Editors:To help you with the upcoming NBA postseason, here are some of AP's plans. Please direct questions to Oscar Dixon (odixon@ap.org). Times are ET. This digest will be updated.PLAYOFF COVERAGE— Each series will get a preview, 650-750 words.— Game coverage will follow the regular-season format, with final updates of about 750 words. Sidebars on merit.— During the early rounds, we will again move BKN--TIPOFF each day until the conference finals, featuring the top story lines looking ahead to the next day's games.— Team wrapups will move the day after the regular season in most cases.___UPCOMING FEATURESBKN--ROCKETS-THEIR TIMEHOUSTON — Mike D'Antoni, James Harden and Chris Paul haven't been able to get it done in the postseason. This year may be different. While the trio have experienced numerous playoff heartbreaks in their careers, they seem to have all the championship pieces to make a title run. By Krisitie Reiken. UPCOMING: 750 words, photos by 3 a.m. MONDAYAlso:— BKN--NBA Playoff... [More]

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Golden State Warriors guard Patrick McCaw has been released from a hospital following a terrifying fall to the floor during Saturday's game at Sacramento.The team also said Sunday that preliminary tests showed McCaw has no structural damage or problems with his nervous system after the freak injury.Golden State announced that X-rays, a CT scan and an MRI "were all clear." McCaw was able to leave UC Davis Medical Center. He is scheduled to be re-examined by a specialist on Thursday and his injury — aside from anything related to the impact of the fall — will be listed as a bruised lumbar spine."Just a huge relief," Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. "Last night was really terrifying. All the news has been good. He's up walking. That's the only thing that matters, that Patrick's OK."Scariest thing I've ever experienced on a basketball floor for sure. Not even close."McCaw was taken away on a stretcher after a thud to the court following a foul by Sacramento's Vince Carter... [More]

MIAMI (AP) — LeBron James has someone in mind for the MVP award this season.Himself.This is a season where prohibitive MVP favorite James Harden has done phenomenal things with NBA-leading Houston, where reigning MVP Russell Westbrook has been fantastic again for Oklahoma City, and where Anthony Davis has found a new stratosphere to take his game, especially after New Orleans lost DeMarcus Cousins.James raves about them all. But ..."I would vote for me," James told The Associated Press. "The body of work, how I'm doing it, what's been happening with our team all year long, how we've got so many injuries and things of that nature, guys in and out, to be able to still keep this thing afloat, I definitely would vote me."It's not an unreasonable take.His numbers this season compare favorably — or exceed — the five-season run between 2008-09 and 2012-13 where he won the MVP award four times. His averages then: 27.8 points, 7.6 rebounds and 7.3 assists on 52 percent shooting while playing 38... [More]

MIAMI (AP) — LeBron James has someone in mind for the MVP award this season.Himself.This is a season where prohibitive MVP favorite James Harden has done phenomenal things with NBA-leading Houston, where reigning MVP Russell Westbrook has been fantastic again for Oklahoma City, and where Anthony Davis has found a new stratosphere to take his game, especially after New Orleans lost DeMarcus Cousins.James raves about them all. But ..."I would vote for me," James told The Associated Press. "The body of work, how I'm doing it, what's been happening with our team all year long, how we've got so many injuries and things of that nature, guys in and out, to be able to still keep this thing afloat, I definitely would vote me."It's not an unreasonable take.His numbers this season compare favorably — or exceed — the five-season run between 2008-09 and 2012-13 where he won the MVP award four times. His averages then: 27.8 points, 7.6 rebounds and 7.3 assists on 52 percent shooting while playing 38... [More]

MIAMI (AP) — LeBron James has someone in mind for the MVP award this season.Himself.This is a season where prohibitive MVP favorite James Harden has done phenomenal things with NBA-leading Houston, where reigning MVP Russell Westbrook has been fantastic again for Oklahoma City, and where Anthony Davis has found a new stratosphere to take his game, especially after New Orleans lost DeMarcus Cousins.James raves about them all. But ..."I would vote for me," James told The Associated Press. "The body of work, how I'm doing it, what's been happening with our team all year long, how we've got so many injuries and things of that nature, guys in and out, to be able to still keep this thing afloat, I definitely would vote me."It's not an unreasonable take.His numbers this season compare favorably — or exceed — the five-season run between 2008-09 and 2012-13 where he won the MVP award four times. His averages then: 27.8 points, 7.6 rebounds and 7.3 assists on 52 percent shooting while playing 38... [More]

MIAMI (AP) — LeBron James has someone in mind for the MVP award this season.Himself.This is a season where prohibitive MVP favorite James Harden has done phenomenal things with NBA-leading Houston, where reigning MVP Russell Westbrook has been fantastic again for Oklahoma City, and where Anthony Davis has found a new stratosphere to take his game, especially after New Orleans lost DeMarcus Cousins.James raves about them all. But ..."I would vote for me," James told The Associated Press. "The body of work, how I'm doing it, what's been happening with our team all year long, how we've got so many injuries and things of that nature, guys in and out, to be able to still keep this thing afloat, I definitely would vote me."It's not an unreasonable take.His numbers this season compare favorably — or exceed — the five-season run between 2008-09 and 2012-13 where he won the MVP award four times. His averages then: 27.8 points, 7.6 rebounds and 7.3 assists on 52 percent shooting while playing 38... [More]

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Optimistic as always, Stephen Curry is ready to prove Steve Kerr wrong and return from a left knee injury for the first round of the playoffs.Not that it's entirely up to him. Kerr on Sunday ruled out the two-time MVP for the best-of-seven Western Conference first round. The Warriors are expected to be the No. 2 seed."There's no way he's playing in the first round," Kerr said.An MRI exam Saturday showed a Grade 2 sprain of his medial collateral ligament and the team said Curry would be re-evaluated in three weeks — that would be April 14 and a possible Game 1 of the playoffs for Golden State.On Sunday, Curry limped up a couple of stairs to the podium for his news conference but didn't need crutches, saying, "It's nice that I'm walking and not limited with crutches or anything like that, so that's a positive."Based on what I've been told, three weeks is a good kind of benchmark to re-evaluate and re-assess kind of where I'm at in my progress and whatnot, so mentally... [More]

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Stephen Curry will miss the first round of the playoffs next month because of a sprained left knee.Coach Steve Kerr on Sunday ruled out the two-time MVP for the best-of-seven first round in the Western Conference playoffs. The Warriors are expected to be the No. 2 seed.An MRI exam Saturday showed a Grade 2 sprain of his medial collateral ligament and the team said Curry would be re-evaluated in three weeks — that would be April 14 and a possible Game 1 of the playoffs for Golden State."There's no way he's playing in the first round," Kerr said.Curry had returned from a six-game absence after his latest right ankle injury Friday night only to injure his left knee. In the third quarter of a victory against Atlanta, center JaVale McGee fell into him. Curry hobbled off the court grimacing, sat on the bench and put his head down.Kerr expects Kevin Durant to return this coming week from fractured rib cartilage, while Draymond Green had been set to return Sunday from a pelvic contusion before being ruled out with flu-like symptoms."Well, we've got to hold down the fort," Kerr said. "We've got enough. We're blessed with a great roster, a lot of depth and so let's get going. Let's play and let's compete and hold down the fort. There's no reason why we can't come out and really play well down the stretch and be ready for the playoffs and then maybe we get Steph back and we'll see what happens."___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/tag/NBAbasketball

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Stephen Curry will miss at least three weeks with a sprained left knee, meaning the Golden State Warriors will be without their do-everything point guard and second-leading scorer for the rest of the regular season.Curry could be back at the start of the playoffs next month if all goes well in rehabbing his latest injury. An MRI on Saturday showed a Grade 2 sprain of his medial collateral ligament and the team said Curry would be re-evaluated in three weeks — that would be April 14 and a possible Game 1 of the playoffs for Golden State.The two-time MVP had returned from a six-game absence after his latest right ankle injury Friday night only to injure his left knee. In the third quarter of a victory against Atlanta, center JaVale McGee fell into him. Curry hobbled off the court grimacing, sat on the bench and put his head down.The defending champions were already without their three other All-Stars: Kevin Durant, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson. Green is likely to... [More]

The NBA playoffs start in three weeks. Whether Boston's Kyrie Irving and Golden State's Stephen Curry will be ready when the postseason starts seems doubtful, at best.The Celtics said that Irving will need at least three and possibly as many as six weeks to recover from a procedure performed to relieve irritation on his left knee Saturday, that news coming almost simultaneously with the word that Curry has a Grade 2 sprain of the medial collateral ligament in his left knee.The Warriors said Curry will be evaluated again in three weeks.Based on those timetables, it would appear that both the Celtics and Warriors will not only be without their All-Star point guards for the rest of the regular season — but very easily could still be without them for Game 1s of their respective first-round matchups."It could be a lot worse," Warriors coach Steve Kerr told reporters just before Curry's MRI results were revealed. "You think about some of the other guys in the league that have suffered injuries... [More]

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Stephen Curry will miss at least three weeks because of a sprained left knee, meaning he is out for the rest of the regular season for the Golden State Warriors.He could be back for around the start of the playoffs next month if all goes well in rehabbing his latest injury.An MRI on Saturday showed a Grade 2 sprain of his medial collateral ligament and the team says Curry would be re-evaluated in three weeks — that would be April 14 and a possible Game 1 of the playoffs.The two-time MVP had returned from a six-game absence with a right ankle injury Friday night only to injure his left knee in the third quarter of a victory against Atlanta when center JaVale McGee fell into him.The defending champions were already without their three other All-Stars: Kevin Durant, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson.Curry scored 29 points before his knee injury, which coach Steve Kerr called, "kind of a strange, cruel twist of fate."___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/tag/NBAbasketball

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Kevin Durant will miss at least two weeks with a fractured rib on his right side, joining fellow All-Stars Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson on the injury list for the defending champion Golden State Warriors.An MRI exam Friday for the NBA Finals MVP revealed the incomplete fracture, and the Warriors said Durant would be re-evaluated in two weeks. Durant said he got hit in the ribs at Minnesota last Sunday and initially thought it was just a bruise, but he was sore the next couple of days. He played Wednesday night against the Lakers and felt it again when he hustled to close out on the wing and "felt something stretch and pull.""It was a little sore the next couple of days but not something I was worried about," Durant said.He worked out Thursday and it took him longer to loosen up. By Friday morning, he experienced significant discomfort. It's an injury Durant has never had previously."Hopefully it gets better in the next week or so and see what happens," said Durant,... [More]

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Kevin Durant will miss at least two weeks with a fractured rib on his right side, joining fellow All-Stars Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson on the injury list for the defending champion Golden State Warriors.An MRI exam Friday revealed the incomplete fracture and the Warriors said Durant would be re-evaluated in two weeks. Durant said he got hit in the ribs at Minnesota last Sunday and initially thought it was just a bruise but he was sore the next couple of days. He played Wednesday night against the Lakers and felt it again when he hustled to close out on the wing and "felt something stretch and pull."Curry missed his fourth straight game Friday after re-injuring his troublesome right ankle. He will be re-evaluated Tuesday, while Thompson has a fractured right thumb and will be examined again next Thursday.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/tag/NBAbasketball

With the Houston Rockets on top of the NBA and James Harden on top of the scoring race, he may be running away with the MVP vote.Anthony Davis and Damian Lillard might have something to say about that.With stellar play steering their sizzling teams, they have at least entered their names in the conversation with a little more than a month left in the regular season.Harden has been runner-up to Stephen Curry and Russell Westbrook in recent years, but it's looked like his time this season. With more than 31 points and nearly nine assists per game — third in the league in that category — for a team with the league's best record, it's hard to imagine needing to look elsewhere."What Harden and Houston is doing right now, he's the MVP of the league right now," Hall of Famer Isiah Thomas said on NBA TV.Davis and Lillard could deserve some thought.Davis has carried New Orleans with dominant basketball since DeMarcus Cousins was lost for the season last month. The Western Conference player of the... [More]

WASHINGTON (AP) — With an offer to visit the White House as NBA champions rejected and rescinded, Kevin Durant and the Golden State Warriors instead spent their day off in the nation's capital touring the National Museum of African American History and Culture with local students.In town ahead of their game against the Washington Wizards on Wednesday night, Warriors players, coaches and front office executives met with students from Durant's hometown of Seat Pleasant, Maryland, which is 8 miles from the White House. Traditionally, the reigning champs will be feted by the president when they play at Washington.The Warriors didn't want to wade into much political talk at their pregame shootaround Wednesday, a day after they went to the museum.Did they miss the pomp and circumstance of the customary White House visit?"No," Durant said. "Not at all."His teammate David West simply shook his head when asked the same question. Coach Steve Kerr? "You're not going to get me to go down that path,... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — The Golden State Warriors are heading to Washington, just not to the White House.The traditional champions' invitation was never granted from President Donald Trump — and it appeared the Warriors might have declined it, anyway. So they plan to spend their day in the city with local children Tuesday."We're doing a great thing anyways," All-Star Klay Thompson said Monday, after the Warriors beat the New York Knicks in the opener of a road trip."The White House is a great honor but there's extenuating circumstances that we felt that we're not comfortable doing. We're not going to politicize anything, we're just going to hang out with some kids, take them to an African-American museum and hopefully teach them things we learned along the way and life lessons, and we'll still be getting some great memories."Warriors All-Star Stephen Curry had said he did not want to go to the White House last September and Trump then made it clear he wasn't welcome, sending a tweet that read :... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Stephen Curry would love to be an NBA All-Star Game captain again next year, especially since the game will be in his hometown of Charlotte.LeBron James would be OK with someone else taking his place, depending on who the top two vote-getters are, although his draft prowess led to Team LeBron beating Team Stephen 148-145 Sunday night .And there's a definite appetite for the NBA to televise the captains' draft rather than conduct it clandestinely like it was this year."Televise it," said DeMar DeRozan of Team Stephen. "Give the people what they want to see. I think everybody wants to see it. At the end of the day, every single person that gets picked, you are an All-Star, so it doesn't matter where you really go, so I think televise it."Players raved about the new format of having captains draft the teams rather than the traditional format of East vs. West.And James finally revealed his draft order: Kevin Durant, Anthony Davis, his former Cleveland teammate Kyrie Irving... [More]

PHOENIX (AP) — After Devin Booker hoisted the trophy for winning the 3-point shooting title over All-Star weekend, he said he was bringing it home for the Phoenix Suns fans .They can use any good news they can get.The losses are mounting yet again for the young team, with the talented Booker — mature and poised beyond his years — a beacon of hope that someday things will turn around and the Suns will be the exciting, vibrant franchise they once were.Booker is 12th in the NBA in scoring at 24.2 points per game but, in the talent-laden West, he didn't make the All-Star Game.It didn't help his chances that the Suns are tied with Atlanta for the league's worst record (18-41).Instead, he was one of the 3-point contestants, and won it with a record 28 points in the final round, making 20 of 25 shots, to defeat 2016 champion Klay Thompson."It feels really good," Booker said afterward. "I wanted to go out there and make a name for myself."He wants, he said, to be the best shooter in the game.The... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Stephen Curry would love to be an NBA All-Star Game captain again next year, especially since the game will be in his hometown of Charlotte.LeBron James would be OK with someone else taking his place, depending on who the top two vote-getters are, although his draft prowess led to Team LeBron beating Team Stephen 148-145 Sunday night .And there's a definite appetite for the NBA to televise the captains' draft rather than conduct it clandestinely like it was this year."Televise it," said DeMar DeRozan of Team Stephen. "Give the people what they want to see. I think everybody wants to see it. At the end of the day, every single person that gets picked, you are an All-Star, so it doesn't matter where you really go, so I think televise it."Players raved about the new format of having captains draft the teams rather than the traditional format of East vs. West.And James finally revealed his draft order: Kevin Durant, Anthony Davis, his former Cleveland teammate Kyrie Irving... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — LeBron James and Kevin Durant swarmed all over Stephen Curry in the final seconds, preventing the NBA's best shooter from finding even a patch of open air to launch a tying 3-pointer.Defense? In an All-Star Game?That was just one of the many exciting surprises created by a big change to the league's midseason showcase. After James and Curry got to draft their own teams, this exhibition really seemed to matter to basketball's best.And LeBron picked a winner.James scored 29 points and hit the go-ahead layup with 34.5 seconds to play, winning his third All-Star Game MVP award while his team rallied to win an uncommonly entertaining edition of the event, beating Team Stephen 148-145 Sunday night.For the first time in 67 All-Star games, the league abandoned the traditional East-West format used since 1951, instead allowing the two captains to pick their sides. That twist turned a sometimes staid event into the world's richest pickup game, and the intrigue was reflected on... [More]