DALLAS (AP) — Luka Doncic scored 24 points, Tim Hardaway Jr. added 23 and the Dallas Mavericks beat the Brooklyn Nets 113-109 on Thursday night to finish a season sweep. Kyrie Irving scored a season-high 45 points for the Nets. They lost a season-high fourth straight game and dropped two games behind Eastern Conference-leading Philadelphia. Dorian Finney-Smith scored 17 points as the Mavericks reached 10 games over .500 for the first time this season and held on to the fifth seed in the West. Dallas (38-28) is a game ahead of the Los Angeles Lakers and Portland (both 37-29) with six to go after LA's 118-94 loss to the Clippers. The Mavericks hold the tiebreaker on the defending NBA champs but not the Trail Blazers. One of the three teams will be forced into the play-in tournament as the No. 7 seed. “This is all experience we need,” coach Rick Carlisle said. “There’s a lot of situations that are new. Last year at this time we were locked into the seventh position and we weren’t going lower.... [More]

DALLAS (AP) — Luka Doncic scored 24 points, Tim Hardaway Jr. added 23 and the Dallas Mavericks beat the Brooklyn Nets 113-109 on Thursday night to finish a season sweep. Kyrie Irving scored a season-high 45 points for the Nets. They lost a season-high fourth straight game and dropped two games behind Eastern Conference-leading Philadelphia. Dorian Finney-Smith scored 17 points as the Mavericks reached 10 games over .500 for the first time this season and moved a half-game ahead of the Los Angeles Lakers for the fifth seed in the West. Dallas holds the tiebreaker on the defending NBA champs. “This is all experience we need,” coach Rick Carlisle said. “There’s a lot of situations that are new. Last year at this time we were locked into the seventh position and we weren’t going lower. This year is a whole different ballgame. There’s so much in play. The thing I’m most proud of with this group is they’re blocking out all the external noise.” Kevin Durant had 20 points and nine rebounds for... [More]

DALLAS (AP) — Luka Doncic scored 24 points, Tim Hardaway Jr. added 23 and the Dallas Mavericks beat the Brooklyn Nets 113-109 on Thursday night to finish a season sweep. Kyrie Irving scored a season-high 45 points for the Nets. They lost a season-high fourth straight game and dropped two games behind Eastern Conference-leading Philadelphia. Dorian Finney-Smith scored 17 points as the Mavericks reached 10 games over .500 for the first time this season and moved a half-game ahead of the Los Angeles Lakers for the fifth seed in the West. Dallas holds the tiebreaker on the defending NBA champs. Kevin Durant had 20 points and nine rebounds for the Nets with each team missing an injured star: James Harden for Brooklyn and Kristaps Porzingis for Dallas. In the Mavericks' 115-98 win at Brooklyn in February, Harden played while Durant and Irving were out. Doncic had 10 rebounds, and one of his eight assists came on a layup by Dwight Powell that put Dallas ahead for good at 94-92 and started a 7-0... [More]

DALLAS (AP) — Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 20 of his 29 points while Dallas built a big first-half lead without much help from Luka Doncic, and the Mavericks returned from a weather-induced break with a 102-92 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday night. Dallas was playing for the first time in eight days after two postponements because of a wintry weather blast in Texas. Kristaps Porzingis didn't play after showing up on the injury report the day of the game with back stiffness. “I guess those eight days really helped,” Hardaway said after going 7 of 11 from 3-point range. “We didn’t know when we were going to play leading up to this point. Everybody just made sure they stayed locked in, made sure they took care of their bodies.” Doncic scored 14 of his 21 points after halftime in his first game since the soon-to-be 22-year-old became the first Dallas player to be voted an All-Star starter in consecutive seasons. The Slovenian star's franchise record of 14 consecutive games with at least... [More]

DALLAS (AP) — Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 20 of his 29 points while Dallas built a big first-half lead without much help from Luka Doncic, and the Mavericks returned from a weather-induced break with a 102-92 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday night. Dallas was playing for the first time in eight days after two postponements because of a wintry weather blast in Texas. Kristaps Porzingis didn't play after showing up on the injury report the day of the game with back stiffness. Doncic scored 14 of his 21 points after halftime in his first game since the soon-to-be 22-year-old became the first Dallas player to be voted an All-Star starter in consecutive seasons. The Slovenian star's franchise record of 14 consecutive games with at least 25 points ended. Two nights after falling behind by 31 at halftime in a 31-point loss to Phoenix, the Grizzlies were down 23 in the second quarter after scoring a season low for any quarter and trailing 26-13 after the first. Ja Morant had 22 points and... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray was fined $25,000 by the NBA on Wednesday for a shot to the groin area of Dallas' Tim Hardaway Jr. Murray was ejected after the apparently intentional act in the third quarter of a game Monday night. The Nuggets won 117-113. Murray stumbled backward after colliding with Hardaway as Denver was setting up on offense. Murray got up and reached between Hardaway’s legs with his right arm, prompting Hardaway to double over. The official closest to the contact blew the whistle to stop play with 4:51 left in the third quarter and conferred with the other referees. The initial call was a foul on Murray, and it was upgraded to a flagrant-2 foul after a video review. ___ More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

DALLAS (AP) — Michael Porter Jr. tied his season high with 30 points and the Denver Nuggets overcame Jamal Murray's ejection for a shot to the groin of Dallas guard Tim Hardaway Jr. to beat the Mavericks 117-113 on Monday night. Porter was 6 of 10 from 3-point range, including a go-ahead bucket to start a decisive 7-0 run late in the fourth quarter after the Mavericks had rallied immediately following the incident involving Murray and Hardaway. Luka Doncic had 35 points, 11 rebounds and a season-high 16 assists for his league-leading sixth triple-double. The Dallas star broke a tie for the NBA lead with Nikola Jokic, who had 20 points and 10 rebounds for the Nuggets. The Nuggets improved to 3-0 on a five-game road trip with their fourth straight victory and are 7-2 since an overtime loss to the Mavericks in Denver. It was the third game in four days, and the first two went to overtime in Phoenix. “This was character,” coach Mike Malone said. “Coming off two overtime games in Phoenix. And... [More]

DALLAS (AP) — Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray was ejected after what appeared to be an intentional shot to the groin area of Dallas' Tim Hardaway Jr. in the second half of their game Monday night. Murray stumbled backward after the pair collided as Denver was setting up on offense. Murray got up and reached between Hardaway's legs with his right arm, prompting Hardaway to double over. The official closest to the contact blew the whistle to stop play with 4:51 left in the third quarter and conferred with the other referees. The initial call was a foul on Murray, and it was upgraded to a flagrant-two foul on a video review. Murray had 16 points when he was ejected, his same team-leading total from halftime. Malone said he asked crew chief Zach Zarba for an explanation, and Zarba told him the replay was “fairly obvious.” “There was a lot of physicality between those two,” Malone said. “They came out very aggressive in the third quarter, which we knew they would. Hopefully it’s nothing more... [More]

DALLAS (AP) — Michael Porter Jr. tied his season high with 30 points and the Denver Nuggets overcame Jamal Murray's ejection for a shot to the groin of Dallas guard Tim Hardaway Jr. to beat the Mavericks 117-113 on Monday night. Porter was 6 of 10 from 3-point range, including a go-ahead shot to start a decisive 7-0 run late in the fourth quarter after the Mavericks had rallied immediately following the incident involving Murray and Hardaway. Luka Doncic had 35 points, 11 rebounds and a season-high 16 assists for his league-leading sixth triple-double. The Dallas star broke a tie for the NBA lead with Nikola Jokic, who had 20 points and 10 rebounds for the Nuggets. Denver was setting up on offense early in the second half when Murray stumbled backward after colliding with Hardaway. Murray got up and reached between Hardaway’s legs with his right arm, prompting Hardaway to double over. The official closest to the contact blew the whistle to stop play with 4:51 left in the third quarter and... [More]

DALLAS (AP) — Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray was ejected after what appeared to be an intentional shot to the groin area of Dallas' Tim Hardaway Jr. in the second half of their game Monday night. Murray stumbled backward after the pair collided as Denver was setting up on offense. Murray got up and reached between Hardaway's legs with his right arm, prompting Hardaway to double over. The official closest to the contact blew the whistle to stop play with 4:51 left in the third quarter and conferred with the other referees. The initial call was a foul on Murray, and it was upgraded to a flagrant-two foul on a video review. Murray had 16 points when he was ejected, his same team-leading total from halftime. The Nuggets led 80-73 when the game was stopped, and Hardaway scored the next seven points in just 23 seconds to get the Mavericks even before they went on to take their first lead since early in the first quarter. ___ More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Luka Doncic's first experience with the playoffs ended with questions about whether Marcus Morris of the Los Angeles Clippers was intentionally trying to hurt the young Dallas sensation in a first-round series won by LA. The Mavericks might have hinted at what they thought through trades and draft picks during this abbreviated offseason. Dallas acquired James Johnson and his black belt in karate from Oklahoma City in a three-team trade after using the club's first-round draft choice at No. 18 overall on Josh Green, who was a strong defender in his only season at Arizona. The Mavericks also sent their best 3-pointer shooter in Seth Curry to Philadelphia for Josh Richardson, described by coach Rick Carlisle as an “edgy guy who is a terrific defender.” “I don’t really take well to my brothers being messed with, but I’m not an instigator in situations so I’m not going to be out there just trying to get in people’s faces and do a lot of extra stuff,” Richardson said on the opening day of training... [More]

DALLAS (AP) — Guard Tim Hardaway Jr. is opting in at $19 million for the final year of his contract with the Dallas Mavericks, while center Willie Cauley-Stein is moving on after declining his $2.3 million option. A person with knowledge of the decisions confirmed both moves to The Associated Press on Thursday on the condition of anonymity because no announcements were planned. Cauley-Stein becomes an unrestricted free agent. Hardaway shot a career-best 40% from 3-point range playing alongside 21-year-old sensation Luka Doncic as the Mavericks reached the playoffs for the first time in four years, losing to the Los Angeles Clippers in the first round. After coming over from New York in a trade along with headliner Kristaps Porzingis in February 2019, Hardaway averaged 19.3 points per game while becoming a full-time starter 14 games into his first full season with Dallas. The 28-year-old Hardaway figures to keep that starting role with rookie first-round pick Josh Green of Arizona probably... [More]

DALLAS (AP) — The Dallas Mavericks signed guard Trey Burke on Wednesday after center Willie Cauley-Stein decided not to rejoin the team for the planned resumption of the season.Burke spent part of the 2018-19 season with the Mavericks after coming over in the blockbuster trade that also brought Kristaps Porzingis from the New York Knicks.The 27-year-old Burke played 25 games this season with Philadelphia before he was waived in February, about a month before the NBA shut down because of the coronavirus pandemic.Cauley-Stein, acquired in a deal with Golden State before the trading deadline this year, opted out of playing because of the impending birth of his daughter this month.President of basketball operations Donnie Nelson said the Mavericks chose a guard over an interior player because of a need for backups behind All-Star Luka Doncic and shooting guard Tim Hardaway Jr.Jalen Brunson, one of the backups to Doncic, won't play if the season resumes because of shoulder surgery.Burke has career averages of 10.5 points and 3.5 assists in 386 games over seven seasons. He has played for Utah and Washington in addition to the Knicks, Mavericks and 76ers.The Mavericks are supposed to resume the season July 31 against Houston in Orlando, Florida.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

DALLAS (AP) — Dallas Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle, like his players, heard about the NBA's decision to suspend the season while in the third quarter of their game against the Denver Nuggets. That ended up being the last game completed in the league Wednesday night, and the Mavericks avoided their first three-game losing streak before the NBA season's suspension “until further notice" after a Utah Jazz player tested positive for the coronavirus. “Very concerned, but it’s not necessarily about basketball. Obviously this is much bigger than basketball,” Mavericks owner Mark Cuban said.“This is because of just the league being concerned about the health of fans, players and arena personnel," Carlisle said. “There’s going to be more meetings and more talk tomorrow about what the next steps are. There’s no timetable.” Boban Marjanovic had 31 points and 17 rebounds, Luka Doncic scored 28 points and the Mavericks won 113-97, which was secondary considering the entire situation. Nuggets forward... [More]

DALLAS (AP) — Boban Marjanovic had 31 points and 17 rebounds, Luka Doncic scored 28 points and the Dallas Mavericks beat the Denver Nuggets 113-97 on Wednesday night before the suspension of the NBA season because of the coronavirus. The Mavericks were in the second half of their game when the NBA announced plans to suspend the season “until further notice" after a Utah Jazz player tested positive for the coronavirus. Jamal Murray had 25 points to lead Denver, and Will Barton had 23.Mavericks owner Mark Cuban told national and regional television broadcasts that players were aware of the situation during the game, and were talking about it on the bench. “It's about the country and life in general ... This is bigger than just the NBA," Cuban told ESPN during an in-game interview. Cuban said he didn't anticipate the players being allowed to leave town, saying the only way to have any control and know about their health was to know where they are and who they are working with. Dallas avoided... [More]

MIAMI (AP) — Dwyane Wade went through a long list of thank-yous as he delivered a 20-minute speech at his jersey retirement ceremony Saturday night, mentioning everyone from his business manager and the Miami Heat ball boys to Pat Riley.“I could have gone on for an hour,” Wade said following the ceremony at halftime of the Heat's 124-105 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers. “This is about me for sure, but this is about all of us at the same time — the city of Miami, teammates over the years, everyone who has sacrificed, rooted and cried. We all did this together. I didn’t do this by myself.”Wade's wife helped to hoist his No. 3 jersey to the rafters, where it joined the retired jerseys of four other Heat players — Alonzo Mourning, Tim Hardaway, Shaquille O’Neal and Chris Bosh. The ceremony was the centerpiece in a three-day celebration of Wade's 16-year NBA career, which included three championship seasons with the Heat. Wade, who now lives in Los Angeles, returned to the arena for the first... [More]

MIAMI (AP) — Dwyane Wade went through a long list of thank-yous as he delivered a 20-minute speech at his jersey retirement ceremony Saturday night, mentioning everyone from his business manager and the Miami Heat ball boys to Pat Riley.“I could have gone on for an hour,” Wade said following the ceremony at halftime of the Heat's 124-105 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers. “This is about me for sure, but this is about all of us at the same time — the city of Miami, teammates over the years, everyone who has sacrificed, rooted and cried. We all did this together. I didn’t do this by myself.”Wade's wife helped to hoist his No. 3 jersey to the rafters, where it joined the retired jerseys of four other Heat players — Alonzo Mourning, Tim Hardaway, Shaquille O’Neal and Chris Bosh. The ceremony was the centerpiece in a three-day celebration of Wade's 16-year NBA career, which included three championship seasons with the Heat. Wade, who now lives in Los Angeles, returned to the arena for the first... [More]

MIAMI (AP) — Dwyane Wade says that whenever he would hear the national anthem play before Miami home games, he would take a moment and look to the rafters.“I always imagined my jersey being up there,” Wade said.He will no longer have to imagine the sight. After this weekend, it’ll be there for good.Wade will become the fifth Heat player to get his number retired by the team, joining Alonzo Mourning, Tim Hardaway, Shaquille O’Neal and Chris Bosh. A three-day celebration of Wade’s time in Miami starts on Friday, a weekend highlighted by his No. 3 formally going to the rafters on Saturday night when the Heat play host to the Cleveland Cavaliers.Wade spent 16 seasons in the NBA, 14½ of those with the Heat. He was one of two players to be part of all three Heat championship teams — Udonis Haslem, whose No. 40 will almost certainly be retired by the team one day, is the other.It was never a question of whether Wade’s jersey was going to be retired by the Heat, only a question of when. He’s the... [More]

DALLAS (AP) — Dallas Mavericks forward Dwight Powell will miss the rest of the season with a torn right Achilles tendon, a blow to a team contending for a playoff spot for the first time in four years.The club confirmed Wednesday the diagnosis it had feared after Powell was injured in the first quarter of a 110-107 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers. Powell is exploring his options on surgery.The 28-year-old Powell went down with a non-contact injury with 2:57 left in the first quarter Tuesday night. He was helped to the locker room while putting no weight on his right leg. The injury came on the same night 7-foot-3 forward Kristaps Porzingis returned after missing 10 games because of a sore right knee. Powell averaged 13 points on 71% shooting in the games Porzingis missed and was proving to be an effective sidekick. They usually started together when healthy.Powell, in his sixth season in the NBA, has averaged nearly 10 points and six rebounds a game in 39 previous games. He had increased... [More]

MIAMI (AP) — The Miami Heat will celebrate Dwyane Wade’s career with a three-day series of tributes next month, including the retirement of his No. 3 jersey and a viewing of the documentary that chronicles his final season.A tribute to some of his best moments will be held on Feb. 21. The jersey will go to the rafters when the Heat play the Cleveland Cavaliers on Feb. 22. And the documentary covering his on- and off-court life will be shown at the team’s arena on Feb. 23.Wade will be the fifth former Heat player to have his jersey retired by the team, joining Alonzo Mourning, Tim Hardaway, Shaquille O’Neal and Chris Bosh. The Heat previously announced that LeBron James eventually will have his Heat jersey retired as well.Wade played 16 seasons in the NBA, most of them with Miami. He helped the Heat win NBA titles in 2006, 2012 and 2013 and is the leading scorer in team history.