SAN ANTONIO (AP) — LeBron James has made it a point not to revel in his accomplishments. He allowed himself a moment to savor this milestone, though.James became the youngest ever to join the NBA's 30,000-point club.He became the seventh player with 30,000 career points when he hit a jumper with one second left in the first quarter of the Cleveland Cavaliers' 114-102 loss to the San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday night."I don't ever fully appreciate what I do anytime I accomplish something, no matter if it's a win or a loss," James said. "I'm looking forward to the moment when I can be done with the game and I can sit back with my family and my friends and we can drink some wine and talk about all the accomplishments that I had and feats I was able to accomplish."James, who needed seven points to reach the milestone, finished with 28.He was recognized by the arena before the second quarter and got a standing ovation from Spurs fans. James patted his heart and said "thank you so much.""Just a... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Stephen Curry will be able to stock his All-Star roster with plenty of Golden State teammates.Klay Thompson and Draymond Green were chosen as reserves Tuesday, giving the defending NBA champions a record-tying four All-Stars for the second straight year.The Minnesota Timberwolves and Washington Wizards also had two reserves selected, and they will go into the pool of players that Curry and fellow captain LeBron James can draft to comprise the teams for the Feb. 18 game in Los Angeles. Their rosters will be unveiled Thursday, though the selection process won't be televised.Minnesota's Jimmy Butler and Karl-Anthony Towns were chosen from the Western Conference, along with Oklahoma City's Russell Westbrook, San Antonio's LaMarcus Aldridge and Portland's Damian Lillard.Besides Washington's John Wall and Bradley Beal, the rest of the Eastern Conference reserves were Boston's Al Horford, Cleveland's Kevin Love, New York's Kristaps Porzingis, Toronto's Kyle Lowry and Indiana's... [More]

Cleveland's drama club is acting up again.Frustrated by their recent poor play in a season when their NBA title hopes seem to be slipping away, the Cavaliers held an emotional pre-practice meeting on Monday in hopes of clearing the air.They've lost 10 of 14 and dropped to third in the Eastern Conference behind Boston and Toronto. With an embarrassing defeat to Oklahoma City on national TV still lingering, the Cavs decided it was time to address their troubled state before leaving for Tuesday's game at San Antonio."We aired any grievances we had and we're going to move forward," said center Kevin Love, who regretted that the meeting was leaked publicly. "Hopefully we'll be better for it, we have been in the past."Chaos is nothing new for the Cavaliers, who have had similar blowups in recent years yet managed to overcome any differences and went to the Finals the past three years.Love has been in the middle of controversy before, and after he missed two days with an illness, it was presumed... [More]

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — LeBron James has joined the NBA's 30,000-point club.James became the seventh player with 30,000 career points when he hit a jumper with one second left in the first quarter of the Cleveland Cavaliers' game against the San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday night.James was recognized by the arena before the second quarter and got a standing ovation from Spurs fans. James patted his heard and said "thank you so much."James needed seven points Tuesday to get there. He missed his first two midrange jumpers before making two driving layups and a 20-footer. He hit the milestone jumper over Danny Green from 19 feet out.The 33-year-old James joined Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (38,387 points), Karl Malone (36,928), Kobe Bryant (33,643), Michael Jordan (32,292), Wilt Chamberlain (31,419) and Dirk Nowitzki (30,808) on the list.At 33 years and 24 days, James is the youngest to reach the mark. Bryant was 34 years and 104 days when he got there.The 14-time All-Star has averaged 27.1 points since breaking into the league as an 18-year-old in 2003.___More AP basketball: https://apnews.com/tag/NBAbasketball

NEW YORK (AP) — Stephen Curry will be able to stock his All-Star roster with plenty of Golden State teammates.Klay Thompson and Draymond Green were chosen as reserves Tuesday, giving the defending NBA champions a record-tying four All-Stars for the second straight year.The Minnesota Timberwolves and Washington Wizards also had two reserves selected, and they will go into the pool of players that Curry and fellow captain LeBron James can draft to comprise the teams for the Feb. 18 game in Los Angeles. Their rosters will be unveiled Thursday, though the selection process won't be televised.Minnesota's Jimmy Butler and Karl-Anthony Towns were chosen from the Western Conference, along with Oklahoma City's Russell Westbrook, San Antonio's LaMarcus Aldridge and Portland's Damian Lillard.Besides Washington's John Wall and Bradley Beal, the rest of the Eastern Conference reserves were Boston's Al Horford, Cleveland's Kevin Love, New York's Kristaps Porzingis, Toronto's Kyle Lowry and Indiana's... [More]

Cleveland's drama club is acting up again.Frustrated by their recent poor play in a season when their NBA title hopes seem to be slipping away, the Cavaliers held an emotional pre-practice meeting on Monday in hopes of clearing the air.They've lost 10 of 14 and dropped to third in the Eastern Conference behind Boston and Toronto. With an embarrassing defeat to Oklahoma City on national TV still lingering, the Cavs decided it was time to address their troubled state before leaving for Tuesday's game at San Antonio."We aired any grievances we had and we're going to move forward," said center Kevin Love, who regretted that the meeting was leaked publicly. "Hopefully we'll be better for it, we have been in the past."Chaos is nothing new for the Cavaliers, who have had similar blowups in recent years yet managed to overcome any differences and went to the Finals the past three years.Love has been in the middle of controversy before, and after he missed two days with an illness, it was presumed... [More]

Cleveland's drama club is acting up again.Frustrated by their recent poor play in a season when their NBA title hopes seem to be slipping away, the Cavaliers held an emotional pre-practice meeting on Monday in hopes of clearing the air.They've lost 10 of 14 and dropped to third in the Eastern Conference behind Boston and Toronto. With an embarrassing defeat to Oklahoma City on national TV still lingering, the Cavs decided it was time to address their troubled state before leaving for Tuesday's game at San Antonio."We aired any grievances we had and we're going to move forward," said center Kevin Love, who regretted that the meeting was leaked publicly. "Hopefully we'll be better for it, we have been in the past."Chaos is nothing new for the Cavaliers, who have had similar blowups in recent years yet managed to overcome any differences and went to the Finals the past three years.Love has been in the middle of controversy before, and after he missed two days with an illness, it was presumed... [More]

INDEPENDENCE, Ohio (AP) — LeBron James knows the Cavaliers have a proven vaccine that could cure them of this midseason malaise: a larger dose of him."I gotta be much better," he said.As Cleveland has staggered to a 3-9 record since it lost at Golden State on Christmas and fallen behind Boston and Toronto in the Eastern Conference standings, its decline has run parallel to a statistical drop-off by James, who was considered the front-runner in the MVP race before the calendar changed to 2018."My numbers are down, the team's numbers are down and we're not playing well, so obviously it's a direct correlation of all of those things," James said Monday before the team traveled to San Antonio. "I could care less about me individually, but when I'm not playing to my standard and we're losing, then I have to do a better job as well, so I gotta figure that out, too."Over his last 12 games, James is averaging 22.5 points, 6.8 rebounds, 7.1 assists and 4.4 turnovers. He is making 21 percent of his... [More]

INDEPENDENCE, Ohio (AP) — As LeBron James and some teammates practiced free throws at a nearby basket, coach Tyronn Lue addressed questions about the troubling state of the Cavaliers while sitting in a high-backed, cushioned chair.While he was cool, Lue's seat has warmed up.With the Cavs mired in a bewildering midseason slump and less than 24 hours after a historically embarrassing loss to Oklahoma City, Lue said he has no immediate plans to change his starting lineup or rotations. Cleveland fans may be panicking, Lue's not nervous.At least not publicly.The Cavs are just 4-10 since Dec. 19, and in the past two weeks they've lost by 28 at Minnesota, 34 at Toronto and 24 to the Thunder, who scored 148 points and tied a record for the most points allowed by Cleveland in a regulation game — a mark that went unmatched since 1972.It's a mess, and it's a mystery the way James and the Cavs have collapsed. They've slipped in the past, but this slide feels much more ominous than in the previous three... [More]

Semi Ojeleye, Cedi Osman and Royce O'Neale have never started in an NBA game. Cameron Payne last played in April. Matt Costello has scored two points in his NBA career.They're not stars.Yet somehow, someone in an NBA locker room apparently thought they should start in this year's All-Star Game.Only 10 players will start in Los Angeles on Feb. 18, but 249 players — roughly half the league — were listed on at least one ballot in the player portion of the All-Star selection process. And while some of the results might suggest not everyone took it seriously, making the list seemed to leave Philadelphia's Amir Johnson genuinely moved."That's pretty cool, man," Johnson said Thursday night when told that he got a vote. "That shows you how together we are. ... It's just everybody against the world. It's us against everybody."So guys like Ojeleye, Osman, O'Neale, Payne and Costello all got a vote from at least one player. Andre Iguodala, a recent NBA Finals MVP, did not.The league is trying a new... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Team LeBron against Team Stephen is the NBA's new All-Star matchup.LeBron James and Stephen Curry will go head-to-head again, this time as captains who pick teams for the revamped NBA All-Star Game.James and Curry received the most votes from fans in their conferences Thursday night and will draft from a pool of the rest of the NBA's best for the Feb. 18 game in Los Angeles."Captain huh? Really Appreciate all the votes from the fans, media and players!" Curry wrote on Twitter .James will pick first as the player who received the most fan votes. He will make his 14th All-Star Game start, one behind Kobe Bryant for the most in league history.He could start his team with Kevin Durant, who teamed with Curry to beat James and the Cavaliers in the NBA Finals. Or maybe he could go with Kyrie Irving, a former All-Star Game MVP who asked to be traded away from Cleveland last summer and has led Boston to the best record in the East.Perhaps it will be Milwaukee's Giannis Antetokounmpo,... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — LeBron James never imagined the view from 30,000 — points.Now in his 15th season, James needs 41 points to become the seventh NBA player — and youngest — to reach 30,000 career points, a mark he couldn't have fathomed when he began his career.James is on the verge of joining Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (38,387 points), Karl Malone (36,928), Kobe Bryant (33,643), Michael Jordan (32,292), Wilt Chamberlain (31,419) and Dirk Nowitzki (30,808) on the select list of scorers."I'm joining elite company," James said Thursday as the Cavaliers prepared to host the Orlando Magic. "When I walk into the 30,000-point club they're going to look at me like, 'What are you doing here?' I ain't supposed to be there."James, who turned 33 on Dec. 30, will surpass Bryant as the fastest player to hit 30,000. Bryant was 34 years and 104 days old when he hit the mark.But as he approaches more history, James isn't in any rush. While 41 points is reachable for him in any game, James would prefer to join the... [More]

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver was asked in London last week about fining misbehaving players, and even he acknowledged the penalties aren't much of a deterrent."More symbolic than anything," Silver said.It might be time for the league to change that.At least based on what's happened in the NBA the past couple days. The postgame locker-room incident that involved some players from the Houston Rockets and the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday — the holiday celebrating the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., no less — was a bad look for the league, as was the wild swing that Orlando's Arron Afflalo threw at Minnesota's Nemanja Bjelica on Tuesday.The James Johnson-Serge Ibaka dustup during the Miami-Toronto game last week earned those players one-game suspensions that cost them a total of about $300,000. Utah's Rodney Hood might have been lucky to have been fined only $35,000 for slapping a phone out of a fan's hand. Ben Simmons and Kyle Lowry were probably smart to just talk about taking their... [More]

Gregg Popovich was the coach nobody wanted.It's hard to fathom now, after five NBA championships as coach of the San Antonio Spurs and with him now alone in fifth place on the league's all-time victory list. But it's true — Popovich's decision to fire Bob Hill and make himself coach and general manager in December 1996 was horribly received at first, leaving even some of his own players baffled.The San Antonio Express-News took a poll after that season and found that 92 percent of Spurs fans wanted Popovich fired.As Popovich would suggest now (on politics, one of his favorite topics), sometimes voters get it wrong."The pressure is always there for any coach," Popovich said. "You've got to get the job done. If you don't, you're not there. If you do get it done, you get to stay."He said those words in 1997. He was right.Popovich now has 1,176 wins. He's 34 away from No. 4 Pat Riley, 45 shy of No. 3 Jerry Sloan, and should catch both next season. He would need 156 to catch No. 2 Lenny Wilkens,... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — The agonizing wait to play again is over for Isaiah Thomas. Vengeance on the Celtics is still on hold.Thomas, sidelined with a hip injury since last season's Eastern Conference finals, will make his debut for the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday night against the Portland Trail Blazers.After months of rehab, the All-Star point guard will take the floor for the first time with the Cavaliers, who acquired him last summer in the blockbuster trade that sent Kyrie Irving to the Celtics."It's been a long process for me," Thomas said Monday following practice. "It's been a frustrating and tough process, but at the same time you got to trust it. I just attacked it every day to try to get better and now that day is here. I haven't played in so long, so man it's going to be a weird feeling tomorrow, but I'm happy. I'm happy it's here."Coach Tyronn Lue said Thomas will come off the bench and initially will play limited minutes. Also, he will not play in back-to-back games as he builds... [More]

F LeBron James played in an NBA game for the seventh time on his birthday. James averaged 33.5 points on 56 percent shooting, 7.5 rebounds and 6.7 assists in his previous six birthday games.

F LeBron James finished with a triple-double of 16 points, 14 assists and 10 rebounds. His 16 points matched his lowest output of the season from a late October loss to the New York Knicks.

F LeBron James scored 20 points in Monday's loss at Golden State. He went one-on-one with Golden State F Kevin Durant twice down the stretch, each time with a chance to narrow the gap to one point. But the four-time NBA MVP, under heavy defensive pressure, first fumbled the ball over the end line with 1:10 to go, and then, after two Warriors misses, had a driving attempt blocked by Durant, with the ball going out of bounds with 24.5 seconds to go. On both occasions, James' plea for a foul fell upon deaf ears. "I lost it on the left wing. He got me a little bit, but I lost that one," James admitted of the key turnover, his seventh of the game. "But the one right before the overturn, he fouled me twice. But whatever. What are you going to do about it?"

CLEVELAND -- LeBron James scored 34 points and the Cleveland Cavaliers outlasted the Chicago Bulls 115-112 on Thursday night.Kevin Love added 27 points and seven rebounds for Cleveland, which doesn't play again until their NBA Finals rematch with Golden State on Christmas. They've won 19 of 21 games and have scored at least 100 points in 26 straight.Chicago, led by Lauri Markkanen's 25 points, had a seven-game win streak halted. There were 24 lead changes by the end of the third quarter and 26 in the game. James scored 11 in the fourth quarter, and his two free throws with 11.1 seconds left put the Cavaliers ahead by three.Raptors 114, 76ers 109PHILADELPHIA -- DeMar DeRozan scored a career-high 45 points, including five in a pivotal 10-2 flurry late in the game, as Toronto rallied for a victory over short-handed Philadelphia.DeRozan was 6 of 9 on 3-point attempts. His six triples were a career high.Kyle Lowry added 23 points for the Raptors, who erased a 22-point third-quarter deficit to... [More]

F LeBron James scored 34 points and handed out nine assists Thursday, and the Cavs outlasted the Bulls 115-112. James scored 11 in the fourth quarter. His two free throws with 11.1 seconds left put the Cavs ahead by three. James earlier hit a tough fadeaway jumper that splashed with 1:01 to go for a six-point lead. "I had got to the middle a couple times against Kris Dunn," James said, "so I figured he would try to take away the middle on that last one, and you know, he kind of took away the middle and I knew I could get to my fadeaway, so I was happy I was able to knock it down."