LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — Just about everyone had L.A. vs. L.A. written in for the Western Conference finals. Then along came the resilient Denver Nuggets, who crashed the party.Behind Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic, the Nuggets advanced to the conference finals for the first time since 2009. They will face LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers starting Friday in Game 1.But this was no ordinary road. The Nuggets fell behind 3-1 in their first-round series against Utah before bouncing back with three straight victories. Then they went down 3-1 to the Los Angeles Clippers in the second round before winning in Game 7 again.They made history, too, becoming the first NBA team to rally from a 3-1 series deficit twice in the same postseason. As expected, Denver is an underdog against the Lakers. Murray & Co. are used to it.“Everybody counts us out. It’s fun to silence everybody,” Murray said. “We love it.”The last time the Nuggets were in the conference finals they faced the Lakers as... [More]

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Always a wine connoisseur, CJ McCollum is now a wine maker, too. The Portland Trail Blazers guard has a signature wine coming out Tuesday, and apropos of Oregon, it's a pinot noir. McCollum Heritage 91 is the result of a partnership with Adelsheim Vineyard. “We’re in a bit of a jam because it’s a limited quantity, and demand is very high,” McCollum said. McCollum readied for the launch while recuperating from Portland's 51-day odyssey in the NBA bubble in Florida. The Blazers overperformed in the seeding games, going 6-2 and making the playoffs as the No. 8 seed. It was Portland's seventh straight trip to the playoffs, but it ended in five games in the first round against the top-seeded Los Angeles Lakers. McCollum played the tournament with a fractured vertebra in his back. The 10th pick out of Lehigh in the 2013 draft, McCollum has averaged 18.5 points, 3.3 rebounds and 3.1 assists over his career in Portland. This strange season he averaged 22.2 points, 4.2 rebounds... [More]

Billy Donovan won't return as coach of the Oklahoma City Thunder after five seasons, the team announced Tuesday night, ending a largely successful run that ought to make him an attractive candidate for jobs around the league.Donovan, who was at the end of his contract, took the Thunder to the playoffs every year and was a finalist for NBA Coach of the Year this season after his squad outperformed expectations and pushed the Houston Rockets to seven games in the first round of the playoffs.Donovan went 243-157 with Oklahoma City. “I have a great respect and admiration for the players I coached in Oklahoma, and I also want to thank the coaches I worked with, who gave unbelievable time and expertise to our common goal,” Donovan said in a statement.The Thunder and Donovan described his departure as a mutual decision. Oklahoma City general manager Sam Presti said he couldn’t give Donovan the assurances he wanted about the future.“In knowing where he is and the caliber of coach he is, I wouldn’t... [More]

The Portland Trail Blazers dealt with injuries all season, and the the loss of their biggest star topped it off in the playoffs.While the year was unusual for all of sports because of coronavirus, the Trail Blazers made it to the NBA playoffs for the seventh straight season. Upstart Portland was knocked out of the first round by the top-seeded Los Angeles Lakers in five games. “It was an interesting season with a lot of different obstacles that we faced. We signed Hall of Famer (Carmelo Anthony), we had coronavirus hit, so many things going on around the world with social injustice, protesting, all those things," guard CJ McCollum said. "We had some games postponed, came back, more injuries. But all in all I think we fought and gave ourselves a chance."All-Star guard Damian Lillard had already departed the so-called bubble in Florida with a right knee injury when Portland took the floor for the elimination game Sunday night. While the Blazers mounted a scrappy effort against the Lakers,... [More]

The Los Angeles Lakers and Milwaukee Bucks have restored some sense of normalcy to these anything-but-normal NBA playoffs.The top-seeded teams in the Western and Eastern Conferences, respectively, lost their openers and are now looking to take control of their series. The Lakers could pull ahead of the Portland Trail Blazers on Saturday and the Bucks could take the lead on the pesky Orlando Magic.Lakers forward LeBron James has been around too long to get too worked up about one loss. He was confident the Lakers would recover from their Game 1 setback, and they looked much like their pre-pandemic selves in beating the Trail Blazers 111-88 on Thursday. “I know what we’re capable of,” he said. “I know how we’re built. I don’t compare us to anyone. I compare us to us.”The Lakers were fully aware of the challenge they would face against from the talented Blazers entering the series, led by All-Star guard Damian Lillard.“This team was in the conference finals last year,” Lakers coach Frank Vogel... [More]

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — Damian Lillard has no shortage of motivation.There’s the painful kind, the kind that comes from dealing with the death three months ago of a cousin who was very close to him. There’s the made-up variety, stemming from the belief he shared Tuesday night that people who cover the league don’t respect his work. There’s the silly stuff, like a back-and-forth on social media with other NBA players.And then there’s probably the biggest sort — his want to get the Portland Trail Blazers back to the playoffs.He topped a 51-point performance on Sunday by offering a 61-point performance on Tuesday, doing all that with the Blazers’ postseason fate still not secure and knowing that any loss would put a sizable dent in those playoff hopes. He’s the 12th player in NBA history to have consecutive 50-point games, and just the second — joining only Wilt Chamberlain — to have three 60-point games in a season.“Couldn’t have been a better time for that type of game,” Lillard said... [More]

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — CJ McCollum scored 33 points, teaming with Damian Lillard for 11 of Portland's 16 in overtime, and the Trail Blazers pulled out a desperately needed victory to resume their season by beating the Memphis Grizzlies 140-135 on Friday.Lillard finished with 29 points and nine assists as the Trail Blazers boosted their hopes for a seventh consecutive playoff appearance. Carmelo Anthony added 21 points as Portland moved within 2 1/2 games of the Grizzlies for the No. 8 spot in the Western Conference.“Everybody knew how important that game was," Blazers coach Terry Stotts said. “This is playoff basketball from us and we have that pressure and you can’t shy away from it.”McCollum started fast, scoring 19 points in the first half, and finished strong with two crucial 3-pointers in overtime. The first one to open the extra period gave Portland the lead for good, and he added six assists.Jaren Jackson Jr. had 33 points and rookie Ja Morant added 22 points and 11 assists... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Leon Rose has spent years as one of the NBA's most powerful agents.Now he will try to turn around one of its weakest franchises.The New York Knicks hired Rose as their president Monday, hoping he can sign and draft the kind of dominant players he's been representing. Rose is taking over a team headed toward its seventh straight season out of the playoffs. But teams such as Golden State and the Lakers have found success handing their basketball operations to an agent and the Knicks believe they can do the same with Rose.“Leon is one of the most respected executives in professional basketball, with decades of experience successfully working with NBA players and team management in all facets of the game," Madison Square Garden executive chairman James Dolan said in a statement. "We are confident he brings the right combination of expertise and relationships to ensure the long-term success of our franchise.”Rose, the former co-head of the basketball division at CAA Sports, replaces... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Leon Rose has spent years as one of the NBA's most powerful agents.Now he will try to turn around one of its weakest franchises.The New York Knicks hired Rose as their president Monday, hoping he can sign and draft the kind of dominant players he's been representing. Rose is taking over a team headed toward its seventh straight season out of the playoffs. But teams such as Golden State and the Lakers have found success handing their basketball operations to an agent and the Knicks believe he can do the same.“Leon is one of the most respected executives in professional basketball, with decades of experience successfully working with NBA players and team management in all facets of the game," Madison Square Garden executive chairman James Dolan said in a statement. "We are confident he brings the right combination of expertise and relationships to ensure the long-term success of our franchise.”Rose, the former co-head of the basketball division at CAA Sports, replaces Steve... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — The New York Knicks hired Leon Rose as their president Monday, hoping the longtime player agent can be just as successful as an executive.Rose is taking over what has become one of the NBA's worst franchises, headed toward its seventh straight season out of the playoffs. But teams such as Golden State and the Lakers have found success handing their basketball operations to an agent and the Knicks are hoping to do the same.“Leon is one of the most respected executives in professional basketball, with decades of experience successfully working with NBA players and team management in all facets of the game," Madison Square Garden executive chairman James Dolan said in a statement. "We are confident he brings the right combination of expertise and relationships to ensure the long-term success of our franchise.”Rose, the former co-head of the basketball division at CAA Sports, replaces Steve Mills, who was fired early last month.Rose has represented such All-Stars as LeBron James,... [More]

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — With a big night against Golden State, Damian Lillard signaled that he's asserting himself at a crucial point of the Trail Blazers' season. And where Lillard goes, the Blazers tend to follow. “There comes a time in the season where everybody's tired, everybody's worn out, everybody's physically and mentally drained," he said. "The players got to go out there and make their minds up, are we going to do this or not? And I think we're just, as a team, getting closer to that time. We've got to leave it all out there. We've got to go take it.”Lillard had a franchise-best 61 points — including 11 3-pointers — this week in Portland's 129-124 overtime victory over the Warriors.It was the most points for a player in the NBA this season, and it broke Lillard's own franchise record of 60 points set earlier this season against Brooklyn. Afterward, a flood of admirers ranging from reigning NBA Rookie of the Year Luka Doncic to Washington Redskins running back Adrian Peterson recognized... [More]

It could be a Team LeBron vs. Team Giannis rematch in the All-Star Game.LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers has passed Dallas’ Luka Doncic for the overall and Western Conference lead in fan voting for the Feb. 16 game in Chicago, with about a week and a half left in the race. Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo remains the runaway leader in the Eastern Conference voting.The game’s captains -- James and Antetokounmpo held the jobs last year -- will be the All-Star starters who receive the most fan votes from his conference. James also was a captain the first time the format was used in 2018, then going up against a team picked by Golden State’s Stephen Curry.Team LeBron beat Team Giannis last year, 178-164. Team LeBron also won the inaugural edition of this All-Star setup, topping Team Stephen 148-145 in the 2018 game.James’ lead over Doncic was 82,001 votes, the NBA said on Thursday when releasing the second balloting update. James leads the West frontcourt voting with 3,359,871, ahead... [More]

Once Russell Westbrook headed to Houston, the Oklahoma City Thunder were supposed to be headed toward a rebuild.The team Westbrook returns to face this week doesn’t look like a team headed for the lottery. It’s playing like one Westbrook might see again in the postseason.The Thunder welcome back their former point guard Thursday, with both doing just fine since going their separate ways last summer.That’s not a surprise for Westbrook, given that he was sent to join former MVP — and one-time Oklahoma City teammate — James Harden on a high-scoring contender. He has scored 20 or more points in 12 straight games, with three straight of at least 30 late last month, and averaged 27.8 in that span to raise his average to 24.1.He said his return would be emotional because of how much Oklahoma City and the organization meant to him, but he didn't want to detail much leading into it. “I don’t want to get that much into before the game and on and on, but after the game we can discuss whatever you... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Washington Wizards guard Isaiah Thomas was fined $25,000 by the NBA on Saturday for making inappropriate contact with a game official.Thomas received a technical foul and was ejected early in the Wizards’ 122-103 home loss to the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday night.Thomas was tied up along the sideline by Portland's Carmelo Anthony. As Thomas broke away from Anthony, he made contact with referee Marat Kogut, who stumbled into the crowd. Thomas received a two-game suspension after walking into the stands to confront two fans following a timeout in Philadelphia on Dec. 21.

Dallas’ Luka Doncic received more fan votes than any other player in the opening week of balloting for the NBA All-Star Game.The NBA released the first voting totals on Thursday and Doncic has received 1,073,957 -- 599 more than Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo.LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers is the only other player to top the million-vote mark so far, putting him well on his way to what would be a 16th consecutive All-Star appearance.James, Lakers teammate Anthony Davis and the Los Angeles Clippers' Kawhi Leonard are the runaway leaders in the Western Conference frontcourt. Doncic and Houston’s James Harden also are off to enormous leads in the West guards race.In the East, Antetokounmpo, Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid and Toronto’s Pascal Siakam are the leaders for the three starting frontcourt spots. Atlanta’s Trae Young has gotten the most votes so far in the East guard race, about 11,000 ahead of Brooklyn’s Kyrie Irving. Boston’s Kemba Walker is 450 votes back of Irving.Other... [More]

Dallas’ Luka Doncic received fan votes than any other player in the opening week of balloting for the NBA All-Star Game.The NBA released the first voting totals on Thursday and Doncic has received 1,073,957 -- 599 more than Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo.LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers is the only other player to top the million-vote mark so far, putting him well on his way to what would be a 16th consecutive All-Star appearance.James, Lakers teammate Anthony Davis and the Los Angeles Clippers' Kawhi Leonard are the runaway leaders in the Western Conference frontcourt. Doncic and Houston’s James Harden also are off to enormous leads in the West guards race.In the East, Antetokounmpo, Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid and Toronto’s Pascal Siakam are the leaders for the three starting frontcourt spots. Atlanta’s Trae Young has gotten the most votes so far in the East guard race, about 11,000 ahead of Brooklyn’s Kyrie Irving. Boston’s Kemba Walker is 450 votes back of Irving.Other notables... [More]

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — The Portland Trail Blazers have given forward Carmelo Anthony a fully guaranteed contract for the remainder of the season. The team had signed Anthony to a non-guaranteed contract last month and had until a January deadline to guarantee the deal. Anthony, who hadn't played for more than a year before he was formally signed on Nov. 19, has meshed well with the Blazers, averaging 16.9 points and 5.9 rebounds since joining the team. The 10-time NBA All-Star was named Western Conference Player of the Week after he averaged 22.3 points, 7.7 rebounds and 2.7 assists over Portland's three-game winning streak last week. Anthony, 35, played seven-plus seasons for the Nuggets before being traded in 2011 to the New York Knicks, where he spent six-plus seasons. He also has played one season each with Oklahoma City and Houston. The Rockets traded him to Chicago in January but the Bulls cut him before he played a game.Anthony filled an immediate need for the Blazers, who became short-handed at forward when Zach Collins injured his shoulder and required surgery that is expected to keep him out for at least four months. ___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Steve Kerr is teaching. And learning.That is his silver lining from this season.After five consecutive years of being No. 1 in the Western Conference — and ending up as NBA champions in three of those seasons — the Warriors are at the bottom of the league. Everyone knows why: Kevin Durant left, Stephen Curry got hurt, Klay Thompson got hurt, D’Angelo Russell got hurt, Andre Iguodala got traded, Shaun Livingston retired, DeMarcus Cousins left ... it goes on and on.“You can’t have worse luck than they’ve had,” Orlando coach Steve Clifford said.But to Kerr’s credit, the Warriors are desperate to make the best of their situation.This will be a losing season for Kerr, his first in more than a quarter-century. He was a winner almost every year as a player, a winner in each of his three seasons as an executive in Phoenix, a huge winner in his first five seasons as coach. He won five titles as a player, three more as a coach. And next year — with Curry back, Thompson back, a top-five lottery pick... [More]

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Carmelo Anthony had accepted the possibility that his NBA career might be over.That seems to have liberated him to come back on his own terms when he signed with the Portland Trail Blazers.“I came to a point where I was willing to accept it either way,” Anthony said after playing the first game of his 17th season with his sixth NBA team on Tuesday night. “I had to get myself mentally prepared for that and I did, to be honest with you.“I stayed with it, but there was times where I didn’t want to. I wanted to just say, ‘Forget it, move on with my life, spend more time with my family.’ I started getting more comfortable with that,” Anthony continued. “I come into this game with a totally different mindset, totally different motivation.”Anthony’s Portland debut — played across the street from where he led Syracuse to the 2003 NCAA championship — was not a triumphant one. He missed 10 of 14 shots, finished with 10 points, and the Blazers lost 115-104 in New Orleans.But Anthony... [More]

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Carmelo Anthony is now with the Portland Trail Blazers and starting over with jersey No. 00.Word that the 10-time All-Star had joined the team broke Thursday night, but the agreement was not formalized until Tuesday when he signed a nonguaranteed contract that goes through January. If he stays, the contract becomes guaranteed for the rest of the season.Anthony was in the starting lineup for the Trail Blazers on Tuesday night in New Orleans.Anthony hasn’t played since a 10-game stint with the Houston Rockets ended a little more than a year ago. But the Blazers hope there is enough game left in the 35-year-old forward to help them overcome a 5-9 start.“Carmelo is an established star in this league that will provide a respected presence in our locker room and a skill set at a position of need on the floor,” Neil Olshey, Portland’s president of basketball operations, said in a statement.Anthony struggled at the end of his recent stops in Oklahoma City and Houston following... [More]