LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — Reigning MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo will miss the Milwaukee Bucks’ game Monday with the Toronto Raptors after having oral surgery.Bucks coach Mike Budehnolzer said Monday it was uncertain whether Antetokounmpo would play in the team’s final two seeding games Tuesday against the Washington Wizards and Thursday against the Memphis Grizzlies.“I believe he’s going to be here in the arena today to support and be with his teammates,” Budenholzer said. “We’ll see how he responds, how he feels tomorrow.”Budenholzer said NBA protocols dealing with dental issues enabled Antetokounmpo to get treatment without having to spend time in quarantine. The Bucks have clinched the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference for a second straight season. ___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — Zion Williamson’s rookie season is ending without a playoff berth.It’s not an uncommon stop on the NBA learning curve.Even for No. 1 draft picks, like Williamson was a year ago, winning takes time. The last player to go from being the top overall selection one year to a playoff-game starter the very next season was Derrick Rose — more than a decade ago. LeBron James needed three years to make the playoffs. John Wall needed four seasons. So did Kyrie Irving, his wait ending in large part because James returned to Cleveland.Williamson is about to learn what that process is like. The New Orleans Pelicans are out of playoff contention, something they pretty much knew was the case after a loss to San Antonio on Sunday afternoon — and something that became mathematically certain that night, when Portland beat Philadelphia.“What I see is what everybody else on the planet sees: that he’s a hard-working, aggressive player,” San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich said of Williamson.... [More]

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — Zion Williamson’s rookie season is ending without a playoff berth.It’s not an uncommon stop on the NBA learning curve.Even for No. 1 draft picks, like Williamson was a year ago, winning takes time. The last player to go from being the top overall selection one year to a playoff-game starter the very next season was Derrick Rose — more than a decade ago. LeBron James needed three years to make the playoffs. John Wall needed four seasons. So did Kyrie Irving, his wait ending in large part because James returned to Cleveland.Williamson is about to learn what that process is like. The New Orleans Pelicans are out of playoff contention, something they pretty much knew was the case after a loss to San Antonio on Sunday afternoon — and something that became mathematically certain that night, when Portland beat Philadelphia.“What I see is what everybody else on the planet sees: that he’s a hard-working, aggressive player,” San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich said of Williamson.... [More]

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — Zion Williamson’s rookie season is ending without a playoff berth.It’s not an uncommon stop on the NBA learning curve.Even for No. 1 draft picks, like Williamson was a year ago, winning takes time. The last player to go from being the top overall selection one year to a playoff-game starter the very next season was Derrick Rose -- more than a decade ago. LeBron James needed three years to make the playoffs. John Wall needed four seasons. So did Kyrie Irving, his wait ending in large part because James returned to Cleveland.Williamson is about to learn what that process is like. The New Orleans Pelicans are out of playoff contention, something they pretty much knew was the case after a loss to San Antonio on Sunday afternoon -- and something that became mathematically certain that night, when Portland beat Philadelphia.“What I see is what everybody else on the planet sees: that he’s a hard-working, aggressive player,” San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich said of... [More]

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green’s suggestion for Devin Booker’s future did not amuse the NBA.The league fined Green $50,000 on Sunday for violating the league’s anti-tampering rule with his comments about Booker, the Phoenix Suns’ star guard.“Get my man out of Phoenix,” Green said Saturday during an appearance as an analyst for TNT. “It’s not good for him. It’s not good for his career.”Asked on-air if he was tampering, Green replied, “maybe.”The league tightened its rules before this season when it comes to matters such as tampering, salary cap circumvention and free agency timing rules — with one emphasis being the rule prohibiting player-to-player tampering.Booker has not been to the playoffs with the Suns, who have not made the postseason in 10 years. The Suns are 5-0 so far inside the so-called bubble at Walt Disney World, which is playing host to the NBA's restart, and that streak has moved Phoenix into playoff contention.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green’s suggestion for Devin Booker’s future did not amuse the NBA.The league fined Green $50,000 on Sunday for violating the league’s anti-tampering rule with his comments about Booker, the Phoenix Suns’ star guard.“Get my man out of Phoenix,” Green said Saturday during an appearance as an analyst for TNT. “It’s not good for him. It’s not good for his career.”Asked on-air if he was tampering, Green replied, “maybe.”The league tightened its rules before this season when it comes to matters such as tampering, salary cap circumvention and free agency timing rules — with one emphasis being the rule prohibiting player-to-player tampering.Booker has not been to the playoffs with the Suns, who have not made the postseason in 10 years. The Suns are 5-0 so far inside the so-called bubble at Walt Disney World, which is playing host to the NBA's restart, and that streak has moved Phoenix into playoff contention.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — All-Star Ben Simmons will have surgery on his left knee, a big blow for the Philadelphia 76ers and their hopes of making a deep run in this season’s playoffs.The 76ers announced Saturday that Simmons will be leaving the NBA’s season-restart bubble at Walt Disney World. There was no immediate timeframe for his return, and it’s likely that no firm timetable on his recovery will be set until after the surgery.Simmons left Philadelphia’s game against Washington on Wednesday midway through the third quarter because of injury, officially diagnosed as a subluxation of the left patella. A subluxation is a partial and temporary dislocation; the patella is the kneecap.Tests performed since revealed a loose body inside the knee, which led to the decision for surgery.“After consultation with the 76ers medical staff and several specialists, Ben Simmons will undergo surgery in the coming days to remove a loose body in his left knee,” the 76ers said on Saturday in a team... [More]

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — All-Star Ben Simmons will have surgery on his left knee, a big blow for the Philadelphia 76ers and their hopes of making a deep run in this season’s playoffs.The 76ers announced Saturday that Simmons will be leaving the NBA’s season-restart bubble at Walt Disney World. There was no immediate timeframe for his return, and it’s likely that no firm timetable on his recovery will be set until after the surgery.Simmons left Philadelphia’s game against Washington on Wednesday midway through the third quarter because of injury, officially diagnosed as a subluxation of the left patella. A subluxation is a partial and temporary dislocation; the patella is the kneecap.Tests performed since revealed a loose body inside the knee, which led to the decision for surgery.“After consultation with the 76ers medical staff and several specialists, Ben Simmons will undergo surgery in the coming days to remove a loose body in his left knee,” the 76ers said on Saturday in a team... [More]

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — The last time Devin Booker walked off the court as a winner in four consecutive games, these were the opponents: Hampton, Cincinnati, West Virginia and Notre Dame.That is, until now.Booker and the Phoenix Suns — the team that came to the NBA restart at Walt Disney World with the worst record in the Western Conference and the second-worst record of the 22 teams in the field — are perhaps the best story of the bubble.They’re 4-0 at Disney, breathing real life into playoff hopes that basically were nonexistent when the season was suspended because of the coronavirus pandemic on March 11. It’s the team’s first four-game winning streak since December 2018; Booker missed one of those games, so it’s his first run of four wins in a row since helping Kentucky make its Final Four run in 2015.“It definitely feels like a tournament, a big AAU tournament, the March Madness tournament,” Phoenix’s Cameron Payne said Friday. “That’s something I never even got a chance to be... [More]

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — The New Orleans Pelicans have scratched rookie Zion Williamson from the lineup for Friday night's game against the Washington Wizards.The team designated Friday a rest day for the NBA's top overall draft choice after he scored 24 points in 22 minutes in the Pelicans' 140-125 loss to Sacramento on Thursday.Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry noted that Williamson has not played games on consecutive days at all during his entire rookie season, “and that’s the same thing here.” "We just thought it would be best right now to do it this way, and we’ll evaluate tomorrow and see what’s going on,” Gentry added.The 6-foot-6, 285-pound Williamson has seen his playing time limited after missing nearly two weeks of practice in July to attend to a family medical matter.The former Duke star has played as few as 14 minutes and not more than 25 minutes in a game since the Pelicans resumed their season July 30. Williamson has averaged nearly 17 points and about 19 minutes in the Pelicans'... [More]

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — The New Orleans Pelicans have scratched rookie Zion Williamson from the lineup for Friday night's game against the Washington Wizards.The team designated Friday a rest day for the NBA's top overall draft choice after he scored 24 points in 22 minutes in the Pelicans' 140-125 loss to Sacramento on Thursday.The 6-foot-6, 285-pound Williamson has seen his playing time limited after missing nearly two weeks of practice in July to attend to a family medical matter.The former Duke star has played as few as 14 minutes and not more than 25 minutes in a game since the Pelicans resumed their season July 30. Williamson has averaged nearly 17 points and about 19 minutes in the Pelicans' four games in the Disney complex. He has averaged 22.4 points in 23 total games this season after missing the first 44 games of his rookie campaign while recovering from right knee surgery.The Pelicans' playoff hopes have faded with three losses in their past four games. They might need to win all of their final four regular-season games to have a chance to qualify.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — The last time Devin Booker walked off the court as a winner in four consecutive games, these were the opponents: Hampton, Cincinnati, West Virginia and Notre Dame.That is, until now.Booker and the Phoenix Suns — the team that came to the NBA restart at Walt Disney World with the worst record in the Western Conference and the second-worst record of the 22 teams in the field — are perhaps the best story of the bubble.They’re 4-0 at Disney, breathing real life into playoff hopes that basically were nonexistent when the season was suspended because of the coronavirus pandemic on March 11. It’s the team’s first four-game winning streak since December 2018; Booker missed one of those games, so it’s his first run of four wins in a row since helping Kentucky make its Final Four run in 2015.“It definitely feels like a tournament, a big AAU tournament, the March Madness tournament,” Phoenix’s Cameron Payne said Friday. “That’s something I never even got a chance to be... [More]

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — This is the land of in-between for the Los Angeles Lakers.Games right now matter, in the sense that only three contests are left to build momentum for the postseason. And games right now don’t matter, in the sense that the Lakers basically knew five months ago that they would be the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference playoffs.They lost again Thursday night, with LeBron James getting the night off in a defeat to the Houston Rockets. The Lakers are 2-3 so far in the bubble, and their offensive numbers are brutal.There are 22 teams here at the NBA restart at Walt Disney World. Of those 22, the Lakers — the team with the second-best record in the NBA — rank last in field goal percentage (.408), last in 3-point percentage (.234), last in points per game (98.8) and next-to-last in free throw percentage (.729).“This is a totally different season, a totally different drastic situation for all of us, including myself,” James said this week.If they win Game 1 of the... [More]

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — Philadelphia’s Ben Simmons is seeking treatment options on his injured left knee, and the 76ers are unsure the extent of the issue or how many games the All-Star could miss.Simmons left Philadelphia’s game against Washington on Wednesday midway through the third quarter because of injury, officially diagnosed as a suffered a subluxation of the left patella. A subluxation is a partial and temporary dislocation; the patella is the kneecap.It’s not uncommon for such injuries to require a recovery time of several weeks, though the 76ers have yet to announce a timeline.“Stuff is still being evaluated,” 76ers coach Brett Brown said. Simmons won’t play Friday against Orlando, but Brown said he’s still waiting to learn more. Later, Brown said he was hopeful of knowing more sometime Friday.Losing Simmons would be the latest big blow for a franchise that has endured many of them in recent years on the injury front. The 76ers went 47-199 in Brown’s first three seasons... [More]

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — Two-time All-Star Ben Simmons left Philadelphia's game against the Washington Wizards on Wednesday in the third quarter with a left knee injury and did not return.Simmons grabbed a rebound and appeared to tweak his knee. He left the game and hobbled toward the locker room. He left the locker late in the fourth quarter wearing street clothes.Coach Brett Brown said after the game the team doesn’t know anything on the extent of the injury.“We don’t know," Brown said. "I’m sure the club will make some announcement. But as far as knowing more than that, I don’t. Obviously I’m very curious.”Simmons had eight points on 2-of-10 shooting before his departure.Philadelphia is off Thursday before facing Orlando on Friday.

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — Ben Simmons left Philadelphia's game against the Washington Wizards on Wednesday in the third quarter with a left knee injury and won’t return.Simmons grabbed a rebound and appeared to tweak his knee. He left the game and hobbled toward the locker room.Simmons had eight points on 2-of-10 shooting before his departure.Philadelphia is off Thursday before facing Orlando on Friday.

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — The Memphis Grizzlies will be without forward-center Jaren Jackson Jr. for whatever remains of this season after he hurt his left knee. The Grizzlies announced Tuesday that Jackson was injured when he landed awkwardly after making contact with an opponent while contesting a shot. Further evaluation found a meniscus tear in his left knee. Jackson is expected to make a full recovery. The Grizzlies, 0-3 in their seeding games, have a two-game lead over Portland and San Antonio for the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference. Jackson, the No. 4 overall selection in the 2018 draft out of Michigan State, is second on the Grizzlies with 17.4 points per game. Jackson scored 33 points in the Grizzlies' opening loss to Portland in the seeding games. ___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — All the Brooklyn Nets were missing Tuesday were their leaders in salary, points, points per game, rebounds, assists, steals, blocks and 3-pointers. If that wasn’t enough, the feel-good story of Jamal Crawford’s return to the NBA lasted for about six minutes.And they won.The severely undermanned Nets beat Milwaukee 119-116 on Tuesday, temporarily delaying what will be the Bucks’ clinching of the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs. The Bucks didn’t use Brook Lopez or Wesley Matthews at all, plus didn’t play All-Stars Giannis Antetokounmpo or Khris Middleton after halftime, though it should be noted that the Nets were winning at intermission anyway.Who the Bucks played or didn’t play wasn’t all that relevant to the Nets. The walls of the temporary locker rooms at the Visa Athletic Center are paper thin and don’t hold sound, but the Nets probably didn’t mind the fact that anyone within 100 feet could have heard their raucous postgame celebration.“Very... [More]

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — Jamal Crawford made his Brooklyn debut, and it ended quickly.Crawford hurt his left hamstring in the second quarter of the Nets’ game against the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday. Crawford had five points and three assists in six minutes off the bench. He got hurt while being guarded by Milwaukee’s Khris Middleton, who appeared to step on Crawford’s foot. Crawford immediately started hopping, asked for a sub, went to the bench and the Nets didn’t need long to determine that his day was over.Crawford hadn’t played in Brooklyn’s first two games of the restart, held out for conditioning reasons. His appearance Tuesday made him the eighth player in NBA history to appear in 20 different seasons — and, with Vince Carter now officially retired, made him the oldest player currently in the league.At 40 years and 137 days, Crawford also became the oldest player to play for the Nets. He was signed July 9 as a replacement player by Brooklyn — which is without seven players because... [More]

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — NBA referee David Guthrie said it was a mistake for his officiating crew to charge Miami’s Kelly Olynyk with a flagrant foul during the fourth quarter of what became a four-point Heat loss to the Toronto Raptors on Monday.Guthrie, the crew chief on the game, told a pool reporter afterward that in real time he felt that Olynyk was too aggressive when he swiped at Toronto’s Kyle Lowry with 6:56 left in the game. Tre Maddox, another member of the three-man crew, called the foul.Lowry fell to the court on the play, which was reviewed. Guthrie was among those who studied replays of the incident and helped to ultimately determine that it met criteria for a flagrant foul 1. Lowry was awarded two free throws and Toronto kept possession after those.“After reviewing that more postgame, and thinking about it a little bit more, to me, it now is more of a natural basketball play going for the ball and that the contact really did not rise to the criteria of a flagrant foul,” Guthrie said after the game.Lowry made the two free throws for the flagrant to give Toronto a 94-92 lead, and the Raptors scored again on the ensuing possession. It was part of a 9-0 run by the Raptors, who never trailed again and won 107-103.