LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers will be the underdog against the Golden State Warriors as the NBA Finals get underway next week.The 2016 champion Cavs will battle the 2015 champion Warriors for the third straight year.James scored 35 points and passed Michael Jordan to become the NBA's all-time playoff scoring leader as the Cavaliers routed the Boston Celtics 135-102 on Thursday night to claim their third straight Eastern Conference title.Both teams dominated throughout the playoffs -- the Warriors making history by going an unprecedented 12-0 through three rounds in the Western Conference with the Cavs losing just a single game to the Celtics.The league will showcase the two best teams again when the NBA Finals tip off on Thursday night (ABC, 9 p.m. ET).The Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook installed Golden State as a minus-260 favorite, with Cleveland at plus-220, meaning a $100 bet on the Warriors would win $38.46 and the same bet on the Cavaliers would win $220, according to ESPN.The... [More]

F Kevin Durant had 29 points and 12 rebounds as the Warriors strolled to a 129-115 win over the Spurs on Monday, completing a sweep of the Western Conference finals.

F Kevin Durant provided the spark the Warriors craved when he scored 17 consecutive points in a three-minute stretch of the decisive third quarter on Saturday as Golden State easily dispatched the Spurs 120-108 in Game 3 of the Western Conference finals.Durant had 33 points in all, 19 of them in the third period, and pulled down 10 rebounds. "Yeah, KD got in a groove," Warriors acting coach Mike Brown said. "He was huge for us.

F Kevin Durant scored 34 points Sunday, helping the Warriors rally for a win over the Spurs in the Western Conference finals opener.

F Kevin Durant has some advice for the top prospects that are planning to attend the NBA combine. "Stay your (expletive) home, work out and get better on your own time," Durant said to ESPN. Durant, who was the second overall pick by the Seattle SuperSonics, has enjoyed a successful career with a 2014 NBA Most Valuable Player award and eight All-Star selections to his credit. Still, Durant has painful memories of failing to bench-press 185 pounds at the combine.

Golden State Warriors forward Kevin Durant has some advice for the top prospects that are planning to attend the NBA combine."Stay your (expletive) home, work out and get better on your own time," Durant said to ESPN.Durant, who was the second overall pick in 2007 by the Seattle SuperSonics, has enjoyed a successful career with a 2014 NBA Most Valuable Player award and eight All-Star selections to his credit. Still, Durant has painful memories of failing to bench-press 185 pounds at the combine."I remember it like it was yesterday," Durant said. "All the strength coaches were laughing at me and (expletive). They were giggling with each other that I couldn't lift 185 pounds, and I was like, 'All right, keep laughing. Keep laughing.' It was a funny thing, because I was the only one that couldn't lift it and I was struggling to lift it. I was embarrassed at that point, but I'm like, 'Give me a basketball, please. Give me a ball.'"Durant received relatively low marks in the vertical leap, agility... [More]

It appears the frayed relationship between Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook may not be irreparable after all.Kendrick Perkins, a former teammate of Durant and Westbrook with the Oklahoma City Thunder, said he played peacemaker leading to a phone call between the two former co-stars after Westbrook broke Oscar Robertson's triple-double record."I think the night that Russ actually broke the record, I had texted (Durant). The next day, he was talking about something and he sent me a text and was like, 'Me and Russ had a nice conversation.' The media don't even know nothing about it, but I just let it be known that they're back on talking terms, the differences are aside," Perkins said on TNT's "Area 21" show hosted by Kevin Garnett on Monday night.Durant spent eight seasons alongside Westbrook with the Thunder before leaving to join the Golden State Warriors on a two-year deal worth over $54 million. Durant can opt out after this season.Perkins added that he would not be surprised if Durant... [More]

F Kevin Durant had 18 points, six rebounds and five assists, and Golden State completed a sweep of Utah with a 121-95 win Monday.

F Kevin Durant finished with postseason highs of 38 points and 13 rebounds in Saturday's 102-91 victory in Utah that gave Golden State a 3-0 lead in their Western Conference best-of-seven semifinal series. Durant did a little bit of everything through four quarters. He drained step-back and fadeaway jumpers, cut to the rim for layups and buried timely 3-pointers. The Warriors moved one game closer to reaching the Western Conference finals after Durant posted a second straight 30-point, 10-rebound game. He bailed out Golden State on a night where the shots were not falling for the rest of his teammates. "The other 19,000 people in the arena and everyone else watching on TV saw the same thing I saw." teammate Stephen Curry said. "It's an easy decision at that moment, try to set a screen for him, get him in the right spot and he does the rest." Durant shot 15-of-26 from the field, including a team-high four 3-pointers. "I try to use my length and shoot over guys," Durant said. "(Rudy) Gobert is a load down there in the paint, so I know I just can't go in there and throw up anything. I just try to be cerebral every time down, but also be aggressive and my teammates open it up a lot for me."

F Kevin Durant had 25 points for the Warriors, who will take a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series to Salt Lake City for Games 3 and 4 on Saturday and Monday.Durant scored a majority of his 25 points on 13 of 15 free throws. He led the Warriors with 11 rebounds and tied Stephen Curry for game-high honors in assists, with seven.

F Kevin Durant added 17 points for Golden State.

F Kevin Durant returned to the Warriors' lineup after missing two games with a left calf injury, and he scored 10 points and hit both his 3-point attempts in just 20 minutes of action.

F Kevin Durant remains questionable for Monday night's Game 4 of the Western Conference first-round series at the Portland Trail Blazers. Durant, who participated in Monday's shoot-around with no limitations, has sat out the past two games with a calf injury sustained in the second half of the series opener.

Portland Trail Blazers center Jusuf Nurkic, who has been out for three weeks with a nondisplaced fracture in his right leg, is scheduled to start Game 3 against the Golden State Warriors on Saturday night in Portland, Ore.Meanwhile, the Warriors will be without forward Kevin Durant for the second straight game because of a calf injury. He was listed as questionable for Saturday's contest up until nearly game time. Durant suffered the injury in the second half of Game 1.Nurkic missed the final seven games of the regular season and the first two playoff games at Golden State.His status for Saturday's game was not known until about an hour before tipoff, but the 7-foot center, known as the Bosnian Beast, has been shooting around in warmups.In 20 games since joining Portland, Nurkic is averaging 15.2 points, 10.4 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.9 blocks and 1.25 assists in 29.2 minutes.The Warriors hold a 2-0 advantage in the series. Besides Durant, Golden State is without coach Steve Kerr because of illness as well as guards Shaun Livingston (right index finger sprain and hand contusion) and Matt Barnes (sprained ankle).

SF Kevin Durant participated in the Golden State Warriors' practice on Friday afternoon and accompanied the team on its flight to Portland for Saturday's Game 3 against the Trail Blazers. However, Durant is still listed as questionable for the game because of a calf injury. With a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series, the Warriors are likely to take a cautious approach and make sure Durant is 100 percent before putting him back on the court. Durant, who injured his calf in the second half of Game 1, did extra shooting after practice.

The Sacramento Kings hired Scott Perry as executive vice president of basketball operations, the team announced FridayPerry will report directly to general manager Vlade Divac and assist in all aspects of the day-to-day operation of the Kings' front office, including roster management and development, player personnel matters, scouting strategy and free agency negotiations.Perry joins the Kings after serving the last five seasons in a similar capacity with the Orlando Magic, who fired general manager Rob Hennigan and assistant GM Perry last week as part of the front office overhaul."I'm thrilled that Scott will be joining our front office team," Divac said in a statement. "His extensive experience in the league and management talents will help build on our progress as we work to develop a winning franchise."Prior to his time in central Florida, Perry spent parts of 12 seasons with the Detroit Pistons as a collegiate scout, director of player personnel and later as vice president of basketball operations. The Pistons won the NBA title in 2004 during Perry's tenure. He also served as the then-Seattle Supersonics assistant general manager in the 2007-08 season, during which the franchise drafted Kevin Durant No. 2 overall.Before entering the NBA executive ranks, Perry spent three seasons as head coach at Eastern Kentucky (1997-2000) and nine years as an assistant coach at Michigan, California and Detroit Mercy.

HOUSTON -- Eric Gordon and Lou Williams caught fire from the perimeter in the fourth quarter and the Houston Rockets erased a 15-point deficit to beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 115-111 on Wednesday night at Toyota Center in Game 2 of their Western Conference first-round playoff series.Oklahoma City guard Russell Westbrook posted a triple-double of 51 points, 13 assists and 10 rebounds. However, he shot 4 of 18 in the fourth quarter.Gordon gave the Rockets their first lead with his 3-pointer at the 8:07 mark of the fourth quarter. Williams followed with a trey 27 seconds later before James Harden nailed a 3 to push Houston to a 104-100 lead with 5:16 left.Gordon delivered the decisive shot with 1:48 remaining, drilling a 28-footer off a Harden pass to extend the lead to eight and give Houston a 2-0 series lead. Game 3 is scheduled for Friday night in Oklahoma City.Warriors 110, Trail Blazers 81OAKLAND, Calif. -- Golden State tightened the defensive screws with star forward Kevin Durant out... [More]

SF Kevin Durant sat out with a strained left calf. Coach Steve Kerr said, "It's not worth it. If we throw him out there and he pulls it and he's out a few weeks, you'd feel like an idiot."

F Forward Kevin Durant of the Golden State Warriors officially is listed as questionable for Game 2 against the visiting Portland Trail Blazers. Durant recorded 32 points and 10 rebounds despite a strained left calf in the series-opening 121-109 victory on Sunday. He missed the team's shootaround on Wednesday morning.ESPN reported, citing league sources, said Golden State is mulling the merits of sitting Durant on Wednesday as a means to give him five full days off before Game 3 on Saturday in Portland. Durant missed 19 games because of a strained MCL and bone bruise in his left leg before returning at the end of the regular season.

OAKLAND, Calif. -- Star forward Kevin Durant will miss Game 2 of Western Conference first-round playoff series between Golden State and Portland with a strained left calf, Warriors coach Steve Kerr announced at his pregame press conference Wednesday night.Up 1-0 in the best-of-seven matchup, the Warriors also prepared to go into their second of two consecutive series-opening home games without key reserve Shaun Livingston, who sprained his right index finger in Sunday's Game 1 win.Durant suffered the injury in the third quarter of Sunday's 121-109 win but was able to continue playing. He finished with a team-high 32 points in 36 minutes.Kerr labeled the injury not serious but noted that Durant would be re-examined before a decision on a possible return for Game 3 on Saturday in Portland would be made.The first-year Warrior sat out 19 straight games late in the season with a sprained left knee. The injury are not considered to be related.Speaking to the media close to two hours before game time, Kerr would not divulge who would start in Durant's place.