LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Latest from Sunday's NBA All-Star Game and events around the league's annual showcase (all times local):6:10 p.m.Team Stephen took a 42-31 lead over Team LeBron after the first quarter of the new-look NBA All-Star Game.Rather than the traditional East vs. West matchup, the teams were picked by captains LeBron James and Stephen Curry.The players seemed to be giving more effort than in most All-Star Games, but the play wasn't always better. However, players did seem to be actually playing some defense.Karl Anthony-Towns of Minnesota led Team Stephen with 11 points while Anthony Davis of New Orleans had six for Team LeBron.Davis wore the jersey of Pelicans teammate DeMarcus Cousins, who was voted to start but then suffered a season-ending injury.___5:40 p.m.First, there were elaborate pregame introductions by Kevin Hart, and then the Canadian national anthem by the Barenaked Ladies and the American national anthem by Fergie.Then it was time for the NBA All-Star Game... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Latest from Sunday's NBA All-Star Game and events around the league's annual showcase (all times local):5:40 p.m.First, there were elaborate pregame introductions by Kevin Hart, and then the Canadian national anthem by the Barenaked Ladies and the American national anthem by Fergie.Then it was time for the NBA All-Star Game between Team LeBron and Team Stephen at Staples Center.LeBron James has started his 14th straight NBA All-Star Game, breaking a tie with Bob Cousy for the longest streak in league history. James is one behind Kobe Bryant for the most overall.Two intriguing subplots with Team LeBron are that James is teaming up again with Kyrie Irving, the Boston guard who campaigned to leave James' side in Cleveland last summer; and Russell Westbrook is once again teammates with Kevin Durant, who ditched him in Oklahoma City in 2016 to win a championship in Oakland last year. The final starter on Team LeBron is Anthony Davis of New Orleans.James' original roster... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Latest from Sunday's NBA All-Star Game and events around the league's annual showcase (all times local):4:30 p.m.The U.S. men's basketball team tuned up for its upcoming World Cup qualifiers by beating Mexico 88-67 in the NBA G League International Challenge.The event replaced the traditional G League All-Star Game. The Americans are using G League players in the World Cup qualifiers, so the game gave them extra preparation while they continue training for a pair of games later this month.Aaron Harrison and Xavier Silas each scored 13 points for coach Jeff Van Gundy's team, which played under the name NBA G League USA.The Americans are preparing to play Puerto Rico and Cuba in Santa Cruz, California, home of the Golden State Warriors' G League affiliate. They are 2-0 in qualifying thus far.Luke Martinez scored 22 points for Mexico.____2:05 p.m.NBA Commissioner Adam Silver doubled down on his support of players speaking out on social and political issues, opening his... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — LeBron James says he will not stick to sports.The Cleveland Cavaliers superstar reiterated his determination to speak out on social issues and the nation's political climate Saturday during his media availability for the NBA All-Star Game."I will not just shut up and dribble," James said. "I get to sit up here and talk about what's really important."James spoke publicly after Fox News host Laura Ingraham criticized the three-time NBA champion for his recent comments about social issues. James previously responded with an Instagram post containing similar sentiments."We will definitely not shut up and dribble," James said. "I will definitely not do that. I mean too much to society. I mean too much to the youth. I mean too much to so many kids that feel like they don't have a way out and they need someone to help lead them out of the situation they're in."James made the initial public comments in question during a recent video segment on Uninterrupted, a platform co-founded... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The NBA's All-Star version of a pickup game is taking center stage in Hollywood.The 67th version of the All-Star Game on Sunday night features teams picked by captains LeBron James and Stephen Curry. Dispensing with the usual East vs. West format, the league is creating a new look to its annual showcase with teams picked regardless of geography.That's how Curry and Golden State teammates Klay Thompson and Draymond Green will be going against Kevin Durant, and how James will play alongside Oklahoma City duo Russell Westbrook and Paul George.Boston teammates Kyrie Irving and Al Horford are on opposing teams. Irving is on the same team as James, several months after Irving broke up their Cleveland partnership by forcing a trade.___More AP basketball: www.apnews.com/tags/NBAbasketball

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Latest from Sunday's NBA All-Star Game and events around the league's annual showcase (all times local):2:05 p.m.NBA Commissioner Adam Silver doubled down on his support of players speaking out on social and political issues, opening his comments at the Legends Brunch by thanking the veterans for setting the tone for current players."Bill Russell was recognized before, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, I could go down the list of so many others here who created that tradition for the players in the NBA, who gave them the safety and comfort to speak out on issues that are important to them as they do today," Silver said Sunday."I'm so proud of that legacy," added the commissioner, who praised the current players on Saturday . "So thank you to all of the people in this room."The issue of players publicly speaking out on various issues surfaced during All-Star weekend after Fox News host Laura Ingraham criticized three-time NBA champion LeBron James for his recent comments. James... [More]

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Standing in the rain seven stories above concrete, construction workers, steel and mud, Rick Welts is beaming at an arena project that is absolutely his baby."It's real," Welts says, wearing a bright yellow jacket and hard hat for the work site tour. "It's happening."After years in the making, too.The chief operating officer of the Golden State Warriors has been entrusted by team owners Joe Lacob and Peter Guber to be the unofficial foreman as Chase Center goes up in the Mission Bay district of San Francisco for a scheduled opening of late summer 2019. The goal is to build one of the top entertainment venues in the world, right up with The O2 in London and Madison Square Garden for attracting the best music shows.Welts has been an NBA junkie since his early days growing up in Seattle, where he got his start as a SuperSonics ball boy at 16. Later, he got the keys to the Seattle Center Coliseum and, specifically, the laundry room.Welts, who turned 65 in January and is... [More]

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Golden State forward Draymond Green was fined $50,000 by the NBA on Thursday for directing inappropriate and offensive language toward a game official two days earlier, and he was hardly the only member of the Warriors to lose his cool.Green was ejected with 8:13 remaining in the game after a second technical for arguing with the officials, specifically female referee Lauren Holtkamp. The NBA said the specific incident for which he was penalized came in the second quarter of the Warriors' 125-105 home loss to Oklahoma City on Tuesday night.The defending champion Warriors had five technicals in all, prompting general manager Bob Myers to address the topic with the team Thursday ahead of a home game against Dallas."With great expectations comes great scrutiny. So how do we live in that? What's the best way to be in that?" Myers said. "So, empathetic toward the role and the place they have in all this as players as the most visible parts of our organization, the most... [More]

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Golden State forward Draymond Green was fined $50,000 by the NBA on Thursday for directing inappropriate and offensive language toward a game official two days earlier, and he was hardly the only member of the Warriors to lose his cool.Green was ejected with 8:13 remaining in the game after a second technical for arguing with the officials, specifically female referee Lauren Holtkamp. The NBA said the specific incident for which he was penalized came in the second quarter of the Warriors' 125-105 home loss to Oklahoma City on Tuesday night.The defending champion Warriors had five technicals in all, prompting general manager Bob Myers to address the topic with the team Thursday ahead of a home game against Dallas."With great expectations comes great scrutiny. So how do we live in that? What's the best way to be in that?" Myers said. "So, empathetic toward the role and the place they have in all this as players as the most visible parts of our organization, the most... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — With their NBA title hopes fading fast, the Cavaliers got aggressive at the trading deadline.They swapped teams.Cleveland completely changed its look — and perhaps its chances of winning a championship this season — on Thursday with a stunning sequence of deals. General manager Koby Altman traded six players, including Isaiah Thomas, Dwyane Wade and Derrick Rose, and two future draft picks in moves designed to not only help them in the short term but could potentially help keep LeBron James beyond this season.Just like that, the Cavs traded nearly half their roster, got substantially younger and more athletic and wedged themselves back into contention to make a fourth straight Finals appearance against Golden State.Following a long day that left him "numb," Altman said his main objective in making the deals was to alter the chemistry of a team that was no longer playing with joy."We were really worried that what was going on the floor and sort of our culture in the building... [More]

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Golden State forward Draymond Green was fined $50,000 by the NBA on Thursday for directing inappropriate and offensive language toward a game official two days earlier, and he was hardly the only member of the Warriors to lose his cool.Green was ejected with 8:13 remaining in the game after a second technical for arguing with the officials, specifically female referee Lauren Holtkamp. The NBA said the specific incident for which he was penalized came in the second quarter of the Warriors' 125-105 home loss to Oklahoma City on Tuesday night.The defending champion Warriors had five technicals in all, prompting general manager Bob Myers to address the topic with the team Thursday ahead of a home game against Dallas. Green had two, coach Steve Kerr one, and Andre Iguodala and David West the two others."It's not a good look," Kerr said about Myers' words. "We need to look more professional, to act more professional and to be more poised and to represent our team in a better... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Golden State forward Draymond Green was fined $50,000 by the NBA on Thursday for directing inappropriate and offensive language toward a game official.Green was ejected in the second quarter of the Warriors' 125-105 home loss to Oklahoma City on Tuesday night after a second technical when he argued with the officials.Last month, Green was fined $25,000 for criticizing the NBA's officiating. He's averaging 11.1 points, 7.8 rebounds and 7.3 assists in 47 games this season.

CLEVELAND (AP) — With their NBA title hopes fading fast, the Cavaliers got aggressive at the trading deadline.They swapped teams.Cleveland completely changed its look — and perhaps its chances of winning a championship this season — on Thursday with a stunning sequence of deals. The Cavs traded six players, including Isaiah Thomas, Dwyane Wade and Derrick Rose, and two future draft picks in moves designed to not only help them in the short term but could potentially help keep LeBron James beyond this season.Just like that, the Cavs traded nearly half their roster, got younger and maybe wedged themselves back into contention to make a fourth straight Finals appearance against Golden State.Watching from the West Coast, the defending champions took notice."It's interesting, really interesting," Warriors forward Draymond Green said of Cleveland's drastic midseason renovation. "It's probably obviously something that they felt was needed. I feel like they made some good moves. I don't know, we'll... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — With their NBA title hopes fading fast, the Cavaliers got aggressive at the trading deadline.They swapped teams.Cleveland completely changed its look — and perhaps its chances of winning a championship this season — on Thursday with a stunning sequence of deals. The Cavs traded six players, including Isaiah Thomas, Dwyane Wade and Derrick Rose, and two future draft picks in moves designed to not only help them in the short term but could potentially help keep LeBron James beyond this season.Just like that, the Cavs traded nearly half their roster, got younger and maybe wedged themselves back into contention to make a fourth straight Finals appearance against Golden State.Watching from the West Coast, the defending champions took notice."It's interesting, really interesting," Warriors forward Draymond Green said of Cleveland's drastic midseason renovation. "It's probably obviously something that they felt was needed. I feel like they made some good moves. I don't know, we'll... [More]

INDEPENDENCE, Ohio (AP) — LeBron James wouldn't reveal the order he drafted players for his All-Star team.Kevin Love had an idea when he was chosen."Probably dead last," Love said, joking."Kev would say that," James said.Cleveland's All-Stars will indeed play together in the Feb. 18 game after James selected his teammate — and former Cavs guard Kyrie Irving — to join him on a squad that will face a team featuring Golden State's Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green in Los Angeles.As the top two vote-getters, James and Curry were named captains and selected their teams for the All-Star game, which the league has acknowledged needs a jolt of excitement, intrigue and intensity following some lackluster affairs. Last year, the West won 192-182 in a game devoid of defense or much competitiveness.James, who will be playing in his 14th consecutive All-Star game, nabbed Warriors star Kevin Durant with his first pick. But he wouldn't divulge how the rest of the draft unfolded or the reasons... [More]

INDEPENDENCE, Ohio (AP) — LeBron James wouldn't reveal the order he drafted players for his All-Star team.Kevin Love had an idea when he was chosen."Probably dead last," Love said, joking."Kev would say that," James said.Cleveland's All-Stars will indeed play together in the Feb. 18 game after James selected his teammate — and former Cavs guard Kyrie Irving — to join him on a squad that will face a team featuring Golden State's Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green in Los Angeles.As the top two vote-getters, James and Curry were named captains and selected their teams for the All-Star game, which the league has acknowledged needs a jolt of excitement, intrigue and intensity following some lackluster affairs. Last year, the West won 192-182 in a game devoid of defense or much competitiveness.James, who will be playing in his 14th consecutive All-Star game, nabbed Warriors star Kevin Durant with his first pick. But he wouldn't divulge how the rest of the draft unfolded or the reasons... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — LeBron James got Kevin Durant and reunited with Kyrie Irving in the NBA's first All-Star draft.Stephen Curry picked James Harden and Giannis Antetokounmpo, the NBA's top two scorers, and grabbed his other two Golden State teammates in the selections Thursday.The draft was not televised, and neither James nor Curry would reveal who they chose first when they were interviewed on TNT when the rosters were unveiled. However, Durant later said that he had been the No. 1 selection.James was among those who said fans should have watched the proceedings and his decision to draft Irving could have made for a must-see moment. The point guard asked out of Cleveland last summer and the Cavaliers traded him to conference rival Boston."Kyrie was available on the draft board, he's one of the best point guards we have in our league," James said. "It was an easy choice for me."James and Curry will be the captains Feb. 18 in Los Angeles for the first NBA All-Star Game that doesn't use the... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — LeBron James got Kevin Durant and reunited with Kyrie Irving in the NBA's first All-Star draft.Stephen Curry picked James Harden and Giannis Antetokounmpo, the NBA's top two scorers, and grabbed his other two Golden State teammates in the selections Thursday.The draft was not televised, and neither James nor Curry would reveal who they chose first when they were interviewed on TNT when the rosters were unveiled.James was among those who said fans should have watched the proceedings and his decision to draft Irving could have made for a must-see moment. The point guard asked out of Cleveland last summer and the Cavaliers traded him to conference rival Boston."Kyrie was available on the draft board, he's one of the best point guards we have in our league," James said. "It was an easy choice for me."James and Curry will be the captains Feb. 18 in Los Angeles for the first NBA All-Star Game that doesn't use the Eastern Conference vs. Western Conference format.James had the No.... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — LeBron James got Kevin Durant and reunited with Kyrie Irving in the NBA's first All-Star draft.Stephen Curry picked James Harden and Giannis Antetokounmpo, the NBA's top two scorers, and grabbed his other two Golden State teammates in the selections Thursday.The draft was not televised, and neither James nor Curry would reveal who they chose first when they were interviewed on TNT when the rosters were unveiled.James and Curry will be the captains Feb. 18 in Los Angeles for the first NBA All-Star Game that doesn't use the Eastern Conference vs. Western Conference format.The league is hoping that trying to something new will bring back some old-school intensity that has been absent from the last two games, when the West nearly scored 200 points.James also took the New Orleans duo of Anthony Davis and DeMarcus Cousins. His reserves are Oklahoma City's Russell Westbrook, the NBA MVP, Cleveland teammate Kevin Love, Washington guards John Wall and Bradley Beal, LaMarcus Aldridge of San Antonio, Indiana's Victor Oladipo and Kristaps Porzingis of New York.After taking starters Joel Embiid of Philadelphia and DeMar DeRozan of Toronto, Curry rounded out his roster with Warriors teammates Klay Thompson and Draymond Green, Minnesota's Jimmy Butler and Karl-Anthony Towns, Toronto's Kyle Lowry, Portland's Damian Lillard, and Boston's Al Horford.

LeBron, Stephen, you have some big decisions to make.We're here to help.Just like in fantasy sports, where you know most people are relying on a mock draft they found online or in some magazine anyway, AP Basketball Writers Brian Mahoney and Tim Reynolds have drafted the teams for the 2018 NBA All-Star Game — in case captains LeBron James and Stephen Curry needed a bit of guidance on how to put together their rosters for the Feb. 18 game in Los Angeles.Mahoney won a coin toss and goes first, where he drafts as if he were picking Team LeBron; Reynolds drafted as if he were picking Team Stephen. And since the NBA isn't planning to make the draft details public, this might be as close as you get to the real thing anyway.___STARTER ROUNDFirst PickMahoney: Giannis Antetokounmpo.He's a dominant athlete who wants to dunk on everyone and is too young and hungry to know you're not supposed to go all out in the All-Star Game.Reynolds: Kevin Durant.Because he's Kevin Durant and I know if he doesn't... [More]