ANFERNEE SIMONS

Ja Morant has been named the NBA's Most Improved Player.

Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard said fellow Olympic teammate Jrue Holiday helped convince him to have surgery on his abdomen.

Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard has had surgery to repair a core injury that has been causing him abdominal pain.

Anfernee Simons had a career-high 43 points and the Portland Trail Blazers overcame an NBA season-best 56 points by Atlanta’s Trae Young, snapping a four-game losing streak in a 136-131 win over the Hawks.

The Portland Trail Blazers are having a stormy season with a string of losses, a front office shakeup and trade rumors that continue to swirl.

Stephen Curry scored 22 points and moved within nine 3-pointers of tying Ray Allen’s career record, and the Golden State Warriors held off the injury-depleted Portland Trail Blazers 104-94.

Bryn Forbes had 18 points off the bench and the San Antonio Spurs extended their winning streak to a season-high three games with a 114-83 victory over the shorthanded Portland Trail Blazers.

Nikola Jokic scored 38 points to overcome a 3-point shooting barrage from Damian Lillard and the Denver Nuggets evened the first-round series by beating the Portland Trail Blazers 128-109 in a chippy Game 2.

Damian Lillard scored 34 points and led Portland’s 3-point barrage that sparked the Trail Blazers’ 123-109 win over the Denver Nuggets in the opener of their first-round playoff series Saturday night.

CJ McCollum scored 29 points and the Portland Trail Blazers escaped with a 107-106 victory over the San Antonio Spurs, who missed three shots on their final possession.

Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry holds the trophy after winning the 3-point contest at basketball's NBA All-Star Game in Atlanta, Sunday, March 7, 2021. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)ATLANTA – Stephen Curry shot his way to another 3-point title and Domantas Sabonis made sure the Skills Challenge still belongs to the bigs. Conley had the lead with 27 points before Curry was the final shooter of the contest. Curry had 26 points before sinking his final shot from the corner for 28 points and the win. In the final, Toppin took off from near the free-throw line, inspiring comparisons to Wilkins' winning form while with the Atlanta Hawks.

Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James, left, shoots as Phoenix Suns forward Dario Saric defends during the first half of an NBA basketball game Tuesday, March 2, 2021, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)ATLANTA – It's the NBA All-Star Game almost no one seemed to want. "It’s the All-Star Game, so there’s going to be some shenanigans out there. Team LeBron will play on behalf of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund, while Team Durant represents the United Negro College Fund. Trae Young, a starter in 2020, was snubbed this season despite averaging 26.4 points — the most of any player not selected for the All-Star Game.

Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard shoots a 3-point basket over Golden State Warriors forward Andrew Wiggins during the second half of an NBA basketball game in Portland, Ore., Wednesday, March 3, 2021. (AP Photo/Craig Mitchelldyer)PORTLAND, Ore. – Played tough by the Warriors all game, Damian Lillard needed to make something happen. Lillard hit a deep 3-pointer with 13.7 seconds left to give the Portland Trail Blazers a hard-fought 108-106 victory over Golden State on Wednesday night. His 3-pointer gave Golden State a 101-96 lead with 3:57 remaining. He took a charge from Green, which prompted an unsuccessful challenge by Golden State, and Portland won its second straight after a four-game losing streak.

(AP Photo/Darron Cummings)Golden State’s Stephen Curry and Phoenix’s Devin Booker have been 3-point champions at All-Star weekend before, and they’ll try to win that trophy again Sunday. The NBA revealed the 15 players Tuesday who will be taking part in the other on-court events besides the All-Star Game in Atlanta, with the overwhelming majority of them pulling double-duty between those competitions and the game itself. They’ll be joined by Portland’s Robert Covington, the only current NBA player who is a graduate of a historically Black college and university. It will be held at halftime of the All-Star Game, while the skills competition and 3-point contest will occur pregame. Atlanta, Charlotte, Cleveland, Detroit, Houston, Memphis, Miami, Minnesota, Oklahoma City, Sacramento, San Antonio and Toronto have no one participating in All-Star night events.

Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard, left, is fouled by Philadelphia 76ers guard Furkan Korkmaz during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Portland, Ore., Thursday, Feb. 11, 2021. (AP Photo/Steve Dykes)PORTLAND, Ore. – Damian Lillard had 30 points and the Portland Trail Blazers beat the Philadelphia 76ers 118-114 on Thursday night. The Eastern Conference-leading Sixers had won six of seven, with the only defeat during that span coming a week ago to the Trail Blazers, 121-105. Lillard was third in the league, averaging 29.4 points a game with 13 of 30 or more points this season. The Trail Blazers host the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday.

PORTLAND, Ore. – With the trade deadline past and a playoff race ahead, the Portland Trail Blazers understood the importance of their game against the San Antonio Spurs. Trent’s points late were important as he hit four 3-pointers and scored 12 points in the fourth quarter as Portland rallied from a 92-86 deficit. San Antonio built a 10-point lead multiple times in the first half, but Portland stayed within reach on the strength of the play of Lillard (14 points) and McCollum (11 points), trailing 60-59 at halftime. TIP-INSSpurs: Thursday’s loss was the third straight for the Spurs, but Lyles having a big night was a bright spot for San Antonio. “It took me a little bit while longer than I expected to get comfortable (in San Antonio),” Lyles said.