EVAN MOBLEY

Nobody blocked more shots per game, nor had better defensive numbers at the rim this season, than Memphis’ Jaren Jackson Jr. And voters noticed.

Joel Embiid had 36 points and 18 rebounds and played the final 4:12 after initially being called for his sixth foul, leading the Philadelphia 76ers to their sixth straight victory, 118-109 over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday night.

Los Angeles star center Anthony Davis was forced to leave Los Angeles’ game against the Cleveland Cavaliers after the first quarter and his teammates struggled without him in a 116-102 loss.

D’Angelo Russell had season highs of 30 points and 12 assists, Karl-Anthony Towns scored 29 points, and the Minnesota Timberwolves held off the short-handed Cleveland Cavaliers 129-124.

Donovan Mitchell scored 33 points and Darius Garland added 24 in the dynamic Cleveland backcourt’s return from injury absences, and the Cavaliers rolled past LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers 114-100 for their eighth consecutive victory.

The Cavaliers are back in the Eastern Conference title hunt.

A person familiar with the trade tells AP the Cleveland Cavaliers have agreed to acquire All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell in a blockbuster trade with the Utah Jazz.

Toronto forward Scottie Barnes has been voted NBA Rookie of the Year, edging Cleveland’s Evan Mobley in a close vote.

Nikola Jokic is a finalist to win a second straight NBA MVP award, along with two-time winner Giannis Antetokounmpo and Joel Embiid.

Atlanta Hawks center Clint Capela missed the second half of the play-in game against Cleveland with a right knee hyperextension.

Kyrie Irving had 34 points and 12 assists, Kevin Durant added 25 points and 11 assists, and the Brooklyn Nets took the No. 7 seed in the Eastern Conference by beating the Cleveland Cavaliers 115-108 in the play-in opener.

Kevin Love made eight 3-pointers and scored 32 points and the Cleveland Cavaliers took the No. 8 play-in spot — and a matchup against Brooklyn — with a 133-115 win over Milwaukee.

Not since 1998 have the Cleveland Cavaliers made the playoffs without LeBron James.

There’s a clear-cut front-runner for the NBA’s Rookie of the Year award, and if you don’t know who it is, you must not be watching.

All-Star point guard Darius Garland had 24 points and 12 assists, Evan Mobley had his NBA rookie-high 20th double-double, and the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Detroit Pistons 113-109.

Joel Embiid had 35 points and 17 rebounds, James Harden scored 21 points and added 11 assists and the Philadelphia 76ers edged the Cleveland Cavaliers 118-114.

Karl-Anthony Towns gave big men everywhere something to shoot for.

Giannis Antetokounmpo will team up with two of his brothers to compete in a revamped Skills Challenge during the NBA’s All-Star Saturday night.

A person familiar with the decision tells AP that Cavaliers general manager Koby Altman has been rewarded for the team’s turnaround with a contract extension and new job title.

Cavaliers coach J.

Jaylen Brown scored 34 points and the Boston Celtics beat depleted Cleveland 111-101 on Wednesday night to end the Cavaliers’ winning streak at six.

Kyrie Irving’s return to the Brooklyn Nets is starting with a trip to the NBA’s health and safety protocols — and Kevin Durant is joining him.

Giannis Antetokounmpo came back from a two-game absence and scored 27 points on his 27th birthday to help the Milwaukee Bucks defeat the Cleveland Cavaliers 112-104.

Devin Booker scored 35 points, Chris Paul had 12 assists and made four free throws in the final 8.8 seconds the Phoenix Suns extended their winning streak to 14 games, holding off the Cleveland Cavaliers 120-1115.

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.

Cade Cunningham is making a strong first impression on the NBA.

The Detroit Pistons selected Oklahoma State’s Cade Cunningham with the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft Thursday night.

Cade Cunningham headlines the top prospects in Thursday's NBA draft in New York.

Evan Mobley made a quick impact with his athleticism and defense for Southern California.

The Trojans (25-7) clipped the high-flying Ducks with their length on the perimeter and 7-footer Evan Mobley in the middle. Oregon and USC have been a big part of the Pac-12's unexpected success in the Circle City. Oregon State and UCLA already advanced, so the showdown between the Ducks and Trojans meant a Pac-12 trio in the Elite Eight. USC had to reach back to the 2006-07 team with Nick Young and Taj Gibson for its last Sweet 16 ride. USC stretched the lead to 20 in the opening 3 1/2 minutes of the second half before the Ducks finally came to life.

(AP Photo/Chuck Burton, File)Gonzaga and Baylor spent almost the entire season holding down the top two spots in the Top 25. Makes sense they'd hold down a bunch of spots on The Associated Press All-America teams. The Bulldogs' Corey Kispert and the Bears' Jared Butler led the way with first-team nods Tuesday from the national panel of 63 media members that vote each week in the AP Top 25 poll. Just like the first- and second-team All-Americans, their teams also will be playing in the NCAA Tournament this week. ___AP Basketball Writer John Marshall and AP Sports Writers Michael Marot and Stephen Hawkins contributed to this report.