INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The short-handed Indiana Pacers will be down at least one more player for Tuesday night's play-in game against the Charlotte Hornets after forward Caris LeVert entered the league's health and safety protocol. Team officials made the announcement about five hours before tipoff and a day after coach Nate Bjorkgren said LeVert was feeling better and was expected to play after missing the second half of Sunday's victory over Toronto with a migraine headache. It's the latest twist for the Pacers in an injury-plagued season. Starting forward T.J. Warren hasn't played since late December because of a stress fracture in his left foot. Center Myles Turner hasn't played since mid-April because of a right foot injury. And now LeVert, who had surgery earlier this year to remove a cancerous growth in his kidney after being acquired in a January trade with Brooklyn, can't return for 10 to 14 days — if the Pacers are still playing. Backup guard Jeremy Lamb also has been ruled out Tuesday... [More]

MIAMI (AP) — Malcolm Brogdon scored 27 points on 10-of-12 shooting and the Indiana Pacers beat the Miami Heat 137-110 Friday night. The Pacers, who had lost eight of their last 10, were never threatened after building a double-digit lead late in the second quarter. Indiana finished with its highest scoring total ever against Miami, including the playoffs — topping the previous high of 127 in 1992. “The aggressive mode that the team was in, when they attacked they were relentless,” Indiana coach Nate Bjorkgren said. “I was pleased with the sharing but more pleased with the defensive end. I thought the communication and talking was very good on the defensive end, especially in the second half.” Domantas Sabonis had 13 points and 15 rebounds and T.J. McConnell finished with 16 points and 15 assists for the Pacers. Doug McDermott and Justin Holiday added 17 points each. The Pacers shot 20-of-36 on 3-pointers and Brogdon tied a career high with seven. “We’ve got to keep our foot on the gas this... [More]

MIAMI (AP) — Malcolm Brogdon scored 27 points on 10-of-12 shooting and the Indiana Pacers beat the Miami Heat 137-110 Friday night. The Pacers, who had lost eight of their last 10, were never threatened after building a double-digit lead late in the second quarter. Indiana finished with its highest scoring total ever against Miami, including the playoffs — topping the previous high of 127 in 1992. Domantas Sabonas had 13 points and 15 rebounds and T.J. McConnell finished with 16 points and 15 assists for the Pacers. IDoug McDermott and Justin Holiday added 17 points each. The Pacers shot 20-of-36 on 3-pointers and Brogdon tied a season high with seven. Bam Adebayo scored 20 points and Jimmy Butler added 17 for Miami, which has lost two straight after winning 11 of 13. Trevor Ariza was scorelesss in his Heat debut. Ariza joined the 10th team of his 16-year NBA career after Miami acquired the 35-year-old forward from Oklahoma City in exchange for Meyers Leonard and a 2027 second round pick... [More]

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Caris LeVert arrived in Indianapolis last week feeling perfectly fine. He was eager to meet his new teammates, join the starting lineup and make his Pacers debut. Then came the shocking news from Indiana's team doctors: They found a small mass on LeVert's left kidney. Suddenly everything went on hold and now, as LeVert awaits test results to find out if the growth is cancerous, the 6-foot-6 guard realizes just how fortunate he was to be included in last week's blockbuster trade. “I hadn't missed any games this season yet. I was 100% healthy," he said during a video call Tuesday. “In a way this trade showed and revealed what was going on in my body. So I’m definitely looking at it from that side and definitely humbled to know that that this trade could have saved me in the long run." If he hadn't gone from Brooklyn to Houston in the James Harden deal, then from the Rockets to Indiana in exchange for Victor Oladipo last Wednesday, it's unclear when — or if — the mass would... [More]

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Caris LeVert's debut with the Indiana Pacers has been put on hold indefinitely after an MRI revealed a small mass on his left kidney. President of basketball operations Kevin Pritchard made the announcement Saturday, three days after LeVert became part of a blockbuster, four-team deal that sent perennial All-Star James Harden to the Brooklyn Nets, two-time All-Star Victor Oladipo to the Houston Rockets. Pritchard did not provide details of the diagnosis including whether it was cancerous and declined to establish a timeline for LeVert's return. “In the medical process we’ve done, we were able to find something that could help this kid and give him a better and clean prognosis for the rest of his life," Pritchard said on a Zoom call Saturday. “It’s an incredible story, and it's something we don't take lightly." It also didn't scuttle the big trade though Houston and Cleveland, the fourth team involved, agreed to throw in future, unspecified second-round picks to keep... [More]

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Myles Turner has been to the playoffs each of his first five seasons with the Indiana Pacers. He still hasn't reached the second round.“At some point, you have to get over the hump," the 24-year-old center said, emphatically acknowledging he's taking it personally.Whether that happens next season largely depends on how the front office, the coaches and his teammats handle this offseason, however long it lasts.How much of a struggle has the postseason been for Indiana?The loss to Miami on Monday sealed a second straight first-round sweep and the team's third in four years — the only best-of-seven series sweeps in the franchise's NBA history. They've lost a franchise-record nine consecutive playoff games, too.Sure, there are obvious explanations.Two-time All-Star Victor Oladipo wasn't available last season because of a season-ending knee injury. Then he missed most of Game 1 against Miami after getting poked in the eye.Domantas Sabonis, who made his first All-Star appearance... [More]

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Indiana Pacers point guard Malcolm Brogdon will be out indefinitely with a torn left hip muscle, the team announced Saturday.He is listed as week to week.Brogdon left Wednesday's game at Milwaukee with a sore left hip, did not return and missed Friday's game at Chicago.It's yet another blow to the Pacers, who played without Doug McDermott (sore right big toe) on Friday and already have lost Jeremy Lamb with season-ending injuries to his left knee. Two-time All-Star Victor Oladipo also has missed four of the Pacers' last six games with lower back and right knee ailments.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Indiana Pacers guard Jeremy Lamb will miss the rest of this season with a left knee injury.Lamb was injured in the second quarter of the Pacers' 46-point loss Sunday at Toronto. Team officials announced Monday that he had a torn anterior cruciate ligament, a torn lateral meniscus and a lateral fracture in the bone. He will undergo surgery but no date has been determined.Lamb started 42 games this season and was averaging 12.5 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.1 assists. He joined the team as a free agent last summer and had been the staring guard until two-time All-Star Victor Oladipo returned from his knee injury in late January and reclaimed the job earlier this month.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Toronto coach Nick Nurse keeps imploring the defending NBA champions to fix their flaws.The bigger challenge, right now, might be identifying those errors.Two days after rallying from a 19-point deficit to extend their franchise-record winning streak, the short-handed Raptors used another late charge to pull away from Indiana 115-106 on Friday night for their 13th consecutive victory.“I thought we were into it the whole 48 minutes," Nurse said. "I thought we were playing well enough to maybe get away. You know how those games come down to somebody hits a couple at one end, somebody misses a couple at the other and all of a sudden the game's over."Lately, the Raptors seem to have had all the answers.They've won without Marc Gasol and Norman Powell, two key players who are injured. They won Wednesday when it looked as though they didn't have a chance. And this time, they delivered the decisive final flurry without six-time All-Star Kyle Lowry.Lowry missed the final 14... [More]

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Serge Ibaka had 22 points and 10 rebounds and Fred VanVleet added 20 points Friday night, leading the Toronto Raptors past the Indiana Pacers 115-106 for their franchise-record 13th consecutive win.The Raptors haven't lost since Jan. 15 and beat the Pacers for the second time in three days, winning their first game in Indianapolis in 13 months.Domantas Sabonis had 19 points and 16 rebounds to lead the Pacers. Victor Oladipo added 15 points and four assists in his first home start since returning from an injured right knee.Indiana has lost four straight and three in a row at home.Toronto took control with a 12-3 run late in the third quarter, using it to grab an 87-78 lead. But, after six-time All-Star Kyle Lowry left with what appeared to be an injured right shoulder or arm, the Pacers closed out the quarter by scoring five straight.Lowry did not return.Indiana got as close as 101-99 with 6:47 left, but Toronto pulled away with a 12-4 spurt spurt that made it 113-103... [More]

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Victor Oladipo spent 12 months working, wondering and watching. He strengthened his body, his mind, his injured right knee and promised to return a better player.Now, he's finally healthy enough to start proving it.The All-Star guard expects to make his long-anticipated season debut Wednesday when the Indiana Pacers host Chicago.“I don't expect to do anything out there miraculous, I just expect to play basketball to the best of my ability,” he said Tuesday. “I know I'll get better as time goes on and I've got to be patient with my body and patient with the game. But I'm a competitor. I know it isn't going to be easy."Oladipo probably knew that much the moment he couldn't get up after crashing to the floor late in the first half of last January's game against Toronto. He left the court on a stretcher amid a crescendo of cheers from his adoring fans.Players around the league quickly took to social media to offer their encouragement, too.The next day, team officials announced... [More]

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Indiana Pacers guard Victor Oladipo said Wednesday he hopes to return to game action Jan. 29 against the Chicago Bulls.At least that's the tentative plan.It's the first time since Oladipo sustained a season-ending knee injury last January that the team or the two-time All-Star has established a specific date.And though Oladipo acknowledges nothing is definite, he's confident he will be able to play against the Bulls.The two-time All-Star has spent nearly a year working his way back from a ruptured quad tendon that required season-ending surgery and an extensive rehab program. He's been working out with the team since training camp last fall.Indiana expects Oladipo to bring scoring and energy to a lineup that has played better than aniticipated without its star player.President of basketball operations Kevin Pritchard spent the offseason rebuilding the Pacers roster to compensate for what was expected to be a prolonged absence. He acquired guard Malcolm Brogdon in a trade with Milwaukee, small forward T.J. Warren from Phoenix, and added free-agent guards Jeremy Lamb and Justin Holiday.All four have played key roles for a team that started the night sixth in the Eastern Conference.Oladipo was averaging 18.8 points, 5.6 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 1.7 steals when he was injured.___ More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/tag/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

ATLANTA (AP) — Even when producing the most first-half points of his career, Trae Young didn't carry the load alone for the Atlanta Hawks.Young's backcourt partner, Kevin Huerter, also enjoyed a memorable night.Young scored 30 of his 41 points in the first half, Huerter added a season-high 26 points and the Hawks recovered after blowing a 22-point lead to beat the Indiana Pacers 116-111 on Saturday night.Huerter scored 12 points in the third quarter, helping Atlanta keep pace in a game with 14 lead changes.“We had a couple guys out again tonight and a couple guys just weren't shooting very well,” Huerter said. “I was just trying to stay aggressive. I knew I made a couple shots and was feeling pretty good. We ran a lot of sets for me.”Young and Huerter combined to make nine 3-point shots. The Hawks, who have the NBA's worst record, improved to only 4-12 in home games.The Hawks started strong offensively, scoring 43 points in the first quarter. Defensive problems have helped keep Atlanta... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving will miss his second straight game because of a right shoulder injury.The Nets announced several hours before tipoff that the All-Star point guard wouldn’t play Monday night against the Indiana Pacers because of an impingement.Irving sat out for the first time this season Saturday at Chicago. Spencer Dinwiddie scored 24 points in his place to lead the Nets to a 117-111 victory.Irving is averaging 28.5 points in his first season in Brooklyn.The Pacers will be without guards Malcolm Brogdon (back), Jeremy Lamb (ankle) and T.J. McConnell (groin).____More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Victor Oladipo spends most of his summers playing basketball and working on skills.Over the past few months, he's been working on his mind.The Indiana Pacers' two-time All-Star believes it will make him a stronger player when he returns from a ruptured quad tendon in his right knee."Rehab is pretty strategic," Oladipo said Friday at the team's annual media day. "But the mind is another muscle that you need to work on and so that's what I'm trying to do because that can help with the healing process and the overall process."While neither Oladipo nor team officials have established a target date for his return, president of basketball operations Kevin Pritchard said in June he was hopeful Oladipo could be playing again by December or January. Center Myles Turners, last season's league champion in blocked shots, believes Oladipo could be back even sooner."I just know how Vic's wired," Turner said. "He's been attacking the whole process. He's already doing stuff on the court.... [More]

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Mitch Kupchak says the Charlotte Hornets plan to do everything they can to keep three-time All-Star Kemba Walker.The Hornets first-year general manager knows that has become a two-sided equation given Walker is set to become an unrestricted free agent in July and able to choose his next team. The 28-year-old Walker was an All-Star game starter this season and averaged a career-high 25.6 points per game, so he's expected to be hot commodity when the free agent market opens in July."I think this is a place that he wants to be and we'll do everything that we can to bring him back here," Kupchak said Friday. "But he is half of the equation."For Walker to stay, Kupchak may have to find productive quality pieces to put around him — and quickly.They've struggled to do that in the past with players like Nicolas Batum — who received a five-year, $120 million contract three years ago — failing to live up to expectations.Walker has said in the past he wants to continue playing... [More]

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — There's a part of Kemba Walker that wants to play his entire career with the Charlotte Hornets. There's another part that wants to compete for an NBA championship before he's too old.With the Hornets not ready to compete with the Golden State Warriors of the world, the 28-year-old Walker enters this offseason having to make a choice between loyalty and chasing a ring.And he's just not ready to do that just yet."I have no feeling right now, I don't know," Walker said of his impending decision in free agency this summer. "Honestly, I don't know what to expect. I guess it's a lot of different emotions bottled up into one. I'm not sure. I don't know."The three-time All-Star point guard is expected to be a hot commodity when free agency opens July 1.He's coming off his most productive season statistically, averaging a career-high 25.6 points per game to go along with 5.9 assists and 4.4 rebounds. He was selected as an All-Star game starter for the first time and has put... [More]

DETROIT (AP) — Kemba Walker is keeping the Charlotte Hornets in the postseason pictureWalker scored 20 of his 31 points in the first half to help Charlotte build a big lead and they went on to beat the Detroit Pistons 104-91 Sunday in a possibly pivotal game with just two games remaining in the regular season for the playoff-hopeful teams.The Hornets (38-42) have won three straight to cling to their chances of rallying for a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference."I'm happy to still be playing for something," Walker said.The Pistons have a lot at stake as well and yet they still seemed to lack effort at times, leading to some boos from their fans and criticism from at least one player."We didn't play for 48 minutes like we understood the implications and what this season is coming down to," Detroit star Blake Griffin said.Detroit (39-41) has lost four in a row to possibly plummet from being a sixth-seeded team to missing the postseason for a third consecutive year and the ninth time in... [More]

DETROIT (AP) — Kemba Walker scored 20 of his 31 points in the first half to help the Charlotte Hornets build a big lead and they went on to beat the Detroit Pistons 104-91 Sunday.Charlotte (38-42) has won three straight to cling to its chances of rallying for a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.The Pistons (39-41) have lost four in a row to possibly plummet from being a sixth-seeded team to missing the postseason for a third consecutive year and the ninth time in a decade.Detroit coach Dwane Casey said before the game that his team had to slow down Walker after he helped the Hornets win the previous three matchups.That simply didn't happen.Walker had 11 points in the first quarter and nine in the second, lifting the Hornets to a 60-42 lead.The electric point guard had plenty of help.Hornets reserve Frank Kaminski scored a season-high 24 points and Jeremy Lamb had 17 points off the bench. Charlotte's Dwayne Bacon had 14 points and rookie Miles Bridges added 10 points.Detroit was led... [More]

MIAMI (AP) — The last game of the Miami Heat season, the last regular-season game of Dwyane Wade's career, is April 10 in Brooklyn. If he had his way Wade would play for a few largely ceremonial minutes, get a ton of shots up and then grab a seat on the bench to watch the clock run down to the playoffs.Odds are, it won't happen that way.This race for the bottom of the Eastern Conference bracket is likely going down to the wire. For the Heat, that means the end of Wade's career could come quicker than they wanted.There are three unclaimed playoff spots in the East, with five teams still in the thick of the race, the whole batch separated by two losses. No. 6 Brooklyn (38-37), No. 7 Detroit (37-37), No. 8 Orlando (37-38), No. 9 Miami (36-38) and No. 10 Charlotte (35-39) have two weeks left to decide who's in and who's out.And Wade can envision that Heat at Nets game deciding playoff fates — as well as his own fate."I think we all know it's going to come down to the end," Wade said. "It's... [More]