Basketball

When James Harden was twice scoring 40 points against Boston in last season's playoffs, it was easy to picture a championship in Philadelphia's future. Now it's hard to picture a future at all between Harden and the 76ers .

DENVER (AP) — Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets will raise their championship banner on opening night — with LeBron James in the building to witness, no less. The players will also receive their rings.

The Memphis Grizzlies won't have suspended star Ja Morant for more than a quarter of the season in their pursuit of a third consecutive Southwest Division title.

On a far court in the Warriors practice facility, Chris Paul backs his body into Stephen Curry playing defense and tries to take the two-time NBA MVP 1-on-1 after a recent practice. Moments later, it’s Curry’s turn on offense and he drives on Paul.

Central Division teams are seeking to make amends after creating some unwanted NBA playoff history last season.

There wasn’t much in the way of collective success in the NBA’s Southeast Division last season. The division had one team finish with a winning record, that being Miami. It had one All-NBA player, that being Miami’s Jimmy Butler.

When the NBA season begins next week, it's pretty easy to anticipate who will take center stage. MVP candidates Nikola Jokic and Joel Embiid. Giannis Antetokounmpo and his new Milwaukee teammate Damian Lillard.

TORONTO — The Toronto Raptors have asked for the New York Knicks lawsuit against them to be dismissed. Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, which owns the Raptors, filed the motion for dismissal in New York's Southern District on Monday.

San Antonio sat No. 1 overall pick Victor Wembanyama in a 99-89 loss to Houston on Monday night that saw the Rockets two first-round picks play well.

The Toronto Raptors seek dismissal of a lawsuit filed by the New York Knicks that says the Raptors – including new head coach Darko Rajakovic -- conspired to steal thousands of videos and scouting files through a former Knicks employee.