SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — The Sacramento Kings have hired Luke Walton as their coach just days after the Los Angeles Lakers parted ways with him following three losing seasons.The Kings announced Monday that Walton will replace Dave Joerger. Sacramento general manager Vlade Divac fired Joerger last week following a 39-43 finish that was the best record for the franchise in 13 years.The 39-year-old Walton was dismissed by the Lakers on Friday after Los Angeles went 37-45. He went 98-148 in three years with Los Angeles in his first full-time head coaching job. The former Golden State top assistant never led the Lakers to the playoffs, not even after the arrival of LeBron James last summer.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Luke Walton will become coach of the Sacramento Kings, securing another NBA head coaching job just a day after parting ways with the Los Angeles Lakers following three losing seasons.The 39-year-old Walton was dismissed by the Lakers on Friday after Los Angeles went 37-45. His move to the Kings was confirmed to The Associated Press on Saturday by a person who spoke on condition of anonymity because it hadn't been finalized. A formal announcement from the Kings is expected in the next couple of days.Sacramento general manager Vlade Divac fired Dave Joerger on Thursday after the coach helped develop the young Kings into playoff contenders before ultimately falling short in the franchise's 13th straight losing season.Also Thursday, the Kings extended Divac's contract through the 2022-23 season — and Walton's deal is expected to run those same four years.Sacramento features several talented young players acquired by Divac: guards De'Aaron Fox and Buddy Hield, forward Marvin Bagley III and center... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Luke Walton is out as coach of the Los Angeles Lakers after three losing seasons.Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka announced Walton's departure Friday, three days after the abrupt resignation of president of basketball operations Magic Johnson. Pelinka called Walton leaving a mutual decision.The former Lakers forward went 98-148 after getting his first permanent head coaching job with the 16-time NBA champions. The former Golden State assistant never led the Lakers to the playoffs, not even after the arrival of LeBron James last summer.Walton leaves three days after the Lakers' final game of their 37-45 season was upstaged by the shocking pregame resignation of Johnson, who inherited Walton when he took over the Lakers' front office in February 2017. Johnson attributed his decision in part to his desire and reluctance to fire Walton, who is close to Lakers owner Jeanie Buss.A potential power struggle instead ended with both men out of their jobs after this wild week.... [More]

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The Pelicans have reached an agreement in principle to make former Cleveland Cavaliers general manager David Griffin New Orleans' new executive vice president of basketball operations, three people familiar with the situation said Friday.The people spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because contract negotiations are ongoing and no announcement has been made.Griffin will take over for former Pelicans general manger Dell Demps, who was fired in the middle of his ninth season with the club — a few weeks after All-Star Anthony Davis' trade request in late January.Griffin's agreement to join New Orleans, which was first reported by ESPN, puts him at the center of the club's effort to find the best deal for Davis. Griffin also could decide the fate of Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry, who has two years left on his contract.The 45-year-old Griffin was the Cavaliers' GM from 2014 to 2017, during which LeBron James returned from Miami to Cleveland and the Cavs... [More]

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Three people familiar with the situation say the Pelicans have reached an agreement in principle to make former Cleveland Cavaliers general manager David Griffin New Orleans' new executive vice president of basketball operations.The people spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because contract negotiations are ongoing and no announcement has been made.Griffin will take over for former Pelicans general manger Dell Demps, who was fired in the middle of his ninth season with the club and a few weeks after All-Star Anthony Davis' trade request in late January.Griffin's agreement to join New Orleans, which was first reported by ESPN, puts him at the center of the club's effort to find the best deal for Davis. Griffin also could decide the fate of Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry.The 45-year-old Griffin was the Cavaliers GM from 2014 to 2017, during which LeBron James returned from Miami to Cleveland and the Cavs won an NBA title.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Luke Walton is out as coach of the Los Angeles Lakers after three losing seasons.Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka announced Walton's departure Friday, three days after the abrupt resignation of president of basketball operations Magic Johnson. Pelinka called Walton leaving a mutual decision.The former Lakers forward went 98-148 after getting his first permanent head coaching job with the 16-time NBA champions. The former Golden State assistant never led the Lakers to the playoffs, not even after the arrival of LeBron James last summer.Walton leaves three days after the Lakers' final game of their 37-45 season was upstaged by the shocking pregame resignation of Johnson, who inherited Walton when he took over the Lakers' front office in February 2017. Johnson attributed his decision in part to his desire and reluctance to fire Walton, who is close to Lakers owner Jeanie Buss.A potential power struggle instead ended with both men out of their jobs after this wild week.... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Luke Walton is out as coach of the Los Angeles Lakers after three losing seasons.Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka announced Walton's departure Friday, three days after the abrupt resignation of president of basketball operations Magic Johnson. Pelinka called Walton leaving a mutual decision.The former Lakers forward went 98-148 after getting his first permanent head coaching job with the 16-time NBA champions. The former Golden State assistant never led the Lakers to the playoffs, not even after the arrival of LeBron James last summer.Walton leaves three days after the Lakers' final game of their 37-45 season was upstaged by the shocking pregame resignation of Johnson, who inherited Walton when he took over the Lakers' front office in February 2017. Johnson attributed his decision in part to his desire and reluctance to fire Walton, who is close to Lakers owner Jeanie Buss.Instead, Pelinka announced the move in a possible sign of the increased power of Kobe Bryant's... [More]

INDEPENDENCE, Ohio (AP) — The Cavaliers aren't chasing a championship this spring. They're pursuing a coach.This time, methodically.No longer NBA title contenders, Cleveland is in the initial stages of an expansive, open-minded search general manager Koby Altman hopes will lead to finding the right coach for his young team, which is coming off a 63-loss season."We have to preach patience and we have to continue to grow this thing and we have to find a leader that's obsessed with that process of growing," Altman said Friday while outlining the type of candidates he'll interview. "We're tasked with doing that. We're excited about the next steps. We're done in April for the first time in four years, so we have a lot of time."At this time a year ago, the Cavs were preparing to make another deep playoff run. They made the Finals for the fourth straight year, but fell short in June against Golden State and then suffered a more devastating blow when LeBron James left a month later. The team endured... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Los Angeles Lakers mutually agreed to part ways with coach Luke Walton on Friday after three losing seasons.Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka announced Walton's departure, which occurred three days after the abrupt resignation of president of basketball operations Magic Johnson.The former Lakers forward went 98-148 after getting his first permanent head coaching job with the 16-time NBA champions. The former Golden State assistant never led the Lakers to the playoffs, not even after the arrival of LeBron James last summer.Walton leaves three days after the Lakers' final game of their 37-45 season was upstaged by the shocking pregame resignation of Johnson, who inherited Walton when he took over the Lakers' front office in February 2017. Johnson attributed his decision in part to his desire and reluctance to fire Walton, who is close to Lakers owner Jeanie Buss.Instead, Pelinka announced the move in a possible sign of the increased power of Kobe Bryant's former agent... [More]

There's no LeBron James in these playoffs, so the NBA Finals will have a distinctly new look for the first time in nine years.There's no Tony Parker, for the first time in nearly two decades.There's no Dwyane Wade, and he'll never play a playoff game again.San Antonio is in the postseason for a record-tying 22nd consecutive season. Brooklyn, Denver, Detroit, Orlando and the Los Angeles Clippers got into these playoffs after watching the postseason last year.As always at playoff time, there are some familiar things and some not-so-familiar things. With the postseason set to begin Saturday, here's 10 things to know going into the best time of the NBA year:DRIVE FOR FIVEGolden State is trying to reach the NBA Finals for the fifth consecutive season.If the Warriors get there, they would be the second franchise ever with such a streak — joining only the Boston Celtics, who went there in 10 straight seasons from 1957-66.The Warriors are one of five franchises with a streak of four straight NBA... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — The Cavaliers' next coach will inherit a better situation than the one Larry Drew got handed.Drew and the Cavs parted ways Thursday after a challenging, 19-win season that followed LeBron James leaving for Los Angeles and included a rash of injuries to a young roster.Although expected, Drew's departure creates more work for a franchise that will sit out the NBA playoffs this season following a four-year run in the Finals with James.The 61-year-old Drew met with general manager Koby Altman, and the two decided it was best if they went in separate directions. Altman said in a release that Drew "respectfully declined to participate in the search process and will not be returning to coach the Cavaliers."The Cavs tied for the league's second-worst record with Phoenix, but Drew kept his team playing hard until the end. He received praise from many of his players, including All-Star forward Kevin Love, who was limited to just 22 games following toe surgery."We have great respect... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — The Cavaliers will continue to rebuild with a new coach. Larry Drew's run is over after one season.The team parted ways Thursday with Drew, who took over as the Cavs coach in October and led the club to 19 wins amid a swarm of injuries in Cleveland's first season since LeBron James left as a free agent.The Cavs tied for the NBA's second-worst record, but Drew earned praise for keeping his team competitive despite a young roster and only having All-Star forward Kevin Love for 22 games because of injuries."We have great respect and appreciation for Larry and the job that he did as the head coach of the Cavaliers for nearly the entire 2018-19 campaign. He brought professionalism, class and steady leadership both this past season and prior four years," general manager Koby Altman said in a release. "Larry and I had a productive discussion about this past season, the future of the franchise and the search process that we will shortly launch regarding the head coaching role."Larry... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — The Cavaliers will continue to rebuild with a new coach. Larry Drew's run is over after one season.The team parted ways Thursday with Drew, who took over as the Cavs coach in October and led the club to 19 wins amid a swarm of injuries in Cleveland's first season since LeBron James left as a free agent.The Cavs tied for the NBA's second-worst record, but Drew earned praise for keeping his team competitive despite a young roster and only having All-Star forward Kevin Love for 22 games because of injuries."We have great respect and appreciation for Larry and the job that he did as the head coach of the Cavaliers for nearly the entire 2018-19 campaign. He brought professionalism, class and steady leadership both this past season and prior four years," general manager Koby Altman said in a release. "Larry and I had a productive discussion about this past season, the future of the franchise and the search process that we will shortly launch regarding the head coaching role."Larry... [More]

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (AP) — The Los Angeles Lakers already had plenty of problems to fix during the summer after their sixth straight losing season.Replacing the person in charge of fixing those problems is suddenly at the top of the list.Magic Johnson's shocking resignation as the 16-time NBA champions' president of basketball operations Tuesday night compounded the turmoil that always seems to envelop the Lakers, who remain among the most talked-about sports franchises in the world even though they haven't made the playoffs since 2013.Owner Jeanie Buss unveiled no immediate plan Wednesday for the basketball leadership of the Lakers — perhaps understandably, since she had no idea she needed a plan 18 hours earlier.Buss, general manager Rob Pelinka and coach Luke Walton all skipped the Lakers' customary exit interviews on the morning after their season ended, instead leaving it to their players to characterize yet another bizarre year in Lakerland."I still have confidence that this organization... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — In a story April 9 about the renaming of the Cleveland Cavaliers' arena, The Associated Press erroneously reported when the team will host the NBA All-Star Game. It is 2022, not 2020.A corrected version of the story is below:Cavaliers' arena renamed Rocket Mortgage FieldHouseCleveland Cavaliers rename their downtown arena Rocket Mortgage FieldHouseBy TOM WITHERSAP Sports WriterCLEVELAND (AP) — The Cavaliers have changed dramatically and so has their downtown home.Quickens Loans Arena is no more.The team will no longer play at "The Q," but inside Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, which is undergoing a $185 million renovation funded by the city and team.The Cavaliers, who have had a difficult first season since LeBron James left for Los Angeles, announced the name change on Tuesday, hours before they hosted the Charlotte Hornets in their season finale.Dan Gilbert, who has owned the Cavaliers since 2005, said he understands if fans are unhappy with the new name. There was a similar... [More]

DALLAS (AP) — Dirk Nowitzki cried near midcourt when the second quarter was about to resume.The Dallas Mavericks star nearly jumped for joy with a huge smile on his face after a rare dunk prompted thunderous applause from a crowd celebrating the final home game of his record 21st season with the same franchise.And then after Larry Bird joked during a postgame ceremony that he was "15 when Dirk came into the league and now I'm 62," Nowitzki let fly with a realization the 40-year-old said he reached in recent days.It's time for the most accomplished European player in NBA history to retire after scoring a season-high 30 points in a 120-109 victory over the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday night."As you guys might expect, this is my last home game," Nowitzki said, doing a better job of fighting his emotions than he did at the end of a timeout in the second quarter, after a tribute video showing his holiday visit to a children's hospital a little more than two years ago."This is obviously super, super... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Magic Johnson abruptly quit as the Los Angeles Lakers' president of basketball operations Tuesday night, citing his desire to return to the simpler life he enjoyed as a wealthy businessman and beloved former player before taking charge of this tempestuous franchise just over two years ago.Johnson didn't tell owner Jeanie Buss or general manager Rob Pelinka about his shocking decision before he announced it in front of reporters about 90 minutes before the final game of the Lakers' sixth consecutive losing season.Los Angeles, which is missing the NBA playoffs yet again despite the offseason addition of LeBron James, played well after Johnson's announcement, but still lost 104-101 to Portland."I want to go back to having fun," Johnson said, fighting off tears. "I want to go back to being who I was before taking on this job. We're halfway there with LeBron coming (last summer). I think this summer, with that other star coming in, whoever is going to bring him in, I think... [More]

DALLAS (AP) — Dirk Nowitzki cried near midcourt when the second quarter was about to resume.The Dallas Mavericks star nearly jumped for joy with a huge smile on his face after a rare dunk prompted thunderous applause from a crowd celebrating the final home game of his record 21st season with the same franchise.And then after Larry Bird joked during a postgame ceremony that he was "15 when Dirk came into the league and now I'm 62," Nowitzki let fly with a realization the 40-year-old said he reached in recent days.It's time for the most accomplished European player in NBA history to retire after scoring a season-high 30 points in a 120-109 victory over the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday night."As you guys might expect, this is my last home game," Nowitzki said, doing a better job of fighting his emotions than he did at the end of a timeout in the second quarter, after a tribute video showing his holiday visit to a children's hospital a little more than two years ago."This is obviously super, super... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Magic Johnson abruptly quit as the Los Angeles Lakers' president of basketball operations Tuesday night, citing his desire to return to the simpler life he enjoyed as a wealthy businessman and beloved former player before taking charge of this tempestuous franchise just over two years ago.Johnson didn't tell owner Jeanie Buss or general manager Rob Pelinka about his shocking decision before he announced it in front of reporters about 90 minutes before the final game of the Lakers' sixth consecutive losing season. Los Angeles was 37-44 heading into its game against Portland, missing the playoffs yet again despite the offseason addition of LeBron James."I want to go back to having fun," Johnson said before fighting off tears. "I want to go back to being who I was before taking on this job. We're halfway there with LeBron coming (last summer). I think this summer, with that other star coming in, whoever is going to bring him in, I think this team is really going to be in... [More]

DALLAS (AP) — Dallas Mavericks star Dirk Nowitzki announced his retirement from the NBA after a record 21 seasons with the same franchise, giving the fans the secret he had kept all season after scoring 30 points in his final home game, a 120-109 win over the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday night.The 40-year-old showed his emotion during the game, fighting back tears just before action resumed at the start of the second quarter following a tribute video that detailed his holiday visit to a children's hospital.Nowitzki's final basket in Dallas was his signature one-legged fadeaway from slightly above the free throw line for a 120-108 lead with 1:22 remaining after the Mavericks had let a 30-point halftime cushion get cut to four in the fourth quarter.After speeches from Larry Bird and others he idolized growing up in Germany, Nowitzki told the crowd, "As you guys might expect, this is my last home game."The sellout crowd that followed owner Mark Cuban's orders by showing up early chanted "M-V-P"... [More]