Sacramento Kings guard Matthew Dellavedova has signed a two-year deal to return to the Melbourne United. Dellavedova played with Melbourne before returning to the league this past season. Dellavedova only got limited minutes with the Kings, but teammates and head coach Mike Brown noted him as a key locker room figure. Dellavedova underwent finger surgery towards the end of the season and it is possible he's played his last game in the NBA. Dellavedova will be 35 at the end of his contract with Melbourne.

CLEVELAND (AP) — The Cavaliers have agreed to acquire veteran guard Ricky Rubio in a trade with the Minnesota Timberwolves, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press on Thursday night before the NBA draft. Cleveland is sending small forward Taurean Prince, cash and a second-round pick in 2022 to the Timberwolves for the 30-year-old Rubio, said the person, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the NBA has to approve the trade. The deal is happening as Rubio is in Tokyo playing on Spain's Olympic team. The Cavs struggled without a veteran backup point guard last season as Matthew Dellavedova was sidelined with a concussion. Rubio is entering the final season of the $51 million, three-year contract he signed with Phoenix. He was acquired by the Timberwolves on draft day 2020 to give the team some more backcourt experience and depth, but his return to Minnesota to rejoin the team that drafted him as a teenager from Spain in 2009 at No. 5 overall was a bit of... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — Matthew Dellavedova is taking his game back Down Under. The former Cavaliers point guard signed a three-year contract Friday with Melbourne United, the defending champion in Australia’s National Basketball League. Dellavedova, affectionately known as “Delly” to his teammates and fans, had two stints over six seasons with Cleveland, which signed him as an undrafted free agent in 2013. Dellavedova helped the Cavs win the 2016 NBA title, ending a 52-year championship drought for Cleveland’s pro teams. The 30-year-old signed as a free agent with the Milwaukee Bucks, but returned to the Cavs in a trade midway through the 2018-19 season. Dellavedova's last two seasons were marked by injuries, including a concussion that limited him to just 13 games this past season. Although he was a mentor to young guards Collin Sexton and Darius Garland, the Cavs were not planning to re-sign him as a free agent. Dellavedova will play in his third Olympics for Australia this summer in Tokyo. ___ More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

CLEVELAND (AP) — Cavaliers forward Larry Nance Jr. broke his right thumb in Sunday's loss at Washington and likely will miss the remainder of the season. Nance's injury was one of several suffered by Cleveland players and will leave the Cavaliers short-handed for Monday night’s game against Toronto in Florida. Guard Matthew Dellavedova is out with a neck strain and after receiving four stitches when he was accidentally head-butted. Also, center Isaiah Hartenstein and forward Lamar Stevens suffered concussions against the Wizards. Leading scorer Collin Sexton missed the game with a concussion he got last week in Charlotte. He also has been ruled out again, and there's no timeline on a return. The broken thumb is the latest medical setback for Nance, who missed seven games recently with an undisclosed illness and more than a month with a broken left hand. The 28-year-old Nance is averaging 9.3 points and 6.7 rebounds in 35 games. Cleveland has 12 games left in a season that has been marred by injuries. ___ More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

CLEVELAND (AP) — They've been teammates on a historic championship team and counted on to lead some really bad ones. Kevin Love and Matthew Dellavedova were also linked this season by injuries that kept them off the court for months. They came back Thursday night — together. “Kind of serendipitous,” Love said. And, just maybe, in time to save the Cavaliers' season. Love and Dellavedova made their long-delayed returns in Cleveland's 114-94 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers. Although it was the Cavs' fourth straight loss, fifth in six games and dropped them to 17-31, the game also felt something like a restart for a young team ravaged by injuries. With Love spacing the floor, Cleveland's offense looked more in sync, even dangerous. He scored 13 points in the first quarter and played 20 minutes in just his fifth game this season. And with Dellavedova diving for loose balls in his season debut and first game in more than a year, there was a level of needed toughness. Of course, there were some... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — Cavaliers star center Kevin Love will play in just his fifth game this season after being sidelined by a severe calf strain. Coach J.B. Bickerstaff said Love — and guard Matthew Dellavedova, who hasn't played in more than a year — are available Thursday night as the short-handed Cavs face the Philadelphia 76ers. It's Love's first action since March 14, when he came back after missing 32 games. Dellavedova is making his season debut after being out with a concussion and appendectomy. Bickertstaff said Love and Dellavedova, the only players left from the Cavs' 2016 NBA title team, will be on a minutes restriction as they ease their way back into game shape. Love played 45 total minutes in Cleveland's first two games before missing more than two months with the injury, which he initially sustained during the exhibition opener and was only supposed to keep him out for a month. The injury lingered, and the five-time All-Star struggled to gain enough confidence to play at less... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — Matthew Dellavedova's long wait to play again may finally be over. More than a year since his last regular-season NBA game, the Cavaliers' popular veteran guard could make his season debut Thursday night after being out with a concussion and appendectomy. Coach J.B. Bickerstaff said Dellavedova practiced Wednesday, and as long as he gets final medical clearance, the 30-year-old will play against the Philadelphia 76ers. “My expectation is hopeful that there will be a Delly sighting tomorrow,” Bickerstaff said. Dellavedova, who along with Kevin Love is the only player remaining on the roster from Cleveland's 2016 NBA title team, hasn't played in a game since suffering a head injury in the club's exhibition opener in December. Dellavedova had suffered previous concussions, so his recovery took longer as he had to pass league protocols. He had made major progress toward a return in February, but was sidelined again after having his appendix removed. The Cavs have missed Dellavedova's... [More]

DENVER (AP) — Paul Millsap scored a season-high 22 points on his 36th birthday, Michael Porter Jr. added 19 and the Denver Nuggets routed the Cleveland Cavaliers 133-95 on Wednesday night to snap a three-game skid. The Nuggets opened a 23-point lead in the first half, saw it increase to 34 in the third — notoriously a problem quarter for them this season — and coasted from there as Nikola Jokic and his fellow starters got the fourth quarter off. Jokic finished with 12 points and 12 assists. “When we play the right way, we’re a really good team,” Millsap said. It was the fifth straight loss for the Cavaliers. It's also tied for their most lopsided loss of the season. They were beaten 141-103 on Jan. 24 at Boston. “To me, the Nuggets sent a clear message from the jump ball to the end of the game,” Cleveland coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “The message was, there was an intent to embarrass us, whether it was through physicality, whether it was showboating after plays, whether it was the shot... [More]

DENVER (AP) — Paul Millsap scored a season-high 22 points on his 36th birthday, Michael Porter Jr. added 19 and the Denver Nuggets routed the Cleveland Cavaliers 133-95 on Wednesday night to snap a three-game skid. The Nuggets opened a 23-point lead in the first half, saw it increase to 34 in the third — notoriously a problem quarter for them this season — and coasted from there as Nikola Jokic and his fellow starters got the fourth quarter off. Jokic finished with 12 points and 12 assists. “When we play the right way, we’re a really good team,” Millsap said. It was the fifth straight loss for the Cavaliers. It's also tied for their most lopsided loss of the season. They were beaten 141-103 on Jan. 24 at Boston. “To me, the Nuggets sent a clear message from the jump ball to the end of the game,” Cleveland coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “The message was, there was an intent to embarrass us, whether it was through physicality, whether it was showboating after plays, whether it was the shot... [More]

DENVER (AP) — Paul Millsap scored a season-high 22 points, Michael Porter Jr. added 19 and the Denver Nuggets routed the Cleveland Cavaliers 133-95 on Wednesday night to snap a three-game skid. The Nuggets opened a 23-point lead in the first half, saw it increase to 34 in the third — notoriously a problem quarter for them this season — and coasted from there as Nikola Jokic and his fellow starters got the fourth quarter off. Jokic finished with 12 points and 12 assists. It was the fifth straight loss for the Cavaliers. Jarrett Allen had 18 points and 10 rebounds for the Cavaliers, who are 0-2 on their five-game trip out West. Cleveland swept the season series with Denver last season. Denver's season-high 133 points meant a lot of eating for injured Cleveland forward Larry Nance Jr., who posted on social media a playful vow to consume as many McDonald’s Chicken McNuggets as the Nuggets scored points. Nance, sidelined with a broken left hand and not with the team, had 12 boxes of 10-piece... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — The Cavaliers have found either a temporary replacement for Tristan Thompson or an asset to bring in other talent. Cleveland announced Monday it has acquired center JaVale McGee and a 2026 second-round draft pick from the Los Angeles Lakers for forwards Alfonzo McKinnie and Jordan Bell. The teams agreed to the deal on Sunday but needed league approval before finalizing it. Also, the team has a worked out an agreement with free agent guard Matthew Dellavedova, one of the Cavs' most popular players. McGee, who won NBA titles during two seasons with Golden State before two in Los Angeles, gives the Cavaliers a proven front-line player who can protect the rim and give starting center Andre Drummond a break. The 30-year-old McGee also has an expiring contract, which makes him appealing to teams looking to create salary-cap space. The Lakers needed to move McGee to make room for free agent center Marc Gasol. Thompson left the Cavs last week, agreeing to a two-year free agent... [More]

Cleveland (AP) — The Cleveland Cavaliers are missing from the NBA's Disney World summer bubble. They hope Commissioner Adam Silver doesn't need to pop their plans again.One of eight teams whose COVID-19-interrupted season ended when the league decided to resume play with 22 teams in Florida next month, the Cavs are using their omission as fuel."Whatever it is we have to do as a group this summer to get better, we need to go out and do that,” coach J.B. Bickerstaff said Tuesday on a Zoom call. “Whatever party the NBA is throwing, this one happens to be in Orlando, we need to do whatever we can in our power to make sure that we’re getting invited to the party — and that’s been the message to our guys.”The Disney slight was an odd finish to the Cavs' strange, staggered season. It will be remembered for first-year coach John Beilein's stunning departure at the All-Star break, the acquisition of star center Andre Drummond and the team's brief resurgence under Bickerstaff, who exuded restraint... [More]

Cleveland (AP) — The Cleveland Cavaliers are missing from the NBA's Disney World summer bubble. They hope NBA Commissioner Adam Silver doesn't need to pop their plans again.One of eight teams whose COVID-19-interrupted season ended when the league decided to resume play with 22 teams in Florida next month, the Cavs are using their omission as fuel."Whatever it is we have to do as a group this summer to get better, we need to go out and do that,” coach J.B. Bickerstaff said Tuesday on a Zoom call. “Whatever party the NBA is throwing, this one happens to be in Orlando, we need to do whatever we can in our power to make sure that we’re getting invited to the party — and that’s been the message to our guys.”The Disney slight was an odd finish to the Cavs' strange, staggered season. It will be remembered for first-year coach John Beilein's stunning departure at the All-Star break, the acquisition of star center Andre Drummond and the team's brief resurgence under Bickerstaff, who exuded restraint... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — Andre Drummond returned from a leg injury to score 28 points and add 17 rebounds, and Kevin Love shook off a tough shooting night to make a big 3-pointer in overtime and lift the improving Cleveland Cavaliers to a 132-129 win over the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday.Drummond, who missed the past three games with a strained left calf, put the Cavs up 124-22 with a layup and Love followed with his 3 from the corner 28 seconds later to put Cleveland up by five.Love had missed his first four attempts from long range before his clutch shot and he finished just 3 of 12 from the field, but added 18 rebounds.Derrick White hit a 3 to pull the Spurs within 131-129 in the final seconds, but Collin Sexton made a free throw for the Cavs and San Antonio didn't get off a last-second heave in time.It was the second straight close win for the young Cavs, who beat Denver 104-102 on Saturday. Cleveland improved to 5-5 under coach J.B. Bickerstaff and matched its win total from last season, when... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — Andre Drummond returned from a leg injury to score 28 points and add 17 rebounds, and Kevin Love made a big 3-pointer in overtime to lift the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 132-129 win over the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday night.Drummond, who missed the past three games with a strained left calf, put the Cavs up 124-22 with a layup and Love followed with his 3 from the corner 28 seconds later to put Cleveland up by five.Love had missed his first four attempts from long range before his clutch shot and he finished just 3 of 12 from the field, but added 18 rebounds.Derrick White hit a 3 to pull the Spurs within 131-129 in the final seconds, but Collin Sexton made a free throw for the Cavs and San Antonio didn't get off a last-second heave in time.It was the second straight close win for the young Cavs, who beat Denver 104-102 on Saturday. Cleveland improved to 5-5 under coach J.B. Bickerstaff.Sexton scored 26, Larry Nance Jr. 19 and Matthew Dellavedova had 14 and 11 assists. Dellavedova... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — Bojan Bogdanovic scored 28 points, Rudy Gobert added 20 and the Utah Jazz began a four-game trip against Eastern Conference teams with a 126-113 win on Monday night over the short-handed Cleveland Cavaliers, who dressed only nine players and used just seven.Donovan Mitchell had 19 points and nine rebounds, and the Jazz made 20 3-pointers while staying in the fifth playoff spot out West.Collin Sexton scored a career-high 32 points and Kevin Love scored 22 for Cleveland, which dropped to 3-4 under coach J.B. Bickerstaff.Utah was flat for long stretches, and some of that may have had to do with Cleveland's poor record and depleted roster. The Jazz seemed in control while building an 18-point lead in the fourth, but the Cavs kept fighting and were still within 11 with 6 minutes left.But Bogdanovic buried a pair of 3-pointers — one coming after one of Gobert's five blocks — and Utah recorded 30 assists while winning for the second time in six games.“We’re persistent. It’s just... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — Bojan Bogdanovic scored 28 points, Rudy Gobert added 20 and the Utah Jazz began a four-game trip against Eastern Conference teams with a 126-113 win on Monday night over the short-handed Cleveland Cavaliers, who dressed only nine players and used just seven.Donovan Mitchell had 19 points and nine rebounds, and the Jazz made 20 3-pointers while staying in the fifth playoff spot out West.Collin Sexton scored a career-high 32 points and Kevin Love scored 22 for Cleveland, which dropped to 3-4 under coach J.B. Bickerstaff.Utah was flat for long stretches, and some of that may have had to do with Cleveland's poor record and depleted roster. The Jazz seemed in control while building an 18-point lead in the fourth, but the Cavs kept fighting and were still within 11 with 6 minutes left.But Bogdanovic buried a pair of 3-pointers — one coming after one of Gobert's five blocks — and Utah won for the second time in six games.The Cavs were missing two starters: center Andre Drummond... [More]

Preseason numbers often mean almost nothing. Rotations are unusual, starters rarely play much, and few if any teams are putting a premium on winning games.As such, it's tough to glean much from exhibition stats.But what the Boston Celtics and New Orleans rookie Zion Williamson — the No. 1 pick in this year's draft — have been doing so far in the preseason certainly stands out.The Celtics are 3-0 after beating Cleveland on Sunday — and have put together a huge run in all three of those games. The latest was a 50-17 spurt against the Cavaliers, a game that was close for most of the first quarter before Boston built what eventually became a 54-point lead.Boston's other big runs of note in this preseason were a 41-17 stretch last Sunday against Charlotte, and opening the game with a 29-4 burst at Orlando on Friday. On top of the 50-17 run against the Cavs, they added a 26-8 run in the fourth quarter as well.No matter who the Celtics have on the court, defense has been the constant. Boston is... [More]

Preseason numbers often mean almost nothing. Rotations are unusual, starters rarely play much, and few if any teams are putting a premium on winning games.As such, it's tough to glean much from exhibition stats.But what the Boston Celtics and New Orleans rookie Zion Williamson — the No. 1 pick in this year's draft — have been doing so far in the preseason certainly stands out.The Celtics are 3-0 after beating Cleveland on Sunday — and have put together a huge run in all three of those games. The latest was a 50-17 spurt against the Cavaliers, a game that was close for most of the first quarter before Boston built what eventually became a 54-point lead.Boston's other big runs of note in this preseason were a 41-17 stretch last Sunday against Charlotte, and opening the game with a 29-4 burst at Orlando on Friday. On top of the 50-17 run against the Cavs, they added a 26-8 run in the fourth quarter as well.No matter who the Celtics have on the court, defense has been the constant. Boston is... [More]

Preseason numbers often mean almost nothing. Rotations are unusual, starters rarely play much, and few if any teams are putting a premium on winning games.As such, it's tough to glean much from exhibition stats.But what the Boston Celtics and New Orleans rookie Zion Williamson — the No. 1 pick in this year's draft — have been doing so far in the preseason certainly stands out.The Celtics are 3-0 after beating Cleveland on Sunday — and have put together a huge run in all three of those games. The latest was a 50-17 spurt against the Cavaliers, a game that was close for most of the first quarter before Boston built what eventually became a 54-point lead.Boston's other big runs of note in this preseason were a 41-17 stretch last Sunday against Charlotte, and opening the game with a 29-4 burst at Orlando on Friday. On top of the 50-17 run against the Cavs, they added a 26-8 run in the fourth quarter as well.No matter who the Celtics have on the court, defense has been the constant. Boston is... [More]