NBA

DALLAS (AP) James Harden scored 25 points after another rough shooting start against Dallas as the Houston Rockets beat the Mavericks 100-96 Friday.Harden, who missed his first 11 shots in a home loss to Dallas last month, was 3 of 12 in the first half before making seven...

TORONTO (110)J.Johnson 3-7 0-0 7, A.Johnson 4-7 0-1 8, Valanciunas 8-13 6-8 22, Lowry 9-17 4-5 25, Ross 5-15 0-0 11, Patterson 4-5 0-0 10, Williams 2-9 3-3 9, Hansbrough 1-1 0-0 2, Vasquez 5-12 2-2 16. Totals 41-86 15-19 110.L.A. CLIPPERS (98)Barnes 2-4 0-0 6, Griffin...

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) - The Cleveland Cavaliers finished off Chicago and swept past Atlanta, even when Kyrie Irving wasn't available.Now they have to find their way past the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals without him.Irving has a fractured left kneecap and will have surgery that could sideline...

DENVER (AP) - The Denver Nuggets officially announced the hiring of Pete D'Alessandro as the senior vice president of business and team operations.President Josh Kroenke said in a release Friday that he looks forward to D'Alessandro's assistance in ''creating additional synergy between our business and team operations to help...

CHICAGO (AP) Bulls forward Mike Dunleavy Jr. is planning to see two specialists this week after he had a setback in his recovery from offseason back surgery.Coach Fred Hoiberg said Monday that Dunleavy is going to stop his on-court work and focus on rehabbing the injury for about...

AP Sports WriterJames will come to play, without pressure of Cleveland titleBy JANIE McCAULEYOAKLAND, Calif. (AP) Right near the start Saturday, LeBron James faced a question about whether his legacy might be riding on Game 7 of these NBA Finals.''No,'' he said, straight-faced.He got asked, more than once,...

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) Hornets forward Michael Kidd-Gilchrist has left Charlotte's preseason opener with a right arm injury.Gilchrist was curling off a screen late in the second quarter when he tumbled to the ground after absorbing a foul by a Magic player. He stayed down for several seconds, and...

DETROIT (103)Singler 2-7 1-2 7, Monroe 4-18 2-4 10, Drummond 8-12 0-2 16, Jennings 10-18 0-0 25, Caldwell-Pope 5-9 0-0 13, Jerebko 4-8 0-0 10, Meeks 5-8 1-1 14, Augustin 0-4 0-0 0, Butler 3-7 0-0 8, Anthony 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 41-91 4-9 103.CLEVELAND (80)James...

AP Basketball WriterCharles Barkley has something to say about race in AmericaBy BRIAN MAHONEYNEW YORK (AP) Charles Barkley calls it friendly fire.When he talks about racial issues, it isn't only whites he risks angering. Some of the biggest complaints come from fellow blacks, who figure he's too rich,...

CLEVELAND (AP) - The Golden State Warriors haven't lost three straight games all season, and doing so now would force them to make the greatest comeback in NBA Finals history.Teams with a 3-1 lead are 32-0 in the finals, according to information provided to the league by Elias. So...

AP Basketball WriterWade apologizes for anthem flap in Miami-Toronto seriesBy TIM REYNOLDSMIAMI (AP) Dwyane Wade was the first Miami Heat player to line up for the playing of ''O Canada'' on Monday night.Lesson learned.The Heat guard apologized Monday to anyone who was offended by his actions before Saturday's...

The Golden State Warriors and the New Orleans Pelicans will both be gunning for a victory on Saturday when they meet at Smoothie King Center. Golden State At New Orleans When: 8:00 PM ET, Saturday, April 25, 2015 Where: Smoothie King Center, New Orleans, Louisiana TV: 8 p.m. ET, ESPN, CSN Bay...