NBA notes: Nets' Deron Williams to have surgery on both ankles

New York • Brooklyn Nets guard Deron Williams will have surgery next week on both ankles, which have plagued him the last two seasons.

The Nets say the surgery will take place Tuesday and be performed by team foot and ankle specialist Martin O'Malley.

O'Malley says Thursday in a statement that Williams will have a bone chip removed from his right ankle, and spurs will be removed from the front and back of the left ankle.

Williams missed 18 games this season, 16 because of a sprained left ankle, and was limited to 14.3 points and 6.1 assists per game. The former All-Star and two-time Olympian said the ankle problems affected his confidence and limited what he was able to do on the court.

Pacers limit George

The Indiana Pacers kept Paul George out of contact drills Thursday because of a concussion.

It's still uncertain whether he will be cleared to play in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals Saturday in Miami. George was diagnosed with a concussion, less than 24 hours after he told reporters he had "blacked out" and had blurred vision following a collision with Miami's Dwyane Wade near the end of Game 2. The series is tied 1-1.

After practice, coach Frank Vogel reiterated George never described his injury to the doctors the same way he did to reporters. George returned to the game following a timeout.

At practice, George wore a red jersey, took shots and even dunked a ball before leaving the court. He did not take questions.

Memphis coach Dave Joerger met with Minnesota president of basketball operations Flip Saunders on Thursday about the team's coaching vacancy. A person with knowledge of the situation tells The Associated Press that the next step in the process is to meet with team owner Glen Taylor.

The person requested anonymity because no final decisions have been made on the coaching search.

Joerger went 50-32 in this first season with the Grizzlies. But with the front office in turmoil, he is considering leaving to take the Minnesota job in his home state.

All that appears to be standing in the way at this point is a meeting with Taylor and for the Timberwolves and Grizzlies to agree on some sort of compensation to allow Joerger out of his contract

Cuban contrite on hoodie comments

Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban has apologized to the family of Trayvon Martin for his choice of words in an interview regarding bigotry and prejudice.

Cuban spoke about the sensitive subjects in an interview with Inc. magazine, revealing some of his own prejudices. In the interview, he says he would walk to the other side of a street if he saw "a black kid in a hoodie and it's late at night" or if he encountered a "white guy, bald head, tattoos everywhere."

Hooded sweatshirts, or "hoodies," became a rallying emblem of sorts for protesters during the case involving Martin, the black teen from Florida who was shot and killed by neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman in February 2012.

On Twitter, Cuban says he should have used different examples..

T-wolves interview Grizzlies' coach

Memphis coach Dave Joerger met with Minnesota president of basketball operations Flip Saunders on Thursday about the team's coaching vacancy. Joerger went 50-32 in this first season with the Grizzlies. But with the front office in turmoil, he is considering leaving to take the Minnesota job in his home state.

Thunder hope to repeat history

All the Oklahoma City Thunder can do now is cling to history.

Two more victories by the dominant San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference finals, and Kevin Durant and the Thunder will be just that.

The Thunder stagger home down 0-2 in the series, smarting from a 35-point beat-down in San Antonio in Game 2 on Wednesday night. It's the same deficit the Thunder faced against the Spurs in the 2012 Western Conference finals before they won four straight and advanced to the NBA Finals.

"We've been there before," Durant said after managing just 15 points in the 112-77 defeat. "You know, we try not to just say since we were down 0-2 two years ago and we end up winning, we'll do the same thing. We've really got to figure it out on how we need to get better, and we've always done that. We've got to just stick together and believe in each other that we can come out and try to get Game 3 on Sunday." —

Playoffs schedule

O Saturday

Indiana at Miami, 6:30 p.m., ESPN

Series tied 1-1

Sunday

San Antonio at Oklahoma City, 6:30 p.m., TNT

Spurs lead series 2-0