24 points and Marcus Morris and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope added

LeBron James made his third championship-celebrating trip to the White House on Thursday, welcomed as he was for the first two such trips by President Barack Obama.If James returns in the next four years, it may seem very awkward.James is no fan of President-elect Donald Trump, and -- after a most divisive presidential campaign ended this week -- athletes and coaches are dealing with the same emotions as those in everyday walks of life. And many in the sports world havent been shy about expressing their disappointment over Trumps election.I cant say Ive ever been ashamed of our country, Detroit Pistons coach Stan Van Gundy said. Until today.James openly backed Hillary Clinton for president, and it just so happened that he and the Cleveland Cavaliers were at the White House -- part of the standard reward for winning a championship -- on the same day Trump was. Obama met with Trump in the Oval Office to talk presidential transition as the Cavaliers were getting a tour, then Obama greeted the NBA champions on the South Lawn about two hours later.There was no mention of Trump during the Cavaliers ceremony.There have been many, many mentions of president-elect in many other realms of the sports world.All of a sudden, youre faced with the reality that the man whos going to lead you has routinely used racist, misogynist, insulting words, Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. Thats a tough one. Thats a tough one. I wish him well. I hope hes a good president. I have no idea what kind of president hell be because he hasnt said anything about what hes going to do. We dont know.Its rare that one topic can be the primary discussion point in locker rooms across different sports at the same time.This is one of those times.New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick and quarterback Tom Brady were peppered with questions Wednesday about their preferences, after Trump indicated he had their support. But in college football, Alabama coach Nick Saban said -- somewhat unbelievably -- he wasnt even aware of Election Day.It was so important to me that I didnt even know it was happening, Saban said. Were focused on other things here.Chicago Cubs pitcher Jake Arrieta tweeted that its time for Hollywood to pony up and head for the border, what appeared to be a reference to some actors and entertainers saying they would move to Canada if Trump won. Trump also had support from others in sports; Buffalo Bills offensive lineman Richie Incognito used Trumps signature Make America Great Again phrase as a hashtag.Los Angeles Clippers coach Doc Rivers has golfed with Trump, though didnt support his candidacy. Rivers said if people truly want change in the future, more should vote.Right now, we have a president in office who is terrific, Rivers said. And we have one coming in that has done nothing yet, and youve got to give him a shot. Hes going to be president. Thats a guarantee.Trump and sports are often intertwined, including earlier this year when the PGA Tour announced that his Doral course near Miami would not host an event for the first time in more than 50 years. Part of the issue at Doral, though not the entire problem, was that Trump made plenty of caustic comments during his campaign and that made finding sponsorship for a PGA Tour event on one of his courses difficult.The Doral tournament, somewhat ironically, is headed to Mexico -- the country that Trump wants divided from the U.S. by a wall to combat illegal immigration. On Thursday, Mexican Formula One driver Sergio Perez ended his relationship with one of his sponsors after that company, Hawkers, made a joke that Perez thought was in poor taste about the planned wall.I would never let anyone make fun of my country, Perez said.But the frustrations are certainly not limited to minorities in sports right now. Kerr and Van Gundy, two of the leagues most outspoken coaches about many issues, are white.Van Gundy said he couldnt figure out what was bothering his team Wednesday, before Pistons forward Aron Baynes -- an Australian -- spoke up and suggested that the team vent about the election.And after that talk, Van Gundy let his anger out. He said he lives in Oakland County, Michigan, an area that voted primarily for Clinton.At least I can look around, Van Gundy said, and say we werent the ones putting that guy in office.---AP Sports Writer Tim Booth in Seattle contributed to this report. Cameron Wake Youth Jersey . -- Ryan Getzlaf grabbed the three pucks wrapped in tape and held them up to his chest in the Anaheim Ducks dressing room for a celebration nine seasons in the making. Reshad Jones Jersey . The Olympic champion curler and TSN curling analyst immediately went online to look at the Halls long list of honoured members. Thats when the enormity of the honour sunk in. http://www.authenticdolphinspro.com/Nat-moore-dolphins-jersey/ . Jordan Lynch, the all-purpose Heisman Trophy finalist from Northern Illinois, failed to make it into that exclusive club. Josh Rosen Womens Jersey . With the first unit struggling of late and Amir Johnson - one of the teams iron men - hobbling on an injured right ankle, Patterson knew he could get the nod in a challenging matchup against one of the leagues up and coming players at his position. Mike Gesicki Youth Jersey . - Blake Griffin had 30 points and 12 rebounds, J. BOSTON -- Al Horford will be back in the Boston lineup when the Celtics host the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday night.Horford, who missed nine games this season because of a concussion, was not with the team in its easy win at Miami on Monday night because his wife gave birth to the couples second child.Amazingly, Horford had to defend not being at the game after a local talk-show host said he should have chartered a jet and joined his team in Florida.My familys very important to me, he said Tuesday. For me, Im in more of a unique situation because this is our first year here (in Boston) and my wife, we all moved in the middle of the pregnancy. And just a lot going on. So I just felt like it was important for me to really be there, supporting her. And we have a son as well.So for her, its been a lot thrown at her these past few months. So I know that it meant a lot for me to be there with her, and knowing our schedule ahead and everything. So Im just very happy that the Celtics really take the time and they consider us not only as players but as people. And people that have families.After Horfords sister came to his defense on Twitter, the player put the whole thing in perspective, saying, I dont really read into any (criticism). I dont read Twitter and stuff, and the radio and all that. I just kind of focus on the court, on my job here, and then off the court on my family.Everybody has their opinion. I respect anything that anybody has to say. I care a lot about the group and our guys. Like I was explaining earlier, for my familys sake it was important for me to be there for them. Just with our transition and everything. So thats that. Now I can put that behind me and get focused again on (Wednesdays game).That contest will be against a Detroit team that won easily beat the Hornets on Tuesday night, a 112-89 win at Charlotte.Give them their due -- four games in five nights, its awfully difficult in this league, Detroit coach Stan Van Gundy said of the Hornets.dddddddddddd I think they ran out of gas a little bit in the second half. But still, we did what we were supposed to do. It was important for us to do that, so I was happy.The Pistons won despite the ejection of big man Andre Drummond in the second quarter for throwing an elbow at Roy Hibbert -- a non-believing Drummond laughing and shaking his head as he walked off the court following the flagrant-2 call.Tobias Harris scored 24 points and Marcus Morris and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope added 18 apiece for the Pistons (9-10).It says a lot about our team, but most importantly about guys like Aron (Baynes) and Jon (Leuer) to fill in for that role and be productive and bring the energy that (Drummond) had when he was out there, Harris said. We just kept playing with them.The Celtics (10-7) cruised to a 112-104 win in Miami and came away saying Heat coach Erik Spoelstra told his players that Boston guard Marcus Smart was a hothead.I was begging for Spoelstra to get a technical foul because he was saying a lot of stuff, Bostons Jae Crowder said. He was everywhere (Monday) night, but thats one of the things he did say. When they went to intentional foul Marcus, it was obvious that what they were trying to do was more than just foul. They were trying to get under his skin and play a little physical, and knowing he wanted to retaliate for the most part. So its just part of the scouting report on I guess Marcus that he wears his emotions on his sleeve.The Pistons and Celtics played Nov. 19 in Auburn Hills, Boston winning 94-92 with Isaiah Thomas scoring 24 points and dishing out eight assists. ' ' '