MILWAUKEE (AP) — Giannis Antetokounmpo looked over at LeBron James and Anthony Davis and thought about his past.“I wasn't supposed to be here,” the 6-foot-11 Greek Freak said. Hardly looked that way Thursday night. Antetokounmpo had 34 points and 11 rebounds, and the Milwaukee Bucks beat James, Davis and the Los Angeles Lakers 111-104 in a showdown of the NBA's top teams.The reigning MVP had seven assists and a career-best five 3-pointers as Milwaukee improved to 25-4 after ending an 18-game winning streak against Dallas on Monday night.“I wasn't the No. 1 pick, AD was, LeBron was," Antetokounmpo said. "I wasn't supposed to be here. I wasn't supposed to go up against these two beasts. So I’m just happy that I’m here and happy that I’m going through the process and I always want to be better, do better for my team and that’s what gives me joy.” James had 21 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists for his seventh triple-double of the season, and Davis had 36 points and 10 rebounds. “You tip your... [More]

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Giannis Antetokounmpo had 34 points and 11 rebounds, and the Milwaukee Bucks beat LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers 111-104 Thursday night in a showdown of the NBA's top teams.Antetokounmpo had seven assists and a career-best five 3-pointers, and George Hill added 21 points off the bench for the Bucks. Milwaukee improved to 25-4 after ending an 18-game winning streak against Dallas on Monday night. James had 21 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists for his seventh triple-double of the season, and Anthony Davis had 36 points and 10 rebounds for Los Angeles. The Lakers dropped to 24-5 largely because their bench was outscored 34-4 by the Bucks' reserves. Milwaukee led by six after the first quarter then opened the second with a 20-7 run. Davis and James combined to shoot 6 for 20 in the first half, and the Lakers had 10 turnovers. The Bucks led 65-46 at the break.The Bucks improved to 3-0 against the two teams from Los Angeles, including a dominant 119-91 win over the... [More]

Robin Lopez and Frank Mason III both scored 14 points to lead the Milwaukee Bucks over the Chicago Bulls 122-112 in preseason action on Monday night.Milwaukee didn't play most of its major contributors, including last year's league Most Valuable Player Giannis Antetokounmpo, Eric Bledsoe and Khris Middleton.Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said before the game that most of them had a good scrimmage on Sunday so he didn't want to play them in what was essentially a back-to-back stretch.All five of the Bucks' starters scored in double figures. Brook Lopez scored 13 points, Sterling Brown added 12 points and nine rebounds and Wesley Matthews scored 10.Zach LaVine led the Bulls with 16 points. Lauri Markkanen added 14 points, making 4 of 8 of his 3-point attempts.PELICANS 133, HAWKS 109Jrue Holiday led New Orleans with 21 points and Zion Williamson scored 16, including several highlight-reel dunks.Williamson, the No. 1 overall pick in June's draft, threw down his first preseason dunk, a tomahawk... [More]

Robin Lopez and Frank Mason III both scored 14 points to lead the Milwaukee Bucks over the Chicago Bulls 122-112 in preseason action on Monday night.Milwaukee didn't play most of its major contributors, including last year's league Most Valuable Player Giannis Antetokounmpo, Eric Bledsoe and Khris Middleton.Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said before the game that most of them had a good scrimmage on Sunday so he didn't want to play them in what was essentially a back-to-back stretch.All five of the Bucks' starters scored in double figures. Brook Lopez scored 13 points, Sterling Brown added 12 points and nine rebounds and Wesley Matthews scored 10.Zach LaVine led the Bulls with 16 points. Lauri Markkanen added 14 points, making 4 of 8 of his 3-point attempts.PELICANS 133, HAWKS 109Jrue Holiday led New Orleans with 21 points and Zion Williamson scored 16, including several highlight-reel dunks.Williamson, the No. 1 overall pick in June's draft, threw down his first preseason dunk, a tomahawk... [More]

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Mired in their worst skid of the season at the worst possible time, the Milwaukee Bucks need an answer in the Eastern Conference finals.A lineup change didn't provide one, so the Bucks have to come up with something else in Toronto.The Bucks returned to the starting five they used most of the season in Game 5, the lineup that helped them to the NBA's best record. But they were left with the same result as the third and fourth games and now face elimination when the series resumes Saturday.Guard Malcolm Brogdon finished with 18 points, 11 rebounds and six assists Thursday in his first start since returning from a foot injury in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Boston Celtics. But his first career postseason double-double wasn't enough as Milwaukee lost 105-99 to the Raptors.The top-seeded Bucks need a win in Toronto after falling there twice already in the series."You know, we've been a resilient group all year," Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said.... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert and MVP finalists Giannis Antetokounmpo and Paul George were the leading vote-getters for the All-Defensive first team.Boston's Marcus Smart and Milwaukee's Eric Bledsoe rounded out the first team that was announced Wednesday.Gobert finished with 97 first-team points and 196 points, giving the Utah center his third straight first-team selection. George had 96 first-team votes and 195 points, followed by Antetokounmpo (94, 193).Smart and Bledsoe both earned their first All-Defensive team selections.The second team included Golden State's Draymond Green and Klay Thompson, who earned his first selection. They were joined by Toronto's Kawhi Leonard, Philadelphia's Joel Embiid and New Orleans guard Jrue Holiday.The teams were selected by a panel of 100 writers and broadcasters.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

The Celtics and Trail Blazers have stolen home-court advantage in their respective second-round playoff series. Now they're focused on keeping it as their series shift to Boston and Portland.Boston, the East's fourth seed, came out strong and took Game 1 against top-seeded Milwaukee before getting blown out in Game 2. The series resumes at TD Garden on Friday night, and the Celtics like their chances on a court where they've won 12 of their last 13 playoff games.For that trend to continue, Boston must get a better performance from Jayson Tatum. The second-year forward averaged 19.2 points per game during the Celtics' first-round sweep of the Pacers, shooting 50 percent from the floor. In two games against Milwaukee, he has nine total points while connecting on 24% of his field-goal attempts."I watched film. I acknowledge that I gotta be better overall," Tatum said. "And I will be better. It's a bad game. It happens. I don't think too much of it. Just ready for Game 3."The Celtics will also... [More]

DETROIT (AP) — Giannis Antetokounmpo will have his unique talents on display in the second round of the NBA playoffs for the first time in his six-year career.If Milwaukee's superstar can match or beat his latest jaw-dropping highlight, everyone is in for a treat, unless they play or root for the Boston Celtics.Antetokounmpo scored a career playoff-high 41 points to lift the Bucks a 127-104 sweep-sealing win over the Detroit Pistons on Monday night."This means a lot," he said softly.The top-seeded Bucks will face fourth-seeded Boston in a postseason rematch. The Celtics are also coming off a sweep, against Indiana, and should have confidence in the matchup after eliminating Milwaukee in the first round last year.The Bucks swept a seven-game series for the first time since 1983, when they did it in the conference semifinals against Boston."We're going to celebrate it and have fun, but we'll quickly focus on Boston," Milwaukee guard Sterling Brown said. "It's going to be a fun series. Last... [More]

Little Caesars Arena in Detroit will finally host its first playoff game — in what is probably the last chance the Pistons have to make their series against Milwaukee competitive."Let's make it hard on them," Detroit coach Dwane Casey said. "Let's make it a home atmosphere, because we need everything."The Milwaukee-Detroit matchup is one of two series shifting sites Saturday. Houston and Utah will also play Game 3 in Salt Lake City. There are a couple Game 4s on tap as well: Philadelphia at Brooklyn, and Denver at San Antonio.The Pistons are in their second season at their new arena, but even after moving downtown, they've had their share of small, dreary crowds — similar to the atmosphere during their final years at The Palace of Auburn Hills. But there's every reason to expect a more charged scene Saturday night. Little Caesars Arena has hosted the NCAA and Horizon League tournaments in basketball, but there have been no home playoff games yet for the Pistons — or for the Red Wings, who... [More]

Little Caesars Arena in Detroit will finally host its first playoff game — in what is probably the last chance the Pistons have to make their series against Milwaukee competitive."Let's make it hard on them," Detroit coach Dwane Casey said. "Let's make it a home atmosphere, because we need everything."The Milwaukee-Detroit matchup is one of two series shifting sites Saturday. Houston and Utah will also play Game 3 in Salt Lake City. There are a couple Game 4s on tap as well: Philadelphia at Brooklyn, and Denver at San Antonio.The Pistons are in their second season at their new arena, but even after moving downtown, they've had their share of small, dreary crowds — similar to the atmosphere during their final years at The Palace of Auburn Hills. But there's every reason to expect a more charged scene Saturday night. Little Caesars Arena has hosted the NCAA and Horizon League tournaments in basketball, but there have been no home playoff games yet for the Pistons — or for the Red Wings, who... [More]

PHOENIX (AP) — The Milwaukee Bucks have signed guard Eric Bledsoe to a contract extension.Bledsoe, 29, is averaging 15.9 points, 5.5 assists and 4.7 rebounds per game for the East-leading Bucks. His 49.2 field goal percentage is a career high.The signing was announced Monday before Bledsoe took the court against one of his former teams, the Phoenix Suns, which traded him to Milwaukee in November 2017. Terms of the deal were not disclosed."Just very excited for Eric and for our organization. He's certainly earned an extension, and he's been a huge part of what we've done to date," Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said. "Certainly we think he's a huge part of what we're doing going forward, obviously not this year but for the next three or four years."Bledsoe has scored in double figures 49 times this season with 15 20-point games and two 30-point games. He's in his ninth NBA season and has appeared in 553 career games.Bledsoe missed the Bucks' last game, Saturday at Utah, with back soreness.... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — Matthew Dellavedova is coming back to the Cavaliers. He won't recognize them.Cleveland re-acquired the popular, scrappy guard on Friday in a three-team trade with the Milwaukee Bucks and Washington Wizards.The Cavaliers also received forward John Henson and 2021 first- and second-round picks from Milwaukee, and a 2022 second-rounder from Washington. The Cavs sent guard George Hill and a 2021 second-round selection to the Bucks, and forward Sam Dekker to the Wizards. Milwaukee also got forward Jason Smith from Washington.Affectionately known to Cleveland fans as "Delly," Dellavedova was a key member of the Cavs' 2016 title team before he signed with the Bucks later that summer. He's not the same player, and the Cavs are far from being the same team, but his return will soften what has been a difficult season.Cleveland is just 5-20 and rebuilding in the wake of LeBron James' departure last summer."I'm glad my Aussie brother is back," Cavs center Tristan Thompson said following... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — Matthew Dellavedova is coming back to the Cavaliers. He won't recognize them.Cleveland re-acquired the popular, scrappy guard on Friday in a three-team trade with the Milwaukee Bucks and Washington Wizards.The Cavaliers also received forward John Henson and 2021 first- and second-round picks from Milwaukee, and a 2022 second-rounder from Washington. The Cavs sent guard George Hill and a 2021 second-round selection to the Bucks, and forward Sam Dekker to the Wizards. Milwaukee also got forward Jason Smith from Washington.Affectionately known to Cleveland fans as "Delly," Dellavedova was a key member of the Cavs' 2016 title team before he signed with the Bucks later that summer. He's not the same player, and the Cavs are far from being the same team, but his return will soften what has been a difficult season.Cleveland is just 5-20 and rebuilding in the wake of LeBron James' departure last summer."I'm glad my Aussie brother is back," Cavs center Tristan Thompson said following... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — Matthew Dellavedova is coming back to the Cavaliers. He won't recognize them.Cleveland re-acquired the popular, scrappy guard on Friday in a three-team trade with the Milwaukee Bucks and Washington Wizards.The Cavaliers also received forward John Henson and 2021 first- and second-round picks from Milwaukee, and a 2022 second-rounder from Washington. The Cavs sent guard George Hill and a 2021 second-round selection to the Bucks, and forward Sam Dekker to the Wizards. Milwaukee also got forward Jason Smith from Washington.Affectionately known to Cleveland fans as "Delly," Dellavedova was a key member of the Cavs' 2016 title team before he signed with the Bucks later that summer. He's not the same player, and the Cavs are far from being the same team, but his return will soften what has been a difficult season.Cleveland is just 5-20 and rebuilding in the wake of LeBron James' departure last summer."I'm glad my Aussie brother is back," Cavs center Tristan Thompson said following... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — Matthew Dellavedova is coming back to the Cavaliers. He won't recognize them.Cleveland re-acquired the popular, scrappy guard on Friday in a three-team trade with the Milwaukee Bucks and Washington Wizards. The Cavs also are getting forward John Henson and two draft picks in 2021 from the Bucks in exchange for George Hill. Also as part of the deal, the Cavs traded a 2021 second-round pick to the Washington Wizards, who sent forward Jason Smith and cash considerations to the Bucks and a 2022 second-round draft pick to Cleveland.The Cavs are receiving Milwaukee's 2021 first- and second-round picks.Affectionately known to Cleveland fans as "Delly," Dellavedova was a key member of the Cavs' 2016 title team before he signed with the Bucks later that summer. He's not the same player, and the Cavs are far from being the same team, but his return will soften what has been a difficult season.Cleveland is just 5-20 and rebuilding in the wake of LeBron James' departure last summer."We're... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — Another popular Cavaliers player is coming "home."LeBron's gone. Delly's back.The Cavaliers have agreed to a trade with Milwaukee that will return fan favorite Matthew Dellavedova to Cleveland along with forward John Henson and a pair of draft picks in 2021. The Bucks will get veteran point guard George Hill and forward Sam Dekker from the Cavs, a person familiar with the deal told the Associated Press. Milwaukee has agreed to trade Dekker to the Washington Wizards for center Jason Smith and a future second-round pick.The deals are pending league approval and could be finalized Friday night, said the person who spoke on condition of anonymity because the teams have not yet had the mandatory conference call with NBA officials.The first-round pick in 2021 is protected, the person said.There was an urgency to get the deal agreed to before 6 p.m. on Friday because only players on rosters by then can be re-packaged in other trades before February's deadline.Hill recently returned... [More]

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Stephen Curry is expected to resume practicing next week with a strong chance he would return to game action during an upcoming five-game road trip as he works back from a strained left groin.The Golden State star was re-examined Saturday after making significant progress in recent days. He did some scrimmaging work at the practice facility, and coach Steve Kerr said there were no lingering physical issues from a car accident Friday in which Curry was unharmed."He's doing much better and we're just going to keep taking it day by day," Kerr said.Curry missed his ninth straight game Saturday against Sacramento and also was set to be sidelined for Monday's matchup with the Orlando Magic to conclude a four-game homestand. The 30-year-old two-time MVP, who played in just 51 regular-season games last season and missed the opening round of the playoffs, was injured Nov. 8 against Milwaukee trying to contest a shot by Eric Bledsoe in transition."He's anxious to get back,... [More]

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Stephen Curry has a mild to moderate left groin strain and will miss Golden State's home game against Brooklyn on Saturday night.Curry underwent an MRI exam Friday but the Warriors will wait a few days to fully determine the severity of the injury. Coach Steve Kerr said it doesn't appear to be significant."This doesn't look like it's going to be a long-term injury. He's disappointed but it could have been a lot worse," Kerr said. "We'll just monitor his progress over the next several days."The two-time NBA MVP was hurt midway through the third quarter of Thursday night's 134-111 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks. Curry grabbed at his inner thigh after trying to contest Eric Bledsoe's shot in transition at the 6:50 mark of the third.The 30-year-old Curry has been averaging 29.5 points, 6.1 assists and 5.0 rebounds while shooting 49.2 percent from 3-point range.Curry scored 10 points Thursday in his second straight game below 20 after getting at least 23 in every game previously... [More]

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Stephen Curry has a mild to moderate left groin strain and will miss Golden State's home game against Brooklyn on Saturday night.Curry underwent an MRI exam Friday but the Warriors will wait a few days to fully determine the severity of the injury. Coach Steve Kerr said it doesn't look like it's going to be a long-term injury.The two-time NBA MVP was hurt midway through the third quarter of Thursday night's 134-111 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks. Curry grabbed at his inner thigh after trying to contest Eric Bledsoe's shot in transition at the 6:50 mark of the third.Quinn Cook, who filled in last season when Curry was hurt for a long stretch, will start against the Nets.Fellow All-Star Draymond Green also will miss Saturday's game, the second straight game that he'll be sidelined by a sprained right foot and toe.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/tag/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

PHOENIX (AP) — The Phoenix Suns have completed a four-player trade that sends guard Brandon Knight and forward Marquese Chriss to the Houston Rockets for forward Ryan Anderson and guard De'Anthony Melton.Knight had been considered in line to start at point guard for the Suns after missing last season while recovering from knee surgery but now will see time as a backup to Chris Paul for what is expected to be an NBA contender in Houston.The 6-foot-10 Anderson, who two years ago signed a four-year, $80 million free agent deal with Houston, figures to start at power forward alongside this year's No. 1 overall draft pick, center Deandre Ayton.Chriss was the eighth overall pick out of Washington two years ago who has not progressed the way the Suns had hoped. Still, he's just 21.Melton, 19, is a second-round draft pick out of USC who showed dynamic, if raw, talent in the Las Vegas Summer League.To make the trade work financially, Anderson agreed to reduce the guaranteed portion of his contract... [More]