SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Former Golden State center Zaza Pachulia has re-joined the Warriors, no longer as a player but working as a consultant.The team announced Pachulia's hiring Thursday along with naming Steve Kerr's entire coaching staff and the promotion of ex-forward Mike Dunleavy Jr. to assistant general manager.Pachulia played for the back-to-back champion Warriors teams of 2017 and '18 before spending the final season of his 16-year playing career with Detroit.He is eager to be part of a new era beginning this season at San Francisco's Chase Center, which the Warriors have been showing off this week as opening nears next month."I'm super excited and looking forward to it," Pachulia said in a text message. "It's going to be a fun process."While Pachulia only appeared in seven games during the 2018 run with no starts after starting 15 postseason games the previous year, his veteran presence and team-first mindset meant so much to Kerr and the Warriors. He will be used as a consultant... [More]

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Former Golden State center Zaza Pachulia has re-joined the Warriors, no longer as a player but working as a consultant.The team announced Pachulia's hiring Thursday along with naming Steve Kerr's entire coaching staff and the promotion of ex-forward Mike Dunleavy Jr. to assistant general manager.Pachulia played for the back-to-back champion Warriors teams of 2017 and '18 before spending the final season of his 16-year playing career with Detroit.He is eager to be part of a new era beginning this season at San Francisco's Chase Center, which the Warriors have been showing off this week as opening nears next month."I'm super excited and looking forward to it," Pachulia said in a text message. "It's going to be a fun process."While Pachulia only appeared in seven games during the 2018 run with no starts after starting 15 postseason games the previous year, his veteran presence and team-first mindset meant so much to Kerr and the Warriors. He will be used as a consultant... [More]

The MVP front-runners are in some trouble.It's a virtual certainty that either Milwaukee's Giannis Antetokounmpo or Houston's reigning MVP James Harden will win the coveted award this season. And while the voting results there won't be known until June 24, the only results that truly matter right now to both players are the ones that were determined on Sunday — and the ones that are coming on Tuesday.Antetokounmpo and the Bucks were handed their worst loss of the season, a 22-point defeat by the Boston Celtics that cost the NBA's No. 1 overall seed the home-court edge in their Eastern Conference semifinal series. And the Rockets were angered by what they felt were a series of calls that didn't go their way in a 104-100 loss to Golden State on Sunday in Game 1 of a West semifinal series.Both matchups resume with Game 2s on Tuesday: Boston at Milwaukee and Houston at Golden State."Right now, we've got to focus on playing better," Antetokounmpo said after Milwaukee fell 112-90 in Game 1. "Obviously,... [More]

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Stephen Curry made a point Monday of studying all 16 3-pointers James Harden attempted in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals.He wants to be better prepared to defend the Houston star who has such a knack of drawing his man in to generate contact as he jumps forward to release the ball from long range.Who knew a debate about landing space would be all the talk going into Game 2 on Tuesday?"It sucks that that is the narrative coming out of it, because we literally could exhaust our energy on that as well. So what are you going to do about it?" Curry said. "Hopefully, Game 2, it's about the game and how we play and making shots and the energy and intensity that we need to play with, knowing what's at stake, and that becomes the conversation for sure."A day after the Houston Rockets complained about the officiating following a 104-100 loss in the opener of the best-of-seven series, the NBA's Last-Two Minute Report confirmed a no-call when Draymond Green defended... [More]

The MVP front-runners are in some trouble.It's a virtual certainty that either Milwaukee's Giannis Antetokounmpo or Houston's reigning MVP James Harden will win the coveted award this season. And while the voting results there won't be known until June 24, the only results that truly matter right now to both players are the ones that were determined on Sunday — and the ones that are coming on Tuesday.Antetokounmpo and the Bucks were handed their worst loss of the season, a 22-point defeat by the Boston Celtics that cost the NBA's No. 1 overall seed the home-court edge in their Eastern Conference semifinal series. And the Rockets were angered by what they felt were a series of calls that didn't go their way in a 104-100 loss to Golden State on Sunday in Game 1 of a West semifinal series.Both matchups resume with Game 2s on Tuesday: Boston at Milwaukee and Houston at Golden State."Right now, we've got to focus on playing better," Antetokounmpo said after Milwaukee fell 112-90 in Game 1. "Obviously,... [More]

There's no LeBron James in these playoffs, so the NBA Finals will have a distinctly new look for the first time in nine years.There's no Tony Parker, for the first time in nearly two decades.There's no Dwyane Wade, and he'll never play a playoff game again.San Antonio is in the postseason for a record-tying 22nd consecutive season. Brooklyn, Denver, Detroit, Orlando and the Los Angeles Clippers got into these playoffs after watching the postseason last year.As always at playoff time, there are some familiar things and some not-so-familiar things. With the postseason set to begin Saturday, here's 10 things to know going into the best time of the NBA year:DRIVE FOR FIVEGolden State is trying to reach the NBA Finals for the fifth consecutive season.If the Warriors get there, they would be the second franchise ever with such a streak — joining only the Boston Celtics, who went there in 10 straight seasons from 1957-66.The Warriors are one of five franchises with a streak of four straight NBA... [More]

There's no NBA Finals rematch this year on Christmas. Not technically, anyway. It's LeBron James vs. the Golden State Warriors for the fourth consecutive year on Dec. 25, though James will be wearing a Los Angeles Lakers uniform this time.It was a predictable matchup.It isn't, however, a break from tradition.That's one of the biggest misnomers about the NBA and the schedule. An NBA Finals rematch is not common, not the norm, not a guarantee for the last two teams that were standing the previous season. The league has crowned a champion every year since 1947, and the tradition of Christmas Day games started later that same year. (They've been an annual fixture since, with the exception of 1998, when a lockout didn't allow that season to begin until February.)But there have been only nine NBA Finals rematches on Dec. 25. The recent Golden State-Cleveland history may make it seem like more.James has been in five Finals rematches on Christmas, all since 2011: Miami vs. Dallas that year, Oklahoma... [More]

There's no NBA Finals rematch this year on Christmas. Not technically, anyway. It's LeBron James vs. the Golden State Warriors for the fourth consecutive year on Dec. 25, though James will be wearing a Los Angeles Lakers uniform this time.It was a predictable matchup.It isn't, however, a break from tradition.That's one of the biggest misnomers about the NBA and the schedule. An NBA Finals rematch is not common, not the norm, not a guarantee for the last two teams that were standing the previous season. The league has crowned a champion every year since 1947, and the tradition of Christmas Day games started later that same year. (They've been an annual fixture since, with the exception of 1998, when a lockout didn't allow that season to begin until February.)But there have been only nine NBA Finals rematches on Dec. 25. The recent Golden State-Cleveland history may make it seem like more.James has been in five Finals rematches on Christmas, all since 2011: Miami vs. Dallas that year, Oklahoma... [More]

So much changed after Kawhi Leonard crashed to the Oracle Arena floor on May 14, 2017.The San Antonio Spurs had a 23-point lead on the Warriors in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals when Leonard departed with 26 points, poised to take away home-court advantage in the series between teams who won more than 60 games.Leonard injured his ankle when he landed on Zaza Pachulia's foot after taking a jump shot, and things were never the same again for the Spurs or Leonard. The Spurs couldn't hold on to win that game or any other in the series without their All-Star forward, whose ankle injury would be followed by a lingering thigh injury that would limit him to just nine games the following season and strain relations between the team and player. Leonard was ultimately granted his desire to leave San Antonio when he was traded to Toronto in the offseason.If Leonard doesn't go down, maybe the Spurs win that game, maybe the series and maybe another championship. Maybe Leonard wouldn't have wanted... [More]

So much changed after Kawhi Leonard crashed to the Oracle Arena floor on May 14, 2017.The San Antonio Spurs had a 23-point lead on the Warriors in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals when Leonard departed with 26 points, poised to take away home-court advantage in the series between teams who won more than 60 games.Leonard injured his ankle when he landed on Zaza Pachulia's foot after taking a jump shot, and things were never the same again for the Spurs or Leonard. The Spurs couldn't hold on to win that game or any other in the series without their All-Star forward, whose ankle injury would be followed by a lingering thigh injury that would limit him to just nine games the following season and strain relations between the team and player. Leonard was ultimately granted his desire to leave San Antonio when he was traded to Toronto in the offseason.If Leonard doesn't go down, maybe the Spurs win that game, maybe the series and maybe another championship. Maybe Leonard wouldn't have wanted... [More]

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Warriors center Damian Jones underwent surgery for a torn left pectoral muscle.Golden State said Friday that Jones had the procedure Wednesday in Chicago, performed by Dr. Benjamin Domb. Jones is expected to begin the rehab process in six weeks with a timetable to be determined based on his progress.Jones, a third-year pro out of Vanderbilt who developed in the G League last season to emerge as the starter for the two-time defending NBA champions, was injured Saturday at Detroit.The 23-year-old Jones started in 22 of his 24 games, averaging 5.4 points and 3.1 rebounds in 17.1 minutes. Golden State had an opening at center following the offseason departures of JaVale McGee, Zaza Pachulia and David West.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/tag/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — First, his right forearm cramped turning his arm into the shape of a V as his hand bent back, and Jordan Bell could not move it for several minutes as he sat in the bathtub as he recovered post-workout. He yelled for his girlfriend's help. The cramp briefly released, then quickly returned. Soon, his quads, calves, hamstrings, biceps, hands and feet followed suit.Then, Bell blacked out. He came to and his girlfriend got him into bed, and he doesn't remember anything but waking up there."I just got cramps everywhere, all at once," he recalled after a workout at Warriors headquarters this week. "The pain was just so much, I blacked out."It was terrifying — "very," Bell said. He realized he had pushed his body to the brink of physical exhaustion after one especially grueling mid-August day with far from enough food and fuel. He did his cycle class, weights and conditioning, then a couple hours of open gym in Los Angeles — his regular routine all summer to get ready for... [More]

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — David West, a key big man and snazzy passer who had a knack for providing a timely lift off the bench during the Golden State Warriors' past two championship seasons, retired Thursday.West's Twitter announcement — one day after his 38th birthday — wasn't a surprise as he made it clear he would take some time after the team's latest title run to contemplate calling it a career."I am humbled and thankful for the support of my family, friends, coaches, teammates, organizations, and fans throughout this experience," said West, the 18th overall draft pick by the Hornets in 2003 out of Xavier.He left the Spurs following the 2015-16 season for a chance to chase a championship with the Warriors, and wound up winning his first career title and then a second one this past June."David was a consummate professional throughout his entire career and was a huge presence in our locker room the last two years," Golden State coach Steve Kerr said in a statement. "The respect that he... [More]

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Free agent forward Jonas Jerebko has signed with the two-time defending champion Golden State Warriors.The Warriors announced the deal Thursday and planned to formally introduce Jerebko on Monday.A native of Sweden, Jerebko has played nine NBA seasons with Utah, Boston and Detroit. In 32 postseason games — four starts — for the Jazz and Celtics, he has averaged 4.0 points and 3.1 rebounds.Golden State had already added center DeMarcus Cousins in free agency and re-signed two-time reigning finals MVP Kevin Durant and forward/center Kevon Looney after winning a second straight title and third in four years. Centers JaVale McGee (Lakers) and Zaza Pachulia (Pistons) have departed.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/tag/NBAbasketball

The NBA playoffs never go according to plan. The Golden State Warriors are proof of that.Again.They have been the league's best team over the last four seasons, without question. But even the great teams need injury luck on their side, as has been evident in each of their playoff runs over that span.Enter Chris Paul and Andre Iguodala this year.In 2015, Golden State didn't have to face injured Cleveland stars Kyrie Irving or Kevin Love in the NBA Finals and won the title.A year later, the Warriors blew a 3-1 finals lead against the Cavs because the series turned in Game 5 — not because Draymond Green was suspended (the often-offered and incorrect narrative), but because Andrew Bogut got clumsily taken out by J.R. Smith and the Warriors had no one left to defend the rim from LeBron James' constant onslaughts.Last year, Kawhi Leonard came down on Zaza Pachulia's foot in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals, San Antonio's big lead was gone in an instant and the Warriors steamrolled the... [More]

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Kevin Durant is confident Golden State's struggles down the stretch might be just what makes the defending champions dominant on the postseason stage again.Maybe not quite 16-1 this time around, sure, yet plenty capable of another remarkable run."I always knew everybody on our team had a good spirit, a good energy for the game," said Durant, the reigning NBA Finals MVP. "We might have lost some games and had some tough stretches but that doesn't define everybody here as an individual player. I'm kind of positive on, optimistic on each of these guys and how we approach the game no matter what the score of some of those games. I'm glad we can kind of learn from those tough times and continue to move forward."The Warriors have been hurt and humbled. Beaten handily and beat up hard. Two-time MVP Stephen Curry is expected to be sidelined the entire first round with a knee injury. Four All-Stars — Curry, Durant, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson — were out together at times,... [More]

MIAMI (AP) — The NBA playoffs that start this weekend already have an extremely tough act to follow.The regular season ended with a flourish.Wednesday's final night of the regular season was well beyond dramatic — an overtime game between Minnesota and Denver to decide the last berth, another overtime game between Miami and Toronto to determine some East fates, a 46-point first quarter by Philadelphia , an absurd 20-rebound, 19-assist night from Russell Westbrook.And now, the best time of the NBA year is finally here.The playoffs are back, with Golden State and Cleveland — who've met in the last three NBA Finals — not exactly looking like the overwhelming favorites the league has come to expect. A fourth straight Warriors-Cavs matchup is no guarantee. A fourth straight trip by either of those teams alone is far from certain, either.It all starts Saturday, the 16-team tournament that will be a two-month grind following the six-month grind of the regular season."I feel pretty ready," Toronto... [More]

MIAMI (AP) — The NBA playoffs that start this weekend already have an extremely tough act to follow.The regular season ended with a flourish.Wednesday's final night of the regular season was well beyond dramatic — an overtime game between Minnesota and Denver to decide the last berth, another overtime game between Miami and Toronto to determine some East fates, a 46-point first quarter by Philadelphia , an absurd 20-rebound, 19-assist night from Russell Westbrook.And now, the best time of the NBA year is finally here.The playoffs are back, with Golden State and Cleveland — who've met in the last three NBA Finals — not exactly looking like the overwhelming favorites the league has come to expect. A fourth straight Warriors-Cavs matchup is no guarantee. A fourth straight trip by either of those teams alone is far from certain, either.It all starts Saturday, the 16-team tournament that will be a two-month grind following the six-month grind of the regular season."I feel pretty ready," Toronto... [More]

C Zaza Pachulia made all six of his shots and all five of his free throws in a 17-point, eight-rebound, six-assist outing for Golden State on Saturday night. "I thought Zaza was terrific," Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. "It was too bad that Steph stole his night."

C Zaza Pachulia (shoulder) will sit out versus the Dallas Mavericks on Thursday.