WASHHINGTON (AP) — Washington Wizards center Dwight Howard has aggravated a gluteal injury that kept him out of the first seven games of the season.Howard aggravated the injury in the second quarter of Sunday night's game with Portland.Howard, who was averaging 14.1 points and 10 rebounds in his first eight games, was declared out at halftime after playing just seven minutes, scoring two points and picking up three fouls.

DALLAS (AP) — Golden State's Stephen Curry knows that the rift between teammates Kevin Durant and Draymond Green might be viewed by outsiders as something that can doom the Warriors this season.To them, he has a message."That's not going to happen," Curry said.Curry spoke publicly Saturday night for the first time about the testy exchange between Durant and Green — they went at each other late in what became an overtime loss to the Los Angeles Clippers last Monday night, and the fallout has been a major talking point around the NBA since — and lauded both players for the way they're handing the situation."I think the way we've handled it as a team, the way Draymond's handled it, the way KD's handled it, it's been nothing but professionalism," Curry said.Green is getting the weekend off; the Warriors held him out of their game in Dallas on Saturday because of an ongoing issue with a toe on his right foot, and he isn't expected to play when the two-time defending NBA champions visit San Antonio... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — Kawhi Leonard of the Toronto Raptors and Zach LaVine of the Chicago Bulls are being held out of Saturday night's matchup between the teams.Leonard isn't injured. The Raptors don't want to overextend him early in the season, so he'll sit after logging 43 minutes Friday night at Boston. He has not played back-to-back games this season and is averaging 24.8 points and 8.4 rebounds.Fred VanVleet will start in Leonard's spot. OG Anunoby (sprained right wrist), C.J. Miles (right abductor strain) and Norman Powell (left shoulder) also won't play for Toronto.LaVine is sitting out due to an illness. Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg said LaVine first started feeling the symptoms on Thursday night and was affected Friday night at Milwaukee.Cameron Payne will start in place of LaVine, who is averaging 25.3 points.

DALLAS (AP) — Golden State's Draymond Green will miss the game against the Dallas Mavericks on Saturday night with a recurrence of a right toe injury.It will be the second time in three games that Green has been sidelined. The volatile forward was suspended for a game by the team following a testy exchange with Kevin Durant at the end of regulation in an overtime loss at the Los Angeles Clippers.Green was suspended for the Warriors' win at home against Atlanta before returning in a loss at Houston. Green has already missed two games with a right toe sprain after getting injured against Memphis on Nov. 5.Golden State also will be without star guard Stephen Curry for the fifth straight game. Curry has a strained left groin.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The New Orleans Pelicans say point guard Elfrid Payton has a fractured finger on his left hand.Payton injured his finger in the first quarter of his first game back on Friday night after he'd missed New Orleans' nine previous games with a right ankle sprain.Soon after, Payton was ruled out for the remainder of the game against the New York Knicks.Acquired as a free agent this past offseason, Payton has played in six games for New Orleans. He entered Friday night's games with averages 11.6 points and 6.4 assists through his first five games, but did not have a point or assist in eight minutes against New York before his latest injury.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/tag/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Pelicans point guard Elfrid Payton is returning from a nine-game absence Friday night when New Orleans hosts the New York Knicks.Payton had been listed as questionable because of a right ankle sprain, but he was listed in the official starting lineup released before tip-off.Acquired as a free agent this past offseason, Payton has played in five games for New Orleans, averaging 11.6 points and 6.4 assists per game.New Orleans also went 4-1 in games in which he played and 3-6 in games he has missed.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/tag/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Rajon Rondo had surgery Thursday on his broken right hand, and the Los Angeles Lakers plan to use a variety of strategies to replace the veteran point guard while he heals.Los Angeles will be without Rondo for four to five weeks after he was injured in the fourth quarter of the Lakers' fourth straight win, 126-117 over Portland on Wednesday night. Rondo apparently hurt his hand while making a steal, but he kept playing for several more minutes before coming out of the game.Coach Luke Walton praised Rondo's leadership and two-way contributions after the Lakers' final practice before heading out on a three-game road trip. Although he has played only 11 games for LA, Rondo is already a key component of the revamped club."Obviously we can't replace what Rondo does for our team and how important he is to our team, but we're not going to make excuses," Walton said. "That's not who we are as a group. We're going to step up, and guys are going to pick up the slack and add to... [More]

HOUSTON (AP) — Carmelo Anthony is done in Houston.Rockets general manager Daryl Morey released a statement Thursday saying the team is "parting ways" with Anthony and "working toward a resolution."Anthony played just 10 games for the Rockets after signing a one-year, $2.4 million deal during the offseason."Carmelo had a tremendous approach during his time with the Rockets and accepted every role head coach Mike D'Antoni gave him," Morey said. "The fit we envisioned when Carmelo chose to sign with the Rockets has not materialized, therefore we thought it was best to move on as any other outcome would have been unfair to him."Anthony was traded from the Oklahoma City Thunder to the Atlanta Hawks in July before the Hawks released him to clear the way for him to sign with the Rockets.Houston star James Harden said he liked having Anthony on his team but that the decision was out of his hands."It's one of my friends. He's a great guy, great teammate," Harden said. "It just didn't work out. It's... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Rajon Rondo is expected to have surgery this week on his broken right hand, and the Los Angeles Lakers plan to use a variety of strategies to replace the veteran point guard while he heals.Los Angeles will be without Rondo for at least a few weeks after he was injured in the fourth quarter of the Lakers' fourth straight win, 126-117 over Portland on Wednesday night. Rondo apparently hurt his hand while making a steal, but he kept playing for several more minutes before coming out of the game.Coach Luke Walton praised Rondo's leadership and two-way contributions Thursday after the Lakers' final practice before heading out on a three-game road trip. Although he has played only 11 games for LA, Rondo is already a key component of the revamped club."Obviously we can't replace what Rondo does for our team and how important he is to our team, but we're not going to make excuses," Walton said. "That's not who we are as a group. We're going to step up, and guys are going to pick... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Lakers guard Rajon Rondo is expected to have surgery this week on his broken right hand.Los Angeles will be without the veteran point guard for at least a few weeks.Coach Luke Walton says Rondo was injured in the fourth quarter of the Lakers' fourth straight win, 126-117 over Portland on Wednesday night.Rondo is averaging 8.5 points, 6.5 assists, 4.5 rebounds and 1.2 steals in his first season with the Lakers. He has been the leader of the Lakers' second unit while also serving as a valuable coach on the floor with his younger, less-familiar teammates, according to Walton.Lonzo Ball is likely to play more minutes in Rondo's absence. Brandon Ingram and LeBron James also will increase their playmaking.___More AP NBA: www.apnews.com/NBA and www.twitter.com/AP_Sports

HOUSTON (AP) — Carmelo Anthony is done in Houston.Rockets general manager Daryl Morey released a statement Thursday saying the team is "parting ways" with Anthony and "working toward a resolution."Anthony played just 10 games for the Rockets after signing a one-year, $2.4 million deal during the offseason.Morey added that: "Carmelo had a tremendous approach during his time with the Rockets and accepted every role head coach Mike D'Antoni gave him. The fit we envisioned when Carmelo chose to sign with the Rockets has not materialized, therefore we thought it was best to move on as any other outcome would have been unfair to him."He was traded from the Oklahoma City Thunder to the Atlanta Hawks in July before the Hawks released him to clear the way for him to sign with the Rockets.Houston thought he could be the piece it needed to finally get past Golden State and win its first championship since back-to-back titles in 1994-95. Instead the Rockets limped out to a 6-7 start and the emergence... [More]

HOUSTON (AP) — Draymond Green isn't apologizing for his part in a dustup with Kevin Durant that led to a one-game suspension by the Golden State Warriors.But Green vowed Thursday that the Warriors are not imploding, regardless of whatever is, or isn't happening, following the heated exchange between he and Durant in Monday night's overtime loss to the Los Angeles Clippers.Green said he and Durant have spoken and that they're "moving forward."The Warriors forward spoke on Thursday for the first time since the incident. He opened his session with reporters by saying: "I'm going to speak on this one time and one time only," and refused to take any questions about it after he was done."I think there's no secret that I am an emotional player," he said. "I wear my emotions on my sleeve. I play with that same emotion. Sometimes they get the best of me. And (if) it doesn't work to my favor I'm going to live with that."He continued by saying that the passionate way he plays the game has led him... [More]

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]

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Time, right now, is Jimmy Butler's best friend.That's all that the Philadelphia 76ers and their newest player need. They will figure things out, figure out who goes where and who does what in every situation. In time, they'll be able to get back to their usual arsenal of plays and sets, a repertoire they had to pare down considerably for Butler's debut with his new club.There were promising moments Wednesday night. There were also some moments of confusion, some mistakes at the absolute wrong times. In the end, it all added up to Philadelphia losing Butler's debut with the 76ers — Orlando beating them 111-106 in a game where Philly led by 16 in the fourth quarter before the Magic ripped off a 21-0 run.Patience is required when an NBA team makes a move of this magnitude, and Butler knows that."How tough will it be? Nah, it's not hard at all," Butler said after scoring 14 points. "So far we all get along. I think that's the first thing — we all want each other to be great.... [More]

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Stephen Curry won't play during Golden State's three-game Texas road trip as he recovers from a left groin strain, though he is traveling with the Warriors.The team traveled Wednesday to Houston, where the two-time defending NBA champions will play Thursday night. They have games Saturday at Dallas and Sunday at San Antonio.Curry was injured during a Nov. 8 game against the Milwaukee Bucks and has been sidelined the past three games. He is scheduled to be re-evaluated in 10 days. The team says he continues to be monitored by the medical staff as he rehabs from his latest injury.The two-time MVP played in only 51 regular-season games last season because of a left knee injury and a sprained right ankle. He returned from the knee injury for Game 2 of the Western Conference semifinals after sitting out the first round of the playoffs.Curry, 30, is averaging 29.5 points, 6.1 assists and 5.0 rebounds while shooting 49.2 percent from 3-point range.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The best NBA team in Los Angeles right now isn't the one with LeBron James.It's the no-name Clippers.Going into Wednesday, the Clippers were fourth in the rugged Western Conference at 8-5, with overtime wins against defending NBA champion Golden State and Milwaukee, as well as Oklahoma City and Houston (twice)."We're going to keep on getting better," leading scorer Tobias Harris said. "We've showed we can play with the best of them."While they don't have talent on par with those teams, the Clippers are transitioning to a new era with a mix of veterans like Danilo Gallinari, Harris, Marcin Gortat and Patrick Beverley. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has cracked the starting lineup as a rookie point guard. Montrezl Harrell brings a contagious energy off the bench.In a win over Washington, they had a franchise-record nine players score in double figures."They seem to all have a chip on their shoulder because a lot of those guys are really good players but they might not get the... [More]

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — The Golden State Warriors don't expect Draymond Green's latest dustup with Kevin Durant to become a long-term issue for the two-time defending NBA champions.Nor do they expect the emotional Green to change after his one-game suspension by the team Tuesday.Durant said he expects to work things out with Green, saying, "I'm sure it will, we've got a long season ahead.""His presence has been a part of this team for a while, even before I got here he'd been a huge staple in this organization," Durant said. "Obviously it's definitely weird not having him around and everything that went down. But that's what happens, (stuff) happens in the NBA."Green was suspended one game without pay for conduct detrimental to the team following an altercation a night earlier with Durant, though general manager Bob Myers declined to offer specifics on the All-Star forward's behavior that was considered going too far. Myers and Steve Kerr collaborated on the decision."We just felt like this... [More]

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — The Golden State Warriors don't expect Draymond Green's latest dustup with Kevin Durant to become a long-term issue for the two-time defending NBA champions.Nor do they expect the emotional Green to change after his one-game suspension by the team Tuesday.Green was suspended one game without pay for conduct detrimental to the team following an altercation a night earlier with Durant, though general manager Bob Myers declined to offer specifics on the All-Star forward's behavior that was considered going too far. Myers and Steve Kerr collaborated on the decision."We just felt like this rose to the level of acting the way we did," Myers said, noting of Green: "He was professional. He loves to play basketball, which is all you can ask of him."The Warriors made the announcement about four hours before they were set to host Atlanta, and the 28-year-old Green was serving the suspension against the Hawks. He wasn't at Oracle Arena and didn't immediately respond to a text... [More]

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — When Robert Covington, Dario Saric and Jerryd Bayless walked into their hotel rooms in Minnesota, they found appropriate gifts from Timberwolves All-Star Karl-Anthony Towns: winter coats.After the overnight temperature dropped to 7 degrees, the newest members of the team by way of the Jimmy Butler trade with Philadelphia appreciated the welcome from Minnesota's best player. Butler's awkward and drawn-out departure created an icy atmosphere around the organization, but now that the deal is finally done, the Wolves have begun trying to warm the atmosphere back up."We can't wait to get on the court, put on that jersey and put it on for this city," Covington said at a news conference inside Target Center on Tuesday afternoon that carried just a bit less buzz than Butler's open-to-the-public introduction at the Mall of America less than 17 months ago.As Butler formally joined the 76ers , the Wolves pivoted forward after a pressure-relieving win over Brooklyn on Monday night... [More]

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Warriors All-Star forward Draymond Green was suspended one game without pay by Golden State on Tuesday for conduct detrimental to the team.The Warriors made the announcement about four hours before they were set to host Atlanta, and said Green would serve the suspension against the Hawks.In the closing seconds of regulation during Monday's 121-116 overtime loss on the road to the Clippers, Green secured a rebound and, with Kevin Durant calling for the ball, instead dribbled the length of the court into traffic and lost control as the Warriors failed to get a shot off. Durant was shown on camera visibly upset immediately afterward.Then, back on the bench waiting for the extra period to begin, the two traded words and gestured with Klay Thompson seated between them and Andre Iguodala, DeMarcus Cousins and others trying to calm the situation.General manager Bob Myers and coach Steve Kerr have long supported Green's fiery nature that leads to technical fouls. Myers even... [More]