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Erin Popovich, wife of Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, dies

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The wife of San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich has died. The Spurs confirmed Erin Popovich’s death Wednesday. The team didn’t provide further details.

“We mourn the loss of Erin,” Spurs general manager RC Buford said in a team statement. “She was a strong, wonderful, kind, intelligent woman who provided love, support and humor to all of us.”

The Popovichs were married four decades and had two children.

Gregg Popovich has coached San Antonio since 1996, leading the Spurs to five NBA titles. San Antonio will face Golden State on Thursday night in Game 3 of their first-round playoff series.

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Popovich ran the Spurs’ practice Wednesday. They Warriors lead the series 2-0.

Cavaliers change lineup

Cleveland Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue has tweaked his starting lineup for Game 2 against Indiana.

Lue will start J.R. Smith and Kyle Korver over Jeff Green and Rodney Hood as the Cavaliers try to even their Eastern Conference series on Wednesday night.

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Green went 0 for 7 from the field and missed his three free throws in the opener. Hood scored nine points, but he was excused from the team’s shootaround Wednesday as his wife gave birth to twins.

Lue had wanted to start Korver in Game 1, but the elite shooter has been slowed by a sore right foot.

The Cavaliers started slowly in the opener and were beaten 98-80 by the Pacers, who snapped Cleveland’s 14-game winning streak in first-round games and a 21-game winning streak by LeBron James in the opening series of the playoffs.

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Lue has spent the entire season shuffling the lineup because of injuries and three trades at the Feb. 8 deadline.

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