MINNEAPOLIS -- Jimmy Butler scored a season-high 25 points, including 13 in the fourth quarter to lead the Minnesota Timberwolves to a 119-116 victory against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday.Karl-Anthony Towns had season highs with 33 points and 19 rebounds, and Jeff Teague added 17 points and 10 assists for Minnesota, which beat Oklahoma City last Sunday on a buzzer-beating 3-pointer by Andrew Wiggins.Wiggins chipped in 14 points on Friday, and Taj Gibson had his best game with the Timberwolves with 16 points on 8-of-12 shooting and eight rebounds.Russell Westbrook had 27 points, eight rebounds and nine assists for the Thunder, who have lost three of their past four games. Carmelo Anthony and Paul George each scored 23 points for Oklahoma City.Warriors 120, Wizards 117OAKLAND -- Golden State shook off a terrible shooting effort in the first half and the loss of forward Draymond Green to a technical foul to erase an 18-point second-half deficit.The Warriors missed on 17 of 20 3-point... [More]

SG James Harden had a triple-double with 27 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds as the Houston Rockets pulled away late for a victory over the Charlotte Hornets.

MINNEAPOLIS -- Jimmy Butler scored a season-high 25 points, including 13 in the fourth quarter to lead the Minnesota Timberwolves to a 119-116 victory against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday.Karl-Anthony Towns had season highs with 33 points and 19 rebounds, and Jeff Teague added 17 points and 10 assists for Minnesota, which beat Oklahoma City last Sunday on a buzzer-beating 3-pointer by Andrew Wiggins.Wiggins chipped in 14 points on Friday, and Taj Gibson had his best game with the Timberwolves with 16 points on 8-of-12 shooting and eight rebounds.Russell Westbrook had 27 points, eight rebounds and nine assists for the Thunder, who have lost three of their past four games. Carmelo Anthony and Paul George each scored 23 points for Oklahoma City.Warriors 120, Wizards 117OAKLAND -- Golden State shook off a terrible shooting effort in the first half and the loss of forward Draymond Green to a technical foul to erase an 18-point second-half deficit.The Warriors missed on 17 of 20 3-point... [More]

MINNEAPOLIS -- Jimmy Butler scored a season-high 25 points, including 13 in the fourth quarter to lead the Minnesota Timberwolves to a 119-116 victory against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday.Karl-Anthony Towns had season highs with 33 points and 19 rebounds, and Jeff Teague added 17 points and 10 assists for Minnesota, which beat Oklahoma City last Sunday on a buzzer-beating 3-pointer by Andrew Wiggins.Wiggins chipped in 14 points on Friday, and Taj Gibson had his best game with the Timberwolves with 16 points on 8-of-12 shooting and eight rebounds.Russell Westbrook had 27 points, eight rebounds and nine assists for the Thunder, who have lost three of their past four games. Carmelo Anthony and Paul George each scored 23 points for Oklahoma City.Nuggets 105, Hawks 100ATLANTA -- The Denver Nuggets snapped a five-season losing streak in Atlanta, spoiling the Hawks' home opener and making a winner of Paul Millsap in his return to Philips Arena.Milllsap scored seven of his 16 points down... [More]

PHILADELPHIA -- Eric Gordon nailed a 3-pointer from the left corner at the buzzer as the Houston Rockets defeated the Philadelphia 76ers 105-104 on Wednesday night.Gordon notched 29 points to lead Houston, which scored the last nine points. James Harden added 27 points and 13 assists for the Rockets, and Clint Capela contributed 16 points, a career-high 20 rebounds and four blocked shots.J.J. Redick poured in 22 points to pace Philadelphia, which did not score in the final 3:05. Joel Embiid added 21 points, and Robert Covington chipped in 20 for the 76ers.Nets 112, Cavaliers 107NEW YORK -- Spencer Dinwiddie scored a career-high 22 points and hit the go-ahead 3-pointer with 43 seconds remaining as Brooklyn overcame a triple-double by LeBron James to defeat Cleveland.Dinwiddie made his 20th career start and first in place of D'Angelo Russell (right knee sprain). He shot 7-for-13, with his biggest basket coming after the Nets blew a 12-point lead. Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and Allen Crabbe added... [More]

G James Harden added 27 points and 13 assists as Houston improved to 4-1.

G James Harden had 22 points and eight assists but also committed a game-high seven turnovers.Harden was named Western Conference Player of the Week after averaging 27.7 points, nine rebounds and four assists as Houston went 3-0. Harden has earned the honor 14 times.

G James Harden scored a season-high 29 points and the Houston Rockets defeated the Dallas Mavericks 107-91 in their home opener at the Toyota Center on Saturday."I think our mindset is getting better no matter who we play," Harden said. "From the beginning of the game we were locked in, and offensively, we made shots. That's going to be our blueprint, defensive stops."Harden was on target, shooting 9 of 15 from the field for 26 points in the first half alone. He scored 27 points in each of the first two games.Harden has hit four or more 3-pointers in three straight games. Harden did that 37 times last season.

BOSTON -- Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 16 of his 37 points in the fourth quarter as the Milwaukee Bucks spoiled the Boston Celtics' emotional home opener with a 108-100 victory Wednesday night.Boston, which lost for the second straight night under the cloud of the gruesome injury sustained by newcomer Gordon Hayward in Cleveland on Tuesday, appeared to tire late as the Bucks turned a six-point, fourth-quarter deficit into a win.In addition to his points in the fourth quarter, Antetokounmpo had two steals, two (of his 13) rebounds and two assists as the Bucks used a 17-4 run to take control.Hayward addressed the crowd pregame from his hospital bed, stating, "I'm gonna be all right." With 3:21 left in the first half, the crowd broke into a chant of "Gor-don Hay-ward." Hayward was undergoing surgery Wednesday night, his father tweeted.Trail Blazers 124, Suns 76PHOENIX -- Damian Lillard scored 27 points and Portland handed Phoenix its worst loss in the 50-year history of the franchise.The previous... [More]

G James Harden scored 27 points in Tuesday's 122-121 victory at Golden State.

G James Harden says he will be in Houston "forever" after officially signing the richest contract in NBA history. Harden last week agreed to a four-year maximum contract extension that means he will make $228 million over the next six seasons through 2022-23. The 27-year-old Harden, runner-up for the NBA's Most Valuable Player award last season, has two years and $59 million left on his current contract. The four-year extension carries a value of $169 million.

The New York Knicks now appear to be pausing trade talks involving 10-time NBA All-Star Carmelo Anthony.The Knicks want to pursue a conversation with Anthony about possibly reincorporating him into the organization, league sources told ESPN.After talking with the Houston Rockets and Cleveland Cavaliers over the past month about a possible deal for Anthony, the Knicks told both teams they are stepping back from trade talks for a short time, according to the report.The Knicks are in the middle of reshaping their front office after the departure of Phil Jackson as team president last month following three disappointing seasons.The Knicks' top basketball executive, Steve Mills, reportedly will be elevated from general manager to president and the team reached an agreement with Sacramento Kings vice president of basketball operations Scott Perry to become the new GM.Perry, who get a five-year deal, will report to Mills, ESPN reported Friday. The Knicks are planning to sign Mills to a new multiyear... [More]

Carmelo Anthony is willing to waive his no-trade clause to join the Houston Rockets, and the New York Knicks are ramping up their efforts to oblige. According to ESPN, the teams are diligently working on a deal to send Anthony to Houston where he would join All-Star point guard Chris Paul and James Harden, another All-Star and volume scorer who flourished in Mike D'Antoni's offense last season. Anthony and former team president Phil Jackson feuded through the media with the Knicks mired in a rebuild and Anthony, who signed a five-year, $124 million deal upon Jackson's arrival, failing to meet Jackson's expectations. ESPN reported that the Rockets aren't being bashful about paying Anthony his guaranteed salary ($26,243,760) for the 2017-18 season, but the final year of that contract in 2018-19 ($27.9 million guaranteed) might be a roadblock unless the Knicks are willing to absorb a portion.A solution could be in the fine print of the contract.The contract includes a trade kicker of 15 percent,... [More]

G James Harden and the Houston Rockets agreed on a four-year contract extension that is the richest in NBA history.The contract is a super-maximum extension that will guarantee Harden $228 million through the 2022-23 season, league sources told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski and Brian Windhorst on Saturday. The 27-year-old Harden, runner-up for the NBA's Most Valuable Player award last season, has two years and $59 million left on his current contract. The four-year extension carries a value of $170 million. He is coming off a career-best season in which he averaged 29.1 points, a league-best 11.2 assists and 8.1 rebounds per game.

New York Knicks All-Star forward Carmelo Anthony may now be open to a waiving his no-trade clause to join the Houston Rockets or Cleveland Cavaliers.The arrival of All-Star Chris Paul to team up with James Harden jumped Houston into contention for Anthony and established his interest in joining the Rockets, league sources told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.The Cavaliers continue to remain a preferred destination for Anthony because of the presence of LeBron James.Anthony was a consistent target of former Knicks president Phil Jackson, who pushed Anthony to waive his no-trade clause and leave New York for a team in position to contend for an NBA title.Jackson parted ways with the Knicks last week after three disappointing seasons in charge of basketball operations. The Knicks were 31-51 in 2016-17, falling well short of expectations with their third consecutive 50-loss season. Anthony and Jackson were at odds throughout the season because of trade speculation. As the tension grew between the... [More]

PG James Harden was the only unanimous choice on the All-NBA first team in balloting announced by the league on Thursday. Harden earned all 500 points by being named as one of five first-team selections on each of the 100 ballots.Joining Harden on the first team are Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (498), Oklahoma City point guard Russell Westbrook (498), San Antonio Spurs small forward Kawhi Leonard (490) and New Orleans Pelicans forward Anthony Davis (343).

Houston Rockets point guard James Harden was the only unanimous choice on the All-NBA first team in balloting announced by the league on Thursday. Harden earned all 500 points by being named as one of five first-team selections on each of the 100 ballots.Joining Harden on the first team are Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (498), Oklahoma City point guard Russell Westbrook (498), San Antonio Spurs small forward Kawhi Leonard (490) and New Orleans Pelicans forward Anthony Davis (343).James and Westbrook each received one second-team vote in failing to join Harden as a unanimous choice.Earning second-team honors were Utah center Rudy Gobert (339 points), Golden State Warriors point guard Stephen Curry (290), Milwaukee Bucks small forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (258), Warriors small forward Kevin Durant (239) and Boston Celtics point guard Isaiah Thomas (236).Selected to the third team were Golden State power forward Draymond Green (134), Washington Wizards point guard John Wall (125),... [More]

Houston star James Harden is the subject of a civil lawsuit filed by Moses Malone Jr. that alleges the Rockets' guard orchestrated a beating and robbery last summer after he was angered by a Facebook post from Malone.Malone alleges that Harden paid $20,000 to have him beaten.Harden was allegedly peeved at Malone's comments on June 24, 2016 that sharply criticized him for charging $249 for his basketball camp.On the night of June 25, Malone arrived at a strip club called V Live that he and Harden frequently attended. Court documents say the bouncer, Darian Blount, refused to allow entry to Malone and called over three other men.One of the men allegedly flashed a gun while Blount said Malone had "disrespected James Harden and that he needs to be punished after that."Malone told police he was repeatedly punched and kicked and robbed of $50,000 in jewelry.The following month, Blount was charged with aggravated robbery with a deadly weapon as were three others: Kavon Boutte, Deavon Lewis and... [More]

James Harden was adamant all season that he doesn't need any rest during the NBA season.That could change next season after Harden put forth one of most putrid performances by a star player in NBA postseason history. The Houston Rockets star had just 10 points on 2-of-11 shooting and committed six turnovers on Thursday as his club was steamrolled 114-75 by the San Antonio Spurs in Game 6 of the Western Conference semifinals. San Antonio won the series, four games to two, and totally shut down Harden over the final six quarters.Harden had just 10 points on 3-of-11 shooting and committed six turnovers during the second half of Game 5.The ending made it a down note for Harden, who averaged 29.1 points, 11.2 assists and 8.1 rebounds during the regular season when he missed just one game, due to illness.Houston coach Mike D'Antoni asserted that rest is something that will happen occasionally next season."All great players think they can do everything," D'Antoni told reporters. "Maybe he does... [More]

G James Harden was a nonfactor as Houston was eliminated, scoring 10 points on 2-of-11 shooting. He added seven assists and six turnovers.Harden fouled out with 3:15 remaining."They did a really good job of crowding and showing bodies, their bigs at the rim," Harden said. "I couldn't get a rhythm, especially to the basket. Pau (Gasol) did a really good job of using his length at the rim. Hat's off to them."