NBA Plays of the Week: March 25 – March 31

CLEVELAND (AP) — Cleveland Cavaliers forward Kevin Love was sidelined with a sore foot for Saturday night’s 119-107 loss to the Indiana Pacers. The defeat sent Cleveland to 0-6 on the season, their worst start since losing their first seven games in 1995. On Sunday morning, the Cavaliers reportedly fired coach Tyronn Lue because of…

New Orleans Pelicans center Jonas Valanciunas is averaging 15.6 ppg this season. After challenging the Phoenix Suns to six games in the first round of the 2022 NBA playoffs, the New Orleans Pelicans have higher aspirations for the 2022-23 campaign. “It’s not just the first round. It’s about going deeper,” Pelicans center Jonas Valančiūnas told…

In a suddenly wild and raucous fight for the top spot in the Western Conference, the Oklahoma City Thunder duo of Russell Westbrook and Paul George have positioned themselves as true players. An 0-4 start to 2018-19 and Westbrook’s arthroscopic knee surgery in September distorted the fact that the Thunder’s marquee stars, fast friends after…

Kevin Durant is one of three players on Team USA with Olympic experience and gunning for a third gold medal. SAITAMA, Japan (AP) — The U.S. men’s basketball team is finally together. Devin Booker, Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday — the trio of U.S. Olympians who were in the NBA Finals and therefore have not…

NBA.com’s John Schuhmann gets you ready for the 2016-17 season with a key stat for each team in the league and shows you why it matters. Today, we look at the Philadelphia 76ers, who didn’t do enough in the margins. THE STAT The Philadelphia 76ers averaged 2.9 fewer scoring chances than their opponents last season,…

WEST 146, EAST 119, at US Airways Center (Phoenix) ATTENDANCE: 16,382 MVP: Kobe Bryant & Shaquille O’Neal Box score Five years removed from their last stint as teammates on the Lakers and on the West All-Star team, Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant used the 2009 All-Star Game to prove that — once and for all — their…