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 do that since Duncan in 1998-99.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 in his career, extending his record there. Bryant and Karl Malone were 11-time first-teamers. Antetokounmpo, the reigning MVP and the frontrunner to win the... [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]

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]

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — For Utah and Denver, Game 7 awaits.For Toronto, so may a Game 7 approach.The entertaining Western Conference first-round series between Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell and Nuggets guard Jamal Murray — the two leading scorers in the NBA playoffs, averaging a combined 72.7 points per game, a head-to-head show unlike any other in league postseason history — will come to an end Tuesday night, when Denver looks to become the 12th team in NBA history to successfully rally from a 3-1 series deficit.That game gets preceded by Game 2 of the Eastern Conference semifinals between Boston and Toronto, with the Celtics leading 1-0 there.“It’s more of the same for us. We welcome the challenge. We welcome the adversity,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said Monday. “And, as we talked about, only 11 teams have done this in NBA history. Why shouldn’t we be the 12th? That’s our attitude.”The last team to successfully rally from 3-1 down was Cleveland, which did it against Golden State... [More]

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — Nick Nurse was close to quitting.He was 26 or 27 years old, coaching in Britain and wondering whether he had a future in the profession. He went to his hotel room one night and wrote down a list of four other careers he could pursue if he went back home.None looked appealing.“So I figured I’d better get working on coaching and figure it out,” Nurse said.He's sure done that.Nurse never stopped believing he could get to the top, and he never considered he couldn't stay there even after his best player left last summer.The Toronto Raptors coach's rise from the outskirts of basketball to the best of the NBA was recognized Saturday when he was overwhelmingly selected as Coach of the Year.Nurse, who has the Raptors on the verge of the second round of the playoffs without Kawhi Leonard, was a runaway winner. He received 90 first-place votes from a panel of 100 sportswriters and broadcasters and finished with 470 points.Milwaukee's Mike Budenholzer was second after... [More]

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — Anyone not giving the Toronto Raptors much of a chance to repeat as NBA champions without Kawhi Leonard might want to reconsider.The Raptors have played mostly under the radar this season, yet earned the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs. They are the only No. 1 or 2 seed not to get upset in the first two games of the first round of the postseason.Fred VanVleet, Kyle Lowry and Pascal Siakam have the Raptors with a 2-0 lead over the Brooklyn Nets entering Game 3 Friday.Their battle-tested playoff experience was on display Wednesday when the Raptors trailed for most of the game but rallied to take a lead in the fourth quarter and then held on to beat the Nets 104-99.“There is no situation we haven’t been in before,” VanVleet said.Raptors coach Nick Nurse called it a “gut it out” win on a night when the Raptors struggled with the Nets continuously switching on defense.In the end, the Raptors found a way to win as they have all season, going with a... [More]

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — The kids are having all kinds of fun at Walt Disney World.Donovan Mitchell, just 23 years old, opened the NBA playoffs with 57 points, third-most in history.Luka Doncic, only 21, scored 42, the best postseason debut the league had ever seen.They did everything but win.Numbers have been eye-popping all over the bubble, with individual players and sometimes entire teams pouring it on like never before. There’s no indication so far that’s going to change in the postseason. “In some ways I don’t know if it’s more competitive, but it’s competitive out there,” said Clippers coach Doc Rivers, whose team withstood Doncic’s debut to beat Dallas in Game 1.“I think because everyone in the bubble has confidence right now because they put the work in, so that’s what’s going to make it hard.”The thought was always that defenses tightened up come playoff time, with the pace of the game slowing down and more adjustments being made as teams familiarize themselves with an opponent... [More]

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — Kyle Lowry spent 13 years chasing an NBA championship before finally getting the ring. His career is closer to the end than the beginning. He’s made his money. His jersey will sway from rafters in Toronto one day. He’ll be a candidate for the Basketball Hall of Fame a few years after retiring.It begs the question: What’s left?Lowry’s answer is succinct: More.Getting that first NBA title last season finally satisfied one quest for the Raptors’ point guard — but also whet his appetite for another one. So now the defending champions are returning to the NBA playoffs, with their on-court leader determined to win the whole thing once again.“That feeling is unmatched,” Lowry said. “Other than my children being born, I don’t think I’ve had a feeling like that, ever. And that’s the motivation to keep doing that.”He’s shown all season that the fire is real, too.Now 34 years old, Lowry led the Raptors — who lost NBA Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard and fellow starter Danny Green... [More]

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Devonte Graham had mixed emotions when Kemba Walker left for the Boston Celtics.Walker had become his mentor on the court last year and a close friend off it, regularly inviting Graham over to his house for a meal cooked by his personal chef. Walker would let the rookie swim in his pool and lend him his car occasionally, too.But while he knew he'd miss hanging out with his buddy, Graham realized that Walker's departure meant he'd see increased playing time — and have a chance to prove to everyone that he belongs in the NBA.Graham has done just that.The Charlotte Hornets' second-year guard is averaging 18.1 points and 7.8 assists while playing 35 minutes per game entering Thursday night's game at Chicago. He is fifth in the league in 3-pointers made (190).That's a dramatic improvement over last year's rookie season, when Graham averaged 4.7 points and 2.6 assists in 14 minutes per game playing behind Walker and NBA veteran Tony Parker, all the while splitting time... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — The Latest on Saturday night at NBA All-Star weekend. (all times local):9:45 p.m.Miami Heat forward Derrick Jones Jr. celebrated his 23rd birthday by winning the All-Star Slam Dunk Contest, edging Orlando Magic forward Aaron Gordon in a memorable showdown that required two tiebreaker jams.Jones and Gordon each got a perfect 50 on both of their dunks in the final. Then they got two more perfect scores on their first jam in the dunk-off.Jones then took off from just inside the foul line and threw down a windmill jam with his left hand, drawing a 48 from the panel of five judges.After a short discussion with Hall of Famer Shaquille O'Neal, Gordon brought out 7-foot-5 Boston Celtics rookie Tacko Fall and positioned him near the basket. He then took the ball from Fall's hands on his way to a thunderous dunk.The United Center gasped as the courtside NBA stars celebrated. But Gordon was awarded a 47, giving the victory to Jones.Gordon also lost a memorable dunk contest to Zach LaVine... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — The Latest on Saturday night at NBA All-Star weekend. (all times local):8:44 p.m.Sacramento Kings guard Buddy Hield made a late surge to win the NBA 3-Point Contest.Hield nailed a two-point money ball from the corner to finish with 27 points, edging Phoenix Suns All-Star Devin Booker by one in the final round.Hield is one of the few bright spots for struggling Sacramento, averaging 20.4 points while shooting about 39 percent from 3-point range.Washington's Davis Bertans opened the second and final round with a 22, before Booker eliminated him.Defending champion Joe Harris of the Brooklyn Nets and Chicago's Zach LaVine were eliminated after they failed to crack the top three in the first round.Five racks with five balls each were set up around the perimeter — two in the corner, two on the wings and one up top. Four of those racks had four balls worth one point each plus a multi-colored two-point ball. The other had nothing but moneyballs.There were also two green balls worth... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — The Latest on Saturday night at NBA All-Star weekend. (all times local):8:44 p.m.Sacramento Kings guard Buddy Hield made a late surge to win the NBA 3-Point Contest.Hield nailed a two-point money ball from the corner to finish with 27 points, edging Phoenix Suns All-Star Devin Booker by one in the final round.Hield is one of the few bright spots for struggling Sacramento, averaging 20.4 points while shooting about 39 percent from 3-point range.Washington's Davis Bertans opened the second and final round with a 22, before Booker eliminated him.Defending champion Joe Harris of the Brooklyn Nets and Chicago's Zach LaVine were eliminated after they failed to crack the top three in the first round.Five racks with five balls each were set up around the perimeter — two in the corner, two on the wings and one up top. Four of those racks had four balls worth one point each plus a multi-colored two-point ball. The other had nothing but moneyballs.There were also two green balls worth... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — The Latest on Saturday night at NBA All-Star weekend. (all times local):7:38 p.m.Miami's Bam Abedayo has won the All-Star skills challenge.Abedayo narrowly defeated Indiana's Domantas Sabonis in the final in a matchup of All-Star big men. He shared a hug with former Heat star Dwyane Wade after accepting the trophy.Abedayo eliminated 2018 champion Spencer Dinwiddie and Raptors star Pascal Siakam in the first two rounds on the obstacle course. Sabonis advanced with victories over defending champion Jayson Tatum and Milwaukee's Khris Middleton.The 22-year-old Abedayo is in the middle of a breakout season, averaging 15.8 points, 10.4 rebounds and 4.9 assists in 54 games for the Heat.___6:43 p.m.The NBA has renamed its All-Star Game MVP award in honor of Kobe Bryant.Commissioner Adam Silver announced the move on Saturday. Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna were among nine people killed when their helicopter crashed into the side of a mountain near Los Angeles on Jan. 26.Bryant... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — The Latest on Saturday night at NBA All-Star weekend. (all times local):6:43 p.m.The NBA has renamed its All-Star Game MVP award in honor of Kobe Bryant.Commissioner Adam Silver announced the move on Saturday. Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna were among nine people killed when their helicopter crashed into the side of a mountain near Los Angeles on Jan. 26.Bryant became the youngest player to ever play in an All-Star Game when he made his debut in 1998 at age 19. He made the All-Star team 18 times during his stellar career with the Los Angeles Lakers, winning the MVP award a record-tying four times.Silver says Bryant "is synonymous with NBA All-Star and embodies the spirit of this global celebration of our game.”___4:00 p.m.Toronto Raptors and All-Star coach Nick Nurse was in Las Vegas last summer when he got the news that Kawhi Leonard was leaving the defending champions after just one season to join the Los Angeles Clippers.Soon after, Nurse headed down to the... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — The Latest on Saturday night at NBA All-Star weekend. (all times local):4:00 p.m.Toronto Raptors and All-Star coach Nick Nurse was in Las Vegas last summer when he got the news that Kawhi Leonard was leaving the defending champions after just one season to join the Los Angeles Clippers.Soon after, Nurse headed down to the hotel lobby and ran into two of his players, Pascal Siakam and Fred Van Vleet.“I thought the guys might need some cheering up, so I said, ‘Hey, look at it this way: Kawhi leaving means we just freed up something like 20 shots per game,” Nurse said.It was 18.8 per game to be precise, but who’s counting? Well, plenty of Leonard’s former teammates, apparently.“Siakam immediately starts doing this,” Nurse laughed, swinging his right arm in widening circles, like a baseball pitcher loosening up before entering a game. “And Van Vleet just breaks into a crazy grin.”Small wonder. Those two became the biggest beneficiaries of Leonard's departure. Siakam is averaging... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — The NBA-backed Basketball Africa League on Saturday announced the 12 teams that will compete in the inaugural season.The clubs, from a dozen African nations, are: Groupement Sportif des Pétroliers (Algeria), Petro de Luanda (Angola), Forces Armées et Police (Cameroon), Zamalek (Egypt), Gendarmerie Nationale Basketball Club (Madagascar), AS Police (Mali), AS Salé (Morocco), Ferroviàrio de Maputo (Mozambique), Rivers Hoopers BC (Nigeria), Patriots BC (Rwanda), AS Douanes (Senegal) and Union Sportive Monastirienne (Tunisia).“It's amazing creating a league in Africa,” said reigning NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks, a Greek born to Nigerian parents. “Giving opportunities to African talent and African players to go out there and showcase their talent, I knew it was going to happen.”The teams from Algeria, Cameroon, Madagascar, Mali, Mozambique and Rwanda earned the right to be in the league through qualifying tournaments. The teams from Angola, Egypt, Morocco,... [More]

The moment was not lost on Giannis Antetokounmpo. The NBA's reigning MVP, a Greek of Nigerian descent who is now starring in Milwaukee, was about to make his first two selections of this year's All-Star Game draft and understood how significant his words would be when they resonated across the world's second-largest continent.His first pick: Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid."My African brother," Antetokounmpo said.His second pick: Toronto’s Pascal Siakam."My second African brother," Antetokounmpo said.Just like that, a son of Nigerian migrants and two kids who were playing soccer in Cameroon before turning their attention to basketball less than a decade ago became set to take the NBA All-Star stage together. And when they're all on the floor to start the game in Chicago on Sunday night, it'll be hard to envision a more significant basketball moment for Africa — a place that the NBA has long believed is a developing hotbed for the next wave of elite talent.But with Antetokounmpo, Embiid and Siakam... [More]

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Toronto coach Nick Nurse keeps imploring the defending NBA champions to fix their flaws.The bigger challenge, right now, might be identifying those errors.Two days after rallying from a 19-point deficit to extend their franchise-record winning streak, the short-handed Raptors used another late charge to pull away from Indiana 115-106 on Friday night for their 13th consecutive victory.“I thought we were into it the whole 48 minutes," Nurse said. "I thought we were playing well enough to maybe get away. You know how those games come down to somebody hits a couple at one end, somebody misses a couple at the other and all of a sudden the game's over."Lately, the Raptors seem to have had all the answers.They've won without Marc Gasol and Norman Powell, two key players who are injured. They won Wednesday when it looked as though they didn't have a chance. And this time, they delivered the decisive final flurry without six-time All-Star Kyle Lowry.Lowry missed the final 14... [More]

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Serge Ibaka had 22 points and 10 rebounds and Fred VanVleet added 20 points Friday night, leading the Toronto Raptors past the Indiana Pacers 115-106 for their franchise-record 13th consecutive win.The Raptors haven't lost since Jan. 15 and beat the Pacers for the second time in three days, winning their first game in Indianapolis in 13 months.Domantas Sabonis had 19 points and 16 rebounds to lead the Pacers. Victor Oladipo added 15 points and four assists in his first home start since returning from an injured right knee.Indiana has lost four straight and three in a row at home.Toronto took control with a 12-3 run late in the third quarter, using it to grab an 87-78 lead. But, after six-time All-Star Kyle Lowry left with what appeared to be an injured right shoulder or arm, the Pacers closed out the quarter by scoring five straight.Lowry did not return.Indiana got as close as 101-99 with 6:47 left, but Toronto pulled away with a 12-4 spurt spurt that made it 113-103... [More]

Anthony Davis is LeBron James’ teammate in Los Angeles, and they’ll be teammates at the All-Star Game in Chicago as well.James took his fellow Lakers All-Star with the No. 1 overall pick of the Feb. 16 game’s draft on Thursday, as he matched wits with fellow captain Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks for the second consecutive year.James is looking to go 3-0 as an All-Star captain, after his team beat the one picked by Golden State’s Stephen Curry in 2018 and topped the one Antetokounmpo selected last year as well. James had the No. 1 overall pick for this year’s first round, the starters’ round — since he received the most overall votes from fans.And Davis, predictably, was the pick.“I know you’re all surprised,” James said.Antetokounmpo made Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid, “my African brother,” he said, his first pick. James stayed with the LA theme by taking the Clippers’ Kawhi Leonard with the third overall pick, and Antetokounmpo stayed with African-born players by selecting... [More]