NEW YORK (AP) — James Harden won't be back for Game 2 of the Eastern Conference semifinals. The Milwaukee Bucks believe their shooting touch will. So the Bucks have plenty of reasons for optimism heading into the game Monday night. Yet there's also still plenty of cause for concern. Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving are still out there for the Brooklyn Nets, who spent all season working around injuries and proved another point about themselves after shaking off Harden's loss 43 seconds into Game 1. “That we have the capability of rising to the occasion,” Irving said. “We’re a very mature basketball club because we play selfless and we trust each other, so in any situation in a game I feel like we have the talent, we have the preparation, we have the coaching staff to be able to go out and execute.” They did that on both sides of the floor in their 115-107 victory in Game 1. Durant scored 29 points, Irving had 25 and the Nets held the Bucks to 6-for-30 shooting from 3-point range. The Phoenix... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — The Brooklyn Nets are keeping Mike James for the rest of the season. The Nets signed the guard to a contract Thursday after the expiration of his second 10-day deal. James has appeared in 11 games, including starting in Brooklyn's victory over San Antonio on Wednesday. He has averaged 7.1 points and 3.7 assists in 17.5 minutes per game. James signed his first 10-day deal on April 23 after spending the previous two seasons with CSKA Moscow. He has played most of his nine-year pro career in Europe. ___ More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

NEW YORK (AP) — The New Orleans Pelicans have signed guard Mike James to a two-way contract.James played 32 games for Phoenix this season, making 10 starts and averaging 10.4 points. He became the first player to have a two-way contract converted to a standard one-year NBA deal in December but was waived later in the month.James has also played professionally in Croatia, Israel, Italy, Greece and Spain.Coach Alvin Gentry says James just arrived with the team Saturday night and so he wasn't sure if he would play Sunday against the Knicks.

PG Mike James scored 17 points in 20 minutes of Tuesday's 99-92 loss at Sacramento.

G Mike James was signed a standard NBA contract on Thursday after his two-way deal with the team expired Wednesday night. The 27-year-old James signed a one-year deal and will be a restricted free agent following the season.

G Mike James scored a career-high 26 points off the bench for the Suns (7-14), who have lost three in a row. Phoenix scored 61 points off the bench but had 16 turnovers which led to 28 Timberwolves' points.James and the bench attacked Minnesota from deep. James was 2 of 4 from 3-point range. "I think it's a little bit skewed because obviously (G Devin) Booker didn't play," James said of his career-best scoring effort. "Most of the shots I took tonight were more his shots."

G Mike James scord 18 points and TJ Warren 16 for the Suns (4-8), who have lost four in a row.

G Mike James is not your typical rookie making plays down the stretch in an NBA game. He scored a career-high 24 points and hit two clutch shots in the final 2:33 as the Phoenix Suns blew an 18-point lead in the third quarter but made enough plays down the stretch to beat the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday night. James reached double figures for the fifth time in seven games. The 27-year-old guard produced the biggest night in the NBA, seven games into his career after spending five years abroad.

G Mike James scored 18 points and handed out seven assists in his first start in place of Eric Bledsoe, and his bank shot with 14.1 seconds left helped the Suns hang on for a 117-115 win over the Sacramento Kings on Monday."I work on that shot every day. I haven't done it yet this year, and I was kind of nervous when I did," said James, a 27-year-old point guard who helped Panathinaikos capture the Greek League and Greek Cup titles last year. "Winning cures all. The more you win, the happier everybody is."

Veteran PG Mike James was waived by the Bulls on Tuesday.

Chicago signed James back in April as insurance for their backcourt but he only averaged 7.0 minutes in 11 appearances. There's a good chance that the 39-year-old's playing days are over.

Bulls sign G Mike James for rest of season.

James will give the team some playoff experience and veteran leadership, but it's hard to see him having much left in the tank.

The Bulls will sign Mike James for the rest of the season.

He's played in 11 games with the Bulls, ranging from Nov. 6 to Jan. 27 and the team decided to bring him back. James will only serve as emergency depth for the Bulls. Despite some runs last season, he's not on the fantasy radar.

The Bulls may be interested in signing veterans Mike James and Ronnie Brewer to bolster their roster for a playoff run.

Seldom-used PF Erik Murphy was recently waived, and with only 12 players on their active roster the Bulls have some flexibility. The Chicago Tribune calls James a "virtual certainty to return," though the Bulls haven't commented on any potential acquisitions.

The Bulls will re-sign veteran PG Mike James.

The move gives Chicago some backcourt insurance with Kirk Hinrich (hamstring) ailing, but James won't have fantasy value as long as D.J. Augustin is healthy.

Mike James will available when the Bulls take on the Bucks Tuesday night.

Whether James will be the backup point guard to Kirk Hinrich is still to be determined, however, as coach Tom Thibodeau was mum on that topic. Whether Marquis Teague or James backup Hinrich, neither one is producing at a level that warrants any fantasy consider at the moment.

Mike James is dealing with a knee injury.

The Bulls were going to make him the primary backup to Kirk Hinrich by sending Marquis Teague to the D-League, but that will be on hold. James hasn't been very good this year and he's off the radar in just about any league.

Free agent Mike James is expected to join the Bulls for training camp.

The 12-year veteran played for Chicago during the 2011-12 season, when he averaged 4.8 points in 11 appearances. If he does make the regular season roster, he'll serve as emergency depth at PG.

Unrestricted free agent Mike James' talks with the Mavericks have been ongoing, according to RealGM.com.

"The expectation is he will sign, he deserves it and so we will see how it shakes out," James' agent, Bernie Lee said. "Mike simply wants an opportunity like everyone else to prove his worth." James has been around the block with 11 different NBA franchises and the 38-year-old guard is on his last legs as a pro. The Mavericks added tons of depth at guard this offseason, so it doesn't really add up that they would want have additional depth. While James' record of 16-7 as a starter last season with the Mavs is impressive, it'll be tough for Dallas to make room for him.

Veteran guard Mike James doesn't intend to retire this summer.

James is 38 years old and hasn't shot better than 40.8 percent from the field in any season since 2006-07. He's already turned D-League stints into contracts with the Bulls and Mavericks in the past two years, though, so we can't rule out the possibility that he'll earn a new deal.

Mike James failed to score in 20 minutes against the Pacers on Thursday.

George Hill is one of the better defensive point guards in the NBA and he had a blanket on James tonight. James has been a better own than Darren Collison (10 points and eight assists in 29 minutes), but this timeshare is one to avoid in standard leagues.