James leads Lakers past Grizzlies to open 2-game set
James had 22 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists, Anthony Davis added 17 points and nine rebounds as the Lakers opened a two-game set in Memphis with a 108-94 victory over the Grizzlies on Sunday night. “We were doing a lot of jostling with Memphis,” James said, “At the start of the fourth, I wanted to try and implement myself and my scoring a little bit more. After surrendering 36 points in the first quarter, the Lakers held the Grizzlies to 18, 21, and 19 over the final three periods. …G Alex Caruso missed his fourth game under the health and safety protocol. Gasol played 10-plus seasons with the Grizzlies.
Bucks lose 2022 2nd-round pick over early Bogdanovic talks
Wilson and Ersan Ilyasova to the Sacramento Kings. The trade fizzled as the NBA announced it was investigating whether the move had been agreed upon earlier than league rules allow. Bogdanovic, a restricted free agent, ended up signing with Atlanta when Sacramento chose to not match the Hawks’ four-year, $72 million offer sheet. Ilyasova was waived, but DiVincenzo and Wilson remain with the Bucks. NBA officials said they took into account several factors in the decision: the Bucks’ cooperation with the investigation; the Bucks ultimately not signing Bogdanovic; the lack of evidence of an impermissible early agreement on contract terms.
NBA celebrates Gorgui Dieng's charity work in native Senegal
The Minnesota Timberwolves center is a seven-year NBA veteran who signed a four-year $64 million contract extension with the team in 2016. With the help of Minnesota-based global health nonprofit MATTER he set up the Gorgui Dieng Foundation in 2015. In recognition of his work, Dieng became the third player to receive the Offseason NBA Cares Community Assist Award. "There a lot who are fighting with malnutrition in some areas of Senegal," Dieng told CNN. Tennis great Serena Williams, the 23-time grand slam champion, has long had ties to charity work.