MILWAUKEE (AP) &mdash; Khris Middleton is making the most of his limited minutes as he works his way back from injuries that kept him from playing for much of the season.
Middleton scored 18 points and sparked a third-quarter run that put the Milwaukee Bucks ahead for good as they beat the Charlotte Hornets 124-115 on Tuesday night for their fifth straight victry.
&ldquo;Right now I&rsquo;m trying to be as aggressive as I can,&rdquo; Middleton said. &ldquo;I know it sounds simple or whatever, but that&rsquo;s just the mindset I&rsquo;m trying to come up with, especially with my limited minutes. Hopefully as my minutes keep going (up), I keep the same mindset, because it&rsquo;s been working.&rdquo;
The Bucks withstood a triple-double from Charlotte&rsquo;s LaMelo Ball, who had 27 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds.
Giannis Antetokounmpo had 34 points and 18 rebounds to help the Bucks avenge one of their most embarrassing losses of the season. Jrue Holiday added 15 points and a career-high 13 rebounds.
&nbsp;

MILWAUKEE (AP) &mdash; Khris Middleton is making the most of his limited minutes as he works his way back from injuries that kept him from playing for much of the season.
Middleton scored 18 points and sparked a third-quarter run that put the Milwaukee Bucks ahead for good as they beat the Charlotte Hornets 124-115 on Tuesday night for their fifth straight victry.
&ldquo;Right now I&rsquo;m trying to be as aggressive as I can,&rdquo; Middleton said. &ldquo;I know it sounds simple or whatever, but that&rsquo;s just the mindset I&rsquo;m trying to come up with, especially with my limited minutes. Hopefully as my minutes keep going (up), I keep the same mindset, because it&rsquo;s been working.&rdquo;
The Bucks withstood a triple-double from Charlotte&rsquo;s LaMelo Ball, who had 27 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds.
Giannis Antetokounmpo had 34 points and 18 rebounds to help the Bucks avenge one of their most embarrassing losses of the season. Jrue Holiday added 15 points and a career-high 13 rebounds.
Middleton played 20 minutes, his longest outing since coming back from a sore right knee that caused him to miss 18 games. The three-time All-Star&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/chicago-bulls-los-angeles-lakers-boston-celtics-milwaukee-bucks-nba-0b824a430ebd34c5c5f9225c45dad4c8">also missed the Bucks&rsquo; first 20 games while recovering from offseason surgery on his left wrist.</a>
He has come off the bench in each of the Bucks&rsquo; five games since his return.
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MILWAUKEE (AP) &mdash; Khris Middleton is making the most of his limited minutes as he works his way back from injuries that kept him from playing for much of the season.
Middleton scored 18 points and sparked a third-quarter run that put the Milwaukee Bucks ahead for good as they beat the Charlotte Hornets 124-115 on Tuesday night for their fifth straight victry.
&ldquo;Right now I&rsquo;m trying to be as aggressive as I can,&rdquo; Middleton said. &ldquo;I know it sounds simple or whatever, but that&rsquo;s just the mindset I&rsquo;m trying to come up with, especially with my limited minutes. Hopefully as my minutes keep going (up), I keep the same mindset, because it&rsquo;s been working.&rdquo;
The Bucks withstood a triple-double from Charlotte&rsquo;s LaMelo Ball, who had 27 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds.
Giannis Antetokounmpo had 34 points and 18 rebounds to help the Bucks avenge one of their most embarrassing losses of the season. Jrue Holiday added 15 points and a career-high 13 rebounds.
Middleton played 20 minutes, his longest outing since coming back from a sore right knee that caused him to miss 18 games. The three-time All-Star&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/chicago-bulls-los-angeles-lakers-boston-celtics-milwaukee-bucks-nba-0b824a430ebd34c5c5f9225c45dad4c8">also missed the Bucks&rsquo; first 20 games while recovering from offseason surgery on his left wrist.</a>
He has come off the bench in each of the Bucks&rsquo; five games since his return.
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&ldquo;I started my career coming off the bench, so it doesn&rsquo;t really bother me at all,&rdquo; Middleton said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve been on the bench before, not playing games, sometimes coming in first quarter, second quarter or sometimes not until the second half. I just know I have to stay ready and have to be loose.&rdquo;
In a game that featured 11 ties and 17 lead changes, Middleton helped Milwaukee gain command. He scored 11 points during a 14-3 spurt late in the third quarter that helped the Bucks take a 97-90 lead into the final period.
&ldquo;He got going when they kind of took control of the game,&rdquo; Hornets coach Steve Clifford said.
Charlotte (16-36) entered the night with the fourth-worst record in the NBA, but the&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/milwaukee-bucks-charlotte-hornets-nba-sports-bobby-portis-ddb460d79b932a3f2574bf51f048267d">Hornets won 138-109 at Milwaukee on Jan. 6</a>&nbsp;to hand the Bucks their second-most lopsided loss of the season. The Hornets had 51 points in the opening period that night &mdash; matching the NBA record for a first quarter &mdash; and limited Antetokounmpo to nine points.
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MILWAUKEE (AP) &mdash; Khris Middleton is making the most of his limited minutes as he works his way back from injuries that kept him from playing for much of the season.
Middleton scored 18 points and sparked a third-quarter run that put the Milwaukee Bucks ahead for good as they beat the Charlotte Hornets 124-115 on Tuesday night for their fifth straight victry.
&ldquo;Right now I&rsquo;m trying to be as aggressive as I can,&rdquo; Middleton said. &ldquo;I know it sounds simple or whatever, but that&rsquo;s just the mindset I&rsquo;m trying to come up with, especially with my limited minutes. Hopefully as my minutes keep going (up), I keep the same mindset, because it&rsquo;s been working.&rdquo;
The Bucks withstood a triple-double from Charlotte&rsquo;s LaMelo Ball, who had 27 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds.
Giannis Antetokounmpo had 34 points and 18 rebounds to help the Bucks avenge one of their most embarrassing losses of the season. Jrue Holiday added 15 points and a career-high 13 rebounds.
Middleton played 20 minutes, his longest outing since coming back from a sore right knee that caused him to miss 18 games. The three-time All-Star&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/chicago-bulls-los-angeles-lakers-boston-celtics-milwaukee-bucks-nba-0b824a430ebd34c5c5f9225c45dad4c8">also missed the Bucks&rsquo; first 20 games while recovering from offseason surgery on his left wrist.</a>
He has come off the bench in each of the Bucks&rsquo; five games since his return.
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&ldquo;I started my career coming off the bench, so it doesn&rsquo;t really bother me at all,&rdquo; Middleton said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve been on the bench before, not playing games, sometimes coming in first quarter, second quarter or sometimes not until the second half. I just know I have to stay ready and have to be loose.&rdquo;
In a game that featured 11 ties and 17 lead changes, Middleton helped Milwaukee gain command. He scored 11 points during a 14-3 spurt late in the third quarter that helped the Bucks take a 97-90 lead into the final period.
&ldquo;He got going when they kind of took control of the game,&rdquo; Hornets coach Steve Clifford said.
Charlotte (16-36) entered the night with the fourth-worst record in the NBA, but the&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/milwaukee-bucks-charlotte-hornets-nba-sports-bobby-portis-ddb460d79b932a3f2574bf51f048267d">Hornets won 138-109 at Milwaukee on Jan. 6</a>&nbsp;to hand the Bucks their second-most lopsided loss of the season. The Hornets had 51 points in the opening period that night &mdash; matching the NBA record for a first quarter &mdash; and limited Antetokounmpo to nine points.
Even after scoring 50 points in a&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/milwaukee-bucks-washington-wizards-new-orleans-pelicans-nba-sports-152c586a964f31d1c3333cb74c5cb822">135-110 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans</a>&nbsp;on Sunday, Antetokounmpo spent part of his postgame press conference talking about how the Bucks needed to play better in the rematch with the Hornets.
The Hornets still made this one interesting.
Milwaukee took a 114-97 lead on Antetokounmpo&rsquo;s 3-pointer with 7:13 left. but didn&rsquo;t make another basket until Antetokounmpo&rsquo;s driving layup with 27.1 seconds remaining.
Charlotte cut it to 118-113 when Mason Plumlee hit a layup and drew a foul with 1:06 left. But Plumlee missed the ensuing free throw, and the Bucks put it away from there.
&ldquo;Their record doesn&rsquo;t give them justice,&rdquo; Antetokounmpo said. &ldquo;They&rsquo;re a really good team. Or maybe they just play well against us. I don&rsquo;t know.&rdquo;
Terry Rozier scored 20 points, Gordon Hayward 16, Jalen McDaniels 15 and P.J. Washington and Plumlee 14 each for Charlotte. Plumlee also had 14 rebounds.
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MILWAUKEE (AP) &mdash; Khris Middleton is making the most of his limited minutes as he works his way back from injuries that kept him from playing for much of the season.
Middleton scored 18 points and sparked a third-quarter run that put the Milwaukee Bucks ahead for good as they beat the Charlotte Hornets 124-115 on Tuesday night for their fifth straight victry.
&ldquo;Right now I&rsquo;m trying to be as aggressive as I can,&rdquo; Middleton said. &ldquo;I know it sounds simple or whatever, but that&rsquo;s just the mindset I&rsquo;m trying to come up with, especially with my limited minutes. Hopefully as my minutes keep going (up), I keep the same mindset, because it&rsquo;s been working.&rdquo;
The Bucks withstood a triple-double from Charlotte&rsquo;s LaMelo Ball, who had 27 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds.
Giannis Antetokounmpo had 34 points and 18 rebounds to help the Bucks avenge one of their most embarrassing losses of the season. Jrue Holiday added 15 points and a career-high 13 rebounds.
Middleton played 20 minutes, his longest outing since coming back from a sore right knee that caused him to miss 18 games. The three-time All-Star&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/chicago-bulls-los-angeles-lakers-boston-celtics-milwaukee-bucks-nba-0b824a430ebd34c5c5f9225c45dad4c8">also missed the Bucks&rsquo; first 20 games while recovering from offseason surgery on his left wrist.</a>
He has come off the bench in each of the Bucks&rsquo; five games since his return.
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&ldquo;I started my career coming off the bench, so it doesn&rsquo;t really bother me at all,&rdquo; Middleton said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve been on the bench before, not playing games, sometimes coming in first quarter, second quarter or sometimes not until the second half. I just know I have to stay ready and have to be loose.&rdquo;
In a game that featured 11 ties and 17 lead changes, Middleton helped Milwaukee gain command. He scored 11 points during a 14-3 spurt late in the third quarter that helped the Bucks take a 97-90 lead into the final period.
&ldquo;He got going when they kind of took control of the game,&rdquo; Hornets coach Steve Clifford said.
Charlotte (16-36) entered the night with the fourth-worst record in the NBA, but the&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/milwaukee-bucks-charlotte-hornets-nba-sports-bobby-portis-ddb460d79b932a3f2574bf51f048267d">Hornets won 138-109 at Milwaukee on Jan. 6</a>&nbsp;to hand the Bucks their second-most lopsided loss of the season. The Hornets had 51 points in the opening period that night &mdash; matching the NBA record for a first quarter &mdash; and limited Antetokounmpo to nine points.
Even after scoring 50 points in a&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/milwaukee-bucks-washington-wizards-new-orleans-pelicans-nba-sports-152c586a964f31d1c3333cb74c5cb822">135-110 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans</a>&nbsp;on Sunday, Antetokounmpo spent part of his postgame press conference talking about how the Bucks needed to play better in the rematch with the Hornets.
The Hornets still made this one interesting.
Milwaukee took a 114-97 lead on Antetokounmpo&rsquo;s 3-pointer with 7:13 left. but didn&rsquo;t make another basket until Antetokounmpo&rsquo;s driving layup with 27.1 seconds remaining.
Charlotte cut it to 118-113 when Mason Plumlee hit a layup and drew a foul with 1:06 left. But Plumlee missed the ensuing free throw, and the Bucks put it away from there.
&ldquo;Their record doesn&rsquo;t give them justice,&rdquo; Antetokounmpo said. &ldquo;They&rsquo;re a really good team. Or maybe they just play well against us. I don&rsquo;t know.&rdquo;
Terry Rozier scored 20 points, Gordon Hayward 16, Jalen McDaniels 15 and P.J. Washington and Plumlee 14 each for Charlotte. Plumlee also had 14 rebounds.
TIP-INS
Hornets: Ball&rsquo;s triple-double was his second of the season and eighth of his career. His other triple-double this season came Dec. 22, when he had 25 points, 12 assists and 11 rebounds in a&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/charlotte-hornets-los-angeles-clippers-nba-sports-ivica-zubac-c9fa5b9f8f74634f8370750c8975956b">126-105 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers.</a>
Bucks: Pat Connaughton shot just 1 of 8 from 3-point range. He had gone 25 of 49 from beyond the arc over his last eight games. &hellip; After getting a steal in the opening seconds of the second half, Holiday threw an off-the-backboard pass to Antetokounmpo, who was unable to convert the dunk attempt.
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MILWAUKEE (AP) &mdash; Khris Middleton is making the most of his limited minutes as he works his way back from injuries that kept him from playing for much of the season.
Middleton scored 18 points and sparked a third-quarter run that put the Milwaukee Bucks ahead for good as they beat the Charlotte Hornets 124-115 on Tuesday night for their fifth straight victry.
&ldquo;Right now I&rsquo;m trying to be as aggressive as I can,&rdquo; Middleton said. &ldquo;I know it sounds simple or whatever, but that&rsquo;s just the mindset I&rsquo;m trying to come up with, especially with my limited minutes. Hopefully as my minutes keep going (up), I keep the same mindset, because it&rsquo;s been working.&rdquo;
The Bucks withstood a triple-double from Charlotte&rsquo;s LaMelo Ball, who had 27 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds.
Giannis Antetokounmpo had 34 points and 18 rebounds to help the Bucks avenge one of their most embarrassing losses of the season. Jrue Holiday added 15 points and a career-high 13 rebounds.
Middleton played 20 minutes, his longest outing since coming back from a sore right knee that caused him to miss 18 games. The three-time All-Star&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/chicago-bulls-los-angeles-lakers-boston-celtics-milwaukee-bucks-nba-0b824a430ebd34c5c5f9225c45dad4c8">also missed the Bucks&rsquo; first 20 games while recovering from offseason surgery on his left wrist.</a>
He has come off the bench in each of the Bucks&rsquo; five games since his return.
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&ldquo;I started my career coming off the bench, so it doesn&rsquo;t really bother me at all,&rdquo; Middleton said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve been on the bench before, not playing games, sometimes coming in first quarter, second quarter or sometimes not until the second half. I just know I have to stay ready and have to be loose.&rdquo;
In a game that featured 11 ties and 17 lead changes, Middleton helped Milwaukee gain command. He scored 11 points during a 14-3 spurt late in the third quarter that helped the Bucks take a 97-90 lead into the final period.
&ldquo;He got going when they kind of took control of the game,&rdquo; Hornets coach Steve Clifford said.
Charlotte (16-36) entered the night with the fourth-worst record in the NBA, but the&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/milwaukee-bucks-charlotte-hornets-nba-sports-bobby-portis-ddb460d79b932a3f2574bf51f048267d">Hornets won 138-109 at Milwaukee on Jan. 6</a>&nbsp;to hand the Bucks their second-most lopsided loss of the season. The Hornets had 51 points in the opening period that night &mdash; matching the NBA record for a first quarter &mdash; and limited Antetokounmpo to nine points.
Even after scoring 50 points in a&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/milwaukee-bucks-washington-wizards-new-orleans-pelicans-nba-sports-152c586a964f31d1c3333cb74c5cb822">135-110 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans</a>&nbsp;on Sunday, Antetokounmpo spent part of his postgame press conference talking about how the Bucks needed to play better in the rematch with the Hornets.
The Hornets still made this one interesting.
Milwaukee took a 114-97 lead on Antetokounmpo&rsquo;s 3-pointer with 7:13 left. but didn&rsquo;t make another basket until Antetokounmpo&rsquo;s driving layup with 27.1 seconds remaining.
Charlotte cut it to 118-113 when Mason Plumlee hit a layup and drew a foul with 1:06 left. But Plumlee missed the ensuing free throw, and the Bucks put it away from there.
&ldquo;Their record doesn&rsquo;t give them justice,&rdquo; Antetokounmpo said. &ldquo;They&rsquo;re a really good team. Or maybe they just play well against us. I don&rsquo;t know.&rdquo;
Terry Rozier scored 20 points, Gordon Hayward 16, Jalen McDaniels 15 and P.J. Washington and Plumlee 14 each for Charlotte. Plumlee also had 14 rebounds.
TIP-INS
Hornets: Ball&rsquo;s triple-double was his second of the season and eighth of his career. His other triple-double this season came Dec. 22, when he had 25 points, 12 assists and 11 rebounds in a&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/charlotte-hornets-los-angeles-clippers-nba-sports-ivica-zubac-c9fa5b9f8f74634f8370750c8975956b">126-105 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers.</a>
Bucks: Pat Connaughton shot just 1 of 8 from 3-point range. He had gone 25 of 49 from beyond the arc over his last eight games. &hellip; After getting a steal in the opening seconds of the second half, Holiday threw an off-the-backboard pass to Antetokounmpo, who was unable to convert the dunk attempt.
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Khris Middleton sparked a third-quarter run that put the Milwaukee Bucks ahead for good as they beat the Charlotte Hornets 124-115.

Bucks beat Hornets 124-115 for 5th consecutive victory

NEW YORK (AP) &mdash; LeBron James will soon be the NBA&rsquo;s top scorer, though that was never his focus.
He&rsquo;s also one of the game&rsquo;s leading passers, and combining the two &mdash; possibly better than anyone ever &mdash; is what really makes him proud.
&ldquo;I didn&rsquo;t get to this point in my career by thinking about records or how many points I have, whatever the case might be,&rdquo; James said. &ldquo;I just play the game the right way. I approach the game every night only trying to be a triple threat by scoring, rebounding, assisting, defending, and may the chips fall where they may.&rdquo;
James moved within 89 points of breaking the career scoring record and climbed into fourth place on the assists list, finishing with his first triple-double of the season in his return to Madison Square Garden as the Los Angeles Lakers beat the New York Knicks 129-123 in overtime Tuesday night.
James had 28 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds, with the points giving him 38,299 for his career. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is the leader with 38,387.
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NEW YORK (AP) &mdash; LeBron James will soon be the NBA&rsquo;s top scorer, though that was never his focus.
He&rsquo;s also one of the game&rsquo;s leading passers, and combining the two &mdash; possibly better than anyone ever &mdash; is what really makes him proud.
&ldquo;I didn&rsquo;t get to this point in my career by thinking about records or how many points I have, whatever the case might be,&rdquo; James said. &ldquo;I just play the game the right way. I approach the game every night only trying to be a triple threat by scoring, rebounding, assisting, defending, and may the chips fall where they may.&rdquo;
James moved within 89 points of breaking the career scoring record and climbed into fourth place on the assists list, finishing with his first triple-double of the season in his return to Madison Square Garden as the Los Angeles Lakers beat the New York Knicks 129-123 in overtime Tuesday night.
James had 28 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds, with the points giving him 38,299 for his career. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is the leader with 38,387.
<div class="Component-dfp-0-2-62 apnews_article_midarticle_1" data-card-id="sovrn-article-midarticle">But James&rsquo; game has always been about more than scoring, as he proved again Tuesday. He fed Dennis Schroder for a 3-pointer that snapped a 118-all tie with 3:13 remaining, grabbed his 10th rebound later in the extra period and then powered to the basket for a 127-121 lead with 19 seconds to go.</div>
<div class="Component-dfp-0-2-62 apnews_article_midarticle_1" data-card-id="sovrn-article-midarticle">&nbsp;</div>

NEW YORK (AP) &mdash; LeBron James will soon be the NBA&rsquo;s top scorer, though that was never his focus.
He&rsquo;s also one of the game&rsquo;s leading passers, and combining the two &mdash; possibly better than anyone ever &mdash; is what really makes him proud.
&ldquo;I didn&rsquo;t get to this point in my career by thinking about records or how many points I have, whatever the case might be,&rdquo; James said. &ldquo;I just play the game the right way. I approach the game every night only trying to be a triple threat by scoring, rebounding, assisting, defending, and may the chips fall where they may.&rdquo;
James moved within 89 points of breaking the career scoring record and climbed into fourth place on the assists list, finishing with his first triple-double of the season in his return to Madison Square Garden as the Los Angeles Lakers beat the New York Knicks 129-123 in overtime Tuesday night.
James had 28 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds, with the points giving him 38,299 for his career. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is the leader with 38,387.
<div class="Component-dfp-0-2-62 apnews_article_midarticle_1" data-card-id="sovrn-article-midarticle">But James&rsquo; game has always been about more than scoring, as he proved again Tuesday. He fed Dennis Schroder for a 3-pointer that snapped a 118-all tie with 3:13 remaining, grabbed his 10th rebound later in the extra period and then powered to the basket for a 127-121 lead with 19 seconds to go.</div>
<div class="Component-dfp-0-2-62 apnews_article_midarticle_1" data-card-id="sovrn-article-midarticle"> &ldquo;He&rsquo;s just doing it all,&rdquo; Lakers coach Darvin Ham said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s what great players do. That&rsquo;s what all-time greats do, and he&rsquo;s right up there at the top of the list with all of them.&rdquo;</div>
<div class="Component-dfp-0-2-62 apnews_article_midarticle_1" data-card-id="sovrn-article-midarticle">
James had earlier moved ahead of Mark Jackson and then Steve Nash into fourth place on the assists list during his first game at Madison Square Garden in three years.
Anthony Davis added 27 points and nine rebounds for the Lakers, who had dropped two straight to open their trip. Both James and Davis had sat out their loss Monday in Brooklyn.
Jalen Brunson scored 37 points and Julius Randle had 23 points and 12 rebounds for the Knicks, who were 7 for 34 from 3-point range and dropped their second straight.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;re scoring plenty, that&rsquo;s not our issue,&rdquo; Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said. &ldquo;So we&rsquo;ve got to shore up our defense.&rdquo;
James was fuming following his last game, the&rsquo; Lakers loss in overtime in Boston on Saturday, after which referees said they missed a foul on his drive to the basket to end regulation.
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</div>

NEW YORK (AP) &mdash; LeBron James will soon be the NBA&rsquo;s top scorer, though that was never his focus.
He&rsquo;s also one of the game&rsquo;s leading passers, and combining the two &mdash; possibly better than anyone ever &mdash; is what really makes him proud.
&ldquo;I didn&rsquo;t get to this point in my career by thinking about records or how many points I have, whatever the case might be,&rdquo; James said. &ldquo;I just play the game the right way. I approach the game every night only trying to be a triple threat by scoring, rebounding, assisting, defending, and may the chips fall where they may.&rdquo;
James moved within 89 points of breaking the career scoring record and climbed into fourth place on the assists list, finishing with his first triple-double of the season in his return to Madison Square Garden as the Los Angeles Lakers beat the New York Knicks 129-123 in overtime Tuesday night.
James had 28 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds, with the points giving him 38,299 for his career. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is the leader with 38,387.
<div class="Component-dfp-0-2-62 apnews_article_midarticle_1" data-card-id="sovrn-article-midarticle">But James&rsquo; game has always been about more than scoring, as he proved again Tuesday. He fed Dennis Schroder for a 3-pointer that snapped a 118-all tie with 3:13 remaining, grabbed his 10th rebound later in the extra period and then powered to the basket for a 127-121 lead with 19 seconds to go.</div>
<div class="Component-dfp-0-2-62 apnews_article_midarticle_1" data-card-id="sovrn-article-midarticle"> &ldquo;He&rsquo;s just doing it all,&rdquo; Lakers coach Darvin Ham said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s what great players do. That&rsquo;s what all-time greats do, and he&rsquo;s right up there at the top of the list with all of them.&rdquo;</div>
<div class="Component-dfp-0-2-62 apnews_article_midarticle_1" data-card-id="sovrn-article-midarticle">
James had earlier moved ahead of Mark Jackson and then Steve Nash into fourth place on the assists list during his first game at Madison Square Garden in three years.
Anthony Davis added 27 points and nine rebounds for the Lakers, who had dropped two straight to open their trip. Both James and Davis had sat out their loss Monday in Brooklyn.
Jalen Brunson scored 37 points and Julius Randle had 23 points and 12 rebounds for the Knicks, who were 7 for 34 from 3-point range and dropped their second straight.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;re scoring plenty, that&rsquo;s not our issue,&rdquo; Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said. &ldquo;So we&rsquo;ve got to shore up our defense.&rdquo;
James was fuming following his last game, the&rsquo; Lakers loss in overtime in Boston on Saturday, after which referees said they missed a foul on his drive to the basket to end regulation.
He then sat out Monday with what Ham said was left foot soreness, though the Lakers had listed the injury as an ankle. They listed him as questionable to play in the morning, then upgraded James to available after he moved well during a pregame workout.
He certainly didn&rsquo;t want to miss this one after being hurt two years ago and suspended last season for striking Detroit&rsquo;s Isaiah Stewart in the face. His last game here was Jan. 22, 2000, when he was days away from passing Kobe Bryant into third place on the career scoring list.
Now the only one left to catch is Abdul-Jabbar, which could happen in the next 10 days. James said getting closer doesn&rsquo;t make it feel any heavier.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m not going anywhere, I&rsquo;m going to be in this league for at least a few more years,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;So I&rsquo;m going to do it, so it&rsquo;s not heavy at all.&rdquo;
<div class="Component-dfp-0-2-62 apnews_article_midarticle_3" data-card-id="sovrn-article-midarticle">&nbsp;</div>
</div>

NEW YORK (AP) &mdash; LeBron James will soon be the NBA&rsquo;s top scorer, though that was never his focus.
He&rsquo;s also one of the game&rsquo;s leading passers, and combining the two &mdash; possibly better than anyone ever &mdash; is what really makes him proud.
&ldquo;I didn&rsquo;t get to this point in my career by thinking about records or how many points I have, whatever the case might be,&rdquo; James said. &ldquo;I just play the game the right way. I approach the game every night only trying to be a triple threat by scoring, rebounding, assisting, defending, and may the chips fall where they may.&rdquo;
James moved within 89 points of breaking the career scoring record and climbed into fourth place on the assists list, finishing with his first triple-double of the season in his return to Madison Square Garden as the Los Angeles Lakers beat the New York Knicks 129-123 in overtime Tuesday night.
James had 28 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds, with the points giving him 38,299 for his career. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is the leader with 38,387.
<div class="Component-dfp-0-2-62 apnews_article_midarticle_1" data-card-id="sovrn-article-midarticle">But James&rsquo; game has always been about more than scoring, as he proved again Tuesday. He fed Dennis Schroder for a 3-pointer that snapped a 118-all tie with 3:13 remaining, grabbed his 10th rebound later in the extra period and then powered to the basket for a 127-121 lead with 19 seconds to go.</div>
<div class="Component-dfp-0-2-62 apnews_article_midarticle_1" data-card-id="sovrn-article-midarticle"> &ldquo;He&rsquo;s just doing it all,&rdquo; Lakers coach Darvin Ham said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s what great players do. That&rsquo;s what all-time greats do, and he&rsquo;s right up there at the top of the list with all of them.&rdquo;</div>
<div class="Component-dfp-0-2-62 apnews_article_midarticle_1" data-card-id="sovrn-article-midarticle">
James had earlier moved ahead of Mark Jackson and then Steve Nash into fourth place on the assists list during his first game at Madison Square Garden in three years.
Anthony Davis added 27 points and nine rebounds for the Lakers, who had dropped two straight to open their trip. Both James and Davis had sat out their loss Monday in Brooklyn.
Jalen Brunson scored 37 points and Julius Randle had 23 points and 12 rebounds for the Knicks, who were 7 for 34 from 3-point range and dropped their second straight.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;re scoring plenty, that&rsquo;s not our issue,&rdquo; Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said. &ldquo;So we&rsquo;ve got to shore up our defense.&rdquo;
James was fuming following his last game, the&rsquo; Lakers loss in overtime in Boston on Saturday, after which referees said they missed a foul on his drive to the basket to end regulation.
He then sat out Monday with what Ham said was left foot soreness, though the Lakers had listed the injury as an ankle. They listed him as questionable to play in the morning, then upgraded James to available after he moved well during a pregame workout.
He certainly didn&rsquo;t want to miss this one after being hurt two years ago and suspended last season for striking Detroit&rsquo;s Isaiah Stewart in the face. His last game here was Jan. 22, 2000, when he was days away from passing Kobe Bryant into third place on the career scoring list.
Now the only one left to catch is Abdul-Jabbar, which could happen in the next 10 days. James said getting closer doesn&rsquo;t make it feel any heavier.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m not going anywhere, I&rsquo;m going to be in this league for at least a few more years,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;So I&rsquo;m going to do it, so it&rsquo;s not heavy at all.&rdquo;
<div class="Component-dfp-0-2-62 apnews_article_midarticle_3" data-card-id="sovrn-article-midarticle">
The game was tied at 90 before James fed Troy Brown Jr. for a 3-pointer with his eighth assist, then set up Thomas Bryant for a dunk that moved him ahead of Jackson and then Nash into fourth place for assists. He has 10,338 assists.
James has always called MSG one of his favorite places to play and this visit draw a sellout crowd that included celebrities such as Michael J. Fox, Michael B. Jordan, Emma Stone and Chris Rock. Fans filled seats in the lower sections of the arena just to watch James warm up, but he struggled to give them one of his vintage performances once the game began.
He threw up an airball in the second quarter as part of his 2-for-8 start, but made his final two shots of the half, then threw a pass that Schroder heaved in from halfcourt to beat the buzzer and cut it to 53-52 at halftime.
Recently acquired Rui Hachimura had 19 points and nine rebounds for the Lakers, while Russell Westbrook added 17 points and eight assists, with three of them in OT.
<div class="Component-dfp-0-2-62 apnews_article_midarticle_4" data-card-id="sovrn-article-midarticle">&nbsp;</div>
</div>
</div>

NEW YORK (AP) &mdash; LeBron James will soon be the NBA&rsquo;s top scorer, though that was never his focus.
He&rsquo;s also one of the game&rsquo;s leading passers, and combining the two &mdash; possibly better than anyone ever &mdash; is what really makes him proud.
&ldquo;I didn&rsquo;t get to this point in my career by thinking about records or how many points I have, whatever the case might be,&rdquo; James said. &ldquo;I just play the game the right way. I approach the game every night only trying to be a triple threat by scoring, rebounding, assisting, defending, and may the chips fall where they may.&rdquo;
James moved within 89 points of breaking the career scoring record and climbed into fourth place on the assists list, finishing with his first triple-double of the season in his return to Madison Square Garden as the Los Angeles Lakers beat the New York Knicks 129-123 in overtime Tuesday night.
James had 28 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds, with the points giving him 38,299 for his career. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is the leader with 38,387.
<div class="Component-dfp-0-2-62 apnews_article_midarticle_1" data-card-id="sovrn-article-midarticle">But James&rsquo; game has always been about more than scoring, as he proved again Tuesday. He fed Dennis Schroder for a 3-pointer that snapped a 118-all tie with 3:13 remaining, grabbed his 10th rebound later in the extra period and then powered to the basket for a 127-121 lead with 19 seconds to go.</div>
<div class="Component-dfp-0-2-62 apnews_article_midarticle_1" data-card-id="sovrn-article-midarticle"> &ldquo;He&rsquo;s just doing it all,&rdquo; Lakers coach Darvin Ham said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s what great players do. That&rsquo;s what all-time greats do, and he&rsquo;s right up there at the top of the list with all of them.&rdquo;</div>
<div class="Component-dfp-0-2-62 apnews_article_midarticle_1" data-card-id="sovrn-article-midarticle">
James had earlier moved ahead of Mark Jackson and then Steve Nash into fourth place on the assists list during his first game at Madison Square Garden in three years.
Anthony Davis added 27 points and nine rebounds for the Lakers, who had dropped two straight to open their trip. Both James and Davis had sat out their loss Monday in Brooklyn.
Jalen Brunson scored 37 points and Julius Randle had 23 points and 12 rebounds for the Knicks, who were 7 for 34 from 3-point range and dropped their second straight.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;re scoring plenty, that&rsquo;s not our issue,&rdquo; Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said. &ldquo;So we&rsquo;ve got to shore up our defense.&rdquo;
James was fuming following his last game, the&rsquo; Lakers loss in overtime in Boston on Saturday, after which referees said they missed a foul on his drive to the basket to end regulation.
He then sat out Monday with what Ham said was left foot soreness, though the Lakers had listed the injury as an ankle. They listed him as questionable to play in the morning, then upgraded James to available after he moved well during a pregame workout.
He certainly didn&rsquo;t want to miss this one after being hurt two years ago and suspended last season for striking Detroit&rsquo;s Isaiah Stewart in the face. His last game here was Jan. 22, 2000, when he was days away from passing Kobe Bryant into third place on the career scoring list.
Now the only one left to catch is Abdul-Jabbar, which could happen in the next 10 days. James said getting closer doesn&rsquo;t make it feel any heavier.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m not going anywhere, I&rsquo;m going to be in this league for at least a few more years,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;So I&rsquo;m going to do it, so it&rsquo;s not heavy at all.&rdquo;
<div class="Component-dfp-0-2-62 apnews_article_midarticle_3" data-card-id="sovrn-article-midarticle">
The game was tied at 90 before James fed Troy Brown Jr. for a 3-pointer with his eighth assist, then set up Thomas Bryant for a dunk that moved him ahead of Jackson and then Nash into fourth place for assists. He has 10,338 assists.
James has always called MSG one of his favorite places to play and this visit draw a sellout crowd that included celebrities such as Michael J. Fox, Michael B. Jordan, Emma Stone and Chris Rock. Fans filled seats in the lower sections of the arena just to watch James warm up, but he struggled to give them one of his vintage performances once the game began.
He threw up an airball in the second quarter as part of his 2-for-8 start, but made his final two shots of the half, then threw a pass that Schroder heaved in from halfcourt to beat the buzzer and cut it to 53-52 at halftime.
Recently acquired Rui Hachimura had 19 points and nine rebounds for the Lakers, while Russell Westbrook added 17 points and eight assists, with three of them in OT.
<div class="Component-dfp-0-2-62 apnews_article_midarticle_4" data-card-id="sovrn-article-midarticle">
TIP-INS
Lakers: Patrick Beverley was out with left knee soreness. Ham said the guard has had some tough defensive matchups lately and they were just being careful in giving him a rest.
Knicks: Second-year G Quentin Grimes was chosen Tuesday to take part in the Rising Stars at All-Star weekend. ... The Knicks missed 13 or their first 15 shots as the Lakers took a 15-5 lead.
</div>
</div>
</div>

LeBron James put up his first triple-double of the season as the Los Angeles Lakers beat the New York Knicks 129-123 in overtime.

James has triple-double, leads Lakers past Knicks in OT

Brittney Griner&rsquo;s return to the WNBA this summer after being traded in a&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-brittney-griner-sports-government-and-politics-54de0cc371615a7165053a76eff17380">dramatic prisoner swap in December</a>&nbsp;with Russia has collided with free agency, creating potential travel complications for the league out of safety concerns for her.
If Griner, who is a free agent but has said&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/brittney-griner-sports-47a92da23725b731bf61eb04d43f5b94">she&rsquo;ll return to Phoenix</a>, needs special travel accommodations &mdash; such as chartered flights &mdash; the league will have to come up with a plan for the 6-foot-9 star. Griner&rsquo;s safety when traveling will be a top priority for the team and the league.
&ldquo;We are very cognizant of BG&rsquo;s unique situation,&rdquo; WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert told The Associated Press. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve been planning and we&rsquo;ve been thinking it through with security experts. BG&rsquo;s side, our side. We&rsquo;ll find the right time to comment on it when she signs with a team.&rdquo;
That could come Wednesday, when free agents can officially sign.
While the Griner situation is unique, other marquee players raised the issue of charter flights, which teams have deemed too costly.
The current collective bargaining agreement requires that all teams fly commercial and doesn&rsquo;t allow teams to charter flights. Any change in that would have to be approved by both the union and the league.
&nbsp;

Brittney Griner&rsquo;s return to the WNBA this summer after being traded in a&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-brittney-griner-sports-government-and-politics-54de0cc371615a7165053a76eff17380">dramatic prisoner swap in December</a>&nbsp;with Russia has collided with free agency, creating potential travel complications for the league out of safety concerns for her.
If Griner, who is a free agent but has said&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/brittney-griner-sports-47a92da23725b731bf61eb04d43f5b94">she&rsquo;ll return to Phoenix</a>, needs special travel accommodations &mdash; such as chartered flights &mdash; the league will have to come up with a plan for the 6-foot-9 star. Griner&rsquo;s safety when traveling will be a top priority for the team and the league.
&ldquo;We are very cognizant of BG&rsquo;s unique situation,&rdquo; WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert told The Associated Press. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve been planning and we&rsquo;ve been thinking it through with security experts. BG&rsquo;s side, our side. We&rsquo;ll find the right time to comment on it when she signs with a team.&rdquo;
That could come Wednesday, when free agents can officially sign.
While the Griner situation is unique, other marquee players raised the issue of charter flights, which teams have deemed too costly.
The current collective bargaining agreement requires that all teams fly commercial and doesn&rsquo;t allow teams to charter flights. Any change in that would have to be approved by both the union and the league.
&ldquo;No one wants to make this work more than me,&rdquo; Engelbert said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s why we&rsquo;re working so hard to transform the economic business model. We&rsquo;ve had positive changes over the last couple years, but we&rsquo;re not going to jeopardize the financial viability of the league. We are on the cusp of something big here.&rdquo;
HOW MUCH WOULD IT COST THE WNBA TO CHARTER FLIGHTS?
Engelbert says it would cost the league about $25 million each season for each of its 12 teams to charter flights to every game. That number has increased about $5 million from previous estimates by the commissioner due the new 40-game WNBA schedule this season, fuel costs and other factors.
The estimated cost per franchise to charter flights would be approximately $2 million. Air travel expenses currently for each team is about $150,000, according to two people familiar with the costs. The people spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity because they weren&rsquo;t authorized to publicly address the issue.
&ldquo;We did it last year for the Finals and we have experience on how much it costs for routes we need to fly,&rdquo; Engelbert said. &ldquo;We are monitoring and updating our analysis. We are going to try and get an economic model to fund this as soon as we can.&rdquo;
&nbsp;

Brittney Griner&rsquo;s return to the WNBA this summer after being traded in a&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-brittney-griner-sports-government-and-politics-54de0cc371615a7165053a76eff17380">dramatic prisoner swap in December</a>&nbsp;with Russia has collided with free agency, creating potential travel complications for the league out of safety concerns for her.
If Griner, who is a free agent but has said&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/brittney-griner-sports-47a92da23725b731bf61eb04d43f5b94">she&rsquo;ll return to Phoenix</a>, needs special travel accommodations &mdash; such as chartered flights &mdash; the league will have to come up with a plan for the 6-foot-9 star. Griner&rsquo;s safety when traveling will be a top priority for the team and the league.
&ldquo;We are very cognizant of BG&rsquo;s unique situation,&rdquo; WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert told The Associated Press. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve been planning and we&rsquo;ve been thinking it through with security experts. BG&rsquo;s side, our side. We&rsquo;ll find the right time to comment on it when she signs with a team.&rdquo;
That could come Wednesday, when free agents can officially sign.
While the Griner situation is unique, other marquee players raised the issue of charter flights, which teams have deemed too costly.
The current collective bargaining agreement requires that all teams fly commercial and doesn&rsquo;t allow teams to charter flights. Any change in that would have to be approved by both the union and the league.
&ldquo;No one wants to make this work more than me,&rdquo; Engelbert said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s why we&rsquo;re working so hard to transform the economic business model. We&rsquo;ve had positive changes over the last couple years, but we&rsquo;re not going to jeopardize the financial viability of the league. We are on the cusp of something big here.&rdquo;
HOW MUCH WOULD IT COST THE WNBA TO CHARTER FLIGHTS?
Engelbert says it would cost the league about $25 million each season for each of its 12 teams to charter flights to every game. That number has increased about $5 million from previous estimates by the commissioner due the new 40-game WNBA schedule this season, fuel costs and other factors.
The estimated cost per franchise to charter flights would be approximately $2 million. Air travel expenses currently for each team is about $150,000, according to two people familiar with the costs. The people spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity because they weren&rsquo;t authorized to publicly address the issue.
&ldquo;We did it last year for the Finals and we have experience on how much it costs for routes we need to fly,&rdquo; Engelbert said. &ldquo;We are monitoring and updating our analysis. We are going to try and get an economic model to fund this as soon as we can.&rdquo;
WHAT HAPPENS IF A TEAM CHARTERS FLIGHTS?
If teams violate the current CBA they could be fined.
The New York Liberty were fined a WNBA record $500,000 in 2021 for chartering flights to away games during the second half of that season.
HAS THE WNBA CONSIDERED SUBSIDIZING FLIGHTS?
Coveted free agent Breanna Stewart, who has narrowed her choices to a few teams including New York, started a social media campaign to try to help get chartered flights for the league. She tweeted, &ldquo;I would love to be part of a deal that helps subsidize charter travel for the entire WNBA. I would contribute my NIL, posts + production hrs to ensure we all travel in a way that prioritizes player health + safety, which ultimately results in a better product. Who&rsquo;s with me?&rdquo;

Brittney Griner&rsquo;s return to the WNBA this summer after being traded in a&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-brittney-griner-sports-government-and-politics-54de0cc371615a7165053a76eff17380">dramatic prisoner swap in December</a>&nbsp;with Russia has collided with free agency, creating potential travel complications for the league out of safety concerns for her.
If Griner, who is a free agent but has said&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/brittney-griner-sports-47a92da23725b731bf61eb04d43f5b94">she&rsquo;ll return to Phoenix</a>, needs special travel accommodations &mdash; such as chartered flights &mdash; the league will have to come up with a plan for the 6-foot-9 star. Griner&rsquo;s safety when traveling will be a top priority for the team and the league.
&ldquo;We are very cognizant of BG&rsquo;s unique situation,&rdquo; WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert told The Associated Press. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve been planning and we&rsquo;ve been thinking it through with security experts. BG&rsquo;s side, our side. We&rsquo;ll find the right time to comment on it when she signs with a team.&rdquo;
That could come Wednesday, when free agents can officially sign.
While the Griner situation is unique, other marquee players raised the issue of charter flights, which teams have deemed too costly.
The current collective bargaining agreement requires that all teams fly commercial and doesn&rsquo;t allow teams to charter flights. Any change in that would have to be approved by both the union and the league.
&ldquo;No one wants to make this work more than me,&rdquo; Engelbert said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s why we&rsquo;re working so hard to transform the economic business model. We&rsquo;ve had positive changes over the last couple years, but we&rsquo;re not going to jeopardize the financial viability of the league. We are on the cusp of something big here.&rdquo;
HOW MUCH WOULD IT COST THE WNBA TO CHARTER FLIGHTS?
Engelbert says it would cost the league about $25 million each season for each of its 12 teams to charter flights to every game. That number has increased about $5 million from previous estimates by the commissioner due the new 40-game WNBA schedule this season, fuel costs and other factors.
The estimated cost per franchise to charter flights would be approximately $2 million. Air travel expenses currently for each team is about $150,000, according to two people familiar with the costs. The people spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity because they weren&rsquo;t authorized to publicly address the issue.
&ldquo;We did it last year for the Finals and we have experience on how much it costs for routes we need to fly,&rdquo; Engelbert said. &ldquo;We are monitoring and updating our analysis. We are going to try and get an economic model to fund this as soon as we can.&rdquo;
WHAT HAPPENS IF A TEAM CHARTERS FLIGHTS?
If teams violate the current CBA they could be fined.
The New York Liberty were fined a WNBA record $500,000 in 2021 for chartering flights to away games during the second half of that season.
HAS THE WNBA CONSIDERED SUBSIDIZING FLIGHTS?
Coveted free agent Breanna Stewart, who has narrowed her choices to a few teams including New York, started a social media campaign to try to help get chartered flights for the league. She tweeted, &ldquo;I would love to be part of a deal that helps subsidize charter travel for the entire WNBA. I would contribute my NIL, posts + production hrs to ensure we all travel in a way that prioritizes player health + safety, which ultimately results in a better product. Who&rsquo;s with me?&rdquo;
Many current and former WNBA and NBA players offered their support. Though any change to travel restrictions would have to be voted on by the union and the league.
&ldquo;We would need a commitment to it in perpetuity,&rdquo; Engelbert said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s 250-300 million dollars. Look at the gate and media deal and sponsorship dollars. We&rsquo;re not close to being able to afford $250 million over the next decade.&rdquo;
DO WOMEN&rsquo;S COLLEGE TEAMS CHARTER FLIGHTS?
WNBA players are used to flying charter flights. That&rsquo;s how they traveled in college.
Title IX legislation requires universities to have equal opportunities for their men&rsquo;s and women&rsquo;s athletic programs. The NCAA flies both the men&rsquo;s and women&rsquo;s teams on charter flights for the tournament if they are more than 400 miles from the site of their game.
That legislation doesn&rsquo;t apply to the pros so NBA teams chartering between cities has no effect on what WNBA teams do.

Brittney Griner&rsquo;s return to the WNBA this summer after being traded in a&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-brittney-griner-sports-government-and-politics-54de0cc371615a7165053a76eff17380" target="_blank" rel="noopener">dramatic prisoner swap in December</a>&nbsp;with Russia has collided with free agency, creating potential travel complications for the league out of safety concerns for her.
If Griner, who is a free agent but has said&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/brittney-griner-sports-47a92da23725b731bf61eb04d43f5b94">she&rsquo;ll return to Phoenix</a>, needs special travel accommodations &mdash; such as chartered flights &mdash; the league will have to come up with a plan for the 6-foot-9 star. Griner&rsquo;s safety when traveling will be a top priority for the team and the league.
&ldquo;We are very cognizant of BG&rsquo;s unique situation,&rdquo; WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert told The Associated Press. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve been planning and we&rsquo;ve been thinking it through with security experts. BG&rsquo;s side, our side. We&rsquo;ll find the right time to comment on it when she signs with a team.&rdquo;
That could come Wednesday, when free agents can officially sign.
While the Griner situation is unique, other marquee players raised the issue of charter flights, which teams have deemed too costly.
The current collective bargaining agreement requires that all teams fly commercial and doesn&rsquo;t allow teams to charter flights. Any change in that would have to be approved by both the union and the league.
&ldquo;No one wants to make this work more than me,&rdquo; Engelbert said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s why we&rsquo;re working so hard to transform the economic business model. We&rsquo;ve had positive changes over the last couple years, but we&rsquo;re not going to jeopardize the financial viability of the league. We are on the cusp of something big here.&rdquo;
HOW MUCH WOULD IT COST THE WNBA TO CHARTER FLIGHTS?
Engelbert says it would cost the league about $25 million each season for each of its 12 teams to charter flights to every game. That number has increased about $5 million from previous estimates by the commissioner due the new 40-game WNBA schedule this season, fuel costs and other factors.
The estimated cost per franchise to charter flights would be approximately $2 million. Air travel expenses currently for each team is about $150,000, according to two people familiar with the costs. The people spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity because they weren&rsquo;t authorized to publicly address the issue.
&ldquo;We did it last year for the Finals and we have experience on how much it costs for routes we need to fly,&rdquo; Engelbert said. &ldquo;We are monitoring and updating our analysis. We are going to try and get an economic model to fund this as soon as we can.&rdquo;
WHAT HAPPENS IF A TEAM CHARTERS FLIGHTS?
If teams violate the current CBA they could be fined.
The New York Liberty were fined a WNBA record $500,000 in 2021 for chartering flights to away games during the second half of that season.
HAS THE WNBA CONSIDERED SUBSIDIZING FLIGHTS?
Coveted free agent Breanna Stewart, who has narrowed her choices to a few teams including New York, started a social media campaign to try to help get chartered flights for the league. She tweeted, &ldquo;I would love to be part of a deal that helps subsidize charter travel for the entire WNBA. I would contribute my NIL, posts + production hrs to ensure we all travel in a way that prioritizes player health + safety, which ultimately results in a better product. Who&rsquo;s with me?&rdquo;
Many current and former WNBA and NBA players offered their support. Though any change to travel restrictions would have to be voted on by the union and the league.
&ldquo;We would need a commitment to it in perpetuity,&rdquo; Engelbert said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s 250-300 million dollars. Look at the gate and media deal and sponsorship dollars. We&rsquo;re not close to being able to afford $250 million over the next decade.&rdquo;
DO WOMEN&rsquo;S COLLEGE TEAMS CHARTER FLIGHTS?
WNBA players are used to flying charter flights. That&rsquo;s how they traveled in college.
Title IX legislation requires universities to have equal opportunities for their men&rsquo;s and women&rsquo;s athletic programs. The NCAA flies both the men&rsquo;s and women&rsquo;s teams on charter flights for the tournament if they are more than 400 miles from the site of their game.
That legislation doesn&rsquo;t apply to the pros so NBA teams chartering between cities has no effect on what WNBA teams do.

Brittney Griner&rsquo;s return to the WNBA this summer after being traded in a&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-brittney-griner-sports-government-and-politics-54de0cc371615a7165053a76eff17380" target="_blank" rel="noopener">dramatic prisoner swap in December</a>&nbsp;with Russia has collided with free agency, creating potential travel complications for the league out of safety concerns for her.
If Griner, who is a free agent but has said&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/brittney-griner-makes-first-public-statement-announces-intent-to-play-next-season" target="_blank" rel="noopener">she&rsquo;ll return to Phoenix</a>, needs special travel accommodations &mdash; such as chartered flights &mdash; the league will have to come up with a plan for the 6-foot-9 star. Griner&rsquo;s safety when traveling will be a top priority for the team and the league.
&ldquo;We are very cognizant of BG&rsquo;s unique situation,&rdquo; WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert told The Associated Press. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve been planning and we&rsquo;ve been thinking it through with security experts. BG&rsquo;s side, our side. We&rsquo;ll find the right time to comment on it when she signs with a team.&rdquo;
That could come Wednesday, when free agents can officially sign.
While the Griner situation is unique, other marquee players raised the issue of charter flights, which teams have deemed too costly.
The current collective bargaining agreement requires that all teams fly commercial and doesn&rsquo;t allow teams to charter flights. Any change in that would have to be approved by both the union and the league.
&ldquo;No one wants to make this work more than me,&rdquo; Engelbert said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s why we&rsquo;re working so hard to transform the economic business model. We&rsquo;ve had positive changes over the last couple years, but we&rsquo;re not going to jeopardize the financial viability of the league. We are on the cusp of something big here.&rdquo;
HOW MUCH WOULD IT COST THE WNBA TO CHARTER FLIGHTS?
Engelbert says it would cost the league about $25 million each season for each of its 12 teams to charter flights to every game. That number has increased about $5 million from previous estimates by the commissioner due the new 40-game WNBA schedule this season, fuel costs and other factors.
The estimated cost per franchise to charter flights would be approximately $2 million. Air travel expenses currently for each team is about $150,000, according to two people familiar with the costs. The people spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity because they weren&rsquo;t authorized to publicly address the issue.
&ldquo;We did it last year for the Finals and we have experience on how much it costs for routes we need to fly,&rdquo; Engelbert said. &ldquo;We are monitoring and updating our analysis. We are going to try and get an economic model to fund this as soon as we can.&rdquo;
WHAT HAPPENS IF A TEAM CHARTERS FLIGHTS?
If teams violate the current CBA they could be fined.
The New York Liberty were fined a WNBA record $500,000 in 2021 for chartering flights to away games during the second half of that season.
HAS THE WNBA CONSIDERED SUBSIDIZING FLIGHTS?
Coveted free agent Breanna Stewart, who has narrowed her choices to a few teams including New York, started a social media campaign to try to help get chartered flights for the league. She tweeted, &ldquo;I would love to be part of a deal that helps subsidize charter travel for the entire WNBA. I would contribute my NIL, posts + production hrs to ensure we all travel in a way that prioritizes player health + safety, which ultimately results in a better product. Who&rsquo;s with me?&rdquo;
Many current and former WNBA and NBA players offered their support. Though any change to travel restrictions would have to be voted on by the union and the league.
&ldquo;We would need a commitment to it in perpetuity,&rdquo; Engelbert said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s 250-300 million dollars. Look at the gate and media deal and sponsorship dollars. We&rsquo;re not close to being able to afford $250 million over the next decade.&rdquo;
DO WOMEN&rsquo;S COLLEGE TEAMS CHARTER FLIGHTS?
WNBA players are used to flying charter flights. That&rsquo;s how they traveled in college.
Title IX legislation requires universities to have equal opportunities for their men&rsquo;s and women&rsquo;s athletic programs. The NCAA flies both the men&rsquo;s and women&rsquo;s teams on charter flights for the tournament if they are more than 400 miles from the site of their game.
That legislation doesn&rsquo;t apply to the pros so NBA teams chartering between cities has no effect on what WNBA teams do.

Brittney Griner&rsquo;s return to the WNBA this summer after being traded in a&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-brittney-griner-sports-government-and-politics-54de0cc371615a7165053a76eff17380" target="_blank" rel="noopener">dramatic prisoner swap in December</a>&nbsp;with Russia has collided with free agency, creating potential travel complications for the league out of safety concerns for her.
If Griner, who is a free agent but has said&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/brittney-griner-makes-first-public-statement-announces-intent-to-play-next-season" target="_blank" rel="noopener">she&rsquo;ll return to Phoenix</a>, needs special travel accommodations &mdash; such as chartered flights &mdash; the league will have to come up with a plan for the 6-foot-9 star. Griner&rsquo;s safety when traveling will be a top priority for the team and the league.
&ldquo;We are very cognizant of BG&rsquo;s unique situation,&rdquo; WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert told The Associated Press. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve been planning and we&rsquo;ve been thinking it through with security experts. BG&rsquo;s side, our side. We&rsquo;ll find the right time to comment on it when she signs with a team.&rdquo;
That could come Wednesday, when free agents can officially sign.
While the Griner situation is unique, other marquee players raised the issue of charter flights, which teams have deemed too costly.
The current collective bargaining agreement requires that all teams fly commercial and doesn&rsquo;t allow teams to charter flights. Any change in that would have to be approved by both the union and the league.
&ldquo;No one wants to make this work more than me,&rdquo; Engelbert said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s why we&rsquo;re working so hard to transform the economic business model. We&rsquo;ve had positive changes over the last couple years, but we&rsquo;re not going to jeopardize the financial viability of the league. We are on the cusp of something big here.&rdquo;
HOW MUCH WOULD IT COST THE WNBA TO CHARTER FLIGHTS?
Engelbert says it would cost the league about $25 million each season for each of its 12 teams to charter flights to every game. That number has increased about $5 million from previous estimates by the commissioner due the new 40-game WNBA schedule this season, fuel costs and other factors.
The estimated cost per franchise to charter flights would be approximately $2 million. Air travel expenses currently for each team is about $150,000, according to two people familiar with the costs. The people spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity because they weren&rsquo;t authorized to publicly address the issue.
&ldquo;We did it last year for the Finals and we have experience on how much it costs for routes we need to fly,&rdquo; Engelbert said. &ldquo;We are monitoring and updating our analysis. We are going to try and get an economic model to fund this as soon as we can.&rdquo;
WHAT HAPPENS IF A TEAM CHARTERS FLIGHTS?
If teams violate the current CBA they could be fined.
The New York Liberty were fined a WNBA record $500,000 in 2021 for chartering flights to away games during the second half of that season.
HAS THE WNBA CONSIDERED SUBSIDIZING FLIGHTS?
Coveted free agent Breanna Stewart, who has narrowed her choices to a few teams including New York, started a social media campaign to try to help get chartered flights for the league. She tweeted, &ldquo;I would love to be part of a deal that helps subsidize charter travel for the entire WNBA. I would contribute my NIL, posts + production hrs to ensure we all travel in a way that prioritizes player health + safety, which ultimately results in a better product. Who&rsquo;s with me?&rdquo;
Many current and former WNBA and NBA players offered their support. Though any change to travel restrictions would have to be voted on by the union and the league.
&ldquo;We would need a commitment to it in perpetuity,&rdquo; Engelbert said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s 250-300 million dollars. Look at the gate and media deal and sponsorship dollars. We&rsquo;re not close to being able to afford $250 million over the next decade.&rdquo;
DO WOMEN&rsquo;S COLLEGE TEAMS CHARTER FLIGHTS?
WNBA players are used to flying charter flights. That&rsquo;s how they traveled in college.
Title IX legislation requires universities to have equal opportunities for their men&rsquo;s and women&rsquo;s athletic programs. The NCAA flies both the men&rsquo;s and women&rsquo;s teams on charter flights for the tournament if they are more than 400 miles from the site of their game.
That legislation doesn&rsquo;t apply to the pros so NBA teams chartering between cities has no effect on what WNBA teams do.

Brittney Griner&rsquo;s return to the WNBA this summer after being traded in a&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-brittney-griner-sports-government-and-politics-54de0cc371615a7165053a76eff17380" target="_blank" rel="noopener">dramatic prisoner swap in December</a>&nbsp;with Russia has collided with free agency, creating potential travel complications for the league out of safety concerns for her.
If Griner, who is a free agent but has said&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/brittney-griner-makes-first-public-statement-announces-intent-to-play-next-season" target="_blank" rel="noopener">she&rsquo;ll return to Phoenix</a>, needs special travel accommodations &mdash; such as chartered flights &mdash; the league will have to come up with a plan for the 6-foot-9 star. Griner&rsquo;s safety when traveling will be a top priority for the team and the league.
&ldquo;We are very cognizant of BG&rsquo;s unique situation,&rdquo; WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert told The Associated Press. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve been planning and we&rsquo;ve been thinking it through with security experts. BG&rsquo;s side, our side. We&rsquo;ll find the right time to comment on it when she signs with a team.&rdquo;
That could come Wednesday, when free agents can officially sign.
While the Griner situation is unique, other marquee players raised the issue of charter flights, which teams have deemed too costly.
The current collective bargaining agreement requires that all teams fly commercial and doesn&rsquo;t allow teams to charter flights. Any change in that would have to be approved by both the union and the league.
&ldquo;No one wants to make this work more than me,&rdquo; Engelbert said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s why we&rsquo;re working so hard to transform the economic business model. We&rsquo;ve had positive changes over the last couple years, but we&rsquo;re not going to jeopardize the financial viability of the league. We are on the cusp of something big here.&rdquo;
HOW MUCH WOULD IT COST THE WNBA TO CHARTER FLIGHTS?
Engelbert says it would cost the league about $25 million each season for each of its 12 teams to charter flights to every game. That number has increased about $5 million from previous estimates by the commissioner due the new 40-game WNBA schedule this season, fuel costs and other factors.
The estimated cost per franchise to charter flights would be approximately $2 million. Air travel expenses currently for each team is about $150,000, according to two people familiar with the costs. The people spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity because they weren&rsquo;t authorized to publicly address the issue.
&ldquo;We did it last year for the Finals and we have experience on how much it costs for routes we need to fly,&rdquo; Engelbert said. &ldquo;We are monitoring and updating our analysis. We are going to try and get an economic model to fund this as soon as we can.&rdquo;
WHAT HAPPENS IF A TEAM CHARTERS FLIGHTS?
If teams violate the current CBA, they could be fined.
The New York Liberty were fined a WNBA record $500,000 in 2021 for chartering flights to away games during the second half of that season.
HAS THE WNBA CONSIDERED SUBSIDIZING FLIGHTS?
Coveted free agent Breanna Stewart, who has narrowed her choices to a few teams including New York, started a social media campaign to try to help get chartered flights for the league. She tweeted, &ldquo;I would love to be part of a deal that helps subsidize charter travel for the entire WNBA. I would contribute my NIL, posts + production hrs to ensure we all travel in a way that prioritizes player health + safety, which ultimately results in a better product. Who&rsquo;s with me?&rdquo;
Many current and former WNBA and NBA players offered their support. Though any change to travel restrictions would have to be voted on by the union and the league.
&ldquo;We would need a commitment to it in perpetuity,&rdquo; Engelbert said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s 250-300 million dollars. Look at the gate and media deal and sponsorship dollars. We&rsquo;re not close to being able to afford $250 million over the next decade.&rdquo;
DO WOMEN&rsquo;S COLLEGE TEAMS CHARTER FLIGHTS?
WNBA players are used to flying charter flights. That&rsquo;s how they traveled in college.
Title IX legislation requires universities to have equal opportunities for their men&rsquo;s and women&rsquo;s athletic programs. The NCAA flies both the men&rsquo;s and women&rsquo;s teams on charter flights for the tournament if they are more than 400 miles from the site of their game.
That legislation doesn&rsquo;t apply to the pros so NBA teams chartering between cities has no effect on what WNBA teams do.

Brittney Griner&rsquo;s return to the WNBA this summer after being traded in a&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-brittney-griner-sports-government-and-politics-54de0cc371615a7165053a76eff17380" target="_blank" rel="noopener">dramatic prisoner swap in December</a>&nbsp;with Russia has collided with free agency, creating potential travel complications for the league out of safety concerns for her.
If Griner, who is a free agent but has said&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/brittney-griner-makes-first-public-statement-announces-intent-to-play-next-season" target="_blank" rel="noopener">she&rsquo;ll return to Phoenix</a>, needs special travel accommodations &mdash; such as chartered flights &mdash; the league will have to come up with a plan for the 6-foot-9 star. Griner&rsquo;s safety when traveling will be a top priority for the team and the league.
&ldquo;We are very cognizant of BG&rsquo;s unique situation,&rdquo; WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert told The Associated Press. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve been planning and we&rsquo;ve been thinking it through with security experts. BG&rsquo;s side, our side. We&rsquo;ll find the right time to comment on it when she signs with a team.&rdquo;
That could come Wednesday, when free agents can officially sign.
While the Griner situation is unique, other marquee players raised the issue of charter flights, which teams have deemed too costly.
The current collective bargaining agreement requires that all teams fly commercial and doesn&rsquo;t allow teams to charter flights. Any change in that would have to be approved by both the union and the league.
&ldquo;No one wants to make this work more than me,&rdquo; Engelbert said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s why we&rsquo;re working so hard to transform the economic business model. We&rsquo;ve had positive changes over the last couple years, but we&rsquo;re not going to jeopardize the financial viability of the league. We are on the cusp of something big here.&rdquo;
HOW MUCH WOULD IT COST THE WNBA TO CHARTER FLIGHTS?
Engelbert says it would cost the league about $25 million each season for each of its 12 teams to charter flights to every game. That number has increased about $5 million from previous estimates by the commissioner due the new 40-game WNBA schedule this season, fuel costs and other factors.
The estimated cost per franchise to charter flights would be approximately $2 million. Air travel expenses currently for each team is about $150,000, according to two people familiar with the costs. The people spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity because they weren&rsquo;t authorized to publicly address the issue.
&ldquo;We did it last year for the Finals and we have experience on how much it costs for routes we need to fly,&rdquo; Engelbert said. &ldquo;We are monitoring and updating our analysis. We are going to try and get an economic model to fund this as soon as we can.&rdquo;
WHAT HAPPENS IF A TEAM CHARTERS FLIGHTS?
If teams violate the current CBA, they could be fined.
The New York Liberty were fined a WNBA record $500,000 in 2021 for chartering flights to away games during the second half of that season.
HAS THE WNBA CONSIDERED SUBSIDIZING FLIGHTS?
Coveted free agent Breanna Stewart, who has narrowed her choices to a few teams including New York, started a social media campaign to try to help get chartered flights for the league.
She tweeted, &ldquo;I would love to be part of a deal that helps subsidize charter travel for the entire WNBA. I would contribute my NIL, posts + production hrs to ensure we all travel in a way that prioritizes player health + safety, which ultimately results in a better product. Who&rsquo;s with me?&rdquo;
Many current and former WNBA and NBA players offered their support. Though any change to travel restrictions would have to be voted on by the union and the league.
&ldquo;We would need a commitment to it in perpetuity,&rdquo; Engelbert said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s 250-300 million dollars. Look at the gate and media deal and sponsorship dollars. We&rsquo;re not close to being able to afford $250 million over the next decade.&rdquo;
DO WOMEN&rsquo;S COLLEGE TEAMS CHARTER FLIGHTS?
WNBA players are used to flying charter flights. That&rsquo;s how they traveled in college.
Title IX legislation requires universities to have equal opportunities for their men&rsquo;s and women&rsquo;s athletic programs. The NCAA flies both the men&rsquo;s and women&rsquo;s teams on charter flights for the tournament if they are more than 400 miles from the site of their game.
That legislation doesn&rsquo;t apply to the pros so NBA teams chartering between cities has no effect on what WNBA teams do.

Brittney Griner&rsquo;s return to the WNBA this summer after being traded in a&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-brittney-griner-sports-government-and-politics-54de0cc371615a7165053a76eff17380" target="_blank" rel="noopener">dramatic prisoner swap in December</a>&nbsp;with Russia has collided with free agency, creating potential travel complications for the league out of safety concerns for her.
If Griner, who is a free agent but has said&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/brittney-griner-makes-first-public-statement-announces-intent-to-play-next-season" target="_blank" rel="noopener">she&rsquo;ll return to Phoenix</a>, needs special travel accommodations &mdash; such as chartered flights &mdash; the league will have to come up with a plan for the 6-foot-9 star. Griner&rsquo;s safety when traveling will be a top priority for the team and the league.
&ldquo;We are very cognizant of BG&rsquo;s unique situation,&rdquo; WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert told The Associated Press. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve been planning and we&rsquo;ve been thinking it through with security experts. BG&rsquo;s side, our side. We&rsquo;ll find the right time to comment on it when she signs with a team.&rdquo;
That could come Wednesday, when free agents can officially sign.
While the Griner situation is unique, other marquee players raised the issue of charter flights, which teams have deemed too costly.
The current collective bargaining agreement requires that all teams fly commercial and doesn&rsquo;t allow teams to charter flights. Any change in that would have to be approved by both the union and the league.
&ldquo;No one wants to make this work more than me,&rdquo; Engelbert said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s why we&rsquo;re working so hard to transform the economic business model. We&rsquo;ve had positive changes over the last couple years, but we&rsquo;re not going to jeopardize the financial viability of the league. We are on the cusp of something big here.&rdquo;
HOW MUCH WOULD IT COST THE WNBA TO CHARTER FLIGHTS?
Engelbert says it would cost the league about $25 million each season for each of its 12 teams to charter flights to every game. That number has increased about $5 million from previous estimates by the commissioner due the new 40-game WNBA schedule this season, fuel costs and other factors.
The estimated cost per franchise to charter flights would be approximately $2 million. Air travel expenses currently for each team is about $150,000, according to two people familiar with the costs. The people spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity because they weren&rsquo;t authorized to publicly address the issue.
&ldquo;We did it last year for the Finals and we have experience on how much it costs for routes we need to fly,&rdquo; Engelbert said. &ldquo;We are monitoring and updating our analysis. We are going to try and get an economic model to fund this as soon as we can.&rdquo;
WHAT HAPPENS IF A TEAM CHARTERS FLIGHTS?
If teams violate the current CBA, they could be fined.
The New York Liberty were fined a WNBA record $500,000 in 2021 for chartering flights to away games during the second half of that season.
HAS THE WNBA CONSIDERED SUBSIDIZING FLIGHTS?
Coveted free agent Breanna Stewart, who has narrowed her choices to a few teams including New York, started a social media campaign to try to help get chartered flights for the league.
She tweeted, &ldquo;I would love to be part of a deal that helps subsidize charter travel for the entire WNBA. I would contribute my NIL, posts + production hrs to ensure we all travel in a way that prioritizes player health + safety, which ultimately results in a better product. Who&rsquo;s with me?&rdquo;
Many current and former WNBA and NBA players offered their support. Though any change to travel restrictions would have to be voted on by the union and the league.
&ldquo;We would need a commitment to it in perpetuity,&rdquo; Engelbert said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s 250-300 million dollars. Look at the gate and media deal and sponsorship dollars. We&rsquo;re not close to being able to afford $250 million over the next decade.&rdquo;
DO WOMEN&rsquo;S COLLEGE TEAMS CHARTER FLIGHTS?
WNBA players are used to flying charter flights. That&rsquo;s how they traveled in college.
Title IX legislation requires universities to have equal opportunities for their men&rsquo;s and women&rsquo;s athletic programs. The NCAA flies both the men&rsquo;s and women&rsquo;s teams on charter flights for the tournament if they are more than 400 miles from the site of their game.
That legislation doesn&rsquo;t apply to the pros, so NBA teams chartering between cities has no effect on what WNBA teams do.

If Griner, who is a free agent, needs special travel accommodations — such as chartered flights — the WNBA must come up with a plan.

Brittney Griner’s return, free agency raises charter flight concerns

NEW YORK (AP) &mdash; LeBron James is experiencing what coach Darvin Ham said is &ldquo;really significant soreness&rdquo; in his left foot and will be evaluated Tuesday to see if he can play against the New York Knicks.
James is missing the Lakers&rsquo; game against Brooklyn on Monday night. Ham said the All-Star forward will be checked &ldquo;first thing in the morning&rdquo; to see if the injury has improved.
James played 44 minutes Saturday night in Boston in a game that went to overtime. The referees later&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/boston-celtics-los-angeles-lakers-clippers-nba-sports-50c520e170983c6e7fad011904b2e09b">acknowledged missing a foul</a>&nbsp;on his drive to the basket at the end of regulation. The Lakers then announced Sunday that James and Anthony Davis would be out Monday.
James is&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/los-angeles-lakers-nba-sports-lebron-james-brooklyn-034ef86a8a844fdecfaf92e9ed33586a">117 points from passing</a>&nbsp;Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the NBA&rsquo;s career scoring leader. He hasn&rsquo;t played at Madison Square Garden, one of his favorite arenas, since Jan. 22, 2020.
Ham said it was planned all along that Davis wouldn&rsquo;t play both nights of the back-to-back after returning recently from a foot injury.

NEW YORK (AP) &mdash; LeBron James is experiencing what coach Darvin Ham said is &ldquo;really significant soreness&rdquo; in his left foot and will be evaluated Tuesday to see if he can play against the New York Knicks.
James is missing the Lakers&rsquo; game against Brooklyn on Monday night. Ham said the All-Star forward will be checked &ldquo;first thing in the morning&rdquo; to see if the injury has improved.
James played 44 minutes Saturday night in Boston in a game that went to overtime. The referees later&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/boston-celtics-los-angeles-lakers-clippers-nba-sports-50c520e170983c6e7fad011904b2e09b">acknowledged missing a foul</a>&nbsp;on his drive to the basket at the end of regulation. The Lakers then announced Sunday that James and Anthony Davis would be out Monday.
James is&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/los-angeles-lakers-nba-sports-lebron-james-brooklyn-034ef86a8a844fdecfaf92e9ed33586a">117 points from passing</a>&nbsp;Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the NBA&rsquo;s career scoring leader. He hasn&rsquo;t played at Madison Square Garden, one of his favorite arenas, since Jan. 22, 2020.
Ham said it was planned all along that Davis wouldn&rsquo;t play both nights of the back-to-back after returning recently from a foot injury.
&nbsp;

LeBron James is experiencing significant soreness in his left foot and will be evaluated Tuesday to see if he can play against the Knicks.

James’ sore foot to be checked Tuesday to see about MSG game

PHOENIX (AP) &mdash; Deandre Ayton had to do a double-take in the final minutes as his Phoenix Suns pulled away for another win.
His eyes weren&rsquo;t playing tricks. That was Mikal Bridges getting big mid-range buckets during crucial possessions in the fourth quarter, not injured All-Star guard Devin Booker.
Bridges had one of his best games of the season with 29 points, Ayton added 22 points and 13 rebounds and the Suns won for the sixth time in seven games by beating the Toronto Raptors 114-106 on Monday night.
&ldquo;I told Booker &mdash; &lsquo;You know what&rsquo;s crazy? These are your plays,&rsquo;&rdquo; Ayton said, teasing his teammate. &ldquo;These are Mikal&rsquo;s plays now.&rdquo;
The Suns are on a bit of roll despite missing Booker the past several weeks. The 6-foot-6 Bridges has always been a solid player &mdash; mostly known for his defense and 3-point shooting &mdash; but he has morphed into a lead scoring option with Booker on the shelf with a groin injury.
&nbsp;

PHOENIX (AP) &mdash; Deandre Ayton had to do a double-take in the final minutes as his Phoenix Suns pulled away for another win.
His eyes weren&rsquo;t playing tricks. That was Mikal Bridges getting big mid-range buckets during crucial possessions in the fourth quarter, not injured All-Star guard Devin Booker.
Bridges had one of his best games of the season with 29 points, Ayton added 22 points and 13 rebounds and the Suns won for the sixth time in seven games by beating the Toronto Raptors 114-106 on Monday night.
&ldquo;I told Booker &mdash; &lsquo;You know what&rsquo;s crazy? These are your plays,&rsquo;&rdquo; Ayton said, teasing his teammate. &ldquo;These are Mikal&rsquo;s plays now.&rdquo;
The Suns are on a bit of roll despite missing Booker the past several weeks. The 6-foot-6 Bridges has always been a solid player &mdash; mostly known for his defense and 3-point shooting &mdash; but he has morphed into a lead scoring option with Booker on the shelf with a groin injury.
The fifth-year player is averaging 23 points per game over his last nine contests, which has coincided with a Suns revival after an extended midseason swoon. He shot 12 of 19 from the field against the Raptors, including 3 of 4 from 3-point range.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m loving it,&rdquo; Suns guard Chris Paul said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s a confidence thing and I think it just keeps building.&rdquo;
&nbsp;

PHOENIX (AP) &mdash; Deandre Ayton had to do a double-take in the final minutes as his Phoenix Suns pulled away for another win.
His eyes weren&rsquo;t playing tricks. That was Mikal Bridges getting big mid-range buckets during crucial possessions in the fourth quarter, not injured All-Star guard Devin Booker.
Bridges had one of his best games of the season with 29 points, Ayton added 22 points and 13 rebounds and the Suns won for the sixth time in seven games by beating the Toronto Raptors 114-106 on Monday night.
&ldquo;I told Booker &mdash; &lsquo;You know what&rsquo;s crazy? These are your plays,&rsquo;&rdquo; Ayton said, teasing his teammate. &ldquo;These are Mikal&rsquo;s plays now.&rdquo;
The Suns are on a bit of roll despite missing Booker the past several weeks. The 6-foot-6 Bridges has always been a solid player &mdash; mostly known for his defense and 3-point shooting &mdash; but he has morphed into a lead scoring option with Booker on the shelf with a groin injury.
The fifth-year player is averaging 23 points per game over his last nine contests, which has coincided with a Suns revival after an extended midseason swoon. He shot 12 of 19 from the field against the Raptors, including 3 of 4 from 3-point range.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m loving it,&rdquo; Suns guard Chris Paul said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s a confidence thing and I think it just keeps building.&rdquo;
Neither team led by more than 10 points in a contest that featured 16 lead changes and five ties.
The Raptors trailed by nine to start the second half but scored 12 straight points in the first 2 1/2 minutes of the third quarter to take a 65-62 lead. Toronto took an 84-82 advantage into the fourth.
The game stayed tight from that point forward until Phoenix pulled away in the final minutes. Bridges had a pair of clutch jumpers before Paul made a 3-pointer to push the Suns ahead 106-102 with 1:30 left. Ayton added a tip-in with 51.4 seconds left to extend the advantage to 108-102.
Paul finished with 19 points and nine assists.
&ldquo;They threw some shots in that we needed to miss,&rdquo; Raptors guard Fred VanVleet said. &ldquo;We fought hard, we competed, but give them credit.&rdquo;
Toronto was led by VanVleet&rsquo;s 24 points and nine assists. Gary Trent Jr. added 21 points while Pascal Siakam had 19.
&ldquo;We were playing really hard, really well,&rdquo; Raptors coach Nick Nurse said. &ldquo;We could have down a few things and shored up the rebounding, but it didn&rsquo;t really bounce our way when it needed to.&rdquo;
&nbsp;

PHOENIX (AP) &mdash; Deandre Ayton had to do a double-take in the final minutes as his Phoenix Suns pulled away for another win.
His eyes weren&rsquo;t playing tricks. That was Mikal Bridges getting big mid-range buckets during crucial possessions in the fourth quarter, not injured All-Star guard Devin Booker.
Bridges had one of his best games of the season with 29 points, Ayton added 22 points and 13 rebounds and the Suns won for the sixth time in seven games by beating the Toronto Raptors 114-106 on Monday night.
&ldquo;I told Booker &mdash; &lsquo;You know what&rsquo;s crazy? These are your plays,&rsquo;&rdquo; Ayton said, teasing his teammate. &ldquo;These are Mikal&rsquo;s plays now.&rdquo;
The Suns are on a bit of roll despite missing Booker the past several weeks. The 6-foot-6 Bridges has always been a solid player &mdash; mostly known for his defense and 3-point shooting &mdash; but he has morphed into a lead scoring option with Booker on the shelf with a groin injury.
The fifth-year player is averaging 23 points per game over his last nine contests, which has coincided with a Suns revival after an extended midseason swoon. He shot 12 of 19 from the field against the Raptors, including 3 of 4 from 3-point range.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m loving it,&rdquo; Suns guard Chris Paul said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s a confidence thing and I think it just keeps building.&rdquo;
Neither team led by more than 10 points in a contest that featured 16 lead changes and five ties.
The Raptors trailed by nine to start the second half but scored 12 straight points in the first 2 1/2 minutes of the third quarter to take a 65-62 lead. Toronto took an 84-82 advantage into the fourth.
The game stayed tight from that point forward until Phoenix pulled away in the final minutes. Bridges had a pair of clutch jumpers before Paul made a 3-pointer to push the Suns ahead 106-102 with 1:30 left. Ayton added a tip-in with 51.4 seconds left to extend the advantage to 108-102.
Paul finished with 19 points and nine assists.
&ldquo;They threw some shots in that we needed to miss,&rdquo; Raptors guard Fred VanVleet said. &ldquo;We fought hard, we competed, but give them credit.&rdquo;
Toronto was led by VanVleet&rsquo;s 24 points and nine assists. Gary Trent Jr. added 21 points while Pascal Siakam had 19.
&ldquo;We were playing really hard, really well,&rdquo; Raptors coach Nick Nurse said. &ldquo;We could have down a few things and shored up the rebounding, but it didn&rsquo;t really bounce our way when it needed to.&rdquo;
Bridges scored 23 points on 9 of 12 shooting to push the Suns to a 62-53 halftime lead.
&ldquo;I felt it for sure,&rdquo; Bridges said. &ldquo;The crowd had me all gassed up. The crowd and our bench. I felt it from both of them.&rdquo;
TIP-INS
Raptors: G O.G. Anunoby (wrist) and F Otto Porter Jr. (foot) were out. ... Shot just 9 of 33 (27.3%) from 3-point range.
Suns: Guards Devin Booker (groin), Cameron Payne (foot) and Landry Shamet (foot) were out. ... Hosted a 53rd straight sellout crowd. ... Paul hit a 3-pointer at the first quarter buzzer to give the Suns a 32-28 lead. ... Dario Saric added 11 points over 14 minutes off the bench.

Mikal Bridges had 29 points, Deandre Ayton added 22 and the Phoenix Suns beat the Toronto Raptors 114-106.

Bridges scores 29, Suns pull away late, beat Raptors 114-106

DALLAS (AP) &mdash; Luka Doncic had 53 points in his return to the lineup and Spencer Dinwiddie scored 10 of his 12 in the fourth quarter as the Dallas Mavericks rallied to beat the Detroit Pistons 111-105 on Monday night.
Four of Doncic&rsquo;s five career 50-point games have come this season. He scored a career-best 60 against the New York Knicks in a game that went to overtime on Dec. 27.
His 53 points tied for second-most in Dallas history with Dirk Nowitzki&rsquo;s total against the Houston Rockets on Dec. 2, 2004.
Doncic had 24 points in the first quarter and 18 in the third. Second in the NBA going in with an average of 33 points per game, he returned after spraining his left ankle three-plus minutes into last Thursday&rsquo;s game at Phoenix and then missing Saturday&rsquo;s game at Utah.
Usually animated and vocal on the court, Doncic was particularly involved in a running conversation with Pistons assistant coach Jerome Allen.
&nbsp;

DALLAS (AP) &mdash; Luka Doncic had 53 points in his return to the lineup and Spencer Dinwiddie scored 10 of his 12 in the fourth quarter as the Dallas Mavericks rallied to beat the Detroit Pistons 111-105 on Monday night.
Four of Doncic&rsquo;s five career 50-point games have come this season. He scored a career-best 60 against the New York Knicks in a game that went to overtime on Dec. 27.
His 53 points tied for second-most in Dallas history with Dirk Nowitzki&rsquo;s total against the Houston Rockets on Dec. 2, 2004.
Doncic had 24 points in the first quarter and 18 in the third. Second in the NBA going in with an average of 33 points per game, he returned after spraining his left ankle three-plus minutes into last Thursday&rsquo;s game at Phoenix and then missing Saturday&rsquo;s game at Utah.
Usually animated and vocal on the court, Doncic was particularly involved in a running conversation with Pistons assistant coach Jerome Allen.
&ldquo;From the first quarter, he was just chirping,&rdquo; Doncic said. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t want to say the words. I have no problem with that. It&rsquo;s basketball. It gets me going, for sure.&rdquo;
The Mavericks (27-25) moved into sixth place in the Western Conference, a half-game ahead of the four-team play-in positions.
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DALLAS (AP) &mdash; Luka Doncic had 53 points in his return to the lineup and Spencer Dinwiddie scored 10 of his 12 in the fourth quarter as the Dallas Mavericks rallied to beat the Detroit Pistons 111-105 on Monday night.
Four of Doncic&rsquo;s five career 50-point games have come this season. He scored a career-best 60 against the New York Knicks in a game that went to overtime on Dec. 27.
His 53 points tied for second-most in Dallas history with Dirk Nowitzki&rsquo;s total against the Houston Rockets on Dec. 2, 2004.
Doncic had 24 points in the first quarter and 18 in the third. Second in the NBA going in with an average of 33 points per game, he returned after spraining his left ankle three-plus minutes into last Thursday&rsquo;s game at Phoenix and then missing Saturday&rsquo;s game at Utah.
Usually animated and vocal on the court, Doncic was particularly involved in a running conversation with Pistons assistant coach Jerome Allen.
&ldquo;From the first quarter, he was just chirping,&rdquo; Doncic said. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t want to say the words. I have no problem with that. It&rsquo;s basketball. It gets me going, for sure.&rdquo;
The Mavericks (27-25) moved into sixth place in the Western Conference, a half-game ahead of the four-team play-in positions.
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Bojan Bogdanovic had 29 points and Saddiq Bey scored 18 &mdash; including five 3-pointers &mdash; for the Pistons (13-39), who have lost six of seven.
Doncic&rsquo;s final basket was a shot that bounced off the front rim and dropped in to put Dallas ahead 109-105 with 46 seconds left. On the Pistons&rsquo; next possession, Bogdanovic missed a long 3-pointer near the right sideline amid traffic and landed on his backside out of bounds.
&ldquo;We thought Bojan got fouled,&rdquo; Detroit coach Dwane Casey said. &ldquo;You still have to play in all those situations and close out the game, because we put ourselves in a situation to win.&rdquo;
The Pistons were called for 31 fouls to the Mavericks&rsquo; 18. Doncic was 14 of 18 at the free throw line while Detroit went 19 for 27.
Detroit led by 11 in the third quarter and 84-83 going into the fourth. Dallas opened the period on a 9-2 run with Doncic on the bench, as Dinwiddie scored six points on his first three field goals of the game.
Dinwiddie&rsquo;s 12 points followed his two highest-scoring games of the season &mdash; 36 and 35 points in Doncic&rsquo;s absence.
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DALLAS (AP) &mdash; Luka Doncic had 53 points in his return to the lineup and Spencer Dinwiddie scored 10 of his 12 in the fourth quarter as the Dallas Mavericks rallied to beat the Detroit Pistons 111-105 on Monday night.
Four of Doncic&rsquo;s five career 50-point games have come this season. He scored a career-best 60 against the New York Knicks in a game that went to overtime on Dec. 27.
His 53 points tied for second-most in Dallas history with Dirk Nowitzki&rsquo;s total against the Houston Rockets on Dec. 2, 2004.
Doncic had 24 points in the first quarter and 18 in the third. Second in the NBA going in with an average of 33 points per game, he returned after spraining his left ankle three-plus minutes into last Thursday&rsquo;s game at Phoenix and then missing Saturday&rsquo;s game at Utah.
Usually animated and vocal on the court, Doncic was particularly involved in a running conversation with Pistons assistant coach Jerome Allen.
&ldquo;From the first quarter, he was just chirping,&rdquo; Doncic said. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t want to say the words. I have no problem with that. It&rsquo;s basketball. It gets me going, for sure.&rdquo;
The Mavericks (27-25) moved into sixth place in the Western Conference, a half-game ahead of the four-team play-in positions.
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Bojan Bogdanovic had 29 points and Saddiq Bey scored 18 &mdash; including five 3-pointers &mdash; for the Pistons (13-39), who have lost six of seven.
Doncic&rsquo;s final basket was a shot that bounced off the front rim and dropped in to put Dallas ahead 109-105 with 46 seconds left. On the Pistons&rsquo; next possession, Bogdanovic missed a long 3-pointer near the right sideline amid traffic and landed on his backside out of bounds.
&ldquo;We thought Bojan got fouled,&rdquo; Detroit coach Dwane Casey said. &ldquo;You still have to play in all those situations and close out the game, because we put ourselves in a situation to win.&rdquo;
The Pistons were called for 31 fouls to the Mavericks&rsquo; 18. Doncic was 14 of 18 at the free throw line while Detroit went 19 for 27.
Detroit led by 11 in the third quarter and 84-83 going into the fourth. Dallas opened the period on a 9-2 run with Doncic on the bench, as Dinwiddie scored six points on his first three field goals of the game.
Dinwiddie&rsquo;s 12 points followed his two highest-scoring games of the season &mdash; 36 and 35 points in Doncic&rsquo;s absence.
The Pistons shook off a 10-0 deficit nearly three minutes in and grabbed their first lead with 4:41 to play in the first quarter. They led 57-53 at halftime.
ONE-MAN BAND
Doncic had 18 of Dallas&rsquo; first 20 points and 24 of the Mavericks&rsquo; 30 in the first quarter, the highest-scoring opening period for an NBA player this season. It was his fourth quarter with at least 20 points this season, tying Brooklyn guard Kyrie Irving for most in the NBA.
&ldquo;You couldn&rsquo;t ask for a better quarter,&rdquo; Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said.
TIP-INS
Pistons: Bogdanovic has scored at least 20 points in each of his last 10 games, the longest streak of his career and tied for the fourth-longest active streak in the NBA. &hellip; Reserve guard Hamidou Diallo, who averages 17 minutes per game, was out with a stomach flu.
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DALLAS (AP) &mdash; Luka Doncic had 53 points in his return to the lineup and Spencer Dinwiddie scored 10 of his 12 in the fourth quarter as the Dallas Mavericks rallied to beat the Detroit Pistons 111-105 on Monday night.
Four of Doncic&rsquo;s five career 50-point games have come this season. He scored a career-best 60 against the New York Knicks in a game that went to overtime on Dec. 27.
His 53 points tied for second-most in Dallas history with Dirk Nowitzki&rsquo;s total against the Houston Rockets on Dec. 2, 2004.
Doncic had 24 points in the first quarter and 18 in the third. Second in the NBA going in with an average of 33 points per game, he returned after spraining his left ankle three-plus minutes into last Thursday&rsquo;s game at Phoenix and then missing Saturday&rsquo;s game at Utah.
Usually animated and vocal on the court, Doncic was particularly involved in a running conversation with Pistons assistant coach Jerome Allen.
&ldquo;From the first quarter, he was just chirping,&rdquo; Doncic said. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t want to say the words. I have no problem with that. It&rsquo;s basketball. It gets me going, for sure.&rdquo;
The Mavericks (27-25) moved into sixth place in the Western Conference, a half-game ahead of the four-team play-in positions.
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Bojan Bogdanovic had 29 points and Saddiq Bey scored 18 &mdash; including five 3-pointers &mdash; for the Pistons (13-39), who have lost six of seven.
Doncic&rsquo;s final basket was a shot that bounced off the front rim and dropped in to put Dallas ahead 109-105 with 46 seconds left. On the Pistons&rsquo; next possession, Bogdanovic missed a long 3-pointer near the right sideline amid traffic and landed on his backside out of bounds.
&ldquo;We thought Bojan got fouled,&rdquo; Detroit coach Dwane Casey said. &ldquo;You still have to play in all those situations and close out the game, because we put ourselves in a situation to win.&rdquo;
The Pistons were called for 31 fouls to the Mavericks&rsquo; 18. Doncic was 14 of 18 at the free throw line while Detroit went 19 for 27.
Detroit led by 11 in the third quarter and 84-83 going into the fourth. Dallas opened the period on a 9-2 run with Doncic on the bench, as Dinwiddie scored six points on his first three field goals of the game.
Dinwiddie&rsquo;s 12 points followed his two highest-scoring games of the season &mdash; 36 and 35 points in Doncic&rsquo;s absence.
The Pistons shook off a 10-0 deficit nearly three minutes in and grabbed their first lead with 4:41 to play in the first quarter. They led 57-53 at halftime.
ONE-MAN BAND
Doncic had 18 of Dallas&rsquo; first 20 points and 24 of the Mavericks&rsquo; 30 in the first quarter, the highest-scoring opening period for an NBA player this season. It was his fourth quarter with at least 20 points this season, tying Brooklyn guard Kyrie Irving for most in the NBA.
&ldquo;You couldn&rsquo;t ask for a better quarter,&rdquo; Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said.
TIP-INS
Pistons: Bogdanovic has scored at least 20 points in each of his last 10 games, the longest streak of his career and tied for the fourth-longest active streak in the NBA. &hellip; Reserve guard Hamidou Diallo, who averages 17 minutes per game, was out with a stomach flu.
Mavericks: Kidd said the team expects a medical update later this week on starting center Christian Wood, who missed his sixth consecutive game with a broken left thumb. &hellip; Theo Pinson was assessed a technical foul late in the first quarter while sitting near the end of the bench.
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Luka Doncic had 53 points as the Dallas Mavericks rallied to beat the Detroit Pistons 111-105.

Doncic scores 53 in return, Mavericks beat Pistons 111-105

Purdue became this season&rsquo;s first unanimous No. 1 team in the AP Top 25 men&rsquo;s college basketball poll Monday after wins over Michigan and Michigan State last week as chaos ensued behind the Boilermakers among other ranked teams.
More than half of Top 25 teams lost, including second-ranked Alabama, which was routed by Oklahoma in the Big 12-SEC Challenge. That allowed Purdue to grab the remaining No. 1 votes and tighten its grip atop the poll, while Tennessee jumped two spots to second and Houston held onto third in voting by 62 national media members.
The Boilermakers (21-1) have won eight straight since a one-point loss to Rutgers on Jan. 2.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;re the No. 1 team in the country because of how unselfish we are as a team,&rdquo; Purdue guard David Jenkins Jr. said. &ldquo;We had a lot of people doubting us in the beginning because, you know, we may not be the most talented team or whatever, but we&rsquo;re close on the court and off the court and it&rsquo;s really translating to how we&rsquo;re winning.&rdquo;
The Volunteers climbed to their highest perch since reaching No. 1 for four weeks during the 2018-19 season. They routed Georgia before becoming one of three SEC teams to beat Big 12 opponents on Saturday, knocking off No. 10 Texas 82-71 for their fifth consecutive win over a top-10 team.
Perhaps this is the year Rick Barnes finally gets the Vols through the Sweet 16 for the first time as their coach.
&ldquo;We have a chance to be as good as we want to be,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s up to one thing: Are we tough enough to embrace the daily grind? And not worry about going to the Final Four or worry about going to the NCAA Tournament, but can we build a team that can be successful that time of year? It starts with truly embracing the grind.&rdquo;
The Crimson Tide dropped to fourth after the blowout loss to the Sooners, when Alabama fell behind by 17 at halftime in an eventual 93-69 defeat. The Tide edged fifth-ranked Arizona by just two points in this week&rsquo;s poll.
&ldquo;It doesn&rsquo;t have any effect on SEC standings, which is the only good thing to come out of this,&rdquo; Alabama coach Nate Oats said of the lopsided loss. &ldquo;Hopefully we&rsquo;ll recover from a loss out of conference, but you know, it&rsquo;s not good.&rdquo;
Virginia was sixth and Kansas State, which rebounded from a narrow loss at No. 13 Iowa State by pummeling Florida on Saturday, fell two spots to seventh; the Wildcats face eighth-ranked Kansas in a top-10 showdown Tuesday night.
UCLA dropped to ninth after losing to Southern California and Texas rounded out the top 10.
Baylor continued its climb from unranked to No. 11 following wins over the Jayhawks and Arkansas. The Bears were followed by Gonzaga, Iowa State, Marquette and league rival TCU &mdash; the sixth Big 12 team in the top 15.
Xavier, Providence, Saint Mary&rsquo;s, Florida Atlantic and Clemson completed the top 20, while poll returners Indiana and San Diego State joined Miami, UConn and Auburn in rounding out the Top 25.
RISING AND FALLING
The No. 11 Bears and No. 17 Providence made the biggest leaps, each climbing six spots from last week.
&ldquo;I think our defense is better. Our turnovers are better. When you don&rsquo;t give people easy transition baskets, now its five-on-five in the half court,&rdquo; said Baylor coach Scott Drew, whose team had a date with the Longhorns on Monday night.
&ldquo;We execute at a pretty high rate,&rdquo; Drew said. &ldquo;It really comes down to taking care of the ball, making sure we get shots up and when you don&rsquo;t make them, you&rsquo;ve got to get rebounds. And our guys are buying into that.&rdquo;
Auburn took the biggest hit of those still in the poll, dropping 10 places after losses to unranked Texas A&amp;M and West Virginia.
IN AND OUT
The Hoosiers returned to the poll at No. 21 and the Aztecs rejoined it right behind them. They took the place of Charleston, which fell out from No. 18 after losing to Hofstra, and New Mexico, which lost to Nevada in double overtime last week.
CONFERENCE CALL
The Big 12&prime;s dominance of the SEC in the final year of their head-to-head challenge was rewarded in the poll, where the league led the way with six ranked teams and all of them in the top 15. The Big East has four teams in the poll but none higher than No. 14 Marquette, while the SEC and ACC have three teams apiece.

The Boilermakers (21-1) have won eight straight since a one-point loss to Rutgers on Jan. 2.

Purdue a unanimous No. 1 in AP Top 25; Vols up to No. 2

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) &mdash; Stephen Curry had 35 points and 11 assists, and the Golden State Warriors beat the Toronto Raptors 129-117 on Friday night.
The high-scoring affair was close until the Warriors pulled away with a 31-point fourth quarter, securing a sweep in the season series.
&ldquo;It feels like we took better care of the ball tonight,&rdquo; Golden State coach Steve Kerr said. &ldquo;When Steph plays like that, the whole game opens up. The whole floor opens up.&rdquo;
Klay Thompson added 29 points, knocking down six 3-pointers despite beginning the night 0 for 5 from beyond the arc. Though Thompson played in the Warriors&rsquo; 126-110 victory in Toronto on Dec. 18, the game Friday was his first time facing the Raptors at home since he tore his ACL in his left knee in the deciding Game 6 of the 2019 NBA Finals won by Toronto in Oakland.
Kevon Looney returned to the starting lineup and had 12 points and eight boards as six Warriors players scored in double figures.
&nbsp;

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) &mdash; Stephen Curry had 35 points and 11 assists, and the Golden State Warriors beat the Toronto Raptors 129-117 on Friday night.
The high-scoring affair was close until the Warriors pulled away with a 31-point fourth quarter, securing a sweep in the season series.
&ldquo;It feels like we took better care of the ball tonight,&rdquo; Golden State coach Steve Kerr said. &ldquo;When Steph plays like that, the whole game opens up. The whole floor opens up.&rdquo;
Klay Thompson added 29 points, knocking down six 3-pointers despite beginning the night 0 for 5 from beyond the arc. Though Thompson played in the Warriors&rsquo; 126-110 victory in Toronto on Dec. 18, the game Friday was his first time facing the Raptors at home since he tore his ACL in his left knee in the deciding Game 6 of the 2019 NBA Finals won by Toronto in Oakland.
Kevon Looney returned to the starting lineup and had 12 points and eight boards as six Warriors players scored in double figures.
The Warriors have won consecutive home games after dropping four straight at the Chase Center.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve been teetering on either side of .500 for a very long time. I&rsquo;m kind of sick of it at this point,&rdquo; Curry said. &ldquo;(We&rsquo;ve) got to figure out how to keep moving in the right direction and stack wins no matter how we can get &rsquo;em.&rdquo;
&nbsp;

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) &mdash; Stephen Curry had 35 points and 11 assists, and the Golden State Warriors beat the Toronto Raptors 129-117 on Friday night.
The high-scoring affair was close until the Warriors pulled away with a 31-point fourth quarter, securing a sweep in the season series.
&ldquo;It feels like we took better care of the ball tonight,&rdquo; Golden State coach Steve Kerr said. &ldquo;When Steph plays like that, the whole game opens up. The whole floor opens up.&rdquo;
Klay Thompson added 29 points, knocking down six 3-pointers despite beginning the night 0 for 5 from beyond the arc. Though Thompson played in the Warriors&rsquo; 126-110 victory in Toronto on Dec. 18, the game Friday was his first time facing the Raptors at home since he tore his ACL in his left knee in the deciding Game 6 of the 2019 NBA Finals won by Toronto in Oakland.
Kevon Looney returned to the starting lineup and had 12 points and eight boards as six Warriors players scored in double figures.
The Warriors have won consecutive home games after dropping four straight at the Chase Center.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve been teetering on either side of .500 for a very long time. I&rsquo;m kind of sick of it at this point,&rdquo; Curry said. &ldquo;(We&rsquo;ve) got to figure out how to keep moving in the right direction and stack wins no matter how we can get &rsquo;em.&rdquo;
Golden State&rsquo;s bench outscored Toronto&rsquo;s 39-26, highlighted by 15 points from Jonathan Kuminga. The 20-year-old missed his first three shots from deep before making four straight 3s in the final three minutes of the third quarter, giving the Warriors a 98-94 lead they did not relinquish.
&ldquo;He just showed another element to his game that some might have doubted,&rdquo; Thompson said. &ldquo;To get on the hot streak he did was very impressive, and for that man, the sky&rsquo;s the limit for his talent.&rdquo;
Donte DiVincenzo had a career-high 11 assists and the Warriors outscored the Raptors by 24 points in his 33 minutes off the bench.
&ldquo;We knew what we were coming up against, and we&rsquo;ve had fairly good success guarding and executing, and tonight we just didn&rsquo;t do it,&rdquo; Toronto coach Nick Nurse said. &ldquo;We missed a lot of communication, we just got beat physically.&rdquo;
Fred VanVleet had 28 points and 10 assists for the Raptors, who began their season-high, seven-game road trip 1-1. Scottie Barnes had 24 points and Pascal Siakam had 21, while Gary Trent Jr. added 17.
&nbsp;

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) &mdash; Stephen Curry had 35 points and 11 assists, and the Golden State Warriors beat the Toronto Raptors 129-117 on Friday night.
The high-scoring affair was close until the Warriors pulled away with a 31-point fourth quarter, securing a sweep in the season series.
&ldquo;It feels like we took better care of the ball tonight,&rdquo; Golden State coach Steve Kerr said. &ldquo;When Steph plays like that, the whole game opens up. The whole floor opens up.&rdquo;
Klay Thompson added 29 points, knocking down six 3-pointers despite beginning the night 0 for 5 from beyond the arc. Though Thompson played in the Warriors&rsquo; 126-110 victory in Toronto on Dec. 18, the game Friday was his first time facing the Raptors at home since he tore his ACL in his left knee in the deciding Game 6 of the 2019 NBA Finals won by Toronto in Oakland.
Kevon Looney returned to the starting lineup and had 12 points and eight boards as six Warriors players scored in double figures.
The Warriors have won consecutive home games after dropping four straight at the Chase Center.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve been teetering on either side of .500 for a very long time. I&rsquo;m kind of sick of it at this point,&rdquo; Curry said. &ldquo;(We&rsquo;ve) got to figure out how to keep moving in the right direction and stack wins no matter how we can get &rsquo;em.&rdquo;
Golden State&rsquo;s bench outscored Toronto&rsquo;s 39-26, highlighted by 15 points from Jonathan Kuminga. The 20-year-old missed his first three shots from deep before making four straight 3s in the final three minutes of the third quarter, giving the Warriors a 98-94 lead they did not relinquish.
&ldquo;He just showed another element to his game that some might have doubted,&rdquo; Thompson said. &ldquo;To get on the hot streak he did was very impressive, and for that man, the sky&rsquo;s the limit for his talent.&rdquo;
Donte DiVincenzo had a career-high 11 assists and the Warriors outscored the Raptors by 24 points in his 33 minutes off the bench.
&ldquo;We knew what we were coming up against, and we&rsquo;ve had fairly good success guarding and executing, and tonight we just didn&rsquo;t do it,&rdquo; Toronto coach Nick Nurse said. &ldquo;We missed a lot of communication, we just got beat physically.&rdquo;
Fred VanVleet had 28 points and 10 assists for the Raptors, who began their season-high, seven-game road trip 1-1. Scottie Barnes had 24 points and Pascal Siakam had 21, while Gary Trent Jr. added 17.
Precious Achiuwa contributed 17 points and 11 rebounds off the bench.
CURRY FINED
Curry was fined $25,000 by the NBA on Friday for throwing his mouthpiece into the stands in a moment of frustration during the Warriors&rsquo; 122-120 win over the Grizzlies on Wednesday. Curry was whistled for his fifth technical foul of the season and subsequently ejected from the game.
TIP-INS
Raptors: Achiuwa&rsquo;s double-double was his third in his last four games. ... Entering Friday, Toronto ranked second in the league in opponent turnovers &mdash; forcing 16.8 per game &mdash; but only induced 12 Golden State turnovers. ... The Raptors have gone 2-7 in the first game of back-to-backs and 3-5 in the second game this season after posting winning records in both categories in 2021-22.
&nbsp;

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) &mdash; Stephen Curry had 35 points and 11 assists, and the Golden State Warriors beat the Toronto Raptors 129-117 on Friday night.
The high-scoring affair was close until the Warriors pulled away with a 31-point fourth quarter, securing a sweep in the season series.
&ldquo;It feels like we took better care of the ball tonight,&rdquo; Golden State coach Steve Kerr said. &ldquo;When Steph plays like that, the whole game opens up. The whole floor opens up.&rdquo;
Klay Thompson added 29 points, knocking down six 3-pointers despite beginning the night 0 for 5 from beyond the arc. Though Thompson played in the Warriors&rsquo; 126-110 victory in Toronto on Dec. 18, the game Friday was his first time facing the Raptors at home since he tore his ACL in his left knee in the deciding Game 6 of the 2019 NBA Finals won by Toronto in Oakland.
Kevon Looney returned to the starting lineup and had 12 points and eight boards as six Warriors players scored in double figures.
The Warriors have won consecutive home games after dropping four straight at the Chase Center.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve been teetering on either side of .500 for a very long time. I&rsquo;m kind of sick of it at this point,&rdquo; Curry said. &ldquo;(We&rsquo;ve) got to figure out how to keep moving in the right direction and stack wins no matter how we can get &rsquo;em.&rdquo;
Golden State&rsquo;s bench outscored Toronto&rsquo;s 39-26, highlighted by 15 points from Jonathan Kuminga. The 20-year-old missed his first three shots from deep before making four straight 3s in the final three minutes of the third quarter, giving the Warriors a 98-94 lead they did not relinquish.
&ldquo;He just showed another element to his game that some might have doubted,&rdquo; Thompson said. &ldquo;To get on the hot streak he did was very impressive, and for that man, the sky&rsquo;s the limit for his talent.&rdquo;
Donte DiVincenzo had a career-high 11 assists and the Warriors outscored the Raptors by 24 points in his 33 minutes off the bench.
&ldquo;We knew what we were coming up against, and we&rsquo;ve had fairly good success guarding and executing, and tonight we just didn&rsquo;t do it,&rdquo; Toronto coach Nick Nurse said. &ldquo;We missed a lot of communication, we just got beat physically.&rdquo;
Fred VanVleet had 28 points and 10 assists for the Raptors, who began their season-high, seven-game road trip 1-1. Scottie Barnes had 24 points and Pascal Siakam had 21, while Gary Trent Jr. added 17.
Precious Achiuwa contributed 17 points and 11 rebounds off the bench.
CURRY FINED
Curry was fined $25,000 by the NBA on Friday for throwing his mouthpiece into the stands in a moment of frustration during the Warriors&rsquo; 122-120 win over the Grizzlies on Wednesday. Curry was whistled for his fifth technical foul of the season and subsequently ejected from the game.
TIP-INS
Raptors: Achiuwa&rsquo;s double-double was his third in his last four games. ... Entering Friday, Toronto ranked second in the league in opponent turnovers &mdash; forcing 16.8 per game &mdash; but only induced 12 Golden State turnovers. ... The Raptors have gone 2-7 in the first game of back-to-backs and 3-5 in the second game this season after posting winning records in both categories in 2021-22.
Warriors: F Andrew Wiggins missed his second straight game with a non-COVID illness. ... Golden State logged a season-high 40 assists. ... G Jordan Poole scored a career-high 43 points on Dec. 18 vs. Toronto but was held to just nine on 4-of-8 shooting Friday. ... Curry received his ninth All-Star nod Thursday and is the only player in franchise history with nine starts in the league showcase.

Stephen Curry had 35 points and 11 assists, and the Golden State Warriors beat the Toronto Raptors 129-117.

Curry’s 35 points send Warriors past Raptors, 129-117

LOS ANGELES (AP) &mdash; If anyone needed any proof of how confident Paul George and the Los Angeles Clippers are feeling, it came late in the second quarter of their game against the San Antonio Spurs.
George stole the ball from Zach Collins after a bad pass by Stanley Johnson, dribbled down the court and threw down a windmill dunk to give the Clippers a 20-point advantage.
The dunk was part of a 35-point night by George as the Clippers extended their winning streak to a season-high four games with a 138-100 rout on Thursday night.
&ldquo;My body has been feeling pretty good, and I have been working a ton to stay healthy and keep it that way,&rdquo; said George, who is averaging 22.4 points after he missed five games earlier this month due to right hamstring soreness. &ldquo;Everything is kind of falling into place at this point. We&rsquo;re healthy and starting to figure out our rotations.&rdquo;
It was the fifth time this season George has had at least 35 points. He was 14 of 19 from the field, including 5 of 8 from beyond the arc as the Clippers posted their largest winning margin since 2021. It was the 11th time since 2013 they have won a game by at least 38 points.
&nbsp;

LOS ANGELES (AP) &mdash; If anyone needed any proof of how confident Paul George and the Los Angeles Clippers are feeling, it came late in the second quarter of their game against the San Antonio Spurs.
George stole the ball from Zach Collins after a bad pass by Stanley Johnson, dribbled down the court and threw down a windmill dunk to give the Clippers a 20-point advantage.
The dunk was part of a 35-point night by George as the Clippers extended their winning streak to a season-high four games with a 138-100 rout on Thursday night.
&ldquo;My body has been feeling pretty good, and I have been working a ton to stay healthy and keep it that way,&rdquo; said George, who is averaging 22.4 points after he missed five games earlier this month due to right hamstring soreness. &ldquo;Everything is kind of falling into place at this point. We&rsquo;re healthy and starting to figure out our rotations.&rdquo;
It was the fifth time this season George has had at least 35 points. He was 14 of 19 from the field, including 5 of 8 from beyond the arc as the Clippers posted their largest winning margin since 2021. It was the 11th time since 2013 they have won a game by at least 38 points.
Kawhi Leonard added 27 points and was 10 of 16 from the field.
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LOS ANGELES (AP) &mdash; If anyone needed any proof of how confident Paul George and the Los Angeles Clippers are feeling, it came late in the second quarter of their game against the San Antonio Spurs.
George stole the ball from Zach Collins after a bad pass by Stanley Johnson, dribbled down the court and threw down a windmill dunk to give the Clippers a 20-point advantage.
The dunk was part of a 35-point night by George as the Clippers extended their winning streak to a season-high four games with a 138-100 rout on Thursday night.
&ldquo;My body has been feeling pretty good, and I have been working a ton to stay healthy and keep it that way,&rdquo; said George, who is averaging 22.4 points after he missed five games earlier this month due to right hamstring soreness. &ldquo;Everything is kind of falling into place at this point. We&rsquo;re healthy and starting to figure out our rotations.&rdquo;
It was the fifth time this season George has had at least 35 points. He was 14 of 19 from the field, including 5 of 8 from beyond the arc as the Clippers posted their largest winning margin since 2021. It was the 11th time since 2013 they have won a game by at least 38 points.
Kawhi Leonard added 27 points and was 10 of 16 from the field.
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&ldquo;We just have to continue to keep building. We&rsquo;re trending upwards, but we still got a long ways to go, but I like where we&rsquo;re at right now.,&rdquo; Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said.
Keldon Johnson scored 19 points for San Antonio, while Isaiah Roby had 14 and Keita Bates-Diop 13. The Spurs have dropped nine of their last 10 and 12 of their 14.
&ldquo;We played hard. Got our butts kicked. Hopefully learned some things. Go home and start up again,&rdquo; said Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, whose postgame remarks went just 15 seconds.
It was the fifth time this season San Antonio has lost a game by 35 or more points.
The Clippers have won seven of their past nine against the Spurs and swept the four-game season series for the first time since 1996-97.
Los Angeles, which shot 58.4% from the field and made 18 3-pointers, led the entire game. It had a double-digit lead for the final 38 minutes and was up 41-25 at the end of the first quarter.
&ldquo;When they&rsquo;re hitting shots like they were tonight and active on defense, that&rsquo;s what makes them special,&rdquo; said Bates-Diop about George and Leonard.
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LOS ANGELES (AP) &mdash; If anyone needed any proof of how confident Paul George and the Los Angeles Clippers are feeling, it came late in the second quarter of their game against the San Antonio Spurs.
George stole the ball from Zach Collins after a bad pass by Stanley Johnson, dribbled down the court and threw down a windmill dunk to give the Clippers a 20-point advantage.
The dunk was part of a 35-point night by George as the Clippers extended their winning streak to a season-high four games with a 138-100 rout on Thursday night.
&ldquo;My body has been feeling pretty good, and I have been working a ton to stay healthy and keep it that way,&rdquo; said George, who is averaging 22.4 points after he missed five games earlier this month due to right hamstring soreness. &ldquo;Everything is kind of falling into place at this point. We&rsquo;re healthy and starting to figure out our rotations.&rdquo;
It was the fifth time this season George has had at least 35 points. He was 14 of 19 from the field, including 5 of 8 from beyond the arc as the Clippers posted their largest winning margin since 2021. It was the 11th time since 2013 they have won a game by at least 38 points.
Kawhi Leonard added 27 points and was 10 of 16 from the field.
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&ldquo;We just have to continue to keep building. We&rsquo;re trending upwards, but we still got a long ways to go, but I like where we&rsquo;re at right now.,&rdquo; Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said.
Keldon Johnson scored 19 points for San Antonio, while Isaiah Roby had 14 and Keita Bates-Diop 13. The Spurs have dropped nine of their last 10 and 12 of their 14.
&ldquo;We played hard. Got our butts kicked. Hopefully learned some things. Go home and start up again,&rdquo; said Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, whose postgame remarks went just 15 seconds.
It was the fifth time this season San Antonio has lost a game by 35 or more points.
The Clippers have won seven of their past nine against the Spurs and swept the four-game season series for the first time since 1996-97.
Los Angeles, which shot 58.4% from the field and made 18 3-pointers, led the entire game. It had a double-digit lead for the final 38 minutes and was up 41-25 at the end of the first quarter.
&ldquo;When they&rsquo;re hitting shots like they were tonight and active on defense, that&rsquo;s what makes them special,&rdquo; said Bates-Diop about George and Leonard.
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ROAD WOES
San Antonio lost for the 18th time in 23 road games and has dropped 10 straight away from home. It is the fifth time in franchise history the Spurs have dropped at least 10 straight road games in a season. Their in-season longest road losing streak is 12 set during the 1985-86 season.
The Spurs&rsquo; overall away losing mark is 22 games, which started in the 1988-89 season and extended to the following campaign.
TIP-INS
Spurs: Fell to 1-8 in the second game of a back-to-back. ... Rookie Jeremy Sochan did not play after sustaining a quad injury during the fourth quarter Wednesday.
Clippers: Luke Kennard returned to the lineup and had five points in 17 minutes. Kennard has missed 20 games this season due to a right calf injury. ... Marcus Morris Sr. did not play due to a rib contusion. ... Norman Powell had 15 points off the bench and Robert Covington added 13. ... Leonard made two 3-pointers to reach 900 for his career.
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Paul George scored 35 points as the Clippers extended their winning streak to a season-high four games with a 138-100 rout of the Spurs.

Clippers extend win streak to 4 with 138-100 rout of Spurs

BOSTON (AP) &mdash; The Knicks are a young team that&rsquo;s still learning how to string together victories.
They&rsquo;re hoping to bottle several lessons from their latest outing.
Julius Randle had 37 points and nine rebounds, and hit the free throws that gave New York the lead for good in a 120-117 overtime win over the East-leading Boston Celtics on Thursday night.
Jalen Brunson added 29 points, seven assists and a game-ending blocked shot for the Knicks, who have won two straight. RJ Barrett had 19 points and Immanuel Quickley finished with 17 points and five rebounds.
&ldquo;We held our own,&rdquo; Barrett said. &ldquo;We played together and we played hard. We got the good result.&rdquo;
Boston&rsquo;s Jaylen Brown had a chance to put the Celtics ahead with 7.6 seconds remaining, but misfired on two free throws, forcing the Celtics to foul.
&ldquo;Just got to be better,&rdquo; Brown said. &ldquo;Tonight was just a rough game and I&rsquo;m a better basketball player than I played today. Those two free throws embodied the whole game for me.&rdquo;
&nbsp;

BOSTON (AP) &mdash; The Knicks are a young team that&rsquo;s still learning how to string together victories.
They&rsquo;re hoping to bottle several lessons from their latest outing.
Julius Randle had 37 points and nine rebounds, and hit the free throws that gave New York the lead for good in a 120-117 overtime win over the East-leading Boston Celtics on Thursday night.
Jalen Brunson added 29 points, seven assists and a game-ending blocked shot for the Knicks, who have won two straight. RJ Barrett had 19 points and Immanuel Quickley finished with 17 points and five rebounds.
&ldquo;We held our own,&rdquo; Barrett said. &ldquo;We played together and we played hard. We got the good result.&rdquo;
Boston&rsquo;s Jaylen Brown had a chance to put the Celtics ahead with 7.6 seconds remaining, but misfired on two free throws, forcing the Celtics to foul.
&ldquo;Just got to be better,&rdquo; Brown said. &ldquo;Tonight was just a rough game and I&rsquo;m a better basketball player than I played today. Those two free throws embodied the whole game for me.&rdquo;
Jayson Tatum, who was voted an All-Star game starter for the third consecutive season prior to tip-off, finished with 35 points and 14 rebounds. Brown added 22 points and nine rebounds for Boston, which has lost three straight for just the second time this season.
&nbsp;

BOSTON (AP) &mdash; The Knicks are a young team that&rsquo;s still learning how to string together victories.
They&rsquo;re hoping to bottle several lessons from their latest outing.
Julius Randle had 37 points and nine rebounds, and hit the free throws that gave New York the lead for good in a 120-117 overtime win over the East-leading Boston Celtics on Thursday night.
Jalen Brunson added 29 points, seven assists and a game-ending blocked shot for the Knicks, who have won two straight. RJ Barrett had 19 points and Immanuel Quickley finished with 17 points and five rebounds.
&ldquo;We held our own,&rdquo; Barrett said. &ldquo;We played together and we played hard. We got the good result.&rdquo;
Boston&rsquo;s Jaylen Brown had a chance to put the Celtics ahead with 7.6 seconds remaining, but misfired on two free throws, forcing the Celtics to foul.
&ldquo;Just got to be better,&rdquo; Brown said. &ldquo;Tonight was just a rough game and I&rsquo;m a better basketball player than I played today. Those two free throws embodied the whole game for me.&rdquo;
Jayson Tatum, who was voted an All-Star game starter for the third consecutive season prior to tip-off, finished with 35 points and 14 rebounds. Brown added 22 points and nine rebounds for Boston, which has lost three straight for just the second time this season.
New York led by 13 in the fourth quarter but scored just four points in the final 5:26 of regulation to help the Celtics send the game to OT.
Randle said he never saw panic in his teammates&rsquo; eyes during the Celtics&rsquo; comeback.
&ldquo;Just poise,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve been in those type of situations all year. So I feel like we&rsquo;re getting more and more comfortable in those situations.&rdquo;
Boston scored the first five points of the extra frame. New York responded by scoring the next six, taking a 116-115 lead on Barrett&rsquo;s 3-pointer from the wing.
&ldquo;I didn&rsquo;t have a good shooting night, but I was ready to take that shot,&rdquo; Barrett said. &ldquo;I feel like we&rsquo;re getting more comfortable in those situations.&rdquo;
Brown nudged the Celtics back in front with a driving layup out of a timeout with 24 seconds remaining. Randle&rsquo;s two free throws then put New York back in front for good at 118-117.
Boston had a final chance to tie but Brunson blocked Malcolm Brogdon&rsquo;s 3-point try.
&nbsp;

BOSTON (AP) &mdash; The Knicks are a young team that&rsquo;s still learning how to string together victories.
They&rsquo;re hoping to bottle several lessons from their latest outing.
Julius Randle had 37 points and nine rebounds, and hit the free throws that gave New York the lead for good in a 120-117 overtime win over the East-leading Boston Celtics on Thursday night.
Jalen Brunson added 29 points, seven assists and a game-ending blocked shot for the Knicks, who have won two straight. RJ Barrett had 19 points and Immanuel Quickley finished with 17 points and five rebounds.
&ldquo;We held our own,&rdquo; Barrett said. &ldquo;We played together and we played hard. We got the good result.&rdquo;
Boston&rsquo;s Jaylen Brown had a chance to put the Celtics ahead with 7.6 seconds remaining, but misfired on two free throws, forcing the Celtics to foul.
&ldquo;Just got to be better,&rdquo; Brown said. &ldquo;Tonight was just a rough game and I&rsquo;m a better basketball player than I played today. Those two free throws embodied the whole game for me.&rdquo;
Jayson Tatum, who was voted an All-Star game starter for the third consecutive season prior to tip-off, finished with 35 points and 14 rebounds. Brown added 22 points and nine rebounds for Boston, which has lost three straight for just the second time this season.
New York led by 13 in the fourth quarter but scored just four points in the final 5:26 of regulation to help the Celtics send the game to OT.
Randle said he never saw panic in his teammates&rsquo; eyes during the Celtics&rsquo; comeback.
&ldquo;Just poise,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve been in those type of situations all year. So I feel like we&rsquo;re getting more and more comfortable in those situations.&rdquo;
Boston scored the first five points of the extra frame. New York responded by scoring the next six, taking a 116-115 lead on Barrett&rsquo;s 3-pointer from the wing.
&ldquo;I didn&rsquo;t have a good shooting night, but I was ready to take that shot,&rdquo; Barrett said. &ldquo;I feel like we&rsquo;re getting more comfortable in those situations.&rdquo;
Brown nudged the Celtics back in front with a driving layup out of a timeout with 24 seconds remaining. Randle&rsquo;s two free throws then put New York back in front for good at 118-117.
Boston had a final chance to tie but Brunson blocked Malcolm Brogdon&rsquo;s 3-point try.
Tatum hit his first five shots of the night. He struggled in the second and third quarters but had 11 in the fourth quarter to lead Boston&rsquo;s rally.
The Celtics struggled to find an offensive flow throughout, shooting 41% with 13 turnovers.
FRANTIC FINISH
The Knicks outscored the Celtics 33-25 in the third quarter and took a six-point edge into the fourth.
The lead grew to 102-89 on a pair of free throws by Miles McBride with just over seven minutes to play. The Celtics charged back and had a chance to win it regulation, but Tatum missed a 19-footer and Robert Williams had his follow shot blocked as time expired.
TIP-INS
Knicks: Randle had a driving, one-handed dunk over Tatum late in the third that was part of a 14-5 run to put New York in front 87-78. . &hellip; Outscored the Celtics 48-42 in the paint. &hellip; Evan Fournier missed his second straight game (personal reasons).

BOSTON (AP) &mdash; The Knicks are a young team that&rsquo;s still learning how to string together victories.
They&rsquo;re hoping to bottle several lessons from their latest outing.
Julius Randle had 37 points and nine rebounds, and hit the free throws that gave New York the lead for good in a 120-117 overtime win over the East-leading Boston Celtics on Thursday night.
Jalen Brunson added 29 points, seven assists and a game-ending blocked shot for the Knicks, who have won two straight. RJ Barrett had 19 points and Immanuel Quickley finished with 17 points and five rebounds.
&ldquo;We held our own,&rdquo; Barrett said. &ldquo;We played together and we played hard. We got the good result.&rdquo;
Boston&rsquo;s Jaylen Brown had a chance to put the Celtics ahead with 7.6 seconds remaining, but misfired on two free throws, forcing the Celtics to foul.
&ldquo;Just got to be better,&rdquo; Brown said. &ldquo;Tonight was just a rough game and I&rsquo;m a better basketball player than I played today. Those two free throws embodied the whole game for me.&rdquo;
Jayson Tatum, who was voted an All-Star game starter for the third consecutive season prior to tip-off, finished with 35 points and 14 rebounds. Brown added 22 points and nine rebounds for Boston, which has lost three straight for just the second time this season.
New York led by 13 in the fourth quarter but scored just four points in the final 5:26 of regulation to help the Celtics send the game to OT.
Randle said he never saw panic in his teammates&rsquo; eyes during the Celtics&rsquo; comeback.
&ldquo;Just poise,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve been in those type of situations all year. So I feel like we&rsquo;re getting more and more comfortable in those situations.&rdquo;
Boston scored the first five points of the extra frame. New York responded by scoring the next six, taking a 116-115 lead on Barrett&rsquo;s 3-pointer from the wing.
&ldquo;I didn&rsquo;t have a good shooting night, but I was ready to take that shot,&rdquo; Barrett said. &ldquo;I feel like we&rsquo;re getting more comfortable in those situations.&rdquo;
Brown nudged the Celtics back in front with a driving layup out of a timeout with 24 seconds remaining. Randle&rsquo;s two free throws then put New York back in front for good at 118-117.
Boston had a final chance to tie but Brunson blocked Malcolm Brogdon&rsquo;s 3-point try.
Tatum hit his first five shots of the night. He struggled in the second and third quarters but had 11 in the fourth quarter to lead Boston&rsquo;s rally.
The Celtics struggled to find an offensive flow throughout, shooting 41% with 13 turnovers.
FRANTIC FINISH
The Knicks outscored the Celtics 33-25 in the third quarter and took a six-point edge into the fourth.
The lead grew to 102-89 on a pair of free throws by Miles McBride with just over seven minutes to play. The Celtics charged back and had a chance to win it regulation, but Tatum missed a 19-footer and Robert Williams had his follow shot blocked as time expired.
TIP-INS
Knicks: Randle had a driving, one-handed dunk over Tatum late in the third that was part of a 14-5 run to put New York in front 87-78. . &hellip; Outscored the Celtics 48-42 in the paint. &hellip; Evan Fournier missed his second straight game (personal reasons).
Celtics: Dropped to 18-6 at home, with three of those defeats coming in overtime. ... Marcus Smart sat for the third straight game with a sprained right ankle. Interim coach Joe Mazzulla said he is wearing a special sock to help reduce swelling. He remains day-to-day. &hellip; Boston hit 7 of their first 9 attempts from the field and led by as many as 15 points in the first quarter. They finished the period by hitting 5 of their final 18 shots and held a 60-58 halftime lead. &hellip; Tuesday marked the Celtics&rsquo; 6,000th regular-season game.
&nbsp;

Julius Randle had 37 points and hit the free throws that gave New York the lead for good in a 120-117 overtime win over Boston.

Randle scores 37, Knicks rally to beat Celtics 120-117 in OT

LOS ANGELES (AP) &mdash; LeBron James hit a career-high nine 3-pointers while scoring 46 points, but the Los Angeles Clippers hit 19 3-pointers of their own on the way to a comfortable 133-115 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday night.
James scored at least 40 points against the Clippers for the first time in his 20-year career, giving him a 40-point game against all 30 teams in the NBA. James hit his record ninth 3-pointer with 6:45 to play, setting a career high from distance in his 1,404th game.
&ldquo;I was able to make a few shots tonight and try to help us stay in the game,&rdquo; James said. &ldquo;But the Clippers, they are really good. Exceptionally good when they&rsquo;re shooting the 3-ball, and tonight they did that.&rdquo;
Indeed, James&rsquo; brilliance wasn&rsquo;t nearly enough: The Lakers never caught up after falling behind by 23 points, and James spent the final minutes on the bench after the Clippers pulled away for their 10th consecutive victory over their arena co-tenants in downtown Los Angeles since former Lakers guard Tyronn Lue became the Clippers&rsquo; coach.
&nbsp;

LOS ANGELES (AP) &mdash; LeBron James hit a career-high nine 3-pointers while scoring 46 points, but the Los Angeles Clippers hit 19 3-pointers of their own on the way to a comfortable 133-115 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday night.
James scored at least 40 points against the Clippers for the first time in his 20-year career, giving him a 40-point game against all 30 teams in the NBA. James hit his record ninth 3-pointer with 6:45 to play, setting a career high from distance in his 1,404th game.
&ldquo;I was able to make a few shots tonight and try to help us stay in the game,&rdquo; James said. &ldquo;But the Clippers, they are really good. Exceptionally good when they&rsquo;re shooting the 3-ball, and tonight they did that.&rdquo;
Indeed, James&rsquo; brilliance wasn&rsquo;t nearly enough: The Lakers never caught up after falling behind by 23 points, and James spent the final minutes on the bench after the Clippers pulled away for their 10th consecutive victory over their arena co-tenants in downtown Los Angeles since former Lakers guard Tyronn Lue became the Clippers&rsquo; coach.
James also ramped up his chase of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar&rsquo;s career scoring record with his 101st 40-point game, including the postseason. He trails Abdul-Jabbar (38,387 points) by just 177 points, putting him in position to potentially break the record at the end of the Lakers&rsquo; upcoming five-game road swing instead of back home in Los Angeles.
&nbsp;

LOS ANGELES (AP) &mdash; LeBron James hit a career-high nine 3-pointers while scoring 46 points, but the Los Angeles Clippers hit 19 3-pointers of their own on the way to a comfortable 133-115 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday night.
James scored at least 40 points against the Clippers for the first time in his 20-year career, giving him a 40-point game against all 30 teams in the NBA. James hit his record ninth 3-pointer with 6:45 to play, setting a career high from distance in his 1,404th game.
&ldquo;I was able to make a few shots tonight and try to help us stay in the game,&rdquo; James said. &ldquo;But the Clippers, they are really good. Exceptionally good when they&rsquo;re shooting the 3-ball, and tonight they did that.&rdquo;
Indeed, James&rsquo; brilliance wasn&rsquo;t nearly enough: The Lakers never caught up after falling behind by 23 points, and James spent the final minutes on the bench after the Clippers pulled away for their 10th consecutive victory over their arena co-tenants in downtown Los Angeles since former Lakers guard Tyronn Lue became the Clippers&rsquo; coach.
James also ramped up his chase of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar&rsquo;s career scoring record with his 101st 40-point game, including the postseason. He trails Abdul-Jabbar (38,387 points) by just 177 points, putting him in position to potentially break the record at the end of the Lakers&rsquo; upcoming five-game road swing instead of back home in Los Angeles.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve got to this place by not even thinking about it,&rdquo; James said. &ldquo;Just being in the moment, trying to play the game the right way. Even tonight, as well as I shot the ball, I was still trying to distribute to my guys, to make sure they felt some type of rhythm. That&rsquo;s just always how I&rsquo;ve played the game.&rdquo;
Paul George had 27 points and nine rebounds, and Kawhi Leonard added 25 points in the Clippers&rsquo; third straight win overall. The Clippers never trailed largely because they hit a season-high 15 3-pointers in the first half while scoring a season-high 77 points in the first half.
&ldquo;(James) had a great shooting game, but we weathered the storm,&rdquo; Lue said. &ldquo;When they cut (the lead) to 10 and LeBron is on fire like that ... we just tried to take everyone else out and make him go one-on-one.&rdquo;
Norman Powell had 22 points and Reggie Jackson added 19 for the Clippers.
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LOS ANGELES (AP) &mdash; LeBron James hit a career-high nine 3-pointers while scoring 46 points, but the Los Angeles Clippers hit 19 3-pointers of their own on the way to a comfortable 133-115 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday night.
James scored at least 40 points against the Clippers for the first time in his 20-year career, giving him a 40-point game against all 30 teams in the NBA. James hit his record ninth 3-pointer with 6:45 to play, setting a career high from distance in his 1,404th game.
&ldquo;I was able to make a few shots tonight and try to help us stay in the game,&rdquo; James said. &ldquo;But the Clippers, they are really good. Exceptionally good when they&rsquo;re shooting the 3-ball, and tonight they did that.&rdquo;
Indeed, James&rsquo; brilliance wasn&rsquo;t nearly enough: The Lakers never caught up after falling behind by 23 points, and James spent the final minutes on the bench after the Clippers pulled away for their 10th consecutive victory over their arena co-tenants in downtown Los Angeles since former Lakers guard Tyronn Lue became the Clippers&rsquo; coach.
James also ramped up his chase of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar&rsquo;s career scoring record with his 101st 40-point game, including the postseason. He trails Abdul-Jabbar (38,387 points) by just 177 points, putting him in position to potentially break the record at the end of the Lakers&rsquo; upcoming five-game road swing instead of back home in Los Angeles.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve got to this place by not even thinking about it,&rdquo; James said. &ldquo;Just being in the moment, trying to play the game the right way. Even tonight, as well as I shot the ball, I was still trying to distribute to my guys, to make sure they felt some type of rhythm. That&rsquo;s just always how I&rsquo;ve played the game.&rdquo;
Paul George had 27 points and nine rebounds, and Kawhi Leonard added 25 points in the Clippers&rsquo; third straight win overall. The Clippers never trailed largely because they hit a season-high 15 3-pointers in the first half while scoring a season-high 77 points in the first half.
&ldquo;(James) had a great shooting game, but we weathered the storm,&rdquo; Lue said. &ldquo;When they cut (the lead) to 10 and LeBron is on fire like that ... we just tried to take everyone else out and make him go one-on-one.&rdquo;
Norman Powell had 22 points and Reggie Jackson added 19 for the Clippers.
<div class="Component-dfp-0-2-62 apnews_article_midarticle_2" data-card-id="sovrn-article-midarticle">
&ldquo;We were forcing them into really tough shots, and they were just making them,&rdquo; Lakers coach Darvin Ham said. &ldquo;Against a great team like that, you&rsquo;ve got to play damn near perfect to overcome that deficit.&rdquo;
Russell Westbrook scored 17 points and Thomas Bryant added 15 for the Lakers, who could get Anthony Davis back Wednesday from his 20-game absence with a right foot injury.
&ldquo;The possibilities are limitless,&rdquo; Ham said with a grin.
HACHIMURA ARRIVES
Rui Hachimura sat on the Lakers&rsquo; bench in street clothes one day after they acquired him from Washington in a trade for Kendrick Nunn. The Japanese big man will in uniform Wednesday, Ham said.
TIP-INS
Clippers: Marcus Morris left the game with bruised ribs. Lue had no postgame update. ... John Wall missed his sixth straight game with an abdominal injury. ... Luke Kennard missed his ninth straight game with a calf injury.
&nbsp;
</div>

LOS ANGELES (AP) &mdash; LeBron James hit a career-high nine 3-pointers while scoring 46 points, but the Los Angeles Clippers hit 19 3-pointers of their own on the way to a comfortable 133-115 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday night.
James scored at least 40 points against the Clippers for the first time in his 20-year career, giving him a 40-point game against all 30 teams in the NBA. James hit his record ninth 3-pointer with 6:45 to play, setting a career high from distance in his 1,404th game.
&ldquo;I was able to make a few shots tonight and try to help us stay in the game,&rdquo; James said. &ldquo;But the Clippers, they are really good. Exceptionally good when they&rsquo;re shooting the 3-ball, and tonight they did that.&rdquo;
Indeed, James&rsquo; brilliance wasn&rsquo;t nearly enough: The Lakers never caught up after falling behind by 23 points, and James spent the final minutes on the bench after the Clippers pulled away for their 10th consecutive victory over their arena co-tenants in downtown Los Angeles since former Lakers guard Tyronn Lue became the Clippers&rsquo; coach.
James also ramped up his chase of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar&rsquo;s career scoring record with his 101st 40-point game, including the postseason. He trails Abdul-Jabbar (38,387 points) by just 177 points, putting him in position to potentially break the record at the end of the Lakers&rsquo; upcoming five-game road swing instead of back home in Los Angeles.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve got to this place by not even thinking about it,&rdquo; James said. &ldquo;Just being in the moment, trying to play the game the right way. Even tonight, as well as I shot the ball, I was still trying to distribute to my guys, to make sure they felt some type of rhythm. That&rsquo;s just always how I&rsquo;ve played the game.&rdquo;
Paul George had 27 points and nine rebounds, and Kawhi Leonard added 25 points in the Clippers&rsquo; third straight win overall. The Clippers never trailed largely because they hit a season-high 15 3-pointers in the first half while scoring a season-high 77 points in the first half.
&ldquo;(James) had a great shooting game, but we weathered the storm,&rdquo; Lue said. &ldquo;When they cut (the lead) to 10 and LeBron is on fire like that ... we just tried to take everyone else out and make him go one-on-one.&rdquo;
Norman Powell had 22 points and Reggie Jackson added 19 for the Clippers.
<div class="Component-dfp-0-2-62 apnews_article_midarticle_2" data-card-id="sovrn-article-midarticle">
&ldquo;We were forcing them into really tough shots, and they were just making them,&rdquo; Lakers coach Darvin Ham said. &ldquo;Against a great team like that, you&rsquo;ve got to play damn near perfect to overcome that deficit.&rdquo;
Russell Westbrook scored 17 points and Thomas Bryant added 15 for the Lakers, who could get Anthony Davis back Wednesday from his 20-game absence with a right foot injury.
&ldquo;The possibilities are limitless,&rdquo; Ham said with a grin.
HACHIMURA ARRIVES
Rui Hachimura sat on the Lakers&rsquo; bench in street clothes one day after they acquired him from Washington in a trade for Kendrick Nunn. The Japanese big man will in uniform Wednesday, Ham said.
TIP-INS
Clippers: Marcus Morris left the game with bruised ribs. Lue had no postgame update. ... John Wall missed his sixth straight game with an abdominal injury. ... Luke Kennard missed his ninth straight game with a calf injury.
Lakers: Guards Lonnie Walker and Austin Reaves also are both close to returns from injury, Ham said. Reaves hasn&rsquo;t played since Jan. 4, and Walker has been out since Dec. 28. ... Westbrook scored his 24,000th point in the first quarter, becoming the 28th player in NBA history to hit the mark.
</div>

LeBron James hit a career-high nine 3-pointers but the Clippers hit 19 3-pointers on the way to a 133-115 victory over the Lakers.

LeBron scores 46 points with 9 3s, but Clippers rout Lakers

Washington Wizards star Bradley Beal is expected to make his return to the lineup vs. the New York Knicks tonight, sources tell ESPN. Beal has missed five straight games with a left hamstring strain.

Washington Wizards star Bradley Beal is expected to make his return to the lineup vs. the New York Knicks Wednesday night, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. Beal has missed five straight games with a left hamstring strain.

Washington Wizards star Bradley Beal is expected to make his return to the lineup vs. the New York Knicks Wednesday night, <a href="https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/1615774522472284172" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski</a>. Beal has missed five straight games with a left hamstring strain.
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Washington Wizards star Bradley Beal is expected to make his return to the lineup vs. the New York Knicks Wednesday night, <a href="https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/1615774522472284172" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski</a>. Beal has missed five straight games with a left hamstring strain.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Washington Wizards star Bradley Beal is expected to make his return to the lineup vs. the New York Knicks tonight, sources tell ESPN. Beal has missed five straight games with a left hamstring strain.
&mdash; Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) <a href="https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/1615774522472284172?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 18, 2023</a></blockquote>

<script src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>

&nbsp;

Washington Wizards star Bradley Beal is expected to make his return to the lineup vs. the New York Knicks Wednesday night, <a href="https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/1615774522472284172" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski</a>. Beal has missed five straight games with a left hamstring strain.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Washington Wizards star Bradley Beal is expected to make his return to the lineup vs. the New York Knicks tonight, sources tell ESPN. Beal has missed five straight games with a left hamstring strain.
&mdash; Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) <a href="https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/1615774522472284172?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 18, 2023</a></blockquote>

<script src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>

Beal has dealt with hamstring issues all season, causing him to miss&nbsp;

Washington Wizards star Bradley Beal is expected to make his return to the lineup vs. the New York Knicks Wednesday night, <a href="https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/1615774522472284172" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski</a>. Beal has missed five straight games with a left hamstring strain.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Washington Wizards star Bradley Beal is expected to make his return to the lineup vs. the New York Knicks tonight, sources tell ESPN. Beal has missed five straight games with a left hamstring strain.
&mdash; Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) <a href="https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/1615774522472284172?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 18, 2023</a></blockquote>

<script src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>

Beal has dealt with hamstring issues all season, causing him to miss 24 of the team's&nbsp;

Washington Wizards star Bradley Beal is expected to make his return to the lineup vs. the New York Knicks Wednesday night, <a href="https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/1615774522472284172" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski</a>. Beal has missed five straight games with a left hamstring strain.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Washington Wizards star Bradley Beal is expected to make his return to the lineup vs. the New York Knicks tonight, sources tell ESPN. Beal has missed five straight games with a left hamstring strain.
&mdash; Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) <a href="https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/1615774522472284172?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 18, 2023</a></blockquote>

<script src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>

Beal has dealt with hamstring issues all season, causing him to miss 24 of the team's 44 games.&nbsp;

Washington Wizards star Bradley Beal is expected to make his return to the lineup vs. the New York Knicks Wednesday night, <a href="https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/1615774522472284172" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski</a>. Beal has missed five straight games with a left hamstring strain.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Washington Wizards star Bradley Beal is expected to make his return to the lineup vs. the New York Knicks tonight, sources tell ESPN. Beal has missed five straight games with a left hamstring strain.
&mdash; Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) <a href="https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/1615774522472284172?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 18, 2023</a></blockquote>

<script src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>

Beal has dealt with hamstring issues all season, causing him to miss 24 of the team's 44 games. The 29-year-old is avera

Washington Wizards star Bradley Beal is expected to make his return to the lineup vs. the New York Knicks Wednesday night, <a href="https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/1615774522472284172" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski</a>. Beal has missed five straight games with a left hamstring strain.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Washington Wizards star Bradley Beal is expected to make his return to the lineup vs. the New York Knicks tonight, sources tell ESPN. Beal has missed five straight games with a left hamstring strain.
&mdash; Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) <a href="https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/1615774522472284172?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 18, 2023</a></blockquote>

<script src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>

Beal has dealt with hamstring issues all season, causing him to miss 24 of the team's 44 games. In his 11th NBA season, Beal is averaging 22.9 points,&nbsp;

Washington Wizards star Bradley Beal is expected to make his return to the lineup vs. the New York Knicks Wednesday night, <a href="https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/1615774522472284172" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski</a>. Beal has missed five straight games with a left hamstring strain.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Washington Wizards star Bradley Beal is expected to make his return to the lineup vs. the New York Knicks tonight, sources tell ESPN. Beal has missed five straight games with a left hamstring strain.
&mdash; Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) <a href="https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/1615774522472284172?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 18, 2023</a></blockquote>

<script src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>

Beal has dealt with hamstring issues all season, causing him to miss 24 of the team's 44 games. In his 11th NBA season, Beal is averaging 22.9 points, 3.5 rebounds and 5.2 assists.

Wizards' All-Star guard Bradley Beal is expected to play Wednesday night after missing five games with a hamstring injury.