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Teaching basketball to kids in the US is becoming a bit muddled, and the NBA is seeking solutions
Read full article: Teaching basketball to kids in the US is becoming a bit muddled, and the NBA is seeking solutionsVictor Wembanyamaās on-court warmup session before games when he played in France would last for about an hour.
AP source: Pelicans, Green negotiating, but no deal yet
Read full article: AP source: Pelicans, Green negotiating, but no deal yetA person familiar with the situation says the New Orleans Pelicans are negotiating with Suns assistant Willie Green about taking over as head coach but no deal is in place and discussions could extend beyond the NBA Finals.
DeMar DeRozan scores 32 points, Spurs beat Pelicans 110-108
Read full article: DeMar DeRozan scores 32 points, Spurs beat Pelicans 110-108DeMar DeRozan scored 11 of his team-high 32 points in the final 7:40 and made all 12 of his free throws in the San Antonio Spursā 110-108 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans on Saturday night.
Durant's perfect return fuels Nets' 139-111 rout of Pelicans
Read full article: Durant's perfect return fuels Nets' 139-111 rout of PelicansKevin Durant returned from a 23-game absence to spark Brooklynās most explosive half of the season, finishing with 17 points and perfect shooting in the Netsā 139-111 rout of the New Orleans Pelicans.
Trade deadline passes, and Kyle Lowry remains with Raptors
Read full article: Trade deadline passes, and Kyle Lowry remains with RaptorsToronto Raptors guard Kyle Lowry (7) celebrates a three-point basket during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Denver Nuggets Wednesday, March 24, 2021, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)Kyle Lowry wound up staying with Toronto after all. The trade deadline has come and gone. āAnytime you trade a player like Nikola, it is a tough decision to make," Magic President Jeff Weltman said. But Lowry ā a free-agent-to-be and considered perhaps the biggest prize on this year's trade market ā did not get traded, the Raptors apparently unable to find enough assets to their liking. Questions swirled around Lowry all the way to the 3 p.m. EST deadline, and there were signs that the Raptors were positioning themselves to make the move.
Pelicans say some players, staff received COVID-19 vaccine
Read full article: Pelicans say some players, staff received COVID-19 vaccineThey are the first NBA team to acknowledge a widescale receipt of the vaccine by members of a club. āIn my opinion, the more people we can encourage to get vaccinated, the better off all of us are going to be," Van Gundy said. AdMany of the Pelicansā players fall into that category, despite being NBA players and elite athletes. The NBA has been holding Zoom calls with teams for the past several weeks, educating players and staffers on the vaccine. āWe need to understand where that comes from,ā Van Gundy said.
The Latest: Big West hoops tournaments banning spectators
Read full article: The Latest: Big West hoops tournaments banning spectators(AP Photo/Aaron Doster, File)The Latest on the effects of the coronavirus outbreak on sports around the world:___The Big West Conference will hold its menās and womenās basketball tournaments without spectators, including family and guests of the teams. The Big Westās board of directors decided to start the season without fans in attendance. AdPelicans officials say they are hoping to allow as many as 4,000 fans per game later this season. The Cleveland Browns and Cavaliers have been permitted to have a limited number of fans at games during the pandemic. AdThe governor said about 1,700 to 1,800 fans should be allowed to attend Devils games under the new rules.
LaVine scores 46 points, Bulls hit 25 3s to beat Pelicans
Read full article: LaVine scores 46 points, Bulls hit 25 3s to beat PelicansChicago Bulls' Zach LaVine dunks past New Orleans Pelicans' Lonzo Ball during the first half of an NBA basketball game Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2021, in Chicago. LaVine scored a season-high 46 points, hitting nine of Chicago's franchise-record 25 3-pointers, and the Bulls cooled off the New Orleans Pelicans with a 129-116 victory Wednesday. LaVine and White became the first duo in NBA history to make at least eight 3s apiece in the same game, according to STATS. āWe (were) due for a good team shooting night,ā White said. Zion Williamson had 29 points for New Orleans, and Brandon Ingram finished with 21 points on 6-for-19 shooting.
Mavsā Cuban relents on anthem after NBA reiterates policy
Read full article: Mavsā Cuban relents on anthem after NBA reiterates policy(AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)DALLAS ā Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban relented Wednesday and the national anthem will be played before home games this season after the NBA reiterated its ālongstanding league policyā to include the song. āWith NBA teams now in the process of welcoming fans back into their arenas, all teams will play the national anthem in keeping with longstanding league policy,ā the league said. It's been quite a day.āThe Mavericks released a statement from Cuban while acknowledging the club would return to playing the anthem. āWe have no problem playing the national anthem at all,ā Cuban said. āI stand for the national anthem.
Mitchell helps Jazz beat Pelicans for 7th straight win
Read full article: Mitchell helps Jazz beat Pelicans for 7th straight win(AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)SALT LAKE CITY ā The Utah Jazz got off to a tough start. Then Donovan Mitchell and company pushed their way right past the New Orleans Pelicans. Mitchell scored a season-high 36 points, and the Jazz rallied to beat the Pelicans 129-118 on Thursday night for their seventh straight win. Ingram made all six of his shots, including four 3s, as the Pelicans tallied 43 points in the first quarter. Both Mitchell (21 points) and Ingram (20 points) posted season highs for a first half.
Another 3 NBA games called off amid virus, 16 test positive
Read full article: Another 3 NBA games called off amid virus, 16 test positive(AP Photo/Nick Wass)Contact tracing issues involving the Phoenix Suns and Washington Wizards forced the NBA to postpone three more games Wednesday, raising the leaguewide total from this week alone to eight. With 497 players tested, that reflects a positivity rate of 3.2%. Phoenix's home game Wednesday against Atlanta was called off, as was the Suns' home game with Golden State on Friday. In the previous five weeks combined, only 15 players tested positive. But even the current week's rate is well below what the league dealt with going into training camps, when 48 players tested positive in the week before practices could formally begin leaguewide.
Ball brothers Lonzo, LaMelo set to square off in NBA matchup
Read full article: Ball brothers Lonzo, LaMelo set to square off in NBA matchupNew Orleans Pelicans guard Lonzo Ball (2) shoots past Oklahoma City Thunder center Al Horford (42) in the fourth quarter of an NBA basketball game in New Orleans, Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021. (AP Photo/Derick Hingle)CHARLOTTE, N.C. ā LaMelo Ball grew up playing 3-on-3 games against his older brother Lonzo on a concrete court in the backyard of their parentsā home in Chino Hills, California. It was something you had to witness for real.āThat is where the Ball brothers learned to compete ā and first dreamed of playing in the NBA. But the battle of the Ball brothers is one of the most high-profile sibling matchups ever. While they took different paths ā Lonzo went to play at UCLA while LaMelo went overseas to play professionally ā Lonzo was the No.
Practice time will be in short supply in NBA this season
Read full article: Practice time will be in short supply in NBA this seasonMiami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra watches during the fourth quarter of an NBA basketball game against the New Orleans Pelicans, Friday, Dec. 25, 2020, in Miami. (AP Photo/Joel Auerbach)The Miami Heat just wrapped up two consecutive days of practice, which is significant for this reason: It might not happen again for a while. Practice time is something that will be in short supply around the NBA this season; teams are basically playing every other day, and that ā along with travel and mandated days off ā realistically leaves time for no more than two practices per week. āI think you need to adjust and at least weāre all on an even playing field, so itās all relative,ā Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. Every team in the NBA will have similar practice quandaries, which comes with the territory of having plenty of four-game weeks.
Pelicans' Van Gundy talks teaching, commitment to defense
Read full article: Pelicans' Van Gundy talks teaching, commitment to defenseVan Gundy agreed to a four-year contract, according to one of the people who spoke Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2020, to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the hiring has not been announced. Van Gundy has a track record of bridging that gap between knowledge and talent with younger players in his previous coaching stops. āThere is a lot of teaching to do to bring these guys along,ā Van Gundy said Tuesday during a formal introduction via video conference because of the coronavirus pandemic. In the Pelicans, Van Gundy said, he saw ownership that had won a championship in a major professional sport, even if it was the NFL. Van Gundy called Williamson and Ingram ātwo of the most unique young guys in the entire league.āāThere's just a lot to build around there,ā he added.
Stan Van Gundy agrees to become New Orleans Pelicans' coach
Read full article: Stan Van Gundy agrees to become New Orleans Pelicans' coachTwo people with knowledge of the situation say Stan Van Gundy has agreed to become the next coach of the New Orleans Pelicans, where hell get the chance to work with No. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, File)Stan Van Gundy announced Wednesday that he is headed to the New Orleans Pelicans, where he'll take over a promising team that includes No. Van Gundy said on his Twitter account that he was āexcited" and thanked Pelicans owner Gayle Benson and others for the opportunity. āIām excited to join a talented New Orleans Pelicans team," Van Gundy wrote. In New Orleans, Van Gundy will replace Alvin Gentry, who was let go after the Pelicans missed this seasonās playoffs.