OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Kevin Durant cherishes the opportunity to honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. by playing basketball on the holiday that celebrates the civil rights leader."What MLK meant to the nation and just his message around the world. Still to this day his message has touched so many people," Durant said. "It's a good opportunity to play on that day. For us it just means a lot. We carry so much. Each one of us has different journeys throughout life and for us to meet at this point to come out and play a game so special on such a special day, hopefully it brings more people together."There will be another full slate of NBA games with 22 of the league's 30 teams playing on Monday. Knicks coach David Fizdale appreciates how the NBA gives so many teams the chance to play on MLK Day — unlike the more limited schedule on Christmas."The NBA is just ahead of everything. Adam Silver and those guys just really have a progressive attitude about being inclusive, they understand our history,... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Already without injured star LeBron James, the Los Angeles Lakers will be missing guard Lonzo Ball for the next four to six weeks after an MRI on Sunday showed a sprained left ankle.Ball was injured in the third quarter of the Lakers' 138-134 overtime loss at Houston on Saturday night. He remained on the court for a couple of minutes talking with trainers before he was helped to his feet where he hopped on his right foot for a few steps before being carried off the court and to the locker room by teammates Lance Stephenson and Michael Beasley.An MRI revealed a Grade 3 sprain, the team tweeted Sunday.James has missed the Lakers' last 13 games with a strained left groin.Los Angeles hosts Golden State on Monday night.

NEW YORK (AP) — The NBA's All-Star draft will be Feb. 7, and broadcast on TNT.A pair of captains will select the teams from the pool of players who will be picked as starters and reserves from each conference. The captains will be the leading vote getter in each conference, and through Thursday the NBA says the leaders are Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks and LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers.James and Golden State's Stephen Curry were captains last year, the first under the player-draft format. It was not televised last year.Fan voting continues through Monday. Starters will be announced on Jan. 24, and reserves will be announced on Jan. 31.The All-Star Game is Feb. 17 in Charlotte.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (AP) — LeBron James has been cleared to practice with the Los Angeles Lakers after they return from their upcoming two-game road trip.The Lakers gave the latest update on James' groin injury Wednesday.James strained his groin on Christmas. He will have missed 13 consecutive games by the time Los Angeles returns from the road this weekend, matching the most games ever missed in one season by the four-time NBA MVP.The Lakers only say James will "progress towards a return to game play" after he rejoins practice next week.He will be sidelined for at least four weeks, the longest stretch he has been out in his 16-season NBA career.The Lakers (24-21) beat Chicago on Tuesday to improve to 4-7 without James.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Luke Walton began a wellness program for his Lakers coaching staff. Steve Kerr reached out to Steve Clifford after each spent significant time away from the sideline because of debilitating headaches and other symptoms.Coaches around the league are taking preventive measures to help deal with the grind and stresses of a long NBA season.That hasn't always been the case. Now, the NBA Coaches Association provides guidance to its members on everything from diet and exercise to sleep and mental health."Well, we're trying. We all are trying, we all are conscious of it," Clippers coach Doc Rivers said. "I don't think we're very good at it, honestly. I know I've tried. It's still very hard to accomplish. The game consumes us. It consumes me at least, and it should, if you love it. And it's just hard to turn off. It's important. We have to do it. We should have been doing it."After a late arrival in Bay Area last month, it was after 10 p.m. when Rivers had the team tissue... [More]

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Luke Walton began a wellness program for his Lakers coaching staff. Steve Kerr reached out to Steve Clifford after each spent significant time away from the sideline because of debilitating headaches and other symptoms.Coaches around the league are taking preventive measures to help deal with the grind and stresses of a long NBA season.That hasn't always been the case. Now, the NBA Coaches Association provides guidance to its members on everything from diet and exercise to sleep and mental health."Well, we're trying. We all are trying, we all are conscious of it," Clippers coach Doc Rivers said. "I don't think we're very good at it, honestly. I know I've tried. It's still very hard to accomplish. The game consumes us. It consumes me at least, and it should, if you love it. And it's just hard to turn off. It's important. We have to do it. We should have been doing it."After a late arrival in Bay Area last month, it was after 10 p.m. when Rivers had the team tissue... [More]

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (AP) — LeBron James' strained groin is turning out to be perhaps the most significant injury of the famously durable superstar's 16-year NBA career.James likely will miss at least three more games after being cleared to increase his on-court activity in his comeback from the injury, the Lakers announced Thursday after an evaluation by their medical staff.The Lakers say James' healing is "progressing," and the four-time NBA MVP will participate in more functional basketball activities during the upcoming week. But the team also says it will provide another update on Jan. 16, which probably means James will miss the Lakers' three upcoming games against Utah, Cleveland and Chicago.If James sits out as expected, he will miss 11 consecutive games before his next update, and he will have been out of action for over three weeks since getting hurt during the Lakers' win at Golden State on Christmas.Those are significant numbers: James never missed more than 13 games during any... [More]

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (AP) — The Lakers say LeBron James likely will miss at least three more games after being cleared to increase his on-court activity in his comeback from a groin injury.James was evaluated by the Lakers' medical staff Thursday.The Lakers say James' healing is "progressing," and he will participate in more functional basketball activities.The team says it will provide another update on Jan. 16, which likely means he will miss the Lakers' three upcoming games against Utah, Cleveland and Chicago.James will miss 11 consecutive games before his next update. James never missed more than 13 games in any of his first 15 NBA seasons.The four-time NBA MVP was injured during the Lakers' win at Golden State on Christmas.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NFL and https://twitter.com/AP_NFL

INDEPENDENCE, Ohio (AP) — Kevin Love's comeback has been slow and steady. The Cleveland Cavaliers need it to speed up.Love said Monday that he's still weeks away from doing any significant on-court work as the five-time All-Star forward recovers from left foot surgery that has sidelined him nearly all season.Love was recently cleared to accelerate his rehab, but he isn't sure when he'll play and suggested he could be out until after February's All-Star break."I don't know," he said when asked for a timeframe on his return. "It's really tough for me to say because I don't know how my foot is going to respond. Hopefully it will be sooner rather than later."Love has begun shooting and been "up on the toes a little bit" but not running. He's listening to his doctors and his body."I don't know when I'll be able to go one-on-one, two-on-two, three-on-three, but I think that's all part of the next few weeks I'd say," he said.The 30-year-old played in just four games before undergoing surgery to... [More]

Imagine this: Kevin Durant is out of bounds by an enormous margin, all three referees somehow miss the obvious infraction and Golden State winds up getting a basket that it didn't deserve to take the lead with a few seconds remaining.It seemed implausible.That is, until it happened.When such a scene played out last week in the Houston-Golden State overtime thriller, James Harden kept a ton of egg from landing on the NBA's face when he connected on a 3-pointer to give the Rockets a win in a game they would have screamed bloody murder about otherwise. But what if he missed? Or worse, if a call that big got missed in Game 7 of the NBA Finals?"How do you miss that?" TNT analyst Reggie Miller mused while watching the Durant replay.An obvious question, with an obvious answer: It's time for a change.Everyone in the NBA replay center in Secaucus, New Jersey that night surely saw Durant standing out of bounds. But there is no mechanism for the replay crews to trigger a review of such a play — since,... [More]

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Timberwolves had just posted their fourth-largest margin of victory of the season, and Tom Thibodeau looked and sounded satisfied Sunday as the demanding and intense coach used his postgame news conference to praise the attitude and energy with which his team had just played.Minutes later, Thibodeau was fired.Halfway into his third season with Minnesota that began in turmoil surrounding the eventual trade of All-Star Jimmy Butler, Thibodeau's final game was a 108-86 victory over the LeBron James-less Los Angeles Lakers .Assistant coach Ryan Saunders, who is 32, was named interim head coach for the remainder of the season. Scott Layden will stay as the general manager, assuming oversight of the roster. Thibodeau was also the president of basketball operations, with full authority over personnel decisions."We would like to thank Tom for his efforts and wish him all the best," Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor said in a statement released by the team. "These decisions... [More]

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Timberwolves fired coach Tom Thibodeau on Sunday, halfway into his third season with the team that began with the turmoil surrounding the eventual trade of All-Star Jimmy Butler.Thibodeau was dismissed about an hour after the 108-86 victory over the LeBron James-less Los Angeles Lakers .Scott Layden will remain the general manager overseeing the basketball operations and assistant coach Ryan Saunders will be the interim head coach for the remainder of the season."We would like to thank Tom for his efforts and wish him all the best," Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor said in a statement. "These decisions are never easy to make, but we felt them necessary to move our organization forward."The Athletic first reported that Thibodeau, who was also the president of basketball operations with full authority over the roster, had been let go. Saunders is the son of the late Flip Saunders, who's the winningest coach in club history.Thibodeau finished 97-107 with the... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — LeBron James will miss at least four more games with the Los Angeles Lakers while he recovers from a left groin strain.The Lakers on Friday said James' injury will be re-evaluated in one week.The four-time NBA MVP already has missed four games after getting hurt during the Lakers' victory at Golden State on Christmas. His recovery schedule will keep him out of the Lakers' upcoming two-game road trip and a home game against Detroit next week.The Lakers are 1-3 without James in their lineup. They host the New York Knicks on Friday night.James is averaging 27.3 points, 8.3 rebounds and 7.1 assists during his first season with the Lakers.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

James Harden and the Houston Rockets were one half away from the NBA Finals last time they played at Oracle Arena.The way the Rockets are rolling now, they might just get another shot at the champs this postseason.The Rockets try to wrap up a perfect month at home Monday against Memphis, then visit Golden State for the first time since the Western Conference finals, having recovered from a rough start thanks to Harden's torrid stretch.He has scored 40 points in three straight games and 35 or more in seven straight, the longest streak since LeBron James did it in nine in a row in 2006. The NBA scoring leader's quest to repeat as MVP is clearly on track.And after a poor start, so are the Rockets (20-15). They have won four straight and nine of their last 10 games overall, and are 8-0 at home in December after dropping their first four games at the Toyota Center.Just like Game 6 of the West finals, when they blew a double-digit lead, they will play at Golden State for Thursday's nationally... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Lakers point guard Rajon Rondo will be sidelined at least a month after undergoing surgery to repair a ligament on his right ring finger.Rondo sprained his finger during Los Angeles' surprising Christmas Day victory at Golden State. He missed the Lakers' last-second loss at Sacramento on Thursday night along with LeBron James, who strained his groin against the Warriors.Rondo had surgery Friday, and he is expected to fully recover in four to five weeks, according to the team. Rondo initially hoped to play through the pain in his troublesome shooting hand, but decided it would be impossible without surgery."He tried to pick up a basketball and palm it, and it was killing him," Lakers coach Luke Walton said. "His decision was based on, 'All right, I can fight through this and see how much I can do, or I just get it done ASAP and come back 100 percent and try to make a late-season push.' That was what all parties decided was the best option."The Lakers also played without... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Lakers point guard Rajon Rondo will be sidelined at least a month after undergoing surgery to repair a ligament on his right ring finger.Rondo sprained his finger during Los Angeles' Christmas Day victory at Golden State. He missed the Lakers' last-second loss at Sacramento on Thursday night along with LeBron James, who strained his groin against the Warriors.Rondo had surgery Friday, and he is expected to fully recover in four to five weeks, according to the team.The Lakers face the Clippers on Friday night in the first game of the season against their Staples Center co-tenants. The Lakers (20-15) have vaulted back into playoff contention with the Western Conference's fifth-best record, a half-game behind the Clippers (20-14).Rondo is averaging 8.4 points, 6.7 assists and 4.4 rebounds while providing solid leadership in his first season with the Lakers, who signed him as a free agent in July.But the veteran has appeared in only 14 games because of a three-game suspension... [More]

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — LeBron James was held out of the Lakers' game against the Sacramento Kings on Thursday night with a groin injury, ending his consecutive games played streak at 156.James was injured during the Lakers' 127-101 victory over two-time defending NBA champion Golden State on Christmas when he slipped while going for a loose ball.An MRI showed that James suffered a left groin strain rather than a tear, but no timetable has been set for his return. Lakers coach Luke Walton said the team will take a cautious approach with the four-time MVP."It's one of those things we want to make sure he's healthy before we get him back out there," Walton said Thursday. "That could be an injury where if you come back too early you re-injure it and then you're out longer. We'll be careful and cautious when he starts playing again."James, who remained in Los Angeles while his teammates flew to Sacramento, has played in every game since the final game of the 2016-17 regular season, when he sat out to rest. His last extended absence due to injury was an eight-game stint to deal with back and knee aches midway through the 2014-15 season.James is averaging 27.3 points, 8.3 rebounds and 7.1 assists this season, his 16th in the NBA and first with the Lakers.__More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/tag/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

NEW YORK (AP) — The NBA had its most-watched Christmas schedule since 2011, with 10.2 million viewers tuning in for the Lakers' victory over Golden State.ESPN says Wednesday that the audience for that game, the first matching the defending champion Warriors and LeBron James since he moved to Los Angeles, was its fifth-largest for one on Christmas.The 2011-12 season began on Christmas after the lockout.The five games Tuesday averaged 5.8 million viewers, an increase of 14 percent from last year.___More AP NBA: www.apnews.com/NBA and www.twitter.com/AP_Sports

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (AP) — LeBron James got good news Wednesday on his injured groin.But his games-played streak will end anyway.An MRI exam showed that the four-time NBA MVP merely strained his left groin in the Los Angeles Lakers' victory at Golden State Warriors on Christmas night. James will likely be dealing with soreness for several days, and the Lakers said he won't travel with them for their game Thursday in Sacramento.From there, he will be listed as day-to-day."Dodged a bullet," James tweeted.Thursday will mark the first time James has sat since the final game of the 2016-17 regular season, which he took off for rest.James had appeared in 156 consecutive games, going back to the start of the 2017 playoffs with Cleveland. His last extended absence due to injury was an eight-game stint to deal with back and knee aches midway through the 2014-15 season.James is averaging 27.3 points, 8.3 rebounds and 7.1 assists this season, his 16th in the NBA and first with the Lakers.___More AP NBA: www.apnews.com/NBA and www.twitter.com/AP_Sports

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (AP) — LeBron James got good news Wednesday on his injured groin.An MRI exam showed that the four-time NBA MVP merely strained his left groin in the Los Angeles Lakers' win over the Golden State Warriors on Christmas night. James will likely be dealing with soreness for several days, and the Lakers are listing him as day to day.They play next on Thursday, against Sacramento.James has appeared in 156 consecutive games, going back to the start of the 2017 playoffs with Cleveland. His last extended absence due to injury was an eight-game stint to deal with back and knee aches midway through the 2014-15 season.James is averaging 27.3 points, 8.3 rebounds and 7.1 assists this season, his 16th in the NBA and first with the Lakers.___More AP NBA: www.apnews.com/NBA and www.twitter.com/AP_Sports