ALEX LEN

Ukraine’s national basketball team gathered this summer tasked with lifting the spirits of those back home in a war-torn country.

Nikola Jokic had 38 points, 18 rebounds and seven assists, and the Denver Nuggets held on after blowing an 18-point lead and beat the Sacramento Kings 106-100.

De’Aaron Fox scored 29 points, Chimezie Metu made a clutch 3-pointer with 46.7 seconds remaining and the Sacramento Kings ended their longest losing streak of the season by beating the Los Angeles Lakers 125-116.

Philadelphia center Joel Embiid left in the first quarter with a sore right knee and the 76ers lost Game 4 of their playoff series against the Washington Wizards 122-114.

Storylines are everywhere as the NBA playoffs begin.

The Philadelphia 76ers are trying to make quick work of the Washington Wizards as they open their first-round playoff series on Sunday.

Russell Westbrook tied Oscar Robertson’s NBA record for triple-doubles with 181, finishing with 33 points, 19 rebounds and 15 assists, and made two free throws with a second left to give Washington a 133-132 overtime victory over Indiana on Saturday night.

Russell Westbrook had the third game in NBA history with 20-plus rebounds and 20-plus assists, and the surging Washington Wizards moved closer to Indiana in the Eastern Conference playoff standings.

Stephen Curry had his first rough night in a month, and Bradley Beal rallied Washington in the fourth quarter for its season-best sixth straight victory, 118-114 over the Golden State Warriors.

The other six clubs exit World Disney World the same way as tourists who normally pack the place. Now its back to the real world, and the real world in 2020 is an unsettling place. Uncertainty awaits at the end of every season for teams that miss the playoffs. The coronavirus pandemic forces teams to wonder whether they will be safe, and when or where they might be back together again. NBA teams have been shielded for a little while, but the Pelicans, Kings and Wizards, and soon more teams, have lost that now.

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. LeBron James keeps hearing the same questions. The NBA is a few weeks from playoff mode, and James -- just like normal has himself and the Los Angeles Lakers squarely in the mix to compete for championship. Kobe Bryant, who was the third-leading scorer in NBA history until James passed him on Jan. 25, died in a helicopter crash the following day. They are a part of this family.Lakers coach Frank Vogel has seen playoff-season James three times before never liking how those experiences went. This time, Vogel is genuinely and understandably eager to see James at playoff time.

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. Harrison Barnes of the Sacramento Kings became the latest NBA player to reveal that he has the coronavirus, making the announcement Tuesday and saying he has hopes to join his team for the leagues restart later this summer. Barnes is the only player who has started all 64 of the Kings games this season. Prior to the team leaving last week, I tested positive for Covid-19, Barnes wrote on social media. The league said Monday that 19 players tested positive during in-market testing after July 1, those tests being done before teams began arriving at Disney on July 7. Houstons Russell Westbrook said Monday that he has tested positive and has yet to join the Rockets at Disney.

Miami Heat forward Derrick Jones Jr. dunks the ball against Charlotte Hornets forward Jalen McDaniels (6) during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Wednesday, March 11, 2020, in Miami. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)MIAMI A person with knowledge of the situation says Miami forward Derrick Jones Jr. has tested positive for the coronavirus, a result that came in shortly after the Heat and other NBA teams began mandatory testing in preparation for next month's resumption of the season. A small number of NBA players publicly revealed Wednesday that they had tested positive, including Sacramento teammates Jabari Parker and Alex Len and Indiana's Malcolm Brogdon. All-Star Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets has also tested positive, a person with knowledge of that situation told AP on Tuesday. ___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports