Someone is going to have a very difficult task on Saturday.

Guerschon Yabusele scored 17 points and France beat Germany 73-69 to advance to the men’s Olympic basketball gold medal game.

Franz Wagner scored 18 points and Germany overcame a sluggish start to beat Greece 76-63 and advance to the Olympics semifinals for the first time.

Unbeaten at last year’s World Cup on the way to the gold medal.

On Friday, LeBron James will carry the U.S. flag.

Cade Cunningham had 30 points and 12 assists as the Detroit Pistons ended their NBA record-tying losing streak at 28 games with a 129-127 win over the Toronto Raptors on Saturday night.

German basketball is having a great summer.

Germany pulled off the biggest upset of its basketball existence and hardly anyone back home seemed to notice.

Germany will play the United States in the semifinals of the Basketball World Cup in a rematch of an exhibition matchup from earlier this summer where the Americans needed a big rally to win.

The opponent names will become more recognizable for USA Basketball now.

The Dominican Republic, Australia and Italy have advanced to the knockout stage of the World Cup.

Olympic silver medalist France won't make the second round of the World Cup.

Jamal Murray scored 37 points, Nikola Jokic added 24 points and eight assists, and the Denver Nuggets rolled to a 3-0 lead in the Western Conference finals with a 119-108 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers.

LeBron James had 30 points and 10 rebounds, and the Los Angeles Lakers claimed the seventh spot in the Western Conference playoffs with a grueling 108-102 overtime victory over the short-handed Minnesota Timberwolves in the NBA’s play-in tournament.

D’Angelo Russell had 28 points and nine assists in his dynamic return from a six-game injury absence, and Dennis Schröder added 23 points and seven assists in the Los Angeles Lakers’ 122-112 victory over the Toronto Raptors.

Anthony Davis had 30 points and 22 rebounds, Dennis Schröder added 17 points and nine assists, and the Los Angeles Lakers moved into ninth place in the Western Conference with a 112-103 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies.

LeBron James moved within 89 points of breaking the NBA’s career scoring record and climbed into fourth place on the assists list, finishing with a triple-double in his return to Madison Square Garden as the Los Angeles Lakers beat the New York Knicks 129-123 on Tuesday night.

Dennis Schröder completed a three-point play with 7.6 seconds left after a steal, and the Los Angeles Lakers rallied past Memphis 122-121 to snap the Grizzlies’ winning streak at 11 games.

The Los Angeles Lakers beat the Atlanta Hawks 130-114 for their first four-game winning streak in just under a year.

Anthony Edwards scored 33 points and Karl-Anthony Towns added 28 as the Minnesota Timberwolves built a huge lead and held on for a 139-132 win over the Houston Rockets.

Harrison Barnes scored 25 points, and the Sacramento Kings beat the Houston Rockets 122-117.

Davion Mitchell, Damian Jones and Trey Lyles scored 24 points each, and the Sacramento Kings outlasted the Houston Rockets for a 121-118 win.

Dejounte Murray scored a career-high 33 points and the San Antonio Spurs held on for a 123-120 win over the Houston Rockets to inch closer to the final play-in spot in the Western Conference.

Alperen Sengun scored 27 points off the bench, Jalen Green had 25 points and the Houston Rockets defeated the Portland Trail Blazers 115-98 to complete a back-to-back sweep.

Christian Wood set career highs with eight 3-pointers and 39 points as the Houston Rockets used a huge late run to rally for a 115-97 win over the Washington Wizards.

Desmond Bane had 24 points and the Memphis Grizzlies overcame the absence of star Ja Morant with balanced scoring in a 122-98 victory over the NBA-worst Houston Rockets on Sunday.

Devin Booker scored 36 points,ikal Bridges added 26 and the NBA-leading Phoenix Suns beat the Houston Rockets 129-112 on Wednesday night for their third straight victory.

Rookie Jalen Green scored a career-high 32 points, including 10 in overtime, and the Houston Rockets outlasted the slumping Los Angeles Lakers for a 139-130 win Wednesday night.

Kevin Porter Jr. scored 29 points, Christian Wood added 28 points and 13 rebounds and the Houston Rockets beat the Memphis Grizzlies 123-112 on Saturday night to end a 12-game losing streak.

DeMarcus Cousins, starting in place of ailing Nikola Jokic, scored a season-high 31 points and the Denver Nuggets bounced back from a loss to beat the struggling Houston Rockets 116-101 on Friday night.

Donovan Mitchell had 37 points and Mike Conley scored nine points in overtime to help the Utah Jazz outlast the Houston Rockets 132-127.

Ivica Zubac scored 22 points with 12 rebounds as the Los Angeles Clippers pulled away in the third quarter and cruised to a 113-100 win over the Houston Rockets.

Reggie Jackson scored 26 points, including three key points down the stretch, to lead the Los Angeles Clippers to a 99-98 win over the Houston Rockets Sunday night.

Marcus Morris Sr. scored 27 points and Luke Kennard added 25 as the Los Angeles Clippers sped to a 17-point lead in the first half and cruised to a 142-111 victory over the Houston Rockets.

According to multiple reports, the Rockets are trading center Daniel Theis to the Boston Celtics for point guard Dennis Schroder, center Enes Freedom and forward Bruno Fernando.

Jaylen Brown scored a career-high 50 points, rallying the Boston Celtics from 14 points down late in the fourth quarter to a 116-111 overtime victory over the Orlando Magic.

Giannis Antetokounmpo returned from the NBA’s healthy and safety protocols to score 36 points on Saturday for Milwaukee.

Joel Embiid scored 17 of his 41 points in the fourth quarter, hitting three jumpers in the final minutes and three free throws in the last four seconds to ice it as the Philadelphia 76ers beat the Boston Celtics 108-103.

Jayson Tatum scored 30 points, Jaylen Brown had 19 in his return from missing eight games with an injury and the Boston Celtics coasted by Houston 108-90, sending the Rockets to their 15th straight loss on Monday night.

Jayson Tatum scored 37 points and the Boston Celtics beat Los Angeles 130-108 in Lakers star LeBron James’ return.

The Los Angeles Lakers are acquiring All-Star point guard Russell Westbrook from the Washington Wizards for three players and this year’s first-round draft pick.

On their respective ways to the NBA Finals last season, there was one important element missing for both the Los Angeles Lakers and Miami Heat.

Anthony Davis scored 34 points, Dennis Schroder added 24 and the Los Angeles Lakers held on for a hard-fought 109-102 win over the Phoenix Suns in Game 2 of the first-round playoff series on Tuesday night.

LeBron James scored 25 points before he appeared to mildly aggravate a right ankle injury,and the Los Angeles Lakers closed out the regular season with a 110-98 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans.

Anthony Davis scored 28 points and LeBron James returned after a six-game absence to score 24 Saturday to lead the Los Angeles Lakers to a 122-115 victory over the Indiana Pacers.

Kyle Lowry had 37 points and 11 assists, Pascal Siakam had 39 points and 13 rebounds and the short-handed Toronto Raptors defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 121-114.

Luka Doncic had 18 points and 13 assists and the Dallas Mavericks overcame a 17-point deficit for a 108-93 win over Los Angeles in Lakers star Anthony Davis’ second game back from a long injury absence.

Luka Doncic scored 30 points, leading the Dallas Mavericks to a 115-110 victory over the Lakers in the return of Los Angeles star Anthony Davis from a 30-game injury absence.

Julius Randle had 34 points and 10 rebounds against his former team and the New York Knicks beat the Los Angeles Lakers 111-96 for their third straight victory.

Andre Drummond had 20 points and 11 rebounds, Dennis Schroder scored 19 points before he and Kyrie Irving were ejected in the third quarter and the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Brooklyn Nets 126-101.

New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson (1) goes to the basket against Los Angeles Lakers center Montrezl Harrell (15) during the second half of an NBA basketball game in New Orleans, Tuesday, March 23, 2021. Ingram scored a season-high 36 points, Williamson had 27 points and nine rebounds, and the New Orleans Pelicans defeated the Lakers 128-111 on Tuesday night. “We had a stretch in the second quarter where we hit a big drop, which really hurt us in this game,” Lakers coach Frank Vogel said. AdThe Lakers never got within single digits in the second half and trailed by as many as 30. Pelicans: Starting point guard Lonzo Ball missed his second straight game with a strained right hip flexor.

Los Angeles Lakers forward Markieff Morris, left, drives on Phoenix Suns forward Abdel Nader (11) during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Sunday, March 21, 2021, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)PHOENIX – Devin Booker and Deandre Ayton both had 26 points, Chris Paul had a triple-double with 11 points, 13 assists and 10 rebounds and the Phoenix Suns beat the LeBron-less Los Angeles Lakers 111-94 on Sunday night. Montrezl Harrell led the Lakers with 23 points off the bench on 10-of-13 shooting. The Lakers won the NBA championship last season in a COVID-19 delayed season that ended on Oct. 11. TIP-INSLakers: Without James, Los Angeles went with a starting lineup of Wesley Matthews, Kyle Kuzma, Markieff Morris, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Schroder.

(AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)Looking at individual stats reveals nothing about the Utah Jazz. “Nobody’s playing as well as the Utah Jazz in the NBA right now.”AdAt 26-6, the Jazz sit atop the NBA. The Jazz have made 544 3s, the most in NBA history by any team in its first 32 games. But with the way they're playing now, even Vogel concedes that the Jazz are doing a whole lot right. They’re playing like the best team in the league right now.”___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

New York Knicks guard Derrick Rose looks to pass the ball as Miami Heat guard Duncan Robinson (55) defends during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2021, in Miami. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)MIAMI – The first thing Derrick Rose did in his second stint with the New York Knicks was start handing out assists. Rose made his second Knicks debut Tuesday night in Miami, scoring 14 points in 20 minutes in New York's 98-96 loss to the Heat. Rose won the 2011 NBA MVP award, capping his first season under Thibodeau and a 62-20 season for the Bulls. “I think he’s in great shape.

Los Angeles Lakers forward Anthony Davis, right, shoots against Chicago Bulls forward Thaddeus Young during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Chicago, Saturday, Jan. 23, 2021. Davis dominated with a season-high 37 points against his hometown team, LeBron James added 17 points and 11 rebounds and the Lakers beat the Chicago Bulls 101-90 on Saturday. Davis scored 26 points in the highest scoring half by a Laker this season as Los Angeles grabbed a 63-33 lead. Bulls: Chicago shot 39 about percent from the field and made 8 of 25 3-pointers. Bulls: Chicago hosts Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum and the Celtics.

HOUSTON – LeBron James scored 26 points in just more than three quarters and the Los Angeles Lakers never trailed in a 117-100 rout of the Houston Rockets on Tuesday night. Anthony Davis added 19 points and 10 rebounds in three quarters to help the Lakers to their second straight blowout over the Rockets after a 120-102 victory Sunday night. Los Angeles led by 20 or more for most of the game on a night James Harden made just 5 of 16 shots and the Rockets were outrebounded 55-42. “We’ve got a common goal to compete every night, to play championship basketball and be accountable," James said. UP NEXTLakers: Visit Oklahoma City on Wednesday night before returning home for two games beginning on Saturday night against New Orleans.

Hammon became the first woman to direct an NBA team, taking over the Spurs after coach Gregg Popovich was ejected in a 121-107 loss to the Lakers. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)SAN ANTONIO – Becky Hammon would have preferred a victory over history after becoming the first woman to direct an NBA team. The Lakers took their first double-digit lead at 35-25 on Kyle Kuzma’s 3-pointer with 1:14 remaining in the first quarter. Lakers coach Frank Vogel did not elaborate on Caruso’s status. Spurs: Popovich said the Spurs will monitor Aldridge’s knee soreness on a day-to-day basis.

The Lakers, who beat Miami to win the championship Oct. 11, start the new season against the Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday night. Also on Wednesday, Chicago beat Oklahoma City 124-103, and Portland played at Denver. BULLS 124, THUNDER 103At Oklahoma City, the Bulls took control in the second quarter and didn’t let up. LaVine scored 16 points on 6-for-7 shooting in the first quarter while Gilgeous-Alexander scored 11 for Oklahoma City. Oklahoma City couldn’t get into a flow, but part of that was because first-year coach Mark Daigneault gave minutes to 13 players.

(AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin, File)NEW YORK – The 2020-21 NBA schedule will feature a play-in tournament and an NBA Finals that could run all the way until July 22 — keeping some players from competing in the Olympics. The NBA announced Tuesday how it will make up the 72-game schedule, which won't be entirely known until well after it's started. Teams will play the remaining 30 games against the opposite conference — one at home and one on the road. The league debuted the play-in tournament this year at Walt Disney World, though it only featured the Nos. The second half is March 11 to May 16, with the play-in tournament May 18-21.

Harrell ended the two-year run of teammate Lou Williams who finished third and gave the Clippers four winners in the last five years. Harrell and Williams helped the Clippers have the leagues highest-scoring bench for the second straight season. Harrell received 58 first-place votes from a panel of 100 sports writers and broadcasters, earning 397 points. Dennis Schroder of Oklahoma City was second with 35 first-place votes and 328 points, while Williams got the other seven first-place votes and 127 points. Harrell didn't play during that after leaving the team because of his grandmother's death, but returned to help the Clippers into the second round of the playoffs.

Oklahoma City Thunder's Dennis Schroder (17) is forced to pass the ball as Houston Rockets' Russell Westbrook, bottom center, Jeff Green (32) and P.J. Paul gave the Thunder at least one more game at Disney, scoring 15 of his 28 points in the fourth quarter for a 104-100 victory over the Houston Rockets on Monday night in Game 6 of a Western Conference first-round series. But they combined for 12 of the Rockets' 22 turnovers, saying Houston has lost the close games more than Oklahoma City won them. Houston got its most dominant playoff victory in Game 5, winning 114-80 after holding Oklahoma City to 31.5% shooting. Oklahoma City extended it to eight, but Houston wiped that out with an 18-4 run that provided a 98-92 lead.

Houston Rockets' P.J. That was a fortunate turn of events for the Houston Rockets. We need him.Schroder led the Thunder with 19 points 18 of them in the second quarter, when Oklahoma City had its only lead of the game. Steven Adams had 12 points and 14 rebounds, and Darius Bazley had 10 points and 12 rebounds for the Thunder. Houston scored 20 of the games first 27 points, but the Thunder erased the deficit in the second -- taking a brief lead of as many as five points -- before the Rockets took a 48-45 lead into the half.

Tucker, center, his held back by Oklahoma City Thunder's Steven Adams, right, as he confronts Dennis Schroder (17) after a foul during the second half of an NBA basketball first round playoff game Saturday, Aug. 29, 2020, in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. Both Schroder and Tucker were ejected from the game. Tucker and Oklahoma City's Dennis Schroder were ejected from Game 5 of their first-round playoff series Saturday night after a tussle following a hard pick that sent them both to the floor. When the two players stood back up, Tucker approached Schroder and head-butted him from behind. After checking the video, referee James Capers called a flagrant 2 foul on Schroder and ejected him.

The Rockets will take a 3-2 series lead into Game 6 against the Thunder in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, on Monday night. Dennis Schroder led the Thunder with 19 points in Game 5 18 in the second quarter, when Oklahoma City had its only lead of the night. If the Rockets win Monday, they would play Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals against the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday. INJURY WATCH: Rockets G Russell Westbrook (quad) returned for Game 5, with seven points and seven assists in just under 24 minutes. The Lakers would get nearly a full week to rest if the Rockets dont win Game 6.

Eric Gordon scored 23 points and Danuel House added 21 for the Rockets, who won the first two games of the series. The Thunder shot 47.8% and the Rockets 47.7% before the break. The Rockets led 93-80 before Schroder made a 3-pointer and Houston's Austin Rivers was called for a foul away from the shot. Schroder hot a deep 3-pointer at the buzzer, and the Oklahoma City climbed within 93-92 at the end of the third. Thunder: Shot 61% in the first quarter.

But right now it's more hurting the teams that should be playing in front of rowdy fans, not virtual ones. With Domantas Sabonis lost to injury, the Pacers need Turner to do even more on the inside to pick up the slack. Game 2, 9 p.m. ESPN NEED TO KNOW: These teams are seeded No. 8 based on what they did over the entire season, but there is no such difference in the bubble. Vogel said he believes in adjusting when necessary and may decide the Lakers need more speed on the floor and go smaller.

A trio of past winners of the award reigning MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks, four-time MVP LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers and 2017-18 winner James Harden of the Houston Rockets were announced Saturday as the finalists for this seasons top NBA individual honor. Antetokounmpo is bidding to become the 12th back-to-back winner of the award, and Harden is vying for his second MVP in three seasons. The other finalists for NBA honors:Rookie of the Year Ja Morant, Memphis; Kendrick Nunn, Miami; Zion Williamson, New Orleans. Sixth Man Montrezl Harrell, Los Angeles Clippers; Dennis Schroder, Oklahoma City; Lou Williams, Los Angeles Clippers. Defensive Player of the Year Antetokounmpo; Anthony Davis, Los Angeles Lakers; Rudy Gobert, Utah.

Oklahoma City pulled even with Houston for the fifth seed in the Western Conference playoff picture with five games left. Los Angeles, which has already clinched the top seed in the West and the Pacific Division title, never held a lead for the first time all season. Los Angeles dropped two games behind Milwaukee for the NBA's best overall record, which won't provide a real home-court advantage in the NBA Finals this year. Dion Waiters scored 14 points for the Lakers, whose poor perimeter shooting in the bubble still hasn't been fixed. ... Los Angeles got a scare in the third quarter when Paul elbowed Kentavious Caldwell-Pope in the ribs, forcing Caldwell-Pope to leave the game.