DALLAS (AP) — Asked about the decade without a playoff series victory since coaching the Dallas Mavericks to their only championship, Rick Carlisle quickly mentioned the rebuilding phase that accompanied the drought. When a similar question came up a day later, the Dallas coach showed he might be ready to quit answering them. “I keep getting asked about is there pressure to advance, hell yeah there’s pressure to advance!” Carlisle said, his voice rising. “But we’re a championship organization. We’re not just looking to advance one round in the playoffs.” Luka Doncic and the Mavericks will seek the franchise's elusive series victory starting Saturday at the Los Angeles Clippers in a first-round rematch from the Florida bubble last year, when Kawhi Leonard, Paul George and company won in six games. Dirk Nowitzki, Doncic's predecessor as the Euro superstar in Dallas, led a six-game series victory over Miami's LeBron James and Dwyane Wade in the 2011 NBA Finals. Nobody could have imagined the... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Clippers guard Patrick Beverley is likely to miss the rest of the regular season after breaking his left hand during Thursday's game against the Phoenix Suns. Beverley was going for a rebound in the fourth quarter of Los Angeles' 113-103 victory when he broke the fourth metacarpal bone in his left hand. The Clippers announced before Friday's game against the Houston Rockets that Beverley had surgery and will be evaluated again in three to four weeks. The NBA playoffs start on May 22. Beverley, who is averaging 8.0 points per game, had returned to the lineup Tuesday against Portland after missing 12 games due to a knee injury. He also missed eight games earlier in the season due to right knee soreness. The Clippers acquired Rajon Rondo at the trade deadline, but he has been dealing with a lingering adductor strain injury. Rondo was also out of the lineup on Friday. ___ More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

ATLANTA (AP) — Stunned at being traded, Lou Williams seriously considered retiring. In the end, the 16-year NBA veteran decided he did want to play for his hometown team. Williams joined the Atlanta Hawks ahead of their game Tuesday night in Phoenix against the Suns, nearly a week after he was dealt by the Los Angeles Clippers at the trade deadline for guard Rajon Rondo. After four seasons in L.A., Williams was admittedly shaken that the Clippers would decide to part with him. “It hurts,” he said on a Zoom availability from Phoenix. “I had a lot of investment there. We had some success. We were gearing up for another deep run, a championship run. That what my mentality. I thought I would finish the season there." After thinking things over, Williams decided against retirement. He feels like he can help the youthful Hawks make a push toward their first playoff berth since 2017. “I still feel like I can play at a high level," the combo guard said. "I feel like I can help this team do some... [More]

The NBA called this season’s trade deadline the busiest in the last 35 years, with 46 players from 23 teams involved in 16 different deals. What’s unclear is how many of those deals will have an impact on this season. Face it: Some will not register much of a blip. Brad Wanamaker getting moved to Charlotte by Golden State for a draft pick that will probably never change hands, that’s not exactly swinging a balance of power. Same goes for the Warriors sending Marquese Chriss to San Antonio, and Toronto trading Matt Thomas to Utah and Terence Davis to Sacramento — getting second-round picks back in both cases. Those Raptors moves were almost certainly made to clear roster spots for a Kyle Lowry trade that never happened. And it says something about the busiest trade deadline in 35 years when the biggest news of the day was a trade that didn’t happen, in Lowry’s case. That said, there were some moves that have potential to affect the postseason races. Here are some of the teams that benefited... [More]

Kyle Lowry wound up staying with Toronto after all. Victor Oladipo is finally in Miami, a destination he's eyed in the past. And Rajon Rondo is headed back to Los Angeles, though not with the team he helped win the NBA title last season. The trade deadline has come and gone. And now, playoff pushes can really begin. Miami, Denver, the Clippers, Portland, Dallas, Boston and Atlanta were likely among the teams feeling convinced that they improved on deadline day after a flurry of moves Thursday, though the best player — at least this season — might have been landed by the Chicago Bulls. They got All-Star forward Nikola Vucevic from Orlando, a move that ushered in the start of a big-time rebuild by the Magic. “Anytime you trade a player like Nikola, it is a tough decision to make," Magic President Jeff Weltman said. Vucevic is the only player from this season's All-Star Game to be traded at the deadline. It was a steep price; Vucevic and Al-Farouq Aminu went to the Bulls for Otto Porter, Wendell... [More]

Kyle Lowry wound up staying with Toronto after all. Victor Oladipo is finally in Miami, a destination he's eyed in the past. And Rajon Rondo is headed back to Los Angeles, though not with the team he helped win the NBA title last season. The trade deadline has come and gone. And now, playoff pushes can really begin. Miami, Denver, the Clippers, Portland, Dallas, Boston and Atlanta were likely among the teams feeling convinced that they improved on deadline day after a flurry of moves Thursday, though the best player — at least this season — might have been landed by the Chicago Bulls. They got All-Star forward Nikola Vucevic from Orlando, a move that ushered in the start of a big-time rebuild by the Magic. “Anytime you trade a player like Nikola, it is a tough decision to make," Magic President Jeff Weltman said. The Magic traded three of their four leading scorers; in addition to the Vucevic move, Evan Fournier was sent to Boston and Aaron Gordon is headed to Denver. Acquiring Gordon was... [More]

Kyle Lowry stayed with the Toronto Raptors, and the Miami Heat got Victor Oladipo instead. And on a trade deadline day where moves were getting made right up until the last possible moment, the Denver Nuggets took a big swing at getting better for a playoff run while the Orlando Magic began a rebuild. Lowry — considered perhaps the biggest prize who was on the market — did not get traded, the Raptors apparently unable to find enough assets to their liking. Miami was one of the biggest pursuers for Lowry, who they may still target as a free agent later this year, and wound up adding Oladipo from the Houston Rockets. That move didn’t cost Miami much: Kelly Olynyk was on an expiring deal, and Avery Bradley has barely played for the Heat this season because of COVID-19 and then a calf injury. The deal also included a pick swap in 2022, a person with knowledge of the matter told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the deal needed league approval. Oladipo has wanted to be in... [More]

Kyle Lowry stayed with the Toronto Raptors, and the Miami Heat got Victor Oladipo instead. And on a trade deadline day where moves were getting made right up until the last possible moment, the Denver Nuggets took a big swing at getting better for a playoff run while the Orlando Magic began a rebuild. Lowry — perhaps the biggest prize on the market — did not get traded, the Raptors apparently unable to find enough assets to their liking. Miami was one of the biggest pursuers for Lowry, who they may still target as a free agent later this year, wound up adding Oladipo from the Houston Rockets. It didn’t cost Miami much: Kelly Olynyk was on an expiring deal, and Avery Bradley has barely played for the Heat this season because of COVID-19 and then a calf injury. The deal also included pick swap in 2022, a person with knowledge of the matter told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the deal needed league approval. Oladipo has wanted to be in Miami for some time, and the Rockets... [More]

Kyle Lowry stayed with the Toronto Raptors, and the Miami Heat got Victor Oladipo instead. And on a trade deadline day where moves were getting made right up until the last possible moment, the Denver Nuggets took a big swing at getting better for a playoff run while the Orlando Magic began a rebuild. Lowry — perhaps the biggest prize on the market — did not get traded, the Raptors apparently unable to find enough assets to their liking. Miami was one of the biggest pursuers for Lowry, who they may still target as a free agent later this year, wound up adding Oladipo from the Houston Rockets. It didn’t cost Miami much: Kelly Olynyk was on an expiring deal, and Avery Bradley has barely played for the Heat this season because of COVID-19 and then a calf injury. The deal also included pick swap in 2022, a person with knowledge of the matter told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the deal needed league approval. Oladipo has wanted to be in Miami for some time, and the Rockets... [More]

ATLANTA (AP) — Atlanta Hawks coach Lloyd Pierce was fired less than halfway into a season that began with heightened expectations but was beset by injuries. Hawks president Travis Schlenk announced the move on Monday. The Hawks are 14-20 and 11th in the Eastern Conference, following a 109-99 loss at Miami on Sunday night. It was the Hawks' 11th loss after holding a fourth-quarter lead. The teams play again in Miami on Tuesday. Pierce, 44, gave no indication that he thought he was in trouble after Sunday’s loss. He ran the Hawks’ practice on Monday morning in Miami. Schlenk said he and his staff made the decision to fire Pierce on Monday morning and decided against waiting until the All-Star break to announce the move. “I just felt like we needed a new voice to take the next step," Schlenk said Monday night in a Zoom call with reporters. The Hawks named Nate McMillan interim coach. McMillan, the former Indiana Pacers coach, was added to Pierce’s staff in the offseason. McMillan has a 661-588... [More]

ATLANTA (AP) — Atlanta Hawks coach Lloyd Pierce was fired less than halfway into a season that began with heightened expectations but was beset by injuries. Hawks president Travis Schlenk announced the move on Monday in a short statement released by the team. The Hawks are 14-20 and 11th in the Eastern Conference, following a 109-99 loss at Miami on Sunday night. It was the Hawks' 11th loss after holding a fourth-quarter lead. The teams play again in Miami on Tuesday. Pierce, 44, gave no indication that he thought he was in trouble after Sunday’s loss. He ran the Hawks’ practice on Monday morning in Miami. “We would like to thank Lloyd for his work and commitment to not only the Hawks organization but the city of Atlanta," Schlenk said in the statement. The Hawks named Nate McMillan interim coach. McMillan, the former Indiana Pacers coach, was added to Pierce’s staff in the offseason. McMillan has a 661-588 record with Seattle, Portland and Indiana. McMillan filled in for Pierce when Pierce... [More]

ATLANTA (AP) — Atlanta Hawks coach Lloyd Pierce was fired on Monday, given the hook less than halfway into a season which carried heightened expectations before being hampered by injuries. Hawks president Travis Schlenk announced the move in a short statement released by the team. The Hawks are 14-20 and 11th in the Eastern Conference, following a 109-99 loss at Miami on Sunday night. It was the Hawks' 11th loss after holding a fourth-quarter lead. The teams play again in Miami on Tuesday. Pierce, 44, gave no indication that he thought he was in trouble after Sunday’s loss. He even ran the Hawks’ practice on Monday morning in Miami. “We would like to thank Lloyd for his work and commitment to not only the Hawks organization but the city of Atlanta," Schlenk said in the statement. The Hawks did not immediately name an interim coach. The likely choice is Nate McMillan, the former Indiana coach who was added to Pierce’s staff in the offseason. McMillan filled in for Pierce when Piece was recently... [More]

ATLANTA (AP) — Atlanta Hawks coach Lloyd Pierce was fired on Monday following a disappointing start to a season of heightened expectations. Hawks president Travis Schlenk announced the move in a short statement released by the team. The Hawks are 14-20 and 11th in the Eastern Conference, following a 109-99 loss at Miami on Sunday night. The teams play again in Miami on Tuesday. “We would like to thank Lloyd for his work and commitment to not only the Hawks organization but the city of Atlanta," Schlenk said in the statement. Schlenk said the move, which comes less than a week before Atlanta hosts the All-Star Game, is timed to help the team enjoy a second-half resurgence. “We have high expectations for our team on the court and we believe by making this change now that we can have a strong second half of the season,” Schlenk said. The Hawks last appeared in the playoffs in 2017. The team has rebuilt around point guard Trae Young and forward John Collins and invested heavily in veterans... [More]

ATLANTA (AP) — De'Andre Hunter's knee surgery is only the latest medical setback that threatens the Atlanta Hawks' efforts to end a streak of three consecutive losing seasons. The Hawks have been without guard Bogdan Bogdanovic for a month due to a knee injury. Hunter, enjoying a breakout season as the starting small forward, missed four games before Monday's arthroscopic procedure on his right knee. His status will be updated in two weeks. Atlanta (11-12) will be without the two starters when it plays at Dallas on Wednesday night. Hunter has emerged as one of Atlanta's top players in his second season. He is third on the team with 17.2 points per game, adding important scoring balance behind Trae Young and John Collins. Hunter's breakout has been especially important while the team awaits the return of Bogdanovic, who had been expected to provide scoring punch from the wing before fracturing his right knee. Coach Lloyd Pierce has been forced to make constant changes to his rotation. Forward... [More]

ATLANTA (AP) — Atlanta Hawks guard Kris Dunn will be out at least another two weeks as he continues his recovery from ankle surgery. Dunn, who signed with the Hawks as a free agent, has yet to play for his new team. He underwent surgery on his right ankle Dec. 29. The Hawks said Dunn has been participating in impact-based rehab activities, including skipping, jumping and spot shooting. He will be re-evaluated in two weeks, meaning he will miss the next six games and likely more before he's fully recovered. The Hawks have been plagued by injuries in the first month of the season. Guards Bogdan Bogdanovic (fractured right knee) and Rajon Rondo (sprained left ankle) are currently sidelined along with Dunn, who was expected to be a defensive stopper in the Atlanta backcourt. ___ More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

ATLANTA (AP) — Atlanta Hawks guard Bogdan Bogdanovic could miss extended time after fracturing his right knee. The Hawks announced Sunday that MRI found Bogdanovic sustained an avulsion fracture the previous night when he went down awkwardly in a loss to Charlotte. Soft tissue inflammation and a bone bruise also was diagnosed. According to the Mayo Clinic, an avulsion fracture is when a small chunk of bone attached to a tendon or ligament gets pulled away from the main part of the bone. In most cases, it is treated with icing and rest, followed by controlled exercises to strengthen the knee and improve the range of motion. Surgery can be required in more serious cases, which would lengthen the recovery period. The Hawks have not determined how long Bogdanovic will be out. His treatment plan was being reviewed and will be updated later in the week. Bogdanovic was one of the major offseason acquisitions for the rebuilding Hawks, signing a four-year, $72 million contract in free agency. He... [More]

ATLANTA (AP) — Atlanta Hawks guard Rajon Rondo will miss at least three more games because of right knee soreness. Rondo sat the last three games for the Hawks, though he was medically cleared for Monday night's loss to the New York Knicks. He did not get on the court, leaving Brandon Goodwin to again serve as the backup point guard to Trae Young. The Hawks said the 34-year-old Rondo will begin a period of rest and rehabilitation in an attempt tp strengthen his knee. He will be evaluated before the team leaves for a three-game West Coast road trip that begins Jan. 13 at Phoenix. Rondo has played only two of Atlanta's first seven games. After winning his second NBA title last season with the Los Angeles Lakers, Rondo joined the rebuilding Hawks after agreeing to a two-year, $15 million contract. He is the team's oldest player. ___ More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports thn Ron

ATLANTA (AP) — Rajon Rondo is planning for a future in coaching. Maybe he'll get a shot as as a general manager. Not that he's ready to get started on those career goals just yet. After capturing his second NBA championship ring with the Lakers, the 34-year-old Rondo has moved on to the youthful Atlanta Hawks, where he will serve as a mentor to budding superstar Trae Young while providing valuable minutes off the bench for one of the league's more intriguing teams. For the first time in his long career, Rondo is the oldest guy on the team. “It's kind of weird to look at the roster and I'm the oldest date on the sheet," he said with a smile. “But it's a natural fit as far as mentoring these young guys. So many great veterans helped me become the player I am today. It's only right to give it back full circle.” Rondo has also been taking steps to get prepared for his post-playing life. He's constantly mentioned as a coach in the making. He also has his sights on running a team of his own as... [More]

ATLANTA (AP) — Bogdan Bogdanovic is tired of losing. In what seems a rather strange twist, he believes the Atlanta Hawks can make him a winner. “This is a perfect group for success,” Bogdanovic said Wednesday. “I can see only a bright future here.” The sharp-shooting guard was the prize of Atlanta's hefty free-agent class, which also included Danilo Gallinari, Rajon Rondo and Kris Dunn. They're joining one of the league's most intriguing teams, a franchise that has gone through a complete overhaul the last three seasons but now feels it is poised for major success. Gallinari was thrilled when the Hawks made a big pitch for him, even accepting an expected role coming off the bench after starting most of his career. “The young guys we've got are very, very good,” said Gallinari, who agreed to a three-year, $61 million deal. “If I didn't believe in these young guys, I wouldn't have picked the A-T-L. I really believe in the group that we've got. My focus since I've been playing basketball is... [More]

ATLANTA (AP) — Just like that, the Atlanta Hawks transformed themselves into a playoff contender. A team that averaged less than 25 wins the last three seasons added to its impressive young core with a whirlwind of free-agent signings, capped by the news late Tuesday that Sacramento would not match a four-year, $72 million offer sheet to Bogdan Bogdanovic. “It's go time,” tweeted Hawks All-Star guard Trae Young, clearly excited by the bulked-up supporting case he'll have around him in 2021. “Let's work!!!” Bogdanovic tweeted back. Flush with more cap space than any other team heading into free agency after beginning a major overhaul three years ago, the Hawks quickly signed forward Danilo Gallinari (three years, $61.5 million) and guards Rajon Rondo (two years, $15 million) and Kris Dunn (two years, $10 million). Then, after a proposed sign-and-trade that would have sent Bogdanovic to the Milwaukee Bucks fell through, Hawks general manager Travis Schlenk pounced at the opportunity to grab... [More]