ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — The stars have been stars in these playoffs.Kyrie Irving has Boston on the cusp of sweeping away Indiana Pacers. Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry and Golden State are coming off a game against the Los Angeles Clippers where the Warriors looked very much like the NBA champions again. Damian Lillard and Russell Westbrook are going at each other big-time in the Portland-Oklahoma City series.And then there's Pascal Siakam.Toronto's surprise story is no surprise anymore.Siakam has been perhaps the biggest breakout player in these playoffs, adding to his breakout season for the Raptors — who lead the Orlando Magic 2-1 in their first-round matchup thanks largely to the 25-year-old from Cameroon and his 24.3 points and 10 rebounds per game in the series.It's easy to forget that Siakam only started playing organized basketball seven years ago."Seriously?" Raptors guard Danny Green asked, unaware of his teammate's unique background.Seriously.Raptors coach Nick Nurse was amused by... [More]

Orlando returned to Florida with home-court advantage.Indiana and Oklahoma City are seeking some home-court magic.A trio of Game 3s in the NBA on Friday night — Toronto at Orlando, Boston at Indiana and Portland at Oklahoma City — have three very different story lines. The Magic got a split of their first two games with the Raptors, the Pacers are reeling after a late-game collapse in Game 2 left them trailing the Celtics 2-0, and the Thunder have seemed completely out of sorts as they've gotten into a 2-0 hole against the Trail Blazers."I still don't think we understand how good a team we can be when we play well," Magic coach Steve Clifford said.Indiana had a great chance at getting a split slip away late in Game 2 at Boston. The Pacers have now lost 16 of their last 24 games overall, are looking at a fourth consecutive first-round ouster and have never won a series after losing the first two games.Having said all that, the Celtics are leery of a letup."We know anything can happen in... [More]

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Thaddeus Young and Bojan Bogdanovic ignored those who doubted the Indiana Pacers last season.They're even more determined to prove them wrong in the playoffs.The veterans who helped the Pacers exceed expectations after losing Paul George in a trade and kept them together following Victor Oladipo's season-ending knee injury now insist they can help the Pacers overcome a 2-0 deficit against Boston."I think the biggest thing for us over the last couple of years is that we've always been a resilient team," Young said Thursday. "We continue to stay confident, continue to trust in one another, I think that helps put us in a better position to win games."It's a test they've faced, and passed, many times over the past 22 months.And every time, it seems the two soft-spoken forwards find themselves playing the calming role in the locker room."I can tell you we wouldn't be the No. 5 seed if not for those two guys," Doug McDermott said not long after the Pacers sang "Happy Birthday"... [More]

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — When Paul George has been rolling this season, so has Oklahoma City.The Thunder's All-Star forward has been off his game against Portland, and OKC has struggled against the Trail Blazers. Yes, George is averaging 26.5 points in their first-round playoff series, but he's making just 27 percent of his 3-pointers — down from 39 percent during the regular season.Much has been made of his shoulder issues, which he has been dealing with the past few months. George even missed the regular-season finale against Milwaukee after not being able to lift his arm.But George said Thursday his shoulder is not the issue, noting that he is pain-free."The first game it was just out of rhythm, trying to find shots," George said. "The second game, it was just knowing where shots were going to come from, knowing the space that I could get playing at the basket and taking advantage of where I can get to the rim. It'll be a great mix Game 3."The Thunder hope it is a great mix. They're down... [More]

Orlando returned to Florida with home-court advantage.Indiana and Oklahoma City are seeking some home-court magic.A trio of Game 3s in the NBA on Friday night — Toronto at Orlando, Boston at Indiana and Portland at Oklahoma City — have three very different story lines. The Magic got a split of their first two games with the Raptors, the Pacers are reeling after a late-game collapse in Game 2 left them trailing the Celtics 2-0, and the Thunder have seemed completely out of sorts as they've gotten into a 2-0 hole against the Trail Blazers."I still don't think we understand how good a team we can be when we play well," Magic coach Steve Clifford said.Indiana had a great chance at getting a split slip away late in Game 2 at Boston. The Pacers have now lost 16 of their last 24 games overall, are looking at a fourth consecutive first-round ouster and have never won a series after losing the first two games.Having said all that, the Celtics are leery of a letup."We know anything can happen in... [More]

Orlando had to fight until the final days of the regular season to get its postseason berth. Portland had to scramble down the stretch to replace a huge part of its success.And as is usually the case, San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich had his team playing its best basketball at the end.The Magic, Trail Blazers and Spurs were playoff ready. That's why they're all taking 1-0 series leads into their respective Game 2s on Tuesday night — with Orlando at Toronto, San Antonio at Denver and Portland playing host to Oklahoma City.Orlando and San Antonio, both No. 7 seeds, won on the road and grabbed home-court advantage. But they both know what's coming when Denver and Toronto get fueled by desperation on Tuesday night."It's going to be a lot tougher," Spurs guard DeMar DeRozan said."We're going to get their best," Magic coach Steve Clifford said.It goes without saying that all the teams that are down 1-0 found ways to get better for Game 2. The same goes for the teams leading those series. Clifford... [More]

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Looking back on it now, the Trail Blazers were clearly smart to pick up Enes Kanter after he was waived by the New York Knicks.Kanter was brought aboard by Portland as insurance for the final stretch of the season, meant to back up starter Jusuf Nurkic.Then Nurkic broke his leg and Kanter was thrust into a starting role with his new team. After Portland's playoff-opening victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder, Damian Lillard dubbed the 6-foot-11 center the Blazers' MVP."He had a huge presence down the stretch and played a huge part in us winning this game," Lillard said after Portland's 104-99 victory Sunday.Kanter finished with 20 points and a career playoff-high 18 rebounds, and was effective on defense against the likes of Russell Westbrook and Paul George.It's been quite a journey from New York castoff to Portland playoff hero for the seven-year NBA veteran.Kanter, 26, was waived by the Knicks following the trade deadline. Once a starter, he fell out of the rotation... [More]

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. (AP) — Blake Griffin's tone was serious, befitting a man who has had one of the best seasons of his career — but now faces the same old questions about his health.Griffin's status for Detroit's first-round series against Milwaukee isn't clear at the moment, but after he sat out the Pistons' crucial regular-season finale at New York on Wednesday night, it's clear his left knee problems are a significant issue heading into the playoffs. Detroit plays Game 1 at top-seeded Milwaukee on Sunday night."We're taking this day by day," Griffin said Saturday. "I'm not looking forward to a day that's not here right now in front of me. I'll sit with our training staff, and whoever else needs to be in on that decision, and make that each day."It's a tough situation for any athlete to go through — leading your team through the regular season, only to have your playoff participation threatened by an injury. This is the time of year when players and teams want to be at full strength,... [More]

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Thunder forward Paul George could miss Sunday's playoff opener at Portland with right shoulder soreness.Thunder coach Billy Donovan said Friday the All-Star is considered day-to-day.George finished second in the league with 28.0 points per game this season, and he led the league with 2.21 steals per contest. He shoots 39 percent from 3-point range and is the team's No. 3 rebounder.George hit the game-winning 3-pointer against Houston on Tuesday, but he aggravated a previous injury during the game and was in too much pain to play in the regular-season finale Wednesday at Milwaukee.George also missed games on Feb. 28, March 2 and March 3 with soreness in the right shoulder. He has had problems with his left shoulder, too, though the issues are unrelated.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/tag/NBAbasketball 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]

NEW YORK (AP) — Oklahoma City Thunder forward Paul George was fined $25,000 by the NBA on Saturday for public criticism of the officiating.George made his comments to the media after the Thunder's 118-110 road loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday night."We're getting scratched, clawed, held, shoved, and there's nothing for it," George said. "The officials just get to walk out and there's nothing that penalizes them for not officiating the game the right way."

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Paul George will miss the Thunder's game against Memphis on Sunday night with a sore right shoulder, and Grizzlies guard Mike Conley will sit out with general soreness.George was injured during a loss to the Denver Nuggets on Feb. 26, and Oklahoma City has lost both games since without him. He is the league's No. 2 scorer with 28.6 points per game and leads the league with 2.29 steals per contest.Thunder coach Billy Donovan said George has been able to do more each day, but a return date is unclear.Oklahoma City has lost four straight overall.Conley leads Memphis with 20.0 points and 6.3 assists per game. He scored 12 points in Saturday night's win over the Dallas Mavericks.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Paul George will miss the Thunder's game against the Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday night with a sore right shoulder.George was injured during a loss to the Denver Nuggets on Feb. 26, and Oklahoma City has lost both games since without him. He is the league's No. 2 scorer with 28.6 points per game and leads the league with 2.29 steals per contest.Thunder coach Billy Donovan said George has been able to do more each day, but a return date is unclear.Oklahoma City has lost four straight overall.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Oklahoma City Thunder forward Paul George and Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid are out for Thursday night's showdown between two of the NBA's best teams.George is out with a shoulder injury. Thunder coach Billy Donovan said George was injured during a loss at Denver on Tuesday night, but he wasn't sure exactly on what play it happened.George is second in the NBA in scoring at 28.6 points per game and leads the league in steals with 2.29 per contest.Embiid will miss his fourth straight game with left knee soreness. He's sixth in the league with 27.3 points per game and third in rebounds with 13.5 per contest.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/tag/NBAbasketball and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

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]

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — When Victor Oladipo crashed to the floor in late January, the silence inside Bankers Life Fieldhouse was deafening.Teammates quietly expressed best wishes to their injured teammate as he was wheeled off the court on a stretcher. Fans wondered aloud if this was just another chapter in Indianapolis' injury curse that has claimed Peyton Manning, Paul George and Andrew Luck during the previous eight years. League insiders debated how far the Pacers would slide in the Eastern Conference standings.Somehow, after four consecutive losses, Indiana turned the page and won six of its next seven games heading into the All-Star break, still third in the East."We're just going out there and playing basketball," point guard Darren Collison said. "We're keeping the game simple and easy. Everybody is confident. It's getting closer to playoff basketball."After tinkering with his lineup for a few games, coach Nate McMillan settled on a rotation that looks remarkably similar to what he... [More]

MIAMI (AP) — Jeff Van Gundy has an idea on how to fix the NBA All-Star Game.His plan: Eliminate it.Van Gundy, the former NBA coach and now longtime television commentator for ABC and ESPN, said what he's seeing now from the game is embarrassing and "a bastardization of the game that is beautiful to watch." The teams picked by captains LeBron James and Giannis Antetokounmpo combined to attempt a record 167 3-pointers in Sunday night's game — and 96 of the 134 field goals in the game came off either 3s or dunks."You can be a Division III player like myself and be All-Star MVP," Van Gundy said. "All you have to do is drive in and shoot a layup."Van Gundy coached in the 2000 All-Star game, his Eastern Conference team falling to Phil Jackson and the Western Conference 137-126. There was no shortage of alley-oops tried in that game, though Tim Duncan, Alonzo Mourning and Shaquille O'Neal spent plenty of time defending the rim against those lobs as well."I would name All-Stars, I would have All-Star... [More]

LeBron James finally has Anthony Davis as a teammate.For one game.His Los Angeles Lakers were unable to swing a deal for Davis, but James drafted the New Orleans Pelicans star on Thursday when he and fellow captain Giannis Antetokounmpo sat down to choose their teams for the Feb. 17 All-Star Game in Charlotte.Davis told the Pelicans he wanted a trade, and James has made it clear that he'd love to play with him. But the Pelicans kept Davis as the trade deadline passed, so for now, their time as teammates will be limited to All-Star weekend and James pounced at the chance to grab him with the second pick of the reserve round."I'm very sure of that," James said, when asked by TNT host Ernie Johnson if he was sure he wanted Davis as a teammate."Isn't that tampering?" Antetokounmpo asked.Responded James, as both players laughed: "Tampering rules do not apply on All-Star weekend," a thinly veiled reference to the reaction James got when he listed Davis as one of many players he would like the... [More]

New Orleans has an All-Star for the sixth straight year.That is, unless he gets traded first.Pelicans standout Anthony Davis — only three days removed from having his trade request made known publicly — was one of the 14 players announced Thursday as reserves for the All-Star Game in Charlotte. Davis wants to be swapped out of New Orleans by the Feb. 7 trade deadline, so it remains unclear if his uniform for the All-Star contest on Feb. 17 will bear a Pelicans logo or not.It's the sixth consecutive All-Star nod for Davis. The Pelicans aren't sure if he'll play for them again, though there's also no guarantee that he gets traded by next week either."That's something that will obviously have to be discussed about what's best for him and what's best for our team," Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry said.The other Western Conference reserves were Oklahoma City's Russell Westbrook, Denver's Nikola Jokic, Portland's Damian Lillard, Golden State's Klay Thompson, San Antonio's LaMarcus Aldridge and Minnesota's... [More]

New Orleans has an All-Star for the sixth straight year.That is, unless he gets traded first.Pelicans standout Anthony Davis — only three days removed from having his trade request made known publicly — was one of the 14 players announced Thursday as reserves for the All-Star Game in Charlotte. Davis wants to be swapped out of New Orleans by the Feb. 7 trade deadline, so it remains unclear if his uniform for the All-Star contest on Feb. 17 will bear a Pelicans logo or not.It's the sixth consecutive All-Star nod for Davis. The Pelicans aren't sure if he'll play for them again, though there's also no guarantee that he gets traded by next week either."That's something that will obviously have to be discussed about what's best for him and what's best for our team," Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry said.The other Western Conference reserves were Oklahoma City's Russell Westbrook, Denver's Nikola Jokic, Portland's Damian Lillard, Golden State's Klay Thompson, San Antonio's LaMarcus Aldridge and Minnesota's... [More]