NBA Finals tied, as Curry leads Warriors past Celtics in Game 4

Stephen Curry produced a dazzling 43-point display as the Golden State Warriors battled past the Boston Celtics 107-97 to level the NBA Finals series at 2-2 on Saturday (Manila time).

With the Warriors needing a victory at Boston's TD Garden to avoid going down 3-1 in the best-of-seven series, Curry delivered one of the best performances of his glittering career to reignite Golden State's hopes of a seventh championship.

Curry had entered game four with concerns swirling over his fitness after suffering a knock to his foot in the Warriors game three defeat on Wednesday.

But the 34-year-old two-time NBA Most Valuable Player emphatically laid to rest any doubts about his fitness as he single-handedly hauled Golden State back into the finals with game five back in San Francisco on Monday.

Curry finished with 43 points, 10 rebounds and four assists on a night when Golden State again struggled to find their offensive rhythm for long periods against a powerful Boston line-up.

Klay Thompson added 18 points for the Warriors while Andrew Wiggins produced 17 points and 16 rebounds in a crucial contribution. Jordan Poole added 14 from the bench.

"A lot of pride in our group, a lot of talk over the last 48 hours about how we can get back into this series," said Curry. 

"It's crazy because I still feel we can play a little bit better. But to win on the road and get home court advantage back, is big for this group. We've been here six times, we've got a lot of experience of staying confident and composed. 

"I'm just thankful for everyone on our team because we brought a lot of toughness and physicality tonight.

"We knew how big this game was. For us to come out and do what we did and go home. That five-and-a-half hour flight home got a little better after tonight."

- Green struggles -

Warriors coach Steve Kerr, meanwhile, took the bold decision to remove Draymond Green from the fray during the fourth quarter before returning him to the court for the closing passage of play.

Green again struggled on offense with only two points but finished with nine rebounds, eight assists and four steals.

But the undeniable man of the hour was once again Curry, a model of clear-headed composure as bedlam raged around Boston’s raucous arena.

"Just stunning," was how Kerr described Curry's performance. "The physicality out there is, you know, pretty dramatic. I mean, Boston's got obviously, best defense in the league.

"Huge and powerful at every position, and for Steph to take that -- that kind of pressure all game long and still be able to defend at the other end when they are coming at him shows you, I think, this is the strongest physically he's ever been in his career, and it's allowing him to do what he's doing."

Boston had led by four points at 94-90 with just under five minutes remaining before a Wiggins layup and a Thompson three-pointer put Golden State up 95-94. Curry then extended the lead with a layup to make it 97-94 before driving in the dagger with a three-pointer to leave the Warriors 100-94 ahead.

Al Horford cut the deficit for Boston with a corner three, but Kevon Looney’s layup restored the Warriors' five-point cushion.

Curry then closed out the game, cleverly drawing fouls from Boston to nail five points from the free throw line.

Jayson Tatum led the Boston scorers with 23 points while Jaylen Brown finished with 21 points. Marcus Smart added 18 points and Derrick White chipped in with 16.

Agence France-Presse

NBA: Stephen Curry, Andrew Wiggins help Warriors hold off Celtics

Stephen Curry scored 30 points, Andrew Wiggins added 27 and the Golden State Warriors survived after blowing a 20-point lead in a 111-107 win over the shorthanded Boston Celtics on Friday night in Boston.

Andre Iguodala added 12 points while Draymond Green contributed a team-high eight assists for the Warriors, who have won three straight and five of their last six games.

Jayson Tatum had 27 points, eight rebounds and six assists to lead Boston, which has dropped five of its last seven. Jaylen Brown added 20 points, Marcus Smart had 19 with eight assists and Josh Richardson scored 15 for the Celtics.

Boston was without starting center Al Horford and forwards Grant Williams, Jabari Parker, Juancho Hernangomez and Sam Hauser, who all landed in the league's COVID-19 health and safety protocols this week.

Celtics guard Dennis Schroder also missed the game with a non-COVID illness. Boston guard Romeo Langford left the game with neck pain in the second quarter and did not return.

Warriors star Klay Thompson (right Achilles tendon repair) remained sidelined despite being recalled from G League affiliate Santa Cruz earlier in the week. Center James Wiseman (right knee meniscus tear) and Jordan Poole (COVID-19 protocol) also sat out.

Golden State was ahead 68-54 at halftime after leading by as many as 20 late in the second quarter.

After outscoring the Warriors 27-14 in the third quarter, Tatum's stepback 3-pointer with 11:25 remaining gave Boston its first lead since the opening minutes at 84-82.

Golden State scored the next seven points and used a 23-11 overall run to push its lead back up to double digits at 105-95 on Curry's 3 with 4:25 to play.

Boston answered with a 9-2 push to pull within 107-104 on Brown's layup with 50.9 seconds to go before Curry answered with a floater with 35 seconds on the clock.

Curry committed an offensive foul for his sixth to end his night with 10.7 seconds to go and Smart hit a 3 with 4.2 on the clock to make it a two-point game. Damion Lee's two free throws with 2.8 seconds left sealed the win.

-reuters-

NBA: Jordan Poole, Andrew Wiggins combine for 65 in Warriors' win

Canadian-born Andrew Wiggins caught fire against the Toronto Raptors on Sunday night, scorching the net for six 3-pointers in a 32-point performance that propelled the Golden State Warriors to a 119-104 home victory in a rematch of the 2019 Finals.

Jordan Poole went one better than Wiggins with 33 points for the Warriors, who won a fourth straight despite getting just 12 points on 2-for-10 shooting from Stephen Curry.

Pascal Siakam had 21 points for the Raptors, who lost for the seventh time in their last nine games.

Wiggins, who was born in Toronto and has gone on to become the NBA's leading scorer from Canada in his first eight NBA seasons, propelled Golden State to a lead it would never relinquish with two 3-pointers, a three-point play and a dunk in a 16-5 game-opening flurry.

The third-year Warrior wound up 6-for-8 on 3-pointers and 12-for-20 overall en route to his second 30-point outing of the season.

The Warriors led by as many as 20 in the first quarter and retained at least a nine-point advantage the rest of the way on the way to an eighth straight home win.

The Raptors, who beat Golden State in six games for the 2019 title, managed to hang within 103-93 after a Fred VanVleet 3-pointer with 7:16 to play. But Poole nailed his seventh 3-pointer of the night and Otto Porter added another from beyond the arc, allowing the Western Conference front-runner to pull away.

Poole finished 8-for-11 on 3-pointers, a career-high number that made him just the seventh in Warriors history to make eight or more in a game. Curry has done it 66 times, Klay Thompson 13.

The Warriors finished 22-for-45 from deep, outscoring the Raptors 66-45 on threes.

Draymond Green chipped in with a game-high 14 rebounds, eight assists and four points for the Warriors, while Kevon Looney also reached double figures in boards with 10 to complement seven points. Curry tied Green for game-high assist honors with eight.

Porter recorded all 15 of his points off the bench on 3-pointers for Golden State, while Chris Chiozza was a fifth Warrior scoring in double figures with 11.

VanVleet totaled with 17 points and a team-high seven assists for the Raptors, who have lost three of four to start a six-game trip.

Precious Achiuwa went for 12 points, Gary Trent Jr. 11, and Scottie Barnes and Chris Boucher 10 apiece for Toronto. Barnes completed a double-double with a team-high 13 rebounds.

-reuters-

NBA: Jordan Poole goes for 32 as Warriors win in Detroit

Jordan Poole scored a season-high 32 points and the short-handed Golden State Warriors held off the host Detroit Pistons 105-102 on Friday.

Andrew Wiggins had 27 points and Nemanja Bjelica tossed in 14 off the bench. Gary Payton II added 12 points for the Warriors.

Golden State was missing several key players, including two-time Most Valuable Player Stephen Curry. The league's leading scorer at 29.5 points per game, Curry did not play due to a left hip contusion. 

Draymond Green was inactive due to a right thigh contusion, while Andre Iguodala (right knee soreness) and Otto Porter Jr. (left foot injury management) also sat out.

Reserve Frank Jackson led the Pistons with a season-high 27 points. Jerami Grant and Cade Cunningham had 19 points apiece for Detroit, and Hamidou Diallo added 10 points.

Pistons center Isaiah Stewart suffered a right ankle injury contesting a shot early in the second half and did not return.

Golden State led 17-4 midway through the first quarter as Detroit missed 10 straight shots. Poole finished the quarter with 11 points, but Detroit pulled within 26-23 by period's end.

Poole matched that total in the second quarter as the Warriors carried a 56-51 lead into the second half. Jackson provided the spark for the Pistons with 16 first-half points off the bench.

The Warriors led by six midway through the third quarter, then reeled off seven unanswered points.

Chris Chiozza's 3-pointer with the shot clock expiring gave the Warriors an 81-68 advantage late in the quarter. He drained another one in the closing seconds as Golden State carried an 86-70 lead into the fourth.

Bjelica's layup two minutes into the final period made it 91-77. Poole reached the 30-point mark with a reverse layup with 4:58 left to give Golden State a 101-87 lead. He surpassed his previous season high of 31 points when he made a baseline runner with just over three minutes left.

Detroit pulled within 104-100 on two Cunningham free throws with 1:43 left. Grant's two free throws with 33.3 seconds left cut Golden State's lead to three. However, Grant and Jackson each missed a potential tying 3-pointer in the closing seconds.

-reuters-

NBA: Stephen Curry pours in 37 as Warriors blow out Nets

Stephen Curry scored 37 points and tied a season best by hitting nine 3-pointers as the Golden State Warriors took command in the third quarter and rolled to a 117-99 victory over the Brooklyn Nets in New York.

Curry joined Ray Allen as the second player to reach 2,900 career 3-pointers when he hit his first trey early in the first quarter. Allen tops the list at 2,973. 

Curry shot 12 of 19 from the floor as the Warriors rebounded from seeing their seven-game winning streak stopped Sunday with a four-point loss against the Charlotte Hornets.

Andrew Wiggins added 19 points for the Warriors, who shot 51.9 percent. Jordan Poole contributed 17 while Draymond Green collected 11 points, eight rebounds and six assists as Golden State scored 25 fastbreak points and 52 points in the paint.

James Harden scored 24 points for Brooklyn, which missed 17 of 22 shots in the third period and shot 38.6 percent overall. Kevin Durant added 19 against his former team, shooting 6 of 19 while being held under 20 points for the first time this season.

Bruce Brown chipped in 14 for the Nets, who made just 10 of 36 3-point tries as Joe Harris sat out with a sprained left ankle.

The Warriors continued their hot start by winning for the 12th time in 14 games thanks to an impressive surge after halftime. Golden State made 13 of 18 shots in the third quarter and outscored the Nets by a commanding 35-18 margin to take a 98-76 lead into the final period.

The Warriors never trailed after Wiggins hit a 3-pointer with 26.6 seconds left in the second quarter, and he hit another trey at the buzzer to give Golden State a 63-58 lead by halftime.

Curry's layup gave Golden State its first double-digit lead at 69-58 less than two minutes into the third, and the lead grew to 91-70 on a transition dunk by Poole with 2:49 remaining. Andre Iguodala capped the dominant quarter with a 3-pointer at the buzzer.

Curry hit two more 3-pointers in the opening minutes of the fourth before Golden State took a 106-80 lead on Damion Lee's basket. Curry hit his final 3-pointer for a 111-85 lead with 7:06 before being lifted about two minutes later.

-reuters-

Towns, Wiggins lead Timberwolves past Pelicans

The newest Timberwolves made their debut but it was holdovers Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins who led host Minnesota to a 107-100 victory against the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday night.

Towns had 25 points and 16 rebounds and Wiggins scored 23 points and they were supported by the principal players in the Jimmy Butler trade as Robert Covington scored 13 and Dario Saric came off the bench to score nine. 

Jeff Teague had 14 points and 14 assists, Josh Okogie scored 11 and Taj Gibson 10.

E'Twaun Moore led the Pelicans by scoring 31 points two nights after he had 30 in his team's third straight victory, a 126-110 win at Toronto. 

Anthony Davis had 29 points and 11 rebounds, Nikola Mirotic had 16 points and 10 rebounds and Jrue Holiday had 14 points and 10 assists.

Minnesota, which swept the four-game series against New Orleans last season led by four after three quarters and build the lead to 11 early in the fourth.

Davis scored five points and Holiday's basket completed an 8-0 run that gave New Orleans its only lead of the game at 96-94, but the Pelicans scored just four points in the final four and a half minutes.

Wiggins' 3-pointer put Minnesota back on top and he added a free throw, Covington made a layup and Towns a free throw to increase the lead to 101-96 with three minutes left.

After a basket by Mirotic, Gibson made a free throw and Wiggins had a three-point play to give the Wolves a 105-98 lead.

Minnesota held a 67-54 halftime lead and built the margin to 15 early in the third quarter before New Orleans made a push.

Mirotic made a 3-pointer that cut the lead to 75-59 before the Wolves rebuilt the margin to 10.

Moore and Davis scored five points each as New Orleans got within two before Saric made two free throws to give Minnesota an 85-81 lead after three quarters.

Towns had 15 points as the Wolves took a 38-28 lead after the first period.

They extended the lead to 67-54 at halftime as Towns finished the half with 20 points and 10 rebounds.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

No shooting stars: Celtics outlast Wolves

The future didn't look especially bright on Friday night when two of the NBA's contenders-in-waiting clashed in Boston.

The Celtics and Timberwolves both hovered under 40 percent shooting for most of the night before Boston pulled away in the fourth quarter to capture a 91-84 victory over Minnesota at TD Garden.

Marcus Smart had 18 points off the bench to pace the Celtics. Kyrie Irving finished with 16 points (on 6-of-16 shooting) and eight assists and Aron Baynes doubled up with 11 points and 10 rebounds.

Boston (32-10) followed up its 102-88 thumping of the defending Eastern Conference champion Cleveland Cavaliers at home on Wednesday with its fifth straight victory.

The Celtics led 66-62 going into the third quarter before opening up a double-digit lead at 81-71 after a pair of Irving free throws with 6:59 remaining and kept their distance after that.

Karl-Anthony Towns had 25 points and 23 rebounds, Jimmy Butler scored 14 and Jamal Crawford had 13 off the bench for the Timberwolves.

Minnesota (24-16) lost its 12th straight game in Boston and hasn't beaten the Celtics on their home court since March 6, 2005.

The teams combined to shoot 38.8 percent from the field.

Boston's Al Horford experienced soreness in his left knee and was questionable to return at halftime, but he started the second half. He finished with seven points and eight assists.

Meanwhile, the Celtics' Marcus Morris sat out to rehabilitate his knee injury, but he will play Saturday at Brooklyn.

Minnesota played its fifth straight game without starting point guard Jeff Teague, who is sidelined due to a Grade 1 MCL sprain in his left knee.

A pair of Butler free throws gave Minnesota its biggest lead of the game at 55-48 with 4:53 to play in the third before Boston closed the period on an 18-7 run.

Towns piled up 14 points and 13 boards in the first half, his second first-half double-double of the season, but the Timberwolves were down 41-38 at the break. Neither side led by more than five in the half.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Wiggins, Timberwolves silence Thunder

LOS ANGELES -- Andrew Wiggins thwarted the Oklahoma City Thunder's comeback bid, launcing a game-winning three-pointer as time expired to lift the Minnesota Timberwolves to a 115-113 NBA triumph on Sunday.

Wiggins' banked in shot from near halfcourt denied new Thunder signing Carmelo Anthony a signature moment with his new club. Anthony had put Oklahoma City up with five seconds remaining.

"I could see how much time was left," Wiggins said. "I got as close as I could and let it go.

"Everything worked perfectly," Wiggins added. "When it left my hands it felt amazing."

The result left the crowd in Oklahoma City -- not to mention the Thunder -- stunned by a second straight defeat.

Anthony, acquired in September from the New York Knicks in a blockbuster trade, finished with 23 points.

Wiggins and Karl-Anthony Towns led the Timberwolves with 27 points apiece. Towns also pulled down a team-high 12 rebounds.

Reigning NBA Most Valuable Player Russell Westbrook, coming off a six-point performance in a loss to the Utah Jazz on Saturday, shook off a slow start to score 31 points with 10 assists for Oklahoma City.

But his late-game heroics weren't enough after the Thunder's lackluster start.

He scored 15 points in the fourth quarter, including a three-pointer with 30 seconds remaining that tied the game at 110-110.

Towns answered with another basket, and after Anthony's three-pointer put the Thunder up again Wiggins swooped for the win.

Westbrook wasn't convinced that the hard screen set by Towns that freed Wiggins for the game-winner -- and knocked down the Thunder's Paul George -- was legal.

Thunder coach Billy Donovan said he'd leave it to NBA officials to "deal with that stuff".

Center Steven Adams was a lone bright spot for the Thunder in the early going, scoring 14 first-half points. But even though his efforts helped the Thunder outscore the Timberwolves by 10 points in the paint in the first half, it was Minnesota who led at the break 61-54.

The Timberwolves led 88-75 going into the fourth. The Thunder opened the final period with a 14-6 scoring run before their late charge ultimately fell short.

The Brooklyn Nets, stung by the injury to Jeremy Lin in the first game of the season, nevertheless notched a second straight victory with a 116-104 home win over the Atlanta Hawks.

Green light

Allen Crabbe, playing limited minutes as he continues his recovery from a pre-season ankle injury, produced 20 points, including a three-pointer with 4:37 left to play that broke a 99-99 tie and put the Nets ahead for good.

Crabbe was efficient in his 25:38 minutes on the court, coming off the bench and making seven of 12 shots and four of the Nets' 11 three-pointers.

"They give me the green light to shoot the ball, so it's not going to hurt me to get them up," Crabbe said. "The basket looks bigger and bigger after each one I make."

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Westbrook's 19th triple-double not enough for Thunder

LOS ANGELES - Oklahoma City star Russell Westbrook's 19th triple-double of the season wasn't enough on Friday as the Thunder fell 96-86 to the Minnesota Timberwolves in Minneapolis.

Westbrook, the NBA's leading scorer and top candidate for Most Valuable Player honors as the season approaches the halfway stage, scored 21 points with 11 rebounds and 12 assists in 36 minutes on the court.

His 19 triple-doubles already this season are the most in one campaign in almost 50 years, since Wilt Chamberlain posted 31 in the 1967-68 season.

He moved past Los Angeles Lakers legend Magic Johnson, who notched 18 triple-doubles in the 1981-82 season and inched closer to Oscar Robertson's single-season record of 41 set in 1961-62.

With 56 career triple-doubles Westbrook is closing in on Larry Bird (59) for fifth on the all-time list.

But on Friday, he also had 10 of the Thunder's 19 turnovers, which led to 33 points for Minnesota.

Karl-Anthony Towns notched his 10th straight double-double with 29 points and 17 rebounds and Minnesota's Spanish guard Ricky Rubio added 14 points and 14 assists.

Andrew Wiggins added 10 points for the Timberwolves, who won their third straight.

The Timberwolves led by as many as nine in the fourth quarter but were down by five at halftime.

But they rallied in the third quarter, and pushed their advantage to as many as 14 points early in the fourth period.

Oklahoma City narrowed the gap to 92-83 on Westbrook's steal and dunk with 1:46 remaining, but Wiggins and Towns scored the next four points.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Rubio rescues Timberwolves, sinks Thunder

The last time the Minnesota Timberwolves visited Oklahoma City, they were ran out of the gym. In the 20-point loss, coach Sam Mitchell left his young stars on the floor till the final buzzer so they would learn to hate the feeling of losing.

The lesson must have been learned well.

Ricky Rubio buried a 3-pointer with 00.2 left in the game to give the Timberwolves a 99-96 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder Friday at the Chesapeake Energy Arena.

"This was a big win for us," Andrew Wiggins said. "It's the first time we've beat them in a long time. It's huge. It'll do a lot for our confidence going into the next game."

Gorgui Dieng scored 25 points to lead the Timberwolves. He was seven of 12 from the field and 11 of 11 from the free-throw line. Wiggins scored 20 points and Ricky Rubio posted 12 assists and 13 points, including the game-winning 3-pointer as the Timberwolves improved to 21-45.

"We just talked about it. We have got to start competing better against some of the better teams in the Western Conference," Mitchell said. "I'm proud of our guys."

Kevin Durant scored 28 points on 11 of 20 shooting for the Thunder. Russell Westbrook added 26 points and eight assists. Enes Kanter came off the bench to pour in 17 points and 14 rebounds. But it was not enough as the Thunder fell to 44-21.


Oklahoma City racked up 24 turnovers on the night that led to 26 points. Durant, who had six turnovers himself, took the brunt of the blame.

"That's all on me," Durant said. "It's contagious. I'm the leader. Everyone expects me to be on my game every night. So I take full responsibility. I have to better at every part of the game."

With 5:26 left in the game, Wiggins hit 1 of 2 from the free-throw line to cut Oklahoma City's lead to 85-80. Westbrook then missed a long 3-pointer and Dieng made them pay with a layup.

Zach LaVine drained a 3-pointer to give the Timberwolves its first lead of the fourth. But Westbrook drove the lane for an easy layup to give Oklahoma City the lead back at 87-86. After the T-Wolves hit a pair of free throws, Durant knocked down a 3-pointer.

The Thunder came up with consecutive defensive stops. The second one led to Westbrook throwing a no-look back pass to Durant for a fast-break dunk. It put the home team up 92-88 with 2:28 on the clock.

Dieng hit a pair of free throws to get the Timberwolves to within two. Durant missed a short jumper and Minnesota had a chance to tie the game. But Dieng and Towns both missed their opportunities and it led to a reverse dunk from Durant with 1:00 left in the game.

After Dieng hit two more from the free-throw line, Oklahoma City held a 94-92 advantage. A moving screen was called on Steven Adams, giving Minnesota the ball. Karl-Anthony Towns then tied the game with a short jumper in the lane and 41.9 seconds left.

After Anthony Morrow missed a 3-point attempt, Towns hit a clutch fade-away jumper with 16 seconds left.

Durant got the ball and drove the baseline. He missed, but Adams came up with the put back with 10 seconds on left in the game.

That was enough time for Wiggins to find Rubio alone at the 3-point line and he buried the game-winning shot to close out the night.

"It felt pretty good," Rubio said. "I felt it was going in. I've been working a lot so it feels good to see the results."

When the night started, Minnesota looked like the team that was supposed to getting itself in playoff mode while the Thunder looked like it was playing out the season.

Led by the scoring of Wiggins and the defense of Gorgui Dieng, the Timberwolves raced out to a 21-9 lead.

However, Durant and the Thunder bench went on a 12-3 run to close out the quarter and only trailed 24-21.

Oklahoma City's offense was still off kilter in the second quarter. Every shot was a struggle and the turnovers didn't help the situation.

However, the one constant for the Thunder has been its work on the glass. Kanter came off the bench and controlled the offensive rebounds and kept Minnesota from getting out and running.

"I think this team has got it," Kanter said. "We just have to stick together and forget about this loss. It is a tough loss, but I think the most important thing right now is to forget about this loss and start thinking about tomorrow because the Spurs are going to come to."

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Wiggins is Rookie of the Year; Clarkson makes All-Rookie team

Andrew Wiggins of the Minnesota Timberwolves has been selected the NBA Rookie of the Year, the league announced on Monday.

Wiggins, the first Canadian player to win the honor, was the only unanimous choice in voting for the NBA rookie team by 130 American and Canadian sports writers and broadcasters.

The first overall draft pick in 2014, he played in all 82 games for the Timberwolves, averaging a rookie-high 16.9 points.

Joining Wiggins on the first team were Nikola Mirotic (Chicago Bulls), Nerlens Noel (Philadelphia 76ers), Elfrid Payton (Orlando Magic) and Jordan Clarkson (Los Angeles Lakers).

Montenegro-born power forward Mirotic, who plays internationally for Spain, averaged 10.2 points for the Bulls.

American Noel had a stellar season with a poor team, pulling down 8.1 rebounds per game. He also ranked 10th in the NBA in steals and seventh in blocks, the only player in the league to rank in the top 10 in both categories.

Point guard Payton was the rookie leader in assists, while guard Clarkson averaged 16.7 points in 28 games after the All-Star break.

(Reporting by Andrew Both in Cary, North , editing by Gene Cherry)

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Cavs to sign top draft pick Wiggins

The Cleveland Cavaliers plan to sign No. 1 overall draft pick Andrew Wiggins to a contract this week, according to ESPN.com.

The delay in signing the rookie shooting guard is reportedly not related to speculation that the team may trade him to the Minnesota Timberwolves for All-Star power forward Kevin Love.

Instead, the Cavaliers have been looking for ways to use their remaining $1.4 million in salary cap space before signing Wiggins to a contract that will pay him about $5.5 million this season.

The Cavaliers and Timberwolves have been in talks about a trade involving Wiggins and Love since star forward LeBron James decided to return to Cleveland.

NBA rules dictate that once Wiggins is signed, the Cavaliers must wait at least 30 days before they can trade him.

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The Los Angeles Lakers officially re-signed guard Nick Young to a multi-year contract, the team announced Monday.

Terms were not released, but the Los Angeles Times reported previously that Young agreed to a four-year, $21.5-million deal.

Young had a career year in 2013-14 after originally signing with the Lakers as a free agent in July 2013. The Los Angeles native averaged a career-high 17.9 points in his first season with the Lakers.

The Lakers also re-signed free agent forward Ryan Kelly. In 2013-14, his rookie NBA season, the 23-year-old Kelly averaged 8.0 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 22.2 minutes per game, and started 25 contests while appearing in 59 total games.

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The Dallas Mavericks signed free agent forward Richard Jefferson.

Last season, the veteran averaged 10.1 points, 2.7 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 27.0 minutes while shooting 45 percent from the floor and 40.9 from 3-point range in 82 games for the Utah Jazz.

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The Indiana Pacers signed free agent guard Rodney Stuckey. Last season, Stuckey averaged 13.9 points and 2.1 assists in 73 games with the Detroit Pistons.

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The Phoenix Suns signed free agent forward Anthony Tolliver to a multi-year contract.

Tolliver, a six-year NBA veteran, averaged 6.1 points, 2.6 rebounds and 20.3 minutes in 64 games last season with the Charlotte Bobcats.

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The Chicago Bulls re-signed guard Kirk Hinrich. Last season, Hinrich averaged 9.1 points, 3.9 assists and 2.6 rebounds per game for the Bulls.

The Bulls also signed second-round draft pick Cameron Bairstow. The 6-foot-9, 250-pound forward was taken No. 49 overall by the Bulls.

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The Charlotte Hornets signed free agent forward Marvin Williams.

Williams averaged 9.1 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 25.4 minutes over 66 games for the Jazz last season.

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NBA Development League president Dan Reed is stepping down to join Facebook as head of global sports partnerships. Reed's last day with the league is July 31.

(Editing by Larry Fine)

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com