PHOENIX (AP) — Phoenix Suns forward Cam Johnson could miss extended time after injuring his right knee on Friday night.
Coach Monty Williams did not comment on the extent of the injury on Saturday before the team's game against the Trail Blazers. The Athletic <a href="https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1589043927038169088">reported that the Suns fear Johnson has a torn meniscus</a>, but more tests are scheduled.
Johnson suffered the injury on Friday in the first quarter when he landed awkwardly while trying to plant his foot and run the other direction.
He immediately started limping and came out of the game shortly afterwards.
“He's a starter for us, so that's always a tough blow,” Williams said. “That happens throughout the season. You just have to make your adjustments.”
Johnson has been a key contributor over the past few years and moved into a starting role this season. He's averaging a career-high 13 points and scored a season-best 29 points earlier this week in a win over the Timberwolves.
Johnson is in the final year of his rookie contract after failing to sign a long-term extension before the season. The Suns' ownership situation <a href="https://apnews.com/article/phoenix-suns-nba-sports-mercury-basketball-5d41fac4d946eaa106cb8bdfd567c37e">is in flux after Robert Sarver announced he would explore selling the team</a> following his one-year suspension by the NBA over workplace misconduct that included racist speech and hostile behavior toward employees.
___
More AP NBA coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

PHOENIX (AP) &mdash; Phoenix Suns forward Cam Johnson could miss extended time after injuring his right knee on Friday night.
Coach Monty Williams did not comment on the extent of the injury on Saturday before the team's game against the Trail Blazers. The Athletic <a href="https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1589043927038169088">reported that the Suns fear Johnson has a torn meniscus</a>, but more tests are scheduled.
Johnson suffered the injury on Friday in the first quarter when he landed awkwardly while trying to plant his foot and run the other direction.
He immediately started limping and came out of the game shortly afterwards.
&ldquo;He's a starter for us, so that's always a tough blow,&rdquo; Williams said. &ldquo;That happens throughout the season. You just have to make your adjustments.&rdquo;
Johnson has been a key contributor over the past few years and moved into a starting role this season. He's averaging a career-high 13 points and scored a season-best 29 points earlier this week in a win over the Timberwolves.
Johnson is in the final year of his rookie contract after failing to sign a long-term extension before the season. The Suns' ownership situation <a href="https://apnews.com/article/phoenix-suns-nba-sports-mercury-basketball-5d41fac4d946eaa106cb8bdfd567c37e" target="_blank" rel="noopener">is in flux after Robert Sarver announced he would explore selling the team</a> following his one-year suspension by the NBA over workplace misconduct that included racist speech and hostile behavior toward employees.

Phoenix Suns forward Cam Johnson could miss extended time after injuring his right knee on Friday night.

Suns forward Cam Johnson injures knee, could miss extended time

WASHINGTON (AP) — As a Jewish forward for the Washington Wizards, Deni Avdija was naturally going to be asked about Kyrie Irving.
Especially when his team just finished playing against the Brooklyn Nets.
Avdija said Friday night he tries to stay positive in the face of antisemitism, but he also believes there should be consequences for players' actions. The 21-year-old from Israel spoke for a few minutes in the Washington locker room after the Wizards <a href="https://apnews.com/article/brooklyn-nets-washington-wizards-nba-sports-kevin-durant-0a0b74e9761f0fd4eb9e84274abcb533">lost to the Irving-less Nets</a>.
Brooklyn <a href="https://apnews.com/article/brooklyn-nets-nba-sports-basketball-9967fe0a7d519ec88bb69653903269a3">suspended Irving</a> on Thursday for posting a since-deleted link to an antisemitic work. <a href="https://apnews.com/article/brooklyn-nets-nba-sports-race-and-ethnicity-racial-injustice-614577d264e8fc39e863b66b79f0e159">The fallout</a> from his post continued Friday with <a href="https://apnews.com/article/brooklyn-nets-nba-sports-kyrie-irving-racial-injustice-972e41eed3debbd9a548433c78227f05">Nike announcing</a> the company has halted its relationship with Irving.
“I think people look up to him," Avdija said. "You can think whatever you want, you can do whatever you want. Just, I don't think it's right to go out in public and publish it and let little kids that follow you see it, and the generations that come after to think like that, because it's not true, and I don't think it's fair.”
Avdija is in his third NBA season. He's the league's lone Israeli-born player.
“I'm Jewish, and I love my culture, I love my country," he said. "It's a little upsetting to hear some stuff about your religion. Just spread love, man. Love everybody, love all cultures.”
Avdija talked about the support he receives from the Jewish community and Israelis around the world. He was asked how often he's had to deal with antisemitism.
“In terms of things like that, it's always going to be there. It will never go away,” he said. "It's just, if you want to pay attention to the stuff or you just want to keep moving and focus on the important stuff in life. I'm a positive guy. I'm not looking for the bad things.”
Avdija was supportive of the punishment for Irving.
“I think there need to be consequences for the actions that players do," he said. "I don't know the amount, the punishment that the league gives, but I think it needs to be known that there's no room for words like that.”
Kyle Kuzma, Avdija's teammate, caused a bit of a stir when he tweeted, “Can’t even tell the truth no more,” on Friday. He said that was in reference to a personal matter and not Irving's situation.
Kuzma also said he received death threats following the tweet.
“It's probably bots at this point. I don't know who is behind the mic, who is behind the tweets,” Kuzma said. “But there were a few of those. But it all stems from just wrong place, wrong time, misinterpretations, so I get it. It's not the end of the world.”
___
Follow Noah Trister at <a href="https://twitter.com/noahtrister">https://twitter.com/noahtrister</a>
___
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WASHINGTON (AP) &mdash; As a Jewish forward for the Washington Wizards, Deni Avdija was naturally going to be asked about Kyrie Irving.
Especially when his team just finished playing against the Brooklyn Nets.
Avdija said Friday night he tries to stay positive in the face of antisemitism, but he also believes there should be consequences for players' actions. The 21-year-old from Israel spoke for a few minutes in the Washington locker room after the Wizards <a href="https://apnews.com/article/brooklyn-nets-washington-wizards-nba-sports-kevin-durant-0a0b74e9761f0fd4eb9e84274abcb533" target="_blank" rel="noopener">lost to the Irving-less Nets</a>.
Brooklyn <a href="https://apnews.com/article/brooklyn-nets-nba-sports-basketball-9967fe0a7d519ec88bb69653903269a3">suspended Irving</a> on Thursday for posting a since-deleted link to an antisemitic work. <a href="https://apnews.com/article/brooklyn-nets-nba-sports-race-and-ethnicity-racial-injustice-614577d264e8fc39e863b66b79f0e159">The fallout</a> from his post continued Friday with <a href="https://apnews.com/article/brooklyn-nets-nba-sports-kyrie-irving-racial-injustice-972e41eed3debbd9a548433c78227f05">Nike announcing</a> the company has halted its relationship with Irving.
&ldquo;I think people look up to him," Avdija said. "You can think whatever you want, you can do whatever you want. Just, I don't think it's right to go out in public and publish it and let little kids that follow you see it, and the generations that come after to think like that, because it's not true, and I don't think it's fair.&rdquo;
Avdija is in his third NBA season. He's the league's lone Israeli-born player.
&ldquo;I'm Jewish, and I love my culture, I love my country," he said. "It's a little upsetting to hear some stuff about your religion. Just spread love, man. Love everybody, love all cultures.&rdquo;
Avdija talked about the support he receives from the Jewish community and Israelis around the world. He was asked how often he's had to deal with antisemitism.
&ldquo;In terms of things like that, it's always going to be there. It will never go away,&rdquo; he said. "It's just, if you want to pay attention to the stuff or you just want to keep moving and focus on the important stuff in life. I'm a positive guy. I'm not looking for the bad things.&rdquo;
Avdija was supportive of the punishment for Irving.
&ldquo;I think there need to be consequences for the actions that players do," he said. "I don't know the amount, the punishment that the league gives, but I think it needs to be known that there's no room for words like that.&rdquo;
Kyle Kuzma, Avdija's teammate, caused a bit of a stir when he tweeted, &ldquo;Can&rsquo;t even tell the truth no more,&rdquo; on Friday. He said that was in reference to a personal matter and not Irving's situation.
Kuzma also said he received death threats following the tweet.
&ldquo;It's probably bots at this point. I don't know who is behind the mic, who is behind the tweets,&rdquo; Kuzma said. &ldquo;But there were a few of those. But it all stems from just wrong place, wrong time, misinterpretations, so I get it. It's not the end of the world.&rdquo;
___
Follow Noah Trister at <a href="https://twitter.com/noahtrister">https://twitter.com/noahtrister</a>
___
AP NBA: <a href="https://apnews.com/NBA">https://apnews.com/NBA</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/AP_Sports">https://twitter.com/AP_Sports</a>

WASHINGTON (AP) &mdash; As a Jewish forward for the Washington Wizards, Deni Avdija was naturally going to be asked about Kyrie Irving.
Especially when his team just finished playing against the Brooklyn Nets.
Avdija said Friday night he tries to stay positive in the face of antisemitism, but he also believes there should be consequences for players' actions. The 21-year-old from Israel spoke for a few minutes in the Washington locker room after the Wizards <a href="https://apnews.com/article/brooklyn-nets-washington-wizards-nba-sports-kevin-durant-0a0b74e9761f0fd4eb9e84274abcb533" target="_blank" rel="noopener">lost to the Irving-less Nets</a>.
Brooklyn <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nets-suspend-kyrie-irving-for-minimum-of-five-games" target="_blank" rel="noopener">suspended Irving</a> on Thursday for posting a since-deleted link to an antisemitic work. <a href="https://apnews.com/article/brooklyn-nets-nba-sports-race-and-ethnicity-racial-injustice-614577d264e8fc39e863b66b79f0e159">The fallout</a> from his post continued Friday with <a href="https://apnews.com/article/brooklyn-nets-nba-sports-kyrie-irving-racial-injustice-972e41eed3debbd9a548433c78227f05">Nike announcing</a> the company has halted its relationship with Irving.
&ldquo;I think people look up to him," Avdija said. "You can think whatever you want, you can do whatever you want. Just, I don't think it's right to go out in public and publish it and let little kids that follow you see it, and the generations that come after to think like that, because it's not true, and I don't think it's fair.&rdquo;
Avdija is in his third NBA season. He's the league's lone Israeli-born player.
&ldquo;I'm Jewish, and I love my culture, I love my country," he said. "It's a little upsetting to hear some stuff about your religion. Just spread love, man. Love everybody, love all cultures.&rdquo;
Avdija talked about the support he receives from the Jewish community and Israelis around the world. He was asked how often he's had to deal with antisemitism.
&ldquo;In terms of things like that, it's always going to be there. It will never go away,&rdquo; he said. "It's just, if you want to pay attention to the stuff or you just want to keep moving and focus on the important stuff in life. I'm a positive guy. I'm not looking for the bad things.&rdquo;
Avdija was supportive of the punishment for Irving.
&ldquo;I think there need to be consequences for the actions that players do," he said. "I don't know the amount, the punishment that the league gives, but I think it needs to be known that there's no room for words like that.&rdquo;
Kyle Kuzma, Avdija's teammate, caused a bit of a stir when he tweeted, &ldquo;Can&rsquo;t even tell the truth no more,&rdquo; on Friday. He said that was in reference to a personal matter and not Irving's situation.
Kuzma also said he received death threats following the tweet.
&ldquo;It's probably bots at this point. I don't know who is behind the mic, who is behind the tweets,&rdquo; Kuzma said. &ldquo;But there were a few of those. But it all stems from just wrong place, wrong time, misinterpretations, so I get it. It's not the end of the world.&rdquo;
___
Follow Noah Trister at <a href="https://twitter.com/noahtrister">https://twitter.com/noahtrister</a>
___
AP NBA: <a href="https://apnews.com/NBA">https://apnews.com/NBA</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/AP_Sports">https://twitter.com/AP_Sports</a>

WASHINGTON (AP) &mdash; As a Jewish forward for the Washington Wizards, Deni Avdija was naturally going to be asked about Kyrie Irving.
Especially when his team just finished playing against the Brooklyn Nets.
Avdija said Friday night he tries to stay positive in the face of antisemitism, but he also believes there should be consequences for players' actions. The 21-year-old from Israel spoke for a few minutes in the Washington locker room after the Wizards <a href="https://apnews.com/article/brooklyn-nets-washington-wizards-nba-sports-kevin-durant-0a0b74e9761f0fd4eb9e84274abcb533" target="_blank" rel="noopener">lost to the Irving-less Nets</a>.
Brooklyn <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nets-suspend-kyrie-irving-for-minimum-of-five-games" target="_blank" rel="noopener">suspended Irving</a> on Thursday for posting a since-deleted link to an antisemitic work. <a href="https://apnews.com/article/brooklyn-nets-nba-sports-race-and-ethnicity-racial-injustice-614577d264e8fc39e863b66b79f0e159">The fallout</a> from his post continued Friday with <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/breakingnews/nike-splits-with-kyrie-irving-amid-antisemitism-fallout" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Nike announcing</a> the company has halted its relationship with Irving.
&ldquo;I think people look up to him," Avdija said. "You can think whatever you want, you can do whatever you want. Just, I don't think it's right to go out in public and publish it and let little kids that follow you see it, and the generations that come after to think like that, because it's not true, and I don't think it's fair.&rdquo;
Avdija is in his third NBA season. He's the league's lone Israeli-born player.
&ldquo;I'm Jewish, and I love my culture, I love my country," he said. "It's a little upsetting to hear some stuff about your religion. Just spread love, man. Love everybody, love all cultures.&rdquo;
Avdija talked about the support he receives from the Jewish community and Israelis around the world. He was asked how often he's had to deal with antisemitism.
&ldquo;In terms of things like that, it's always going to be there. It will never go away,&rdquo; he said. "It's just, if you want to pay attention to the stuff or you just want to keep moving and focus on the important stuff in life. I'm a positive guy. I'm not looking for the bad things.&rdquo;
Avdija was supportive of the punishment for Irving.
&ldquo;I think there need to be consequences for the actions that players do," he said. "I don't know the amount, the punishment that the league gives, but I think it needs to be known that there's no room for words like that.&rdquo;
Kyle Kuzma, Avdija's teammate, caused a bit of a stir when he tweeted, &ldquo;Can&rsquo;t even tell the truth no more,&rdquo; on Friday. He said that was in reference to a personal matter and not Irving's situation.
Kuzma also said he received death threats following the tweet.
&ldquo;It's probably bots at this point. I don't know who is behind the mic, who is behind the tweets,&rdquo; Kuzma said. &ldquo;But there were a few of those. But it all stems from just wrong place, wrong time, misinterpretations, so I get it. It's not the end of the world.&rdquo;
___
Follow Noah Trister at <a href="https://twitter.com/noahtrister">https://twitter.com/noahtrister</a>
___
AP NBA: <a href="https://apnews.com/NBA">https://apnews.com/NBA</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/AP_Sports">https://twitter.com/AP_Sports</a>

WASHINGTON (AP) &mdash; As a Jewish forward for the Washington Wizards, Deni Avdija was naturally going to be asked about Kyrie Irving.
Especially when his team just finished playing against the Brooklyn Nets.
Avdija said Friday night he tries to stay positive in the face of antisemitism, but he also believes there should be consequences for players' actions. The 21-year-old from Israel spoke for a few minutes in the Washington locker room after the Wizards <a href="https://apnews.com/article/brooklyn-nets-washington-wizards-nba-sports-kevin-durant-0a0b74e9761f0fd4eb9e84274abcb533" target="_blank" rel="noopener">lost to the Irving-less Nets</a>.
Brooklyn <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nets-suspend-kyrie-irving-for-minimum-of-five-games" target="_blank" rel="noopener">suspended Irving</a> on Thursday for posting a since-deleted link to an antisemitic work. <a href="https://apnews.com/article/brooklyn-nets-nba-sports-race-and-ethnicity-racial-injustice-614577d264e8fc39e863b66b79f0e159">The fallout</a> from his post continued Friday with <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/breakingnews/nike-splits-with-kyrie-irving-amid-antisemitism-fallout" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Nike announcing</a> the company has halted its relationship with Irving.
&ldquo;I think people look up to him," Avdija said. "You can think whatever you want, you can do whatever you want. Just, I don't think it's right to go out in public and publish it and let little kids that follow you see it, and the generations that come after to think like that, because it's not true, and I don't think it's fair.&rdquo;
Avdija is in his third NBA season. He's the league's lone Israeli-born player.
&ldquo;I'm Jewish, and I love my culture, I love my country," he said. "It's a little upsetting to hear some stuff about your religion. Just spread love, man. Love everybody, love all cultures.&rdquo;
Avdija talked about the support he receives from the Jewish community and Israelis around the world. He was asked how often he's had to deal with antisemitism.
&ldquo;In terms of things like that, it's always going to be there. It will never go away,&rdquo; he said. "It's just, if you want to pay attention to the stuff or you just want to keep moving and focus on the important stuff in life. I'm a positive guy. I'm not looking for the bad things.&rdquo;
Avdija was supportive of the punishment for Irving.
&ldquo;I think there need to be consequences for the actions that players do," he said. "I don't know the amount, the punishment that the league gives, but I think it needs to be known that there's no room for words like that.&rdquo;
Kyle Kuzma, Avdija's teammate, caused a bit of a stir when he tweeted, &ldquo;Can&rsquo;t even tell the truth no more,&rdquo; on Friday. He said that was in reference to a personal matter and not Irving's situation.
Kuzma also said he received death threats following the tweet.
&ldquo;It's probably bots at this point. I don't know who is behind the mic, who is behind the tweets,&rdquo; Kuzma said. &ldquo;But there were a few of those. But it all stems from just wrong place, wrong time, misinterpretations, so I get it. It's not the end of the world.&rdquo;

Avdija said he tries to stay positive in the face of antisemitism, but he also believes there should be consequences for players' actions.

Jewish forward Deni Avdija weighs in on Kyrie Irving situation

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — De'Aaron Fox <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1589042762686795777?s=20&amp;t=nk9Tw0T3tQEq6Mw4vOqrsg">beat the buzzer from just inside halfcourt</a> to give the Sacramento Kings a 126-123 overtime victory against the Orlando Magic on Saturday night after the Kings wiped out a 20-point deficit in the third quarter.
Fox's 37 points included the first six in overtime. The Kings needed three more at the end after throwing away a pass in the backcourt with 6.6 seconds left, allowing the Magic's Chuma Okeke to tie the game with a dunk. 
Fox then dribbled the ball up and launched his shot with his feet inside the Magic logo at center court, a shot that was officially listed at 31 feet.
“I just tried to get as in front of the basket as I possibly could, and just tried to get it up,” Fox said. “It felt good, and it went in.”
Paolo Banchero led Orlando with 33 points and 16 rebounds. Franz Wagner added 31 points and six assists, and Bol Bol finished with 23 points and seven rebounds.
Domantas Sabonis had 25 points and 11 rebounds for the Kings.
With Fox scoring 13 points in the period, the Kings wiped out a 20-point deficit in third quarter after Orlando shot 60.5% and scored 65 points in the first half.
“I just told our guys basically at halftime: ‘We’re better than this,'" Sacramento coach Mike Brown said. "I said, `I don’t care if we win or lose the game, but the way we’re playing, that’s not us. Let’s at least go out there and fight.’ And to their credit, they did.”
After Banchero's baseline jumper put Orlando up by 20 early in the quarter, the Kings outscored the Magic 36-10 the rest of the period and took an 83-77 lead into the fourth.
“We got within striking distance and then our bench got us up 10," Fox said. "It was really a team effort in that second half. But for us as starters, we have to start the game like that so we don’t get ourselves in that predicament.”
Sacramento led 92-82 after Malik Monk's 3-pointer early in the fourth before going scoreless for more than four minutes.
“We got a little stagnant (in the third quarter) and our jumpers weren’t falling and they just capitalized on every chance they had to make it a close game,” Banchero said. “But you’ve got to expect that. The NBA is too long of a game to ever get comfortable when you’re up 20 points. These guys are great players. They’re going to get hot and make shots."
TIP-INS
Kings: Fox played 40 minutes after missing Wednesday night's game in Miami with a bone bruise. ... Monk and Trey Lyles combined for 30 points off the bench, going 7 of 14 on 3-pointers.
Magic: Shot 54.3% for the game, but only 4 of 23 on 3s. ... The 7-foot-2 Bol made his first 10 shots before missing a 3-point attempt in overtime. ... G Terrence Ross returned after missing almost two full games with a bruised left knee. ... G Cole Anthony missed his fifth game with a right oblique tear. The Magic expect him to be out the rest of the month.
GETTING TO THE LINE
Banchero went into the game with 72 foul shots, sixth-most in the NBA. He shot five Saturday, giving him 77 in 10 games.
The only rookie in the last 20 years to rank among the top 10 in free throw attempts was Andrew Wiggins, who attempted 466 for Minnesota in 2014-15 to finish sixth in the NBA.
UP NEXT
Kings: Play at Golden State on Monday night.
Magic: Play at home against Houston on Monday night.
___
AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) &mdash; De'Aaron Fox beat the buzzer from just inside halfcourt to give the Sacramento Kings a 126-123 overtime victory against the Orlando Magic on Saturday night after the Kings wiped out a 20-point deficit in the third quarter.
Fox's 37 points included the first six in overtime. The Kings needed three more at the end after throwing away a pass in the backcourt with 6.6 seconds left, allowing the Magic's Chuma Okeke to tie the game with a dunk.
Fox then dribbled the ball up and launched his shot with his feet inside the Magic logo at center court, a shot that was officially listed at 31 feet.
&nbsp;
&ldquo;I just tried to get as in front of the basket as I possibly could, and just tried to get it up,&rdquo; Fox said. &ldquo;It felt good, and it went in.&rdquo;
Paolo Banchero led Orlando with 33 points and 16 rebounds. Franz Wagner added 31 points and six assists, and Bol Bol finished with 23 points and seven rebounds.
Domantas Sabonis had 25 points and 11 rebounds for the Kings.
With Fox scoring 13 points in the period, the Kings wiped out a 20-point deficit in third quarter after Orlando shot 60.5% and scored 65 points in the first half.
&ldquo;I just told our guys basically at halftime: &lsquo;We&rsquo;re better than this,'" Sacramento coach Mike Brown said. "I said, `I don&rsquo;t care if we win or lose the game, but the way we&rsquo;re playing, that&rsquo;s not us. Let&rsquo;s at least go out there and fight.&rsquo; And to their credit, they did.&rdquo;
After Banchero's baseline jumper put Orlando up by 20 early in the quarter, the Kings outscored the Magic 36-10 the rest of the period and took an 83-77 lead into the fourth.
&ldquo;We got within striking distance and then our bench got us up 10," Fox said. "It was really a team effort in that second half. But for us as starters, we have to start the game like that so we don&rsquo;t get ourselves in that predicament.&rdquo;
Sacramento led 92-82 after Malik Monk's 3-pointer early in the fourth before going scoreless for more than four minutes.
&ldquo;We got a little stagnant (in the third quarter) and our jumpers weren&rsquo;t falling and they just capitalized on every chance they had to make it a close game,&rdquo; Banchero said. &ldquo;But you&rsquo;ve got to expect that. The NBA is too long of a game to ever get comfortable when you&rsquo;re up 20 points. These guys are great players. They&rsquo;re going to get hot and make shots."
TIP-INS
Kings: Fox played 40 minutes after missing Wednesday night's game in Miami with a bone bruise. ... Monk and Trey Lyles combined for 30 points off the bench, going 7 of 14 on 3-pointers.
Magic: Shot 54.3% for the game, but only 4 of 23 on 3s. ... The 7-foot-2 Bol made his first 10 shots before missing a 3-point attempt in overtime. ... G Terrence Ross returned after missing almost two full games with a bruised left knee. ... G Cole Anthony missed his fifth game with a right oblique tear. The Magic expect him to be out the rest of the month.
GETTING TO THE LINE
Banchero went into the game with 72 foul shots, sixth-most in the NBA. He shot five Saturday, giving him 77 in 10 games.
The only rookie in the last 20 years to rank among the top 10 in free throw attempts was Andrew Wiggins, who attempted 466 for Minnesota in 2014-15 to finish sixth in the NBA.
UP NEXT
Kings: Play at Golden State on Monday night.
Magic: Play at home against Houston on Monday night.
___
AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) &mdash; De'Aaron Fox beat the buzzer from just inside halfcourt to give the Sacramento Kings a 126-123 overtime victory against the Orlando Magic on Saturday night after the Kings wiped out a 20-point deficit in the third quarter.
Fox's 37 points included the first six in overtime. The Kings needed three more at the end after throwing away a pass in the backcourt with 6.6 seconds left, allowing the Magic's Chuma Okeke to tie the game with a dunk.
Fox then dribbled the ball up and launched his shot with his feet inside the Magic logo at center court, a shot that was officially listed at 31 feet.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
De'Aaron Fox drains the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TissotBuzzerBeater?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TissotBuzzerBeater</a> for the win from BEYOND! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ThisIsYourTime?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ThisIsYourTime</a> <a href="https://t.co/BwYotIU2cA">pic.twitter.com/BwYotIU2cA</a>
&mdash; NBA (@NBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1589042762686795777?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 5, 2022</a></blockquote>

<script src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>

&ldquo;I just tried to get as in front of the basket as I possibly could, and just tried to get it up,&rdquo; Fox said. &ldquo;It felt good, and it went in.&rdquo;
Paolo Banchero led Orlando with 33 points and 16 rebounds. Franz Wagner added 31 points and six assists, and Bol Bol finished with 23 points and seven rebounds.
Domantas Sabonis had 25 points and 11 rebounds for the Kings.
With Fox scoring 13 points in the period, the Kings wiped out a 20-point deficit in third quarter after Orlando shot 60.5% and scored 65 points in the first half.
&ldquo;I just told our guys basically at halftime: &lsquo;We&rsquo;re better than this,'" Sacramento coach Mike Brown said. "I said, `I don&rsquo;t care if we win or lose the game, but the way we&rsquo;re playing, that&rsquo;s not us. Let&rsquo;s at least go out there and fight.&rsquo; And to their credit, they did.&rdquo;
After Banchero's baseline jumper put Orlando up by 20 early in the quarter, the Kings outscored the Magic 36-10 the rest of the period and took an 83-77 lead into the fourth.
&ldquo;We got within striking distance and then our bench got us up 10," Fox said. "It was really a team effort in that second half. But for us as starters, we have to start the game like that so we don&rsquo;t get ourselves in that predicament.&rdquo;
Sacramento led 92-82 after Malik Monk's 3-pointer early in the fourth before going scoreless for more than four minutes.
&ldquo;We got a little stagnant (in the third quarter) and our jumpers weren&rsquo;t falling and they just capitalized on every chance they had to make it a close game,&rdquo; Banchero said. &ldquo;But you&rsquo;ve got to expect that. The NBA is too long of a game to ever get comfortable when you&rsquo;re up 20 points. These guys are great players. They&rsquo;re going to get hot and make shots."
TIP-INS
Kings: Fox played 40 minutes after missing Wednesday night's game in Miami with a bone bruise. ... Monk and Trey Lyles combined for 30 points off the bench, going 7 of 14 on 3-pointers.
Magic: Shot 54.3% for the game, but only 4 of 23 on 3s. ... The 7-foot-2 Bol made his first 10 shots before missing a 3-point attempt in overtime. ... G Terrence Ross returned after missing almost two full games with a bruised left knee. ... G Cole Anthony missed his fifth game with a right oblique tear. The Magic expect him to be out the rest of the month.
GETTING TO THE LINE
Banchero went into the game with 72 foul shots, sixth-most in the NBA. He shot five Saturday, giving him 77 in 10 games.
The only rookie in the last 20 years to rank among the top 10 in free throw attempts was Andrew Wiggins, who attempted 466 for Minnesota in 2014-15 to finish sixth in the NBA.
UP NEXT
Kings: Play at Golden State on Monday night.
Magic: Play at home against Houston on Monday night.
___
AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) &mdash; De'Aaron Fox beat the buzzer from just inside halfcourt to give the Sacramento Kings a 126-123 overtime victory against the Orlando Magic on Saturday night after the Kings wiped out a 20-point deficit in the third quarter.
Fox's 37 points included the first six in overtime. The Kings needed three more at the end after throwing away a pass in the backcourt with 6.6 seconds left, allowing the Magic's Chuma Okeke to tie the game with a dunk.
Fox then dribbled the ball up and launched his shot with his feet inside the Magic logo at center court, a shot that was officially listed at 31 feet.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
De'Aaron Fox drains the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TissotBuzzerBeater?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TissotBuzzerBeater</a> for the win from BEYOND! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ThisIsYourTime?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ThisIsYourTime</a> <a href="https://t.co/BwYotIU2cA">pic.twitter.com/BwYotIU2cA</a>
&mdash; NBA (@NBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1589042762686795777?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 5, 2022</a></blockquote>

<script src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>

&ldquo;I just tried to get as in front of the basket as I possibly could, and just tried to get it up,&rdquo; Fox said. &ldquo;It felt good, and it went in.&rdquo;
Paolo Banchero led Orlando with 33 points and 16 rebounds. Franz Wagner added 31 points and six assists, and Bol Bol finished with 23 points and seven rebounds.
Domantas Sabonis had 25 points and 11 rebounds for the Kings.
With Fox scoring 13 points in the period, the Kings wiped out a 20-point deficit in third quarter after Orlando shot 60.5% and scored 65 points in the first half.
&ldquo;I just told our guys basically at halftime: &lsquo;We&rsquo;re better than this,'" Sacramento coach Mike Brown said. "I said, `I don&rsquo;t care if we win or lose the game, but the way we&rsquo;re playing, that&rsquo;s not us. Let&rsquo;s at least go out there and fight.&rsquo; And to their credit, they did.&rdquo;
After Banchero's baseline jumper put Orlando up by 20 early in the quarter, the Kings outscored the Magic 36-10 the rest of the period and took an 83-77 lead into the fourth.
&ldquo;We got within striking distance and then our bench got us up 10," Fox said. "It was really a team effort in that second half. But for us as starters, we have to start the game like that so we don&rsquo;t get ourselves in that predicament.&rdquo;
Sacramento led 92-82 after Malik Monk's 3-pointer early in the fourth before going scoreless for more than four minutes.
&ldquo;We got a little stagnant (in the third quarter) and our jumpers weren&rsquo;t falling and they just capitalized on every chance they had to make it a close game,&rdquo; Banchero said. &ldquo;But you&rsquo;ve got to expect that. The NBA is too long of a game to ever get comfortable when you&rsquo;re up 20 points. These guys are great players. They&rsquo;re going to get hot and make shots."
TIP-INS
Kings: Fox played 40 minutes after missing Wednesday night's game in Miami with a bone bruise. ... Monk and Trey Lyles combined for 30 points off the bench, going 7 of 14 on 3-pointers.
Magic: Shot 54.3% for the game, but only 4 of 23 on 3s. ... The 7-foot-2 Bol made his first 10 shots before missing a 3-point attempt in overtime. ... G Terrence Ross returned after missing almost two full games with a bruised left knee. ... G Cole Anthony missed his fifth game with a right oblique tear. The Magic expect him to be out the rest of the month.
GETTING TO THE LINE
Banchero went into the game with 72 foul shots, sixth-most in the NBA. He shot five Saturday, giving him 77 in 10 games.
The only rookie in the last 20 years to rank among the top 10 in free throw attempts was Andrew Wiggins, who attempted 466 for Minnesota in 2014-15 to finish sixth in the NBA.
UP NEXT
Kings: Play at Golden State on Monday night.
Magic: Play at home against Houston on Monday night.

De'Aaron Fox beat the buzzer from just inside halfcourt to give the Kings a 126-123 overtime victory against the Magic on Saturday.

De'Aaron Fox hits from near midcourt at OT buzzer, Kings top Magic

CHICAGO (AP) — Former NBA guard Ben Gordon has been arrested after a Chicago McDonald's security guard was punched in the face, police said. 
Gordon, 39, was charged with misdemeanor battery causing bodily harm and battery making physical contact, the <a href="https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/breaking/ct-former-bulls-player-charged-misdemeanors-20221105-4lb57kzz5fhedn66gxelvghngu-story.html">Chicago Tribune</a> reported Saturday.
Gordon, who played for four teams during his NBA career, was arrested about 3:30 a.m. Friday when police responded to a report of a disturbance by a man who was being escorted from the McDonald's.
A 29-year-old man was hit in the face and thrown to the ground. A 21-year-old man was pushed and also thrown to the ground. Both men refused medical help.
Police said Gordon was arrested at the scene.
<a href="https://apnews.com/article/entertainment-sports-new-york-queens-ben-gordon-e46ead8ae81fe61bda16f77d364a55a3">Gordon was charged last month</a> with assault, resisting arrest, contempt and child endangerment in New York for allegedly punching his young son at LaGuardia Airport.
According to the Queens district attorney’s office, witnesses, including an American Airlines employee, saw Gordon yell at his son and punch him several times in the face after the boy dropped a book on the ground. 
Gordon later confirmed to police that it was his son. Gordon also allegedly assaulted officers as they attempted to handcuff him and put him in a patrol car. 
Joshua Kirshner, an attorney representing Gordon, said the son is 10 or 11 years old.
Gordon, who played collegiately at the University of Connecticut, was drafted by the Chicago Bulls in 2004 and played 11 seasons in the NBA with Chicago, Detroit, Charlotte and Orlando, most recently in the 2014-15 season with the Magic.
<a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/player/2732/career">His best season was 2006-07</a> when he averaged 21.4 points and 3.6 assists for the Bulls.
A message was left by the AP seeking comment from Kirshner on Saturday.

CHICAGO (AP) &mdash; Former NBA guard Ben Gordon has been arrested after a Chicago McDonald's security guard was punched in the face, police said.
Gordon, 39, was charged with misdemeanor battery causing bodily harm and battery making physical contact, the <a href="https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/breaking/ct-former-bulls-player-charged-misdemeanors-20221105-4lb57kzz5fhedn66gxelvghngu-story.html">Chicago Tribune</a> reported Saturday.
Gordon, who played for four teams during his NBA career, was arrested about 3:30 a.m. Friday when police responded to a report of a disturbance by a man who was being escorted from the McDonald's.
A 29-year-old man was hit in the face and thrown to the ground. A 21-year-old man was pushed and also thrown to the ground. Both men refused medical help.
Police said Gordon was arrested at the scene.
<a href="https://apnews.com/article/entertainment-sports-new-york-queens-ben-gordon-e46ead8ae81fe61bda16f77d364a55a3">Gordon was charged last month</a> with assault, resisting arrest, contempt and child endangerment in New York for allegedly punching his young son at LaGuardia Airport.
According to the Queens district attorney&rsquo;s office, witnesses, including an American Airlines employee, saw Gordon yell at his son and punch him several times in the face after the boy dropped a book on the ground.
Gordon later confirmed to police that it was his son. Gordon also allegedly assaulted officers as they attempted to handcuff him and put him in a patrol car.
Joshua Kirshner, an attorney representing Gordon, said the son is 10 or 11 years old.
Gordon, who played collegiately at the University of Connecticut, was drafted by the Chicago Bulls in 2004 and played 11 seasons in the NBA with Chicago, Detroit, Charlotte and Orlando, most recently in the 2014-15 season with the Magic.
<a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/player/2732/career">His best season was 2006-07</a> when he averaged 21.4 points and 3.6 assists for the Bulls.
A message was left by the AP seeking comment from Kirshner on Saturday.

CHICAGO (AP) &mdash; Former NBA guard Ben Gordon has been arrested after a Chicago McDonald's security guard was punched in the face, police said.
Gordon, 39, was charged with misdemeanor battery causing bodily harm and battery making physical contact, the <a href="https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/breaking/ct-former-bulls-player-charged-misdemeanors-20221105-4lb57kzz5fhedn66gxelvghngu-story.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Chicago Tribune</a> reported Saturday.
Gordon, who played for four teams during his NBA career, was arrested about 3:30 a.m. Friday when police responded to a report of a disturbance by a man who was being escorted from the McDonald's.
A 29-year-old man was hit in the face and thrown to the ground. A 21-year-old man was pushed and also thrown to the ground. Both men refused medical help.
Police said Gordon was arrested at the scene.
<a href="https://apnews.com/article/entertainment-sports-new-york-queens-ben-gordon-e46ead8ae81fe61bda16f77d364a55a3">Gordon was charged last month</a> with assault, resisting arrest, contempt and child endangerment in New York for allegedly punching his young son at LaGuardia Airport.
According to the Queens district attorney&rsquo;s office, witnesses, including an American Airlines employee, saw Gordon yell at his son and punch him several times in the face after the boy dropped a book on the ground.
Gordon later confirmed to police that it was his son. Gordon also allegedly assaulted officers as they attempted to handcuff him and put him in a patrol car.
Joshua Kirshner, an attorney representing Gordon, said the son is 10 or 11 years old.
Gordon, who played collegiately at the University of Connecticut, was drafted by the Chicago Bulls in 2004 and played 11 seasons in the NBA with Chicago, Detroit, Charlotte and Orlando, most recently in the 2014-15 season with the Magic.
<a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/player/2732/career">His best season was 2006-07</a> when he averaged 21.4 points and 3.6 assists for the Bulls.
A message was left by the AP seeking comment from Kirshner on Saturday.

CHICAGO (AP) &mdash; Former NBA guard Ben Gordon has been arrested after a Chicago McDonald's security guard was punched in the face, police said.
Gordon, 39, was charged with misdemeanor battery causing bodily harm and battery making physical contact, the <a href="https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/breaking/ct-former-bulls-player-charged-misdemeanors-20221105-4lb57kzz5fhedn66gxelvghngu-story.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Chicago Tribune</a> reported Saturday.
Gordon, who played for four teams during his NBA career, was arrested about 3:30 a.m. Friday when police responded to a report of a disturbance by a man who was being escorted from the McDonald's.
A 29-year-old man was hit in the face and thrown to the ground. A 21-year-old man was pushed and also thrown to the ground. Both men refused medical help.
Police said Gordon was arrested at the scene.
<a href="https://apnews.com/article/entertainment-sports-new-york-queens-ben-gordon-e46ead8ae81fe61bda16f77d364a55a3" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Gordon was charged last month</a> with assault, resisting arrest, contempt and child endangerment in New York for allegedly punching his young son at LaGuardia Airport.
According to the Queens district attorney&rsquo;s office, witnesses, including an American Airlines employee, saw Gordon yell at his son and punch him several times in the face after the boy dropped a book on the ground.
Gordon later confirmed to police that it was his son. Gordon also allegedly assaulted officers as they attempted to handcuff him and put him in a patrol car.
Joshua Kirshner, an attorney representing Gordon, said the son is 10 or 11 years old.
Gordon, who played collegiately at the University of Connecticut, was drafted by the Chicago Bulls in 2004 and played 11 seasons in the NBA with Chicago, Detroit, Charlotte and Orlando, most recently in the 2014-15 season with the Magic.
<a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/player/2732/career">His best season was 2006-07</a> when he averaged 21.4 points and 3.6 assists for the Bulls.
A message was left by the AP seeking comment from Kirshner on Saturday.

CHICAGO (AP) &mdash; Former NBA guard Ben Gordon has been arrested after a Chicago McDonald's security guard was punched in the face, police said.
Gordon, 39, was charged with misdemeanor battery causing bodily harm and battery making physical contact, the <a href="https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/breaking/ct-former-bulls-player-charged-misdemeanors-20221105-4lb57kzz5fhedn66gxelvghngu-story.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Chicago Tribune</a> reported Saturday.
Gordon, who played for four teams during his NBA career, was arrested about 3:30 a.m. Friday when police responded to a report of a disturbance by a man who was being escorted from the McDonald's.
A 29-year-old man was hit in the face and thrown to the ground. A 21-year-old man was pushed and also thrown to the ground. Both men refused medical help.
Police said Gordon was arrested at the scene.
<a href="https://apnews.com/article/entertainment-sports-new-york-queens-ben-gordon-e46ead8ae81fe61bda16f77d364a55a3" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Gordon was charged last month</a> with assault, resisting arrest, contempt and child endangerment in New York for allegedly punching his young son at LaGuardia Airport.
According to the Queens district attorney&rsquo;s office, witnesses, including an American Airlines employee, saw Gordon yell at his son and punch him several times in the face after the boy dropped a book on the ground.
Gordon later confirmed to police that it was his son. Gordon also allegedly assaulted officers as they attempted to handcuff him and put him in a patrol car.
Joshua Kirshner, an attorney representing Gordon, said the son is 10 or 11 years old.
Gordon, who played collegiately at the University of Connecticut, was drafted by the Chicago Bulls in 2004 and played 11 seasons in the NBA with Chicago, Detroit, Charlotte and Orlando, most recently in the 2014-15 season with the Magic.
<a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/player/2732/career" target="_blank" rel="noopener">His best season was 2006-07</a> when he averaged 21.4 points and 3.6 assists for the Bulls.
A message was left by the AP seeking comment from Kirshner on Saturday.

Former NBA guard Ben Gordon has been arrested after a Chicago McDonald's security guard was punched in the face, police said.

Ex-NBA guard Ben Gordon arrested after security guard punched

DALLAS (AP) — Luka Doncic scored 35 points, his eighth consecutive game of at least 30 to begin the season, as the Dallas Mavericks beat the Toronto Raptors 111-110 on Friday night.
The only other NBA player to score 30 or more points in the first eight games of a season was Wilt Chamberlain, who did it in the first eight of the 1959-60 season and the first 23 of 1962-63.
Doncic played 37 minutes and passed the 30-point mark with 18.7 seconds left in the third quarter on a turnaround fadeaway jumper. It was a balanced night for the 23-year-old superstar: 10 for 15 from the floor, 3 for 6 from downtown, 12 for 14 at the free throw line, eight rebounds and six assists.
That included one assist on a spin move through a double team, one basket following a flurry of dribbles between his legs, a hook shot to cap the 16-2 run beginning the second half and the floater late in the third period.
“He did everything tonight,” Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said. “Did he go through his legs like eight times? When he shot that little floater, I just kind of chuckled because only he can do that.
“He surprises a lot of people. I wonder if he surprises himself sometimes.”
Does he?
“Yeah, sometimes,” Doncic said with a smile. “The best play was my hook shot. Those plays are fun. Later you see them on TV. Everybody talks about them." 
Doncic leads the NBA averaging 36.0 points per game with 8.6 assists in 36.6 minutes.
The Raptors cut a 19-point third-quarter deficit to 108-105 with 35.5 seconds left. Doncic sank the first of two free throws with 15.9 seconds to gain a four-point lead. O.G. Anunoby drove for a dunk with 11 seconds left. Spencer Dinwiddie hit two free throws with 3 seconds to go, making the score 111-107. Anunoby hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer.
Dinwiddie had 21 points and seven assists for the Mavericks, who have won three straight games after splitting their first six.
Anunoby scored 27 points, Pascal Siakam 18 and Chris Boucher 17 off the bench for the Raptors. Siakam left the game in the third quarter with what coach Nick Nurse said is probably a groin injury.
DINWIDDIE CALLS OUT OFFICIAL
Dinwiddie, called for a technical foul in the final minute of the second period, said he was told by a teammate that the official, Tony Brothers, described him with multiple curse words.
“NBA, I would definitely like my money back,” Dinwiddie said. “If there’s anybody that feels that way about me … they can address me personally, face to face.”
“I have to talk to Spencer,” Kidd said. “When you look at Tony, what he’s done in this league as a referee, he’s well liked and also one of the best that we have. That’s a sensitive topic.”
TIP-INS
Raptors: They made 10 steals, nearly equaling their league-leading 10.8 per game, but only outscored the Mavericks 27-26 in points off turnovers. … G Fred VanVleet, fourth in the NBA in steals, missed his third-consecutive game with lower back stiffness. Nurse said he thought VanVleet would play after going through a full practice on Thursday. “I’m expecting him pretty soon to be back,” Nurse said.
Mavericks: C Dwight Powell, a Toronto native, made his second start of the season, replacing JaVale McGee in the starting lineup. Powell had nine points and two rebounds in 26 minutes.
UP NEXT
Raptors: Begin a home-and-home with Chicago at home on Sunday.
Mavericks: Host Brooklyn on Monday.
___
AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

DALLAS (AP) &mdash; Luka Doncic scored 35 points, his eighth consecutive game of at least 30 to begin the season, as the Dallas Mavericks beat the Toronto Raptors 111-110 on Friday night.
The only other NBA player to score 30 or more points in the first eight games of a season was Wilt Chamberlain, who did it in the first eight of the 1959-60 season and the first 23 of 1962-63.
Doncic played 37 minutes and passed the 30-point mark with 18.7 seconds left in the third quarter on a turnaround fadeaway jumper. It was a balanced night for the 23-year-old superstar: 10 for 15 from the floor, 3 for 6 from downtown, 12 for 14 at the free throw line, eight rebounds and six assists.
That included one assist on a spin move through a double team, one basket following a flurry of dribbles between his legs, a hook shot to cap the 16-2 run beginning the second half and the floater late in the third period.
&ldquo;He did everything tonight,&rdquo; Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said. &ldquo;Did he go through his legs like eight times? When he shot that little floater, I just kind of chuckled because only he can do that.
&ldquo;He surprises a lot of people. I wonder if he surprises himself sometimes.&rdquo;
Does he?
&ldquo;Yeah, sometimes,&rdquo; Doncic said with a smile. &ldquo;The best play was my hook shot. Those plays are fun. Later you see them on TV. Everybody talks about them."
Doncic leads the NBA averaging 36.0 points per game with 8.6 assists in 36.6 minutes.
The Raptors cut a 19-point third-quarter deficit to 108-105 with 35.5 seconds left. Doncic sank the first of two free throws with 15.9 seconds to gain a four-point lead. O.G. Anunoby drove for a dunk with 11 seconds left. Spencer Dinwiddie hit two free throws with 3 seconds to go, making the score 111-107. Anunoby hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer.
Dinwiddie had 21 points and seven assists for the Mavericks, who have won three straight games after splitting their first six.
Anunoby scored 27 points, Pascal Siakam 18 and Chris Boucher 17 off the bench for the Raptors. Siakam left the game in the third quarter with what coach Nick Nurse said is probably a groin injury.
DINWIDDIE CALLS OUT OFFICIAL
Dinwiddie, called for a technical foul in the final minute of the second period, said he was told by a teammate that the official, Tony Brothers, described him with multiple curse words.
&ldquo;NBA, I would definitely like my money back,&rdquo; Dinwiddie said. &ldquo;If there&rsquo;s anybody that feels that way about me &hellip; they can address me personally, face to face.&rdquo;
&ldquo;I have to talk to Spencer,&rdquo; Kidd said. &ldquo;When you look at Tony, what he&rsquo;s done in this league as a referee, he&rsquo;s well liked and also one of the best that we have. That&rsquo;s a sensitive topic.&rdquo;
TIP-INS
Raptors: They made 10 steals, nearly equaling their league-leading 10.8 per game, but only outscored the Mavericks 27-26 in points off turnovers. &hellip; G Fred VanVleet, fourth in the NBA in steals, missed his third-consecutive game with lower back stiffness. Nurse said he thought VanVleet would play after going through a full practice on Thursday. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m expecting him pretty soon to be back,&rdquo; Nurse said.
Mavericks: C Dwight Powell, a Toronto native, made his second start of the season, replacing JaVale McGee in the starting lineup. Powell had nine points and two rebounds in 26 minutes.

DALLAS (AP) &mdash; Luka Doncic scored 35 points, his eighth consecutive game of at least 30 to begin the season, as the Dallas Mavericks beat the Toronto Raptors 111-110 on Friday night.
The only other NBA player to score 30 or more points in the first eight games of a season was Wilt Chamberlain, who did it in the first eight of the 1959-60 season and the first 23 of 1962-63.
Doncic played 37 minutes and passed the 30-point mark with 18.7 seconds left in the third quarter on a turnaround fadeaway jumper. It was a balanced night for the 23-year-old superstar: 10 for 15 from the floor, 3 for 6 from downtown, 12 for 14 at the free throw line, eight rebounds and six assists.
That included one assist on a spin move through a double team, one basket following a flurry of dribbles between his legs, a hook shot to cap the 16-2 run beginning the second half and the floater late in the third period.
&ldquo;He did everything tonight,&rdquo; Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said. &ldquo;Did he go through his legs like eight times? When he shot that little floater, I just kind of chuckled because only he can do that.
&ldquo;He surprises a lot of people. I wonder if he surprises himself sometimes.&rdquo;
Does he?
&ldquo;Yeah, sometimes,&rdquo; Doncic said with a smile. &ldquo;The best play was my hook shot. Those plays are fun. Later you see them on TV. Everybody talks about them."
Doncic leads the NBA averaging 36.0 points per game with 8.6 assists in 36.6 minutes.
The Raptors cut a 19-point third-quarter deficit to 108-105 with 35.5 seconds left. Doncic sank the first of two free throws with 15.9 seconds to gain a four-point lead. O.G. Anunoby drove for a dunk with 11 seconds left. Spencer Dinwiddie hit two free throws with 3 seconds to go, making the score 111-107. Anunoby hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer.
Dinwiddie had 21 points and seven assists for the Mavericks, who have won three straight games after splitting their first six.
Anunoby scored 27 points, Pascal Siakam 18 and Chris Boucher 17 off the bench for the Raptors. Siakam left the game in the third quarter with what coach Nick Nurse said is probably a groin injury.
DINWIDDIE CALLS OUT OFFICIAL
Dinwiddie, called for a technical foul in the final minute of the second period, said he was told by a teammate that the official, Tony Brothers, described him with multiple curse words.
&ldquo;NBA, I would definitely like my money back,&rdquo; Dinwiddie said. &ldquo;If there&rsquo;s anybody that feels that way about me &hellip; they can address me personally, face to face.&rdquo;
&ldquo;I have to talk to Spencer,&rdquo; Kidd said. &ldquo;When you look at Tony, what he&rsquo;s done in this league as a referee, he&rsquo;s well liked and also one of the best that we have. That&rsquo;s a sensitive topic.&rdquo;
TIP-INS
Raptors: They made 10 steals, nearly equaling their league-leading 10.8 per game, but only outscored the Mavericks 27-26 in points off turnovers. &hellip; G Fred VanVleet, fourth in the NBA in steals, missed his third-consecutive game with lower back stiffness. Nurse said he thought VanVleet would play after going through a full practice on Thursday. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m expecting him pretty soon to be back,&rdquo; Nurse said.
Mavericks: C Dwight Powell, a Toronto native, made his second start of the season, replacing JaVale McGee in the starting lineup. Powell had nine points and two rebounds in 26 minutes.

Luka Doncic scored 35 points, his eighth consecutive game of at least 30, as the Dallas Mavericks beat the Toronto Raptors 111-110.

Doncic's 30-point streak hits 8 games as Mavs beat Raptors

PHOENIX (AP) — The Portland Trail Blazers had 1 second left and a game-winning shot opportunity. The problem was their two biggest game-winning-shot-makers were out with injuries.
In a weird way, coach Chauncey Billups said he believes that worked in his team's favor.
Jerami Grant <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1588753189729603584">hit a 13-foot baseline jumper at the buzzer</a> after a great in-bounds pass from Justise Winslow to lift the short-handed Trail Blazers over the Phoenix Suns 108-106 on Friday night.
“When you're missing guys like (Damian Lillard) and (Anfernee Simons), you become less predictable,” Billups said. “You never know where the ball is going and that's tough to guard.”
Grant's bucket capped a season-high 30 points. The 6-foot-8 forward shot 10 of 17 from the field and added five assists.
The Blazers were down to the last second when Winslow lofted a high in-bounds pass to Grant, who grabbed the ball and tossed a high-arching 13-foot jumper in the air. It rattled through the net and after a review the officials confirmed it left his hands in time. It was Winslow's ninth assist of the night.
“We've got a connection,” Grant said. ”Been knowing him for long time. I know how he plays and he knows how I play."
Grant's clutch shot capped a back-and-forth final minute.
Devin Booker made a 3-pointer to put the Suns ahead 106-104 with about 30 seconds left, just moments after Jusuf Nurkic sank his own 3 to put the Blazers up 104-103.
Nurkic — who had 14 points and eight rebounds — tied the game at 106-all with his putback after an offensive rebound with 23 seconds left. The Suns looked like they would have the final possession of regulation but Mikal Bridges was called for traveling. That gave the Blazers enough time to set up their winning play.
Suns coach Monty Williams thought his team defended the Blazers' final play well.
“He hit a tough shot,” Williams said. 
Portland led for most of the night and built a 15-point lead midway through the third quarter, but settled for an 86-80 advantage heading into the fourth.
That's about the time the cold-shooting Suns finally started hitting some shots. Damion Lee made three 3-pointers in the fourth, including one from the corner with 4:15 left that tied the score at 97. 
Portland is now tied with Phoenix atop the Western Conference at 6-2. The Suns' two losses both came against the Blazers.
Booker led the Suns with 25 points, while Deandre Ayton added 24 points and eight rebounds. Booker was double-teamed on the final possession and said he didn't regret throwing the ball to Bridges, even though he was called for the travel.
“I am going to give it to him every time," Booker said. “Whoever is open on this team, that is what it comes down to, trusting your teammates and every possession I am going to do that.” 
The Blazers won despite missing Lillard and Simons, who have combined to average 53 points per game this season.
The Suns had their own injury issues. They were missing both of their backup point guards — Cam Payne and Duane Washington Jr. — so when All-Star Chris Paul was on the bench it was a challenge to get good shots.
The Trail Blazers took advantage of the Suns' sloppy second unit on the way to a 59-49 halftime lead. Grant led the Blazers with 18 points while Ayton also had 18 points for the Suns before the break.
JOHNSON OUT
Suns forward Cam Johnson left the game in the first quarter when he injured his right knee. 
Johnson scored a season-high 29 points in Tuesday's win over the Timberwolves. He appeared to suffer the injury on Friday when the Suns were in transition. Johnson planted to run down the court, but landed awkwardly and started limping. He came out of the game a few plays later.
TIP-INS
Trail Blazers: Lillard missed his third straight game.
Suns: G Cameron Payne (left foot soreness), G Duane Washington (not with team) and F Ish Wainright (back) were not available to play. ... Had 11 turnovers in the first half. ... Hosted their 32nd consecutive sellout crowd.
UP NEXT
The teams play again in Phoenix on Saturday night.
___
AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

PHOENIX (AP) &mdash; The Portland Trail Blazers had 1 second left and a game-winning shot opportunity. The problem was their two biggest game-winning-shot-makers were out with injuries.
In a weird way, coach Chauncey Billups said he believes that worked in his team's favor.
Jerami Grant <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1588753189729603584">hit a 13-foot baseline jumper at the buzzer</a> after a great in-bounds pass from Justise Winslow to lift the short-handed Trail Blazers over the Phoenix Suns 108-106 on Friday night.
&ldquo;When you're missing guys like (Damian Lillard) and (Anfernee Simons), you become less predictable,&rdquo; Billups said. &ldquo;You never know where the ball is going and that's tough to guard.&rdquo;
Grant's bucket capped a season-high 30 points. The 6-foot-8 forward shot 10 of 17 from the field and added five assists.
The Blazers were down to the last second when Winslow lofted a high in-bounds pass to Grant, who grabbed the ball and tossed a high-arching 13-foot jumper in the air. It rattled through the net and after a review the officials confirmed it left his hands in time. It was Winslow's ninth assist of the night.
&ldquo;We've got a connection,&rdquo; Grant said. &rdquo;Been knowing him for long time. I know how he plays and he knows how I play."
Grant's clutch shot capped a back-and-forth final minute.
Devin Booker made a 3-pointer to put the Suns ahead 106-104 with about 30 seconds left, just moments after Jusuf Nurkic sank his own 3 to put the Blazers up 104-103.
Nurkic &mdash; who had 14 points and eight rebounds &mdash; tied the game at 106-all with his putback after an offensive rebound with 23 seconds left. The Suns looked like they would have the final possession of regulation but Mikal Bridges was called for traveling. That gave the Blazers enough time to set up their winning play.
Suns coach Monty Williams thought his team defended the Blazers' final play well.
&ldquo;He hit a tough shot,&rdquo; Williams said.
Portland led for most of the night and built a 15-point lead midway through the third quarter, but settled for an 86-80 advantage heading into the fourth.
That's about the time the cold-shooting Suns finally started hitting some shots. Damion Lee made three 3-pointers in the fourth, including one from the corner with 4:15 left that tied the score at 97.
Portland is now tied with Phoenix atop the Western Conference at 6-2. The Suns' two losses both came against the Blazers.
Booker led the Suns with 25 points, while Deandre Ayton added 24 points and eight rebounds. Booker was double-teamed on the final possession and said he didn't regret throwing the ball to Bridges, even though he was called for the travel.
&ldquo;I am going to give it to him every time," Booker said. &ldquo;Whoever is open on this team, that is what it comes down to, trusting your teammates and every possession I am going to do that.&rdquo;
The Blazers won despite missing Lillard and Simons, who have combined to average 53 points per game this season.
The Suns had their own injury issues. They were missing both of their backup point guards &mdash; Cam Payne and Duane Washington Jr. &mdash; so when All-Star Chris Paul was on the bench it was a challenge to get good shots.
The Trail Blazers took advantage of the Suns' sloppy second unit on the way to a 59-49 halftime lead. Grant led the Blazers with 18 points while Ayton also had 18 points for the Suns before the break.
JOHNSON OUT
Suns forward Cam Johnson left the game in the first quarter when he injured his right knee.
Johnson scored a season-high 29 points in Tuesday's win over the Timberwolves. He appeared to suffer the injury on Friday when the Suns were in transition. Johnson planted to run down the court, but landed awkwardly and started limping. He came out of the game a few plays later.
TIP-INS
Trail Blazers: Lillard missed his third straight game.
Suns: G Cameron Payne (left foot soreness), G Duane Washington (not with team) and F Ish Wainright (back) were not available to play. ... Had 11 turnovers in the first half. ... Hosted their 32nd consecutive sellout crowd.

PHOENIX (AP) &mdash; The Portland Trail Blazers had 1 second left and a game-winning shot opportunity. The problem was their two biggest game-winning-shot-makers were out with injuries.
In a weird way, coach Chauncey Billups said he believes that worked in his team's favor.
Jerami Grant hit a 13-foot baseline jumper at the buzzer after a great in-bounds pass from Justise Winslow to lift the short-handed Trail Blazers over the Phoenix Suns 108-106 on Friday night.
&ldquo;When you're missing guys like (Damian Lillard) and (Anfernee Simons), you become less predictable,&rdquo; Billups said. &ldquo;You never know where the ball is going and that's tough to guard.&rdquo;
Grant's bucket capped a season-high 30 points. The 6-foot-8 forward shot 10 of 17 from the field and added five assists.
The Blazers were down to the last second when Winslow lofted a high in-bounds pass to Grant, who grabbed the ball and tossed a high-arching 13-foot jumper in the air. It rattled through the net and after a review the officials confirmed it left his hands in time. It was Winslow's ninth assist of the night.
&ldquo;We've got a connection,&rdquo; Grant said. &rdquo;Been knowing him for long time. I know how he plays and he knows how I play."
Grant's clutch shot capped a back-and-forth final minute.
Devin Booker made a 3-pointer to put the Suns ahead 106-104 with about 30 seconds left, just moments after Jusuf Nurkic sank his own 3 to put the Blazers up 104-103.
Nurkic &mdash; who had 14 points and eight rebounds &mdash; tied the game at 106-all with his putback after an offensive rebound with 23 seconds left. The Suns looked like they would have the final possession of regulation but Mikal Bridges was called for traveling. That gave the Blazers enough time to set up their winning play.
Suns coach Monty Williams thought his team defended the Blazers' final play well.
&ldquo;He hit a tough shot,&rdquo; Williams said.
Portland led for most of the night and built a 15-point lead midway through the third quarter, but settled for an 86-80 advantage heading into the fourth.
That's about the time the cold-shooting Suns finally started hitting some shots. Damion Lee made three 3-pointers in the fourth, including one from the corner with 4:15 left that tied the score at 97.
Portland is now tied with Phoenix atop the Western Conference at 6-2. The Suns' two losses both came against the Blazers.
Booker led the Suns with 25 points, while Deandre Ayton added 24 points and eight rebounds. Booker was double-teamed on the final possession and said he didn't regret throwing the ball to Bridges, even though he was called for the travel.
&ldquo;I am going to give it to him every time," Booker said. &ldquo;Whoever is open on this team, that is what it comes down to, trusting your teammates and every possession I am going to do that.&rdquo;
The Blazers won despite missing Lillard and Simons, who have combined to average 53 points per game this season.
The Suns had their own injury issues. They were missing both of their backup point guards &mdash; Cam Payne and Duane Washington Jr. &mdash; so when All-Star Chris Paul was on the bench it was a challenge to get good shots.
The Trail Blazers took advantage of the Suns' sloppy second unit on the way to a 59-49 halftime lead. Grant led the Blazers with 18 points while Ayton also had 18 points for the Suns before the break.
JOHNSON OUT
Suns forward Cam Johnson left the game in the first quarter when he injured his right knee.
Johnson scored a season-high 29 points in Tuesday's win over the Timberwolves. He appeared to suffer the injury on Friday when the Suns were in transition. Johnson planted to run down the court, but landed awkwardly and started limping. He came out of the game a few plays later.
TIP-INS
Trail Blazers: Lillard missed his third straight game.
Suns: G Cameron Payne (left foot soreness), G Duane Washington (not with team) and F Ish Wainright (back) were not available to play. ... Had 11 turnovers in the first half. ... Hosted their 32nd consecutive sellout crowd.

Jerami Grant hit a 13-foot baseline jumper at the buzzer to lift the short-handed Trail Blazers over the Phoenix Suns 108-106.

Grant hits jumper at buzzer, Trail Blazers top Suns 108-106

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Lauri Markkanen had 27 points and 12 rebounds, Jordan Clarkson added 20 points, and the Utah Jazz continued their remarkable start to the season with a 130-116 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday night.
Kelly Olynyk had 18 points and Mike Conley added 15 points and 10 assists for the first-place Jazz, who are off to a 7-3 start to a year in which they were widely expected to struggle. Utah blew most of a big lead in the third quarter, but surged to victory down the stretch while getting at least seven points from eight players.
“Again, it's a night where we had a lot of different guys contribute at a lot of different times in the game,” first-year Jazz coach Will Hardy said. “It's just another testament to the group, and to doing it as a group.”
Russell Westbrook had 26 points and six assists in another strong performance in a reserve role for the Lakers, who dropped to 2-6 after their two-game winning streak ended. Los Angeles has not won three consecutive games since Jan. 7.
LeBron James had 17 points and 11 rebounds in a strained effort while still recovering from an illness and dealing with pain in his left foot. Anthony Davis scored 20 of his 22 points in the first half, but the Lakers' solid defensive start to the season came crashing down against the poised, polished Jazz.
“We took a huge step backward tonight,” Lakers coach Darvin Ham said of the defensive performance. “It's the first game where I felt like we really weren't there defensively.”
The Jazz appeared to be in for a rough year after parting ways with Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert, but their roster full of longtime NBA supporting talent has been the surprise of the league while beating a series of higher-regarded teams.
“Every night, we're getting more familiar with each other as a group, and they're getting more familiar with me,” Hardy said. “We threw some different things out there tonight, and our guys executed it.”
The Lakers had been a solid defensive team and a poor offensive team so far this season, but their strengths and weaknesses switched against Utah.
“There's 60,000 points in our locker room, so I'm not worried about our offense,” Ham said. “Our defensive effort has to be there. Our defense was inept at best.”
Utah went up by 16 in the third quarter before Westbrook led the Lakers nearly all the way back, scoring nine points and leading a 24-10 run while keying Los Angeles' effort on both ends.
Westbrook was a target of many Lakers fans' ire last season, but they serenaded him with chants of “M-V-P!” at the free throw line and “We want Westbrook!” when he was on the bench in the fourth quarter.
“They just started off playing a lot faster than us,” Westbrook said. “(We were a) step slow, and it showed. We tried to pick it up in the second half, but we put ourselves in a bad position early.” 
TIP-INS
Jazz: Talen Horton-Tucker got a tribute video during the first timeout. Horton-Tucker played the past three seasons with the Lakers after they drafted him in 2019, and he earned a ring as a rookie reserve. He was traded to Utah for Patrick Beverley in August. ... Italian rookie Simone Fontecchio played in the final moments after missing four games in the NBA's health and safety protocols.
Lakers: Davis (lower back pain) and James (foot) were both cleared medically only after pregame warmups. ... Lonnie Walker scored 17 points. Troy Brown Jr. had 12.
UP NEXT
Jazz: At Clippers on Sunday night.
Lakers: Host Cavaliers on Sunday.
___
AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

LOS ANGELES (AP) &mdash; Lauri Markkanen had 27 points and 12 rebounds, Jordan Clarkson added 20 points, and the Utah Jazz continued their remarkable start to the season with a 130-116 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday night.
Kelly Olynyk had 18 points and Mike Conley added 15 points and 10 assists for the first-place Jazz, who are off to a 7-3 start to a year in which they were widely expected to struggle. Utah blew most of a big lead in the third quarter, but surged to victory down the stretch while getting at least seven points from eight players.
&ldquo;Again, it's a night where we had a lot of different guys contribute at a lot of different times in the game,&rdquo; first-year Jazz coach Will Hardy said. &ldquo;It's just another testament to the group, and to doing it as a group.&rdquo;
Russell Westbrook had 26 points and six assists in another strong performance in a reserve role for the Lakers, who dropped to 2-6 after their two-game winning streak ended. Los Angeles has not won three consecutive games since Jan. 7.
LeBron James had 17 points and 11 rebounds in a strained effort while still recovering from an illness and dealing with pain in his left foot. Anthony Davis scored 20 of his 22 points in the first half, but the Lakers' solid defensive start to the season came crashing down against the poised, polished Jazz.
&ldquo;We took a huge step backward tonight,&rdquo; Lakers coach Darvin Ham said of the defensive performance. &ldquo;It's the first game where I felt like we really weren't there defensively.&rdquo;
The Jazz appeared to be in for a rough year after parting ways with Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert, but their roster full of longtime NBA supporting talent has been the surprise of the league while beating a series of higher-regarded teams.
&ldquo;Every night, we're getting more familiar with each other as a group, and they're getting more familiar with me,&rdquo; Hardy said. &ldquo;We threw some different things out there tonight, and our guys executed it.&rdquo;
The Lakers had been a solid defensive team and a poor offensive team so far this season, but their strengths and weaknesses switched against Utah.
&ldquo;There's 60,000 points in our locker room, so I'm not worried about our offense,&rdquo; Ham said. &ldquo;Our defensive effort has to be there. Our defense was inept at best.&rdquo;
Utah went up by 16 in the third quarter before Westbrook led the Lakers nearly all the way back, scoring nine points and leading a 24-10 run while keying Los Angeles' effort on both ends.
Westbrook was a target of many Lakers fans' ire last season, but they serenaded him with chants of &ldquo;M-V-P!&rdquo; at the free throw line and &ldquo;We want Westbrook!&rdquo; when he was on the bench in the fourth quarter.
&ldquo;They just started off playing a lot faster than us,&rdquo; Westbrook said. &ldquo;(We were a) step slow, and it showed. We tried to pick it up in the second half, but we put ourselves in a bad position early.&rdquo;
TIP-INS
Jazz: Talen Horton-Tucker got a tribute video during the first timeout. Horton-Tucker played the past three seasons with the Lakers after they drafted him in 2019, and he earned a ring as a rookie reserve. He was traded to Utah for Patrick Beverley in August. ... Italian rookie Simone Fontecchio played in the final moments after missing four games in the NBA's health and safety protocols.
Lakers: Davis (lower back pain) and James (foot) were both cleared medically only after pregame warmups. ... Lonnie Walker scored 17 points. Troy Brown Jr. had 12.
UP NEXT
Jazz: At Clippers on Sunday night.
Lakers: Host Cavaliers on Sunday.
___
AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

LOS ANGELES (AP) &mdash; Lauri Markkanen had 27 points and 12 rebounds, Jordan Clarkson added 20 points, and the Utah Jazz continued their remarkable start to the season with a 130-116 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday night.
Kelly Olynyk had 18 points and Mike Conley added 15 points and 10 assists for the first-place Jazz, who are off to a 7-3 start to a year in which they were widely expected to struggle. Utah blew most of a big lead in the third quarter, but surged to victory down the stretch while getting at least seven points from eight players.
&ldquo;Again, it's a night where we had a lot of different guys contribute at a lot of different times in the game,&rdquo; first-year Jazz coach Will Hardy said. &ldquo;It's just another testament to the group, and to doing it as a group.&rdquo;
Russell Westbrook had 26 points and six assists in another strong performance in a reserve role for the Lakers, who dropped to 2-6 after their two-game winning streak ended. Los Angeles has not won three consecutive games since Jan. 7.
LeBron James had 17 points and 11 rebounds in a strained effort while still recovering from an illness and dealing with pain in his left foot. Anthony Davis scored 20 of his 22 points in the first half, but the Lakers' solid defensive start to the season came crashing down against the poised, polished Jazz.
&ldquo;We took a huge step backward tonight,&rdquo; Lakers coach Darvin Ham said of the defensive performance. &ldquo;It's the first game where I felt like we really weren't there defensively.&rdquo;
The Jazz appeared to be in for a rough year after parting ways with Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert, but their roster full of longtime NBA supporting talent has been the surprise of the league while beating a series of higher-regarded teams.
&ldquo;Every night, we're getting more familiar with each other as a group, and they're getting more familiar with me,&rdquo; Hardy said. &ldquo;We threw some different things out there tonight, and our guys executed it.&rdquo;
The Lakers had been a solid defensive team and a poor offensive team so far this season, but their strengths and weaknesses switched against Utah.
&ldquo;There's 60,000 points in our locker room, so I'm not worried about our offense,&rdquo; Ham said. &ldquo;Our defensive effort has to be there. Our defense was inept at best.&rdquo;
Utah went up by 16 in the third quarter before Westbrook led the Lakers nearly all the way back, scoring nine points and leading a 24-10 run while keying Los Angeles' effort on both ends.
Westbrook was a target of many Lakers fans' ire last season, but they serenaded him with chants of &ldquo;M-V-P!&rdquo; at the free throw line and &ldquo;We want Westbrook!&rdquo; when he was on the bench in the fourth quarter.
&ldquo;They just started off playing a lot faster than us,&rdquo; Westbrook said. &ldquo;(We were a) step slow, and it showed. We tried to pick it up in the second half, but we put ourselves in a bad position early.&rdquo;
TIP-INS
Jazz: Talen Horton-Tucker got a tribute video during the first timeout. Horton-Tucker played the past three seasons with the Lakers after they drafted him in 2019, and he earned a ring as a rookie reserve. He was traded to Utah for Patrick Beverley in August. ... Italian rookie Simone Fontecchio played in the final moments after missing four games in the NBA's health and safety protocols.
Lakers: Davis (lower back pain) and James (foot) were both cleared medically only after pregame warmups. ... Lonnie Walker scored 17 points. Troy Brown Jr. had 12.
&nbsp;

Lauri Markkanen had 27 points, Jordan Clarkson added 20 points and the Jazz scored a 130-116 victory over the Lakers.

Markkanen leads surprising Jazz past Lakers, 130-116

WASHINGTON (AP) &mdash; Kevin Durant had 28 points, 11 assists and nine rebounds, and the Brooklyn Nets won easily in their first game following Kyrie Irving's suspension, 128-86 over the Washington Wizards on Friday night.
Nic Claxton added 18 points for the Nets, who won for only the third time this season despite also being without the injured Ben Simmons and Seth Curry. Brooklyn shot 14 of 28 from 3-point range and 56% from the field overall.
&ldquo;Let's put the joy back in basketball," Nets owner Joe Tsai said in a postgame tweet.
No explanation was necessary. The Nets (3-6) have had a tumultuous week, parting ways with coach Steve Nash on Tuesday and suspending Irving on Thursday. <a href="https://apnews.com/article/brooklyn-nets-nba-sports-race-and-ethnicity-racial-injustice-614577d264e8fc39e863b66b79f0e159">The fallout</a> from Irving's post of a link to an antisemitic work continued Friday with Nike <a href="https://apnews.com/article/brooklyn-nets-nba-sports-kyrie-irving-racial-injustice-972e41eed3debbd9a548433c78227f05">announcing as the Nets were playing</a> that the company has halted its relationship with Irving.
&ldquo;You just have to focus on the game, keep your mind on the game plan and discipline to come out and execute and get the win,&rdquo; Brooklyn's Royce O'Neale said.
The team played well without Irving, holding Washington to 29 points in the second half.
&ldquo;Kevin was a hub for us tonight &mdash; really put them in tough binds," Nets interim coach Jacque Vaughn said. "He was a willing passer and he capitalized when he had the opportunities to.&rdquo;
Durant spearheaded a 27-3 run spanning the end of the first half and the start of the second. That gave Brooklyn an 85-60 lead.
<a href="https://twitter.com/BrooklynNets/status/1588678535878787074?s=20&amp;t=AzTnyRrEc7galmTUqEIYiw">His best highlight came earlier, though.</a> Toward the end of the first quarter, Wizards center Daniel Gafford fell to the floor trying to defend Durant on <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1588684844992811008">a crossover dribble</a> near the free throw line. Durant made a midrange jumper, and the crowd kept buzzing for a little while.
It was 38-28 after one quarter. The Wizards fought back to within one at 58-57, but Brooklyn scored the final 11 points of the second, capped by Durant&rsquo;s 3-pointer in the final seconds. Then the Nets scored 16 of the first 19 points of the third.
Bradley Beal led Washington with 20 points. Kyle Kuzma scored 19 and Kristaps Porzingis had 14 points and 10 rebounds.
&ldquo;We had no competitive spirit. We didn't play hard,&rdquo; Kuzma said. &ldquo;We had a couple good runs ... and it kind of just got out of hand.&rdquo;
LETDOWN
It was a disappointing showing for a Washington team that was coming off <a href="https://apnews.com/article/washington-wizards-philadelphia-76ers-nba-sports-health-d3cbd91ca8cf5a2238fd59263f485cc2">a nice win</a> at Philadelphia on Wednesday.
&ldquo;It's embarrassing,&rdquo; Wizards coach Wes Unseld Jr. said. &ldquo;I thought it started with our approach. Our approach was lackluster. I think we thought we could ease our way into a game where we felt they didn't have a complete complement, roster-wise.&rdquo;
TIP-INS
Nets: Simmons was out with left knee soreness, and Curry because of left ankle injury management. ... Cam Thomas scored 17 points and Yuta Watanabe added 14.
Wizards: Corey Kispert (left ankle sprain) played for the first time this season and scored two points. ... The Wizards went 11 of 41 from the field in the second half.
UP NEXT
Nets: At Charlotte on Saturday night.
Wizards: At Memphis on Sunday night.
___
Follow Noah Trister at <a href="https://twitter.com/noahtrister">https://twitter.com/noahtrister</a>
___
AP NBA: <a href="https://apnews.com/hub/nba">https://apnews.com/NBA</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/AP_Sports">https://twitter.com/AP_Sports</a>

WASHINGTON (AP) &mdash; Kevin Durant had 28 points, 11 assists and nine rebounds, and the Brooklyn Nets won easily in their first game following Kyrie Irving's suspension, 128-86 over the Washington Wizards on Friday night.
Nic Claxton added 18 points for the Nets, who won for only the third time this season despite also being without the injured Ben Simmons and Seth Curry. Brooklyn shot 14 of 28 from 3-point range and 56% from the field overall.
&ldquo;Let's put the joy back in basketball," Nets owner Joe Tsai said in a postgame tweet.
No explanation was necessary. The Nets (3-6) have had a tumultuous week, parting ways with coach Steve Nash on Tuesday and suspending Irving on Thursday. The fallout from Irving's post of a link to an antisemitic work continued Friday with Nike <a href="https://apnews.com/article/brooklyn-nets-nba-sports-kyrie-irving-racial-injustice-972e41eed3debbd9a548433c78227f05">announcing as the Nets were playing</a> that the company has halted its relationship with Irving.
&ldquo;You just have to focus on the game, keep your mind on the game plan and discipline to come out and execute and get the win,&rdquo; Brooklyn's Royce O'Neale said.
The team played well without Irving, holding Washington to 29 points in the second half.
&ldquo;Kevin was a hub for us tonight &mdash; really put them in tough binds," Nets interim coach Jacque Vaughn said. "He was a willing passer and he capitalized when he had the opportunities to.&rdquo;
Durant spearheaded a 27-3 run spanning the end of the first half and the start of the second. That gave Brooklyn an 85-60 lead.
<a href="https://twitter.com/BrooklynNets/status/1588678535878787074?s=20&amp;t=AzTnyRrEc7galmTUqEIYiw">His best highlight came earlier, though.</a> Toward the end of the first quarter, Wizards center Daniel Gafford fell to the floor trying to defend Durant on <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1588684844992811008">a crossover dribble</a> near the free throw line. Durant made a midrange jumper, and the crowd kept buzzing for a little while.
It was 38-28 after one quarter. The Wizards fought back to within one at 58-57, but Brooklyn scored the final 11 points of the second, capped by Durant&rsquo;s 3-pointer in the final seconds. Then the Nets scored 16 of the first 19 points of the third.
Bradley Beal led Washington with 20 points. Kyle Kuzma scored 19 and Kristaps Porzingis had 14 points and 10 rebounds.
&ldquo;We had no competitive spirit. We didn't play hard,&rdquo; Kuzma said. &ldquo;We had a couple good runs ... and it kind of just got out of hand.&rdquo;
LETDOWN
It was a disappointing showing for a Washington team that was coming off <a href="https://apnews.com/article/washington-wizards-philadelphia-76ers-nba-sports-health-d3cbd91ca8cf5a2238fd59263f485cc2">a nice win</a> at Philadelphia on Wednesday.
&ldquo;It's embarrassing,&rdquo; Wizards coach Wes Unseld Jr. said. &ldquo;I thought it started with our approach. Our approach was lackluster. I think we thought we could ease our way into a game where we felt they didn't have a complete complement, roster-wise.&rdquo;
TIP-INS
Nets: Simmons was out with left knee soreness, and Curry because of left ankle injury management. ... Cam Thomas scored 17 points and Yuta Watanabe added 14.
Wizards: Corey Kispert (left ankle sprain) played for the first time this season and scored two points. ... The Wizards went 11 of 41 from the field in the second half.
UP NEXT
Nets: At Charlotte on Saturday night.
Wizards: At Memphis on Sunday night.
___
Follow Noah Trister at <a href="https://twitter.com/noahtrister">https://twitter.com/noahtrister</a>
___
AP NBA: <a href="https://apnews.com/hub/nba">https://apnews.com/NBA</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/AP_Sports">https://twitter.com/AP_Sports</a>

WASHINGTON (AP) &mdash; Kevin Durant had 28 points, 11 assists and nine rebounds, and the Brooklyn Nets won easily in their first game following Kyrie Irving's suspension, 128-86 over the Washington Wizards on Friday night.
Nic Claxton added 18 points for the Nets, who won for only the third time this season despite also being without the injured Ben Simmons and Seth Curry. Brooklyn shot 14 of 28 from 3-point range and 56% from the field overall.
&ldquo;Let's put the joy back in basketball," Nets owner Joe Tsai said in a postgame tweet.
No explanation was necessary. The Nets (3-6) have had a tumultuous week, parting ways with coach Steve Nash on Tuesday and suspending Irving on Thursday. The fallout from Irving's post of a link to an antisemitic work continued Friday with Nike announcing as the Nets were playing that the company has halted its relationship with Irving.
&ldquo;You just have to focus on the game, keep your mind on the game plan and discipline to come out and execute and get the win,&rdquo; Brooklyn's Royce O'Neale said.
The team played well without Irving, holding Washington to 29 points in the second half.
&ldquo;Kevin was a hub for us tonight &mdash; really put them in tough binds," Nets interim coach Jacque Vaughn said. "He was a willing passer and he capitalized when he had the opportunities to.&rdquo;
Durant spearheaded a 27-3 run spanning the end of the first half and the start of the second. That gave Brooklyn an 85-60 lead.
<a href="https://twitter.com/BrooklynNets/status/1588678535878787074?s=20&amp;t=AzTnyRrEc7galmTUqEIYiw">His best highlight came earlier, though.</a> Toward the end of the first quarter, Wizards center Daniel Gafford fell to the floor trying to defend Durant on <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1588684844992811008">a crossover dribble</a> near the free throw line. Durant made a midrange jumper, and the crowd kept buzzing for a little while.
It was 38-28 after one quarter. The Wizards fought back to within one at 58-57, but Brooklyn scored the final 11 points of the second, capped by Durant&rsquo;s 3-pointer in the final seconds. Then the Nets scored 16 of the first 19 points of the third.
Bradley Beal led Washington with 20 points. Kyle Kuzma scored 19 and Kristaps Porzingis had 14 points and 10 rebounds.
&ldquo;We had no competitive spirit. We didn't play hard,&rdquo; Kuzma said. &ldquo;We had a couple good runs ... and it kind of just got out of hand.&rdquo;
LETDOWN
It was a disappointing showing for a Washington team that was coming off <a href="https://apnews.com/article/washington-wizards-philadelphia-76ers-nba-sports-health-d3cbd91ca8cf5a2238fd59263f485cc2">a nice win</a> at Philadelphia on Wednesday.
&ldquo;It's embarrassing,&rdquo; Wizards coach Wes Unseld Jr. said. &ldquo;I thought it started with our approach. Our approach was lackluster. I think we thought we could ease our way into a game where we felt they didn't have a complete complement, roster-wise.&rdquo;
TIP-INS
Nets: Simmons was out with left knee soreness, and Curry because of left ankle injury management. ... Cam Thomas scored 17 points and Yuta Watanabe added 14.
Wizards: Corey Kispert (left ankle sprain) played for the first time this season and scored two points. ... The Wizards went 11 of 41 from the field in the second half.
UP NEXT
Nets: At Charlotte on Saturday night.
Wizards: At Memphis on Sunday night.
___
Follow Noah Trister at <a href="https://twitter.com/noahtrister">https://twitter.com/noahtrister</a>
___
AP NBA: <a href="https://apnews.com/hub/nba">https://apnews.com/NBA</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/AP_Sports">https://twitter.com/AP_Sports</a>

WASHINGTON (AP) &mdash; Kevin Durant had 28 points, 11 assists and nine rebounds, and the Brooklyn Nets won easily in their first game following Kyrie Irving's suspension, 128-86 over the Washington Wizards on Friday night.
Nic Claxton added 18 points for the Nets, who won for only the third time this season despite also being without the injured Ben Simmons and Seth Curry. Brooklyn shot 14 of 28 from 3-point range and 56% from the field overall.
&ldquo;Let's put the joy back in basketball," Nets owner Joe Tsai said in a postgame tweet.
No explanation was necessary. The Nets (3-6) have had a tumultuous week, parting ways with coach Steve Nash on Tuesday and suspending Irving on Thursday. The fallout from Irving's post of a link to an antisemitic work continued Friday with Nike announcing as the Nets were playing that the company has halted its relationship with Irving.
&ldquo;You just have to focus on the game, keep your mind on the game plan and discipline to come out and execute and get the win,&rdquo; Brooklyn's Royce O'Neale said.
The team played well without Irving, holding Washington to 29 points in the second half.
&ldquo;Kevin was a hub for us tonight &mdash; really put them in tough binds," Nets interim coach Jacque Vaughn said. "He was a willing passer and he capitalized when he had the opportunities to.&rdquo;
Durant spearheaded a 27-3 run spanning the end of the first half and the start of the second. That gave Brooklyn an 85-60 lead.
His best highlight came earlier, though. Toward the end of the first quarter, Wizards center Daniel Gafford fell to the floor trying to defend Durant on <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1588684844992811008">a crossover dribble</a> near the free throw line. Durant made a midrange jumper, and the crowd kept buzzing for a little while.
It was 38-28 after one quarter. The Wizards fought back to within one at 58-57, but Brooklyn scored the final 11 points of the second, capped by Durant&rsquo;s 3-pointer in the final seconds. Then the Nets scored 16 of the first 19 points of the third.
Bradley Beal led Washington with 20 points. Kyle Kuzma scored 19 and Kristaps Porzingis had 14 points and 10 rebounds.
&ldquo;We had no competitive spirit. We didn't play hard,&rdquo; Kuzma said. &ldquo;We had a couple good runs ... and it kind of just got out of hand.&rdquo;
LETDOWN
It was a disappointing showing for a Washington team that was coming off <a href="https://apnews.com/article/washington-wizards-philadelphia-76ers-nba-sports-health-d3cbd91ca8cf5a2238fd59263f485cc2">a nice win</a> at Philadelphia on Wednesday.
&ldquo;It's embarrassing,&rdquo; Wizards coach Wes Unseld Jr. said. &ldquo;I thought it started with our approach. Our approach was lackluster. I think we thought we could ease our way into a game where we felt they didn't have a complete complement, roster-wise.&rdquo;
TIP-INS
Nets: Simmons was out with left knee soreness, and Curry because of left ankle injury management. ... Cam Thomas scored 17 points and Yuta Watanabe added 14.
Wizards: Corey Kispert (left ankle sprain) played for the first time this season and scored two points. ... The Wizards went 11 of 41 from the field in the second half.
UP NEXT
Nets: At Charlotte on Saturday night.
Wizards: At Memphis on Sunday night.
___
Follow Noah Trister at <a href="https://twitter.com/noahtrister">https://twitter.com/noahtrister</a>
___
AP NBA: <a href="https://apnews.com/hub/nba">https://apnews.com/NBA</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/AP_Sports">https://twitter.com/AP_Sports</a>

WASHINGTON (AP) &mdash; Kevin Durant had 28 points, 11 assists and nine rebounds, and the Brooklyn Nets won easily in their first game following Kyrie Irving's suspension, 128-86 over the Washington Wizards on Friday night.
Nic Claxton added 18 points for the Nets, who won for only the third time this season despite also being without the injured Ben Simmons and Seth Curry. Brooklyn shot 14 of 28 from 3-point range and 56% from the field overall.
&ldquo;Let's put the joy back in basketball," Nets owner Joe Tsai said in a postgame tweet.
No explanation was necessary. The Nets (3-6) have had a tumultuous week, parting ways with coach Steve Nash on Tuesday and suspending Irving on Thursday. The fallout from Irving's post of a link to an antisemitic work continued Friday with Nike announcing as the Nets were playing that the company has halted its relationship with Irving.
&ldquo;You just have to focus on the game, keep your mind on the game plan and discipline to come out and execute and get the win,&rdquo; Brooklyn's Royce O'Neale said.
The team played well without Irving, holding Washington to 29 points in the second half.
&ldquo;Kevin was a hub for us tonight &mdash; really put them in tough binds," Nets interim coach Jacque Vaughn said. "He was a willing passer and he capitalized when he had the opportunities to.&rdquo;
Durant spearheaded a 27-3 run spanning the end of the first half and the start of the second. That gave Brooklyn an 85-60 lead.
His best highlight came earlier, though. Toward the end of the first quarter, Wizards center Daniel Gafford fell to the floor trying to defend Durant on a crossover dribble near the free throw line. Durant made a midrange jumper, and the crowd kept buzzing for a little while.
It was 38-28 after one quarter. The Wizards fought back to within one at 58-57, but Brooklyn scored the final 11 points of the second, capped by Durant&rsquo;s 3-pointer in the final seconds. Then the Nets scored 16 of the first 19 points of the third.
Bradley Beal led Washington with 20 points. Kyle Kuzma scored 19 and Kristaps Porzingis had 14 points and 10 rebounds.
&ldquo;We had no competitive spirit. We didn't play hard,&rdquo; Kuzma said. &ldquo;We had a couple good runs ... and it kind of just got out of hand.&rdquo;
LETDOWN
It was a disappointing showing for a Washington team that was coming off <a href="https://apnews.com/article/washington-wizards-philadelphia-76ers-nba-sports-health-d3cbd91ca8cf5a2238fd59263f485cc2">a nice win</a> at Philadelphia on Wednesday.
&ldquo;It's embarrassing,&rdquo; Wizards coach Wes Unseld Jr. said. &ldquo;I thought it started with our approach. Our approach was lackluster. I think we thought we could ease our way into a game where we felt they didn't have a complete complement, roster-wise.&rdquo;
TIP-INS
Nets: Simmons was out with left knee soreness, and Curry because of left ankle injury management. ... Cam Thomas scored 17 points and Yuta Watanabe added 14.
Wizards: Corey Kispert (left ankle sprain) played for the first time this season and scored two points. ... The Wizards went 11 of 41 from the field in the second half.
UP NEXT
Nets: At Charlotte on Saturday night.
Wizards: At Memphis on Sunday night.
___
Follow Noah Trister at <a href="https://twitter.com/noahtrister">https://twitter.com/noahtrister</a>
___
AP NBA: <a href="https://apnews.com/hub/nba">https://apnews.com/NBA</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/AP_Sports">https://twitter.com/AP_Sports</a>

WASHINGTON (AP) &mdash; Kevin Durant had 28 points, 11 assists and nine rebounds, and the Brooklyn Nets won easily in their first game following Kyrie Irving's suspension, 128-86 over the Washington Wizards on Friday night.
Nic Claxton added 18 points for the Nets, who won for only the third time this season despite also being without the injured Ben Simmons and Seth Curry. Brooklyn shot 14 of 28 from 3-point range and 56% from the field overall.
&ldquo;Let's put the joy back in basketball," Nets owner Joe Tsai said in a postgame tweet.
No explanation was necessary. The Nets (3-6) have had a tumultuous week, parting ways with coach Steve Nash on Tuesday and suspending Irving on Thursday. The fallout from Irving's post of a link to an antisemitic work continued Friday with Nike announcing as the Nets were playing that the company has halted its relationship with Irving.
&ldquo;You just have to focus on the game, keep your mind on the game plan and discipline to come out and execute and get the win,&rdquo; Brooklyn's Royce O'Neale said.
The team played well without Irving, holding Washington to 29 points in the second half.
&ldquo;Kevin was a hub for us tonight &mdash; really put them in tough binds," Nets interim coach Jacque Vaughn said. "He was a willing passer and he capitalized when he had the opportunities to.&rdquo;
Durant spearheaded a 27-3 run spanning the end of the first half and the start of the second. That gave Brooklyn an 85-60 lead.
His best highlight came earlier, though. Toward the end of the first quarter, Wizards center Daniel Gafford fell to the floor trying to defend Durant on a crossover dribble near the free throw line. Durant made a midrange jumper, and the crowd kept buzzing for a little while.
It was 38-28 after one quarter. The Wizards fought back to within one at 58-57, but Brooklyn scored the final 11 points of the second, capped by Durant&rsquo;s 3-pointer in the final seconds. Then the Nets scored 16 of the first 19 points of the third.
Bradley Beal led Washington with 20 points. Kyle Kuzma scored 19 and Kristaps Porzingis had 14 points and 10 rebounds.
&ldquo;We had no competitive spirit. We didn't play hard,&rdquo; Kuzma said. &ldquo;We had a couple good runs ... and it kind of just got out of hand.&rdquo;
LETDOWN
It was a disappointing showing for a Washington team that was coming off <a href="https://apnews.com/article/washington-wizards-philadelphia-76ers-nba-sports-health-d3cbd91ca8cf5a2238fd59263f485cc2">a nice win</a> at Philadelphia on Wednesday.
&ldquo;It's embarrassing,&rdquo; Wizards coach Wes Unseld Jr. said. &ldquo;I thought it started with our approach. Our approach was lackluster. I think we thought we could ease our way into a game where we felt they didn't have a complete complement, roster-wise.&rdquo;
TIP-INS
Nets: Simmons was out with left knee soreness, and Curry because of left ankle injury management. ... Cam Thomas scored 17 points and Yuta Watanabe added 14.
Wizards: Corey Kispert (left ankle sprain) played for the first time this season and scored two points. ... The Wizards went 11 of 41 from the field in the second half.
UP NEXT
Nets: At Charlotte on Saturday night.
Wizards: At Memphis on Sunday night.
___
Follow Noah Trister at <a href="https://twitter.com/noahtrister">https://twitter.com/noahtrister</a>
___
AP NBA: <a href="https://apnews.com/hub/nba">https://apnews.com/NBA</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/AP_Sports">https://twitter.com/AP_Sports</a>

WASHINGTON (AP) &mdash; Kevin Durant had 28 points, 11 assists and nine rebounds, and the Brooklyn Nets won easily in their first game following Kyrie Irving's suspension, 128-86 over the Washington Wizards on Friday night.
Nic Claxton added 18 points for the Nets, who won for only the third time this season despite also being without the injured Ben Simmons and Seth Curry. Brooklyn shot 14 of 28 from 3-point range and 56% from the field overall.
&ldquo;Let's put the joy back in basketball," Nets owner Joe Tsai said in a postgame tweet.
No explanation was necessary. The Nets (3-6) have had a tumultuous week, parting ways with coach Steve Nash on Tuesday and suspending Irving on Thursday. The fallout from Irving's post of a link to an antisemitic work continued Friday with Nike announcing as the Nets were playing that the company has halted its relationship with Irving.
&ldquo;You just have to focus on the game, keep your mind on the game plan and discipline to come out and execute and get the win,&rdquo; Brooklyn's Royce O'Neale said.
The team played well without Irving, holding Washington to 29 points in the second half.
&ldquo;Kevin was a hub for us tonight &mdash; really put them in tough binds," Nets interim coach Jacque Vaughn said. "He was a willing passer and he capitalized when he had the opportunities to.&rdquo;
Durant spearheaded a 27-3 run spanning the end of the first half and the start of the second. That gave Brooklyn an 85-60 lead.
His best highlight came earlier, though. Toward the end of the first quarter, Wizards center Daniel Gafford fell to the floor trying to defend Durant on a crossover dribble near the free throw line. Durant made a midrange jumper, and the crowd kept buzzing for a little while.
It was 38-28 after one quarter. The Wizards fought back to within one at 58-57, but Brooklyn scored the final 11 points of the second, capped by Durant&rsquo;s 3-pointer in the final seconds. Then the Nets scored 16 of the first 19 points of the third.
Bradley Beal led Washington with 20 points. Kyle Kuzma scored 19 and Kristaps Porzingis had 14 points and 10 rebounds.
&ldquo;We had no competitive spirit. We didn't play hard,&rdquo; Kuzma said. &ldquo;We had a couple good runs ... and it kind of just got out of hand.&rdquo;
LETDOWN
It was a disappointing showing for a Washington team that was coming off <a href="https://apnews.com/article/washington-wizards-philadelphia-76ers-nba-sports-health-d3cbd91ca8cf5a2238fd59263f485cc2">a nice win</a> at Philadelphia on Wednesday.
&ldquo;It's embarrassing,&rdquo; Wizards coach Wes Unseld Jr. said. &ldquo;I thought it started with our approach. Our approach was lackluster. I think we thought we could ease our way into a game where we felt they didn't have a complete complement, roster-wise.&rdquo;
TIP-INS
Nets: Simmons was out with left knee soreness, and Curry because of left ankle injury management. ... Cam Thomas scored 17 points and Yuta Watanabe added 14.
Wizards: Corey Kispert (left ankle sprain) played for the first time this season and scored two points. ... The Wizards went 11 of 41 from the field in the second half.
&nbsp;
___
Follow Noah Trister at <a href="https://twitter.com/noahtrister">https://twitter.com/noahtrister</a>
___
AP NBA: <a href="https://apnews.com/hub/nba">https://apnews.com/NBA</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/AP_Sports">https://twitter.com/AP_Sports</a>

WASHINGTON (AP) &mdash; Kevin Durant had 28 points, 11 assists and nine rebounds, and the Brooklyn Nets won easily in their first game following Kyrie Irving's suspension, 128-86 over the Washington Wizards on Friday night.
Nic Claxton added 18 points for the Nets, who won for only the third time this season despite also being without the injured Ben Simmons and Seth Curry. Brooklyn shot 14 of 28 from 3-point range and 56% from the field overall.
&ldquo;Let's put the joy back in basketball," Nets owner Joe Tsai said in a postgame tweet.
No explanation was necessary. The Nets (3-6) have had a tumultuous week, parting ways with coach Steve Nash on Tuesday and suspending Irving on Thursday. The fallout from Irving's post of a link to an antisemitic work continued Friday with Nike announcing as the Nets were playing that the company has halted its relationship with Irving.
&ldquo;You just have to focus on the game, keep your mind on the game plan and discipline to come out and execute and get the win,&rdquo; Brooklyn's Royce O'Neale said.
The team played well without Irving, holding Washington to 29 points in the second half.
&ldquo;Kevin was a hub for us tonight &mdash; really put them in tough binds," Nets interim coach Jacque Vaughn said. "He was a willing passer and he capitalized when he had the opportunities to.&rdquo;
Durant spearheaded a 27-3 run spanning the end of the first half and the start of the second. That gave Brooklyn an 85-60 lead.
His best highlight came earlier, though. Toward the end of the first quarter, Wizards center Daniel Gafford fell to the floor trying to defend Durant on a crossover dribble near the free throw line. Durant made a midrange jumper, and the crowd kept buzzing for a little while.
It was 38-28 after one quarter. The Wizards fought back to within one at 58-57, but Brooklyn scored the final 11 points of the second, capped by Durant&rsquo;s 3-pointer in the final seconds. Then the Nets scored 16 of the first 19 points of the third.
Bradley Beal led Washington with 20 points. Kyle Kuzma scored 19 and Kristaps Porzingis had 14 points and 10 rebounds.
&ldquo;We had no competitive spirit. We didn't play hard,&rdquo; Kuzma said. &ldquo;We had a couple good runs ... and it kind of just got out of hand.&rdquo;
LETDOWN
It was a disappointing showing for a Washington team that was coming off <a href="https://apnews.com/article/washington-wizards-philadelphia-76ers-nba-sports-health-d3cbd91ca8cf5a2238fd59263f485cc2">a nice win</a> at Philadelphia on Wednesday.
&ldquo;It's embarrassing,&rdquo; Wizards coach Wes Unseld Jr. said. &ldquo;I thought it started with our approach. Our approach was lackluster. I think we thought we could ease our way into a game where we felt they didn't have a complete complement, roster-wise.&rdquo;
TIP-INS
Nets: Simmons was out with left knee soreness, and Curry because of left ankle injury management. ... Cam Thomas scored 17 points and Yuta Watanabe added 14.
Wizards: Corey Kispert (left ankle sprain) played for the first time this season and scored two points. ... The Wizards went 11 of 41 from the field in the second half.
&nbsp;
&nbsp;
___
AP NBA: <a href="https://apnews.com/hub/nba">https://apnews.com/NBA</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/AP_Sports">https://twitter.com/AP_Sports</a>

WASHINGTON (AP) &mdash; Kevin Durant had 28 points, 11 assists and nine rebounds, and the Brooklyn Nets won easily in their first game following Kyrie Irving's suspension, 128-86 over the Washington Wizards on Friday night.
Nic Claxton added 18 points for the Nets, who won for only the third time this season despite also being without the injured Ben Simmons and Seth Curry. Brooklyn shot 14 of 28 from 3-point range and 56% from the field overall.
&ldquo;Let's put the joy back in basketball," Nets owner Joe Tsai said in a postgame tweet.
No explanation was necessary. The Nets (3-6) have had a tumultuous week, parting ways with coach Steve Nash on Tuesday and suspending Irving on Thursday. The fallout from Irving's post of a link to an antisemitic work continued Friday with Nike announcing as the Nets were playing that the company has halted its relationship with Irving.
&ldquo;You just have to focus on the game, keep your mind on the game plan and discipline to come out and execute and get the win,&rdquo; Brooklyn's Royce O'Neale said.
The team played well without Irving, holding Washington to 29 points in the second half.
&ldquo;Kevin was a hub for us tonight &mdash; really put them in tough binds," Nets interim coach Jacque Vaughn said. "He was a willing passer and he capitalized when he had the opportunities to.&rdquo;
Durant spearheaded a 27-3 run spanning the end of the first half and the start of the second. That gave Brooklyn an 85-60 lead.
His best highlight came earlier, though. Toward the end of the first quarter, Wizards center Daniel Gafford fell to the floor trying to defend Durant on a crossover dribble near the free throw line. Durant made a midrange jumper, and the crowd kept buzzing for a little while.
It was 38-28 after one quarter. The Wizards fought back to within one at 58-57, but Brooklyn scored the final 11 points of the second, capped by Durant&rsquo;s 3-pointer in the final seconds. Then the Nets scored 16 of the first 19 points of the third.
Bradley Beal led Washington with 20 points. Kyle Kuzma scored 19 and Kristaps Porzingis had 14 points and 10 rebounds.
&ldquo;We had no competitive spirit. We didn't play hard,&rdquo; Kuzma said. &ldquo;We had a couple good runs ... and it kind of just got out of hand.&rdquo;
LETDOWN
It was a disappointing showing for a Washington team that was coming off <a href="https://apnews.com/article/washington-wizards-philadelphia-76ers-nba-sports-health-d3cbd91ca8cf5a2238fd59263f485cc2">a nice win</a> at Philadelphia on Wednesday.
&ldquo;It's embarrassing,&rdquo; Wizards coach Wes Unseld Jr. said. &ldquo;I thought it started with our approach. Our approach was lackluster. I think we thought we could ease our way into a game where we felt they didn't have a complete complement, roster-wise.&rdquo;
TIP-INS
Nets: Simmons was out with left knee soreness, and Curry because of left ankle injury management. ... Cam Thomas scored 17 points and Yuta Watanabe added 14.
Wizards: Corey Kispert (left ankle sprain) played for the first time this season and scored two points. ... The Wizards went 11 of 41 from the field in the second half.

WASHINGTON (AP) &mdash; Kevin Durant had 28 points, 11 assists and nine rebounds, and the Brooklyn Nets won easily in their first game following Kyrie Irving's suspension, 128-86 over the Washington Wizards on Friday night.
Nic Claxton added 18 points for the Nets, who won for only the third time this season despite also being without the injured Ben Simmons and Seth Curry. Brooklyn shot 14 of 28 from 3-point range and 56% from the field overall.
&ldquo;Let's put the joy back in basketball," Nets owner Joe Tsai said in a postgame tweet.
No explanation was necessary. The Nets (3-6) have had a tumultuous week, parting ways with coach Steve Nash on Tuesday and suspending Irving on Thursday. The fallout from Irving's post of a link to an antisemitic work continued Friday with Nike announcing as the Nets were playing that the company has halted its relationship with Irving.
&ldquo;You just have to focus on the game, keep your mind on the game plan and discipline to come out and execute and get the win,&rdquo; Brooklyn's Royce O'Neale said.
The team played well without Irving, holding Washington to 29 points in the second half.
&ldquo;Kevin was a hub for us tonight &mdash; really put them in tough binds," Nets interim coach Jacque Vaughn said. "He was a willing passer and he capitalized when he had the opportunities to.&rdquo;
Durant spearheaded a 27-3 run spanning the end of the first half and the start of the second. That gave Brooklyn an 85-60 lead.
His best highlight came earlier, though. Toward the end of the first quarter, Wizards center Daniel Gafford fell to the floor trying to defend Durant on a crossover dribble near the free throw line. Durant made a midrange jumper, and the crowd kept buzzing for a little while.
It was 38-28 after one quarter. The Wizards fought back to within one at 58-57, but Brooklyn scored the final 11 points of the second, capped by Durant&rsquo;s 3-pointer in the final seconds. Then the Nets scored 16 of the first 19 points of the third.
Bradley Beal led Washington with 20 points. Kyle Kuzma scored 19 and Kristaps Porzingis had 14 points and 10 rebounds.
&ldquo;We had no competitive spirit. We didn't play hard,&rdquo; Kuzma said. &ldquo;We had a couple good runs ... and it kind of just got out of hand.&rdquo;
LETDOWN
It was a disappointing showing for a Washington team that was coming off a nice win at Philadelphia on Wednesday.
&ldquo;It's embarrassing,&rdquo; Wizards coach Wes Unseld Jr. said. &ldquo;I thought it started with our approach. Our approach was lackluster. I think we thought we could ease our way into a game where we felt they didn't have a complete complement, roster-wise.&rdquo;
TIP-INS
Nets: Simmons was out with left knee soreness, and Curry because of left ankle injury management. ... Cam Thomas scored 17 points and Yuta Watanabe added 14.
Wizards: Corey Kispert (left ankle sprain) played for the first time this season and scored two points. ... The Wizards went 11 of 41 from the field in the second half.

Kevin Durant had 28 points and the Nets won in their first game following Kyrie Irving's suspension, 128-86 over the Wizards.

Without suspended Irving, Nets rout Wizards 128-86

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Obi Toppin hit a 3-pointer and Jalen Brunson finished off a three-point play seconds later as the New York Knicks rallied from 12 points down to beat the Philadelphia 76ers 106-104 on Friday night.
Brunson finished with 23 points to lead the Knicks. R.J. Barrett scored 22, while Toppin had 13 of his 17 in the fourth quarter as the Knicks snapped a three-game skid. Julius Randle had 17 points, 10 rebounds and five assists, Cam Reddish scored 11 points and Isaiah Hertenstein added eight points and 10 rebounds in extended minutes at center off the bench.
“It all starts with playing good defense,” Brunson said. “Then from there we just had really good movement with the ball and were able to penetrate and get some looks. We needed everyone to do their job and they did.”
 Toppin was a key figure in the fourth for the Knicks, shooting 5 for 7 — including three 3s.
 “The way Obi has been shooting the 3 ... that’s a big plus,” New York coach Tom Thibodeau said. “We talked about getting him into that (offensive) rotation if the opportunity presented itself, and tonight it did.”
Tyrese Maxey scored 31 points, Tobias Harris had 23 and Montrezl Harrell added 14 for Philadelphia, which has lost two straight. The 76ers shot 13 for 47 on 3s.
Maxey missed a 3-pointer that would have given the 76ers the lead with 29 seconds to go. De’Anthony Melton also missed a 3 with 1.2 seconds left. 
Philadelphia gave up a double digit lead in the fourth quarter by being outscored 16-5 in a span of 5:30. 
“They went small and they started switching everything,” Philadelphia coach Doc Rivers said. “We stopped attacking. We stopped trusting.”
The Knicks started slowly and struggled with turnovers (17) through the first three quarters, but they shot 10 for 18 in the fourth with only four turnovers. 
Maxey scored 10 consecutive points in a span of 1:46 in the third quarter to help the 76ers build their lead.
TIP-INS
76ers: After a sluggish start to the season, Rivers now has to try to get his team on track without his two biggest stars — G James Harden and C Joel Embiid. Harden, the team’s leading scorer, will miss approximately one month with a right foot strain and Embiid missed his third consecutive game with a “non-Covid-related illness.” Rivers said earlier in the week that Embiid had the flu. ... F Danuel House Jr. also missed the game with a non-Covid-related illness. ... G De’Anthony Melton replaced Harden in the starting lineup and Harrell again filled in for Embiid.
Knicks: Two days after insisting he wasn't ready to make any lineup changes after a bad loss to Atlanta, Thibodeau plugged in second-year G Quentin Grimes in place of veteran G Evan Fournier against the 76ers. The two ended up splitting time as Grimes played 15:01 and Fournier 14:23. ... F Mitchell Robinson left the game in the second quarter in some discomfort and did not return. Thibodeau had no update on his injury after the game and said they would have more information Saturday.
PLAYINT IT SAFE
Embiid has dealt with more than this illness to start the season. His conditioning has not been up to par and that stemmed from a bout with plantar fasciitis that he endured over the summer. But even with Harden out, the 76ers won’t rush Embiid back.
“We’re playing the long game with Joel,” Rivers said. 
Embiid will use the next two days to start to build up his breathing after his nasty flu. Philadelphia will then get him back on the court, but not the big minutes he’s used to playing right away. 
UP NEXT
Knicks : Host Boston on Saturday night.
76ers: Host Phoenix on Monday night.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) &mdash; Obi Toppin hit a 3-pointer and Jalen Brunson finished off a three-point play seconds later as the New York Knicks rallied from 12 points down to beat the Philadelphia 76ers 106-104 on Friday night.
Brunson finished with 23 points to lead the Knicks. R.J. Barrett scored 22, while Toppin had 13 of his 17 in the fourth quarter as the Knicks snapped a three-game skid. Julius Randle had 17 points, 10 rebounds and five assists, Cam Reddish scored 11 points and Isaiah Hertenstein added eight points and 10 rebounds in extended minutes at center off the bench.
&ldquo;It all starts with playing good defense,&rdquo; Brunson said. &ldquo;Then from there we just had really good movement with the ball and were able to penetrate and get some looks. We needed everyone to do their job and they did.&rdquo;
Toppin was a key figure in the fourth for the Knicks, shooting 5 for 7 &mdash; including three 3s.
&ldquo;The way Obi has been shooting the 3 ... that&rsquo;s a big plus,&rdquo; New York coach Tom Thibodeau said. &ldquo;We talked about getting him into that (offensive) rotation if the opportunity presented itself, and tonight it did.&rdquo;
Tyrese Maxey scored 31 points, Tobias Harris had 23 and Montrezl Harrell added 14 for Philadelphia, which has lost two straight. The 76ers shot 13 for 47 on 3s.
Maxey missed a 3-pointer that would have given the 76ers the lead with 29 seconds to go. De&rsquo;Anthony Melton also missed a 3 with 1.2 seconds left.
Philadelphia gave up a double digit lead in the fourth quarter by being outscored 16-5 in a span of 5:30.
&ldquo;They went small and they started switching everything,&rdquo; Philadelphia coach Doc Rivers said. &ldquo;We stopped attacking. We stopped trusting.&rdquo;
The Knicks started slowly and struggled with turnovers (17) through the first three quarters, but they shot 10 for 18 in the fourth with only four turnovers.
Maxey scored 10 consecutive points in a span of 1:46 in the third quarter to help the 76ers build their lead.
TIP-INS
76ers: After a sluggish start to the season, Rivers now has to try to get his team on track without his two biggest stars &mdash; G James Harden and C Joel Embiid. Harden, the team&rsquo;s leading scorer, will miss approximately one month with a right foot strain and Embiid missed his third consecutive game with a &ldquo;non-Covid-related illness.&rdquo; Rivers said earlier in the week that Embiid had the flu. ... F Danuel House Jr. also missed the game with a non-Covid-related illness. ... G De&rsquo;Anthony Melton replaced Harden in the starting lineup and Harrell again filled in for Embiid.
Knicks: Two days after insisting he wasn't ready to make any lineup changes after a bad loss to Atlanta, Thibodeau plugged in second-year G Quentin Grimes in place of veteran G Evan Fournier against the 76ers. The two ended up splitting time as Grimes played 15:01 and Fournier 14:23. ... F Mitchell Robinson left the game in the second quarter in some discomfort and did not return. Thibodeau had no update on his injury after the game and said they would have more information Saturday.
PLAYINT IT SAFE
Embiid has dealt with more than this illness to start the season. His conditioning has not been up to par and that stemmed from a bout with plantar fasciitis that he endured over the summer. But even with Harden out, the 76ers won&rsquo;t rush Embiid back.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;re playing the long game with Joel,&rdquo; Rivers said.
Embiid will use the next two days to start to build up his breathing after his nasty flu. Philadelphia will then get him back on the court, but not the big minutes he&rsquo;s used to playing right away.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) &mdash; Obi Toppin hit a 3-pointer and Jalen Brunson finished off a three-point play seconds later as the New York Knicks rallied from 12 points down to beat the Philadelphia 76ers 106-104 on Friday night.
Brunson finished with 23 points to lead the Knicks. R.J. Barrett scored 22, while Toppin had 13 of his 17 in the fourth quarter as the Knicks snapped a three-game skid. Julius Randle had 17 points, 10 rebounds and five assists, Cam Reddish scored 11 points and Isaiah Hertenstein added eight points and 10 rebounds in extended minutes at center off the bench.
&ldquo;It all starts with playing good defense,&rdquo; Brunson said. &ldquo;Then from there we just had really good movement with the ball and were able to penetrate and get some looks. We needed everyone to do their job and they did.&rdquo;
Toppin was a key figure in the fourth for the Knicks, shooting 5 for 7 &mdash; including three 3s.
&ldquo;The way Obi has been shooting the 3 ... that&rsquo;s a big plus,&rdquo; New York coach Tom Thibodeau said. &ldquo;We talked about getting him into that (offensive) rotation if the opportunity presented itself, and tonight it did.&rdquo;
Tyrese Maxey scored 31 points, Tobias Harris had 23 and Montrezl Harrell added 14 for Philadelphia, which has lost two straight. The 76ers shot 13 for 47 on 3s.
Maxey missed a 3-pointer that would have given the 76ers the lead with 29 seconds to go. De&rsquo;Anthony Melton also missed a 3 with 1.2 seconds left.
Philadelphia gave up a double digit lead in the fourth quarter by being outscored 16-5 in a span of 5:30.
&ldquo;They went small and they started switching everything,&rdquo; Philadelphia coach Doc Rivers said. &ldquo;We stopped attacking. We stopped trusting.&rdquo;
The Knicks started slowly and struggled with turnovers (17) through the first three quarters, but they shot 10 for 18 in the fourth with only four turnovers.
Maxey scored 10 consecutive points in a span of 1:46 in the third quarter to help the 76ers build their lead.
TIP-INS
76ers: After a sluggish start to the season, Rivers now has to try to get his team on track without his two biggest stars &mdash; G James Harden and C Joel Embiid. Harden, the team&rsquo;s leading scorer, will miss approximately one month with a right foot strain and Embiid missed his third consecutive game with a &ldquo;non-Covid-related illness.&rdquo; Rivers said earlier in the week that Embiid had the flu. ... F Danuel House Jr. also missed the game with a non-Covid-related illness. ... G De&rsquo;Anthony Melton replaced Harden in the starting lineup and Harrell again filled in for Embiid.
Knicks: Two days after insisting he wasn't ready to make any lineup changes after a bad loss to Atlanta, Thibodeau plugged in second-year G Quentin Grimes in place of veteran G Evan Fournier against the 76ers. The two ended up splitting time as Grimes played 15:01 and Fournier 14:23. ... F Mitchell Robinson left the game in the second quarter in some discomfort and did not return. Thibodeau had no update on his injury after the game and said they would have more information Saturday.
PLAYINT IT SAFE
Embiid has dealt with more than this illness to start the season. His conditioning has not been up to par and that stemmed from a bout with plantar fasciitis that he endured over the summer. But even with Harden out, the 76ers won&rsquo;t rush Embiid back.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;re playing the long game with Joel,&rdquo; Rivers said.
Embiid will use the next two days to start to build up his breathing after his nasty flu. Philadelphia will then get him back on the court, but not the big minutes he&rsquo;s used to playing right away.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) &mdash; Obi Toppin hit a 3-pointer and Jalen Brunson finished off a three-point play seconds later as the New York Knicks rallied from 12 points down to beat the Philadelphia 76ers 106-104 on Friday night.
Brunson finished with 23 points to lead the Knicks. R.J. Barrett scored 22, while Toppin had 13 of his 17 in the fourth quarter as the Knicks snapped a three-game skid. Julius Randle had 17 points, 10 rebounds and five assists, Cam Reddish scored 11 points and Isaiah Hertenstein added eight points and 10 rebounds in extended minutes at center off the bench.
&ldquo;It all starts with playing good defense,&rdquo; Brunson said. &ldquo;Then from there we just had really good movement with the ball and were able to penetrate and get some looks. We needed everyone to do their job and they did.&rdquo;
Toppin was a key figure in the fourth for the Knicks, shooting 5 for 7 &mdash; including three 3s.
&ldquo;The way Obi has been shooting the 3 ... that&rsquo;s a big plus,&rdquo; New York coach Tom Thibodeau said. &ldquo;We talked about getting him into that (offensive) rotation if the opportunity presented itself, and tonight it did.&rdquo;
Tyrese Maxey scored 31 points, Tobias Harris had 23 and Montrezl Harrell added 14 for Philadelphia, which has lost two straight. The 76ers shot 13 for 47 on 3s.
Maxey missed a 3-pointer that would have given the 76ers the lead with 29 seconds to go. De&rsquo;Anthony Melton also missed a 3 with 1.2 seconds left.
Philadelphia gave up a double digit lead in the fourth quarter by being outscored 16-5 in a span of 5:30.
&ldquo;They went small and they started switching everything,&rdquo; Philadelphia coach Doc Rivers said. &ldquo;We stopped attacking. We stopped trusting.&rdquo;
The Knicks started slowly and struggled with turnovers (17) through the first three quarters, but they shot 10 for 18 in the fourth with only four turnovers.
Maxey scored 10 consecutive points in a span of 1:46 in the third quarter to help the 76ers build their lead.
TIP-INS
76ers: After a sluggish start to the season, Rivers now has to try to get his team on track without his two biggest stars &mdash; G James Harden and C Joel Embiid. Harden, the team&rsquo;s leading scorer, will miss approximately one month with a right foot strain and Embiid missed his third consecutive game with a &ldquo;non-Covid-related illness.&rdquo; Rivers said earlier in the week that Embiid had the flu. ... F Danuel House Jr. also missed the game with a non-Covid-related illness. ... G De&rsquo;Anthony Melton replaced Harden in the starting lineup and Harrell again filled in for Embiid.
Knicks: Two days after insisting he wasn't ready to make any lineup changes after a bad loss to Atlanta, Thibodeau plugged in second-year G Quentin Grimes in place of veteran G Evan Fournier against the 76ers. The two ended up splitting time as Grimes played 15:01 and Fournier 14:23. ... F Mitchell Robinson left the game in the second quarter in some discomfort and did not return. Thibodeau had no update on his injury after the game and said they would have more information Saturday.
PLAYING IT SAFE
Embiid has dealt with more than this illness to start the season. His conditioning has not been up to par and that stemmed from a bout with plantar fasciitis that he endured over the summer. But even with Harden out, the 76ers won&rsquo;t rush Embiid back.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;re playing the long game with Joel,&rdquo; Rivers said.
Embiid will use the next two days to start to build up his breathing after his nasty flu. Philadelphia will then get him back on the court, but not the big minutes he&rsquo;s used to playing right away.

Obi Toppin hit a 3-pointer and Jalen Brunson finished off a three-point play late as the Knicks rallied to beat the 76ers 106-104.

Brunson, Barrett help Knicks rally to beat 76ers 106-104

DETROIT (AP) — Kevin Love had 21 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds as the short-handed Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Detroit Pistons 112-88 on Friday night for their seventh straight win.
Jarrett Allen scored 22 points and Cedi Osman added 15 as the Cavaliers had a 54-21 edge in bench scoring and a 58-24 edge in points in the paint.
The Cavaliers played without guards Darius Garland (knee) and Donovan Mitchell (ankle), who were both injured in an overtime win over the Boston Celtics on Wednesday.
“We obviously have a ton of respect and appreciation for Darius and Donovan, but we've got some really good basketball players that are with them,” Cavaliers coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “Tonight showed we've got a really good, deep basketball team.”
Evan Mobley added 11 points, eight rebounds and a career-high eight blocks.
“It wasn't just eight blocks — it was eight blocks that retained possession and he did it without committing a foul,” Bickerstaff said. “That's old school Bill Russell stuff we're talking about.”
Cade Cunningham had 19 points for Detroit, but scored only three in the second half. Bojan Bogdanovic, who came into the game leading the Pistons in scoring at 21.8 points, scored six on 2-for-9 shooting. 
“We lost our composure — when they turned up the defense, we lost our minds,” Pistons coach Dwane Casey said. “We have to get back to the fundamentals. When a good team gets after us, we can't forget what we've been working on.”
The Pistons have lost three straight and eight of nine. Their last three games have come against teams with a combined record of 17-1.
Without Garland and Mitchell, the Cavaliers took their offense inside, outscoring Detroit 34-10 in the paint in the first half. Both teams were under 30 percent on 3-pointers in the half, but Cleveland's ability to get to the rim let it lead by as many as 21 points on the way to a 57-39 halftime advantage. 
“My main goal tonight was to bring the same kind of energy that we get from two stars,” Allen said. “We knew we had to win as a team, which meant sharing the ball, making sure everyone got their touches and that we played together.”
The Cavaliers led 90-68 at the end of the third quarter and Love added a four-point play on the first possession of the fourth to end any doubt.
PASSING ON PADDING HIS STATS
Love only played 3:34 in the fourth quarter despite only needing two rebounds for a triple double.
“That shows you what kind of player Kevin is,” Bickerstaff said. “I discussed it with him, and he told me to do what was best for the game, and that was to give some minutes to our younger guys.”
TIP INS
Cavaliers: Mitchell and Garland combined for 54 points, 16 assists and nine rebounds in 86 minutes against the Celtics, but Cleveland didn't miss a beat without them against Detroit. ... Cleveland is 7-3 in its last 10 games against the Pistons. 
Pistons: Isaiah Livers scored 11 of Detroit's 21 bench points. No other reserve had more than one field goal. “We lost a big piece in Marvin (Bagley III), but we have good players on the bench,” Livers said. “That's not what it is. It's a matter of how we play.”
UP NEXT
Cavaliers: Visit the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday.
Pistons: Host the Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday.

DETROIT (AP) &mdash; Kevin Love had 21 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds as the short-handed Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Detroit Pistons 112-88 on Friday night for their seventh straight win.
Jarrett Allen scored 22 points and Cedi Osman added 15 as the Cavaliers had a 54-21 edge in bench scoring and a 58-24 edge in points in the paint.
The Cavaliers played without guards Darius Garland (knee) and Donovan Mitchell (ankle), who were both injured in an overtime win over the Boston Celtics on Wednesday.
&ldquo;We obviously have a ton of respect and appreciation for Darius and Donovan, but we've got some really good basketball players that are with them,&rdquo; Cavaliers coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. &ldquo;Tonight showed we've got a really good, deep basketball team.&rdquo;
Evan Mobley added 11 points, eight rebounds and a career-high eight blocks.
&ldquo;It wasn't just eight blocks &mdash; it was eight blocks that retained possession and he did it without committing a foul,&rdquo; Bickerstaff said. &ldquo;That's old school Bill Russell stuff we're talking about.&rdquo;
Cade Cunningham had 19 points for Detroit, but scored only three in the second half. Bojan Bogdanovic, who came into the game leading the Pistons in scoring at 21.8 points, scored six on 2-for-9 shooting.
&ldquo;We lost our composure &mdash; when they turned up the defense, we lost our minds,&rdquo; Pistons coach Dwane Casey said. &ldquo;We have to get back to the fundamentals. When a good team gets after us, we can't forget what we've been working on.&rdquo;
The Pistons have lost three straight and eight of nine. Their last three games have come against teams with a combined record of 17-1.
Without Garland and Mitchell, the Cavaliers took their offense inside, outscoring Detroit 34-10 in the paint in the first half. Both teams were under 30 percent on 3-pointers in the half, but Cleveland's ability to get to the rim let it lead by as many as 21 points on the way to a 57-39 halftime advantage.
&ldquo;My main goal tonight was to bring the same kind of energy that we get from two stars,&rdquo; Allen said. &ldquo;We knew we had to win as a team, which meant sharing the ball, making sure everyone got their touches and that we played together.&rdquo;
The Cavaliers led 90-68 at the end of the third quarter and Love added a four-point play on the first possession of the fourth to end any doubt.
PASSING ON PADDING HIS STATS
Love only played 3:34 in the fourth quarter despite only needing two rebounds for a triple double.
&ldquo;That shows you what kind of player Kevin is,&rdquo; Bickerstaff said. &ldquo;I discussed it with him, and he told me to do what was best for the game, and that was to give some minutes to our younger guys.&rdquo;
TIP INS
Cavaliers: Mitchell and Garland combined for 54 points, 16 assists and nine rebounds in 86 minutes against the Celtics, but Cleveland didn't miss a beat without them against Detroit. ... Cleveland is 7-3 in its last 10 games against the Pistons.
Pistons: Isaiah Livers scored 11 of Detroit's 21 bench points. No other reserve had more than one field goal. &ldquo;We lost a big piece in Marvin (Bagley III), but we have good players on the bench,&rdquo; Livers said. &ldquo;That's not what it is. It's a matter of how we play.&rdquo;
UP NEXT
Cavaliers: Visit the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday.
Pistons: Host the Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday.

DETROIT (AP) &mdash; Kevin Love had 21 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds as the short-handed Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Detroit Pistons 112-88 on Friday night for their seventh straight win.
Jarrett Allen scored 22 points and Cedi Osman added 15 as the Cavaliers had a 54-21 edge in bench scoring and a 58-24 edge in points in the paint.
The Cavaliers played without guards Darius Garland (knee) and Donovan Mitchell (ankle), who were both injured in an overtime win over the Boston Celtics on Wednesday.
&ldquo;We obviously have a ton of respect and appreciation for Darius and Donovan, but we've got some really good basketball players that are with them,&rdquo; Cavaliers coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. &ldquo;Tonight showed we've got a really good, deep basketball team.&rdquo;
Evan Mobley added 11 points, eight rebounds and a career-high eight blocks.
&ldquo;It wasn't just eight blocks &mdash; it was eight blocks that retained possession and he did it without committing a foul,&rdquo; Bickerstaff said. &ldquo;That's old school Bill Russell stuff we're talking about.&rdquo;
Cade Cunningham had 19 points for Detroit, but scored only three in the second half. Bojan Bogdanovic, who came into the game leading the Pistons in scoring at 21.8 points, scored six on 2-for-9 shooting.
&ldquo;We lost our composure &mdash; when they turned up the defense, we lost our minds,&rdquo; Pistons coach Dwane Casey said. &ldquo;We have to get back to the fundamentals. When a good team gets after us, we can't forget what we've been working on.&rdquo;
The Pistons have lost three straight and eight of nine. Their last three games have come against teams with a combined record of 17-1.
Without Garland and Mitchell, the Cavaliers took their offense inside, outscoring Detroit 34-10 in the paint in the first half. Both teams were under 30 percent on 3-pointers in the half, but Cleveland's ability to get to the rim let it lead by as many as 21 points on the way to a 57-39 halftime advantage.
&ldquo;My main goal tonight was to bring the same kind of energy that we get from two stars,&rdquo; Allen said. &ldquo;We knew we had to win as a team, which meant sharing the ball, making sure everyone got their touches and that we played together.&rdquo;
The Cavaliers led 90-68 at the end of the third quarter and Love added a four-point play on the first possession of the fourth to end any doubt.
PASSING ON PADDING HIS STATS
Love only played 3:34 in the fourth quarter despite only needing two rebounds for a triple double.
&ldquo;That shows you what kind of player Kevin is,&rdquo; Bickerstaff said. &ldquo;I discussed it with him, and he told me to do what was best for the game, and that was to give some minutes to our younger guys.&rdquo;
TIP INS
Cavaliers: Mitchell and Garland combined for 54 points, 16 assists and nine rebounds in 86 minutes against the Celtics, but Cleveland didn't miss a beat without them against Detroit. ... Cleveland is 7-3 in its last 10 games against the Pistons.
Pistons: Isaiah Livers scored 11 of Detroit's 21 bench points. No other reserve had more than one field goal. &ldquo;We lost a big piece in Marvin (Bagley III), but we have good players on the bench,&rdquo; Livers said. &ldquo;That's not what it is. It's a matter of how we play.&rdquo;
UP NEXT
Cavaliers: Visit the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday.
Pistons: Host the Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday.

DETROIT (AP) &mdash; Kevin Love had 21 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds as the short-handed Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Detroit Pistons 112-88 on Friday night for their seventh straight win.
Jarrett Allen scored 22 points and Cedi Osman added 15 as the Cavaliers had a 54-21 edge in bench scoring and a 58-24 edge in points in the paint.
The Cavaliers played without guards Darius Garland (knee) and Donovan Mitchell (ankle), who were both injured in an overtime win over the Boston Celtics on Wednesday.
&ldquo;We obviously have a ton of respect and appreciation for Darius and Donovan, but we've got some really good basketball players that are with them,&rdquo; Cavaliers coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. &ldquo;Tonight showed we've got a really good, deep basketball team.&rdquo;
Evan Mobley added 11 points, eight rebounds and a career-high eight blocks.
&ldquo;It wasn't just eight blocks &mdash; it was eight blocks that retained possession and he did it without committing a foul,&rdquo; Bickerstaff said. &ldquo;That's old school Bill Russell stuff we're talking about.&rdquo;
Cade Cunningham had 19 points for Detroit, but scored only three in the second half. Bojan Bogdanovic, who came into the game leading the Pistons in scoring at 21.8 points, scored six on 2-for-9 shooting.
&ldquo;We lost our composure &mdash; when they turned up the defense, we lost our minds,&rdquo; Pistons coach Dwane Casey said. &ldquo;We have to get back to the fundamentals. When a good team gets after us, we can't forget what we've been working on.&rdquo;
The Pistons have lost three straight and eight of nine. Their last three games have come against teams with a combined record of 17-1.
Without Garland and Mitchell, the Cavaliers took their offense inside, outscoring Detroit 34-10 in the paint in the first half. Both teams were under 30 percent on 3-pointers in the half, but Cleveland's ability to get to the rim let it lead by as many as 21 points on the way to a 57-39 halftime advantage.
&ldquo;My main goal tonight was to bring the same kind of energy that we get from two stars,&rdquo; Allen said. &ldquo;We knew we had to win as a team, which meant sharing the ball, making sure everyone got their touches and that we played together.&rdquo;
The Cavaliers led 90-68 at the end of the third quarter and Love added a four-point play on the first possession of the fourth to end any doubt.
PASSING ON PADDING HIS STATS
Love only played 3:34 in the fourth quarter despite only needing two rebounds for a triple double.
&ldquo;That shows you what kind of player Kevin is,&rdquo; Bickerstaff said. &ldquo;I discussed it with him, and he told me to do what was best for the game, and that was to give some minutes to our younger guys.&rdquo;
TIP INS
Cavaliers: Mitchell and Garland combined for 54 points, 16 assists and nine rebounds in 86 minutes against the Celtics, but Cleveland didn't miss a beat without them against Detroit. ... Cleveland is 7-3 in its last 10 games against the Pistons.
Pistons: Isaiah Livers scored 11 of Detroit's 21 bench points. No other reserve had more than one field goal. &ldquo;We lost a big piece in Marvin (Bagley III), but we have good players on the bench,&rdquo; Livers said. &ldquo;That's not what it is. It's a matter of how we play.&rdquo;

Kevin Love had 21 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds as the Cavaliers beat the Pistons 112-88 for their seventh straight win.

Love, Allen lead short-handed Cavaliers to rout of Pistons

BOSTON (AP) — Jayson Tatum had 36 points and 12 rebounds, including some late free throws to help the Boston Celtics hold on for a 123-119 victory over the Chicago Bulls on Friday night. 
Malcolm Brogdon added 25 points on 9-of-10 shooting and Jaylen Brown scored 16 points for Boston, which has won two of three.
It was the eighth straight game this season that Tatum has scored 20 or more points. He also set new career highs for free throw attempts and makes, going 17 of 20. 
But he said he was proudest of how they finished the game after failing to do so in two recent overtime losses to Cleveland. 
“That's something that we've talked about a lot recently,” Tatum said. "We've had some tough losses. ... That's the sign of good team and we talked about that at shoot around. And to go out and do it on the same night shows our growth."
DeMar DeRozan had a season-high 46 points for the Bulls. Nik Vucevic added 24 points and 12 rebounds and Zach LaVine finished with 16 points. Chicago was denied its first three-game winning streak of the season.
“I just felt like there was too many things we had control over that we needed to execute better and we didn't,” Bulls coach Billy Donovan said. “That hurt us tonight.”
Boston took a 93-87 lead into the fourth quarter and increased it to 105-91 with just over seven minutes to play.
A 3-pointer by Vucevic capped a 12-4 run to help the Bulls cut their deficit to 109-103.
Brogdon scored on a driving layup, was fouled and completed the three-point play to briefly give the Celtics some breathing room.
Chicago stayed close and another 3 by Vucevic trimmed it to 114-110, followed by a miss by Boston’s Al Horford.
DeRozan was fouled by Derrick White and hit two free throws. White made a 3 from the wing with 1:06 remaining on Boston's next possession.
Vucevic was good again from 3 on Chicago’s next trip to make it 117-115. Horford missed a corner 3, but Tatum pulled down the rebound and was fouled by LaVine. 
Tatum made only one of his free throws, giving the ball back to Chicago. Tatum got a steal, but his outlet pass was picked off by LaVine. Patrick Williams misfired, it was gathered and tossed to Tatum, who was fouled.
This time he was good on both free throws and Boston closed it out at the foul line. 
TIP-INS
Bulls: Reserve center Andre Drummond sat for the fourth straight game with a sprained right shoulder. ... Had 15 bench points after notching 49 in Wednesday’s win over Charlotte. ... Ayo Dosunmu finished with 11 points, going 5 of 8 from the field. He entered the night shooting 90% (27 of 30), including 10 of 10 from beyond the arc, in four previous games against the Celtics. ... Led 31-26 at the end of the first quarter.
Celtics: Led 63-57 at the half, outscoring the Bulls 37-26 in the second quarter. ... New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick sat with Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens in his suite.
FRESH LEGS
Brogdon became the first Celtics guard to score 25 or more points on 90% shooting off the bench since the start of the 3-point era (1980). 
Brogdon said playing a role in which he's not one of the top three scoring options has allowed him to have much fresher legs late in games. Having dynamic scorers like Tatum and Brown to distribute has also made those situations easier this season, he said. 
“I'm comfortable finishing games. I've been doing it my whole career,” Brogdon said. 
FAMILIAR BLUEPRINT
The Celtics ended Chicago’s recent clampdown on the defensive end and avoided becoming the third consecutive opponent the Bulls held below the century mark.
The Bulls dominated underneath the basket in their first meeting with the Celtics last month, holding a 12-point scoring edge in the paint on the way to a 20-point victory in Chicago. 
Boston used much of the same blueprint Friday, outscoring Chicago 52-34 in the paint. The Celtics’ bench contributed 41 points.
UP NEXT
Bulls: At Toronto on Sunday. 
Celtics: At the New York Knicks on Saturday.
___
AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

BOSTON (AP) &mdash; Jayson Tatum had 36 points and 12 rebounds, including some late free throws to help the Boston Celtics hold on for a 123-119 victory over the Chicago Bulls on Friday night.
Malcolm Brogdon added 25 points on 9-of-10 shooting and Jaylen Brown scored 16 points for Boston, which has won two of three.
It was the eighth straight game this season that Tatum has scored 20 or more points. He also set new career highs for free throw attempts and makes, going 17 of 20.
But he said he was proudest of how they finished the game after failing to do so in two recent overtime losses to Cleveland.
&ldquo;That's something that we've talked about a lot recently,&rdquo; Tatum said. "We've had some tough losses. ... That's the sign of good team and we talked about that at shoot around. And to go out and do it on the same night shows our growth."
DeMar DeRozan had a season-high 46 points for the Bulls. Nik Vucevic added 24 points and 12 rebounds and Zach LaVine finished with 16 points. Chicago was denied its first three-game winning streak of the season.
&ldquo;I just felt like there was too many things we had control over that we needed to execute better and we didn't,&rdquo; Bulls coach Billy Donovan said. &ldquo;That hurt us tonight.&rdquo;
Boston took a 93-87 lead into the fourth quarter and increased it to 105-91 with just over seven minutes to play.
A 3-pointer by Vucevic capped a 12-4 run to help the Bulls cut their deficit to 109-103.
Brogdon scored on a driving layup, was fouled and completed the three-point play to briefly give the Celtics some breathing room.
Chicago stayed close and another 3 by Vucevic trimmed it to 114-110, followed by a miss by Boston&rsquo;s Al Horford.
DeRozan was fouled by Derrick White and hit two free throws. White made a 3 from the wing with 1:06 remaining on Boston's next possession.
Vucevic was good again from 3 on Chicago&rsquo;s next trip to make it 117-115. Horford missed a corner 3, but Tatum pulled down the rebound and was fouled by LaVine.
Tatum made only one of his free throws, giving the ball back to Chicago. Tatum got a steal, but his outlet pass was picked off by LaVine. Patrick Williams misfired, it was gathered and tossed to Tatum, who was fouled.
This time he was good on both free throws and Boston closed it out at the foul line.
TIP-INS
Bulls: Reserve center Andre Drummond sat for the fourth straight game with a sprained right shoulder. ... Had 15 bench points after notching 49 in Wednesday&rsquo;s win over Charlotte. ... Ayo Dosunmu finished with 11 points, going 5 of 8 from the field. He entered the night shooting 90% (27 of 30), including 10 of 10 from beyond the arc, in four previous games against the Celtics. ... Led 31-26 at the end of the first quarter.
Celtics: Led 63-57 at the half, outscoring the Bulls 37-26 in the second quarter. ... New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick sat with Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens in his suite.
FRESH LEGS
Brogdon became the first Celtics guard to score 25 or more points on 90% shooting off the bench since the start of the 3-point era (1980).
Brogdon said playing a role in which he's not one of the top three scoring options has allowed him to have much fresher legs late in games. Having dynamic scorers like Tatum and Brown to distribute has also made those situations easier this season, he said.
&ldquo;I'm comfortable finishing games. I've been doing it my whole career,&rdquo; Brogdon said.
FAMILIAR BLUEPRINT
The Celtics ended Chicago&rsquo;s recent clampdown on the defensive end and avoided becoming the third consecutive opponent the Bulls held below the century mark.
The Bulls dominated underneath the basket in their first meeting with the Celtics last month, holding a 12-point scoring edge in the paint on the way to a 20-point victory in Chicago.
Boston used much of the same blueprint Friday, outscoring Chicago 52-34 in the paint. The Celtics&rsquo; bench contributed 41 points.
UP NEXT
Bulls: At Toronto on Sunday.
Celtics: At the New York Knicks on Saturday.
___
AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

BOSTON (AP) &mdash; Jayson Tatum had 36 points and 12 rebounds, including some late free throws to help the Boston Celtics hold on for a 123-119 victory over the Chicago Bulls on Friday night.
Malcolm Brogdon added 25 points on 9-of-10 shooting and Jaylen Brown scored 16 points for Boston, which has won two of three.
It was the eighth straight game this season that Tatum has scored 20 or more points. He also set new career highs for free throw attempts and makes, going 17 of 20.
But he said he was proudest of how they finished the game after failing to do so in two recent overtime losses to Cleveland.
&ldquo;That's something that we've talked about a lot recently,&rdquo; Tatum said. "We've had some tough losses. ... That's the sign of good team and we talked about that at shoot around. And to go out and do it on the same night shows our growth."
DeMar DeRozan had a season-high 46 points for the Bulls. Nik Vucevic added 24 points and 12 rebounds and Zach LaVine finished with 16 points. Chicago was denied its first three-game winning streak of the season.
&ldquo;I just felt like there was too many things we had control over that we needed to execute better and we didn't,&rdquo; Bulls coach Billy Donovan said. &ldquo;That hurt us tonight.&rdquo;
Boston took a 93-87 lead into the fourth quarter and increased it to 105-91 with just over seven minutes to play.
A 3-pointer by Vucevic capped a 12-4 run to help the Bulls cut their deficit to 109-103.
Brogdon scored on a driving layup, was fouled and completed the three-point play to briefly give the Celtics some breathing room.
Chicago stayed close and another 3 by Vucevic trimmed it to 114-110, followed by a miss by Boston&rsquo;s Al Horford.
DeRozan was fouled by Derrick White and hit two free throws. White made a 3 from the wing with 1:06 remaining on Boston's next possession.
Vucevic was good again from 3 on Chicago&rsquo;s next trip to make it 117-115. Horford missed a corner 3, but Tatum pulled down the rebound and was fouled by LaVine.
Tatum made only one of his free throws, giving the ball back to Chicago. Tatum got a steal, but his outlet pass was picked off by LaVine. Patrick Williams misfired, it was gathered and tossed to Tatum, who was fouled.
This time he was good on both free throws and Boston closed it out at the foul line.
TIP-INS
Bulls: Reserve center Andre Drummond sat for the fourth straight game with a sprained right shoulder. ... Had 15 bench points after notching 49 in Wednesday&rsquo;s win over Charlotte. ... Ayo Dosunmu finished with 11 points, going 5 of 8 from the field. He entered the night shooting 90% (27 of 30), including 10 of 10 from beyond the arc, in four previous games against the Celtics. ... Led 31-26 at the end of the first quarter.
Celtics: Led 63-57 at the half, outscoring the Bulls 37-26 in the second quarter. ... New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick sat with Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens in his suite.
FRESH LEGS
Brogdon became the first Celtics guard to score 25 or more points on 90% shooting off the bench since the start of the 3-point era (1980).
Brogdon said playing a role in which he's not one of the top three scoring options has allowed him to have much fresher legs late in games. Having dynamic scorers like Tatum and Brown to distribute has also made those situations easier this season, he said.
&ldquo;I'm comfortable finishing games. I've been doing it my whole career,&rdquo; Brogdon said.
FAMILIAR BLUEPRINT
The Celtics ended Chicago&rsquo;s recent clampdown on the defensive end and avoided becoming the third consecutive opponent the Bulls held below the century mark.
The Bulls dominated underneath the basket in their first meeting with the Celtics last month, holding a 12-point scoring edge in the paint on the way to a 20-point victory in Chicago.
Boston used much of the same blueprint Friday, outscoring Chicago 52-34 in the paint. The Celtics&rsquo; bench contributed 41 points.

Jayson Tatum had 36 points and 12 rebounds to help the Boston Celtics hold on for a 123-119 victory over the Chicago Bulls

Tatum scores 36, Celtics rally to hold off Bulls 123-119

Nike has parted ways with Kyrie Irving.
The shoe giant announced Friday night that it will halt its relationship with the Brooklyn guard, who has been suspended by the Nets for what the team called a repeated failure to “unequivocally say he has no antisemitic beliefs.”
The Nets made that move Thursday, and a day later, Nike made its decision as well.
“At Nike, we believe there is no place for hate speech and we condemn any form of antisemitism," the Beaverton, Oregon-based company said. “To that end, we’ve made the decision to suspend our relationship with Kyrie Irving effective immediately and will no longer launch the Kyrie 8."
Irving has had a signature line with Nike since 2014.
“We are deeply saddened and disappointed by the situation and its impact on everyone," Nike said.
Irving signed with Nike in 2011, shortly after becoming the No. 1 pick in that year’s NBA draft. Irving’s first signature shoe was released three years later, and the popularity of the Kyrie line led to him making a reported $11 million annually just from the Nike endorsement.
The Kyrie 8 was expected to be released in the next week. Previous models of his shoes were still for sale on the Nike website Friday night.
Nike's decision came a day after the Nets handed down their suspension, which will last at least five games, and after NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said he wanted an apology from Irving over his decision to post a link to the documentary “Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America” — a film that contains antisemitic material. 
Irving defended his right to post what he wants, then refused to give a direct answer when asked Thursday if he has antisemitic beliefs. Later, hours after the Nets issued their suspension, Irving posted an apology on Instagram for not explaining the specific beliefs he agreed and disagreed with when he posted the documentary.
“To All Jewish families and Communities that are hurt and affected from my post, I am deeply sorry to have caused you pain, and I apologize,” Irving wrote. “I initially reacted out of emotion to being unjustly labeled Anti-Semitic, instead of focusing on the healing process of my Jewish Brothers and Sisters that were hurt from the hateful remarks made in the Documentary.”
Irving becomes the second prominent celebrity in less than two weeks to lose a major shoe deal over antisemitism. Adidas was forced to part ways with Ye — the artist formerly known as Kanye West — late last month, a move the German company said would result in about $250 million in losses this year after stopping production of its line of Yeezy products as well as halting payments to Ye and his companies.
For weeks, Ye made antisemitic comments in interviews and on social media, including a Twitter post that he would soon go “death con 3 on JEWISH PEOPLE,” an apparent reference to the U.S. defense readiness condition scale known as DEFCON.
___
AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Nike has parted ways with Kyrie Irving.
The shoe giant announced Friday night that it will halt its relationship with the Brooklyn guard, who has been suspended by the Nets for what the team called a repeated failure to &ldquo;unequivocally say he has no antisemitic beliefs.&rdquo;
The Nets made that move Thursday, and a day later, Nike made its decision as well.
&ldquo;At Nike, we believe there is no place for hate speech and we condemn any form of antisemitism," the Beaverton, Oregon-based company said. &ldquo;To that end, we&rsquo;ve made the decision to suspend our relationship with Kyrie Irving effective immediately and will no longer launch the Kyrie 8."
Irving has had a signature line with Nike since 2014.
&ldquo;We are deeply saddened and disappointed by the situation and its impact on everyone," Nike said.
Irving signed with Nike in 2011, shortly after becoming the No. 1 pick in that year&rsquo;s NBA draft. Irving&rsquo;s first signature shoe was released three years later, and the popularity of the Kyrie line led to him making a reported $11 million annually just from the Nike endorsement.
The Kyrie 8 was expected to be released in the next week. Previous models of his shoes were still for sale on the Nike website Friday night.
Nike's decision came a day after the Nets handed down their suspension, which will last at least five games, and after NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said he wanted an apology from Irving over his decision to post a link to the documentary &ldquo;Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America&rdquo; &mdash; a film that contains antisemitic material.
Irving defended his right to post what he wants, then refused to give a direct answer when asked Thursday if he has antisemitic beliefs. Later, hours after the Nets issued their suspension, Irving posted an apology on Instagram for not explaining the specific beliefs he agreed and disagreed with when he posted the documentary.
&ldquo;To All Jewish families and Communities that are hurt and affected from my post, I am deeply sorry to have caused you pain, and I apologize,&rdquo; Irving wrote. &ldquo;I initially reacted out of emotion to being unjustly labeled Anti-Semitic, instead of focusing on the healing process of my Jewish Brothers and Sisters that were hurt from the hateful remarks made in the Documentary.&rdquo;
Irving becomes the second prominent celebrity in less than two weeks to lose a major shoe deal over antisemitism. Adidas was forced to part ways with Ye &mdash; the artist formerly known as Kanye West &mdash; late last month, a move the German company said would result in about $250 million in losses this year after stopping production of its line of Yeezy products as well as halting payments to Ye and his companies.
For weeks, Ye made antisemitic comments in interviews and on social media, including a Twitter post that he would soon go &ldquo;death con 3 on JEWISH PEOPLE,&rdquo; an apparent reference to the U.S. defense readiness condition scale known as DEFCON.
___
AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Nike has parted ways with Kyrie Irving.
The shoe giant announced Friday night that it will halt its relationship with the Brooklyn guard, who has been suspended by the Nets for what the team called a repeated failure to &ldquo;unequivocally say he has no antisemitic beliefs.&rdquo;
The Nets made that move Thursday, and a day later, Nike made its decision as well.
&ldquo;At Nike, we believe there is no place for hate speech and we condemn any form of antisemitism," the Beaverton, Oregon-based company said. &ldquo;To that end, we&rsquo;ve made the decision to suspend our relationship with Kyrie Irving effective immediately and will no longer launch the Kyrie 8."
Irving has had a signature line with Nike since 2014.
&ldquo;We are deeply saddened and disappointed by the situation and its impact on everyone," Nike said.
Irving signed with Nike in 2011, shortly after becoming the No. 1 pick in that year&rsquo;s NBA draft. Irving&rsquo;s first signature shoe was released three years later, and the popularity of the Kyrie line led to him making a reported $11 million annually just from the Nike endorsement.
The Kyrie 8 was expected to be released in the next week. Previous models of his shoes were still for sale on the Nike website Friday night.
Nike's decision came a day after the Nets handed down their suspension, which will last at least five games, and after NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said he wanted an apology from Irving over his decision to post a link to the documentary &ldquo;Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America&rdquo; &mdash; a film that contains antisemitic material.
Irving defended his right to post what he wants, then refused to give a direct answer when asked Thursday if he has antisemitic beliefs. Later, hours after the Nets issued their suspension, Irving posted an apology on Instagram for not explaining the specific beliefs he agreed and disagreed with when he posted the documentary.
&ldquo;To All Jewish families and Communities that are hurt and affected from my post, I am deeply sorry to have caused you pain, and I apologize,&rdquo; Irving wrote. &ldquo;I initially reacted out of emotion to being unjustly labeled Anti-Semitic, instead of focusing on the healing process of my Jewish Brothers and Sisters that were hurt from the hateful remarks made in the Documentary.&rdquo;
Irving becomes the second prominent celebrity in less than two weeks to lose a major shoe deal over antisemitism. Adidas was forced to part ways with Ye &mdash; the artist formerly known as Kanye West &mdash; late last month, a move the German company said would result in about $250 million in losses this year after stopping production of its line of Yeezy products as well as halting payments to Ye and his companies.
For weeks, Ye made antisemitic comments in interviews and on social media, including a Twitter post that he would soon go &ldquo;death con 3 on JEWISH PEOPLE,&rdquo; an apparent reference to the U.S. defense readiness condition scale known as DEFCON.
&nbsp;

Nike suspends its relationship with Kyrie Irving and will no longer launch the Kyrie 8.