Anthony Davis caught the ball deep on the left side with the Lakers losing and time about to run out. The shot Davis made to win Game 2 of the Western Conference finals was from nearly the same spot and situation as one he attempted in his team's last game before the NBA season was suspended. He missed that one, sending the Lakers to a 104-102 loss to Brooklyn on March 10, and was bummed about it for a few days. Not LeBron James, though. That moment just reinforced what he already believed about the All-Star forward the Lakers had acquired to play alongside him. “You’re not going to make them all, but the belief to just take it and live with the results is what it’s all about,” James said. Davis has been making plenty so far in the deepest postseason run of his career. He has been the dominant player in this series, where the Lakers have a 2-0 lead with Game 3 scheduled for Tuesday night. Davis followed his 37 points in Game 1 with 31 more on Sunday, including the Lakers' last 10. The No.... [More]

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — Meyers Leonard was bent forward at the waist, standing a few feet away from Miami coach Erik Spoelstra on the Heat sideline, screaming with every bit of the volume that his deep and booming voice can generate. This is his role right now for the Heat. His only role. Leonard is in a tough spot these days; a full-time starter during the regular season, he is now out of the rotation as the Heat have made their run to the Eastern Conference finals. It is a bitter pill for him to swallow — yet to his credit, he hasn’t acted the least bit bitter about his current reality. “My team knows this, and our coaching staff knows this,” Leonard told The Associated Press. “I would do anything to be out there. And I’d be lying if I said that I’m not competitive as hell. I wish I was impacting the game on the floor. I’m not, but as a person and as a player, I want what’s best for everybody.” So for now, the 7-foot, 260-pound, chiseled center is the tallest, strongest and best-paid... [More]

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — Miami center Bam Adebayo went into the locker room at halftime of Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals knowing that he wasn’t doing enough. He didn’t need to see video. Or talk to Heat teammates. Or check the stats. He only needed to think of his mother. “That first half wasn’t me and I had to reboot myself, man,” Adebayo said. “So, you ask yourself: Where do you come from and what’s your why? What’s your why? And for me, that’s my mom.” Marilyn Blount, this was for you. Adebayo nearly outscored the Boston Celtics by himself in the third quarter, the Heat turned the game around and went on to win 106-101 Thursday night to take a 2-0 lead in the Eastern Conference finals — putting the kid who grew up in a single-wide trailer with a mom making something like $15,000 a year two wins away from the NBA Finals. Adebayo had four points at the half, and the Heat were down by 13. He had 17 in the second half, when Miami outscored Boston by 18. “Games are long and... [More]

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — LeBron James now stands alone in All-NBA recognition history, getting there unanimously.James was revealed Wednesday as an All-NBA player for a record 16th time, breaking the mark he shared with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Kobe Bryant and Tim Duncan. He was a first-team pick on all 100 ballots, joining Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo as the only unanimous first-team selections this season.Joining them on the first team: Houston guard James Harden, Lakers forward Anthony Davis and Dallas guard Luka Doncic, who got the nod in just his second season in the NBA — becoming the first player to get there in either his first or second season since Duncan did for San Antonio. Duncan was first-team in each of his first eight NBA seasons, starting in 1997-98 and going through 2004-05.The 21-year-old Doncic is the sixth player to make All-NBA at that age or younger, joining Kevin Durant, James, Duncan, Rick Barry and Max Zaslofsky.James is a first-team pick for the 13th time... [More]

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — Just about everyone had L.A. vs. L.A. written in for the Western Conference finals. Then along came the resilient Denver Nuggets, who crashed the party.Behind Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic, the Nuggets advanced to the conference finals for the first time since 2009. They will face LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers starting Friday in Game 1.But this was no ordinary road. The Nuggets fell behind 3-1 in their first-round series against Utah before bouncing back with three straight victories. Then they went down 3-1 to the Los Angeles Clippers in the second round before winning in Game 7 again.They made history, too, becoming the first NBA team to rally from a 3-1 series deficit twice in the same postseason. As expected, Denver is an underdog against the Lakers. Murray & Co. are used to it.“Everybody counts us out. It’s fun to silence everybody,” Murray said. “We love it.”The last time the Nuggets were in the conference finals they faced the Lakers as... [More]

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Always a wine connoisseur, CJ McCollum is now a wine maker, too. The Portland Trail Blazers guard has a signature wine coming out Tuesday, and apropos of Oregon, it's a pinot noir. McCollum Heritage 91 is the result of a partnership with Adelsheim Vineyard. “We’re in a bit of a jam because it’s a limited quantity, and demand is very high,” McCollum said. McCollum readied for the launch while recuperating from Portland's 51-day odyssey in the NBA bubble in Florida. The Blazers overperformed in the seeding games, going 6-2 and making the playoffs as the No. 8 seed. It was Portland's seventh straight trip to the playoffs, but it ended in five games in the first round against the top-seeded Los Angeles Lakers. McCollum played the tournament with a fractured vertebra in his back. The 10th pick out of Lehigh in the 2013 draft, McCollum has averaged 18.5 points, 3.3 rebounds and 3.1 assists over his career in Portland. This strange season he averaged 22.2 points, 4.2 rebounds... [More]

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — Mike D’Antoni has told the Houston Rockets that he will not be back as coach with them next season, essentially choosing free agency over a return to the club with whom he has spent the last four seasons.D’Antoni told the Rockets on Sunday — not even a full day after the team’s season ended with a playoff loss to the Los Angeles Lakers — that he would seek coaching options elsewhere for next season and not return to Houston. Team owner Tilman Fertitta confirmed the move later Sunday.“I would like to thank Mike D'Antoni and his wife, Laurel, for their incredible contributions to the Houston Rockets organization and the Houston community," Fertitta said. “Mike is a true professional and an amazing basketball mind. He is a winner, and we have been blessed to have such an outstanding coach and leader to work with the past four seasons."ESPN first reported the 69-year-old coach's decision.It was not totally unexpected; the Rockets and D’Antoni couldn’t agree on... [More]

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — Mike D’Antoni has told the Houston Rockets that he will not be back as coach with them next season, and he essentially becomes a free agent, a person with knowledge of the situation told The Associated Press.D’Antoni told the Rockets on Sunday — not even a full day after the team’s season ended with a playoff loss to the Los Angeles Lakers — that he would seek coaching options elsewhere for next season and not return to Houston. The person with knowledge of those talks spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the team had yet to announce anything publicly.ESPN first reported D’Antoni’s decision.It was not totally unexpected; the Rockets and D’Antoni couldn’t agree on an extension last year, meaning he was coaching this season with no guarantee of his future in Houston. D’Antoni had already been mentioned as a potential candidate for vacancies in Indiana and Philadelphia, but when the season ended Saturday night there appeared to be at least some hope... [More]

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — The secret can be told now: When the NBA was shut down for a few months because of the coronavirus pandemic, when most players in the league didn’t have a place to play because team facilities were closed as a precaution, Miami guard Tyler Herro was in a gym all the time.A couple of hours in the morning. A couple more at night. Almost every day.“I don’t think the Heat even know I did this,” Herro told The Associated Press.Given the way he’s played since the season resumed, the Heat probably could have suspected he used his downtime wisely. No rookie in these playoffs is averaging more points (14.7), 3-pointers (2.3), assists (3.3) and minutes (32.3) per game than Herro, the baby-faced 20-year-old who’ll make his Eastern Conference finals debut when Miami opens its series against the Boston Celtics on Tuesday night.Herro averaged 16.5 points in the first round of the playoffs, the most by a Heat rookie in a first round ever. And in the second round, he became... [More]

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — The secret can be told now: When the NBA was shut down for a few months because of the coronavirus pandemic, when most players in the league didn’t have a place to play because team facilities were closed as a precaution, Miami guard Tyler Herro was in a gym all the time.A couple of hours in the morning. A couple more at night. Almost every day.“I don’t think the Heat even know I did this,” Herro told The Associated Press.Given the way he’s played since the season resumed, the Heat probably could have suspected he used his downtime wisely. No rookie in these playoffs is averaging more points (14.7), 3-pointers (2.3), assists (3.3) and minutes (32.3) per game than Herro, the baby-faced 20-year-old who’ll make his Eastern Conference finals debut when Miami opens its series against the Boston Celtics on Tuesday night.Herro averaged 16.5 points in the first round of the playoffs, the most by a Heat rookie in a first round ever. And in the second round, he became... [More]

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — A small number of protesters carrying signs and shouting into megaphones blocked at least two buses chartered by the NBA from briefly from entering the Walt Disney World campus on Saturday night, with the group saying it wanted LeBron James, Russell Westbrook and other top players to take notice.The group blocked charter buses carrying members of the news media and some NBA staff, but no players or team personnel. Among their chants: “Black Lives Matter” and “LeBron can you help us?” Some also carried signs with messages such as “Russell Stand With Us.”The protesters assembled near one of the entrances and were not inside the so-called bubble, where teams, NBA staff and other have been for more than two months in some cases for the resumption of the season. They appeared to have gathered on a road that is open to the public, then stopped buses on an access road near a primary entrance to the resort.All entrances to the bubble — whether it is the hotel properties... [More]

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — A small number of protesters carrying signs and shouting into megaphones blocked at least two buses chartered by the NBA from briefly from entering the Walt Disney World campus on Saturday night, with the group saying it wanted LeBron James, Russell Westbrook and other top players to take notice.The group blocked charter buses carrying members of the news media and some NBA staff, but no players or team personnel. Among their chants: “Black Lives Matter” and “LeBron can you help us?” Some also carried signs with messages such as “Russell Stand With Us.”The protesters assembled near one of the entrances and were not inside the so-called bubble, where teams, NBA staff and other have been for more than two months in some cases for the resumption of the season. They appeared to have gathered on a road that is open to the public, then stopped buses on an access road near a primary entrance to the resort.It was not known if they were able to be seen by any buses... [More]

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — Kyle Lowry was understandably torn.Lowry and the Toronto Raptors spent nearly three months in Florida for the NBA restart. That’s a lot of time away from his children, and Lowry made no secret during his time in the league’s Walt Disney World bubble that it was brutally hard to be separated from them for that long.He was heading home Saturday. On the one hand, that’s great news. On the other, that’s a disaster.The Raptors are the reigning NBA champions no more. Their run ended Friday night with a Game 7 loss to the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference semifinals, ending the longest season in team history and ushering in an offseason where Toronto has plenty of personnel decisions to make.“I get to go see my babies, man,” Lowry, the Raptors’ point guard and face of the franchise, said while fighting off emotion that his Philly-kid toughness usually allows him to hide. “I’ve been going damn near three months without seeing my kids. I don’t want to be going... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Steve Nash was a leader, a guy who loved to get the best out of his teammates on the court and build relationships with them off it.Those qualities helped him become a Hall of Fame player.Now he thinks they can make him a successful coach.Nash was introduced Wednesday by the Brooklyn Nets, who picked him to guide Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and the rest of a team with high expectations despite him having no coaching experience.“I love to compete. I love to teach, to lead and to be a part of a team. And so to be in a position where I can use all those things on a day-to-day basis and focus all my energy on those tenets is a perfect fit,” Nash said.“So while I hadn’t necessarily publicly stated my desire to coach, privately it’s always been in my mind, it’s always been an opportunity that suited me. When you can’t run up and down the court anymore, what can you do? What can you contribute?”The Nets believe there is plenty. General manager Sean Marks played with Nash in Phoenix,... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Steve Nash was a leader, a guy who loved to get the best out of his teammates on the court and build relationships with them off it.Those qualities helped him become a Hall of Fame player.Now he thinks they can make him a successful coach.Nash was introduced Wednesday by the Brooklyn Nets, who picked him to guide Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and the rest of a team with high expectations despite him having no coaching experience.“I love to compete. I love to teach, to lead and to be a part of a team. And so to be in a position where I can use all those things on a day-to-day basis and focus all my energy on those tenants is a perfect fit,” Nash said.“So while I hadn’t necessarily publicly stated my desire to coach, privately it’s always been in my mind, it’s always been an opportunity that suited me. When you can’t run up and down the court anymore, what can you do? What can you contribute?”The Nets believe there is plenty. General manager Sean Marks played with Nash in Phoenix,... [More]

Billy Donovan won't return as coach of the Oklahoma City Thunder after five seasons, the team announced Tuesday night, ending a largely successful run that ought to make him an attractive candidate for jobs around the league.Donovan, who was at the end of his contract, took the Thunder to the playoffs every year and was a finalist for NBA Coach of the Year this season after his squad outperformed expectations and pushed the Houston Rockets to seven games in the first round of the playoffs.Donovan went 243-157 with Oklahoma City. “I have a great respect and admiration for the players I coached in Oklahoma, and I also want to thank the coaches I worked with, who gave unbelievable time and expertise to our common goal,” Donovan said in a statement.The Thunder and Donovan described his departure as a mutual decision. Oklahoma City general manager Sam Presti said he couldn’t give Donovan the assurances he wanted about the future.“In knowing where he is and the caliber of coach he is, I wouldn’t... [More]

The Brooklyn Nets hired Steve Nash as their coach Thursday, putting the Hall of Fame point guard in charge of the team that hopes to have Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving together next season.Nash, two-time MVP as the engineer of the high-scoring Phoenix Suns teams under Mike D'Antoni, had been a player development consultant with Golden State, where he worked with Durant.“Coaching is something I knew I wanted to pursue when the time was right, and I am humbled to be able to work with the outstanding group of players and staff we have here in Brooklyn," Nash said in a statement.The Nets finished the season under Jacque Vaughn, who they said would remain on staff as Nash's lead assistant.The Nets reached the postseason despite having Irving for only 20 games and Durant for none, but the two stars who came to Brooklyn together last summer are expected to be ready for the 2020-21 season.That made the Nets vacancy an attractive position, and general manager Sean Marks said he met with a number... [More]

The Brooklyn Nets hired Steve Nash as their coach Thursday, putting the Hall of Fame point guard in charge of the team that hopes to have Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving together next season.Nash, two-time MVP as the engineer of the high-scoring Phoenix Suns teams under Mike D'Antoni, had been a player development consultant with Golden State, where he worked with Durant.“Coaching is something I knew I wanted to pursue when the time was right, and I am humbled to be able to work with the outstanding group of players and staff we have here in Brooklyn," Nash said in a statement.”The Nets finished the season under Jacque Vaughn, who they said would remain on the staff as Nash's lead assistant.The Nets reached the postseason despite having Irving for only 20 games and Durant for none, but the two stars who came to Brooklyn together last summer are expected to be ready for the 2020-21 season.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A Los Angeles judge has issued a temporary restraining order keeping the Portland Trail Blazers' Trevor Ariza away from his 12-year-old son after the boy's mother alleged Ariza had physically abused him. Ariza strongly denied the abuse allegations, saying the boy's mother, his former girlfriend Lana Allen, had engaged in a long campaign to hurt his relationship with his son and to take away his visitation rights, according to court papers obtained by The Associated Press on Wednesday. Allen alleges in documents filed Aug. 27 that Ariza punched his son in the arm and shoulder and put him in a choke hold on July 25 during a month-long visit at Ariza's Los Angeles-area home. The court filings allege Ariza engaged in similar abuse on previous visits, and has violated a court order against using corporal punishment. Allen sent the police to Ariza's home during the visit, but their investigation was inconclusive, the documents said. The filing called Ariza's actions “inexcusable;... [More]

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla (AP) — Toronto guard Kyle Lowry knows the situation is bad.If there’s a silver lining, it’s this: He believes it could have been worse.Toronto would have ordinarily had home-court advantage in its Eastern Conference semifinal matchup against the Boston Celtics, and for the Raptors to fall into a 2-0 series hole — as they have here — that means they would have dropped two straight games at home and been forced to face a raucous crowd in Boston for Game 3.But in the bubble, home-court isn’t an issue and Lowry thinks that a win when the series resumes Thursday would be enough to get the Raptors back on track.“This is not a situation we’d like to be in,” Lowry said. “But it’s not the normal situation in the playoffs where we lost two home games. We just lost two games. We have a chance to get one game. That’s all we have to do, get one game. One game at a time. The Celtics, they’ve been playing extremely well. We have to find a way to get ourselves going.”The Celtics don’t... [More]