Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks are out in the first round again. The urgency to get their young superstar enough help for some deep playoff runs will grow fast, although the Mavericks are about to buy themselves time in pursuit of the franchise's first postseason series victory since the 2011 NBA Finals. Doncic left little doubt Monday he would sign a five-year extension expected to be worth more than $200 million when free agency opens this summer. That contract would start in 2022-23. Meantime, the Mavericks have to decide if Kristaps Porzingis is good enough to make them title contenders as the No. 2 to Doncic after the 7-foot-3 Latvian with a maximum contract was barely a role player in a seven-game loss to the Clippers. While Doncic averaged an NBA-best 35.7 points per game in the first round, Porzingis' production wasn't even close to last season's first-round loss to LA. His per-game averages were down by nearly 12 points and more than three rebounds. Porzingis was a 2018 All-Star... [More]

DALLAS (AP) — JJ Redick made his Dallas debut Monday night after being sidelined by a sore right heel since being acquired from New Orleans at the trade deadline. The veteran shooting guard returned against one of his former teams and former coaches in the Philadelphia 76ers and Doc Rivers, who had Redick for four of his seven seasons with the Los Angeles Clippers. The Mavericks added Redick just before the deadline March 25, looking for a boost at the 3-point line as they try to climb into the top six in the Western Conference and avoid the play-in round for the playoffs. Redick entered late in the first quarter and missed two shots from inside the arc before hitting his first attempt from 3. He finished with four points, going 1 of 7 from the field and 1 of 3 from deep in Philadelphia's 113-95 victory. The 36-year-old Redick's last game for the Pelicans was March 3, when he scored 22 points despite going 1 of 5 from long range in a 128-124 loss to Chicago. The Mavericks also got Nicolo Melli in the deal, with Wesley Iwundu, James Johnson and a 2021 second-round pick going to New Orleans. Redick has averaged 12.9 points on 42% 3-point shooting over 15 seasons. He led the NBA at 48% shooting from long range in one of his seasons with the Clippers. This season Redick is averaging 8.7 points while shooting a career-low 36% from 3. ___ More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

DALLAS (AP) — JJ Redick made his Dallas debut Monday night after being sidelined by a sore right heel since being acquired from New Orleans at the trade deadline. The veteran shooting guard's return comes against one of his former teams and former coaches in the Philadelphia 76ers and Doc Rivers, who had Redick for four of his seven seasons with the Los Angeles Clippers. The Mavericks added Redick just before the deadline March 25, looking for a boost at the 3-point line as they try to climb into the top six in the Western Conference and avoid the play-in round for the playoffs. Redick entered late in the first quarter and missed two shots from inside the arc before hitting his first attempt from 3. The 36-year-old Redick's last game for the Pelicans was March 3, when he scored 22 points despite going 1 of 5 from long range in a 128-124 loss to Chicago. The Mavericks also got Nicolo Melli in the deal, with Wesley Iwundu, James Johnson and a 2021 second-round pick going to New Orleans. Redick has averaged 12.9 points on 42% 3-point shooting over 15 seasons. He led the NBA at 48% shooting from long range in one of his seasons with the Clippers. This season Redick is averaging 8.7 points while shooting a career-low 36% from 3. More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

DALLAS (AP) — JJ Redick is set for his Dallas debut after being sidelined by a sore right heel since being acquired from New Orleans at the trade deadline. The veteran shooting guard's return comes Monday night against one of his former teams and former coaches in the Philadelphia 76ers and Doc Rivers, who had Redick for four of his seven seasons with the Los Angeles Clippers. The Mavericks added Redick just before the deadline March 25, looking for a boost at the 3-point line as they try to climb into the top six in the Western Conference and avoid the play-in round for the playoffs. The 36-year-old Redick's last game for the Pelicans was March 3, when he scored 22 points despite going 1 of 5 from long range in a 128-124 loss to Chicago. The Mavericks also got Nicolo Melli in the deal, with Wesley Iwundu, James Johnson and a 2021 second-round pick going to New Orleans. Redick has averaged 12.9 points on 42% 3-point shooting over 15 seasons. He led the NBA at 48% shooting from long range in one of his seasons with the Clippers. This season Redick is averaging 8.7 points while shooting a career-low 36% from 3. More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

JJ Redick doesn't have an ideal number of games in mind to get ready for the playoffs with the Dallas Mavericks, who were thinking postseason when they acquired the shooting guard with an expiring contract. “The ideal number is the most amount of games possible,” said Redick, who is recovering from a right heel injury that required an injection and last played March 3. “I’m a rhythm player and so I want to be in a good rhythm going into the playoffs.” The Mavericks made a deal just before the trading deadline March 25, getting Redick and Nicolo Melli from New Orleans for James Johnson, Wes Iwundu, a 2021 second-round draft pick and cash. Redick met his new teammates at practice in New York on Thursday, a day before the Mavericks play the Knicks on their season-long five-game road trip. Redick has joined the team presumably for good this season, but hasn't started practicing. There's no timetable for his Dallas debut. “My understanding is that things are going in a very good direction,”... [More]

Kyle Lowry wound up staying with Toronto after all. Victor Oladipo is finally in Miami, a destination he's eyed in the past. And Rajon Rondo is headed back to Los Angeles, though not with the team he helped win the NBA title last season. The trade deadline has come and gone. And now, playoff pushes can really begin. Miami, Denver, the Clippers, Portland, Dallas, Boston and Atlanta were likely among the teams feeling convinced that they improved on deadline day after a flurry of moves Thursday, though the best player — at least this season — might have been landed by the Chicago Bulls. They got All-Star forward Nikola Vucevic from Orlando, a move that ushered in the start of a big-time rebuild by the Magic. “Anytime you trade a player like Nikola, it is a tough decision to make," Magic President Jeff Weltman said. Vucevic is the only player from this season's All-Star Game to be traded at the deadline. It was a steep price; Vucevic and Al-Farouq Aminu went to the Bulls for Otto Porter, Wendell... [More]

Kyle Lowry wound up staying with Toronto after all. Victor Oladipo is finally in Miami, a destination he's eyed in the past. And Rajon Rondo is headed back to Los Angeles, though not with the team he helped win the NBA title last season. The trade deadline has come and gone. And now, playoff pushes can really begin. Miami, Denver, the Clippers, Portland, Dallas, Boston and Atlanta were likely among the teams feeling convinced that they improved on deadline day after a flurry of moves Thursday, though the best player — at least this season — might have been landed by the Chicago Bulls. They got All-Star forward Nikola Vucevic from Orlando, a move that ushered in the start of a big-time rebuild by the Magic. “Anytime you trade a player like Nikola, it is a tough decision to make," Magic President Jeff Weltman said. The Magic traded three of their four leading scorers; in addition to the Vucevic move, Evan Fournier was sent to Boston and Aaron Gordon is headed to Denver. Acquiring Gordon was... [More]

Kyle Lowry stayed with the Toronto Raptors, and the Miami Heat got Victor Oladipo instead. And on a trade deadline day where moves were getting made right up until the last possible moment, the Denver Nuggets took a big swing at getting better for a playoff run while the Orlando Magic began a rebuild. Lowry — considered perhaps the biggest prize who was on the market — did not get traded, the Raptors apparently unable to find enough assets to their liking. Miami was one of the biggest pursuers for Lowry, who they may still target as a free agent later this year, and wound up adding Oladipo from the Houston Rockets. That move didn’t cost Miami much: Kelly Olynyk was on an expiring deal, and Avery Bradley has barely played for the Heat this season because of COVID-19 and then a calf injury. The deal also included a pick swap in 2022, a person with knowledge of the matter told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the deal needed league approval. Oladipo has wanted to be in... [More]

Kyle Lowry stayed with the Toronto Raptors, and the Miami Heat got Victor Oladipo instead. And on a trade deadline day where moves were getting made right up until the last possible moment, the Denver Nuggets took a big swing at getting better for a playoff run while the Orlando Magic began a rebuild. Lowry — perhaps the biggest prize on the market — did not get traded, the Raptors apparently unable to find enough assets to their liking. Miami was one of the biggest pursuers for Lowry, who they may still target as a free agent later this year, wound up adding Oladipo from the Houston Rockets. It didn’t cost Miami much: Kelly Olynyk was on an expiring deal, and Avery Bradley has barely played for the Heat this season because of COVID-19 and then a calf injury. The deal also included pick swap in 2022, a person with knowledge of the matter told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the deal needed league approval. Oladipo has wanted to be in Miami for some time, and the Rockets... [More]

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The Dallas Mavericks have acquired veteran shooting guard JJ Redick and Italian forward Nicolo Melli from New Orleans in a trade Thursday that sent power forward James Johnson, small forward Wesley Iwundu and a second-round draft choice to the Pelicans, a person familiar with the deal said. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the trade has not been announced. The move gives the playoff-contending Mavericks veteran depth and a player in Redick who has been an elite 3-point shooter for most of his career. The 36-year-old Redick, now in his 15th season, is a 41.5% career 3-point shooter but has played only intermittently for New Orleans this season. He has appeared in 31 of the Pelicans' 43 games, averaging 8.7 points in a little less than 19 minutes per game. Melli, 30, is in his second NBA season and has played in 22 games, averaging two points and 2.6 rebounds in 11 minutes per game. Johnson, 34, is a 12th-year veteran who has averaged 5.7 points and three rebounds in 29 games this season, while the 26-year-old Iwundu has averaged 2.1 points in 23 games. ___ More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Zion Williamson will miss the start of the season after the No. 1 overall draft pick by the New Orleans Pelicans had right knee surgery, sidelining the hyped rookie for nearly two months.Williamson had his torn right lateral meniscus repaired on Monday. The club says his recovery will last six to eight weeks.The 6-foot-6, 285-pound former Duke star averaged 23.2 points in four preseason games. He missed New Orleans' final exhibition game in New York last Friday night.The 19-year-old Williamson turned pro after one season in college, during which he averaged 22.6 points and was voted to the Atlantic Coast Conference's All-Defensive Team. He also averaged 8.9 rebounds, 2.1 steals and 1.8 blocked shots.He was projected to start immediately at forward for New Orleans, alongside guards Lonzo Ball and Jrue Holiday, forward Brandon Ingram and center Derrick Favors.While it remains to be seen how coach Alvin Gentry will change his rotation in Williamson's absence, it appears 6-foot-9, 235-pound forward Nicolo Melli of Italy could be in line for more playing time.Melli, who was acquired in the offseason, averaged 8.4 points and 5.4 rebounds this season.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports