MIAMI (AP) — Udonis Haslem can finally say that he has played in 18 NBA seasons. The Miami Heat forward got into a game for the first time this season Thursday night, checking in with 59.3 seconds left in the first quarter of the team’s regular-season home finale against Philadelphia. Haslem, who turns 41 on June 9, became the oldest player to appear in a game for the Heat and the oldest to get on an NBA floor for any team this season. Cleveland’s Anderson Varejao, 38, was the oldest to play in the NBA so far in 2020-21; the next-oldest to play this season was Miami’s Andre Iguodala, 37. Haslem got a layup with 2.3 seconds left in the quarter, putting Miami up 38-20 in the early going. It was his first basket at home since Nov. 12, 2019. At 40 years, 338 days, Haslem was 269 days older than Juwan Howard was when he made his final appearance with the Heat on April 17, 2013. Haslem has not said if he will consider retiring this summer; the Heat have told him that he would be welcomed back... [More]

DALLAS (AP) — Luka Doncic scored 24 points, Tim Hardaway Jr. added 23 and the Dallas Mavericks beat the Brooklyn Nets 113-109 on Thursday night to finish a season sweep. Kyrie Irving scored a season-high 45 points for the Nets. They lost a season-high fourth straight game and dropped two games behind Eastern Conference-leading Philadelphia. Dorian Finney-Smith scored 17 points as the Mavericks reached 10 games over .500 for the first time this season and held on to the fifth seed in the West. Dallas (38-28) is a game ahead of the Los Angeles Lakers and Portland (both 37-29) with six to go after LA's 118-94 loss to the Clippers. The Mavericks hold the tiebreaker on the defending NBA champs but not the Trail Blazers. One of the three teams will be forced into the play-in tournament as the No. 7 seed. “This is all experience we need,” coach Rick Carlisle said. “There’s a lot of situations that are new. Last year at this time we were locked into the seventh position and we weren’t going lower.... [More]

DALLAS (AP) — Luka Doncic scored 24 points, Tim Hardaway Jr. added 23 and the Dallas Mavericks beat the Brooklyn Nets 113-109 on Thursday night to finish a season sweep. Kyrie Irving scored a season-high 45 points for the Nets. They lost a season-high fourth straight game and dropped two games behind Eastern Conference-leading Philadelphia. Dorian Finney-Smith scored 17 points as the Mavericks reached 10 games over .500 for the first time this season and moved a half-game ahead of the Los Angeles Lakers for the fifth seed in the West. Dallas holds the tiebreaker on the defending NBA champs. “This is all experience we need,” coach Rick Carlisle said. “There’s a lot of situations that are new. Last year at this time we were locked into the seventh position and we weren’t going lower. This year is a whole different ballgame. There’s so much in play. The thing I’m most proud of with this group is they’re blocking out all the external noise.” Kevin Durant had 20 points and nine rebounds for... [More]

DALLAS (AP) — Luka Doncic scored 24 points, Tim Hardaway Jr. added 23 and the Dallas Mavericks beat the Brooklyn Nets 113-109 on Thursday night to finish a season sweep. Kyrie Irving scored a season-high 45 points for the Nets. They lost a season-high fourth straight game and dropped two games behind Eastern Conference-leading Philadelphia. Dorian Finney-Smith scored 17 points as the Mavericks reached 10 games over .500 for the first time this season and moved a half-game ahead of the Los Angeles Lakers for the fifth seed in the West. Dallas holds the tiebreaker on the defending NBA champs. Kevin Durant had 20 points and nine rebounds for the Nets with each team missing an injured star: James Harden for Brooklyn and Kristaps Porzingis for Dallas. In the Mavericks' 115-98 win at Brooklyn in February, Harden played while Durant and Irving were out. Doncic had 10 rebounds, and one of his eight assists came on a layup by Dwight Powell that put Dallas ahead for good at 94-92 and started a 7-0... [More]

2021 — Stephen Curry, Golden State 2020 — Buddy Hield, Sacramento 2019 — Joe Harris, Brooklyn 2018 — Devin Booker, Phoenix 2017 — Eric Gordon, Houston 2016 — Klay Thompson, Golden State 2015 — Stephen Curry, Golden State 2014 — Marco Belinelli, San Antonio 2013 — Kyrie Irving, Cleveland 2012 — Kevin Love, Minnesota 2011 — James Jones, Miami 2010 — Paul Pierce, Boston 2009 — Daequan Cook, Miami 2008 — Jason Kapono, Toronto 2007 — Jason Kapono, Miami 2006 — Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas 2005 — Quentin Richardson, Phoenix 2004 — Voshon Lenard, Denver 2003 — Peja Stojakovic, Sacramento 2002 — Peja Stojakovic, Sacramento 2001 — Ray Allen, Milwaukee 2000 — Jeff Hornacek, Utah 1999 — No contest 1998 — Jeff Hornacek, Utah 1997 — Steve Kerr, Chicago 1996 — Tim Legler, Washington 1995 — Glen Rice, Miami 1994 — Mark Price, Cleveland 1993 — Mark Price, Cleveland 1992 — Craig Hodges, Chicago 1991 — Craig Hodges, Chicago 1990 — Craig Hodges, Chicago 1989 — Dale Ellis, Seattle 1988 — Larry Bird, Boston 1987 — Larry Bird, Boston 1986 — Larry Bird, Boston

MIAMI (AP) — Udonis Haslem announced Friday that he’s returning for an 18th season with the Miami Heat, and left the door open for extending his career after that. Only five NBA players have spent a career of that length with one franchise. Dirk Nowitzki spent 21 years with Dallas, Kobe Bryant 20 years with the Los Angeles Lakers, Tim Duncan spent 19 with San Antonio, John Stockton spent 19 with Utah and Reggie Miller spent 18 with Indiana. Haslem doesn’t play regularly and hasn’t for years: He got into just four games last season and has scored 76 points in the last four seasons combined. His impact on the team comes from what he says and does in the locker room, and that’s why Heat coach Erik Spoelstra lobbied for Haslem to come back. “He’s just an incredible rock of stability and leadership and mentorship,” Spoelstra said during the NBA Finals last month. “That’s at all levels. It’s not just to our young players. It’s to our veteran players. And he provides just great guidance and mentorship... [More]

Luka Doncic was impressive in his playoff debut on an injured ankle. Kristaps Porzingis left the NBA bubble amid unsettling questions over whether his knees will allow him to be the trusty sidekick in Dallas.While the Mavericks appear on track to become championship contenders led by the young European stars, there are issues while they await the unknown start of next season — the 10th since their only title, and their last playoff series victory.“We’re on the climb,” coach Rick Carlisle said after the Mavericks were eliminated in Game 6 of a first-round series against the Los Angeles Clippers. “You never know the exact timing of things like that. That’s our passion. That’s our obsession.”Doncic averaged 31 points, 9.8 rebounds and 8.7 assists in the playoffs with the bubble's most spectacular moment so far: a step-back 3-pointer at the buzzer to beat the Clippers in overtime in Game 4 on a left ankle he sprained in Game 3.After making his first All-Star game and being named a finalist... [More]

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — The Dallas Mavericks were without forward/center Kristaps Porzingis for Game 4 against the Los Angeles Clippers because he has right knee soreness.The last-minute scratch occurred after the Mavericks learned that guard Luka Doncic would play Sunday despite a left ankle sprain. It wasn’t the same knee that sidelined Porzingis for the 2018-19 season.Porzingis is averaging 23.7 points and 8.7 rebounds in the Western Conference first-round series. He is coming off a Game 3 performance in which he had 34 points and 13 rebounds. It's the first time a Dallas player has scored 30 or more points and grabbed 10 or more rebounds since Dirk Nowitzki in the 2011 NBA Finals.The 7-foot-3 Porzingis has been dealing with a bruised left heel. The Clippers lead the series 2-1.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — Luka Doncic would like to clear up a bit of a misconception: He has playoff experience.Then again, he also knows what awaits now is different.For the first time since 1990, the Dallas Mavericks are going to the playoffs without Dirk Nowitzki on the roster. The German great retired after last season, officially passing the torch as leader of the Mavs to Doncic — the Slovene who nearly averaged a 30-point triple-double in just his second NBA season.So, no, he hasn’t seen what the NBA playoffs are like.There’s also no reason to think Doncic isn’t ready for this stage.“Yes, it is the playoffs, but I have been in the playoffs before, just in Europe,” said the 21-year-old Doncic, who was still a teenager when he led Real Madrid to the EuroLeague title and was basically considered the best player in that league two years ago. “It is not the same level, but it is the same emotions. I am excited for sure.”He should be.Doncic finished the season averaging 28.8 points,... [More]

DALLAS (AP) — Luka Doncic is set to be the youngest All-Star starter since LeBron James, yet another link between the Dallas sensation and the player he grew up admiring, even when he was already playing pro ball as a 16-year-old in Spain.Now the 20-year-old Doncic waits to see who James, as the leading vote-getter, will take with the No. 1 pick before the other captain — Doncic's fellow European and 2019 MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo of Milwaukee — gets to choose.“No, I don't think I will be,” the 2019 Rookie of the Year said with a laugh when asked if he thought he would be the top choice by the Los Angeles Lakers star.All that matters for the Mavericks is that Doncic was at the top of their draft board in 2018, and the trade up two spots to get the third overall pick ended up involving two players getting All-Star starts in their second seasons. Atlanta's Trae Young was one of the five Eastern Conference players to get voted in.Doncic leads the NBA with 12 triple-doubles — two more than... [More]

The milestones are piling up, and running out, for Atlanta’s Vince Carter.His next game — which could come as early as Tuesday, when the Hawks visit the New York Knicks — will be the 1,504th in his career, which will tie John Stockton for fourth-most in NBA history. Barring injury, Carter will pass Dirk Nowitzki later this season for No. 3 on the career list.Third place is the ceiling for Carter; assuming he doesn’t change his mind about retirement and play again next season, he can’t catch No. 2 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1,560) or No. 1 Robert Parish (1,611). Nowitzki retired after 1,522 games.It has not been the ideal start to the farewell season. The Hawks are 6-21. They need to beat the Knicks on Tuesday just to stay out of last place in the Eastern Conference. But Carter’s last lap around the league has been worth celebrating.“Many different teams, many different highlights, many different moments of his career, too many to count,” Hawks coach Lloyd Pierce said. “But we’re going to cherish... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — RJ Barrett was asked to explain something that would have been unusual to a 10-year veteran, let alone someone who had played 21 NBA games.Was it strange to have a coach run practice, only to fire him after it ended?“I mean, I have no idea. I just got here," Barrett said. “I don’t know how these things work."Welcome to life with the New York Knicks, rookie.It's nothing new when they change coaches, but the firing of David Fizdale was a head-scratcher even for the Knicks. When they finally got around to announcing his dismissal last Friday, hours after the practice he led, the Knicks did it with a two-sentence statement void of any quotes or any other explanation. They played at home the next night and then departed the following day for a road trip, all without president Steve Mills or general manager Scott Perry commenting on Fizdale's removal. That left it up to the players to do all the talking.The front office did speak earlier in the season, a strange press conference... [More]

DALLAS (AP) — Kristaps Porzingis can now count in days what he once couldn't even really count at all: his return to the court for a real game for the first time since a knee injury nearly 20 months ago.The 7-foot-3 Latvian preparing for his debut with the Dallas Mavericks might even be willing to count the first preseason game for his new team, in about a week.That Porzingis will be doing all that with new Euro sidekick and reigning rookie of the year Luka Doncic as the Mavericks move on from 21 seasons with German superstar Dirk Nowitzki makes it all the more interesting for a club that hasn't been to the playoffs since 2016."I can't even explain in words how excited I am," said Porzingis, who tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee in what ended up being his final game with the New York Knicks on Feb. 6, 2018. "It's been a long time."On media day Monday — the first without Nowitzki since 1997 — coach Rick Carlisle wasn't ready for any playoff proclamations for a franchise... [More]

Udonis Haslem has made his decision: He's returning to the Miami Heat.Haslem, who was considering retirement, announced Tuesday that he is returning for a 17th season. The 39-year-old has spent his entire NBA career with the Heat, and should become just the sixth player in league history to play such a long career with only one franchise.It's a veteran's minimum contract, worth just under $2.6 million this season. Haslem made the announcement on Instagram, saying "to be continued.""We are proud to welcome our captain back for a 17th season," Heat President Pat Riley said. "UD is the heart and soul of Miami and we are proud to have him help lead this team once again."Haslem has appeared in only 40 games over the past three seasons, and averaged 2.5 points in 10 appearances last season. But the Heat continue to rave about his commitment to the franchise's culture and value his leadership in the locker room — insisting that he is worth a roster spot for those qualities alone.Haslem's longevity... [More]

ATLANTA (AP) — Vince Carter is putting off retirement for at least one more season.With that, he'll claim the longest career in NBA history all to himself.A person familiar with the situation confirmed that Carter has agreed to terms on a one-year contract to return to the Atlanta Hawks for his record 22nd season. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the deal has not been announced.The 42-year-old Carter never wavered in his desire to play with someone this season. He is tied with Robert Parish, Kevin Garnett, Kevin Willis and recently retired Dirk Nowitzki — all of whom played for 21 seasons — for the longest career in NBA history."Just waiting for the right opportunity," he said on a recent conference call to discuss the upcoming Jr. NBA Global Championship, when questioned by a reporter from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "Nothing has changed as far as that goal and that dream of mine."The deal was first reported by ESPN.Essentially an extra coach... [More]

DALLAS (AP) — The Dallas Mavericks have signed Seth Curry to complete the guard's return after a year away and re-signed one of their restricted free agents in forward Maxi Kleber.Curry signed a $32 million, four-year contract after spending one season with Portland. Kleber is returning on a $35 million, four-year deal.Stephen Curry's younger brother had the best year of his career with the Mavericks in 2016-17, averaging 12.8 points, 2.7 assists and 29 minutes per game. The 28-year-old Curry missed all of 2017-18 with a stress reaction in his lower left leg before averaging 7.9 points with the Trail Blazers last season.Kleber's return means Dallas will have a German on its roster for a 22nd consecutive season. Dirk Nowitzki retired in April after setting an NBA record by playing 21 seasons with the same franchise. Both were born in Wurzburg, German.The 27-year-old Kleber spent his first two NBA seasons with the Mavericks, averaging 6.1 points and 3.9 rebounds.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Dirk Nowitzki eventually plans on working out again. The recently retired star of the Dallas Mavericks wants to stay in somewhat decent shape.The big German hasn't put a timeline on it — he's assuming several more rounds of pizza and ice cream will come first.Nowitzki looks relaxed and happy, with a neatly trimmed beard surrounding a wide smile, nearly two months after announcing his retirement on the court after his final home game in his record 21st season with the same franchise."It's been everything I dreamed of, drinking, eating everything in sight," Nowitzki said after throwing out the ceremonial first pitch at a Texas Rangers game this past week. "On vacation without really worrying about anything, about staying in shape. I'm going to start working out again and enjoying that. But as of now, I have zero motivation to go work out."The 40-year-old wants to spend time with his wife and three children and visit Germany more often to see his aging parents.During... [More]

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Retired Dallas Mavericks star Dirk Nowitzki has been honored by Gov. Greg Abbott and Texas lawmakers for his outstanding 21-year career with the same NBA team.Nowitzki was in Austin on Tuesday to visit Abbott, who introduced the German-born athlete as the greatest player in the history of the Mavs and one of the greatest in the league.The 40-year-old Nowitzki, who retired in April, also appeared in the Texas House and the Senate where he was congratulated by legislators and posed for photos.Nowitzki, a 14-time All-Star, led the Mavericks to their only championship in 2011.

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Retired Dallas Mavericks star Dirk Nowitzki has been honored by Gov. Greg Abbott and Texas lawmakers for his outstanding 21-year career with the same NBA team.Nowitzki was in Austin on Tuesday to visit Abbott, who introduced the German-born star as the greatest player in Mavericks history and one of the greatest in the league.The 40-year-old Nowitzki retired in April. A 14-time All-Star, he led the Mavericks to their only championship in 2011.Nowitzki also appeared in the Texas House and the Senate, where he was congratulated by legislators and posed for photos.

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Retired Dallas Mavericks star Dirk Nowitzki has been honored by Gov. Greg Abbott and Texas lawmakers for his outstanding 21-year career with the same NBA team.Nowitzki was in Austin on Tuesday to visit Abbott, who introduced the German-born athlete as the greatest player in the history of the Mavs and one of the greatest in the league.The 40-year-old Nowitzki, who retired in April, also appeared in the Texas House and the Senate where he was congratulated by legislators and posed for photos.Nowitzki, who's a 14-time All-Star, led the Mavericks to their only championship in 2011.