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]

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.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 Karl-Anthony Towns.Indiana's Victor Oladipo was selected as one of the Eastern Conference reserves, even though his season is over because of injury. The other reserves from the East were Toronto's Kyle Lowry, Milwaukee's Khris Middleton, Philadelphia's Ben Simmons, Washington's Bradley Beal, Detroit's Blake Griffin... [More]

DENVER (AP) — Nikola Jokic's one-game suspension for leaving the bench during an altercation took Denver Nuggets coach Michael Malone by surprise."I felt — we felt — pretty strongly that he would not be suspended based on other instances, similar instances. But they saw it in a different light," Malone said prior to the Nuggets' game Friday night against the Phoenix Suns, who were missing their own center, DeAndre Ayton, with a sprained ankle.One of those similar situations Malone surely had in mind was NBA superstar Stephen Curry's avoidance of a suspension after leaving the bench in a strikingly similar manner to Jokic in Golden State's final preseason game a few months ago.On that night, the Lakers' Lance Stephenson was fouled by Quinn Cook and threw a quick punch. Curry rose from his seat on the baseline and took several steps onto the court. Curry wasn't suspended for the Warriors' next game, which was their season opener against Oklahoma City when the Warriors received their championship... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Denver Nuggets big man Nikola Jokic received a one-game suspension for leaving the bench during an altercation.Jokic will miss the contest Friday night against the Phoenix Suns, the league announced.The Serbian center stepped toward the court during Wednesday's loss at Utah when teammate Mason Plumlee and Derrick Favors of the Jazz engaged in an altercation near the basket. The league ruled that Jokic's "proximity to the altercation and aggressive manner created the potential for further escalation of the situation."Jokic leads the Nuggets in points (19.8), rebounds (10.3) and assists (7.7) this season.Plumlee received a $25,000 fine for the incident that occurred late in the first quarter and Favors was fined $15,000.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/tag/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

DENVER (AP) — Monte Morris restored his long-range jumper to mint condition.The Great Spearmint Gum Wrapper Experiment worked.Last summer, the Denver Nuggets backup point guard went through shooting drills with a wrapper from a stick of gum — mostly spearmint, he said — wedged between his thumb and index finger on his guide hand. It was a way to find a more reliable release.Now, there's no bursting his bubble. Morris is shooting 42.9 percent from 3-point range for a Nuggets team that's challenging Golden State for the top spot in the Western Conference."I just wanted more consistency," said Morris, whose team plays at Utah on Wednesday as they try to remain unbeaten in the Northwest Division. "It's now second nature."A 2017 second-round pick by Denver, Morris was signed to a two-way contract last season. He spent most of his time with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers of the NBA G League, where he averaged 17.8 points and shot 33 percent from long range. He did play in three games for the Nuggets,... [More]

DENVER (AP) — The Denver Nuggets woke up out of first place in the Western Conference for the first time in 2019.Arriving at work on Wednesday, a stark reminder of just why awaited: Watching the footage of Golden State hitting 21 3-pointers.It wasn't fun viewing.The playoff-contending Nuggets learned a hard truth in a 142-111 loss to the Warriors in which they allowed an NBA-record 51-point first quarter and all those 3-pointers: They still have plenty of work to do."This was not a blame day," coach Michael Malone said after a lively practice that followed the film session. "This was not anything of the sort. It was to watch film, to learn from it, to get better."If we want to be the team we all talk about being, we have to learn from this."In a playoff-like atmosphere Tuesday and in front of a capacity crowd at the Pepsi Center, the Nuggets couldn't raise their game .On the other side, the occasion brought out the best in the Warriors."We don't have that level yet," said Malone, whose... [More]

NBA teams piled up the points like they hadn't done in 35 years.Three teams scored 140 points Tuesday night, with the Golden State Warriors setting an NBA record by pouring in 51 during the first quarter of their victory over Denver.The Warriors went on to a 142-111 win that moved them ahead of the Nuggets into first place in the Western Conference."They made a lot of shots, to be honest," Denver's Nikola Jokic said. "They played really good basketball at a high level."And that wasn't even the biggest total of the night.Philadelphia and Atlanta also surpassed 140.The league said it was the first time three teams scored 140 on the same night since Jan. 7, 1984, when the Warriors (154), Nuggets (141) and Knicks (140) reached the mark."Tonight the shots just kept falling," said Atlanta's Trae Young, who was referring to the Hawks' game but could have been talking about a few of them. "When you see the ball go in like we did tonight, I think it just keeps rolling."Philadelphia went for 149... [More]

NBA teams piled up the points like they hadn't done in 35 years.Three teams scored 140 points Tuesday night, with the Golden State Warriors setting an NBA record by pouring in 51 during the first quarter of their victory over Denver.The Warriors went on to a 142-111 win that moved them ahead of the Nuggets into first place in the Western Conference."They made a lot of shots, to be honest," Denver's Nikola Jokic said. "They played really good basketball at a high level."And that wasn't even the biggest total of the night.Philadelphia went for 149, with an 83-point first half, in a 42-point rout of Minnesota in the first meeting between the teams since the Jimmy Butler trade.Also, the Atlanta Hawks beat Oklahoma City 142-126.The league said it was the first time three teams scored 140 on the same night since Jan. 7, 1984 , when the Warriors (154), Nuggets (141) and Knicks (140) reached the mark.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

DENVER (AP) — Nikola Jokic is happiest when he's simply dribbling the ball up the floor. Or so the Denver Nuggets big man has been told."My godfather," Jokic said , "is always telling me, 'You look so happy when you're dribbling. You don't even need to shoot or pass it. Just punt it into the stands.'"Now that would be something new for Jokic. Or just keep doing what he's doing.Led by Jokic's All-Star-level play, the Nuggets are out front in the Western Conference at the halfway mark of the season. They ride a 12-game home win streak into their showdown Tuesday against Golden State — the team everyone figured would be leading the West."We're doing good right now," Jokic said.At 29-13, the Nuggets are tied for their best NBA start in franchise history with a 1976-77 squad that featured David Thompson and Dan Issel. This also marks the latest in a season the team has led the conference since March 16, 1977.It's a tenuous lead, though, and just a half-game ahead of the Warriors (29-14), who've... [More]

Go back to the 1999-2000 NBA season, and there were only two foreign-born players in the NBA who averaged 15 points per game: Dirk Nowitzki and Tim Duncan.This season, there are 24 names on that list — by far the most in league history.The NBA international imprint just keeps getting bigger, providing the sort of transformative impact the likes of which the league probably hasn't seen since the ABA merger.One of the MVP front-runners at this point is Greece's Giannis Antetokounmpo, who has led Milwaukee to the NBA's best record entering Wednesday. Dallas' Luka Doncic looks like an overwhelming favorite to become the first Slovenian rookie of the year. Cameroon's Joel Embiid might be the dominant big man in the league, and keeps getting better for Philadelphia.These aren't just some guys taking up roster spots, either.These are franchise players. At least one-third of the league's teams have a foreign-born player who would classify as its best, or at least its most important."It's been fun... [More]

DENVER (AP) — Nikola Jokic considers himself a point guard who just so happens to be trapped in a center's 250-pound frame."I'm telling that to everybody," the Denver Nuggets standout said. "But nobody believes in that except me."It's as good a description as any for the hard-to-label and even harder-to-stop play of the 7-footer nicknamed Joker.He doesn't exactly have the most athletic look or leap out of the gym, but he's elevated the Western Conference-leading Nuggets to new heights this season. Jokic is in line to become Denver's first All-Star since Carmelo Anthony in 2010-11 and is being mentioned in the MVP conversation.Jokic shrugs off all the attention. He's just an unassuming big man doing uncommon things on the court so often it's becoming common."A 7-2 Magic Johnson," Knicks coach David Fizdale said as he over-inflated Jokic's height in comparing him to the Los Angeles Lakers Hall of Famer. "He's as good of a passer as any guard in the league. He can shoot 3s. But his ball handling... [More]

DENVER (AP) — The topic: Denver leading the Western Conference and whether teams are starting to take the Nuggets more seriously.The look from Nikola Jokic: Nearly expressionless. The Joker doesn't jest about this subject."To be honest, I don't really care," Jokic said . "Because we know that we're good."Denver is missing three starters and still boasts a percentage points lead over Golden State in the conference standings . This marks the latest into a season the Nuggets have been leading the conference since December 18, 1984.The Nuggets have swagger, confidence and Jokic, the big Serbian center/forward/guard who's blossoming into one of the league's most hard-to-defend players."A lot of people just think we are on a hot run right now," said forward Torrey Craig, whose team has won 10 of 12 heading into Tuesday's game against Dallas. "They don't really believe in us. But I think we have started to open a lot of eyes. We just have to realize how we win."Grind it out? They can do that.... [More]

DENVER (AP) — Nuggets coach Michael Malone kept the mood light at practice Monday and the lectures to a minimum.No reason to get too worked up over Denver's current three-game skid. After all, this is the same bunch that began 9-1 for one of the best starts in franchise history.Malone's missive to his team: Rediscover that resolve."It's too early in the season to have their heads down and have it be gloom and doom," said Malone, whose team hosts James Harden, Chris Paul and the Houston Rockets on Tuesday night. "We're young. Some of these guys are in moments they haven't been in before. That's my job, to teach and keep this team moving along in the right direction."Given their recent history, there's a sense of early season urgency. That's understandable since the Nuggets missed the playoffs by a game in each of the last two years. They don't want piled-up losses in November to come back and haunt them in April.Especially since everything was going so smoothly out of the gate. But the Nuggets... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — The NBA has fined Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic $25,000 for using derogatory and offensive language during a postgame interview.Jokic made his comments to the media following the Nuggets' 108-107 overtime victory against the Chicago Bulls on Oct. 31.The fine was handed down Wednesday by league discipline executive Kiki VanDeWeghe.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

DENVER (AP) — Fair warning: Don't challenge Nikola Jokic and Gary Harris to a game of Spikeball.The Denver duo are the team's undisputed champions of a sport that's a little like volleyball, only players hit the ball off a trampoline-style net that's set up on the ground. They recently won a team tournament."It's the perfect sport for me," the 6-foot-10 Jokic said.Or basketball. Because he's pretty good at that, too.The versatile big man averaged 18.5 points, 10.7 rebounds and 6.1 assists last season. His reward from the Nuggets was a max contract worth around $147 million for five seasons.Next on The Joker's to-do list: Lead the Nuggets back to the postseason for the first time since 2012-13. Denver lost out on the eighth and final playoff spot last season with an overtime loss in Minnesota during their last game."We have an identity now and Nikola is a huge part of that identity," coach Michael Malone said. "He's slowly and surely having that confidence and that swagger to be a franchise... [More]

Editors:To help you plan for the upcoming NBA season, here are some of AP's plans before games begin Oct. 16. Please contact Oscar Dixon (odixon@ap.org) with any questions. All times Eastern. This advisory will be updated and is subject to change.PRESEASONThe AP is providing a daily roundup of preseason games, leading with the top angle of the night.UPCOMING STORIES:BKN--Magic-CliffordORLANDO, Fla. — Steve Clifford is sleeping more every night now, part of his commitment to health after a huge scare last season. But he knows that taking over as coach of the Orlando Magic and starting a rebuilding job will be an enormous challenge nonetheless — no matter how much more sleep he gets. By Basketball Writer Tim Reynolds. UPCOMING: 800 words, photos by 2 p.m. Oct. 8BKN--NBA Diversity-Front OfficesThe NBA usually gets high marks for its diversity efforts and is widely viewed as a leader on social issues. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver believes the league needs to be better, and he made his feelings... [More]

DENVER (AP) — The debates have been so lively inside the Denver Nuggets locker room recently that coach Michael Malone wanders in to make sure everything's all right.Just the enthusiasm of guard Isaiah Thomas bubbling to the surface. He's turning up the intensity with his booming voice in what's been a rather quiet room.Think he's chatty now, wait until he's fully cleared after undergoing hip surgery in March. That's when he will do his real talking — with his play.Thomas hopes to provide another spark to a Nuggets team that hasn't reached the postseason since 2012-13. Last season, the team went down to the wire, with the Nuggets losing out on the No. 8 seed to Minnesota in the final game — a stinging 112-106 overtime defeat."We just have to be more consistent and take things more serious and I think that's what I'm here for," said Thomas, who signed a $2 million, one-year deal in the offseason to prove his hip is healthy and worth a more lucrative contract. "I'm not saying I'm the guy... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — The Brooklyn Nets have acquired forwards Kenneth Faried and Darrell Arthur along with a 2019 first-round pick from the Denver Nuggets.The Nets also received a second-round pick in 2020 in the trade announced Friday. They sent guard Isaiah Whitehead to Denver.Denver, looking to cut costs after giving new deals to Nikola Jokic and Will Barton, subsequently waived Whitehead.Faried averaged 11.4 points and 8.2 rebounds in seven seasons in Denver, though his playing time declined and he appeared in just 32 games last season. Arthur has spent nine seasons in the NBA, first with Memphis and the last five with Denver.Both players are in the final years of their contracts. Faried is due $13.8 million next season and Arthur $7.5 million.Whitehead, a second-round pick in 2016, appeared in 89 games over two seasons for Brooklyn.___More AP basketball: https://apnews.com/tag/NBAbasketball

DENVER (AP) — Now that the Denver Nuggets have a player they coveted in the NBA draft, their focus shifts to the start of free agency next week.Michael Porter Jr. went to the Nuggets at No. 14 Thursday night, giving them a potential impact player. Now the priority this offseason is keeping their own free agents and locking down the face of the franchise.Center and budding superstar Nikola Jokic is the top priority, and president of basketball operations Tim Connelly has said the Nuggets want to sign him to a long-term contract before he hits the market next summer."Nikola's going to be here for a long, long time," Connelly said. "Whatever we do, we're going to ensure that he's here as long as possible. We'll talk to Nikola, his brothers and his representation and he'll be in Denver for a long, long time. He'll be buying here."Will Barton is an unrestricted free agent and forward Wilson Chandler can opt out of the last year of his deal. Connelly said the Nuggets want to retain both."Will... [More]