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.
PHOENIX (AP) — Dearica Hamby scored 24 points and the Las Vegas Aces won in Becky Hammon's first game as coach, beating the short-handed Phoenix Mercury 106-88 on Friday night to open the WNBA season.
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.
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.
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.
DALLAS (AP) — Luka Doncic wouldn't have even played in what turned out to be a meaningless regular-season finale for the playoff-bound Dallas Mavericks without a reprieve from the NBA.
The superstar was minutes away from being finished for the night against San Antonio when he strained his left calf.
DALLAS (AP) — Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic strained his left calf in the third quarter and was ruled out for the rest of the regular-season finale against San Antonio on Sunday night.
Doncic had turned to run to the defensive end when he pulled up after the first step and stopped.
SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Jonathan Kuminga and Jordan Poole each had 18 points and the Golden State Warriors won their fourth straight, beating the San Antonio Spurs 100-94 on Saturday night to strengthen their hopes for a top-three seed despite being without Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson.
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Ja Morant had 21 points and nine assists in his return from soreness in his right knee, Dillon Brooks scored 23 points and the Memphis Grizzlies routed the New Orleans Pelicans 141-114 on Saturday night to tie the 2012-13 franchise record for victories in a season at 56.
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Anthony Edwards set a career high with 49 points and Karl-Anthony Towns had 21 points and 13 rebounds as the Minnesota Timberwolves hung on for a 127-121 win over the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday night.
DENVER (AP) — Devin Vassell and Keldon Johnson each scored 20 points to help the San Antonio Spurs secure a spot in the play-in tournament Tuesday night following a 116-97 victory over the Denver Nuggets.
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Joel Embiid had 45 points and 13 rebounds, and the Philadelphia 76ers made a franchise-record 17 3-pointers in the first half of a 131-122 victory over the Indiana Pacers on Tuesday night that moved them into a tie with Boston atop the Atlantic Division.
PHOENIX (AP) — The Los Angeles Lakers again will be without star LeBron James as they try to stave off playoff elimination.
James has been ruled out for Tuesday night's game against the Phoenix Suns because of a sprained left ankle.
SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Keldon Johnson scored 28 points and the San Antonio Spurs defeated the short-handed Portland Trail Blazers 113-92 on Sunday night to strengthen their bid for a play-in berth.
Coupled with the Los Angeles Lakers’ loss to Denver, San Antonio’s magic number for clinching 10th place in the Western Conference is two games.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Nikola Jokic had 38 points, 18 rebounds and six assists, and the Denver Nuggets moved into fifth place in the Western Conference with a 129-118 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday.
SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Devin Vassell had 22 points, Keldon Johnson added 21 points and the San Antonio Spurs maintained their hold on 10th place in the Western Conference by defeating the Portland Trail Blazers 130-111 on Friday night.
SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Tyus Jones scored 25 points and the Memphis Grizzlies edged the San Antonio Spurs 112-111 on Wednesday night to capture the Southwest Division title and clinch the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference.
DALLAS (AP) — Luka Doncic scored 34 points in a triple-double and the Dallas Mavericks routed the Lakers 128-110 on Tuesday night with Los Angeles missing LeBron James because of an ankle issue while anticipating the return of long-injured Anthony Davis.
DALLAS (AP) — LeBron James and Anthony Davis were together on the bench for a Los Angeles debacle in Dallas that further endangered the postseason hopes of the Lakers.
Now the club waits to see when the All-Star pair will be together on the floor again, and whether it will be in time to secure a play-in spot for the second consecutive year for the 2020 champs.
TORONTO (AP) — Pascal Siakam had a season-high 40 points and 13 rebounds before fouling out, and the Toronto Raptors beat the short-handed Boston Celtics 115-112 in overtime on Monday night.
Fred VanVleet and OG Anunoby scored 14 points apiece, Thad Young and Gary Trent Jr.
HOUSTON (AP) — Dejounte Murray scored a career-high 33 points and the San Antonio Spurs held on for a 123-120 win over the Houston Rockets Monday night to inch closer to the final play-in spot in the Western Conference.
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Dejounte Murray could feel his annoyance building as San Antonio coaches repeatedly went back over video of the Spurs' blowout loss to New Orleans in the previous meeting between the two Western Conference play-in hopefuls.
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Dejounte Murray had 28 points before sitting for the final quarter and the San Antonio Spurs routed the Portland Trail Blazers 133-96 on Wednesday night.
Keldon Johnson added 26 points for the Spurs, who are still in the mix for a play-in spot in the Western Conference with three wins in their last five games.
SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Collin Gillespie, Jermaine Samuels and Villanova are back in the city of the Alamo for the first time since winning the national championship there four years ago. Even the opponent is the same, though in a different arena for this somewhat unexpected Sweet 16 matchup against Michigan.
NEW YORK (AP) — The NBA fined Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green $25,000 on Tuesday for directing profane language toward a game official.
Green was ejected in the third quarter of the Warriors' game against the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday night after getting called for two technical fouls in an eight-second span.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Keldon Johnson scored off a rebound of a missed free throw with three-tenths of a second left to give the San Antonio Spurs a 110-108 victory over the Golden State Warriors on Sunday night.
SAN ANTONIO (AP) — C.J McCollum had 20 points and the New Orleans Pelicans strengthened their play-in hopes by beating the San Antonio Spurs 124-91 on Friday night.
Jonas Valanciunas had 16 points and 12 rebounds and Jaxson Hayes added 16 points for New Orleans, which moved 2 1/2 games ahead of San Antonio for the 10th and final playoff spot in the play-in tournament.
SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Dejounte Murray had 26 points and 12 assists and the San Antonio Spurs held on to beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 122-120 on Wednesday night, snapping a two-game skid.
Lonnie Walker IV made a 3-pointer with 1.8 seconds remaining as San Antonio salvaged a victory after blowing a 16-point lead in the third quarter.