DENVER (AP) — Portland guard/forward Rodney Hood remains hopeful he can play in the opening game of the Western Conference Finals after hyperextending his left knee.Hood left Game 7 on Sunday against Denver after colliding with Nuggets forward Torrey Craig on a screen in the third quarter. Hood stayed down on the floor, clutching at his left knee as trainers checked on him. Hood was helped into the locker room.He had six points in 20 minutes as the Trail Blazers beat the Nuggets 100-96 to advance."They checked my knee and everything was stable," Hood said. "Major relief."Game 1 of the conference finals is Tuesday night at Golden State."Day-by-day," Hood said. "Hopefully the pain goes down. Hopefully it's feeling better by Tuesday."In a Game 6 win at Portland, Hood had 25 points. Nuggets coach Michael Malone referred to him as the "MVP of the series."___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

DENVER (AP) — Portland guard/forward Rodney Hood hyperextended his left knee on a screen during the third quarter of Game 7 against Denver.His return Sunday is questionable.Hood was covering Nuggets guard Jamal Murray when he collided with Torrey Craig. Hood stayed down on the floor, clutching at his left knee as trainers checked on him. Hood was helped into the locker room. He has six points in 20 minutes.In a Game 6 win at Portland, Hood had 25 points. Nuggets coach Michael Malone referred to him as the "MVP of the series."___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A person familiar with the search says the Los Angeles Lakers have hired Frank Vogel as coach and Jason Kidd as an assistant.The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Saturday because Vogel's three-year contract has not been finalized. Vogel flew to Los Angeles on Thursday and met with a group that included owner Jeanie Buss, general manager Rob Pelinka and adviser Kurt Rambis.The 45-year old Vogel worked for the organization before as an advance scout during the 2005-06 season. He did not coach last season following two years with the Orlando Magic. Vogel went to Orlando following five-plus seasons leading the Indiana Pacers, including trips to the Eastern Conference finals in 2013 and '14. He has a career record of 304-291.Kidd interviewed with the Lakers last month. The former star player who was a head coach in Brooklyn and Milwaukee was fired by the Bucks during the 2017-18 season. He has a 183-190 record.The Lakers have missed the playoffs... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — The Cavs' coaching search has picked up speed.Cleveland is meeting with four NBA assistants this weekend in Denver to try and fill its coaching vacancy, a person familiar with the team's plans told The Associated Press.The Cavaliers met Friday night with Denver assistant Jordi Fernandez and interviewed Orlando's Steve Hetzel on Saturday, according to the person who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the talks.The person says the team also has meetings scheduled with Nuggets assistant Wes Unseld Jr. and Portland's David Vanterpool.The Cavs would still like to meet with Trail Blazers assistant Nate Tibbetts, the person said.Fernandez is believed to be a front-runner for the job because of his previous connections with Cleveland. The 36-year-old He started his coaching career with the Cavaliers in 2009. He has experience in player development and he's the kind of young coach who could mesh easily with t a young team.Hetzel also has worked... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A person familiar with the search says the Los Angeles Lakers have hired Frank Vogel as coach and Jason Kidd as an assistant.The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Saturday because Vogel's three-year contract has not been finalized. Vogel flew to Los Angeles on Thursday and met with a group that included owner Jeanie Buss and general manager Rob Pelinka.The 45-year old Vogel worked for the organization before as an advance scout during the 2005-06 season. He did not coach last season following two years with the Orlando Magic. Vogel went to Orlando following five-plus seasons leading the Indiana Pacers, including trips to the Eastern Conference finals in 2013 and '14. He has a career record of 304-291.Kidd interviewed with the Lakers last month. The former star player who was a head coach in Brooklyn and Milwaukee was fired by the Bucks during the 2017-18 season. He has a 183-190 record.The Lakers have missed the playoffs six straight seasons.... [More]

HOUSTON (AP) — James Harden and the Houston Rockets were eliminated by the Golden State Warriors yet again.Now the Rockets are left to ponder how they'll get over the hump and past the Warriors to contend for a title.The two-time defending champion Warriors beat Houston 118-113 in Game 6 of the Western Conference semifinals on Friday night despite the absence of Kevin Durant and behind 33 second-half points from Stephen Curry to send the Rockets home for the fourth postseason in the last five years.With each early playoff exit, the Rockets vow to find a way to defeat the Warriors and get their first championship since winning back-to-back titles in 1994-95. But year after year they are unable to do that and are faced with questions about whether this team ever will.Despite the latest disappointment, team owner and casino and restaurant magnate Tilman Fertitta remains confident Harden will be able to lead them to a title soon."I can promise you, we're going to win some championships with... [More]

Kyle Lowry was talking in Toronto on Saturday, discussing any number of topics, offering eloquent answers to every question that came his way. His last sentence was all that really needed to be said."Nothing matters," the Raptors guard said, "but Game 7."There may be nothing better in sports than a Game 7 — and the second round of these NBA playoffs ends Sunday with a pair of deciders: third-seeded Philadelphia at second-seeded Toronto in an Eastern Conference semifinal; third-seeded Portland at second-seeded Denver in a Western Conference semifinal.The Portland-Denver winner will visit top-seeded Golden State in Game 1 of the West finals Tuesday. The Philadelphia-Toronto winner goes to top-seeded Milwaukee for Game 1 of the East finals Wednesday."I've been fortunate to be in a few Game 7s and they're very unique," Philadelphia coach Brett Brown said. "They're special. They are a life lesson, a life opportunity."There have been 133 Game 7s in NBA history — home teams have won 105, or 79%.... [More]

HOUSTON (AP) — The Golden State Warriors still have plenty of work to do if they hope to win their third straight championship.But after fending off the Houston Rockets on Friday night without leading playoff scorer Kevin Durant to advance to the Western Conference finals, they did take a moment to celebrate the accomplishment."It shows you how much respect we have for Houston," coach Steve Kerr said. "We just finished the conference semifinals series. We're only halfway home to where we want to be. And yet the celebration in there felt like a much bigger occasion and that's because of the challenge that this team put before us."Stephen Curry scored all of his 33 points in the second half to lead the Warriors to a 118-113 win.Klay Thompson added 27 points to help two-time defending champion Golden State reach the conference finals for a franchise-record fifth straight year and eliminate Houston for the fourth time in five seasons. The Warriors did it with Durant sidelined by a calf injury... [More]

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — The Golden State Warriors will be without postseason scoring leader Kevin Durant as they try to close out the Houston Rockets in the Western Conference semifinals."Well, we'll just find somebody on the bench who can give us 35 points and two blocks and 11 boards and nine assists," coach Steve Kerr said once the team arrived back in Houston on Thursday evening.An MRI exam Thursday confirmed the Warriors' initial diagnosis of a strained right calf announced during Wednesday's 104-99 win at Oracle Arena.As the Warriors returned to Houston for Friday's Game 6, Durant stayed behind in the Bay Area to undergo treatment. He is scheduled to be re-evaluated next week, meaning if there is a decisive Game 7 in the series Sunday he would be out of that one as well. The Warriors lead the series 3-2."He's been the best player in the NBA, in the playoffs. He's been phenomenal, so it's obviously a huge loss, but our team has a lot of confidence," Kerr said. "They trust each other.... [More]

HOUSTON (AP) — In the Western Conference finals last season, the Houston Rockets had home-court advantage and took a 3-2 lead over the Golden State Warriors before Houston star Chris Paul went down with a hamstring injury that kept him out for the rest of the series.As these teams prepare for Game 6 of the conference semifinals Friday night, the Warriors find themselves in almost the same situation Houston was in last year.The Warriors are just a win away from advancing to the conference finals for the fifth straight time, but will have to do it without NBA-playoffs leading scorer Kevin Durant, who will miss the rest of the series with a strained right calf.The two-time defending champions took advantage of Paul's injury in 2018 to win two straight after falling behind 3-2 and eliminated the Rockets on their home court to advance.The Rockets don't want to see Golden State celebrate a series victory on their home court again and are determined to bounce back after Wednesday night's loss... [More]

BOSTON (AP) — Expectations overflowed prior to the season for a Boston Celtics team expected to ascend to the top of an Eastern Conference without LeBron James.The season will be remembered for how poorly Boston did fulfilling its potential following false starts, some regression by its young players and an early exit from the postseason.Last season, the Celtics won 55 games and came within a victory of reaching the NBA Finals with All-Stars Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward both sidelined with injuries.The reintegration of both underscored shortcomings that included moments of infighting that culminated with the Celtics winning only 49 games and finishing fourth in the East. Their season ended Wednesday night in the second round the playoffs with a 116-91 loss to the Bucks that capped a 4-1 series loss .Boston trudges into a pivotal offseason with Irving and Al Horford holding player options to return for next season and key reserves Terry Rozier and Marcus Morris entering free agency.The... [More]

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Kevin Durant will miss the remainder of the Golden State Warriors' Western Conference semifinals against the Houston Rockets with a strained right calf.An MRI exam Thursday confirmed the Warriors' initial diagnosis announced during Wednesday's 104-99 win at Oracle Arena.The team has returned to Houston for Game 6 on Friday but Durant stayed behind in the Bay Area to undergo treatment. He is scheduled to be re-evaluated next week, meaning if there is a decisive Game 7 in the series Sunday he would be out of that one as well. The Warriors lead the series 3-2."It's a tough injury," teammate Klay Thompson said. "We'll have to collectively make up for what he does. We've done it before. It's going to be incredibly difficult. It's the playoffs. I know they're not going to feel sorry for us, the media, the fans. It will be a gut check time. We go down there and give it our best effort. That's all we can do. If we do that, I have confidence every man on this team will step... [More]

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Kevin Durant will miss the remainder of the Golden State Warriors' Western Conference semifinal against the Houston Rockets with a strained right calf.An MRI exam Thursday confirmed the Warriors' initial diagnosis. The team is traveling back to Houston for Friday's Game 6 but Durant stayed behind in the Bay Area to undergo treatment. He is to be re-evaluated next week, meaning if there is a Game 7 in the series Sunday he would be out of that one as well. The Warriors lead the series 3-2.Durant limped to the locker room after landing awkwardly on his right foot following a baseline jumper with 2:11 left in the third quarter of Wednesday's 104-99 victory at Oracle Arena.The Warriors initially feared the two-time reigning NBA Finals MVP might have injured his Achilles, a far more serious issue.He finished with 22 points, five rebounds and four assists. Durant was averaging 35.4 points in the playoffs coming into the day.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — The Latest on Kevin Durant's injury (all times local):12:57 p.m.Kevin Durant will miss the remainder of Golden State's Western Conference semifinal against the Houston Rockets with a strained right calf.An MRI exam Thursday confirmed the Warriors' diagnosis of the calf injury. The team was traveling to Houston for Friday's Game 6 but Durant stayed behind in the Bay Area to undergo treatment. He is to be re-evaluated next week, meaning if there is a Game 7 in the series Sunday he would be out of that game as well.In the third quarter of Wednesday's 104-99 victory at Oracle Arena, Durant limped to the locker room after landing awkwardly on his right foot following a baseline jumper with 2:11 left in the quarter.The Warriors feared the two-time reigning NBA Finals MVP might have injured his Achilles, a far more serious issue.___12:01 a.m.Golden State star Kevin Durant has left Game 5 of the Warriors' playoff series against the Houston Rockets with a strained right calf.Durant... [More]

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Giannis Antetokounmpo has carried the Milwaukee Bucks to the Eastern Conference finals for the first time since 2001.The Bucks have reason to believe they can go even further, thanks to a deep roster that received a boost with the return of guard Malcolm Brogdon for the clinching game of their semifinal series win over the Boston Celtics.Brogdon missed the Bucks' first eight playoff games and final 13 regular-season games with a plantar fascia injury in his right foot. He was able to shake off some of the rust as he scored 10 points and played 17 minutes in Milwaukee's 116-91 victory over Boston in Game 5 on Wednesday."It was like he never left," Bucks center Brook Lopez said of Brogdon's long-awaited return. "He just picked everyone up. Our crowd felt it; our team felt it."Now the Bucks will turn their attention to a conference final matchup against either Toronto or Philadelphia. Either way, they will host the first two games next week — and the reserves are heating up.Bench... [More]

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Golden State star Kevin Durant strained his right calf during the third quarter of the Warriors' 104-99 playoff victory over the Houston Rockets on Wednesday night, leaving his status uncertain for the remainder of the Western Conference semifinal.The Warriors took a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series, but Durant's status cast a shadow over the win."He's obviously down because he's injured and doesn't really know the extent of it," Stephen Curry said.Durant was scheduled for an MRI exam Thursday and his status for Game 6 on Friday night in Houston had yet to be determined."You lose your best player, it's deflating," said Klay Thompson, who scored 27 points and had a layup to seal it with 4.1 seconds remaining.Curry and the rest of the Warriors were thankful Durant wasn't more seriously hurt.Even coach Steve Kerr initially feared Durant might have injured his Achilles."When I walked into the coaches office after the game the replay of the play was going on and I... [More]

It begins.When the buzzer sounded in Milwaukee on Wednesday night, the question immediately became this: Has Kyrie Irving played his last game for the Boston Celtics?It's very possible.Welcome to free agency, Kyrie.He's now in the place that other big names like Kevin Durant, Jimmy Butler, Kawhi Leonard and Klay Thompson all will be whenever their respective seasons end, whether that happens with a playoff defeat, or with an injury — Durant left Game 5 of Golden State's Western Conference semifinal series against Houston on Wednesday night with a right calf strain — or with their fingerprints smudging the golden surface of the Larry O'Brien Trophy.They will all hear some version of the question that Irving got.Free agency doesn't technically start until July 1, but in actuality it began for the superstar point guard with 8:40 left in the fourth quarter of Game 5 — when he checked out for the last time in what capped Boston's ousting from the Eastern Conference semifinals by the Milwaukee... [More]

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Golden State star Kevin Durant strained his right calf during the third quarter of the Warriors' 104-99 playoff victory over the Houston Rockets on Wednesday night.The Warriors grabbed a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven Western Conference semifinal, but Durant's status cast a shadow over the win.Durant was scheduled for an MRI exam Thursday and his status for Game 6 on Friday night in Houston had yet to be determined.Even coach Steve Kerr initially feared Durant might have hurt his Achilles."When I walked into the coaches office after the game the replay of the play was going on and I thought the same thing because he kind of looked back like he had been kicked or something," Kerr said. "I thought, I've seen that before with guys who have hurt their Achilles. That was my first question and I was assured it's the calf. It's a calf strain and not the Achilles."Durant limped to the locker room after landing awkwardly on his right foot following a baseline jumper with 2:11... [More]

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Golden State star Kevin Durant has left Game 5 of the Warriors' playoff series against the Houston Rockets with a strained right calf.Durant limped to the locker room after landing awkwardly on his right foot following a baseline jumper with 2:11 left in the third quarter. The team says he will not return.Durant had 22 points, five rebounds and four assists Wednesday night. The two-time reigning NBA Finals MVP was averaging 35.4 points in the playoffs coming into the day.The best-of-seven series was tied at two games apiece. Game 6 is Friday back in Houston.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Joel Embiid doesn't know if he will feel better.He certainly knows he has to play better.He's battling an illness, looking like someone who'd rather be in bed than on the court. But the Philadelphia 76ers need their All-Star center, so Embiid is trying to tell himself that he has to dig deeper to find more energy, even if it's only for three hours."You know, can't control my physical condition, but I can also control how much I push myself and I try to do that," Embiid said. "But I've just got to do more."If he can't, he'll have all the time he needs to rest.With Embiid faltering, the 76ers try to fight off elimination and send the Eastern Conference semifinals back to Toronto when they host the Raptors for Game 6 on Thursday.Portland will also try to send a series the distance on Thursday, hosting Game 6 against Denver, which has won two straight for a 3-2 lead behind Nikola Jokic, its dominant center.Embiid is supposed to be a dominant center, too.But he hasn't performed at anywhere near... [More]