NBA

AP Basketball WriterFamily reunion: NBA players begin seeing guests in bubbleBy BRIAN MAHONEYLAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) Fred VanVleet hadn't seen his family in more than two months.With his Toronto Raptors coming off a bad playoff loss, their long-awaited reunion was a great way to cheer him up.Players...

AP Sports WriterPelicans' Brandon Ingram named NBA most improved playerBy BRETT MARTELNEW ORLEANS (AP) Pelicans forward Brandon Ingram has been named the NBA's most improved player in a season that saw him bounce back from a life-altering blood clot and a trade from the team that drafted him...

AP Sports WriterPacers seek new 'new age' coach who can win in the playoffsBy MICHAEL MAROTINDIANAPOLIS (AP) Kevin Pritchard swallowed hard when the Indiana Pacers endured yet another season-ending first-round sweep last week.Then the Indiana Pacers president of basketball operations tried to wash away the sour taste.Five days...

AP Basketball WriterFamily reunion: NBA players begin seeing guests in bubbleBy BRIAN MAHONEYLAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) Fred VanVleet hasn't seen his family in more than two months.With his Toronto Raptors coming off a bad playoff loss, their long-awaited reunion was a great way to cheer him up.Players...

AP Basketball WriterAll ears: Magic will decompress, then make future plansBy TIM REYNOLDSLAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) Orlando coach Steve Clifford proudly displayed a pair of personalized Mickey Mouse ears inside his home office Monday, saying they would be one of the gifts from this season that he...

Bronny James, LeBron's son, joins pro esports organizationLOS ANGELES (AP) Bronny James is going pro - in video games.The son of NBA star LeBron James has joined professional esports organization FaZe Clan, where he's expected to stream Fortnite and Call of Duty: Warzone under the handle ''FaZe Bronny.''The...

AP Basketball WriterAfter deciding to stay, Lakers could be in bubble a whileBy BRIAN MAHONEYLAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) There was a point this week when LeBron James and the Lakers weren't sure they would remain in the bubble.They decided to stay and look like they could be...

AP Basketball WriterBucks, Heat set to open Eastern Conference semifinal seriesBy TIM REYNOLDSThe Milwaukee Bucks were no more than 10 minutes removed from winning their first-round series, and coach Mike Budenholzer had already shifted his thinking to what awaits against the Miami Heat.Such is life for coaches in the...

AP Basketball WriterRockets can advance, Thunder look to force a Game 7By TIM REYNOLDSThe law of averages says an Oklahoma City Thunder starter will make a 3-pointer relatively quickly on Monday night.Someone better, or else.Houston - which famously wasted a chance to reach the NBA Finals by missing 27...

Clippers' Morris ejected for flagrant foul on Mavs' DoncicLAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) Los Angeles Clippers forward Marcus Morris was ejected after a hard foul against Luka Doncic of the Dallas Mavericks in the first quarter of their playoff game Sunday.Doncic was trying to get to the basket...

AP Basketball WriterCliff Robinson, ex-UConn star, top NBA 6th man, dies at 53By BRIAN MAHONEYCliff Robinson guided UConn out from the bottom and almost helped take the Portland Trail Blazers to the top.He was one of the NBA's best sixth men, a versatile player who became a predecessor of...

AP Basketball WriterEx-UConn star, top NBA sixth man Cliff Robinson dies at 53By BRIAN MAHONEYCliff Robinson, an early star in UConn's rise to power and longtime top sixth man in the NBA, died Saturday. He was 53.Robinson's death was confirmed by UConn. No cause of death was given, though...