OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — James Harden is sitting out the Houston Rockets' game against the Golden State Warriors because of flu-like symptoms.While Harden also has a strained neck, coach Mike D'Antoni said the reigning MVP and league scoring leader probably could have played through that. Harden hurt the neck when he got hit during a practice leading up to Thursday night's road loss to the Lakers and woke up sore the next day."He might've played even with a sore neck, he had a little touch of the flu. It was a combination of everything," D'Antoni said.In the Rockets' last visit to Oracle Arena, Harden hit a contested 3-pointer with 2.7 seconds left in a 135-134 overtime victory Jan. 3 in which he finished with a triple-double and his fifth straight 40-point game. He was 13 for 32 with 10 3s.Harden, who missed three games in the season's first month with a strained left hamstring, is averaging an NBA-best 36.5 points. Houston entered Saturday's game 1-2 in games without him.Also Saturday, Harden was fined $25,000 by the NBA for criticizing the officiating after the loss to the Lakers.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

NEW YORK (AP) — Houston Rockets star James Harden has been fined $25,000 by the NBA for criticizing the officiating.The NBA announced the penalty Saturday, two days after Harden said he didn't think official Scott Foster should be allowed to work any Rockets games.Harden fouled out in Houston's 111-106 loss to the Lakers at Los Angeles. He scored 30 points, the 32nd straight time he's reached that mark.After the game, Harden criticized Foster and said he realized his words likely would result in a fine."Scott Foster, man. I never really talk about officiating or anything like that, but just rude and arrogant," Harden said."It's lingering, and it's something that has to be looked at for sure," he said. "For sure, it's personal. For sure. I don't think he should be able to even officiate our games anymore, honestly."The Rockets, who lead their division in the Western Conference, played at Golden State on Saturday night.

James Harden turned to it to become the NBA's most unstoppable scorer.Luka Doncic has ridden it to stardom on both sides of the Atlantic.The step-back 3-pointer is the perfect weapon for the modern NBA, practically a necessity in a game where the ability to find space to shoot from behind the arc is more valued than ever before."Things have changed and the game is so spread out," Dallas coach Rick Carlisle said. "All over the NBA and all over the world really, everybody's stretching the range out a few feet more. The 3-point line is being covered much better than it has in the past so guys are moving back, and guys that can create space to shoot 3s unassisted have a special skill . It's going to be a necessary skill more as the game continues to evolve."But before guys who belong in the paint start hoisting them up from the perimeter, or taking balls off the rack and shooting step-backs during this weekend's All-Star 3-point contest, there a few things to consider.Even Stephen Curry said... [More]

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Michael Jordan says James Harden's streak of 30 straight 30-point games and Russell Westbrook's 10 straight triple-doubles are both impressive and tough to accomplish.But the Charlotte Hornets owner said Tuesday — flashing a big grin — that there is one accomplishment tougher than both those feats: "Which is harder from the player's standpoint? Six championships by all means."Jordan praised both players for what they're doing, noting that both streaks are hard to accomplish.Jordan said the milestones show "the talent that we have within the league.""It shows progression in the league," Jordan said during an interview at his Hornets facility while discussing the upcoming All-Star weekend . "I am very proud of how both guys have done because they are making a mark for the league and I think it really helps grow the league."Harden needed a late scoring spree on Monday night to extend his streak to 30 games, scoring 11 points in the final 100 seconds as the Rockets defeated... [More]

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Michael Jordan says James Harden's streak of 30 straight 30-point games and Russell Westbrook's 10 straight triple-doubles are both impressive and tough to accomplish.But the Charlotte Hornets said Tuesday — flashing a big grin — that there is one accomplishment tougher than both those feats: "Which is harder from the player's standpoint? Six championships by all means."Jordan praised both players for what they're doing, nothing that both streaks are hard to accomplish.Jordan said the milestones show "the talent that we have within the league.""It shows progression in the league," Jordan said during an interview at his Hornets facility while discussing the upcoming All-Star weekend . "I am very proud of how both guys have done because they are making a mark for the league and I think it really helps grow the league."Harden needed a late scoring spree on Monday night to extend his streak to 30 games, scoring 11 points in the final 100 seconds as the Rockets defeated... [More]

WASHINGTON (AP) — John Wall has a history of trying to play through pain. His latest setback is forcing the Washington Wizards guard to take a different approach."I guess God is telling me something," Wall said Friday night about the ruptured Achilles tendon that will force him to miss at least the majority of the 2019-20 season. "To sit down and get yourself fully healthy. I've played through injuries my whole career. I know a lot of people who played through injuries and don't sit down. That's one thing I don't like to do. If something that's nagging or not broken, I want to play. I guess it kind of caught up to me."Wall was already out for the season after having surgery to repair bone spurs in his left heel. The rupture in his tendon was discovered by a team doctor during a follow-up procedure to clean out an infection. His recovery time has been estimated at 11 to 15 months."I didn't want to hear it," Wall said of the diagnosis. "I'm kind of glad it happened now instead of when I'm... [More]

LeBron James finally has Anthony Davis as a teammate.For one game.His Los Angeles Lakers were unable to swing a deal for Davis, but James drafted the New Orleans Pelicans star on Thursday when he and fellow captain Giannis Antetokounmpo sat down to choose their teams for the Feb. 17 All-Star Game in Charlotte.Davis told the Pelicans he wanted a trade, and James has made it clear that he'd love to play with him. But the Pelicans kept Davis as the trade deadline passed, so for now, their time as teammates will be limited to All-Star weekend and James pounced at the chance to grab him with the second pick of the reserve round."I'm very sure of that," James said, when asked by TNT host Ernie Johnson if he was sure he wanted Davis as a teammate."Isn't that tampering?" Antetokounmpo asked.Responded James, as both players laughed: "Tampering rules do not apply on All-Star weekend," a thinly veiled reference to the reaction James got when he listed Davis as one of many players he would like the... [More]

HOUSTON (AP) — P.J. Tucker has become such a fashion icon that he is no longer simply wearing designer pieces. He is making them.The Houston Rockets forward collaborated with Italian designer Giuseppe Zanotti on a sneaker that was released in December. His latest collaboration, a shirt from New York designers Ovadia & Sons , will go on sale this weekend.The hard-nosed defender with the gruff on-court persona flashed a huge smile as he described seeing the shirt for the first time."It was crazy," he told The Associated Press. "It's like seeing your baby."Tucker has long been a fan of the brand, which is also favored by rappers Jay Z and Future and fellow NBA stars Kevin Durant and Chris Paul. He was thrilled when the company approached him with the idea of designing something for the label.To be clear, this isn't just something Tucker slapped his name on. He said he was fully involved in every step of the process, which took about six months."I picked everything," he said. "They helped... [More]

HOUSTON (AP) — P.J. Tucker has become such a fashion icon that he is no longer simply wearing designer pieces. He is making them.The Houston Rockets forward collaborated with Italian designer Giuseppe Zanotti on a sneaker that was released in December. Hi latest collaboration, a shirt from New York designers Ovadia & Sons , will go on sale this weekend.The hard-nosed defender with the gruff on-court persona flashed a huge smile as he described seeing the shirt for the first time."It was crazy," he told The Associated Press. "It's like seeing your baby."Tucker has long been a fan of the brand, which is also favored by rappers Jay Z and Future and fellow NBA stars Kevin Durant and Chris Paul. He was thrilled when the company approached him with the idea of designing something for the label.To be clear, this isn't just something Tucker slapped his name on. He said he was fully involved in every step of the process, which took about six months."I picked everything," he said. "They helped... [More]

New Orleans has an All-Star for the sixth straight year.That is, unless he gets traded first.Pelicans standout Anthony Davis — only three days removed from having his trade request made known publicly — was one of the 14 players announced Thursday as reserves for the All-Star Game in Charlotte. Davis wants to be swapped out of New Orleans by the Feb. 7 trade deadline, so it remains unclear if his uniform for the All-Star contest on Feb. 17 will bear a Pelicans logo or not.It's the sixth consecutive All-Star nod for Davis. The Pelicans aren't sure if he'll play for them again, though there's also no guarantee that he gets traded by next week either."That's something that will obviously have to be discussed about what's best for him and what's best for our team," Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry said.The other Western Conference reserves were Oklahoma City's Russell Westbrook, Denver's Nikola Jokic, Portland's Damian Lillard, Golden State's Klay Thompson, San Antonio's LaMarcus Aldridge and Minnesota's... [More]

New Orleans has an All-Star for the sixth straight year.That is, unless he gets traded first.Pelicans standout Anthony Davis — only three days removed from having his trade request made known publicly — was one of the 14 players announced Thursday as reserves for the All-Star Game in Charlotte. Davis wants to be swapped out of New Orleans by the Feb. 7 trade deadline, so it remains unclear if his uniform for the All-Star contest on Feb. 17 will bear a Pelicans logo or not.It's the sixth consecutive All-Star nod for Davis. The Pelicans aren't sure if he'll play for them again, though there's also no guarantee that he gets traded by next week either."That's something that will obviously have to be discussed about what's best for him and what's best for our team," Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry said.The other Western Conference reserves were Oklahoma City's Russell Westbrook, Denver's Nikola Jokic, Portland's Damian Lillard, Golden State's Klay Thompson, San Antonio's LaMarcus Aldridge and Minnesota's... [More]

New Orleans has an All-Star for the sixth straight year.That is, unless he gets traded first.Pelicans standout Anthony Davis — only three days removed from having his trade request made known publicly — was one of the 14 players announced Thursday as reserves for the All-Star Game in Charlotte. Davis wants to be swapped out of New Orleans by the Feb. 7 trade deadline, so it remains unclear if his uniform for the All-Star contest on Feb. 17 will bear a Pelicans logo or not.The other Western Conference reserves were Oklahoma City's Russell Westbrook, Denver's Nikola Jokic, Portland's Damian Lillard, Golden State's Klay Thompson, San Antonio's LaMarcus Aldridge and Minnesota's Karl-Anthony Towns.Indiana's Victor Oladipo was selected as one of the Eastern Conference reserves, even though his season is over because of injury. The other reserves from the East were Toronto's Kyle Lowry, Milwaukee's Khris Middleton, Philadelphia's Ben Simmons, Washington's Bradley Beal, Detroit's Blake Griffin... [More]

HOUSTON (AP) — James Harden has been scoring at a pace not seen since Wilt Chamberlain in the 1960s.He doesn't want to talk about it, of course. He never does, whether things are going well or not. But it is clear he is enjoying this because his scoring outburst has coincided with Houston climbing the standings, back among the top teams in the Western Conference after an early-season slump."I love to hoop," he said. "I love to just be out there and the grind."He scored 40 points in Houston's win over Orlando on Sunday night to extend his stretch of consecutive 30-point games to 23, the fourth-longest streak in NBA history behind three such streaks by Chamberlain. In 13 games this month, last season's MVP is averaging 44.1 points. He has scored at least 40 points in eight games in January, including two 50-point games and a franchise-record 61 in a win over the Knicks."It's remarkable," teammate Eric Gordon said. "I've been around a lot of big-time players and he's for sure the best scorer... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Dwyane Wade considered ending his NBA career after last season. Carmelo Anthony was one of the people who told him he needed a proper goodbye.On Sunday, Wade's final lap around the league even brought Anthony back to Madison Square Garden.Anthony sat courtside at his former home to watch Wade help Miami beat the New York Knicks 106-97."I didn't know he was coming. I found out before the game. But it meant a lot, man. I am glad," Wade said."I talked to him this summer. We went out to dinner and I was contemplating retirement and Melo was one of the ones that was pushing me to come back and he was like, 'Flash, you can't go out like that. You got to come back and get that love, that last tour kind of.' And he was a big part of me making that decision. I am glad he came out (to) see me play in person, you know, maybe for the last time. So it's cool."Anthony spent 6½ seasons with the Knicks before they traded him to Oklahoma City in September 2017. He's still looking for a team... [More]

HOUSTON (AP) — Chris Paul will return for the Houston Rockets against the Orlando Magic after missing the last 17 games with a strained left hamstring.The nine-time All-Star has been out since he was injured Dec. 20 in a loss at Miami.Coach Mike D'Antoni said Paul's minutes will be limited initially and he hopes to keep him somewhere in the mid-20s on Sunday night.The Rockets have done well in Paul's absence, going 12-5 behind the high-scoring of James Harden and some help from the addition of Austin Rivers, who started while Paul was out.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers is a captain and an All-Star starter — again.Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks will choose his own teammates as the other captain.And Hornets guard Kemba Walker is about to make his first All-Star start, on his home floor in Charlotte.While there were perhaps mild surprises, there were no real stunners during Thursday night's unveiling of the starters for the NBA All-Star Game that will be played in Charlotte on Feb. 17. James and Antetokounmpo are captains, their perk for being the leading vote-getters out of the Western and Eastern Conferences, and nine of this year's 10 starters have been chosen to begin All-Star Games in the past.Walker is the lone exception, and broke into a smile when realizing he was a pick."It's kind of surreal," Walker told TNT during the broadcast to announce the starters.The starting guards from the East are Boston's Kyrie Irving and Walker. The East frontcourt picks were Antetokounmpo, Toronto's Kawhi Leonard... [More]

LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers and Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks are the captains for this year's NBA All-Star Game.James and Antetokounmpo were the leading vote-getters from each conference, making them the players who will choose who plays on which team for the Feb. 17 matchup at Charlotte.They will draft their teams on Feb. 7. As the leading overall vote-getter, James will have the first pick — just as he did last year, when the captain's-choice format was used for the All-Star rosters for the first time.James extended his NBA record by being chosen as a starter for the 15th straight time. Antetokounmpo is now a three-time All-Star.The starting guards from the East are Boston's Kyrie Irving and Charlotte's Kemba Walker — who'll get to start on his home floor. The East frontcourt picks were Antetokounmpo, Toronto's Kawhi Leonard and Philadelphia's Joel Embiid. From the West, Stephen Curry and reigning NBA MVP James Harden were the picks at guard, with James, Golden... [More]

LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers and Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks are the captains for this year's NBA All-Star Game.James and Antetokounmpo were the leading vote-getters from each conference, making them the players who will choose who plays on which team for the Feb. 17 matchup at Charlotte.They will draft their teams on Feb. 7. As the leading overall vote-getter, James will have the first pick — just as he did last year, when the captain's-choice format was used for the All-Star rosters for the first time.James extended his NBA record by being chosen as a starter for the 15th straight time. Antetokounmpo is now a three-time All-Star.The starting guards from the East are Boston's Kyrie Irving and Charlotte's Kemba Walker — who'll get to start on his home floor. The East frontcourt picks were Antetokounmpo, Toronto's Kawhi Leonard and Philadelphia's Joel Embiid. From the West, Stephen Curry and reigning NBA MVP James Harden were the picks at guard, with James, Golden... [More]

This play midway through the fourth quarter of James Harden's historic effort at Madison Square Garden was largely reminiscent of what the Houston Rockets' offense has looked like lately:He got the ball.He kept it for 16 seconds.He dribbled it 21 times.He shot.He scored.What Harden has done in his last five games — 261 points, 52.2 points per game, zero assisted by a teammate — is astounding by any measure. He's averaged 43.1 points in his last 21 games, keeping Houston in the thick of the Western Conference playoff race. The Rockets have alternated wins and losses in each of their last 10 games, despite Harden's greatness of late.Earlier this month, Houston guard Austin Rivers described the Rockets' playbook like this to Sports Illustrated: "James Harden. Just get the (bleep) out of his way. Let him do the heavy lifting."That philosophy should be coming to an end before long.Rockets point guard Chris Paul will be back soon from his latest tale of hamstring woe, maybe even as early as Friday... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — James Harden has reached 30 points for the 21st consecutive game, passing Wilt Chamberlain for the fourth-longest streak in NBA history.Harden's 3-pointer with about three minutes remaining in the first half of Houston's game against the Knicks on Wednesday night gave him 32 points.The NBA's leading scorer had already surpassed his average of 35.7 points by halftime, putting back the miss of his own shot to beat the buzzer and give himself 36 points and nine rebounds.Chamberlain still has all three streaks that were longer. His record is 65 straight 30-point games, and he also had streaks of 31 and 25 games.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports