NEW YORK (AP) — Without Kristaps Porzingis, there's no reason for the New York Knicks to be thinking about the postseason.It's time to look to their future.That's all that's left after Porzingis was lost to a torn ACL, ending his All-Star season and probably any hopes the Knicks had of making the playoffs.They say they'll keep playing hard, but the first trade they made after Porzingis' injury showed they aren't loading up for a playoff push."Look, we want to compete every night," general manager Scott Perry said Wednesday. "We want to continue to fight."Porzingis had hoped they would fight all the way to the playoffs for the first time in his career. But those plans were derailed when Porzingis crashed to the court, punching the floor in pain after a dunk in the second quarter of a loss to the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday night.An MRI revealed a torn left ACL, an injury that will sideline Porzingis for the rest of this season and perhaps a good deal of the next."Obviously he was devastated... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — The New York Knicks were scouting Kristaps Porzingis ahead of the 2015 draft when they noticed one of his teammates in Spain.Willy Hernangomez eventually joined Porzingis in New York, and after his promising rookie season both were considered key pieces for the team's future.Now Porzingis is headed for surgery and Hernangomez is on his way to Charlotte.The Knicks traded Hernangomez to the Hornets on Wednesday in a deal that brings back second-round picks in the 2020 and 2021 drafts, plus forward Johnny O'Bryant.Hernangomez was an all-rookie selection last season and had been identified by team management during the summer as a one of the young players to build around. But the Knicks then acquired Enes Kanter from Oklahoma City in the Carmelo Anthony trade and Hernangomez fell to third in the center rotation behind Kanter and Kyle O'Quinn."He showed last season that he can contribute when given the opportunity and we believe that the added depth he provides will benefit our... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — The New York Knicks have traded center Willy Hernangomez to the Charlotte Hornets.The Knicks will receive second-round picks in the 2020 and 2021 drafts, plus forward Johnny O'Bryant in the deal that was agreed to Wednesday, the day before the NBA trade deadline.Hernangomez was an all-rookie selection last season and had been identified by team management during the summer as an important piece of the Knicks' future. But the Knicks then acquired Enes Kanter from Oklahoma City in the Carmelo Anthony trade and Hernangomez fell to third in the center rotation behind Kanter and Kyle O'Quinn.The deal comes hours after the Knicks lost All-Star Kristaps Porzingis to a torn ACL.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/tag/NBAbasketball

NEW YORK (AP) — A person with knowledge of the deal says the New York Knicks have agreed to trade center Willy Hernangomez to the Charlotte Hornets.The person says the Knicks will receive a pair of second-round picks and Johnny O'Bryant in the deal that was agreed to Wednesday, the day before the NBA trade deadline. The person spoke with The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the trade is not yet official.The deal was first reported by Yahoo! Sports.Hernangomez was an all-rookie selection last season and had been identified by team management during the summer as an important piece of the Knicks' future. But the Knicks then acquired Enes Kanter from Oklahoma City in the Carmelo Anthony trade and Hernangomez fell to third in the center rotation behind Kanter and Kyle O'Quinn.The deal comes hours after the Knicks lost All-Star Kristaps Porzingis to a torn ACL.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/tag/NBAbasketball

NEW YORK (AP) — Kristaps Porzingis will have to wait to play in the All-Star Game. Same with the playoffs.He hoped to accomplish both during his third season in the NBA, his first as the unquestioned star of the New York Knicks.But those plans were derailed when Porzingis crashed to the court, punching the floor in pain after a dunk in the second quarter of a loss to the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday night.An MRI revealed a torn left ACL, an injury that will sideline Porzingis for the rest of this season and perhaps a good deal of the next.Disappointment could be felt not only in New York but around the NBA. Porzingis is a popular player for his wide array of skills at 7-foot-3 that led Kevin Durant to nickname him a "unicorn," but also for the personality he brought to New York when he arrived in 2015 as a teenager from Latvia."Was hoping for the best news when I saw the play after the game," LeBron James wrote on Twitter . "Best wishes and have a speedy healthy recovery."Porzingis was set... [More]

LeBron James says he won't be traded, though every other move should be on the table for the Cleveland Cavaliers.It's just unclear if anything can make a difference.The Cavaliers are a team that's deeply in a rut and badly in need of a change to jump-start a season that shows signs of slipping away. But they're down to their final hours to find help via trade, with the deadline set for Thursday afternoon.Impact players are traded, but this season the biggest ones may have already been moved. Jimmy Butler, Chris Paul, Paul George and Carmelo Anthony all were dealt over the summer, as was Kyrie Irving — in a move that may have backfired for the Cavs. Their former point guard has led Boston to the top of the Eastern Conference, while Isaiah Thomas has struggled in the brief time he's been available since returning from his hip injury.Cleveland also acquired the Brooklyn Nets' No. 1 pick in that deal, a likely high lottery selection. But the type of names most heavily mentioned in the days... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — The New York Knicks say All-Star Kristaps Porzingis has torn the ACL in his left knee.Porzingis was hurt in the second quarter of New York's loss to Milwaukee on Tuesday night. He dunked with 8:46 left in the half and landed awkwardly, crashing to the court and holding his left knee. He was eventually helped up and taken to the locker room.He left the arena for an MRI exam that revealed the injury.Porzingis had scored 10 points before he was hurt. He was selected last month for his first All-Star appearance.

NEW YORK (AP) — All-Star Kristaps Porzingis left the Knicks' game against Milwaukee in the second quarter Tuesday night with a left knee injury.Porzingis dunked with 8:46 left in the half and landed awkwardly, crashing to the court and holding his left knee. He was eventually helped up and taken to the locker room.The Knicks said Porzingis was undergoing further evaluation and would not return to the game.Porzingis had scored 10 points before he was hurt.

NEW YORK (AP) — All-Star Kristaps Porzingis left the Knicks' game against Milwaukee in the second quarter with an apparent left knee injury.Porzingis dunked with 8:46 left in the half Tuesday and landed awkwardly, crashing to the court and holding his left knee. He was eventually helped up and taken to the locker room.Porzingis had scored 10 points before he was hurt.

DETROIT (AP) — Detroit Pistons center Willie Reed has been suspended for six games by the NBA after the league investigated the circumstances surrounding his arrest on a domestic violence charge.Reed was arrested last August on a misdemeanor battery charge involving his wife. He entered a pretrial diversion program in October to resolve the charge against him.The NBA conducted its own investigation. League officials interviewed all the parties involved and consulted with domestic violence experts.Reed will begin serving his suspension on Wednesday when the Pistons face the Brooklyn Nets. Detroit acquired him last week in the same deal that sent Blake Griffin to the Pistons.The National Basketball Players Association called the punishment "excessive and inappropriate," adding it was filing a grievance and seeking an expedited hearing to get Reed back on the court quickly.The 27-year-old Reed is averaging 4.6 points and 2.9 rebounds this season.___More NBA basketball: https://apnews.com/tag/NBAbasketball

DALLAS (AP) — Dirk Nowitzki made peace years ago with the reality that spending his entire career with the Dallas Mavericks would likely mean little or no chance to win a second championship.The most accomplished European player in NBA history never seriously considered leaving the franchise that courted him as a teenager in Germany and drafted him five days after his 20th birthday in 1998.Now in his 20th season, Nowitzki is comfortable with the idea that he led the Mavericks to their first title and can try to help a younger core build toward making Dallas a title contender again."I just think I pride myself with this city, with this organization, whatever this city or this franchise goes through, I want to push it through," Nowitzki said. "I want to be there for it. If it's rebuilding, I want to push it through and help as much as I can. If we're playing for a championship, then I'll do that."The Mavericks haven't won a playoff series since beating Miami in the Finals in 2011, LeBron... [More]

TORONTO (AP) — Kyrie Irving returned to Boston's lineup for Tuesday night's game against Toronto after missing the previous three games because of a bruised right quad.Irving suffered the injury in a Jan. 29 win at Denver. The Celtics went 3-0 with Terry Rozier starting in place of the five-time All-Star guard, with Rozier scoring a career-high 31 points against Atlanta last Friday. Irving is averaging a team-high 24.9 points per game.Forward Marcus Morris was also active for the Celtics after missing the past two games because of a bruised left hip.The Eastern Conference-leading Celtics had won four straight entering Tuesday night's game but had lost their past four in Toronto. The Raptors entered the night second in the East, trailing Boston by two games.

DETROIT (AP) — Detroit Pistons center Willie Reed has been suspended for six games by the NBA after the league investigated the circumstances surrounding his arrest on a domestic violence charge.Reed was arrested last August on a misdemeanor battery charge involving his wife. He entered a pretrial diversion program in October to resolve the charge against him.The NBA conducted its own investigation. League officials interviewed all the parties involved and consulted with domestic violence experts.Reed will begin serving his suspension on Wednesday when the Pistons face the Brooklyn Nets. Detroit acquired him last week in the same deal that sent Blake Griffin to the Pistons.The 27-year-old Reed is averaging 4.6 points and 2.9 rebounds this season.___More NBA basketball: https://apnews.com/tag/NBAbasketball

Dallas Mavericks guard Seth Curry will have surgery for a stress fracture in his lower left leg, an injury that has sidelined him all season, a person with direct knowledge of the decision said Tuesday.The season-ending procedure is planned because the injury wasn't healing fast enough on its own, the person told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the surgery hasn't been announced.The surgery will likely be this week, the person said, and the younger brother of Golden State star Stephen Curry is expected to be ready for next season.Dallas had planned to start Curry alongside rookie point guard Dennis Smith Jr., the No. 9 pick in last year's draft. The 27-year-old was coming off his best season, averaging 12.8 points and shooting 43 percent from 3-point range in his first season with the Mavericks in 2016-17.Curry's injury made Wesley Matthews the primary starter at shooting guard when the Mavericks were planning for him to open the game at small forward.The change also... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — The Los Angeles Lakers have been fined $50,000 for violating the NBA's tampering rule again.League officials made the announcement Tuesday in response to an interview team president Earvin "Magic" Johnson did with ESPN.Johnson was discussing the skills of Milwaukee star Giannis Antetokounmpo and said the Greek native would put the Bucks "on the map" and bring them an NBA title.It's the third time in less than 12 months the Lakers have been disciplined for tampering.The team was fined $500,000 last summer after the league found general manager Rob Pelinka had been communicating with Paul George's agent while George was with the Indiana Pacers. Previously, the NBA issued a warning to the team after Johnson winked at George during a television interview.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/tag/NBAbasketball

A person with direct knowledge of the decision says Dallas Mavericks guard Seth Curry will have surgery for a stress fracture in his lower left leg, an injury that has sidelined him all season.The season-ending procedure is planned because the injury wasn't healing fast enough on its own, the person told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Tuesday because the surgery hasn't been announced.The surgery will likely be this week, the person said, and the younger brother of Golden State star Stephen Curry is expected to be ready for next season.Dallas had planned to start Curry alongside rookie point guard Dennis Smith Jr., the No. 9 pick in last year's draft. The 27-year-old was coming off his best season, averaging 12.8 points and shooting 43 percent from 3-point range in his first season with the Mavericks in 2016-17.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/tag/NBAbasketball

DETROIT (AP) — Detroit Pistons center Willie Reed has been suspended for six games by the NBA after the league investigated the circumstances involving a domestic incident that resulted in his arrest.Reed was arrested last August on a misdemeanor battery charge involving his wife. He entered a pretrial diversion program Oct. 16 to resolve the charge against him.The NBA conducted its own investigation into the incident. League officials interviewed all the parties involved and also consulted with a group of domestic violence experts.Reed will begin serving his suspension Wednesday when the Pistons face the Brooklyn Nets.The 27-year-old Reed is averaging 4.6 points and 2.9 rebounds this season.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/tag/NBAbasketball

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Timberwolves were back to work on the court after some welcomed rest.Now they're headed out of town again for another meaningful test."Your margin of error is obviously smaller on the road, so I think you go in and have to eliminate all the ways in which you beat yourself," coach Tom Thibodeau said Tuesday. "That's why we always talk about defending, rebounding and keeping your turnovers down."The Wolves had Sunday and Monday off from practice after beating New Orleans 118-107 on Saturday, a rare break of that length that Thibodeau scheduled after the team played 30 games in the previous 56 days. Though they're solidly in first place in the Northwest Division, the Wolves went just 9-8 in January."It helps a lot. You get in such the grind, and it's almost like you're running in mud at some points," shooting guard Jamal Crawford said. "Even a day or two, you can feel recharged and ready to get back out there."The Timberwolves are 12-16 away from home this... [More]

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Stephen Curry realizes there's plenty of chatter about the defending champions and their lack of sheer domination during the season's first half.Steve Kerr has a list of things he'd like to clean up as his Warriors push toward another playoff berth — and, they hope, a winning Finals run — this spring."You've just got to have a certain level of care about what you're doing," Curry said.Even with some early bumps, everybody still knows how great this Golden State group is: the best in the NBA to date, to be precise.That hardly means this perfectionist group is close to content in early February with the playoffs still two months away."I'd like to see us come back from the All-Star break and really turn it up," Kerr said. "But for now we're going to continue to talk about the issues, not grind them to death but keep them mindful of what we're trying to accomplish and take advantage of these next four games at home and try to get back on track."It's quite a stretch before... [More]

DALLAS (AP) — Dirk Nowitzki made peace years ago with the reality that spending his entire career with the Dallas Mavericks would likely mean little or no chance to win a second championship.The most accomplished European player in NBA history never seriously considered leaving the franchise that courted him as a teenager in Germany and drafted him five days after his 20th birthday in 1998.Now in his 20th season, Nowitzki is comfortable with the idea that he led the Mavericks to their first title and can try to help a younger core build toward making Dallas a title contender again."I just think I pride myself with this city, with this organization, whatever this city or this franchise goes through, I want to push it through," Nowitzki said. "I want to be there for it. If it's rebuilding, I want to push it through and help as much as I can. If we're playing for a championship, then I'll do that."The Mavericks haven't won a playoff series since beating Miami in the Finals in 2011, LeBron... [More]