SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Spurs coach Gregg Popovich is downplaying the significance of Kawhi Leonard's return to San Antonio.As usual, Leonard isn't saying much.But Leonard's first game in San Antonio since being traded to Toronto along with Danny Green for DeMar DeRozan and Jakob Poeltl has more significance than just another regular season gamePopovich once deemed the franchise belonged to the 6-foot-7 MVP candidate with the impending departure of the Big Three — Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker. But Leonard's unhappiness and request for a trade stunned the organization."Give me some popcorn, I just want to watch it," Spurs veteran LaMarcus Aldridge quipped Wednesday. "If I can just get some popcorn and watch it, I would, but I might have to play."It's easier to joke about the pending reunion because there was nothing funny about the breakup.Leonard sat out all but nine games last season with a right quadriceps injury that first flared up prior to training camp. The diagnosis, treatment... [More]

WASHINGTON (AP) — Washington Wizards power forward Markieff Morris will miss at least six weeks with a neck injury, the latest setback in a difficult season for one of the NBA's most disappointing teams.The Wizards announced Thursday that Morris was examined by a doctor after dealing with neck and upper back stiffness since getting hit on the chin during a game against the Los Angeles Lakers on Dec. 16. Morris left that game at halftime with what the Wizards said then was a neck strain.He now will be limited to non-contact basketball activities for the next 1½ months. The Wizards are scheduled to play 20 games in that span.The 29-year-old Morris has never appeared in fewer than the 63 games he played in during his rookie season back in 2011-12.The Wizards already were without All-Star point guard John Wall for the rest of this season because he needs an operation on his left heel and Achilles tendon, and they're also currently missing center Dwight Howard, who is expected to be out for... [More]

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Washington Wizards say forward Markieff Morris will miss at least six weeks with a neck injury, the latest setback for one of the NBA's most disappointing teams.The Wizards announced Thursday that Morris was examined by a doctor in Dallas after dealing with neck and upper back stiffness since getting hit on the chin during a game on Dec. 16.He will be limited to non-contact basketball activities for the next 1½ months. That would mean sitting out a minimum of 20 games.The Wizards already are without point guard John Wall for the rest of the season and are currently missing center Dwight Howard, both because of injuries.Only four teams in the Eastern Conference own a worse record than Washington's 15-23 mark.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

NEW YORK (AP) — Anthony Davis had just compiled a night the NBA hadn't seen in 45 years, though he wasn't interested in the box score.The numbers that matter to him are in the standings.That's where he sees his New Orleans Pelicans sitting above only one team in the Western Conference, and he was asked Wednesday night if he is getting frustrated."The frustration is just that we're a better team than our record shows," Davis said.He had 34 points and a career-high 26 rebounds in Brooklyn, but the Pelicans never gave themselves a chance by playing a defenseless first half in which they surrendered 73 points. They played much better in the second half, but ended up losing 126-121.In Davis' return from a one-game absence because of an illness, the Pelicans wasted what they said was the first game with at least 34 points, 26 rebounds and three blocks since Elvin Hayes on Dec. 2, 1973."Him having 32 or 34 points and 26 rebounds, that's not unusual for us," coach Alvin Gentry said. "Maybe the... [More]

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Spurs coach Gregg Popovich is downplaying the significance of Kawhi Leonard's return to San Antonio.As usual, Leonard isn't saying much.But Leonard's first game in San Antonio since being traded to Toronto along with Danny Green for DeMar DeRozan and Jakob Poeltl has more significance than just another regular season gamePopovich once deemed the franchise belonged to the 6-foot-7 MVP candidate with the impending departure of the Big Three — Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker. But Leonard's unhappiness and request for a trade stunned the organization."Give me some popcorn, I just want to watch it," Spurs veteran LaMarcus Aldridge quipped Wednesday. "If I can just get some popcorn and watch it, I would, but I might have to play."It's easier to joke about the pending reunion because there was nothing funny about the breakup.Leonard sat out all but nine games last season with a right quadriceps injury that first flared up prior to training camp. The diagnosis, treatment... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — Tristan Thompson and Rodney Hood will return for the Cleveland Cavaliers after missing time with injuries.The return of the two players will give a boost to the Cavaliers, who have the NBA's worst record (8-29) going into Wednesday night's game against the Miami Heat.Thompson has missed the last 10 games because of a sprained left foot. The 6-foot-10 forward is averaging a team-high 11.6 rebounds and is scoring 12 points a game.Hood has missed four games with a sore left Achilles tendon. He's averaging 12 points.Cleveland coach Larry Drew said forward Kevin Love, who had surgery on his left foot in November, will visit a doctor soon as he continues to rehab his injury. Drew said Love has begun shooting drills, but hasn't practiced. Love is expected to return in January.

CLEVELAND (AP) — Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade is out against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday night because of an illness.Wade played in 46 games last season with Cleveland, where he was reunited with long-time friend LeBron James, before being traded to Miami. He has announced he will retire after the season — his 16th in the NBA.Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said several Miami players have been under the weather in recent days.The 36-year-old Wade is averaging 14.1 points in 27 games this season.

Go back to the 1999-2000 NBA season, and there were only two foreign-born players in the NBA who averaged 15 points per game: Dirk Nowitzki and Tim Duncan.This season, there are 24 names on that list — by far the most in league history.The NBA international imprint just keeps getting bigger, providing the sort of transformative impact the likes of which the league probably hasn't seen since the ABA merger.One of the MVP front-runners at this point is Greece's Giannis Antetokounmpo, who has led Milwaukee to the NBA's best record entering Wednesday. Dallas' Luka Doncic looks like an overwhelming favorite to become the first Slovenian rookie of the year. Cameroon's Joel Embiid might be the dominant big man in the league, and keeps getting better for Philadelphia.These aren't just some guys taking up roster spots, either.These are franchise players. At least one-third of the league's teams have a foreign-born player who would classify as its best, or at least its most important."It's been fun... [More]

DENVER (AP) — Nikola Jokic considers himself a point guard who just so happens to be trapped in a center's 250-pound frame."I'm telling that to everybody," the Denver Nuggets standout said. "But nobody believes in that except me."It's as good a description as any for the hard-to-label and even harder-to-stop play of the 7-footer nicknamed Joker.He doesn't exactly have the most athletic look or leap out of the gym, but he's elevated the Western Conference-leading Nuggets to new heights this season. Jokic is in line to become Denver's first All-Star since Carmelo Anthony in 2010-11 and is being mentioned in the MVP conversation.Jokic shrugs off all the attention. He's just an unassuming big man doing uncommon things on the court so often it's becoming common."A 7-2 Magic Johnson," Knicks coach David Fizdale said as he over-inflated Jokic's height in comparing him to the Los Angeles Lakers Hall of Famer. "He's as good of a passer as any guard in the league. He can shoot 3s. But his ball handling... [More]

TORONTO (AP) — Toronto Raptors point guard Kyle Lowry has had pain-relieving and anti-inflammatory injections for his sore lower back.The team said Tuesday he was treated Friday at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York.Coach Nick Nurse said Monday "things are progressing really well" and it "shouldn't be too long" before Lowry returns. There is, however, no specific timetable.The four-time All-Star has been dealing with back and hip ailments and has missed seven of the last eight games. He did not practice Monday and has been ruled out for Tuesday's home game against Utah.Toronto also said center Jonas Valanciunas had stitches removed from his surgically repaired left hand Saturday. He's expected to miss at least a few more weeks.

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Pelicans guard Elfrid Payton has played in only seven games this season, and his team has won six of them.The latest one came Monday night as he returned from a broken finger that caused a 22-game absence over six weeks."It felt good, man. It felt better to finish a game," Payton said after helping New Orleans turn back the Minnesota Timberwolves 123-114 by scoring nine points in 24 minutes to go with six assists, a rebound and a steal."Get a win. That's all it was about," Payton said. "Do as much to help as possible — try to bring intensity on defense."Payton, who also happens to be a New Orleans native, was acquired as a free agent this past offseason to fill the void left by Rajon Rondo's departure for the Los Angeles Lakers.New Orleans started 4-0 with him in the lineup. The Pelicans lost to Utah when he left early because of a sprained ankle that sidelined him for nine games. They won when he briefly returned against the New York Knicks on Nov. 16, only to break... [More]

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Pelicans guard Elfrid Payton has returned from a broken hand that sidelined him for about six weeks and he was in the starting lineup against Minnesota on Monday night.However, the Pelicans say leading scorer and rebounder Anthony Davis is ill and unable to play against the Timblerwolves. Jahlil Okafor started in Davis' place.Payton has missed 22 games since fracturing a finger on his left hand against the New York Knicks on Nov. 16. That was his first game back from an earlier right ankle sprain that sidelined him nine games.He has played in just six games in all, averaging 9.7 points, 5.3 assists and 5.2 rebounds.Payton was signed as a free agent this past offseason and has assumed the role vacated by Rajon Rondo when he left for the Los Angeles Lakers in free agency.Entering the game against Minnesota, the Pelicans had won five of six games in which Payton played. They'd gone 11-20 without him.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/tag/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

CLEVELAND (AP) — Patrick McCaw walked away from a championship team and wound up on the NBA's worst squad.He's not sure how it happened."That's a tough question," he said Monday following his first practice with the Cavaliers.McCaw, who chose not to re-sign with Golden State following last season, is now in Cleveland after the Warriors decided not to match the two-year, $6 million offer sheet the Cavaliers gave the 23-year-old swingman last week.McCaw had been expected to be in the Warriors' rotation this season, but he turned down a reported two-year, $5.2 million contract, held out and became a restricted free agent.Now, he's starting over with the Cavaliers, who also are starting anew.From top to bottom."I loved playing in Golden State," McCaw said. "My teammates, the coaches, it was nothing really — nothing stands out to me to say I didn't want to go back. Think it was just a personal thing where I was just like, I think it was time for me to move on for a new opportunity within myself.... [More]

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Dynamic offense jump-started the Milwaukee Bucks' season. Tighter defense has propelled them to the best record in the NBA.The Bucks are 15 games over .500, an impressive beginning for Mike Budenholzer's tenure as Milwaukee's head coach.Now comes the tough part: staying on top."At the end of the day, we can't be satisfied," forward Giannis Antetokounmpo said. "We're the No. 1 team in the East, but we got to keep pushing."True, there are no championships awarded in December.But the rest of the season looks promisingAntetokounmpo is having an MVP caliber season. He is averaging 26.6 points and 12.8 rebounds, while scoring on 66 percent of his two-point shots thanks to length and athleticism that makes him nearly unstoppable in the paint.He's a gym rat and his work ethic is contagious. Antetokounmpo was drafted by the Bucks in the first round in 2013, which was also the year that Chris Middleton arrived from Detroit in a trade. The Bucks finished 15-67 in 2013, a franchise... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Andre Iguodala of the Golden State Warriors has been fined $25,000 by the NBA for heaving a ball into the stands at the end of the first half of a game in Portland.The fine was handed down Monday by league discipline executive Kiki VanDeWeghe.The incident occurred after time had expired in the second quarter of the Warriors' 115-105 victory over the Trail Blazers on Saturday night. Iguodala immediately received a technical foul for hurling the ball deep into the end-zone seats.Officials spent more than a minute at a courtside monitor before deeming his throw a "hostile act," warranting an ejection.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/tag/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Dynamic offense jump-started the Milwaukee Bucks' season. Tighter defense has propelled them to the best record in the NBA.The Bucks are 15 games over .500, and impressive beginning for Mike Budenholzer's tenure as Milwaukee's head coach.Now comes the tough part: staying on top."At the end of the day, we can't be satisfied," forward Giannis Antetokounmpo said. "We're the No. 1 team in the East, but we got to keep pushing."True, there are no championships awarded in December.But the rest of the season looks promisingAntetokounmpo is having an MVP caliber season. He is averaging 26.6 points and 12.8 rebounds, while scoring on 66 percent of his two-point shots thanks to length and athleticism that makes him nearly unstoppable in the paint.He's a gym rat and his work ethic is contagious. Antetokounmpo was drafted by the Bucks in the first round in 2013, which was also the year that Chris Middleton arrived from Detroit in a trade. The Bucks finished 15-67 in 2013, a franchise... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — Former Warriors swingman Patrick McCaw is practicing with the Cavaliers, who signed him to a two-year, $6 million offer sheet last week.McCaw officially joined the Cavaliers' roster on Monday after Golden State decided not to match Cleveland's offer.The 23-year-old McCaw had been expected to be in the defending NBA champion's rotation this season but didn't re-sign with the team as a restricted free agent.It's not immediately clear when McCaw will play for the Cavaliers, who have dropped six straight and have the NBA's worst record at 8-29. Cleveland has been plagued by injuries all season and needs front-line help.The 6-foot-7 McCaw averaged 4.0 points, 1.4 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 57 games last season, when he got hurt while attempting a dunk on March 31. He returned for Golden State's title run but was limited to 16 minutes in six games.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

James Harden and the Houston Rockets were one half away from the NBA Finals last time they played at Oracle Arena.The way the Rockets are rolling now, they might just get another shot at the champs this postseason.The Rockets try to wrap up a perfect month at home Monday against Memphis, then visit Golden State for the first time since the Western Conference finals, having recovered from a rough start thanks to Harden's torrid stretch.He has scored 40 points in three straight games and 35 or more in seven straight, the longest streak since LeBron James did it in nine in a row in 2006. The NBA scoring leader's quest to repeat as MVP is clearly on track.And after a poor start, so are the Rockets (20-15). They have won four straight and nine of their last 10 games overall, and are 8-0 at home in December after dropping their first four games at the Toyota Center.Just like Game 6 of the West finals, when they blew a double-digit lead, they will play at Golden State for Thursday's nationally... [More]

DENVER (AP) — The Denver Nuggets have waived veteran guard Nick Young with several players starting to return to health.The team announced the move Sunday on its Twitter account.Young was signed earlier this month with the Nuggets missing several starters because of injuries. Forward Paul Millsap returned following a broken big toe in Saturday's win in Phoenix. Guard Will Barton (hip/core surgery) and guard Gary Harris (hip) are inching closer to a return as well.The 33-year-old Young played in four games with Denver and averaged 2.3 points. Nuggets president of basketball operations Tim Connelly thanked Young for his contributions. Connelly says in a statement that Young "immediately fit in with our group and did everything that was asked of him."___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/tag/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Washington point guard John Wall will have season-ending surgery to address bone spurs in his left heel, the latest blow to the reeling Wizards.The Wizards announced Saturday night that the five-time All-Star will undergo the surgery in Green Bay, Wisconsin sometime in the next few days. Wall was told earlier Saturday that surgery was the best option, and he and the team conferred hours later before a final decision was made."I've been with him for almost three years," Washington coach Scott Brooks said Saturday before the Wizards hosted Charlotte. "He's as tough as they come. He never complained. He wanted to compete for his team, but it got to a point where he had to make some tough decisions. And that's why he met with a specialist."Wall has yet to address the surgical option publicly. He walked through the Wizards' locker room Saturday night with a gray protective boot on his left foot. The Wizards tried to manage his pain situation by limiting him in some practices and shootarounds,... [More]