HOUSTON (AP) — Draymond Green isn't apologizing for his part in a dustup with Kevin Durant that led to a one-game suspension by the Golden State Warriors.But Green vowed Thursday that the Warriors are not imploding, regardless of whatever is, or isn't happening, following the heated exchange between he and Durant in Monday night's overtime loss to the Los Angeles Clippers.Green said he and Durant have spoken and that they're "moving forward."The Warriors forward spoke on Thursday for the first time since the incident. He opened his session with reporters by saying: "I'm going to speak on this one time and one time only," and refused to take any questions about it after he was done."I think there's no secret that I am an emotional player," he said. "I wear my emotions on my sleeve. I play with that same emotion. Sometimes they get the best of me. And (if) it doesn't work to my favor I'm going to live with that."He continued by saying that the passionate way he plays the game has led him... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The best NBA team in Los Angeles right now isn't the one with LeBron James.It's the no-name Clippers.Going into Wednesday, the Clippers were fourth in the rugged Western Conference at 8-5, with overtime wins against defending NBA champion Golden State and Milwaukee, as well as Oklahoma City and Houston (twice)."We're going to keep on getting better," leading scorer Tobias Harris said. "We've showed we can play with the best of them."While they don't have talent on par with those teams, the Clippers are transitioning to a new era with a mix of veterans like Danilo Gallinari, Harris, Marcin Gortat and Patrick Beverley. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has cracked the starting lineup as a rookie point guard. Montrezl Harrell brings a contagious energy off the bench.In a win over Washington, they had a franchise-record nine players score in double figures."They seem to all have a chip on their shoulder because a lot of those guys are really good players but they might not get the... [More]

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — The Golden State Warriors don't expect Draymond Green's latest dustup with Kevin Durant to become a long-term issue for the two-time defending NBA champions.Nor do they expect the emotional Green to change after his one-game suspension by the team Tuesday.Durant said he expects to work things out with Green, saying, "I'm sure it will, we've got a long season ahead.""His presence has been a part of this team for a while, even before I got here he'd been a huge staple in this organization," Durant said. "Obviously it's definitely weird not having him around and everything that went down. But that's what happens, (stuff) happens in the NBA."Green was suspended one game without pay for conduct detrimental to the team following an altercation a night earlier with Durant, though general manager Bob Myers declined to offer specifics on the All-Star forward's behavior that was considered going too far. Myers and Steve Kerr collaborated on the decision."We just felt like this... [More]

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — The Golden State Warriors don't expect Draymond Green's latest dustup with Kevin Durant to become a long-term issue for the two-time defending NBA champions.Nor do they expect the emotional Green to change after his one-game suspension by the team Tuesday.Green was suspended one game without pay for conduct detrimental to the team following an altercation a night earlier with Durant, though general manager Bob Myers declined to offer specifics on the All-Star forward's behavior that was considered going too far. Myers and Steve Kerr collaborated on the decision."We just felt like this rose to the level of acting the way we did," Myers said, noting of Green: "He was professional. He loves to play basketball, which is all you can ask of him."The Warriors made the announcement about four hours before they were set to host Atlanta, and the 28-year-old Green was serving the suspension against the Hawks. He wasn't at Oracle Arena and didn't immediately respond to a text... [More]

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Warriors All-Star forward Draymond Green was suspended one game without pay by Golden State on Tuesday for conduct detrimental to the team.The Warriors made the announcement about four hours before they were set to host Atlanta, and said Green would serve the suspension against the Hawks.In the closing seconds of regulation during Monday's 121-116 overtime loss on the road to the Clippers, Green secured a rebound and, with Kevin Durant calling for the ball, instead dribbled the length of the court into traffic and lost control as the Warriors failed to get a shot off. Durant was shown on camera visibly upset immediately afterward.Then, back on the bench waiting for the extra period to begin, the two traded words and gestured with Klay Thompson seated between them and Andre Iguodala, DeMarcus Cousins and others trying to calm the situation.General manager Bob Myers and coach Steve Kerr have long supported Green's fiery nature that leads to technical fouls. Myers even... [More]

The best 3-point shooter who ever lived, at least in terms of volume, is Ray Allen.Boston used to have him.Milwaukee used to have him.And he doesn't figure into either franchise's greatest single-game 3-point barrage.With NBA records being set from 3-point range this season — Golden State's Klay Thompson has already busted the mark for 3s in a game with 14, one more than the standard his fellow Warriors sharpshooter Stephen Curry established in 2016, the league is well on its way to making more shots from beyond the arc than ever before.The record, set last season, is 25,807. The NBA is on pace this season to make about 27,300 shots from 3-point land.Now, not even three full weeks into this season, five teams have broken their own franchise record for 3s in a game. The most recent entry into that club was Milwaukee, which connected on 22 3s — on 56 tries, as opposed to 39 from inside the arc — in its 144-109 win over Sacramento on Sunday. The Bucks used 13 players, with everyone trying... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — Klay Thompson has broken teammate Stephen Curry's NBA record for 3-pointers in a game with his 14th during a brilliant offensive performance by the Golden State Warriors.Thompson set the mark with just under five minutes remaining in the third quarter Monday night against the Chicago Bulls. He was mobbed by teammates as the players headed to the sideline for a timeout, with the Warriors leading 113-69.Golden State led 92-50 at halftime, the second highest point total for a half in NBA history. Phoenix scored 107 points in the first half of a 173-143 victory over Denver in 1990.Thompson was just 5 for 36 from long range through Golden State's first seven games.Curry hit 13 3-pointers against New Orleans on Nov. 11, 2016.___For more AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Stephen Curry appreciated the freedom from coach Steve Kerr to shoot from wherever he darn well pleased, no distance off limits.On this night, Curry could get away with anything. He was feeling it."It is nice to turn around and not hear your coach on the sideline chewing you out," Curry said. "I'd like to say I deserve that little wiggle room there for sure."Even with another post-championship, whirlwind summer that included welcoming a son, more golf tournaments and travel, Curry considered it among his best and most productive offseasons.His body is fully healthy and recovered after the Golden State superstar played only 51 regular-season games during the latest championship run because of injuries.Through five games, Curry is as dominant as ever — as evidenced in a spectacular 51-point performance in Wednesday night's 144-122 win against the Wizards playing only three quarters. He scored 18 straight for the Warriors during one stretch."It was a joy to be on the... [More]

SEATTLE (AP) — Kevin Durant got off the bus inside the loading dock of KeyArena about two hours before tipoff and made a quick glance toward the court, visible through the tunnel.He was back where his NBA career began more than a decade ago."When I woke up from my pregame nap I was nervous," Durant said. "I never felt that way coming into a game, especially a preseason game, but knowing this whole thing was set up for that moment I guess it was a crazy feeling to come out and feel that much love."Durant was back in Seattle on Friday night along with his Golden State Warriors for a preseason game against the Sacramento Kings for the first NBA game in the city since the SuperSonics left for Oklahoma City following the 2007-08 season. It was an opportunity for the Seattle basketball community to gather once more before KeyArena becomes a construction site later this fall as part of a $700 million renovation that is expected to land the city an expansion NHL team, and has raised hopes of the... [More]

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — With unsettled contract situations making many of the players' futures beyond this season uncertain, Warriors coach Steve Kerr is encouraging his team now more than ever to go with the flow, have fun and enjoy the moment.No pressure, even if the end goal is a three-peat.Two-time reigning NBA Finals MVP Kevin Durant signed a one-plus-one contract that allows him to become a free agent again next summer, while fellow All-Stars Draymond Green and Klay Thompson could be up for extensions."Nothing lasts forever in this league, but we've always said we want to keep this going as long as we can, and we're right in the thick of it," two-time MVP Stephen Curry said.After two straight titles and three in four seasons, all eyes are on the East Bay once more as training camps begin league-wide.That's why Kerr is stressing going for it in what might be the final hurrah for the superstar core of this team. Not that Durant, Green nor Thompson is talking about leaving town."We are... [More]

DENVER (AP) — The debates have been so lively inside the Denver Nuggets locker room recently that coach Michael Malone wanders in to make sure everything's all right.Just the enthusiasm of guard Isaiah Thomas bubbling to the surface. He's turning up the intensity with his booming voice in what's been a rather quiet room.Think he's chatty now, wait until he's fully cleared after undergoing hip surgery in March. That's when he will do his real talking — with his play.Thomas hopes to provide another spark to a Nuggets team that hasn't reached the postseason since 2012-13. Last season, the team went down to the wire, with the Nuggets losing out on the No. 8 seed to Minnesota in the final game — a stinging 112-106 overtime defeat."We just have to be more consistent and take things more serious and I think that's what I'm here for," said Thomas, who signed a $2 million, one-year deal in the offseason to prove his hip is healthy and worth a more lucrative contract. "I'm not saying I'm the guy... [More]

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — First, his right forearm cramped turning his arm into the shape of a V as his hand bent back, and Jordan Bell could not move it for several minutes as he sat in the bathtub as he recovered post-workout. He yelled for his girlfriend's help. The cramp briefly released, then quickly returned. Soon, his quads, calves, hamstrings, biceps, hands and feet followed suit.Then, Bell blacked out. He came to and his girlfriend got him into bed, and he doesn't remember anything but waking up there."I just got cramps everywhere, all at once," he recalled after a workout at Warriors headquarters this week. "The pain was just so much, I blacked out."It was terrifying — "very," Bell said. He realized he had pushed his body to the brink of physical exhaustion after one especially grueling mid-August day with far from enough food and fuel. He did his cycle class, weights and conditioning, then a couple hours of open gym in Los Angeles — his regular routine all summer to get ready for... [More]

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — David West, a key big man and snazzy passer who had a knack for providing a timely lift off the bench during the Golden State Warriors' past two championship seasons, retired Thursday.West's Twitter announcement — one day after his 38th birthday — wasn't a surprise as he made it clear he would take some time after the team's latest title run to contemplate calling it a career."I am humbled and thankful for the support of my family, friends, coaches, teammates, organizations, and fans throughout this experience," said West, the 18th overall draft pick by the Hornets in 2003 out of Xavier.He left the Spurs following the 2015-16 season for a chance to chase a championship with the Warriors, and wound up winning his first career title and then a second one this past June."David was a consummate professional throughout his entire career and was a huge presence in our locker room the last two years," Golden State coach Steve Kerr said in a statement. "The respect that he... [More]

WALNUT CREEK, Calif. (AP) — Stephen Curry can only imagine the intensity level of the Lakers-Warriors rivalry now that LeBron James has landed in L.A.After four straight NBA Finals against James and the Cleveland Cavaliers, two-time defending champion Golden State will get four matchups against James during the regular season."And a whole new-look Laker team with some of the young kids. It should be fun, the Bay Area and L.A. and the whole thing," Curry said Monday in a sit-down with The Associated Press while hosting his annual elite camp at Ultimate Fieldhouse. "When I first got into the league Oracle would be buzzing any time the Lakers came in. There probably will be a revolution of Laker fans that are going to try to creep in but I hope Bay Area and Dub Nation we keep control of that competition because we're on top right now."The schedule is set to be released later this week.Curry is eager to have new teammate and dominant big man DeMarcus Cousins healthy and recovered from surgery... [More]

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Golden State Warriors security man Ralph Walker, who in recent seasons had primarily worked closely with Stephen Curry, has departed the organization to spend more time with family.Walker confirmed his exit via text message, saying, "Will miss you all." He had been a fixture on the Golden State sidelines and almost anywhere Curry went, staying close to the two-time MVP at home and on the road. Walker is a former member of the Oakland Police Department.Also Tuesday, the Warriors said athletic trainer Chelsea Lane had departed for a job running the Atlanta Hawks training staff. She played a key role in getting Curry back from a knee injury this postseason as the Warriors won a second straight championship and third in four years — and Lane worked back several other stars from late-season injuries, too, such as Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson and Andre Iguodala.A contract extension for coach Steve Kerr is expected to be announced soon once he signs the new deal. Kerr has one year remaining on his original $25 million, five-year agreement. Kerr had planned some family travel in Europe for July.Golden State also announced the re-signing of big man Kevon Looney that had been agreed to last week when free agency began. Looney, receiving a one-year deal for the minimum, averaged 4.0 points and 3.3 rebounds in 13.8 minutes per game and earned five postseason starts.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/tag/NBAbasketball

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Golden State Warriors security man Ralph Walker, who in recent seasons had primarily worked closely with Stephen Curry, has departed the organization to spend more time with family.Walker confirmed his exit via text message, saying, "Will miss you all." He had been a fixture on the Golden State sidelines and almost anywhere Curry went, staying close to the two-time MVP at home and on the road. Walker is a former member of the Oakland Police Department.Also Tuesday, the Warriors said athletic trainer Chelsea Lane had departed for a job running the Atlanta Hawks training staff. She played a key role in getting Curry back from a knee injury this postseason as the Warriors won a second straight championship and third in four years — and Lane worked back several other stars from late-season injuries, too, such as Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson and Andre Iguodala.Golden State also announced the re-signing of big man Kevon Looney that had been agreed to last week when free agency began. Looney, receiving a one-year deal for the minimum, averaged 4.0 points and 3.3 rebounds in 13.8 minutes per game and earned five postseason starts.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/tag/NBAbasketball

LAS VEGAS (AP) — DeMarcus Cousins perfectly summed up the potential of the Golden State Warriors."Scary," he said.The rest of the league likely agrees.Cousins signed his contract Friday to join the two-time defending NBA champion Warriors for this coming season, one in which he'll make $5.3 million. He isn't sure when his surgically repaired Achilles will allow him to start playing with his new team — being ready for the start of training camp seems quite doubtful — but he can already envision what might happen when he returns to form."Of course it's going to take a lot of hard work, a lot of hard work and dedication, and also a lot of sacrifice from not only myself but other guys on the team as well," Cousins told reporters Friday night at the NBA Summer League. "That's something that we all are aware of and that's something we accepted already."When he returns, something he says he won't do until he's back to 100 percent, the Warriors could have a starting five composed entirely of 2018... [More]

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — As he has long desired, DeMarcus Cousins will finally get a chance to play for a winner once he's healthy from a torn left Achilles tendon.When Boogie returns to the court this season, the volatile big man will give the Golden State Warriors five 2018 All-Stars in their starting lineup to chase another title — with Cousins trying for his first after never appearing in the playoffs. The center, who has had his problems with technical fouls, will sign with the two-time defending champions after the moratorium period is lifted Friday, a person with direct knowledge of the deal told The Associated Press on Monday night. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the contract is yet to be completed.Cousins is set to join a starting lineup of two-time MVP Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, who is fresh off his second straight NBA Finals MVP, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green."The 3rd splash Brother," Curry posted on Twitter with a series of happy crying emojis. "Let's... [More]

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — As he has long desired, DeMarcus Cousins will finally get a chance to play for a winner once he's healthy from a torn left Achilles tendon.When Boogie returns to the court this season, the volatile big man will give the Golden State Warriors five 2018 All-Stars in their starting lineup to chase another title — with Cousins trying for his first after never appearing in the playoffs. The center, who has had his problems with technical fouls, will sign with the two-time defending champions after the moratorium period is lifted Friday, a person with direct knowledge of the deal told The Associated Press on Monday night. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the contract is yet to be completed.Cousins is set to join a starting lineup of two-time MVP Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, fresh off his second straight NBA Finals MVP, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green."The 3rd splash Brother," Curry posted on Twitter with a series of happy crying emojis. "Let's go @boogiecousins."Cousins'... [More]

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Golden State first-round draft pick Jacob Evans III has signed his contract and is set to play in the summer league with the two-time reigning NBA champions.The Warriors selected the 6-foot-6 guard/forward with the 28th overall pick out of Cincinnati and formally introduced him at a news conference last week, his proud family in attendance.Evans averaged 11.7 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.14 steals during his three-year career at Cincinnati. He says he can't wait to learn from all the superstars around him, such as Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson. Evans called the Warriors "probably the greatest team ever in NBA history."Summer league was set to begin Monday in Sacramento, California.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/tag/NBAbasketball