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SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Blake Griffin woke up Monday with his sprained left knee not feeling worse, but not really much better. Rest is the only remedy, a luxury the Los Angeles Clippers don’t have, and doctors guess he might miss two weeks if this were the regular season.

Griffin? He says he will play in Game 1 on Tuesday night against the San Antonio Spurs.

Clippers coach Vinny Del Negro is making no such guarantees.

“I don’t know yet,” Del Negro said Monday. “I’ll make that decision tomorrow after shootaround, after I talk to the trainer.”

Griffin doesn’t think that conversation will be necessary.

Griffin said there is “no doubt” about his availability for the start of the Western Conference semifinals, which start two days after the hobbled All-Star played fewer than two minutes in the fourth quarter of a Game 7 win at Memphis. His injury is the most worrisome for the banged-up Clippers: All-Star Chris Paul said Monday that his bothersome right hip is OK, and forward Caron Butler is expected to play despite his broken left hand.

Following a light shootaround and film session Monday, Griffin put his health between 75 percent and 80 percent.

“Hopefully more than that, but realistically, probably about that,” he said. “But my knee hasn’t gotten worse. That’s the encouraging thing. it just needs time, and we haven’t had much of it.”

They’ve barely had any at all. the Clippers flew straight to Texas from Memphis on Sunday night, leaving them little time to savor one of the biggest wins in the woeful 41-year history of the franchise. Never had the Clippers won a Game 7 before Sunday, and this marks only the third time they’ve advanced to the second round of the playoffs.

Then there are the Spurs. Few things about the no. 1 seed in the West could be more different than the Clippers, and not just in terms of franchise history. while the worn-out Clippers are facing their sixth game in 11 days, the Spurs haven’t played for eight days since sweeping Utah in the first round.

That the Spurs are not the most hobbled team in a playoff series is a refreshing change of pace for them. Winners of 14 in a row — one of the NBA’s six-longest winning streaks sustained in the playoffs since 1986 — the Spurs are not just well rested but also in unusually good health for this time of year.

They’re also in a good mood: After the Clippers won Sunday, Spurs guard Tony Parker sent Paul a text message.

“See you soon,” Parker wrote.

What took the Clippers so long, anyway?

“I was kind of expecting to play on Sunday,” Manu Ginobili said. “The uncertainty is not always good. I came here (Saturday) thinking I was going to know, and then I didn’t. It’s demotivating. Because you can’t prepare for nobody.”

The Spurs won two of three meetings with the Clippers this season, their only loss coming when Parker sat out with a sore thigh. That was March 9; the Spurs have lost only three more times since then, and once was when coach Gregg Popovich didn’t play Parker, Ginobili and Tim Duncan so his stars could rest.

“Going through a seven-game series is definitely exhausting,” Griffin said. “We may have some guys that are a little beat-up. That’s how it is. But a lot of teams have that, and we can’t use that as an excuse.”

Monday’s Games

Thunder clobber Lakers 119-90 in Game 1

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — when the Los Angeles Lakers and Oklahoma City last met, Metta World Peace delivered an elbow that sent the Thunder’s James Harden home with a concussion. It’s the Lakers who are smarting after the playoff rematch.

Russell Westbrook had 27 points and nine assists, Kevin Durant added 25 points and the Thunder blasted the weary Lakers 119-90 on Monday night in the opening game of the Western Conference semifinals.

The Thunder took a 15-point halftime lead, opened the third quarter with a 15-2 blitz filled with crowd-pleasing 3-pointers and dunks and never looked back.

“From then on, it was cruising for us,” Westbrook said. “When our team plays like that throughout the game, we put ourselves in a good opportunity to win.”

Kobe Bryant and Andrew Bynum scored 20 points each for the Lakers and Bynum had 14 rebounds.

Two games after trailing by as many as 28 points in a blowout loss in Game 6 in Denver, it got even worse as the Lakers were down by as many as 35. they responded to their last loss by beating the Nuggets 96-87 in a thrilling Game 7 on Saturday night.

They’ll need another big bounce back for Game 2 in Oklahoma City on Wednesday night.

“We got beat tonight. you can say anything you want to about a seven-game series and us having a day or whatever,” Los Angeles coach Mike Brown said. “The bottom line is this is the playoffs, we’ve got to come to play and we didn’t. we got beat.

“It’s one game, so we’ve got to bounce back for the next one.”

The Thunder didn’t need any dirty tactics to get even for World Peace’s suspension-worthy transgression. the league’s most turnover-prone team — committing 16.4 per game in the regular season — gave it away only four times, a record low for the franchise.

“I think that’s huge,” coach Scott Brooks said. “Four — we’ve had that the first 6 minutes of games at times.”

While the Lakers were making a quick turnaround less than 48 hours after ending the first round, the Thunder had eight full days off following their first-round sweep of defending NBA champion Dallas.

It got out of hand just after halftime, in highlight-reel fashion.

Durant lobbed the ball to Westbrook for a two-handed slam, then connected on a 3-pointer from the left wing to draw a timeout from Brown.

That still didn’t slow down Oklahoma City, which got what could have been a costly two-handed dunk from Perkins on its next trip and then another 3 from Durant before Thabo Sefolosha swiped the ball from Bryant and ran out for a layup that made it 74-46 with 8:39 left in the period.

Brooks said Perkins could have returned to play in the game but would be re-assessed on Tuesday. Perkins had missed most of the week of practice after straining a muscle in his right hip in the final game of the Dallas series.

That was about the only negative for the Thunder, who tied for the 12th-worst blowout in Lakers playoff history.

“I’m always saying, ‘We can’t get too high and we can’t get too low.’ … you know those guys are going to come out and play extremely hard,” Durant said.

Both coaches started going to their benches with 8½ minutes left, and Los Angeles reserve Devin Ebanks ended up getting ejected with 2:18 to play after walking up to a scrum for the ball after the whistle. Official Greg Willard said at the scorer’s table that he was ejected for “what he said” in drawing a technical foul.

“Obviously, they’re more well-rested than we are but I don’t think it made that much of a difference for us,” Bryant said.

“We could have had the same amount of days off. They’re just younger and faster. And tonight, what you saw is them executing extremely well.”

The buildup to the game focused largely on it being the first meeting between the teams since World Peace got a seven-game suspension for elbowing Harden. He returned just in time to help L.A. win Game 7 against Denver.

A sold-out crowd at Chesapeake Energy Arena wasn’t nearly as happy to see him back, although World Peace — who changed his name from Ron Artest — was hardly fazed by the chorus of boos that greeted him during pregame introductions or again whenever the ball came his way.

World Peace knocked down a 3-pointer from the top of the key amid boos the first time he touched the ball, set up a two-handed jam by Bynum and drilled another 3 within the first 2½ minutes.

The boos continued throughout the game whenever he got the ball.

“Right now, it’s about basketball,” World Peace said. “After the season we can talk about that but right now it’s more about basketball.”

The Thunder turned an early six-point deficit around with a 19-7 run punctuated by Harden’s driving layup that led to a three-point play and a 25-19 lead, and they never trailed again.

If the Lakers’ legs were weary, it showed most on the defensive end. Oklahoma City shot 53 percent and the Thunder committed only one turnover — Harden’s failed alley-oop pass for Durant that banged off the glass and was grabbed by World Peace — while building a 59-44 halftime lead.

“It’s one game,” Brooks said. “It’s the first team to four wins that wins this series. Come Wednesday night, regardless of if you won by one or 20, it doesn’t have no impact on Wednesday night.

“We have to come back with the same energy, and we know that the Lakers are going to play much better.”

Notes: Bryant tied former teammate Shaquille O’Neal for the third-most playoff games in NBA history with 216. … Perkins was called for a lane violation in the first quarter after arguing with Willard about a call and then walking up to his spot along the lane while Bynum was shooting. Bynum made both foul shots when awarded the extra chance. … Toby Keith’s daughter, Krystal, sang the national anthem.

76ers even series with 82-81 win over Celtics

BOSTON (AP) — Not this time, Celtics.

After letting another fourth-quarter lead slip away in Boston, the Philadelphia 76ers took it right back and held on to it, fighting off every run the Celtics made down the stretch for an 82-81 victory Monday night to even the Eastern Conference second-round series at one game apiece.

“We knew to expect the same type of game,” said Evan Turner, whose layup with 40.4 seconds to play put Philadelphia ahead to stay. “We did what we needed to do to win this game, just like we didn’t the first time around.”

Turner’s layup gave the Sixers a 76-75 lead and Philadelphia clinched it by going 6-for-6 from the free throw line over the final 12 seconds.

“We just found a way,” Philadelphia coach Doug Collins said. “All season long we couldn’t win these games and now our guys are believing they can do it. And it is pretty special to watch.”

Turner finished with 10 points, Jrue Holiday scored 18 and Andre Iguodala added 13 points, seven assists and six rebounds for the Sixers, who blew a 10-point fourth quarter lead as the Celtics won Game 1.

Philadelphia failed to hang on to the lead again, but this time the Sixers outplayed the Celtics down the stretch.

Game 3 is Wednesday in Philadelphia.

Philadelphia won its first playoff game in Boston since 1982 despite committing a playoff-high 19 turnovers and getting outrebounded 47-36.

“We’re keeping our composure. We’re keeping our confidence and know it’s going to be grind-out games,” Iguodala said.

Every time the Celtics appeared to have regained the momentum, the Sixers came up with an answer. After trailing by eight points entering the fourth quarter, Boston’s Kevin Garnett tied it at 65-all on a turnaround jumper with 4:33 to play. the Celtics had the Sixers on the verge of a turnover when Paul Pierce blocked Lou Williams and the ball went out of bounds with just .9 seconds left on the shot clock.

No problem. Lavoy Allen got the inbounds pass and banked in a shot from 22 feet and the Sixers were back in the lead.

“Well, the clock was down to point-nine seconds. I did what I could,” Allen said.

Garnett scored 11 of his 15 points in the fourth quarter and finished with 12 rebounds. Ray Allen scored 17 points for Boston.

Brandon Bass had 12 points for the Celtics, who couldn’t quite repeat their comeback in the series-opening 92-91 victory.

“Listen, we put ourselves in that position,” Boston coach Doc Rivers said. “You put yourself in position to let someone else do something, then you can lose games and that’s what happened.”

Philadelphia led 57-49 entering the fourth, but Boston tied it twice before going up 72-71 on Avery Bradley’s 3-pointer, setting off a series of shots from beyond the arc.

Holiday answered with a 3 for the Sixers, then Ray Allen got the lead right back for the Celtics on a 3-pointer with 1:40 left. the Celtics had a chance to extend the lead after forcing the Sixers into a 24-second shot clock violation, but Rajon Rondo missed a shot and Iguodala got the rebound, leading to Turner’s layup to put the Sixers up 76-75 with 40.4 seconds to go.

“We gave them a couple shots that if we could get back we would love to have back,” Ray Allen said.

Rondo and Allen both missed shots that would have put Boston ahead, then Rondo fouled Turner with 14.4 seconds left. the Celtics fouled Turner again with 12 seconds and he hit both free throws to extend the lead to 78-76.

Fans grew restless as the second half opened with sloppy, choppy play by both teams. Boston led 38-36 at halftime and nearly 7 minutes into the third quarter the score was just 43-41 with the Celtics still ahead.

When the shots finally started falling, they were all for Philadelphia. the Sixers scored 14 straight points, turning a 47-43 deficit into a 57-47 lead in the final minute of the period. Boston went without a point for 4:40, finally scoring when Pierce made two free throws with 2.4 seconds left in the period.

The Celtics committed seven turnovers during the quarter and made just 4 of 17 shots.

“We knew it’d be a close game. we just needed to get stops down the stretch and we didn’t,” said Pierce, who finished with just seven points. “The third quarter really hurt us. we couldn’t score, and then Turner made some tough shots down the stretch.”

Spencer Hawes finished with eight points and 10 rebounds and Lavoy Allen scored 10 points for the Sixers.

Notes: the Celtics scored the first nine points. … Boston made its first five shots, not missing until Hawes blocked Bradley’s attempt 3:24 into the game. … Rondo had eight assists in the first half, including alley-oop setups for Greg Stiemsma and Ryan Hollins, who had to reach behind his head for the pass but still corralled it for the two-handed dunk to put the Celtics up 33-29. … Holiday led Philadelphia with 13 points in the first half. He was the only Sixer to score in double figures in the first two periods. Hawes was the next closest with six points. … the Sixers had lost their last seven playoff games in Boston, last winning on May 23, 1982, in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals.

Tuesday’s Game

Bosh out indefinitely, so Heat and Pacers adjust

MIAMI (AP) — Chris Bosh and the Miami Heat were relieved by the diagnosis. It’s the prognosis — or lack of one — that’s a source of worry now. And suddenly, the Indiana Pacers may be even more of a threat.

Grizzlies disappointed after early playoff exit

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — the Memphis Grizzlies have learned a very hard lesson about the postseason. Putting together a magical run deep into the playoffs isn’t as easy as they made it look a year ago.

They came back and posted a 41-25 record in the regular season that set a franchise record for the highest winning percentage in earning their highest postseason seed at no. 4. they even had Rudy Gay, who missed last year’s run to the seventh game of the Western Conference semifinals with a shoulder injury.

The Grizzlies ended this postseason in seven games again, but in the first round with an 82-72 loss Sunday to the Clippers.

“Sometimes pain dissipates with time,” coach Lionel Hollins said Monday. “Hopefully this will stick with them for a long time.”

The Grizzlies finished the season with a 62.1 winning percentage that was amazing considering they lost Darrell Arthur to a torn right Achilles tendon before the season started, then Zach Randolph tore his right MCL on Jan. 1 and missed 37 games.

Memphis finished the regular season winning 16 of 20 with impressive road wins at Oklahoma City, Miami and the Lakers. In the final 18 games, Hollins used Randolph coming off the bench. with that scoring punch, the Grizzlies’ reserves averaged 36.1 points a game in that stretch.

The Grizzlies also led the NBA with 9.6 steals and 17.2 forced turnovers a game, becoming the first team to lead the NBA in those categories in consecutive seasons since the Seattle SuperSonics did it in 1995-96 and 1996-97. they also led the league scoring 19.7 points off turnovers.

They also went 26-7 at home for the best record in franchise history and third-best in the NBA behind only Miami and San Antonio.

“The sky’s the limit for next year when everybody’s healthy and with more experience and more confidence for next year,” guard Tony Allen said.

Yet they wrapped up Monday talking about the same needs as a year ago after losing to Oklahoma City in the second round. Memphis still must find someone to back up Mike Conley at point guard and outside scoring.

Conley played all 40 minutes of Sunday’s final loss despite being sick and running a fever that affected his shooting as he missed his first seven shots and wound up 2 of 13. the Grizzlies hit 11 3-pointers in Game 1 but managed only 2 of 31 in the final three home games of this series.

Gay did lead the Grizzlies in scoring during the playoffs. He also will be heading to training camp with the U.S. men for the London Olympics, and he said he plans to work on all aspects of his game after spending last summer rehabilitating his shoulder.

With Randolph starting against the Clippers, Memphis’ bench averaged 15.3 points in the final three games against Los Angeles with the worst deficit (41-11) coming in the Game 7 loss.

And just as Oklahoma City did in Game 7 a year ago, the Clippers also shut down All-Star center Marc Gasol and Randolph. with nobody able to hit a jumper and going 0 of 13 beyond the arc, Memphis offered no reason for the Clippers to move any defenders away from the paint.

Randolph said they need somebody to open it up so opponents cannot double Gasol and himself.

“You got to have somebody to open it up,” Randolph said. “They understand how much damage and how much problems me and Marc cause in the paint. we got to fix that.”

The Grizzlies have some decisions to make by July 1. Arthur, O.J. Mayo, Marrese Speights, and Lester Hudson all are restricted free agents, while Gilbert Arenas and Hamed Haddadi are free agents. Mayo and Speights both said they want to be back in Memphis next season.

“We built it basically from the ground up,” Mayo said. “When I first got here, we had 15 to 2,500 people in the stands to now selling out games and talking about winning championships and home-court advantage in playoffs. it just keeps getting better and better. why not stick around and finish it out and see where we can get?”

The Grizzlies also had a painful lesson in the playoffs about protecting leads. they built leads repeatedly in the regular season and let them slip away, and it bit them in Game 1 when they blew a 27-point lead overall and 24 points in the fourth quarter. That’s why Hollins wants his Grizzlies to improve their professionalism, poise and focus.

“It’s a concentration … type thing to understand we play the same way whether we’re down or we’re up,” Hollins said.

At least now the Grizzlies don’t have to worry about labor issues putting the start of next season into limbo as they did a year ago and can try to build for the future.

“There were some milestones, but the way I look at it until you hang a championship banner you’re always searching and scrambling and trying to upgrade your team and you’re never satisfied,” general manager Chris Wallace said.

Irving set to be named NBA’s top rookie

CLEVELAND (AP) — There was never any doubt Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving would be named the NBA’s Rookie of the Year. the only suspense was when — and by how much. Irving, as has been expected for months, will be presented with the award on Tuesday, capping a season which he began as the no. 1 overall pick and ended it as the clear-cut top rookie.

The Cavs sent out a release Monday saying they will make a “major announcement” along with the league on Tuesday morning at Cleveland Clinic Courts, the team’s training facility in Independence. the team did not specify what will be announced, but the Associated Press was one of several media outlets to report on Sunday that Irving will win the award.

The 20-year-old averaged 18.5 points to lead all rookies — and the Cavs — in scoring. He also averaged 5.4 assists, finished first among rookies in field-goal percentage and dominated several games in the fourth quarter, rallying Cleveland to wins.

Irving has a chance to become the fourth unanimous winner in voting by a nationwide media panel. Los Angeles Clippers forward Blake Griffin (2011), San Antonio center David Robinson (1990) and Houston center Ralph Sampson (1984) are the only players to receive every first-place vote. Chris Paul missed by one vote in 2006.

Irving is the second Cleveland player to win the award, joining LeBron James in 2004. Irving’s arrival has helped the Cavaliers continue to rebuild following James’ departure as a free agent two years ago.

After the Cavs finished 21-45 in a lockout-shortened season, the 6-foot-3 Irving promised to raise his game in the years ahead.

“There is no limit for me,” Irving said. “The only way I can go is up. That’s the only way I want to go. This season was a learning experience. I learned what to do and what not to do. going forward, I want to apply it next season and take it to another level.”

The Cavaliers should be able to add some pieces to surround Irving in next month’s draft. Cleveland has three of the top 34 picks and has a chance to win the draft lottery. last year, the pingpong balls bounced in the Cavs’ favor, allowing them to draft Irving, who played just 11 games in college at Duke because of a toe injury.

Irving, who cracked the starting lineup for the opener, made dazzling plays and clutch shots all season. His only setback was a shoulder injury that sidelined him for 10 games.

San Francisco mayor seeks to woo Warriors

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — City leaders in San Francisco are courting the Golden State Warriors, trying to woo the NBA team back to the City by the Bay within five years

Mayor Ed Lee sent a letter on Friday saying the city would work with Warriors executives to bring the team to San Francisco in time for the 2017-18 season.

The note, signed by all 11 city supervisors and numerous business and labor leaders, floats the possibility of building a waterfront arena. it was sent a few days after Lee met with new Warriors owner Peter Guber in Los Angeles.

Oakland Mayor Jean Quan responded Monday by sending the team her own letter. Quan says Oakland is committed to keeping the Warriors in the East Bay.

Nash, Rivers, Bucks win PBWA awards

NEW YORK (AP) — Phoenix All-Star Steve Nash and Boston coach Doc Rivers have won awards from the Professional Basketball Writers Association for excellence in their field combined with cooperation with media and fans.

Nash won the Magic Johnson Award, beating Kevin Love of Minnesota, Manu Ginobili of San Antonio and Chris Paul of the Los Angeles Clippers. Rivers was given the Rudy Tomjanovich Award. other coaches nominated were Denver’s George Karl, Stan Van Gundy of Orlando and Rick Carlisle of the Dallas Mavericks.

Also Monday, the Milwaukee Bucks public relations staff, led by Dan Smyczek, won the Brian McIntyre Award for its cooperation with local and national media. they beat the staffs from Oklahoma City, Chicago and Memphis.

International Men’s Basketball

NBA Playoff Capsules: Clippers’ Griffin says he’ll play in Game 1 against Spurs