Time for the NBA draft lottery, where some team will get a nice reward for a miserable season.
Not the Los Angeles Lakers, though. Their misery is set to make a good year even better for the New Orleans Pelicans.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — The Charlotte Hornets have begun their search for a head coach, requesting permission to interview several candidates for the opening, said a person familiar with the situation.
PHOENIX (AP) — The Phoenix Suns have proven they can win playoff games without All-Star Devin Booker. The Dallas Mavericks showed the same when their own superstar Luka Doncic was out of the lineup.
NEW YORK (AP) — The NBA fined the Phoenix Suns fined $25,000 on Saturday for violating injury reporting rules by failing to disclose guard Devin Booker’s participation status in an accurate and timely manner before Game 6 of the first-round playoff series against the New Orleans Pelicans.
METAIRIE, La. (AP) — Zion Williamson says he'll jump at the chance to sign an extension with the New Orleans Pelicans this summer.
It doesn't sound certain that one will be offered.
And that is the $200 million — give or take — question that the Pelicans face this offseason, whether to offer the former No.
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Chris Paul went 14 for 14 in the best shooting night in NBA playoff history, Devin Booker returned from a hamstring injury to hit a late 3-pointer and the Phoenix Suns beat the New Orleans Pelicans 115-109 on Thursday night to finish off the first-round series in six games.
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Chris Paul has accomplished so many things in his 17 NBA seasons that it’s nearly impossible to rank his Mount Rushmore moments.
Short of a title, perfection, however, might be hard to beat.
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — All-Star guard Devin Booker returned to the Phoenix Suns on Thursday night for Game 6 against the New Orleans Pelicans after missing three games because of a strained right hamstring.
The Philadelphia 76ers were up 3-0 in their series against the Toronto Raptors just a few days ago. The lead has since been sliced to 3-2.
That is waking up some echoes for 76ers coach Doc Rivers.
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Ja Morant scored on a layup with a second left, and the Memphis Grizzlies rallied from 11 points down in the fourth quarter to edge the Minnesota Timberwolves 111-109 on Tuesday night and grab a 3-2 lead in their first-round Western Conference series.
PHOENIX (AP) — Mikal Bridges was playing his 47th minute of basketball on Tuesday night when he leaped into the air, threw down a huge two-handed jam and pulled himself up on the rim with a little sneer for good measure.
MILWAUKEE (AP) — Milwaukee Bucks guard Jrue Holiday has been named the NBA’s teammate of the year for the second time in three seasons, the league announced Tuesday.
A panel of league executives selected 12 finalists for the honor, which is officially named the Twyman-Stokes Teammate of the Year Award.
NEW YORK (AP) — Phoenix Suns coach Monty Williams has been fined $15,000 for publicly criticizing the officiating in Game 4 of the first-round playoff series against the New Orleans Pelicans, the NBA announced Tuesday.
New Orleans is defying all the odds.
The Pelicans are the first team in 46 years to finish a season 10 or more games under .500, then go on to win at least two playoff games — and that doesn't even count the two play-in game victories just to officially reach the postseason.
DENVER (AP) — Nuggets rookie Bones Hyland pulled up from near Denver's midcourt logo and let his shot fly.
The point guard even kept his right arm in the air, too, just to savor a jumper he knew was going in.
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — New Orleans started its season 3-16. Now, the pesky Pelicans are proving to be a handful for the Phoenix Suns in the Western Conference playoffs.
Brandon Ingram scored 16 of his 30 points in the third quarter and the Pelicans beat the Suns — playing without injured star Devin Booker — 118-103 in Game 4 on Sunday night to tie the first-round series.
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Brandon Ingram scored 16 of his 30 points in the third quarter and the New Orleans Pelicans beat the Phoenix Suns — playing without injured star Devin Booker — 118-103 in Game 4 on Sunday night to tie the first-round series.
ATLANTA (AP) — Trae Young is the unquestioned leader of the Atlanta Hawks.
Those three guys coming off the bench aren't too shabby, either.
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Chris Paul came through in a big way when the Phoenix Suns needed him most.
Paul scored 19 of his 28 points in the fourth quarter and the Suns overcame Devin Booker's absence to beat the New Orleans Pelicans 114-111 on Friday night in Game 3 of the first-round series.
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Chris Paul scored 19 of his 28 points in the fourth quarter and the Phoenix Suns overcame Devin Booker’s absence to beat the New Orleans Pelicans 114-111 on Friday night in Game 3 of the first-round series.
The road back to the NBA Finals has become bumpy for the Phoenix Suns and Milwaukee Bucks.
Devin Booker strained his right hamstring Tuesday in Phoenix and Khris Middleton sprained his left knee a night later in Milwaukee, leaving both teams without one of their All-Stars.
PHOENIX (AP) — Phoenix Suns All-Star guard Devin Booker has a right hamstring strain, clouding his status for the remainder of the team's first-round playoff series against the New Orleans Pelicans.
PHOENIX (AP) — Brandon Ingram's rolling, Devin Booker's hurting and the New Orleans Pelicans made it clear that this first-round playoff series will be a fight for the top-seeded Phoenix Suns.
Ingram had a fantastic all-around game with 37 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists to lead the Pelicans over the Suns 125-114 in Game 2 on Tuesday, pulling off the impressive road win to tie the series at 1-all and earn their first postseason victory since 2018.
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Ja Morant scored 23 points and handed out 10 assists as the Memphis Grizzlies looked much more like the team that posted the NBA’s second-best record, routing the Minnesota Timberwolves 124-96 on Tuesday night to even up their first-round Western Conference series at 1 apiece.
Duncan Robinson made eight 3-pointers for Miami. Jonas Valanciunas grabbed 25 rebounds for New Orleans. Anthony Edwards scored 36 points for Minnesota in his playoff debut. Phoenix’s Chris Paul became the oldest player in postseason history with a 30-point, 10-assist game.
PHOENIX (AP) — Chris Paul has built a Hall of Fame-caliber career by passing the ball.
He can also shoot it quite well, if needed.
Paul scored 19 of his 30 points during a brilliant fourth-quarter scoring display and the Phoenix Suns beat the New Orleans Pelicans 110-99 on Sunday night in Game 1 of the first-round playoff series.
BOSTON (AP) — Jayson Tatum made a layup at the buzzer off a pass from Marcus Smart to give the Boston Celtics a dramatic 115-114 victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday in the Game 1 of the Eastern Conference first-round series.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — As down as they felt after blowing two chances to make the playoffs, the Los Angeles Clippers can’t wait for next season.
That’s when a healthy Kawhi Leonard is expected back in the lineup, alongside Paul George and Norman Powell.
PHOENIX (AP) — Willie Green's time as an assistant coach with the Phoenix Suns taught him that quick improvement can happen with the right mix of talent, desire and steady leadership.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — A franchise player out for the season. A first-year head coach. A 1-12 start. The New Orleans Pelicans overcame it all and stormed back to make the playoffs.
Brandon Ingram scored 30 points and the Pelicans rallied from a 13-point deficit in the fourth quarter to beat the depleted Los Angeles Clippers 105-101 in a play-in Friday night and earn the West’s No.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Brandon Ingram scored 30 points and the New Orleans Pelicans overcame a 13-point deficit in the fourth quarter to beat the depleted Los Angeles Clippers 105-101 in a play-in Friday night and earn the No.
PHOENIX (AP) — Phoenix Suns guard Landry Shamet didn't practice Friday because of a left foot injury.
The Suns have the NBA's best overall record and are preparing for the first round of the playoffs against either the Clippers or Pelicans.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — From their first-ever Western Conference Finals appearance to a last-gasp play-in game, the Los Angeles Clippers have been a surprisingly resilient bunch.
They finished two games above .500 despite not having superstar Kawhi Leonard all season and losing Paul George for a big chunk of it.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — While the Charlotte Hornets improved their win total by 10 games over last year’s abbreviated 72-game season, the end result was the same: an embarrassing blowout loss in the play-in tournament.
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — CJ McCollum got New Orleans going early and Brandon Ingram took over late to send the Pelicans to Los Angeles for a chance at the final playoff spot.
McCollum scored 27 of his 32 points in the first half to carry the young Pelicans to a 113-103 win over the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday night.
ATLANTA (AP) — Trae Young bounced back from a sluggish start to score 24 points and De’Andre Hunter led a third-quarter surge that carried the Atlanta Hawks to a 132-103 rout of the Charlotte Hornets in an Eastern Conference play-in game Wednesday night.
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — New Orleans first-year coach Willie Green could have been forgiven for wondering what he had gotten himself into early this season.
Star forward Zion Williamson was injured with no clear timeline for recovery, and the Pelicans started 1-12.
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Klay Thompson punctuated his regular season with a fist pump — a display of emotion stemming from far more than his latest flurry of fourth-quarter points.
Thompson made seven 3-pointers and scored a season-high 41 points for the Golden State Warriors, who landed the third seed in the Western Conference playoffs with a 128-107 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday night.