NBA

AP Sports WriterSuns hire Jazz assistant Igor Kokoskov as new head coachBy BOB BAUMPHOENIX (AP) The Phoenix Suns have hired Utah Jazz assistant Igor Kokoskov as their new head coach.The 46-year-old Serbian becomes the first NBA head coach born and raised outside North America. He served as a...

TORONTO (AP) Pelicans center Alexis Ajinca admitted he had a hard time focusing on basketball Friday night.The Saint-Etienne, France native was worried about the safety of his family in Paris, where terrorist attacks killed at least 120 people. He didn't get confirmation they were all safe until after...

Kobe Bryant's widow expresses grief, anger in online postLOS ANGELES (AP) Vanessa Bryant expressed grief and anger in an Instagram post Monday as she copes with the deaths of her husband Kobe Bryant, their daughter Gigi and seven other people in a helicopter crash last month.“My brain refuses...

Associated PressBig man Brook Lopez could give Bucks boost on perimeterBy JIM HOEHNMILWAUKEE (AP) The Milwaukee Bucks' key free agent acquisition is a big man who could have an impact from the perimeter.Brook Lopez started at center in the Bucks' preseason opener against the Chicago Bulls, the first...

Doncic returns to Mavericks' lineup after missing 4 gamesDALLAS (AP) Reigning NBA Rookie of the Year Luka Doncic returned to the Dallas Mavericks’ lineup on Thursday night against the San Antonio Spurs after missing four games because of a sprained right ankle.Doncic leads the league this season with...

Giannis, George finalists for NBA MVP and defensive awardNEW YORK (AP) Giannis Antetokounmpo and Paul George have a chance to be both the NBA's MVP and its Defensive Player of the Year.Reigning MVP James Harden is the other finalist for the league's top award. The NBA announced three...

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: NBA bans Stevens 1 year, fines him $500,000OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) The Latest on the incident in which Toronto guard Kyle Lowry was shoved by a courtside Warriors fan (all times local):2:20 p.m.The NBA has banned Golden State Warriors investor Mark Stevens from attending games and any...

AP Sports WriterWes Unseld, NBA Rookie of Year and MVP in 1969, dies at 74By HOWARD FENDRICHWASHINGTON (AP) Wes Unseld, the workmanlike Hall of Fame center who led Washington to its only NBA championship and was chosen one of the 50 greatest players in league history, died Tuesday...

MIAMI (AP) Pat Riley played alongside Jerry West and Gail Goodrich, the guards whose exploits from the early 1970s still have the Miami Heat president saying they were the best backcourt he ever saw.His rankings might be changing.From Riley, these are ultimate compliments - comparing anyone to West...

Washington's Verizon Center will become Capital One ArenaWASHINGTON (AP) The downtown home of the NBA's Wizards and NHL's Capitals is now called Capital One Arena.Owner Ted Leonsis announced the change from Verizon Center on Wednesday, along with an investment of $40 million in the arena. Leonsis' Monumental Sports...

AP Sports Writer76ers' Fultz gets to make NBA debut at Wizards close to homeBy STEPHEN WHYNOWASHINGTON (AP) Three years after playing varsity basketball for the first time, Markelle Fultz starts the next chapter of his career down the road from where it all began.The No. 1 pick in...