LAS VEGAS (AP) — Zion Williamson's summer league is over.The New Orleans Pelicans say the No. 1 pick in this year's NBA draft will not play any more at the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas because of a bruised left knee. The team stressed the move is precautionary.Williamson scored 11 points in nine minutes of his debut game against New York on Friday night. But he took a knee-to-knee hit in the first half and was ruled out at halftime of a game that was eventually shortened after the tremors of an earthquake were felt in Las Vegas.Pelicans Vice President of Basketball Operations David Griffin says Williamson "will move forward from this incident without issue."Williamson will continue taking part in training and conditioning with the Pelicans' performance team.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

LAS VEGAS (AP) — An earthquake that struck Southern California on Friday night forced the NBA to cancel the finish of a two Summer League games, including a marquee sold-out matchup between New Orleans and New York, 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, never started and was ultimately canceled — and a San Antonio-Orlando game in the adjacent Cox Pavilion, which does not have an overhead scoreboard, was also halted for precautionary reasons. The Magic were leading 75-59 and were declared... [More]

LAS VEGAS (AP) — An earthquake that struck Southern California on Friday night forced the NBA to cancel the finish of a two Summer League games, including a marquee sold-out matchup between New Orleans and New York, 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, never started and was ultimately canceled — and a San Antonio-Orlando game in the adjacent Cox Pavilion, which does not have an overhead scoreboard, was also halted for precautionary reasons. The Magic were leading 75-59 and were declared... [More]

The Chinese and Croatian national teams both lost in their NBA Summer League debuts on Friday.Both teams are competing with NBA teams in Las Vegas, marking the first time the league will feature two international teams. China previously played in the summer league in 2007.The Miami Heat had no troubles with China, jumping out to a 34-point halftime lead and cruising to a 103-62 victory behind 23 points from Tyler Herro and 20 points from Nick Mayo. Miami held China to 26.7 percent shooting in the first half, and outrebounded the Chinese 25-15 before intermission.There were estimates that at least 30 million people in China — even though the game started at 4:30 a.m. Saturday in Beijing — would be watching their national team."I know China loves the game and they take a lot of pride in their national team," said Heat guard Duncan Robinson, who had 14 points. "So it was an incredible opportunity for us to be able to compete against them."The Heat had some idea of what the Chinese team would... [More]

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]

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Zion Williamson's first NBA show was a sellout.And it ended earlier than the fans wanted.The No. 1 overall draft pick by the New Orleans Pelicans didn't keep his adoring new public waiting for his display of dunks and power. With tickets commanding more than $500 on the resale markets throughout the day from those desperate to be part of the crowd — one that included LeBron James and Floyd Mayweather — Williamson took the floor as a pro for the first time Friday night at the NBA Summer League, scoring 11 points in nine first-half minutes against the New York Knicks and fellow former Duke star RJ Barrett.But Williamson didn't play in the second half because of a knee-to-knee hit, and fans who were chanting "We want Zion! We want Zion!" weren't going to get any more than those first nine minutes.So the event — maybe the hottest ticket in Vegas on a night when Reba McEntire and Brooks and Dunn were doing their thing at Caesars Palace, Gwen Stefani was at Planet Hollywood and... [More]

A person familiar with the situation says the Washington Wizards have traded center Dwight Howard to the Memphis Grizzlies for forward CJ Miles.The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Friday because the trade hasn't been announced. Stadium first reported that Washington had traded Howard. ESPN first reported additional details of the trade and said the Grizzlies plan to waive Howard or trade him elsewhere.The 33-year-old Howard played just nine games for the Wizards last season. The eight-time All-Star underwent spinal surgery for a herniated disk last November.Miles, 32, played a combined 53 games with the Toronto Raptors and Grizzlies last season. He averaged 5.5 points, 1.7 rebounds and 14.1 rebounds in 40 games for Toronto. Miles played 13 games for Memphis and averaged 9.3 points, 2.1 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 22.6 minutes.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

The Chinese and Croatian national teams both lost in their NBA Summer League debuts on Friday.Both teams are competing with NBA teams in Las Vegas, marking the first time the league will feature two international teams. China previously played in the summer league in 2007.The Miami Heat had no troubles with China, jumping out to a 34-point halftime lead and cruising to a 103-62 victory behind 23 points from Tyler Herro and 20 points from Nick Mayo. Miami held China to 26.7 percent shooting in the first half, and outrebounded the Chinese 25-15 before intermission.There were estimates that at least 30 million people in China — even though the game started at 4:30 a.m. Saturday in Beijing — would be watching their national team."I know China loves the game and they take a lot of pride in their national team," said Heat guard Duncan Robinson, who had 14 points. "So it was an incredible opportunity for us to be able to compete against them."The Heat had some idea of what the Chinese team would... [More]

The Chinese and Croatian national teams both lost in their NBA Summer League debuts on Friday.Both teams are competing with NBA teams in Las Vegas, marking the first time the league will feature two international teams. China previously played in the summer league in 2007.The Miami Heat had no troubles with China, jumping out to a 34-point halftime lead and cruising to a 103-62 victory behind 23 points from Tyler Herro and 20 points from Nick Mayo. Miami held China to 26.7 percent shooting in the first half, and outrebounded the Chinese 25-15 before intermission.Kendrick Nunn added 15 points and Duncan Robinson 14 for Miami (1-0).Zhelin Wang had 12 points and 14 rebounds for China (0-1), which shot just 23 percent from 3-point range.Detroit (1-0) got seven 3-pointers and 26 points from Khyri Thomas and pulled away from Croatia in the fourth quarter for a 96-80 win. Svi Mykhailiuk from Ukraine added 17 points and five assists, and Todd Withers had 16 points on 6-of-9 shooting for the Pistons.Croatia... [More]

Zach Norvell Jr. made a 3-pointer with four seconds remaining to lift the Los Angeles Lakers over the Sacramento Kings 99-97 on Wednesday, completing a comeback from 21 points down early in the fourth quarter.Sacramento led 86-65 with less than 8 minutes left, but the Lakers rallied with 34 points down the stretch to improve to 2-1 at the California Classic in Sacramento. The Lakers closed on a 12-1 run over the final 2:16.Jordan Howard led the Lakers with 25 points on 10-of-15 shooting, including 5 of 8 from 3-point range. He scored 17 in the fourth quarter. Nick Perkins had 20 points, Devontae Cacok added 13 and Norvell scored 11.Sacramento (1-2) had five players score in double figures, led by Wenyen Gabriel with 16 points. Second-round pick Kyle Guy added 14, but shot just 5 of 17 from the field. Semaj Christon scored 13.Gabriel had a chance to win the game at the buzzer but missed a contested 25-footer.HEAT 73, WARRIORS 65Kendrick Nunn scored 21 points, Tyler Herro added 20 and Miami... [More]

ATLANTA (AP) — A person with knowledge of the situation says the Atlanta Hawks have acquired veteran forward Chandler Parsons in a trade which sent Miles Plumlee and Solomon Hill to Memphis.The person spoke with The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Wednesday because the trade can't be finalized before Saturday.The 30-year-old Parsons averaged 7.5 points and 2.8 rebounds in 25 games, including three starts, for Memphis last season.The Hawks acquired Hill from New Orleans in a trade during the NBA draft.Parsons will make $25.1 million in the upcoming final year of his contract. Hill and Plumlee will make a combined $25.3 million on their expiring contracts.A left knee injury limited the 30-year-old Plumlee, a 6-foot-11 center, to 18 games last season.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

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]

Ben Simmons is apparently about to become the next recipient of a big commitment from the Philadelphia 76ers.The All-Star point guard and the 76ers are negotiating a $170 million, five-year extension, according to a person with knowledge of the situation who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Tuesday because neither the team nor Simmons revealed any details publicly.ESPN first reported the negotiations between Simmons and the 76ers. The deal will begin in the 2020-21 season.Simmons will make about $8.1 million this season, the last of his four-year rookie deal. Assuming the sides agree on what will be a full max, Simmons' salary for the following season would jump to about $29.3 million and eventually rise to nearly $39 million in 2024-25.It's already been an offseason of big financial commitments for Philadelphia, which will sign Tobias Harris to a $180 million, five-year deal and add Al Horford on a four-year deal that could reach $109 million. Those deals cannot... [More]

A person with knowledge of the situation says the Philadelphia 76ers and Ben Simmons are negotiating toward a $170 million, five-year extension for the All-Star point guard.The deal will begin in the 2020-21 season, said the person who spoke with The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Tuesday because neither the team nor Simmons has revealed details publicly.ESPN first reported the negotiations between Simmons and the 76ers.Simmons will make about $8.1 million this season, the last of his four-year rookie deal. Assuming the sides agree on what will be a full max, Simmons' salary for the following season would jump to about $29.3 million and eventually rise to nearly $39 million in 2024-25.This move adds to a summer of big financial commitments being made by Philadelphia, which will sign Tobias Harris to a $180 million, five-year deal and add Al Horford on a four-year deal that could reach $109 million.Simmons was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2016 draft and wound up making his NBA... [More]

Point guards got paid.Much like the quarterback in football, the point guard is still a critical component in basketball, the on-court leader of a club in most cases — and in the opening two days of free agency, teams paid accordingly for that spot.Free agency wasn't even 24 hours old and more than $1 billion had been committed to point guards, led by the $196 million extension that Damian Lillard will be signing with Portland, the reported $170 million extension for Jamal Murray in Denver and the $141 million deals for Kyrie Irving and Kemba Walker.There's never been an offseason in NBA history where point guards have gotten that much, and there's still plenty more left to be signed."I'm a leader in my own way," Walker wrote in an essay directed to his old fans in Charlotte and soon-to-be-new fans in Boston that was published by The Players Tribune. "I'm never going to shout anyone off the court, or get overly negative. It's not my style. But what I do is I take pride in making my teammates... [More]

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Golden State Warriors owner Joe Lacob is showing his appreciation for Kevin Durant's contributions to three successful seasons by promising that no other player will wear jersey No. 35 as long as Lacob is team chairman.Lacob released a statement Monday thanking Durant, the two-time NBA Finals MVP who helped the Warriors win back-to-back championships in 2017 and '18 before his postseason was shortened by injury this year. Durant on Sunday announced he would be signing a contract to join the Brooklyn Nets.He is expected to miss all of next season while he recovers from surgery for a ruptured right Achilles tendon suffered in Game 5 of the finals, which Golden State lost in six games to the Toronto Raptors."Today, as he starts a new chapter in his incredible career, we thank KD for all of his contributions, for being an integral part to one of the most prolific runs in NBA history and wish him well as he continues his Hall of Fame journey," Lacob said. "As long as I... [More]

Point guards got paid.Much like the quarterback in football, the point guard is still a critical component in basketball, the on-court leader of a club in most cases — and in the opening two days of free agency, teams paid accordingly for that spot.Free agency wasn't even 24 hours old and more than $1 billion had been committed to point guards, led by the $196 million extension that Damian Lillard will be signing with Portland, the reported $170 million extension for Jamal Murray in Denver and the $141 million deals for Kyrie Irving and Kemba Walker.There's never been an offseason in NBA history where point guards have gotten that much, and there's still plenty more left to be signed."I'm a leader in my own way," Walker wrote in an essay directed to his old fans in Charlotte and soon-to-be-new fans in Boston that was published by The Players Tribune. "I'm never going to shout anyone off the court, or get overly negative. It's not my style. But what I do is I take pride in making my teammates... [More]