LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — LeBron James now has been part of more postseason game victories than any player in NBA history, a record he’s earned over his 14 appearances in the playoffs.Earlier in this postseason, he also became the all-time leader in playoff road wins. That one seems a little fraudulent, in the sense that this year counts toward that total.The NBA has tried to dress the neutral courts up with the comforts of home since the season restarted at Walt Disney World in July; the home team gets its usual music, gets its graphics splayed everywhere, even has the traditional over-the-top introduction of the starting lineup.It’s all nice, but none of it really matters.For the first time in NBA history, “road” teams have a winning record through the first two rounds of the playoffs. The Milwaukee Bucks lost twice as many “home” games in the bubble than they did in their home building; they were 4-6 carrying that designation at Disney, 28-3 at Fiserv Forum.“Yeah, the home-road stuff... [More]

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — The Milwaukee Bucks will play another day.They’re waiting to see if reigning NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo will join them.It’s still a dire situation for the team that had the league's best regular-season record this season — they’re down 3-1 in the Eastern Conference semifinals to the Miami Heat, with another win-or-go-home test awaiting in Game 5 on Tuesday night. And they don’t know if Antetokounmpo, who sprained his right ankle in Game 3 and then again in Game 4, will be ready.“There’s hope,” Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said. “We’re not ruling him out, so I guess until he’s ruled out you have hope. He’s going to do everything he can to make himself available.”Also Tuesday: Game 3 of the Western Conference semifinals, with that matchup between the Los Angeles Lakers and Houston Rockets tied at a game apiece.Antetokounmpo was with the Bucks for their light practice Monday. He got treatment on the ankle, then left wearing a protective boot over his right... [More]

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — The Los Angeles Lakers planned to get together Wednesday night to watch basketball, which is about all they've been able to do lately.Soon enough, they'll get to play it again.For now, their competition comes from video games. Their superstar player is also adept at those, as coach Frank Vogel revealed when asked what he's learned about LeBron James that surprised him most.“I would say how good he is at Madden football,” Vogel said. “I think they’ve been playing a lot of Madden football, our group has, and I hear he’s very good.” James won't be able to show his skills on the basketball court again until Friday, when the Lakers conclude a lengthy layoff in the bubble. The No. 1 seed in the Western Conference has been waiting for its second-round opponent. Houston and Oklahoma City were playing their Game 7 on Wednesday, with the Lakers set to watch it during a team dinner.Starting Thursday, the Lakers can start working on a game plan for either James Harden,... [More]

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — Tyson Chandler figured sitting on the bench was better than sitting on the couch.He waited almost until the last minute before deciding he would join his Houston Rockets teammates for the restart. He was bored at home and wasn't going to feel any better if his team won a championship and he was watching it on TV.Then he came to Disney and got so sick he thought he had contracted the coronavirus he had spent all spring at home to avoid.“The first 48 hours, I was going like, ‘What the ... did you do?’” Chandler said. “I was like, ‘Come on, man.’”His health got better and eventually so did the experience. He's glad he came.But for players like Chandler, guys at the end of the bench, being inside the bubble is challenging on several levels. While stars like James Harden and LeBron James deal with the same mental fatigue being at Disney presents, they know when the game starts and the lights come on what time it is. Chandler has no idea if his number will even be... [More]

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — Tyson Chandler figured sitting on the bench was better than sitting on the couch.He waited almost until the last minute before deciding he would join his Houston Rockets teammates for the restart. He was bored at home and wasn't going to feel any better if his team won a championship and he was watching it on TV.Then he came to Disney and got so sick he thought he had contracted the coronavirus he had spent all spring at home to avoid.“The first 48 hours, I was going like, ‘What the ... did you do?’” Chandler said. “I was like, ‘Come on, man.’”His health got better and eventually so did the experience. He's glad he came.But for players like Chandler, guys at the end of the bench, being inside the bubble is challenging on several levels. While stars like James Harden and LeBron James deal with the same mental fatigue being at Disney presents, they know when the game starts and the lights come on what time it is. Chandler has no idea if his number will even be... [More]

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — Portland guard Damian Lillard has a sprained right knee and will be sidelined Wednesday when the Trail Blazers play a win-or-else Western Conference first-round game against the Los Angeles Lakers.The Blazers trail the best-of-seven series 3-1, and now will play without their leading scorer.Lillard got hurt while driving to the basket and drawing a foul with 7:16 left in the third quarter of Monday’s game against the Lakers. The knee seemed to buckle as Lillard made an awkward landing and he was clearly limping as he made his way to the foul line.During a time-out that was called about a minute later, Lillard briefly made his way into an area of the arena that isn’t visible from the court. He returned to the bench before the time-out was over and remained in the game for about another minute, before departing for good with 5:18 left in the third.An MRI performed Monday night was inconclusive, prompting the Blazers to schedule the second one Tuesday — after... [More]

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — In a crammed schedule after the NBA's restart, rest has been hard to find.Teams played eight games in two weeks after play resumed on July 30, then jumped into the postseason. Midway through the first round, fatigue might start to show.That's why wrapping up series quickly, almost always a good thing, might be even more important this year. Miami has its chance. The Lakers and Bucks look like they still might.And Houston might regret if it let its opportunity get away.After wasting a late lead and dropping Game 3 in overtime, the Rockets look to regain control of their series against Oklahoma City when the teams meet Monday.“Playoffs, you've got some adversity somewhere and this is adversity,” Rockets coach Mike D'Antoni said. “Now we've got to come out, make another statement, so that's what we're going to do.”Houston had a five-point lead with under a minute remaining in regulation Saturday, before the Thunder rallied for a 119-107 victory in overtime that... [More]

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — The Lakers and Bucks exited practice Wednesday to palm trees around them and sunny skies overhead.The weather is good at Walt Disney World. The service is great. The setting seems ideal.For the best NBA teams, it's anything but.The top-four seeds in each conference should be playing in their arenas right now, with home-court advantage in the first two games of their playoff series. They'd have their fans screaming during the action and in many cases families waiting at home afterward.Boy, do some of them miss that at the moment.“If's definitely a difference. You can feel it,” Bucks All-Star Khris Middleton said. "There's times where we really depended on our crowd last year and during the season this year to kind of pull us out of our struggle or whatever it was. And here, there is none of that."We have to bring it every single night. We can't rely on our crowd, our fans to give us that energy. We have to bring it ourselves."Milwaukee and Los Angeles, the No.... [More]

The NBA playoff pool is deeper than ever this season.Playoff teams will split a record $23,287,266 for making the NBA postseason, a figure that's up about $1.6 million from last year.And the Milwaukee Bucks stand to grab the biggest share of a pool ever, if they win the NBA title. The Bucks would split $6,827,848 if they won the NBA championship, based on the formula worked out by the NBA.The Bucks have already secured $1,606,897 from the pool by having the best record in the NBA, the best record in the Eastern Conference and making the first round. The top six teams in each conference get a bonus for their finish in the regular season.From there, the breakdown is this:— First-round qualifiers make $347,545.— Conference semifinalists get another $413,534.— Conference finalists get another $683,363.The biggest slices, of course, go to the teams that make the NBA Finals. The losing team receives another $2,732,699, while the NBA champions get another $4,124,054.For winning the NBA title last... [More]

The NBA playoff pool is deeper than ever this season.Playoff teams will split a record $23,287,266 for making the NBA postseason, a figure that's up about $1.6 million from last year.And the Milwaukee Bucks stand to grab the biggest share of a pool ever, if they win the NBA title. The Bucks would split $6,827,848 if they won the NBA championship, based on the formula worked out by the NBA.The Bucks have already secured $1,606,897 from the pool by having the best record in the NBA, the best record in the Eastern Conference and making the first round. The top six teams in each conference get a bonus for their finish in the regular season.From there, the breakdown is this:— First-round qualifiers make $347,545.— Conference semifinalists get another $413,534.— Conference finalists get another $683,363.The biggest slices, of course, go to the teams that make the NBA Finals. The losing team receives another $2,732,699, while the NBA champions get another $4,124,054.For winning the NBA title last... [More]

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — There will be an NBA Bubble MVP.The league announced that there will be an All-Seeding Games Team and a Player of the Seeding Games, honoring the best performers from the seeding games that started July 30 and will conclude Friday.The awards will be announced Saturday afternoon, prior to Game 1 of the Western Conference play-in series. A panel of sportswriters and broadcasters who have been on-site at the Walt Disney World resort covering the season restart will vote for the award winners. There will be a five-player first team and a five-player second team, with no breakdowns by position.Top candidates would likely include Phoenix's Devin Booker, Dallas' Luka Doncic, Portland's Damian Lillard, Houston's James Harden, Milwaukee's Giannis Antetokounmpo and Indiana's T.J. Warren.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — Houston's Russell Westbrook hasn't made it to the NBA restart yet.The coronavirus did — but health protocols seemed to work as the league and its players hoped they would.On a day of troubling news for the league — Westbrook revealing that he has tested positive for the virus and two other players facing 10-day quarantines for leaving the league campus perimeter at Walt Disney World — it was also announced that two players tested positive for the virus after arriving in Central Florida last week.But neither of those positive players ever made it out of quarantine, so neither entered the so-called bubble and could mingle freely with other players, coaches and staff. The NBA said both players, neither of whom were identified, “have since left the Campus to isolate at home or in isolation housing.” They could rejoin their teams later.“Our protocols are unbelievable,” said Toronto Raptors guard Kyle Lowry, one of the players who helped craft the restart rules.... [More]

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — Houston's Russell Westbrook hasn't made it to the NBA restart yet.The coronavirus did — but health protocols seemed to work as the league and its players hoped they would.On a day of troubling news for the league — Westbrook revealing that he has tested positive for COVID-19 and two other players facing 10-day quarantines for leaving the league campus perimeter at Walt Disney World — it was also announced that two players tested positive for the coronavirus after arriving in Central Florida last week.But neither player made it out of quarantine, so neither entered the so-called bubble and could mingle freely with other players, coaches and staff. The NBA said both players, neither of whom were identified, “have since left the Campus to isolate at home or in isolation housing.”“Our protocols are unbelievable,” Toronto Raptors guard Kyle Lowry said. “I think our protocols and our health and safety measures have been top-notch. I think this thing will work perfectly.... [More]

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — Russell Westbrook of the Houston Rockets said Monday that he has tested positive for coronavirus, and that he plans to eventually join his team at the restart of the NBA season.Westbrook made the revelation on social media. As recently as Sunday, the Rockets believed that Westbrook and James Harden — neither of whom traveled with the team to Walt Disney World near Orlando last week — would be with the team in the next few days.In Westbrook's case, that now seems most unlikely.“I tested positive for covid-19 prior to my teams departure to Orlando," Westbrook wrote on his Instagram page. “I'm currently feeling well, quarantined, and looking forward to rejoining my teammates when I am cleared."Westbrook is averaging 27.5 points, eight rebounds and seven assists per game for the Rockets this season. Houston has clinched a playoff spot and resumes its season with the first of eight seeding games on July 31 against Dallas.Westbrook also offered a word of caution... [More]

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — Russell Westbrook of the Houston Rockets said Monday that he has tested positive for coronavirus, and that he plans to eventually join his team at the restart of the NBA season.Westbrook made the revelation on social media. As recently as Sunday, the Rockets believed that Westbrook and James Harden — neither of whom traveled with the team to Walt Disney World near Orlando last week — would be with the team in the next few days.In Westbrook's case, that now seems most unlikely.“I tested positive for covid-19 prior to my teams departure to Orlando," Westbrook wrote on his Instagram page. “I'm currently feeling well, quarantined, and looking forward to rejoining my teammates when I am cleared."Westbrook is averaging 27.5 points, eight rebounds and seven assists per game for the Rockets this season. Houston has clinched a playoff spot and resumes its season with the first of eight seeding games on July 31 against Dallas.Westbrook also offered a word of caution... [More]

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — Russell Westbrook of the Houston Rockets said Monday that he has tested positive for coronavirus, and that he plans to eventually join his team at the restart of the NBA season.Westbrook made the revelation on social media. As recently as Sunday, the Rockets believed that Westbrook and James Harden — neither of whom traveled with the team to Walt Disney World near Orlando last week — would be with the team in the next few days.In Westbrook's case, that now seems most unlikely.“I tested positive for covid-19 prior to my teams departure to Orlando," Westbrook wrote on his Instagram page. “I'm currently feeling well, quarantined, and looking forward to rejoining my teammates when I am cleared."Westbrook is averaging 27.5 points, eight rebounds and seven assists per game for the Rockets this season. Houston has clinched a playoff spot and resumes its season with the first of eight seeding games on July 31 against Dallas.Westbrook also offered a word of caution in his post.“Thank you for all the well wishes and continued support," he wrote. “Please take this virus seriously. Be safe. Mask up!"___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

WASHINGTON (AP) — Wizards leading scorer Bradley Beal and Nets guard Spencer Dinwiddie won't take part in the restart of the NBA season, two significant absences in the Eastern Conference playoff race.Beal is out because of a right rotator cuff injury; Dinwiddie announced that he is still testing positive for coronavirus and won’t participate.Washington, Orlando and Brooklyn are the three teams left in the chase for the final two playoff spots in the East. If the Wizards finish within four games of whichever club finishes eighth, then two games will be played to determine the No. 8 seed."He’s worked religiously to get this thing back to where it feels right, and it just hasn’t felt right," said Wizards general manager Tommy Sheppard, who doesn't believe Beal's injury will linger long term or require surgery. “To hear him say himself that he’s just not right right now, ‘I’ve got to keep working, I’ve got more work to do,’ made that decision much easier.”Washington will also be without forward... [More]

WASHINGTON (AP) — Wizards leading scorer Bradley Beal and Nets guard Spencer Dinwiddie won't take part in the restart of the NBA season, two significant absences in the Eastern Conference playoff race.Beal is out because of a right rotator cuff injury; Dinwiddie announced that he is still testing positive for coronavirus and won’t participate.Washington, Orlando and Brooklyn are the three teams left in the chase for the final two playoff spots in the East. If the Wizards finish within four games of whichever club finishes eighth, then two games will be played to determine the No. 8 seed.“Bradley did everything possible to be ready to play, but after closely monitoring his individual workouts, we came to the conclusion that it was best for him to sit out the upcoming games in Orlando and avoid the risk of further injury,” general manager Tommy Sheppard said. Washington will also be without forward Davis Bertans, who decided to opt out of playing as a pending free agent, and injured guard... [More]

WASHINGTON (AP) — Wizards leading scorer Bradley Beal and Nets guard Spencer Dinwiddie won't take part in the restart of the NBA season, two significant absences in the Eastern Conference playoff race.Beal is out because of a right rotator cuff injury; Dinwiddie announced that he is still testing positive for coronavirus and won’t participate.Washington, Orlando and Brooklyn are the three teams left in the chase for the final two playoff spots in the East. If the Wizards finish within four games of whichever club finishes eighth, then two games will be played to determine the No. 8 seed.“Bradley did everything possible to be ready to play, but after closely monitoring his individual workouts, we came to the conclusion that it was best for him to sit out the upcoming games in Orlando and avoid the risk of further injury,” general manager Tommy Sheppard said. Washington will also be without forward Davis Bertans, who decided to opt out of playing as a pending free agent, and injured guard... [More]

The NBA is considering an idea where some players would be quarantined or isolated for purposes of being able to compete against one another and provide basketball fans with some sort of diversion from the coronavirus pandemic.NBA Commissioner Adam Silver revealed that notion as one of several items under consideration by the league right now during the shutdown caused by the pandemic. Silver made the comments in a televised interview on ESPN.“Maybe it’s for a giant fundraiser or just for the collective good of the people,” Silver said. “You take a subset of players and is there a protocol in which they can be tested and quarantined and isolated in some way. ... People are stuck at home. They need a diversion. They need to be entertained.”Silver offered no predictions on when NBA games would resume. He said the league may, when conditions allow, resume games but without fans — a move the league was going to make last week before Utah’s Rudy Gobert tested positive for COVID-19 and prompted... [More]