MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Timberwolves were back to work on the court after some welcomed rest.Now they're headed out of town again for another meaningful test."Your margin of error is obviously smaller on the road, so I think you go in and have to eliminate all the ways in which you beat yourself," coach Tom Thibodeau said Tuesday. "That's why we always talk about defending, rebounding and keeping your turnovers down."The Wolves had Sunday and Monday off from practice after beating New Orleans 118-107 on Saturday, a rare break of that length that Thibodeau scheduled after the team played 30 games in the previous 56 days. Though they're solidly in first place in the Northwest Division, the Wolves went just 9-8 in January."It helps a lot. You get in such the grind, and it's almost like you're running in mud at some points," shooting guard Jamal Crawford said. "Even a day or two, you can feel recharged and ready to get back out there."The Timberwolves are 12-16 away from home this... [More]

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — All-Star guard Jimmy Butler returned to the Minnesota Timberwolves' lineup Saturday night after missing four games with soreness in his right knee.Butler worked out before the game against Brooklyn, getting final clearance to make his return. Butler was named an All-Star for the fourth consecutive season. He's averaging 21.7 points, 5.4 rebounds and 5.0 assists in his first season in Minnesota.Butler has missed six games this season, with the Timberwolves (31-20) going 2-4 without him in the lineup.Brooklyn is without Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (right groin strain), Caris Levert (sore left groin) and D'Angelo Russell (return from injury management).

NEW YORK (AP) — LeBron James got Kevin Durant and reunited with Kyrie Irving in the NBA's first All-Star draft.Stephen Curry picked James Harden and Giannis Antetokounmpo, the NBA's top two scorers, and grabbed his other two Golden State teammates in the selections Thursday.The draft was not televised, and neither James nor Curry would reveal who they chose first when they were interviewed on TNT when the rosters were unveiled. However, Durant later said that he had been the No. 1 selection.James was among those who said fans should have watched the proceedings and his decision to draft Irving could have made for a must-see moment. The point guard asked out of Cleveland last summer and the Cavaliers traded him to conference rival Boston."Kyrie was available on the draft board, he's one of the best point guards we have in our league," James said. "It was an easy choice for me."James and Curry will be the captains Feb. 18 in Los Angeles for the first NBA All-Star Game that doesn't use the... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — LeBron James got Kevin Durant and reunited with Kyrie Irving in the NBA's first All-Star draft.Stephen Curry picked James Harden and Giannis Antetokounmpo, the NBA's top two scorers, and grabbed his other two Golden State teammates in the selections Thursday.The draft was not televised, and neither James nor Curry would reveal who they chose first when they were interviewed on TNT when the rosters were unveiled.James was among those who said fans should have watched the proceedings and his decision to draft Irving could have made for a must-see moment. The point guard asked out of Cleveland last summer and the Cavaliers traded him to conference rival Boston."Kyrie was available on the draft board, he's one of the best point guards we have in our league," James said. "It was an easy choice for me."James and Curry will be the captains Feb. 18 in Los Angeles for the first NBA All-Star Game that doesn't use the Eastern Conference vs. Western Conference format.James had the No.... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — LeBron James got Kevin Durant and reunited with Kyrie Irving in the NBA's first All-Star draft.Stephen Curry picked James Harden and Giannis Antetokounmpo, the NBA's top two scorers, and grabbed his other two Golden State teammates in the selections Thursday.The draft was not televised, and neither James nor Curry would reveal who they chose first when they were interviewed on TNT when the rosters were unveiled.James and Curry will be the captains Feb. 18 in Los Angeles for the first NBA All-Star Game that doesn't use the Eastern Conference vs. Western Conference format.The league is hoping that trying to something new will bring back some old-school intensity that has been absent from the last two games, when the West nearly scored 200 points.James also took the New Orleans duo of Anthony Davis and DeMarcus Cousins. His reserves are Oklahoma City's Russell Westbrook, the NBA MVP, Cleveland teammate Kevin Love, Washington guards John Wall and Bradley Beal, LaMarcus Aldridge of San Antonio, Indiana's Victor Oladipo and Kristaps Porzingis of New York.After taking starters Joel Embiid of Philadelphia and DeMar DeRozan of Toronto, Curry rounded out his roster with Warriors teammates Klay Thompson and Draymond Green, Minnesota's Jimmy Butler and Karl-Anthony Towns, Toronto's Kyle Lowry, Portland's Damian Lillard, and Boston's Al Horford.

Coaches get fired. Players get fired up.A lot happens over the course of the NBA season. In this wacky week, it came in one day.The Cavaliers lost more games and apparently some patience with Kevin Love, and Jason Kidd lost his job in Milwaukee. Not even the stoic Spurs were immune on the manic Monday, with ESPN reporting there were differences between Kawhi Leonard and the team due to frustration in his recovery from a quadriceps injury.In a time of turbulence around the NBA, the only smooth sailing, it seems, remains by the Bay Area.The Golden State Warriors seem to be drama free, in part because of lessons Steve Kerr learned while playing for Gregg Popovich and Phil Jackson. They understood that losing games didn't mean having to lose control, and their championship teams weathered whatever storms popped up quickly and quietly."Wonderful balance of this is our job and we should be passionate about it, we should work our tails off every day and we should be competitive and want to win... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Stephen Curry will be able to stock his All-Star roster with plenty of Golden State teammates.Klay Thompson and Draymond Green were chosen as reserves Tuesday, giving the defending NBA champions a record-tying four All-Stars for the second straight year.The Minnesota Timberwolves and Washington Wizards also had two reserves selected, and they will go into the pool of players that Curry and fellow captain LeBron James can draft to comprise the teams for the Feb. 18 game in Los Angeles. Their rosters will be unveiled Thursday, though the selection process won't be televised.Minnesota's Jimmy Butler and Karl-Anthony Towns were chosen from the Western Conference, along with Oklahoma City's Russell Westbrook, San Antonio's LaMarcus Aldridge and Portland's Damian Lillard.Besides Washington's John Wall and Bradley Beal, the rest of the Eastern Conference reserves were Boston's Al Horford, Cleveland's Kevin Love, New York's Kristaps Porzingis, Toronto's Kyle Lowry and Indiana's... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Stephen Curry will be able to stock his All-Star roster with plenty of Golden State teammates.Klay Thompson and Draymond Green were chosen as reserves Tuesday, giving the defending NBA champions a record-tying four All-Stars for the second straight year.The Minnesota Timberwolves and Washington Wizards also had two reserves selected, and they will go into the pool of players that Curry and fellow captain LeBron James can draft to comprise the teams for the Feb. 18 game in Los Angeles. Their rosters will be unveiled Thursday, though the selection process won't be televised.Minnesota's Jimmy Butler and Karl-Anthony Towns were chosen from the Western Conference, along with Oklahoma City's Russell Westbrook, San Antonio's LaMarcus Aldridge and Portland's Damian Lillard.Besides Washington's John Wall and Bradley Beal, the rest of the Eastern Conference reserves were Boston's Al Horford, Cleveland's Kevin Love, New York's Kristaps Porzingis, Toronto's Kyle Lowry and Indiana's... [More]

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Jimmy Butler sat out Minnesota's game Saturday night against Toronto with a sore right knee, leaving the Timberwolves without their leading scorer against one of the Eastern Conference's top teams.Butler is averaging 21.7 points per game for the revamped Timberwolves, who entered with the fourth-best record in the Western Conference. Minnesota had lost two straight before hosting the Raptors. Nemanja Bjelica started in Butler's place.Butler missed two games earlier this season — his first with the Timberwolves — due to injury, and Minnesota lost them both by a combined 44 points.Jamal Crawford was also ruled out for Saturday night's game with a left big toe sprain.

CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago Bulls say guard Zach LaVine will make his debut with his new team 11 months after having surgery on a torn ACL in his left knee.LaVine, who was acquired in a draft-day trade that sent Jimmy Butler to the Minnesota Timberwolves, is expected to start Saturday when the Bulls host the Pistons.John Paxon, Chicago's executive vice president of basketball operations, said Tuesday that the team intends to limit LaVine to 20 minutes per game to ease him back into the rotation.LaVine averaged 18.9 points per game for Minnesota last season. He hasn't played since he tore his ACL in a Feb. 3 game against Detroit.The 22-year-old had surgery on Feb. 14 and was traded to Chicago along with Kris Dunn and the pick used to select first-rounder Lauri Markkanen.___More NBA basketball: https://apnews.com/tag/NBAbasketball

CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago Bulls hope to decide on a return date for guard Zach LaVine early next week.LaVine will travel with the team to games at Dallas and Indiana on Friday and Saturday. Coach Fred Hoiberg says the two-time slam dunk champion will meet with doctors, trainers, management and coaches after the Bulls return home.LaVine averaged 18.9 points in 47 games for Minnesota last season before tearing the ACL in his left knee. The Bulls acquired him along with Kris Dunn and Lauri Markkanen in the trade that sent Jimmy Butler to the Timberwolves.Hoiberg spoke before Wednesday's matchup with Toronto. The Bulls' first home game after the upcoming trip is against Houston on Monday.___More NBA basketball: https://apnews.com/tag/NBAbasketball

G Jimmy Butler, who averages 21.2 points, scored a game-high 26 points in Sunday's win over Indiana.

G Jimmy Butler scored scored 12 of his game-high 39 points in overtime to help Minnesota top Denver on Wednesday night. Butler's best performance of the season drew chants of "MVP! MVP!" from the sold-out Target Center. "I just want to be here to win, give this city hope, put this city back where it wants to be -- at the top of this thing, in the playoffs," said Butler, in his first season with Minnesota. "But we've got to continue to play some really good basketball."

OAKLAND, Calif. -- Klay Thompson broke a late tie with a 3-pointer and Kevin Durant protected the lead with two key defensive plays on LeBron James, lifting the Golden State Warriors to a 99-92 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA's marquee matchup on Christmas Day.Neither team led by more than nine points in the tightly contested rematch of last spring's NBA Finals, which the Warriors won in five games.Durant, despite just 8-for-19 shooting, had 25 points to pace the Warriors, who have won six of their last seven at home against the Cavaliers.Kevin Love had a game-high 31 points and 18 rebounds for the Cavaliers. James was held to 20 points on 7-for-18 shooting.Sixers 105, Knicks 98NEW YORK -- Joel Embiid had 25 points and 16 rebounds, and J.J. Redick added 24 points with four 3-pointers as Philadelphia snapped its season-high five-game losing streak.Enes Kanter had 31 points -- including 14 in the third quarter -- and 22 rebounds, and Kristaps Porzingis added 22 points for... [More]

G Jimmy Butler and F Taj Gibson led the Timberwolves with 23 points apiece. Butler made his first seven shots and scored 17 points in the first half on 8-for-10 shooting.

G Jimmy Butler scored 12 of his 32 points in the fourth quarter as the Timberwolves blew most of a 22-point third-quarter lead before regrouping to beat the Suns 115-106.Butler has scored 30 or more points five times this season, and all five have come in the last 10 games, when he has averaged 26.7 points on 50.5 percent shooting."I'm in a rhythm right now," Butler said. "When we guard as a team and share the ball, I have to be prepared to play and make plays for everybody including myself."I feel good. I don't like to lose. I love to win."

G Jimmy Butler was questionable for Monday's game vs. Portland with a sore back but scored 37 points in a 108-107 win. He made 12 of 21 shots and hit a pair of free throws with 2.5 seconds remaining. "Literally, he was laying there," Minnesota guard Jamal Crawford said, pointing at the ground in the locker room. "Guy's laying there and 48 hours later he puts us on his back and he did an excellent job."

G Jimmy Butler scored 21 points for Minnesota (17-12), which has won three of its last four games.

G Jimmy Butler nearly willed Minnesota to a win, scoring a season-high 38 points, including 14 in the fourth quarter. However, the weary Timberwolves lost in overtime to the 76ers. Butler and three others played at least 40 minutes as the Timberwolves continued to use a short bench. "I think we need to get in better shape if we're tired," Butler said. "Do whatever it takes for this team, this organization, to win. If you're tired, run some extra laps at practice."

G Jimmy Butler carried Minnesota down the stretch Sunday. Butler scored 10 of his 22 points in the fourth quarter on 4-of-5 shooting as the Timberwolves beat the Mavericks.