LOS ANGELES (AP) — Anthony Davis had 42 points and 12 rebounds and the Los Angeles Lakers never trailed in a 123-110 win over the Phoenix Suns on Sunday night. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Alex Caruso each had 17 points and the short-handed Lakers won for just the third time in their past 11 games. LeBron James missed his fourth straight game for Los Angeles because of a sprained right ankle, and Kyle Kuzma was held out because of tightness in his back. Cameron Payne had 24 points for the Suns, who have lost two of three following a five-game winning streak. Devin Booker added 21 points and Mikal Bridges 15. An energized Davis led the way for the defending NBA champions as they try to avoid the play-in tournament, with his one-handed alley-oop from Andre Drummond setting the tone as Los Angeles scored the first seven points. The Lakers led 30-19 after the first quarter. Los Angeles built its biggest advantage early in the fourth to go ahead by 23 points en route to avoid being swept in... [More]

PHOENIX (AP) — The Phoenix Suns have waived reserve center Damian Jones. The 25-year-old Jones appeared in 14 games this season, averaging 1.6 points and 1.3 rebounds per game. He was never able to consistently break into the playing rotation, falling behind Frank Kaminsky, Dario Saric and Jae Crowder on the depth chart. The 6-foot-11 Jones also has played for the Warriors and Hawks during his five-year career. His most productive season came last year with the Hawks, when he averaged 5.6 points and 3.7 rebounds per game. The Suns' roster now has 15 players. ___ More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

PHOENIX (AP) — The bubble was encouraging for them and so was the offseason. But the real proof that the Phoenix Suns might be ready to end their 10-year playoff drought obviously wouldn't come until all the new players were actually on the floor. So far, so good. The Suns — built around the All-Star backcourt of Chris Paul and Devin Booker — have won six of the past seven games to push their record to 14-9 about one-third through the slightly shortened 72-game NBA season. That’s good for fourth place in the Western Conference behind the Jazz, Lakers and Clippers. Booker's goal is to show the Suns are just beginning to show what they can do. They've got another big opportunity Wednesday when they host Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks, who are 16-8 and second in the Eastern Conference. “We're at a crucial part of the season where we have to lock in more than ever,” Booker said. “We need to do our work early instead of trying to make up games toward the end of the year.” Phoenix... [More]

MIAMI (AP) — Pat Riley is always looking around for ways to make the Miami Heat better. This offseason has him wondering if that improvement might come from within. The Heat president said Friday that the top offseason priority of the Eastern Conference champions “is to take care of the players that we have” such as free-agent-to-be Goran Dragic, all while maintaining salary cap flexibility to add an impact player in a 2021 offseason that could see many stars on the move. “We have a good idea of what we want to do,” Riley said in his annual end-of-season media availability. No plan can be considered completely firm yet; the NBA’s board of governors were meeting Friday, simultaneous to Riley speaking, to discuss ideas about when it might be feasible to start next season -- with Dec. 22 as the initial target for a season of about 72 games. And the financial details for next season remain unclear as well, such as the salary cap and luxury tax numbers. All that will have an obvious impact on... [More]

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — Jimmy Butler and Goran Dragic had their arms slung over the other’s shoulders as they walked out of the arena following the final game of Miami’s season, helping each other in the most painful of moments. That was the Heat way all year long. A bunch of strangers at the start of the season forged intense bonds over the next 12 months, and the result was a surprising run to the NBA Finals. Another Eastern Conference championship banner will be swaying in Miami soon, and there is no doubt that the Heat will enter next season — whenever it starts — believing that they’re among the favorites to win the 2021 NBA title. “This season has been a tremendous season for us, for me,” Dragic said. “We had a lot of bonds together. We go through good times, bad times, but we always stay together. And I think that that’s something that it’s really rare to find.” The Heat went from 10th in the East last season to second in the NBA this season, falling to the Los Angeles Lakers... [More]

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — Bam Adebayo has not wanted much credit for anything this season, always deferring to others in the Miami Heat locker room when things are going well. Things didn’t go well Friday night. And Adebayo wanted — demanded, really — all the blame. His stat line — 13 points, eight rebounds, eight assists on 5-for-11 shooting — certainly didn’t look as abysmal as Adebayo made his effort sound after Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals, when Miami fell apart in the third quarter and saw its series lead trimmed to 3-2 after a 121-108 loss to the Boston Celtics. But he didn’t like much of anything about his night and headed back to the hotel following the game vowing that he would find a way to be better in Game 6 on Sunday. “I put that game on me,” Adebayo said. “It’s not my teammates’ fault, it’s not my coaches’ fault. It’s me. I missed too many shots I should have made. Put that one on me.” No matter what the subject matter was within the handful of questions he... [More]

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — It didn’t take Jae Crowder very long after joining the Miami Heat to figure out who the veteran leader of the team was. “Udonis Haslem,” he said. Correct. But who was the person that taught Haslem how to be that locker-room voice, that sage, “the O.G.” as the Heat call him? That would be Corey Crowder. Jae Crowder’s father. Haslem and Jae Crowder are now Heat teammates, competing in the Eastern Conference finals against the Boston Celtics. Corey Crowder is living in Fort Myers, Florida, a couple hours west of Miami, a couple hours southwest of Lake Buena Vista — the site of the NBA’s restart at Walt Disney World. And nearly two decades ago in France, Corey Crowder took a young rookie under his wing to show him the ropes. That rookie was Udonis Haslem. “It’s an awesome story, when you think about it,” Corey Crowder said. This tale of things going full circle starts 18 years ago in Chalon-sur-Saône, France, about 200 miles southeast of Paris. Haslem was a 22-year-old... [More]

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — Jae Crowder will tell anybody who asks that the Miami Heat are extremely well-prepared for whatever comes their way in the Eastern Conference finals. He can say the same about the Boston Celtics, too. Crowder and fellow Heat teammate Kelly Olynyk are both in the East title series for the second time. Their first time was in 2017 — when they were Boston teammates under coach Brad Stevens. And it isn’t hard for Crowder to see the similarities between Stevens and Heat coach Erik Spoelstra. “Oh, the No. 1 thing that sticks out to me is the attention to detail,” Crowder said. “Both coaches have preached that and pushed that with their teams, respectively. You need that at this level. You need that at this time of the year, because both teams really know exactly what they’re trying to get to. It’s just about the level of detail that you’re doing it and how much you’re imposing your will.” The Celtics lost that 2017 series to the Cleveland Cavaliers, and neither Olynyk... [More]

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — Meyers Leonard was bent forward at the waist, standing a few feet away from Miami coach Erik Spoelstra on the Heat sideline, screaming with every bit of the volume that his deep and booming voice can generate. This is his role right now for the Heat. His only role. Leonard is in a tough spot these days; a full-time starter during the regular season, he is now out of the rotation as the Heat have made their run to the Eastern Conference finals. It is a bitter pill for him to swallow — yet to his credit, he hasn’t acted the least bit bitter about his current reality. “My team knows this, and our coaching staff knows this,” Leonard told The Associated Press. “I would do anything to be out there. And I’d be lying if I said that I’m not competitive as hell. I wish I was impacting the game on the floor. I’m not, but as a person and as a player, I want what’s best for everybody.” So for now, the 7-foot, 260-pound, chiseled center is the tallest, strongest and best-paid... [More]

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — The Milwaukee Bucks will play another day.They’re waiting to see if reigning NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo will join them.It’s still a dire situation for the team that had the league's best regular-season record this season — they’re down 3-1 in the Eastern Conference semifinals to the Miami Heat, with another win-or-go-home test awaiting in Game 5 on Tuesday night. And they don’t know if Antetokounmpo, who sprained his right ankle in Game 3 and then again in Game 4, will be ready.“There’s hope,” Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said. “We’re not ruling him out, so I guess until he’s ruled out you have hope. He’s going to do everything he can to make himself available.”Also Tuesday: Game 3 of the Western Conference semifinals, with that matchup between the Los Angeles Lakers and Houston Rockets tied at a game apiece.Antetokounmpo was with the Bucks for their light practice Monday. He got treatment on the ankle, then left wearing a protective boot over his right... [More]

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — Having the NBA's best record during the regular season shows the obvious potential of the Milwaukee Bucks.It also means they haven't dealt with major on-court adversity often.They are now, facing a pivotal Game 3 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series against the rolling Miami Heat on Friday night. The top-seeded Bucks have dropped the first two games to the fifth-seeded Heat, marking just the fifth time this season that they've had a multi-game losing streak.“We've said it many times," Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said. “I think your character really comes through when you face adversity, when you're tested. I think the character of this group is off the charts."They are being tested now, so that theory better ring true for Milwaukee — or else.The ending of Game 2 was bizarre, a close call looking like it would take a win away from Miami — Goran Dragic’s foul of Khris Middleton with the Heat up by three in the final seconds, a play where Middleton tied... [More]

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — Jimmy Butler was not with the Miami Heat for practice Sunday, and one of his teammates suggested that he was quarantining away from the team.The Heat said only that Butler, who scored 22 points in Miami’s restart-opening win over Denver on Saturday, had “an excused absence." But Heat teammate Jae Crowder indicated that it wasn’t just a day off for Butler.“We want to talk to him as soon as he gets out of quarantine or whatever he’s in,” Crowder said. “It’s just a next-man-up mentality from a standpoint of staying locked in and engaged, because we know he’s locked in and engaged once he’s able to get back with us.“It’s definitely a curveball for all of us to hear stuff like what’s going on with him,” Crowder added. “You never know what to expect.”Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said he didn't know whether Butler would be available to play Monday when Miami faces the Toronto Raptors. The Heat play the Boston Celtics on Tuesday.Crowder's reference to “quarantine," especially... [More]

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — Jimmy Butler was not with the Miami Heat for practice Sunday, and one of his teammates suggested that he was quarantining away from the team.The Heat said only that Butler, who scored 22 points in Miami’s restart-opening win over Denver on Saturday, had “an excused absence." But Heat teammate Jae Crowder indicated that it wasn’t just a day off for Butler.“We want to talk to him as soon as he gets out of quarantine or whatever he’s in,” Crowder said. “It’s just a next-man-up mentality from a standpoint of staying locked in and engaged, because we know he’s locked in and engaged once he’s able to get back with us.“It’s definitely a curveball for all of us to hear stuff like what’s going on with him,” Crowder added. “You never know what to expect.”Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said he didn't know whether Butler would be available to play Monday when Miami faces the Toronto Raptors. The Heat then play the Boston Celtics on Tuesday.Crowder's reference to “quarantine,"... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Tom Thibodeau is coming back to the New York Knicks, who are still seeking the success they enjoyed when he was an assistant two decades ago.The Knicks are finishing a deal to make Thibodeau their coach, a person with knowledge of the details said Saturday.No contract has been signed but a deal is expected to be announced next week, the person told The Associated Press, speaking on condition of anonymity because negotiations were ongoing.ESPN first reported that the Knicks and Thibodeau were completing a five-year contract.When they do, the 2011 NBA Coach of the Year in Chicago will become the 13th different person to coach the Knicks since Jeff Van Gundy resigned early in the 2001-02 season. Orlando Magic coach Steve Clifford was told during his team’s scrimmage at Walt Disney World against the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday that Thibodeau, his longtime friend and confidant, was going to get the New York job.“Look, he’s one of my closest friends,” Clifford said. “He’s one... [More]

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — The Memphis Grizzlies' rebuilding plan is ahead of even the most optimistic schedule,They have won more games before the All-Star break than predicted and currently hold the No. 8 spot in the Western Conference standings.“We had high hopes for what this group could become, and I think it's fair to say that this group has already exceeded I think any realistic expectations that anyone had internally or externally,” Memphis general manager Zach Kleiman said Monday. Kleiman talked to reporters Monday for the first time since the trade deadline. The Grizzlies are 3-1 in February and have won 14 of their last 18 and are 27-26 overall — a game above what most sports books expected this season.It's a quick turnaround from just over a year ago when Memphis was breaking up the final pieces of a group that set a franchise record with seven straight playoff appearances that ended in 2017.The Grizzlies traded center Marc Gasol to Toronto. Then controlling owner Robert Pera shook... [More]

MIAMI (AP) — In deciding whether to pursue a trade for Andre Iguodala, the Miami Heat went all-in on research. They talked to people who knew Iguodala. They watched what he did last season. They took a deep dive into the analytics.And they came to a determination.“He’s elite,” Heat President Pat Riley said.Simple as that. That’s why Iguodala is now in Heat colors, and a team that wasn’t even good enough to make the playoffs last season is thinking big as it gears up for a run at the 2020 postseason. Iguodala, Jae Crowder and Solomon Hill all joined the team for a game-day shootaround practice in Sacramento on Friday to get their first taste of what life with the Heat is like.“He's an elite defender, an elite team defender, elite assist-to-turnover percentage, he ranks up into the top of those areas that are real tangible,” Riley said. “You don't lose that in seven months. And probably it was a blessing in disguise that he didn't play for seven months.Iguodala last played an NBA game in... [More]

MIAMI (AP) — Most of the top NBA playoff contenders stayed out of the down-to-the-wire frenzy at the trade deadline.Miami and the Los Angeles Clippers beefed up instead.And a slew of other teams — including the Golden State Warriors — made moves with short-term finances and long-term ramifications in mind.The NBA’s 3 p.m. EST deadline Thursday for trades to be consummated did not arrive quietly, with a flurry of deals getting struck in the final hour and at least one other notable move falling apart before reaching the finish line. Deals that included at least 41 players and 15 future draft picks were struck on either Wednesday or Thursday — the biggest move likely being the one Thursday that saw Andrew Wiggins going from Minnesota to the Warriors so D’Angelo Russell could leave Golden State finally be paired with his good friend Karl-Anthony Towns with the Timberwolves.Here's how busy the Timberwolves were at trade-deadline time: They announced the jersey numbers of eight new players Thursday... [More]

MIAMI (AP) — Most of the top NBA playoff contenders stayed out of the down-to-the-wire frenzy at the trade deadline.Miami and the Los Angeles Clippers beefed up instead.And a slew of other teams — including the Golden State Warriors — made moves with short-term finances and long-term ramifications in mind.The NBA’s 3 p.m. EST deadline Thursday for trades to be consummated did not arrive quietly, with a flurry of deals getting struck in the final hour and at least one other notable move falling apart before reaching the finish line. Deals that included at least 41 players and 15 future draft picks were struck on either Wednesday or Thursday — the biggest move likely being the one Thursday that saw Andrew Wiggins going from Minnesota to the Warriors so D’Angelo Russell could leave Golden State finally be paired with his good friend Karl-Anthony Towns with the Timberwolves.Here's how busy the Timberwolves were at trade-deadline time: They announced the jersey numbers of eight new players Thursday... [More]

MIAMI (AP) — Each of the last nine NBA Finals have included either the Miami Heat or Andre Iguodala.They’d like to go there together now.Iguodala is about to get back on the floor, and the Heat are hoping that they’re closer to becoming legitimate contenders again. The trade sending Iguodala to Miami is official, finally getting completed on Thursday with league approval one day after the Heat struck a deal with the Memphis Grizzlies to land the 2015 NBA Finals MVP.“He won, what, three championship rings?” Heat guard Goran Dragic said in Los Angeles after the deal was agreed upon. “Happy to have him. Can't wait to pick his brain. He's going to do great things for us.”It ended up as a three-team deal: Miami sent Justise Winslow, James Johnson and Dion Waiters to Memphis, with the Grizzlies sending Iguodala, Jae Crowder and Solomon Hill to the Heat. The Grizzlies then flipped Johnson to Minnesota for Gorgui Dieng. The Grizzlies were also working on either waiving or buying out Waiters.Before... [More]

MIAMI (AP) — Most of the top NBA playoff contenders stayed out of the down-to-the-wire frenzy at the trade deadline.Miami and the Los Angeles Clippers beefed up instead.And a slew of other teams — including the Golden State Warriors — made moves with short-term finances and long-term ramifications in mind.The NBA’s 3 p.m. EST deadline Thursday for trades to be consummated did not arrive quietly, with a flurry of deals getting struck in the final hour and at least one other notable move falling apart before reaching the finish line. Deals that included at least 41 players and 15 future draft picks were struck on either Wednesday or Thursday — the biggest move likely being the one Thursday that saw Andrew Wiggins going from Minnesota to the Warriors so D’Angelo Russell could leave Golden State finally be paired with his good friend Karl-Anthony Towns with the Timberwolves.Marcus Morris leaves New York for Los Angeles, going from the woebegone Knicks to the title-hoping Clippers — who added... [More]