CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — The Latest on NBA All-Star Weekend (all times local):12:35 p.m.Boston's Kyrie Irving and New Orleans' Anthony Davis say they both plan to play in Sunday's All-Star game.Both have been dealing with injuries lately. Irving has been dealing with a strained right knee for about a week, and Davis left New Orleans' last game before the All-Star break with a bruised muscle in his left shoulder.Irving is a starter on Team LeBron, and Davis is one of the reserves on that team.Irving was definitive, saying he is fine and ready to go. Davis' tempered his prediction on playing, saying he expects to play but suggesting that it depends on how he feels Sunday.___12:10 p.m.LeBron James says he has kept a close eye on what freshman sensation Zion Williamson is doing at Duke and believes "it's great for the game."Williamson, a 6-foot-7, 285-pounder, has become a national sensation with his size and leaping ability.James said Saturday at practice for the All-Star game that the biggest... [More]

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — The Latest on NBA All-Star Weekend (all times local):11:35 a.m.The Curry brothers have levied a wager for their head-to-head competition in Saturday night's NBA 3-point contest: Whoever loses must buy tickets for the entire Curry family anytime they play against each other for the remainder of their NBA careers.Stephen said Saturday before practice for the All-Star game that "the stakes are pretty high considering how many people show up for our games."It's unclear if the group will include a new sister-in-law. There are reports that Seth has proposed to Callie Rivers, the daughter of NBA coach Doc Rivers. When asked about it Saturday, Seth declined to talk about their relationship.Stephen, who won the 3-point competition in 2015, says he is motivated to win it again because he's "knows for a fact" that everybody else in the Curry family —including his parents— are pulling for Seth.Stephen says with a laugh, "so I hope to pull the upset."Both players are hoping to... [More]

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — The Latest on NBA All-Star Weekend (all times local):10:50 p.m.Milwaukee star Giannis Antetokounmpo says he'll play in the FIBA world championships this summer.Greece has already qualified for the 32-team tournament, which starts in China on Aug. 31.Antetokounmpo said Saturday before practice for the All-Star game that the only way he wouldn't play is if he had any injury concerns.Many NBA stars are expected to participate, even though the finals in mid-September will be held a week or so before the start of training camps for the 2019-20 season.___10:10 a.m.John Collins has a favorite dunker. Not surprisingly, it's his Atlanta teammate Vince Carter.Collins will represent the Hawks in the dunk contest, one of the events during All-Star Saturday Night. The 3-point contest and skills competition are also on the evening docket.Collins had perhaps the best dunk of the Rising Stars game Friday night, going with a pass off the backboard to himself for a slam over Dallas' Luka Doncic. He says he's got three or four dunks ready to go for Saturday night.He won't reveal what to expect: "No hints," he said Saturday morning.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — The Latest on NBA All-Star Weekend (all times local):10:55 p.m.Kyle Kuzma of the Los Angeles Lakers scored 35 points, Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics added 30 and the U.S. beat the World team 161-144 in the Rising Stars game for first- and second-year players at All-Star Weekend.Trae Young of the Atlanta Hawks finished with 25 points and 10 assists, and De'Aaron Fox of the Sacramento Kings had 15 assists for the U.S. Utah's Donovan Mitchell added 20 points, nine assists and seven rebounds.Philadelphia's Ben Simmons led the World team with 28 points. Chicago's Lauri Markkanen had 21 points for the World squad, and Dallas' Luka Doncic had 13 points and nine assists.Both teams shot 55 percent.It was the fifth time the U.S. vs. the World format was used for what was once known as the rookie game. The World now leads the all-time series 3-2, after its two-game winning streak was snapped.___9:05 p.m.Famous Los scored 22 points to win MVP honors, and the Home team held... [More]

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) — 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]

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]

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) — 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]

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]

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]

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.WEDNESDAYBKN--All-Star Game-Stepback 3-PointerJames Harden has relied on it to become the NBA’s most unstoppable scorer. Luka Doncic has ridden it to stardom on both sides of the Atlantic. So how come more players aren’t using the step-back 3-pointer? Well, it’s fundamentally flawed, sometimes doesn’t even look legal, and even Stephen Curry says it’s tough to make. So it’s unclear whether the shot is a luxury for some, or will become a necessity for all in today’s 3-point happy game. By Basketball Writer Brian Mahoney. Sent: 850 words, photos by 5 a.m.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... [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.TUESDAYBKN—All-Star Game-Jordan’s JourneyCHARLOTTE, N.C. _ As college roommates Michael Jordan and Buzz Peterson would spend their nights shooting pool, tossing cards and playing arcade games at the University of North Carolina. Looking back, Peterson said he never could have imagined Jordan would become so successful and wealthy that he would go on to buy an NBA franchise and have the honor of hosting an All-Star game in his home state. By Steve Reed. Sent: 900 words, file photosWEDNESDAYBKN--All-Star Game-Stepback 3-PointerJames Harden has relied on it to become the NBA’s most unstoppable scorer. Luka Doncic has ridden it to stardom on both sides of the Atlantic. So how come more players aren’t using the step-back 3-pointer? Well, it’s fundamentally flawed, sometimes doesn’t even... [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.MONDAYBKN--All-Star-Shoe FashionCHARLOTTE, N.C. _ The NBA All-Star game is coming up this weekend which means players will be unveiling some new shoes for the big game. It seems each pair has its own meaning, whether it's a tribute to cancer survivors, a tip of the hat to Charlotte's auto racing history or a story of how they got in trouble at a local college. By Steve Reed. SENT: 900 words, photos_ With BKN--All-Star-Shoe Fashion-ListBKN--All-Star-Hi-Tech ShoeNike's latest performance basketball shoe, from concept to reality, took about three years to put together. Or 30 years, depending on how you count. The Nike Adapt BB _ a self-lacing smart shoe that can be controlled by a smartphone _ gets released to the public on Sunday, a date that just happens to coincide with the NBA All-Star... [More]

DALLAS (AP) — Khris Middleton thought Nikola Mirotic tilted a playoff series in Chicago's favor nearly four years ago when the Bulls beat his Milwaukee Bucks in the first round.Mirotic will be on Middleton's side for the postseason this time around.The Bucks had already surged to the NBA's best record when general manager Jon Horst got the 6-foot-10 Mirotic, an adept 3-point shooter, in a three-team trade that sent Milwaukee's Jason Smith and Detroit's Stanley Johnson to New Orleans. The Pistons got Thon Maker from Milwaukee.The Pelicans made a similar move to add Mirotic last February, and he helped them rally to make the playoffs and advance to the second round after a season-ending injury to DeMarcus Cousins."Another guy that has playoff experience, one," Middleton said. "Two, he can stretch the floor and he knows how to play. I remember back when we played him in the Chicago series ... and how he changed that series for them, the way he knocked down shots."The Bucks are among the more... [More]