Basketball

DENVER (AP) — Congratulations, Serbia. You're about to have another NBA champion. His name is Nikola. (The last name is TBA.) Denver has two-time MVP Nikola Jokic. Miami has rookie Nikola Jovic.

DENVER (AP) — Nikola Jokic wasn’t supposed to be here. Neither was Jimmy Butler, for that matter. Jokic was drafted behind 40 other players in 2014. Butler was drafted behind 29 others in 2011.

KITCHENER, Ont. — When Canadian NBA star Jamal Murray was a teenager at the Orangeville Prep Basketball Academy, he declined to have a mobile phone for most of his two years with the program.

Preview capsule for the NBA Finals, which start Thursday in Denver: East No. 8 MIAMI HEAT (44-38, 12-6) vs. West No. 1 DENVER NUGGETS (53-29, 12-3) How they got here: Heat — beat No. 1 Milwaukee 4-1, beat No. 5 New York 4-2, beat No. 2 Boston 4-3.

Miami Heat (44-38, eighth in the Eastern Conference) vs. Denver Nuggets (53-29, first in the Western Conference) Denver; Thursday, 8:30 p.m. EDT FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK NBA LINE : Nuggets -8.5; over/under is 219.

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Bob Myers can no longer put all of his energy into running the Golden State Warriors, and that's why he is ready to walk away as one of the most successful professional sports executives ever. “This is tough, this is hard.

Aaron Gordon bristled at the notion the Denver Nuggets must operate the “rust versus rest” seesaw with 10 days between their Western Conference title celebration in Los Angeles and the start of the NBA Finals against the Miami Heat.

DENVER (AP) — Caleb Martin was undrafted coming out of college. He entered the NBA with almost no guarantees. He had to play in the G League. Charlotte let him go after two seasons.

BOSTON (AP) — The Boston Celtics began their season in chaos. They ended it confronted with a decision that could shape the franchise for years to come.

USA Basketball has finalized its schedule of exhibition games leading into this summer’s FIBA World Cup, announcing Tuesday that it will open the five-game slate against Puerto Rico in Las Vegas on Aug. 7.