ANDRE IGUODALA

Mikal Bridges had 26 points, nine rebounds and five assists and the undermanned Suns dominated in Stephen Curry’s return from injury as Phoenix beat the Golden State Warriors for a third time this season, 125-113 on Tuesday night to snap a season-worst six-game skid.

Nikola Jokic had a triple-double of 26 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists playing with a sore right wrist he had taped, and the Denver Nuggets beat Golden State 128-123 in a rematch of the teams’ first-round playoff series won by the Warriors in five games on their way to the title.

Stephen Curry opened the season with 33 points, seven assists and six rebounds, and the Golden State Warriors beat LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers 123-109 after receiving their championship rings in a pregame ceremony.

Andre Iguodala, and later Draymond Green, shared a moment to encourage Jayson Tatum after a tough NBA Finals.

Gary Payton II is expected to return for the Golden State Warriors at some point during the NBA Finals from a broken left elbow that he injured when Grizzlies star Dillon Brooks committed a hard foul across Payton's head on a layup attempt during the playoffs' second round. Brooks received a Flagrant 2 foul and was ejected, then suspended for one game without pay for what the NBA called “unnecessary and excessive contact.” Forwards Andre Iguodala and Otto Porter Jr. also are making positive strides toward playing again.

Klay Thompson scored 36 points and the Golden State Warriors erased a 16-point fourth-quarter deficit to beat the Utah Jazz 111-107.

Ja Morant scored 29 points, including five in the final minute, and the Memphis Grizzlies beat the Golden State Warriors 116-108 for their 10th straight win.

Stephen Curry scored 28 points and had nine assists to lead the Golden State Warriors to a 123-116 win over the Utah Jazz on Saturday.

Stephen Curry keeps letting it fly from any spot on the floor, and he's suddenly within striking distance of overtaking Ray Allen as the NBA's all-time leader in made 3-pointers. Curry had seven more 3s on the way to 31 points and eight assists, Andrew Wiggins hit a career-high eight 3s and finished with 28 points, and the Golden State Warriors beat the Orlando Magic 126-95 on Monday night. Curry swished a half-court shot to beat the first-quarter buzzer and wound up shooting 8 of 16.

Stephen Curry scored 20 of his 40 points in the fourth quarter, hitting three straight 3-pointers, and the NBA-leading Golden State Warriors overcame a 13-point deficit to beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 104-89 on Thursday night.

Stephen Curry hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with 56.8 seconds remaining to follow up a 30-footer less than a minute earlier, and his 45-point home opener lifted the Golden State Warriors over the Los Angeles Clippers 115-113.

Turns out, there was a reason the Milwaukee Bucks weren’t worried about a playoff rematch with the Miami Heat in Round 1 this year.

It was April 7, 2003.

FILE - Miami Heat forward Meyers Leonard, center, greets his teammates before an NBA basketball game against the Milwaukee Bucks, Tuesday, Dec. 29, 2020, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky, file)MIAMI – The Miami Heat have turned Meyers Leonard's contract into an opportunity to see if Trevor Ariza can help them for the rest of this season. AdThe Heat also said they wish Leonard and his wife Elle “the best of luck in the future.”“He's going to do everything that he possibly can to grow and get better from everything this week," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. Ariza has not played an NBA game since March 10, 2020, but the Heat clearly felt he was worth the low-risk gamble. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver fined Leonard $50,000 and barred him from being around the Heat for one week.

Miami Heat forward Kelly Olynyk (9) goes to the basket as Utah Jazz forward Royce O'Neale defends during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Friday, Feb. 26, 2021, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)MIAMI – The Miami Heat don't believe in statement wins. “A high-level game," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said, “and we had some big plays down the stretch." Duncan Robinson scored 15 and Kendrick Nunn added 12 for the Heat, who held Utah to 29% shooting in the fourth quarter. It was the sixth game in Heat history in which both teams had at least 94 points through three quarters.

Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, bottom, and Miami Heat forward Precious Achiuwa go for a loose ball during the first half of an NBA basketball game Wednesday, Dec. 30, 2020, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)MIAMI – The Miami Heat engineered a 58-point turnaround against the Milwaukee Bucks in 24 hours. “Started to feel like Miami Heat basketball again,” Herro said. Milwaukee is 2-3 this season; the Bucks started 24-3 last season. “You want to constantly develop some grit and some toughness during the course of a long season," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said.

New Orleans Pelicans guard Eric Bledsoe (5) dribbles against Miami Heat guard Goran Dragic (7) during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Friday, Dec. 25, 2020, in Miami. (AP Photo/Joel Auerbach)MIAMI – Erik Spoelstra remained perfect on Christmas, and a record-tying show from Duncan Robinson helped him stay that way. Robinson made seven 3-pointers — tying the most on Christmas ever — and scored 23 points, and the Heat beat the New Orleans Pelicans 111-98 to start the NBA’s holiday quintupleheader Friday. Spoelstra moved to 8-0 on Christmas as coach of the Heat. COMING HOMEVeteran ref John Goble was crew chief and got to be home for Christmas; he’s a Miami native.

The Heat have talked since the NBA Finals started about a need to play almost perfect basketball against the Lakers. “One thing about this team that we are playing, they make you pay for every mistake,” James said after Game 5. So, we have to understand that.”James is about to set the record for NBA playoff game appearances. Nobody has had more 40-point NBA Finals games in a loss than he has — the record-setting fifth entry on that list coming Friday in Miami’s 111-108 win. “We’re motivated to win Game 6 and they are motivated to win Game 6,” Davis said.

“That’s Jimmy Butler," Heat center Bam Adebayo said. Butler got fouled with 46.7 seconds left, then slumped over the baseline video boards, clearly exhausted. He made both foul shots for a one-point lead; Davis’ putback with 21.8 seconds left got the Lakers back on top. Butler drove the lane, drew contact and made both with 16.8 seconds left for a 109-108 lead. Lakers: James and Davis were a combined 24 for 36.

They’re huge LeBron James fans there as well, as evidenced by where the clicks are coming from. When James turned 35 this past December, the NBA did a video of the top 35 plays of his career. That’s the first time since 2014 that there were no sweeps in the conference semifinals, conference finals or NBA Finals. JAMES’ NUMBERSLeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers entered Game 5 of the NBA Finals just 25 points away from matching Karl Malone for No. GAME 5 REFSMarc Davis, Kane Fitzgerald and Eric Lewis got the officiating assignment for Game 5 of the NBA Finals.

Get ready for the NBA Finals — a title series like none other, to end a season like none other. The Heat won the Eastern Conference title Sunday night, finishing off Boston a day after the Lakers won the Western Conference crown. So, for the first time — well, excluding the league’s inaugural season — two franchises that missed the playoffs the previous season will meet in the NBA Finals. “We know why I came here,” said Lakers All-Star forward Anthony Davis, whose first finals trip comes in his first L.A. season. The last Lakers’ championship was in 2010, when Bryant got his fifth and last title.

Bam Adebayo scored a season-high 32 points and grabbed 14 rebounds, Butler scored 22 points and the Heat won the Eastern Conference finals for the sixth time by topping the Boston Celtics 125-113 on Sunday night. The Heat won the series 4-2 — and now, they’ll see LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers for the title. Boston took the lead twice more, with Adebayo answering both times, first with a dunk, then a go-ahead three-point play with 6:16 left. Heat: The Heat are now guaranteed no less than $4,399,686 for their playoff share, and that number would rise to $5,791,041 if they win the title. CROSS-SPORT SUPPORTThe Celtics and Heat were getting some support from afar before Game 6.

He put the Heat ahead again in overtime — and then Bam Adebayo finished it off with the biggest block of his career. The Celtics went to Tatum on the ensuing possession, only to watch him get denied by Adebayo. Tatum scored 30 points for the Celtics, Marcus Smart had 26 points, Walker had 19 and Jaylen Brown added 17. Goran Dragic had 29 points, Jae Crowder scored 22, Jimmy Butler scored 20 and Adebayo had 18 for the Heat. MIAMI VS. BOSTONTuesday was the 141st meeting all-time between the Celtics and Heat.

Butler and Goran Dragic each scored 17 points for the Heat, who won the series 4-1 and will face either Boston or Toronto when the NBAs final four gets underway next week. It's Miami's first time in the East finals since 2014, and the first time Butler has gotten to the NBA's final four. Jae Crowder scored 16, Tyler Herro scored 14, Bam Adebayo had 13 and Kelly Olynyk had 12 apiece for the Heat. Donte DiVincenzo scored 17, Wesley Matthews and Marvin Williams each had 11 and Eric Bledsoe had nine assists for the Bucks. UP NEXTHeat: Game 1 of the East finals vs. Toronto or Boston, TBD.

The Bucks went into Sunday down 3-0 in the series and facing elimination. Antetokounmpo scored 18 of Milwaukees first 26 points in Game 4, shooting 8 for 10 from the field before getting hurt. Antetokounmpo originally turned the ankle inward on a drive in the first quarter of Game 3 of the series on Friday night. Antetokounmpo insisted after Game 3 that the ankle did not bother him during the game. He averaged 22.7 points, 13.3 rebounds and seven assists shooting only 45% from the field and 15% from beyond the 3-point arc.

Even with Giannis Antetokounmpo missing most of the game with a sprained right ankle, the Bucks extended their season to a Game 5 on Tuesday. The Heat gave up 12 straight points in the final period Sunday, wasting what was an eight-point lead in a closeout game. Antetokounmpo scored 19 points for the Bucks in only 11 minutes, while Brook Lopez and George Hill each had 14 for Milwaukee. TIP-INSBucks: Milwaukee missed 19 consecutive 3-pointers its last 12 of Game 3 and first seven of Game 4 before Antetokounmpo connected late in the first quarter. Heat: Miami was looking to become the first No.

This was just a free throw, no time on the clock, nobody else from the Miami Heat or Milwaukee Bucks standing along the lane. That got Milwaukee within two, and Butler made one free throw with 7.7 seconds left to get the lead back to three. Bam Adebayo scored 15 points, Butler and Duncan Robinson each had 13 and Kelly Olynyk added 11 for Miami which is 6-0 in this postseason. Middleton scored 23 points for Milwaukee, which got 16 apiece from Lopez and Eric Bledsoe and 14 from George Hill. FOULING ON 3SThe Heat fouled the Bucks five times on 3-point tries in the game, including twice against Lopez in a 26-second span of the first quarter.

Milwaukee Bucks' Khris Middleton (22) goes down during the second half of an NBA conference semifinal playoff basketball game against the Miami Heat Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2020, in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. Having the NBA's best record during the regular season shows the obvious potential of the Milwaukee Bucks. They are now, facing a pivotal Game 3 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series against the rolling Miami Heat on Friday night. We're not focused on anything after Game 3," Bucks center Brook Lopez said. We're not looking back on anything from Game 2 or Game 1.

Phoenix Suns' Devin Booker (1) goes to the basket over Miami Heat's Andre Iguodala, left, and Tyler Herro, right, during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Saturday, Aug. 8, 2020, in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. The suns won 119-112. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis, Pool)

(AP Photo/Ashley Landis, Pool)LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. Tiebreakers wont factor into who qualifies for the Western Conference play-in series. Win two, theyll finish eighth and hold the upper hand in the play-in series. The Suns would get into the play-in series with two more wins combined with at least one Portland loss or an 0-2 finish by the Grizzlies. If the Suns go 1-1 in their final two games, Portland would have to go 0-2 to give Phoenix a chance at the play-in. 8 seed with a 2-0 finish, and theres also a way for the Spurs to miss the play-in series entirely also with a 2-0 finish.

Miami cooled off after the break and the Bucks took the lead in the third quarter but were down by 6 to start the fourth. Antetokounmpo sat out about five minutes of the fourth quarter after collecting his fifth foul with 11 minutes to go. Duncan Robinson had 21 points for the Heat, who lost to Milwaukee for the first time this season after winning the first two meetings. But the Heat wrapped up the quarter with a 5-2 spurt to take a 98-92 lead into the fourth. Bucks: Bledsoe had nine points and five assists in his second game back after missing the first two games in the bubble after testing positive for the coronavirus.

New Orleans will be in the first game of the resumed NBA season on July 30, taking on Utah at the Disney World complex near Orlando, Florida in the opener of a doubleheader. Theres no question this season and frankly this year has been one which none of us will soon forget, NBPA executive director Michele Roberts said. The NBA will be using three arenas at Disney, and other than the two-game slate on the opening night there will be somewhere between four and seven games played each day. 8 seed in either conference is needed by the ninth-place team finishing within four games of the team in eighth, those games in a best-of-two series that the No. The NBA playoffs will begin Aug. 17, and the NBA Finals are set to begin Sept. 30 with a possible Game 7 on Oct. 13.

Magic Johnson Enterprises Chairman and CEO Magic Johnson speaks onstage at the SUPERCHARGED Summit By Kwanza Jones At NeueHouse Hollywood on October 27, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. Basketball Hall of Famer Magic Johnson has joined tech company Uncharted Power's board of directors, the company told CNBC. Matthews, now 32, launched her company under the name Uncharted Play, but rebranded in 2017 to Uncharted Power as the company expanded. Johnson, the former Los Angeles Lakers great and CEO of venture capital firm Magic Johnson Enterprises, initially invested in Uncharted Power during the company's $7 million Series A funding round. Seven other current NBA players are also investors in Uncharted Power, the company said, but the company declined to name them.

The three-time NBA champion also has amassed an investment portfolio of more than 40 companies. Iguodala has invested in Allbirds, Casper and Jumia, but he told CNBC on Friday his best funding decision yet is Zoom Video Communications. Iguodala said DataDog has been another successful investment for him, noting the New York-based software company beat analyst expectations in its quarterly results released Thursday. Iguodala has been involved in investment deals that total $294 million, according to data from Pitchbook. He was a Series A investor in Allbirds, the environmentally conscious shoe company, and he also invested in direct-to-consumer mattress company Casper.

He gives investment advice to NBA players, most of whom are very young and unsure of what to do with their millions of dollars. Its website is sparse with just an email address and a phone number, giving the company a need-to-know feel. "Technology is the future," he told CNN Business. "A lot of the owners that are in the NBA, they got their money through things we're talking about today at the tech conference," he told CNN Business. "He was the guy that listened," Cline-Thomas told CNN Business.