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]

CLEVELAND (AP) — A person familiar with Cleveland's schedule tells The Associated Press that the Cavaliers will interview San Antonio assistant Ime Udoka to be their coach.The Cavs, who have been taking a methodical approach in finding their next coach, will meet with Udoka on Sunday, said the person who spoke on condition of anonymity because the Cavs are not revealing any of their search plans.Udoka has worked on Gregg Popovich's staff since 2012, a year after he retired as a player. Udoka has been praised for developing players such as Kawhi Leonard and LaMarcus Aldridge.The Cavs continued their interviews on Friday, meeting with Utah assistant Alex Jensen. Jensen worked with Cleveland's organization in the past.The team has previously interviewed NBA assistants Jamahl Mosley, Juwan Howard and J.B. Bickerstaff. The club also plans to meet with Denver assistants Jordi Fernandez and Wes Unseld Jr., and Portland assistants Nate Tibbetts and David Vanterpool.Cleveland mutually parted ways with Larry Drew following a 19-63 season.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — The Spurs suffered through an odd, erratic season filled with injuries, strife and drama before a second straight ouster from the playoffs in the first round.Gregg Popovich enjoyed it so much he is coming back for a 24th season as coach in San Antonio.Normally extremely private, Popovich said Monday he is negotiating a new deal with the Spurs after his current contract expired this season. There was some uncertainty surrounding his return, but the 70-year-old Popovich put an end to that with a quip or two."I'm currently in negotiations and could very well end up with either the Portofino Flyers or the Positano Pirates (or the Spurs)," Popovich said dryly. "I think it's like one-third Positano, one-third Portofino and one-third San Antonio. So, we'll see where I end up."There is little chance Popovich ends up anywhere but San Antonio, where he has enjoyed unprecedented success. His desire to return was apparent during an 18-minute news conference to wrap up a season that... [More]

San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich goes to the playoffs every season.And he usually sticks around for a while.The Spurs have never gone back-to-back years without a trip to the second round of the playoffs during the Popovich era. But the Denver Nuggets are one win away from changing that, as they'll take a 3-2 lead into San Antonio for Game 6 of their Western Conference first-round series on Thursday night.It's the only game on Thursday's NBA schedule.It'll also be nothing like most of these Nuggets — playoff neophytes, for the most part — have ever experienced."The toughest game of our lives," Denver big man Nikola Jokic said.The second-seeded Nuggets are looking to advance to a West semifinals matchup against third-seeded Portland; the seventh-seeded Spurs are trying to send this series back to Denver for a winner-take-all Game 7 on Saturday night."Leave it all out there," San Antonio forward LaMarcus Aldridge said of the Spurs' mindset going into Game 6. "Nothing to lose right now, go... [More]

San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich goes to the playoffs every season.And he usually sticks around for a while.The Spurs have never gone back-to-back years without a trip to the second round of the playoffs during the Popovich era. But the Denver Nuggets are one win away from changing that, as they'll take a 3-2 lead into San Antonio for Game 6 of their Western Conference first-round series on Thursday night.It's the only game on Thursday's NBA schedule.It'll also be nothing like most of these Nuggets — playoff neophytes, for the most part — have ever experienced."The toughest game of our lives," Denver big man Nikola Jokic said.The second-seeded Nuggets are looking to advance to a West semifinals matchup against third-seeded Portland; the seventh-seeded Spurs are trying to send this series back to Denver for a winner-take-all Game 7 on Saturday night."Leave it all out there," San Antonio forward LaMarcus Aldridge said of the Spurs' mindset going into Game 6. "Nothing to lose right now, go... [More]

The Golden State Warriors are trying to regain the lead in a series they probably still can't believe is tied.Same with the San Antonio Spurs, who like the Warriors know they are facing an opponent who won't stay down no matter how far they fall down.The Clippers' historic comeback against the Warriors, followed by Denver's potential season-saving surge against the Spurs, made that clear.So things are all even in those two Western Conference first-round series, which resume with a pair of Game 3s on Thursday night.Philadelphia and Brooklyn play the other Game 3 of the night in an East series that also is tied at a game apiece.Golden State would be up 2-0 if not for the Clippers' colossal comeback — or the Warriors' colossal collapse — on Monday night in Game 2. The Warriors led by 31 in the third quarter before Los Angeles charged back to win 135-131 after the biggest rally in NBA postseason history.The Warriors won Game 1 by 17, appeared headed toward an even easier win in Game 2, and... [More]

Orlando had to fight until the final days of the regular season to get its postseason berth. Portland had to scramble down the stretch to replace a huge part of its success.And as is usually the case, San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich had his team playing its best basketball at the end.The Magic, Trail Blazers and Spurs were playoff ready. That's why they're all taking 1-0 series leads into their respective Game 2s on Tuesday night — with Orlando at Toronto, San Antonio at Denver and Portland playing host to Oklahoma City.Orlando and San Antonio, both No. 7 seeds, won on the road and grabbed home-court advantage. But they both know what's coming when Denver and Toronto get fueled by desperation on Tuesday night."It's going to be a lot tougher," Spurs guard DeMar DeRozan said."We're going to get their best," Magic coach Steve Clifford said.It goes without saying that all the teams that are down 1-0 found ways to get better for Game 2. The same goes for the teams leading those series. Clifford... [More]

DENVER (AP) — The thinking of DeMar DeRozan before joining San Antonio: Shoot.The mentality now: Share.Always a skilled scorer, the 29-year-old and four-time All-Star has taken his game to another level in San Antonio by taking to the floor with a different approach — a get-teammates-even-more-involved approach."Spurs' way, baby," said DeRozan, whose team leads 1-0 heading into Game 2 on Tuesday against the second-seeded Denver Nuggets.A year under coach Gregg Popovich has rubbed off on DeRozan , who was acquired in a deal last summer that sent Kawhi Leonard to Toronto. He's coming off a regular season in which he averaged 21.2 points, 6.2 assists and 6.0 rebounds. Those are the sorts of numbers no Spurs player has averaged for a season. Not David Robinson. Not Tim Duncan. Not Tony Parker. Not George Gervin.Flattering, for sure."All the great players who came through this organization, the history, for me to be mentioned in something like that is definitely amazing," DeRozan said. "I'm... [More]

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Derrick White's ascension into the starting lineup and the pivotal role he has played in helping San Antonio earn its 22nd straight postseason appearance was a greater surprise to him than anyone else.To hear his teammates and coach Gregg Popovich tell it, the soft-spoken kid not only belongs in the spotlight, he commands it."He has been spectacular," Popovich said. "Everything he's done has been off the charts and I couldn't be more thrilled for him."The second-year point guard who did not receive a single scholarship offer from a four-year institution coming out of high school is about to step onto an even bigger stage: His first postseason start comes Saturday in his native Colorado as the seventh-seeded Spurs take on the second-seeded Nuggets in Denver, not far from where he played high school ball in suburban Parker. He averaged 8.2 points, 3.2 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 2.2 steals and only one turnover as the Spurs split their four-game season series against the Nuggets.A... [More]

LeBron James finally has Anthony Davis as a teammate.For one game.His Los Angeles Lakers were unable to swing a deal for Davis, but James drafted the New Orleans Pelicans star on Thursday when he and fellow captain Giannis Antetokounmpo sat down to choose their teams for the Feb. 17 All-Star Game in Charlotte.Davis told the Pelicans he wanted a trade, and James has made it clear that he'd love to play with him. But the Pelicans kept Davis as the trade deadline passed, so for now, their time as teammates will be limited to All-Star weekend and James pounced at the chance to grab him with the second pick of the reserve round."I'm very sure of that," James said, when asked by TNT host Ernie Johnson if he was sure he wanted Davis as a teammate."Isn't that tampering?" Antetokounmpo asked.Responded James, as both players laughed: "Tampering rules do not apply on All-Star weekend," a thinly veiled reference to the reaction James got when he listed Davis as one of many players he would like the... [More]

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — On another batty night in San Antonio, the Spurs mascot made the play of the game.Nothing but net.Sporting a Batman costume — cape and all — The Coyote rushed the court and trapped a live bat Saturday, the second time one of the winged intruders disrupted a Spurs home game this week.The mascot dived to capture the bat with a fishing net near the scorer's table, getting big cheers from fans, players and Spurs coach Gregg Popovich. The Coyote ended a frantic few seconds with the courageous capture.The bat interrupted the first quarter of a game Thursday night against the New Orleans Pelicans. The refs whistled for a timeout, Spurs player Rudy Gay bolted off the floor and hid behind an official, and LaMarcus Aldridge tried unsuccessfully to hit the bat with a basketball.Seconds later, The Coyote bolted out from the opposite baseline, whiffed with one diving effort in front of a cackling Popovich, then pounced on the bat with his net. An arena worker covered the bat with a towel and took it off the court while the mascot celebrated near center court.After three bats delayed a game Thursday night against Brooklyn, San Antonio had devised a game plan for another invasion. Prior to the game, officials set up lengthy netting to ensnare any bats that flew over the court. The Coyote made that all unnecessary.Play resumed after a delay of about 90 seconds.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — On another batty night in San Antonio, the Spurs mascot made the play of the game.Nothing but net.Sporting a Batman costume — cape and all — The Coyote rushed the court and trapped a live bat Saturday, the second time one of the winged intruders disrupted a Spurs home game this week.The mascot dived to capture the bat with a fishing net near the scorer's table, getting big cheers from fans, players and Spurs coach Gregg Popovich. The Coyote ended a frantic few seconds with the courageous capture.The bat interrupted the first quarter of a game Thursday night against the New Orleans Pelicans. The refs whistled for a timeout, Spurs player Rudy Gay bolted off the floor and hid behind an official, and LaMarcus Aldridge tried unsuccessfully to hit the bat with a basketball.Seconds later, The Coyote bolted out from the opposite baseline, whiffed with one diving effort in front of a cackling Popovich, then pounced on the bat with his net. An arena worker covered the bat with a towel and took it off the court while the mascot celebrated near center court.After three bats delayed a game Thursday night against Brooklyn, San Antonio had devised a game plan for another invasion. Prior to the game, officials set up lengthy netting to ensnare any bats that flew over the court. The Coyote made that all unnecessary.Play resumed after a delay of about 90 seconds.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — On another batty night in San Antonio, the Spurs mascot made the play of the game.Nothing but net.Sporting a Batman costume — cape and all — The Coyote rushed the court and trapped a live bat Saturday, the second time one of the winged intruders disrupted a Spurs home game this week.The mascot dived to capture the bat with a fishing net near the scorer's table, getting big cheers from fans, players and Spurs coach Gregg Popovich. The Coyote ended a frantic few seconds with the courageous capture.The bat interrupted the first quarter of a game Thursday night against the New Orleans Pelicans. The refs whistled for a timeout, Spurs player Rudy Gay bolted off the floor and hid behind an official, and LaMarcus Aldridge tried unsuccessfully to hit the bat with a basketball.Seconds later, The Coyote bolted out from the opposite baseline, whiffed with one diving effort in front a cackling Popovich, then pounced on the bat with his net. An arena worker covered the bat with a towel and took it off the court while the mascot celebrated near center court.After three bats delayed a game Thursday night against Brooklyn, San Antonio had devised a game plan for another invasion. Prior to the game, officials set up lengthy netting to ensnare any bats that flew over the court. The Coyote made that all unnecessary.Play resumed after a delay of about 90 seconds.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — On another batty night in San Antonio, the Spurs mascot made the play of the game.Nothing but net.Sporting a Batman costume — cape and all — The Coyote rushed the court and trapped a live bat Saturday, the second time one of the winged intruders disrupted a Spurs home game this week.The mascot dived to capture the bat with a fishing net near the scorer's table, getting big cheers from fans, players and Spurs coach Gregg Popovich. The Coyote ended a frantic few seconds with the courageous capture.The bat interrupted the first quarter of a game Thursday night against the New Orleans Pelicans. The refs whistled for a timeout, Spurs player Rudy Gay bolted off the floor and hid behind an official, and LaMarcus Aldridge tried unsuccessfully to hit the bat with a basketball.Seconds later, The Coyote bolted out from the opposite baseline, whiffed with one diving effort in front a cackling Popovich, then pounced on the bat with his net. An arena worker covered the bat with a towel and took it off the court while the mascot celebrated near center court.After three bats delayed a game Thursday night against Phoenix, San Antonio had devised a game plan for another invasion. Prior to the game, officials set up lengthy netting to ensnare any bats that flew over the court. The Coyote made that all unnecessary.Play resumed after a delay of about 90 seconds.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

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]

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Spurs coach Gregg Popovich is downplaying the significance of Kawhi Leonard's return to San Antonio.As usual, Leonard isn't saying much.But Leonard's first game in San Antonio since being traded to Toronto along with Danny Green for DeMar DeRozan and Jakob Poeltl has more significance than just another regular season gamePopovich once deemed the franchise belonged to the 6-foot-7 MVP candidate with the impending departure of the Big Three — Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker. But Leonard's unhappiness and request for a trade stunned the organization."Give me some popcorn, I just want to watch it," Spurs veteran LaMarcus Aldridge quipped Wednesday. "If I can just get some popcorn and watch it, I would, but I might have to play."It's easier to joke about the pending reunion because there was nothing funny about the breakup.Leonard sat out all but nine games last season with a right quadriceps injury that first flared up prior to training camp. The diagnosis, treatment... [More]

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Spurs coach Gregg Popovich is downplaying the significance of Kawhi Leonard's return to San Antonio.As usual, Leonard isn't saying much.But Leonard's first game in San Antonio since being traded to Toronto along with Danny Green for DeMar DeRozan and Jakob Poeltl has more significance than just another regular season gamePopovich once deemed the franchise belonged to the 6-foot-7 MVP candidate with the impending departure of the Big Three — Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker. But Leonard's unhappiness and request for a trade stunned the organization."Give me some popcorn, I just want to watch it," Spurs veteran LaMarcus Aldridge quipped Wednesday. "If I can just get some popcorn and watch it, I would, but I might have to play."It's easier to joke about the pending reunion because there was nothing funny about the breakup.Leonard sat out all but nine games last season with a right quadriceps injury that first flared up prior to training camp. The diagnosis, treatment... [More]

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (AP) — Brandon Ingram is staying home from the Los Angeles Lakers' upcoming two-game road trip due to his sprained left ankle.Ingram will have a precautionary MRI exam Thursday night.Ingram injured his ankle early in the Lakers' 121-113 victory over San Antonio on Wednesday night when Spurs center LaMarcus Aldridge flagrantly fouled him.Ingram is the Lakers' starting shooting guard and their third-leading scorer with 15.2 points per game. The No. 2 overall pick in the 2016 draft also averages 4.0 rebounds and 2.2 assists.The Lakers (15-9) visit San Antonio on Friday night and Memphis on Saturday before returning home to face Miami on Monday.The Lakers have won 13 of their last 17 during their first season with LeBron James.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports