DALLAS (AP) — Michael Porter Jr. tied his season high with 30 points and the Denver Nuggets overcame Jamal Murray's ejection for a shot to the groin of Dallas guard Tim Hardaway Jr. to beat the Mavericks 117-113 on Monday night. Porter was 6 of 10 from 3-point range, including a go-ahead shot to start a decisive 7-0 run late in the fourth quarter after the Mavericks had rallied immediately following the incident involving Murray and Hardaway. Luka Doncic had 35 points, 11 rebounds and a season-high 16 assists for his league-leading sixth triple-double. The Dallas star broke a tie for the NBA lead with Nikola Jokic, who had 20 points and 10 rebounds for the Nuggets. Denver was setting up on offense early in the second half when Murray stumbled backward after colliding with Hardaway. Murray got up and reached between Hardaway’s legs with his right arm, prompting Hardaway to double over. The official closest to the contact blew the whistle to stop play with 4:51 left in the third quarter and... [More]

DALLAS (AP) — Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray was ejected after what appeared to be an intentional shot to the groin area of Dallas' Tim Hardaway Jr. in the second half of their game Monday night. Murray stumbled backward after the pair collided as Denver was setting up on offense. Murray got up and reached between Hardaway's legs with his right arm, prompting Hardaway to double over. The official closest to the contact blew the whistle to stop play with 4:51 left in the third quarter and conferred with the other referees. The initial call was a foul on Murray, and it was upgraded to a flagrant-two foul on a video review. Murray had 16 points when he was ejected, his same team-leading total from halftime. The Nuggets led 80-73 when the game was stopped, and Hardaway scored the next seven points in just 23 seconds to get the Mavericks even before they went on to take their first lead since early in the first quarter. ___ More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

PHOENIX (AP) — Phoenix Suns All-Star guard Devin Booker sat out Saturday night against the Denver Nuggets because of a left hamstring injury he suffered in overtime Friday night. Booker was hurt with about two minutes left in overtime when he landed awkwardly while going for a rebound. He slowly walked to the bench and didn't play during the final few possessions and the Nuggets rallied for a 130-126 victory. Suns coach Monty Williams said on Saturday that Booker's hamstring was sore and that his status for the coming week was uncertain. Phoenix won't play again until Wednesday when it hosts Oklahoma City. Booker leads the Suns with a 22.9 scoring average and had 31 on Friday. Williams wasn't sure who would start in Booker's place, adding that his production couldn't be replaced by just one player. When Booker went to the bench in overtime, he was replaced by Cameron Payne, who is averaging 7 points and about 17 minutes. The Suns are off to an 8-6 start this season and trying to make the playoffs for the first time in more than a decade. ___ More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

WASHINGTON (AP) — The shorthanded Washington Wizards signed free agent centers Alex Len and Jordan Bell on Saturday, trying to fill out a roster decimated by COVID-19 and injuries. The Wizards have scrapped six games since a win over Phoenix on Jan. 11 made them 3-8. They’re scheduled to play Sunday at San Antonio. Six Washington players have tested positive for the coronavirus and three other players were sidelined after contact tracing determined they might have been exposed to the illness. Starting center Thomas Bryant is out for the season with an injured left knee and point guard Russell Westbrook is still dealing with a left quadriceps injury. The 7-foot Len averaged 7.9 points and 6.2 rebounds in 474 games over eight seasons with Phoenix, Atlanta, Sacramento and Toronto. He played seven games for the Raptors this season. The 27-year-old from Ukraine played at Maryland before he was the fifth overall pick by Phoenix in the 2013 draft. The 6-8 Bell averaged 3.8 points and 3.1 rebounds in 154 games over three seasons with Golden State, Minnesota and Memphis. The 26-year-old hadn’t played in the NBA this season. ___ More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

CLEVELAND (AP) — Brooklyn Nets superstar Kevin Durant sat out Friday night against the Cavaliers as the team continues to take a cautious approach with his surgically repaired Achilles tendon. Durant played a season-high 50 minutes in the Nets’ 147-135 double-overtime loss to the Cavaliers on Wednesday night. He had 38 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists in Brooklyn's first game with Durant, Kyrie Irving and James Harden on the floor together. Nets coach Steve Nash blamed himself for playing Durant, Irving and Harden excessive minutes in an early-season contest. Harden logged a career-best 51 minutes and Irving equaled his NBA high with 48. “We'll try and develop a second unit to share — and spread around the minutes — of our big three,” Nash said. “At the same time, guys want to win and don't want to be on the bench in a close game. It's a balancing act.” The Nets, who recently acquired Harden in a blockbuster trade from the Houston Rockets, host Miami on Saturday night. The 32-year-old Durant tore his right Achilles tendon in June of 2019 and didn't play last season. A 10-time All-Star, he's averaging 31.3 points, 7.5 rebounds and 6.0 assists this season. ___ More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

CLEVELAND (AP) — Kevin Porter quickly went from being a future star with the Cavaliers to part of their past. Cleveland completed its trade with Houston on Friday, sending Porter to the Rockets for a second-round draft pick, a deal the Cavs had no choice to make after running out of patience with a player they once viewed as a possible franchise cornerstone. The teams agreed to the swap on Thursday night, less than a week after Porter's outburst in Cleveland's locker room convinced the team it had to part with the 20-year-old. “After careful and thoughtful evaluation, we made the very difficult and collective decision to make this trade,” Cavs general manager Koby Altman said. “Given the culture and environment we have worked to cultivate here in Cleveland, we feel this move is in everyone’s best interest. "Kevin has a bright career ahead of him as a professional basketball player and, at his core, is a good person. We wish Kevin and his family well in Houston.” Porter posted a message... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — Brooklyn Nets superstar Kevin Durant will not play in Friday night's game against the Cavaliers as the team continues to take a cautious approach with his surgically repaired Achilles tendon. Durant played a season-high 50 minutes in the Nets’ 147-135 double-overtime loss to the Cavaliers on Wednesday night. He scored 38 points with 12 rebounds and eight assists in Brooklyn's first game with Durant, Kyrie Irving and James Harden on the floor together. The Nets, who recently acquired Harden in a blockbuster trade from the Houston Rockets, host Miami on Saturday night. The 32-year-old Durant tore his right Achilles tendon in June of 2019 and didn't play last season. A 10-time All-Star, he's averaging 31.3 points, 7.5 rebounds and 6 assists this season. ___ More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

CLEVELAND (AP) — Kevin Porter quickly went from being a future star with the Cavaliers to part of their past. Cleveland completed its trade with Houston on Friday, sending Porter to the Rockets for a second-round draft pick, a deal the Cavs had no choice to make after running out of patience with a player they once viewed as a possible franchise cornerstone. The teams agreed to the swap on Thursday night, less than a week after Porter's outburst in Cleveland's locker room convinced the team it had to part with the 20-year-old. “After careful and thoughtful evaluation, we made the very difficult and collective decision to make this trade,” Cavs general manager Koby Altman said. “Given the culture and environment we have worked to cultivate here in Cleveland, we feel this move is in everyone’s best interest. "Kevin has a bright career ahead of him as a professional basketball player and, at his core, is a good person. We wish Kevin and his family well in Houston.” The Cavs positioned themselves... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — Kevin Porter Jr. is no longer a problem for the Cavaliers. Cleveland has agreed to trade the troubled forward to the Houston Rockets for a future draft pick, a person familiar with the deal told the Associated Press on Thursday night. The Cavs will send Porter, the 2019 first-round draft pick who hasn't played this season and recently had an outburst in the team's locker room, to the Rockets for a protected second-round pick. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the trade has to be approved by the NBA. Porter's days with the Cavs reached a breaking point late last week when he became upset after learning his space in the locker room had been given to newly acquired forward Taurean Prince. Porter had only returned to practice with the Cavs a day earlier after they had spent months trying to help him. The No. 30 overall pick two years ago, Porter has plenty of talent and the Cavs were hoping they could get the 20-year-old to buy in and be part of their future.... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — The Cleveland Cavaliers are finalizing a trade to send troubled forward Kevin Porter Jr. to the Houston Rockets for a future draft pick, a person familiar with the deal told the Associated Press on Thursday night. The Cavs are sending Porter, a first-round pick two years ago who hasn't played this season, to the Rockets for a protected second-round pick. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the trade has to be approved by the NBA. Porter's days with the Cavs came to an end late last week when he had an outburst in the team's locker room after learning his space had been given to newly acquired forward Taurean Prince. Porter had only just returned to the team after being away to attend to personal problems. He was the No. 30 overall pick in the 2019 draft, and while the Cavs were enamored with his talent, the 20-year-old had been mostly a distraction for Cleveland. Porter was arrested in November following a single-car crash, but gun and marijuana charges were later dropped.

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Some Thunder fans believe tanking to get higher draft picks is the way back to contention. Apparently, the team disagrees. Oklahoma City was expected by experts to be one of the NBA’s worst teams this season -- just like last season, when they shocked the league and made the playoffs. Once again, the Thunder are defying the odds. Oklahoma City is off to a 6-7 start, despite five of its top seven scorers having been in the league three years or fewer and 35-year-old Mark Daigneault taking on his first NBA head coaching assignment. Last year, the Thunder had veterans Chris Paul, Dennis Schroder, Steven Adams and Danilo Gallinari to help them through the tough times. This year, young holdovers Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Lu Dort, Darius Bazley and Hamidou Diallo carry more of the load. And they clearly are out to win, even with losses offering a potentially greater return on the slew of draft picks general manager Sam Presti has collected through trades in recent years. “We’re... [More]

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Hornets starting center Cody Zeller is expected to return to action Friday night against the Chicago Bulls after missing four weeks with a broken bone in his left hand. Zeller went through a scrimmage on Wednesday and coach James Borrego on Thursday listed him as probable for the game. The 7-foot center will not be on a minutes restriction. Zeller said Thursday that he had no problems in the scrimmage and is ready to play. Given the injury is to his left non-shooting hand, he said he's not worried about his shot but added his concerns are “mostly catching a pass and rebounding. But it has felt good so far and I’m excited to get back out there.” Zeller was injured in Charlotte's season opener on Dec. 23 and has not played since. The Hornets are 6-7 without Zeller in the lineup, and have been repeatedly been outrebound by the opposition. It's unclear if Zeller will replace Bismack Biyombo in the starting lineup or come off the bench. Charlotte (6-8) has lost its last three games. ___ More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

CLEVELAND (AP) — Kevin Durant scooped up the box score on the table in front of him and quickly scanned the statistics next to Collin Sexton's name to make sure he was being accurate. There they were: 42 points, 15 coming in the second overtime when Cleveland's guard drained four 3-pointers. “He made shots,” said Durant, who also had a breakaway dunk stopped by Sexton. Outplaying Kyrie Irving, the player with whom he'll forever be linked, Sexton outscored Brooklyn by himself in the second OT and led the Cavaliers to a 147-135 win over the Nets, who will need some time to get their three superstars aligned. Sexton was back after missing five games with a sprained ankle and he outshined Irving, Durant and James Harden, Brooklyn's heralded “Big 3” who combined for 96 points in their first game together since the Nets pulled off the stunning trade that tilted the East Conference toward one of New York's boroughs. But with all eyes on the new-look Nets, Sexton stole the spotlight. The third-year... [More]

A federal judge in North Carolina has ruled in favor of New Orleans Pelicans player Zion Williamson in a case concerning a contract he terminated with a Florida-based marketing agent who is seeking $100 million in damages from the former Duke star. U.S. District Judge Loretta Biggs in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, ruled on Wednesday that marketing agent Gina Ford’s contract with Williamson was void because Ford was not a licensed agent in the state at the time she met with Williamson and because the contract did not comply with key requirements outlined by the state’s sports agent law, the Uniform Athlete Agents Act. The act requires that the contract include warnings explaining how hiring agents causes athletes to forfeit their amateur status. It also requires such contracts to include a disclaimer giving athletes 14 days to cancel. “We are grateful that the court invalidated the contract based on the merits of the case, in line with the clear, relevant requirements under North Carolina... [More]

DENVER (AP) — Nikola Jokic faced a situation he couldn’t pass, shoot or dribble his way through. The Denver Nuggets big man was befuddled by a simple yet complicated question: How does he define an NBA MVP? “I don’t know,” Jokic answered after a long pause. “Probably the best player in the NBA? The top scorer? I don’t know.” By any measure, the 7-footer who views himself equal parts center and point guard has definitely put himself in the early MVP conversation. After all, he is averaging a triple-double this season. Not only that, but he's displaying an array of dunks — he's never been known for his dunks — and a newfound aggressive shooting mentality that his coach certainly appreciates — and playfully takes credit. “I locked him in my office one day, and I beat him with a pillowcase filled with soda cans, and said, ‘You’ve got to score more,'" coach Michael Malone cracked. “He’s a great player. He’s playing at an MVP level.” Reserve point guard Monte Morris believes Jokic fully belongs... [More]

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Caris LeVert arrived in Indianapolis last week feeling perfectly fine. He was eager to meet his new teammates, join the starting lineup and make his Pacers debut. Then came the shocking news from Indiana's team doctors: They found a small mass on LeVert's left kidney. Suddenly everything went on hold and now, as LeVert awaits test results to find out if the growth is cancerous, the 6-foot-6 guard realizes just how fortunate he was to be included in last week's blockbuster trade. “I hadn't missed any games this season yet. I was 100% healthy," he said during a video call Tuesday. “In a way this trade showed and revealed what was going on in my body. So I’m definitely looking at it from that side and definitely humbled to know that that this trade could have saved me in the long run." If he hadn't gone from Brooklyn to Houston in the James Harden deal, then from the Rockets to Indiana in exchange for Victor Oladipo last Wednesday, it's unclear when — or if — the mass would... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Kyrie Irving rested his chin on his arms folded in front of him, looking worn down by his fight to balance his commitment to his team and his community. He wants to help the Nets. He also wants to support the underserved. “If you don’t create that distinction, then it’s easy to feel the weight of the world while you’re going out there and playing,” Irving said Tuesday. Such a weight, the Brooklyn star said, that he "just needed a pause.” Irving returned to practice with the team and could play Wednesday in Cleveland. He has missed the last seven games — five while away during a leave of absence and two more while regaining his conditioning after he was eligible to return. He didn't give a clear reason for his absence while speaking during a Zoom interview, telling reporters he had a lot of personal things going on. “I’m a hometown kid so things hit a little different when family and personal stuff are going on, and that’s up to me to handle that as a man,” Irving said. “But... [More]

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Caris LeVert said Tuesday he was awaiting additional test results on a small mass in his left kidney before establishing a treatment plan or a timeline for his Indiana Pacers debut. Team doctors found the growth during a routine post-trade physical late last week. LeVert said he doesn't yet know if the mass is cancerous. Indiana acquired LeVert as part of a four-team, blockbuster trade that sent All-Star James Harden from Houston to Brooklyn. The Rockets sent the 6-foot-6 guard to the Pacers in exchange for Victor Oladipo. Pacers president of basketball operations Kevin Pritchard announced the results of the physical Saturday. LeVert, who hadn't missed any games with the Nets this season prior to the trade, said he never felt any lower back pain and had no indication anything even might be wrong. “I haven’t gotten anything removed yet, we're waiting for more results," he said. LeVert was expected to replace Oladipo in the starting lineup and was also supposed to help... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Kyrie Irving rejoined the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday, saying he took a leave of absence because he “just needed a pause.” Irving practiced with the team and could play Wednesday in Cleveland. He has missed the last seven games — five while away from the team and two more while regaining his conditioning after he was eligible to return. Resting his head on his arms folded in front of him while he spoke during a Zoom interview, Irving didn't give a clear reason for his absence, saying he had a lot of family and personal stuff going on. “I’m a hometown kid so things hit a little different when family and personal stuff going on, and that’s up to me to handle that as a man,” Irving said. “But yeah, I just take full accountability for my absence with the guys and just had a conversation with each one of them and we move on.” Irving was fined $50,000 for violating the NBA's health and safety protocols after he was seen in a video posted on social media during his absence at an indoor... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Kyrie Irving rejoined the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday, saying he took a leave of absence because he “just needed a pause.” Irving practiced with the team and could play Wednesday in Cleveland. He has missed the last seven games, five while away from the team and two more while regaining his conditioning after he was eligible to return. Resting his head on his arms folded in front of him while he spoke during a Zoom interview, Irving didn't give a clear reason for his absence, saying he had a lot of family and personal stuff going on. Irving was fined $50,000 for violating the NBA's health and safety protocols after he was seen in a video posted on social media during his absence at an indoor family party while not wearing a mask. He also lost nearly $900,000 of his $33.5 million salary because two of the games he missed were during a mandated quarantine period. Irving said he was happy to be back with the team, which acquired James Harden during his absence. The Nets have won both games since the trade. ___ More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports