OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Nick Collison's No. 4 jersey was retired by the Oklahoma City Thunder during a ceremony before their game against the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday night.It's the first number the Thunder have retired since the franchise moved to Oklahoma City in 2008. The Seattle SuperSonics drafted Collison out of Kansas in 2003 and he spent his entire 15-year career with the club.Collison averaged only 5.9 points and 5.2 rebounds per game for Seattle/Oklahoma City, but played a key role in developing the team's Oklahoma City culture and became known as "Mr. Thunder."Mayor David Holt declared Wednesday to be "Nick Collison Day" in Oklahoma City."I could never have expected something like this," Collison said. "But it's really a special night for me and my family. It's been a long run. To be able to have the career I had here and then have a celebration like that, I feel very fortunate. That kind of goes without saying, but it's amazing for me. It's a good feeling coming back. I don't... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — The Bucks are staggering to the finish line of a special regular season.Milwaukee superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo will miss his second straight game with a sprained right ankle on Wednesday night, one of several key injuries to hit the Eastern Conference-leading Bucks in recent days.A leading MVP contender, Antetokounmpo will rest against the Cavaliers as the Bucks, who enter with the NBA's best record, try to clinch their first Central Division title since 2001.Antetokounmpo also sat Tuesday night when the Bucks beat the Los Angeles Lakers, who played without LeBron James and deprived fans of a matchup of two of the game's biggest names."He's making progress," coach Mike Budenholzer said of Antetokounmpo. "He just can't go tonight. It's us hopefully being smart and being somewhat cautious, but it's more than that. He can't play. We'll see how the next 24 to 48 hours go, and I'm hopeful he'll be in a good place as we move forward."The Bucks host Miami on Friday.Antetokounmpo... [More]

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Milwaukee superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo will miss his second straight game with a sprained right ankle, one of several injuries to hit the Bucks in recent days.A leading MVP contender, Antetokounmpo will sit out Wednesday night's game against the Cavaliers as the Eastern Conference-leading Bucks try to clinch their first Central Division title since 2001. He also rested Tuesday night when the Bucks beat the Los Angeles Lakers, who were without LeBron James.Coach Mike Budenholzer said Antetokounmpo is still slowed by soreness and the team is being "smart" and "cautious" with its best player. Antetokounmpo is averaging 27.5 points, 12.7 rebounds and 6.0 assists.In the past few days, the Bucks have been rocked by injuries to starting guard Malcolm Brogdon (plantar fascia tear) and forward Nikola Mirotic (sprained thumb).The Bucks did not provide a timetable for Mirotic's return, but Budenholzer hopes he'll be back in time for the start of the playoffs.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Milwaukee Bucks forward Nikola Mirotic is out indefinitely an examination of his left thumb revealed a sprain and a fracture.Since being acquired by the Bucks on Feb. 7, Mirotic has played in 14 games with three starts. He is averaging 11.6 points, 5.4 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 22.9 minutes per game for the NBA-leading Bucks.Milwaukee announced the injury a few hours before Wednesday night's game at Cleveland.Earlier this week, the Bucks signed guard Tim Frazier to shore up their backcourt with Malcolm Brogdon out indefinitely with a plantar fascia tear in his right foot. Brogdon started 64 games this season for Milwaukee.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Memphis Grizzlies guard Avery Bradley will miss at least a week because of a bruised shin.The Grizzlies announced Wednesday that the condition of Bradley's shin was revealed after their 135-128 loss to the Washington Wizards on Saturday. Bradley had collected 21 points and five assists in that game.The Grizzlies said Bradley will be evaluated again in a week.Bradley came to the Grizzlies at the trade deadline last month in a deal that sent guard Garrett Temple and forward JaMychal Green to the Los Angeles Clippers.The 28-year-old has averaged 16.1 points and 4 assists in 14 games with the Grizzlies.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

DETROIT (AP) — The Detroit Pistons have assigned Khyri Thomas and Svi Mykhailiuk to Grand Rapids, the team's G League affiliate.Mykhailiuk was acquired from the Lakers on Feb. 6 in the deal that sent Reggie Bullock to Los Angeles. He has played in three games with the Pistons and appeared in 39 for the Lakers before that.Thomas has appeared in 23 games with the Pistons, averaging 2.7 points.The Pistons began a five-game road trip with a loss to Cleveland on Monday. They face Phoenix on Thursday night.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Doc Rivers denied rumors on Tuesday night that he's interested in leaving the Los Angeles Clippers to coach the Lakers.The LeBron James-led Lakers are 31-39 under coach Luke Walton, whose job status is widely believed to be in jeopardy. Fueling the speculation involving Rivers is that he is close friends with Magic Johnson, Lakers president of basketball operations.Rivers and Clippers owner Steve Ballmer agreed to a shorter contract extension last year that included an opt-out after this season. Rivers said the opt-out existed to "make sure it was the right fit for everyone."However, Rivers said that's being replaced with a long-term deal."I have a job and the Lakers have a coach," Rivers said. "Straight and upfront, I'm going to be here until Steve says 'Get out.'"The coach said earlier this year he and Ballmer mutually agreed to remove the opt-out and make it an extension."This is a great place to work," Rivers said.Rivers has coached the Clippers since 2013, compiling an 887-654 record. He also served as president of basketball operations for three seasons before ceding those duties to Lawrence Frank in 2017.The Clippers were 41-30 going into Tuesday night's game against Indiana at Staples Center. They currently own the eighth and final Western Conference playoff berth.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Darren Collision will miss his first game of the season for the Indiana Pacers because of a right quad contusion.The guard had started all 71 games until sitting out Tuesday night against the Clippers in Los Angeles.Cory Joseph was to start in his place.Pacers coach Nate McMillan says Collison got hurt Monday night in a 106-98 loss at Portland. He thinks the injury occurred on a drive to the basket, when he got kneed.Collison complained of soreness and didn't feel that he could play in the second game of the back-to-back.The 10-year veteran out of UCLA is averaging 11.3 points and 6.0 assists.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Doc Rivers is denying rumors that he's interested in leaving the Los Angeles Clippers to coach the Lakers.The LeBron James-led Lakers are 31-39 under coach Luke Walton, whose job status is widely believed to be in jeopardy.Rivers is so eager to tamp down the speculation that he says paperwork on a new contract extension is already being worked on.He says he had an option to opt out of his contract this summer. However, Rivers says that earlier this year he and Clippers owner Steve Ballmer mutually agreed to remove the clause, which existed to "make sure it was the right fit for everyone."The Clippers are 41-30 going into Tuesday night's game against Indiana at Staples Center. They own the eighth and final Western Conference playoff berth.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Giannis Antetokoumpo and LeBron James, who served as competing All-Star captains, both will miss Tuesday night's game between the Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers.Antetokounmpo, an MVP front-runner, turned his right ankle during the Bucks' loss to the Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday. He crumpled to the ground after colliding with Joel Embiid while driving to the basket late in the third quarter."Yesterday was an off day but a lot of guys still come in on off days to get treatment," Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said. "He got some treatment. Coming in today, he's in a place where he's not good to play. He can't play."James is sitting out with a sore left groin, the same injury that caused him to miss a career-high 17 consecutive games earlier this season.The NBA-leading Bucks have been beset by injuries and took the court against the Lakers without guard Sterling Brown (right wrist soreness), guard Donte DiVincenzo (bilateral heel bursitis) and center Pau Gasol (left ankle... [More]

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Warriors forward Kevin Durant will sit out Saturday night against his former team, the Oklahoma City Thunder, with a right ankle sprain. Durant, the league's No. 4 scorer, also missed Golden State's game against Houston on Wednesday. Warriors coach Steve Kerr said Durant will most likely play Monday against San Antonio, but he felt more comfortable giving him a few more days of rest. Durant also sat out at against Oklahoma City in March 2017 with a left knee injury. ___ Follow Cliff Brunt on Twitter: www.twitter.com/CliffBruntAP

CLEVELAND (AP) — The Detroit Pistons will rest star forward Blake Griffin for at least one game this week to keep him as fresh as possible for their final postseason push. Griffin will sit out Monday's game against the Cavaliers after scoring 25 points in 33 minutes in Sunday's win over Toronto. Coach Dwane Casey doesn't want to overload Griffin as the Pistons (36-33) fight to hang on to a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. While the Pistons sit Griffin, the Cavs will be without forward Kevin Love, who is sidelined with a sore back. He took a hard fall in Saturday's loss at Dallas. Casey wants to avoid having Griffin play in back-to-back games. After facing the Cavs, the Pistons will play four more games on this trip. Detroit is at Phoenix on Thursday, followed by games at Portland on Saturday and at Golden State on Sunday. "It's prudent to do," Casey said. "We'll give him a couple days to get his juices back going for the final stretch. We feel like this will be good for him." The... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Lakers forward Brandon Ingram is expected to be ready for next season after undergoing surgery on his right arm. Ingram had thoracic outlet decompression surgery Saturday, the Lakers say. Ingram was declared out for the season earlier this month after he was diagnosed with deep venous thrombosis. A blood clot caused shoulder pain for Ingram, who averaged a career-best 18.3 points and 5.1 rebounds this season. Ingram's surgery was performed at the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center. The Lakers say he is expected to make a full recovery before the start of his fourth NBA season in the fall. Ingram was the No. 2 pick in the 2016 draft out of Duke. He turns 22 in September. ___ More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Damian Lillard is just going to assume that Portland won't have backcourt teammate CJ McCollum through the rest of the regular season so that the Trail Blazers can respond to his absence effectively.McCollum, who is averaging more than 21 points a game for Portland, has a strained left knee. He'll be re-evaluated next week, but at this point there's no timetable for his return.The injury comes at an inopportune time for the Blazers, who sit in fourth in the tight Western Conference standings with 12 games left to secure home-court advantage."Mentally, I don't want him to have to rush it," Lillard said about McCollum's return. "When he does come back I want him to be himself and be healthy, so in my mind, we're going to finish the regular season without him, maybe the last couple of games of the regular season. I think that's how I should think of it, knowing that we have to have a great effort for these last 12 games, planning on not having him out there."While the... [More]

MILWAUKEE (AP) — The Milwaukee Bucks signed guard Tim Frazier on Tuesday as they try to shore up their backcourt with Malcolm Brogdon out indefinitely with a plantar fascia tear in his right foot.The 28-year-old Frazier played 47 games this season for the New Orleans Pelicans and averaged 5.0 points, 4.4 assists and 2.9 rebounds in 19.3 minutes per game. He was waived Feb. 28.The 6-foot guard from Penn State has played with Philadelphia, Portland, New Orleans and Washington over his five seasons in the NBA and holds career averages of 5.1 points, 4.1 assists and 2.4 rebounds in 233 games. Frazier appeared in four preseason games for Milwaukee this season but was waived Oct. 15. Terms of his latest deal were not released.Brogdon started 64 games for the NBA-leading Bucks, averaging a career-high 15.6 points. The 2017 NBA Rookie of the Year is shooting 50.5 percent from the field, 42.6 percent from 3-point range and an NBA-leading 92.8 percent from the free throw line.___More AP NBA: www.apnews.com/NBA and www.twitter.com/AP_Sports

PHOENIX (AP) — Robin Lopez scored 24 points to help the Chicago Bulls beat the Phoenix Suns 116-101 on Monday night, snapping a five-game losing streak.Zach LaVine had 17 points, eight rebounds and seven assists, and Lauri Markkanen added 17 points and nine boards for Chicago. Lopez shot 11 for 14 from the field as the Bulls were 52 percent (46 for 89).Deandre Ayton had 25 points and 12 rebounds, and Devin Booker also scored 25 for Phoenix, which has lost three of four after a 5-2 stretch.The Suns played without one of their top scorers and main contributors to their recent run of improved basketball, as Kelly Oubre Jr. missed the game with a left thumb sprain. Guard Tyler Johnson did not play due to a sore knee, missing his third straight game, and forward T.J. Warren hasn't played since Jan. 22 due to an ankle injury. Backup center Richaun Holmes also sat out with a quadriceps strain, his second straight game missed.Lopez hit four different types of hook shots in the first quarter, helping... [More]

PHOENIX (AP) — Robin Lopez scored 24 points to help the Chicago Bulls beat the Phoenix Suns 116-101 on Monday night, snapping a five-game losing streak.Zach LaVine had 17 points, eight rebounds and seven assists, and Lauri Markkanen added 17 points and nine boards for Chicago. Lopez shot 11 for 14 from the field as the Bulls were 52 percent (46 for 89).Deandre Ayton had 25 points and 12 rebounds, and Devin Booker also scored 25 for Phoenix, which has lost three of four after a 5-2 stretch.The Suns played without one of their top scorers and main contributors to their recent run of improved basketball, as Kelly Oubre Jr. Oubre missed the game with a left thumb sprain. Guard Tyler Johnson did not play due to a sore knee, missing his third straight game, and forward T.J. Warren hasn't played since Jan. 22 due to an ankle injury. Backup center Richaun Holmes also sat out with a quadriceps strain, his second straight game missed.Lopez hit four different types of hook shots in the first quarter,... [More]

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Portland Trail Blazers guard CJ McCollum says he was relieved that his left knee injury was not serious, especially this close to the playoffs.The Blazers said McCollum had a popliteus strain in his left knee and he would be re-examined in a week."I wasn't sure exactly what it was. I knew where it was hurting, I knew that could mean a few different things based on the MRI. But it was positive, as good as it could be given the circumstances," McCollum said on Monday.McCollum was injured in the third quarter of Portland's 108-103 loss at San Antonio on Saturday night. The results of the MRI were revealed the following day.He has started in all but one of the Blazers' games this season, averaging 21.3 points, four rebounds and 2.9 assists per game.Jake Layman was listed as the starter for the Blazers on Monday night against the Indiana Pacers. Portland (42-27) went into the game sitting in fourth in the Western Conference standings with 12 games to go.McCollum was asked... [More]

DALLAS (AP) — Dirk Nowitzki of the Dallas Mavericks became the NBA's sixth-leading scorer Monday night with another of his signature long-range jumpers.Nowitzki took Luka Doncic's handoff and backed down New Orleans' Kenrich Williams before hitting a turnaround from the top of the free-throw circle with 8:35 left in the first quarter.The basket brought Nowitzki to 31,420 points in his career, one more than Wilt Chamberlain. The 40-year-old German trails only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Karl Malone, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and Michael Jordan. James passed Jordan for fourth place on March 6.Coming into the game, Nowitzki needed just four points to pass Chamberlain, and he started for just the ninth time this season. His first basket was a 20-footer off an assist from rookie Jalen Brunson.While Nowitzki stands only an inch shorter than Chamberlain's listed height of 7-foot-1, the two reached their point totals with contrasting styles of play.Chamberlain once averaged more than 50 points in a season,... [More]

DALLAS (AP) — Dirk Nowitzki of the Dallas Mavericks became the NBA's sixth-leading scorer Monday night with another of his signature long-range jumpers.Nowitzki took Luka Doncic's handoff and backed down New Orleans' Kenrich Williams before hitting a turnaround from the top of the free-throw circle with 8:33 left in the first quarter.The basket brought Nowitzki to 31,420 points in his career, one more than Wilt Chamberlain. The 40-year-old German trails only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Karl Malone, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and Michael Jordan. James passed Jordan for fourth place on March 6.Coming into the game, Nowitzki needed just four points to pass Chamberlain, and he started for just the ninth time this season. His first basket was a 20-footer off an assist from rookie Jalen Brunson.While Nowitzki stands only an inch shorter than Chamberlain's listed height of 7-foot-1, the two reached their point totals with contrasting styles of play.Chamberlain once averaged more than 50 points in a season,... [More]