LAS VEGAS (AP) — There was LeBron James, still somewhat of a startling sight in purple and gold. And there were Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors, still very much the champions of basketball for now and the foreseeable future.Playing each other Wednesday night in a game that meant nothing — except for those looking for a glimpse into the future of the NBA.Basketball's biggest stars on stage in a city full of stars. An exhibition game, yes, but that didn't stop fans from packing T-Mobile Arena on the Strip, where in a few years there almost surely will be a team they can call their own.And maybe the best thing? Anyone in the arena with a betting account could pull out their phone and bet a few dollars during the game.The gambling stigma is gone, thanks largely to NBA Commissioner Adam Silver's progressive attitude and a Supreme Court decision that allowed sports betting in other states. The Vegas Golden Knights showed in their inaugural season that professional sports... [More]

SEATTLE (AP) — Kevin Durant got off the bus inside the loading dock of KeyArena about two hours before tipoff and made a quick glance toward the court, visible through the tunnel.He was back where his NBA career began more than a decade ago."When I woke up from my pregame nap I was nervous," Durant said. "I never felt that way coming into a game, especially a preseason game, but knowing this whole thing was set up for that moment I guess it was a crazy feeling to come out and feel that much love."Durant was back in Seattle on Friday night along with his Golden State Warriors for a preseason game against the Sacramento Kings for the first NBA game in the city since the SuperSonics left for Oklahoma City following the 2007-08 season. It was an opportunity for the Seattle basketball community to gather once more before KeyArena becomes a construction site later this fall as part of a $700 million renovation that is expected to land the city an expansion NHL team, and has raised hopes of the... [More]

SEATTLE (AP) — Slick Watts would wring out one of his sweaty headbands, whichever of the three or four in his rotation he'd worn that night, and hand it off to locker room attendant Rick Welts for a proper washing.Not just anybody got to touch Watts' signature, treasured bands, either.In Welts the Seattle SuperSonics trusted. To take care of their shoes. Stinky socks. To launder jerseys and keep track of the gear. The keys to the Seattle Center Coliseum, even, back when Welts started his Hall of Fame NBA career as a teenage ballboy.So imagine the nostalgia as the Golden State Warriors COO returned to his Pacific Northwest roots for his new team's exhibition game against Sacramento in the NBA's hurrah at KeyArena and the last scheduled event in the venue. He flew in Thursday on a picture-perfect Seattle day right over his old Queen Anne High School, then fittingly the rain came Friday — when former SuperSonics star Kevin Durant's homecoming was the biggest headline as Welts enjoyed his special... [More]

SEATTLE (AP) — Kevin Durant got off the bus inside the loading dock of KeyArena about two hours before tipoff and made a quick glance toward the court, visible through the tunnel.He was back where his NBA career began more than a decade ago."Definitely a different feeling pulling up into the arena and down into the ramp just like when I used to play here," Durant said. "Bringing back memories."Durant was back in Seattle on Friday night along with his Golden State Warriors for a preseason game against the Sacramento Kings for the first NBA game in the city since the SuperSonics left for Oklahoma City following the 2007-08 season. It was an opportunity for the Seattle basketball community to gather once more before KeyArena becomes a construction site later this fall as part of a $700 million renovation that is expected to land the city an expansion NHL team.But on this night it was again an NBA building with the same energy, excitement and noise that bounced off its walls in the heyday of... [More]

SEATTLE (AP) — He was a kid at the time, all of 19 years old, about to conclude his first NBA season. He stood on the court in green and gold, waving his arms up and down, asking for more noise from the home crowd begging for another chance to see the home team play.That was more than 10 years ago. Kevin Durant was that kid. The Seattle SuperSonics were his team."Just that culture of the Sonics was really, really deep and so many people all around the world or all around the country enjoyed the Sonics," Durant said recently. "It was pretty crazy, man, now that I think about it the time we spent there, the little time we spent there and how much we could have impacted the city if we stayed."A decade later, Durant will be back in that same building, again likely to be waving his arms toward what is expected to be a sold out sea of green and gold. KeyArena, the former home of the Sonics, will host its final event Friday night when Durant's Golden State Warriors meet the Sacramento Kings in... [More]

SEATTLE (AP) — He was a kid at the time, all of 19 years old, about to conclude his first NBA season. He stood on the court in green and gold, waving his arms up and down, asking for more noise from the home crowd begging for another chance to see the home team play.That was more than 10 years ago. Kevin Durant was that kid. The Seattle SuperSonics was his team."Just that culture of the Sonics was really, really deep and so many people all around the world or all around the country enjoyed the Sonics," Durant said recently. "It was pretty crazy, man, now that I think about it the time we spent there, the little time we spent there and how much we could have impacted the city if we stayed."A decade later, Durant will be back in that same building, again likely to be waving his arms toward what is expected to be a sold out sea of green and gold. KeyArena, the former home of the Sonics, will host its final event Friday night when Durant's Golden State Warriors meet the Sacramento Kings in... [More]

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Even the two-time defending NBA champions are seeking ways to reinvent themselves when it comes to preparation and practice routine.The Golden State Warriors are putting a greater emphasis on player development this training camp with a younger roster.An hour ahead of formal team workouts, Golden State's young core shows up for individual skill work, to learn defensive concepts or to go over offensive schemes and terminology with assistant coach Chris DeMarco."We have a veteran team, so being able to get these young guys in and still be able to do drill work that maybe the veterans don't need, that's always going to be beneficial moving forward because it's a long season," DeMarco said after practice Tuesday. "So sometimes you get caught up and you're not able to practice, there's back-to-backs where the young guys aren't out there developing those skills that we need them to develop. So coming in early, making sure they're getting that individual work, making sure... [More]

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — With unsettled contract situations making many of the players' futures beyond this season uncertain, Warriors coach Steve Kerr is encouraging his team now more than ever to go with the flow, have fun and enjoy the moment.No pressure, even if the end goal is a three-peat.Two-time reigning NBA Finals MVP Kevin Durant signed a one-plus-one contract that allows him to become a free agent again next summer, while fellow All-Stars Draymond Green and Klay Thompson could be up for extensions."Nothing lasts forever in this league, but we've always said we want to keep this going as long as we can, and we're right in the thick of it," two-time MVP Stephen Curry said.After two straight titles and three in four seasons, all eyes are on the East Bay once more as training camps begin league-wide.That's why Kerr is stressing going for it in what might be the final hurrah for the superstar core of this team. Not that Durant, Green nor Thompson is talking about leaving town."We are... [More]

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — DeMarcus Cousins has progressed in his recovery from surgery for a torn left Achilles tendon and is doing light shooting and other skill work on the court and will be able to do some noncontact work as the Warriors' training camp begins.Golden State general manager Bob Myers said anyone who thinks the two-time defending champions plan to "save DeMarcus for the playoffs, I think that's inaccurate, when he can play he'll play."That doesn't mean Cousins will be pushed to return too soon. He was re-examined last week by Dr. Richard Ferkel, the surgeon who performed his procedure, and all was positive. Myers said Cousins would be evaluated again in four weeks."We won't rush him but we also won't hold him back," Myers said at Monday's media day.Cousins injured his Achilles in late January and it prematurely ended his season with the Pelicans. Before the injury, Cousins averaged 25.2 points, 12.9 rebounds and 5.4 assists in 48 games.He said he's encouraged to be running... [More]

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — DeMarcus Cousins has progressed in his recovery from surgery for a torn left Achilles tendon and is doing light shooting and other skill work on the court and will be able to do some noncontact work as the Warriors' training camp begins.Golden State general manager Bob Myers said anyone who thinks the two-time defending champions plan to "save DeMarcus for the playoffs, I think that's inaccurate, when he can play he'll play."That doesn't mean Cousins will be pushed to return too soon. He was re-examined last week by Dr. Richard Ferkel, the surgeon who performed his procedure, and all was positive. Myers said Cousins would be evaluated again in four weeks."We won't rush him but we also won't hold him back," Myers said at Monday's media day.Cousins injured his Achilles in late January and it prematurely ended his season with the Pelicans. Before the injury, Cousins averaged 25.2 points, 12.9 rebounds and 5.4 assists in 48 games.He said he's encouraged to be running... [More]

GREENBURGH, N.Y. (AP) — Kristaps Porzingis is a one-of-a-kind player, a 7-foot-3 package strong enough to pound in the paint but with plenty of speed and shooting to play on the perimeter.That's ideal for the basketball court.Not so much for rehabbing a serious knee injury.Porzingis said Monday his size has necessitated a slow recovery from a torn left ACL and prevents him or the New York Knicks from establishing a timetable for his return to action."We've done things differently because there is no protocol for a 7-3 guy," Porzingis said. "There is no timetable for my type of body, my size and all that. So we've done things differently. We've been really conservative and at the same time I've been killing myself working, so we're just going to have to keep moving forward and keep progressing and then see when is the right time for me to be back."Porzingis was injured after a dunk in a Feb. 6 loss to Milwaukee, just before he was set to play in his first All-Star Game. He is doing light... [More]

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — First, his right forearm cramped turning his arm into the shape of a V as his hand bent back, and Jordan Bell could not move it for several minutes as he sat in the bathtub as he recovered post-workout. He yelled for his girlfriend's help. The cramp briefly released, then quickly returned. Soon, his quads, calves, hamstrings, biceps, hands and feet followed suit.Then, Bell blacked out. He came to and his girlfriend got him into bed, and he doesn't remember anything but waking up there."I just got cramps everywhere, all at once," he recalled after a workout at Warriors headquarters this week. "The pain was just so much, I blacked out."It was terrifying — "very," Bell said. He realized he had pushed his body to the brink of physical exhaustion after one especially grueling mid-August day with far from enough food and fuel. He did his cycle class, weights and conditioning, then a couple hours of open gym in Los Angeles — his regular routine all summer to get ready for... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Kristaps Porzingis is back with his teammates, though the New York Knicks don't know when he'll be back on the court.Joakim Noah won't be back, though the terms of his departure still are being negotiated.So while there are questions, the Knicks also feel they have certainty with the way they are building their team.They insist their future first-round draft picks will be used to select players for their own team, not to be dangled in trades that could land them an established player."We're committed to following a plan and not just shifting and pivoting because we see something that we think is attractive and might fast track something," Knicks president Steve Mills said Thursday. "I've seen that happen and go wrong too many times and that's not what we're going to do."It's happened in New York, where the Knicks traded young players and future assets in 2011 to acquire Carmelo Anthony, rather than sign him the following summer as a free agent with the cap space they had.... [More]

MILWAUKEE (AP) — A Milwaukee officer involved in the stun gun arrest of Bucks' player Sterling Brown has been fired because of social media posts mocking the incident, the city's police chief said Thursday.Police Chief Alfonso Morales said the firing decision was not tied to anything Erik Andrade did when Brown was arrested, but explained that the social media posts compromised the officer's ability to testify in other cases. Morales spoke about the case at a Marquette University event.Brown sued the police department in June and accused officers of using excessive force and targeting him because he's black. A group of officers swarmed on him at a Walgreens parking lot because he didn't immediately remove his hands from his pockets. Brown was standing with the officers waiting for a citation for parking in a disabled spot early on Jan. 26, but never appeared to threaten police before or during his arrest, according to police body camera videos.Andrade later mocked Brown on Facebook for... [More]

MILWAUKEE (AP) — A Milwaukee officer involved in the stun gun arrest of Bucks' player Sterling Brown has been fired because of social media posts mocking the incident, the city's police chief said Thursday.Police Chief Alfonso Morales said the firing decision was not tied to anything Erik Andrade did when Brown was arrested, but explained that the social media posts compromised the officer's ability to testify in other cases. Morales spoke about the case at a Marquette University event.Brown sued the police department in June and accused officers of using excessive force and targeting him because he's black. A group of officers swarmed on him at a Walgreens parking lot because he didn't immediately remove his hands from his pockets. Brown was standing with the officers waiting for a citation for parking in a disabled spot early on Jan. 26, but never appeared to threaten police before or during his arrest, according to police body camera videos.Andrade later mocked Brown on Facebook for... [More]

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — David West, a key big man and snazzy passer who had a knack for providing a timely lift off the bench during the Golden State Warriors' past two championship seasons, retired Thursday.West's Twitter announcement — one day after his 38th birthday — wasn't a surprise as he made it clear he would take some time after the team's latest title run to contemplate calling it a career."I am humbled and thankful for the support of my family, friends, coaches, teammates, organizations, and fans throughout this experience," said West, the 18th overall draft pick by the Hornets in 2003 out of Xavier.He left the Spurs following the 2015-16 season for a chance to chase a championship with the Warriors, and wound up winning his first career title and then a second one this past June."David was a consummate professional throughout his entire career and was a huge presence in our locker room the last two years," Golden State coach Steve Kerr said in a statement. "The respect that he... [More]

WALNUT CREEK, Calif. (AP) — Just like Steph, seventh-grader Amanda Kerner stood before a big crowd and knocked down shot after shot from five different spots on the court — 20 makes in 2 1/2 minutes, complete with a buzzer-beater.For one afternoon, Stephen Curry ensured that 200 girls in his camp had as real a chance as possible to try to be a little bit like him, down to the fancy dribbling work and competitive shooting drills he does daily alongside Kevin Durant throughout the season.Curry went nuts for Kerner's success.Her summer? Absolutely made."It was the best thing in my life that ever happened," the 12-year-old said, recalling her thrilling moment. "He was jumping around afterward. He seemed really excited. He slammed the ball on the floor. He's the best shooter in the world and I want to be like him, so to see him supporting girls, it's really cool."For the first time, Curry hosted all girls for a free, Warriors-run camp Monday and Tuesday at Walnut Creek's Ultimate Fieldhouse.... [More]

WALNUT CREEK, Calif. (AP) — Stephen Curry can only imagine the intensity level of the Lakers-Warriors rivalry now that LeBron James has landed in L.A.After four straight NBA Finals against James and the Cleveland Cavaliers, two-time defending champion Golden State will get four matchups against James during the regular season."And a whole new-look Laker team with some of the young kids. It should be fun, the Bay Area and L.A. and the whole thing," Curry said Monday in a sit-down with The Associated Press while hosting his annual elite camp at Ultimate Fieldhouse. "When I first got into the league Oracle would be buzzing any time the Lakers came in. There probably will be a revolution of Laker fans that are going to try to creep in but I hope Bay Area and Dub Nation we keep control of that competition because we're on top right now."The schedule is set to be released later this week.Curry is eager to have new teammate and dominant big man DeMarcus Cousins healthy and recovered from surgery... [More]

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — DeMarcus Cousins spent his first eight seasons in the NBA chasing two things — peace and the playoffs.After signing with Golden State as a free agent, the four-time All-Star center has no doubts he'll finally find both, and that those will help dispel the notion that he's a bad teammate."Just a chance to play for a winning culture," Cousins said Thursday. "I also have a chance to play with some of the most talented players of this era. Those two things alone, that pretty much sums it up."Looking relaxed while sitting on a stage next to Warriors general manager Bob Myers, Cousins was at ease during a news conference at the team's practice facility.Golden State's fiery big man seems content in his new surroundings and wants the hardware to show for it."Every guy said let's go get another championship," Cousins said. "They are a well-established team and they could have easily been like, 'No, we don't need him.' But they were excited like a team that's never accomplished... [More]

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — DeMarcus Cousins spent his first eight seasons in the NBA chasing two things — peace and the playoffs.After signing with Golden State as a free agent, the four-time All-Star center has no doubts he'll finally find both, and that that will help dispel the notion that he's a bad teammate.Looking relaxed while sitting next to Warriors general manager Bob Myers, Cousins was at ease during a news conference Thursday at the team's practice facility.He expressed frustrated by the tediousness of rehab while recovering from surgery on his left Achilles but said he's trying to be smart about it.The 27-year-old with a quick temper and a history of piling up technical fouls at a rapid rate also showed a playful side when he joked about the possibility of fighting with new teammates Kevin Durant and Draymond Green, two players with whom he's had on-court issues in the past.Golden State's fiery big man seems content in his new surroundings and wants the hardware to show for it.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/tag/NBAbasketball