MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Timberwolves acquired veteran forward Ed Davis from the New York Knicks for Jacob Evans III, Omari Spellman and a 2026 second-round draft pick in a trade finalized Tuesday. The 31-year-old Davis has played in 668 regular-season games, with 96 starts, for six NBA teams. He has averaged 6.3 points and 6.6 rebounds during his career. The 6-foot-9 Davis was drafted 13th overall in 2010 by the Toronto Raptors. He'll help fill an opening at power forward created by the departure of James Johnson in the draft-night deal that brought point guard Ricky Rubio back to the Timberwolves. Evans and Spellman played sparingly for Minnesota last season after coming with headliner D'Angelo Russell from Golden State in the trade that sent Andrew Wiggins to the Warriors. ___ More AP NBA coverage: https://apnews.com/NBA

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Another season of setback and tumult has mercifully ended for the Minnesota Timberwolves, this time in the strangest of ways after the NBA's decision to resume virus-halted play with 22 teams.The revelation of the makeshift plan immediately put the Timberwolves, who finished 19-45 for the third-worst record in the league, in offseason mode after nearly three months in limbo while the world wrestled with the COVID-19 pandemic and all NBA arenas went dark.There was no arguing from Minnesota, where the 18 games remaining on the original schedule before the shutdown would have had little benefit as long as star center Karl-Anthony Towns was sidelined with a wrist injury.“While we are disappointed for our team and our fans that our season is coming to an end, we understand and accept the league’s plan to move forward with 22 teams. It is important that we be a good teammate not only to the NBA, but to the other 29 teams to support the efforts to complete this season and prepare... [More]

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Stephen Curry is confident he has put his left hand through every possible test aside from actually getting into an NBA game.He will get that chance Thursday night, when the two-time MVP is set to return following a more than four-month absence with a broken left hand to play for Golden State against the Toronto Raptors. Curry said he is comfortable enough to play, though it may be months before his hand feels completely “normal” again to where he can compare it to the right side. Yet he still plans to play in the Tokyo Olympics this summer with the Team USA training camp scheduled to open in July.“Hopefully, there aren't any thoughts and I get to play my game the way I see it and just be able to react and make plays without having second thoughts or hesitation,” Curry said after shootaround Thursday morning at Chase Center. “If I need to make a left-handed pass, no matter where it is, or finish with my left or defend and get a deflection or take a hit with it, that... [More]

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Stephen Curry is scheduled to return from a more than four-month absence with a broken left hand to play for Golden State against the Toronto Raptors on Thursday night.The Warriors announced Wednesday night that Curry had been medically cleared to play and would be in the lineup Thursday in a rematch of last year's NBA Finals won in six games by Toronto. The two-time NBA MVP missed 58 games after falling on his left hand Oct. 30 versus Phoenix. He practiced Monday with the G League Santa Cruz Warriors, then was recalled back to the NBA team later in the day in a most expected promotion. Curry, who turns 32 on March 14, had hoped to return last Sunday against Washington but his timeline wasn't too far delayed. He is averaging 20.3 points, 6.5 assists and 5.0 rebounds over just four games this season. Golden State Curry's initial game back from injury also will be his first on the court with Andrew Wiggins, who was acquired by the Warriors from Minnesota on Feb. 6 for... [More]

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Aaron Gordon recorded his first career-triple double and was proudest of his assist total.Terrence Ross scored 19 of his season-high 33 points in the fourth quarter and Gordon finished with 17 points, 11 rebounds and 12 assists, leading the Orlando Magic to a 136-125 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday night.Gordon is averaging more than 21 points and 10 rebounds over the Magic's recent six-game surge. This time, he felt best about his career high in assists.“That's what I'm looking to do,” he said. “I'm looking to distribute the ball and make the game easier for everybody on the floor and they do the same for me. It works well.”“He puts us in a different place,” Magic coach Steve Clifford said. “He's not just scoring, he's playing an all-around game.”Nikola Vucevic added 27 points and 10 rebounds for the Magic, who won for the fifth time in six games.D'Angelo Russell led Minnesota with 28 points, but did not score After a layup that gave the Timberwolves... [More]

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Terrence Ross scored 19 of his season-high 33 points in the fourth quarter and Aaron Gordon finished with 17 points, 11 rebounds and a career-high 12 assists for his first career triple-double, leading the Orlando Magic to a 136-125 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday night.Nikola Vucevic added 27 points and 10 rebounds for the Magic, who won for the fifth time in six games.D'Angelo Russell led Minnesota with 28 points, but did not score in the fourth quarter. Juancho Hernangomez added 18 points and 13 rebounds.The Timberwolves have lost 19 of their last 21 games, and 11 of their last 12 in Orlando.The 136 points marked a season-high for the Magic, the second-lowest scoring team in the NBA. They shot 54% and had a 54-33 rebounding advantage.After falling behind by as many as 13 points in the first half, Minnesota rallied behind Russell and Malik Beasley, taking a six-point lead on a 3-pointer by Russell from the corner with 5:23 left in the third quarter.Orlando... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — The NBA fined the Minnesota Timberwolves $25,000 on Thursday for violating the player resting policy with point guard D'Angelo Russell.Russell was held out Sunday at Denver for a planned rest. Though Russell did not play for Minnesota on Feb. 8 because of a quadriceps injury, two days after he was acquired in a trade, the NBA deemed Russell a healthy player under the policy that was designed in part to minimize star player absences from nationally televised games.The Timberwolves issued a statement of acceptance of the punishment that also spelled out their case for an exception to the rule.“While we respect the league's guidelines and standards, we are a player-centric organization that's focused on learning and optimizing our players' bodies," the team said. “As a new player in our program, we chose to rest D'Angelo in order to learn his body better and to optimize his health during a difficult stretch of games and travel.” ___More AP NBA coverage: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Minnesota Timberwolves forward Jake Layman was finally cleared Thursday to return to practice, with his absence at 39 straight games and counting because of a sprained left toe.Star center Karl-Anthony Towns, however, does not have that clearance. Nor has there been clarity yet revealed by the Timberwolves about how long his sprained left wrist will keep him out. The Timberwolves will play Friday against Boston without Towns, who missed the last game before the All-Star break on Feb. 12. Coach Ryan Saunders has said only that Towns will miss multiple games.“We’re obviously still looking, getting opinions that are out there,” Saunders said Thursday. “You want to make the best decisions possible for himself, and also for the organization.”Towns missed 15 games earlier this season with a left knee injury. His latest setback came in the aftermath of the whirlwind week leading up the trade deadline that landed guard D'Angelo Russell, a good friend of Towns. The Russell-Towns... [More]

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Minnesota Timberwolves forward Jake Layman was finally cleared Thursday to return to practice, with his absence at 39 straight games and counting because of a sprained left toe.Star center Karl-Anthony Towns, however, does not have that clearance. Nor has there been clarity yet revealed by the Timberwolves about how long his sprained left wrist will keep him out. The Timberwolves will play Friday against Boston without Towns, who missed the last game prior to the All-Star break on Feb. 12. Coach Ryan Saunders has only said Towns will miss multiple games.“We’re obviously still looking, getting opinions that are out there,” Saunders said Thursday. “You want to make the best decisions possible for himself, and also for the organization.”Towns missed 15 games earlier this season with a left knee injury. His latest setback came in the aftermath of the whirlwind week leading up the trade deadline that landed guard D'Angelo Russell, a good friend of Towns. The Russell-Towns... [More]

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — In Brooklyn a couple of days back, Bob Myers realized something he has rarely seen as Golden State's general manager or even dating to his days as a busy sports agent: Nobody wanted to be traded from the NBA's worst team.“That's unprecedented,” Myers said Friday after dealing much of the Warriors roster this week.Golden State dealt D'Angelo Russell, Jacob Evans III and Omari Spellman to the Minnesota Timberwolves ahead of Thursday's trade deadline for Andrew Wiggins and draft picks — Minneosta's first-rounder and second-rounder in 2021, unless the first-rounder is in the top three and then it would roll over to 2022.It was “somber” as Myers put it after Golden State opted to send so many players packing for new opportunities. He felt it. Coaches felt it. The young Warriors said heartfelt farewells, having built tight bonds by being thrown into the fire because of injuries to stars such as Splash Brothers Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson and following Kevin Durant's offseason... [More]

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Not yet finished with his fifth NBA season, D'Angelo Russell has landed with his fourth team.Karl-Anthony Towns and the Minnesota Timberwolves sure don't want him to leave. “It’s surreal to really think that instead of us just talking on the phone or playing video games with each other and talking about how our teams are doing and everything, but now we’re getting to do this every day with each other,” Towns said.Russell was introduced at an open-to-the-public news conference Friday along with six other players acquired during the trading spree this week.“I’ve been seeing from a distance, and from close-up, the ship that Karl’s kind of been driving around here for years,” Russell said. “Players come and go from here. I take it they didn’t appreciate the situation here or whatever that may be, but watching from a distance I knew I could help Karl. I’ve never played with a dynamic big just like him.”President of basketball operations Gersson Rosas was hired May 1. He was... [More]

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Timberwolves have taken on yet another new look, with D'Angelo Russell on his way to join pal Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins heading west to the Golden State Warriors.In a swap of high scorers consummated just a few hours before the NBA deadline on Thursday, the Timberwolves acquired the dynamic point guard they'd been seeking for awhile in Russell and pulled the plug on their development of Wiggins, the mercurial first overall pick of the 2014 draft.The deal also sent two little-used Golden State players, guard Jacob Evans and forward Omari Spellman, to the Timberwolves and routed two draft picks to the Warriors. They'll get Minnesota's first-rounder and second-rounder in 2021, unless the first-rounder is in the top three. Then it would roll over to 2022.That means the Timberwolves, who overturned half of their roster this week, will have two first-round picks this summer, their own that's likely to be in the top five and another one from Brooklyn... [More]

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Timberwolves have taken on yet another new look, with D'Angelo Russell on his way to join pal Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins heading west to the Golden State Warriors.In a swap of high scorers consummated just a few hours before the NBA deadline on Thursday, the Timberwolves acquired the dynamic point guard they'd been seeking for awhile in Russell and pulled the plug on their development of Wiggins, the mercurial first overall pick of the 2014 draft.The deal also sent two little-used Golden State players, guard Jacob Evans and forward Omari Spellman, to the Timberwolves and routed two draft picks to the Warriors. They'll get Minnesota's first-rounder and second-rounder in 2021, unless the first-rounder is in the top three. Then it would roll over to 2022.That means the Timberwolves, who overturned half of their roster this week, will have two first-round picks this summer, their own that's likely to be in the top five and another one from Brooklyn... [More]

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — In a swap of high scorers, the Minnesota Timberwolves acquired D'Angelo Russell on Thursday from the Golden State Warriors for Andrew Wiggins, according to a person with knowledge of the trade.The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the deal had yet to be finalized by the NBA with a few hours remaining before the deadline. ESPN first reported the trade, which also includes additional players and draft picks. Russell had been on Minnesota's radar for months, a dynamic point guard in his fifth season in the league after going as the second overall pick in the 2015 draft. The first choice that year was Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns, a friend of Russell around whom the front office has been trying to rebuild the roster. Minnesota will be Russell's fourth NBA team. He averaged 23.6 points per game for the injury-wrecked Warriors, a career high after coming in an offseason trade with Brooklyn. The Wolves tried to woo him then, too,... [More]

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — In a swap of high scorers, the Minnesota Timberwolves acquired D'Angelo Russell on Thursday from the Golden State Warriors for Andrew Wiggins, according to a person with knowledge of the trade.The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the deal had yet to be finalized by the NBA with a few hours remaining before the deadline. ESPN first reported the trade, which also includes additional players and draft picks. Russell had been on Minnesota's radar for months, a dynamic point guard in his fifth season in the league after going as the second overall pick in the 2015 draft. The first choice that year was Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns, a friend of Russell around whom the front office has been trying to rebuild the roster. Minnesota will be Russell's fourth NBA team. He averaged 23.6 points per game for the injury-wrecked Warriors.Wiggins, the first overall selection in the 2014 draft, never fulfilled his potential with the Wolves, a shooting and slashing wing with the athleticism and frame to dominate on the perimeter. He's averaging 22.4 points this season.___More AP NBA coverage: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

It is the time of year when every injury report causes eyebrows to raise.D'Angelo Russell, not in Golden State’s lineup at Washington on Monday?Hmmm.Tristan Thompson, scratched by the Cleveland Cavaliers for their game against New York the same night?Interesting.That’s because it’s the week of the NBA trade deadline, when teams need to be careful with the health of players they might be trying to deal.The deadline is Thursday at 3 p.m. EST. It arrives quickly now, once the NBA moved it from its longtime spot on the calendar after the All-Star break to its current one the week before. It allows traded players to use the break to acclimate themselves to a new situation, rather than returning to a team that might deal them a couple days later.Russell could be making that adjustment. He’s been considered a trade possibility since virtually the moment the Warriors acquired him from Brooklyn in July in the sign-and-trade transaction that sent Kevin Durant across the country. He’s a point guard... [More]

The All-Star Game is going to have plenty of new faces.The NBA released the list of the players Thursday voted by the league’s head coaches as reserves for the Feb. 16 game in Chicago, including six who will be All-Stars for the first time.Kyle Lowry of the NBA champion Toronto Raptors is headed back to the game, as are Miami’s Jimmy Butler, Philadelphia’s Ben Simmons, Milwaukee’s Khris Middleton, Portland’s Damian Lillard, Denver’s Nikola Jokic, Houston’s Russell Westbrook and — for the first time since 2016 — Oklahoma City’s Chris Paul.The other reserves are all first-time selections: Miami’s Bam Adebayo, Boston’s Jayson Tatum, Indiana’s Domantas Sabonis, New Orleans’ Brandon Ingram and the Utah duo of Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert.“Definitely it is an honor,” Tatum said in a statement. “I am extremely blessed and grateful. Third year, to make the All-Star team, it is a surreal feeling. I’m just very excited and it is a dream come true.”Those six — combined with starters Pascal Siakam,... [More]

The All-Star Game is going to have plenty of new faces.The NBA released the list of the players Thursday voted by the league’s head coaches as reserves for the Feb. 16 game in Chicago, including six who will be All-Stars for the first time.Kyle Lowry of the NBA champion Toronto Raptors is headed back to the game, as are Miami’s Jimmy Butler, Philadelphia’s Ben Simmons, Milwaukee’s Khris Middleton, Portland’s Damian Lillard, Denver’s Nikola Jokic, Houston’s Russell Westbrook and — for the first time since 2016 — Oklahoma City’s Chris Paul.The other reserves are all first-time selections: Miami’s Bam Adebayo, Boston’s Jayson Tatum, Indiana’s Domantas Sabonis, New Orleans’ Brandon Ingram and the Utah duo of Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert.“Definitely it is an honor,” Tatum said in a statement. “I am extremely blessed and grateful. Third year, to make the All-Star team, it is a surreal feeling. I’m just very excited and it is a dream come true.”Those six — combined with starters Pascal Siakam,... [More]

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry "definitely" plans to return this season from his broken left hand and is hoping to be back on the court at "some point in early spring."When exactly the two-time NBA MVP will be able to play again remains uncertain.Curry addressed the media Monday night for the first time since getting injured Oct. 30 and said he needs a second surgery on his non-shooting hand, probably in early December, to remove pins that were inserted during the first procedure Nov. 1 that involved his hand and index finger."(Managing the) swelling is something that's going to be of the utmost priority early in the rehab process," Curry said, "to get me a chance to come back and get my range of motion back pretty quickly."The Warriors initially said Curry would be re-evaluated three months after the surgery, which would be early February.Curry referred to himself and injured teammate Klay Thompson as "caged animals right now, wanting to be unleashed."Thompson,... [More]

A career-best for Damian Lillard. A career-best for D'Angelo Russell.And neither was enough, on a wacky Friday in the NBA.Lillard scored a franchise-record 60 for Portland in its loss to Brooklyn, Russell had 52 in Golden State's loss at Minnesota — and those efforts added up to an absolute NBA rarity. Friday became only the second night in league history in which multiple players scored at least 50 points in losses.The only other such day: April 9, 1978. David Thompson scored 73 points in Denver's loss to Detroit, and George Gervin scored 63 in San Antonio's loss to the New Orleans Jazz. That was the final day of the 1977-78 regular season, one where Thompson and Gervin were going for the league's scoring title.No scoring title was at stake Friday. It was merely a wild night."Obviously, Dame was exceptional tonight," Portland coach Terry Stotts said. "Carried us, put us in a position to win the game."Lillard capped his 60-point effort, one more than his previous career best, with a 34-footer... [More]