The Memphis Grizzlies traded away the final piece of the franchise's best years on Wednesday, sending veteran point guard Mike Conley to the Utah Jazz for a trio of players, a person familiar with the deal told The Associated Press.The Grizzlies swapped Conley for forward Jae Crowder, guard/forward Kyle Korver and guard Grayson Allen, said the person, who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because neither Memphis nor Utah has announced the trade, which cannot be completed until the new league year starts on July 6.Conley confirmed the trade on Twitter, thanking Memphis for making him the man he is and being his home."Time for another chapter! Excited to give all I have to The Jazz ...!" Conley tweeted.ESPN.com first reported the deal, which it says also includes Utah's No. 23 pick overall in Thursday night's draft.Conley was the final piece of the core that led the Grizzlies to seven consecutive playoff berths, including the 2013 Western Conference Finals. Zach Randolph and Tony... [More]

The Memphis Grizzlies traded away the final piece of the franchise's best years on Wednesday, sending veteran point guard Mike Conley to the Utah Jazz for a trio of players, a person familiar with the deal told The Associated Press.The Grizzlies swapped Conley for Jae Crowder, Kyle Korver and Grayson Allen, said the person, who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because neither Memphis nor Utah has announced the trade.Conley confirmed the trade on Twitter, thanking Memphis for making him the man he is and being his home."Time for another chapter! Excited to give all I have to The Jazz ...!" Conley tweeted.ESPN.com first reported the deal, which it says also includes Utah's No. 23 pick overall in Thursday night's draft.Conley was the final piece of the core that led the Grizzlies to seven consecutive playoff berths, including the 2013 Western Conference Finals. Zach Randolph and Tony Allen left in 2017 as free agents, and Memphis traded Marc Gasol to Toronto in February, splitting... [More]

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Few teams could match the Utah Jazz in their ability to dominate on defense this season. An inability to generate consistent offense, however, ultimately doomed Utah in the postseason.After getting knocked out of the first-round of the postseason by the Houston Rockets, change is in the air for the Jazz as the team heads into the offseason. Utah plans to target shooters and playmakers in free agency who can take some of the defensive focus away from leading scorer Donovan Mitchell."We want to move the group forward," Jazz GM Dennis Lindsey said at the team's practice facility Thursday. "While we have a very good team, the results told us that we don't have a great team."Utah does have a solid foundation in place thanks to continued progress from Mitchell and center Rudy Gobert. The duo helped lead the Jazz to a 50-win season and a third straight playoff berth.Mitchell overcame a sluggish start to his sophomore season and showed his stellar rookie campaign was no fluke.... [More]

HOUSTON (AP) — Minutes after the Houston Rockets eliminated the Utah Jazz to advance to the Western Conference semifinals for the third straight season they were already looking ahead to the possibility of getting another shot at the Golden State Warriors."That's what I want," center Clint Capela said. "I want to face them."Veteran Chris Paul slightly scolded the 24-year-old for acknowledging that this is the matchup Houston has been looking forward to all season."That's going to be all over (the internet)," Paul said, shaking his head.But Paul couldn't deny that the Rockets are well aware that the Warriors have been the biggest roadblock to them vying for their first title in more than 20 years."Real talk, in order to get to where you want to get to, you have to go through them," he said. "They're the reigning champs. They've been running the West for five years straight now."But the Rockets will have to wait to see if they'll get that shot at the Warriors after they failed to close out... [More]

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Steve Kerr drove home from a stunning 35-point defeat at Oracle Arena one night last month and thought of something on the bright side: He can't recall very many ugly losses during Golden State's sensational five-year run.This season has brought a handful of embarrassing performances in the final hurrah at Oracle, and the Los Angeles Clippers added to the list by rallying from a 31-point deficit in the second half to win Game 2 of their first-round playoff series.Now, the two-time defending NBA champions will try to eliminate the Clippers by winning Game 5 on Wednesday night in Oakland. James Harden and Houston lead Utah 3-1 and also will try to wrap up their first-round series at home — potentially setting up one of the most anticipated second-round postseason matchups between the Warriors and Rockets."Close-out games are always difficult," Kerr said Tuesday. "Both teams at this point have a really good feel for one another, strategically what each one is trying... [More]

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Steve Kerr drove home from a stunning 35-point defeat at Oracle Arena one night last month and thought of something on the bright side: He can't recall very many ugly losses during Golden State's sensational five-year run.This season has brought a handful of embarrassing performances in the final hurrah at Oracle, and the Los Angeles Clippers added to the list by rallying from a 31-point deficit in the second half to win Game 2 of their first-round playoff series.Now, the two-time defending NBA champions will try to eliminate the Clippers by winning Game 5 on Wednesday night in Oakland. James Harden and Houston lead Utah 3-1 and also will try to wrap up their first-round series at home — potentially setting up one of the most anticipated second-round postseason matchups between the Warriors and Rockets."Close-out games are always difficult," Kerr said Tuesday. "Both teams at this point have a really good feel for one another, strategically what each one is trying... [More]

DETROIT (AP) — Milwaukee's Giannis Antetokounmpo and Houston's James Harden were this season's leading NBA MVP candidates .In their latest playoff games, the superstars had relatively lackluster performances and their teammates were more than capable of picking up the slack to put Detroit and Utah on the brink of elimination.The Bucks can finish off a sweep of the Pistons in Game 4 on Monday night and the Rockets will get their chance to advance later the same evening against the Jazz.Antetokounmpo scored just 14, his fewest in the playoffs in nearly two years, and it didn't matter because six of his teammates also scored in double figures as top-seeded Milwaukee beat Detroit 119-103 on Saturday to take a 3-0 lead in their first-round series.Harden missed his first 15 shots before closing strong enough to score 22 points as one of six Rockets in double figures in a 104-101 victory over the Jazz that gave them a 3-0 lead in the opening series."That's what they've been doing all year long,"... [More]

BOSTON (AP) — The Celtics are preparing for their Game 2 matchup with the Pacers aware their series-opening win was notable more for its ugliness more than the outcome.Meanwhile, the Rockets and Bucks are heading into their respective Game 2s with the Jazz and Pistons expecting more competitive games after dominating victories.Boston limited Indiana to eight points in the third quarter of its 84-74 Game 1 win. It was the Celtics' lowest point total of the season and the first time they won a game in 2018-19 in which they didn't reach 100 points.Change is on the minds of both teams.For the Celtics that could mean tweaks to the starting lineup as they continue to adjust to the absence of Marcus Smart, who is recovering from a torn left oblique."It's frustrating, but you have to take it day-by-day and one day at a time," Smart said Tuesday.Celtics coach Brad Stevens acknowledged Smart's absence forced them to play differently and will continue to require adjustments.Without Smart to help with... [More]

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — The Latest on NBA All-Star Weekend (all times local):10:55 p.m.Kyle Kuzma of the Los Angeles Lakers scored 35 points, Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics added 30 and the U.S. beat the World team 161-144 in the Rising Stars game for first- and second-year players at All-Star Weekend.Trae Young of the Atlanta Hawks finished with 25 points and 10 assists, and De'Aaron Fox of the Sacramento Kings had 15 assists for the U.S. Utah's Donovan Mitchell added 20 points, nine assists and seven rebounds.Philadelphia's Ben Simmons led the World team with 28 points. Chicago's Lauri Markkanen had 21 points for the World squad, and Dallas' Luka Doncic had 13 points and nine assists.Both teams shot 55 percent.It was the fifth time the U.S. vs. the World format was used for what was once known as the rookie game. The World now leads the all-time series 3-2, after its two-game winning streak was snapped.___9:05 p.m.Famous Los scored 22 points to win MVP honors, and the Home team held... [More]

Utah center and reigning NBA defensive player of the year Rudy Gobert was moved to tears Friday when discussing his disappointment about not being selected for the All-Star Game, saying his omission suggests that excelling on defense isn't valued.Gobert is fourth in the NBA in blocks per game, and fifth in the league in rebounds per game. He's also shooting a league-high 65 percent from 2-point range this season."I feel disrespected," Gobert told reporters in Salt Lake City. "Disrespectful, not only towards me but towards the team, the organization and towards the game. All the coaches preach about defense. Every day they talk about defense, they talk about how important it is to get stops in order to win basketball games. And when it's time to vote, they they're not able to reward the best defensive player in the world."Gobert was not selected by the league's coaches as an All-Star reserve; those picks were unveiled Thursday, though the vote totals were not disclosed. He also finished... [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]

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]

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Philadelphia's Ben Simmons, Utah's Donovan Mitchell and Dallas' Luka Doncic were among the 20 players announced Tuesday as participants in this year's Rising Stars game at All-Star weekend.Simmons is the reigning rookie of the year, and Doncic is the favorite to win that award this season.For the fifth straight year, the game that features rookies and second-year players will use a U.S. vs. World format.The U.S. team includes Mitchell, Jarrett Allen of Brooklyn, Marvin Bagley III and De'Aaron Fox of Sacramento, Lonzo Ball and Kyle Kuzma of the Los Angeles Lakers, Jayson Tatum of Boston, Jaren Jackson Jr. of Memphis, and John Collins and Trae Young of Atlanta.The world team has Doncic, Simmons, Cedi Osman of Cleveland, Josh Okogie of Minnesota, Lauri Markkanen of Chicago, Rodions Kurucs of Brooklyn, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Los Angeles Clippers, Deandre Ayton of Phoenix, OG Anunoby of Toronto and Bogdan Bogdanovic of Sacramento.Bogdanovic was the game's MVP last year when the World team beat the U.S. 155-124. The World team is 3-1 in the current format of what was once called the rookie-sophomore game.The game is Feb. 15. Boston's Kyrie Irving and Dallas' Dirk Nowitzki will be honorary members of the coaching staffs.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — It took a bear — Jazz Bear — to catch a bat and leave the high-flying hijinks to the NBA players.A wayward bat flew around the court inside the Vivint Smart Home Arena about an hour before Utah's game against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday, interrupting the pregame shooting routines of the likes of Jazz stars Donovan Mitchell and Ricky Rubio.The few thousand fans in the building took turns cheering and then groaning while watching the flying mammal zip around the arena and elude several security guards and an on-court employee armed with a net.Jazz Bear took a break from entertaining the crowd by taking a few swings himself before finally capturing it — with nothing but net.Fans then cheered wildly as the proud mascot strolled off the court with the big catch."That was scary," Mitchell said after Utah's 106-101 victory . "I was not cool with that at all. I'm glad the Bear got him because I would not have finished my warmup. I would have gone to locker room if he was still flying around out there."The whole thing quickly became a social media hit, and Los Angeles Lakers forward Kyle Kuzma appropriately tweeted : "Where is Manu when you need him."That, of course, is former San Antonio Spurs star Manu Ginobili, who famously swatted a bat to the hardwood and captured it in the middle of game against Sacramento on Halloween night in 2009.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — It took a bear — Jazz Bear — to catch a bat and leave the high-flying hijinks to the NBA players.A wayward bat flew around the court inside the Vivint Smart Home Arena about an hour before Utah's game against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday, interrupting the pregame shooting routines of the likes of Jazz stars Donovan Mitchell and Ricky Rubio.The few thousand fans in the building took turns cheering and then groaning while watching the flying mammal zip around the arena and elude several security guards and an on-court employee armed with a net.Jazz Bear took a break from entertaining the crowd by taking a few swings himself before finally capturing it — with nothing but net.Fans then cheered wildly as the proud mascot strolled off the court with the big catch."That was scary," Mitchell said after Utah's 106-101 victory . "I was not cool with that at all. I'm glad the Bear got him because I would not have finished my warmup. I would have gone to locker room if he was still flying around out there."The whole thing quickly became a social media hit, and Los Angeles Lakers forward Kyle Kuzma appropriately tweeted : "Where is Manu when you need him."That, of course, is former San Antonio Spurs star Manu Ginobili, who famously swatted a bat to the hardwood and captured it in the middle of game against Sacramento on Halloween night in 2009.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

There's no NBA Finals rematch this year on Christmas. Not technically, anyway. It's LeBron James vs. the Golden State Warriors for the fourth consecutive year on Dec. 25, though James will be wearing a Los Angeles Lakers uniform this time.It was a predictable matchup.It isn't, however, a break from tradition.That's one of the biggest misnomers about the NBA and the schedule. An NBA Finals rematch is not common, not the norm, not a guarantee for the last two teams that were standing the previous season. The league has crowned a champion every year since 1947, and the tradition of Christmas Day games started later that same year. (They've been an annual fixture since, with the exception of 1998, when a lockout didn't allow that season to begin until February.)But there have been only nine NBA Finals rematches on Dec. 25. The recent Golden State-Cleveland history may make it seem like more.James has been in five Finals rematches on Christmas, all since 2011: Miami vs. Dallas that year, Oklahoma... [More]

There's no NBA Finals rematch this year on Christmas. Not technically, anyway. It's LeBron James vs. the Golden State Warriors for the fourth consecutive year on Dec. 25, though James will be wearing a Los Angeles Lakers uniform this time.It was a predictable matchup.It isn't, however, a break from tradition.That's one of the biggest misnomers about the NBA and the schedule. An NBA Finals rematch is not common, not the norm, not a guarantee for the last two teams that were standing the previous season. The league has crowned a champion every year since 1947, and the tradition of Christmas Day games started later that same year. (They've been an annual fixture since, with the exception of 1998, when a lockout didn't allow that season to begin until February.)But there have been only nine NBA Finals rematches on Dec. 25. The recent Golden State-Cleveland history may make it seem like more.James has been in five Finals rematches on Christmas, all since 2011: Miami vs. Dallas that year, Oklahoma... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — Kyle Korver is getting another shot with a contender.The Cleveland Cavaliers have agreed to trade Korver, one of the best deep outside shooters in NBA history, to the Utah Jazz, a person familiar with the deal told The Associated Press on Wednesday.In exchange for Korver, the Cavs will get guard Alec Burks — and his expiring contract — along with two future second-round draft picks, according to the person who spoke on condition of anonymity because the swap has to be approved by the NBA. The trade might not become official until Thursday.For Korver, Cleveland will get Utah's 2020 second-round selection along with Washington's 2021 second-rounder. The Cavs also receive an asset in Burks' expiring contract worth $11.2 million, something they might be able to use in another deal."I was surprised," Jazz star Donovan Mitchell said of the deal that was agreed to shortly before Utah's 101-91 victory in Brooklyn. "AB is my guy. He is really a funny dude. He is always keeping a... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — Kyle Korver is getting another shot with a contender.The Cleveland Cavaliers have agreed to trade Korver, one of the best deep outside shooters in NBA history, to the Utah Jazz, a person familiar with the deal told The Associated Press on Wednesday. In exchange for Korver, the Cavs will get guard Alec Burks — and his expiring contract — along with two future second-round draft picks, according to the person who spoke on condition of anonymity because the swap has to be approved by the NBA. The trade might not become official until Thursday.For Korver, Cleveland will get Utah's 2020 second-round selection along with Washington's 2021 second-rounder. The Cavs also receive an asset in Burks' expiring contract worth $11.2 million, something they might be able to use in another deal.ESPN first reported the sharpshooting Korver is on the move.The Cavs are just 4-14 in their first season since LeBron James left again. They began this season thinking they could compete for a playoff... [More]