OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Stephen Curry on the sidelines again, this time with a hurt knee. No longer the sure-thing No. 1 seed. Steve Kerr piecing together rotations based on who's available through illness and injury.It hasn't exactly been an easy course this season for the defending NBA champions.The Golden State Warriors are used to being the best out West, a top target that everyone in the NBA seeks to unseat.It's just a little different this time.Not that Kerr is overly concerned. Golden State's coach thinks the Warriors will be just fine when they open their best-of-seven series against No. 7 seed San Antonio at home Saturday afternoon."We're going to have new life when the playoffs start. And I'm well aware of what a long, difficult season it's been," he said. "So many things have been thrown at us here the last month, especially all the injuries, which have really shaken up our rotation. That's made it difficult on everybody and our players. But they're fighting and that's the main... [More]

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Stephen Curry on the sidelines again, this time with a hurt knee. No longer the sure-thing No. 1 seed. Steve Kerr piecing together rotations based on who's available through illness and injury.It hasn't exactly been an easy course this season for the defending NBA champions.The Golden State Warriors are used to being the best out West, a top target that everyone in the NBA seeks to unseat.It's just a little different this time.Not that Kerr is overly concerned. Golden State's coach thinks the Warriors will be just fine when they open their best-of-seven series against No. 7 seed San Antonio at home this weekend."We're going to have new life when the playoffs start. And I'm well aware of what a long, difficult season it's been," he said. "So many things have been thrown at us here the last month, especially all the injuries, which have really shaken up our rotation. That's made it difficult on everybody and our players. But they're fighting and that's the main thing."We're... [More]

MIAMI (AP) — By rule, any substitute checking into an NBA game must first report his intentions to the scorer's table. Denver's Jamal Murray was on his way there during a game last month, then got derailed when an errant pass came flying his way.That's when referee Jason Phillips intervened.Phillips could have easily been a stickler for rules and told Murray — who never made it to the table — that he had to wait until the next stoppage of play. But Phillips knew Murray was on his way to checking in long before the play was dead and allowed him to enter the game."Thank you," Nuggets coach Michael Malone said, and Phillips nodded.There were moments of civility like this between referees, players and coaches this season. They just were overshadowed way too often. Now everyone is watching to see how things unfold in the playoffs.The league wants to avoid more headline-grabbing confrontation with the playoffs starting Saturday and stakes and emotion becoming even higher, so officials met with... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — LeBron James believes Alabama's football program is offside.James contends the Crimson Tide has lifted "ideas, concepts and format" from a program on "Uninterrupted," the digital media platform the three-time NBA champion co-founded with business partner Maverick Carter.Last year, "Uninterrupted" aired "The Shop" a forum where James, Golden State forward Draymond Green, retired player Charles Oakley and others have conversations while getting their hair cut in a barber shop.Alabama recently released a trailer on Twitter for "Shop Talk" that shows Tide coach Nick Saban and former Alabama star wide receiver Julio Jones in a barber-shop setting. The video says the first episode is "coming soon."On Monday, "Uninterrupted" sent a letter to Alabama, citing "exploitation" and concerns over copyright infringement and intellectual property.In the letter, which was obtained by The Associated Press, Josh Tarnow, the head of business and legal affairs for "Uninterrupted", tells Alabama... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — LeBron James believes Alabama's football program is offside.James contends that Alabama has lifted "ideas, concepts and format" from a program on "Uninterrupted," the digital media platform the three-time NBA champion co-founded with business partner Maverick Carter. Last year, "Uninterrupted" aired "The Shop" a forum where James, Golden State forward Draymond Green, retired player Charles Oakley and others have conversations while getting their hair cut in a barber shop.Alabama recently released a trailer on Twitter for "Shop Talk" that shows Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban and former Alabama star wide receiver Julio Jones in a barber shop setting. The video says the first episode is "coming soon."On Monday, "Uninterrupted" sent a letter to Alabama, citing "exploitation" and concerns over copyright infringement and intellectual property.In the letter, which was obtained by The Associated Press, Josh Tarnow, the head of business and legal affairs for "Uninterrupted", tells... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — LeBron James is taking on Alabama's powerful football program.James is contending that Alabama has lifted concepts from a program on "Uninterrupted," the digital media platform he co-founded with business partner Maverick Carter. Last year, "Uninterrupted" aired "The Shop" a forum where James, Golden State forward Draymond Green, retired NBA player Charles Oakley and others have conversations while getting their hair cut in a barber shop.Alabama recently released a trailer on Twitter for "Shop Talk," and the clip shows coach Nick Saban and former Crimson Tide star Julio Jones in a barber shop setting. The video says the first episode is "coming soon."On Monday, "Uninterrupted" sent a letter to Alabama, citing "exploitation" and concerns over copyright infringement and intellectual property. Alabama officials did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Warriors guard Patrick McCaw was taken away on a stretcher after he fell hard to the floor following a foul by Sacramento's Vince Carter during a 112-96 Golden State win Saturday night.McCaw was taken to UC Davis Medical Center, the team said. It announced late Saturday that a chest X-ray and CT scan came back clear and that McCaw would undergo an MRI."I just hope he's OK," a visibly distraught Carter said after McCaw fell. "I play this game because I love it and enjoy it, not to see young guys get hurt. He has a bright future. You can tell me whatever, it was an accident. ... I don't like to see him sitting there in pain saying he can't feel his lower half."McCaw drove the baseline and went down with a thud at the 41.8-second mark of the third quarter, hit in the lower body by Carter. McCaw lay in agony for about 10 minutes as the arena silenced. Carter, who was given a flagrant-one foul, knelt nearby as medical personnel from both teams along with Warriors coach... [More]

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Warriors guard Patrick McCaw was taken away on a stretcher after he fell hard to the floor following a foul by Sacramento's Vince Carter during a 112-96 Golden State win Saturday night.McCaw was transported to UC Davis Medical Center for further evaluation, the team said. There were no further updates."I just hope he's OK," a visibly distraught Carter said. "I play this game because I love it and enjoy it, not to see young guys get hurt. He has a bright future. You can tell me whatever, it was an accident. ... I don't like to see him sitting there in pain saying he can't feel his lower half."McCaw drove the baseline and went down with a thud with 41.8 seconds left in the third quarter, hit in the lower body by Carter. McCaw lay in agony for about 10 minutes as the arena silenced.Carter, who was given a Flagrant-1 foul, knelt nearby as medical personnel from both teams along with Warriors coach Steve Kerr rushed out to the baseline beneath Golden State's basket."Vince... [More]

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Optimistic as always, Stephen Curry is ready to prove Steve Kerr wrong and return from a left knee injury for the first round of the playoffs.Not that it's entirely up to him. Kerr on Sunday ruled out the two-time MVP for the best-of-seven Western Conference first round. The Warriors are expected to be the No. 2 seed."There's no way he's playing in the first round," Kerr said.An MRI exam Saturday showed a Grade 2 sprain of his medial collateral ligament and the team said Curry would be re-evaluated in three weeks — that would be April 14 and a possible Game 1 of the playoffs for Golden State.On Sunday, Curry limped up a couple of stairs to the podium for his news conference but didn't need crutches, saying, "It's nice that I'm walking and not limited with crutches or anything like that, so that's a positive."Based on what I've been told, three weeks is a good kind of benchmark to re-evaluate and re-assess kind of where I'm at in my progress and whatnot, so mentally... [More]

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Stephen Curry will miss the first round of the playoffs next month because of a sprained left knee.Coach Steve Kerr on Sunday ruled out the two-time MVP for the best-of-seven first round in the Western Conference playoffs. The Warriors are expected to be the No. 2 seed.An MRI exam Saturday showed a Grade 2 sprain of his medial collateral ligament and the team said Curry would be re-evaluated in three weeks — that would be April 14 and a possible Game 1 of the playoffs for Golden State."There's no way he's playing in the first round," Kerr said.Curry had returned from a six-game absence after his latest right ankle injury Friday night only to injure his left knee. In the third quarter of a victory against Atlanta, center JaVale McGee fell into him. Curry hobbled off the court grimacing, sat on the bench and put his head down.Kerr expects Kevin Durant to return this coming week from fractured rib cartilage, while Draymond Green had been set to return Sunday from a pelvic contusion before being ruled out with flu-like symptoms."Well, we've got to hold down the fort," Kerr said. "We've got enough. We're blessed with a great roster, a lot of depth and so let's get going. Let's play and let's compete and hold down the fort. There's no reason why we can't come out and really play well down the stretch and be ready for the playoffs and then maybe we get Steph back and we'll see what happens."___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/tag/NBAbasketball

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Stephen Curry will miss at least three weeks with a sprained left knee, meaning the Golden State Warriors will be without their do-everything point guard and second-leading scorer for the rest of the regular season.Curry could be back at the start of the playoffs next month if all goes well in rehabbing his latest injury. An MRI on Saturday showed a Grade 2 sprain of his medial collateral ligament and the team said Curry would be re-evaluated in three weeks — that would be April 14 and a possible Game 1 of the playoffs for Golden State.The two-time MVP had returned from a six-game absence after his latest right ankle injury Friday night only to injure his left knee. In the third quarter of a victory against Atlanta, center JaVale McGee fell into him. Curry hobbled off the court grimacing, sat on the bench and put his head down.The defending champions were already without their three other All-Stars: Kevin Durant, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson. Green is likely to... [More]

The NBA playoffs start in three weeks. Whether Boston's Kyrie Irving and Golden State's Stephen Curry will be ready when the postseason starts seems doubtful, at best.The Celtics said that Irving will need at least three and possibly as many as six weeks to recover from a procedure performed to relieve irritation on his left knee Saturday, that news coming almost simultaneously with the word that Curry has a Grade 2 sprain of the medial collateral ligament in his left knee.The Warriors said Curry will be evaluated again in three weeks.Based on those timetables, it would appear that both the Celtics and Warriors will not only be without their All-Star point guards for the rest of the regular season — but very easily could still be without them for Game 1s of their respective first-round matchups."It could be a lot worse," Warriors coach Steve Kerr told reporters just before Curry's MRI results were revealed. "You think about some of the other guys in the league that have suffered injuries... [More]

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Stephen Curry will miss at least three weeks because of a sprained left knee, meaning he is out for the rest of the regular season for the Golden State Warriors.He could be back for around the start of the playoffs next month if all goes well in rehabbing his latest injury.An MRI on Saturday showed a Grade 2 sprain of his medial collateral ligament and the team says Curry would be re-evaluated in three weeks — that would be April 14 and a possible Game 1 of the playoffs.The two-time MVP had returned from a six-game absence with a right ankle injury Friday night only to injure his left knee in the third quarter of a victory against Atlanta when center JaVale McGee fell into him.The defending champions were already without their three other All-Stars: Kevin Durant, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson.Curry scored 29 points before his knee injury, which coach Steve Kerr called, "kind of a strange, cruel twist of fate."___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/tag/NBAbasketball

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Stephen Curry wanted nothing more than to play on his milestone 30th birthday, a home game against the Lakers on Wednesday night.The two-time MVP is doing his best to see the big picture and realize health is No. 1 over earning the No. 1 seed. The playoffs are a month away and he plans to be in top form to lead another special Golden State run."I've been through this countless times but I feel very confident in the approach that we're taking to get to as close to 100 percent as possible going into the stretch run of the regular season and then obviously the playoffs," Curry said after his team's shootaround Wednesday. "I would obviously love to be out there playing every game down the stretch, to be out there with my squad. At this point there's enough time. Not just me, we have a bunch of guys banged up, that we all can prioritize health and understand that we need to all be ready to go."Curry will miss at least the next four games for the ailing defending champions... [More]

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Stephen Curry wanted nothing more than to play on his milestone 30th birthday, a home game against the Lakers on Wednesday night.The two-time MVP is doing his best to see the big picture and realize health is No. 1 over earning the No. 1 seed. The playoffs are a month away and he plans to be in top form to lead another special Golden State run."I've been through this countless times but I feel very confident in the approach that we're taking to get to as close to 100 percent as possible going into the stretch run of the regular season and then obviously the playoffs," Curry said after his team's shootaround Wednesday. "I would obviously love to be out there playing every game down the stretch, to be out there with my squad. At this point there's enough time. Not just me, we have a bunch of guys banged up, that we all can prioritize health and understand that we need to all be ready to go."Curry will miss at least the next four games for the ailing defending champions... [More]

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Stephen Curry wanted nothing more than to play on his milestone 30th birthday, a home game against the Lakers on Wednesday night.The two-time MVP is doing his best to see the big picture, though. The playoffs are a month away and he plans to be in top form to lead another special Golden State run."I've been through this countless times but I feel very confident in the approach that we're taking to get to as close to 100 percent as possible going into the stretch run of the regular season and then obviously the playoffs," Curry said after his team's shootaround Wednesday. "I would obviously love to be out there playing every game down the stretch, to be out there with my squad. At this point there's enough time, not just me, we have a bunch of guys banged up, that we all can prioritize health and understand that we need to all be ready to go."Curry will miss at least the next four games for the ailing defending champions as he heals from his latest right ankle injury,... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Stephen Curry would love to be an NBA All-Star Game captain again next year, especially since the game will be in his hometown of Charlotte.LeBron James would be OK with someone else taking his place, depending on who the top two vote-getters are, although his draft prowess led to Team LeBron beating Team Stephen 148-145 Sunday night .And there's a definite appetite for the NBA to televise the captains' draft rather than conduct it clandestinely like it was this year."Televise it," said DeMar DeRozan of Team Stephen. "Give the people what they want to see. I think everybody wants to see it. At the end of the day, every single person that gets picked, you are an All-Star, so it doesn't matter where you really go, so I think televise it."Players raved about the new format of having captains draft the teams rather than the traditional format of East vs. West.And James finally revealed his draft order: Kevin Durant, Anthony Davis, his former Cleveland teammate Kyrie Irving... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Fergie is apologizing after trying something different with the national anthem at the NBA All-Star Game."I've always been honored and proud to perform the national anthem and last night I wanted to try something special for the NBA," the Grammy-winning singer said in a statement Monday. "I'm a risk taker artistically, but clearly this rendition didn't strike the intended tone. I love this country and honestly tried my best."Fergie's slow, bluesy rendition of "The Star-Spangled Banner" on Sunday night wasn't particularly well received at Staples Center or on social media before the 67th edition of the NBA's annual showcase.A low chuckle rumbled through the sold-out arena after she finished the first line of the song with a throaty growl on "the dawn's early light."Fans throughout the star-studded crowd reacted with varying levels of bemusement and enthusiasm while her languid, 2 ½-minute version of the song continued. Although Fergie was on pitch, her tempo, musical accompaniment... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Fergie tried something different with her national anthem at the NBA All-Star Game, and not everybody was cheering.The Black Eyed Peas singer's slow, bluesy rendition of "The Star-Spangled Banner" on Sunday night wasn't particularly well received at Staples Center or on social media before the 67th edition of the NBA's annual showcase.A low chuckle rumbled through the sold-out arena after Fergie finished the first line of the song with a throaty growl on "the dawn's early light."Fans throughout the star-studded crowd reacted with varying levels of bemusement and enthusiasm while her languid, 2 ½-minute version of the song continued. Although Fergie was on pitch, her tempo, musical accompaniment and sexy delivery were not exactly typical for a sporting event or a patriotic song."I've always been honored and proud to perform the national anthem and last night I wanted to try something special for the NBA," Fergie said in a statement Monday. "I'm a risk taker artistically,... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Fergie tried something different with her national anthem at the NBA All-Star Game, and not everybody was cheering.The Black Eyed Peas singer's slow, bluesy rendition of "The Star-Spangled Banner" on Sunday night wasn't particularly well received at Staples Center or on social media before the 67th edition of the NBA's annual showcase.A low chuckle rumbled through the sold-out arena after Fergie finished the first line of the song with a throaty growl on "the dawn's early light."Fans throughout the star-studded crowd reacted with varying levels of bemusement and enthusiasm while her languid, 2 ½-minute version of the song continued. Although Fergie was on pitch, her tempo, musical accompaniment and sexy delivery were not exactly typical for a sporting event or a patriotic song.Golden State All-Star Draymond Green captured the mood — and became an instant GIF — when he was shown open-mouthed on the scoreboard and the television broadcast in apparent confusion over the... [More]