season."I think that's the theme," coach Kenny Atkinson said. "I think we need to take another step forward, take another big step. That's the goal and I think our guys are excited about it."Brooklyn did that last season, making a seven-win improvement that trailed only Philadelphia among Eastern Conference teams. But that still left the Nets at only 28-54, and it's hard to see them doing much better than that this season.But the won-loss record won't determine how... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — For the Brooklyn Nets, familiarity breeds continuity.They hope that will lead to a few more wins.Growth was the overarching theme during media day at the Nets' practice facility Monday. Entering its third season under general manager Sean Marks and coach Kenny Atkinson, Brooklyn has won 48 of 164 games. In the first season under the new regime, the Nets won 20 games. Last year, that number increased to 28.So the goal for this season is progression."Knowing how the rebuild process goes, we're going to have to slowly get back," Jarrett Allen said. "It's just small steps we're taking."Ten of the 19 players the Nets have on their preseason roster have five or fewer years of NBA experience, including five rookies.But there are questions about how long and how many of the Nets' young pieces will remain in Brooklyn. The Nets will have plenty of money for free agency next summer, but they may not want to wait if they could trade for Minnesota's Jimmy Butler or another All-Star player.Spencer... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Jeremy Lin's injury-plagued stint in Brooklyn is over.The Nets have agreed to trade Lin to Atlanta, the Hawks announced Friday.The move helps clear up the Nets' logjam at point guard and sends Lin to another team that is also pretty crowded at the position. ESPN first reported the deal.The Hawks announced they also acquired a 2025 second-round pick and the right to swap second-round picks in 2023 with the Nets, who acquired the draft rights to shooting guard Isaia Cordinier and a protected 2020 second-round pick.Cordinier was a second-round pick by Atlanta in 2016. The 21-year-old is currently playing in France.Lin has a year and $12.5 million left on the contract he signed two summers ago. He made it through just 37 games with the Nets and only one last season, as he ruptured the patella tendon in his right knee during a season-opening loss at Indiana.Spencer Dinwiddie stepped in while Lin was out and became one of the NBA's most improved players. Brooklyn also has D'Angelo... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Jeremy Lin's injury-plagued stint in Brooklyn is over.The Nets have agreed to trade Lin to the Atlanta Hawks, a person with knowledge of the deal said early Friday. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the trade had not been announced.The move helps clear up the Nets' logjam at point guard and sends Lin to another team that is also pretty crowded at the position. ESPN first reported the deal, saying the Nets and Hawks would swap future second-round picks.Lin has a year and $12.5 million left on the contract he signed two summers ago. He made it through just 37 games with the Nets and only one last season, as he ruptured the patella tendon in his right knee during a season-opening loss at Indiana.Spencer Dinwiddie stepped in while Lin was out and became one of the NBA's most improved players. Brooklyn also has D'Angelo Russell, the No. 2 pick in the 2015 draft, at the point after acquiring him from the Lakers.Now, Lin will have to find room in Atlanta, where point guard Dennis Schroder was the Hawks' leading scorer last season. The Hawks then acquired the rights to high-scoring former Oklahoma star Trae Young in the draft.The Hawks will be the seventh team for Lin, the undrafted former Harvard star who memorably broke out with the Knicks during his run of Linsanity in February 2012. The NBA's first American-born player of Chinese or Taiwanese descent has also played for Golden State, Houston, the Lakers and Charlotte.

NEW YORK (AP) — A person with knowledge of the deal says the Brooklyn Nets have agreed to trade Jeremy Lin to the Atlanta Hawks.The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the trade had not been announced.The Nets made the move early Friday morning to ease their logjam at point guard. ESPN first reported the deal, saying the Nets and Hawks would swap future second-round picks.Lin has a year left on his contract, and the trade ends his injury-plagued stint in Brooklyn. He ruptured the patella tendon in his right knee during the Nets' opener last season, and while he was out Spencer Dinwiddie stepped in and became one of the NBA's most improved players.The Nets also have D'Angelo Russell, the No. 2 pick in the 2015 draft, at the point after acquiring him from the Lakers.

NEW YORK (AP) — Jeremy Lin didn't even make it through one full game this season.He plans to return next season playing a different way so he can stay on the floor and help the Brooklyn Nets keep building.Lin played in just 36 games in 2016-17 due to hamstring injuries and ruptured his right patella tendon in a loss at Indiana on opening night of this season. His plan to stay healthy focuses on ditching all the on-court motor skills that started Linsanity six years ago across the city with the New York Knicks in exchange for a new range of motion."So, like, at every level of ability to be more dynamic, I'm not just looking at whether my knee will hold up. I'm looking at whether I have done enough to completely change pre-existing movement patterns," Lin said Thursday, a day after the Nets finished 28-54, their third consecutive 50-loss season after three straight playoff appearances.The Nets won seven of their last 13 games after losing 19 of 22.The 29-year-old Lin spent a large chunk of... [More]