SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Utah changed the entire dynamic of its backcourt after acquiring veteran point guard Mike Conley from the Memphis Grizzlies in July. Will it be enough to turn the Jazz into an NBA championship contender?That's what Utah is banking on heading into the 2019-20 season. Conley joins rising star Donovan Mitchell to form what could be one of the league's more potent backcourt duos in the season ahead.Mitchell averaged 23.8 points and 4.2 assists in his second season, but struggled at times with his scoring efficiency. Conley promises to relieve some of the playmaking burden that Mitchell felt at times as an NBA sophomore."Mike Conley is an elite point guard," Quin Snyder said at the team's media day on Monday. "When I say elite that manifests in a lot of different ways. Certainly on the court, some of the things he does and the feel he has for the game and for players around him is really unique. He impacts the game."Conley is one of the league's most efficient point guards... [More]

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Utah changed the entire dynamic of its backcourt after acquiring veteran point guard Mike Conley from the Memphis Grizzlies in July. Will it be enough to turn the Jazz into an NBA championship contender?That's what Utah is banking on heading into the 2019-20 season. Conley joins rising star Donovan Mitchell to form what could be one of the league's more potent backcourt duos in the season ahead.Mitchell averaged 23.8 points and 4.2 assists in his second season, but struggled at times with his scoring efficiency. Conley promises to relieve some of the playmaking burden that Mitchell felt at times as an NBA sophomore."Mike Conley is an elite point guard," Quin Snyder said at the team's media day on Monday. "When I say elite that manifests in a lot of different ways. Certainly on the court, some of the things he does and the feel he has for the game and for players around him is really unique. He impacts the game."Conley is one of the league's most efficient point guards... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — It was the 80th game of one of the most miserable seasons in New York Knicks history, and it sounded like the playoffs.A sellout crowd of 19,812 roared as the Knicks charged back from 10 points down after three quarters to beat the Washington Wizards for what turned out to be their last home victory of the season.New York took the floor to start the final period with a lineup that included Henry Ellenson, John Jenkins and Luke Kornet.Imagine what it will sound like when the Knicks finally have some NBA stars playing for really big stakes?"All year we had a great fan base for a team that's struggled and gone through a lot of losses," coach David Fizdale said. "Our fans have come out every night and really supported us. So yes, I think about the days when we put it together, how this place is going to be."It could even be next season.If things go right, those former G League players could be replaced by the likes of Zion Williamson, Kevin Durant and another All-Star. The Knicks... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Steve Mills just wanted his clothes. He ended up getting an earful.The man delivering Mills' dry cleaning one day this summer wasn't happy with the Knicks' draft, and he let the team president know it. That's what happens in New York, home of a frustrated fan base.Still, Mills believes fans are on board with the Knicks' plan for patience, one that seems to guarantee that a 45-year drought without a title will last at least a few years more."I grew up here and I just have a different point of view. I talk to a lot of fans, I talk to people on the streets all the time. I think people here will let you rebuild," Mills said."They will let you rebuild as long as you are true to what you say, and you lay out for them what you're going to do. I just, in my gut, believe New Yorkers are OK with that."Perhaps that's because they've seen the Knicks try every other way, from blockbuster trades to splashy signings, and it hasn't worked. So building through the draft and developing players... [More]

DALLAS (AP) — Emmanuel Mudiay is headed to the New York Knicks, with Denver adding guard Devin Harris from Dallas on Thursday in a three-team deadline trade that the Nuggets hope will give them needed experience for a playoff push.The rebuilding Mavericks will get Doug McDermott from the Knicks, who are fading from postseason contention and just lost All-Star forward Kristaps Porzingis to a season-ending knee injury.Mudiay was the No. 7 pick in the 2015 draft and former starter, but hasn't started a game this season and is averaging a career-worst 8.5 points in about 18 minutes per game.It was the second trade in as many days for the Knicks after Porzingis' injury. They sent Willy Hernangomez, voted to the All-Rookie first team last season, to Charlotte for two second-round picks and forward Johnny O'Bryant, who was waived.Harris was having another solid season in his second stint with the Mavericks, who traded up to get him with the fifth pick in the 2004 draft. He returned to Dallas in... [More]

From Isaiah Thomas to Dwyane Wade and Derrick Rose, the Cleveland Cavaliers loaded up on big names last summer.None will be there if the Cavaliers get back to the NBA Finals.In what felt like an unprecedented do-over for a contending team, the Cavaliers simply changed the pieces that weren't fitting for new ones on Thursday at the trade deadline.Fans who usually marvel at LeBron James were instead praising his general manager, as Koby Altman used a series of swaps to strengthen a sputtering team and leave open the possibility for more moves."They got better. They made the moves they wanted to make and I'm sure they're going to make it work over there," Golden State's Kevin Durant said. "It's fun for all the fans and the media to kind of see what's going on with the trade deadline."Cavs' fans probably had the most fun, and for good reason. Cleveland was the story Thursday .The Cavaliers acquired Jordan Clarkson and Larry Nance Jr. in the deal with Los Angeles, which also got Channing Frye... [More]

DALLAS (AP) — Two people with knowledge of the situation say the Denver Nuggets have traded Emmanuel Mudiay to New York and acquired Devin Harris from Dallas in a three-team deal.The Mavericks will get Doug McDermott from New York, the people told The Associated Press on Thursday. They spoke on condition of anonymity because the trade could not be completed until it was approved by the NBA.It was first reported by ESPN.The move could help the Nuggets improve their point guard play as they chase a playoff spot. Mudiay was the No. 7 pick in the 2015 draft and former starter, but hasn't started a game this season and is averaging a career-worst 8.5 points in about 18 minutes per game.___AP Basketball Writer Brian Mahoney in New York contributed to this report.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/tag/NBAbasketball

HOUSTON -- James Harden produced a triple-double as the Houston Rockets held on for a 117-113 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday.Harden tallied a game-high 35 points with 11 rebounds and 13 assists, feeding Clint Capela for an alley-oop dunk after forward P.J. Tucker dug out a loose ball on the floor late in the game. Harden snagged the pass from the seated Tucker, tossed the ball at the rim, and Capela finished through a foul for a four-point lead with 1:10 to play.LeBron James led Cleveland with 33 points and seven assists, though he committed nine turnovers. Jeff Green scored 27 points on 11-of-15 shooting off the Cavaliers' bench.Eric Gordon scored 20 points for Houston, and Capela added 19 points and 13 boards.Nuggets 102, Thunder 94DENVER -- Emmanuel Mudiay scored a season-high 21 points, Paul Millsap had 17 points, seven assists and tied a career high with six blocks, and Denver beat Oklahoma City.Nikola Jokic contributed 15 points and 11 rebounds, and Will Barton and... [More]

The Denver Nuggets exercised contract options on five players, the team announced Thursday.A pair of former first-round draft picks, guard Emmanuel Mudiay and forward Trey Lyles, had their fourth-year options exercised, while the team exercised third-year options on forward Juancho Hernangomez and guards Malik Beasley and Jamal Murray.The 6-foot-5 Mudiay, the No. 7 overall pick in 2015, averaged 12.0 points and 4.8 assists in his first two seasons. The 6-10 Lyles, taken five picks after Mudiay, averaged 6.1 points in his tenure with Utah. He was acquired from the Jazz in a draft-night trade in June.Murray had a productive rookie season. The 6-4 guard, the seventh overall pick in 2016, averaged 9.9 points, 2.6 rebounds and 2.1 assists en route to earning All-Rookie second-team honors.Hernangomez, taken 15th overall, averaged 4.9 points and 3.0 rebounds in 62 games last season. Beasley, 6-5, appeared in 22 games as a rookie with Denver and averaged 3.8 points. The No. 19 overall selection also posted averages of 18.9 points and 7.6 assists with Sioux Falls of the NBA D-League.

The Denver Nuggets filed an official protest with the NBA following their one-point loss to the Grizzlies in Memphis on Tuesday night.Officials on the court ruled that Nuggets guard Emmanuel Mudiay touched a loose ball last before it went out of bounds with 0.7 seconds remaining and a 107-106 lead. Grizzlies center Marc Gasol made a buzzer-beating tip-in to give Memphis a 108-107 victory.In their last two minutes officiating report, the NBA acknowledged that the Nuggets should have been given the ball with the same time on the clock."We contacted the league office and (general manager) Tim Connelly and (president) Josh Kroenke are waiting for a word back," coach Michael Malone said. "Best case scenario would be to replay the last 0.7."In a statement released Thursday, Kroenke acknowledged the difficult job officials have and lauded the league, but said the team feels it was in wrong call."Commissioner (Adam) Silver has done a fantastic job championing league transparency and accuracy for teams and fans alike with the addition of in-game video review and the NBA's Instant Replay Center," Kroenke's statement reads."However, in this case, a reviewable non-judgement call regarding possession was not sufficiently reviewed, and considering the time and score, we feel as if the incorrect ruling had a direct impact on the final outcome of the game."

The Denver Nuggets exercised the fourth-year options for guard Gary Harris and center Jusuf Nurkic as well as the third-year option for guard Emmanuel Mudiay on Friday.Harris, 22, was acquired on a draft-night trade in 2014 after being selected No. 19 overall by the Chicago Bulls.In two seasons, Harris averaged 8.5 points, 2.2 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.0 steals in 24.1 minutes per game over 131 contests (82 starts).Nurkic, also 22, was taken with the No. 16 overall pick by the Bulls in 2014 and dealt to Denver in the Harris trade.The Bosnian posted averages of 7.3 points, 5.9 rebounds and 1.2 blocks in 17.6 minutes a night over 94 games (30 starts) in his first two seasons.Mudiay, 20, was taken No. 7 overall by the Nuggets in the 2015 draft.As a rookie last season, he averaged 12.8 points, a league-rookie-leading 5.5 assists and 1.0 steals in his 30.4 minutes over 68 games (66 starts).

Denver Nuggets guard Emmanuel Mudiay and Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker were named on Thursday as substitutes for two of the special events during All-Star weekend.Mudiay was named to replace injured defending champion Patrick Beverley of the Houston Rockets in the Skills Challenge at Air Canada Centre in Toronto. Beverley, who won the inaugural event last year, is sidelined by an ankle injury and unable to compete on Saturday night.Mudiay, the No. 7 overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft, is having a strong first season, ranking first among NBA rookies in assists (5.9 per game), second in minutes (30.2) and fifth in scoring (11.4). He also will play in the Rising Stars Challenge on Friday night.The Skills Challenge combines dribbling, passing, shooting and agility on an obstacle course. The field includes four guards (Mudiay, Portland's C.J. McCollum, Boston's Isaiah Thomas and the Los Angeles Lakers' Jordan Clarkson) and four forwards (Sacramento's DeMarcus Cousins, Minnesota rookie Karl-Anthony... [More]