Kevin Durant wants to be with the Phoenix Suns and is expected to sign a contract extension, according to franchise owner Mat Ishbia. 

The two-time NBA Finals MVP and four-time Olympic gold medallist, who joined the Suns in February 2023, is under contract at Footprint Center through the 2025-26 season.

Durant made a strong start to his 18th NBA season - averaging 27.6 points, 6.6 rebounds, 53.3% shooting and 42.9% from three-point range - though he is currently sidelined with a calf strain.

And Ishbia expects the 36-year-old to retire as a Sun, with both parties set to pursue a two-year, $120 million maximum extension following the conclusion of the 2024-25 campaign.

"[Durant] loves being in Phoenix, we love having him," the Suns owner told ESPN.

"He's off to an amazing start this season, and we're off to a very good start. We expect Kevin to sign an extension and be with us for the long term. We hope he finishes his career here in Phoenix.

"You can't sign a two-year extension this last summer, you can't do it based on the NBA rules. So, we figured after the season, we'd talk about it, take care of it.

"Kevin wants to be here, we want Kevin here. There's never been one grumbling of anything different."

NBA stars Kevin Durant, Ja Morant and Zion Williamson are dealing with injuries and will be sidelined for a while.

Phoenix Suns forward Durant will miss at least two weeks with a strained left calf suffered in Friday night’s 114-113 win over the Dallas Mavericks.

The 17-year veteran is averaging 27.6 points per game this season on 55.3 percent shooting from the floor and 42.9 percent from 3-point range. His play is a big reason why the Suns have won seven straight and are off to an 8-1 start.

The Memphis Grizzlies will be without two-time All-Star guard Morant for at least a week due to an injured right hip.

He was seen on crutches Friday during Memphis' win over the Washington Wizards. He originally was announced as having hurt his right hamstring during Wednesday night's win over the Lakers.

The Grizzlies said further testing showed Morant, who was bumped in the air by a Lakers player while attempting to catch a lob in the third quarter, suffered an extreme right hip flexion. He suffered a partial posterior hip subluxation without a dislocation and multiple Grade 1 pelvic muscle strains.

The team says updates will be provided “as appropriate.”

Williamson is dealing with a left hamstring strain that will sideline him indefinitely, the New Orleans Pelicans announced Saturday.

The diagnosis comes one day after Williamson was scratched from the lineup for New Orleans' 115-88 loss in Orlando.

That was Williamson's fourth missed game in 10 this season.

Injuries are nothing new for Williamson, who has missed 210 out of a possible 400 regular-season games since the Pelicans selected him first overall out of Duke in the 2019 draft.

He has averaged 22.7 points, eight rebounds and 5.3 assists this season.

Jason Kidd has slammed the Dallas Mavericks bench for not showing enough energy after they fell to a narrow defeat to the Phoenix Suns on Friday.

The Mavericks mounted a comeback, fighting back from a 63-50 half-time deficit, but fell agonisingly short in the 114-113 defeat to the Suns.

Luka Doncic had 30 points, seven rebounds and seven assists for Dallas, only to misfire on a long 3-point attempt at the buzzer that would have won the game, while Kyrie Irving added 29 points, seven rebounds and six assists.

The Mavericks have now alternated between losses and wins over a five-game stretch since their 3-1 start, and Kidd has demanded more from his bench if they want to stop that run.

"It's got to be addressed. We have talked about it, there's got to be some action, there's got to be some energy. We're f****** flat, that's where it starts," Kidd said.

"We got to be tough; no matter how many injuries we have or how small we are, right now we are not doing that. We will look at the tape, we will get back to seeing what we can do better.

"It's a team. It's not Luka and Kyrie and Klay Thompson. Others have to participate. I played the whole f****** team tonight, and we couldn't find anybody, so we had to leave those two to carry the load, and it's not fair to them this early in the season."

Meanwhile, the Suns have matched their best-ever start to an NBA season as their seven-game winning streak improved their record to 8-1.

Jusuf Nurkic scored Phoenix’s final five points, scoring the vital point with one of two free throws with 0.8 seconds left, snapping the 113-113 tie.

He finished with 15 points and 10 rebounds but says he is just happy to come away with a win, no matter the circumstances.

"A win is a win, man," said Nurkic. "I don't really care if it's [by] one point or 35.

"As long as you keep winning, that's great, because that's the best way to learn. Not through the losses. But also, it's good for fans, too. They're betting, all this stuff, so good luck with them figuring out how we're going to do it."

The Cleveland Cavaliers set a franchise record by building a 41-point half-time lead en route to their latest victory, a 136-117 drubbing of the Golden State Warriors on Friday.

Cleveland moved to 10-0 to extend the best-ever start in team history despite All-Star Donovan Mitchell managing just 12 points on 4-of-13 shooting. Plenty of other Cavaliers stepped up with the playmaking guard struggling, however, as Darius Garland went 6 of 11 from 3-point range while totalling 27 points and Evan Mobley put up 23 points in 26 minutes.

The Cavaliers, the first team in NBA history to open a season with 10 straight wins while scoring at least 110 points in each, also received 13 points and 12 rebounds from Jarrett Allen and 20 points on 7-of-8 shooting off the bench from Ty Jerome.

Cleveland also held Stephen Curry to just 12 points while putting an end to the Warriors' five-game winning streak. 

Jonathan Kuminga led Golden State with 21 points, while fellow reserve Brandin Podziemski finished with 14 points and seven rebounds.

The Cavaliers began the game on a 20-2 run and never looked back, as they sped out to a 39-22 lead after one quarter before completely dominating the second.

Cleveland outscored the Warriors by a 44-20 margin in the next period to own an insurmountable 83-42 advantage at the intermission, which tied a franchise record for points in a half. 

The Cavs shot 63.6 per cent (14 of 22) from 3-point range over the first two quarters, with Jerome and Isaac Okoro each tallying 13 first-half points and Garland and Mobley recording 11 apiece.

Nurkic's late surge lifts hot Suns over Mavericks

The Phoenix Suns are now on a seven-game winning streak after rallying in the fourth quarter for a 114-113 road victory over the Dallas Mavericks.

Jusuf Nurkic scored the Suns' final five points and snapped a 113-113 tie by making one of two free throws with 0.8 seconds left. The veteran centre was fouled after grabbing the rebound of team-mate Royce O'Neale's missed shot to set up the go-ahead point.

Nurkic finished with 15 points and 10 rebounds, while Kevin Durant scored 26 points to help Phoenix improve to 8-1, which matches the 2009-10 team for the best start in franchise history. 

Luka Dončić had 30 points, seven rebounds and seven assists for Dallas, but misfired on a long 3-point attempt at the buzzer.

Kyrie Irving compiled 29 points, seven rebounds and six assists for the reigning Western Conference champion Mavericks, who have alternated losses and wins over a five-game stretch since starting 3-1. 

Dallas fought back from a 63-50 half-time deficit to take a 97-91 lead on Naji Marshall's layup with 7:47 remaining, but Bradley Beal had seven points during a 9-3 run that brought the Suns even at 100-100 with five minutes to go.

Nurkic scored on back-to-back possessions to give Phoenix a 113-111 edge with 31.4 seconds left. The Mavericks answered on their next trip down the court, however, as Doncic fed Daniel Gafford for a game-tying alley-oop dunk with 23.5 seconds left to play.

Thunder keep rolling with dominant win over Rockets

The Oklahoma City Thunder kept pace with the Suns atop the Western Conference by cruising to a 126-107 win over the Houston Rockets.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Chet Holmgren each scored 29 points to help Oklahoma City (8-1) bounce back from its lone loss of the season, a 124-122 setback at Denver on Wednesday. 

The Thunder also kept Houston's top two scorers in check, as Jalen Green was held to 14 points on 5-of-14 shooting and Alperen Sengun missed nine of 12 shots while finishing with 11 points. 

Dillon Brooks led the Rockets, who had a two-game winning streak stopped, with 17 points.

After the teams played to a 31-31 tie through one quarter, the Thunder took control in the second by outscoring Houston by a 44-20 margin for the period.

Gilgeous-Alexander and Holmgren each had 10 points during the second quarter, and Oklahoma City shot 70 per cent from the field for the frame to go into half-time with a comfortable 75-51 lead.

The Thunder extended the margin to as many as 29 points in the third quarter, and Houston never got its deficit under 19 points the entire second half.

Darius Garland capped a 39-point night by hitting a go-ahead 3-pointer with 45 seconds left that enabled the scorching Cleveland Cavaliers to stay unbeaten with Monday's 116-114 win over the reeling Milwaukee Bucks.

After converting a layup that brought the Cavaliers within 111-110 with 1:07 remaining, Garland knocked down a 25-footer on Cleveland's next possession after the Bucks' Damian Lillard was called for a backcourt violation.

Lillard then misfired on a 3-point try on Milwaukee's next trip down the court before Jarrett Allen sealed the Cavs' eighth straight win to begin the season with a layup off a Garland feed with 12.2 seconds to go.

Cleveland matched the best start in a season in franchise history, having previously gone 8-0 to open the 1976-77 campaign.

Garland finished 7 of 11 from 3-point range and 15 of 22 overall from the field while adding eight assists. The Cavaliers also received 14 points, 15 rebounds and six assists from Allen and 17 points from Evan Mobley.

Milwaukee, meanwhile, has lost six in a row since a season-opening win at Philadelphia for its longest skid in a season since also dropping six straight in March 2015. The Bucks also played without superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo due to a strained adductor muscle he sustained in a 114-113 loss to Cleveland on Saturday.

Lillard paced the Bucks with 36 points on 11-of-22 shooting to go along with seven assists. Bobby Portis and AJ Green each had 21 points for Milwaukee, with Portis adding 18 rebounds.

Thunder cruise past Magic to move to 7-0

The Oklahoma City Thunder also stayed perfect for the young season by coasting to a 102-86 victory over the Orlando Magic behind Jalen Williams' 23 points and 21 from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

The Western Conference's lone remaining unbeaten team led from start to finish and built a margin as large as 26 points in the second half to extend its best start since the franchise moved to Oklahoma City in 2008. The Seattle Supersonics began a season 7-0 or better three times, most recently a 10-game run to open the 1993-94 campaign.

Orlando shot just 35.4 per cent from the field to lose its fourth straight game following a 3-1 start. The last three defeats have come with leading scorer Paolo Banchero sidelined with a torn oblique.

Franz Wagner led the Magic with 22 points, while Jalen Suggs recorded 19 points, six rebounds and six assists.

Williams put up 14 points on 6-of-8 shooting as the Thunder shot a torrid 71.4 per cent in the first quarter to take a 39-26 lead into the second. The forward ended the first half with 19 points to lead Oklahoma City into the break owning a comfortable 58-43 advantage.

The Thunder continued to add to their lead in the third quarter, as three consecutive 3-pointers from reserve Isaiah Joe highlighted a 13-1 run that extended the margin to 84-58 late in the period.

Durant's late basket lifts Suns, foils 76ers in George's debut

Kevin Durant's driving layup with 24 seconds remaining broke a tie game and put a damper on Paul George's delayed debut with the Philadelphia 76ers as the Phoenix Suns came through with a 118-116 win.

Durant's key basket capped a 10-1 run over the final 3 1/2 minutes that lifted Phoenix to its fifth straight victory following a 1-1 start. The star forward finished with 35 points and six assists to help offset an off night from team-mate Devin Booker, who went 3 of 18 from the field while scoring 13 points.

George had 15 points in 32 minutes in his first appearance since signing with the 76ers as a free agent in the offseason. The nine-time All-Star missed the team's first five games due to a bone bruise in his left knee and was rusty during his return, missing 10 of his 14 shot attempts.

Philadelphia, which remains without franchise centre Joel Embiid due to a knee issue, dropped to 1-5 despite Tyrese Maxey's 32 points on 12-of-22 shooting.

The 76ers appeared on the way to a win after owning a 115-108 advantage following Guerschon Yabusele's dunk with 3:39 to go, which turned out to be their final basket of the night.

Phoenix answered with eight straight points, capped by Durant's jumper with one minute to play, to take a 116-115 edge.

After Maxey made one of two free throws to tie the game with 49.6 seconds left, Durant drove past a defender and scored before George misfired on a 23-footer just before the final buzzer. 

Donovan Mitchell scored 30 points, including a jumper with three-tenths of a second left, and the Cleveland Cavaliers remained perfect with a 114-113 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday night.

The 7-0 Cavaliers are one win away from matching their best start in franchise history. They won their first eight games in 1976-77.

Giannis Antetokounmpo had 34 points, 16 rebounds and nine assists for the Bucks, who have lost five straight since winning their opener. Milwaukee wasted a brilliant performance from Damian Lillard, who had 41 points with nine assists and shot 10 of 15 from 3-point range.

Lillard had put Milwaukee ahead by hitting a step-back jumper with 9.8 seconds remaining.

After shooting a combined 17 of 73 on 3-point attempts in losses at Boston and Memphis, the Bucks were 18 of 39 from beyond the arc in this one. Their hot start from long range helped them build a 16-point first-quarter lead.

After Lillard put Milwaukee ahead, Cleveland called timeout. Evan Mobley inbounded a pass to Mitchell, who caught it while barely avoiding a backcourt violation. Mitchell briefly lost control of the ball, but regained possession in 3-point range, dribbled inside the arc and hit a 19-footer.

Thunder defeat Clippers to remain unbeaten

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 25 points and the Oklahoma City Thunder extended their undefeated start to the season by beating the Los Angeles Clippers 105-92.

All five Thunder starters scored in double figures, and the six straight wins to begin the season marked the team's best start since moving to Oklahoma City from Seattle in 2008.

Norman Powell scored 24 points and James Harden added 12 points and 13 rebounds, but the Clippers dropped to 0-4 in their new arena despite holding double-digit leads in each of those defeats.  

The Clippers got off to a good start from 3-point range, making eight long balls in the first quarter, but went 3 for 16 the rest of the way.

Aaron Wiggins hit a 3 to end the third quarter for an 81-78 lead, and the Thunder followed that up by scoring the first seven points in the fourth to create separation.

Booker leads Suns to 4th straight win

Devin Booker had 28 points, nine rebounds and nine assists, and the Phoenix Suns used a dominant third quarter to beat the Portland Trail Blazers 103-97.

Kevin Durant scored 21 points for Phoenix, which won its fourth in a row.

The Suns led by as many as 26 points, but the Trail Blazers cut the deficit to 99-97 in the final minute. Booker and Tyus Jones each made two free throws in the final 21 seconds to seal the win.

Grayson Allen scored 18 off the bench, making a team-high four 3-pointers. Jones and Bradley Beal each finished with 15 points, while Jusuf Nurkic had a game-high 15 rebounds.

Trailing 47-43 at halftime, Phoenix scored 44 in the third quarter to take a 22-point lead by the end of the period. The Suns had zero turnovers in the third quarter after committing nine in the first half.

Booker and Allen each had 10 points in the third quarter, while Portland only managed 18 points in the period.

Anfernee Simons and Jerami Grant led the Trail Blazers with 20 points apiece. Deni Avdija scored 13 points and former Sun Deandre Ayton had 10 points and 13 rebounds.

Kevin Durant was hailed as a generational talent by Phoenix Suns coach Mike Budenholzer after becoming the eighth player to reach 29,000 career NBA points.

Durant scored 31 points as the Suns recorded their second victory in three games on Saturday, beating the Dallas Mavericks 114-102.

That made him just the eighth player in league history to score 29,000 points, after LeBron James, the NBA's scoring leader with 40,543 points, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Karl Malone, Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan, Dirk Nowitzki and Wilt Chamberlain.

Addressing the 36-year-old's landmark after the game, Budenholzer said: "What a tribute to a great, generational talent. I feel incredibly lucky to be around him every day."

Durant now has 29,010 total points through his 17 seasons in the league with the Seattle Supersonics, Oklahoma City Thunder, Golden State Warriors, Brooklyn Nets and Phoenix.

He has averaged over 20 points in each of his campaigns in the league, but he said the credit must go to those who have put him in a position to score points.

"I've got to give credit to the people who have helped me since I was a kid," Durant said. 

"Team-mates who passed me the ball, set screens for me, coaches who drew up plays for me."

The Los Angeles Lakers must continue to make Anthony Davis "the main focal point" of the team after he starred in their win over the Phoenix Suns. 

Those were the words of LeBron James after the Lakers recorded their first 2-0 start to an NBA season with a 123-116 triumph over the Suns on Friday.

Davis finished with 36 points, becoming the third player after Elgin Baylor and Jerry West to notch at least 35 points in consecutive games for the Lakers.

It has been an impressive start for Davis, who, at age 31, and in his sixth season with the Lakers, is looking to take the torch from James as the team's leading man. 

James, who finished the game with 21 points and eight assists, expressed Davis' importance this season, particularly how he can be kept involved effectively for the duration of the game. 

"It's very important that he's the main focal point for us every single night," James said.

"We know what he's going to do defensively, but offensively, we have to find him in multiple places on the floor throughout the whole game.

"And we've done that through two games."

It also marked a memorable game for Los Angeles coach JJ Redick, who became the first Lakers boss to win his first two games since Phil Jackson in 1999.

The Lakers hired Redick in the offseason with the expectation that he would bring knowledge of the game of basketball along with an ability to connect with players.

There were immediate sceptics of the hire, as Redick had never coached professionally, but Davis was quick to praise his coach and the game plan that led to the win.

“The game plan, the schemes that he had on both ends of the floor," Davis said.

"He trusts us, and we trust him as far as what he teaches us and what he wants us to do on the floor, on both ends, and it’s our job to go execute it.

“I think we were very prepared tonight. Like I said, we executed the game plan to a T.

"I’m not going to tell you the game plan because I know Minnesota will probably be watching this and figure out how to try to beat us next time.

"But our game plan was elite, and we executed it and were able to get the win.”

The Los Angeles Lakers must continue to make Anthony Davis "the main focal point" of the team after he starred in their win over the Phoenix Suns. 

Those were the words of LeBron James after the Lakers recorded their first 2-0 start to an NBA season with a 123-116 triumph over the Suns on Friday.

Davis finished with 36 points, becoming the third player after Elgin Baylor and Jerry West to notch at least 35 points in consecutive games for the Lakers.

It has been an impressive start for Davis, who, at age 31, and in his sixth season with the Lakers, is looking to take the torch from James as the team's leading man. 

James, who finished the game with 21 points and eight assists, expressed Davis' importance this season, particularly how he can be kept involved effectively for the duration of the game. 

"It's very important that he's the main focal point for us every single night," James said.

"We know what he's going to do defensively, but offensively, we have to find him in multiple places on the floor throughout the whole game.

"And we've done that through two games."

It also marked a memorable game for Los Angeles coach JJ Redick, who became the first Lakers boss to win his first two games since Phil Jackson in 1999.

The Lakers hired Redick in the offseason with the expectation that he would bring knowledge of the game of basketball along with an ability to connect with players.

There were immediate sceptics of the hire, as Redick had never coached professionally, but Davis was quick to praise his coach and the game plan that led to the win.

“The game plan, the schemes that he had on both ends of the floor," Davis said.

"He trusts us, and we trust him as far as what he teaches us and what he wants us to do on the floor, on both ends, and it’s our job to go execute it.

“I think we were very prepared tonight. Like I said, we executed the game plan to a T.

"I’m not going to tell you the game plan because I know Minnesota will probably be watching this and figure out how to try to beat us next time.

"But our game plan was elite, and we executed it and were able to get the win.”

Anthony Davis scored 35 points, Austin Reaves added 26 and the Los Angeles Lakers rallied to beat the Phoenix Suns 123-116 on Friday night for their first 2-0 start since 2010-11.

LeBron James had 17 of his 21 points in the second half for the Lakers, who trailed by 22 points in the second quarter.

Davis is the 3rd Lakers player with consecutive 35-point games to start a season in franchise history, joining Elgin Baylor in 1962 and Jerry West in 1969.

Kevin Durant led Phoenix (1-1) with 30 points and Devin Booker had 23.

The Lakers were down 61-52 at halftime, then outscored Phoenix 35-24 in the third quarter to take the lead as Davis and James each scored 11 in the period.

Phoenix made 21 of its first 30 shots, including nine straight 3-pointers, before going 21 of 52 the rest of the game. Phoenix was 24 of 39 from the field in the first half, but 9 of 27 in the third quarter.

The Lakers trailed 81-74 with three minutes left in the third before scoring nine straight points to grab the lead. That was part of a 20-6 run during a nearly five-minute span from late in the third to early in the fourth.

Young lifts Hawks over Ball, Hornets

Trae Young scored 38 points and the Atlanta Hawks overcame LaMelo Ball's 34 points and career-best nine 3-pointers to beat the Charlotte Hornets 125-120.

Ball made 9 of 14 3-pointers, surpassing his previous career high of eight.

De'Andre Hunter added 24 points and Dyson Daniels scored 18 for Atlanta, which has won its first two games.

Ball scored 34 points in the Hornets' 110-105 win at Houston on Wednesday to open the regular season. He matched that total with his ninth 3 with 7:31 remaining.

The Hornets were without two starters, including guard Brandon Miller. The team said Miller will be out at least a week because of a strained left glute. Center Mark Williams was held out with a strained tendon in his left foot.

Despite missing two starters, Charlotte showed depth with four players in double figures. Miles Bridges scored 27 points, Tre Mann had 17 and Nick Richards tallied 12 points and 13 rebounds.

With the game tied at 90, Young's 3 gave the lead back to Atlanta. Following a tying 3 by Charlotte's Josh Green, Young answered with a short jumper.

Bulls sink 21 3-pointers to beat Bucks

Coby White scored 35 points, and the hot-shooting Chicago Bulls spoiled Milwaukee’s home opener with a 133-122 victory over the Bucks.

Zach LaVine added 25 points, Nikola Vucevic had 22 and Josh Giddey scored 17 for the Bulls, who shot 21 of 47 from 3-point range.

Giannis Antetokounmpo led the Bucks with 38 points, 11 rebounds and five assists. Damian Lillard had 28 points, but only went 3 of 12 from deep.

After the first three minutes of the third quarter featured five lead changes, the Bulls broke a 72-all tie and pulled ahead for good by scoring seven straight points.

After Milwaukee's A.J. Green made a pair of 3s in the first minute of the fourth quarter to cut Chicago's lead to 102-101, Patrick Williams answered with a 3 of his own. Williams' basket ignited a 13-1 run, and the Bucks never seriously threatened again.

James Harden was frustrated the Los Angeles Clippers could not win on a historic night in their new arena, as they opened the NBA season with an overtime defeat.

Harden had 29 points and 12 rebounds for the Clippers but missed a free throw with six seconds left of overtime, which would have tied the game against the Phoenix Suns.

Instead, they suffered a 116-113 defeat in the Intuit Dome, despite leading 99-90 late in the fourth quarter.

Up until that final throw, Harden had kept Los Angeles in the game and almost won it for them before Kevin Durant tied the score with 21 seconds remaining of normal time.

The star was left frustrated that they could not get a win over the line.

"I'm so disappointed that we didn't get the win," Harden said. "You know what I mean? That's like one of the most frustrating things that I can think about as far as tonight.

"Like just history in Inglewood. The Intuit Dome. The fans came out, they showed up, and we got the short end of the stick.

"But I think they gave us a great, great energy tonight and I think the more they continue that the better our results will be. So, we appreciate the fans. We got to do our part, and they definitely did theirs tonight.

"Individually, for me, I got to play way better. I think it was just having that week off, getting adjusted to the pace of the game.

"All of the above. Shooting the ball well, something that I can control, taking better shots. … And then just turning the ball over. Not just getting a quality shot possession by possession. … My play has to be a lot better."

Durant scored 25 points and Bradley Beal added 24 to help the Suns make a winning start to the NBA under Mike Buldenhozer.

"You know [the fans are] excited [in overtime]," Durant said.

"They were this close to getting a stop, and then I raised up and shot that and made it. Then it was silent in there. That's one of the best feelings, especially late in a game."

League MVP Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder were both unanimous selections to the All-NBA first team.

Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic, Boston Celtics guard Jayson Tatum and Giannis Antetokounmpo of Milwaukee Bucks were also named to the first team, which was revealed Wednesday.

Jokic, who has won three of the last four MVP awards, and Gilgeous-Alexander were both listed on all 99 ballots.

Doncic fell one vote shy of joining them, while Antetokounmpo received 88 first-place votes and Tatum garnered 65.

New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson, Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards, Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant, Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard and Los Angeles Lakers centre Anthony Davis were named to the second team.

The third team was made up of Lakers forward LeBron James, Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry, Sacramento Kings forward Domantas Sabonis, Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton and Suns guard Devin Booker.

This is the 20th consecutive season James has been named to an All-NBA team since being included on the second team in his second season.

At 39 years old, he became the oldest All-NBA player in league history. He was also the youngest All-NBA selection as a 20-year-old back in 2004-05.

Jokic, who won the 2023-24 MVP award in a runaway with 79 of a possible 99 first-place votes, was named to the All-NBA first team for the fourth time to go with a pair of inclusions on the second team.

Gilgeous-Alexander, who finished second in MVP voting, was named to the first team for the second straight season.

Doncic made the first team for the fifth year in a row, while Tatum is on it for the third consecutive season.

Antetokounmpo has been on the first team each of the last six seasons after being on the second team the previous two years.

Mike Budenholzer admitted he would coach the Phoenix Suns, even if the team "was on the moon".

The two-time NBA Coach of the Year, who guided the Milwaukee Bucks to the title in 2021, was named Frank Vogel's successor at Footprint Center last week.

Arizona-born Budenholzer returns to his hometown after taking the 2023-24 season out, having previously enjoyed five-year stints with the Bucks and Atlanta Hawks.

The 54-year-old has only missed out on the postseason once in his 10 previous NBA campaign, guiding his teams to six division titles and entering the playoffs as top seeds on four occasions.

Budenholzer now hopes to achieve something similar with the Suns, who endured a disappointing season under Vogel, which culminated in a 4-0 first-round series defeat by the Minnesota Timberwolves.

"It's mind-boggling to me, like mind-blowing, to think that I'm going to be the head coach of the Phoenix Suns," he told reporters during his introductory news conference.

"I'm excited about working with this roster and these players. We have great players and, with great players, comes great expectations. I think we embrace that.

"The biggest message I want you to hear is that I would coach this team if it was on the moon. I would coach this team if it was in Alaska, if these players were in Denmark. I would go anywhere to coach this team."

The Phoenix Suns are making Mike Budenholzer their next head coach with the sides agreeing to a five-year contract, according to reports.

A formal announcement is expected to come Saturday.

Budenholzer, 54, last coached the Milwaukee Bucks before he was let go after they were upset by the Miami Heat in the first round of the 2022-23 season.

He led the Bucks to the 2020-21 NBA title in his third season with the team and began his coaching career with the Atlanta Hawks in 2013-14, compiling a 213-197 record in five seasons.

Budenholzer is a two-time NBA Coach of the Year, winning with Atlanta in 2014-15 and 2018-19 with Milwaukee.

He replaces Frank Vogel, who was fired on Thursday after one season with the Suns. Phoenix went 49-33 in the regular season but was swept in the opening round of the playoffs by the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Vogel was unable to fulfil lofty expectations after injuries limited the number of games the star trio of Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal could play together. His dismissal came after reports surfaced that Vogel had lost the locker room and Durant was unhappy with his role in the offense.

Budenholzer becomes the third Suns’ coach in three years under new owner Mat Ishbia, who inherited Monty Williams as the team’s leader when he took over the franchise in February 2023.

The Phoenix Suns have fired head coach Frank Vogel, the franchise announced Thursday, ending his tenure after one disappointing season.

Vogel’s Suns failed to live up to lofty expectations after investing almost all their future draft capital in acquiring veteran All-Stars Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal.

The Suns went 49-33 this season and needed a late 10-4 stretch to avoid the play-in tournament as the Western Conference’s No. 6 seed. Phoenix was eliminated from the playoffs by the Minnesota Timberwolves in a first-round sweep.

Former title-winning Milwaukee Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer is atop the Suns’ list of candidates, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported. Vogel’s successor will face championship-level expectations without the ability to dramatically upgrade the roster.

“We are here to win a championship and last season was way below our expectations,” general manager James Jones said in a statement.

“We will continue to evaluate our operation and make the necessary changes to reach our championship-calibre goals. We all take accountability, and it’s my job, along with [CEO Josh Bartelstein] and ownership, to build a championship team.”

The Suns implemented a win-now strategy when, at the behest of new owner Matt Ishbia, they acquired Durant last February.

Phoenix doubled down on the all-or-nothing route by acquiring Beal in the offseason, putting the team over the second apron of the luxury tax and hindering their ability to improve the roster around Durant, Beal and Devin Booker.

The inflexibility left the Suns without a traditional point guard this season and unable to make an impactful trade deadline acquisition.

Despite having three All-Star scorers, the Suns ranked 10th in the NBA by scoring 116.2 points per game, not enough to overcome their mediocre defence.

Durant, 35, was the most productive and available of the Suns’ big three, playing 75 games and averaging 27.1 points on his typical efficient shooting.

Booker also scored 27.1 points per game and set a career-high in assists at 6.9 per contest, but he was limited to 68 games.

Beal failed to live up to his contract – which still has three years and $161million remaining – by averaging 18.2 points over 53 games.

Beyond the individual numbers, the Suns’ stars failed to create a team greater than the sum of its parts. Despite having plenty of firepower, Phoenix ranked 23rd this season by shooting 40.6 percent in clutch situations (last five minutes and the game within six points).

Vogel has a career 480-422 record (.532) with four teams. He won a championship in 2020 with the Los Angeles Lakers, who are undergoing their own coaching search after firing Darvin Ham.