LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Los Angeles Lakers, Atlanta Hawks and Dallas Mavericks all began their first-round playoff series at a home-court disadvantage. After moving ahead of their higher-seeded opponents with early-series road wins, all three are up 2-1 and in position to move to the brink of the second round Sunday. The stakes are similar in all four NBA playoff games on a tantalizing slate: Atlanta, Dallas and the defending NBA champions will attempt to seize firm control of their series at home, while the heavily favored Brooklyn Nets can do the same in Boston. Los Angeles, Atlanta and Dallas are probably aware of the massive statistical edge for NBA teams with a 3-1 series lead — only 13 of 260 teams in that situation have ever blown it. They also realize Phoenix, New York and the Clippers will play for a split with appropriate intensity. “It’s going to be probably the biggest game in this series unless, it goes to a Game 7,” Lakers forward Anthony Davis said Saturday. “We’re going in... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Los Angeles Lakers starting guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope has a mildly bruised left knee, and his availability is uncertain for Game 4 of their first-round playoff series against Phoenix. An MRI exam of Caldwell-Pope's knee revealed no structural damage, the Lakers announced Friday. Caldwell-Pope was injured in the third quarter of the Lakers' 109-95 victory over the Suns on Thursday night. The win put the defending NBA champions up 2-1 in the series. Game 4 is Sunday at Staples Center. Caldwell-Pope averaged 9.7 points in the regular season, but he has struggled so far in the playoffs. He scored just five points in 26 minutes in Game 3, and he went scoreless in 30 minutes in Game 2 after contributing only seven points with 1-for-7 shooting from 3-point range in the series opener. Caldwell-Pope was the Lakers' third-leading scorer on their championship team last year, contributing 10.7 points per game as their primary perimeter shooting threat with 37.8% shooting on 3-pointers. Wesley Matthews stepped up in Caldwell-Pope's absence late in Game 3, scoring eight points and hitting two key 3-pointers in the fourth quarter. Matthews could get more playing time if Caldwell-Pope sits out. Talen Horton-Tucker and Markieff Morris also would be options for coach Frank Vogel after neither player saw action in Game 3. ___ More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Anthony Davis is playing like his superstar self again. At the same time, he's reminding everyone just how dangerous the Los Angeles Lakers can be. Davis had 42 points and 12 rebounds and the Lakers never trailed in a 123-110 win over the Phoenix Suns on Sunday night. “I feel good, man,” Davis said. “I’m getting my legs back, I’m getting my rhythm back. Getting my steps back on both ends of the floor, so feeling good. I’m getting better each game, getting my wind back each game. We’re headed in the right direction.” Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Alex Caruso each had 17 points and the short-handed Lakers won for just the third time in their past 11 games. Playing without LeBron James, who missed his fourth straight game for Los Angeles because of a sprained right ankle, and Kyle Kuzma, held out because of tightness in his back, an energized Davis led the way for the defending NBA champions as they try to avoid the play-in tournament. Davis set the tone with his one-handed... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Anthony Davis had 42 points and 12 rebounds and the Los Angeles Lakers never trailed in a 123-110 win over the Phoenix Suns on Sunday night. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Alex Caruso each had 17 points and the short-handed Lakers won for just the third time in their past 11 games. LeBron James missed his fourth straight game for Los Angeles because of a sprained right ankle, and Kyle Kuzma was held out because of tightness in his back. Cameron Payne had 24 points for the Suns, who have lost two of three following a five-game winning streak. Devin Booker added 21 points and Mikal Bridges 15. An energized Davis led the way for the defending NBA champions as they try to avoid the play-in tournament, with his one-handed alley-oop from Andre Drummond setting the tone as Los Angeles scored the first seven points. The Lakers led 30-19 after the first quarter. Los Angeles built its biggest advantage early in the fourth to go ahead by 23 points en route to avoid being swept in... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Forward Kyle Kuzma has agreed to a three-year, $40 million extension to remain with the NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers, a person familiar with the deal said Sunday. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the Lakers didn't disclose the terms of the deal in their announcement of an extension. ESPN first reported the terms of Kuzma's rookie contract extension, which begins in 2021 and includes a player option for the 2023-24 season. Kuzma has been a key component of the Lakers' core for three seasons since the team acquired him in a draft-day trade in 2017. “It is especially gratifying for our Lakers franchise to draft, develop and now sign one of our own to a contract extension,” Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka said. “Kyle has shown tremendous growth over the last three years, and played a crucial role on last season's championship team.” Kuzma made the All-NBA rookie first team in 2018, and the smooth scorer averaged a career-best... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Montrezl Harrell did not make the trip lightly when he moved down the Staples Center hallway last weekend to join the Los Angeles Lakers. The NBA's reigning Sixth Man of the Year realizes the gravity of his decision to leave the Los Angeles Clippers after three seasons — and to leave them for their bigger, more successful intra-city rivals, no less. The decision turned out to be surprisingly simple, though. According to Harrell, the NBA champion Lakers made it clear they badly wanted him in the opening minutes of free agency. The Clippers did not. “If you spend your career in any place long enough, you're going to want to continue playing there and growing there,” Harrell said Monday. “Of course, I still have great respect for those guys and for that organization. But as far as if they wanted me back? Obviously, it just doesn't seem that way, does it?” The tenacious forward who plays much bigger than his 6-foot-7 frame agreed to a two-year deal during the Lakers' impressive... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Los Angeles Lakers won't have fans at Staples Center during the upcoming regular season until further notice. The NBA champions made the long-expected decision official Tuesday for the new season, which will begin Dec. 22. The Lakers also apparently don't plan to hang their 17th title banner until fans are in the stands to celebrate the moment with them. “We appreciate your continued support and look forward to coming together, when it is safe to do so, to celebrate the raising of our banner and the quest for another NBA championship,” the team said in a statement. The Lakers say they're following the guidance of state and local health officials in planning to move forward without fans in the stands at their downtown arena. They intend to continue working on a plan to welcome fans whenever governments and the league allow it, but large gatherings are still banned in California under coronavirus restrictions. The Lakers won the NBA Finals on Oct. 11 in central Florida,... [More]

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — The Los Angeles Lakers planned to get together Wednesday night to watch basketball, which is about all they've been able to do lately.Soon enough, they'll get to play it again.For now, their competition comes from video games. Their superstar player is also adept at those, as coach Frank Vogel revealed when asked what he's learned about LeBron James that surprised him most.“I would say how good he is at Madden football,” Vogel said. “I think they’ve been playing a lot of Madden football, our group has, and I hear he’s very good.” James won't be able to show his skills on the basketball court again until Friday, when the Lakers conclude a lengthy layoff in the bubble. The No. 1 seed in the Western Conference has been waiting for its second-round opponent. Houston and Oklahoma City were playing their Game 7 on Wednesday, with the Lakers set to watch it during a team dinner.Starting Thursday, the Lakers can start working on a game plan for either James Harden,... [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) — The Lakers and Bucks exited practice Wednesday to palm trees around them and sunny skies overhead.The weather is good at Walt Disney World. The service is great. The setting seems ideal.For the best NBA teams, it's anything but.The top-four seeds in each conference should be playing in their arenas right now, with home-court advantage in the first two games of their playoff series. They'd have their fans screaming during the action and in many cases families waiting at home afterward.Boy, do some of them miss that at the moment.“If's definitely a difference. You can feel it,” Bucks All-Star Khris Middleton said. "There's times where we really depended on our crowd last year and during the season this year to kind of pull us out of our struggle or whatever it was. And here, there is none of that."We have to bring it every single night. We can't rely on our crowd, our fans to give us that energy. We have to bring it ourselves."Milwaukee and Los Angeles, the No.... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — JR Smith was not ready to wrap up his 15-year NBA career when he left the Cleveland Cavaliers in late 2018, and the ensuing 20 months were not much fun for the veteran shooter.“I went through a very depressed state for a long time," Smith said Monday. "I’m a big video gamer, (but) I didn’t even play (NBA) 2K anymore. I don’t want to hoop, I don’t want to work out, I don’t want to play 2K, I don’t want do anything with basketball.”Thanks to a call from the Los Angeles Lakers, Smith is getting another shot on basketball's biggest stage. He joined the Western Conference leaders for workouts last week before they head to Florida for the conclusion of the NBA season.The 34-year-old Smith was added to the roster because Lakers starter Avery Bradley declined to return for the rest of the season, citing family concerns. The Lakers needed a depth replacement who could immediately fit in alongside LeBron James while playing solid wing defense, providing a 3-point threat and meshing... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — J.R. Smith has joined LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers for their championship push.The Lakers announced their long-anticipated signing of Smith as a substitute player Wednesday, the first day allowed under the rules of the NBA's summer restart.Smith is the Lakers' roster replacement for Avery Bradley, who cited family reasons last week for his decision not to finish the season with his team in Orlando amid the coronavirus pandemic.“We’re not going to ask him to come in and be Avery Bradley,” Lakers coach Frank Vogel said. “He’s going to come in and be J.R. Smith. He’s going to just fill that position more than fill that role. Avery’s loss is obviously a huge loss for us, but we’re a next-man-up team. J.R. is going to come in and help fill that need, but we have a lot of guys in that position that can do the same.”The 34-year-old Smith hasn't played in the NBA since November 2018, but the 2013 Sixth Man of the Year is a longtime trusted teammate of James. During... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — J.R. Smith has joined LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers for their championship push.The Lakers announced their long-anticipated signing of Smith as a substitute player Wednesday, the first day allowed under the rules of the NBA's summer restart.Smith is the Lakers' replacement for Avery Bradley, who cited family reasons last week for his decision not to finish the season with his team in Orlando.The 34-year-old Smith hasn't played in the NBA since November 2018, but the 2013 Sixth Man of the Year is a longtime trusted teammate of James. During their four years together with the Cleveland Cavaliers, they won a title in 2016 and reached four consecutive NBA Finals.Bradley was a starter and a key role player in his first season with the Lakers, averaging 8.6 points per game and playing solid wing defense. But the Western Conference-leading Lakers also excelled while Bradley missed 13 games due to injury, with Kentavious Caldwell-Pope capably filling the role.Smith... [More]

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — LeBron James and Anthony Davis missed the Lakers' game against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday.Lakers coach Frank Vogel said James has a chest cold. Officially, the team said he has flu-like symptoms. James is averaging 25.4 points, a league-leading 10.7 assists and 8.7 rebounds and has helped the Lakers to the best record in the Western Conference. He played on Friday night and had 35 points, 16 rebounds and seven assists in a win over the Dallas Mavericks. Vogel said the performance was especially impressive because James struggled with breathing throughout.Davis, who leads the Lakers with 27.1 points per game, missed his second straight game with a gluteus maximus contusion. Danny Green also sat out with a sore right hip. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Rajon Rondo moved into the starting lineup and Kyle Kuzma got his third start of the season.The short-handed Lakers faced a Thunder team that has won 11 of 13 games and rolled past the Houston Rockets on Thursday night.

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — LeBron James will miss the Lakers' game against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday with an illness.Lakers coach Frank Vogel said James has a chest cold. Officially, the team said he has flu-like symptoms. James is averaging 25.4 points, a league-leading 10.7 assists and 8.7 rebounds and has helped the Lakers to the best record in the Western Conference. He played on Friday night and had 35 points, 16 rebounds and seven assists in a win over the Dallas Mavericks. Vogel said the performance was especially impressive because James struggled with breathing throughout.Vogel said forward Anthony Davis, who leads the Lakers with 27.1 points per game, is a game-time decision with a gluteus maximus contusion. He also missed the game against Dallas.Vogel also said guard Danny Green will sit out with a sore right hip. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Rajon Rondo will start in the slots vacated by James and Green.The short-handed Lakers face a Thunder team that has won 11 of 13 games and rolled past the Houston Rockets on Thursday night.

CHICAGO (AP) — Lakers guard Avery Bradley has been ruled out for Los Angeles' game against Chicago because of a lower right leg contusion.Bradley got hurt during Sunday's 103-96 victory at San Antonio. He is averaging 10.7 points in six games in his first season with the Lakers.Kentavious Caldwell-Pope replaced Bradley in the starting lineup Tuesday night.The Lakers also were without Rajon Rondo, who is coming back from a right calf injury. He has yet to play this season.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Anthony Davis and the Los Angeles Lakers did not get out of China unscathed.Davis will have tests Sunday to determine the full severity of a right thumb injury, which the Lakers have initially diagnosed as a sprain. He got hurt in the first quarter of the Lakers' 91-77 loss to the Brooklyn Nets on Saturday at Shenzhen in the finale of the NBA China Games series.Caris LeVert scored 22 points on 8 for 11 shooting for Brooklyn, which swept the two matchups between the clubs in China. Taurean Prince scored 14 for Brooklyn, and DeAndre Jordan grabbed 11 rebounds in 19 minutes.Avery Bradley led the Lakers with 14 points. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope scored 11.The encouraging sign for the Lakers is that Davis — who has a history of being plagued by injuries throughout his career — continued to play for a few minutes after getting hurt while attempting to block a shot. He and LeBron James both shot 2 for 7 and scored six points apiece for the Lakers; James, like Davis, played the entire first quarter... [More]

Anthony Davis and the Los Angeles Lakers did not get out of China unscathed.Davis will have tests Sunday to determine the full severity of a right thumb injury, which the Lakers have initially diagnosed as a sprain. He got hurt in the first quarter of the Lakers' 91-77 loss to the Brooklyn Nets on Saturday at Shenzhen in the finale of the NBA China Games series.Caris LeVert scored 22 points on 8 for 11 shooting for Brooklyn, which swept the two matchups between the clubs in China. Taurean Prince scored 14 for Brooklyn, and DeAndre Jordan grabbed 11 rebounds in 19 minutes.Avery Bradley led the Lakers with 14 points. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope scored 11.The encouraging sign for the Lakers is that Davis — who has a history of being plagued by injuries throughout his career — continued to play for a few minutes after getting hurt while attempting to block a shot. He and LeBron James both shot 2 for 7 and scored six points apiece for the Lakers; James, like Davis, played the entire first quarter... [More]

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (AP) — The Los Angeles Lakers have officially named Frank Vogel as coach, two days after the sides agreed to terms.The team announced the hiring Monday and will hold an introductory press conference May 20 at its facility. The Lakers said in a release that Vogel has signed a multiyear contract but a person familiar with the hiring said it was a three-year contract. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Saturday because they weren't allowed to publicly discuss terms."I am very excited for this opportunity to join the Lakers, a prestigious organization that I have long admired," Vogel said in a statement. "I look forward to coaching such phenomenal talent and bringing my strategic vision to the team."Vogel flew to Los Angeles on May 9 and met with a group that included owner Jeanie Buss, general manager Rob Pelinka and adviser Kurt Rambis after discussions with Tyronn Lue fell apart.The 45-year old Vogel worked for the organization before as... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A person familiar with the search says the Los Angeles Lakers have hired Frank Vogel as coach and Jason Kidd as an assistant.The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Saturday because Vogel's three-year contract has not been finalized. Vogel flew to Los Angeles on Thursday and met with a group that included owner Jeanie Buss, general manager Rob Pelinka and adviser Kurt Rambis.The 45-year old Vogel worked for the organization before as an advance scout during the 2005-06 season. He did not coach last season following two years with the Orlando Magic. Vogel went to Orlando following five-plus seasons leading the Indiana Pacers, including trips to the Eastern Conference finals in 2013 and '14. He has a career record of 304-291.Kidd interviewed with the Lakers last month. The former star player who was a head coach in Brooklyn and Milwaukee was fired by the Bucks during the 2017-18 season. He has a 183-190 record.The Lakers have missed the playoffs... [More]