OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — A poised and productive Ricky Rubio has been smiling and laughing, masterfully running Utah's offense in his matchup with Oklahoma City's Russell Westbrook.Meanwhile, the reigning league MVP has been scowling, shoving, fouling, complaining and most of all — losing.It's fair to say Rubio has been more effective for the Jazz.The Rubio-Westbrook matchup mirrors what is happening throughout the NBA playoffs: The team that gets the best point guard play usually wins.Rubio's all-around success has the Jazz on the brink of advancing. Utah has a 3-1 lead on the Thunder and can finish the series Wednesday night in Oklahoma City.He summed up his play after Game 2, saying "I did my job, looking for my teammates, and looking for my shot too when it was open. I just took what the game gave me and watched film and got better and we played as a team."Maybe it is just that simple.Rubio is averaging 18.5 points, 7.8 rebounds and 8 assists per game against Oklahoma City, all well above... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Russell Westbrook has been fined $10,000 and assessed a postgame technical foul for initiating a confrontation with Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert on Monday.The league made the announcement Tuesday.The Oklahoma City Thunder guard came onto the court as a substitution following a stoppage with 7:55 remaining in the fourth quarter of a 113-96 Game 4 loss to the Jazz. He intervened in an incident between Gobert and Oklahoma City backup point guard Raymond Felton.Westbrook committed four fouls in the first half and finished with five. He had 23 points and 14 rebounds, but had just three assists and made 7 of 18 shots.The Thunder trail the Jazz 3-1 and host Utah on Wednesday in an elimination game.___For more AP NBA coverage: https://apnews.com/tag/NBAbasketball

BOSTON (AP) — Celtics guard Marcus Smart is active for Game 5 of their first-round playoff series against Milwaukee.Smart was medically cleared by doctors and participated in the Celtics' Tuesday morning shootaround. Coach Brad Stevens says he'll come off the bench and wear a protective splint.Smart had surgery on March 16 to repair a torn ligament in his right thumb. He hasn't played in a game since March 11.Smart's return should provide a lift to a short-handed Boston backcourt. With Smart out, Terry Rozier has been starting with Kyrie Irving ruled out for the playoffs following his second knee surgery. Reserve Shane Larkin has been playing extra minutes to support Rozier.Prior to his injury, Smart was averaging 10.2 points, 4.8 assists and 3.5 rebounds per game.___More NBA basketball: https://apnews.com/tag/NBAbasketball

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — A poised and productive Ricky Rubio has been smiling and laughing, masterfully running Utah's offense in his matchup with Oklahoma City's Russell Westbrook.Meanwhile, the reigning league MVP has been scowling, shoving, fouling, complaining and most of all — losing.It's fair to say Rubio has been more effective for the Jazz.The Rubio-Westbrook matchup mirrors what is happening throughout the NBA playoffs: The team that gets the best point guard play usually wins.Rubio's all-around success has the Jazz on the brink of advancing. Utah has a 3-1 lead on the Thunder and can finish the series Wednesday night in Oklahoma City.He summed up his play after Game 2, saying "I did my job, looking for my teammates, and looking for my shot too when it was open. I just took what the game gave me and watched film and got better and we played as a team."Maybe it is just that simple.Rubio is averaging 18.5 points, 7.8 rebounds and 8 assists per game against Oklahoma City, all well above... [More]

INDEPENDENCE, Ohio (AP) — By now, LeBron James is usually getting some rest in the NBA playoffs.The Pacers are making him work much harder than he has in years.After splitting the first four games, Indiana and Cleveland will meet on Wednesday night in the critical Game 5 of a first-round series that has been unpredictable, uneven and for James, unusual.This first round hasn't been the norm for the three-time champion.While he's 12-0 in the opening round, before the Cavs dropped Game 1 to the Pacers at home, James had never lost a playoff opener. In fact, James came in with a 21-game winning streak in first-round games and this will be his first Game 5 in Round 1 since 2012 when he was with Miami.The Cavs and Pacers aren't the only ones in a tussle in the Eastern Conference as Washington and Toronto resume their series in Canada tied 2-2. Things aren't quite as tight In the West as Utah holds a 3-1 lead over a fraying Oklahoma City team, and Houston, which dropped 50 points in one quarter... [More]

INDEPENDENCE, Ohio (AP) — Cavaliers point guard George Hill is questionable for Wednesday's crucial Game 5 against Indiana because of back spasms.Hill has been dealing with back problems since the series opener, when he was flattened by an illegal screen by Pacers forward Trevor Booker.Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue says Hill was limited to shooting drills during Tuesday's practice and will start if he can play.Jose Calderon started Game 4 at Indianapolis and scored five points in 19 minutes as the Cavaliers evened the series at 2-2. Cleveland is 24-9 when Calderon starts.Hill is averaging 8.7 points and 1.7 assists in his first postseason with Cleveland, which acquired him at the trade deadline in February. He started 24 games during the season.___For more AP NBA coverage: https://apnews.com/tag/NBAbasketball

INDEPENDENCE, Ohio (AP) — Cavaliers point guard George Hill is questionable for Wednesday's crucial Game 5 against Indiana because of back spasms.Hill has been dealing with back problems since the series opener when he was flattened by an illegal screen by Pacers forward Trevor Booker.Cavs coach Tryonn Lue says Hill was limited to some shooting drills during Tuesday's practice and will start if he can play.Jose Calderon started Game 4 at Indianapolis and scored five points in 19 minutes as the Cavs evened the series at 2-2. Cleveland is 24-9 when Calderon starts.Hill is averaging 8.7 points and 1.7 assists in his first postseason with Cleveland, which acquired him at the trade deadline in February. He started 24 games during the season.___For more AP NBA coverage: https://apnews.com/tag/NBAbasketball

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Thon Maker is having his biggest games at the biggest time of the year.Not bad for a bench guy and someone who, as recently as last week, was a roster afterthought.Maker had never blocked five shots in any NBA game before this postseason began — and now he's blocked that many in each of the last two playoff contests for the Milwaukee Bucks. There's an old coaching adage that tells players to stay ready, because they never know when their chance to make an impact has arrived.Maker is proving that axiom to be correct."Just trying to be there for my teammates, playing aggressive," said Maker, the Bucks' backup center. "It's the playoffs. These are the moments everybody plays for. You've got to find a way to win, you've got to find a way to impact the game. I try to do that every single time."Maker is almost an out-of-nowhere story for the Bucks, who've pulled even with the Boston Celtics four games into their Eastern Conference first-round series in large part because of a... [More]

Joel Embiid expects his first playoff game in Philadelphia to be quite a scene."It's going to be lit," Embiid said.And if the 76ers win, there will be more games like it next week.The 76ers can become the first team into the Eastern Conference semifinals when they host the Miami Heat on Tuesday in Game 5 of the only East series that isn't tied.Also Tuesday, the Golden State Warriors get their second chance to eliminate San Antonio, and the Celtics and Bucks return to Boston for Game 5 of a series in which the home team has won every game.Embiid was still sidelined while recovering from a broken orbital bone around his left eye for the first two games in Philadelphia, then returned to help the 76ers win Games 3 and 4 in Miami.Now the 76ers, who just two years ago lost 72 games in one of the worst seasons ever while the Warriors were winning an NBA-record 73, can join the defending champions in the second round on the same night. The 76ers have advanced to the East semis just twice since... [More]

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Giannis Antetokounmpo helped the Milwaukee Bucks win a playoff game but couldn't score a table at a Mexican restaurant.Antetokounmpo says the social media-fueled mess over the missed meal isn't a big deal.The food flare-up started after a Bucks fan posted a picture on Twitter of the All-Star forward waiting at BelAir Cantina on Sunday.Earlier that afternoon, Antetokounmpo's putback with 5 seconds left helped the Bucks beat the Boston Celtics in Game 4 to tie their first-round playoff series. Game 5 is Tuesday night in Boston.The fan's post went viral. He says Antetokounmpo stayed 10 minutes before leaving. The restaurant later posted a message on social media apologizing for not seating Antetokounmpo in "as timely a manner as we would have hoped."The forward told reporters in Boston on Monday that he left only because his ankle was bothering him. Antetokounmpo missed a couple of games late in the regular season with a sore right ankle.Antetokounmpo says he knows the restaurant's owners and calls them "really good people." He added that he plans to take up the owners' offer to pay for his next meal.___More AP NFL: https://pro32.ap.org and https://twitter.com/AP_NFL

SPRINGFIELD, Pa. (AP) — Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid is shaping up to be the answer to Philly fans' prayers, and he shocked parishioners by showing up during the middle of some at a small Roman Catholic church this weekend.St. Kevin Parish in Springfield, about 10 miles (16 kilometers) outside Philadelphia, posted photos on Facebook of the player posing with thrilled churchgoers as he attended their 5:30 p.m. Mass Sunday.The posting says, "God bless, Joel Embiid and his beautiful spirituality."Assistant Coach Billy Lange was also in attendance.Embiid scored 14 points and grabbed 12 rebounds in the Sixers' 106-102 victory against the Heat Saturday.His team leads the Eastern Conference series, 3-1, and they could close out the series with a win at home Tuesday night.

Joel Embiid expects his first playoff game in Philadelphia to be quite a scene."It's going to be lit," Embiid said.And if the 76ers win, there will be more games like it next week.The 76ers can become the first team into the Eastern Conference semifinals when they host the Miami Heat on Tuesday in Game 5 of the only East series that isn't tied.Also Tuesday, the Golden State Warriors get their second chance to eliminate San Antonio, and the Celtics and Bucks return to Boston for Game 5 of a series in which the home team has won every game.Embiid was still sidelined while recovering from a broken orbital bone around his left eye for the first two games in Philadelphia, then returned to help the 76ers win Games 3 and 4 in Miami.Now the 76ers, who just two years ago lost 72 games in one of the worst seasons ever while the Warriors were winning an NBA-record 73, can join the defending champions in the second round on the same night. The 76ers have advanced to the East semis just twice since... [More]

WASHINGTON (AP) — Washington Wizards coach Scott Brooks knew John Wall would be back to his explosive, elite self for the playoffs when the All-Star point guard was able to play 38 minutes in a regular-season loss at Cleveland.It took Wall one additional outing to be absolutely certain he' d be OK after coming back from surgery on his left knee, pointing to his 29-point, 12-assist effort against Boston five days later."I had a big game," he said Monday, looking back at that victory from a couple of weeks ago. "Kind of just started to see shots fall that I was falling short on the couple of games I had before that."As Wall prepares to lead the No. 8 seed Wizards into Game 5 against the No. 1 seed Raptors on Wednesday night in Toronto, it is as if he never was away for more than two months. As if he never needed that operation in the first place. As if he got a chance to ramp up for the postseason for more than merely four games.And all of that outside chatter about whether Washington might... [More]

WASHINGTON (AP) — Washington Wizards point guard John Wall says he's fine after tweaking his right ankle late in a Game 4 victory over the No. 1 seed Raptors and is looking forward to seeing rapper Drake at Game 5 in Toronto.The teams are tied 2-2 heading into Wednesday night's matchup.The home team has won every game in the first-round Eastern Conference series.Wall is a big reason the No. 8 seed Wizards pulled even after falling behind 2-0.He says that during the games in Toronto, Drake told him the Raptors were going to sweep the series.Wall is averaging 26.8 points, 13 assists and 4.8 rebounds. Not bad for a guy who had surgery on his left knee during the regular season and appeared in only 41 games. He says Monday he never had any doubt he'd be able to excel in the playoffs.___More AP NBA coverage: https://apnews.com/tag/NBAbasketball

MIAMI (AP) — Philadelphia's six leading average scorers so far in the playoffs, in order are: Ben Simmons, Dario Saric, Joel Embiid, JJ Redick, Marco Belinelli and Ersan Ilyasova.Their homelands: Australia, Croatia, Cameroon, the United States, Italy and Turkey.Philadelphia — a melting pot of humanity for more than 300 years — has a basketball team probably as diverse as the city itself. The 76ers, 19-1 in their last 20 games and suddenly looking very much like an NBA Finals contender, will try to close out the Miami Heat and clinch their Eastern Conference opening series when they play host to Game 5 on Tuesday night.About a dozen languages and dialects can be spoken in the 76ers locker room at any time, but clearly, winning is a universal language."It's all basketball, but the true side of how people coach, speak, say, play the game is different," 76ers coach Brett Brown said. "And that collection now that I have with everybody is like is a melting pot of all peoples experiences. That... [More]

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — With every Anthony Davis put-back dunk, reverse alley-oop jam, step-back 3-pointer or game-sealing block in the playoffs, the New Orleans Pelicans take a step closer to becoming the NBA's next small-market success story.That didn't quite happen with Chris Paul, who essentially forced a trade after his sixth season in the Big Easy amid concerns about uncertain ownership.The 25-year-old Davis is now in his sixth season in New Orleans. And the five-time All-Star is not only playing historically good basketball, but seems to see no need for moving vans in order to go ring hunting.Davis, after all, was a young fan when Reggie Miller was in the twilight of an 18-year career with Indiana that transformed the Pacers into playoff regulars — and while Tim Duncan was embarking on a long career in San Antonio highlighted by five NBA titles."There's always, you know, 'You can't win in a small market or you can't get noticed in a small market,' but then you look at those guys and they've... [More]

MIAMI (AP) — Philadelphia's six leading average scorers so far in the playoffs, in order are: Ben Simmons, Dario Saric, Joel Embiid, JJ Redick, Marco Belinelli and Ersan Ilyasova.Their homelands: Australia, Croatia, Cameroon, the United States, Italy and Turkey.Philadelphia — a melting pot of humanity for more than 300 years — has a basketball team probably as diverse as the city itself. The 76ers, 19-1 in their last 20 games and suddenly looking very much like an NBA Finals contender, will try to close out the Miami Heat and clinch their Eastern Conference opening series when they play host to Game 5 on Tuesday night.About a dozen languages and dialects can be spoken in the 76ers locker room at any time, but clearly, winning is a universal language."It's all basketball, but the true side of how people coach, speak, say, play the game is different," 76ers coach Brett Brown said. "And that collection now that I have with everybody is like is a melting pot of all peoples experiences. That... [More]

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Giannis Antetokounmpo helped the Milwaukee Bucks win a playoff game but couldn't score a table at a Mexican restaurant.A Bucks fan posted a picture on social media of the All-Star forward waiting at BelAir Cantina on Sunday.Earlier that afternoon, Antetokounmpo's putback with 5 seconds left helped the Bucks beat the Boston Celtics in Game 4 to tie their first-round playoff series. Game 5 is Tuesday night in Boston.At 6-foot-11, Antetokounmpo is pretty hard to miss in Milwaukee. But he was apparently shut out for lunch.The fan's post went viral. He says Antetokounmpo stayed 10 minutes before leaving. The restaurant later posted a message on social media apologizing for not seating Antetokounmpo in "as timely a manner as we would have hoped."They say they'll hold a table open for him after Game 6 on Thursday in Milwaukee. They're also offering a free taco promotion for fans.

SYDNEY (AP) — NBA veteran Andrew Bogut is set to join the Sydney Kings in Australia's National Basketball League.The Sydney club issued a brief statement Monday saying it had submitted paperwork to the NBL for Bogut's recruitment. The Kings said they'd make no further comment "but will provide an update in due course."Speculation about the big Australian center's pending move to Sydney intensified late Sunday after tweets from the club and from Bogut, who kicked things off with a post that read: "Are there any roster spots left for the upcoming @NBL season? Asking for a friend......?"No details of the deal have been confirmed. The NBL, which runs the eight-team league, said it had received paperwork from the Kings regarding Bogut and "we are following the standard player contract process as we do for all players."Bogut revealed in March that he wouldn't be returning to the NBA this season in order to remain in Australia with his pregnant wife.After being waived by the Los Angeles Lakers... [More]

SYDNEY (AP) — NBA veteran Andrew Bogut is set to join the Sydney Kings in Australia's National Basketball League.The Sydney club issued a brief statement Monday saying it had submitted paperwork to the NBL for Bogut's recruitment. The Kings said they'd make no further comment "but will provide an update in due course."Speculation about the big Australian center's pending move to Sydney intensified late Sunday after tweets from the club and from Bogut, who kicked things off with a post that read: "Are there any roster spots left for the upcoming @NBL season? Asking for a friend......?"No details of the deal have been confirmed.Bogut revealed in March that he wouldn't be returning to the NBA this season in order to remain in Australia with his pregnant wife.After being waived by the Los Angeles Lakers in January, it was expected the 33-year-old free agent would join a contending team for a playoff push.But Bogut said he'd stay in Australia and focus on returning in the 2018-19 season. He... [More]