EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (AP) — LeBron James' strained groin is turning out to be perhaps the most significant injury of the famously durable superstar's 16-year NBA career.James likely will miss at least three more games after being cleared to increase his on-court activity in his comeback from the injury, the Lakers announced Thursday after an evaluation by their medical staff.The Lakers say James' healing is "progressing," and the four-time NBA MVP will participate in more functional basketball activities during the upcoming week. But the team also says it will provide another update on Jan. 16, which probably means James will miss the Lakers' three upcoming games against Utah, Cleveland and Chicago.If James sits out as expected, he will miss 11 consecutive games before his next update, and he will have been out of action for over three weeks since getting hurt during the Lakers' win at Golden State on Christmas.Those are significant numbers: James never missed more than 13 games during any... [More]

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (AP) — The Lakers say LeBron James likely will miss at least three more games after being cleared to increase his on-court activity in his comeback from a groin injury.James was evaluated by the Lakers' medical staff Thursday.The Lakers say James' healing is "progressing," and he will participate in more functional basketball activities.The team says it will provide another update on Jan. 16, which likely means he will miss the Lakers' three upcoming games against Utah, Cleveland and Chicago.James will miss 11 consecutive games before his next update. James never missed more than 13 games in any of his first 15 NBA seasons.The four-time NBA MVP was injured during the Lakers' win at Golden State on Christmas.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NFL and https://twitter.com/AP_NFL

NEW YORK (AP) — Vince Carter looked up at the highlights, enjoying the view of himself back in the days when he was among the NBA's highest flyers.He's about to turn 42, now in his 21st season, and he doesn't jump quite like the guy being shown Wednesday night on the Barclays Center overhead screens.The Nets honored Carter, who is the oldest active player, with a tribute video during their game against Atlanta, a way to say thank you for his 4 ½ seasons with the franchise."It was great. Any time you can see old video of when you were young and spry and springy and all of that good stuff, I mean, it's always great to see," Carter said.Good times, yes.But was it goodbye?Carter hasn't said if he plans to retire following the season. He would make NBA history if he returns, as nobody has played 22 seasons in the league.So was the video premature?"I'm OK with it. Either way it's cool," he said with a smile. "I'm very thankful for it, that they even considered it."When it was mentioned to me... [More]

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Saying he respects the gay and lesbian community, Minnesota forward Andrew Wiggins tried Wednesday to clarify comments he made about Oklahoma City Thunder guard Dennis Schroder's behavior during a heated game.Thunder center Nerlens Noel was taken off the court on a stretcher in the third quarter after Wiggins collided with Noel on a dunk attempt Tuesday night. Schroder, unhappy about the play and other incidents, eventually was given a technical foul for an altercation with Timberwolves guard Jeff Teague.After the game, Wiggins said Schroder's actions were unwarranted. According to audio from the locker room, Wiggins appeared to say: "He was just gay. He was acting crazy for no reason."A few hours later, Wiggins went on Twitter and tried to explain what he said ."I'd like to clarify what I said tonight during my post game media session. I said: 'I don't know what's wrong with him he was just getting... acting crazy for no reason,'" he tweeted.In his next post , Wiggins... [More]

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — The Thunder's Nerlens Noel has been placed in the NBA's concussion protocol after he collided with Andrew Wiggins and hit the floor Tuesday night during Oklahoma City's game with the Minnesota Timberwolves.The team announced that Noel was held overnight at the University of Oklahoma's hospital for tests and observations and was released Wednesday. There is no timetable for Noel to complete the protocol process.Noel took an elbow in the face as Wiggins drove to the basket, and Noel's head hit the ground hard . The team said Noel lost consciousness while being knocked to the floor. A defensive foul was called on Noel. The play was reviewed, and no additional fouls were accessed. Noel was down for several minutes before being taken from the court on a stretcher. Players from both teams exchanged words while Noel was on the ground.Noel has been a critical reserve for the Thunder this season, averaging 5.1 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.4 blocks in 14 minutes per contest.Wiggins... [More]

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Minnesota forward Andrew Wiggins attempted to clarify comments Wednesday that he used the word gay to describe Oklahoma City Thunder guard Dennis Schroder's behavior during their game.Thunder center Nerlens Noel was taken off the court on a stretcher in the third quarter after Wiggins collided with Noel on a dunk attempt Tuesday night. Schroder, unhappy about the play and other incidents in what was a testy game, eventually was given a technical foul for an altercation with Timberwolves guard Jeff Teague.Wiggins thought Schroder's actions were unwarranted."He was just gay," Wiggins said afterward. "He was acting crazy for no reason."A few hours later, Wiggins tried on social media to clarify his comments ."Id like to clarify what I said tonight during my post game media session. I said: "I don't know what's wrong with him he was just getting... acting crazy for no reason," he said on Twitter.In his next post , Wiggins did not use the word apology, but said: "I have... [More]

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Minnesota forward Andrew Wiggins has apologized for using the word gay to describe Oklahoma City Thunder guard Dennis Schroder's behavior during their game.Thunder center Nerlens Noel was taken off the court on a stretcher in the third quarter after Wiggins collided with Noel on a dunk attempt Tuesday night. Schroder, unhappy about the play and other incidents in what was a testy game, eventually was given a technical foul for an altercation with Timberwolves guard Jeff Teague.After the game, Wiggins says he thought Schroder's actions were unwarranted and that "he was just gay. He was acting crazy for no reason."Later, on Twitter, Wiggins apologized, saying: "I have the utmost love and respect for the LGBTQIA community and I would never use any term to disrespect them in anyway."___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/tag/NBAbasketball and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Thunder center Nerlens Noel was taken off the court on a stretcher in the third quarter of Tuesday's game against Minnesota after the Timberwolves' Andrew Wiggins made contact with him on a dunk attempt.Noel took an elbow in the face as Wiggins went up, and Noel's head hit the ground hard. A defensive foul was called on Noel. The play was reviewed, and no additional fouls were called. Noel was down for several minutes before being taken from the court. Players from both teams jawed at each other while Noel was on the ground.Thunder coach Billy Donovan said after the game that Noel was taken to the University of Oklahoma's OU Medical Center. He did not offer details on the injury.Wiggins said he didn't mean to hurt Noel."I just tried to make an aggressive move and dunk," Wiggins said. "He tried to contest it. I think he fell wrong. I didn't really see it until I saw him on the ground. Hopefully, he's good. I hope nothing but the best for him. I hope he gets healthy soon and comes back stronger."A few minutes after the collision, there was a skirmish between Thunder guard Dennis Schroder and Timberwolves guard Jeff Teague. Two technicals were called on Teague and he was ejected. Schroder also was called for a technical.Minnesota won the game 119-117.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/tag/NBAbasketball and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Thunder center Nerlens Noel was taken off the court on a stretcher in the third quarter of Tuesday's game against Minnesota after the Timberwolves' Andrew Wiggins made contact with him on a dunk attempt.Noel took an elbow in the face as Wiggins went up, and Noel hit the ground hard. A defensive foul was called on Noel. The play was reviewed, and no additional fouls were called. Noel was down for several minutes before being taken from the court. Players from both teams jawed at each other while Noel was on the ground.A few minutes later, there was a skirmish between Thunder guard Dennis Schroder and Timberwolves guard Jeff Teague. Two technicals were called on Teague and he was ejected. Schroder also was called for a technical.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/tag/NBAbasketball and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

INDEPENDENCE, Ohio (AP) — Kevin Love's comeback has been slow and steady. The Cleveland Cavaliers need it to speed up.Love said Monday that he's still weeks away from doing any significant on-court work as the five-time All-Star forward recovers from left foot surgery that has sidelined him nearly all season.Love was recently cleared to accelerate his rehab, but he isn't sure when he'll play and suggested he could be out until after February's All-Star break."I don't know," he said when asked for a timeframe on his return. "It's really tough for me to say because I don't know how my foot is going to respond. Hopefully it will be sooner rather than later."Love has begun shooting and been "up on the toes a little bit" but not running. He's listening to his doctors and his body."I don't know when I'll be able to go one-on-one, two-on-two, three-on-three, but I think that's all part of the next few weeks I'd say," he said.The 30-year-old played in just four games before undergoing surgery to... [More]

BOSTON (AP) — Celtics star Kyrie Irving is back in the lineup against the Brooklyn Nets after being sidelined with an eye injury.Irving missed two games after scratching both corneas in a collision Dec. 31 at San Antonio. Boston won both — against Minnesota and Dallas — while Irving was out.He leads the team in scoring and assists entering Monday, averaging 23.1 points per game and 6.6 assists.Boston coach Brad Stevens also said forward Marcus Morris and rookie center Robert Williams were available Monday. Morris missed the last game with a stiff neck and Williams missed the previous six with a strained left groin.Stevens said center Aron Baynes, sidelined since mid-December after surgery on a broken left finger, "will be re-evaluated next week and the earliest he would play would be mid-to-late next week."___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

HOUSTON (AP) — The Houston Rockets have traded Michael Carter-Williams and cash considerations to the Chicago Bulls for a protected second-round pick in the 2020 draft. The Bulls then waived the guard following the trade.The 27-year-old Carter-Williams saw limited playing time in his first season in Houston, appearing in just 16 games with one start. He averaged 4.3 points.The 11th overall pick in the 2013 draft has averaged 11.1 points, 4.5 rebounds and 4.7 assists in a six-year career that included stints with Philadelphia, Milwaukee, Chicago and Charlotte.___More AP NBA coverage: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Ryan Saunders has always had basketball in his blood, the consummate coach's son who as a kid would sometimes doze off on the couch after joining dad for a late-night review of game film.Roughly three years after the death of his father, Flip Saunders , the 32-year-old Ryan Saunders has assumed the job in Minnesota he's been aiming for all along, albeit earlier and more abruptly than ever expected."He is very capable of doing this job. We all have a lot of confidence in him," Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns said. "We're ready to follow him. He's our new captain."Appointed interim coach of Minnesota on Sunday after Tom Thibodeau was fired halfway through his third season , Saunders ran practice for the first time on Monday before the team took off for a game at Oklahoma City on Tuesday."You never know if you're ready until you're in the situation," Saunders said, "but I have great support."His dad, by far the winningest coach in Timberwolves history, would of course... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — Cavaliers All-Star forward Kevin Love says he's still weeks away from getting on the court as he recovers from surgery on his left foot.Love played in just four games before undergoing surgery on Nov. 2 to relieve pressure around his big toe. He was recently cleared by doctors to begin some "select basketball activities," but Love said Monday he's not ready to run on the foot, which he injured in Cleveland's exhibition opener.The 30-year-old Love said it's been difficult to watch his teammates struggle — Cleveland has the NBA's worst record and dropped nine straight games — but he never considered not returning this season.Love signed a four-year, $120 million contract extension in July. He expects his name will surface in trade talks ahead of the deadline like it does every year. Love hopes to remain in Cleveland, saying: "I would love to be here. I would like to play ball here."___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/tag/NBAbasketball and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Imagine this: Kevin Durant is out of bounds by an enormous margin, all three referees somehow miss the obvious infraction and Golden State winds up getting a basket that it didn't deserve to take the lead with a few seconds remaining.It seemed implausible.That is, until it happened.When such a scene played out last week in the Houston-Golden State overtime thriller, James Harden kept a ton of egg from landing on the NBA's face when he connected on a 3-pointer to give the Rockets a win in a game they would have screamed bloody murder about otherwise. But what if he missed? Or worse, if a call that big got missed in Game 7 of the NBA Finals?"How do you miss that?" TNT analyst Reggie Miller mused while watching the Durant replay.An obvious question, with an obvious answer: It's time for a change.Everyone in the NBA replay center in Secaucus, New Jersey that night surely saw Durant standing out of bounds. But there is no mechanism for the replay crews to trigger a review of such a play — since,... [More]

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Timberwolves had just posted their fourth-largest margin of victory of the season, and Tom Thibodeau looked and sounded satisfied Sunday as the demanding and intense coach used his postgame news conference to praise the attitude and energy with which his team had just played.Minutes later, Thibodeau was fired.Halfway into his third season with Minnesota that began in turmoil surrounding the eventual trade of All-Star Jimmy Butler, Thibodeau's final game was a 108-86 victory over the LeBron James-less Los Angeles Lakers .Assistant coach Ryan Saunders, who is 32, was named interim head coach for the remainder of the season. Scott Layden will stay as the general manager, assuming oversight of the roster. Thibodeau was also the president of basketball operations, with full authority over personnel decisions."We would like to thank Tom for his efforts and wish him all the best," Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor said in a statement released by the team. "These decisions... [More]

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Timberwolves fired coach Tom Thibodeau on Sunday, halfway into his third season with the team that began with the turmoil surrounding the eventual trade of All-Star Jimmy Butler.Thibodeau was dismissed about an hour after the 108-86 victory over the LeBron James-less Los Angeles Lakers .Scott Layden will remain the general manager overseeing the basketball operations and assistant coach Ryan Saunders will be the interim head coach for the remainder of the season."We would like to thank Tom for his efforts and wish him all the best," Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor said in a statement. "These decisions are never easy to make, but we felt them necessary to move our organization forward."The Athletic first reported that Thibodeau, who was also the president of basketball operations with full authority over the roster, had been let go. Saunders is the son of the late Flip Saunders, who's the winningest coach in club history.Thibodeau finished 97-107 with the... [More]

Grizzlies general manager Chris Wallace says Chandler Parsons has chosen to continue rehabilitation in Los Angeles out of the options Memphis gave the 30-year-old forward.Wallace issued a statement Sunday night after ESPN.com reported that the Grizzlies and Parsons had agreed to a split.Parsons has played three games in the third season of the four-year, $94 million contract he signed in July 2016. Limited by injuries, he played a combined 70 games over the first two seasons of that contract, but his agent told The Commercial Appeal on Dec. 28 that Parsons had been cleared and was ready to play.Wallace says the Grizzlies met with Parsons and spoke with both the forward and his representation numerous times during his rehab on how to "integrate a healthy and effective Chandler back onto the floor." The Grizzlies gave options for Parsons to choose from including a three-game stint in Memphis with their G League team, the Hustle, rehab in Memphis or in Los Angeles.The Grizzlies GM says that leaves Memphis continuing to monitor Parsons' progress.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

ATLANTA (AP) — Dwyane Wade made his 500th career 3-pointer in the third quarter to join Michael Jordan and LeBron James on an elite list.On a miserable shooting night for Miami — the Heat had missed 20 of their first 22 attempts beyond the arc — Wade joined Jordan and James as the only players in NBA history with at least 20,000 points, 5,000 assists, 4,000 rebounds, 1,500 steals, 800 blocks and 500 3s.The Heat, trying to win for the 13th time in their last 18 games, trailed Atlanta by 21 points late in the third Sunday.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/tag/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

CLEVELAND (AP) — The struggling Cavaliers signed guard Cameron Payne to a 10-day contract.To make roster space, the Cavs waived swingman Patrick McCaw, who signed with the club as a free agent on Dec. 28. He played in three games with Cleveland.Payne will give the Cavs a backup for rookie Collin Sexton and backcourt depth while Matthew Dellavedova deals with a sore foot. Payne averaged 5.7 points and 2.7 assists in 31 games — 12 starts — for Chicago before he was waived by the Bulls.He has appeared in 144 games over four seasons with Chicago and Oklahoma City. Payne played at Murray State before he was drafted with the No. 14 overall pick by the Thunder in 2015.At 8-32, the Cavs have the NBA's worst record and they've lost nine straight games, their last five at home by at least 20 points — a league record.Cleveland hosts Indiana on Tuesday.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/tag/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports