NBA

AP Basketball WriterNets not planning for Durant to play this seasonBy BRIAN MAHONEYNEW YORK (AP) The Brooklyn Nets expect to wait a year before Kevin Durant plays for them.General manager Sean Marks said Tuesday the Nets are planning this season without the injured All-Star. He added Durant will...

AP Sports WriterDoc is in: 76ers expect Rivers to lead them to NBA titleBy DAN GELSTONPHILADELPHIA (AP) Doc Rivers takes over a team tasked not with leading a Process-type rebuild or massaging the egos of two talented - yet frustrating - All-Stars.He's in Philadelphia to bring accountability to...

Associated PressBryant's helicopter flew in fog that grounded other choppersBy STEFANIE DAZIOCALABASAS, Calif. (AP) The helicopter carrying Kobe Bryant and eight others that crashed into a rugged hillside outside Los Angeles was flying in foggy conditions considered dangerous enough that local police agencies grounded their choppers.The helicopter plunged...

LOS ANGELES (AP) The opening round of the NBA playoffs is down to the Utah Jazz and Los Angeles Clippers, the only series to be extended to seven games. The Clippers can finish off the Jazz on Sunday and advance to the Western Conference semifinals against Golden State, which has...

Horford out with sore left knee, Morris starts in his placeATLANTA (AP) Celtics forward Al Horford has a sore left knee and will miss a game for the first time of the season.Marcus Morris took Horford's spot in the lineup against Atlanta, making his first start since last...

AP Sports WriterAP source: Wolves send Wiggins to Warriors for RussellBy DAVE CAMPBELLMINNEAPOLIS (AP) In a swap of high scorers, the Minnesota Timberwolves acquired D'Angelo Russell on Thursday from the Golden State Warriors for Andrew Wiggins, according to a person with knowledge of the trade.The person spoke to...

AP Basketball WriterThe draft is over, and now on the clock: Free agencyBy TIM REYNOLDSNow on the clock: Chaos.The NBA offseason is about to kick into high gear.A draft that had good bits of intrigue - at least after New Orleans' Zion Williamson, Memphis' Ja Morant and New York's...

AP Sports WriterCavs sign Drew to new coaching contract for rest of seasonBy TOM WITHERSCLEVELAND (AP) Larry Drew's awkward impasse with the Cleveland Cavaliers is over.The team's struggles are getting worse.The Cavs relented to Drew's requests by restructuring his contract and signing him to be their coach for...

AP Sports WriterNuggets rout Raptors with big 3rd quarter in 129-111 winBy PAT GRAHAMDENVER (AP) Jamal Murray scored 16 of his 24 points in a decisive third-quarter spurt, big man Nikola Jokic added 16 rebounds and 10 assists to narrowly miss a triple-double and the Denver Nuggets beat...

AP Sports WriterBoston Celtics Hall of Famer K.C. Jones dies at 88By JIMMY GOLENBOSTON (AP) Basketball Hall of Famer K.C. Jones, an Olympic gold medalist and two-time NCAA champion who won eight straight NBA titles during the Celtics' Bill Russell era and then coached the Boston teams with...

Celtics to retire Paul Pierce's No. 34BOSTON (AP) The Boston Celtics will retire Paul Pierce's No. 34 during their Feb. 11 game against the Cleveland Cavaliers.The longtime Celtics forward will be the 22nd player so honored - the first since 2003.Pierce was drafted by Boston in 1998 and...

OKLAHOMA CITY (104)Jones 0-2 0-0 0, Ibaka 6-17 2-3 16, Adams 4-9 1-5 9, Westbrook 9-22 13-13 31, Roberson 4-7 0-2 10, Collison 2-4 0-0 4, Jackson 9-15 4-4 25, Morrow 2-5 2-2 7, Lamb 1-5 0-0 2. Totals 37-86 22-29 104.L.A. LAKERS (103)Johnson 3-8 0-0 7,...