CHICAGO (AP) — Brooklyn guard Kyrie Irving will miss Nets’ game at Chicago on Saturday night because of a shoulder injury.Coach Kenny Atkinson said he does not know if Irving will return for the Nets’ upcoming homestand. Irving had 17 points and nine assists in a loss at Denver on Thursday night after being listed as questionable before the game.“He has played through some pain, obviously,” Atkinson said. “We just felt it was best that he doesn't play today to take care of it and get healthy for when we get home."Irving did not speak with reporters before the game. Atkinson said Irving “took a pretty good shot” to his shoulder at Utah on Tuesday and that he’s day-to-day.Irving is sixth in the NBA in scoring average at 28.5 points.It’s the first game the six-time All-Star has missed this season. Spencer Dinwiddie was listed in the Nets’ starting lineup to replace Irving.

CHICAGO (AP) — Brooklyn guard Kyrie Irving will miss the game at Chicago because of a shoulder injury.The team made the announcement before the game on Saturday night.Irving had 17 points and nine assists at Denver on Thursday after being listed as questionable before the game.Irving is sixth in the NBA in scoring average at 28.5 points.It’s the first game the six-time All-Star has missed this season.

CHICAGO (AP) — Brooklyn guard Kyrie Irving will miss the game at Chicago because of a shoulder injury.The team made the announcement before the game on Saturday night.Irving had 17 points and nine assists at Denver on Thursday after being listed as questionable before the game.Irving is sixth in the NBA in scoring average at 28.5 points.It’s the first game the six-time All-Star has missed this season.

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Golden State guard D’Angelo Russell will be sidelined for at least two weeks after he sprained his right thumb in Friday night’s 105-100 loss to the Boston Celtics, further depleting the backcourt already missing injured Splash Brothers Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson.The Warriors said Russell received an MRI exam after the game that revealed the sprain and he will be re-evaluated in two weeks. Russell wasn’t going on the team’s four-game road trip that begins Sunday at New Orleans that also includes stops in Memphis, Dallas as Utah.The Warriors are 2-11 and off to their worst start since beginning 2-16 in 1999-00. Their six-game losing streak matches their longest since dropping six in a row from Feb. 5-19, 2013.Curry is out until at least February with a broken left hand that required surgery, while Thompson is recovering from surgery for a torn ACL in his left knee suffered in a Game 6 NBA Finals loss to the champion Raptors.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

TORONTO (AP) — A Toronto Raptors fan who made a vulgar comment on live television about Ayesha Curry, the wife of Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry, has been ordered to stay away from her and the reporter to whom he made the comment.Tristan Warkentin agreed Friday to a common-law bond that orders him not to associate with Ayesha Curry or CP24 reporter Kelly Linehan. As a result, prosecutors dropped a mischief charge against him.Warkentin made the lewd remark when he was interviewed after the Raptors’ loss to the Warriors in Game 2 of the NBA Finals in June. Toronto went on to defeat Golden State in six games to win its first championship.There have been several incidents across Canada in recent years in which men have made the same vulgar remark on live TV.Warkentin’s lawyer, Richard Addelman, said outside court that his client "said some things and now he's apologized for those things." Warkentin declined to comment.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Carmelo Anthony is getting another shot in the NBA.The 10-time All-Star is returning to the league with the Portland Trail Blazers, a person with knowledge of the details said Thursday.Anthony hasn’t played since a short stint with the Houston Rockets ended a little more than a year ago after just 10 games. But the Blazers hope there is still enough game left in the 35-year-old forward to help them overcome a 4-8 start.Anthony’s deal with Portland was confirmed to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because it has not been announced. It was first reported by ESPN.com, which said that Anthony would join the team on its upcoming road trip.Anthony is a three-time Olympic gold medalist but struggled at the end of his recent stops in Oklahoma City and Houston following 6 ½ seasons in New York. He continued to work out with NBA players, and his many friends and supporters insisted he was still good enough to play in the league.Now he will get a chance to prove it.“It’s about damn time!!”... [More]

A person familiar with the details says Carmelo Anthony is returning to the NBA with the Portland Trail Blazers.The 10-time All-Star hasn’t played since a short stint with the Houston Rockets ended a little more than a year ago after just 10 games. But the Blazers hope there is still enough game left in the 35-year-old forward to help them overcome a 4-8 start.Anthony’s deal with Portland was confirmed to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Thursday because it has not been announced. It was first reported by ESPN.com, which said that Anthony would join the team on its upcoming road trip.Anthony is a three-time Olympic gold medalist but has struggled at the end of his recent stops in Oklahoma City and Houston following 6 ½ seasons in New York.Anthony was acquired by the Chicago Bulls from Houston on Jan. 21, with the intention of trading him before the deadline or letting him go. He averaged 13.4 points in 10 games with the Rockets last season, but hasn’t played since November... [More]

A person familiar with the details says Carmelo Anthony is returning to the NBA with the Portland Trail Blazers.The 10-time All-Star hasn’t played since a short stint with the Houston Rockets ended a little more than a year ago after just 10 games. But the Blazers hope there is still enough game left in the 35-year-old forward to help them overcome a 4-8 start.Anthony’s deal with Portland was confirmed to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Thursday because it has not been announced. It was first reported by ESPN.com, which said that Anthony would join the team on its upcoming road trip.Anthony is a three-time Olympic gold medalist but has struggled at the end of his recent stops in Oklahoma City and Houston following 6 ½ seasons in New York.Anthony was acquired by the Chicago Bulls from Houston on Jan. 21, with the intention of trading him before the deadline or letting him go. He averaged 13.4 points in 10 games with the Rockets last season, but hasn’t played since November 2018.Anthony was traded by Oklahoma City to Atlanta in July 2018, a move that preceded the Hawks releasing him to sign with the Rockets. The Bulls, technically, were his fourth franchise in seven months.Eight of Anthony's 10 appearances for the Rockets came off the bench after he had started all 1,054 games he'd played in his first 15 NBA seasons. He has averaged 24 points in 16 seasons.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Los Angeles Clippers coach Doc Rivers says small forward Paul George is set to make his season debut against the New Orleans Pelicans on Thursday night.George, a six-time NBA All-Star, was acquired by the Clippers as a free agent this past offseason. He has been recovering from offseason shoulder surgery.Rivers says he’ll have George on “visual” minute restrictions, meaning he’ll remove him from the game when he looks tired.The Clippers coach says he doesn’t know what kind of production or conditioning to expect from George because he has participated in just two practices and has not played full-court basketball since before his surgery last spring.George has averaged 19.8 points per game in nine NBA seasons, his first seven with Indiana and past two with Oklahoma City.George’s return comes as Kawhi Leonard sits out his third game this season to rest his sore knee after playing in the Clippers loss at Houston on Wednesday night.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

ATLANTA (AP) — Hawks guard Kevin Huerter is expected to miss at least two weeks with a left rotator cuff strain.Huerter also was diagnosed with a shoulder capsule strain when examined Thursday in Atlanta.Huerter left the team’s West Coast trip after he was hurt in Tuesday night’s 125-121 victory at Denver.The Hawks say Huerter, who is averaging 9.3 points, will have rehabilitation and treatment before being examined again in two weeks.Huerter suffered the injury when fouled by Denver’s Nikola Jokic while going up for a shot. The second-year player immediately grabbed his shoulder and headed to the locker room.The Hawks were at Phoenix on Thursday night.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

NEW YORK (AP) — Brooklyn Nets guard Caris LeVert has undergone surgery to repair ligaments in his right thumb.LeVert was hurt Sunday in Phoenix and missed his first game of the season Tuesday in Utah. He returned to New York and had the procedure Thursday at the Hospital for Special Surgery.The Nets did not give a timetable for his return, saying only that updates will be provided as appropriate.LeVert is averaging 16.8 points, 5.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists. He missed half of last season with a dislocated right foot.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

BOSTON (AP) — Boston Celtics forward Gordon Hayward said he considers it “relatively good news” that his latest injury is only expected to keep him out for six weeks, even though it struck just as he was returning to form from the broken leg that cost him almost a full season.“It’s a drop in the bucket, for sure,” Hayward said on Wednesday night before watching from the bench in street clothes as Boston beat the Wizards 140-133. “Just happy that it shouldn’t be that long. Obviously frustrated. It sucks watching and not being able to go out there and play, especially with the start that we’ve had.”Hayward broke his hand when he collided with LaMarcus Aldridge in Saturday night’s game against the San Antonio Spurs. The Boston forward had surgery Monday.“You always think about the worst-case scenario, and certainly on the play I didn’t know exactly what happened,” he said. “But I heard it, and felt it and knew something immediately was wrong.”Hayward missed all but five minutes of the 2017-18... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Anthony Davis is resting his sore right shoulder for the Los Angeles Lakers in their game against Golden State.Coach Frank Vogel says Davis wanted to play the second half of a back-to-back Wednesday night, but the team decided otherwise. He expects Davis to return Friday at home against Sacramento.Davis had 24 points and 12 rebounds in a 123-115 victory at Phoenix on Tuesday night.Davis is averaging 26.3 points, 10.4 rebounds and 2.9 blocks in his first season with the Lakers. He started the first 10 games.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

DETROIT (AP) — The Detroit Pistons guard Khyri Thomas had surgery on his right foot and will be out at least six weeks.The Pistons said Wednesday that Thomas had the procedure on the fifth metatarsal of his right foot. They say rehabilitation will begin immediately and that Thomas will be re-evaluated for a status update in six weeks.Thomas had missed the Pistons’ last two games due to a stress reaction in his right foot.Thomas was the 38th overall pick in the 2018 draft. He played in just two games so far this season. He averaged 2.3 points in 26 games last season.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

BOSTON (AP) — Boston Celtics forward Gordon Hayward said he considers it “relatively good news” that his latest injury is only expected to keep him out for six weeks, even though it struck just as he was returning to form from the broken leg that cost him almost a full season.“It’s a drop in the bucket, for sure,” Hayward said on Wednesday night before watching Boston’s game against the Washington Wizards from the bench in street clothes. “Just happy that it shouldn’t be that long. Obviously frustrated. It sucks watching and not being able to go out there and play, especially with the start that we’ve had.”Hayward broke his hand when he collided with LaMarcus Aldridge in Saturday night’s game against the San Antonio Spurs. The Boston forward had surgery Monday.“You always think about the worst-case scenario, and certainly on the play I didn’t know exactly what happened,” he said. “But I heard it, and felt it and knew something immediately was wrong.”Hayward missed all but five minutes of... [More]

BOSTON (AP) — Boston Celtics forward Gordon Hayward says he’s frustrated over his broken hand, which is expected to sideline him for six weeks just as he was back to form from his last injury.Hayward said before Wednesday night’s game against the Washington Wizards that he’s happy about the prognosis from doctors. He says it was “relatively good news.”Hayward broke his hand when he collided with LaMarcus Aldridge in Saturday night’s game against the San Antonio Spurs. The Boston forward had surgery Monday.Hayward missed all but five minutes of the 2017-18 season after breaking his leg in the first quarter of the season opener. He returned last season, playing mostly off the bench. But it wasn’t until this season that he was matching his numbers from before the injury.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

MILWAUKEE (AP) — The Milwaukee Bucks have assigned Thanasis Antetokounmpo, the older brother of reigning MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, to the G League.The Bucks announced Wednesday that Atnteokounmpo and Dragan Bender have been assigned to the Wisconsin Herd.Antetokounmpo, who signed a two-year, minimum contract with Milwaukee during the offseason, has appeared in one game for the Bucks this season, while Bender has yet to see any action for Milwaukee. Antetokounmpo had two points, two rebounds and one assist in six minutes in a 123-91 win at Orlando on Nov. 1Bender started the first two games of the season for the Herd and averaged 19.0 points, 6.5 rebounds, 1.5 blocks, 1.0 assist and 1.0 steal in 29.9 minutes per game.Both are expected to be in uniform for the Herd on Wednesday night.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP

MILWAUKEE (AP) — The Milwaukee Bucks have assigned Thanasis Antetokounmpo, the older brother of reigning MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, to the G League.The Bucks announced Wednesday that Atnteokounmpo and Dragon Bender have been assigned to the Wisconsin Herd.Antetokounmpo, who signed a two-year, minimum contract with Milwaukee during the offseason, has appeared in one game for the Bucks this season, while Bender has yet to see any action for Milwaukee. Antetokounmpo had two points, two rebounds and one assist in six minutes in a 123-91 win at Orlando on Nov. 1Bender started the first two games of the season for the Herd and averaged 19.0 points, 6.5 rebounds, 1.5 blocks, 1.0 assist and 1.0 steal in 29.9 minutes per game.Both are expected to be in uniform for the Herd on Wednesday night.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP

ATLANTA (AP) — Hawks guard Kevin Huerter is returning to Atlanta after injuring his left shoulder in a victory over Denver.The team announced Wednesday that Huerter underwent an MRI in Denver after being hurt the previous night in a 125-121 victory over the Nuggets. Physicians in Atlanta will determine the extent of the injury.Huerter was ruled out of Thursday night’s game in Phoenix and seems unlikely to play on the rest of the West Coast road trip, which concludes with weekend games in Los Angeles against the Clippers and the Lakers.Huerter was fouled by Denver’s Nikola Jokic while going up for a shot. The second-year player immediately grabbed his shoulder and winced in pain before heading to the locker room.X-rays taken at the arena were negative.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

NEW YORK (AP) — The Brooklyn Nets have signed Iman Shumpert, adding the veteran guard to their roster with Wilson Chandler on the NBA’s suspended list.Shumpert helped Cleveland win the 2016 NBA title and has also played for the Knicks, Sacramento and Houston. He returns to New York, where he began his career as a first-round pick of the Knicks in 2011.Chandler is suspended for the first 25 games of the season without pay after testing positive for Ipamorelin, a drug that increases the release of growth hormone.Terms of the deal announced Wednesday were not disclosed.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports