LeBron James was making a statement on the court when the Milwaukee Bucks had to make one of their own.Giannis Antetokounmpo had been hurt two nights earlier while losing to James and the Los Angeles Lakers, and on Sunday afternoon they said the reigning MVP had a minor sprain of his left knee and would miss at least two games.Shortly after, James and the Lakers closed out the Clippers for another big win. Milwaukee lost again later Sunday and dropped a third in a row Monday in Denver while resting other regulars.It was a reminder that everything in the NBA always comes down to health.James and the Lakers have it right now, along with suddenly the look of the team to beat.“I feel like right now I’m just playing some really good basketball,” James said. “Last year obviously started out really well but the injury hurt me a lot physically and mentally as well, having an injury like that.” That was a groin injury he sustained while the Lakers were blowing out Golden State on Christmas Day.... [More]

PHOENIX (AP) — Reigning MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo has a minor knee sprain and will miss at least the Milwaukee Bucks' next two games.The Bucks said Sunday that Antetokounmpo had an MRI and was examined by team doctor William Raasch. The evaluation showed a minor joint capsule sprain of Antetokounmpo's left knee.The 6-foot-11 forward will miss the two remaining games on the Bucks’ trip — Sunday at Phoenix and Monday at Denver. His status for the Bucks’ home game Thursday against Boston will be determined later.“The way they described it to me is we’ll see how the next few days go and kind of evaluate him and see where he is then," Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said. Antetokounmpo took a hard fall late in a 113-103 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday night. He remained in the game but appeared to be limping as he walked off the court afterward.“Overall we’re very pleased," Budenholzer said. “I think this is about as good an outcome and prognosis as we could hope for, I guess, unless it was nothing.”Antetokounmpo ranks third in the NBA in scoring (29.6 points per game) and fourth in rebounding (13.7). He also averages 5.8 assists.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

PHOENIX (AP) — Reigning MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo has a minor knee sprain and will miss at least the Milwaukee Bucks' next two games.The Bucks said Sunday that Antetokounmpo had an MRI and was examined by team doctor William Raasch. The evaluation showed a minor joint capsule sprain of Antetokounmpo's left knee.The 6-foot-11 forward will miss the two remaining games on the Bucks’ trip — Sunday at Phoenix and Monday at Denver. His status for the Bucks’ home game Thursday against Boston will be determined later.Antetokounmpo took a hard fall late in a 113-103 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday night. He remained in the game but appeared to be limping as he walked off the court afterward.Antetokounmpo ranks third in the NBA in scoring (29.6 points per game) and fourth in rebounding (13.7). He also averages 5.8 assists.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

It’s reasonable to think Milwaukee is not going to win all 21 of its remaining games, which means not all is lost for the Golden State Warriors this season.They’ll still be the only team in NBA history to win 73 games.The Warriors were a record 73-9 in the 2015-16 season, and the Bucks fell to 52-9 with their loss in Miami on Monday night. But there’s still a chance Milwaukee could be able to make a case as the most dominant team in league history in one regard — margin of victory.This season’s Bucks are outscoring teams by 12.26 points per game. That’s on pace to be second-best in NBA history, just a smidge behind the mark of 12.28 set by the 1971-72 Los Angeles Lakers — a team with a Hall of Fame coach in Bill Sharman, four Hall of Fame players in Wilt Chamberlain, Gail Goodrich, Elgin Baylor and Jerry West, and a player who would become a Hall of Fame coach in Pat Riley.And the Bucks are in that stratosphere.“We’ve still got a lot more basketball to play,” guard Wesley Matthews said.... [More]

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Giannis Antetokounmpo and the NBA-leading Milwaukee Bucks made quick work of the Oklahoma City Thunder.Antetokounmpo had 32 points and 13 rebounds and Milwaukee surged to a 24-point lead in the second quarter in a 133-86 victory Friday night. The 47-point margin was the Bucks' largest of the season — and the Thunder’s worst of the season. “It feels good. It feels good seeing other guys going out there, playing hard and being up 40 points, sitting on the bench, relaxing, having fun," Antetokounmpo said. "Everyone is smiling. Games like these are always the best games. “We were extremely ready. We moved the ball. We were defending. We know that in the fourth quarter, they always come back to the game. We never relaxed.” Chris Paul scored 18 points for Oklahoma City.“We got a lot of really good looks, but our defense and our rebounding wasn’t much tonight,” Paul said. “It’s just an old-fashioned butt whooping.” Both teams were without their second-leading scorers. Bucks All-Star... [More]

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Giannis Antetokounmpo and the NBA-leading Milwaukee made quick work of the Oklahoma City Thunder.Antetokounmpo had 32 points and 13 rebounds and Milwaukee Bucks surged to a 24-point lead in the second quarter in a 133-86 victory Friday night. The 47-point margin was the Bucks' largest of the season — and the Thunder’s worst of the season. “It feels good. It feels good seeing other guys going out there, playing hard and being up 40 points, sitting on the bench, relaxing, having fun," Antetokounmpo said. "Everyone is smiling. Games like these are always the best games. “We were extremely ready. We moved the ball. We were defending. We know that in the fourth quarter, they always come back to the game. We never relaxed.” Chris Paul scored 18 points for Oklahoma City.“We got a lot of really good looks, but our defense and our rebounding wasn’t much tonight,” Paul said. “It’s just an old-fashioned butt whooping.” Both teams were without their second-leading scorers. Bucks All-Star... [More]

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Giannis Antetokounmpo had 32 points and 13 rebounds and the Milwaukee Bucks surged to a 24-point lead in the second quarter in a 133-86 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday night.The 47-point loss was the Thunder’s worst of the season.Chris Paul scored 18 points for Oklahoma City.Both teams were without their second-leading scorers. Bucks All-Star Khris Middleton was a late scratch with a sore neck. An ankle injury kept Thunder forward Danilo Gallinari out.The Bucks had won four in a row and the Thunder had won five straight.The Bucks built their second-quarter lead behind 14 second-quarter points from Antetokounmpo, seven from Donte Divincenzo, who started in place of Middleton, and back-to-back 3-pointers from Wesley Matthews.A key moment occurred late in the second period.With Milwaukee leading, 54-43, Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer got a technical foul after approaching a referee during a timeout with 3:43 left in the quarter. That was moments after Eric Bledsoe... [More]

The Toronto Raptors have done it once already, chasing down a Milwaukee Bucks team that seemed to be sprinting to the NBA Finals.Catching them in the standings this season seems unlikely, with the Bucks (49-8) on their way perhaps to one of the best records in league history.But Toronto might get another shot in the postseason, and before then the Raptors will get three more chances to see how they measure up against Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks.The first comes Tuesday night in Toronto, where the Raptors had the most lopsided win in their franchise history two nights earlier.The Bucks specialize in lopsided victories, beating teams by 12.4 points per game entering the week, on pace to post the largest average margin of victory in league history.“Every game I watch them play it’s 32-12 at the end of one. Every single one. Or, 32-22 like, the closest,” Toronto coach Nick Nurse said Sunday.The Bucks were the NBA’s best team in the regular season in 2018-19, but the Raptors stormed back... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — The Latest on Sunday night's NBA All-Star Game (all times local):10:35 p.m. Kawhi Leonard scored 30, LeBron James scored 23 and Chicago product Anthony Davis finished with 20 points after hitting the winning free throw to lift Team LeBron to a 157-155 victory over Team Giannis in the All-Star game.Leonard, who was named the Kobe Bryant All-Star MVP, made eight 3-pointers to finish one shy of Paul George's All-Star record in 2016. Davis missed the first attempt, then sank the winning free throw, after Kyle Lowry grabbed him as he attempted to catch a pass in the paint.Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 25 for his team.The winning team needed to reach 157 points after Team Giannis grabbed a 133-124 cumulative lead through the first three quarters. 9:50 p.m.Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 25 points and Team Giannis leads Team LeBron 133-124 after three quarters even though Kawhi Leonard is closing in on the record for most 3-pointers in an All-Star Game.The teams tied 41-all in the third... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — The Latest on Sunday night's NBA All-Star Game (all times local):9:50 p.m.Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 25 points and Team Giannis leads Team LeBron 133-124 after three quarters even though Kawhi Leonard is closing in on the record for most 3-pointers in an All-Star Game.The teams tied 41-all in the third quarter, after Team LeBron matched an All-Star scoring record while taking the first quarter 53-41 and Team Giannis bounced back in the second 51-30.The first team to reach 157 points will win the game.Rudy Gobert scored 21 points in all and 12 in the quarter, including a a tying alley-oop dunk off a feed from Trae Young in the closing seconds. Russell Westbrook then missed a runner at the buzzer for Team LeBron.Leonard has 28 points and is 8 for 13 on 3-pointers. He needs one from beyond the arc to tie Paul George's All-Star record in 2016.8:50 p.m.Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 14 points and Team Giannis took the second quarter 51-30 after dropping the opener even though... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — The Latest on Sunday night's NBA All-Star Game (all times local):8:50 p.m.Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 14 points and Team Giannis took the second quarter 51-30 after dropping the opener even though Kawhi Leonard closed in on the record for most 3-pointers in an All-Star Game.After Team LeBron matched an All-Star record for scoring while winning the first quarter 53-41, Team Giannis returned the favor in the second.Antetokounmpo, the reigning league MVP, threw down dunk after dunk and ended the half with 20 points in all. And Trae Young nailed a shot from just inside halfcourt as the second quarter ended.Leonard, meanwhile, combined to score 25 and nail 7 of 10 3-pointers in the half. He needs two 3's to tie Paul George's All-Star record in 2016.Team Giannis holds a 92-83 lead over Team LeBron at the half.8:15 p.m.Kawhi Leonard scored 12 points and Team LeBron matched an All-Star Game record for scoring in a quarter, beating Team Giannis 53-41 in the opening period.A four-time... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — The Latest on Sunday night's NBA All-Star Game (all times local):8:15 p.m.Kawhi Leonard scored 12 points and Team LeBron matched an All-Star Game record for scoring in a quarter, beating Team Giannis 53-41 in the opening period.A four-time All-Star, Leonard made all four 3-pointers — the only shots he attempted. Chicago product Anthony Davis scored nine. LeBron James added seven points as his team became the fourth to score 53 in an All-Star quarter.Miami's Bam Adebayo led the team picked by Milwaukee's Giannis Antetokounmpo with eight points.The league announced major changes to the All-Star format last month, turning quarters into mini-games.The score was reset to 0-0 prior to the second quarterThe game also has a charity component, with the winner of each of the first three quarters earning $100,000 for a Chicago-based community organization. The money gets rolled over if there's a tie, and the overall winner also earns $200,000 for its group.Team LeBron is playing for... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — The NBA-backed Basketball Africa League on Saturday announced the 12 teams that will compete in the inaugural season.The clubs, from a dozen African nations, are: Groupement Sportif des Pétroliers (Algeria), Petro de Luanda (Angola), Forces Armées et Police (Cameroon), Zamalek (Egypt), Gendarmerie Nationale Basketball Club (Madagascar), AS Police (Mali), AS Salé (Morocco), Ferroviàrio de Maputo (Mozambique), Rivers Hoopers BC (Nigeria), Patriots BC (Rwanda), AS Douanes (Senegal) and Union Sportive Monastirienne (Tunisia).“It's amazing creating a league in Africa,” said reigning NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks, a Greek born to Nigerian parents. “Giving opportunities to African talent and African players to go out there and showcase their talent, I knew it was going to happen.”The teams from Algeria, Cameroon, Madagascar, Mali, Mozambique and Rwanda earned the right to be in the league through qualifying tournaments. The teams from Angola, Egypt, Morocco,... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — Devin Booker is finally headed to his first NBA All-Star Game.The Phoenix guard — who felt he was snubbed by voters and coaches when he didn't make the original list for Sunday's game in Chicago — was tabbed Thursday as the player who will replace injured Portland guard Damian Lillard in the game.Booker was chosen by Commissioner Adam Silver, who makes the final call on injury replacements to the All-Star rosters. By NBA rule, the replacement player has to come from the same conference as the injured player.Lillard injured his groin on Wednesday night and said he would not be able to play in either the game or Saturday night's 3-point competition.“Hopefully somebody who should have been there and didn't make it ... hopefully, Devin Booker or somebody like that will get the spot," Lillard said Wednesday night.The NBA agreed. Booker will play for Team LeBron — the team selected by LeBron James, one of the captains alongside Milwaukee's Giannis Antetokounmpo — on Sunday night,... [More]

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo missed his second straight game Wednesday, just days after his girlfriend gave birth to the couple's first child.Last season's MVP also missed Monday's game against Sacramento.Milwaukee has the NBA's best record, 46-7, and has won all five games its All-Star forward has missed this season. After playing at Indiana on Wednesday, the Bucks will have an eight-day break between games. Antetokounmpo will be a team captain at this weekend's All-Star Game.Antetokounmpo is averaging 30 points, 13.5 rebounds and 5.8 assists.The Bucks won each of their first two games against the Pacers this season.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

The moment was not lost on Giannis Antetokounmpo. The NBA's reigning MVP, a Greek of Nigerian descent who is now starring in Milwaukee, was about to make his first two selections of this year's All-Star Game draft and understood how significant his words would be when they resonated across the world's second-largest continent.His first pick: Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid."My African brother," Antetokounmpo said.His second pick: Toronto’s Pascal Siakam."My second African brother," Antetokounmpo said.Just like that, a son of Nigerian migrants and two kids who were playing soccer in Cameroon before turning their attention to basketball less than a decade ago became set to take the NBA All-Star stage together. And when they're all on the floor to start the game in Chicago on Sunday night, it'll be hard to envision a more significant basketball moment for Africa — a place that the NBA has long believed is a developing hotbed for the next wave of elite talent.But with Antetokounmpo, Embiid and Siakam... [More]

Kobe Bryant will be announced Friday at All-Star Weekend in Chicago as one of the finalists for this year’s Basketball Hall of Fame induction class, which isn’t a secret and never was.Bryant always was a lock to be a first-ballot pick. Fellow first-time nominees Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett will almost certainly also be among those announced Friday as finalists. The complete class that will be enshrined at Springfield, Massachusetts in August will be announced on April 4 at the Final Four in Atlanta.But Friday’s announcement of the finalists in Chicago will be largely about the memory of Bryant, and rightly so. This All-Star weekend is the first huge gathering of the NBA family since Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven others were killed in a helicopter crash in Southern California on Jan. 26. They’ll be remembered and honored throughout the weekend, and it’s a safe bet that Commissioner Adam Silver — in his annual All-Star news conference Saturday — has plenty to say about... [More]

MILWAUKEE (AP) — The Milwaukee Bucks will be without Giannis Antetokounmpo for Monday night’s game against the Sacramento Kings after the All-Star forward posted a picture of his new baby on his Twitter account.Antetokounmpo, the reigning MVP who also is scheduled to be a team captain in the NBA All-Star Game on Sunday, tweeted “Liam Charles Antetokounmpo in the house” on Monday afternoon.It is the first child for Antetokounmpo and his girlfriend.Antetokounmpo is averaging 30.0 points, 13,5 rebounds and 5.8 assists. Milwaukee has the best record in the NBA at 45-7, including going 4-0 in games without Antetokounmpo.

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — A slow start didn't help Giannis Antetokounmpo's shot at NBA history, but the Milwaukee Bucks are hardly a one-man show.Khris Middleton hit a 3-pointer less than 20 seconds into the game, and the team with the league's best record never trailed Saturday night in a 111-95 victory over the Orlando Magic. It's the 13th time the Bucks have led from wire to wire this season.“It's nice to not trail ... but it doesn't really mean anything. We have to keep playing good basketball," Antetokounmpo said.“We were up 27 and they came back, cut the lead to 11. So it doesn't mean anything," the league's reigning MVP added. “We just try to take it quarter by quarter."Antetokounmpo nearly had a triple-double with 18 points, 18 rebounds and nine assists while also falling short of becoming the first player in league history with at least 30 points, 15 rebounds and 5 assists in six consecutive games.Antetokounmpo was originally listed with 19 points, but the NBA announced later Saturday... [More]

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — A slow start didn't help Giannis Antetokounmpo's shot at NBA history, but the Milwaukee Bucks are hardly a one-man show.Khris Middleton hit a 3-pointer less than 20 seconds into the game, and the team with the league's best record never trailed Saturday night in a 112-95 victory over the Orlando Magic. It's the 13th time the Bucks have led from wire to wire this season.“It's nice to not trail ... but it doesn't really mean anything. We have to keep playing good basketball," Antetokounmpo said.“We were up 27 and they came back, cut the lead to 11. So it doesn't mean anything," the league's reigning MVP added. “We just try to take it quarter by quarter."Antetokounmpo nearly had a triple double with 19 points, 18 rebounds and nine assists while also falling short of becoming the first player in league history with at least 30 points, 15 rebounds and 5 assists in six consecutive games.With Middleton, Brook Lopez and Eric Bledsoe picking up the slack, it didn't matter as... [More]