NBA

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...

Brooklyn Nets power forward Reggie Evans said Thursday he never downplayed the Miami Heat's championship during the lockout-shortened 2011-12 season, and his comments were blown out of proportion. Prior to Wednesday night's 105-85 loss to the Heat, Evans dismissed the Heat's title, telling the New York Daily News: "It doesn't...

CHICAGO (AP) The Chicago Bulls have assigned guard R.J. Hunter to the Windy City Bulls of the NBA D-League. Hunter was signed by Chicago on Oct. 27, and has not played in a game. The Bulls announced the move on Tuesday. They visit Atlanta on Wednesday.

OAKLAND, California (AP) The defending champion Golden State Warriors set the record for best start in NBA history at 16-0, as Stephen Curry had 24 points and nine assists in a 111-77 rout of the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday.With their coach sidelined, the Warriors surpassed the 15-0...

CLEVELAND (AP) - Kobe Bryant, who has won five NBA championships, will be part of Sina's pregame and postgame livestream of Game 3 of the NBA Finals in China.The Lakers superstar will provide analysis before and after Tuesday night's game, joining host Huang Shuo remotely from Los Angeles.Bryant remains...

LeBron James doesn't think it's possible to be paid his actual value under the current NBA rules. Because of it he said he's been willing to sacrifice on his contracts. "What I do on the floor shows my value. At the end of the day, I don't think my...

DENVER (AP) Stephen Curry was just about unstoppable in the fourth quarter, except near the very end.Curry scored 20 of his 38 points in the final period but lost the ball under defensive pressure from Danilo Gallinari in the last moments, allowing the Denver Nuggets to hang on...

OAKLAND, California (AP) At every stop, in every road arena, Kobe Bryant is reflecting on 20 years of memories and many great basketball games.He's enjoying every second of this farewell ride despite all the losing, which isn't exactly how he intended to go into retirement.The 37-year-old Bryant returned...

Associated Press No matter position, Simmons centerpiece of 76ers' offenseBy ANTHONY SANFILIPPOPHILADELPHIA (AP) No matter what position he ends up playing, Ben Simmons is going to be the centerpiece of the Philadelphia 76ers' offense. ''He's a facilitator, a distributor and he's going to have the ball in his hands a lot,''...

CLEVELAND (AP) Blinking back tears, LeBron James extended his right ring finger, the one sparkling with 400 diamonds, and touched the championship banner. As it rose from a golden, miniature Cleveland skyline toward the ceiling, Queen's ''We Are The Champions'' filled Quicken Loans Arena and Cavs fans sang along with...

The fans at Rose Garden will be treated to a game between the Los Angeles Clippers and the Portland Trail Blazers when they take their seats on Saturday. L.A. Clippers At Portland When: 10:00 PM ET, Saturday, January 26, 2013 Where: Rose Garden, Portland, Oregon TV: 10 p.m. ET, Prime Ticket (Los...

CHICAGO (AP) Toni Kukoc has been hired by the Chicago Bulls as a special adviser to the team president.Kukoc helped the Bulls win three championships. President Michael Reinsdorf says Kukoc's duties will be ''wide-ranging,'' from relating to international players to talking to business partners and fans.Kukoc calls it...