CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — The Latest on NBA All-Star Weekend (all times local):9:05 p.m.Famous Los scored 22 points to win MVP honors, and the Home team held on to beat the Away team 82-80 in the All-Star Celebrity Game on Friday night.Jay Williams scored 18 points for Home. Quavo scored 27 for Away and Hall of Famer Ray Allen scored 24 — though the NBA's all-time leader in 3-pointers made went 0 for 8 from beyond the arc.___8:35 p.m.NBA executive Monty McCutchen has a less-than-surprising confession.Travels get missed.McCutchen, the former referee who moved to the league office last season and now helps oversee the officiating program, said Friday that about two traveling violations get called per game on average. He says the league believes that the real number of travels that should be called is closer to five per game.The NBA is no different than any other basketball league — if every letter-of-the-law travel was called, games could last for days. But McCutchen says the league is continuing... [More]

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — The Latest on NBA All-Star Weekend (all times local):8:35 p.m.NBA executive Monty McCutchen has a less-than-surprising confession.Travels get missed.McCutchen, the former referee who moved to the league office last season and now helps oversee the officiating program, said Friday that about two traveling violations get called per game on average. He says the league believes that the real number of travels that should be called is closer to five per game.The NBA is no different than any other basketball league — if every letter-of-the-law travel was called, games could last for days. But McCutchen says the league is continuing to work with its referees on making that (and every) call consistently, and remains in constant contact with teams about concerns and interpretations.But don't expect a change to a four-ref system anytime soon. The NBA has tinkered with it at the G League level, and McCutchen says "when we looked into it, accuracy did not go up."___6:45 p.m.Basketball... [More]

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Paul Westphal says it's an honor these days to have anyone remember that he played basketball.The Hall of Fame obviously remembers.Westphal is one of 13 people who were announced Friday as finalists for enshrinement later this year by the Basketball Hall of Fame. He's one of four first-time finalists, joining seven-time All-Star Jack Sikma, five-time All-Star Marques Johnson and four-time defensive player of the year Ben Wallace."It's hard to put it into words," said the 68-year-old Westphal, who played 12 seasons — his best of those years with Phoenix — before spending parts of 17 more seasons as a head coach or assistant coach. "You never want to take anything like this for granted. It's just a real humbling, thrilling time to consider that something like this might happen."There are nine previous finalists back on the list this year — notably five-time All-Stars Chris Webber and Sidney Moncrief, eight-time first-team defensive player Bobby Jones, two-time NBA coach... [More]

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The New Orleans Pelicans have decided to fire ninth-year general manager Dell Demps and start the process of finding someone to deal with the fallout of All-Star Anthony Davis' recent trade demand.Demps' dismissal comes after Davis said in late January that he would not sign an extension with New Orleans and wants to be traded to a contending team."As difficult as these decisions are, my responsibility is to provide the leadership and resources necessary to deliver a winning team to our fans and community," Pelicans owner Gayle Benson said Friday in a written statement. "I take that responsibility seriously and would like to assure our fans that I am prepared to provide any, and all, resources required to compete for championships."Davis has another season remaining on his contract after this one and this season's trade deadline has passed, meaning no trade will happen until summer under the new front office regime.Davis, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2012 NBA draft out... [More]

DENVER (AP) — Tim Connelly and the front office have assembled a Denver Nuggets team that's reaching new heights this season.For that, extensions all around.The team announced the move Friday for the president of basketball operations, along with Connelly's staff, in the midst of one of the best seasons in franchise history. Terms of the extensions were not released.At 39-18, the Nuggets trail the Golden State Warriors by two games for the top spot in the Western Conference entering the All-Star break."We firmly believe we can bring an NBA championship to Denver, and are thrilled to continue our pursuit together," Nuggets President Josh Kroenke said in a statement announcing the extensions.Connelly has helped orchestrate quite a turnaround for a team trying to make the postseason for the first time since 2012-13. They've become the talk of the NBA, with a do-it-all big man in Nikola Jokic and a deep roster that now includes a healthy Isaiah Thomas.Connelly joined the Nuggets in 2013 and... [More]

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — The Latest on NBA All-Star Weekend (all times local):6:05 p.m.So, the best shooter in the Curry family is.... Sonya Curry?The mother of Stephen and Seth Curry sank a one-handed, half-court shot — that she took underhanded — to help her three-person team beat teams led by her NBA sons and one by her daughter to win a family shootout at a newly refurbished at a community center in Charlotte, North Carolina.It's a shot the Currys will be talking about for a long time.After sinking the shot, Sonya raced around the court as fans in the crowded center went wild. She then did a celebration dance as her sons looked on in amazement and husband Dell applauded.Seth Curry couldn't hold back laughter knowing he just got beat by his mom, a former volleyball player.The Portland guard said afterward "that was a lucky shot, but she knocked it down on the big stage. That was good to see."Seth joked getting beat by his mom was better than losing to his brother.He said, laughing, "Hey,... [More]

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — The Latest on NBA All-Star Weekend (all times local):5:35 p.m.Chris Webber, Bill Fitch, Marques Johnson, Sidney Moncrief, Bobby Jones, Jack Sikma, Eddie Sutton, Ben Wallace and Teresa Weatherspoon are among the 13 finalists for enshrinement later this year into the Basketball Hall of Fame.Webber, part of Michigan's Fab Five and a five-time NBA All-Star, was a finalist for the third consecutive season.Fitch is a two-time NBA coach of the year who led Boston to the 1981 NBA championship. Johnson was a five-time NBA All-Star and an NCAA champion under John Wooden at UCLA. Jones was a four-time NBA All-Star, a huge part of Philadelphia's 1983 NBA-title-winning team and the league's sixth man award winner that season. Moncrief was a two-time defensive player of the year and a prolific scorer.Sikma was an All-Star in seven consecutive seasons, had a brilliant shooting touch and helped Seattle win the 1979 NBA title. Sutton is a College Basketball Hall of Fame inductee and... [More]

To help you with planning for the NBA All Star weekend, here are some of our plans. This advisory will be updated until Sunday's game. Please contact Oscar Dixon (odixon@ap.org) with any questions. All times ET.FRIDAYBKN--All-Star-Curry Family WeekendCHARLOTTE, N.C. _ Stephen and Seth Curry are returning to their hometown of Charlotte, North Carolina for the NBA All-Star weekend. Stephen, a two-time league MVP, will join younger brother Seth in the 3-point shootout on Saturday night at the Spectrum Center and then play in his sixth straight All-Star game on Sunday. Their father Dell Curry is a former NBA star and color commentator for the Hornets. He says it’s going to be “be like a mini family reunion.” By Steve Reed. Sent: 850 words, photosBKN--ALL-STAR-SPORTS BETTINGCHARLOTTE, N.C. _ Washington Wizards owner Ted Leonsis doesn't bet. He does, however, want Wizards fans to know what they're doing if they bet on games. The Wizards and the Sacramento Kings are among the NBA clubs being proactive... [More]

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — The Latest on NBA All-Star Weekend (all times local):4:35 p.m.Warriors guard Steph Curry says it's been "really weird" staying in a downtown hotel in his hometown for the All-Star Weekend. It's leaving him a "little out of sorts."When Curry usually visits Charlotte, North Carolina, he and his family stay at a home they once owned, located about 30 minutes from downtown. Or they stay at his parents' place about 15 minutes away. But with traffic and so much going on this weekend he decided to stay downtown, close to the Spectrum Center.Curry says family is starting to trickle in and "the real fun starts in a little while."He's hosting a community service event Friday afternoon before making a 30-minute drive north to watch his alma mater, Davidson College, play against St. Joseph's. He's excited that the Wildcats will wear alternate black and yellow neon Under Armour jerseys and the same Curry 6 Coy Fish neon shoes that he'll wear at Sunday night's All-Star game, which... [More]

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The Pelicans have decided to fire ninth-year general manager Dell Demps and start the process of finding someone to deal with the fallout of All-Star Anthony Davis' recent trade demand, said a person familiar with the situation said.The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity on Friday because the club had not announced the decision. Demps did not immediately return messages.Demps' firing comes after Davis said in late January that he would not sign an extension with New Orleans and wants to be traded to a contending team. Davis has another season remaining on his contract after this one and this season's trade deadline has passed, meaning no trade will happen until summer.If hired soon enough, the new general manager also would oversee the upcoming draft and decide the future of coach Alvin Gentry, who for now is being retained.Davis was the first pick in the 2012 NBA draft out of Kentucky and has been named an All-Star six times in his first seven... [More]

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — The Latest on NBA All-Star Weekend (all times local):1:35 p.m.Seth Curry has a bold prediction as to who will win the NBA 3-point contest on Saturday night."Me, me, I will," Curry confidently told The Associated Press on Friday at the NBA's Day of Service at the Charlotte Convention Center.Curry will be competing in his first NBA 3-point contest against a solid field that includes older brother Stephen Curry, who won the event in 2015 and is third all-time in NBA history with 2,365 3-pointers made.Seth Curry says, "I want to win it for myself and my family" saying it has been a goal of his to win the event since he watched his father Dell Curry compete in it at the 1992 All-Star game.Stephen Curry sees the outcome a little differently. When he was asked who's going to win, he responded, "Oh I am."Game on.___11:10 a.m.Dallas rookie Luka Doncic said if he had to pick any five current international players to beat an American team of All-Stars the list would include... [More]

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A person familiar with the situation says an MRI on Anthony Davis' injured left shoulder showed a muscle bruise.The person says Davis' timetable for a return is day-to-day. The person spoke to The Associated Press Friday on condition of anonymity because the examination results have not been announced.Davis, a six-time All-Star, missed the second half of New Orleans' 131-122 victory over Oklahoma City on Thursday after attempting to block Thunder forward Nerlens Noel's shot in the final second of the second quarter. The injury casts doubt over Davis' availability for this weekend's All-Star game and related events.Davis announced on Jan. 28 that he won't sign an extension with New Orleans and wants to be traded to a contending team. However, he was not traded by the Feb. 7 deadline for this season and said afterward that he intended to keep playing for New Orleans as long as he was under contract.He started against Oklahoma City and had 14 points, four rebounds, two assists and a block in 16 minutes.Davis has averaged 28.1 points and 12.9 rebounds this season.___More AP NBA: www.apnews.com/NBA and www.twitter.com/AP_Sports

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A person familiar with the situation says the Pelicans have fired general manager Dell Demps.The person spoke to The Associated Pres on condition of anonymity because the club has not announced it. Demps did not immediately return messages on Friday.Demps' firing comes amid the fallout after All-Star Anthony Davis said in late January that he would not sign an extension with New Orleans and wants to be traded to a contending team.The decision means a new general manager will be able to oversee whatever trade terms the Pelicans decided to accept in exchange for Davis, who was the first pick in the 2012 NBA draft out of Kentucky and has been named an All-Star six times in his first seven seasons.Demps has been with the club since the summer of 2010 and the Pelicans have made the playoffs three times during his tenure, advancing to the second-round once. The Pelicans enter this season's All-Star break at 26-33 and unlikely to make the Western Conference playoff field this season.___More AP NBA: www.apnews.com/NBA and www.twitter.com/AP_Sports

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — The Latest on NBA All-Star Weekend (all times local):11:10 a.m.Dallas rookie Luka Doncic said if he had to pick any five current international players to beat an American team of All-Stars the list would include Milwaukee's Giannis Antetokounmpo, Dallas' Kristaps Porzingis, Denver's Nikola Jokic, Miami's Goran Dragic and — he added with a smile — himself.Doncic got his first look at All-Star life Friday, when he was part of the Rising Stars practice and media session in the morning. He'll play on the World Team against the U.S. in the Rising Stars game on Friday night.Doncic says his adjustment to the NBA has gone better than expected after a very successful start to his career in which he is averaging 20.7 points, 7.2 rebounds and 5.6 assists per gameDoncic said that "it went great from the beginning" and that having the trust of his teammates made the transition easier.He said didn't expect to have as much success as he's had this season, adding "I'm surprised a... [More]

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has opened the annual All-Star Technology Summit by touting the "smart jersey of the future."Silver used an app on a phone to change the number and name on the back of a jersey that was displayed on the side of the stage where he spoke, flipping it from a Kemba Walker model to a Stephen Curry model to a Michael Jordan model. Silver laid out what a fully customizable fan experience may look like in the NBA in 2038, right down to changing the name on the jersey those fans wear to games.Silver's address opened the summit, a platform for discussions about basketball's future and the role of evolving technology.The tech summit is in 20th year and draws hundreds of top league executives. Panels are scheduled on sports betting, disruptive technology, the relationship between athletes and technology, and ways to attract fans of the so-called Gen Z — the 2.5 billion people worldwide born between 1997 and 2010.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — With All-Star festivities set to officially begin Friday, here are 10 things to know going into the weekend:BACK TO CHARLOTTECharlotte hosted NBA All-Star weekend in 1991, and now gets it back a second time to join 14 other cities that can say it hosted the league's showcase midseason event on multiple occasions.Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Denver, Houston, New Orleans, New York, Orlando, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Seattle, St. Louis, Los Angeles and the L.A. suburb of Inglewood, California, are the other previous multi-hosting All-Star cities.The Bay Area, the Detroit area and the Dallas area are also two-time hosts, though never technically twice in the same city.LEBRON'S RECORDSLeBron James now has the record for most All-Star captaincies: Two. He and Stephen Curry had the jobs last year when the captain's format was first introduced to the All-Star weekend, and he and Giannis Antetokounmpo have the jobs this year.But James' records revolving around this game hardly stop... [More]

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Dell Curry looks forward to those nights when he can open a bottle of wine, take a seat on his recliner in front of the fireplace alongside wife Sonya and watch their NBA sons play basketball simultaneously on two large-screen television sets in his living room.Those are the nights he has to pinch himself realizing how blessed his family is.Everyone in the Curry clan has been pinching themselves lately; the family has been downright giddy about NBA All-Star Weekend."It's going to be incredible," said Curry, a former NBA player and color commentator for the Hornets TV network who still lives in Charlotte. "It's going to be a mini family reunion."There will be plenty of fellowshipping in Charlotte, including family dinners and group outings. Of course there also will be a little basketball. Stephen and Seth Curry will be returning to their hometown for the festivities. Stephen, a two-time league MVP, will join younger brother Seth in the 3-point shootout Saturday night... [More]

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Anthony Davis missed the second half of New Orleans' game against Oklahoma City on Thursday night with what the Pelicans said was a left shoulder injury.It is unclear how the injury might affect Davis' availability for this weekend's NBA All-Star festivities. Davis was selected for the All-Star Game for the sixth straight season. But if he plays, he'll represent a team he has no plans to remain with long term.Davis announced on Jan. 28 that he won't sign an extension with New Orleans and wants to be traded to a contending team. However, he was not traded by the Feb. 7 deadline for this season.Davis was in the starting lineup against the Thunder and played 16 minutes during the first half. He scored 14 points, grabbed four rebounds, assisted on two baskets and blocked a shot in 16 minutes on the court. His performance helped New Orleans take a 66-63 lead into halftime. But in the final seconds of the half, Davis fouled Nerlens Noel while trying to block the Thunder forward's shot with his left hand.As Davis walked to the locker room for halftime, he appeared to keep his left arm still while his right arm swayed normally.Davis did not emerge from the locker room to start the second half and the club announced his injury status shortly afterward.Davis has averaged 28.5 points and 13.1 rebounds this season.___More AP NBA: www.apnews.com/NBA and www.twitter.com/AP_Sports

To help you with planning for the NBA All Star weekend, here are some of our plans. This advisory will be updated until Sunday's game. Please contact Oscar Dixon (odixon@ap.org) with any questions. All times ET.THURSDAYBKN--All-Star Game-Dwyane and DirkDALLAS _ Miami’s Dwyane Wade and Dallas’ Dirk Nowitzki accepted honorary All-Star roles to help the NBA celebrate two long and decorated careers. It should also be a chance for the two-time Finals foes to go out on amicable terms after a shared history that Nowitzki acknowledged was “frosty” at times. Wade has already said this is his final season, and all signs point to Nowitzki hanging up his sneakers after setting a league record by spending all 21 of his seasons with the same franchise. By Schuyler Dixon. Sent: 800 words, photosFRIDAYBKN--All-Star-Curry Family WeekendCHARLOTTE, N.C. _ Stephen and Seth Curry are returning to their hometown of Charlotte, North Carolina for the NBA All-Star weekend. Stephen, a two-time league MVP, will join... [More]

DALLAS (AP) — Of all the opposing jerseys Dwyane Wade has collected through swaps during his final NBA season, Dirk Nowitzki's was among those the Miami star wanted the most and somehow seemed worried he wouldn't get.Maybe it had something to do with the "frosty" phase of their relationship, as the Dallas icon described the strain following the Heat's six-game win over the Mavericks in the 2006 NBA Finals. Maybe Wade thought such a display wouldn't be possible on Dallas owner Mark Cuban's court.In reality, Wade didn't need to worry about Nowitzki turning him down.The two-time Finals foes are elder statesmen in their league now, a co-existence better defined by sharing honorary All-Star status for the NBA's biggest party than bitterness over a championship lost to a rival."You appreciate having someone like that that's a part of your journey, that pushes you," Wade said, a few hours before that jersey swap took place near midcourt following Miami's 112-101 victory in Dallas on Wednesday.... [More]