NBA

AP Sports WriterSpurs look to close out Rockets with Leonard ailingBy KRISTIE RIEKENHOUSTON (AP) The San Antonio Spurs are a victory away from eliminating the Houston Rockets and advancing to the Western Conference finals for the first time since winning the NBA title in 2014.But entering Thursday night's...

Ex-soccer star Holiday faces tumor with husband Jrue's helpNEW ORLEANS (AP) Former U.S. soccer star Lauren Holiday has been diagnosed with a brain tumor while pregnant, and her husband, New Orleans Pelicans guard Jrue Holiday, is taking indefinite leave from the NBA club to care for his wife,...

LOS ANGELES (AP) Although Lamar Odom's marriage to Khloe Kardashian introduced him to untold millions of fans who don't know a power forward from a paparazzo, reality television notoriety was only a small part of a life largely spent in basketball.Odom won two NBA championships with the Los...

AP Basketball WriterA thankful Popovich bids farewell to 'irreplaceable' DuncanBy TIM REYNOLDSGregg Popovich bade an emotional farewell to Tim Duncan's playing career Tuesday, the longtime San Antonio coach saying the now-retired Spurs star was the best teammate anyone could have known.Sounding as if he were choking up at times...

MILWAUKEE (AP) Energetic broadcaster Gus Johnson will be calling games for the up-and-coming Milwaukee Bucks this season.A team spokesman confirmed Monday night that Johnson would call 20 Bucks contests for Fox Sports Wisconsin.Johnson is a veteran play-by-play man who is best known for his calls of college basketball...

DENVER (AP) - The Denver Nuggets have hired Michael Malone as their new coach.Malone got the job over Melvin Hunt, who served as interim coach after Brian Shaw was fired on March 3. The players lobbied for the Nuggets to make Hunt the full-time coach.Malone was fired by Sacramento...

AP Sports WriterSilver: No decision on moving All-Star Game from CharlotteBy TIM DAHLBERGLAS VEGAS (AP) NBA owners made no decision Tuesday after a lengthy debate about moving next year's All-Star Game from Charlotte because of North Carolina's law limiting protection for LGBT people.Commissioner Adam Silver said no vote...

METAIRIE, La. (AP) - Jrue Holiday has had surgery to remove a screw from his lower right leg, which has hampered the New Orleans Pelicans guard for much of the past two seasons.The Pelicans say a procedure performed Wednesday was deemed successful after a screw was removed from a...

CLEVELAND (AP) - Anderson Varejao's season has ended, dealing a major blow to the Cavaliers' NBA title hopes.Cleveland's starting center tore his left Achilles tendon on Tuesday night in a win over Minnesota, an injury that will cost him the rest of this season and will force the Cavs...

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) Wesley Matthews returned to Portland on Tuesday night for the first time since leaving the team as a free agent last summer.Matthews was the center of attention for the Dallas Mavericks' first game against the Trail Blazers this season. The 28-year-old shooting guard was a...

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - The Utah Jazz introduced draft picks Trey Lyles from Kentucky and Olivier Hanlan from Boston College during a Friday news conference.The draft is an optimistic time of adding young players who teams hope will be significant contributors in the future.But the Jazz have work...

The Latest from the NBA draft at Barclays Center in New York (All times local):8:10 p.m.Well, that didn't take long.The Lakers pulled off the first surprise, albeit a somewhat mild one, and went small with D'Angelo Russell out of Ohio State, arguably the most dynamic player available....