Kawhi Leonard scored a career-high 55 points, James Harden added 28 and the Los Angeles Clippers extended their winning streak to a season-high four games with a 112-99 victory over the Detroit Pistons.

James Harden scored a season-high 55 points on 10 3-pointers, and the Los Angeles James Harden made 10 3-pointers and scored a season-high 55 points, and the Los Angeles Clippers beat the Charlotte Hornets 131-116 hours after 12-time All-Star point guard Chris Paul released a video on social media hinting at retirement after the season ends.

The NBA season opens Tuesday with a record 135 players born outside the U.S. They come from 43 countries, with 71 players from Europe.

Chris Paul is rejoining the Los Angeles Clippers for what is expected to be his 21st and final NBA season.

Myles Turner wants to keep contending for NBA titles.

Myles Turner has agreed to a four-year deal to join the Milwaukee Bucks, who waived nine-time All-Star Damian Lillard to make the acquisition happen, according to a person with knowledge of the moves.

Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo compares himself to a certain action movie star as he discusses his excitement about finally being healthy for the start of a postseason run.

Giannis Antetokounmpo and most of the Milwaukee Bucks’ other top players will sit out Sunday’s regular-season finale with Detroit as both teams already are locked into their respective playoff positions.

Giannis Antetokounmpo became the first player in NBA history to have 35 points, 17 rebounds and a career-high 20 assists as the Milwaukee Bucks beat the Philadelphia 76ers 126-113.

Giannis Antetokounmpo told his Milwaukee Bucks teammates they were fighting for their lives.

Nikola Jokic had 39 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists in his first game back in nearly two weeks to lead the Denver Nuggets to a 127-117 victory against the Milwaukee Bucks.

Tyrese Haliburton made a fadeaway 3-pointer while being fouled and completed the four-point play with 3.4 seconds left, and the Indiana Pacers stunned Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks 115-114.

Paolo Banchero scored 29 points, Cole Anthony added 22 and the Orlando Magic beat Milwaukee 111-109 on Saturday to end a five-game skid and snap the Bucks’ four-game winning streak.

Hubie Brown received tributes from across the NBA community as the former coach and longtime broadcaster headed into retirement after spending over half a century in pro basketball.

The Los Angeles Lakers are acquiring center Mark Williams from the Charlotte Hornets in a trade for rookie Dalton Knecht, Cam Reddish and two draft picks, a person with knowledge of the deal tells The Associated Press.

Giannis Antetokounmpo had 30 points, 13 assists and 11 rebounds for his 50th career triple-double as the Milwaukee Bucks beat Sacramento 130-115 on Tuesday to snap the Kings’ seven-game win streak.

Damian Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo stood side-by-side during the postgame celebration after the NBA Cup final.

Everyone has a lucky number in Las Vegas.

When the Milwaukee Bucks clinched their spot in the NBA Cup championship game, plenty of the team’s younger and lesser-paid players were exuberant in the locker room.

Obi Toppin scored 21 points, T.

Myles Turner scored 29 points, Tyrese Haliburton added 24 and the Indiana Pacers made a franchise playoff record 22 3-pointers as they pulled away from the Milwaukee Bucks 126-113.

The Milwaukee Bucks and Celtics combined for a record-low two free throw attempts Tuesday night, when the Celtics became the first team in NBA history to not shoot one.

Giannis Antetokounmpo had 24 points, Damian Lillard had 23 points and Bobby Portis scored 21 as the Milwaukee Bucks pounded the Charlotte Hornets 123-85 for their most lopsided victory of the season.

Giannis Antetokounmpo had 33 points and 13 rebounds to help the Milwaukee Bucks surge out of the All-Star break with a 112-107 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Damian Lillard swished a 3-pointer at the buzzer in overtime to give the Milwaukee Bucks a stunning 143-142 win over the Sacramento Kings.

The Orlando Magic came up short on their Thursday night matchup against the Milwaukee Bucks, leading to the Bucks’ sixth consecutive victory.

Giannis Antetokounmpo had 26 points and 17 rebounds, passing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to become the Bucks’ career rebounding leader, and Damian Lillard scored 39 points in Milwaukee’s 128-119 victory over the Houston Rockets on Sunday night.

Tyrese Haliburton had 27 points and 13 assists and the Indiana Pacers beat the Milwaukee Bucks 128-119 on Thursday to advance to the championship game int the NBA’s inaugural In-Season Tournament.

Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 33 points, Damian Lillard added 32 and the Milwaukee Bucks rallied in the fourth quarter to beat the Miami Heat 131-124 on Tuesday night and clinch a home quarterfinal game in the NBA In-Season Tournament.

Jayson Tatum shook off an illness to have 23 points and 11 rebounds, carrying the Boston Celtics over the Milwaukee Bucks 119-116 on Wednesday night in an early showdown of top Eastern Conference teams.

Kevin Durant just got done with his summer vacation.

Jimmy Butler scored a Miami playoff record 56 points, and the Heat roared back from 14 points down in the final quarter to stun the Milwaukee Bucks 119-114 on Monday night to put the NBA’s top overall seed on the brink of early elimination.

Brook Lopez scored 25 points, Jrue Holiday added 24 and the hot-shooting Milwaukee Bucks withstood Giannis Antetokounmpo’s absence while trouncing the Miami Heat 138-122, tying their Eastern Conference first-round playoff series at a game apiece.

Nobody blocked more shots per game, nor had better defensive numbers at the rim this season, than Memphis’ Jaren Jackson Jr. And voters noticed.

Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 36 points, Brook Lopez added 21 and the NBA-leading Milwaukee Bucks clinched a playoff spot by beating the Phoenix Suns 116-104 to become the first team to 50 wins this season.

Stephen Curry scored 36 points with 22 of those in the fourth quarter and overtime, shining in his first home game back from a long injury absence and leading the Golden State Warriors past the NBA-best Milwaukee Bucks 125-116.

Brook Lopez scored 26 points, Khris Middleton and Jevon Carter each added 24 points and the Milwaukee Bucks beat the Orlando Magic 134-123 for their 18th win in 19 games.

Giannis Antetokounmpo had 33 points and 15 rebounds, and the Milwaukee Bucks extended their winning streak to 15 games by beating the Brooklyn Nets 118-104.

Brook Lopez made a tiebreaking layup and a steal in the final 25 seconds as the Milwaukee Bucks edged the Phoenix Suns 104-101 for their 14th consecutive victory.

Giannis Antetokounmpo broke Milwaukee’s career assists record before leaving the game because of a sprained right wrist, and the Bucks won their 12th straight, beating the Chicago Bulls 112-100.

Giannis Antetokounmpo broke the Milwaukee Bucks’ career assists record Thursday night against the Chicago Bulls.

Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 20 of his 29 points in the first quarter, returning to the lineup after a five-game absence to lead the Milwaukee Bucks in a 150-130 win over the Detroit Pistons.

Kevin Durant scored 24 points, and the Nets held Giannis Antetokounmpo scoreless in the fourth quarter to beat the Milwaukee Bucks 118-100.

A fan was ejected following a complaint by Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green during a game at Milwaukee on Tuesday night.

Brook Lopez hit a wide-open layup off an inbounds play with seven seconds to go, and the Milwaukee Bucks beat the Dallas Mavericks 106-105.

Giannis Antetokounmpo scored five of his 34 points in the final two minutes Monday night to help the Milwaukee Bucks hold off a late Orlando rally in a 109-102 win over the Magic.

Anthony Davis scored a season-high 44 points, LeBron James passed Magic Johnson on the NBA’s career assists list and the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Milwaukee Bucks 133-129 in a thriller.

Joel Embiid had 32 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists and the short-handed Philadelphia 76ers overcame a 13-point deficit to beat the Milwaukee Bucks 110-102 on Friday night.

Dejounte Murray scored 25 points, rookie A.J. Griffin came off the bench in Trae Young’s absence to add a career-high 24 and the Atlanta Hawks snapped the Milwaukee Bucks’ season-opening, nine-game winning streak with a 117-98 victory.

Brook Lopez scored 25 points and the Milwaukee Bucks extended their season-opening winning streak to a franchise-record nine games with Giannis Antetokounmpo on the bench, beating the Oklahoma City Thunder 108-94.

Jrue Holiday sank a tiebreaking 3-pointer with 45.3 seconds left and finished with 25 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists as the Milwaukee Bucks edged the Detroit Pistons 110-108 on Monday night to stay unbeaten.

Giannis Antetokounmpo had 30 points, 14 rebounds and nine assists as the Milwaukee Bucks remained unbeaten with a 119-108 victory over the New York Knicks.

Wesley Matthews hit the go-ahead 3-pointer with 23.8 seconds left to lead the Milwaukee Bucks to a 90-88 win over the Philadelphia 76ers.

Grant Williams scored a career-high 27 points and hit seven 3-pointers, Jayson Tatum added 23 and the Boston Celtics set a Game 7 record with 22 3-pointers to eliminate the NBA champion Milwaukee Bucks 109-81 on Sunday in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

Al Horford and Jayson Tatum scored 30 points each and led the Boston Celtics’ fourth-quarter comeback in a 116-108 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks that tied their Eastern Conference semifinal at two games apiece.

Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 42 points and made the go-ahead basket with 44.3 seconds left and the Milwaukee Bucks withstood a frantic flurry of shots in the final seconds to beat the Boston Celtics 103-101 on Saturday in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference semifinal.

The defending NBA champion Milwaukee Bucks recovered from a bumpy beginning and rediscovered their championship form in plenty of time to dispose of the Chicago Bulls in their opening-round series.

DeMar DeRozan scored 41 points for his career playoff high and the Chicago Bulls outlasted the Milwaukee Bucks 114-110 on Wednesday to tie their Eastern Conference first-round playoff series at a game apiece.

Giannis Antetokounmpo had 27 points and 16 rebounds and the defending champion Milwaukee Bucks recovered after blowing a 16-point lead to beat the Chicago Bulls 93-86 in Game 1 of their first-round playoff series Sunday.

Kevin Love made eight 3-pointers and scored 32 points and the Cleveland Cavaliers took the No. 8 play-in spot — and a matchup against Brooklyn — with a 133-115 win over Milwaukee.

Brook Lopez scored a season-high 28 points and the Milwaukee Bucks overcame a rather quiet performance from Giannis Antetokounmpo to clinch their fourth straight Central Division championship with a 127-106 victory over the Chicago Bulls.

Luka Doncic scored 32 points and matched a season high with 15 assists to help the Dallas Mavericks defeat the Milwaukee Bucks 118-112.

Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 40 points and had a game-deciding block of Joel Embiid in the final seconds to lead the Milwaukee Bucks to a 118-116 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers in a matchup of two of the Eastern Conference’s top teams.

Giannis Antetokounmpo says the absence of Brook Lopez for much of the season has caused the Milwaukee Bucks to appreciate the 7-foot veteran on a whole new level.

Giannis Antetokounmpo had 25 points and 17 rebounds in his return to action and the Milwaukee Bucks rolled to a 126-98 victory over the Chicago Bulls.

Klay Thompson scored a season-best 38 points, raising his right arm in triumph to ignite the home crowd and leading the Golden State Warriors past the defending NBA champion Milwaukee Bucks, 122-109 on Saturday night.

Giannis Antetokounmpo and the defending champion Milwaukee Bucks are coming out of the All-Star break knowing they've got work ahead just to earn home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs.

Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 33 points, Jrue Holiday added 25 and Khris Middleton 22 as the Milwaukee Bucks extended their winning streak to five games with a 136-118 victory over the Orlando Magic.

Giannis Antetokounmpo had 28 points, Bobby Portis scored 17 of his 19 points in the first half and the Milwaukee Bucks defeated the Orlando Magic 127-110 on Tuesday night.

Milwaukee Bucks center Brook Lopez has undergone surgery to address the back injury that has kept him from playing since the opening game of the season.

Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 47 points and Khris Middleton tied Milwaukee’s franchise record for career 3-pointers in the Bucks’ 109-102 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday.

Dennis Schröder scored eight of his season-high 38 points in overtime and the Boston Celtics took advantage of Giannis Antetokounmpo’s absence to beat the Milwaukee Bucks 122-113.

Julius Randle had 32 points and 12 rebounds, and the New York Knicks erased an early 21-point deficit and routed the Milwaukee Bucks 113-98.

The Milwaukee Bucks haven’t been quite themselves as they’ve opened their NBA title defense.

Tyler Herro scored 27 points in 24 minutes off the bench, Jimmy Butler added 21 and the Miami Heat opened their season with an easy 137-95 victory over the NBA champion Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday night.

The Bucks are on the verge of making history as Milwaukee's first NBA champion since 1971.

Giannis Antetokounmpo pointed to a pair of scratches, one on his forehead and the other on his cheek.

Giannis Antetokounmpo and his bum left knee bulldozed through the Phoenix Suns defense for most of Game 2, once again giving the Milwaukee Bucks more than they could have dreamed in these NBA Finals.

At their best, the Phoenix Suns have three players who can take over a game.

Phoenix Suns forward Dario Saric has a torn ACL in his right knee that he suffered during the first quarter of Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Tuesday night.

Brook Lopez scored a playoff career-high 33 points and the Milwaukee Bucks withstood Giannis Antetokounmpo’s absence and beat the Atlanta Hawks 123-112 on Thursday to regain the lead in the Eastern Conference finals.

The Atlanta Hawks are dealing with another injury that could affect their preparations for Game 5 of the Eastern Conference final.

Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 25 points, Jrue Holiday added 22 and the Milwaukee Bucks blew out the Atlanta Hawks 125-91 to even the Eastern Conference finals at a game apiece.

There's more than a berth in the NBA Finals for the winner of the improbable matchup between the Milwaukee Bucks-Atlanta Hawks.

Giannis Antetokounmpo had 34 points and the Milwaukee Bucks rolled to a 107-96 Game 4 victory on Sunday to tie their second-round playoff series with the Brooklyn Nets.

James Harden won’t be back for Game 2 of the Eastern Conference semifinals.

Kevin Durant scored 29 points, Kyrie Irving had 25 and the two superstars carried the Brooklyn Nets after James Harden’s early injury in a 115-107 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals.

Milwaukee’s roster transformation started after losing to Miami in last season’s NBA playoffs, one that made the Bucks give themselves a critical look.

Turns out, there was a reason the Milwaukee Bucks weren’t worried about a playoff rematch with the Miami Heat in Round 1 this year.

Milwaukee guard Donte DiVincenzo’s season is over.

The Milwaukee Bucks are a win away from a sweep of the Miami Heat and a berth in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

Khris Middleton broke a tie with a jumper with 0.5 seconds left in overtime and had 27 points to help the Milwaukee Bucks beat the Miami Heat 109-107 Saturday in Game 1 of the first-round playoff series.

USA Basketball is a step closer to choosing the team that will play in this summer’s rescheduled Tokyo Olympics, releasing the names Thursday of 57 players who are part of the pool to fill the squad. It’s also already drawing major interest from some NBA stars who have yet to taste Olympic gold. USA Basketball will pare the list to a 12-person Olympic team by early summer. Jordan, who now plays for Brooklyn, is also a newcomer to the pool even though he was on the 2016 Olympic team. “But for USA Basketball to receive the commitment of so many outstanding players remains an indicator of the great honor of representing your country means to these men.”

Milwaukee Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo dunks during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the LA Clippers Sunday, Feb. 28, 2021, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)MILWAUKEE – Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks showed they can still rally in the fourth quarter to win games with their defense. Antetokounmpo scored 36 points and sparked a game-closing 9-0 run as the Bucks rallied to beat the Los Angeles Clippers 105-100 on Sunday for their fifth consecutive victory. The Bucks generally haven’t performed quite as well on defense this season but stifled the Clippers down the stretch. Bucks: Antetokounmpo has scored at least 35 points in four straight games, making him the first Bucks player to accomplish that feat since Kareem Abdul-Jabbar from Jan. 6-14, 1973.

Utah Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell (45) pulls down a rebound as Milwaukee Bucks guard D.J. Augustin, rear, looks on in the second half during an NBA basketball game Friday, Feb. 12, 2021, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)SALT LAKE CITY – Rudy Gobert had 27 points and 12 rebounds, and the Utah Jazz beat the Milwaukee Bucks 129-115 on Friday night for their sixth straight victory. Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 27 of his 29 points in the second half, but Milwaukee dropped its second straight game after a five-game win streak. The Jazz packed the paint all game on defense and picked up two defensive 3-second violations along the way.

Brooklyn Nets forward Kevin Durant (7) shoots over Milwaukee Bucks center Brook Lopez during the first half of an NBA basketball game Monday, Jan. 18, 2021, in New York. They are 2-0 since last week's acquisition of Harden, who is averaging 33 points in his new uniform. Harden had 11 points at halftime following his 32-point Nets debut, when he added 14 assists and 12 rebounds. ... Durant was chosen as Eastern Conference player of the week after averaging 34 points, 5.3 rebounds and 8.0 assists in Brooklyn’s 3-0 week. The Bucks host the NBA champion Lakers on Thursday, two nights before the Nets open a two-game series at home against Miami.

Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, bottom, and Miami Heat forward Precious Achiuwa go for a loose ball during the first half of an NBA basketball game Wednesday, Dec. 30, 2020, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)MIAMI – The Miami Heat engineered a 58-point turnaround against the Milwaukee Bucks in 24 hours. Milwaukee’s lead was 72-58 early in the second half, 84-73 with 3:44 left in the third. Milwaukee had 21 points after four minutes Tuesday; the Bucks were held to four in the first four minutes Wednesday. Miami finished 2020 at 36-29 (22-22 regular season, 14-7 playoffs).

Butler and Goran Dragic each scored 17 points for the Heat, who won the series 4-1 and will face either Boston or Toronto when the NBAs final four gets underway next week. It's Miami's first time in the East finals since 2014, and the first time Butler has gotten to the NBA's final four. Jae Crowder scored 16, Tyler Herro scored 14, Bam Adebayo had 13 and Kelly Olynyk had 12 apiece for the Heat. Donte DiVincenzo scored 17, Wesley Matthews and Marvin Williams each had 11 and Eric Bledsoe had nine assists for the Bucks. UP NEXTHeat: Game 1 of the East finals vs. Toronto or Boston, TBD.

Even with Giannis Antetokounmpo missing most of the game with a sprained right ankle, the Bucks extended their season to a Game 5 on Tuesday. The Heat gave up 12 straight points in the final period Sunday, wasting what was an eight-point lead in a closeout game. Antetokounmpo scored 19 points for the Bucks in only 11 minutes, while Brook Lopez and George Hill each had 14 for Milwaukee. TIP-INSBucks: Milwaukee missed 19 consecutive 3-pointers its last 12 of Game 3 and first seven of Game 4 before Antetokounmpo connected late in the first quarter. Heat: Miami was looking to become the first No.

The Heat outscored Milwaukee 40-13 in the fourth quarter the biggest such final-quarter margin in NBA playoff history to take a 3-0 series lead. Adebayo had 20 points and 16 rebounds, and Jae Crowder had 17 points to help the Heat improve to 7-0 in this postseason. Butler had 17 of his points in the fourth, and the Heat pulled off their biggest fourth-quarter playoff comeback ever. Butler had the next nine Miami points as the Heat went back on top, and he set Adebayo up for a short basket with 4:20 remaining to restore a 100-99 lead. ...GIANNIS 1KA dunk in the fourth quarter gave Antetokounmpo 19 points on the night and 1,000 in his 42-game playoff career.