WASHINGTON (AP) — After a three-way trade fell apart over mistaken identity, the Wizards are getting Trevor Ariza after all.Washington agreed in principle Saturday to acquire Ariza from the Phoenix Suns for Kelly Oubre Jr. and Austin Rivers, according to a person familiar with the deal. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because it had not been announced by either team.This Ariza trade came together hours after a potential three-way deal involving the Grizzlies fell apart late Friday night over whether Memphis was including Dillon Brooks or MarShon Brooks. The saga included general managers informing players they'd been traded, awkward conversations to explain they weren't and finally the talks coming to an end.Wizards players went through the emotional roller coaster of the failed trade after their loss at Brooklyn as Oubre and Rivers were still on the team bus to the airport and the flight home."We all understand it's a business," guard John Wall said after... [More]

WASHINGTON (AP) — After a three-way trade fell apart over mistaken identity, the Wizards are getting Trevor Ariza after all.Washington agreed in principle Saturday to acquire Ariza from the Phoenix Suns for Kelly Oubre Jr. and Austin Rivers, according to a person familiar with the deal. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because it had not been announced by either team.This Ariza trade came together hours after a potential three-way deal involving the Grizzlies fell apart late Friday night over whether Memphis was including Dillon Brooks or MarShon Brooks. The saga included general managers informing players they'd been traded, awkward conversations to explain they weren't and finally the talks coming to an end.Wizards players went through the emotional roller coaster of the failed trade after their loss at Brooklyn as Oubre and Rivers were still on the team bus to the airport and the flight home."We all understand it's a business," guard John Wall said after... [More]

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Wizards are getting Trevor Ariza after all.Washington agreed in principle to acquire Ariza from the Phoenix Suns for Kelly Oubre Jr. and Austin Rivers, according to a person familiar with the deal. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Saturday because it had not been announced by either team.This Ariza trade came together hours after a potential three-way deal involving the Memphis Grizzlies fell apart late Friday night. Wizards players went through the emotional roller coaster of the failed trade after their loss at Brooklyn as Oubre and Rivers were still on the team bus to the airport and the flight home."We all understand it's a business," guard John Wall said after practice Saturday. "You never know what's going to happen, when it's going to happen. The first time I've ever seen a trade go dead and guys are on a bus talking about it. Kind of devastating for those guys."Ariza, 33, returns to Washington, where he played the 2012-13 and... [More]

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Wizards are getting Trevor Ariza after all.Washington agreed in principle to acquire Ariza from the Phoenix Suns for Kelly Oubre Jr. and Austin Rivers, according to a person familiar with the deal. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Saturday because it had not been announced by either team.This Ariza trade came together hours after a reported three-way deal involving the Memphis Grizzlies fell apart late Friday night. Wizards players went through the emotional roller coaster of the failed trade after their loss at Brooklyn as Oubre and Rivers were still on the team bus to the airport and the flight home."We all understand it's a business," guard John Wall said after practice Saturday. "You never know what's going to happen, when it's going to happen. The first time I've ever seen a trade go dead and guys are on a bus talking about it. Kind of devastating for those guys."Ariza, 33, returns to Washington, where he played the 2012-13 and... [More]

ATLANTA (AP) — Wizards guard John Wall is out for Wednesday's game against the Atlanta Hawks because of personal reasons.An All-Star the last five years, Wall will miss his first game of the season. He is averaging 21.3 points and 8.4 assists.Wall's 9.2 career assists average ranks second among active players.The Hawks will be without starter Taurean Prince for the next three weeks after the forward injured his left ankle in Monday's loss to Golden State.Washington (10-14) has won two straight and four of six. Atlanta (5-19), riding a three-game losing streak, has the NBA's third-worst record.___For more AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

WASHINGTON (AP) — Scott Brooks knows he needs to try something to change the way things are going for his Washington Wizards. The problems are so plentiful, the coach just is not quite sure what to do.All-Star guards John Wall and Bradley Beal lead the Wizards into their game against the visiting New York Knicks on Sunday with a 1-7 record, including 0-3 at home, and five consecutive losses overall."Patience is running low from everybody," Beal said. "We've got to do it more collectively. The only way were going to get out of this slump is we've got to do it together."Their defense already was the worst in the NBA, giving up 122.4 points per game, before allowing even more than that in a 134-111 setback against Russell Westbrook and the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday night."It just looks like nobody's on the same page. I mean, like, if one person gets beat or somebody gives up a wide-open shot, nobody is there to help that person or pick that person up. Got to all be on one string," Wall... [More]

WASHINGTON (AP) — Dwight Howard joked Monday about the sore back that's expected to keep him out for the start of training camp with the Washington Wizards.Coach Scott Brooks downplayed the significance of the injury, too. Still, it's not ideal that the team needs to put off incorporating its one offseason addition to the starting lineup."I've been having to do a lot of traveling with shoe companies and stuff like that in China. So just from training, traveling — and airplanes weren't made for tall people. ... It kind of sucks to fly 15 hours curled up in the fetal position," said Howard, a 6-foot-11 center entering his 15th NBA season."So just a minor setback. It shouldn't take that long for me to get back on the court," he added. "I've been feeling great all summer. Just something that we'll have to deal with, and it shouldn't keep me out too long."The Wizards traded away starting center Marcin Gortat to the Los Angeles Clippers and added Howard, who'll turn 33 in December, on a two-year,... [More]

WASHINGTON (AP) — Dwight Howard brought the charm to his introductory news conference with the Wizards on Monday. The eight-time All-Star has lots of experience in such situations. The center now playing for his fourth team in four seasons said Washington would be his last stop.The three-time defensive player of the year is joining a Wizards team that includes All-Star guards John Wall and Bradley Beal, but he is coming off a frustrating season that ended with a first-round playoff loss to the Raptors.Frustration is nothing new to the 6-foot-11 Howard. He's gone from taking the Magic to the 2009 NBA Finals to joining six teams since leaving Orlando in 2012.Washington and Howard agreed this month to a two-year, $11 million contract with a player option for the 2019-20 season.Howard became available after the Nets bought out his contract following a trade with the Hornets this offseason for a return of Timofey Mozgov's contract and a pair of second-round picks. Howard averaged 16.6 points... [More]

WASHINGTON (AP) — Seemed fairly clear that Marcin Gortat and the Washington Wizards were ready to part ways. Now they will.The Wizards traded Gortat, their starting center, to the Los Angeles Clippers for guard Austin Rivers on Tuesday night. Both players are entering the final season of their contracts and are set to earn similar salaries, making a straight-up exchange work under NBA rules.The 34-year-old Gortat is a durable, screen-setting big man who has played 12 years in the league, the past five with Washington. He averaged 8.4 points and 7.6 rebounds last season, his lowest numbers since 2009-10, when he was with the Orlando Magic, but could fill a need in Los Angeles if DeAndre Jordan departs.After the Wizards finished eighth in the Eastern Conference and lost in the first round of the playoffs to No. 1 seed Toronto, Gortat was adamant that he had no interest in changing his style of play at this late stage of his career.Asked about the possibility of working on his outside shot,... [More]

WASHINGTON (AP) — Seemed fairly clear that Marcin Gortat and the Washington Wizards were ready to part ways. Now they will.The Wizards have agreed to trade Gortat, their starting center, to the Los Angeles Clippers for guard Austin Rivers, according to a person familiar with the deal.The 1-for-1 swap was described to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity on Tuesday night because neither team had announced the move. Both players are entering the final season of their contracts and are set to earn similar salaries, making a straight-up exchange work under NBA rules.The 34-year-old Gortat is a durable, screen-setting big man who has played 12 years in the league, the past five with Washington. He averaged 8.4 points and 7.6 rebounds last season, his lowest numbers since 2009-10, when he was with the Orlando Magic, but could fill a need in Los Angeles if DeAndre Jordan departs.After the Wizards finished eighth in the Eastern Conference and lost in the first round of the playoffs to... [More]

WASHINGTON (AP) — For a team that entered the season thinking it was ready to win 50 games and reach the Eastern Conference finals, John Wall's Washington Wizards sure did lose a lot of games against teams that didn't even make the playoffs.And everything revealed by those defeats against the likes of the Hawks and Magic, or the Mavericks and Suns, or the Nets and Bulls — a lack of consistency, for example, or an inability to close out opponents — were the same sorts of problems that failed the Wizards in their first-round exit as the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference."We had some great moments. Then we showed bad moments," Wall said Saturday, the day after a 102-92 loss in Game 6 against the No. 1 seed Toronto Raptors ended Washington's season. "Just kind of not respecting some of the opponents that we went against."Asked why that happened, forward Markieff Morris said: "Sometimes it felt like it was immaturity. ... Not coming in and doing our job."The issue might have been as much... [More]

WASHINGTON (AP) — For a team that entered the season thinking it was ready to win 50 games and reach the Eastern Conference finals, coach Scott Brooks' Washington Wizards sure did lose a lot of games against teams that didn't even make the playoffs.And everything revealed by those defeats against the likes of the Hawks and Magic, or the Mavericks and Suns, or the Nets and Bulls — a lack of consistency, for example, or an inability to close out opponents — were the same sorts of problems that failed the Wizards in their first-round exit as the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference."I don't know if we're too casual or something that was keeping us from being able to compete at the high level against all teams," Brooks said Saturday, the day after a 102-92 loss in Game 6 against the No. 1 seed Toronto Raptors ended Washington's season. "Got to figure that out."They sure do."Sometimes it felt like it was immaturity," forward Markieff Morris said. "It's not coming in and doing our job."The issue... [More]

WASHINGTON (AP) — Forward Otto Porter Jr. missed a must-win Game 6 for the Washington Wizards in their playoff series against the Toronto Raptors on Friday night because of an injured left leg."It's hard on him," Washington coach Scott Brooks said. "It's hard on all of us."The No. 8 seed Wizards entered Friday trailing 3-2 in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference first-round series. They announced a few hours before the scheduled tipoff that Porter is sidelined indefinitely after having a medical procedure earlier Friday to prevent permanent damage to muscles in the leg because of compartment syndrome.Porter has averaged only 10.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.6 assists while making just five 3-pointers during the playoffs.He was Washington's third-leading scorer during the regular season, behind John Wall and Bradley Beal, averaging a career-high 14.7 points, along with 6.4 rebounds and 2.0 assists. He was third in the NBA in 3-point field-goal percentage at 44.1, another personal best."He... [More]

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Washington Wizards say forward Otto Porter Jr. will miss Game 6 of the team's playoff series against the Toronto Raptors because of an injured left leg.The Wizards announced a few hours before the scheduled start of the game that Porter is sidelined indefinitely after having a medical procedure earlier Friday to prevent permanent damage to muscles in the leg because of compartment syndrome.The No. 1 seed Raptors lead the Eastern Conference first-round series 3-2 and can end it by winning Friday.Porter has averaged only 10.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.6 assists while making just five 3-pointers during the playoffs. He was Washington's third-leading scorer during the regular season, behind John Wall and Bradley Beal, averaging 14.6 points, along with 6.4 rebounds and 2.0 assists.He was third in the NBA in 3-point field-goal percentage at 44.1.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/tag/NBAbasketball

LeBron James saved a game. Russell Westbrook and Paul George saved a season.And now, Game 6 awaits them all.A trio of possible series-ending games are on Friday night's NBA playoff schedule: Cleveland at Indiana, Toronto at Washington and Oklahoma City at Utah. For the Cavaliers and Raptors, the scenario is they advance with a road win or head back home for Game 7 on Sunday. The Thunder don't have such a safety net; they must win in Salt Lake City, or it'll be the Jazz going to the second round.James went from goaltending to game-winning in a matter of seconds in Game 5 on Wednesday night, his straightaway 3-pointer at the buzzer giving Cleveland a three-point win and a 3-2 series lead. Westbrook and George looked well on their way to summer vacation in their Game 5 matchup with the Jazz , before they combined for 54 points in a 61-28 Oklahoma City run that rallied the Thunder from a 25-point second-half deficit.The stars carried the Cavs and Thunder.The Raptors, they have a 3-2 lead thanks... [More]

WASHINGTON (AP) — Less than three weeks ago, Ty Lawson was playing professional basketball in China.Nowadays, he's one of the first subs off the bench for the Washington Wizards in their Eastern Conference first-round series against the Toronto Raptors.Lawson is hardly the only player who went from not having a spot on an NBA roster to getting some run, and maybe even filling a key role, during these playoffs. As much as teams develop plans for acquiring talent via the draft, free agency or trades, sometimes a late pickup can become a piece that completes the puzzle."It's not ideal," Wizards coach Scott Brooks said about adding someone on short notice. "It (requires) a lot of work that has to be done in trying to figure it out and try to incorporate him and integrate him into our offense and defensive schemes."With Lawson, though, Brooks added, "It probably is not as much of a disadvantage because he's been in the league, understands the NBA and understands the schemes. A lot of the schemes... [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]

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

LeBron James is keeping his thoughts to himself.Whatever concerns — or confidence — he might harbor about his Cleveland Cavaliers facing a 2-1 first-round Eastern Conference series hole heading into Game 4 at the Indiana Pacers on Sunday were not going to be made available for public consumption.James decided not to speak to reporters on Saturday.And he did not have a whole lot to say in the immediate aftermath of Game 3, either, when Indiana erased a 17-point deficit and then held on for a 92-90 victory over the Cavs.Not only has the four-time MVP and three-time NBA champ never lost an opening NBA postseason series, going 12-0 in the past, he had never even trailed in the first round until this one, when Cleveland dropped Game 1 at home.Now he is behind again."We've had some good quarters," James said Friday, "and we didn't have some good quarters."Well, that explains a lot.Cleveland coach Tyronn Lue's synopsis?"They won a game we should have won," Lue said. "That's what's disappointing.... [More]