MIAMI (AP) — The NBA has suspended its season “until further notice" after a Utah Jazz player tested positive Wednesday for the coronavirus, a move that came only hours after the majority of the league's owners were leaning toward playing games without fans in arenas.Now there will be no games at all, at least for the time being. A person with knowledge of the situation said the Jazz player who tested positive was center Rudy Gobert. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because neither the league nor the team confirmed the test.“The NBA is suspending game play following the conclusion of tonight’s schedule of games until further notice,” the league said in a statement sent shortly after 9:30 p.m. EDT. “The NBA will use this hiatus to determine next steps for moving forward in regard to the coronavirus pandemic.”The test result, the NBA said, was reported shortly before the scheduled tip-off time for the Utah at Oklahoma City game on Wednesday night was called... [More]

MIAMI (AP) — The NBA has suspended its season “until further notice" after a Utah Jazz player tested positive Wednesday for the coronavirus, a move that came only hours after the majority of the league's owners were leaning toward playing games without fans in arenas.Now there will be no games at all, at least for the time being. A person with knowledge of the situation said the Jazz player who tested positive was center Rudy Gobert. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because neither the league nor the team confirmed the test.“The NBA is suspending game play following the conclusion of tonight’s schedule of games until further notice,” the league said in a statement sent shortly after 9:30 p.m. EDT. “The NBA will use this hiatus to determine next steps for moving forward in regard to the coronavirus pandemic.”The test result, the NBA said, was reported shortly before the scheduled tip-off time for the Utah at Oklahoma City game on Wednesday night was called... [More]

MIAMI (AP) — The NBA has suspended its season “until further notice" after a Utah Jazz player tested positive Wednesday for the coronavirus, a move that came only hours after the majority of the league's owners were leaning toward playing games without fans in arenas.Now there will be no games at all, at least for the time being. A person with knowledge of the situation said the Jazz player who tested positive was center Rudy Gobert. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because neither the league nor the team confirmed the test.“The NBA is suspending game play following the conclusion of tonight’s schedule of games until further notice,” the league said in a statement sent shortly after 9:30 p.m. EDT. “The NBA will use this hiatus to determine next steps for moving forward in regard to the coronavirus pandemic.”The test result, the NBA said, was reported shortly before the scheduled tip-off time for the Utah at Oklahoma City game on Wednesday night was called... [More]

MIAMI (AP) — The NBA has suspended its season “until further notice" after a Utah Jazz player tested positive Wednesday for the coronavirus, a move that came only hours after the majority of the league's owners were leaning toward playing games without fans in arenas.Now there will be no games at all, at least for the time being. A person with knowledge of the situation said the Jazz player who tested positive was center Rudy Gobert. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because neither the league nor the team confirmed the presumptive positive test.“The NBA is suspending game play following the conclusion of tonight’s schedule of games until further notice,” the league said in a statement sent shortly after 9:30 p.m. EDT. “The NBA will use this hiatus to determine next steps for moving forward in regard to the coronavirus pandemic.”The test result, the NBA said, was reported shortly before the scheduled tip-off time for the Utah at Oklahoma City game on Wednesday... [More]

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — While his front office contemporaries enjoyed the spoils of splashy signings and bold trades, Elton Brand flew halfway across the world to serve as perhaps the most overqualified ball boy for the league's most enigmatic talent.As Joel Embiid hoisted jumpers in his offseason workouts in Cameroon, his general manager gladly grabbed loose rebounds, the game plan of an equal parts hectic and intensely personal visit Brand hoped would deepen the bond between Embiid and the only franchise he's ever known. No member of the Philadelphia 76ers had ever made the pilgrimage to Africa's west coast to spend time in Embiid's homeland. Yet there Brand was, running a local hill with Embiid's cousin. Taking in home-cooked meals prepared by Embiid's mom, Christine. Getting a tour of the city of 2.8 million.It wasn't something Brand needed to do. Embiid is locked up in Philadelphia indefinitely . Yet the trip was significant to Brand, who called it "touching."The man tasked with helping... [More]

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — While his front office contemporaries enjoyed the spoils of splashy signings and bold trades, Elton Brand flew halfway across the world to serve as perhaps the most overqualified ball boy for the league's most enigmatic talent.As Joel Embiid hoisted jumpers in his offseason workouts in Cameroon, his general manager gladly grabbed loose rebounds, the game plan of an equal parts hectic and intensely personal visit Brand hoped would deepen the bond between Embiid and the only franchise he's ever known. No member of the organization had ever made the pilgrimage to Africa's west coast to spend time in Embiid's homeland. Yet there Brand was, running a local hill with Embiid's cousin. Taking in home-cooked meals prepared by Embiid's mom, Christine. Getting a tour of the city of 2.8 million.It wasn't something Brand needed to do. Embiid is locked up in Philadelphia indefinitely. Yet the trip was significant to Brand, who called it "touching."The man tasked with helping the 76ers... [More]

CAMDEN, N.J. (AP) — Mike Scott would rather party with 76ers fans at an NBA championship parade than scuffle with Eagles fans at a stadium parking lot.Scott has fashioned himself a Philly folk hero since he was acquired in a February trade: he's scooped ice cream, crashed a wedding, snapped selfies, engaged with fans on Twitter and inspired his cult "Hive" fan club to get tattooed.Scott found one fan event that wasn't so friendly when the Virginia native showed up earlier this month wearing a Redskins jersey to an Eagles tailgate before a game against Washington. Scott was caught on tape throwing a punch at a fan from a group of Eagles supporters the Sixers forward said used slurs to stir him up.Scott said he should have walked away from the fight."I definitely have to be the bigger person and it should have never got to that point," he said. "I definitely should have walked away. I didn't. He was talking crazy and took it to the next level so I had to see if he'd match that energy. Y'all... [More]

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The Philadelphia 76ers and All-Star guard Ben Simmons have agreed to a $170 million, five-year contract extension.Simmons was the No. 1 overall draft pick in 2016. He made his NBA debut in the 2017-18 season and was the Rookie of the Year. He was an All-Star for the first time last season. He has averaged 16.4 points, 8.5 rebounds and 7.9 assists in his two seasons.Philadelphia is 101-58 in regular-season games when Simmons plays. He has had 22 triple-doubles in the past two seasons, tied for third most in the league with Denver's Nikola Jokic and trailing Oklahoma City's Russell Westbrook (59) and the Los Angeles Lakers' LeBron James (26).Simmons also has had 80 double-doubles over the past two seasons."Ben Simmons is an important piece of our core and he is one of the NBA's most dynamic and talented young players," Sixers general manager Elton Brand said."It was a priority for our organization that we finalize a contract extension with Ben this summer. He was Rookie of the Year in his first season, an All-Star in his second and we expect him to continue grow and succeed for seasons to come. Ben positively impacts the game in so many ways and we look forward to continuing our championship pursuits with him as one of our leaders."___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The Philadelphia 76ers and star guard Ben Simmons have agreed to a $170 million, five-year contract extension, a person familiar with the situation told The Associated Press. The max deal is the latest big commitment by a team expected to make a serious push at its first NBA championship since 1983.Simmons, 22, will make about $8.1 million this season, the last of his four-year rookie deal. His salary for the next season will jump to about $29.3 million and rise to nearly $39 million in 2024-25, according to the person who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity Monday because the contract is not official.The deal solidifies the 76ers' core for the next few seasons. All-Star Joel Embiid and Al Horford are under contract though 2023, Tobias Harris through 2024 and now Simmons through 2025. Horford got a $109 million, four-year deal and Embiid agreed last season to a $147 million, five-year deal.Sixers general manager Elton Brand had until the middle of October to reach... [More]

CAMDEN, N.J. (AP) — Al Horford took a seat at one of the three tables needed to fit six players, an owner and a general manager and admired the Philadelphia skyline in the distance."This view gets me excited," Horford said . "This view back there of the city."It's the city he will call his basketball home for the next four years, one that hasn't held a championship parade for the 76ers since 1983 and where the franchise went nearly 20 years without creating much of a stir until Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons arrived on the scene.But to try to finally get over that title hump, the 76ers need more — they needed Horford.Horford could be the difference for the Sixers this season, not just because he's a four-time All-Star who can thrive as a low post defender and shoot the 3. It's because Horford can spell Embiid, the notoriously injury-prone franchise player, at center. The theory goes, keep Embiid fresh and healthy in the regular season, and watch him carry the Sixers through a dominant postseason."We... [More]

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — This was already going to be a summer filled with fireworks in the NBA.Nothing has changed.Kevin Durant's ruptured Achilles, which was surgically repaired on Wednesday, means he probably won't be able to play much — if any — next season. But this is a testament to how much he overshadows much of the NBA landscape: Durant will still likely dictate how the free-agency dominoes fall this summer.Durant could exercise his $31.5 million player option and stay with the Warriors, and that's likely going to be his worst-case financial scenario. He could opt out and sign a longer deal to stay in the Bay. Or he could opt out, sign elsewhere and start collecting massive checks from either the New York Knicks or Brooklyn Nets or Los Angeles Clippers or someone else.Kyrie Irving's decision could hinge on what Durant does. Kawhi Leonard's decision could be affected by what Durant does. How the Knicks, Nets, Clippers, Dallas Mavericks, Los Angeles Lakers, Atlanta Hawks and all the... [More]

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — This was already going to be a summer filled with fireworks in the NBA.Nothing has changed.Kevin Durant's Achilles injury, the severity of which isn't yet confirmed, means he probably won't be able to play much — if any — next season. But this is a testament to how much he overshadows much of the NBA landscape: Durant will still likely dictate how the free-agency dominoes fall this summer.Durant could exercise his $31.5 million player option and stay with the Warriors, and that's likely going to be his worst-case financial scenario. He could opt out and sign a longer deal to stay in the Bay. Or he could opt out, sign elsewhere and start collecting massive checks from either the New York Knicks or Brooklyn Nets or Los Angeles Clippers or someone else.Kyrie Irving's decision could hinge on what Durant does. Kawhi Leonard's decision could be affected by what Durant does. How the Knicks, Nets, Clippers, Dallas Mavericks, Los Angeles Lakers, Atlanta Hawks and all the other... [More]

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Josh Harris is a billionaire and he if wants to shuttle between New York and the Philadelphia 76ers headquarters in New Jersey on a helicopter, the team owner can do it with ease. If Harris wants to pay $45 million for his luxury home, he can spend pocket change on a new pad, too. And he if really wanted to silence speculation that Brett Brown was coaching for his Sixers career during the playoffs, well, all Harris had to say was that he had his guy.Harris instead settled for a milquetoast endorsement before the Brooklyn series, saying Brown was a "great coach" but offering no assurance he would return for another season if the Sixers failed to make a deep run in the playoffs."We think he's the right leader to take us where we need to go in the playoffs," Harris said. "I'm focused on the Brooklyn Nets."Harris let Brown twist through the Brooklyn and Toronto series, the sixth-year coach's fate seemingly hinging on the outcome of four bounces of Kawhi Leonard's jumper... [More]

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Brett Brown survived a 10-win season to steer the Philadelphia 76ers toward the top of the Eastern Conference. He'll get another chance to try and finish the championship chase.The 76ers called a 9 a.m. press conference Tuesday at their complex in Camden, New Jersey, with owner Josh Harris and general manager Elton Brand where they'll discuss their plans for the offseason, and how Brown fits in for the future. ESPN reported Monday night Brown will return as coach next season.Brown could have his most talented team yet.But first, the agony of a postseason lingered for one more day at the Sixers complex.The Sixers — who rebuilt their roster with two blockbuster trades — were knocked out of the Eastern Conference semifinal for the second straight season.Kawhi Leonard sank the first Game 7-ending buzzer-beater in NBA history and Toronto struck its biggest dagger in the sports heart of Philadelphia since Joe Carter went deep for the Blue Jays in Game 6 of the 1993 World Series.Joel... [More]

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Brett Brown survived a 10-win season to steer the Philadelphia 76ers toward the top of the Eastern Conference. Brown's chances of returning for a seventh season as coach are on the rocks following back-to-back 50-win campaigns.So it goes in Philly, where patience with the Process has worn thin. The Sixers — who rebuilt their roster with two blockbuster trades — were knocked out of the Eastern Conference semifinal for the second straight season.Kawhi Leonard sank the first Game 7 buzzer-beater in NBA history and Toronto struck its biggest dagger in the sports heart of Philadelphia since Joe Carter went deep for the Blue Jays in Game 6 of the 1993 World Series.Joel Embiid walked off in tears, his girlfriend cradling the face of the crestfallen 7-footer.Jimmy Butler, Tobias Harris and JJ Redick are headed into free agency, a max contract likely looming for Butler.Brown appears in limbo, and the should-he-stay-should-he-go decision will be the most crucial one yet for first-year... [More]

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The 76ers have gone south in Toronto.Sixers coach Brett Brown wants the season series to come with an asterisk.Sure, the Raptors went 3-1 against the Sixers, but Philadelphia has evolved thanks to a pair of splashy trades this season that could skew the perception that Toronto has been the dominant team in the series. The Sixers head this week to Toronto for Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinal with their starting five intact for the first time all season: All-Stars Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons, midseason acquisitions Jimmy Butler and Tobias Harris, and JJ Redick failed to start a game together against the Raptors."We all understand what the math says with our success in Toronto, and it's not flattering," Brown said. "But it's also not directed to the team that we have. And so you can credit it or you can discredit it. I'm discrediting it. I think that we have a new group, we have a new opportunity."The Sixers and Raptors both dropped their playoff opener before... [More]

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The 76ers have gone south in Toronto.Sixers coach Brett Brown wants the season series to come with an asterisk.Sure, the Raptors went 3-1 against the Sixers, but Philadelphia has evolved thanks to a pair of splashy trades this season that could skew the perception that Toronto has been the dominant team in the series. The Sixers head this week to Toronto for Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinal with their starting five in tact for the first time all season: All-Stars Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons, midseason acquisitions Jimmy Butler and Tobias Harris, and JJ Redick failed to start a game together against the Raptors."We all understand what the math says with our success in Toronto, and it's not flattering," Brown said. "But it's also not directed to the team that we have. And so you can credit it or you can discredit it. I'm discrediting it. I think that we have a new group, we have a new opportunity."The Sixers and Raptors both dropped their playoff opener before... [More]

MIAMI (AP) — The last spot in the NBA playoffs went to the Detroit Pistons.Their reward: A series against MVP candidate Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks.The drama of the regular season went all the way to the very end of the regular season, with seven of the eight first-round playoff matchups not being clinched until the final night was in the books — the last three of them, out West, going down to literally the final moments.The two-time defending champion Golden State Warriors will start their quest for a fourth title in five years against the Los Angeles Clippers."It's not going to be as easy as people think it is," Warriors star Kevin Durant said.That's the beauty of the playoffs. It's not supposed to be easy.First-round games in all eight series will be played starting Saturday and Sunday. The second round cannot begin until April 27 at the earliest, the conference finals couldn't start before May 12 and the NBA Finals will start on May 30.EASTERN CONFERENCEThe only matchup... [More]

MIAMI (AP) — The last spot in the NBA playoffs went to the Detroit Pistons.Their reward: A series against MVP candidate Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks.The drama of the regular season went all the way to the very end of the regular season, with seven of the eight first-round playoff matchups not being clinched until the final night was in the books — the last three of them, out West, going down to literally the final moments.The two-time defending champion Golden State Warriors will start their quest for a fourth title in five years against the Los Angeles Clippers."It's not going to be as easy as people think it is," Warriors star Kevin Durant said.That's the beauty of the playoffs. It's not supposed to be easy.First-round games in all eight series will be played starting Saturday and Sunday. The second round cannot begin until April 27 at the earliest, the conference finals couldn't start before May 12 and the NBA Finals will start on May 30.EASTERN CONFERENCEThe only matchup... [More]

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Joel Embiid's achy left knee may prevent the All-Star from playing in the Philadelphia 76ers' playoff opener.General manager Elton Brand said Wednesday that Embiid was expected to play in the postseason, but added it was "possible" the 7-foot center wouldn't be ready for the first game. Embiid sat out Wednesday's regular season finale against Chicago, his fifth absence in seven games to close out the season.Embiid is averaging 27.5 points and 13.6 rebounds but has missed 14 games since the All-Star break due to rest and injury.Philadelphia, the No. 3 seed, will play either Orlando or Brooklyn in the first round of the playoffs.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports