NBA

Chicago Bulls sign guard Antonio Blakeney to NBA contractCHICAGO (AP) The Chicago Bulls have signed guard Antonio Blakeney to an NBA contract.Undrafted out of LSU in 2017, Blakeney signed a two-way deal with the Bulls and averaged 7.9 points in 19 games while splitting time between Chicago and...

NBA TV host Kristen Ledlow says she was robbed at gunpointATLANTA (AP) NBA TV personality Kristen Ledlow was robbed at gunpoint at her home, she said.The host of ''NBA Inside Stuff'' said on Twitter and Instagram on Sunday that she was held up the day before ''by three...

AP Basketball WriterNets GM unsure if Durant, Irving could play if NBA resumesBy BRIAN MAHONEYNEW YORK (AP) With so much uncertainty around the NBA season, Brooklyn Nets general manager Sean Marks is no longer ruling Kevin Durant out for the season.Marks had repeatedly said he didn't expect Durant...

AP Sports WriterKarnisovas sets course to boost Bulls toward ultimate prizeBy ANDREW SELIGMANCHICAGO (AP) Arturas Karnisovas developed a passion for the Chicago Bulls when he was a teenager in Lithuania. He watched from afar as Michael Jordan set out on a path that turned Chicago into a championship...

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) - Warriors reserve forward Marreese Speights has a strained right calf that could keep him out for the rest of Golden State's series with the Memphis Grizzlies.The Warriors said Sunday that Speights had an MRI exam that showed a moderate strain, and the forward will be...

AP Sports WriterLakers return $4.6 million from stimulus loan programBy GREG BEACHAMLOS ANGELES (AP) The Los Angeles Lakers have repaid a loan of roughly $4.6 million from coronavirus business relief funds after learning the program had been depleted.The Lakers applied for the loan under the Small Business Administration's...

AP Sports WriterBling and baseball: Cleveland at center of sports stormBy TOM WITHERSCLEVELAND (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...

Timberwolves' Towns says mother hospitalized with COVID-19MINNEAPOLIS (AP) Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns says his mother is hospitalized and in a medically-induced coma after contracting the new coronavirus.Towns talked about the condition of his mother, Jacqueline Cruz, early Wednesday on hisand urged his followers to take COVID-19 seriously...

AP Sports WriterFertitta introduced as new owner of Houston RocketsBy KRISTIE RIEKENHOUSTON (AP) Tilman Fertitta has been a fan of the Rockets since before they moved to Houston, and after a failed attempt to buy the team long ago he was prepared to do whatever it took not...

AP Basketball WriterAnthem singer at Heat-76ers game kneels during performanceBy TIM REYNOLDSMIAMI (AP) A woman performing the national anthem before an NBA preseason game in Miami on Friday night did so while kneeling at midcourt, and opening her jacket to show a shirt with the phrase ''Black Lives...

NBA fines Smart $15,000 for comments about foul on GiannisNEW YORK (AP) Marcus Smart was fined $15,000 by the NBA on Saturday for criticizing referees after the Boston Celtics guard claimed the officials changed a call Friday night to keep Milwaukee star Giannis Antetokounmpo from fouling out.Antetokounmpo appeared...

Nets sign guard Caris LeVert to contract extensionNEW YORK (AP) The Brooklyn Nets have signed guard Caris LeVert to a contract extension after his remarkable recovery from injury last season.The 2016 first-round pick was averaging a team-best 18.4 points in his first 13 games before sustaining a dislocated...