Portland Trail Blazers forward Tony Snell (personal) has been ruled out for Friday's game against the Charlotte Hornets. This marks the second game in a row that Snell has missed due to personal reasons. He has been playing more lately, but it hasn't resulted in consistent fantasy value. Also, the return of Nassir Little has robbed Snell of most of his value. That being said, Snell can be left on the waiver wire in basically all formats right now.

ATLANTA (AP) — The Atlanta Hawks may be without their top 3-point shooter with their season on the line. Bogdan Bogdanovic's status is uncertain for Sunday night's Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinal series at Philadelphia due to a knee injury. Bogdanovic left Friday night's 104-99 home loss to the 76ers in the fourth quarter with right knee soreness and did not return. Coach Nate McMillan said Saturday the soreness is not related to the fracture in the same knee which forced Bogdanovic to miss 25 games early in the season. Asked if he is optimistic Bogdanovic can return for the decisive game of the series, McMillan said “I really don’t know or have an answer to that question. ... We’ll see how he feels later today and tomorrow.” Bogdanovic struggled before leaving Friday night's game. He made only 3 of 11 shots and scored only seven points. After scoring 22 points in Game 4, he managed only six points in Wednesday night's Game 5 win. “Basically this came about in the last game or... [More]

ATLANTA (AP) — Kevin Huerter will miss his second straight game with sprained left shoulder, dealing another blow to the injury-plagued Atlanta Hawks as they try to make a push for the playoffs. An MRI confirmed Huerter's injury. It's not known how long the swingman will be out, but he'll definitely be sidelined Friday when the Hawks play their second straight game in Philadelphia against the 76ers. Huerter is averaging 12.3 points a game. Atlanta was blown out Wednesday by the Sizers, losing 127-83 with a makeshift squad that was missing Huerter, Trae Young and Bogdan Bogdanovic, as well as De'Andre Hunter, Cam Reddish and Tony Snell with longer-term injuries. Huerter injured his shoulder Monday in a loss at Detroit. The Hawks (34-29) are fifth in the tightly bunched Eastern Conference. They still have a shot at home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs, but they are just as close to falling to a spot in the new play-in tournament. ___ More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

ATLANTA (AP) — The Atlanta Hawks already were without point guard Trae Young when they learned that center Clint Capela would not be available Friday night against Miami. Capela, the NBA’s leading rebounder and the team’s third-leading scorer, has a back contusion. The Hawks announced Thursday that Young, their leading scorer and the league’s No. 3 leader in assists, would miss the game with a left ankle sprain. Interim coach Nate McMillan was counting on point guards Lou Williams and Brandon Goodwin and rookie centers Onyeka Okongwu and Nathan Knight to play significant minutes. Veteran big man Danilo Gallinari was a game-time decision with right foot soreness. “It’s a challenge because (Young and Capela) bring something you don’t have,” McMillan said. “What we’ve really had to do, as we’ve pretty much said, it’s next man up. You don’t have sitting on your bench what those two guys bring to the lineup as your starting point and your starting center and the way they’ve played this season.... [More]

ATLANTA (AP) — Atlanta Hawks guard Tony Snell is expected to miss at least two games, including Sunday's game at Charlotte, with a right ankle sprain. Snell left Friday night's 120-108 win over Chicago in the third quarter with the injury and did not return. The Hawks say tests confirmed the ankle sprain and also showed a bone bruise. Snell remained in Atlanta and will miss road games at Charlotte and against Toronto in Tampa on Tuesday night. Snell's status will be updated following the team's return to Atlanta. Snell is averaging 5.5 points and 2.4 rebounds in a reserve role. ___ More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

ATLANTA (AP) — De'Andre Hunter's knee surgery is only the latest medical setback that threatens the Atlanta Hawks' efforts to end a streak of three consecutive losing seasons. The Hawks have been without guard Bogdan Bogdanovic for a month due to a knee injury. Hunter, enjoying a breakout season as the starting small forward, missed four games before Monday's arthroscopic procedure on his right knee. His status will be updated in two weeks. Atlanta (11-12) will be without the two starters when it plays at Dallas on Wednesday night. Hunter has emerged as one of Atlanta's top players in his second season. He is third on the team with 17.2 points per game, adding important scoring balance behind Trae Young and John Collins. Hunter's breakout has been especially important while the team awaits the return of Bogdanovic, who had been expected to provide scoring punch from the wing before fracturing his right knee. Coach Lloyd Pierce has been forced to make constant changes to his rotation. Forward... [More]

ATLANTA (AP) — Trae Young said it's going to take some time to adjust to the Atlanta Hawks' new mix following the additions of such veterans as Danilo Gallinari, Bogdan Bogdanovic, Kris Dunn and Rajon Rando. “It’s not something that just happens overnight,” Young said Tuesday. “We’ve added a lot of new guys with different talents who bring a lot of different things to the game. It’s going to be fun learning and figuring out where they like the ball the best and things like that.” There's not much time to find the new mix. The NBA season opens on Dec. 22. The Hawks' preseason opener is Dec. 11. Just don't suggest to Young that it'll be an adjustment for him to share the ball with established shooters in Atlanta's lineup. Young was fourth in the league in scoring and shots from the field last season, but he's quick to note he also was second in assists. “Passing is nothing new for me,” Young said. “I love getting my teammates involved and when my teammates are open I’m going to find them... [More]

ATLANTA (AP) — Three Atlanta Hawks newcomers are dealing with injuries as the team prepares to open training camp. Most notably, first-round draft pick Onyeka Okongwu has inflammation in the sesamoid bone of his left foot. An MRI confirmed the condition, which has forced t he No. 6 overall selection from Southern California to make a gradual return to form shooting and conditioning activities. Okongwu is expected to back up center Clint Capela and provide a defensive presence for the revamped Hawks. The team also announced that guards Kris Dunn (right knee cartilage) and Tony Snell (right foot inflammation) underwent MRIs. Dunn is able to participate in modified individual workouts, while Snell had resumed limited form shooting and conditioning activities. All three players will be evaluated again on Dec. 11, when the Hawks are set to host the Orlando Magic in their first of four preseason games. Dunn was among the Hawks' hefty class of free agents, while Snell was acquired in a trade with the Detroit Pistons. Both are expected to provide valuable minutes off the bench this season. ___ More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

ATLANTA (AP) — Just like that, the Atlanta Hawks transformed themselves into a playoff contender. A team that averaged less than 25 wins the last three seasons added to its impressive young core with a whirlwind of free-agent signings, capped by the news late Tuesday that Sacramento would not match a four-year, $72 million offer sheet to Bogdan Bogdanovic. “It's go time,” tweeted Hawks All-Star guard Trae Young, clearly excited by the bulked-up supporting case he'll have around him in 2021. “Let's work!!!” Bogdanovic tweeted back. Flush with more cap space than any other team heading into free agency after beginning a major overhaul three years ago, the Hawks quickly signed forward Danilo Gallinari (three years, $61.5 million) and guards Rajon Rondo (two years, $15 million) and Kris Dunn (two years, $10 million). Then, after a proposed sign-and-trade that would have sent Bogdanovic to the Milwaukee Bucks fell through, Hawks general manager Travis Schlenk pounced at the opportunity to grab... [More]

ATLANTA (AP) — The Atlanta Hawks have agreed to trade center Dewayne Dedmon to the Detroit Pistons for guards Tony Snell and Khyri Thomas, a person with knowledge of the situation said Thursday. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the trade needs approval from the NBA before becoming official. The deal allows the Hawks to clear a logjam at center. The Hawks selected center Onyeka Okongwu from Southern Cal with the No. 6 pick of the NBA draft on Wednesday night. Last season, the Hawks acquired center Clint Capela from Houston at the trade deadline. Capela was injured and didn’t play before Atlanta's season was halted by the coronavirus pandemic, but he's expected to play a key role next season. Snell, who turned 29 this month, averaged 8.0 points in 59 games in 2019-20, his first season with Detroit. The 6-foot-6 guard played three seasons for Milwaukee and three for Chicago prior to that. Thomas, a 6-foot-3 guard, has played two seasons with the Pistons since being drafted in the second round in 2018. He appeared in only eight games last season, averaging 7.7 minutes. Dedmon, 31, was acquired for his second stint with the Hawks last season as the team sought to bolster the center position. The 7-foot Dedmon averaged a career-best 10.8 points with 7.5 rebounds for Atlanta in the 2018-19 season. ___ More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP-Sports

DETROIT (AP) — A person with knowledge of the deal says the Detroit Pistons and Milwaukee Bucks have agreed to a trade that would send Jon Leuer to the Bucks in exchange for Tony Snell and the 30th pick in Thursday night's draft.The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the trade is not yet official. Trades can't be completed until the new league year starts on July 6.The 6-foot-7 Snell played the past three seasons with the Bucks and was a regular starter until 2018-19, when he mostly came off the bench. He averaged 6.0 points a game this past season and appeared in nine playoff games. Snell missed time late in the season because of a left ankle sprain.Leuer spent three seasons with Detroit, but he had surgery on his left ankle and missed most of 2017-18, then he injured his right knee the following offseason and needed surgery for that. The 6-foot-10 Leuer was able to play 41 games last season, averaging 9.8 minutes.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

DETROIT (AP) — Milwaukee's Giannis Antetokounmpo and Houston's James Harden were this season's leading NBA MVP candidates .In their latest playoff games, the superstars had relatively lackluster performances and their teammates were more than capable of picking up the slack to put Detroit and Utah on the brink of elimination.The Bucks can finish off a sweep of the Pistons in Game 4 on Monday night and the Rockets will get their chance to advance later the same evening against the Jazz.Antetokounmpo scored just 14, his fewest in the playoffs in nearly two years, and it didn't matter because six of his teammates also scored in double figures as top-seeded Milwaukee beat Detroit 119-103 on Saturday to take a 3-0 lead in their first-round series.Harden missed his first 15 shots before closing strong enough to score 22 points as one of six Rockets in double figures in a 104-101 victory over the Jazz that gave them a 3-0 lead in the opening series."That's what they've been doing all year long,"... [More]

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. (AP) — Blake Griffin's tone was serious, befitting a man who has had one of the best seasons of his career — but now faces the same old questions about his health.Griffin's status for Detroit's first-round series against Milwaukee isn't clear at the moment, but after he sat out the Pistons' crucial regular-season finale at New York on Wednesday night, it's clear his left knee problems are a significant issue heading into the playoffs. Detroit plays Game 1 at top-seeded Milwaukee on Sunday night."We're taking this day by day," Griffin said Saturday. "I'm not looking forward to a day that's not here right now in front of me. I'll sit with our training staff, and whoever else needs to be in on that decision, and make that each day."It's a tough situation for any athlete to go through — leading your team through the regular season, only to have your playoff participation threatened by an injury. This is the time of year when players and teams want to be at full strength,... [More]

DETROIT (AP) — Milwaukee Bucks guard Malcolm Brogdon is out for a second straight game because of left hamstring soreness.Ersan Ilyasova is also missing Monday night's game at Detroit with a nose contusion. The Pistons are without guard Ish Smith (right adductor tear), forward Glenn Robinson III (left ankle sprain) and forward Henry Ellenson (left ankle sprain).Tony Snell replaced Brogdon in the starting lineup. Brogdon is averaging 15.3 points per game this season and started every game until he was inactive Friday against Cleveland.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

MILWAUKEE (AP) — A new nickname for Brook Lopez started floating around Twitter after the Milwaukee Bucks 7-footer had a career night from the 3-point line."Splash Mountain ." How appropriate for a self-described Disney aficionado who is quickly developing a reputation as one of the best-shooting big men in the NBA."I'm pretty partial to that honestly," Lopez said with a laugh about the moniker this week. "I'm a pretty big Disney geek ... I wear it with pride on my sleeve."Keep shooting the way he did on Sunday against the Nuggets and he might challenge the "Splash Brothers" in Golden State for 3-point supremacy.Lopez hit a career-best eight 3s and scored 28 points to help the Bucks beat Denver to split a four-game Western Conference road trip.This wasn't just a one-night-only performance, either.Entering the Bucks' game on Wednesday night against Memphis, Lopez was tied for seventh in the league in made 3s (39) and was 14th in attempts (93), shooting 41.9 percent from behind the arc.A... [More]

LARAMIE, Wyo. (AP) — In a way, Hayden Dalton's game is tailor made for the NBA."With me stretching the floor, shooting at the 3 or 4 position as well as being able to rebound and handle the ball and then be able to guard multiple different positions," the former Wyoming Cowboy said, "my versatility is going toward what the NBA is (looking for)."Those strengths were magnified by the Cowboys' style of play the past two seasons under head coach Allen Edwards."The way we played was free and open, kind of positionless," the 6-foot-8, 195-pound Dalton said. "That helped out a ton, just in terms of me being comfortable handling the ball as well as rebounding, pushing. We did a lot of switching, so guarding guards and just stuff like that. That helps out a ton, just having that experience of having no position."But Dalton's path to a potential professional career was far from the usual one. The late bloomer received little recruiting attention out of Parker, Colorado, and attended Central Wyoming... [More]

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Milwaukee Bucks starting center John Henson will miss the playoff game Friday night against the Boston Celtics with a sore back.Seven-footer Tyler Zeller, who used to play for Boston, is listed as the probable starter. The Bucks trail Boston 2-0 in their best-of-seven, first-round Eastern Conference playoff series.Coach Joe Prunty has also listed Malcolm Brogdon as the probable starter over Tony Snell at guard alongside Eric Bledsoe. The Bucks' starting backcourt has been outscored 96-25 in the first two games by Boston's starting guard duo of Terry Rozier and Jaylen Brown.Henson was second on the team in rebounding, averaging 6.8 per game. The Celtics have decisive edges in offensive rebounding (20-12) and second-chance points (42-13) going into Game 3.___For more AP NBA coverage: https://apnews.com/tag/NBAbasketball

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Jason Terry speaks with such polish and passion about basketball he could be mistaken for a coach or TV analyst.Someday he could do both jobs. For now, the Milwaukee Bucks guard is focused on his current occupation. It doesn't appear he'll be switching careers any time soon.One more year in the league and Terry will reach a rare milestone in the NBA."For sure, 100 percent, my goal is to play 20 seasons," Terry said. "The organization understands that and I think the league is on notice."At age 40, Terry still averages about 11 minutes a game in his 19th season. He might be a step slower from the days when he was popping 3-pointers in Atlanta and Dallas. But a player nicknamed "Jet" can still most definitely take off on the court."He's a player. Now will he be able to coach someday? Yeah," Bucks interim coach Joe Prunty said. "But I think the way he approaches the everyday game right now is going to help him when he goes into the next part of his career ... He's always thinking... [More]

G Tony Snell returned for the Bucks after he sat three games with left patellar tendinitis. Snell played 23 minutes and hit two 3-pointers, finishing with eight points.

G Tony Snell sat for a second straight night because of a bout of left knee tendinitis.