NBA

AP Basketball WriterGobert health scare shuts down NBA, teammate tests positiveBy TIM REYNOLDSIt started as a joke: Before leaving a post-practice interview session Rudy Gobert touched all the tape recorders that were placed before him on a table, devices that reporters who cover the Utah Jazz were using during...

AP Sports WriterOklahoma City Thunder's rebuild will take some timeBy CLIFF BRUNTOKLAHOMA CITY (AP) Yosef Maaroof wanted one more Russell Westbrook memory in Oklahoma City.When he learned Thursday night the Thunder were planning to send Westbrook to the Houston Rockets for Chris Paul and draft picks, the 20-year-old...

As preseason winds down, NBA stars are getting some restBy The Associated PressKyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward's preseasons ended early.And they weren't alone around the NBA on Saturday, either.The Boston Celtics left the biggest two stars on their roster - both of whom are coming off serious injuries, and...

Associated PressRetooled Raptors ready for playoff rematch with WizardsBy IAN HARRISONTORONTO (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...

AP Sports WriterCavs' Love out 2 months with broken hand, avoids surgeryBy TOM WITHERSCLEVELAND (AP) Kevin Love dodged surgery. The Cavaliers were hit hard.The All-Star forward, who was recently at the center of some team turmoil, will miss two months because of a broken left hand. Love fractured...

NEW YORK (AP) The NBA will now seed playoff teams solely by their record, throwing out the top-four protection for teams who win their divisions.The expected change was unanimously approved Tuesday by the league's Board of Governors. Teams in each conference will be seeded from one to eight...

Associated PressGiannis Antetokounmpo helps Bucks rout Thunder, 133-86By TOM KERTSCHERMILWAUKEE (AP) Giannis Antetokounmpo had 32 points and 13 rebounds and the Milwaukee Bucks surged to a 24-point lead in the second quarter in a 133-86 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday night.The 47-point loss was the...

Spain tops Poland 90-78, moves into World Cup semisSHANGHAI (AP) Ricky Rubio scored 19 points, including a pair of 3-pointers in a game-deciding 11-0 run in the final minutes, and Spain advanced to the World Cup semifinals by topping Poland 90-78 on Tuesday night.Willy Hernangomez scored 18 points,...

AP Sports WriterNBA suspends Ingram, Rondo, Paul in Lakers-Rockets dustupBy BETH HARRISLOS ANGELES (AP) Lakers teammates Brandon Ingram and Rajon Rondo and Chris Paul of the Rockets were suspended without pay Sunday for their roles in an on-court fight between the two teams.The NBA handed down the punishments...

AP Sports WriterThunder face Rockets, ex-OKC star Westbrook, in 1st roundBy CLIFF BRUNTOKLAHOMA CITY (AP) Few imagined when the Oklahoma City Thunder traded cornerstone Russell Westbrook to Houston for Chris Paul last summer that the teams would meet in the playoffs this season.Most expected Oklahoma City to rebuild...

LOS ANGELES (AP) Kobe Bryant has decided to retire after this season, ending his 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers.The 37-year-old Bryant made the announcement in a post on The Players' Tribune on Sunday. The third-leading scorer in NBA history wrote a poem entitled ''Dear Basketball'' to...

AP Basketball WriterIt's official: NBA will have a play-in series in the WestBy TIM REYNOLDSLAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) It's now official: There will be a play-in series to determine the final playoff spot in the Western Conference.Memphis' 108-99 loss to Toronto on Sunday means that it's no...