NEW YORK (AP) — Gregg Popovich had watched his players struggle to guard their men, and finally decided he wouldn't even let them try.So a night after they surrendered 130 points in a loss at New York, his San Antonio Spurs were in a zone defense in the first quarter of their game against the Brooklyn Nets.It wasn't something the Spurs had practiced all that much and something they rarely needed to consider most years. But even if it's not played perfectly, he knew just the sight of a zone is sometimes enough to throw off an opponent."In general, NBA teams have no clue what to do when somebody plays a zone," Popovich said. "They mostly automatically stand there and the ball moves around the horn and after a while somebody might attack a seam or do a little high-low or overload or something like that, but basically players get in mud. It doesn't matter what team it is, they just get in mud."It's hard to understand exactly why.Zone has been allowed in the NBA since 2001, and even before that,... [More]

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Pau Gasol signed with the NBA-leading Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday, two days after the 38-year-old Spanish center reached a buyout agreement with the San Antonio Spurs.The two-time NBA champion and six-time All-Star averaged 4.2 points, 4.7 rebounds and 12.2 minutes in 27 games for the Spurs this season, his 18th in the NBA.In 1,223 career games with Memphis, the Los Angeles Lakers, Chicago and San Antonio, he has averaged 17.1 points, 9.2 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.59 blocks and 33.5 minutes. He is one of four players with over 20,000 points, 11,000 rebounds, 3,500 assists and 1,500 blocks in his career, along with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett. The 7-footer helped the Lakers win titles in 2009 and 2010.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/tag/NBAbasketball and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Paul George will miss the Thunder's game against Memphis on Sunday night with a sore right shoulder, and Grizzlies guard Mike Conley will sit out with general soreness.George was injured during a loss to the Denver Nuggets on Feb. 26, and Oklahoma City has lost both games since without him. He is the league's No. 2 scorer with 28.6 points per game and leads the league with 2.29 steals per contest.Thunder coach Billy Donovan said George has been able to do more each day, but a return date is unclear.Oklahoma City has lost four straight overall.Conley leads Memphis with 20.0 points and 6.3 assists per game. He scored 12 points in Saturday night's win over the Dallas Mavericks.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Paul George will miss the Thunder's game against the Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday night with a sore right shoulder.George was injured during a loss to the Denver Nuggets on Feb. 26, and Oklahoma City has lost both games since without him. He is the league's No. 2 scorer with 28.6 points per game and leads the league with 2.29 steals per contest.Thunder coach Billy Donovan said George has been able to do more each day, but a return date is unclear.Oklahoma City has lost four straight overall.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

CHICAGO (AP) — Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young has been ejected against the Chicago Bulls.Young pulled up for a 3 early in the third quarter to make it 78-62, then stared at Kris Dunn with his hands on his hips. That resulted in his second technical of the game and an ejection.The two also had an exchange in the first quarter that resulted in technicals for both players. Young exited with 18 points after scoring a career-high 49 in Atlanta's 168-161 quadruple-overtime loss to Chicago at home on Friday night.___More AP NBA: www.apnews.com/NBA and www.twitter.com/AP_Sports

LOS ANGELES (AP) — New York Knicks center DeAndre Jordan is out of the lineup for their game against the Los Angeles Clippers.Jordan will miss his fourth straight game Sunday after he sprained his left ankle in practice.Although he practiced Saturday, coach David Fizdale says he's not sure whether Jordan will play when the Knicks visit Sacramento on Monday in the second game of a back-to-back.Jordan is averaging 11.8 points and 12.0 rebounds in eight games with New York since being traded by Dallas on Jan. 31. He previously played 10 years with the Clippers.The Knicks are 2-1 since Jordan has been out.___More AP NBA: www.apnews.com/NBA and www.twitter.com/AP_Sports

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Philadelphia 76ers All-Star center Joel Embiid expects to return to the lineup next week from a sore left knee that has cost him the last five games.Embiid sat out again Saturday night against the Golden State Warriors and has not played since the All-Star game. The 24-year-old Embiid is averaging 27.3 points and 13.5 rebounds in 54 games for the Sixers. Embiid underwent an MRI last week, which revealed no structural damage, and he will undergo physical therapy"It's all about long term preservation and making sure I'm ready not just for the playoffs, but also for the next 15 years," Embiid said.Embiid said he could "for sure" play through the mild tendinitis but wanted to rest up for the stretch run and the playoffs. Embiid also dismissed any connection between his soreness and playing 23 minutes in the All-Star game.He did not give a specific game for his return, but the Sixers play again Tuesday against Orlando, and three more times through March 10.The Sixers played... [More]

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Klay Thompson will miss Golden State's game against the 76ers with a sore right knee.Thompson has missed only two games this season, both against the Sixers. Alfonzo McKinnie started in Thompson's place on Saturday night.Thompson was hurt in Thursday's loss at Orlando."He hurt it during the game. He banged his knee on the floor," Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. "It didn't really hurt him until (Friday) morning. It's inflamed enough where it didn't make sense to play him tonight."Thompson will likely need an MRI on the knee.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Philadelphia 76ers All-Star center Joel Embiid expects to return to the lineup next week from a sore left knee that has cost him the last five games.Embiid sat out again Saturday night against the Golden State Warriors and has not played since the All-Star game. The 24-year-old Embiid is averaging 27.3 points and 13.5 rebounds in 54 games for the Sixers. Embiid underwent an MRI last week, which revealed no structural damage, and he will undergo physical therapy"It's all about long term preservation and making sure I'm ready not just for the playoffs, but also for the next 15 years," Embiid said.Embiid said he could "for sure" play through the mild tendinitis but wanted to rest up for the stretch run and the playoffs. Embiid also dismissed any connection between his soreness and playing 23 minutes in the All-Star game.He did not give a specific game for his return, but the Sixers play again Tuesday against Orlando, and three more time through March 10.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

CLEVELAND (AP) — Star forward Kevin Love will rest his surgically repaired left foot when the Cleveland Cavaliers face the Detroit Pistons.Love still isn't ready to play in back-to-back games and with Cleveland scheduled to host Orlando on Sunday, the team is remaining conservative with his minutes and won't play the 30-year-old in Saturday's matchup with the Pistons.Love scored 26 points in 28 minutes in Thursday's win against the New York Knicks — his fourth straight game.The Cavs have steadily increased Love's playing time since he came back from the operation, which kept the five-time All-Star out of 50 games. He scored 32 points against Memphis in his fourth game since returning.Love is averaging 18.6 points and 10.7 rebounds in 10 games this season.Love's absence combined with Tristan Thompson (foot) and Ante Zizic (concussion) out will make it tough for the Cavs to handle Pistons center Andre Drummond.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/tag/NBAbasketball and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

BOSTON (AP) — NBA Commissioner Adam Silver says he would consider shortening the regular season, but only if the league could develop something meaningful to do to replace the games — and revenue — they would be giving up.Speaking at the MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference on Friday, Silver raised the idea of replacing the All-Star Game with a midseason or preseason tournament in which teams would compete for a separate championship, like they do in European soccer. Or groups of teams could compete in mini-tournaments in Asia or Europe.The problem, Silver said, is how to make these other events meaningful."The All-Star Game didn't work," he said, calling it "an afterthought" of the weekend despite changes like tinkering with the rosters through a player draft that was made public for the first time. "I get it. We put an earring on a pig."The league is unlikely to make any changes — at least not any time soon — if only because a 70-game schedule like the one Silver discussed would require... [More]

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (AP) — Los Angeles Lakers guard Lonzo Ball needs at least one more week to recover from his bone bruise and sprained ankle.The Lakers' medical staff evaluated the point guard Thursday.Ball has missed 14 consecutive games since Jan. 19, when he sprained his left ankle in a collision with Houston's James Harden. The Lakers projected Ball would miss four to six weeks, and he will pass six weeks this weekend.The Lakers plan to re-evaluate Ball in one week, the team says. They are 5-9 in his absence.Ball is averaging 9.9 points, 5.4 assists and 5.3 rebounds while playing strong defense in his second NBA season.Rajon Rondo returned to the Lakers' starting lineup Wednesday in their 125-119 victory over New Orleans.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Oklahoma City Thunder forward Paul George and Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid are out for Thursday night's showdown between two of the NBA's best teams.George is out with a shoulder injury. Thunder coach Billy Donovan said George was injured during a loss at Denver on Tuesday night, but he wasn't sure exactly on what play it happened.George is second in the NBA in scoring at 28.6 points per game and leads the league in steals with 2.29 per contest.Embiid will miss his fourth straight game with left knee soreness. He's sixth in the league with 27.3 points per game and third in rebounds with 13.5 per contest.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/tag/NBAbasketball and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

ATLANTA (AP) — Looking across the Atlanta Hawks' locker room, DeAndre Bembry nodded as he glanced at Trae Young and John Collins."You can obviously tell that's the future," said Bembry, a third-year forward.That future seemed clear to all on Wednesday night. Young and Collins became the NBA's first teammates 21 or younger in almost a decade to score at least 30 points each in the same game.The Hawks' 131-123 overtime win over Minnesota was a showcase for the team's first picks in the last two drafts. Atlanta plays the Chicago Bulls on Friday night.Young, a rookie point guard, scored 36 points, matching his career high set earlier in the week, with 10 assists against Minnesota. Collins, a second-year forward, had 34 points, one shy of his career high."We've been doing it all year, but I feel like this is a nice example of what we can do together," Collins said.Young and Collins are the foundation for the Hawks' rebuilding effort, and they seem to be gaining momentum together. The Hawks (21-41)... [More]

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Sacramento Kings rookie forward Marvin Bagley III will miss at least a week with a sprained left knee.Bagley underwent an MRI on Thursday after hurting the knee the previous night. The Kings say he will be re-evaluated in one to two weeks.Bagley is averaging 13.9 points and 7.2 rebounds per game this season.Sacramento also signed swingman Corey Brewer for the remainder of the season. Brewer has scored 25 points in three games for the Kings during two 10-day contracts.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

MIAMI (AP) — It's been more than nine years, and Dwyane Wade still wonders from time to time how Kobe Bryant hit a straightaway 3-pointer off the glass to beat him.Finally, he has his answer.Down by two, at home, last possession. That was the scenario when Bryant made his 3-pointer over Wade on Dec. 4, 2009, to give the Los Angeles Lakers a one-point win over the Miami Heat.Down by two, at home, last possession. Same scenario for Wade, this time against the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday night.Same result, too.A banked-in 3-pointer by Wade gave the Heat — whose playoff hopes have taken hit after hit in recent weeks — a much-needed 126-125 victory. And even in the din of the incredibly jubilant on-court celebration, the likes of which perhaps only compared to Miami's two championship-clinching wins at home in 2012 and 2013, Wade went back to that moment with Bryant."Thank you for showing me the way, Mamba Mentality," Wade said in the on-court interview, referring to Bryant by one of... [More]

DALLAS (AP) — At some point, Luka Doncic will be measured by wins and playoff success rather than how many triple-doubles he had as a teenager, or so Dallas Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle hopes with his rookie sensation.The budding Slovenian star's final game before turning 20 was just the illustration his coach had in mind.The ball was in Doncic's hands late in a close game against a playoff contender, just as it has been regardless of the opponent most of the season once the Mavericks realized what they had in the No. 3 overall pick from last summer's draft.Doncic had a hand in four straight 3-pointers in the closing minutes to help Dallas hold on in a 110-101 victory over the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday night. He connected on two long 3s and assisted on the other two from behind the arc.The win stopped a five-game losing streak that was more on the mind of Carlisle before the game than the litany of teen milestones for a player who has brightened the outlook of a franchise trying to become... [More]

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Nearly a year after police fatally shot an unarmed black man in Sacramento and a series of protests ensued in California's capital, the Kings and Milwaukee Bucks collaborated on a daylong summit Wednesday to address social injustice and encourage engagement and thoughtful discussions to try to bring about change.The event held ahead of a Bucks-Kings game came nearly a year after the March 18, 2018, fatal shooting of 22-year-old Stephon Clark. Clark's death ignited a series of protests that included protesters joining hands and blocking entrances to the Kings' downtown arena as owner Vivek Ranadive pledged his support and vowed to do his part to address the issue."I made a commitment that we would work hard to have an impact and do better and bring people together," Ranadive said Wednesday.Ranadive was joined by Milwaukee co-owner Marc Lasry for a panel discussion along with Mark Thomsen, the attorney for Bucks guard Sterling Brown.The Bucks were rocked last year... [More]

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Nearly a year after police fatally shot an unarmed black man in Sacramento and a series of protests ensued in California's capital, the Kings and Milwaukee Bucks collaborated on a daylong summit Wednesday to address social injustice and encourage engagement and thoughtful discussions to try to bring about change.The event held ahead of a Bucks-Kings game came nearly a year after the March 18, 2018, fatal shooting of 22-year-old Stephon Clark. Clark's death ignited a series of protests that included protesters joining hands and blocking entrances to the Kings' downtown arena as owner Vivek Ranadive pledged his support and vowed to do his part to address the issue."I made a commitment that we would work hard to have an impact and do better and bring people together," Ranadive said Wednesday.Ranadive was joined by Milwaukee co-owner Marc Lasry for a panel discussion along with Mark Thomsen, the attorney for Bucks guard Sterling Brown.The Bucks were rocked last year... [More]

MIAMI (AP) — Pat Riley has his eyes on both the present and the future.The Miami Heat president, in a video message to season-ticket holders that was posted Wednesday on the team's website, said he will not give up hope of reaching the playoffs this season — while adding that he expects the Heat to be in contention for perhaps two max-contract free-agent additions in the summer of 2020."We're chasing a playoff spot when we're young," Riley said. "And then we're going to be chasing some players that can come in. If we can get one or two players to come in with this group, this young group, then I think the sky's the limit for this team in the next couple years. ... In 2020, we'll have a lot of room."The Heat started Wednesday 10th in the Eastern Conference, and have had six losing streaks of at least three games so far this season. But Riley wants no part of tanking for a potential top draft pick. The NBA changed the draft lottery odds for this season and beyond in an effort to discourage... [More]