Preseason numbers often mean almost nothing. Rotations are unusual, starters rarely play much, and few if any teams are putting a premium on winning games.As such, it's tough to glean much from exhibition stats.But what the Boston Celtics and New Orleans rookie Zion Williamson — the No. 1 pick in this year's draft — have been doing so far in the preseason certainly stands out.The Celtics are 3-0 after beating Cleveland on Sunday — and have put together a huge run in all three of those games. The latest was a 50-17 spurt against the Cavaliers, a game that was close for most of the first quarter before Boston built what eventually became a 54-point lead.Boston's other big runs of note in this preseason were a 41-17 stretch last Sunday against Charlotte, and opening the game with a 29-4 burst at Orlando on Friday. On top of the 50-17 run against the Cavs, they added a 26-8 run in the fourth quarter as well.No matter who the Celtics have on the court, defense has been the constant. Boston is... [More]

Preseason numbers often mean almost nothing. Rotations are unusual, starters rarely play much, and few if any teams are putting a premium on winning games.As such, it's tough to glean much from exhibition stats.But what the Boston Celtics and New Orleans rookie Zion Williamson — the No. 1 pick in this year's draft — have been doing so far in the preseason certainly stands out.The Celtics are 3-0 after beating Cleveland on Sunday — and have put together a huge run in all three of those games. The latest was a 50-17 spurt against the Cavaliers, a game that was close for most of the first quarter before Boston built what eventually became a 54-point lead.Boston's other big runs of note in this preseason were a 41-17 stretch last Sunday against Charlotte, and opening the game with a 29-4 burst at Orlando on Friday. On top of the 50-17 run against the Cavs, they added a 26-8 run in the fourth quarter as well.No matter who the Celtics have on the court, defense has been the constant. Boston is... [More]

Robin Lopez and Frank Mason III both scored 14 points to lead the Milwaukee Bucks over the Chicago Bulls 122-112 in preseason action on Monday night.Milwaukee didn't play most of its major contributors, including last year's league Most Valuable Player Giannis Antetokounmpo, Eric Bledsoe and Khris Middleton.Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said before the game that most of them had a good scrimmage on Sunday so he didn't want to play them in what was essentially a back-to-back stretch.All five of the Bucks' starters scored in double figures. Brook Lopez scored 13 points, Sterling Brown added 12 points and nine rebounds and Wesley Matthews scored 10.Zach LaVine led the Bulls with 16 points. Lauri Markkanen added 14 points, making 4 of 8 of his 3-point attempts.PELICANS 133, HAWKS 109Jrue Holiday led New Orleans with 21 points and Zion Williamson scored 16, including several highlight-reel dunks.Williamson, the No. 1 overall pick in June's draft, threw down his first preseason dunk, a tomahawk... [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

CLEVELAND (AP) — The Cavaliers have a starting lineup wearing street clothes.Forwards Kyle Korver and Cedi Osman will miss Tuesday night's game against the Charlotte Hornets, meaning Cleveland is without five rotational players in a season that has quickly gone from bad to worse.The 37-year-old Korver has been slowed by foot soreness that has bothered him the past two seasons, while Osman will miss his second straight game with back spasms.The Cavaliers already are missing All-Star forward Kevin Love (foot surgery), starting point guard George Hill (hamstring) and forward Sam Dekker (ankle).At 1-11, Cleveland has the NBA's worst record and already has endured a coaching change and other off-the-court drama.The Cavaliers lost to the Hornets by 32 points on Nov. 3, but they've played much better since, losing their past three games by 12 combined points.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/tag/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

CLEVELAND (AP) — This painful season isn't subsiding for the Cavaliers. If anything, it's getting worse.Cleveland, which already has the worst record in the NBA at 1-10, will be without yet another starter on Saturday night in Chicago after forward Cedi Osman was ruled out with back spasms.He's the latest Cavs player to join an injury list that includes All-Star forward Kevin Love, point guard George Hill and Sam Dekker, who began the season as a reserve but moved into the starting lineup because of all the injuries.Throw in a coaching change, some off-court drama and this Cleveland season is sinking fast.Osman was forced to leave Wednesday's loss to Oklahoma City in the first quarter, and the Cavs were hoping rest would allow him to face the Bulls. However, coach Larry Drew said Osman will sit out against the Bulls "and we'll see how he is after the game tomorrow."The rash of injuries has put even greater stress on Drew, who took over after Tyronn Lue was fired following a 0-6 start. Drew... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — The Cavaliers' injury list continues to grow with starting forward Cedi Osman the latest addition.Osman will miss Saturday's game at Chicago with back spasms that forced him to leave Wednesday's loss to Orlando. The Cavs, who are 1-10 and missing three other starters, had hoped rest would help Osman, but he's not ready to play.Cleveland is already without All-Star forward Kevin Love, point guard George Hill and backup forward Sam Dekker, who moved into the starting lineup before Love underwent foot surgery.Coach Larry Drew said Friday that Osman will miss one game and be reassessed.Drew, who recently signed a new contract after taking over following Tyronn Lue's firing, said the Cavs aren't "snakebit." He acknowledged the team needs its reserves to step up while the team is short-handed.Because of the injuries, Drew will shuffle his lineup again.The Cavs signed guard Andrew Harrison to a two-way contract.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/tag/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP-Sports

CLEVELAND (AP) — The Cavaliers are losing games and players at an alarming rate.Starting point guard George Hill could miss two weeks with a sprained right shoulder, the latest setback for the Cavs, who have won just one game and are expected to be without All-Star forward Kevin Love for at least another five weeks following foot surgery.Cleveland is also missing forward Sam Dekker, who sprained his ankle and is out for a month.Hill was a late scratch before Wednesday night's loss to Oklahoma City. The 32-year-old, who hurt his shoulder on the final possession of Monday's loss in Orlando, went through his usual pregame workout, but was experiencing pain in his shoulder and couldn't play against the Thunder. Further medical tests performed Thursday revealed the sprain.Hill's setback is yet another obstacle for the Cavs, who are an NBA-worst 1-10 and recently fired coach Tyronn Lue. Cleveland's had other issues in its first season since LeBron James bolted as a free agent after leading the... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — Larry Drew's strange standoff with the struggling Cavaliers continues.Cleveland's "acting" head coach said negotiations with the team on restructuring his contract are "moving forward in a positive direction" but the sides have not reached an agreement.Drew wants the team to re-work his deal if he's going to take over for Tyronn Lue as the team's interim coach during a rebuilding season. Lue was fired Sunday following a 0-6 start.Before Thursday's 110-91 loss to the Denver Nuggets, the 60-year-old Drew said the sides have made some progress. Drew wants some guarantees from the Cavs as they get deeper into a rebuilding season. Cleveland fell to 1-7."Things are moving in the right direction," Drew said, adding he spoke to his agent Andy Miller and feels good about the progress.The Cavs are 10-2 over the past two seasons under Drew, who stepped in last season for Lue when the only coach in Cleveland to win a title since 1964 was battling health issues.Cavs owner Dan Gilbert... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — Cavaliers "acting" coach Larry Drew said contract negotiations with the team are "going forward in a positive direction."Drew wants the Cavs to restructure his contract if he's going to become the team's interim coach this season following firing of Tyronn Lue, who was dismissed Sunday. Cleveland snapped a six-game losing streak and got its first win on Tuesday under Drew.Before Thursday's game against Denver, the 60-year-old Drew said the sides have made some progress. Drew wanted some guarantees from the Cavs as they get deeper into a rebuilding season.Cavs owner Dan Gilbert said he's not getting involved in talks and will let general manager Koby Altman handle Drew's situation. Gilbert said he's "confident they will get it worked out between the two of them."Drew has a 10-1 record over the past two seasons while Cleveland's head coach.The Cavs want to develop younger players like rookie guard Collin Sexton and forward Cedi Osman this season.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

INDEPENDENCE, Ohio (AP) — Kevin Love signed his new contract and proudly put on a hard hat.The Cleveland Cavaliers will rebuild around him.The All-Star forward made a long-term commitment to the franchise on Tuesday by signing a four-year, $120 million extension with the Cavaliers, who believe Love can help them stay competitive following LeBron James' departure.The 29-year-old Love, who was nearly traded twice by Cleveland, signed the extension in front of dozens of construction workers inside Quicken Loans Arena, the team's downtown home, which is undergoing a $140 million renovation not unlike the makeover taking place with the four-time defending Eastern Conference champions.The symbolic moment wasn't lost on Love, who came to Cleveland four years ago to join James and Kyrie Irving and form the Cavs' "Big 3."It's now his team."I look back, everything happens for a reason," Love said. "My best friend from back home said, 'It always works out.' This is where I wanted to be. I've said... [More]

LAS VEGAS (AP) — In a story July 7 about the opening day of games from the NBA Summer League, The Associated Press, relying on information from the NBA, erroneously reported the final score and details of the Detroit-Milwaukee game. Milwaukee won 90-63.A corrected version of the story is below:Ayton gets 10 points in NBA debut at Summer LeagueDeandre Ayton got his first taste of NBA action, and it came in a Phoenix victoryBy TIM REYNOLDSAP Basketball WriterLAS VEGAS (AP) — Deandre Ayton pointed to the rim, asking for a lob. The pass came from Shaquille Harrison, and Ayton snared it in his right hand before slamming down a dunk.And thousands of Phoenix Suns fans roared.In that one moment, they saw a glimpse of what their team's future may look like. The No. 1 pick in this year's draft made his debut at the NBA Summer League on Friday night, and he walked off a winner as the Suns topped the Dallas Mavericks 92-85.Ayton played 22 minutes, scoring 10 points on 4-for-6 shooting, with the alley-oop... [More]

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Deandre Ayton pointed to the rim, asking for a lob. The pass came from Shaquille Harrison, and Ayton snared it in his right hand before slamming down a dunk.And thousands of Phoenix Suns fans roared.In that one moment, they saw a glimpse of what their team's future may look like. The No. 1 pick in this year's draft made his debut at the NBA Summer League on Friday night, and he walked off a winner as the Suns topped the Dallas Mavericks 92-85.Ayton played 22 minutes, scoring 10 points on 4-for-6 shooting, with the alley-oop in the opening minutes being his first basket. He also grabbed eight rebounds, blocked a shot and committed five fouls."A lot of energy," Ayton said, when asked for the takeaway from his first NBA game — albeit just of the summer variety. "I could feel the energy around."Davon Reed and Mikal Bridges made things easy for Ayton and the Suns, each shooting 4 for 5 from 3-point range. Reed led the Suns with 18 points, while Bridges added 14."They showed... [More]

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Deandre Ayton pointed to the rim, asking for a lob. The pass came from Shaquille Harrison, and Ayton snared it in his right hand before slamming down a dunk.And thousands of Phoenix Suns fans roared.In that one moment, they saw a glimpse of what their team's future may look like. The No. 1 pick in this year's draft made his debut at the NBA Summer League on Friday night, and he walked off a winner as the Suns topped the Dallas Mavericks 92-85.Ayton played 22 minutes, scoring 10 points on 4-for-6 shooting, with the alley-oop in the opening minutes being his first basket. He also grabbed eight rebounds, blocked a shot and committed five fouls."A lot of energy," Ayton said, when asked for the takeaway from his first NBA game — albeit just of the summer variety. "I could feel the energy around."Davon Reed and Mikal Bridges made things easy for Ayton and the Suns, each shooting 4 for 5 from 3-point range. Reed led the Suns with 18 points, while Bridges added 14."They showed... [More]

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Deandre Ayton pointed to the rim, asking for a lob. The pass came from Shaquille Harrison, and Ayton snared it in his right hand before slamming down a dunk.And thousands of Phoenix Suns fans roared.In that one moment, they saw a glimpse of what their team's future may look like. The No. 1 pick in this year's draft made his debut at the NBA Summer League on Friday night, and he walked off a winner as the Suns topped the Dallas Mavericks 92-85.Ayton played 22 minutes, scoring 10 points on 4-for-6 shooting, with the alley-oop in the opening minutes being his first basket. He also grabbed eight rebounds, blocked a shot and committed five fouls.Davon Reed and Mikal Bridges made things easy for Ayton and the Suns, each shooting 4 for 5 from 3-point range. Reed led the Suns with 18 points, while Bridges added 14.Jalen Jones scored 16 points and Dennis Smith Jr. added 14 for Dallas (0-1). Luka Doncic did not play for Dallas, as he still awaits his clearance from his Real Madrid... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — Rodney Hood's playoff problems now extend to off the court.Hood, who has seen his role reduced during his first postseason with Cleveland, will not be fined or suspended for refusing to enter Monday night's Game 4 blowout win over the Toronto Raptors in the fourth quarter, a person familiar with the situation told The Associated Press.Hood feels bad about the incident that happened with 7:38 left in the fourth quarter, and he expressed remorse on Tuesday to team officials about becoming a distraction, said the person who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the situation.The person said disciplinary actions against Hood "were never a consideration."The Athletic first reported that Hood had angered teammates and others in the organization by rejecting coach Tyronn Lue's instruction to enter the game.With Cleveland leading 110-80 and on its way to sweeping the series, the Cavs called timeout to replace superstar LeBron James. Lue told Hood... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — It's rookie Cedi Osman's turn to start at point guard for the Cavaliers. Just about everyone else has gotten a chance.With guards Jose Calderon and George Hill out with injuries, Osman will make his first career start at guard on Thursday night when the Cavs host the Washington Wizards. Osman has made nine previous starts this season, but all were at small forward.The 6-foot-8 native of Turkey follows Calderon, Hill, LeBron James, Derrick Rose, Iman Shumpert and Isaiah Thomas to the point this season. Cleveland has been besieged by injuries and coach Tyronn Lue, who is back after missing nine games due to health reasons, is using his 29th different starting lineup against Washington.Calderon has given Cleveland a huge lift lately, but he's dealing with a sore left hamstring. Hill will miss his third straight game with a sprained left ankle. Calderon took part in the team's shootaround on Thursday, but was later ruled out by the Cavs.Lue could have started Jordan Clarkson... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — The Cavaliers are closer to being at full strength.Forwards Larry Nance Jr., Tristan Thompson, and Rodney Hood all returned from injuries on Friday night as Cleveland, which has been riddled with injuries all season, hosted the Phoenix Suns. Acting coach Larry Drew said none of the players will start and all will be on minutes' restrictions.Drew, who is filling in while coach Tyronn Lue is on leave to address his own health, plans to keep his starting lineup intact and ease the returning players into the rotation.LeBron James, Jose Calderon, George Hill, Jeff Green and Kevin Love were scheduled to started against Phoenix, which has lost nine in a row. Drew said he and Lue will talk again Saturday about lineup changes for the upcoming trip to Brooklyn, Miami and Charlotte."I really didn't want to disrupt the starting five that we have out there right now and those guys will be playing limited minutes, so I wanted to get them slowly back and acclimated to what we're doing,"... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — Cavaliers forward Kyle Korver has been excused from the team to be with family following the death of a younger brother.The team issued a statement late Tuesday night saying Korver's brother, Kirk, died earlier in the day."We extend our deepest condolences and heartfelt best to Kyle and his entire family as they go through this very difficult time," the Cavs said.Korver is expected to miss Wednesday's home game against Toronto.Korver, in his second season with Cleveland, left the Cavs last week after his 27-year-old brother became seriously ill in Iowa. He played in Monday night's home win over Milwaukee, scoring 12 points.Korver's personal situation comes one day after Cavs coach Tyronn Lue stepped away from the team for health reasons.The Cavs have also been dealing with an assortment of injuries as Rodney Hood, Tristan Thompson, Larry Nance Jr. and Cedi Osman have been sidelined.

CLEVELAND (AP) — Cavaliers forward Kyle Korver has been excused from the team to be with family following the death of a younger brother.The team issued a statement late Tuesday night saying Korver's brother, Kirk, died earlier in the day."We extend our deepest condolences and heartfelt best to Kyle and his entire family as they go through this very difficult time," the Cavs said.Korver is expected to miss Wednesday's home game against Toronto.Kyle Korver, who is in his second season with Cleveland, left the Cavs last week after his 27-year-old brother became seriously ill in Iowa. Korver played in Monday night's home win over Milwaukee, scoring 12 points.Korver's personal situation comes one day after Cavs coach Tyronn Lue stepped away from the team for health reasons. The Cavs have also been dealing with an assortment of injuries as Rodney Hood, Tristan Thompson, Larry Nance Jr. and Cedi Osman have been sidelined.