NEW YORK (AP) &mdash; Julius Randle scored 28 points to lead New York to a 128-106 rout of the New Orleans Pelicans on Saturday night as the Knicks celebrated the golden anniversary of their 1972-73 NBA championship team.
Six players scored in double figures for New York, which won its fifth straight. R.J. Barrett had 25 points and a season-high seven assists. Jalen Brunson added 20 points, Josh Hart scored 15 points, Immanuel Quickley added 13, and Mitchell Robinson finished with a double-double of 11 points and 13 rebounds.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a team, any given night it&rsquo;s going to be different,&rdquo; Barrett said, when asked if the 2022-23 Knicks were emulating their 1972-73 predecessors by playing unselfish basketball. &ldquo;We did a great job sharing the ball. Everybody kind of had a great game.&rdquo;
Brandon Ingram scored 19 points for the Pelicans, who lost their third straight and fourth in five games overall. Josh Richardson added 16 points, C.J. McCollum finished with 13 and Jonas Valanciunas had 12 points and 10 rebounds. Trey Murphy III scored 11 off the bench.
&nbsp;

NEW YORK (AP) &mdash; Julius Randle scored 28 points to lead New York to a 128-106 rout of the New Orleans Pelicans on Saturday night as the Knicks celebrated the golden anniversary of their 1972-73 NBA championship team.
Six players scored in double figures for New York, which won its fifth straight. R.J. Barrett had 25 points and a season-high seven assists. Jalen Brunson added 20 points, Josh Hart scored 15 points, Immanuel Quickley added 13, and Mitchell Robinson finished with a double-double of 11 points and 13 rebounds.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a team, any given night it&rsquo;s going to be different,&rdquo; Barrett said, when asked if the 2022-23 Knicks were emulating their 1972-73 predecessors by playing unselfish basketball. &ldquo;We did a great job sharing the ball. Everybody kind of had a great game.&rdquo;
Brandon Ingram scored 19 points for the Pelicans, who lost their third straight and fourth in five games overall. Josh Richardson added 16 points, C.J. McCollum finished with 13 and Jonas Valanciunas had 12 points and 10 rebounds. Trey Murphy III scored 11 off the bench.
&ldquo;We have to be better and I (have to) hold our guys more accountable,&rdquo; Pelicans coach Willie Green said. &ldquo;That standard in which we played with tonight is not us.&rdquo;
&nbsp;

NEW YORK (AP) &mdash; Julius Randle scored 28 points to lead New York to a 128-106 rout of the New Orleans Pelicans on Saturday night as the Knicks celebrated the golden anniversary of their 1972-73 NBA championship team.
Six players scored in double figures for New York, which won its fifth straight. R.J. Barrett had 25 points and a season-high seven assists. Jalen Brunson added 20 points, Josh Hart scored 15 points, Immanuel Quickley added 13, and Mitchell Robinson finished with a double-double of 11 points and 13 rebounds.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a team, any given night it&rsquo;s going to be different,&rdquo; Barrett said, when asked if the 2022-23 Knicks were emulating their 1972-73 predecessors by playing unselfish basketball. &ldquo;We did a great job sharing the ball. Everybody kind of had a great game.&rdquo;
Brandon Ingram scored 19 points for the Pelicans, who lost their third straight and fourth in five games overall. Josh Richardson added 16 points, C.J. McCollum finished with 13 and Jonas Valanciunas had 12 points and 10 rebounds. Trey Murphy III scored 11 off the bench.
&ldquo;We have to be better and I (have to) hold our guys more accountable,&rdquo; Pelicans coach Willie Green said. &ldquo;That standard in which we played with tonight is not us.&rdquo;
New York was playing the second half of a back-to-back, coming off a 115-109 win over the Wizards a night earlier in Washington. Meanwhile the Pelicans last played Thursday, falling 115-110 loss to the Raptors in Toronto.
The Knicks came out looking like the fresher team, building a 42-26 advantage after the first quarter, and extending the lead to 73-52 at halftime.
Randle (19), Barrett (13), and Brunson (12) combined for 44 points as New York shot 54.3% from the field (25 for 46) and 50% from 3-point distance (13 for 26). New York&rsquo;s 13 3-pointers in the first half matched a season high.
&ldquo;Got off to a good start,&rdquo; said Randle, &ldquo;and sustained it.&rdquo;
The Pelicans trailed by as many as 27 points midway through the third. Despite going on a 19-12 run to close out the period, New Orleans trailed 102-82 entering the fourth.
New York opened the fourth with a 12-8 spurt, highlighted by Robinson&rsquo;s one-handed alley-oop dunk. And Randle&rsquo;s two-handed dunk off of Quickley&rsquo;s off-the-backboard-pass all but ended any hopes of a comeback by the Pelicans.
&nbsp;

NEW YORK (AP) &mdash; Julius Randle scored 28 points to lead New York to a 128-106 rout of the New Orleans Pelicans on Saturday night as the Knicks celebrated the golden anniversary of their 1972-73 NBA championship team.
Six players scored in double figures for New York, which won its fifth straight. R.J. Barrett had 25 points and a season-high seven assists. Jalen Brunson added 20 points, Josh Hart scored 15 points, Immanuel Quickley added 13, and Mitchell Robinson finished with a double-double of 11 points and 13 rebounds.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a team, any given night it&rsquo;s going to be different,&rdquo; Barrett said, when asked if the 2022-23 Knicks were emulating their 1972-73 predecessors by playing unselfish basketball. &ldquo;We did a great job sharing the ball. Everybody kind of had a great game.&rdquo;
Brandon Ingram scored 19 points for the Pelicans, who lost their third straight and fourth in five games overall. Josh Richardson added 16 points, C.J. McCollum finished with 13 and Jonas Valanciunas had 12 points and 10 rebounds. Trey Murphy III scored 11 off the bench.
&ldquo;We have to be better and I (have to) hold our guys more accountable,&rdquo; Pelicans coach Willie Green said. &ldquo;That standard in which we played with tonight is not us.&rdquo;
New York was playing the second half of a back-to-back, coming off a 115-109 win over the Wizards a night earlier in Washington. Meanwhile the Pelicans last played Thursday, falling 115-110 loss to the Raptors in Toronto.
The Knicks came out looking like the fresher team, building a 42-26 advantage after the first quarter, and extending the lead to 73-52 at halftime.
Randle (19), Barrett (13), and Brunson (12) combined for 44 points as New York shot 54.3% from the field (25 for 46) and 50% from 3-point distance (13 for 26). New York&rsquo;s 13 3-pointers in the first half matched a season high.
&ldquo;Got off to a good start,&rdquo; said Randle, &ldquo;and sustained it.&rdquo;
The Pelicans trailed by as many as 27 points midway through the third. Despite going on a 19-12 run to close out the period, New Orleans trailed 102-82 entering the fourth.
New York opened the fourth with a 12-8 spurt, highlighted by Robinson&rsquo;s one-handed alley-oop dunk. And Randle&rsquo;s two-handed dunk off of Quickley&rsquo;s off-the-backboard-pass all but ended any hopes of a comeback by the Pelicans.
New Orleans lost reserve forward Larry Nance Jr. in the second quarter with a sprained left ankle. He did not return. Nance was defending Quickley and landed awkwardly while attempting to contest a layup. Nance was down on the court for a few minutes and had to be helped to the locker room.
TIP-INS:
Pelicans: Here is what Green knows: He and his team will have star Zion Williamson return from a right hamstring injury at some point this season. Green and his team suspect Williamson&rsquo;s return will happen before the playoffs begin. What is unknown is how Williamson will be reintroduced to the roster. &ldquo;Once (we know) he&rsquo;s ready it&rsquo;s something that (Executive Vice-President of Basketball Operations David Griffin and) our performance team and medical (staff) and coaches sit down and talk about what&rsquo;s the best plan,&rdquo; Green said. Entering the game, the Pelicans had lost 17 of 24 games played in 2023 without Williamson in the lineup.
&nbsp;

NEW YORK (AP) &mdash; Julius Randle scored 28 points to lead New York to a 128-106 rout of the New Orleans Pelicans on Saturday night as the Knicks celebrated the golden anniversary of their 1972-73 NBA championship team.
Six players scored in double figures for New York, which won its fifth straight. R.J. Barrett had 25 points and a season-high seven assists. Jalen Brunson added 20 points, Josh Hart scored 15 points, Immanuel Quickley added 13, and Mitchell Robinson finished with a double-double of 11 points and 13 rebounds.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a team, any given night it&rsquo;s going to be different,&rdquo; Barrett said, when asked if the 2022-23 Knicks were emulating their 1972-73 predecessors by playing unselfish basketball. &ldquo;We did a great job sharing the ball. Everybody kind of had a great game.&rdquo;
Brandon Ingram scored 19 points for the Pelicans, who lost their third straight and fourth in five games overall. Josh Richardson added 16 points, C.J. McCollum finished with 13 and Jonas Valanciunas had 12 points and 10 rebounds. Trey Murphy III scored 11 off the bench.
&ldquo;We have to be better and I (have to) hold our guys more accountable,&rdquo; Pelicans coach Willie Green said. &ldquo;That standard in which we played with tonight is not us.&rdquo;
New York was playing the second half of a back-to-back, coming off a 115-109 win over the Wizards a night earlier in Washington. Meanwhile the Pelicans last played Thursday, falling 115-110 loss to the Raptors in Toronto.
The Knicks came out looking like the fresher team, building a 42-26 advantage after the first quarter, and extending the lead to 73-52 at halftime.
Randle (19), Barrett (13), and Brunson (12) combined for 44 points as New York shot 54.3% from the field (25 for 46) and 50% from 3-point distance (13 for 26). New York&rsquo;s 13 3-pointers in the first half matched a season high.
&ldquo;Got off to a good start,&rdquo; said Randle, &ldquo;and sustained it.&rdquo;
The Pelicans trailed by as many as 27 points midway through the third. Despite going on a 19-12 run to close out the period, New Orleans trailed 102-82 entering the fourth.
New York opened the fourth with a 12-8 spurt, highlighted by Robinson&rsquo;s one-handed alley-oop dunk. And Randle&rsquo;s two-handed dunk off of Quickley&rsquo;s off-the-backboard-pass all but ended any hopes of a comeback by the Pelicans.
New Orleans lost reserve forward Larry Nance Jr. in the second quarter with a sprained left ankle. He did not return. Nance was defending Quickley and landed awkwardly while attempting to contest a layup. Nance was down on the court for a few minutes and had to be helped to the locker room.
TIP-INS:
Pelicans: Here is what Green knows: He and his team will have star Zion Williamson return from a right hamstring injury at some point this season. Green and his team suspect Williamson&rsquo;s return will happen before the playoffs begin. What is unknown is how Williamson will be reintroduced to the roster. &ldquo;Once (we know) he&rsquo;s ready it&rsquo;s something that (Executive Vice-President of Basketball Operations David Griffin and) our performance team and medical (staff) and coaches sit down and talk about what&rsquo;s the best plan,&rdquo; Green said. Entering the game, the Pelicans had lost 17 of 24 games played in 2023 without Williamson in the lineup.
Knicks: Throughout the game, the Knicks paid homage to their 1972-73 championship team with video testimonials and a halftime ceremony. And perhaps no person in Madison Square Garden could better appreciate that team more than Tom Thibodeau, who grew up in Connecticut rooting for the Knicks. &ldquo;That was such a great team,&rdquo; Thibodeau said during his pregame press conference. &ldquo;They were so unselfish. They played great defense. &hellip; That was such a fun team but it&rsquo;s what they embodied and how they played for each other. I think it resonated with the city.&rdquo;
UP NEXT
Pelicans: Host Orlando on Monday.
Knicks: Host Boston on Monday.

NEW YORK (AP) &mdash; Julius Randle scored 28 points to lead New York to a 128-106 rout of the New Orleans Pelicans on Saturday night as the Knicks celebrated the golden anniversary of their 1972-73 NBA championship team.
Six players scored in double figures for New York, which won its fifth straight. R.J. Barrett had 25 points and a season-high seven assists. Jalen Brunson added 20 points, Josh Hart scored 15 points, Immanuel Quickley added 13, and Mitchell Robinson finished with a double-double of 11 points and 13 rebounds.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a team, any given night it&rsquo;s going to be different,&rdquo; Barrett said, when asked if the 2022-23 Knicks were emulating their 1972-73 predecessors by playing unselfish basketball. &ldquo;We did a great job sharing the ball. Everybody kind of had a great game.&rdquo;
Brandon Ingram scored 19 points for the Pelicans, who lost their third straight and fourth in five games overall. Josh Richardson added 16 points, C.J. McCollum finished with 13 and Jonas Valanciunas had 12 points and 10 rebounds. Trey Murphy III scored 11 off the bench.
&ldquo;We have to be better and I (have to) hold our guys more accountable,&rdquo; Pelicans coach Willie Green said. &ldquo;That standard in which we played with tonight is not us.&rdquo;
New York was playing the second half of a back-to-back, coming off a 115-109 win over the Wizards a night earlier in Washington. Meanwhile the Pelicans last played Thursday, falling 115-110 loss to the Raptors in Toronto.
The Knicks came out looking like the fresher team, building a 42-26 advantage after the first quarter, and extending the lead to 73-52 at halftime.
Randle (19), Barrett (13), and Brunson (12) combined for 44 points as New York shot 54.3% from the field (25 for 46) and 50% from 3-point distance (13 for 26). New York&rsquo;s 13 3-pointers in the first half matched a season high.
&ldquo;Got off to a good start,&rdquo; said Randle, &ldquo;and sustained it.&rdquo;
The Pelicans trailed by as many as 27 points midway through the third. Despite going on a 19-12 run to close out the period, New Orleans trailed 102-82 entering the fourth.
New York opened the fourth with a 12-8 spurt, highlighted by Robinson&rsquo;s one-handed alley-oop dunk. And Randle&rsquo;s two-handed dunk off of Quickley&rsquo;s off-the-backboard-pass all but ended any hopes of a comeback by the Pelicans.
New Orleans lost reserve forward Larry Nance Jr. in the second quarter with a sprained left ankle. He did not return. Nance was defending Quickley and landed awkwardly while attempting to contest a layup. Nance was down on the court for a few minutes and had to be helped to the locker room.
TIP-INS
Pelicans: Here is what Green knows: He and his team will have star Zion Williamson return from a right hamstring injury at some point this season. Green and his team suspect Williamson&rsquo;s return will happen before the playoffs begin. What is unknown is how Williamson will be reintroduced to the roster. &ldquo;Once (we know) he&rsquo;s ready it&rsquo;s something that (Executive Vice-President of Basketball Operations David Griffin and) our performance team and medical (staff) and coaches sit down and talk about what&rsquo;s the best plan,&rdquo; Green said. Entering the game, the Pelicans had lost 17 of 24 games played in 2023 without Williamson in the lineup.
Knicks: Throughout the game, the Knicks paid homage to their 1972-73 championship team with video testimonials and a halftime ceremony. And perhaps no person in Madison Square Garden could better appreciate that team more than Tom Thibodeau, who grew up in Connecticut rooting for the Knicks. &ldquo;That was such a great team,&rdquo; Thibodeau said during his pregame press conference. &ldquo;They were so unselfish. They played great defense. &hellip; That was such a fun team but it&rsquo;s what they embodied and how they played for each other. I think it resonated with the city.&rdquo;
UP NEXT
Pelicans: Host Orlando on Monday.
Knicks: Host Boston on Monday.

New York defeated the Pelicans 128-106, as the Knicks celebrated the golden anniversary of their 1972-73 NBA championship team.

Knicks rout Pelicans while honoring 1973 championship squad

It's been an important season for Golden State Warriors guard Jordan Poole who signed a four-year rookie extension last summer that is worth up to $140 million with incentives. Through 58 games for the Warriors, the guard is averaging career highs of 20.9 points and 4.5 assists, to go with 2.8 rebounds in 30.7 minutes per game.&nbsp;
Poole spoke with <a href="https://www.nba.com/news/qa-jordan-poole-warriors-2023" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mark Medina of NBA.com</a> about a variety of things including his increased role with the team this season which he enjoys whether starting or coming off the bench.&nbsp;
"It&rsquo;s cool," said Poole. "I try to do anything I can to try to help the team win. Whenever we&rsquo;re winning games, I feel like I&rsquo;m playing better. I&rsquo;m able to be versatile and play in different situations. I start sometimes. Or I come off the bench and play the 1 or 2. Playing with different lineups adds to my versatility. I&rsquo;m a big believer in trying to find ways to get better every day, whether it&rsquo;s watching film, working on something in the gym or asking questions. I always think I&rsquo;ll find ways to get better, whether I&rsquo;m playing good or bad.&rdquo;
There is definitely more on his plate this season
&nbsp;
&nbsp;
The Warriors are currently 29-29 and hold the No. 9 seed in the Western Conference.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
Warriors&nbsp;reserve guard&nbsp;<a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/p/poolejo01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=www.hoopsrumors.com&amp;utm_campaign=2023-02-23_bbr" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">Jordan Poole</a>&nbsp;recently spoke with&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nba.com/news/qa-jordan-poole-warriors-2023" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mark Medina of NBA.com</a>&nbsp;about how he feels he has been performing since&nbsp;<a href="https://www.hoopsrumors.com/2022/10/warriors-jordan-poole-finalizing-four-year-extension.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">inking</a>&nbsp;his four-year rookie contract extension last summer, worth up to $140MM with incentives.

It's been an important season for Golden State Warriors guard Jordan Poole who signed a four-year rookie extension last summer that is worth up to $140 million with incentives. Through 58 games for the Warriors, the guard is averaging career highs of 20.9 points and 4.5 assists, to go with 2.8 rebounds in 30.7 minutes per game.&nbsp;
Poole spoke with <a href="https://www.nba.com/news/qa-jordan-poole-warriors-2023" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mark Medina of NBA.com</a> about a variety of things including his increased role with the team this season which he enjoys whether starting or coming off the bench.&nbsp;
"It&rsquo;s cool," said Poole. "I try to do anything I can to try to help the team win. Whenever we&rsquo;re winning games, I feel like I&rsquo;m playing better. I&rsquo;m able to be versatile and play in different situations. I start sometimes. Or I come off the bench and play the 1 or 2. Playing with different lineups adds to my versatility. I&rsquo;m a big believer in trying to find ways to get better every day, whether it&rsquo;s watching film, working on something in the gym or asking questions. I always think I&rsquo;ll find ways to get better, whether I&rsquo;m playing good or bad.&rdquo;
There is definitely more on his plate this season for a Warriors team that is currently 29-29 and hold the No. 9 seed in the Western Conference.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
Warriors&nbsp;reserve guard&nbsp;<a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/p/poolejo01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=www.hoopsrumors.com&amp;utm_campaign=2023-02-23_bbr" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">Jordan Poole</a>&nbsp;recently spoke with&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nba.com/news/qa-jordan-poole-warriors-2023" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mark Medina of NBA.com</a>&nbsp;about how he feels he has been performing since&nbsp;<a href="https://www.hoopsrumors.com/2022/10/warriors-jordan-poole-finalizing-four-year-extension.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">inking</a>&nbsp;his four-year rookie contract extension last summer, worth up to $140MM with incentives.

It's been an important season for Golden State Warriors guard Jordan Poole who signed a four-year rookie extension last summer that is worth up to $140 million with incentives. Through 58 games for the Warriors, the guard is averaging career highs of 20.9 points and 4.5 assists, to go with 2.8 rebounds in 30.7 minutes per game.&nbsp;
Poole spoke with <a href="https://www.nba.com/news/qa-jordan-poole-warriors-2023" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mark Medina of NBA.com</a> about a variety of things including his increased role with the team this season which he enjoys whether starting or coming off the bench.&nbsp;
"It&rsquo;s cool," said Poole. "I try to do anything I can to try to help the team win. Whenever we&rsquo;re winning games, I feel like I&rsquo;m playing better. I&rsquo;m able to be versatile and play in different situations. I start sometimes. Or I come off the bench and play the 1 or 2. Playing with different lineups adds to my versatility. I&rsquo;m a big believer in trying to find ways to get better every day, whether it&rsquo;s watching film, working on something in the gym or asking questions. I always think I&rsquo;ll find ways to get better, whether I&rsquo;m playing good or bad.&rdquo;
There is definitely more on his plate this season for a Warriors team that is currently 29-29 and hold the No. 9 seed in the Western Conference. Plus, more is expected with him inking that big extension during the offseason.
&nbsp;
Warriors&nbsp;reserve guard&nbsp;<a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/p/poolejo01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=www.hoopsrumors.com&amp;utm_campaign=2023-02-23_bbr" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">Jordan Poole</a>&nbsp;recently spoke with&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nba.com/news/qa-jordan-poole-warriors-2023" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mark Medina of NBA.com</a>&nbsp;about how he feels he has been performing since&nbsp;<a href="https://www.hoopsrumors.com/2022/10/warriors-jordan-poole-finalizing-four-year-extension.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">inking</a>&nbsp;his four-year rookie contract extension last summer, worth up to $140MM with incentives.

It's been an important season for Golden State Warriors guard Jordan Poole who signed a four-year rookie extension last summer that is worth up to $140 million with incentives. Through 58 games for the Warriors, the guard is averaging career highs of 20.9 points and 4.5 assists, to go with 2.8 rebounds in 30.7 minutes per game.&nbsp;
Poole spoke with <a href="https://www.nba.com/news/qa-jordan-poole-warriors-2023" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mark Medina of NBA.com</a> about a variety of things including his increased role with the team this season which he enjoys whether starting or coming off the bench.&nbsp;
"It&rsquo;s cool," said Poole. "I try to do anything I can to try to help the team win. Whenever we&rsquo;re winning games, I feel like I&rsquo;m playing better. I&rsquo;m able to be versatile and play in different situations. I start sometimes. Or I come off the bench and play the 1 or 2. Playing with different lineups adds to my versatility. I&rsquo;m a big believer in trying to find ways to get better every day, whether it&rsquo;s watching film, working on something in the gym or asking questions. I always think I&rsquo;ll find ways to get better, whether I&rsquo;m playing good or bad.&rdquo;
There is definitely more on his plate this season for a Warriors team that is currently 29-29 and hold the No. 9 seed in the Western Conference. Plus, more is expected with him inking that big extension before the season.
&ldquo;In order for [Golden State&rsquo;s front office and ownership] to make a decision like that and for me to make a decision like that, they obviously thought I deserved it,&rdquo;&nbsp;Poole said.&nbsp;&ldquo;They like the character that I have, the way I can lead a team and everything else I bring on and off the court. With being able to be me in an organization like this, I try to bring positive energy. I&rsquo;m grateful and appreciative.&rdquo;
&ldquo;I wouldn&rsquo;t necessarily say there&rsquo;s pressure. If anything, it&rsquo;s more exciting to know I&rsquo;m locked into the Bay for the next five (years),&rdquo;&nbsp;Poole noted.&nbsp;&ldquo;We can go through the highs and lows of whatever it is. I embrace that. At 23 years old, it&rsquo;s a pretty cool challenge.&rdquo;

It's been an important season for Golden State Warriors guard Jordan Poole who signed a four-year rookie extension last summer that is worth up to $140 million with incentives. Through 58 games for the Warriors, the guard is averaging career highs of 20.9 points and 4.5 assists, to go with 2.8 rebounds in 30.7 minutes per game.&nbsp;
Poole spoke with <a href="https://www.nba.com/news/qa-jordan-poole-warriors-2023" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mark Medina of NBA.com</a> about a variety of things including his increased role with the team this season which he enjoys whether starting or coming off the bench.&nbsp;
"It&rsquo;s cool," said Poole. "I try to do anything I can to try to help the team win. Whenever we&rsquo;re winning games, I feel like I&rsquo;m playing better. I&rsquo;m able to be versatile and play in different situations. I start sometimes. Or I come off the bench and play the 1 or 2. Playing with different lineups adds to my versatility. I&rsquo;m a big believer in trying to find ways to get better every day, whether it&rsquo;s watching film, working on something in the gym or asking questions. I always think I&rsquo;ll find ways to get better, whether I&rsquo;m playing good or bad.&rdquo;
There is definitely more on his plate this season for a Warriors team that is currently 29-29 and hold the No. 9 seed in the Western Conference. Plus, more is expected with him inking that big extension before the season.
&ldquo;In order for [Golden State&rsquo;s front office and ownership] to make a decision like that and for me to make a decision like that, they obviously thought I deserved it,&rdquo;&nbsp;Poole said.&nbsp;&ldquo;They like the character that I have, the way I can lead a team and everything else I bring on and off the court. With being able to be me in an organization like this, I try to bring positive energy. I&rsquo;m grateful and appreciative.&rdquo;
&ldquo;I wouldn&rsquo;t necessarily say there&rsquo;s pressure. If anything, it&rsquo;s more exciting to know I&rsquo;m locked into the Bay for the next five (years),&rdquo;&nbsp;Poole noted.&nbsp;&ldquo;We can go through the highs and lows of whatever it is. I embrace that. At 23 years old, it&rsquo;s a pretty cool challenge.&rdquo;

It's been an important season for Golden State Warriors guard Jordan Poole who signed a four-year rookie extension last summer that is worth up to $140 million with incentives. Through 58 games for the Warriors, the guard is averaging career highs of 20.9 points and 4.5 assists, to go with 2.8 rebounds in 30.7 minutes per game.&nbsp;
Poole spoke with <a href="https://www.nba.com/news/qa-jordan-poole-warriors-2023" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mark Medina of NBA.com</a> about a variety of things including his increased role with the team this season which he enjoys whether starting or coming off the bench.&nbsp;
"It&rsquo;s cool," said Poole. "I try to do anything I can to try to help the team win. Whenever we&rsquo;re winning games, I feel like I&rsquo;m playing better. I&rsquo;m able to be versatile and play in different situations. I start sometimes. Or I come off the bench and play the 1 or 2. Playing with different lineups adds to my versatility. I&rsquo;m a big believer in trying to find ways to get better every day, whether it&rsquo;s watching film, working on something in the gym or asking questions. I always think I&rsquo;ll find ways to get better, whether I&rsquo;m playing good or bad.&rdquo;
There is definitely more on his plate this season for a Warriors team that is currently 29-29 and hold the No. 9 seed in the Western Conference. Plus, more is expected with him inking that big extension before the season.
&ldquo;In order for [Golden State&rsquo;s front office and ownership] to make a decision like that and for me to make a decision like that, they obviously thought I deserved it,&rdquo;&nbsp;Poole said.&nbsp;&ldquo;They like the character that I have, the way I can lead a team and everything else I bring on and off the court. With being able to be me in an organization like this, I try to bring positive energy. I&rsquo;m grateful and appreciative.&rdquo;
&ldquo;I wouldn&rsquo;t necessarily say there&rsquo;s pressure. If anything, it&rsquo;s more exciting to know I&rsquo;m locked into the Bay for the next five (years),&rdquo;&nbsp;Poole noted.&nbsp;&ldquo;We can go through the highs and lows of whatever it is. I embrace that. At 23 years old, it&rsquo;s a pretty cool challenge.&rdquo;
&nbsp;

It's been an important season for Golden State Warriors guard Jordan Poole who signed a four-year rookie extension last summer that is worth up to $140 million with incentives. Through 58 games for the Warriors, the guard is averaging career highs of 20.9 points and 4.5 assists, to go with 2.8 rebounds in 30.7 minutes per game.&nbsp;
Poole spoke with <a href="https://www.nba.com/news/qa-jordan-poole-warriors-2023" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mark Medina of NBA.com</a> about a variety of things including his increased role with the team this season which he enjoys whether starting or coming off the bench.&nbsp;
"It&rsquo;s cool," said Poole. "I try to do anything I can to try to help the team win. Whenever we&rsquo;re winning games, I feel like I&rsquo;m playing better. I&rsquo;m able to be versatile and play in different situations. I start sometimes. Or I come off the bench and play the 1 or 2. Playing with different lineups adds to my versatility. I&rsquo;m a big believer in trying to find ways to get better every day, whether it&rsquo;s watching film, working on something in the gym or asking questions. I always think I&rsquo;ll find ways to get better, whether I&rsquo;m playing good or bad.&rdquo;
There is definitely more on his plate this season for a Warriors team that is currently 29-29 and hold the No. 9 seed in the Western Conference. Plus, more is expected with him inking that big extension before the season.
&ldquo;In order for [Golden State&rsquo;s front office and ownership] to make a decision like that and for me to make a decision like that, they obviously thought I deserved it,&rdquo;&nbsp;Poole said.&nbsp;&ldquo;They like the character that I have, the way I can lead a team and everything else I bring on and off the court. With being able to be me in an organization like this, I try to bring positive energy. I&rsquo;m grateful and appreciative.&rdquo;
&ldquo;I wouldn&rsquo;t necessarily say there&rsquo;s pressure. If anything, it&rsquo;s more exciting to know I&rsquo;m locked into the Bay for the next five (years),&rdquo;&nbsp;Poole noted.&nbsp;&ldquo;We can go through the highs and lows of whatever it is. I embrace that. At 23 years old, it&rsquo;s a pretty cool challenge.&rdquo;
You can read the entire conversation with Poole at NBA.com.

It's been an important season for Golden State Warriors guard Jordan Poole who signed a four-year rookie extension last summer that is worth up to $140 million with incentives. Through 58 games for the Warriors, the guard is averaging career highs of 20.9 points and 4.5 assists, to go with 2.8 rebounds in 30.7 minutes per game.&nbsp;
Poole spoke with <a href="https://www.nba.com/news/qa-jordan-poole-warriors-2023" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mark Medina of NBA.com</a> about a variety of things including his increased role with the team this season which he enjoys whether starting or coming off the bench.&nbsp;
"It&rsquo;s cool," said Poole. "I try to do anything I can to try to help the team win. Whenever we&rsquo;re winning games, I feel like I&rsquo;m playing better. I&rsquo;m able to be versatile and play in different situations. I start sometimes. Or I come off the bench and play the 1 or 2. Playing with different lineups adds to my versatility. I&rsquo;m a big believer in trying to find ways to get better every day, whether it&rsquo;s watching film, working on something in the gym or asking questions. I always think I&rsquo;ll find ways to get better, whether I&rsquo;m playing good or bad.&rdquo;
There is definitely more on his plate this season for a Warriors team that is currently 29-29 and hold the No. 9 seed in the Western Conference. Plus, more is expected with him inking that big extension before the season.
&ldquo;In order for [Golden State&rsquo;s front office and ownership] to make a decision like that and for me to make a decision like that, they obviously thought I deserved it,&rdquo;&nbsp;Poole said.&nbsp;&ldquo;They like the character that I have, the way I can lead a team and everything else I bring on and off the court. With being able to be me in an organization like this, I try to bring positive energy. I&rsquo;m grateful and appreciative.&rdquo;
&ldquo;I wouldn&rsquo;t necessarily say there&rsquo;s pressure. If anything, it&rsquo;s more exciting to know I&rsquo;m locked into the Bay for the next five (years),&rdquo;&nbsp;Poole noted.&nbsp;&ldquo;We can go through the highs and lows of whatever it is. I embrace that. At 23 years old, it&rsquo;s a pretty cool challenge.&rdquo;
You can read the entire conversation with Poole at <a href="https://www.nba.com/news/qa-jordan-poole-warriors-2023" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NBA.com</a>.

It's been an important season for Golden State Warriors guard Jordan Poole, who signed a four-year rookie extension last summer that is worth up to $140 million with incentives. Through 58 games for the Warriors, the guard is averaging career highs of 20.9 points and 4.5 assists, to go with 2.8 rebounds in 30.7 minutes per game.&nbsp;
Poole spoke with <a href="https://www.nba.com/news/qa-jordan-poole-warriors-2023" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mark Medina of NBA.com</a> about a variety of things including his increased role with the team this season which he enjoys whether starting or coming off the bench.&nbsp;
"It&rsquo;s cool," said Poole. "I try to do anything I can to try to help the team win. Whenever we&rsquo;re winning games, I feel like I&rsquo;m playing better. I&rsquo;m able to be versatile and play in different situations. I start sometimes. Or I come off the bench and play the 1 or 2. Playing with different lineups adds to my versatility. I&rsquo;m a big believer in trying to find ways to get better every day, whether it&rsquo;s watching film, working on something in the gym or asking questions. I always think I&rsquo;ll find ways to get better, whether I&rsquo;m playing good or bad.&rdquo;
There is definitely more on his plate this season for a Warriors team that is currently 29-29 and hold the No. 9 seed in the Western Conference. Plus, more is expected with him inking that big extension before the season.
&ldquo;In order for [Golden State&rsquo;s front office and ownership] to make a decision like that and for me to make a decision like that, they obviously thought I deserved it,&rdquo;&nbsp;Poole said.&nbsp;&ldquo;They like the character that I have, the way I can lead a team and everything else I bring on and off the court. With being able to be me in an organization like this, I try to bring positive energy. I&rsquo;m grateful and appreciative.&rdquo;
&ldquo;I wouldn&rsquo;t necessarily say there&rsquo;s pressure. If anything, it&rsquo;s more exciting to know I&rsquo;m locked into the Bay for the next five (years),&rdquo;&nbsp;Poole noted.&nbsp;&ldquo;We can go through the highs and lows of whatever it is. I embrace that. At 23 years old, it&rsquo;s a pretty cool challenge.&rdquo;
You can read the entire conversation with Poole at <a href="https://www.nba.com/news/qa-jordan-poole-warriors-2023" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NBA.com</a>.

It's been an important season for Golden State Warriors guard Jordan Poole, who signed a four-year rookie extension last summer that is worth up to $140 million with incentives. Through 58 games for the Warriors, the guard is averaging career highs of 20.9 points and 4.5 assists, to go with 2.8 rebounds in 30.7 minutes per game.&nbsp;
Poole spoke with <a href="https://www.nba.com/news/qa-jordan-poole-warriors-2023" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mark Medina of NBA.com</a> about a variety of things including his increased role with the team this season, which he enjoys whether starting or coming off the bench.&nbsp;
"It&rsquo;s cool," said Poole. "I try to do anything I can to try to help the team win. Whenever we&rsquo;re winning games, I feel like I&rsquo;m playing better. I&rsquo;m able to be versatile and play in different situations. I start sometimes. Or I come off the bench and play the 1 or 2. Playing with different lineups adds to my versatility. I&rsquo;m a big believer in trying to find ways to get better every day, whether it&rsquo;s watching film, working on something in the gym or asking questions. I always think I&rsquo;ll find ways to get better, whether I&rsquo;m playing good or bad.&rdquo;
There is definitely more on his plate this season for a Warriors team that is currently 29-29 and hold the No. 9 seed in the Western Conference. Plus, more is expected with him inking that big extension before the season.
&ldquo;In order for [Golden State&rsquo;s front office and ownership] to make a decision like that and for me to make a decision like that, they obviously thought I deserved it,&rdquo;&nbsp;Poole said.&nbsp;&ldquo;They like the character that I have, the way I can lead a team and everything else I bring on and off the court. With being able to be me in an organization like this, I try to bring positive energy. I&rsquo;m grateful and appreciative.&rdquo;
&ldquo;I wouldn&rsquo;t necessarily say there&rsquo;s pressure. If anything, it&rsquo;s more exciting to know I&rsquo;m locked into the Bay for the next five (years),&rdquo;&nbsp;Poole noted.&nbsp;&ldquo;We can go through the highs and lows of whatever it is. I embrace that. At 23 years old, it&rsquo;s a pretty cool challenge.&rdquo;
You can read the entire conversation with Poole at <a href="https://www.nba.com/news/qa-jordan-poole-warriors-2023" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NBA.com</a>.

Golden State Warriors Jordan Poole opens up about his bigger role with the team coming off his big extension before the season.

Jordan Poole talks about his role with the Warriors, coming off bench

The Miami Heat have agreed to a trade sending center Dewayne Dedmon and a second-round pick to the San Antonio Spurs, <a href="https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1622994343052161027" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reports Shams Charania of The Athletic</a>.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
The Miami Heat are trading center Dewayne Dedmon and a second-round pick to the San Antonio Spurs, sources tell <a href="https://twitter.com/TheAthletic?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TheAthletic</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/Stadium?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Stadium</a>.
&mdash; Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) <a href="https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1622994343052161027?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 7, 2023</a></blockquote>

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

It's a cost-cutting move for the Heat&nbsp;
&nbsp;
The Heat go from $192,895 below the luxury tax to $4.9M below. They now have more flexibility in trades and to convert Orlando Robinson to a standard contract now. They also generate a $4.7M trade exception.
&nbsp;
Dedmon has fallen out ot the Heat's rotation, having only once played in their last ten games. In the 30 games he played in this season for Miami, he averaged 5.7 points and 3.6 rebounds.
&nbsp;

The Miami Heat have agreed to a trade sending center Dewayne Dedmon and a second-round pick to the San Antonio Spurs, <a href="https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1622994343052161027" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reports Shams Charania of The Athletic</a>.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
The Miami Heat are trading center Dewayne Dedmon and a second-round pick to the San Antonio Spurs, sources tell <a href="https://twitter.com/TheAthletic?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TheAthletic</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/Stadium?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Stadium</a>.
&mdash; Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) <a href="https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1622994343052161027?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 7, 2023</a></blockquote>

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

It's a cost-cutting move for the Heat with Y
&nbsp;
The Heat go from $192,895 below the luxury tax to $4.9M below. They now have more flexibility in trades and to convert Orlando Robinson to a standard contract now. They also generate a $4.7M trade exception.
&nbsp;
Dedmon has fallen out ot the Heat's rotation, having only once played in their last ten games. In the 30 games he played in this season for Miami, he averaged 5.7 points and 3.6 rebounds.
&nbsp;

The Miami Heat have agreed to a trade sending center Dewayne Dedmon and a second-round pick to the San Antonio Spurs, <a href="https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1622994343052161027" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reports Shams Charania of The Athletic</a>.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
The Miami Heat are trading center Dewayne Dedmon and a second-round pick to the San Antonio Spurs, sources tell <a href="https://twitter.com/TheAthletic?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TheAthletic</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/Stadium?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Stadium</a>.
&mdash; Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) <a href="https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1622994343052161027?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 7, 2023</a></blockquote>

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

It's a cost-cutting move for the Heat with HoopsHype's Yossi Goslan pointing out that the Heat&nbsp;go from $192,895 below the luxury tax to $4.9M below. They now have more flexibility in trades and to convert Orlando Robinson to a standard contract now. They also generate a $4.7M trade exception.
&nbsp;
Dedmon has fallen out ot the Heat's rotation, having only once played in their last ten games. In the 30 games he played in this season for Miami, he averaged 5.7 points and 3.6 rebounds.
&nbsp;

The Miami Heat have agreed to a trade sending center Dewayne Dedmon and a second-round pick to the San Antonio Spurs, <a href="https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1622994343052161027" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reports Shams Charania of The Athletic</a>.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
The Miami Heat are trading center Dewayne Dedmon and a second-round pick to the San Antonio Spurs, sources tell <a href="https://twitter.com/TheAthletic?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TheAthletic</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/Stadium?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Stadium</a>.
&mdash; Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) <a href="https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1622994343052161027?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 7, 2023</a></blockquote>

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

It's a cost-cutting move for the Heat with HoopsHype's Yossi Goslan pointing out that the Heat&nbsp;go from $192,895 below the luxury tax to $4.9M below while also generating a $4.7M trade exception.
Dedmon has fallen out ot the Heat's rotation, having only once played in their last ten games. In the 30 games he played in this season for Miami, he averaged 5.7 points and 3.6 rebounds.
&nbsp;

The Miami Heat have agreed to a trade sending center Dewayne Dedmon and a second-round pick to the San Antonio Spurs, <a href="https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1622994343052161027" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reports Shams Charania of The Athletic</a>.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
The Miami Heat are trading center Dewayne Dedmon and a second-round pick to the San Antonio Spurs, sources tell <a href="https://twitter.com/TheAthletic?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TheAthletic</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/Stadium?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Stadium</a>.
&mdash; Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) <a href="https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1622994343052161027?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 7, 2023</a></blockquote>

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

It's a cost-cutting move for the Heat with <a href="https://twitter.com/YossiGozlan/status/1622995685032480768" target="_blank" rel="noopener">HoopsHype's Yossi Goslan pointing out</a> that the Heat&nbsp;go from $192,895 below the luxury tax to $4.9M below while also generating a $4.7M trade exception.
Dedmon has fallen out ot the Heat's rotation, having only once played in their last ten games. In the 30 games he played in this season for Miami, he averaged 5.7 points and 3.6 rebounds.
&nbsp;

The Miami Heat have agreed to a trade sending center Dewayne Dedmon and a second-round pick to the San Antonio Spurs, <a href="https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1622994343052161027" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reports Shams Charania of The Athletic</a>.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
The Miami Heat are trading center Dewayne Dedmon and a second-round pick to the San Antonio Spurs, sources tell <a href="https://twitter.com/TheAthletic?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TheAthletic</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/Stadium?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Stadium</a>.
&mdash; Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) <a href="https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1622994343052161027?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 7, 2023</a></blockquote>

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

It's a cost-cutting move for the Heat, with <a href="https://twitter.com/YossiGozlan/status/1622995685032480768" target="_blank" rel="noopener">HoopsHype's Yossi Goslan pointing out</a> that the Heat&nbsp;go from $192,895 below the luxury tax to $4.9M below while also generating a $4.7M trade exception.
Dedmon has fallen out ot the Heat's rotation, having only once played in their last ten games. In the 30 games he played in this season for Miami, he averaged 5.7 points and 3.6 rebounds.
&nbsp;

The Miami Heat have agreed to a trade sending center Dewayne Dedmon and a second-round pick to the San Antonio Spurs, <a href="https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1622994343052161027" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reports Shams Charania of The Athletic</a>.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
The Miami Heat are trading center Dewayne Dedmon and a second-round pick to the San Antonio Spurs, sources tell <a href="https://twitter.com/TheAthletic?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TheAthletic</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/Stadium?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Stadium</a>.
&mdash; Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) <a href="https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1622994343052161027?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 7, 2023</a></blockquote>

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

It's a cost-cutting move for the Heat, with <a href="https://twitter.com/YossiGozlan/status/1622995685032480768" target="_blank" rel="noopener">HoopsHype's Yossi Goslan pointing out</a> that the Heat go from $192,895 below the luxury tax to $4.9 million below while also generating a $4.7M trade exception.
Dedmon has fallen out ot the Heat's rotation, having only once played in their last ten games. In the 30 games he played in this season for Miami, he averaged 5.7 points and 3.6 rebounds.
&nbsp;

The Miami Heat have agreed to a trade sending center Dewayne Dedmon and a second-round pick to the San Antonio Spurs, <a href="https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1622994343052161027" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reports Shams Charania of The Athletic</a>.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
The Miami Heat are trading center Dewayne Dedmon and a second-round pick to the San Antonio Spurs, sources tell <a href="https://twitter.com/TheAthletic?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TheAthletic</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/Stadium?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Stadium</a>.
&mdash; Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) <a href="https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1622994343052161027?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 7, 2023</a></blockquote>

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

It's a cost-cutting move for the Heat, with <a href="https://twitter.com/YossiGozlan/status/1622995685032480768" target="_blank" rel="noopener">HoopsHype's Yossi Goslan pointing out</a> that the Heat go from $192,895 below the luxury tax to $4.9 million below, while also generating a $4.7 million trade exception.
Dedmon has fallen out ot the Heat's rotation, having only once played in their last ten games. In the 30 games he played in this season for Miami, he averaged 5.7 points and 3.6 rebounds.
&nbsp;

The Miami Heat have agreed to a trade sending center Dewayne Dedmon and a second-round pick to the San Antonio Spurs, <a href="https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1622994343052161027" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reports Shams Charania of The Athletic</a>.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
The Miami Heat are trading center Dewayne Dedmon and a second-round pick to the San Antonio Spurs, sources tell <a href="https://twitter.com/TheAthletic?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TheAthletic</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/Stadium?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Stadium</a>.
&mdash; Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) <a href="https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1622994343052161027?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 7, 2023</a></blockquote>

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

It's a cost-cutting move for the Heat, with <a href="https://twitter.com/YossiGozlan/status/1622995685032480768" target="_blank" rel="noopener">HoopsHype's Yossi Goslan pointing out</a> that the Heat go from $192,895 below the luxury tax to $4.9 million below, while also generating a $4.7 million trade exception.
Dedmon has fallen out ot the Heat's rotation, having only played once in their last 10 games. In the 30 games he's played in this season for Miami, he averaged 5.7 points and 3.6 rebounds.
&nbsp;

The Miami Heat have agreed to a trade sending center Dewayne Dedmon and a second-round pick to the San Antonio Spurs, <a href="https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1622994343052161027" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reports Shams Charania of The Athletic</a>.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
The Miami Heat are trading center Dewayne Dedmon and a second-round pick to the San Antonio Spurs, sources tell <a href="https://twitter.com/TheAthletic?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TheAthletic</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/Stadium?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Stadium</a>.
&mdash; Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) <a href="https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1622994343052161027?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 7, 2023</a></blockquote>

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

It's a cost-cutting move for the Heat, with <a href="https://twitter.com/YossiGozlan/status/1622995685032480768" target="_blank" rel="noopener">HoopsHype's Yossi Goslan pointing out</a> that the Heat go from $192,895 below the luxury tax to $4.9 million below, while also generating a $4.7 million trade exception.
Dedmon has fallen out ot the Heat's rotation, having only played once in their last 10 games. In the 30 games he's played in this season for Miami, he has averaged 5.7 points and 3.6 rebounds.
&nbsp;

The Heat are trading backup center Dewayne Dedmon and a second-round pick to the Spurs.

Heat trade center Dewayne Dedmon to Spurs

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) &mdash; Alabama coach Nate Oats has agreed to a new six-year, $30 million contract amid the program&rsquo;s best regular season in decades.
Oats will average $5 million plus incentives over the deal running through the 2028-29 season under a deal approved Friday by the University of Alabama System Board of Trustees Compensation Committee.
It makes him the fourth-highest paid basketball coach in the Southeastern Conference and among the Top 10 nationally, athletic director Greg Byrne said.
Oats, who is in his fourth season, will make $4.5 million for the first year with $200,000 annual raises. The fourth-ranked Crimson Tide (19-3, 9-0 SEC) has the team&rsquo;s highest ranking this deep into a season since 1976-77.
&ldquo;I am honored and humbled to receive a contract extension from the University of Alabama,&rdquo; Oats said in a statement. &ldquo;As I have said many times, my family and I love this community, the city of Tuscaloosa and the university.
&ldquo;I am incredibly proud of what we have been able to build during our time at UA which is a direct reflection of the student-athletes, coaches and staff who have all played a big part in our success. I am excited for what&rsquo;s happening in the future of our program and the direction we are heading.&rdquo;
&nbsp;

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) &mdash; Alabama coach Nate Oats has agreed to a new six-year, $30 million contract amid the program&rsquo;s best regular season in decades.
Oats will average $5 million plus incentives over the deal running through the 2028-29 season under a deal approved Friday by the University of Alabama System Board of Trustees Compensation Committee.
It makes him the fourth-highest paid basketball coach in the Southeastern Conference and among the Top 10 nationally, athletic director Greg Byrne said.
Oats, who is in his fourth season, will make $4.5 million for the first year with $200,000 annual raises. The fourth-ranked Crimson Tide (19-3, 9-0 SEC) has the team&rsquo;s highest ranking this deep into a season since 1976-77.
&ldquo;I am honored and humbled to receive a contract extension from the University of Alabama,&rdquo; Oats said in a statement. &ldquo;As I have said many times, my family and I love this community, the city of Tuscaloosa and the university.
&ldquo;I am incredibly proud of what we have been able to build during our time at UA which is a direct reflection of the student-athletes, coaches and staff who have all played a big part in our success. I am excited for what&rsquo;s happening in the future of our program and the direction we are heading.&rdquo;
Alabama has gone 80-39 under Oats, winning the 2021 SEC regular season and tournament championships.
&ldquo;Coach Oats has done an outstanding job leading our men&rsquo;s basketball program, and we want him to continue doing so for many years to come,&rdquo; Byrne said in a statement. &ldquo;He and his staff have lifted the program back to national prominence and built a product that is exciting to be a part of for our team and for our fans.
&ldquo;We were confident Nate was going to be an outstanding coach for us when we hired him, and he is not only that, but also a great leader of our young men.&rdquo;
The new contract comes nearly three weeks after Alabama basketball player Darius Miles and another man were charged with capital murder following a fatal shooting near campus. Miles, a reserve forward, was removed from the team and suspended from the university following his arrest.&nbsp;

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) &mdash; Alabama coach Nate Oats has agreed to a new six-year, $30 million contract amid the program&rsquo;s best regular season in decades.
Oats will average $5 million plus incentives over the deal running through the 2028-29 season under a deal approved Friday by the University of Alabama System Board of Trustees Compensation Committee.
It makes him the fourth-highest paid basketball coach in the Southeastern Conference and among the Top 10 nationally, athletic director Greg Byrne said.
Oats, who is in his fourth season, will make $4.5 million for the first year with $200,000 annual raises. The fourth-ranked Crimson Tide (19-3, 9-0 SEC) has the team&rsquo;s highest ranking this deep into a season since 1976-77.
&ldquo;I am honored and humbled to receive a contract extension from the University of Alabama,&rdquo; Oats said in a statement. &ldquo;As I have said many times, my family and I love this community, the city of Tuscaloosa and the university.
&ldquo;I am incredibly proud of what we have been able to build during our time at UA which is a direct reflection of the student-athletes, coaches and staff who have all played a big part in our success. I am excited for what&rsquo;s happening in the future of our program and the direction we are heading.&rdquo;
Alabama has gone 80-39 under Oats, winning the 2021 SEC regular season and tournament championships.
&ldquo;Coach Oats has done an outstanding job leading our men&rsquo;s basketball program, and we want him to continue doing so for many years to come,&rdquo; Byrne said in a statement. &ldquo;He and his staff have lifted the program back to national prominence and built a product that is exciting to be a part of for our team and for our fans.
&ldquo;We were confident Nate was going to be an outstanding coach for us when we hired him, and he is not only that, but also a great leader of our young men.&rdquo;
The new contract comes nearly three weeks after Alabama basketball player Darius Miles and another man were charged with capital murder following a fatal shooting near campus. Miles, a reserve forward, was removed from the team and suspended from the university following his arrest.&nbsp;

Nate Oats is now the fourth-highest-paid basketball coach in the Southeastern Conference and among the top 10 nationally.

Alabama coach Nate Oats gets new 6-year, $30 million deal

BOSTON (AP) &mdash; Devin Booker wore a hockey toque to deal with the sub-zero temperatures in Boston and pulled out a baseball metaphor to describe his possible return to the basketball court.
&ldquo;Rounding third,&rdquo; Booker said after watching from the bench as his Phoenix Suns teammates beat the Celtics 106-94 on Friday night.
Mikal Bridges scored 25 points and Dario Saric had 14 with 13 rebounds Friday night to lead the Phoenix Suns to a 106-94 victory over Boston and send the NBA-leading Celtics to their fourth loss in six games.
Chris Paul added 15 points, eight assists and six rebounds for Phoenix, which had a 20-point, second-quarter lead trimmed to one by the end of the third. The Suns opened the fourth with eight straight points to turn back Boston&rsquo;s rally.
Booker, a native of Grand Rapids, Michigan, wore a Detroit Red Wings knit cap as he sat on the bench in the same building where he scored 70 points in 2017. He hasn&rsquo;t played since sustaining a groin injury on Christmas; it was just the second time he has joined the team on a road trip since.
&nbsp;

BOSTON (AP) &mdash; Devin Booker wore a hockey toque to deal with the sub-zero temperatures in Boston and pulled out a baseball metaphor to describe his possible return to the basketball court.
&ldquo;Rounding third,&rdquo; Booker said after watching from the bench as his Phoenix Suns teammates beat the Celtics 106-94 on Friday night.
Mikal Bridges scored 25 points and Dario Saric had 14 with 13 rebounds Friday night to lead the Phoenix Suns to a 106-94 victory over Boston and send the NBA-leading Celtics to their fourth loss in six games.
Chris Paul added 15 points, eight assists and six rebounds for Phoenix, which had a 20-point, second-quarter lead trimmed to one by the end of the third. The Suns opened the fourth with eight straight points to turn back Boston&rsquo;s rally.
Booker, a native of Grand Rapids, Michigan, wore a Detroit Red Wings knit cap as he sat on the bench in the same building where he scored 70 points in 2017. He hasn&rsquo;t played since sustaining a groin injury on Christmas; it was just the second time he has joined the team on a road trip since.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m mindful of what I say because I don&rsquo;t want to get everybody excited about it, or depress everybody, either. It&rsquo;s just where he is,&rdquo; Suns coach Monty Williams said before the game. &ldquo;We do feel like he&rsquo;s getting closer and closer to coming back.&rdquo;
&nbsp;

BOSTON (AP) &mdash; Devin Booker wore a hockey toque to deal with the sub-zero temperatures in Boston and pulled out a baseball metaphor to describe his possible return to the basketball court.
&ldquo;Rounding third,&rdquo; Booker said after watching from the bench as his Phoenix Suns teammates beat the Celtics 106-94 on Friday night.
Mikal Bridges scored 25 points and Dario Saric had 14 with 13 rebounds Friday night to lead the Phoenix Suns to a 106-94 victory over Boston and send the NBA-leading Celtics to their fourth loss in six games.
Chris Paul added 15 points, eight assists and six rebounds for Phoenix, which had a 20-point, second-quarter lead trimmed to one by the end of the third. The Suns opened the fourth with eight straight points to turn back Boston&rsquo;s rally.
Booker, a native of Grand Rapids, Michigan, wore a Detroit Red Wings knit cap as he sat on the bench in the same building where he scored 70 points in 2017. He hasn&rsquo;t played since sustaining a groin injury on Christmas; it was just the second time he has joined the team on a road trip since.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m mindful of what I say because I don&rsquo;t want to get everybody excited about it, or depress everybody, either. It&rsquo;s just where he is,&rdquo; Suns coach Monty Williams said before the game. &ldquo;We do feel like he&rsquo;s getting closer and closer to coming back.&rdquo;
The Suns lost nine of their first 11 games after the three-time All-Star went out, but have won seven of the last nine while they wait for his return, which could come during current the five-game road trip.
&ldquo;For us to win it without Book is big for everyone&rsquo;s confidence, because he will be back shortly,&rdquo; center Jock Landale said. &ldquo;We would have liked to win a few more games, but now that we&rsquo;re winning a lot of games and he&rsquo;s on the verge of coming back, it&rsquo;s big for us.&rdquo;
Jaylen Brown scored 27 points and Jayson Tatum had 20 for the Celtics, who beat the Brooklyn Nets by 43 points on Wednesday and beat the Suns by 27 in December. But the two Boston All-Stars shot a combined 12 for 36 from the floor and 6 for 22 from 3-point range.
The Suns led 74-73 to start the fourth quarter before running off the next eight points, prompting Boston coach Joe Mazzulla to call a timeout. Derrick White drove for a layup to snap the slump, but Damion Lee and Saric hit back-to-back 3s, and the Celtics never got closer than six from there.
&nbsp;

BOSTON (AP) &mdash; Devin Booker wore a hockey toque to deal with the sub-zero temperatures in Boston and pulled out a baseball metaphor to describe his possible return to the basketball court.
&ldquo;Rounding third,&rdquo; Booker said after watching from the bench as his Phoenix Suns teammates beat the Celtics 106-94 on Friday night.
Mikal Bridges scored 25 points and Dario Saric had 14 with 13 rebounds Friday night to lead the Phoenix Suns to a 106-94 victory over Boston and send the NBA-leading Celtics to their fourth loss in six games.
Chris Paul added 15 points, eight assists and six rebounds for Phoenix, which had a 20-point, second-quarter lead trimmed to one by the end of the third. The Suns opened the fourth with eight straight points to turn back Boston&rsquo;s rally.
Booker, a native of Grand Rapids, Michigan, wore a Detroit Red Wings knit cap as he sat on the bench in the same building where he scored 70 points in 2017. He hasn&rsquo;t played since sustaining a groin injury on Christmas; it was just the second time he has joined the team on a road trip since.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m mindful of what I say because I don&rsquo;t want to get everybody excited about it, or depress everybody, either. It&rsquo;s just where he is,&rdquo; Suns coach Monty Williams said before the game. &ldquo;We do feel like he&rsquo;s getting closer and closer to coming back.&rdquo;
The Suns lost nine of their first 11 games after the three-time All-Star went out, but have won seven of the last nine while they wait for his return, which could come during current the five-game road trip.
&ldquo;For us to win it without Book is big for everyone&rsquo;s confidence, because he will be back shortly,&rdquo; center Jock Landale said. &ldquo;We would have liked to win a few more games, but now that we&rsquo;re winning a lot of games and he&rsquo;s on the verge of coming back, it&rsquo;s big for us.&rdquo;
Jaylen Brown scored 27 points and Jayson Tatum had 20 for the Celtics, who beat the Brooklyn Nets by 43 points on Wednesday and beat the Suns by 27 in December. But the two Boston All-Stars shot a combined 12 for 36 from the floor and 6 for 22 from 3-point range.
The Suns led 74-73 to start the fourth quarter before running off the next eight points, prompting Boston coach Joe Mazzulla to call a timeout. Derrick White drove for a layup to snap the slump, but Damion Lee and Saric hit back-to-back 3s, and the Celtics never got closer than six from there.
The Celtics scored the first seven points of the game, but quickly gave it all back. Phoenix scored the next 12, with Ayton putting in three straight baskets to start the run.
The Suns started the second quarter with back-to-back 3-pointers by Ish Wainright and Lee &mdash; sparking another 8-0 run that helped them open a 32-20 lead. It was up to 20 points with four minutes left in the second before Tatum hit his first basket of the game &mdash; a 3-pointer &mdash; as Boston scored 11 in a row before going into the half trailing 57-44.
TIP-INS
Tatum missed his first six shots. ... Wainright sank a full-court shot, but it was just after the buzzer to end the third quarter. ... Boston&rsquo;s Luke Kornet left early in the fourth and limped to the locker room. ... The Celtics took the court on Jan. 23 with a 35-12 record and a nine-game winning streak.
UP NEXT
Suns: At Detroit on Saturday.
Celtics: At Detroit on Monday night.

Mikal Bridges scored 25 points to lead the Suns to a 106-94 victory over the Celtics — Boston's fourth loss in six games.

Mikal Bridges scores 25, leads Suns to 106-94 win over Celtics

DENVER (AP) &mdash; Jamal Murray is locked in right now &mdash; with his shot, with his swagger and especially with his confidence in his team.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s fun to play basketball,&rdquo; the Denver point guard said. &ldquo;But we still have room to improve. We&rsquo;re not satisfied with where we&rsquo;re at.&rdquo;
Murray scored 32 points, Nikola Jokic got his 16th triple-double of the season and the Western Conference-leading Nuggets held off the reeling New Orleans Pelicans 122-113 on Tuesday night.
Murray made a season-high seven 3-pointers to give him 771 for his career and move him past J.R. Smith for second place on the franchise list. He&rsquo;s just 33 away from matching Will Barton for the top spot.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;ll get that in three games,&rdquo; cracked Murray.
See, swagger.
His smooth jumper was so in rhythm early in the game Tuesday that Nuggets coach Michael Malone didn&rsquo;t want to take him out. Malone didn&rsquo;t, either, until later than usual.
&nbsp;

DENVER (AP) &mdash; Jamal Murray is locked in right now &mdash; with his shot, with his swagger and especially with his confidence in his team.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s fun to play basketball,&rdquo; the Denver point guard said. &ldquo;But we still have room to improve. We&rsquo;re not satisfied with where we&rsquo;re at.&rdquo;
Murray scored 32 points, Nikola Jokic got his 16th triple-double of the season and the Western Conference-leading Nuggets held off the reeling New Orleans Pelicans 122-113 on Tuesday night.
Murray made a season-high seven 3-pointers to give him 771 for his career and move him past J.R. Smith for second place on the franchise list. He&rsquo;s just 33 away from matching Will Barton for the top spot.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;ll get that in three games,&rdquo; cracked Murray.
See, swagger.
His smooth jumper was so in rhythm early in the game Tuesday that Nuggets coach Michael Malone didn&rsquo;t want to take him out. Malone didn&rsquo;t, either, until later than usual.
&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t want to be the guy that puts the fire out,&rdquo; said Malone, whose team trailed by 12 in the second quarter before closing the gap to 60-57 at halftime and taking control in the third. &ldquo;Jamal was really, really good in all areas of the game tonight.&rdquo;
Ditto for Jokic, who finished with 26 points, 18 rebounds and 15 assists as the Nuggets improved to 16-0 when he has a triple-double.
&nbsp;

DENVER (AP) &mdash; Jamal Murray is locked in right now &mdash; with his shot, with his swagger and especially with his confidence in his team.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s fun to play basketball,&rdquo; the Denver point guard said. &ldquo;But we still have room to improve. We&rsquo;re not satisfied with where we&rsquo;re at.&rdquo;
Murray scored 32 points, Nikola Jokic got his 16th triple-double of the season and the Western Conference-leading Nuggets held off the reeling New Orleans Pelicans 122-113 on Tuesday night.
Murray made a season-high seven 3-pointers to give him 771 for his career and move him past J.R. Smith for second place on the franchise list. He&rsquo;s just 33 away from matching Will Barton for the top spot.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;ll get that in three games,&rdquo; cracked Murray.
See, swagger.
His smooth jumper was so in rhythm early in the game Tuesday that Nuggets coach Michael Malone didn&rsquo;t want to take him out. Malone didn&rsquo;t, either, until later than usual.
&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t want to be the guy that puts the fire out,&rdquo; said Malone, whose team trailed by 12 in the second quarter before closing the gap to 60-57 at halftime and taking control in the third. &ldquo;Jamal was really, really good in all areas of the game tonight.&rdquo;
Ditto for Jokic, who finished with 26 points, 18 rebounds and 15 assists as the Nuggets improved to 16-0 when he has a triple-double.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m happy as long as we are winning games and the players are happy around me,&rdquo; Jokic said.
CJ McCollum and Herbert Jones both scored 21 points for the Pelicans, who have dropped nine straight games. They finished 3-13 in January.
Part of the reason for the slide has been the absence of standout Zion Williamson, who has missed 15 games in a row with a hamstring injury.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve got to keep our heads down and keep working,&rdquo; coach Willie Green said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s hard to win in the NBA. We&rsquo;re seeing that. There was some beauty in what I saw tonight. ... We&rsquo;re right there, but we have to sustain it for 48 minutes.&rdquo;
The Nuggets led by 13 early in the fourth quarter only to see the Pelicans cut it to five on several occasions, including a layup by Jones with less than a minute remaining. Murray and Jokic each converted a pair of free throws down the stretch to help Denver fend off New Orleans and move to 23-4 at home.
Jokic, who&rsquo;s been dealing with tightness in his left hamstring, had another efficient shooting performance in going 10 of 14 from the floor. It was the 92nd triple-double of his career.
<div class="Component-dfp-0-2-521 apnews_article_midarticle_2" data-card-id="sovrn-article-midarticle">&nbsp;</div>

DENVER (AP) &mdash; Jamal Murray is locked in right now &mdash; with his shot, with his swagger and especially with his confidence in his team.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s fun to play basketball,&rdquo; the Denver point guard said. &ldquo;But we still have room to improve. We&rsquo;re not satisfied with where we&rsquo;re at.&rdquo;
Murray scored 32 points, Nikola Jokic got his 16th triple-double of the season and the Western Conference-leading Nuggets held off the reeling New Orleans Pelicans 122-113 on Tuesday night.
Murray made a season-high seven 3-pointers to give him 771 for his career and move him past J.R. Smith for second place on the franchise list. He&rsquo;s just 33 away from matching Will Barton for the top spot.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;ll get that in three games,&rdquo; cracked Murray.
See, swagger.
His smooth jumper was so in rhythm early in the game Tuesday that Nuggets coach Michael Malone didn&rsquo;t want to take him out. Malone didn&rsquo;t, either, until later than usual.
&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t want to be the guy that puts the fire out,&rdquo; said Malone, whose team trailed by 12 in the second quarter before closing the gap to 60-57 at halftime and taking control in the third. &ldquo;Jamal was really, really good in all areas of the game tonight.&rdquo;
Ditto for Jokic, who finished with 26 points, 18 rebounds and 15 assists as the Nuggets improved to 16-0 when he has a triple-double.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m happy as long as we are winning games and the players are happy around me,&rdquo; Jokic said.
CJ McCollum and Herbert Jones both scored 21 points for the Pelicans, who have dropped nine straight games. They finished 3-13 in January.
Part of the reason for the slide has been the absence of standout Zion Williamson, who has missed 15 games in a row with a hamstring injury.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve got to keep our heads down and keep working,&rdquo; coach Willie Green said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s hard to win in the NBA. We&rsquo;re seeing that. There was some beauty in what I saw tonight. ... We&rsquo;re right there, but we have to sustain it for 48 minutes.&rdquo;
The Nuggets led by 13 early in the fourth quarter only to see the Pelicans cut it to five on several occasions, including a layup by Jones with less than a minute remaining. Murray and Jokic each converted a pair of free throws down the stretch to help Denver fend off New Orleans and move to 23-4 at home.
Jokic, who&rsquo;s been dealing with tightness in his left hamstring, had another efficient shooting performance in going 10 of 14 from the floor. It was the 92nd triple-double of his career.
<div class="Component-dfp-0-2-521 apnews_article_midarticle_2" data-card-id="sovrn-article-midarticle">
&ldquo;He was pretty dominant across the board,&rdquo; Green said.
TIP-INS
Pelicans: Williamson is steadily progressing from a strained hamstring, according to Green. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s something we don&rsquo;t want to rush, but we&rsquo;re definitely excited to see him on the floor,&rdquo; he said. ... Brandon Ingram finished with 16 points and nine assists. ... Larry Nance Jr. scored 11 of his 13 points in the fourth quarter.
Nuggets: Rookie guard Collin Gillespie (broken right leg) has been cleared for shooting and light running. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re not putting any pressure or a rush on him,&rdquo; Malone said. ... Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Aaron Gordon each had 15 points.
</div>

DENVER (AP) &mdash; Jamal Murray is locked in right now &mdash; with his shot, with his swagger and especially with his confidence in his team.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s fun to play basketball,&rdquo; the Denver point guard said. &ldquo;But we still have room to improve. We&rsquo;re not satisfied with where we&rsquo;re at.&rdquo;
Murray scored 32 points, Nikola Jokic got his 16th triple-double of the season and the Western Conference-leading Nuggets held off the reeling New Orleans Pelicans 122-113 on Tuesday night.
Murray made a season-high seven 3-pointers to give him 771 for his career and move him past J.R. Smith for second place on the franchise list. He&rsquo;s just 33 away from matching Will Barton for the top spot.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;ll get that in three games,&rdquo; cracked Murray.
See, swagger.
His smooth jumper was so in rhythm early in the game Tuesday that Nuggets coach Michael Malone didn&rsquo;t want to take him out. Malone didn&rsquo;t, either, until later than usual.
&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t want to be the guy that puts the fire out,&rdquo; said Malone, whose team trailed by 12 in the second quarter before closing the gap to 60-57 at halftime and taking control in the third. &ldquo;Jamal was really, really good in all areas of the game tonight.&rdquo;
Ditto for Jokic, who finished with 26 points, 18 rebounds and 15 assists as the Nuggets improved to 16-0 when he has a triple-double.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m happy as long as we are winning games and the players are happy around me,&rdquo; Jokic said.
CJ McCollum and Herbert Jones both scored 21 points for the Pelicans, who have dropped nine straight games. They finished 3-13 in January.
Part of the reason for the slide has been the absence of standout Zion Williamson, who has missed 15 games in a row with a hamstring injury.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve got to keep our heads down and keep working,&rdquo; coach Willie Green said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s hard to win in the NBA. We&rsquo;re seeing that. There was some beauty in what I saw tonight. ... We&rsquo;re right there, but we have to sustain it for 48 minutes.&rdquo;
The Nuggets led by 13 early in the fourth quarter only to see the Pelicans cut it to five on several occasions, including a layup by Jones with less than a minute remaining. Murray and Jokic each converted a pair of free throws down the stretch to help Denver fend off New Orleans and move to 23-4 at home.
Jokic, who&rsquo;s been dealing with tightness in his left hamstring, had another efficient shooting performance in going 10 of 14 from the floor. It was the 92nd triple-double of his career.
<div class="Component-dfp-0-2-521 apnews_article_midarticle_2" data-card-id="sovrn-article-midarticle">
&ldquo;He was pretty dominant across the board,&rdquo; Green said.
TIP-INS
Pelicans: Williamson is steadily progressing from a strained hamstring, according to Green. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s something we don&rsquo;t want to rush, but we&rsquo;re definitely excited to see him on the floor,&rdquo; he said. ... Brandon Ingram finished with 16 points and nine assists. ... Larry Nance Jr. scored 11 of his 13 points in the fourth quarter.
Nuggets: Rookie guard Collin Gillespie (broken right leg) has been cleared for shooting and light running. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re not putting any pressure or a rush on him,&rdquo; Malone said. ... Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Aaron Gordon each had 15 points.
TRADE TALK
Nuggets guard Bones Hyland was limited to 4:43 and scored two points. His name has been mentioned in trade speculation.
Asked where he stands with Hyland, Malone responded: &ldquo;I stand with Bones. Bones is on our team.&rdquo;
RISING STARS
Hyland was selected to the NBA&rsquo;s Jordan Rising Stars Challenge. So were Pelicans guard Jose Alvarado and forward Trey Murphy III. The mini-tournament will take place on Feb. 17 in Salt Lake City as part of All-Star weekend.
</div>

Jamal Murray scored 32 points, Nikola Jokic got his 16th triple-double of the season and the Nuggets held off the Pelicans 122-113.

Murray, Jokic help Nuggets hold off Pelicans 122-113

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.
<div class="Component-hubPeekEmbed-0-2-66 HubPeek noBorderBottom-0-2-75 compressedEmbed-0-2-76 hubPeekMain" data-card-id="afs:Card:522820401280">
<div class="hubPeekContainerWide-0-2-78" data-key="feed-card-hub-peak">
<div class="title-0-2-79">&nbsp;</div>
</div>
</div>

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.
<div class="Component-hubPeekEmbed-0-2-66 HubPeek noBorderBottom-0-2-75 compressedEmbed-0-2-76 hubPeekMain" data-card-id="afs:Card:522820401280">
<div class="hubPeekContainerWide-0-2-78" data-key="feed-card-hub-peak">
<div class="title-0-2-79">
&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.
&nbsp;
</div>
</div>
</div>

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.
<div class="Component-hubPeekEmbed-0-2-66 HubPeek noBorderBottom-0-2-75 compressedEmbed-0-2-76 hubPeekMain" data-card-id="afs:Card:522820401280">
<div class="hubPeekContainerWide-0-2-78" data-key="feed-card-hub-peak">
<div class="title-0-2-79">
&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.
&nbsp;
</div>
</div>
</div>

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.
<div class="Component-hubPeekEmbed-0-2-66 HubPeek noBorderBottom-0-2-75 compressedEmbed-0-2-76 hubPeekMain" data-card-id="afs:Card:522820401280">
<div class="hubPeekContainerWide-0-2-78" data-key="feed-card-hub-peak">
<div class="title-0-2-79">
&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.
</div>
</div>
</div>

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.
<div class="Component-hubPeekEmbed-0-2-66 HubPeek noBorderBottom-0-2-75 compressedEmbed-0-2-76 hubPeekMain" data-card-id="afs:Card:522820401280">
<div class="hubPeekContainerWide-0-2-78" data-key="feed-card-hub-peak">
<div class="title-0-2-79">
&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.
</div>
</div>
</div>

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.
<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">&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.
&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.
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.
<div class="Component-hubPeekEmbed-0-2-66 HubPeek noBorderBottom-0-2-75 compressedEmbed-0-2-76 hubPeekMain" data-card-id="afs:Card:522820401280">
<div class="hubPeekContainerWide-0-2-78" data-key="feed-card-hub-peak">
<div class="title-0-2-79">&nbsp;</div>
</div>
</div>

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.
<div class="Component-hubPeekEmbed-0-2-66 HubPeek noBorderBottom-0-2-75 compressedEmbed-0-2-76 hubPeekMain" data-card-id="afs:Card:522820401280">
<div class="hubPeekContainerWide-0-2-78" data-key="feed-card-hub-peak">
<div class="title-0-2-79">
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.
&nbsp;
</div>
</div>
</div>

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.
<div class="Component-hubPeekEmbed-0-2-66 HubPeek noBorderBottom-0-2-75 compressedEmbed-0-2-76 hubPeekMain" data-card-id="afs:Card:522820401280">
<div class="hubPeekContainerWide-0-2-78" data-key="feed-card-hub-peak">
<div class="title-0-2-79">
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.
&nbsp;
</div>
</div>
</div>

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.
<div class="Component-hubPeekEmbed-0-2-66 HubPeek noBorderBottom-0-2-75 compressedEmbed-0-2-76 hubPeekMain" data-card-id="afs:Card:522820401280">
<div class="hubPeekContainerWide-0-2-78" data-key="feed-card-hub-peak">
<div class="title-0-2-79">
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.
</div>
</div>
</div>

Luka Doncic had 53 points as the Dallas Mavericks rallied to beat the Detroit Pistons 111-105.