MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Memphis Grizzlies center Marc Gasol was a late scratch for Tuesday night's home game against the Minnesota Timberwolves as trade chatter for the veteran accelerated.Gasol was not listed on Memphis' injured list earlier in the day, but coach J.B. Bickerstaff announced he would not play. Asked to elaborate on the reason for Gasol's absence, Bickerstaff declined.But shortly before Bickerstaff addressed the media in his pregame availability, The Athletic reported that the Grizzlies were in talks with the Charlotte Hornets regarding a possible trade involving Gasol.The Grizzlies told Gasol and point guard Mike Conley two weeks ago that the organization would begin listening to offers for the two longest-tenured teammates in the NBA. Conley was drafted fourth in the 2007 NBA draft, and Gasol joined the organization after he was part of a trade that sent older brother Pau to the Los Angeles Lakers on Feb. 1, 2008.Gasol is averaging 15.7 points and 8.6 rebounds and 4.7 assists this season.___More AP NBA: www.apnews.com/NBA and www.twitter.com/AP_Sports

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Memphis Grizzlies center Marc Gasol was a late scratch for Tuesday night's home game against the Minnesota Timberwolves as trade chatter for the veteran accelerated.Gasol was not listed on Memphis' injured list earlier in the day, but coach J.B. Bickerstaff announced he would not play. Asked to elaborate on the reason for Gasol's absence, Bickerstaff declined.But shortly before Bickerstaff addressed the media in his pregame availability, The Athletic reported that the Grizzlies were in talks with the Charlotte Hornets regarding a possible trade involving Gasol.The Grizzlies told Gasol and point guard Mike Conley last week that the organization would begin listening to offers for the two longest-tenured teammates in the NBA. Conley was drafted fourth in the 2007 NBA draft, and Gasol joined the organization after he was part of a trade that sent older brother Pau to the Los Angeles Lakers on Feb. 1, 2008.Gasol is averaging 15.7 points and 8.6 rebounds and 4.7 assists this season.___More AP NBA: www.apnews.com/NBA and www.twitter.com/AP_Sports

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Orlando Magic reserve center Mo Bamba will be out indefinitely with a stress fracture in his left leg.The team made the announcement in a news release before the Magic were set to play the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday night. Bamba also missed Friday's game against the Brooklyn Nets.Bamba, a rookie from Texas, is averaging 6.2 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.36 blocks per game. The team said the injury was caught early, so he will be treated without surgery. His return will depend on how he responds to rest, non-operative treatment and rehabilitation.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/tag/NBAbasketball

WASHINGTON (AP) — Already done for this season after one operation, Washington Wizards point guard John Wall now will miss most — if not all — of next season, too, because he needs surgery on his left Achilles tendon, which he tore in a fall at home.Wizards team doctor Wiemi Douoguih said Tuesday in a conference call with reporters that he discovered the partial rupture of the tendon during a procedure done Monday to address an infection from the operation on Wall's left heel on Jan. 8.The 28-year-old Wall's Achilles surgery has not been scheduled yet. Douoguih said it probably will be next week.Wall, whose game is built around his speed and ability to drive to the basket, is expected to be able to return to what the team called "full basketball activities" about a year after that operation. Douoguih estimated the recovery range for Wall's injury, "at John's age," to be from 11 to 15 months.There is no way to know what sort of player Wall will be when he returns, Douoguih said."Unfortunately,"... [More]

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Washington Wizards say point guard John Wall will be sidelined for more than another year because he ruptured his left Achilles tendon while slipping and falling at home.The team said Tuesday that Wall's surgery has not been scheduled. He is expected to be able to return to full basketball activities about a year after the operation.The rupture was discovered by a team doctor during a procedure to clean out an infection that developed after surgery on Wall's left heel in January.Wall averaged 20.7 points and 8.7 assists in 32 games this season.He played in only 41 last season, when he had an operation on his left knee. Wall also had surgery on both knees in 2016.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

CLEVELAND (AP) — Celtics All-Star guard Kyrie Irving will miss Tuesday's game against the Cavaliers with a left hip strain.Irving has been bothered by the injury and the team announced Monday night they will rest him. Irving has missed two previous games with the injury. He had 30 points and 11 assists in Boston's win over Oklahoma City on Sunday.When they face the struggling Cavs, the Celtics also will be without forward Marcus Morris, who has a sore right knee and center Aron Baynes, who has a bruised right foot.Coach Brad Stevens doesn't expect Baynes to return until after the All-Star break. Baynes is averaging 5.7 points and 4.3 rebounds.Irving's absence against his former team comes on the heels of speculation about his future. Last week, he bristled at questions about his plans for this summer when he can become a free agent. Irving will miss any media opportunities until after Thursday's trade deadline.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/tag/NBAbasketball and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

NEW YORK (AP) — Giannis Antetokounmpo thinks he might take Stephen Curry with his first pick in the NBA All-Star draft.Antetokounmpo is the captain of one team for the game as the top vote-getter among Eastern Conference players in fan balloting. LeBron James is the other captain and has the first pick when they draft from the pool of starters, because he received more votes.Antetokounmpo said he hasn't made a list of who he wants when they make their selections Thursday, because James could get the players he wants first. But the Milwaukee Bucks star did say Monday where he thinks he'll start building his team."I might pick Steph because he picked me first last year so I've got to return the favor," Antetokounmpo said after Milwaukee's 113-94 victory over Brooklyn."And after that, I don't know. I think it's going to be random. But I want to try to pick first-year guys, first-year All-Star guys and of course Khris."That would be Khris Middleton, his Bucks teammate who was selected for his first All-Star Game.Curry will be playing in his hometown during the Feb. 17 game in Charlotte, North Carolina.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

DALLAS (AP) — Kristaps Porzingis won't play for the Mavericks this season while continuing his recovery from a knee injury after Dallas acquired the 2018 All-Star in a blockbuster trade with the New York Knicks.As for the next 20 years, Mavericks owner Mark Cuban said Monday he envisions Porzingis forming a Euro star pairing with 19-year-old rookie Luka Doncic even though the 7-foot-3 Latvian can become a restricted free agent after this season.It was Cuban's way of saying he expects the 23-year-old Porzingis to sign a long-term contract, sooner than later. And for anyone questioning the math, Cuban likes to talk about medical advances extending careers of players into their mid-40s.Cuban interrupted a question for Porzingis on whether the player once considered the cornerstone of the New York franchise planned to sign long term with Dallas."I can answer that for him," Cuban said. "Yes, he does."Asked if that was true, Porzingis said, "Yes.""Our goal is to keep them together for the next... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Caris LeVert will practice with the Brooklyn Nets' NBA G League affiliate on Tuesday as he works to return from a dislocated right foot.Coach Kenny Atkinson says Monday that he doesn't know how soon LeVert will be ready for game action, though he says the guard is "progressing great."Fellow injured guard Allen Crabbe (right knee) also will practice with the Long Island Nets. Brooklyn is too banged up for full practices, so having the players work out with the G League team gives them a chance to take part in full scrimmages.LeVert was leading the Nets with 18.4 points per game when he was injured Nov. 12 at Minnesota. The injury appeared to be much more severe, and he was taken off the court in a stretcher. But an MRI showed less damage than feared and doctors determined that LeVert could return this season.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

DETROIT (AP) — Denver forward Paul Millsap is missing Monday night's game at Detroit because of right ankle soreness.Gary Harris is also out with a right adductor strain, and Jamal Murray is out with a left ankle sprain. The Nuggets have won six straight and are tied with Golden State for the top spot in the Western Conference.Millsap went scoreless in 20:55 in Denver's win at Minnesota on Saturday.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

MIAMI (AP) — Dwyane Wade has missed the playoffs only twice in his career, and the Miami Heat aren't exactly looking like a sure bet to get him one more trip to the postseason before retirement.And a struggling team has no relief in sight, either.The Heat play their next six contests on the road, a daunting stretch that starts Tuesday in Portland then moves to Sacramento, Golden State, Denver and Dallas in the last game before the All-Star break — then Philadelphia for the first game after the break. Entering Monday's games, four of those teams rank among the NBA's top 10 this season, and those six foes have a combined winning percentage of .610.All that comes with Miami currently having a tenuous grip, at best, on the last playoff spot in the Eastern Conference — not at all helped by losing three home games in a four-day span last week."We've got to figure it out, man," said Wade, the 13-time All-Star in his 16th and final NBA season. "Like I tell the guys, it is not going to get any easier.... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — Rodney Hood made minimal impact on the Cavaliers' postseason run last season. He'll get a chance to do more with Portland.Hood was traded Monday by the Cavaliers, who acquired guards Nik Stauskas and Wade Baldwin — and their expiring contracts — along with second-round picks in 2021 and 2023 from the Trail Blazers.Before the trade could be completed, the Cavaliers needed Hood to agree to the deal because he signed a one-year $3.4 million qualifying offer this summer. The 26-year-old waived his no-trade clause to join the Blazers, who are 32-20 and have the fourth best record in the Western Conference.Hood will give Portland some more scoring punch and can take some pressure off guards Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum. He is averaging 12.2 points and 2.5 rebounds this season.The Cavaliers acquired Hood at the trade deadline from Utah last season, and they envisioned him being another scoring option to complement LeBron James and Kevin Love. However, the 6-foot-8 forward never... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — The Cavaliers have traded forward Rodney Hood to the Portland Trail Blazers.Cleveland is rebuilding and received guards Nik Stauskas and Wade Baldwin and a second-round pick in 2021 and 2023. The teams agreed to the deal Sunday and completed a conference call with the NBA on Monday.Hood was in his second season with the Cavs, who acquired him at the deadline in 2018. He signed a one-year, $3.4 million qualifying offer last summer.He'll give more scoring punch to the Trail Blazers, who are 32-20 and have the fourth-best record in the Western Conference. Hood is averaging 12.2 points and 2.5 rebounds.The Cavs are collecting draft assets following a four-year run to the Finals. It's possible they'll deal Alec Burks or J.R. Smith before Thursday's deadline. Stauskas and Baldwin have expiring contracts.To make roster room, the Cavs released guard Kobi Simmons from his second 10-day contract.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/tag/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

NEW YORK (AP) — Marc Gasol forgot his cellphone overnight on the Grizzlies' team bus over the weekend, giving himself some stress-free time in New York."I'm like, if I get traded then so be it," Gasol said.He and Mike Conley won't be able to hide quite so easily the next few days.The NBA trade deadline is Thursday afternoon, and Memphis has told the franchise mainstays it is listening to offers for both . Conley acknowledges it will be an emotional week envisioning the end of an era."Before I would have said no, it wouldn't have been on my mind, not having been in this situation," he said. "But I'm not going to lie, it's going to creep in because you know that it's possible that one or both will be gone, and either way it'll be the last time we're playing together with him, or for the team, or whatever."The Grizzlies have fallen out of the playoff race, but teams who are in it might be interested in adding one of the respected veterans. During games or at home with the family, Gasol said... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Marc Gasol forgot his cellphone overnight on the Grizzlies' team bus over the weekend, giving himself some stress-free time in New York."I'm like, if I get traded then so be it," Gasol said.He and Mike Conley won't be able to hide quite so easily the next few days.The NBA trade deadline is Thursday afternoon, and Memphis has told the franchise mainstays it is listening to offers for both . Conley acknowledges it will be an emotional week envisioning the end of an era."Before I would have said no, it wouldn't have been on my mind, not having been in this situation," he said. "But I'm not going to lie, it's going to creep in because you know that it's possible that one or both will be gone, and either way it'll be the last time we're playing together with him, or for the team, or whatever."The Grizzlies have fallen out of the playoff race, but teams who are in it might be interested in adding one of the respected veterans. During games or at home with the family, Gasol said... [More]

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Denver coach Michael Malone is headed to the All-Star Game, where he will coach the team that will be picked by Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James.Malone clinched his first All-Star coaching nod Saturday night, when the Nuggets beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 107-106. The All-Star coaching gigs were determined by which teams have the best records in each conference through Sunday, and Denver (37-15) has clinched a tiebreaker over Golden State (also 37-15) by having a better record against Western Conference opponents.Denver star Nikola Jokic is also going to the game, as one of the reserves. The All-Star Game is Feb. 17 in Charlotte."Obviously any time you can be a part of the All-Star weekend, that's an honor not only for yourself but for your entire coaching staff and for your organization," Malone said. "And that's why we feel tremendous pride that Nikola was voted an All-Star reserve this year. His first time and our first All-Star since Carmelo Anthony. So... [More]

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — On another batty night in San Antonio, the Spurs mascot made the play of the game.Nothing but net.Sporting a Batman costume — cape and all — The Coyote rushed the court and trapped a live bat Saturday, the second time one of the winged intruders disrupted a Spurs home game this week.The mascot dived to capture the bat with a fishing net near the scorer's table, getting big cheers from fans, players and Spurs coach Gregg Popovich. The Coyote ended a frantic few seconds with the courageous capture.The bat interrupted the first quarter of a game Thursday night against the New Orleans Pelicans. The refs whistled for a timeout, Spurs player Rudy Gay bolted off the floor and hid behind an official, and LaMarcus Aldridge tried unsuccessfully to hit the bat with a basketball.Seconds later, The Coyote bolted out from the opposite baseline, whiffed with one diving effort in front of a cackling Popovich, then pounced on the bat with his net. An arena worker covered the bat with a towel and took it off the court while the mascot celebrated near center court.After three bats delayed a game Thursday night against Brooklyn, San Antonio had devised a game plan for another invasion. Prior to the game, officials set up lengthy netting to ensnare any bats that flew over the court. The Coyote made that all unnecessary.Play resumed after a delay of about 90 seconds.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Denver coach Michael Malone is headed to the All-Star Game, where he will coach the team that will be picked by Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James.Malone clinched his first All-Star coaching nod Saturday night, when the Nuggets beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 107-106. The All-Star coaching gigs were determined by which teams have the best records in each conference through Sunday, and Denver (37-15) has clinched a tiebreaker over Golden State (also 37-15) by having a better record against Western Conference opponents.Denver star Nikola Jokic is also going to the game, as one of the reserves. The All-Star Game is Feb. 17 in Charlotte."Obviously any time you can be a part of the All-Star weekend, that's an honor not only for yourself but for your entire coaching staff and for your organization," Malone said. "And that's why we feel tremendous pride that Nikola was voted an All-Star reserve this year. His first time and our first All-Star since Carmelo Anthony. So... [More]

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — On another batty night in San Antonio, the Spurs mascot made the play of the game.Nothing but net.Sporting a Batman costume — cape and all — The Coyote rushed the court and trapped a live bat Saturday, the second time one of the winged intruders disrupted a Spurs home game this week.The mascot dived to capture the bat with a fishing net near the scorer's table, getting big cheers from fans, players and Spurs coach Gregg Popovich. The Coyote ended a frantic few seconds with the courageous capture.The bat interrupted the first quarter of a game Thursday night against the New Orleans Pelicans. The refs whistled for a timeout, Spurs player Rudy Gay bolted off the floor and hid behind an official, and LaMarcus Aldridge tried unsuccessfully to hit the bat with a basketball.Seconds later, The Coyote bolted out from the opposite baseline, whiffed with one diving effort in front of a cackling Popovich, then pounced on the bat with his net. An arena worker covered the bat with a towel and took it off the court while the mascot celebrated near center court.After three bats delayed a game Thursday night against Brooklyn, San Antonio had devised a game plan for another invasion. Prior to the game, officials set up lengthy netting to ensnare any bats that flew over the court. The Coyote made that all unnecessary.Play resumed after a delay of about 90 seconds.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — On another batty night in San Antonio, the Spurs mascot made the play of the game.Nothing but net.Sporting a Batman costume — cape and all — The Coyote rushed the court and trapped a live bat Saturday, the second time one of the winged intruders disrupted a Spurs home game this week.The mascot dived to capture the bat with a fishing net near the scorer's table, getting big cheers from fans, players and Spurs coach Gregg Popovich. The Coyote ended a frantic few seconds with the courageous capture.The bat interrupted the first quarter of a game Thursday night against the New Orleans Pelicans. The refs whistled for a timeout, Spurs player Rudy Gay bolted off the floor and hid behind an official, and LaMarcus Aldridge tried unsuccessfully to hit the bat with a basketball.Seconds later, The Coyote bolted out from the opposite baseline, whiffed with one diving effort in front a cackling Popovich, then pounced on the bat with his net. An arena worker covered the bat with a towel and took it off the court while the mascot celebrated near center court.After three bats delayed a game Thursday night against Brooklyn, San Antonio had devised a game plan for another invasion. Prior to the game, officials set up lengthy netting to ensnare any bats that flew over the court. The Coyote made that all unnecessary.Play resumed after a delay of about 90 seconds.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports