Trevor Ariza is on the move for the third time this week, going to Oklahoma City from Detroit along with Dallas' Justin Jackson in a three-team trade. Also in the deal, the Mavericks sent Delon Wright to the Pistons for James Johnson, a person with knowledge of the details said early Saturday. Ariza was sent from Portland to Houston two days before the draft, then shipped to the Pistons on draft night Wednesday. The 35-year-old has already played for 10 teams. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the deal hasn't been announced. It was first reported by the New York Times. The Mavericks added Johnson to provide some toughness around young stars Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis. Dallas was defensive-minded on draft night, taking Arizona's Josh Green in the first round and trading for Philadelphia's Josh Richardson. Point guard Trey Burke and the Mavericks agreed on a $10 million, three-year contract for the free agent to return after a strong showing... [More]

DALLAS (AP) — Luka Doncic left the game early with a sprained ankle, and the Dallas Mavericks rallied from 24 points down without their young star before falling to the Miami Heat 122-118 in overtime Saturday night.Bam Adebayo put Miami in front for good on a put-back dunk with 1:15 remaining in overtime and finished with 18 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists for his second triple-double in three games.Without Doncic, Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 18 of his 28 points in the second half to help Dallas rally, but was shut out in overtime. Kristaps Porzingis, the other half of Dallas' star European pairing with Doncic, had 22 points and 14 rebounds but couldn't convert on two possessions late in the extra period. Then the 7-foot-3 Latvian gave up an offensive rebound after Jimmy Butler missed two free throws with nine seconds remaining.With another chance after another foul, Butler made two free throws for a three-point lead, and Jalen Brunson missed a 3-pointer just before the buzzer. Butler led... [More]

DALLAS (AP) — The Dallas Mavericks have finalized a deal to acquire guard Delon Wright from Memphis in a sign-and-trade agreement for the restricted free agent.The Grizzlies get two second-round draft picks and the rights to Satnam Singh in the deal announced Monday. Four years ago, the Mavericks made Singh the first player born in India to be drafted when they took him late in the second round.The Mavericks and Wright have agreed on a $29 million, three-year contract as part of the trade. Dallas acquired Wright after losing out on free-agent target Danny Green, who chose the Los Angeles Lakers.Wright could start alongside NBA Rookie of the Year Luka Doncic in the Dallas backcourt. The 27-year-old Wright averaged 12.2 points, nearly five points above his career average, in 26 games with the Grizzlies last season after joining them in a trade with Toronto.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

DALLAS (AP) — A person with direct knowledge of the deal says the Dallas Mavericks have acquired guard Delon Wright from the Memphis Grizzlies in a sign-and-trade agreement that could make the restricted free agent a starter alongside rookie of the year Luka Doncic.Wright and the Mavericks have agreed on a $29 million, three-year contract, agent Greg Lawrence said Sunday. The Grizzlies will get two second-round picks in the trade, the person told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the deal hasn't been announced.The move by the Mavericks comes after they missed out on free agent target Danny Green, a shooting guard and strong defender who agreed on a contract with the Los Angeles Lakers after former Toronto teammate Kawhi Leonard chose the LA Clippers over returning to the Raptors.The 6-foot-5 Wright has a chance to be a solid complement to Doncic because of his versatility on defense. The 27-year-old was chosen 20th overall in the first round by the Raptors in 2015,... [More]

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]

TORONTO (AP) — A "culture reset" carried the Toronto Raptors to the top of the Eastern Conference for the first time this season.Next, the Raptors will try to hit reset on their playoff history with the Washington Wizards.After Cleveland swept the Raptors in the second round last spring, team president Masai Ujiri promised to change the culture surrounding the club.That meant greater emphasis on ball movement and 3-point shooting, something the Raptors were able to execute immediately. Toronto had 67 games with at least 20 assists, up from 34 the previous year, and averaged 33 shots a game from beyond the arc, third most in the NBA."We won 59 games," All-Star guard DeMar DeRozan said. "I think that speaks for itself. We know what works for us, what got us here, and what's going to take us even further."Thanks to the offensive overhaul, this Raptors team is far removed from the one swept in the first round in 2015, a series in which the Wizards won by an average of 14 points."That's old... [More]

They do things differently in Toronto.When it's time for NBA public-address announcers to introduce the starting lineup before games, the Raptors don't wait to hear their names called. The starters simply huddle up for a quick chat while their backups gather a few feet away and use a basketball to play volleyball — bumping and setting it to each other before someone spikes a dunk.They're laughing. They're loose. And they don't mind if few are noticing.These are happy times for the Toronto Raptors, who kept their stars and coach together even after a string of playoff flameouts and are seeing that continuity rewarded. If they win three of their final eight games, they'll break the franchise single-season record of 56 victories. And they're in position to go into the Eastern Conference playoffs as the No. 1 seed for the first time, entering Monday with a 3 ½ game lead over No. 2 Boston."I feel like we have something special that is a well-kept secret," Raptors coach Dwane Casey said.Canada's... [More]

Toronto Raptors guard Delon Wright underwent arthroscopic right shoulder surgery Monday and is expected to be sidelined for at least four months.Wright was injured July 16 in the fourth quarter of a Summer League game in Las Vegas against Minnesota. Initial X-rays were negative and the dislocated shoulder was put back in place but further testing revealed a torn labrum.The Raptors selected Wright with the 20th overall pick of the 2015 draft out of Utah. He averaged 3.8 points, 1.4 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 8.5 minutes in 27 NBA appearances last season.Wright also appeared in 15 games with Toronto's NBDL team, with which he averaged 17.7 points, 6.5 assists and five rebounds.