NEW YORK (AP) — The NBA has suspended Toronto's Serge Ibaka for three games and Cleveland's Marquese Chriss for one game for their involvement in an on-court fight.Chriss will sit out Cleveland's game Tuesday in Philadelphia. Ibaka will miss Toronto's games against the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday, at Detroit on Sunday and against New York on Monday.The NBA says Ibaka drew the stiffer penalty for several reasons. The league found he was the instigator and threw a punch at Chriss. The league also cited his history of fighting during games. Chriss' suspension was for throwing a punch at Ibaka.The suspensions are without pay. Ibaka will lose about $448,000 and Chriss about $22,000.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The Indiana Pacers lost All-Star guard Victor Oladipo with an apparent right leg injury in the second quarter of Wednesday night's game against Toronto.Trainers quickly put a towel over the leg and players from both teams surrounded Oladipo as he lay on the floor. Fans gave him a standing ovation as he was carted off the floor on a stretcher.The injury occurred when Oladipo fell awkwardly while trying to defend an outlet pass to Raptors forward Serge Ibaka, who landed on top of Oladipo with 4:05 to go.Oladipo made his first All-Star Game last season after being acquired in the trade for Paul George. He is the Pacers' top scorer this season at 19.2 points per game.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBAbasketball and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

DENVER (AP) — The topic: Denver leading the Western Conference and whether teams are starting to take the Nuggets more seriously.The look from Nikola Jokic: Nearly expressionless. The Joker doesn't jest about this subject."To be honest, I don't really care," Jokic said . "Because we know that we're good."Denver is missing three starters and still boasts a percentage points lead over Golden State in the conference standings . This marks the latest into a season the Nuggets have been leading the conference since December 18, 1984.The Nuggets have swagger, confidence and Jokic, the big Serbian center/forward/guard who's blossoming into one of the league's most hard-to-defend players."A lot of people just think we are on a hot run right now," said forward Torrey Craig, whose team has won 10 of 12 heading into Tuesday's game against Dallas. "They don't really believe in us. But I think we have started to open a lot of eyes. We just have to realize how we win."Grind it out? They can do that.... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — Down 3-0 in the series to LeBron James and the Cavaliers, Toronto coach Dwane Casey changed his starting lineup for Game 4.Casey is playing guards Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan on Monday night along with forwards C.J. Miles, rookie OG Anunoby and center Serge Ibaka as the Raptors look to force a Game 5 at home.Miles is making his first start of the Eastern Conference semifinal while Ibaka is back after not starting Game 3. Guard Fred VanVleet is coming off the bench as is center Jonas Valanciunas, who started the first three games.DeRozan sat out the entire fourth quarter of Game 3, and he Raptors played better without one of their All-Stars. Toronto tied the game with eight seconds left before James hit a buzzer-beater for a 105-103 win.DeRozan scored just eight points and shot 3 of 12 in Game 3. He's averaging 18 in the series after scoring 26.7 points per game in the first round against Washington.

The "Death Lineup" breathed new life into the Golden State Warriors.It was yet another reminder: In the NBA playoffs, where even a brief downward slide can be enough to end a season, even the best teams won't hesitate when they feel a need to shake up their starting lineups.Desperate times in the first round sent Cleveland to desperate lineup measures. Toronto, the team that finished with the NBA's second-best regular season record, sought a spark by changing its starting five against the Cavs for Game 3 of the Eastern Conference semifinals. Utah showed Houston a new look Sunday in Game 4 of their West semifinal matchup, and while the Jazz slowed the high-powered Rockets at times they still fell into a 3-1 series deficit.And then there's the Warriors, who were coming off a big loss in Game 3 against New Orleans so they put their five best players — Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Andre Iguodala, Kevin Durant and Draymond Green — on the floor Sunday to start a game for the first time all season.... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — The NBA has fined Toronto Raptors president Masai Ujiri $25,000 for walking onto the court at halftime of Game 3 against the Cleveland Cavaliers to verbally confront officials for reversing a call.The league announced the fine Sunday. It stems from an incident that occurred Saturday night during the Raptors' 105-103 loss to the Cavaliers.Toronto had been called for 14 fouls in the first half, compared with eight for Cleveland. The Raptors were irate that what had appeared to be a Serge Ibaka basket and potential free throw was downgraded to a foul with no basket and no free throw.All-Star DeMar DeRozan, coach Dwane Casey and his assistants all screamed at the referees.Game 4 is Monday night in Cleveland. Toronto, which is trailing the series 3-0, needs a win to stay alive in the Eastern Conference semifinal.___This story has been corrected to show that the incident for which Toronto Raptors president Masai Ujiri was fined occurred in Game 3, not Game 5.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/tag/NBAbasketball

NEW YORK (AP) — The NBA has fined Toronto Raptors president Masai Ujiri $25,000 for walking onto the court at halftime of Game 5 against the Cleveland Cavaliers to verbally confront officials for reversing a call.The league announced the fine Sunday. It stems from an incident that occurred Saturday night during the Raptors' 105-103 loss to the Cavaliers.Toronto had been called for 14 fouls in the first half, compared with eight for Cleveland. The Raptors were irate that what had appeared to be a Serge Ibaka basket and potential free throw was downgraded to a foul with no basket and no free throw.All-Star DeMar DeRozan, coach Dwane Casey and his assistants all screamed at the referees.Game 4 is Monday night in Cleveland. Toronto, which is trailing the series 3-0, needs a win to stay alive in the Eastern Conference semifinal.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/tag/NBAbasketball

TORONTO (AP) — A "culture reset" carried the Toronto Raptors to the top of the Eastern Conference for the first time this season.Next, the Raptors will try to hit reset on their playoff history with the Washington Wizards.After Cleveland swept the Raptors in the second round last spring, team president Masai Ujiri promised to change the culture surrounding the club.That meant greater emphasis on ball movement and 3-point shooting, something the Raptors were able to execute immediately. Toronto had 67 games with at least 20 assists, up from 34 the previous year, and averaged 33 shots a game from beyond the arc, third most in the NBA."We won 59 games," All-Star guard DeMar DeRozan said. "I think that speaks for itself. We know what works for us, what got us here, and what's going to take us even further."Thanks to the offensive overhaul, this Raptors team is far removed from the one swept in the first round in 2015, a series in which the Wizards won by an average of 14 points."That's old... [More]

DETROIT (AP) — Andre Drummond is out for Monday night's game between the Detroit Pistons and Toronto Raptors with a sore Achilles tendon.With the Pistons out of playoff contention and Toronto having wrapped up the top seed in the Eastern Conference, the game has little significance, although it is the home finale for Drummond's Pistons. Detroit is also without star forward Blake Griffin, who is out with a right ankle injury, and guard Reggie Bullock, who has a left knee issue.Toronto is playing without guard Fred VanVleet, who is out with lower back tightness. Raptors forward Serge Ibaka has the night off to rest.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/tag/NBAbasketball

They do things differently in Toronto.When it's time for NBA public-address announcers to introduce the starting lineup before games, the Raptors don't wait to hear their names called. The starters simply huddle up for a quick chat while their backups gather a few feet away and use a basketball to play volleyball — bumping and setting it to each other before someone spikes a dunk.They're laughing. They're loose. And they don't mind if few are noticing.These are happy times for the Toronto Raptors, who kept their stars and coach together even after a string of playoff flameouts and are seeing that continuity rewarded. If they win three of their final eight games, they'll break the franchise single-season record of 56 victories. And they're in position to go into the Eastern Conference playoffs as the No. 1 seed for the first time, entering Monday with a 3 ½ game lead over No. 2 Boston."I feel like we have something special that is a well-kept secret," Raptors coach Dwane Casey said.Canada's... [More]

DETROIT (AP) — Toronto forward Serge Ibaka was ejected from the Raptors' game at Detroit on Wednesday night in the second quarter.With 4:38 remaining in the half, Ibaka was called for a foul against Blake Griffin, and as he was heading back to the bench, he was given a technical foul and thrown out of the game.Ibaka scored four points on 2-of-8 shooting. The Pistons outscored Toronto 36-18 in the second quarter and led 59-45 at halftime.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/tag/NBAbasketball

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver was asked in London last week about fining misbehaving players, and even he acknowledged the penalties aren't much of a deterrent."More symbolic than anything," Silver said.It might be time for the league to change that.At least based on what's happened in the NBA the past couple days. The postgame locker-room incident that involved some players from the Houston Rockets and the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday — the holiday celebrating the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., no less — was a bad look for the league, as was the wild swing that Orlando's Arron Afflalo threw at Minnesota's Nemanja Bjelica on Tuesday.The James Johnson-Serge Ibaka dustup during the Miami-Toronto game last week earned those players one-game suspensions that cost them a total of about $300,000. Utah's Rodney Hood might have been lucky to have been fined only $35,000 for slapping a phone out of a fan's hand. Ben Simmons and Kyle Lowry were probably smart to just talk about taking their... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — The NBA has suspended Miami Heat forward James Johnson and Toronto Raptors forward Serge Ibaka one game apiece for throwing punches at each other.The punishment was announced Wednesday by Kiki VanDeWeghe, the league's executive vice president for basketball operations.The fight began with 7:50 remaining in the third quarter of the Heat's 90-89 victory over the Raptors on Tuesday night in Toronto. Ibaka and Johnson started shoving each other while waiting for the ball to be inbounded under the Miami basket. Both received technical fouls and ejections.Johnson is serving his suspension Wednesday night when the Heat visit the Indiana Pacers. Ibaka will serve his suspension Thursday night when the Raptors host the Cleveland Cavaliers.The NBA also fined the Raptors' DeMar DeRozan $25,000 and the Heat's Goran Dragic $10,000 for a separate altercation at the end of the game, during which DeRozan attempted to shove.___For more NBA coverage: https://apnews.com/tag/NBAbasketball

PF Serge Ibaka was suspended for one game for a violation of team rules by the Toronto Raptors. The suspension, which was announced on Friday, resulted from an altercation that took place between Ibaka and a team staff member after a 124-107 loss at Oklahoma City on Wednesday. "Both parties have apologized. We've discussed this internally as a team, and we won't be discussing it any further," Raptors president Masai Ujiri said. "Now we're focused on moving forward together, and we look forward to having Serge back in the lineup." Ibaka is averaging 13.8 points on 50.5 percent shooting and six rebounds in 30 games. He will sit out Friday's contest against visiting Atlanta.

F Serge Ibaka added 12 points, 12 bounds and three blocks.

F Serge Ibaka (sore left knee) did not play Sunday against the Kings.

F Serge Ibaka totaled 21 points and 13 rebounds as Toronto beat Phoenix Wednesday. It was the third time in four games Ibaka finished with at least 20 points and his first double-double of the season.

F Serge Ibaka, coming off back-to-back 20-point games for the first time this season, scored 17 points Monday against the Clippers.

INDIANAPOLIS -- Victor Oladipo scored a career-high 47 points to lead the Indiana Pacers to a 126-116 overtime victory over the Denver Nuggets on Sunday night.The Pacers held a 12-2 advantage in overtime as Oladipo scored six points in the extra session.Oladipo sank 15 of 28 shots, including 6 of 12 3-point attempts. Myles Turner added 24 points on 10-of-15 shooting and had eight rebounds for the Pacers. Thaddeus Young scored 18 points.Trey Lyles, a 2014 Indiana Mr. Basketball who played for Arsenal Tech High School in Indianapolis, scored a career-high 25 points for Denver. Gary Harris, from the Indianapolis suburb of Fishers, and Will Barton each had 21 points, and Wilson Chandler scored 18 for Denver.Celtics 91, Pistons 81DETROIT -- Al Horford amassed 18 points, nine rebounds and six assists, and Boston handed Detroit its sixth consecutive loss.Kyrie Irving tossed in 16 points, while Marcus Smart and Jaylen Brown had 12 apiece for Boston. Rookie Jayson Tatum added 11 points, and Aron... [More]

C Serge Ibaka added 20 points to help Toronto find enough offense for a win at Sacramento on Sunday.