LAS VEGAS (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris was a surprise guest at the U.S. Olympic men's basketball team's practice Tuesday, and her message was clear.
“Bring back the gold,” Harris said.
Harris — who flew to Las Vegas on Tuesday for campaign appearances — addressed the team briefly at the end of its fourth and final training camp practice session. She has long said that she's a Golden State Warriors fan; the U.S. team is coached by the Warriors' Steve Kerr and includes Warriors guard Stephen Curry.
“It's a great reminder of the fact that we're playing for our country,” said Kerr, who has met Harris on multiple occasions because of her Warriors fandom. “Vice President Harris told the guys how much she admired them, how much they really embody excellence and that we are going over there to try to win a gold medal for our country.”
Harris shook hands with the players, chatted briefly with LeBron James and a few others, and posed for a group photo with the team.
“Truly, you all represent the best of the best,” Harris told them. “And being Team USA, it is about representing our nation. You are, as you are every day on and off the court, ambassadors for who we are as a country. You represent leaders in every walk of life. And for you to go to Paris and bring back that gold is just another example of your excellence, your teamwork, your compassion and your commitment.”
U.S. assistant coach Erik Spoelstra said he didn't know the vice president was coming to practice.
“It was a pretty special moment for the entire group,” Spoelstra said. “She just mentioned that we represent our country and everybody's going to be watching and rooting for us and it's a big responsibility. But she knows that we all are putting in the work to represent everybody here and do it with class.”
Harris is planning to meet with voters in both Las Vegas and Dallas this week. She’s facing extra attention among Democrats considering her prospects as a possible replacement for President Joe Biden, who is resisting calls to step aside.
The U.S. men's team plays its first of five pre-Olympic exhibition games Wednesday against Canada in Las Vegas. Even though that game won't have any bearing on the Olympics — the first U.S. game in France is against Serbia on July 28 — Harris encouraged the team to go ahead and start winning now.
“Our nation is cheering you on and we are so proud of you,” Harris said. “Beat Canada and bring back that gold.”
AP Summer Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games
FILE - Vice President Kamala Harris takes a photo with Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, left, and others, in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, May 17, 2022, during a reception to celebrate Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. President Joe Biden’s reelection campaign is launching its formal outreach campaign to Asian-American voters, putting Vice President Kamala Harris at the forefront of the effort with events in Nevada and Pennsylvania this week. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)
It’s playoff-positioning time in the NBA.
Going into Friday, there are 83 games left in the season. The 10 Eastern Conference postseason teams are set; Cleveland, Boston, New York and Indiana are in the playoffs, Detroit and Milwaukee are on the brink of joining them, while Orlando and Atlanta still have a tiny bit of hope of escaping the play-in tournament. Miami and Chicago have clinched play-in spots.
In the Western Conference, Oklahoma City is the No. 1 seed and Houston is in the playoffs. Denver, the Los Angeles Lakers, Golden State and Memphis enter Friday holding playoff spots, with Minnesota and the Los Angeles Clippers chasing them and trying to stay out of the play-in. Dallas and Sacramento are fighting for play-in berths, with Phoenix, Portland and San Antonio still alive for those as well.
Add it up, and 23 of the 30 teams are still playing for something other than lottery odds with just over a week to go in the regular season.
Sacramento at Charlotte — The Kings would be assured of staying at least one game ahead of Phoenix for the last play-in spot with a win.
Utah at Indiana — Pacers can move closer to that No. 4 seed and home-court in Round 1.
Phoenix at Boston — The Suns will try to snap a four-game slide and it’s a big game for their play-in hopes.
Detroit at Toronto — The Pistons — an amazing story — get into the playoffs with a win.
Portland at Chicago — Almost a must-win for Blazers, big East play-in seed implications for Bulls.
Oklahoma City at Houston — Top two teams in the West standings.
Cleveland at San Antonio — Cavaliers on the brink of clinching No. 1 in the East.
Denver at Golden State — The winner takes a big step toward home-court in Round 1, and this is a possible Round 1 preview as well.
New Orleans at L.A. Lakers — A win ensures the Lakers finish the night no worse than No. 4 in the West and keep home-court positioning for now.
Dallas at L.A. Clippers — Mavericks trying to keep their edge in the race for No. 9 spot, Clippers need a win to help their quest of avoiding play-in.
NBA TV has a doubleheader Friday: Phoenix at Boston (7:30 p.m.) and Denver at Golden State (10 p.m.).
Saturday's Memphis-Detroit game is also on NBA TV.
Oklahoma City (+175) is favored to win the NBA title, according to BetMGM Sportsbook, followed by Boston (+190), Cleveland (+500), then Denver and the Lakers (both +1400) and Golden State (+1600).
April 11 — All 30 NBA teams play.
April 12 — No games.
April 13 — All 30 NBA teams play, end of regular season.
April 15 — The No. 7 and No. 8 finishers in both conferences play to start the play-in tournament. Winners are the No. 7 seed for the playoffs; losers will host play-in elimination games on April 18.
April 16 — The No. 9 and No. 10 finishers in both conferences play. Winners move on to April 18; losers are finished for the season.
April 18 — The April 15 game losers play host to the April 16 game winners. Winners are the No. 8 seed for the playoffs; losers are finished for the season.
April 19 — NBA playoffs begin.
— Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has 69 consecutive 20-point games, something only Wilt Chamberlain (who twice had 80-game single-season streaks), Oscar Robertson (who had a 76-game single-season streak) and Michael Jordan (who had a 69-game single-season streak) have done in the same season. OKC plays Friday at Houston.
— The league record for 3-pointers made in a season is on pace to fall on Sunday. There have been 31,017 made 3s so far this season; the record is 31,579, set last season.
— Boston (1,356) is seven 3-pointers away from matching the single-season team record, set two years ago by Golden State. The Celtics are on pace to break that mark Friday at home against Phoenix.
— For the first time, the NBA could have three players make 300 3-pointers in a season. Minnesota's Anthony Edwards has 297, Detroit’s Malik Beasley has 295 and Golden State’s Stephen Curry has 286.
The Thunder went 29-1 against the Eastern Conference this season. That's the best record one team has ever had against the opposite conference.
It doesn't include OKC's loss to Milwaukee in the NBA Cup championship game. But the Thunder against-the-other-conference record would still be the best in NBA history even if that game in Las Vegas was factored into the standings.
Three West teams — 2015-16 Golden State, 2006-07 Dallas and 1999-2000 Lakers — went 27-3 (.900) against the East. The 1995-96 and 1996-97 Chicago Bulls both had 25-3 (.893) marks against the West.
The Thunder’s 29-1 mark is a .967 percentage. At 29-2, if that NBA Cup game counted, it’d still be .935.
AP NBA: https://apnews.com/nba
Detroit Pistons guard Malik Beasley claps after a shot clock violation against the Minnesota Timberwolves during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Sunday, March 30, 2025, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)
Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) loses the ball as Houston Rockets forward Dillon Brooks (9) defends during the second half of an NBA basketball game in Los Angeles, Monday, March 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Kyusung Gong)
Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) reacts in the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Memphis Grizzlies Tuesday, April 1, 2025, in Memphis, Tenn. (AP Photo/Brandon Dill)
Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, right, Detroit Pistons forward Tobias Harris, left, during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Wednesday, April 2, 2025, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Kyle Phillips)
