JERAMI GRANT

Jerami Grant became eligible for a contract extension with the Trail Blazers earlier this month, and Portland has offered the athletic forward his maximum possible deal of four years, $112 million, league sources told Yahoo Sports. Grant has been on the record about his interest in sticking with Portland long term. Nuggets’ decision to makeAfter his name was discussed in trade conversations around last June’s NBA Draft, Denver has begun gauging the trade value of second-year guard Bones Hyland, sources told Yahoo Sports. Occasional clashes between Hyland and head coach Michael Malone’s old-school mentality have also been a factor in Denver’s trade dialogue, sources said. Jazz remain activeUtah continues to dial opposing front offices in hopes of fetching positive returns for Malik Beasley, Jarred Vanderbilt and Mike Conley, among other veterans, sources told Yahoo Sports.

Damian Lillard scored a season-high 60 points, hitting nine 3-pointers, and the Portland Trail Blazers beat the Utah Jazz 134-124 on Wednesday night.

Let's take a look at two contributing factors behind Portland's early-season success, starting with a new arrival who's been just what the doctor ordered. With Lillard on the floor, the Blazers have scored 118.2 points per 100 non-garbage-time possessions, according to Cleaning the Glass , equivalent to the NBA's no. And, more importantly, there's finally a wing capable of easing the burden on the Blazers' bombastic backcourt. New Orleans scored just 38 points after intermission, and the Blazers stormed back for a big road win. We've gone small, we've played zone, we've picked up full court, we've been in full-court zone, we've trapped … we've mixed it up so much that it's been unpredictable."

PHOENIX — (AP) — Jerami Grant scored a season-high 30 points, including a baseline jumper at the buzzer, to lift the short-handed Portland Trail Blazers over the Phoenix Suns 108-106 on Friday night. The Suns looked like they would have the final possession of regulation but Mikal Bridges was called for traveling. Booker led the Suns with 25 points, while Deandre Ayton added 24 points and eight rebounds. 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.

Jerami Grant scored a season-high 30 points, including a baseline jumper at the buzzer, to lift the short-handed Portland Trail Blazers over the Phoenix Suns 108-106.

Anthony Davis won’t play for the Los Angeles Lakers in Minnesota due to low back tightness.

LOS ANGELES — (AP) — Damian Lillard scored 41 points, Jerami Grant made a driving layup with three seconds left, and the unbeaten Portland Trail Blazers kept the Los Angeles Lakers winless under new coach Darvin Ham with a 106-104 victory Sunday. Lillard continued his longtime domination of Los Angeles, improving his career average of 28 points per game. Lonnie Walker scored 15 points and Westbrook had 10 on 4-for-15 shooting for Los Angeles. The Lakers missed 17 of their first 18 3-point attempts of the afternoon, continuing their anomalously poor start to the season from distance. Beat the Lakers in Los Angeles for the first time since December 2020, snapping a three-game skid.

Damian Lillard scored 41 points, Jerami Grant made a driving layup with three seconds to play, and the unbeaten Portland Trail Blazers kept the Los Angeles Lakers winless under new coach Darvin Ham with a 106-104 victory.

He connected on 40.4 percent of his threes in the regular season, followed by 41.7 percent in the playoffs. Dinwiddie ranked in the 60th percentile by knocking down 33.3 percent of his guarded catch-and-shoot attempts. While he may not reside above 40.0 percent on season-long volume, a career-best shooting season could be in store. [Get in on the fun this fantasy hoops season: Create or join a league now!] In Philadelphia last season, Harden logged career-worst field-goal percentage and 3-point shooting, 40.2 and 32.6 percent, respectively.

Pistons Trail Blazers Trade Basketball FILE - Detroit Pistons forward Jerami Grant brings the ball up against the Minnesota Timberwolves during the second half of an NBA basketball game in Detroit, Feb. 3, 2022. A person with knowledge of the move said the Pistons agreed Wednesday, June 22, to trade Grant to the Portland Trail Blazers. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya, File) (Paul Sancya)A person with knowledge of the situation said the Detroit Pistons have agreed to trade Olympic gold medalist Jerami Grant to the Portland Trail Blazers, with the biggest part of the return being a first-round pick in 2025. But in his two seasons with the Pistons, Grant averaged 20.9 points. Grant was born in 1994 when his father, Harvey Grant, was in the first of his three seasons as a member of the Trail Blazers.

A person with knowledge of the situation said the Detroit Pistons have agreed to trade Olympic gold medalist Jerami Grant to the Portland Trail Blazers, with the biggest part of the return being a first-round pick in the 2025 draft.

Saddiq Bey scored a career-high 51 points and the Detroit Pistons beat the Orlando Magic 134-120 on Thursday night end a four-game losing streak.

Cam Johnson and Cameron Payne both scored 19 points to lead the Phoenix Suns to their franchise-record 18th win in a row, beating the Detroit Pistons 114-103.

LeBron James had 33 points, nine assists and no confrontations with Isaiah Stewart in the Los Angeles Lakers’ 110-106 victory over the Detroit Pistons.

Susana Orrego moved to the U.S. from Colombia in August, so this Thanksgiving was her first. She wanted to do something to celebrate, and she and her husband ended up getting 200 invites to Thanksgiving dinners. On Thursday, they met a new friend, Carol Lesser – the woman who welcomed the couple into her home.

Kevin Durant was the leading scorer for Brooklyn this past season.

Rubio has well over a decade of experience in the international game. The rims are 10 feet high and much of the court looks the same as what American NBA players are used to, but the nuances of the international game — the Olympic game — are much different. There’s a lot of handchecks; it’s called different in NBA than in FIBA. In the NBA, the sixth foul sends someone to the bench for the rest of the evening; in FIBA, it only takes five. “As the game goes on, as we continue to go through this process, we’re figuring out the difference between the international game and the game we play,” U.S. guard Damian Lillard said.

The rules are different.

LAS VEGAS — (AP) — The United States' men's basketball exhibition game against Australia scheduled for Friday night in Las Vegas has been canceled because of health and safety protocols. USA Basketball cited “an abundance of caution” in making the decision Thursday night. The U.S. women's game against Australia will be played as scheduled Friday in Las Vegas. The decision to cancel the game came hours after Washington Wizards star Bradley Beal was ruled out of the Olympics after being placed into health and safety protocols. The U.S. lost its opening two exhibition games to Nigeria and Australia and beat Argentina in the third Tuesday night.

The United States’ men’s basketball exhibition game against Australia scheduled for Friday night in Las Vegas has been canceled because of health and safety protocols.

Argentina US Basketball United States' Bradley Beal brings the ball up court against Argentina during the second half of an exhibition basketball game in Las Vegas on Tuesday, July 13, 2021. (Chase Stevens/Las Vegas Review-Journal via AP) (Chase Stevens)Bradley Beal will miss the Olympics after being placed into health and safety protocols and the U.S. men's basketball team said it will replace him on its roster at a later date. The Americans also announced Thursday that forward Jerami Grant has also been played in health and safety protocols “out of an abundance of caution.”Beal, a guard from the Washington Wizards, had started all three exhibition games for the U.S. so far in Las Vegas, averaging 10.3 points on 10-for-21 shooting. The Americans have already been playing short-handed during their exhibition games, with Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday of Milwaukee and Devin Booker of Phoenix playing in the NBA Finals. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

Khris Middleton ordinarily wouldn’t be thinking about anything right now other than what the Milwaukee Bucks are trying to accomplish in the NBA playoffs.

The team will not be officially complete until USA Basketball sends its roster to FIBA, something that won't happen until next month. Durant is a two-time Olympic gold medalist, after being part of the 2012 and 2016 teams. The Americans are also in the process of putting together a select team that will practice against the Olympic team during training camp in Las Vegas, which opens July 6. It is possible that, if necessary, players may be promoted from the select team to the Olympic team; such scenarios happened with the World Cup team in 2019 because of injuries and other roster openings. Grant — who averaged 22.3 points for Detroit this season — was also part of that select team in Las Vegas five summers ago before the Olympics.

Denver’s Nikola Jokic finished ninth in the MVP voting last season.

Mo Bamba had 22 points and 15 rebounds — both career highs — and the Orlando Magic beat the Detroit Pistons 119-112.

LaMelo Ball returned from a 21-game absence with 11 points, leading the Charlotte Hornets to a 107-94 victory over the Detroit Pistons.

Brooklyn Nets forward Blake Griffin (2) is defended by Detroit Pistons forward Sekou Doumbouya during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Friday, March 26, 2021, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)DETROIT – James Harden scored 44 points and Blake Griffin added 17 in his return to Detroit, lifting the Brooklyn Nets to a 113-111 victory over the Pistons on Friday night. Brooklyn was still without Kevin Durant (left hamstring strain) and Kyrie Irving (personal reasons), but the Nets had enough to hold off the last-place Pistons. Griffin spent three-plus years with the Pistons, but he reached a buyout agreement with Detroit earlier this month and went to the contending Nets. The Pistons went 34 for 47 on free throws.

Houston Rockets guard Victor Oladipo (7) shoots as Detroit Pistons center Isaiah Stewart (28) defends during the fourth quarter of an NBA basketball game Friday, March 19, 2021, in Houston. (Troy Taromina/Pool Photo via AP)HOUSTON – Frank Jackson had a season-high 23 points and the Detroit Pistons handed the Houston Rockets their franchise-record 19th straight loss, 113-100 on Friday night. It was fun being out there.”Jerami Grant added 18 points, Josh Jackson had 15, and Isaiah Stewart 13. Wall had 21 points and seven assists, Oladipo had 19 points, and Wood 18 points and 11 rebounds. Wood averaged 13.1 points and 6.3 rebounds in 62 games and 12 starts with Detroit last season before signing with Houston in the offseason.

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.”

Lee, a rookie out of Vanderbilt on a two-way contract, made 8 of 11 shots and all three of his 3-pointers as the Pistons started fast and dominated the second half in a 105-93 win over the Orlando Magic on Tuesday night. Following the 10th game of his NBA career, Lee was presented with the game ball by coach Dwane Casey in a joyous locker room celebration. Just two nights after battering the undersized Pistons for 37 points and 13 rebounds, Vucevic finished with 20 points and nine rebounds. Dennis Smith Jr. added 14 points for the Pistons, who shot 46.6% despite 10-for-34 shooting from 3-point range. Magic guard Evan Fournier, who scored season-highs of 28 and 29 points in the previous two games, had 14 points in the loss.

ORLANDO, Fla. – Nikola Vucevic had 37 points and 11 rebounds, Evan Fournier added a season-high 29 points and the Orlando Magic beat the Detroit Pistons 105-96 on Sunday night. Vucevic had his seventh 30-point game of the season, two days after his third career triple-double. Fournier, who scored 28 points in Orlando’s victory over Golden State on Friday night, had 16 first-half points. Jerami Grant bounced back from his poorest shooting game of the season in Memphis on Friday by scoring 24 points for the Pistons. AdHEROES HONOREDThe Magic honored 500 frontline workers from AdventHealth and the Orlando community on Sunday as part of their “Healthcare Heroes Night.”

Detroit Pistons forward Blake Griffin (23) looks to pass over Phoenix Suns guard Chris Paul (3) during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Friday, Feb. 5, 2021, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Matt York)DETROIT – The Detroit Pistons are taking another step in their rebuilding process, planning to part ways with Blake Griffin. Detroit is 8-19 this season, and Griffin has already missed seven games. “I am grateful to the Pistons for understanding what I want to accomplish in my career and for working together on the best path forward," Griffin said. Griffin, who had knee surgery last year, played just 18 games last season.

Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) is defended by Detroit Pistons forward Saddiq Bey (41) during the first half of an NBA basketball game Saturday, Feb. 6, 2021, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)LOS ANGELES – LeBron James scored eight of his 33 points in the second overtime, Anthony Davis added 30 points and the Los Angeles Lakers narrowly avenged a loss in Detroit last month with a 135-129 victory over the undermanned Pistons on Saturday night. The Lakers committed a season-high 23 turnovers, blew a 17-point lead and wasted several chances to win in regulation. “There’s so many learning situations for young players and our guys to play against a great team like the Lakers. Lakers: Vogel got a technical foul in the second quarter for arguing about a blocking call on Marc Gasol.

(AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)DETROIT – Joel Embiid had 33 points and 14 rebounds, and his two free throws with 7.2 seconds left helped the Philadelphia 76ers seal a 114-110 victory over the Detroit Pistons on Saturday night. Ben Simmons added 20 points, nine rebounds and seven assists for the 76ers, and he made a couple big free throws of his own in the final minute. Detroit trailed 110-108 after Jerami Grant made a 3-pointer with 28.5 seconds left, but Simmons calmly made two free throws to push the lead to four. “Especially late game.”Delon Wright's layup made it 112-110, but Embiid closed the game out with his free throws and finished 12 of 17 from the line. “Just having that confidence to knock those free throws down in a close game is big right now," teammate Tobias Harris said.

Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown, right, drives against Detroit Pistons center Mason Plumlee during the first half of an NBA basketball game Sunday, Jan. 3, 2021, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Jose Juarez)Jayson Tatum hit a fallaway as Blake Griffin stumbled with 2.9 seconds left, then tied up the Detroit veteran on the other end to help the Boston Celtics beat the Pistons 122-120 on Sunday for a weekend split. Mykhailiuk scored eight straight Detroit points, and the Pistons took a 118-117 lead on Mason Plumlee’s free throws with 42.2 seconds left. Grant scored 22 points for the Pistons, netting at least that mark for a career-best fifth straight game. … Griffin returned for the Pistons after missing a game in the NBA’s concussion protocol.

Los Angeles Lakers' LeBron James (23) talks with players as confetti falls after the Lakers beat the Denver Nuggets in an NBA conference final playoff basketball game Saturday, Sept. 26, 2020, in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. The Lakers won 117-107 to win the series 4-1. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Los Angeles Lakers' LeBron James (23) talks with players as confetti falls after the Lakers beat the Denver Nuggets in an NBA conference final playoff basketball game Saturday, Sept. 26, 2020, in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. James finished with 38 points, 16 rebounds and 10 assists to become the fourth player to reach 10 NBA Finals. So, this is what I came here for.”The Lakers will face either Miami or Boston in their 32nd NBA Finals appearance, most in league history. Anthony Davis added 27 points and will end his first season with Los Angeles by playing in his first NBA Finals. SEASONS CHANGENBA teams usually start training camp near the end of September and Vogel said it was strange to be playing conference finals games, which usually happen near the end of May.

Anthony Davis scored 34 points, LeBron James had 26 and the Lakers beat the Nuggets 114-108 on Thursday night in Game 4 of the Western Conference finals. James added nine rebounds and eight assists, and the Lakers had 12 offensive rebounds for a whopping 25-6 advantage in second-chance points. We had too many empty possessions tonight.”Game 5 is Saturday night, when the Lakers can reach the NBA Finals for the first time in a decade. With an array of short jumpers, Davis made his first six shots before anyone else on the Lakers made a basket. The Nuggets shot 59% in the first half but the Lakers had an 18-2 advantage in second-chance points.

With Denver's lead down to four, Murray made a 3-pointer with 2:16 remaining. It would grow to 18 and could have been worse if not for Davis, who scored nine straight Lakers points. The Lakers got the first five points of the third to cut the lead in half, but Denver regained control and led 93-75 after three. Nuggets: Denver's last halftime lead had been a 59-57 edge over the Clippers in Game 3 of the West semifinals. THE AIR UP THEREThe Lakers came into the game 4-0 in the playoffs as the designated road team.

Murray scored 40 points, Jokic had a triple-double by the third quarter and Denver again overcame a double-digit deficit to shock the Los Angeles Clippers 104-89 in Game 7 on Tuesday night. Denver became the first team in NBA history to rally from a 3-1 series deficit twice in the same postseason. The 7-foot Jokic had a monster game with 16 points, 13 assists and 22 rebounds, which were the most by a Nuggets player in an NBA playoff game. Murray helped the Nuggets pour it on down the stretch to give coach Michael Malone a 49th birthday present. The team also rallied back from double-digit margins in their last two games as well to stun the Clippers.

Clippers coach Doc Rivers called a timeout to calm down the Clippers with 8:29 left and trailing 97-90. Denver was cruising along in the second quarter, leading by 12 points with 3:34 left before halftime, before the Clippers roared back. ... F Marcus Morris had 12 points. Nuggets: Denver outscored the Clippers by a 58-42 margin in points in the paint. He played a little more than 12 minutes in Game 1 and 15 minutes in Game 2.

Gary Harris and Paul Millsap each added 13 points to help Denver knot the series at a game apiece. Paul George scored 22 points for the Clippers, who got 15 from Ivica Zubac and endured a rare off night offensively from Kawhi Leonard. The Clippers trailed by 23 and got as close as five in the fourth quarter, but no closer. The Clippers' best run eventually came in the fourth, with George going on a personal 7-0 spurt to get the Clippers within 91-86 the smallest lead for the Nuggets since it was 7-2. It was the second-best scoring quarter in Nuggets NBA playoff history, after scoring 47 in the fourth against the Los Angeles Lakers on May 14, 1985.

Nikola Jokic scored 15 points for the Nuggets, who were coming off a seven-game series with Utah that just ended Tuesday. The Clippers took charge in the second quarter, outscoring the Nuggets 38-20 to take a 69-51 lead at halftime. Los Angeles held Denver to 25% shooting into the second quarter. Los Angeles' biggest lead in the quarter was 29 points. ... F Jerami Grant scored 11 points on 4-for-4 shooting in the first quarter but scored one point the rest of the game.

The Nuggets trail the sixth-seeded Jazz 3-2 with Game 6 on Thursday. With the game tied at 101, Murray scored nine straight for Denver to help the Nuggets gain some separation. Hes the third player in the series to have five in a quarter, joining Murray (fourth quarter in Game 4) and Mitchell (third in Game 2). He had six by in the second quarter on April 28, 2002. His last NBA game was March 11.

The Clippers took control with 13 straight points midway through the third quarter and barely let the Nuggets get back in it. Jerami Grant, who missed Denver's last game due to injury, led the Nuggets with 25 points. Clippers: Patrick Beverley and Montrezl Harrell have both returned to the NBA's bubble, although neither could play as yet. ... Ivica Zubac had 15 points and a team-high 12 rebounds for Los Angeles. Clippers: Play Oklahoma City on Friday.

The Nuggets overcame Donovan Mitchell's 35 points for Utah, including a 3-pointer with 4.2 seconds remaining in the second overtime. Murray played 39 minutes and remained in the game despite showing obvious signs of fatigue as Denver gained momentum for the playoffs. Denver coach Michael Malone said his team plays a different kind of basketball, a different brand of basketball with Murray on the court. Mitchell drove through Denver's defensive breakdowns for a tying uncontested layup with less than 1 second remaining in regulation. REGRETSMitchell's jumper gave Utah a 119-117 lead with 3.4 seconds remaining in the first overtime.

Kelly Olynyk scored all of his 20 points in the fourth quarter for the Heat, who shot 56% from the field. But we started playing a lot harder in the second.Nikola Jokic and Jerami Grant each scored 19 points for Denver. ... F Jae Crowder made his second start of the season. Nuggets: The 1 p.m. Eastern start time -- 11 a.m. in Denver -- was the Nuggets second earliest of the season. Nuggets: Play the Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday.