MIAMI (AP) — Chris Bosh stood at center court, looked out at the Miami Heat fans and just let the words flow. He spoke about his health scare in 2015. He spoke of his grandfather, the one he called Daddy Jack, the one who told his first grandson that he was going to be special one day.And was Daddy Jack ever right.In Heat history, his grandson is now officially immortal.Wearing a Heat championship ring on both hands, Bosh watched a giant banner bearing his name and No. 1 raised to the rafters of AmericanAirlines Arena on Tuesday night — then delivered an emotional address to the crowd, part of it even in Spanish as a show of respect to the Latin culture of Miami."My name, my family name up here, that's something I used to get laughed at for dreaming of," Bosh said. "So never let anyone tell you that you can't accomplish your dream. Those four letters on the back of that jersey are my wife's name, my kids' name, my father's name, my grandfather's name. We're not just carrying on for another... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — The Boston Celtics will rest star guard Kyrie Irving against the Cleveland Cavaliers.Irving is averaging 23.8 points and the Celtics want to keep him as fresh as possible going into the postseason.The Celtics have lost four straight and are fifth in the Eastern Conference entering Tuesday night's game in Cleveland.Irving played his first six seasons with Cleveland. The six-time All-Star demanded a trade following the 2016-17 season and was dealt to Boston. He hasn't played in Cleveland since the 2017-18 opener.Celtics center Al Horford (sore left knee) and forward Jayson Tatum (back contusion) will return Tuesday. Horford missed two games while Tatum didn't play in Sunday's loss to San Antonio.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The New Orleans Pelicans say guard Jrue Holiday has had surgery to repair a core muscle injury and won't play again this season.The Pelicans say Holiday had the procedure done in Philadelphia on Tuesday by Dr. William Meyers, who is known as a sports hernia specialist.The club says the typical timetable for recovery is about six weeks, which would take Holiday beyond the end of the regular season.Holiday already has missed the past eight games with a strained abdomen for the Pelicans, who are eliminated from playoff contention.This season has been among Holiday's best. The 10-year veteran averaged career highs of 21.2 points and five rebounds per game, tied his career high for steals per game with 1.6 and had his third highest assist average at 7.7.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Jusuf Nurkic's season-ending and gruesome leg injury, especially at this time of year, will strike fear into everyone in the NBA.In this age of "load management" being a fancy term for "night off" and even as the NBA frowns upon resting players anyway, the question will be asked: Should teams sit their stars down the stretch to protect them from something bad happening before the playoffs?Answers may vary, but the reality is that most teams in this season's playoff chase might not have the luxury of finding out.Golden State has gotten players some rest of late, been blown out in those games and hasn't seemed to mind too much. This is the edge the Warriors have; they are the only team in the NBA right now that absolutely knows it is good enough to win a championship. Milwaukee will likely get some guys some rest when it clinches the No. 1 seed, but losing Malcolm Brogdon for a few weeks already is a reminder that health is everything."You're going to have things that happen," Milwaukee coach... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — The Boston Celtics will rest star guard Kyrie Irving against the Cleveland Cavaliers.Irving is averaging 23.8 points and the Celtics want to keep him as fresh as possible going into the postseason.The Celtics have lost four straight and are fifth in the Eastern Conference entering Tuesday night's game in Cleveland.Irving played his first six seasons with Cleveland. The six-time All-Star demanded a trade following the 2016-17 season and was dealt to Boston. He hasn't played in Cleveland since the 2017-18 opener.Celtics center Al Horford (sore left knee) and forward Jayson Tatum (back contusion) could return Tuesday. Coach Brad Stevens said both were "questionable to probable" at the team's shootaround.

MIAMI (AP) — The playoff field is largely set.The positioning, that's still anyone's guess.So even while some of what we could have had for drama over the final 2½ weeks of the NBA regular season won't materialize — LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers are already out of the playoffs, robbing us of one potential story line — the races for seedings and home-court edges are almost certain now to go down to the final days of the season.Milwaukee has the edge over all other teams in the race for the No. 1 overall seed. Dwyane Wade's career still isn't guaranteed of going past Miami's regular-season finale in Brooklyn on April 10. Golden State, bidding for a third straight NBA championship and fourth in five years, still has a fight on its hands just to get the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference."We're ready to take on any challenger," Warriors forward Draymond Green said.There have been nights where that's looked like a very accurate statement. Others, not so much.The Warriors have lost... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago Bulls have ruled out injured rookies Wendell Carter Jr. and Chandler Hutchison for the remainder of the season, and might soon do the same with Otto Porter Jr.Executive vice president of basketball operations John Paxson says the Bulls have "run out of time" on Carter (left thumb surgery) and Hutchison (right toe injury). He stopped short of shutting down Porter (strained right rotator cuff), though he did say, "It's kind of trending that way."Carter and Hutchison each appeared in 44 games. The No. 7 pick, Carter averaged 10.3 points and 7 rebounds, while Hutchison averaged 5.2 points and 4.2 rebounds after getting drafted 22nd overall.Porter, acquired from Washington last month, missed his third straight game Saturday against Utah. Leading scorer Zach LaVine (right knee tendinitis) sat out his second in a row.The Bulls entered Saturday's game with the fourth-worst record in the NBA. Shutting down Porter and LaVine might result in a few more losses and better... [More]

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Minnesota Timberwolves guard Derrick Rose has undergone arthroscopic surgery to remove bone chips from his right elbow.The Timberwolves announced Saturday that Rose had the procedure done at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. The Wolves previously said Rose was unlikely to play again this season. They're already eliminated from playoff contention.Rose signed a one-year contract after joining the Wolves for the final few weeks of last season and their playoff series. When healthy, Rose has largely flourished, often playing off the ball instead of his natural point guard position. He averaged 18.0 points and 27.3 minutes in 51 games, his second-highest scoring mark since he tore his left ACL in 2012.Rose missed 16 games earlier in the season for a variety of lower-body injuries.___More AP NBA coverage: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

PHOENIX (AP) — Phoenix Suns forward Kelly Oubre Jr. is out for the remainder of the season following surgery on his left thumb.The Suns said in a statement that Oubre had a procedure on his sprained thumb Friday. The recovery time is expected to be four to six weeks.Oubre was injured during Phoenix's game at New Orleans on March 16 and has not played since.Oubre has been a nice fit in the desert since being acquired from Washington for forward Trevor Ariza on Dec. 17. He's averaged 16.9 points, 4.9 rebounds and 1.4 steals in 40 games.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Warriors forward Kevin Durant will sit out Saturday night against his former team, the Oklahoma City Thunder, with a right ankle sprain. Durant, the league's No. 4 scorer, also missed Golden State's game against Houston on Wednesday. Warriors coach Steve Kerr said Durant will most likely play Monday against San Antonio, but he felt more comfortable giving him a few more days of rest. Durant also sat out at against Oklahoma City in March 2017 with a left knee injury. ___ Follow Cliff Brunt on Twitter: www.twitter.com/CliffBruntAP

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Lakers forward Brandon Ingram is expected to be ready for next season after undergoing surgery on his right arm. Ingram had thoracic outlet decompression surgery Saturday, the Lakers say. Ingram was declared out for the season earlier this month after he was diagnosed with deep venous thrombosis. A blood clot caused shoulder pain for Ingram, who averaged a career-best 18.3 points and 5.1 rebounds this season. Ingram's surgery was performed at the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center. The Lakers say he is expected to make a full recovery before the start of his fourth NBA season in the fall. Ingram was the No. 2 pick in the 2016 draft out of Duke. He turns 22 in September. ___ More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

NEW YORK (AP) — Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart has been fined $50,000 by the NBA for forcefully shoving Philadelphia's Joel Embiid to the floor.Kiki VanDeWeghe, the NBA's executive vice president of basketball operations, noted Smart's repeated acts of unsportsmanlike conduct during games this season in handing down the penalty Thursday. Smart has been fined for two prior incidents in 2018-19.Smart shoved Embiid from behind with 7:06 remaining in the third quarter of the 76ers' 118-115 victory on Wednesday. He received a flagrant foul 2 and was ejected.

TORONTO (AP) — The Toronto Raptors say all-star guard Kyle Lowry will miss a second straight game with a sprained right ankle when the Oklahoma City Thunder visit Soctiabank Arena on Friday night.The team made the announcement Thursday on Twitter.Lowry was injured in Toronto's 128-92 win over the Knicks on Monday night when New York rookie center Mitchell Robinson fell on Lowry's ankle. Lowry, who had just returned after missing two games with a left ankle injury, had to be helped to the locker room.He missed Toronto's 132-114 overtime victory at Oklahoma City on Wednesday.The 32-year-old Lowry will miss his 15th game this season due to back, hip and ankle injuries. He is averaging 14.8 points and 9.0 assists per game.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — The Minnesota Timberwolves have more than likely shut down three of their top five scorers for the rest of the season with lingering injuries: Robert Covington, Derrick Rose and Jeff Teague.The Timberwolves announced before their game Thursday at Charlotte that Covington, who was the centerpiece of the package received in the Jimmy Butler trade, recently suffered a setback with the bone bruise on his right knee. Covington had been progressing closer to a return since getting hurt on Dec. 31. He played in only 22 games for the Wolves after arriving from Philadelphia.Rose has missed the last four games with soreness and swelling in his right elbow. He had an MRI test on Tuesday that revealed a bone chip and a loose body in the joint. Teague has also missed the last four games after aggravating a left foot injury that initially occurred in mid-December. He had an injection on Tuesday to treat chronic inflammation.The team said all three players are not expected to play anymore this season. The Wolves are on the verge of being eliminated from the playoff race.___More AP NBA coverage: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

In case more proof was needed that the game of basketball has changed wildly in the last few years, check out the starting center for the team with the best record in the NBA — he is often nowhere near the basket.It's by design.Milwaukee's Brook Lopez hardly ever took 3-pointers in high school, or college, or his first eight seasons in the NBA. He's a 7-footer, and 7-footers were told forever to go to the low post and wait to see if someone throws you the ball. Those days are largely gone and perhaps no NBA big man has seen his job description change more than Lopez.He's taken more 3-pointers this season — 461 and counting — than any 7-footer in any NBA season. And that comes after he was 3 for 31, total, from beyond the arc in his first eight seasons as a pro, with many of those heaves coming in end-of-game or end-of-shot-clock situations."In our practice facility we have boxes out deep beyond the 3-point line, from areas we know we can get reps at," Lopez said. "Eventually, you just get... [More]

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Nick Collison's No. 4 jersey was retired by the Oklahoma City Thunder during a ceremony before their game against the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday night.It's the first number the Thunder have retired since the franchise moved to Oklahoma City in 2008. The Seattle SuperSonics drafted Collison out of Kansas in 2003 and he spent his entire 15-year career with the club.Collison averaged only 5.9 points and 5.2 rebounds per game for Seattle/Oklahoma City, but played a key role in developing the team's Oklahoma City culture and became known as "Mr. Thunder."Mayor David Holt declared Wednesday to be "Nick Collison Day" in Oklahoma City."I could never have expected something like this," Collison said. "But it's really a special night for me and my family. It's been a long run. To be able to have the career I had here and then have a celebration like that, I feel very fortunate. That kind of goes without saying, but it's amazing for me. It's a good feeling coming back. I don't... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — The Bucks are staggering to the finish line of a special regular season.Milwaukee superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo will miss his second straight game with a sprained right ankle on Wednesday night, one of several key injuries to hit the Eastern Conference-leading Bucks in recent days.A leading MVP contender, Antetokounmpo will rest against the Cavaliers as the Bucks, who enter with the NBA's best record, try to clinch their first Central Division title since 2001.Antetokounmpo also sat Tuesday night when the Bucks beat the Los Angeles Lakers, who played without LeBron James and deprived fans of a matchup of two of the game's biggest names."He's making progress," coach Mike Budenholzer said of Antetokounmpo. "He just can't go tonight. It's us hopefully being smart and being somewhat cautious, but it's more than that. He can't play. We'll see how the next 24 to 48 hours go, and I'm hopeful he'll be in a good place as we move forward."The Bucks host Miami on Friday.Antetokounmpo... [More]

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Milwaukee superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo will miss his second straight game with a sprained right ankle, one of several injuries to hit the Bucks in recent days.A leading MVP contender, Antetokounmpo will sit out Wednesday night's game against the Cavaliers as the Eastern Conference-leading Bucks try to clinch their first Central Division title since 2001. He also rested Tuesday night when the Bucks beat the Los Angeles Lakers, who were without LeBron James.Coach Mike Budenholzer said Antetokounmpo is still slowed by soreness and the team is being "smart" and "cautious" with its best player. Antetokounmpo is averaging 27.5 points, 12.7 rebounds and 6.0 assists.In the past few days, the Bucks have been rocked by injuries to starting guard Malcolm Brogdon (plantar fascia tear) and forward Nikola Mirotic (sprained thumb).The Bucks did not provide a timetable for Mirotic's return, but Budenholzer hopes he'll be back in time for the start of the playoffs.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Milwaukee Bucks forward Nikola Mirotic is out indefinitely an examination of his left thumb revealed a sprain and a fracture.Since being acquired by the Bucks on Feb. 7, Mirotic has played in 14 games with three starts. He is averaging 11.6 points, 5.4 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 22.9 minutes per game for the NBA-leading Bucks.Milwaukee announced the injury a few hours before Wednesday night's game at Cleveland.Earlier this week, the Bucks signed guard Tim Frazier to shore up their backcourt with Malcolm Brogdon out indefinitely with a plantar fascia tear in his right foot. Brogdon started 64 games this season for Milwaukee.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Memphis Grizzlies guard Avery Bradley will miss at least a week because of a bruised shin.The Grizzlies announced Wednesday that the condition of Bradley's shin was revealed after their 135-128 loss to the Washington Wizards on Saturday. Bradley had collected 21 points and five assists in that game.The Grizzlies said Bradley will be evaluated again in a week.Bradley came to the Grizzlies at the trade deadline last month in a deal that sent guard Garrett Temple and forward JaMychal Green to the Los Angeles Clippers.The 28-year-old has averaged 16.1 points and 4 assists in 14 games with the Grizzlies.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports