OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — DeMarcus Cousins has a torn left quadriceps muscle that will sideline the Golden State center indefinitely, a devastating injury that the Warriors feared was serious when he went down in the first quarter of their first-round playoff loss to the Clippers.An MRI exam Tuesday morning on Cousins' left leg revealed the tear. The two-time defending NBA champion Warriors said Cousins will begin rehabilitation immediately and updates will be "provided as appropriate."Coach Steve Kerr said after the Warriors' 135-131 Game 2 loss on Monday night that Cousins would be out for a significant period.Playing in just his second career postseason game after a nine-year wait, Cousins went down in the first quarter in front of the Golden State bench after swiping a ball from Patrick Beverley in the back court. He immediately grabbed at his left quad. Cousins hobbled to the locker room at the 8:09 mark.Cousins had just returned in January from a nearly yearlong absence following surgery... [More]

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Starting Warriors center DeMarcus Cousins' postseason could be in jeopardy after he injured his left quadriceps muscle in the first quarter of Monday night's 135-131 Game 2 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers in the first round of the playoffs."There's a pretty significant quad injury," coach Steve Kerr said. "We'll get an MRI tomorrow. But he's going to be out for, I'll just say a while because I think it's not clear right now how long he'll be out. It's significant."This is a terrible blow for Cousins in just his second career playoff game following a nine-year wait. The big man returned in January from a nearly year-long absence following surgery for a torn left Achilles tendon.He hobbled to the locker room at the 8:09 mark of the first quarter. At the 8 1/2-minute mark Cousins stole the ball from Patrick Beverley in the back court and tried to retrieve the loose ball when went down in front of the Golden State bench and grabbed at his left quad."We'll rally behind... [More]

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Stephen Curry's pregame tunnel heaves have become such a spectacle at Oracle Arena that hundreds of cameras rise in the air to capture the moment.He won't have that anymore when the Warriors move across the bay to San Francisco to Chase Center next season.Everybody figures Curry will come up with a snazzy move to replace it."Shoot, I don't know, probably like a backflip or something like that," quipped Splash Brother Klay Thompson.A new signature shot? For sure.Curry vows to do something new and fun, but will just let it come to him when the time arrives. He's not pre-planning, and especially not now with the playoffs his top priority. The Warriors opened their first-round series with a 121-104 blowout of the Los Angeles Clippers."I've got to let it happen organically, just like this happened," Curry said. "I've got to let it happen organically. I don't really know. It'll come to me, though."Curry typically takes five tries total, fewer when he makes one, from just... [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) — After handing out sneakers, signed balls and other gifts to fans, the Cleveland Cavaliers gathered one last time after the fourth-worst season in franchise history ended and took photos with adored teammate Channing Frye, whose retirement triggered a three-day celebration.Losing usually doesn't look like this.There were smiles and hugs as a group that never splintered during a taxing season that ended two months earlier than the previous four bonded as brothers. Later, in a pin-drop quiet locker room, coach Larry Drew urged the Cavaliers to reflect and challenged each "to come back a different player."Then, Drew, who doesn't know if he himself will be back, offered thanks."I understand how difficult the season was with everything that took place," said Drew, who took over seven games in following Tyronn Lue's firing. "But they stayed professional and they kept working hard, and I just wanted to let them know how much I appreciated it."And with that, an offseason of uncertainty... [More]

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Warriors guard Stephen Curry left Tuesday night's game against the Pelicans with what team officials say is a mild sprain of his right foot.The club says Curry was ruled out for the remainder of the game for precautionary reasons.Curry played nine minutes during the first quarter, scoring five points. When he subbed out of the game with less than three minutes remaining in the period, he walked past the bench and straight down the tunnel leading to the locker room.Curry joined several other Warriors stars who already had been ruled out before the game, including Kevin Durant with the flu, Klay Thompson with right knee soreness, Andre Iguodala with a sore toe on his left foot and Andrew Bogut for rest.The Warriors already have clinched the top playoff seed in the Western Conference and wrap up their regular season at Memphis on Wednesday night.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/tag/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — DeMarcus Cousins shoves off assistant coach Jarron Collins and goes hard for the basket. He swishes a 3-pointer from up top, then hits a jumper inside the arc on the right wing. Cousins drives to the hoop and makes a shot from close range, then a turnaround jumper goes in before he moves to the left side to begin the sequence again.Long before the rest of the Golden State regulars have taken the court for pregame warmups, there is Cousins, earbuds in, meticulously focused on his preparation. In the locker room, he is one of the first to pull on his game jersey.Cousins can't wait for his first playoff chance."It's been a long time coming for him," Collins said. "I definitely think he's excited and he's ready for the moment to play on the biggest stage. Obviously there's a lot that goes into it, the preparation, the dedication."This is why Cousins approached the Warriors last summer and asked for a chance, even though he was working back from season-ending surgery for... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Golden State Warriors teammates Draymond Green, Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant have been fined by the NBA for criticizing the officiating.The league said Tuesday that Green was fined $35,000 for comments on social media that "impugned the integrity of NBA officiating." Curry was fined $25,000 for similar reasons for his "actions and public statements." Durant's fine of $15,000 was for "public criticism" of the refereeing.The discipline was announced by NBA executive Kiki VanDeWeghe and stems from Friday night's game at Minnesota, which the Warriors lost 131-130 in overtime.The league says the actions of the three players came during and after the game. The NBA adds that its findings came after "verifying all available information."___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/tag/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP-Sports

MIAMI (AP) — The playoff field is largely set.The positioning, that's still anyone's guess.So even while some of what we could have had for drama over the final 2½ weeks of the NBA regular season won't materialize — LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers are already out of the playoffs, robbing us of one potential story line — the races for seedings and home-court edges are almost certain now to go down to the final days of the season.Milwaukee has the edge over all other teams in the race for the No. 1 overall seed. Dwyane Wade's career still isn't guaranteed of going past Miami's regular-season finale in Brooklyn on April 10. Golden State, bidding for a third straight NBA championship and fourth in five years, still has a fight on its hands just to get the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference."We're ready to take on any challenger," Warriors forward Draymond Green said.There have been nights where that's looked like a very accurate statement. Others, not so much.The Warriors have lost... [More]

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Stephen Curry dropped in on a television interview to surprise a 9-year-old girl who helped design the inside of the latest version of the Golden State Warriors star's signature shoe.Riley Morrison of Napa, California, was doing an interview Friday on CBS about the shoes and Curry when he walked in. He gave her a pair of the new shoes and rebounded for her while she shot baskets.Riley was invited to help design the Curry 6 model after she initially wrote to tell him she couldn't buy his Curry 5 shoes because they weren't available for girls on the Under Armour website. They were only marketed to boys. The two-time MVP and five-time All-Star replied with an apology, saying in a handwritten response that he's been working with the company to remedy the situation.He also invited her to the Warriors home game on Friday, which was International Women's Day.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

MIAMI (AP) — Stephen Curry would ordinarily be getting off his feet as fast as possible after a morning shootaround practice, saving his legs for the looming game that night.Wednesday, however, wasn't ordinary.Golden State coach Steve Kerr invited some students — including ones from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High, the school in Parkland where 17 students and staff were killed in a massacre on Feb. 14, 2018 — into the Warriors' game-morning practice in Miami. And long after the session was over, Curry was throwing alley-oop lobs and engaging in 3-point contests with kids who couldn't believe they were hanging out with stars from the two-time defending NBA champions."You hate that you have these opportunities because of what happened at our school," said Jeff Foster, a teacher and former coach at Stoneman Douglas. "But at the same time, it's nice to have these contacts and meet people and coach Kerr has been at a few of the events with our kids ... you're always glad to sit around and talk... [More]

The NBA is not happy that tensions between teams and referees seem to be rising.Then again, 'tis the season.Playoff-race pressure is real, and the NBA thinks — or hopes — that some tantrums in recent weeks can be attributed to that and not an eroding of the always-tenuous relationship between those who commit infractions and those who call them. Golden State coach Steve Kerr smashing clipboards and Houston star James Harden calling out longtime official Scott Foster are sights and sounds that the league doesn't want, so the NBA is once again reaching out to teams to offer reminders about not going too far when ripping the refs."This is the dark ages of the season," said Michelle Johnson, the NBA's senior vice president and head of referee operations. "Teams are shaping up where they stand and it matters more to some teams than others, and some coaches do tactical outbursts for the good of their teams. So even if we go to teams and they don't have a lot of issues ... we want to keep the... [More]

To help you with planning for the NBA All Star weekend, here are some of our plans. This advisory will be updated until Sunday's game. Please contact Oscar Dixon (odixon@ap.org) with any questions. All times ET.SUNDAYBKN--All-Star GameCHARLOTTE, N.C. _ Stephen Curry returns home to Charlotte, Kemba Walker is playing on his homecourt with LeBron James, Kevin Durant and others tip it up in the All-Star game. By Basketball Writer Tim Reynolds. UPCOMING: 800 words, photos. Game starts at 8 p.m.Also:_ BKN--All-Star Weekend-The Latest. Updates throughout Sunday on All-Star Weekend from Charlotte, North CarolinaBKN--All-Star-Curry Family WeekendCHARLOTTE, N.C. _ CHARLOTTE, N.C. _ Sonya Curry says this All-Star Weekend has been everything she hoped it would be. She has spent quality time with her grandchildren and watched sons Stephen and Seth and husband Dell participate in the All-Star 3-point contest. The Currys will wrap up the All-Star Weekend on Sunday night when Stephen competes in his sixth... [More]

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Boston's Jayson Tatum got his gamewinner from midcourt. Oklahoma City's Hamidou Diallo went over Shaquille O'Neal to help win his trophy. And Brooklyn's Joe Harris made all the shots at all the right times to deny Golden State's Stephen Curry a storybook ending in his hometown.Say this for All-Star Saturday Night: It had flair.Tatum won the skills competition, Diallo put on a show for the league's annual slam dunk title, and in easily the most anticipated part of the night Harris held off the Warriors' shooting star for the win in the 3-point contest.Harris made 12 straight shots in the final round and went a staggering 15 for 18 on moneyballs — the shots worth the most — to win the 3-point title. He finished with 26 of a possible 34 points in the final round, beating Curry by two. Sacramento's Buddy Hield was third with 19 final-round points."Obviously, it's incredible," Harris said. "Steph is the greatest shooter of all time. But, again, shooting off of the rack... [More]

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — The Latest on NBA All-Star Weekend (all times local):10:30 p.m.Oklahoma City's Hamidou Diallo is the NBA's slam dunk champion.Going over Shaquille O'Neal in the first round, then getting a boost from rapper Quavo in the finale, Diallo soared to the crown by topping New York's Dennis Smith Jr.Diallo topped Smith 88-85 in the finale. Charlotte's Miles Bridges and Atlanta's John Collins went out in the first round.Smith leapfrogged Miami's Dwyane Wade and took a lob from Stephen Curry to give himself a chance with his last dunk, getting a perfect score from the judges — and a round of boos from the crowd, many of whom weren't that impressed.That left Diallo as the night's final participant.Diallo pulled off a dunk that will be talked about for years in the first round — dunking over O'Neal, hanging on the rim by his elbow, then tearing open his jersey to reveal a "Superman" shirt underneath. And then he plucked the ball from Quavo as he went airborne for the dunk that... [More]

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — The Latest on NBA All-Star Weekend (all times local):9:35 p.m.Brooklyn's Joe Harris held off Golden State's Stephen Curry to win the 3-point contest at All-Star Saturday night.Harris made 12 consecutive shots at one point in the final round on his way to a score of 26 points. Curry was second with 24 in the finals, and Sacramento's Buddy Hield was third with 19 points.The Warriors' star made his first nine shots of the final round, then missed three of five shots from the top of the key.Stephen Curry won the first round with 27 points out of a possible of 34. Hield was second with 26 points, and Harris finished with 25 to grab the last spot in the finals.There were 10 players in the event, and seven went out in the first round.Defending champion Devin Booker made his final seven shots but was eliminated in a tie for fourth with Danny Green with 23 points. The other competitors who did not advance: Dirk Nowitzki and Damian Lillard (17), Seth Curry (16), Kemba Walker... [More]

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — The Latest on NBA All-Star Weekend (all times local):9:35 p.m.Brooklyn's Joe Harris held off Golden State's Stephen Curry to win the 3-point contest at All-Star Saturday night.Harris made 12 consecutive shots at one point in the final round on his way to a score of 26 points. Curry was second with 24 in the finals, and Sacramento's Buddy Hield was third with 19 points.The Warriors' star made his first nine shots of the final round, then missed three of five shots from the top of the key.Stephen Curry won the first round with 27 points out of a possible of 34. Hield was second with 26 points, and Harris finished with 25 to grab the last spot in the finals.There were 10 players in the event, and seven went out in the first round.Defending champion Devin Booker made his final seven shots but was eliminated in a tie for fourth with Danny Green with 23 points. The other competitors who did not advance: Dirk Nowitzki and Damian Lillard (17), Seth Curry (16), Kemba Walker... [More]

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — The Latest on NBA All-Star Weekend (all times local):10:55 p.m.Kyle Kuzma of the Los Angeles Lakers scored 35 points, Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics added 30 and the U.S. beat the World team 161-144 in the Rising Stars game for first- and second-year players at All-Star Weekend.Trae Young of the Atlanta Hawks finished with 25 points and 10 assists, and De'Aaron Fox of the Sacramento Kings had 15 assists for the U.S. Utah's Donovan Mitchell added 20 points, nine assists and seven rebounds.Philadelphia's Ben Simmons led the World team with 28 points. Chicago's Lauri Markkanen had 21 points for the World squad, and Dallas' Luka Doncic had 13 points and nine assists.Both teams shot 55 percent.It was the fifth time the U.S. vs. the World format was used for what was once known as the rookie game. The World now leads the all-time series 3-2, after its two-game winning streak was snapped.___9:05 p.m.Famous Los scored 22 points to win MVP honors, and the Home team held... [More]

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — The Latest on NBA All-Star Weekend (all times local):9:05 p.m.Famous Los scored 22 points to win MVP honors, and the Home team held on to beat the Away team 82-80 in the All-Star Celebrity Game on Friday night.Jay Williams scored 18 points for Home. Quavo scored 27 for Away and Hall of Famer Ray Allen scored 24 — though the NBA's all-time leader in 3-pointers made went 0 for 8 from beyond the arc.___8:35 p.m.NBA executive Monty McCutchen has a less-than-surprising confession.Travels get missed.McCutchen, the former referee who moved to the league office last season and now helps oversee the officiating program, said Friday that about two traveling violations get called per game on average. He says the league believes that the real number of travels that should be called is closer to five per game.The NBA is no different than any other basketball league — if every letter-of-the-law travel was called, games could last for days. But McCutchen says the league is continuing... [More]

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — The Latest on NBA All-Star Weekend (all times local):8:35 p.m.NBA executive Monty McCutchen has a less-than-surprising confession.Travels get missed.McCutchen, the former referee who moved to the league office last season and now helps oversee the officiating program, said Friday that about two traveling violations get called per game on average. He says the league believes that the real number of travels that should be called is closer to five per game.The NBA is no different than any other basketball league — if every letter-of-the-law travel was called, games could last for days. But McCutchen says the league is continuing to work with its referees on making that (and every) call consistently, and remains in constant contact with teams about concerns and interpretations.But don't expect a change to a four-ref system anytime soon. The NBA has tinkered with it at the G League level, and McCutchen says "when we looked into it, accuracy did not go up."___6:45 p.m.Basketball... [More]