LAS VEGAS (AP) — Zion Williamson made the rim shake, which is what fans wanted.And then the scoreboard started to shake, which nobody wanted.It was a night unlike any other in NBA Summer League history — with a frenzied crowd at the start, disappointment when Williamson's night was cut short by a knee issue and then confusion when the game was halted by an earthquake.Such was how the newest No. 1 pick began his professional career Friday night, when his New Orleans Pelicans beat the New York Knicks 80-74 in a game that was cut short by 7 minutes, 53 seconds because of an earthquake that struck 150 miles from Los Angeles and was felt in Las Vegas. No one will remember the outcome, not on this night."Seismic," is how Summer League executive director Warren LeGarie described it all.Fitting.Williamson left without comment, and left earlier than fans wanted. The Pelicans said he took some contact to his left knee and wouldn't play in the second half, after he scored 11 points in his first nine... [More]

LAS VEGAS (AP) — An earthquake that struck Southern California forced the NBA to postpone the finish of a Summer League game between New Orleans and New York on Friday night, while engineers checked to see if the integrity of the Thomas & Mack Center on UNLV's campus was compromised in any way by the tremors.The Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres played through the earthquake during their game at Dodger Stadium , though a WNBA game in Las Vegas was also stopped.The primary issue at Summer League was the arena's overhead scoreboard, which is suspended from the roof by cables and swayed noticeably when the quake hit. A game between Phoenix and Denver, scheduled for later Friday in the Thomas & Mack, was moved out of there — and a game in the adjacent Cox Pavilion, which does not have an overhead scoreboard, was also halted for precautionary reasons."Safety comes first, second, third," Summer League executive director Warren LeGarie said.The Knicks-Pelicans game, the NBA debuts... [More]

Zion Williamson knows he has a lot to learn starting when he makes his NBA Summer League debut.That said, he's already picked up a few things.The No. 1 overall pick in this year's draft by the New Orleans Pelicans is in Las Vegas, where his first game on Friday is officially sold out and, predictably, a hot ticket on the resale markets. After practicing Tuesday, Williamson said he's noticing that some of the rules of defense in the pro game seem a bit more offense-friendly than the zones he often saw in college."I do like the spacing a lot more," Williamson said, in a video posted to the Pelicans' web site. "You can't really just stand in the paint, so it gives me a lot of room to operate. Defense is just a little different as well."New Orleans plays New York on Friday night in the opener for both teams in Las Vegas. The four-team leagues in Salt Lake City and Sacramento continued Tuesday, with both set to wrap up Wednesday before all 30 NBA teams — plus the Chinese and Croatian national... [More]

Zion Williamson knows he has a lot to learn starting when he makes his NBA Summer League debut.That said, he's already picked up a few things.The No. 1 overall pick in this year's draft by the New Orleans Pelicans is in Las Vegas, where his first game on Friday is officially sold out and, predictably, a hot ticket on the resale markets. After practicing Tuesday, Williamson said he's noticing that some of the rules of defense in the pro game seem a bit more offense-friendly than the zones he often saw in college."I do like the spacing a lot more," Williamson said, in a video posted to the Pelicans' web site. "You can't really just stand in the paint, so it gives me a lot of room to operate. Defense is just a little different as well."New Orleans plays New York on Friday night in the opener for both teams in Las Vegas. The four-team leagues in Salt Lake City and Sacramento continued Tuesday, with both set to wrap up Wednesday before all 30 NBA teams — plus the Chinese and Croatian national... [More]

Zion Williamson knows he has a lot to learn starting when he makes his NBA Summer League debut.That said, he's already picked up a few things.The No. 1 overall pick in this year's draft by the New Orleans Pelicans is in Las Vegas, where his first game on Friday is officially sold out and, predictably, a hot ticket on the resale markets. After practicing Tuesday, Williamson said he's noticing that some of the rules of defense in the pro game seem a bit more offense-friendly than the zones he often saw in college."I do like the spacing a lot more," Williamson said, in a video posted to the Pelicans' web site. "You can't really just stand in the paint, so it gives me a lot of room to operate. Defense is just a little different as well."New Orleans plays New York on Friday night in the opener for both teams in Las Vegas. The four-team leagues in Salt Lake City and Sacramento continued Tuesday, with both set to wrap up Wednesday before all 30 NBA teams — plus the Chinese and Croatian national... [More]

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The New Orleans Pelicans say rookie guard Frank Jackson won't make his NBA debut this season after having follow-up surgery to remove residual scar tissue from earlier right foot operations.The Pelicans say Jackson also received an injection in his foot.The club says a specialist in New York handled Jackson's latest procedure.The Pelicans acquired the 6-foot-4 Jackson through a draft-night trade with the Charlotte Hornets, who selected the former Duke player with the first pick of the second round last summer.Following the draft, the Pelicans signed Jackson to a three-year contract at the NBA minimum with two years guaranteed, but Jackson needed a second foot surgery last summer to address a setback following his initial surgery last May.Jackson spent one season at Duke, averaging 10.9 points.___More NBA basketball: https://apnews.com/tag/NBAbasketball