OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Golden State star Kevin Durant strained his right calf during the third quarter of the Warriors' 104-99 playoff victory over the Houston Rockets on Wednesday night, leaving his status uncertain for the remainder of the Western Conference semifinal.The Warriors took a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series, but Durant's status cast a shadow over the win."He's obviously down because he's injured and doesn't really know the extent of it," Stephen Curry said.Durant was scheduled for an MRI exam Thursday and his status for Game 6 on Friday night in Houston had yet to be determined."You lose your best player, it's deflating," said Klay Thompson, who scored 27 points and had a layup to seal it with 4.1 seconds remaining.Curry and the rest of the Warriors were thankful Durant wasn't more seriously hurt.Even coach Steve Kerr initially feared Durant might have injured his Achilles."When I walked into the coaches office after the game the replay of the play was going on and I... [More]

HOUSTON (AP) — James Harden knows the success or failure of the Houston Rockets falls on him regardless of what the rest of the team does in the Western Conference semifinals against the Golden Warriors.That burden, he says, is one that most people can't understand but that makes him better, something he'll need to be if the Rockets hope to avoid falling into a 0-3 hole Saturday night when they host Game 3."How can I explain it," he asked. "If you've never been in that situation before or don't know what it feels like I can't give you the (feeling)."Last year's MVP and a front-runner this season thrives on that pressure and is ready for the challenge facing him as the Rockets try to close the gap in the series."It makes me who I am and I wouldn't expect anyone who hasn't been in this position or doesn't got the world on their shoulders to get it," he said.Harden is recovering after both of his eyes were injured in the first quarter of Game 2 when he was hit by Golden State's Draymond Green... [More]

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Warriors forward Draymond Green and Houston big man Nene had their double technical fouls rescinded by the NBA from Tuesday night's Game 2 of the Western Conference semifinals.Golden State had approached the league asking for the consideration.The NBA said on Twitter that the technicals had been dropped "upon league office review."That's a big deal for Green if the two-time defending champions play deep into the postseason again. The Warriors lead their best-of-seven series with the Rockets 2-0 going into Game 3 on Saturday in Houston.With one fewer technical now, Green's total for the postseason is back to three — and seven draws an automatic one-game suspension."I'm happy about it. It's good," Green said after practice Thursday before the Warriors departed the Bay Area for Texas. "It helps me, a lot."Green and Nene got tangled up and drew double technicals with one second remaining in the third quarter of the Warriors' 115-109 victory after James Harden made three... [More]

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Warriors forward Draymond Green and Houston big man Nene had their double technical fouls rescinded by the NBA from Tuesday night's Game 2 of the Western Conference semifinals.Golden State had approached the league asking for the consideration.The NBA said on Twitter that the technicals had been dropped "upon league office review."That's a big deal for Green if the two-time defending champions play deep into the postseason again. The Warriors lead their best-of-seven series with the Rockets 2-0 going into Game 3 on Saturday in Houston.With one fewer technical now, Green's total for the postseason is back to three — and seven draws an automatic one-game suspension.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

HOUSTON (AP) — James Harden squinted under the bright lights of the Toyota Center court on Thursday and parts of both eyes remained a garish, bloody red.It was clear Houston's superstar was still dealing with injuries to his eyes after being hit by Golden State's Draymond Green in Game 2. Harden insisted the problem wouldn't keep him out of Game 3 on Saturday as the Rockets try to climb out of an 0-2 hole against the two-time defending champions."If I played barely seeing last game, what makes you think I'm going to sit out Game 3?" Harden asked defiantly.Harden was injured midway through the first quarter Tuesday night after a blow from Green as he tried to rebound a shot he missed. He immediately fell to the court where he remained writhing for a bit before he was tended to by Houston's training staff and taken to the locker room. He returned with about seven minutes left in the second quarter and scored 29 points despite saying that his vision was extremely blurry and that he could see... [More]

HOUSTON (AP) — James Harden squinted under the bright lights of the Toyota Center court on Thursday and parts of both eyes remained a garish, bloody red.It was clear Houston's superstar was still dealing with injuries to his eyes after being hit by Golden State's Draymond Green in Game 2. Harden insisted the problem wouldn't keep him out of Game 3 on Saturday as the Rockets try to climb out of an 0-2 hole against the defending champions."If I played barely seeing last game, what makes you think I'm going to sit out Game 3," Harden asked defiantly.Harden was injured midway through the first quarter Tuesday night after a blow from Green as he tried to rebound a shot he missed. He immediately fell to the court where he remained writhing for a bit before he was tended to by Houston's training staff and taken to the locker room. He returned with about seven minutes left in the second quarter and scored 29 points despite saying that his vision was extremely blurry and that he could see "nothing.""When... [More]

HOUSTON (AP) — James Harden squinted under the bright lights of the Toyota Center court on Thursday and parts of both eyes remained a garish, bloody red.It was clear Houston's superstar was still dealing with injuries to his eyes after being hit by Golden State's Draymond Green in Game 2. Harden insisted the problem wouldn't keep him out of Game 3 on Saturday as the Rockets try to climb out of an 0-2 hole against the defending champions."If I played barely seeing last game, what makes you think I'm going to sit out Game 3," Harden asked defiantly.Harden was injured midway through the first quarter Sunday night after a blow from Green as he tried to rebound a shot he missed. He immediately fell to the court where he remained writhing for a bit before he was tended to by Houston's training staff and taken to the locker room. He returned with about seven minutes left in the second quarter and scored 29 points despite saying that his vision was extremely blurry and that he could see "nothing.""When... [More]

HOUSTON (AP) — Houston's James Harden will play in Game 3 of the Western Conference semifinals against the Golden State Warriors on Saturday despite injuries to both of his eyes after being hit by Draymond Green in Game 2.Harden practiced with the team Thursday as the Rockets prepare to host Golden State for two games after losing the first two in California.It was clear that last year's MVP was still struggling as he squinted under the light while answering questions about it. The entire left side of his left eye remained bloody, as did the left corner of his right eye.He says: "I can see better," but that he still had pain from the blow which came in the first quarter of Tuesday night's game.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/tag/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Golden State and Houston should be embarrassed.And NBA fans should be livid.Steve Kerr, the Warriors' coach and about as classy an act as there is in the league, opened his media session Monday by pantomiming a flop on a reporter in the most thinly veiled jab he could possibly take at Houston's James Harden. Not long after that, Rockets general manager Daryl Morey just happened to tweet out a story from 2016 about Kerr complaining about calls and getting fined.This is what this series has come to after one game: Trolling and subtweeting?Enough already.Just play.What went on during — and more specifically, after — Game 1 is a bad look for both the Warriors and for the Rockets. Basketball is not the story in this series heading into Tuesday night's Game 2. And given the quality of these teams, the best rivalry in the NBA, that's a shame.Harden is the reigning MVP who takes more free throws than anyone on the planet and still says he doesn't get a fair whistle. His backcourt mate Chris Paul... [More]

The MVP front-runners are in some trouble.It's a virtual certainty that either Milwaukee's Giannis Antetokounmpo or Houston's reigning MVP James Harden will win the coveted award this season. And while the voting results there won't be known until June 24, the only results that truly matter right now to both players are the ones that were determined on Sunday — and the ones that are coming on Tuesday.Antetokounmpo and the Bucks were handed their worst loss of the season, a 22-point defeat by the Boston Celtics that cost the NBA's No. 1 overall seed the home-court edge in their Eastern Conference semifinal series. And the Rockets were angered by what they felt were a series of calls that didn't go their way in a 104-100 loss to Golden State on Sunday in Game 1 of a West semifinal series.Both matchups resume with Game 2s on Tuesday: Boston at Milwaukee and Houston at Golden State."Right now, we've got to focus on playing better," Antetokounmpo said after Milwaukee fell 112-90 in Game 1. "Obviously,... [More]

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Houston guard Chris Paul was fined $35,000 by the NBA on Monday for making contact with an official with 4.4 seconds left in a 104-100 loss to the Golden State Warriors in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals.Paul was automatically ejected following his second technical Sunday. The league said his discipline — handed down by executive Kiki VanDeWeghe — was "for aggressively confronting and recklessly making contact with a game official," Josh Tiven. Paul would not say after the game whether he had indeed made contact with Tiven as it appeared on replays.The incident happened when Paul argued that Warriors guard Klay Thompson committed a loose-ball foul against him."I don't know yet. Nobody told me. He just called a tech. And I knew that was my second," said Paul, who had rebounded James Harden's missed 3 with 10.1 seconds left.The Rockets publicly complained in postgame interviews about the officiating, particularly frustrated with Golden State's closeouts... [More]

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Stephen Curry made a point Monday of studying all 16 3-pointers James Harden attempted in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals.He wants to be better prepared to defend the Houston star who has such a knack of drawing his man in to generate contact as he jumps forward to release the ball from long range.Who knew a debate about landing space would be all the talk going into Game 2 on Tuesday?"It sucks that that is the narrative coming out of it, because we literally could exhaust our energy on that as well. So what are you going to do about it?" Curry said. "Hopefully, Game 2, it's about the game and how we play and making shots and the energy and intensity that we need to play with, knowing what's at stake, and that becomes the conversation for sure."A day after the Houston Rockets complained about the officiating following a 104-100 loss in the opener of the best-of-seven series, the NBA's Last-Two Minute Report confirmed a no-call when Draymond Green defended... [More]

The MVP front-runners are in some trouble.It's a virtual certainty that either Milwaukee's Giannis Antetokounmpo or Houston's reigning MVP James Harden will win the coveted award this season. And while the voting results there won't be known until June 24, the only results that truly matter right now to both players are the ones that were determined on Sunday — and the ones that are coming on Tuesday.Antetokounmpo and the Bucks were handed their worst loss of the season, a 22-point defeat by the Boston Celtics that cost the NBA's No. 1 overall seed the home-court edge in their Eastern Conference semifinal series. And the Rockets were angered by what they felt were a series of calls that didn't go their way in a 104-100 loss to Golden State on Sunday in Game 1 of a West semifinal series.Both matchups resume with Game 2s on Tuesday: Boston at Milwaukee and Houston at Golden State."Right now, we've got to focus on playing better," Antetokounmpo said after Milwaukee fell 112-90 in Game 1. "Obviously,... [More]

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — After he made his unforgettable 3-pointer at the buzzer to clinch Portland's first-round series over Oklahoma City, Damian Lillard was mobbed by his teammates.The television camera moved into the scrum, and Lillard looked directly into the lens. His expression was pure told-you-so."Obviously he can score the ball with the best of them. But Dame has a chip on his shoulder, and he has since the day he walked into this league," said Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green. "Just the way he grinds, he played like a guy from Oakland with a chip on his shoulder and a guy who has been doubted forever."The doubters don't bother the 6-foot-3 Lillard. They seem to motivate him, fuel his hunger to prove them wrong.He enters the NBA conference semifinals on a roll, as confident as ever.And it's not just because of the 37-footer that eliminated the Thunder: He had 50 points in last Tuesday's deciding game, a 118-115 Game 5 victory that sent the Blazers through to the Western... [More]

Just a few months ago, Enes Kanter was toiling for a New York Knicks team that was heading nowhere.Now, he's a significant contributor for a Portland Trail Blazers team heading to the Western Conference semifinals.Kanter is one of several players starring in their supporting roles and helped put their respective teams in the second round of the NBA playoffs. Others have helped put their teams on the brink of advancing.The Knicks waived Kanter after the trade deadline in February and Portland swooped in to pick him up. The 6-foot-11 center stepped in as a starter for the Trail Blazers after Jusuf Nurkic suffered a leg injury. The Blazers' playoff hopes looked bleak after Nurkic went down, but Kanter has taken full advantage of his new situation. Kanter averaged 13.2 points and 10.2 rebounds in the Trail Blazers' 4-1 series win against Oklahoma City."I would like to appreciate the teams that didn't pick me," Kanter said after Portland's clinching Game 5 win on Thursday night. "I tried to... [More]

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Steve Kerr drove home from a stunning 35-point defeat at Oracle Arena one night last month and thought of something on the bright side: He can't recall very many ugly losses during Golden State's sensational five-year run.This season has brought a handful of embarrassing performances in the final hurrah at Oracle, and the Los Angeles Clippers added to the list by rallying from a 31-point deficit in the second half to win Game 2 of their first-round playoff series.Now, the two-time defending NBA champions will try to eliminate the Clippers by winning Game 5 on Wednesday night in Oakland. James Harden and Houston lead Utah 3-1 and also will try to wrap up their first-round series at home — potentially setting up one of the most anticipated second-round postseason matchups between the Warriors and Rockets."Close-out games are always difficult," Kerr said Tuesday. "Both teams at this point have a really good feel for one another, strategically what each one is trying... [More]

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Steve Kerr drove home from a stunning 35-point defeat at Oracle Arena one night last month and thought of something on the bright side: He can't recall very many ugly losses during Golden State's sensational five-year run.This season has brought a handful of embarrassing performances in the final hurrah at Oracle, and the Los Angeles Clippers added to the list by rallying from a 31-point deficit in the second half to win Game 2 of their first-round playoff series.Now, the two-time defending NBA champions will try to eliminate the Clippers by winning Game 5 on Wednesday night in Oakland. James Harden and Houston lead Utah 3-1 and also will try to wrap up their first-round series at home — potentially setting up one of the most anticipated second-round postseason matchups between the Warriors and Rockets."Close-out games are always difficult," Kerr said Tuesday. "Both teams at this point have a really good feel for one another, strategically what each one is trying... [More]

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Center DeMarcus Cousins is unlikely to return this postseason for the Golden State Warriors yet won't require surgery on his torn left quadriceps muscle.Coach Steve Kerr has named Andrew Bogut as his starter in place of Cousins for Game 3 Thursday night of the team's first-round playoff series against the Clippers in Los Angeles.Playing in just his second career postseason game after a nine-year wait, the 28-year-old Cousins went down in the first quarter of a 135-131 Game 2 loss Monday night. He fell in front of the Golden State bench after swiping a ball from Patrick Beverley in the back court. Cousins immediately grabbed at his left quad then hobbled to the locker room at the 8:09 mark.The tear was revealed by an MRI exam Tuesday. The big man returned in January from a nearly yearlong absence while recovering from surgery for a torn left Achilles tendon."More than anything, I'm just crushed for DeMarcus," Kerr said Wednesday. "He's been waiting his whole career... [More]

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Stephen Curry's pregame tunnel heaves have become such a spectacle at Oracle Arena that hundreds of cameras rise in the air to capture the moment.He won't have that anymore when the Warriors move across the bay to San Francisco to Chase Center next season.Everybody figures Curry will come up with a snazzy move to replace it."Shoot, I don't know, probably like a backflip or something like that," quipped Splash Brother Klay Thompson.A new signature shot? For sure.Curry vows to do something new and fun, but will just let it come to him when the time arrives. He's not pre-planning, and especially not now with the playoffs his top priority. The Warriors opened their first-round series with a 121-104 blowout of the Los Angeles Clippers."I've got to let it happen organically, just like this happened," Curry said. "I've got to let it happen organically. I don't really know. It'll come to me, though."Curry typically takes five tries total, fewer when he makes one, from just... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Golden State Warriors teammates Draymond Green, Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant have been fined by the NBA for criticizing the officiating.The league said Tuesday that Green was fined $35,000 for comments on social media that "impugned the integrity of NBA officiating." Curry was fined $25,000 for similar reasons for his "actions and public statements." Durant's fine of $15,000 was for "public criticism" of the refereeing.The discipline was announced by NBA executive Kiki VanDeWeghe and stems from Friday night's game at Minnesota, which the Warriors lost 131-130 in overtime.The league says the actions of the three players came during and after the game. The NBA adds that its findings came after "verifying all available information."___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/tag/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP-Sports