Duncan Robinson made eight 3-pointers for Miami. Jonas Valanciunas grabbed 25 rebounds for New Orleans. Anthony Edwards scored 36 points for Minnesota in his playoff debut. Phoenix’s Chris Paul became the oldest player in postseason history with a 30-point, 10-assist game.
Game 1s brought greatness out of some.
Game 2s will give others a bounce-back chance.
A trio of Game 2s are on Tuesday’s NBA schedule — Atlanta at Miami, Minnesota at Memphis and New Orleans at Phoenix. The <a href="https://apnews.com/article/miami-heat-atlanta-hawks-nba-sports-jimmy-butler-524f6e3dc3b47326af36a281e871e64d">top-seeded Heat</a> in the East and <a href="https://apnews.com/article/phoenix-suns-new-orleans-pelicans-nba-sports-33de7a70b3f38ca2c1a8ab2df2d6ebe3">top-seeded Suns</a> in the West both opened the postseason quests with double-digit home wins, while the <a href="https://apnews.com/article/minnesota-timberwolves-memphis-grizzlies-nba-sports-jaden-mcdaniels-aaf5cd0818a06b8971736c4d19595070">seventh-seeded Timberwolves</a> struck first on the Grizzlies’ home floor.
Atlanta’s Trae Young was held to a career-worst-tying 1-for-12 shooting and a season-low eight points by a swarming Miami defense on Sunday. Memphis’ Ja Morant scored 32 points, but missed 10 of his last 13 shots from the floor against Minnesota on Saturday. And New Orleans’ CJ McCollum scored 25 points, keeping his team in it much of the way Sunday, though started 2 for 12 and finished 9 for 25.
“I didn’t push tempo enough. ... Playing against the No. 1 seed, you’ve got to make shots and got to be able to score with them,” McCollum said.
The Pelicans and Hawks were both playing a third game in a span of five days Sunday, each doing so in three different cities. They had play-in games at home on Wednesday, then traveled for another one Friday — Atlanta to Cleveland, New Orleans to Los Angeles to face the Clippers — then had to get back on planes for Game 1s in Miami and Phoenix.
Monday will be a day to get settled, and it stands to reason that Tuesday will be smoother for both.
“We cannot be an excuse team,” Atlanta’s Danilo Gallinari said. “We have to be ready to play.”
Adjustments will be made, as always, between Game 1 and Game 2. The Hawks must find ways to get Young to his spots. The Pelicans can’t let Paul shoot 12 for 16 again. The Timberwolves know they’ll get Memphis’ best shot, since the Grizzlies clearly can’t afford to go down 0-2 at home.
Veterans know Game 1s are never worth making snap judgments over, because series narratives can and often do change in Game 2s.
“You never get too high, never get too low,” Miami guard Kyle Lowry said. “I’ve lost a bunch of Game 1s and won the series. I’ve won a couple Game 1s and lost the series. You’ve got to be able to stay even-keeled, no matter what.”
Tuesday’s games:
HAWKS AT HEAT
Miami leads 1-0. Game 2, 7:30 p.m. EDT, TNT.
— NEED TO KNOW: Young was held below 15 points on five previous occasions this season. In the game immediately following those contests, he averaged 30.8 points on 54% from the field and 98% from the foul line. He will be super-aggressive on Tuesday.
— KEEP AN EYE ON: The Heat won by 24 and got only 12 points, combined, from Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro. The Heat didn’t need them to score much, not with Robinson scoring 27 off the bench, but it’s also tough to expect both Adebayo and Herro to remain quiet in Game 2.
— INJURY WATCH: Hawks C Clint Capela (knee hyperextension) expected to remain out. 
— PRESSURE IS ON: Miami. The Heat can’t give Atlanta momentum to go home with. The Hawks, including the play-in, have gone 28-14 at home this season and that — statistically improbable as it may seem — includes a 10-game losing streak. The Hawks lost every home game they played from Nov. 27 through Jan. 15, but are 20-3 in their building since. That’s the best home record in the NBA over that span.
TIMBERWOLVES AT GRIZZLIES
Minnesota leads 1-0. Game 2, 8:30 p.m. EDT, NBA TV.
— NEED TO KNOW: The Timberwolves led the NBA in 3-pointers made during the regular season and showed that prowess in Game 1, outscoring Memphis 48-21 from beyond the arc. What should further concern the Grizzlies is that they allowed 130 points on a night where D’Angelo Russell shot just 2 for 11.
— KEEP AN EYE ON: Morant. Memphis’ best player was 5 for 5 in the first quarter of Game 1, 3 for 13 from the field the rest of the way. He attempted 20 free throws, which speaks to his aggressiveness, but the Grizzlies can’t have Morant making three baskets over 36 minutes and expect success.
— INJURY WATCH: Nothing of great significance. Minnesota’s Karl-Anthony Towns was limping a bit in the final minutes of Saturday’s win after turning one of his ankles, but finished the game.
— PRESSURE IS ON: Memphis. Completely, totally on Memphis. If the Grizzlies watched Minnesota’s play-in game (and they obviously did), they would be aware of the atmosphere that awaits them when this series shifts back to Minneapolis later this week. A 2-0 deficit will prove very tough to overcome. Tuesday is absolutely huge to the Grizzlies’ hopes.
PELICANS AT SUNS
Phoenix leads 1-0. Game 2, 10 p.m. EDT, TNT.
— NEED TO KNOW: All five Suns-Pelicans games have been decided by double figures this season, Phoenix now going 4-1 in those matchups. Paul, a couple of weeks shy of his 37th birthday, was a maestro in Game 1.
— KEEP AN EYE ON: Even though Phoenix won Game 1, a 55-35 rebounding deficit will need to be addressed in Game 2.
— INJURY WATCH: New Orleans’ Brandon Ingram seemed to be laboring through some ankle issues in the second half of Game 1.
— PRESSURE IS ON: Phoenix. New Orleans shouldn’t feel any pressure in this series, even if elimination looms. The previous team to make the playoffs with a 36-46 record or worse was the Boston Celtics in 2004. The Pelicans are playing with house money the rest of the way and the Suns probably would be wise to not give them more reasons to believe.
___
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Duncan Robinson made eight 3-pointers for Miami. Jonas Valanciunas grabbed 25 rebounds for New Orleans. Anthony Edwards scored 36 points for Minnesota in his playoff debut. Phoenix&rsquo;s Chris Paul became the oldest player in postseason history with a 30-point, 10-assist game.
Game 1s brought greatness out of some.
Game 2s will give others a bounce-back chance.
A trio of Game 2s are on Tuesday&rsquo;s NBA schedule &mdash; Atlanta at Miami, Minnesota at Memphis and New Orleans at Phoenix. The <a href="https://apnews.com/article/miami-heat-atlanta-hawks-nba-sports-jimmy-butler-524f6e3dc3b47326af36a281e871e64d">top-seeded Heat</a> in the East and <a href="https://apnews.com/article/phoenix-suns-new-orleans-pelicans-nba-sports-33de7a70b3f38ca2c1a8ab2df2d6ebe3">top-seeded Suns</a> in the West both opened the postseason quests with double-digit home wins, while the <a href="https://apnews.com/article/minnesota-timberwolves-memphis-grizzlies-nba-sports-jaden-mcdaniels-aaf5cd0818a06b8971736c4d19595070">seventh-seeded Timberwolves</a> struck first on the Grizzlies&rsquo; home floor.
Atlanta&rsquo;s Trae Young was held to a career-worst-tying 1-for-12 shooting and a season-low eight points by a swarming Miami defense on Sunday. Memphis&rsquo; Ja Morant scored 32 points, but missed 10 of his last 13 shots from the floor against Minnesota on Saturday. And New Orleans&rsquo; CJ McCollum scored 25 points, keeping his team in it much of the way Sunday, though started 2 for 12 and finished 9 for 25.
&ldquo;I didn&rsquo;t push tempo enough. ... Playing against the No. 1 seed, you&rsquo;ve got to make shots and got to be able to score with them,&rdquo; McCollum said.
The Pelicans and Hawks were both playing a third game in a span of five days Sunday, each doing so in three different cities. They had play-in games at home on Wednesday, then traveled for another one Friday &mdash; Atlanta to Cleveland, New Orleans to Los Angeles to face the Clippers &mdash; then had to get back on planes for Game 1s in Miami and Phoenix.
Monday will be a day to get settled, and it stands to reason that Tuesday will be smoother for both.
&ldquo;We cannot be an excuse team,&rdquo; Atlanta&rsquo;s Danilo Gallinari said. &ldquo;We have to be ready to play.&rdquo;
Adjustments will be made, as always, between Game 1 and Game 2. The Hawks must find ways to get Young to his spots. The Pelicans can&rsquo;t let Paul shoot 12 for 16 again. The Timberwolves know they&rsquo;ll get Memphis&rsquo; best shot, since the Grizzlies clearly can&rsquo;t afford to go down 0-2 at home.
Veterans know Game 1s are never worth making snap judgments over, because series narratives can and often do change in Game 2s.
&ldquo;You never get too high, never get too low,&rdquo; Miami guard Kyle Lowry said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve lost a bunch of Game 1s and won the series. I&rsquo;ve won a couple Game 1s and lost the series. You&rsquo;ve got to be able to stay even-keeled, no matter what.&rdquo;
Tuesday&rsquo;s games:
HAWKS AT HEAT
Miami leads 1-0. Game 2, 7:30 p.m. EDT, TNT.
&mdash; NEED TO KNOW: Young was held below 15 points on five previous occasions this season. In the game immediately following those contests, he averaged 30.8 points on 54% from the field and 98% from the foul line. He will be super-aggressive on Tuesday.
&mdash; KEEP AN EYE ON: The Heat won by 24 and got only 12 points, combined, from Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro. The Heat didn&rsquo;t need them to score much, not with Robinson scoring 27 off the bench, but it&rsquo;s also tough to expect both Adebayo and Herro to remain quiet in Game 2.
&mdash; INJURY WATCH: Hawks C Clint Capela (knee hyperextension) expected to remain out.
&mdash; PRESSURE IS ON: Miami. The Heat can&rsquo;t give Atlanta momentum to go home with. The Hawks, including the play-in, have gone 28-14 at home this season and that &mdash; statistically improbable as it may seem &mdash; includes a 10-game losing streak. The Hawks lost every home game they played from Nov. 27 through Jan. 15, but are 20-3 in their building since. That&rsquo;s the best home record in the NBA over that span.
TIMBERWOLVES AT GRIZZLIES
Minnesota leads 1-0. Game 2, 8:30 p.m. EDT, NBA TV.
&mdash; NEED TO KNOW: The Timberwolves led the NBA in 3-pointers made during the regular season and showed that prowess in Game 1, outscoring Memphis 48-21 from beyond the arc. What should further concern the Grizzlies is that they allowed 130 points on a night where D&rsquo;Angelo Russell shot just 2 for 11.
&mdash; KEEP AN EYE ON: Morant. Memphis&rsquo; best player was 5 for 5 in the first quarter of Game 1, 3 for 13 from the field the rest of the way. He attempted 20 free throws, which speaks to his aggressiveness, but the Grizzlies can&rsquo;t have Morant making three baskets over 36 minutes and expect success.
&mdash; INJURY WATCH: Nothing of great significance. Minnesota&rsquo;s Karl-Anthony Towns was limping a bit in the final minutes of Saturday&rsquo;s win after turning one of his ankles, but finished the game.
&mdash; PRESSURE IS ON: Memphis. Completely, totally on Memphis. If the Grizzlies watched Minnesota&rsquo;s play-in game (and they obviously did), they would be aware of the atmosphere that awaits them when this series shifts back to Minneapolis later this week. A 2-0 deficit will prove very tough to overcome. Tuesday is absolutely huge to the Grizzlies&rsquo; hopes.
PELICANS AT SUNS
Phoenix leads 1-0. Game 2, 10 p.m. EDT, TNT.
&mdash; NEED TO KNOW: All five Suns-Pelicans games have been decided by double figures this season, Phoenix now going 4-1 in those matchups. Paul, a couple of weeks shy of his 37th birthday, was a maestro in Game 1.
&mdash; KEEP AN EYE ON: Even though Phoenix won Game 1, a 55-35 rebounding deficit will need to be addressed in Game 2.
&mdash; INJURY WATCH: New Orleans&rsquo; Brandon Ingram seemed to be laboring through some ankle issues in the second half of Game 1.
&mdash; PRESSURE IS ON: Phoenix. New Orleans shouldn&rsquo;t feel any pressure in this series, even if elimination looms. The previous team to make the playoffs with a 36-46 record or worse was the Boston Celtics in 2004. The Pelicans are playing with house money the rest of the way and the Suns probably would be wise to not give them more reasons to believe.

Duncan Robinson made eight 3-pointers for Miami. Jonas Valanciunas grabbed 25 rebounds for New Orleans. Anthony Edwards scored 36 points for Minnesota in his playoff debut. Phoenix&rsquo;s Chris Paul became the oldest player in postseason history with a 30-point, 10-assist game.
Game 1s brought greatness out of some.
Game 2s will give others a bounce-back chance.
A trio of Game 2s are on Tuesday&rsquo;s NBA schedule &mdash; Atlanta at Miami, Minnesota at Memphis and New Orleans at Phoenix. The <a href="https://apnews.com/article/miami-heat-atlanta-hawks-nba-sports-jimmy-butler-524f6e3dc3b47326af36a281e871e64d">top-seeded Heat</a> in the East and <a href="https://apnews.com/article/phoenix-suns-new-orleans-pelicans-nba-sports-33de7a70b3f38ca2c1a8ab2df2d6ebe3">top-seeded Suns</a> in the West both opened the postseason quests with double-digit home wins, while the <a href="https://apnews.com/article/minnesota-timberwolves-memphis-grizzlies-nba-sports-jaden-mcdaniels-aaf5cd0818a06b8971736c4d19595070">seventh-seeded Timberwolves</a> struck first on the Grizzlies&rsquo; home floor.
Atlanta&rsquo;s Trae Young was held to a career-worst-tying 1-for-12 shooting and a season-low eight points by a swarming Miami defense on Sunday. Memphis&rsquo; Ja Morant scored 32 points, but missed 10 of his last 13 shots from the floor against Minnesota on Saturday. And New Orleans&rsquo; CJ McCollum scored 25 points, keeping his team in it much of the way Sunday, though started 2 for 12 and finished 9 for 25.
&ldquo;I didn&rsquo;t push tempo enough. ... Playing against the No. 1 seed, you&rsquo;ve got to make shots and got to be able to score with them,&rdquo; McCollum said.
The Pelicans and Hawks were both playing a third game in a span of five days Sunday, each doing so in three different cities. They had play-in games at home on Wednesday, then traveled for another one Friday &mdash; Atlanta to Cleveland, New Orleans to Los Angeles to face the Clippers &mdash; then had to get back on planes for Game 1s in Miami and Phoenix.
Monday will be a day to get settled, and it stands to reason that Tuesday will be smoother for both.
&ldquo;We cannot be an excuse team,&rdquo; Atlanta&rsquo;s Danilo Gallinari said. &ldquo;We have to be ready to play.&rdquo;
Adjustments will be made, as always, between Game 1 and Game 2. The Hawks must find ways to get Young to his spots. The Pelicans can&rsquo;t let Paul shoot 12 for 16 again. The Timberwolves know they&rsquo;ll get Memphis&rsquo; best shot, since the Grizzlies clearly can&rsquo;t afford to go down 0-2 at home.
Veterans know Game 1s are never worth making snap judgments over, because series narratives can and often do change in Game 2s.
&ldquo;You never get too high, never get too low,&rdquo; Miami guard Kyle Lowry said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve lost a bunch of Game 1s and won the series. I&rsquo;ve won a couple Game 1s and lost the series. You&rsquo;ve got to be able to stay even-keeled, no matter what.&rdquo;
Tuesday&rsquo;s games:
HAWKS AT HEAT
Miami leads 1-0. Game 2, 7:30 p.m. EDT, TNT.
&mdash; NEED TO KNOW: Young was held below 15 points on five previous occasions this season. In the game immediately following those contests, he averaged 30.8 points on 54% from the field and 98% from the foul line. He will be super-aggressive on Tuesday.
&mdash; KEEP AN EYE ON: The Heat won by 24 and got only 12 points, combined, from Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro. The Heat didn&rsquo;t need them to score much, not with Robinson scoring 27 off the bench, but it&rsquo;s also tough to expect both Adebayo and Herro to remain quiet in Game 2.
&mdash; INJURY WATCH: Hawks C Clint Capela (knee hyperextension) expected to remain out.
&mdash; PRESSURE IS ON: Miami. The Heat can&rsquo;t give Atlanta momentum to go home with. The Hawks, including the play-in, have gone 28-14 at home this season and that &mdash; statistically improbable as it may seem &mdash; includes a 10-game losing streak. The Hawks lost every home game they played from Nov. 27 through Jan. 15, but are 20-3 in their building since. That&rsquo;s the best home record in the NBA over that span.
TIMBERWOLVES AT GRIZZLIES
Minnesota leads 1-0. Game 2, 8:30 p.m. EDT, NBA TV.
&mdash; NEED TO KNOW: The Timberwolves led the NBA in 3-pointers made during the regular season and showed that prowess in Game 1, outscoring Memphis 48-21 from beyond the arc. What should further concern the Grizzlies is that they allowed 130 points on a night where D&rsquo;Angelo Russell shot just 2 for 11.
&mdash; KEEP AN EYE ON: Morant. Memphis&rsquo; best player was 5 for 5 in the first quarter of Game 1, 3 for 13 from the field the rest of the way. He attempted 20 free throws, which speaks to his aggressiveness, but the Grizzlies can&rsquo;t have Morant making three baskets over 36 minutes and expect success.
&mdash; INJURY WATCH: Nothing of great significance. Minnesota&rsquo;s Karl-Anthony Towns was limping a bit in the final minutes of Saturday&rsquo;s win after turning one of his ankles, but finished the game.
&mdash; PRESSURE IS ON: Memphis. Completely, totally on Memphis. If the Grizzlies watched Minnesota&rsquo;s play-in game (and they obviously did), they would be aware of the atmosphere that awaits them when this series shifts back to Minneapolis later this week. A 2-0 deficit will prove very tough to overcome. Tuesday is absolutely huge to the Grizzlies&rsquo; hopes.
PELICANS AT SUNS
Phoenix leads 1-0. Game 2, 10 p.m. EDT, TNT.
&mdash; NEED TO KNOW: All five Suns-Pelicans games have been decided by double figures this season, Phoenix now going 4-1 in those matchups. Paul, a couple of weeks shy of his 37th birthday, was a maestro in Game 1.
&mdash; KEEP AN EYE ON: Even though Phoenix won Game 1, a 55-35 rebounding deficit will need to be addressed in Game 2.
&mdash; INJURY WATCH: New Orleans&rsquo; Brandon Ingram seemed to be laboring through some ankle issues in the second half of Game 1.
&mdash; PRESSURE IS ON: Phoenix. New Orleans shouldn&rsquo;t feel any pressure in this series, even if elimination looms. The previous team to make the playoffs with a 36-46 record or worse was the Boston Celtics in 2004. The Pelicans are playing with house money the rest of the way and the Suns probably would be wise to not give them more reasons to believe.

Duncan Robinson made eight 3-pointers for Miami. Jonas Valanciunas grabbed 25 rebounds for New Orleans. Anthony Edwards scored 36 points for Minnesota in his playoff debut. Phoenix&rsquo;s Chris Paul became the oldest player in postseason history with a 30-point, 10-assist game.
Game 1s brought greatness out of some.
Game 2s will give others a bounce-back chance.
A trio of Game 2s are on Tuesday&rsquo;s NBA schedule &mdash; Atlanta at Miami, Minnesota at Memphis and New Orleans at Phoenix. The <a href="https://apnews.com/article/miami-heat-atlanta-hawks-nba-sports-jimmy-butler-524f6e3dc3b47326af36a281e871e64d">top-seeded Heat</a> in the East and <a href="https://apnews.com/article/phoenix-suns-new-orleans-pelicans-nba-sports-33de7a70b3f38ca2c1a8ab2df2d6ebe3">top-seeded Suns</a> in the West both opened the postseason quests with double-digit home wins, while the <a href="https://apnews.com/article/minnesota-timberwolves-memphis-grizzlies-nba-sports-jaden-mcdaniels-aaf5cd0818a06b8971736c4d19595070">seventh-seeded Timberwolves</a> struck first on the Grizzlies&rsquo; home floor.
Atlanta&rsquo;s Trae Young was held to a career-worst-tying 1-for-12 shooting and a season-low eight points by a swarming Miami defense on Sunday. Memphis&rsquo; Ja Morant scored 32 points, but missed 10 of his last 13 shots from the floor against Minnesota on Saturday. And New Orleans&rsquo; CJ McCollum scored 25 points, keeping his team in it much of the way Sunday, though started 2 for 12 and finished 9 for 25.
&ldquo;I didn&rsquo;t push tempo enough. ... Playing against the No. 1 seed, you&rsquo;ve got to make shots and got to be able to score with them,&rdquo; McCollum said.
The Pelicans and Hawks were both playing a third game in a span of five days Sunday, each doing so in three different cities. They had play-in games at home on Wednesday, then traveled for another one Friday &mdash; Atlanta to Cleveland, New Orleans to Los Angeles to face the Clippers &mdash; then had to get back on planes for Game 1s in Miami and Phoenix.
Monday will be a day to get settled, and it stands to reason that Tuesday will be smoother for both.
&ldquo;We cannot be an excuse team,&rdquo; Atlanta&rsquo;s Danilo Gallinari said. &ldquo;We have to be ready to play.&rdquo;
Adjustments will be made, as always, between Game 1 and Game 2. The Hawks must find ways to get Young to his spots. The Pelicans can&rsquo;t let Paul shoot 12 for 16 again. The Timberwolves know they&rsquo;ll get Memphis&rsquo; best shot, since the Grizzlies clearly can&rsquo;t afford to go down 0-2 at home.
Veterans know Game 1s are never worth making snap judgments over, because series narratives can and often do change in Game 2s.
&ldquo;You never get too high, never get too low,&rdquo; Miami guard Kyle Lowry said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve lost a bunch of Game 1s and won the series. I&rsquo;ve won a couple Game 1s and lost the series. You&rsquo;ve got to be able to stay even-keeled, no matter what.&rdquo;
Tuesday&rsquo;s games:
HAWKS AT HEAT
Miami leads 1-0. Game 2, 7:30 p.m. EDT, TNT.
&mdash; NEED TO KNOW: Young was held below 15 points on five previous occasions this season. In the game immediately following those contests, he averaged 30.8 points on 54% from the field and 98% from the foul line. He will be super-aggressive on Tuesday.
&mdash; KEEP AN EYE ON: The Heat won by 24 and got only 12 points, combined, from Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro. The Heat didn&rsquo;t need them to score much, not with Robinson scoring 27 off the bench, but it&rsquo;s also tough to expect both Adebayo and Herro to remain quiet in Game 2.
&mdash; INJURY WATCH: Hawks C Clint Capela (knee hyperextension) expected to remain out.
&mdash; PRESSURE IS ON: Miami. The Heat can&rsquo;t give Atlanta momentum to go home with. The Hawks, including the play-in, have gone 28-14 at home this season and that &mdash; statistically improbable as it may seem &mdash; includes a 10-game losing streak. The Hawks lost every home game they played from Nov. 27 through Jan. 15, but are 20-3 in their building since. That&rsquo;s the best home record in the NBA over that span.
TIMBERWOLVES AT GRIZZLIES
Minnesota leads 1-0. Game 2, 8:30 p.m. EDT, NBA TV.
&mdash; NEED TO KNOW: The Timberwolves led the NBA in 3-pointers made during the regular season and showed that prowess in Game 1, outscoring Memphis 48-21 from beyond the arc. What should further concern the Grizzlies is that they allowed 130 points on a night where D&rsquo;Angelo Russell shot just 2 for 11.
&mdash; KEEP AN EYE ON: Morant. Memphis&rsquo; best player was 5 for 5 in the first quarter of Game 1, 3 for 13 from the field the rest of the way. He attempted 20 free throws, which speaks to his aggressiveness, but the Grizzlies can&rsquo;t have Morant making three baskets over 36 minutes and expect success.
&mdash; INJURY WATCH: Nothing of great significance. Minnesota&rsquo;s Karl-Anthony Towns was limping a bit in the final minutes of Saturday&rsquo;s win after turning one of his ankles, but finished the game.
&mdash; PRESSURE IS ON: Memphis. Completely, totally on Memphis. If the Grizzlies watched Minnesota&rsquo;s play-in game (and they obviously did), they would be aware of the atmosphere that awaits them when this series shifts back to Minneapolis later this week. A 2-0 deficit will prove very tough to overcome. Tuesday is absolutely huge to the Grizzlies&rsquo; hopes.
PELICANS AT SUNS
Phoenix leads 1-0. Game 2, 10 p.m. EDT, TNT.
&mdash; NEED TO KNOW: All five Suns-Pelicans games have been decided by double figures this season, Phoenix now going 4-1 in those matchups. Paul, a couple of weeks shy of his 37th birthday, was a maestro in Game 1.
&mdash; KEEP AN EYE ON: Even though Phoenix won Game 1, a 55-35 rebounding deficit will need to be addressed in Game 2.
&mdash; INJURY WATCH: New Orleans&rsquo; Brandon Ingram seemed to be laboring through some ankle issues in the second half of Game 1.
&mdash; PRESSURE IS ON: Phoenix. New Orleans shouldn&rsquo;t feel any pressure in this series, even if elimination looms. The previous team to make the playoffs with a 36-46 record or worse was the Boston Celtics in 2004. The Pelicans are playing with house money the rest of the way and the Suns probably would be wise to not give them more reasons to believe.

Duncan Robinson made eight 3-pointers for Miami. Jonas Valanciunas grabbed 25 rebounds for New Orleans. Anthony Edwards scored 36 points for Minnesota in his playoff debut. Phoenix&rsquo;s Chris Paul became the oldest player in postseason history with a 30-point, 10-assist game.
Game 1s brought greatness out of some.
Game 2s will give others a bounce-back chance.
A trio of Game 2s are on Tuesday&rsquo;s NBA schedule &mdash; Atlanta at Miami, Minnesota at Memphis and New Orleans at Phoenix. The <a href="https://apnews.com/article/miami-heat-atlanta-hawks-nba-sports-jimmy-butler-524f6e3dc3b47326af36a281e871e64d">top-seeded Heat</a> in the East and <a href="https://apnews.com/article/phoenix-suns-new-orleans-pelicans-nba-sports-33de7a70b3f38ca2c1a8ab2df2d6ebe3">top-seeded Suns</a> in the West both opened the postseason quests with double-digit home wins, while the <a href="https://apnews.com/article/minnesota-timberwolves-memphis-grizzlies-nba-sports-jaden-mcdaniels-aaf5cd0818a06b8971736c4d19595070">seventh-seeded Timberwolves</a> struck first on the Grizzlies&rsquo; home floor.
Atlanta&rsquo;s Trae Young was held to a career-worst-tying 1-for-12 shooting and a season-low eight points by a swarming Miami defense on Sunday. Memphis&rsquo; Ja Morant scored 32 points, but missed 10 of his last 13 shots from the floor against Minnesota on Saturday. And New Orleans&rsquo; CJ McCollum scored 25 points, keeping his team in it much of the way Sunday, though started 2 for 12 and finished 9 for 25.
&ldquo;I didn&rsquo;t push tempo enough. ... Playing against the No. 1 seed, you&rsquo;ve got to make shots and got to be able to score with them,&rdquo; McCollum said.
The Pelicans and Hawks were both playing a third game in a span of five days Sunday, each doing so in three different cities. They had play-in games at home on Wednesday, then traveled for another one Friday &mdash; Atlanta to Cleveland, New Orleans to Los Angeles to face the Clippers &mdash; then had to get back on planes for Game 1s in Miami and Phoenix.
Monday will be a day to get settled, and it stands to reason that Tuesday will be smoother for both.
&ldquo;We cannot be an excuse team,&rdquo; Atlanta&rsquo;s Danilo Gallinari said. &ldquo;We have to be ready to play.&rdquo;
Adjustments will be made, as always, between Game 1 and Game 2. The Hawks must find ways to get Young to his spots. The Pelicans can&rsquo;t let Paul shoot 12 for 16 again. The Timberwolves know they&rsquo;ll get Memphis&rsquo; best shot, since the Grizzlies clearly can&rsquo;t afford to go down 0-2 at home.
Veterans know Game 1s are never worth making snap judgments over, because series narratives can and often do change in Game 2s.
&ldquo;You never get too high, never get too low,&rdquo; Miami guard Kyle Lowry said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve lost a bunch of Game 1s and won the series. I&rsquo;ve won a couple Game 1s and lost the series. You&rsquo;ve got to be able to stay even-keeled, no matter what.&rdquo;
Tuesday&rsquo;s games:
HAWKS AT HEAT
Miami leads 1-0. Game 2, 7:30 p.m. EDT, TNT.
&mdash; NEED TO KNOW: Young was held below 15 points on five previous occasions this season. In the game immediately following those contests, he averaged 30.8 points on 54% from the field and 98% from the foul line. He will be super-aggressive on Tuesday.
&mdash; KEEP AN EYE ON: The Heat won by 24 and got only 12 points, combined, from Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro. The Heat didn&rsquo;t need them to score much, not with Robinson scoring 27 off the bench, but it&rsquo;s also tough to expect both Adebayo and Herro to remain quiet in Game 2.
&mdash; INJURY WATCH: Hawks C Clint Capela (knee hyperextension) expected to remain out.
&mdash; PRESSURE IS ON: Miami. The Heat can&rsquo;t give Atlanta momentum to go home with. The Hawks, including the play-in, have gone 28-14 at home this season and that &mdash; statistically improbable as it may seem &mdash; includes a 10-game losing streak. The Hawks lost every home game they played from Nov. 27 through Jan. 15, but are 20-3 in their building since. That&rsquo;s the best home record in the NBA over that span.
TIMBERWOLVES AT GRIZZLIES
Minnesota leads 1-0. Game 2, 8:30 p.m. EDT, NBA TV.
&mdash; NEED TO KNOW: The Timberwolves led the NBA in 3-pointers made during the regular season and showed that prowess in Game 1, outscoring Memphis 48-21 from beyond the arc. What should further concern the Grizzlies is that they allowed 130 points on a night where D&rsquo;Angelo Russell shot just 2 for 11.
&mdash; KEEP AN EYE ON: Morant. Memphis&rsquo; best player was 5 for 5 in the first quarter of Game 1, 3 for 13 from the field the rest of the way. He attempted 20 free throws, which speaks to his aggressiveness, but the Grizzlies can&rsquo;t have Morant making three baskets over 36 minutes and expect success.
&mdash; INJURY WATCH: Nothing of great significance. Minnesota&rsquo;s Karl-Anthony Towns was limping a bit in the final minutes of Saturday&rsquo;s win after turning one of his ankles, but finished the game.
&mdash; PRESSURE IS ON: Memphis. Completely, totally on Memphis. If the Grizzlies watched Minnesota&rsquo;s play-in game (and they obviously did), they would be aware of the atmosphere that awaits them when this series shifts back to Minneapolis later this week. A 2-0 deficit will prove very tough to overcome. Tuesday is absolutely huge to the Grizzlies&rsquo; hopes.
PELICANS AT SUNS
Phoenix leads 1-0. Game 2, 10 p.m. EDT, TNT.
&mdash; NEED TO KNOW: All five Suns-Pelicans games have been decided by double figures this season, Phoenix now going 4-1 in those matchups. Paul, a couple of weeks shy of his 37th birthday, was a maestro in Game 1.
&mdash; KEEP AN EYE ON: Even though Phoenix won Game 1, a 55-35 rebounding deficit will need to be addressed in Game 2.
&mdash; INJURY WATCH: New Orleans&rsquo; Brandon Ingram seemed to be laboring through some ankle issues in the second half of Game 1.
&mdash; PRESSURE IS ON: Phoenix. New Orleans shouldn&rsquo;t feel any pressure in this series, even if elimination looms. The previous team to make the playoffs with a 36-46 record or worse was the Boston Celtics in 2004. The Pelicans are playing with house money the rest of the way and the Suns probably would be wise to not give them more reasons to believe.

Game 1s are never worth making snap judgments over because series narratives can, and often do, change in Game 2s.

For some, Game 2s in NBA playoffs provide bounce-back chance

Zach LaVine has an Olympic gold medal. What he doesn’t have is NBA playoff experience.
At last, that part is about to change.
No active NBA player has been in more regular-season games without making his playoff debut than LaVine, who has appeared in 478 games with the Chicago Bulls. He’s expected to play in his first playoff game Sunday night when the Bulls visit Milwaukee.
Once LaVine makes his playoff debut, the title nobody wants — active player with most games and no playoff appearances — will fall to Buddy Hield. He’s been in 468 games with Sacramento, New Orleans and Indiana.
If Hield appears in at least 32 games next season, he will become the eighth player with at least 500 regular-season appearances but zero playoff contests. He’ll join Tom Van Arsdale (929), Otto Moore (682), Nate Williams (642), Omri Casspi (588), Sebastian Telfair (564), Popeye Jones (535) and Eddy Curry (527) in that club.
Curry has a ring from his time with the Miami Heat in the 2011-12 season, but didn’t play in a game during that postseason run.
EIGHT IS (USUALLY) ENOUGH
Phoenix won eight games more than any other team this season. That usually means a championship.
Not always, though.
The last four teams to have at least eight more wins than any other team in the regular season have gone on to win a title. Those clubs are the Los Angeles Lakers in 2000, the Chicago Bulls in 1992 and 1996, and the Boston Celtics in 1984.
The 1971 Milwaukee Bucks, 1967 Philadelphia 76ers, and both the 1960 and 1965 Celtics also ended seasons with such huge regular-season margins with championships. But the Celtics in both 1958 and 1973 did not, nor did the Washington Capitols in 1947 — the inaugural season of the BAA, which was the precursor to the NBA. The Capitols (49-11) won 10 more regular-season games than anyone else in 1946-47, but the Philadelphia Warriors (35-25) won that first season’s championship.
PLAYOFF MONEY
The NBA has set this season’s playoff pool at $17,317,334. All 16 playoff teams are guaranteed $258,449 just for making the field; most teams will make more, and the deeper teams go in the playoffs, they’ll make much more.
Phoenix is already assured at least $1,194,952. The Suns would claim $5,077,456 if they win the NBA title.
Miami has secured $695,527 already. The Heat would get $4,578,031 if they win the championship.
Any team that makes the NBA Finals is guaranteed $3,106,286; any team other than the Suns or Heat that wins the championship would receive at least $4,140,953.
BEST EVERYWHERE
Phoenix had the NBA’s best home record and the NBA’s best road record this season — 32-9 in both instances.
Only four of the last nine teams to pull off that feat, including ties in the standings, went on to win the NBA title. Those clubs were Golden State in 2015 and 2017, the Los Angeles Lakers in 2000 and the Chicago Bulls in 1996.
The most recent teams to be best at home, best on the road and still not win a title: Houston in 2018, Dallas in 2007, Seattle in 1994, Portland in 1991 and the Lakers in 1990.
MILESTONE WATCH
Philadelphia’s Doc Rivers is on the cusp of becoming the fifth coach in NBA history to win 100 postseason games. The 76ers need just two wins in their first-round series against Toronto to get Rivers to the milestone.
The other coaches with 100 wins: Phil Jackson (229), Pat Riley (171), Gregg Popovich (170) and Larry Brown (100).
Miami’s Erik Spoelstra can also get to 100 playoff wins this year — but the Heat would have to get to the NBA Finals, then win three games in the title round to get him there. Spoelstra enters these playoffs with 85 postseason victories.
Among players, Brooklyn’s Kevin Durant is three points shy of matching Jerry West (4,457) for eighth on the all-time playoff list. Durant needs 307 points to tie No. 7 Karl Malone (4,761) on that list, meaning the Nets would likely have to get to at least the second round for that to occur this year.
FAVORED TEAMS
Utah was favored in more games than any other team this season, picked by oddsmakers 73 times in the 82-game regular season. The Jazz were followed by Phoenix (70), Milwaukee (66), Golden State (62), Boston (61) and Miami (59) on the most-favored list.
The team that covered a spread with the most regularity this season: Memphis, which rewarded its backers 64.6% of the time. Utah was tied for next-to-last in that department, covering at a 40.2% rate.
Oklahoma City was favored the fewest times in the league, just on three occasions. Portland was the worst at covering, doing so 37.8% of the time.
BACK TO BACK
If Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo wins his second consecutive NBA Finals MVP award — now named for Bill Russell — he would join select company.
Only six players have won that award in consecutive years. Chicago’s Michael Jordan won it back-to-back-to-back on two separate occasions, 1991 through 1993 and then 1996 through 1998. Shaquille O’Neal won three in a row for the Los Angeles Lakers from 2000 through 2002. Hakeem Olajuwon won for Houston in 1994 and 1995, Kobe Bryant did for the Lakers in 2009 and 2010, LeBron James did for Miami in 2012 and 2013, and Kevin Durant did it for Golden State in 2017 and 2018.
Jerry West was the award’s first winner in 1969. It has been named for Russell since 2009.
THREE’S WIN
As one might guess, it’s difficult to make up a significant disparity in 3-pointers made.
Teams that were outscored by 15 or more points from 3-point range this season won only 20.8% of the time — going 94-348 in those contests.
IGUODALA’S FAREWELL
Golden State’s Andre Iguodala has said he is retiring when this season ends. He wanted to go back to the Warriors for a farewell, and the Warriors welcomed him back for many reasons — what he brings at this time of year among them.
No player in this year’s playoffs has played, counting actual appearances only, in more postseason wins than Iguodala. He has appeared in 103 playoff wins, five more than Philadelphia’s Danny Green, eight more than Brooklyn’s Kevin Durant, 16 more than Miami’s Udonis Haslem and 17 more than Warriors teammates Klay Thompson and Draymond Green.
THE REFEREES
Tom Washington is working the NBA playoffs for the 24th time and Scott Foster was selected as part of the postseason referee corps for the 22nd time. They’re the senior members of a 36-person group that will work games in Round 1.
There are three playoff newcomers: Eric Dalen, Mitchell Ervin and Justin Van Duyne.
Foster has worked 201 playoff games, while Washington has worked 172. Other veterans in this year’s playoffs include Tony Brothers and James Capers (163 games apiece), Marc Davis (161), Ed Malloy (121), Bill Kennedy (120), Zach Zarba (117) and John Goble (100).
The rest of the first-round officials are: Brent Barnaky, Curtis Blair, Nick Buchert, Kevin Cutler, JB DeRosa, Kane Fitzgerald, Tyler Ford, Brian Forte, Pat Fraher, Jacyn Goble, David Guthrie, Courtney Kirkland, Karl Lane, Eric Lewis, Mark Lindsay, Tre Maddox, Rodney Mott, Gediminas Petraitis, Michael Smith, Ben Taylor, Josh Tiven, Scott Twardoski, James Williams and Sean Wright.
The NBA also selected eight alternates — including Lauren Holtkamp, the only woman to make this season’s list. If picked for a game, Holtkamp would join Violet Palmer as the only female referees to work a postseason contest.
___
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Zach LaVine has an Olympic gold medal. What he doesn&rsquo;t have is NBA playoff experience.
At last, that part is about to change.
No active NBA player has been in more regular-season games without making his playoff debut than LaVine, who has appeared in 478 games with the Chicago Bulls. He&rsquo;s expected to play in his first playoff game Sunday night when the Bulls visit Milwaukee.
Once LaVine makes his playoff debut, the title nobody wants &mdash; active player with most games and no playoff appearances &mdash; will fall to Buddy Hield. He&rsquo;s been in 468 games with Sacramento, New Orleans and Indiana.
If Hield appears in at least 32 games next season, he will become the eighth player with at least 500 regular-season appearances but zero playoff contests. He&rsquo;ll join Tom Van Arsdale (929), Otto Moore (682), Nate Williams (642), Omri Casspi (588), Sebastian Telfair (564), Popeye Jones (535) and Eddy Curry (527) in that club.
Curry has a ring from his time with the Miami Heat in the 2011-12 season, but didn&rsquo;t play in a game during that postseason run.
EIGHT IS (USUALLY) ENOUGH
Phoenix won eight games more than any other team this season. That usually means a championship.
Not always, though.
The last four teams to have at least eight more wins than any other team in the regular season have gone on to win a title. Those clubs are the Los Angeles Lakers in 2000, the Chicago Bulls in 1992 and 1996, and the Boston Celtics in 1984.
The 1971 Milwaukee Bucks, 1967 Philadelphia 76ers, and both the 1960 and 1965 Celtics also ended seasons with such huge regular-season margins with championships. But the Celtics in both 1958 and 1973 did not, nor did the Washington Capitols in 1947 &mdash; the inaugural season of the BAA, which was the precursor to the NBA. The Capitols (49-11) won 10 more regular-season games than anyone else in 1946-47, but the Philadelphia Warriors (35-25) won that first season&rsquo;s championship.
PLAYOFF MONEY
The NBA has set this season&rsquo;s playoff pool at $17,317,334. All 16 playoff teams are guaranteed $258,449 just for making the field; most teams will make more, and the deeper teams go in the playoffs, they&rsquo;ll make much more.
Phoenix is already assured at least $1,194,952. The Suns would claim $5,077,456 if they win the NBA title.
Miami has secured $695,527 already. The Heat would get $4,578,031 if they win the championship.
Any team that makes the NBA Finals is guaranteed $3,106,286; any team other than the Suns or Heat that wins the championship would receive at least $4,140,953.
BEST EVERYWHERE
Phoenix had the NBA&rsquo;s best home record and the NBA&rsquo;s best road record this season &mdash; 32-9 in both instances.
Only four of the last nine teams to pull off that feat, including ties in the standings, went on to win the NBA title. Those clubs were Golden State in 2015 and 2017, the Los Angeles Lakers in 2000 and the Chicago Bulls in 1996.
The most recent teams to be best at home, best on the road and still not win a title: Houston in 2018, Dallas in 2007, Seattle in 1994, Portland in 1991 and the Lakers in 1990.
MILESTONE WATCH
Philadelphia&rsquo;s Doc Rivers is on the cusp of becoming the fifth coach in NBA history to win 100 postseason games. The 76ers need just two wins in their first-round series against Toronto to get Rivers to the milestone.
The other coaches with 100 wins: Phil Jackson (229), Pat Riley (171), Gregg Popovich (170) and Larry Brown (100).
Miami&rsquo;s Erik Spoelstra can also get to 100 playoff wins this year &mdash; but the Heat would have to get to the NBA Finals, then win three games in the title round to get him there. Spoelstra enters these playoffs with 85 postseason victories.
Among players, Brooklyn&rsquo;s Kevin Durant is three points shy of matching Jerry West (4,457) for eighth on the all-time playoff list. Durant needs 307 points to tie No. 7 Karl Malone (4,761) on that list, meaning the Nets would likely have to get to at least the second round for that to occur this year.
FAVORED TEAMS
Utah was favored in more games than any other team this season, picked by oddsmakers 73 times in the 82-game regular season. The Jazz were followed by Phoenix (70), Milwaukee (66), Golden State (62), Boston (61) and Miami (59) on the most-favored list.
The team that covered a spread with the most regularity this season: Memphis, which rewarded its backers 64.6% of the time. Utah was tied for next-to-last in that department, covering at a 40.2% rate.
Oklahoma City was favored the fewest times in the league, just on three occasions. Portland was the worst at covering, doing so 37.8% of the time.
BACK TO BACK
If Milwaukee&rsquo;s Giannis Antetokounmpo wins his second consecutive NBA Finals MVP award &mdash; now named for Bill Russell &mdash; he would join select company.
Only six players have won that award in consecutive years. Chicago&rsquo;s Michael Jordan won it back-to-back-to-back on two separate occasions, 1991 through 1993 and then 1996 through 1998. Shaquille O&rsquo;Neal won three in a row for the Los Angeles Lakers from 2000 through 2002. Hakeem Olajuwon won for Houston in 1994 and 1995, Kobe Bryant did for the Lakers in 2009 and 2010, LeBron James did for Miami in 2012 and 2013, and Kevin Durant did it for Golden State in 2017 and 2018.
Jerry West was the award&rsquo;s first winner in 1969. It has been named for Russell since 2009.
THREE&rsquo;S WIN
As one might guess, it&rsquo;s difficult to make up a significant disparity in 3-pointers made.
Teams that were outscored by 15 or more points from 3-point range this season won only 20.8% of the time &mdash; going 94-348 in those contests.
IGUODALA&rsquo;S FAREWELL
Golden State&rsquo;s Andre Iguodala has said he is retiring when this season ends. He wanted to go back to the Warriors for a farewell, and the Warriors welcomed him back for many reasons &mdash; what he brings at this time of year among them.
No player in this year&rsquo;s playoffs has played, counting actual appearances only, in more postseason wins than Iguodala. He has appeared in 103 playoff wins, five more than Philadelphia&rsquo;s Danny Green, eight more than Brooklyn&rsquo;s Kevin Durant, 16 more than Miami&rsquo;s Udonis Haslem and 17 more than Warriors teammates Klay Thompson and Draymond Green.
THE REFEREES
Tom Washington is working the NBA playoffs for the 24th time and Scott Foster was selected as part of the postseason referee corps for the 22nd time. They&rsquo;re the senior members of a 36-person group that will work games in Round 1.
There are three playoff newcomers: Eric Dalen, Mitchell Ervin and Justin Van Duyne.
Foster has worked 201 playoff games, while Washington has worked 172. Other veterans in this year&rsquo;s playoffs include Tony Brothers and James Capers (163 games apiece), Marc Davis (161), Ed Malloy (121), Bill Kennedy (120), Zach Zarba (117) and John Goble (100).
The rest of the first-round officials are: Brent Barnaky, Curtis Blair, Nick Buchert, Kevin Cutler, JB DeRosa, Kane Fitzgerald, Tyler Ford, Brian Forte, Pat Fraher, Jacyn Goble, David Guthrie, Courtney Kirkland, Karl Lane, Eric Lewis, Mark Lindsay, Tre Maddox, Rodney Mott, Gediminas Petraitis, Michael Smith, Ben Taylor, Josh Tiven, Scott Twardoski, James Williams and Sean Wright.
The NBA also selected eight alternates &mdash; including Lauren Holtkamp, the only woman to make this season&rsquo;s list. If picked for a game, Holtkamp would join Violet Palmer as the only female referees to work a postseason contest.
___
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Zach LaVine has an Olympic gold medal. What he doesn&rsquo;t have is NBA playoff experience.
At last, that part is about to change.
No active NBA player has been in more regular-season games without making his playoff debut than LaVine, who has appeared in 478 games with the Chicago Bulls. He&rsquo;s expected to play in his first playoff game Sunday night when the Bulls visit Milwaukee.
Once LaVine makes his playoff debut, the title nobody wants &mdash; active player with most games and no playoff appearances &mdash; will fall to Buddy Hield. He&rsquo;s been in 468 games with Sacramento, New Orleans and Indiana.
If Hield appears in at least 32 games next season, he will become the eighth player with at least 500 regular-season appearances but zero playoff contests. He&rsquo;ll join Tom Van Arsdale (929), Otto Moore (682), Nate Williams (642), Omri Casspi (588), Sebastian Telfair (564), Popeye Jones (535) and Eddy Curry (527) in that club.
Curry has a ring from his time with the Miami Heat in the 2011-12 season, but didn&rsquo;t play in a game during that postseason run.
EIGHT IS (USUALLY) ENOUGH
Phoenix won eight games more than any other team this season. That usually means a championship.
Not always, though.
The last four teams to have at least eight more wins than any other team in the regular season have gone on to win a title. Those clubs are the Los Angeles Lakers in 2000, the Chicago Bulls in 1992 and 1996, and the Boston Celtics in 1984.
The 1971 Milwaukee Bucks, 1967 Philadelphia 76ers, and both the 1960 and 1965 Celtics also ended seasons with such huge regular-season margins with championships. But the Celtics in both 1958 and 1973 did not, nor did the Washington Capitols in 1947 &mdash; the inaugural season of the BAA, which was the precursor to the NBA. The Capitols (49-11) won 10 more regular-season games than anyone else in 1946-47, but the Philadelphia Warriors (35-25) won that first season&rsquo;s championship.
PLAYOFF MONEY
The NBA has set this season&rsquo;s playoff pool at $17,317,334. All 16 playoff teams are guaranteed $258,449 just for making the field; most teams will make more, and the deeper teams go in the playoffs, they&rsquo;ll make much more.
Phoenix is already assured at least $1,194,952. The Suns would claim $5,077,456 if they win the NBA title.
Miami has secured $695,527 already. The Heat would get $4,578,031 if they win the championship.
Any team that makes the NBA Finals is guaranteed $3,106,286; any team other than the Suns or Heat that wins the championship would receive at least $4,140,953.
BEST EVERYWHERE
Phoenix had the NBA&rsquo;s best home record and the NBA&rsquo;s best road record this season &mdash; 32-9 in both instances.
Only four of the last nine teams to pull off that feat, including ties in the standings, went on to win the NBA title. Those clubs were Golden State in 2015 and 2017, the Los Angeles Lakers in 2000 and the Chicago Bulls in 1996.
The most recent teams to be best at home, best on the road and still not win a title: Houston in 2018, Dallas in 2007, Seattle in 1994, Portland in 1991 and the Lakers in 1990.
MILESTONE WATCH
Philadelphia&rsquo;s Doc Rivers is on the cusp of becoming the fifth coach in NBA history to win 100 postseason games. The 76ers need just two wins in their first-round series against Toronto to get Rivers to the milestone.
The other coaches with 100 wins: Phil Jackson (229), Pat Riley (171), Gregg Popovich (170) and Larry Brown (100).
Miami&rsquo;s Erik Spoelstra can also get to 100 playoff wins this year &mdash; but the Heat would have to get to the NBA Finals, then win three games in the title round to get him there. Spoelstra enters these playoffs with 85 postseason victories.
Among players, Brooklyn&rsquo;s Kevin Durant is three points shy of matching Jerry West (4,457) for eighth on the all-time playoff list. Durant needs 307 points to tie No. 7 Karl Malone (4,761) on that list, meaning the Nets would likely have to get to at least the second round for that to occur this year.
FAVORED TEAMS
Utah was favored in more games than any other team this season, picked by oddsmakers 73 times in the 82-game regular season. The Jazz were followed by Phoenix (70), Milwaukee (66), Golden State (62), Boston (61) and Miami (59) on the most-favored list.
The team that covered a spread with the most regularity this season: Memphis, which rewarded its backers 64.6% of the time. Utah was tied for next-to-last in that department, covering at a 40.2% rate.
Oklahoma City was favored the fewest times in the league, just on three occasions. Portland was the worst at covering, doing so 37.8% of the time.
BACK TO BACK
If Milwaukee&rsquo;s Giannis Antetokounmpo wins his second consecutive NBA Finals MVP award &mdash; now named for Bill Russell &mdash; he would join select company.
Only six players have won that award in consecutive years. Chicago&rsquo;s Michael Jordan won it back-to-back-to-back on two separate occasions, 1991 through 1993 and then 1996 through 1998. Shaquille O&rsquo;Neal won three in a row for the Los Angeles Lakers from 2000 through 2002. Hakeem Olajuwon won for Houston in 1994 and 1995, Kobe Bryant did for the Lakers in 2009 and 2010, LeBron James did for Miami in 2012 and 2013, and Kevin Durant did it for Golden State in 2017 and 2018.
Jerry West was the award&rsquo;s first winner in 1969. It has been named for Russell since 2009.
THREE&rsquo;S WIN
As one might guess, it&rsquo;s difficult to make up a significant disparity in 3-pointers made.
Teams that were outscored by 15 or more points from 3-point range this season won only 20.8% of the time &mdash; going 94-348 in those contests.
IGUODALA&rsquo;S FAREWELL
Golden State&rsquo;s Andre Iguodala has said he is retiring when this season ends. He wanted to go back to the Warriors for a farewell, and the Warriors welcomed him back for many reasons &mdash; what he brings at this time of year among them.
No player in this year&rsquo;s playoffs has played, counting actual appearances only, in more postseason wins than Iguodala. He has appeared in 103 playoff wins, five more than Philadelphia&rsquo;s Danny Green, eight more than Brooklyn&rsquo;s Kevin Durant, 16 more than Miami&rsquo;s Udonis Haslem and 17 more than Warriors teammates Klay Thompson and Draymond Green.
THE REFEREES
Tom Washington is working the NBA playoffs for the 24th time and Scott Foster was selected as part of the postseason referee corps for the 22nd time. They&rsquo;re the senior members of a 36-person group that will work games in Round 1.
There are three playoff newcomers: Eric Dalen, Mitchell Ervin and Justin Van Duyne.
Foster has worked 201 playoff games, while Washington has worked 172. Other veterans in this year&rsquo;s playoffs include Tony Brothers and James Capers (163 games apiece), Marc Davis (161), Ed Malloy (121), Bill Kennedy (120), Zach Zarba (117) and John Goble (100).
The rest of the first-round officials are: Brent Barnaky, Curtis Blair, Nick Buchert, Kevin Cutler, JB DeRosa, Kane Fitzgerald, Tyler Ford, Brian Forte, Pat Fraher, Jacyn Goble, David Guthrie, Courtney Kirkland, Karl Lane, Eric Lewis, Mark Lindsay, Tre Maddox, Rodney Mott, Gediminas Petraitis, Michael Smith, Ben Taylor, Josh Tiven, Scott Twardoski, James Williams and Sean Wright.
The NBA also selected eight alternates &mdash; including Lauren Holtkamp, the only woman to make this season&rsquo;s list. If picked for a game, Holtkamp would join Violet Palmer as the only female referees to work a postseason contest.
___
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Zach LaVine has an Olympic gold medal. What he doesn&rsquo;t have is NBA playoff experience.
At last, that part is about to change.
No active NBA player has been in more regular-season games without making his playoff debut than LaVine, who has appeared in 478 games with the Chicago Bulls. He&rsquo;s expected to play in his first playoff game Sunday night when the Bulls visit Milwaukee.
Once LaVine makes his playoff debut, the title nobody wants &mdash; active player with most games and no playoff appearances &mdash; will fall to Buddy Hield. He&rsquo;s been in 468 games with Sacramento, New Orleans and Indiana.
If Hield appears in at least 32 games next season, he will become the eighth player with at least 500 regular-season appearances but zero playoff contests. He&rsquo;ll join Tom Van Arsdale (929), Otto Moore (682), Nate Williams (642), Omri Casspi (588), Sebastian Telfair (564), Popeye Jones (535) and Eddy Curry (527) in that club.
Curry has a ring from his time with the Miami Heat in the 2011-12 season, but didn&rsquo;t play in a game during that postseason run.
EIGHT IS (USUALLY) ENOUGH
Phoenix won eight games more than any other team this season. That usually means a championship.
Not always, though.
The last four teams to have at least eight more wins than any other team in the regular season have gone on to win a title. Those clubs are the Los Angeles Lakers in 2000, the Chicago Bulls in 1992 and 1996, and the Boston Celtics in 1984.
The 1971 Milwaukee Bucks, 1967 Philadelphia 76ers, and both the 1960 and 1965 Celtics also ended seasons with such huge regular-season margins with championships. But the Celtics in both 1958 and 1973 did not, nor did the Washington Capitols in 1947 &mdash; the inaugural season of the BAA, which was the precursor to the NBA. The Capitols (49-11) won 10 more regular-season games than anyone else in 1946-47, but the Philadelphia Warriors (35-25) won that first season&rsquo;s championship.
PLAYOFF MONEY
The NBA has set this season&rsquo;s playoff pool at $17,317,334. All 16 playoff teams are guaranteed $258,449 just for making the field; most teams will make more, and the deeper teams go in the playoffs, they&rsquo;ll make much more.
Phoenix is already assured at least $1,194,952. The Suns would claim $5,077,456 if they win the NBA title.
Miami has secured $695,527 already. The Heat would get $4,578,031 if they win the championship.
Any team that makes the NBA Finals is guaranteed $3,106,286; any team other than the Suns or Heat that wins the championship would receive at least $4,140,953.
BEST EVERYWHERE
Phoenix had the NBA&rsquo;s best home record and the NBA&rsquo;s best road record this season &mdash; 32-9 in both instances.
Only four of the last nine teams to pull off that feat, including ties in the standings, went on to win the NBA title. Those clubs were Golden State in 2015 and 2017, the Los Angeles Lakers in 2000 and the Chicago Bulls in 1996.
The most recent teams to be best at home, best on the road and still not win a title: Houston in 2018, Dallas in 2007, Seattle in 1994, Portland in 1991 and the Lakers in 1990.
MILESTONE WATCH
Philadelphia&rsquo;s Doc Rivers is on the cusp of becoming the fifth coach in NBA history to win 100 postseason games. The 76ers need just two wins in their first-round series against Toronto to get Rivers to the milestone.
The other coaches with 100 wins: Phil Jackson (229), Pat Riley (171), Gregg Popovich (170) and Larry Brown (100).
Miami&rsquo;s Erik Spoelstra can also get to 100 playoff wins this year &mdash; but the Heat would have to get to the NBA Finals, then win three games in the title round to get him there. Spoelstra enters these playoffs with 85 postseason victories.
Among players, Brooklyn&rsquo;s Kevin Durant is three points shy of matching Jerry West (4,457) for eighth on the all-time playoff list. Durant needs 307 points to tie No. 7 Karl Malone (4,761) on that list, meaning the Nets would likely have to get to at least the second round for that to occur this year.
FAVORED TEAMS
Utah was favored in more games than any other team this season, picked by oddsmakers 73 times in the 82-game regular season. The Jazz were followed by Phoenix (70), Milwaukee (66), Golden State (62), Boston (61) and Miami (59) on the most-favored list.
The team that covered a spread with the most regularity this season: Memphis, which rewarded its backers 64.6% of the time. Utah was tied for next-to-last in that department, covering at a 40.2% rate.
Oklahoma City was favored the fewest times in the league, just on three occasions. Portland was the worst at covering, doing so 37.8% of the time.
BACK TO BACK
If Milwaukee&rsquo;s Giannis Antetokounmpo wins his second consecutive NBA Finals MVP award &mdash; now named for Bill Russell &mdash; he would join select company.
Only six players have won that award in consecutive years. Chicago&rsquo;s Michael Jordan won it back-to-back-to-back on two separate occasions, 1991 through 1993 and then 1996 through 1998. Shaquille O&rsquo;Neal won three in a row for the Los Angeles Lakers from 2000 through 2002. Hakeem Olajuwon won for Houston in 1994 and 1995, Kobe Bryant did for the Lakers in 2009 and 2010, LeBron James did for Miami in 2012 and 2013, and Kevin Durant did it for Golden State in 2017 and 2018.
Jerry West was the award&rsquo;s first winner in 1969. It has been named for Russell since 2009.
THREE&rsquo;S WIN
As one might guess, it&rsquo;s difficult to make up a significant disparity in 3-pointers made.
Teams that were outscored by 15 or more points from 3-point range this season won only 20.8% of the time &mdash; going 94-348 in those contests.
IGUODALA&rsquo;S FAREWELL
Golden State&rsquo;s Andre Iguodala has said he is retiring when this season ends. He wanted to go back to the Warriors for a farewell, and the Warriors welcomed him back for many reasons &mdash; what he brings at this time of year among them.
No player in this year&rsquo;s playoffs has played, counting actual appearances only, in more postseason wins than Iguodala. He has appeared in 103 playoff wins, five more than Philadelphia&rsquo;s Danny Green, eight more than Brooklyn&rsquo;s Kevin Durant, 16 more than Miami&rsquo;s Udonis Haslem and 17 more than Warriors teammates Klay Thompson and Draymond Green.
THE REFEREES
Tom Washington is working the NBA playoffs for the 24th time and Scott Foster was selected as part of the postseason referee corps for the 22nd time. They&rsquo;re the senior members of a 36-person group that will work games in Round 1.
There are three playoff newcomers: Eric Dalen, Mitchell Ervin and Justin Van Duyne.
Foster has worked 201 playoff games, while Washington has worked 172. Other veterans in this year&rsquo;s playoffs include Tony Brothers and James Capers (163 games apiece), Marc Davis (161), Ed Malloy (121), Bill Kennedy (120), Zach Zarba (117) and John Goble (100).
The rest of the first-round officials are: Brent Barnaky, Curtis Blair, Nick Buchert, Kevin Cutler, JB DeRosa, Kane Fitzgerald, Tyler Ford, Brian Forte, Pat Fraher, Jacyn Goble, David Guthrie, Courtney Kirkland, Karl Lane, Eric Lewis, Mark Lindsay, Tre Maddox, Rodney Mott, Gediminas Petraitis, Michael Smith, Ben Taylor, Josh Tiven, Scott Twardoski, James Williams and Sean Wright.
The NBA also selected eight alternates &mdash; including Lauren Holtkamp, the only woman to make this season&rsquo;s list. If picked for a game, Holtkamp would join Violet Palmer as the only female referees to work a postseason contest.
___
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Zach LaVine has an Olympic gold medal. What he doesn&rsquo;t have is NBA playoff experience.
At last, that part is about to change.
No active NBA player has been in more regular-season games without making his playoff debut than LaVine, who has appeared in 478 games with the Chicago Bulls. He&rsquo;s expected to play in his first playoff game Sunday night when the Bulls visit Milwaukee.
Once LaVine makes his playoff debut, the title nobody wants &mdash; active player with most games and no playoff appearances &mdash; will fall to Buddy Hield. He&rsquo;s been in 468 games with Sacramento, New Orleans and Indiana.
If Hield appears in at least 32 games next season, he will become the eighth player with at least 500 regular-season appearances but zero playoff contests. He&rsquo;ll join Tom Van Arsdale (929), Otto Moore (682), Nate Williams (642), Omri Casspi (588), Sebastian Telfair (564), Popeye Jones (535) and Eddy Curry (527) in that club.
Curry has a ring from his time with the Miami Heat in the 2011-12 season, but didn&rsquo;t play in a game during that postseason run.
EIGHT IS (USUALLY) ENOUGH
Phoenix won eight games more than any other team this season. That usually means a championship.
Not always, though.
The last four teams to have at least eight more wins than any other team in the regular season have gone on to win a title. Those clubs are the Los Angeles Lakers in 2000, the Chicago Bulls in 1992 and 1996, and the Boston Celtics in 1984.
The 1971 Milwaukee Bucks, 1967 Philadelphia 76ers, and both the 1960 and 1965 Celtics also ended seasons with such huge regular-season margins with championships. But the Celtics in both 1958 and 1973 did not, nor did the Washington Capitols in 1947 &mdash; the inaugural season of the BAA, which was the precursor to the NBA. The Capitols (49-11) won 10 more regular-season games than anyone else in 1946-47, but the Philadelphia Warriors (35-25) won that first season&rsquo;s championship.
PLAYOFF MONEY
The NBA has set this season&rsquo;s playoff pool at $17,317,334. All 16 playoff teams are guaranteed $258,449 just for making the field; most teams will make more, and the deeper teams go in the playoffs, they&rsquo;ll make much more.
Phoenix is already assured at least $1,194,952. The Suns would claim $5,077,456 if they win the NBA title.
Miami has secured $695,527 already. The Heat would get $4,578,031 if they win the championship.
Any team that makes the NBA Finals is guaranteed $3,106,286; any team other than the Suns or Heat that wins the championship would receive at least $4,140,953.
BEST EVERYWHERE
Phoenix had the NBA&rsquo;s best home record and the NBA&rsquo;s best road record this season &mdash; 32-9 in both instances.
Only four of the last nine teams to pull off that feat, including ties in the standings, went on to win the NBA title. Those clubs were Golden State in 2015 and 2017, the Los Angeles Lakers in 2000 and the Chicago Bulls in 1996.
The most recent teams to be best at home, best on the road and still not win a title: Houston in 2018, Dallas in 2007, Seattle in 1994, Portland in 1991 and the Lakers in 1990.
MILESTONE WATCH
Philadelphia&rsquo;s Doc Rivers is on the cusp of becoming the fifth coach in NBA history to win 100 postseason games. The 76ers need just two wins in their first-round series against Toronto to get Rivers to the milestone.
The other coaches with 100 wins: Phil Jackson (229), Pat Riley (171), Gregg Popovich (170) and Larry Brown (100).
Miami&rsquo;s Erik Spoelstra can also get to 100 playoff wins this year &mdash; but the Heat would have to get to the NBA Finals, then win three games in the title round to get him there. Spoelstra enters these playoffs with 85 postseason victories.
Among players, Brooklyn&rsquo;s Kevin Durant is three points shy of matching Jerry West (4,457) for eighth on the all-time playoff list. Durant needs 307 points to tie No. 7 Karl Malone (4,761) on that list, meaning the Nets would likely have to get to at least the second round for that to occur this year.
FAVORED TEAMS
Utah was favored in more games than any other team this season, picked by oddsmakers 73 times in the 82-game regular season. The Jazz were followed by Phoenix (70), Milwaukee (66), Golden State (62), Boston (61) and Miami (59) on the most-favored list.
The team that covered a spread with the most regularity this season: Memphis, which rewarded its backers 64.6% of the time. Utah was tied for next-to-last in that department, covering at a 40.2% rate.
Oklahoma City was favored the fewest times in the league, just on three occasions. Portland was the worst at covering, doing so 37.8% of the time.
BACK TO BACK
If Milwaukee&rsquo;s Giannis Antetokounmpo wins his second consecutive NBA Finals MVP award &mdash; now named for Bill Russell &mdash; he would join select company.
Only six players have won that award in consecutive years. Chicago&rsquo;s Michael Jordan won it back-to-back-to-back on two separate occasions, 1991 through 1993 and then 1996 through 1998. Shaquille O&rsquo;Neal won three in a row for the Los Angeles Lakers from 2000 through 2002. Hakeem Olajuwon won for Houston in 1994 and 1995, Kobe Bryant did for the Lakers in 2009 and 2010, LeBron James did for Miami in 2012 and 2013, and Kevin Durant did it for Golden State in 2017 and 2018.
Jerry West was the award&rsquo;s first winner in 1969. It has been named for Russell since 2009.
THREE&rsquo;S WIN
As one might guess, it&rsquo;s difficult to make up a significant disparity in 3-pointers made.
Teams that were outscored by 15 or more points from 3-point range this season won only 20.8% of the time &mdash; going 94-348 in those contests.
IGUODALA&rsquo;S FAREWELL
Golden State&rsquo;s Andre Iguodala has said he is retiring when this season ends. He wanted to go back to the Warriors for a farewell, and the Warriors welcomed him back for many reasons &mdash; what he brings at this time of year among them.
No player in this year&rsquo;s playoffs has played, counting actual appearances only, in more postseason wins than Iguodala. He has appeared in 103 playoff wins, five more than Philadelphia&rsquo;s Danny Green, eight more than Brooklyn&rsquo;s Kevin Durant, 16 more than Miami&rsquo;s Udonis Haslem and 17 more than Warriors teammates Klay Thompson and Draymond Green.
THE REFEREES
Tom Washington is working the NBA playoffs for the 24th time and Scott Foster was selected as part of the postseason referee corps for the 22nd time. They&rsquo;re the senior members of a 36-person group that will work games in Round 1.
There are three playoff newcomers: Eric Dalen, Mitchell Ervin and Justin Van Duyne.
Foster has worked 201 playoff games, while Washington has worked 172. Other veterans in this year&rsquo;s playoffs include Tony Brothers and James Capers (163 games apiece), Marc Davis (161), Ed Malloy (121), Bill Kennedy (120), Zach Zarba (117) and John Goble (100).
The rest of the first-round officials are: Brent Barnaky, Curtis Blair, Nick Buchert, Kevin Cutler, JB DeRosa, Kane Fitzgerald, Tyler Ford, Brian Forte, Pat Fraher, Jacyn Goble, David Guthrie, Courtney Kirkland, Karl Lane, Eric Lewis, Mark Lindsay, Tre Maddox, Rodney Mott, Gediminas Petraitis, Michael Smith, Ben Taylor, Josh Tiven, Scott Twardoski, James Williams and Sean Wright.
The NBA also selected eight alternates &mdash; including Lauren Holtkamp, the only woman to make this season&rsquo;s list. If picked for a game, Holtkamp would join Violet Palmer as the only female referees to work a postseason contest.

The AP's Tim Reynolds ties a bow on the 2021-22 NBA regular season and prepares us for the playoffs.

Playoff time: 10 things to know about the NBA's postseason

MIAMI (AP) — Udonis Haslem started the Miami Heat postseason with an apology.
It wasn’t a real apology.
Haslem, like many other Heat players, is amused by the notion that the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs isn’t considered a favorite to win the Eastern Conference title. Miami doesn’t have an MVP candidate, didn’t have anyone qualify for the top 20 in the league’s scoring race, and <a href="https://sportsbook.fanduel.com/navigation/nba?tab=conference-winners">according to FanDuel Sportsbook</a> only has the third-best odds of winning the East behind Milwaukee and Boston.
“It might not be the sexiest,” Haslem, the longtime Heat captain and 19-year veteran, said of Miami's 53-29 regular season mark. “We ain’t got nobody out here scoring 85 points in one game. Ain’t got none of that. But we are winning basketball games collectively as a unit and as a team. I’m sorry to everybody in the basketball world that that’s not sexy enough for you guys, but we’re thankful for the guys that we have and the opportunity that we have to be the No. 1 seed.”
Miami opens the playoffs at home on Sunday afternoon; the Heat will find out their opponent on Friday night. By then, the Heat expect to have center Bam Adebayo — out because of a stint in the league’s health and safety protocols — back and ready for Game 1. He was the only Heat player missing Wednesday when the team resumed practice after a two-day, players-only, bonding trip to the Bahamas.
“In terms of whether there’s motivation because people are counting us out or not giving us a due respect, each person can translate that on their own,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “I think the more powerful motivation is what we’re trying to play for and compete for, which is the hardest thing you attempt to do in a team sport, to compete for a title.”
It might seem surprising to some that a team that made headlines a few weeks ago for an in-game argument — All-Star forward Jimmy Butler exchanging words with Spoelstra during a time out, then Haslem getting involved in a rather demonstrative way — went on vacation together. Whatever caused that argument was forgotten by the next day anyway, since some players arrived for work the following morning and found Butler and Haslem already in the locker room and carrying on with their usual brand of conversation and nonsense.
The Heat insist they’re united. They bicker, and that argument wasn’t the worst dustup the team has experienced this season, but Haslem said that’s all part this team’s DNA.
“Typical day in Miami, man,” Haslem said of the time-out mess last month. “That’s how we get stuff done around here. We believe in eye-to-eye communication. ... You say what you’ve got to say, I’ll say what I’ve got to say, I love you, you love me, let’s get back on the basketball court, let’s play.”
That dustup came during a four-game Miami losing streak. When that slide ended, the Heat won six straight to lock up the No. 1 seed in the East before losing a meaningless regular-season finale in Orlando. Most Heat regulars didn’t play in that game, and the Bahamas trip then got underway.
Being the No. 1 seed guarantees nothing; no top seed has won the East title since Cleveland in 2016, and a top seed has only made one East final in the last four years — that being Milwaukee, when it lost to Toronto in 2019.
But the Heat, just as they were in the bubble two years ago when they went to the NBA Finals as the East’s No. 5 seed, insist that they believe they have enough to contend for a title.
“I feel good. I do,” Butler said. “I don’t put a ceiling or basement on anything, man, because we can’t control everything. I just know that if we focus in on us, and what we can control, and what we’re capable of, we’re going to be OK.”
___
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Udonis Haslem started the Miami Heat postseason with an apology.
It wasn&rsquo;t a real apology.
Haslem, like many other Heat players, is amused by the notion that the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs isn&rsquo;t considered a favorite to win the Eastern Conference title. Miami doesn&rsquo;t have an MVP candidate, didn&rsquo;t have anyone qualify for the top 20 in the league&rsquo;s scoring race, and <a href="https://sportsbook.fanduel.com/navigation/nba?tab=conference-winners">according to FanDuel Sportsbook</a> only has the third-best odds of winning the East behind Milwaukee and Boston.
&ldquo;It might not be the sexiest,&rdquo; Haslem, the longtime Heat captain and 19-year veteran, said of Miami's 53-29 regular season mark. &ldquo;We ain&rsquo;t got nobody out here scoring 85 points in one game. Ain&rsquo;t got none of that. But we are winning basketball games collectively as a unit and as a team. I&rsquo;m sorry to everybody in the basketball world that that&rsquo;s not sexy enough for you guys, but we&rsquo;re thankful for the guys that we have and the opportunity that we have to be the No. 1 seed.&rdquo;
Miami opens the playoffs at home on Sunday afternoon; the Heat will find out their opponent on Friday night. By then, the Heat expect to have center Bam Adebayo &mdash; out because of a stint in the league&rsquo;s health and safety protocols &mdash; back and ready for Game 1. He was the only Heat player missing Wednesday when the team resumed practice after a two-day, players-only, bonding trip to the Bahamas.
&ldquo;In terms of whether there&rsquo;s motivation because people are counting us out or not giving us a due respect, each person can translate that on their own,&rdquo; Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. &ldquo;I think the more powerful motivation is what we&rsquo;re trying to play for and compete for, which is the hardest thing you attempt to do in a team sport, to compete for a title.&rdquo;
It might seem surprising to some that a team that made headlines a few weeks ago for an in-game argument &mdash; All-Star forward Jimmy Butler exchanging words with Spoelstra during a time out, then Haslem getting involved in a rather demonstrative way &mdash; went on vacation together. Whatever caused that argument was forgotten by the next day anyway, since some players arrived for work the following morning and found Butler and Haslem already in the locker room and carrying on with their usual brand of conversation and nonsense.
The Heat insist they&rsquo;re united. They bicker, and that argument wasn&rsquo;t the worst dustup the team has experienced this season, but Haslem said that&rsquo;s all part this team&rsquo;s DNA.
&ldquo;Typical day in Miami, man,&rdquo; Haslem said of the time-out mess last month. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s how we get stuff done around here. We believe in eye-to-eye communication. ... You say what you&rsquo;ve got to say, I&rsquo;ll say what I&rsquo;ve got to say, I love you, you love me, let&rsquo;s get back on the basketball court, let&rsquo;s play.&rdquo;
That dustup came during a four-game Miami losing streak. When that slide ended, the Heat won six straight to lock up the No. 1 seed in the East before losing a meaningless regular-season finale in Orlando. Most Heat regulars didn&rsquo;t play in that game, and the Bahamas trip then got underway.
Being the No. 1 seed guarantees nothing; no top seed has won the East title since Cleveland in 2016, and a top seed has only made one East final in the last four years &mdash; that being Milwaukee, when it lost to Toronto in 2019.
But the Heat, just as they were in the bubble two years ago when they went to the NBA Finals as the East&rsquo;s No. 5 seed, insist that they believe they have enough to contend for a title.
&ldquo;I feel good. I do,&rdquo; Butler said. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t put a ceiling or basement on anything, man, because we can&rsquo;t control everything. I just know that if we focus in on us, and what we can control, and what we&rsquo;re capable of, we&rsquo;re going to be OK.&rdquo;
___
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Udonis Haslem started the Miami Heat postseason with an apology.
It wasn&rsquo;t a real apology.
Haslem, like many other Heat players, is amused by the notion that the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs isn&rsquo;t considered a favorite to win the Eastern Conference title. Miami doesn&rsquo;t have an MVP candidate, didn&rsquo;t have anyone qualify for the top 20 in the league&rsquo;s scoring race, and <a href="https://sportsbook.fanduel.com/navigation/nba?tab=conference-winners">according to FanDuel Sportsbook</a> only has the third-best odds of winning the East behind Milwaukee and Boston.
&ldquo;It might not be the sexiest,&rdquo; Haslem, the longtime Heat captain and 19-year veteran, said of Miami's 53-29 regular season mark. &ldquo;We ain&rsquo;t got nobody out here scoring 85 points in one game. Ain&rsquo;t got none of that. But we are winning basketball games collectively as a unit and as a team. I&rsquo;m sorry to everybody in the basketball world that that&rsquo;s not sexy enough for you guys, but we&rsquo;re thankful for the guys that we have and the opportunity that we have to be the No. 1 seed.&rdquo;
Miami opens the playoffs at home on Sunday afternoon; the Heat will find out their opponent on Friday night. By then, the Heat expect to have center Bam Adebayo &mdash; out because of a stint in the league&rsquo;s health and safety protocols &mdash; back and ready for Game 1. He was the only Heat player missing Wednesday when the team resumed practice after a two-day, players-only, bonding trip to the Bahamas.
&ldquo;In terms of whether there&rsquo;s motivation because people are counting us out or not giving us a due respect, each person can translate that on their own,&rdquo; Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. &ldquo;I think the more powerful motivation is what we&rsquo;re trying to play for and compete for, which is the hardest thing you attempt to do in a team sport, to compete for a title.&rdquo;
It might seem surprising to some that a team that made headlines a few weeks ago for an in-game argument &mdash; All-Star forward Jimmy Butler exchanging words with Spoelstra during a time out, then Haslem getting involved in a rather demonstrative way &mdash; went on vacation together. Whatever caused that argument was forgotten by the next day anyway, since some players arrived for work the following morning and found Butler and Haslem already in the locker room and carrying on with their usual brand of conversation and nonsense.
The Heat insist they&rsquo;re united. They bicker, and that argument wasn&rsquo;t the worst dustup the team has experienced this season, but Haslem said that&rsquo;s all part this team&rsquo;s DNA.
&ldquo;Typical day in Miami, man,&rdquo; Haslem said of the time-out mess last month. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s how we get stuff done around here. We believe in eye-to-eye communication. ... You say what you&rsquo;ve got to say, I&rsquo;ll say what I&rsquo;ve got to say, I love you, you love me, let&rsquo;s get back on the basketball court, let&rsquo;s play.&rdquo;
That dustup came during a four-game Miami losing streak. When that slide ended, the Heat won six straight to lock up the No. 1 seed in the East before losing a meaningless regular-season finale in Orlando. Most Heat regulars didn&rsquo;t play in that game, and the Bahamas trip then got underway.
Being the No. 1 seed guarantees nothing; no top seed has won the East title since Cleveland in 2016, and a top seed has only made one East final in the last four years &mdash; that being Milwaukee, when it lost to Toronto in 2019.
But the Heat, just as they were in the bubble two years ago when they went to the NBA Finals as the East&rsquo;s No. 5 seed, insist that they believe they have enough to contend for a title.
&ldquo;I feel good. I do,&rdquo; Butler said. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t put a ceiling or basement on anything, man, because we can&rsquo;t control everything. I just know that if we focus in on us, and what we can control, and what we&rsquo;re capable of, we&rsquo;re going to be OK.&rdquo;

Miami opens the playoffs at home on Sunday afternoon; the Heat will find out their opponent on Friday night.

Sorry, not sorry: Heat aren't fazed by the lack of believers

Tori Miller didn’t play college basketball, since she thought standing 5-foot-2 would be a bit of a drawback. Kelly German’s only college playing experience was a brief intramurals career. Janice Koon grew up on a farm in northern Canada, not knowing much about the game.
The College Park Skyhawks might be lost without them.
The Skyhawks — the Atlanta Hawks’ affiliate — are the hottest team in the G League headed into Tuesday’s start to the playoffs, carrying an 11-game winning streak into the postseason. And much of their success can be traced back to the work of those three women, who aren’t exactly dissuaded by the fact that most of their colleagues across the league are men.
“All it takes it that one NBA team, that one team to believe and maybe five years from now, we’re not having this conversation,” said Miller, the first female general manager in the G League. “Maybe five years from now, we’ll see more women have these jobs. That’s what keeps me going, the idea that one day, this can be commonplace.”
It isn’t, yet. But Miller, German and Koon all agree it will be, soon.
German is the athletic trainer for the team. Koon is a vice president tasked with much of the day-to-day operations. Miller and German are also both Black and both from the Atlanta area, which only deepens the ties they feel with the Hawks and now the Skyhawks.
“I think it’s tremendously important,” German said. “In the world that we live in today, the society that we’re in, a lot of things are being brought to light and so a lot of people — not just women and women of color, but people across the world — are saying, ‘You know what, I can do that too.’’ And I think that by seeing someone in our roles and kind of bringing attention to it, it lets the world know, ‘If they can do it, why can’t I?’”
The three women all said they’ve never sat together and discussed how they could be considered trailblazers. Quite the contrary, really.
For her part, Koon cringes at the notion.
“I just feel like I work with really, really talented people,” Koon said. “For most of my young career — I actually don’t know how to say this — but I almost downplayed my role. I just wanted to do the work. And I never thought about myself being a girl. I thought about myself doing the work. I didn’t focus on anything else at all.”
The G League is currently the last stop for numerous female referees on their way to the NBA, a path many women's officials have already completed. The league has a long history of women's involvement, going back more than two decades to when current NBA broadcaster Stephanie Ready was the first female to be a head coach in the league — and that was in 2001.
Koo spent more than a decade with the Hawks before joining the Skyhawks. She was the liaison between the Hawks and their food-and-beverage partners, along with parking. For the Skyhawks, she runs the game-day experience for fans.
Miller is in her second year as general manager, after spending the previous three years in basketball operations and as an assistant GM. German was an assistant athletic trainer for the Hawks last season before taking over as head athletic trainer for the Skyhawks this season.
On Tuesday, the Skyhawks will play the Capital City Go-Go in the first round of the playoffs. It’s a single-elimination game, win or go home. And it will feature the league’s only two female general managers — Miller for College Park, Amber Nichols for Capital City. Nichols was hired in January 2021.
“There’s a huge responsibility that I feel each and every day,” Miller said. “This is a position that I don’t take lightly. I want to do well, because I know that can impact future generations. So, it’s a responsibility, but it’s fun. I’ll say that. It’s challenging. It’s fun and challenging and rewarding, all in the same breath.”

The College Park Skyhawks might be lost without Tori Miller, Kelly German and Janice Koon.

Atlanta's G League team flourishes with women in key roles

MIAMI (AP) — Jimmy Butler scored 27 points, Bam Adebayo added 22 points and 15 rebounds, and the Miami Heat beat the Sacramento Kings 123-100 on Monday night to stop a four-game slide.
Tyler Herro had 20 for the Heat, who improved to 36-5 when scoring at least 110 points.
Davion Mitchell scored 21 for Sacramento, which got 17 from Harrison Barnes.
Miami snapped its longest losing streak of the season, and the 23-point margin was the largest for the Heat since a 24-point win at Atlanta on Jan. 12.
And Miami looked exactly the way Kings coach Alvin Gentry expected. His prediction that the Heat would look different after a four-game slide was spot on.
“I don’t read a whole lot into that,” Gentry said. “I think if you look at their team and the way they go out, they will be a huge factor when the playoffs start anyway. I think it’s a wakeup call.”
Damian Jones had 15 points, Donte DiVincenzo 12 and Trey Lyles 11 for the Kings.
After spending most of March at home — the Heat have played 11 of their last 12 games in their own building — a road trip now awaits that will significantly factor into how the No. 1 seed in the East is won.
Miami goes to Boston on Wednesday, Chicago on Saturday, then Toronto on Sunday for what will be a celebration of Kyle Lowry’s time with the Raptors and probably a game with significant seeding implications for both clubs.
“It’s always good to compete for something,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “It’s not the end-all, be-all. It’s a really competitive race in the East. This is what you always want. You want the games to have meaning and context and significance to them. That’s basically every game right now in the Eastern Conference. That makes it very compelling.”
Miami inserted Max Strus — celebrating his 26th birthday — into the lineup for Duncan Robinson. The move came with Robinson averaging 8.4 points on 32% shooting from 3-point range in his last seven games, one of several rough stretches he’s had this season.
But it worked wonders for Robinson. He had 15 points on 5-of-7 shooting from 3-point territory.
TIP-INS
Kings: Sacramento isn’t sure if De’Aaron Fox (sore right hand) and Domantas Sabonis (bruised left knee) will return this season. “They’re trying to get to the point where they can come back,” Gentry said. ... Sacramento went 10-20 vs. Eastern Conference teams this season. 
Heat: Miami finished 18-12 against the Western Conference, its best mark since going 20-10 in 2013-14. ... The lineup shakeup led to Miami using its 19th different starting five this season. The Heat are 9-2 when Strus starts.
BEST (AND WORST)
Miami is 29-5 (.853) all-time at home against Sacramento, by far the best record the Heat have on their own floor against any opponent. The Kings franchise — including the Cincinnati and Kansas City days — struggles in Miami like nowhere else; its second-worst road record all-time comes on trips to Portland, where Kings teams have gone 19-90 (.174).
RESPECT
When Miami Hurricanes coach Jim Larrañaga was introduced and acknowledged cheers from his seat during a second quarter timeout, Spoelstra — who doesn’t always pay attention to what’s happening during stoppages in play — was among those who clapped and pointed his way. Larrañaga and the Hurricanes lost to Kansas in the Elite Eight on Sunday, ending the deepest NCAA Tournament run in school history.
UP NEXT
Kings: Visit Houston on Wednesday.
Heat: Visit Boston on Wednesday.
___
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Jimmy Butler scored 27 points, Bam Adebayo added 22 points and 15 rebounds, and the Miami Heat beat the Sacramento Kings 123-100 on Monday night to stop a four-game slide.
Tyler Herro had 20 for the Heat, who improved to 36-5 when scoring at least 110 points.
Davion Mitchell scored 21 for Sacramento, which got 17 from Harrison Barnes.
Miami snapped its longest losing streak of the season, and the 23-point margin was the largest for the Heat since a 24-point win at Atlanta on Jan. 12.
And Miami looked exactly the way Kings coach Alvin Gentry expected. His prediction that the Heat would look different after a four-game slide was spot on.
&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t read a whole lot into that,&rdquo; Gentry said. &ldquo;I think if you look at their team and the way they go out, they will be a huge factor when the playoffs start anyway. I think it&rsquo;s a wakeup call.&rdquo;
Damian Jones had 15 points, Donte DiVincenzo 12 and Trey Lyles 11 for the Kings.
After spending most of March at home &mdash; the Heat have played 11 of their last 12 games in their own building &mdash; a road trip now awaits that will significantly factor into how the No. 1 seed in the East is won.
Miami goes to Boston on Wednesday, Chicago on Saturday, then Toronto on Sunday for what will be a celebration of Kyle Lowry&rsquo;s time with the Raptors and probably a game with significant seeding implications for both clubs.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s always good to compete for something,&rdquo; Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s not the end-all, be-all. It&rsquo;s a really competitive race in the East. This is what you always want. You want the games to have meaning and context and significance to them. That&rsquo;s basically every game right now in the Eastern Conference. That makes it very compelling.&rdquo;
Miami inserted Max Strus &mdash; celebrating his 26th birthday &mdash; into the lineup for Duncan Robinson. The move came with Robinson averaging 8.4 points on 32% shooting from 3-point range in his last seven games, one of several rough stretches he&rsquo;s had this season.
But it worked wonders for Robinson. He had 15 points on 5-of-7 shooting from 3-point territory.
TIP-INS
Kings: Sacramento isn&rsquo;t sure if De&rsquo;Aaron Fox (sore right hand) and Domantas Sabonis (bruised left knee) will return this season. &ldquo;They&rsquo;re trying to get to the point where they can come back,&rdquo; Gentry said. ... Sacramento went 10-20 vs. Eastern Conference teams this season.
Heat: Miami finished 18-12 against the Western Conference, its best mark since going 20-10 in 2013-14. ... The lineup shakeup led to Miami using its 19th different starting five this season. The Heat are 9-2 when Strus starts.
BEST (AND WORST)
Miami is 29-5 (.853) all-time at home against Sacramento, by far the best record the Heat have on their own floor against any opponent. The Kings franchise &mdash; including the Cincinnati and Kansas City days &mdash; struggles in Miami like nowhere else; its second-worst road record all-time comes on trips to Portland, where Kings teams have gone 19-90 (.174).
RESPECT
When Miami Hurricanes coach Jim Larra&ntilde;aga was introduced and acknowledged cheers from his seat during a second quarter timeout, Spoelstra &mdash; who doesn&rsquo;t always pay attention to what&rsquo;s happening during stoppages in play &mdash; was among those who clapped and pointed his way. Larra&ntilde;aga and the Hurricanes lost to Kansas in the Elite Eight on Sunday, ending the deepest NCAA Tournament run in school history.
UP NEXT
Kings: Visit Houston on Wednesday.
Heat: Visit Boston on Wednesday.
___
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Jimmy Butler scored 27 points, Bam Adebayo added 22 points and 15 rebounds, and the Miami Heat beat the Sacramento Kings 123-100 on Monday night to stop a four-game slide.
Tyler Herro had 20 for the Heat, who improved to 36-5 when scoring at least 110 points.
Davion Mitchell scored 21 for Sacramento, which got 17 from Harrison Barnes.
Miami snapped its longest losing streak of the season, and the 23-point margin was the largest for the Heat since a 24-point win at Atlanta on Jan. 12.
And Miami looked exactly the way Kings coach Alvin Gentry expected. His prediction that the Heat would look different after a four-game slide was spot on.
&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t read a whole lot into that,&rdquo; Gentry said. &ldquo;I think if you look at their team and the way they go out, they will be a huge factor when the playoffs start anyway. I think it&rsquo;s a wakeup call.&rdquo;
Damian Jones had 15 points, Donte DiVincenzo 12 and Trey Lyles 11 for the Kings.
After spending most of March at home &mdash; the Heat have played 11 of their last 12 games in their own building &mdash; a road trip now awaits that will significantly factor into how the No. 1 seed in the East is won.
Miami goes to Boston on Wednesday, Chicago on Saturday, then Toronto on Sunday for what will be a celebration of Kyle Lowry&rsquo;s time with the Raptors and probably a game with significant seeding implications for both clubs.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s always good to compete for something,&rdquo; Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s not the end-all, be-all. It&rsquo;s a really competitive race in the East. This is what you always want. You want the games to have meaning and context and significance to them. That&rsquo;s basically every game right now in the Eastern Conference. That makes it very compelling.&rdquo;
Miami inserted Max Strus &mdash; celebrating his 26th birthday &mdash; into the lineup for Duncan Robinson. The move came with Robinson averaging 8.4 points on 32% shooting from 3-point range in his last seven games, one of several rough stretches he&rsquo;s had this season.
But it worked wonders for Robinson. He had 15 points on 5-of-7 shooting from 3-point territory.
TIP-INS
Kings: Sacramento isn&rsquo;t sure if De&rsquo;Aaron Fox (sore right hand) and Domantas Sabonis (bruised left knee) will return this season. &ldquo;They&rsquo;re trying to get to the point where they can come back,&rdquo; Gentry said. ... Sacramento went 10-20 vs. Eastern Conference teams this season.
Heat: Miami finished 18-12 against the Western Conference, its best mark since going 20-10 in 2013-14. ... The lineup shakeup led to Miami using its 19th different starting five this season. The Heat are 9-2 when Strus starts.
BEST (AND WORST)
Miami is 29-5 (.853) all-time at home against Sacramento, by far the best record the Heat have on their own floor against any opponent. The Kings franchise &mdash; including the Cincinnati and Kansas City days &mdash; struggles in Miami like nowhere else; its second-worst road record all-time comes on trips to Portland, where Kings teams have gone 19-90 (.174).
RESPECT
When Miami Hurricanes coach Jim Larra&ntilde;aga was introduced and acknowledged cheers from his seat during a second quarter timeout, Spoelstra &mdash; who doesn&rsquo;t always pay attention to what&rsquo;s happening during stoppages in play &mdash; was among those who clapped and pointed his way. Larra&ntilde;aga and the Hurricanes lost to Kansas in the Elite Eight on Sunday, ending the deepest NCAA Tournament run in school history.
UP NEXT
Kings: Visit Houston on Wednesday.
Heat: Visit Boston on Wednesday.

Jimmy Butler scored 27 points, Bam Adebayo added 22 points and 15 rebounds and the Heat snapped a four-game skid.

Heat snap 4-game losing streak by topping Kings, 123-100

MIAMI (AP) — Jordan Poole scored 30 points plus had a career-best nine assists, and the short-handed Golden State Warriors scored the first 19 points of the second half on the way to beating the frustrated Miami Heat 118-104 on Wednesday night.
Damion Lee, Jonathan Kuminga and Andrew Wiggins each scored 22 points for the Warriors, who got 11 points from Gary Payton II and 16 rebounds from Kevon Looney.
Kyle Lowry scored 26 points, Bam Adebayo had 25, Jimmy Butler finished with 20 and Duncan Robinson had 13 for the Heat. Miami shook off the huge Warriors run — and a huge dust-up on its bench during a timeout — to lead briefly in the fourth, then let the game slip away and had its lead in the Eastern Conference race trimmed to 1-1/2 games over Milwaukee and Boston.
Miami played without Tyler Herro, who got the night off because of a sprained left knee, and Gabe Vincent because of a toe contusion.
The Warriors were already without Stephen Curry because of a sprained left foot and Andre Iguodala with low back tightness, plus gave Draymond Green, Otto Porter Jr. and Klay Thompson the night off for injury management.
Golden State made that decision based on medical rationale and a desire to minimize the chance of injury going into the playoffs — not because of a frustrating loss at Orlando on Tuesday, coach Steve Kerr said.
“Just talking with the training staff and continuing the process of making sure our players who have been injured or who are recovering from injuries are getting the care they need and the rest they need and not subjecting them to risk,” Kerr said. “These decisions are based on process, not on the results of the previous night’s games.”
Miami couldn’t hit anything to start the second half. That’s when the Heat contemplated hitting one another.
Golden State started the third quarter on a 19-0 run — capped by three 3-pointers from Poole from 31, 35 and 30 feet respectively, two of them banked in from just in front of the Heat bench to make a disastrous start even worse for Miami.
And during a huddle during a timeout during that Warriors’ flurry, tempers flared on the Miami bench. Butler and Udonis Haslem exchanged words, both needing to be held back by teammates. Heat coach Erik Spoelstra appeared to have words with Butler as well.
Miami seemed to channel the anger.
The Heat went on a 19-6 run to get the lead down to a 75-69, had the margin down to 81-80 entering the fourth and went up by three early in the final quarter.
Golden State wasn’t flustered in the least. Back-to-back layups by Kuminga gave the Warriors the lead to stay, and a trio of 3-pointers — by Lee, Payton and then Poole — just about sealed things, putting Golden State up 105-95 with 4:21 left.
TIP-INS
Warriors: Golden State improved to just 7-12 in its last 19 games. ... The Warriors won for the first time in their last four trips to Miami. Golden State’s last win on the Heat home floor was Dec. 3, 2017.
Heat: Olympic sprinting legend Usain Bolt of Jamaica was in the crowd. ... It was the second straight loss to a short-handed opponent. Miami lost in Philadelphia on Monday when the 76ers were playing without James Harden and Joel Embiid.
50-50 BALL
Not only was the score tied 50-50 at halftime, but the score was also tied in each of the first two quarters -- 23-23 in the first, 27-27 in the second. It was just the second game in the NBA this season to be tied after one quarter and again at halftime; on Nov. 26, the Los Angeles Lakers and Sacramento Kings were tied 20-20 after one, tied 43-43 at the half, and they were just getting started. They were tied after regulation and two overtimes before the Kings prevailed 141-137 in triple-OT.
TIME OFF
The Warriors have three more back-to-backs remaining — Sunday and Monday at Washington and Memphis to end this five-game trip, April 2 and 3 against Utah and Sacramento, then April 9 and 10 for regular-season-ending games at San Antonio and New Orleans. Thompson and Porter are almost certain to be held out of one game in each of those sets, Kerr said.
UP NEXT
Warriors: Visit Atlanta on Friday.
Heat: Host New York on Friday.
___
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Jordan Poole scored 30 points plus had a career-best nine assists, and the short-handed Golden State Warriors scored the first 19 points of the second half on the way to beating the frustrated Miami Heat 118-104 on Wednesday night.
Damion Lee, Jonathan Kuminga and Andrew Wiggins each scored 22 points for the Warriors, who got 11 points from Gary Payton II and 16 rebounds from Kevon Looney.
Kyle Lowry scored 26 points, Bam Adebayo had 25, Jimmy Butler finished with 20 and Duncan Robinson had 13 for the Heat. Miami shook off the huge Warriors run &mdash; and a huge dust-up on its bench during a timeout &mdash; to lead briefly in the fourth, then let the game slip away and had its lead in the Eastern Conference race trimmed to 1-1/2 games over Milwaukee and Boston.
Miami played without Tyler Herro, who got the night off because of a sprained left knee, and Gabe Vincent because of a toe contusion.
The Warriors were already without Stephen Curry because of a sprained left foot and Andre Iguodala with low back tightness, plus gave Draymond Green, Otto Porter Jr. and Klay Thompson the night off for injury management.
Golden State made that decision based on medical rationale and a desire to minimize the chance of injury going into the playoffs &mdash; not because of a frustrating loss at Orlando on Tuesday, coach Steve Kerr said.
&ldquo;Just talking with the training staff and continuing the process of making sure our players who have been injured or who are recovering from injuries are getting the care they need and the rest they need and not subjecting them to risk,&rdquo; Kerr said. &ldquo;These decisions are based on process, not on the results of the previous night&rsquo;s games.&rdquo;
Miami couldn&rsquo;t hit anything to start the second half. That&rsquo;s when the Heat contemplated hitting one another.
Golden State started the third quarter on a 19-0 run &mdash; capped by three 3-pointers from Poole from 31, 35 and 30 feet respectively, two of them banked in from just in front of the Heat bench to make a disastrous start even worse for Miami.
And during a huddle during a timeout during that Warriors&rsquo; flurry, tempers flared on the Miami bench. Butler and Udonis Haslem exchanged words, both needing to be held back by teammates. Heat coach Erik Spoelstra appeared to have words with Butler as well.
Miami seemed to channel the anger.
The Heat went on a 19-6 run to get the lead down to a 75-69, had the margin down to 81-80 entering the fourth and went up by three early in the final quarter.
Golden State wasn&rsquo;t flustered in the least. Back-to-back layups by Kuminga gave the Warriors the lead to stay, and a trio of 3-pointers &mdash; by Lee, Payton and then Poole &mdash; just about sealed things, putting Golden State up 105-95 with 4:21 left.
TIP-INS
Warriors: Golden State improved to just 7-12 in its last 19 games. ... The Warriors won for the first time in their last four trips to Miami. Golden State&rsquo;s last win on the Heat home floor was Dec. 3, 2017.
Heat: Olympic sprinting legend Usain Bolt of Jamaica was in the crowd. ... It was the second straight loss to a short-handed opponent. Miami lost in Philadelphia on Monday when the 76ers were playing without James Harden and Joel Embiid.
50-50 BALL
Not only was the score tied 50-50 at halftime, but the score was also tied in each of the first two quarters -- 23-23 in the first, 27-27 in the second. It was just the second game in the NBA this season to be tied after one quarter and again at halftime; on Nov. 26, the Los Angeles Lakers and Sacramento Kings were tied 20-20 after one, tied 43-43 at the half, and they were just getting started. They were tied after regulation and two overtimes before the Kings prevailed 141-137 in triple-OT.
TIME OFF
The Warriors have three more back-to-backs remaining &mdash; Sunday and Monday at Washington and Memphis to end this five-game trip, April 2 and 3 against Utah and Sacramento, then April 9 and 10 for regular-season-ending games at San Antonio and New Orleans. Thompson and Porter are almost certain to be held out of one game in each of those sets, Kerr said.
UP NEXT
Warriors: Visit Atlanta on Friday.
Heat: Host New York on Friday.
___
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Jordan Poole scored 30 points plus had a career-best nine assists, and the short-handed Golden State Warriors scored the first 19 points of the second half on the way to beating the frustrated Miami Heat 118-104 on Wednesday night.
Damion Lee, Jonathan Kuminga and Andrew Wiggins each scored 22 points for the Warriors, who got 11 points from Gary Payton II and 16 rebounds from Kevon Looney.
Kyle Lowry scored 26 points, Bam Adebayo had 25, Jimmy Butler finished with 20 and Duncan Robinson had 13 for the Heat. Miami shook off the huge Warriors run &mdash; and a huge dust-up on its bench during a timeout &mdash; to lead briefly in the fourth, then let the game slip away and had its lead in the Eastern Conference race trimmed to 1-1/2 games over Milwaukee and Boston.
Miami played without Tyler Herro, who got the night off because of a sprained left knee, and Gabe Vincent because of a toe contusion.
The Warriors were already without Stephen Curry because of a sprained left foot and Andre Iguodala with low back tightness, plus gave Draymond Green, Otto Porter Jr. and Klay Thompson the night off for injury management.
Golden State made that decision based on medical rationale and a desire to minimize the chance of injury going into the playoffs &mdash; not because of a frustrating loss at Orlando on Tuesday, coach Steve Kerr said.
&ldquo;Just talking with the training staff and continuing the process of making sure our players who have been injured or who are recovering from injuries are getting the care they need and the rest they need and not subjecting them to risk,&rdquo; Kerr said. &ldquo;These decisions are based on process, not on the results of the previous night&rsquo;s games.&rdquo;
Miami couldn&rsquo;t hit anything to start the second half. That&rsquo;s when the Heat contemplated hitting one another.
Golden State started the third quarter on a 19-0 run &mdash; capped by three 3-pointers from Poole from 31, 35 and 30 feet respectively, two of them banked in from just in front of the Heat bench to make a disastrous start even worse for Miami.
And during a huddle during a timeout during that Warriors&rsquo; flurry, tempers flared on the Miami bench. Butler and Udonis Haslem exchanged words, both needing to be held back by teammates. Heat coach Erik Spoelstra appeared to have words with Butler as well.
Miami seemed to channel the anger.
The Heat went on a 19-6 run to get the lead down to a 75-69, had the margin down to 81-80 entering the fourth and went up by three early in the final quarter.
Golden State wasn&rsquo;t flustered in the least. Back-to-back layups by Kuminga gave the Warriors the lead to stay, and a trio of 3-pointers &mdash; by Lee, Payton and then Poole &mdash; just about sealed things, putting Golden State up 105-95 with 4:21 left.
TIP-INS
Warriors: Golden State improved to just 7-12 in its last 19 games. ... The Warriors won for the first time in their last four trips to Miami. Golden State&rsquo;s last win on the Heat home floor was Dec. 3, 2017.
Heat: Olympic sprinting legend Usain Bolt of Jamaica was in the crowd. ... It was the second straight loss to a short-handed opponent. Miami lost in Philadelphia on Monday when the 76ers were playing without James Harden and Joel Embiid.
50-50 BALL
Not only was the score tied 50-50 at halftime, but the score was also tied in each of the first two quarters -- 23-23 in the first, 27-27 in the second. It was just the second game in the NBA this season to be tied after one quarter and again at halftime; on Nov. 26, the Los Angeles Lakers and Sacramento Kings were tied 20-20 after one, tied 43-43 at the half, and they were just getting started. They were tied after regulation and two overtimes before the Kings prevailed 141-137 in triple-OT.
TIME OFF
The Warriors have three more back-to-backs remaining &mdash; Sunday and Monday at Washington and Memphis to end this five-game trip, April 2 and 3 against Utah and Sacramento, then April 9 and 10 for regular-season-ending games at San Antonio and New Orleans. Thompson and Porter are almost certain to be held out of one game in each of those sets, Kerr said.
UP NEXT
Warriors: Visit Atlanta on Friday.
Heat: Host New York on Friday.

Jordan Poole scored 30 points, had a career-best 9 assists and the shorthanded Warriors scored the first 19 points of the second half

Short-handed Warriors get past frustrated Heat, 118-104

Los Angeles Lakers' LeBron James (6) shoots as Washington Wizards' Rui Hachimura (8) defends during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Saturday, March 19, 2022, in Washington. (AP Photo/Luis M. Alvarez) 1 of 3 Los Angeles Lakers' LeBron James (6) shoots as Washington Wizards' Rui Hachimura (8) defends during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Saturday, March 19, 2022, in Washington. (AP Photo/Luis M. Alvarez)
In 2022, the end of the season might feel like 1978.
If we&rsquo;re lucky.
Let&rsquo;s go back to the greatest scoring race in NBA history, one that was decided 44 years ago, the epic to-the-last-day battle between David Thompson and George Gervin.
Each had a game on April 9, 1978, that season&rsquo;s final day. Thompson&rsquo;s game was first; he scored 73 points for the Denver Nuggets to take the scoring lead. Gervin, playing a few hours later, would need 58 points to reclaim the top spot.
He scored 63 for the San Antonio Spurs. The crown was his, 27.22 points to 27.15 for Thompson.
Imagine such a scene playing out this season on April 10 &mdash; the scoring title once again going down to the season&rsquo;s final day. Only this time, with three players in the race.
It could happen.
Entering Tuesday, the NBA finds itself on pace for the closest three-man scoring race in league history. LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers is atop the list averaging 29.96 points (which would round up to 30.0), Joel Embiid of the Philadelphia 76ers is second at 29.83, and Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks is third at 29.80.
&nbsp;

Los Angeles Lakers' LeBron James (6) shoots as Washington Wizards' Rui Hachimura (8) defends during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Saturday, March 19, 2022, in Washington. (AP Photo/Luis M. Alvarez) 1 of 3 Los Angeles Lakers' LeBron James (6) shoots as Washington Wizards' Rui Hachimura (8) defends during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Saturday, March 19, 2022, in Washington. (AP Photo/Luis M. Alvarez)
In 2022, the end of the season might feel like 1978.
If we&rsquo;re lucky.
Let&rsquo;s go back to the greatest scoring race in NBA history, one that was decided 44 years ago, the epic to-the-last-day battle between David Thompson and George Gervin.
Each had a game on April 9, 1978, that season&rsquo;s final day. Thompson&rsquo;s game was first; he scored 73 points for the Denver Nuggets to take the scoring lead. Gervin, playing a few hours later, would need 58 points to reclaim the top spot.
He scored 63 for the San Antonio Spurs. The crown was his, 27.22 points to 27.15 for Thompson.
Imagine such a scene playing out this season on April 10 &mdash; the scoring title once again going down to the season&rsquo;s final day. Only this time, with three players in the race.
It could happen.
Entering Tuesday, the NBA finds itself on pace for the closest three-man scoring race in league history. LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers is atop the list averaging 29.96 points (which would round up to 30.0), Joel Embiid of the Philadelphia 76ers is second at 29.83, and Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks is third at 29.80.
The last time a race ended up that close between the top three spots was, well, never. The closest three-way race was in 1985-86, when Dominique Wilkins averaged 30.3 points &mdash; a half-point better than both Adrian Dantley and Alex English. And a decade ago, Kevin Durant, then with Oklahoma City, held off the Lakers&rsquo; Kobe Bryant by one-tenth of a point, 28.0 to 27.9 for the second-closest head-to-head race ever.
Obviously, the numbers will change. Embiid might get a game or two more off down the stretch to rest his body. If the 76ers have nothing to play for on the season&rsquo;s final day, one wouldn&rsquo;t expect him out there with only a scoring title at stake. Same goes for Antetokounmpo; if the Bucks are locked into a seed, it would seem foolish for Milwaukee to play the reigning NBA Finals MVP much, if at all. And the Lakers&rsquo; only path to the playoffs is through the play-in, which means James might be called upon to play big minutes &mdash; and potentially put up big numbers &mdash; all the way to the end.
&ldquo;At the end of the day,&rdquo; James said, &ldquo;all I care about is wins and losses.&rdquo;
A scoring race, though, would add just an extra dimension to the end of the season, just another reason to tune in and pay attention to what&rsquo;s happening.
The Western Conference race will long be over by then; realistically, it is now, since there&rsquo;s no way barring unthinkable, cataclysmic collapse that Phoenix won&rsquo;t be the No. 1 seed. The Eastern Conference race is considerably tighter, and the potential is quite high that regardless of who ends up seeded where the first-round series on that half of the bracket will be slugfests.
But anything involving James is certain to be intriguing. Same goes with Antetokounmpo. Same goes with Embiid. Put them together, and the intrigue levels skyrocket.
The only downside to all of this is that it could have been a four-man race.
Brooklyn&rsquo;s Durant is fourth in the league in scoring, four-tenths behind James and two-tenths behind Antetokounmpo and Embiid at 29.6 per game. But Durant basically can&rsquo;t win the scoring title since he won&rsquo;t meet the NBA&rsquo;s minimum &mdash; 58 games in an 82-game season &mdash; to qualify.
So, unless somebody gets really, really hot down the stretch, the scoring race is down to three.
Trae Young, Luka Doncic, DeMar DeRozan, Ja Morant and Jayson Tatum are all within 3.0 points of James&rsquo; average right now (as is Kyrie Irving, who obviously won&rsquo;t meet the minimum games-played threshold). If any of those guys go on an absolute spree &mdash; not unheard of in this day and age &mdash; they could make a run at the title as well.
The potential is there for a thrilling finish, just like the league had in 1978.
It would be the perfect appetizer to the playoffs.

In 2022, the end of the season might feel like 1978.
If we&rsquo;re lucky.
Let&rsquo;s go back to the greatest scoring race in NBA history, one that was decided 44 years ago, the epic to-the-last-day battle between David Thompson and George Gervin.
Each had a game on April 9, 1978, that season&rsquo;s final day. Thompson&rsquo;s game was first; he scored 73 points for the Denver Nuggets to take the scoring lead. Gervin, playing a few hours later, would need 58 points to reclaim the top spot.
He scored 63 for the San Antonio Spurs. The crown was his, 27.22 points to 27.15 for Thompson.
Imagine such a scene playing out this season on April 10 &mdash; the scoring title once again going down to the season&rsquo;s final day. Only this time, with three players in the race.
It could happen.
Entering Tuesday, the NBA finds itself on pace for the closest three-man scoring race in league history. LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers is atop the list averaging 29.96 points (which would round up to 30.0), Joel Embiid of the Philadelphia 76ers is second at 29.83, and Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks is third at 29.80.
The last time a race ended up that close between the top three spots was, well, never. The closest three-way race was in 1985-86, when Dominique Wilkins averaged 30.3 points &mdash; a half-point better than both Adrian Dantley and Alex English. And a decade ago, Kevin Durant, then with Oklahoma City, held off the Lakers&rsquo; Kobe Bryant by one-tenth of a point, 28.0 to 27.9 for the second-closest head-to-head race ever.
Obviously, the numbers will change. Embiid might get a game or two more off down the stretch to rest his body. If the 76ers have nothing to play for on the season&rsquo;s final day, one wouldn&rsquo;t expect him out there with only a scoring title at stake. Same goes for Antetokounmpo; if the Bucks are locked into a seed, it would seem foolish for Milwaukee to play the reigning NBA Finals MVP much, if at all. And the Lakers&rsquo; only path to the playoffs is through the play-in, which means James might be called upon to play big minutes &mdash; and potentially put up big numbers &mdash; all the way to the end.
&ldquo;At the end of the day,&rdquo; James said, &ldquo;all I care about is wins and losses.&rdquo;
A scoring race, though, would add just an extra dimension to the end of the season, just another reason to tune in and pay attention to what&rsquo;s happening.
The Western Conference race will long be over by then; realistically, it is now, since there&rsquo;s no way barring unthinkable, cataclysmic collapse that Phoenix won&rsquo;t be the No. 1 seed. The Eastern Conference race is considerably tighter, and the potential is quite high that regardless of who ends up seeded where the first-round series on that half of the bracket will be slugfests.
But anything involving James is certain to be intriguing. Same goes with Antetokounmpo. Same goes with Embiid. Put them together, and the intrigue levels skyrocket.
The only downside to all of this is that it could have been a four-man race.
Brooklyn&rsquo;s Durant is fourth in the league in scoring, four-tenths behind James and two-tenths behind Antetokounmpo and Embiid at 29.6 per game. But Durant basically can&rsquo;t win the scoring title since he won&rsquo;t meet the NBA&rsquo;s minimum &mdash; 58 games in an 82-game season &mdash; to qualify.
So, unless somebody gets really, really hot down the stretch, the scoring race is down to three.
Trae Young, Luka Doncic, DeMar DeRozan, Ja Morant and Jayson Tatum are all within 3.0 points of James&rsquo; average right now (as is Kyrie Irving, who obviously won&rsquo;t meet the minimum games-played threshold). If any of those guys go on an absolute spree &mdash; not unheard of in this day and age &mdash; they could make a run at the title as well.
The potential is there for a thrilling finish, just like the league had in 1978.
It would be the perfect appetizer to the playoffs.

Entering Tuesday, the NBA finds itself on pace for the closest three-man scoring race in league history.

Analysis: NBA scoring race could end up as one for the ages

Red Auerbach. Lenny Wilkens. Don Nelson. Going back to the end of the NBA’s inaugural season 75 years ago, before it was even called the NBA, they’re the only coaches to hold the distinction of having more wins than anyone else.
Until now.
Pop has finally joined the club.
Soon, perhaps as soon as Wednesday, Gregg Popovich will stand alone in NBA history. The longtime San Antonio coach — a winner of five NBA titles, the coach of the reigning Olympic gold medalists, a lock for enshrinement in the Basketball Hall of Fame as soon as he tells them that he'd like to be considered — got career win No. 1,335 on Monday night when the Spurs beat the Los Angeles Lakers 117-110, tying him with Nelson atop the league’s all-time regular season victory list. 
“He deserves it," Spurs guard Dejounte Murray said.
Predictably, Popovich never was on board with that sentiment. He’s been waiting somewhat impatiently for the last couple weeks for the pursuit — more specifically, all the questions about it — to end. Making matters worse, the Spurs had lost each of their first four attempts to get him the record-tying victory.
Now, one more win — the first chance comes Wednesday against Toronto — and he’ll be alone atop the regular-season victory list. More importantly to him, he won’t have to hear as much about it anymore.
“That’ll be a good thing,” Popovich conceded.
His place in basketball history, his legacy, his stamp as one of the game’s all-time greats — if not the greatest of the greats — was secure long ago. He's one of only eight coaches in the four major U.S. sports leagues to be with one team for at least 25 years. And by adding in his 170 playoff victories, his total is at 1,505 in the NBA, which is 93 more than anyone else.
It was a circuitous path to this point. He played at the U.S. Air Force Academy, famously wasn't picked in a bid to make the 1972 U.S. Olympic team, wound up becoming a coach and probably would have been perfectly content to run a Division III program in California for the entirety of his professional life.
Eventually, the NBA called. In time, Popovich would be paired with David Robinson, then the patriarch of a dynasty fueled by Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili. The rest is history. Historic, actually.
“Everyone knows the amazing job he’s done and all the accomplishments,” longtime coach Larry Brown said last year. “I wish more people really could know the type of person that he is.”
Brown was a big part of how Popovich got here.
Popovich’s path to the NBA, and then to the role as coach of the Spurs, wasn't exactly traditional. Popovich was coaching at Pomona-Pitzer, a small Division III school in California. He inherited a program not exactly teeming with expectations: Pomona-Pitzer had lost 88 consecutive conference games before hiring Popovich.
He delivered a league title in 1985-86, the school’s first in about 70 years. And then Popovich asked for a sabbatical, telling the school he needed to go learn more about the game. He spent a month at North Carolina, absorbing the teachings of Dean Smith. And then he sat on Brown’s bench at Kansas, reuniting with a coach he met through ties he made while a student at the Air Force Academy.
Popovich acknowledged that he has wondered what would have happened if Smith and Brown hadn’t extended those opportunities his way.
“Each of us does that, right? Each of our lives is the sum of experiences, if-this, if-that,” Popovich said. “I’m no different than anybody else.”
After the sabbatical, Popovich, true to his word, returned to Pomona-Pitzer. Brown invited his team to Kansas for a game the following season; the Jayhawks, predictably, toyed with the D-III team, winning 94-38.
A year later, Brown called again. He had left Kansas to coach the Spurs. He wanted Popovich to come along. Popovich was in San Antonio until 1992, when Brown — and the whole coaching staff — got fired. Popovich got a job as an assistant in Golden State, working for Nelson.
It was at a cost.
“He emptied my wallet every time we golfed. He knew he was better than me and he did it anyway,” Popovich said.
It begged the question why Popovich continued golfing and giving away his money.
“He was my boss,” Popovich said.
Consider the golf money tuition for a basketball education. Popovich is still affected by Nelson; a recent highlight play from Murray was akin to something Nelson had drawn up a couple decades ago, Popovich said. And even the reminders that Popovich uses on the bench to keep some thoughts fresh are a nod to the lessons learned from Nelson.
“To this day, I have plays and things written on cards — I keep them now in my pants, used to be your sportcoat — and I couldn’t live without them,” Popovich said. “I never used them before. I got that from him and now I need them, badly. He was a joy and there was a lot to learn from him.”
After two seasons with Nelson, Popovich was wanted by the Spurs again — this time, as vice president for basketball operations. That was in 1994. In 1996, he fired Bob Hill and named himself coach of the Spurs. And he’s stayed in that chair ever since.
“They were two wonderful, wonderful years,” Popovich said of his time with Nelson. “Basketball-wise, the biggest thing I took away was he was a master of understanding the rules and knowing how to use the rules, isolate players, take advantage of another team’s weaknesses based on your own personnel. Very creative on offense, very much so. He got a big kick out of it.”
Funny. That’s what many say about Popovich now. At 73, he’s teaching a young team, building a new program with the Spurs, and still innovating.
“Every way you can win in this league, they’ve done it,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said.
Spoelstra and Popovich are forever linked, after going head-to-head as coaches in the NBA Finals in 2013 and 2014. The Heat won the first one, the Spurs won the rematch for Popovich’s fifth and most recent title. They have spoken of each other in the most admirable terms since.
“The basketball part of it is Hall of Fame, arguably the greatest to ever do it,” Spoelstra said. “But it’s the human side that has really impacted everybody.”
The stories are legendary. If Popovich sees players in a restaurant, he picks up their check or sends something over. USA Basketball coaches have raved about his infamous dinners, where everything but basketball is discussed, usually over copious amounts of some of the world's finest wine. This is a man who considered becoming a spy — he majored in Soviet studies at the Air Force Academy — before deciding to make a life out of basketball.
“He has an amazing sense of humor,” Boston forward Jayson Tatum said during the Olympic run. “I guess the casual fan sees the person who does those interviews postgame, but that’s not the case of who he is at all. I absolutely love spending time with him."
Seems like everybody does.
Exactly 200 players have appeared in a game for the Spurs during the Popovich era. He's coached against 1,991 different players, including a bunch of fathers and then their sons. He's coached against 163 different men, who have held 273 different jobs over that span.
Pop has remained the constant. And the standard.
“It's hard to put into words just how much he's meant," Spurs guard Josh Richardson said.
Auerbach was the NBA’s winningest coach after its first season and held that spot atop the list for nearly a half-century. 
Wilkens passed Auerbach with win No. 939 on Jan. 6, 1995, when he and the Atlanta Hawks topped the Washington Bullets 112-90. And Wilkens stayed in the top spot until April 7, 2010, when he was passed by Nelson on a night where he and the Golden State Warriors beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 116-107.
At that point, Popovich was 15th on the all-time list.
No more. He’s tied for No. 1 now.
And soon, the top spot will be all his.
___
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Red Auerbach. Lenny Wilkens. Don Nelson. Going back to the end of the NBA&rsquo;s inaugural season 75 years ago, before it was even called the NBA, they&rsquo;re the only coaches to hold the distinction of having more wins than anyone else.
Until now.
Pop has finally joined the club.
Soon, perhaps as soon as Wednesday, Gregg Popovich will stand alone in NBA history. The longtime San Antonio coach &mdash; a winner of five NBA titles, the coach of the reigning Olympic gold medalists, a lock for enshrinement in the Basketball Hall of Fame as soon as he tells them that he'd like to be considered &mdash; got career win No. 1,335 on Monday night when the Spurs beat the Los Angeles Lakers 117-110, tying him with Nelson atop the league&rsquo;s all-time regular season victory list.
&ldquo;He deserves it," Spurs guard Dejounte Murray said.
Predictably, Popovich never was on board with that sentiment. He&rsquo;s been waiting somewhat impatiently for the last couple weeks for the pursuit &mdash; more specifically, all the questions about it &mdash; to end. Making matters worse, the Spurs had lost each of their first four attempts to get him the record-tying victory.
Now, one more win &mdash; the first chance comes Wednesday against Toronto &mdash; and he&rsquo;ll be alone atop the regular-season victory list. More importantly to him, he won&rsquo;t have to hear as much about it anymore.
&ldquo;That&rsquo;ll be a good thing,&rdquo; Popovich conceded.
His place in basketball history, his legacy, his stamp as one of the game&rsquo;s all-time greats &mdash; if not the greatest of the greats &mdash; was secure long ago. He's one of only eight coaches in the four major U.S. sports leagues to be with one team for at least 25 years. And by adding in his 170 playoff victories, his total is at 1,505 in the NBA, which is 93 more than anyone else.
It was a circuitous path to this point. He played at the U.S. Air Force Academy, famously wasn't picked in a bid to make the 1972 U.S. Olympic team, wound up becoming a coach and probably would have been perfectly content to run a Division III program in California for the entirety of his professional life.
Eventually, the NBA called. In time, Popovich would be paired with David Robinson, then the patriarch of a dynasty fueled by Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili. The rest is history. Historic, actually.
&ldquo;Everyone knows the amazing job he&rsquo;s done and all the accomplishments,&rdquo; longtime coach Larry Brown said last year. &ldquo;I wish more people really could know the type of person that he is.&rdquo;
Brown was a big part of how Popovich got here.
Popovich&rsquo;s path to the NBA, and then to the role as coach of the Spurs, wasn't exactly traditional. Popovich was coaching at Pomona-Pitzer, a small Division III school in California. He inherited a program not exactly teeming with expectations: Pomona-Pitzer had lost 88 consecutive conference games before hiring Popovich.
He delivered a league title in 1985-86, the school&rsquo;s first in about 70 years. And then Popovich asked for a sabbatical, telling the school he needed to go learn more about the game. He spent a month at North Carolina, absorbing the teachings of Dean Smith. And then he sat on Brown&rsquo;s bench at Kansas, reuniting with a coach he met through ties he made while a student at the Air Force Academy.
Popovich acknowledged that he has wondered what would have happened if Smith and Brown hadn&rsquo;t extended those opportunities his way.
&ldquo;Each of us does that, right? Each of our lives is the sum of experiences, if-this, if-that,&rdquo; Popovich said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m no different than anybody else.&rdquo;
After the sabbatical, Popovich, true to his word, returned to Pomona-Pitzer. Brown invited his team to Kansas for a game the following season; the Jayhawks, predictably, toyed with the D-III team, winning 94-38.
A year later, Brown called again. He had left Kansas to coach the Spurs. He wanted Popovich to come along. Popovich was in San Antonio until 1992, when Brown &mdash; and the whole coaching staff &mdash; got fired. Popovich got a job as an assistant in Golden State, working for Nelson.
It was at a cost.
&ldquo;He emptied my wallet every time we golfed. He knew he was better than me and he did it anyway,&rdquo; Popovich said.
It begged the question why Popovich continued golfing and giving away his money.
&ldquo;He was my boss,&rdquo; Popovich said.
Consider the golf money tuition for a basketball education. Popovich is still affected by Nelson; a recent highlight play from Murray was akin to something Nelson had drawn up a couple decades ago, Popovich said. And even the reminders that Popovich uses on the bench to keep some thoughts fresh are a nod to the lessons learned from Nelson.
&ldquo;To this day, I have plays and things written on cards &mdash; I keep them now in my pants, used to be your sportcoat &mdash; and I couldn&rsquo;t live without them,&rdquo; Popovich said. &ldquo;I never used them before. I got that from him and now I need them, badly. He was a joy and there was a lot to learn from him.&rdquo;
After two seasons with Nelson, Popovich was wanted by the Spurs again &mdash; this time, as vice president for basketball operations. That was in 1994. In 1996, he fired Bob Hill and named himself coach of the Spurs. And he&rsquo;s stayed in that chair ever since.
&ldquo;They were two wonderful, wonderful years,&rdquo; Popovich said of his time with Nelson. &ldquo;Basketball-wise, the biggest thing I took away was he was a master of understanding the rules and knowing how to use the rules, isolate players, take advantage of another team&rsquo;s weaknesses based on your own personnel. Very creative on offense, very much so. He got a big kick out of it.&rdquo;
Funny. That&rsquo;s what many say about Popovich now. At 73, he&rsquo;s teaching a young team, building a new program with the Spurs, and still innovating.
&ldquo;Every way you can win in this league, they&rsquo;ve done it,&rdquo; Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said.
Spoelstra and Popovich are forever linked, after going head-to-head as coaches in the NBA Finals in 2013 and 2014. The Heat won the first one, the Spurs won the rematch for Popovich&rsquo;s fifth and most recent title. They have spoken of each other in the most admirable terms since.
&ldquo;The basketball part of it is Hall of Fame, arguably the greatest to ever do it,&rdquo; Spoelstra said. &ldquo;But it&rsquo;s the human side that has really impacted everybody.&rdquo;
The stories are legendary. If Popovich sees players in a restaurant, he picks up their check or sends something over. USA Basketball coaches have raved about his infamous dinners, where everything but basketball is discussed, usually over copious amounts of some of the world's finest wine. This is a man who considered becoming a spy &mdash; he majored in Soviet studies at the Air Force Academy &mdash; before deciding to make a life out of basketball.
&ldquo;He has an amazing sense of humor,&rdquo; Boston forward Jayson Tatum said during the Olympic run. &ldquo;I guess the casual fan sees the person who does those interviews postgame, but that&rsquo;s not the case of who he is at all. I absolutely love spending time with him."
Seems like everybody does.
Exactly 200 players have appeared in a game for the Spurs during the Popovich era. He's coached against 1,991 different players, including a bunch of fathers and then their sons. He's coached against 163 different men, who have held 273 different jobs over that span.
Pop has remained the constant. And the standard.
&ldquo;It's hard to put into words just how much he's meant," Spurs guard Josh Richardson said.
Auerbach was the NBA&rsquo;s winningest coach after its first season and held that spot atop the list for nearly a half-century.
Wilkens passed Auerbach with win No. 939 on Jan. 6, 1995, when he and the Atlanta Hawks topped the Washington Bullets 112-90. And Wilkens stayed in the top spot until April 7, 2010, when he was passed by Nelson on a night where he and the Golden State Warriors beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 116-107.
At that point, Popovich was 15th on the all-time list.
No more. He&rsquo;s tied for No. 1 now.
And soon, the top spot will be all his.

Soon, perhaps as soon as Wednesday, Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich will stand alone in NBA history.

Pop's way: From a sabbatical to the NBA coaching summit

MIAMI (AP) — Victor Oladipo entered a game for the first time in nearly a year, a loud ovation greeting him as he stepped onto the floor.
<a href="https://twitter.com/BallyHEAT/status/1501001569667584000?s=20&amp;t=EYgJTt33bMljcN_GxNnUoA">He took a charge seconds later.</a> The cheers got louder.
And when <a href="https://twitter.com/BallyHEAT/status/1501023198405664768?s=20&amp;t=EYgJTt33bMljcN_GxNnUoA">he capped his night with a dunk,</a> even louder.
Welcome back, indeed. Oladipo scored 11 points in just under 15 minutes of action, Tyler Herro came off the bench to score 21 of his game-high 31 points in the second quarter and the Eastern Conference-leading Miami Heat beat the Houston Rockets 123-106 on Monday night.
“At the end of the day, I’m a winner,” Oladipo said. “And this team is all about winning.”
Oladipo was playing his first game since April 8 following a second surgery to repair a right quadriceps tendon. He took a charge on his first defensive possession, hitting the deck without any signs of problems.
Jimmy Butler scored 21 points for Miami, which got Kyle Lowry back after a four-game absence for personal reasons. Bam Adebayo finished with 18 points and 10 rebounds for the Heat, who had a quick celebration for Oladipo in the postgame locker room.
“That was very uplifting for everybody," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said.
Kevin Porter Jr. scored 22 points for Houston, which got 20 from Jalen Green, 16 from Josh Christopher and 14 from KJ Martin. Green was 4 for 4 from 3-point range in the game’s first 5:40, then missed his final six tries from beyond the arc.
Alperen Sengun had 13 points and eight rebounds, getting the start at center for Houston because Christian Wood was ill. It was just the sixth start this season for the 19-year-old from Turkey.
“We are almost to the end of the season," Sengun said. “I'm playing more comfortable and I've learned a lot."
The Heat trailed by 13 late in the first half before Herro scored 15 points in a 23-6 run over the final 4:35 before intermission. Butler had the other eight points in that run for the Heat, a burst capped by Herro making a 3-pointer with 29 seconds left and then a 36-footer just before the buzzer.
“Just trying to come in and impact the game," said Herro, the likely frontrunner for the NBA's sixth man of the year award. “The second quarter was fun."
But the story was Oladipo, who was 4 for 7 from the field, 2 for 3 from 3-point range, plus had four assists against his former team. He was with the Rockets briefly last season, before getting traded to Miami and playing in just four games before being shut down for a second surgery on the leg he originally injured in 2019.
“Everybody is really encouraging him," Spoelstra said. “They've seen him behind the scenes, really working and grinding."
Rockets coach Stephen Silas had Oladipo in Houston last season and said he enjoyed their 20 games together.
“He’s competitive. He wants to do things the right way. He is a fighter. For him to fight through all of the injuries that he’s had and manage the ups and downs and the emotional part of what he’s been through is admirable,” Silas said. “And he’s just a great guy, a really good person to kind of sit down and talk to.”
Oladipo had missed each of Miami’s last 89 games, including last season’s playoff appearance. He missed 201 games since the initial injury three years ago, sidelined for a year following the first surgery and more 11 months this time after the second surgery.
Finally, he's back.
“Just to see him out there, it’s crazy,” Heat forward P.J. Tucker said. “It’s unbelievable. It’s pretty cool.”
TIP-INS
Rockets: PG John Wall, who missed his 77th consecutive game dating back to last season, was in attendance. ... An off-court item that the Rockets pointed to as a positive came a few nights ago, when Wood rented out a movie theater to take teammates to see “The Batman,” which was released Friday. “That’s growth from Christian to do that. ... We’ve had a lot of cool moments,” Silas said.
Heat: The Heat outrebounded Houston 50-33. ... Miami had more than just Oladipo playing with ties to Houston. Lowry and Tucker — who had 11 points and 12 rebounds — both spent parts of four seasons with the Rockets and Butler is a Houston-area native. ... Lowry was scoreless, missing all three of his shots. ... Gabe Vincent and Max Strus were out of the regular rotation with Lowry and Oladipo playing. “Guys understand the opportunity with this group. ... We're going to need everybody," Spoelstra said.
22 OVER
At 44-22, Miami is 22 games over the .500 mark for the first time since the end of the 2013-14 season. The Heat remained three games ahead of Philadelphia in the East standings; the 76ers beat Chicago on Monday night.
STILL OUT
Rockets guard Dennis Schröder missed his fourth consecutive game with a sprained right ankle. “He’s been able to do his rehab. He’s been on the floor for a couple of days. He’s just trying to get to 100%,” Silas said.
UP NEXT
Rockets: Host the L.A. Lakers on Wednesday.
Heat: Host Phoenix on Wednesday.
___
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Victor Oladipo entered a game for the first time in nearly a year, a loud ovation greeting him as he stepped onto the floor.
<a href="https://twitter.com/BallyHEAT/status/1501001569667584000?s=20&amp;t=EYgJTt33bMljcN_GxNnUoA">He took a charge seconds later.</a> The cheers got louder.
And when <a href="https://twitter.com/BallyHEAT/status/1501023198405664768?s=20&amp;t=EYgJTt33bMljcN_GxNnUoA">he capped his night with a dunk,</a> even louder.
Welcome back, indeed. Oladipo scored 11 points in just under 15 minutes of action, Tyler Herro came off the bench to score 21 of his game-high 31 points in the second quarter and the Eastern Conference-leading Miami Heat beat the Houston Rockets 123-106 on Monday night.
&ldquo;At the end of the day, I&rsquo;m a winner,&rdquo; Oladipo said. &ldquo;And this team is all about winning.&rdquo;
Oladipo was playing his first game since April 8 following a second surgery to repair a right quadriceps tendon. He took a charge on his first defensive possession, hitting the deck without any signs of problems.
Jimmy Butler scored 21 points for Miami, which got Kyle Lowry back after a four-game absence for personal reasons. Bam Adebayo finished with 18 points and 10 rebounds for the Heat, who had a quick celebration for Oladipo in the postgame locker room.
&ldquo;That was very uplifting for everybody," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said.
Kevin Porter Jr. scored 22 points for Houston, which got 20 from Jalen Green, 16 from Josh Christopher and 14 from KJ Martin. Green was 4 for 4 from 3-point range in the game&rsquo;s first 5:40, then missed his final six tries from beyond the arc.
Alperen Sengun had 13 points and eight rebounds, getting the start at center for Houston because Christian Wood was ill. It was just the sixth start this season for the 19-year-old from Turkey.
&ldquo;We are almost to the end of the season," Sengun said. &ldquo;I'm playing more comfortable and I've learned a lot."
The Heat trailed by 13 late in the first half before Herro scored 15 points in a 23-6 run over the final 4:35 before intermission. Butler had the other eight points in that run for the Heat, a burst capped by Herro making a 3-pointer with 29 seconds left and then a 36-footer just before the buzzer.
&ldquo;Just trying to come in and impact the game," said Herro, the likely frontrunner for the NBA's sixth man of the year award. &ldquo;The second quarter was fun."
But the story was Oladipo, who was 4 for 7 from the field, 2 for 3 from 3-point range, plus had four assists against his former team. He was with the Rockets briefly last season, before getting traded to Miami and playing in just four games before being shut down for a second surgery on the leg he originally injured in 2019.
&ldquo;Everybody is really encouraging him," Spoelstra said. &ldquo;They've seen him behind the scenes, really working and grinding."
Rockets coach Stephen Silas had Oladipo in Houston last season and said he enjoyed their 20 games together.
&ldquo;He&rsquo;s competitive. He wants to do things the right way. He is a fighter. For him to fight through all of the injuries that he&rsquo;s had and manage the ups and downs and the emotional part of what he&rsquo;s been through is admirable,&rdquo; Silas said. &ldquo;And he&rsquo;s just a great guy, a really good person to kind of sit down and talk to.&rdquo;
Oladipo had missed each of Miami&rsquo;s last 89 games, including last season&rsquo;s playoff appearance. He missed 201 games since the initial injury three years ago, sidelined for a year following the first surgery and more 11 months this time after the second surgery.
Finally, he's back.
&ldquo;Just to see him out there, it&rsquo;s crazy,&rdquo; Heat forward P.J. Tucker said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s unbelievable. It&rsquo;s pretty cool.&rdquo;
TIP-INS
Rockets: PG John Wall, who missed his 77th consecutive game dating back to last season, was in attendance. ... An off-court item that the Rockets pointed to as a positive came a few nights ago, when Wood rented out a movie theater to take teammates to see &ldquo;The Batman,&rdquo; which was released Friday. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s growth from Christian to do that. ... We&rsquo;ve had a lot of cool moments,&rdquo; Silas said.
Heat: The Heat outrebounded Houston 50-33. ... Miami had more than just Oladipo playing with ties to Houston. Lowry and Tucker &mdash; who had 11 points and 12 rebounds &mdash; both spent parts of four seasons with the Rockets and Butler is a Houston-area native. ... Lowry was scoreless, missing all three of his shots. ... Gabe Vincent and Max Strus were out of the regular rotation with Lowry and Oladipo playing. &ldquo;Guys understand the opportunity with this group. ... We're going to need everybody," Spoelstra said.
22 OVER
At 44-22, Miami is 22 games over the .500 mark for the first time since the end of the 2013-14 season. The Heat remained three games ahead of Philadelphia in the East standings; the 76ers beat Chicago on Monday night.
STILL OUT
Rockets guard Dennis Schr&ouml;der missed his fourth consecutive game with a sprained right ankle. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s been able to do his rehab. He&rsquo;s been on the floor for a couple of days. He&rsquo;s just trying to get to 100%,&rdquo; Silas said.
UP NEXT
Rockets: Host the L.A. Lakers on Wednesday.
Heat: Host Phoenix on Wednesday.
___
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Victor Oladipo entered a game for the first time in nearly a year, a loud ovation greeting him as he stepped onto the floor.
<a href="https://twitter.com/BallyHEAT/status/1501001569667584000?s=20&amp;t=EYgJTt33bMljcN_GxNnUoA">He took a charge seconds later.</a> The cheers got louder.
And when <a href="https://twitter.com/BallyHEAT/status/1501023198405664768?s=20&amp;t=EYgJTt33bMljcN_GxNnUoA" target="_blank" rel="noopener">he capped his night with a dunk,</a> even louder.
Welcome back, indeed. Oladipo scored 11 points in just under 15 minutes of action, Tyler Herro came off the bench to score 21 of his game-high 31 points in the second quarter and the Eastern Conference-leading Miami Heat beat the Houston Rockets 123-106 on Monday night.
&ldquo;At the end of the day, I&rsquo;m a winner,&rdquo; Oladipo said. &ldquo;And this team is all about winning.&rdquo;
Oladipo was playing his first game since April 8 following a second surgery to repair a right quadriceps tendon. He took a charge on his first defensive possession, hitting the deck without any signs of problems.
Jimmy Butler scored 21 points for Miami, which got Kyle Lowry back after a four-game absence for personal reasons. Bam Adebayo finished with 18 points and 10 rebounds for the Heat, who had a quick celebration for Oladipo in the postgame locker room.
&ldquo;That was very uplifting for everybody," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said.
Kevin Porter Jr. scored 22 points for Houston, which got 20 from Jalen Green, 16 from Josh Christopher and 14 from KJ Martin. Green was 4 for 4 from 3-point range in the game&rsquo;s first 5:40, then missed his final six tries from beyond the arc.
Alperen Sengun had 13 points and eight rebounds, getting the start at center for Houston because Christian Wood was ill. It was just the sixth start this season for the 19-year-old from Turkey.
&ldquo;We are almost to the end of the season," Sengun said. &ldquo;I'm playing more comfortable and I've learned a lot."
The Heat trailed by 13 late in the first half before Herro scored 15 points in a 23-6 run over the final 4:35 before intermission. Butler had the other eight points in that run for the Heat, a burst capped by Herro making a 3-pointer with 29 seconds left and then a 36-footer just before the buzzer.
&ldquo;Just trying to come in and impact the game," said Herro, the likely frontrunner for the NBA's sixth man of the year award. &ldquo;The second quarter was fun."
But the story was Oladipo, who was 4 for 7 from the field, 2 for 3 from 3-point range, plus had four assists against his former team. He was with the Rockets briefly last season, before getting traded to Miami and playing in just four games before being shut down for a second surgery on the leg he originally injured in 2019.
&ldquo;Everybody is really encouraging him," Spoelstra said. &ldquo;They've seen him behind the scenes, really working and grinding."
Rockets coach Stephen Silas had Oladipo in Houston last season and said he enjoyed their 20 games together.
&ldquo;He&rsquo;s competitive. He wants to do things the right way. He is a fighter. For him to fight through all of the injuries that he&rsquo;s had and manage the ups and downs and the emotional part of what he&rsquo;s been through is admirable,&rdquo; Silas said. &ldquo;And he&rsquo;s just a great guy, a really good person to kind of sit down and talk to.&rdquo;
Oladipo had missed each of Miami&rsquo;s last 89 games, including last season&rsquo;s playoff appearance. He missed 201 games since the initial injury three years ago, sidelined for a year following the first surgery and more 11 months this time after the second surgery.
Finally, he's back.
&ldquo;Just to see him out there, it&rsquo;s crazy,&rdquo; Heat forward P.J. Tucker said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s unbelievable. It&rsquo;s pretty cool.&rdquo;
TIP-INS
Rockets: PG John Wall, who missed his 77th consecutive game dating back to last season, was in attendance. ... An off-court item that the Rockets pointed to as a positive came a few nights ago, when Wood rented out a movie theater to take teammates to see &ldquo;The Batman,&rdquo; which was released Friday. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s growth from Christian to do that. ... We&rsquo;ve had a lot of cool moments,&rdquo; Silas said.
Heat: The Heat outrebounded Houston 50-33. ... Miami had more than just Oladipo playing with ties to Houston. Lowry and Tucker &mdash; who had 11 points and 12 rebounds &mdash; both spent parts of four seasons with the Rockets and Butler is a Houston-area native. ... Lowry was scoreless, missing all three of his shots. ... Gabe Vincent and Max Strus were out of the regular rotation with Lowry and Oladipo playing. &ldquo;Guys understand the opportunity with this group. ... We're going to need everybody," Spoelstra said.
22 OVER
At 44-22, Miami is 22 games over the .500 mark for the first time since the end of the 2013-14 season. The Heat remained three games ahead of Philadelphia in the East standings; the 76ers beat Chicago on Monday night.
STILL OUT
Rockets guard Dennis Schr&ouml;der missed his fourth consecutive game with a sprained right ankle. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s been able to do his rehab. He&rsquo;s been on the floor for a couple of days. He&rsquo;s just trying to get to 100%,&rdquo; Silas said.
UP NEXT
Rockets: Host the L.A. Lakers on Wednesday.
Heat: Host Phoenix on Wednesday.
___
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Victor Oladipo entered a game for the first time in nearly a year, a loud ovation greeting him as he stepped onto the floor.
<a href="https://twitter.com/BallyHEAT/status/1501001569667584000?s=20&amp;t=EYgJTt33bMljcN_GxNnUoA" target="_blank" rel="noopener">He took a charge seconds later.</a> The cheers got louder.
And when <a href="https://twitter.com/BallyHEAT/status/1501023198405664768?s=20&amp;t=EYgJTt33bMljcN_GxNnUoA" target="_blank" rel="noopener">he capped his night with a dunk,</a> even louder.
Welcome back, indeed. Oladipo scored 11 points in just under 15 minutes of action, Tyler Herro came off the bench to score 21 of his game-high 31 points in the second quarter and the Eastern Conference-leading Miami Heat beat the Houston Rockets 123-106 on Monday night.
&ldquo;At the end of the day, I&rsquo;m a winner,&rdquo; Oladipo said. &ldquo;And this team is all about winning.&rdquo;
Oladipo was playing his first game since April 8 following a second surgery to repair a right quadriceps tendon. He took a charge on his first defensive possession, hitting the deck without any signs of problems.
Jimmy Butler scored 21 points for Miami, which got Kyle Lowry back after a four-game absence for personal reasons. Bam Adebayo finished with 18 points and 10 rebounds for the Heat, who had a quick celebration for Oladipo in the postgame locker room.
&ldquo;That was very uplifting for everybody," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said.
Kevin Porter Jr. scored 22 points for Houston, which got 20 from Jalen Green, 16 from Josh Christopher and 14 from KJ Martin. Green was 4 for 4 from 3-point range in the game&rsquo;s first 5:40, then missed his final six tries from beyond the arc.
Alperen Sengun had 13 points and eight rebounds, getting the start at center for Houston because Christian Wood was ill. It was just the sixth start this season for the 19-year-old from Turkey.
&ldquo;We are almost to the end of the season," Sengun said. &ldquo;I'm playing more comfortable and I've learned a lot."
The Heat trailed by 13 late in the first half before Herro scored 15 points in a 23-6 run over the final 4:35 before intermission. Butler had the other eight points in that run for the Heat, a burst capped by Herro making a 3-pointer with 29 seconds left and then a 36-footer just before the buzzer.
&ldquo;Just trying to come in and impact the game," said Herro, the likely frontrunner for the NBA's sixth man of the year award. &ldquo;The second quarter was fun."
But the story was Oladipo, who was 4 for 7 from the field, 2 for 3 from 3-point range, plus had four assists against his former team. He was with the Rockets briefly last season, before getting traded to Miami and playing in just four games before being shut down for a second surgery on the leg he originally injured in 2019.
&ldquo;Everybody is really encouraging him," Spoelstra said. &ldquo;They've seen him behind the scenes, really working and grinding."
Rockets coach Stephen Silas had Oladipo in Houston last season and said he enjoyed their 20 games together.
&ldquo;He&rsquo;s competitive. He wants to do things the right way. He is a fighter. For him to fight through all of the injuries that he&rsquo;s had and manage the ups and downs and the emotional part of what he&rsquo;s been through is admirable,&rdquo; Silas said. &ldquo;And he&rsquo;s just a great guy, a really good person to kind of sit down and talk to.&rdquo;
Oladipo had missed each of Miami&rsquo;s last 89 games, including last season&rsquo;s playoff appearance. He missed 201 games since the initial injury three years ago, sidelined for a year following the first surgery and more 11 months this time after the second surgery.
Finally, he's back.
&ldquo;Just to see him out there, it&rsquo;s crazy,&rdquo; Heat forward P.J. Tucker said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s unbelievable. It&rsquo;s pretty cool.&rdquo;
TIP-INS
Rockets: PG John Wall, who missed his 77th consecutive game dating back to last season, was in attendance. ... An off-court item that the Rockets pointed to as a positive came a few nights ago, when Wood rented out a movie theater to take teammates to see &ldquo;The Batman,&rdquo; which was released Friday. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s growth from Christian to do that. ... We&rsquo;ve had a lot of cool moments,&rdquo; Silas said.
Heat: The Heat outrebounded Houston 50-33. ... Miami had more than just Oladipo playing with ties to Houston. Lowry and Tucker &mdash; who had 11 points and 12 rebounds &mdash; both spent parts of four seasons with the Rockets and Butler is a Houston-area native. ... Lowry was scoreless, missing all three of his shots. ... Gabe Vincent and Max Strus were out of the regular rotation with Lowry and Oladipo playing. &ldquo;Guys understand the opportunity with this group. ... We're going to need everybody," Spoelstra said.
22 OVER
At 44-22, Miami is 22 games over the .500 mark for the first time since the end of the 2013-14 season. The Heat remained three games ahead of Philadelphia in the East standings; the 76ers beat Chicago on Monday night.
STILL OUT
Rockets guard Dennis Schr&ouml;der missed his fourth consecutive game with a sprained right ankle. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s been able to do his rehab. He&rsquo;s been on the floor for a couple of days. He&rsquo;s just trying to get to 100%,&rdquo; Silas said.
UP NEXT
Rockets: Host the L.A. Lakers on Wednesday.
Heat: Host Phoenix on Wednesday.
___
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Victor Oladipo entered a game for the first time in nearly a year, a loud ovation greeting him as he stepped onto the floor.
<a href="https://twitter.com/BallyHEAT/status/1501001569667584000?s=20&amp;t=EYgJTt33bMljcN_GxNnUoA" target="_blank" rel="noopener">He took a charge seconds later.</a> The cheers got louder.
And when he capped his night with a dunk, even louder.
Welcome back, indeed. Oladipo scored 11 points in just under 15 minutes of action, Tyler Herro came off the bench to score 21 of his game-high 31 points in the second quarter and the Eastern Conference-leading Miami Heat beat the Houston Rockets 123-106 on Monday night.
&ldquo;At the end of the day, I&rsquo;m a winner,&rdquo; Oladipo said. &ldquo;And this team is all about winning.&rdquo;
Oladipo was playing his first game since April 8 following a second surgery to repair a right quadriceps tendon. He took a charge on his first defensive possession, hitting the deck without any signs of problems.
Jimmy Butler scored 21 points for Miami, which got Kyle Lowry back after a four-game absence for personal reasons. Bam Adebayo finished with 18 points and 10 rebounds for the Heat, who had a quick celebration for Oladipo in the postgame locker room.
&ldquo;That was very uplifting for everybody," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said.
Kevin Porter Jr. scored 22 points for Houston, which got 20 from Jalen Green, 16 from Josh Christopher and 14 from KJ Martin. Green was 4 for 4 from 3-point range in the game&rsquo;s first 5:40, then missed his final six tries from beyond the arc.
Alperen Sengun had 13 points and eight rebounds, getting the start at center for Houston because Christian Wood was ill. It was just the sixth start this season for the 19-year-old from Turkey.
&ldquo;We are almost to the end of the season," Sengun said. &ldquo;I'm playing more comfortable and I've learned a lot."
The Heat trailed by 13 late in the first half before Herro scored 15 points in a 23-6 run over the final 4:35 before intermission. Butler had the other eight points in that run for the Heat, a burst capped by Herro making a 3-pointer with 29 seconds left and then a 36-footer just before the buzzer.
&ldquo;Just trying to come in and impact the game," said Herro, the likely frontrunner for the NBA's sixth man of the year award. &ldquo;The second quarter was fun."
But the story was Oladipo, who was 4 for 7 from the field, 2 for 3 from 3-point range, plus had four assists against his former team. He was with the Rockets briefly last season, before getting traded to Miami and playing in just four games before being shut down for a second surgery on the leg he originally injured in 2019.
&ldquo;Everybody is really encouraging him," Spoelstra said. &ldquo;They've seen him behind the scenes, really working and grinding."
Rockets coach Stephen Silas had Oladipo in Houston last season and said he enjoyed their 20 games together.
&ldquo;He&rsquo;s competitive. He wants to do things the right way. He is a fighter. For him to fight through all of the injuries that he&rsquo;s had and manage the ups and downs and the emotional part of what he&rsquo;s been through is admirable,&rdquo; Silas said. &ldquo;And he&rsquo;s just a great guy, a really good person to kind of sit down and talk to.&rdquo;
Oladipo had missed each of Miami&rsquo;s last 89 games, including last season&rsquo;s playoff appearance. He missed 201 games since the initial injury three years ago, sidelined for a year following the first surgery and more 11 months this time after the second surgery.
Finally, he's back.
&ldquo;Just to see him out there, it&rsquo;s crazy,&rdquo; Heat forward P.J. Tucker said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s unbelievable. It&rsquo;s pretty cool.&rdquo;
TIP-INS
Rockets: PG John Wall, who missed his 77th consecutive game dating back to last season, was in attendance. ... An off-court item that the Rockets pointed to as a positive came a few nights ago, when Wood rented out a movie theater to take teammates to see &ldquo;The Batman,&rdquo; which was released Friday. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s growth from Christian to do that. ... We&rsquo;ve had a lot of cool moments,&rdquo; Silas said.
Heat: The Heat outrebounded Houston 50-33. ... Miami had more than just Oladipo playing with ties to Houston. Lowry and Tucker &mdash; who had 11 points and 12 rebounds &mdash; both spent parts of four seasons with the Rockets and Butler is a Houston-area native. ... Lowry was scoreless, missing all three of his shots. ... Gabe Vincent and Max Strus were out of the regular rotation with Lowry and Oladipo playing. &ldquo;Guys understand the opportunity with this group. ... We're going to need everybody," Spoelstra said.
22 OVER
At 44-22, Miami is 22 games over the .500 mark for the first time since the end of the 2013-14 season. The Heat remained three games ahead of Philadelphia in the East standings; the 76ers beat Chicago on Monday night.
STILL OUT
Rockets guard Dennis Schr&ouml;der missed his fourth consecutive game with a sprained right ankle. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s been able to do his rehab. He&rsquo;s been on the floor for a couple of days. He&rsquo;s just trying to get to 100%,&rdquo; Silas said.
UP NEXT
Rockets: Host the L.A. Lakers on Wednesday.
Heat: Host Phoenix on Wednesday.
___
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Victor Oladipo entered a game for the first time in nearly a year, a loud ovation greeting him as he stepped onto the floor.
<a href="https://twitter.com/BallyHEAT/status/1501001569667584000?s=20&amp;t=EYgJTt33bMljcN_GxNnUoA" target="_blank" rel="noopener">He took a charge seconds later.</a> The cheers got louder.
And when he capped his night with a dunk, even louder.
&nbsp;
Welcome back, indeed. Oladipo scored 11 points in just under 15 minutes of action, Tyler Herro came off the bench to score 21 of his game-high 31 points in the second quarter and the Eastern Conference-leading Miami Heat beat the Houston Rockets 123-106 on Monday night.
&ldquo;At the end of the day, I&rsquo;m a winner,&rdquo; Oladipo said. &ldquo;And this team is all about winning.&rdquo;
Oladipo was playing his first game since April 8 following a second surgery to repair a right quadriceps tendon. He took a charge on his first defensive possession, hitting the deck without any signs of problems.
Jimmy Butler scored 21 points for Miami, which got Kyle Lowry back after a four-game absence for personal reasons. Bam Adebayo finished with 18 points and 10 rebounds for the Heat, who had a quick celebration for Oladipo in the postgame locker room.
&ldquo;That was very uplifting for everybody," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said.
Kevin Porter Jr. scored 22 points for Houston, which got 20 from Jalen Green, 16 from Josh Christopher and 14 from KJ Martin. Green was 4 for 4 from 3-point range in the game&rsquo;s first 5:40, then missed his final six tries from beyond the arc.
Alperen Sengun had 13 points and eight rebounds, getting the start at center for Houston because Christian Wood was ill. It was just the sixth start this season for the 19-year-old from Turkey.
&ldquo;We are almost to the end of the season," Sengun said. &ldquo;I'm playing more comfortable and I've learned a lot."
The Heat trailed by 13 late in the first half before Herro scored 15 points in a 23-6 run over the final 4:35 before intermission. Butler had the other eight points in that run for the Heat, a burst capped by Herro making a 3-pointer with 29 seconds left and then a 36-footer just before the buzzer.
&ldquo;Just trying to come in and impact the game," said Herro, the likely frontrunner for the NBA's sixth man of the year award. &ldquo;The second quarter was fun."
But the story was Oladipo, who was 4 for 7 from the field, 2 for 3 from 3-point range, plus had four assists against his former team. He was with the Rockets briefly last season, before getting traded to Miami and playing in just four games before being shut down for a second surgery on the leg he originally injured in 2019.
&ldquo;Everybody is really encouraging him," Spoelstra said. &ldquo;They've seen him behind the scenes, really working and grinding."
Rockets coach Stephen Silas had Oladipo in Houston last season and said he enjoyed their 20 games together.
&ldquo;He&rsquo;s competitive. He wants to do things the right way. He is a fighter. For him to fight through all of the injuries that he&rsquo;s had and manage the ups and downs and the emotional part of what he&rsquo;s been through is admirable,&rdquo; Silas said. &ldquo;And he&rsquo;s just a great guy, a really good person to kind of sit down and talk to.&rdquo;
Oladipo had missed each of Miami&rsquo;s last 89 games, including last season&rsquo;s playoff appearance. He missed 201 games since the initial injury three years ago, sidelined for a year following the first surgery and more 11 months this time after the second surgery.
Finally, he's back.
&ldquo;Just to see him out there, it&rsquo;s crazy,&rdquo; Heat forward P.J. Tucker said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s unbelievable. It&rsquo;s pretty cool.&rdquo;
TIP-INS
Rockets: PG John Wall, who missed his 77th consecutive game dating back to last season, was in attendance. ... An off-court item that the Rockets pointed to as a positive came a few nights ago, when Wood rented out a movie theater to take teammates to see &ldquo;The Batman,&rdquo; which was released Friday. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s growth from Christian to do that. ... We&rsquo;ve had a lot of cool moments,&rdquo; Silas said.
Heat: The Heat outrebounded Houston 50-33. ... Miami had more than just Oladipo playing with ties to Houston. Lowry and Tucker &mdash; who had 11 points and 12 rebounds &mdash; both spent parts of four seasons with the Rockets and Butler is a Houston-area native. ... Lowry was scoreless, missing all three of his shots. ... Gabe Vincent and Max Strus were out of the regular rotation with Lowry and Oladipo playing. &ldquo;Guys understand the opportunity with this group. ... We're going to need everybody," Spoelstra said.
22 OVER
At 44-22, Miami is 22 games over the .500 mark for the first time since the end of the 2013-14 season. The Heat remained three games ahead of Philadelphia in the East standings; the 76ers beat Chicago on Monday night.
STILL OUT
Rockets guard Dennis Schr&ouml;der missed his fourth consecutive game with a sprained right ankle. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s been able to do his rehab. He&rsquo;s been on the floor for a couple of days. He&rsquo;s just trying to get to 100%,&rdquo; Silas said.
UP NEXT
Rockets: Host the L.A. Lakers on Wednesday.
Heat: Host Phoenix on Wednesday.
___
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Victor Oladipo entered a game for the first time in nearly a year, a loud ovation greeting him as he stepped onto the floor.
<a href="https://twitter.com/BallyHEAT/status/1501001569667584000?s=20&amp;t=EYgJTt33bMljcN_GxNnUoA" target="_blank" rel="noopener">He took a charge seconds later.</a> The cheers got louder.
And when he capped his night with a dunk, even louder.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
victor oladipo knows how to throw a welcome back party <a href="https://t.co/cidzecIh1X">pic.twitter.com/cidzecIh1X</a>
&mdash; Bally Sports Sun: HEAT (@BallyHEAT) <a href="https://twitter.com/BallyHEAT/status/1501023198405664768?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 8, 2022</a></blockquote>

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

Welcome back, indeed. Oladipo scored 11 points in just under 15 minutes of action, Tyler Herro came off the bench to score 21 of his game-high 31 points in the second quarter and the Eastern Conference-leading Miami Heat beat the Houston Rockets 123-106 on Monday night.
&ldquo;At the end of the day, I&rsquo;m a winner,&rdquo; Oladipo said. &ldquo;And this team is all about winning.&rdquo;
Oladipo was playing his first game since April 8 following a second surgery to repair a right quadriceps tendon. He took a charge on his first defensive possession, hitting the deck without any signs of problems.
Jimmy Butler scored 21 points for Miami, which got Kyle Lowry back after a four-game absence for personal reasons. Bam Adebayo finished with 18 points and 10 rebounds for the Heat, who had a quick celebration for Oladipo in the postgame locker room.
&ldquo;That was very uplifting for everybody," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said.
Kevin Porter Jr. scored 22 points for Houston, which got 20 from Jalen Green, 16 from Josh Christopher and 14 from KJ Martin. Green was 4 for 4 from 3-point range in the game&rsquo;s first 5:40, then missed his final six tries from beyond the arc.
Alperen Sengun had 13 points and eight rebounds, getting the start at center for Houston because Christian Wood was ill. It was just the sixth start this season for the 19-year-old from Turkey.
&ldquo;We are almost to the end of the season," Sengun said. &ldquo;I'm playing more comfortable and I've learned a lot."
The Heat trailed by 13 late in the first half before Herro scored 15 points in a 23-6 run over the final 4:35 before intermission. Butler had the other eight points in that run for the Heat, a burst capped by Herro making a 3-pointer with 29 seconds left and then a 36-footer just before the buzzer.
&ldquo;Just trying to come in and impact the game," said Herro, the likely frontrunner for the NBA's sixth man of the year award. &ldquo;The second quarter was fun."
But the story was Oladipo, who was 4 for 7 from the field, 2 for 3 from 3-point range, plus had four assists against his former team. He was with the Rockets briefly last season, before getting traded to Miami and playing in just four games before being shut down for a second surgery on the leg he originally injured in 2019.
&ldquo;Everybody is really encouraging him," Spoelstra said. &ldquo;They've seen him behind the scenes, really working and grinding."
Rockets coach Stephen Silas had Oladipo in Houston last season and said he enjoyed their 20 games together.
&ldquo;He&rsquo;s competitive. He wants to do things the right way. He is a fighter. For him to fight through all of the injuries that he&rsquo;s had and manage the ups and downs and the emotional part of what he&rsquo;s been through is admirable,&rdquo; Silas said. &ldquo;And he&rsquo;s just a great guy, a really good person to kind of sit down and talk to.&rdquo;
Oladipo had missed each of Miami&rsquo;s last 89 games, including last season&rsquo;s playoff appearance. He missed 201 games since the initial injury three years ago, sidelined for a year following the first surgery and more 11 months this time after the second surgery.
Finally, he's back.
&ldquo;Just to see him out there, it&rsquo;s crazy,&rdquo; Heat forward P.J. Tucker said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s unbelievable. It&rsquo;s pretty cool.&rdquo;
TIP-INS
Rockets: PG John Wall, who missed his 77th consecutive game dating back to last season, was in attendance. ... An off-court item that the Rockets pointed to as a positive came a few nights ago, when Wood rented out a movie theater to take teammates to see &ldquo;The Batman,&rdquo; which was released Friday. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s growth from Christian to do that. ... We&rsquo;ve had a lot of cool moments,&rdquo; Silas said.
Heat: The Heat outrebounded Houston 50-33. ... Miami had more than just Oladipo playing with ties to Houston. Lowry and Tucker &mdash; who had 11 points and 12 rebounds &mdash; both spent parts of four seasons with the Rockets and Butler is a Houston-area native. ... Lowry was scoreless, missing all three of his shots. ... Gabe Vincent and Max Strus were out of the regular rotation with Lowry and Oladipo playing. &ldquo;Guys understand the opportunity with this group. ... We're going to need everybody," Spoelstra said.
22 OVER
At 44-22, Miami is 22 games over the .500 mark for the first time since the end of the 2013-14 season. The Heat remained three games ahead of Philadelphia in the East standings; the 76ers beat Chicago on Monday night.
STILL OUT
Rockets guard Dennis Schr&ouml;der missed his fourth consecutive game with a sprained right ankle. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s been able to do his rehab. He&rsquo;s been on the floor for a couple of days. He&rsquo;s just trying to get to 100%,&rdquo; Silas said.
UP NEXT
Rockets: Host the L.A. Lakers on Wednesday.
Heat: Host Phoenix on Wednesday.
___
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Victor Oladipo entered a game for the first time in nearly a year, a loud ovation greeting him as he stepped onto the floor.
<a href="https://twitter.com/BallyHEAT/status/1501001569667584000?s=20&amp;t=EYgJTt33bMljcN_GxNnUoA" target="_blank" rel="noopener">He took a charge seconds later.</a> The cheers got louder.
And when he capped his night with a dunk, even louder.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
victor oladipo knows how to throw a welcome back party <a href="https://t.co/cidzecIh1X">pic.twitter.com/cidzecIh1X</a>
&mdash; Bally Sports Sun: HEAT (@BallyHEAT) <a href="https://twitter.com/BallyHEAT/status/1501023198405664768?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 8, 2022</a></blockquote>

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

Welcome back, indeed. Oladipo scored 11 points in just under 15 minutes of action, Tyler Herro came off the bench to score 21 of his game-high 31 points in the second quarter and the Eastern Conference-leading Miami Heat beat the Houston Rockets 123-106 on Monday night.
&ldquo;At the end of the day, I&rsquo;m a winner,&rdquo; Oladipo said. &ldquo;And this team is all about winning.&rdquo;
Oladipo was playing his first game since April 8 following a second surgery to repair a right quadriceps tendon. He took a charge on his first defensive possession, hitting the deck without any signs of problems.
Jimmy Butler scored 21 points for Miami, which got Kyle Lowry back after a four-game absence for personal reasons. Bam Adebayo finished with 18 points and 10 rebounds for the Heat, who had a quick celebration for Oladipo in the postgame locker room.
&ldquo;That was very uplifting for everybody," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said.
Kevin Porter Jr. scored 22 points for Houston, which got 20 from Jalen Green, 16 from Josh Christopher and 14 from KJ Martin. Green was 4 for 4 from 3-point range in the game&rsquo;s first 5:40, then missed his final six tries from beyond the arc.
Alperen Sengun had 13 points and eight rebounds, getting the start at center for Houston because Christian Wood was ill. It was just the sixth start this season for the 19-year-old from Turkey.
&ldquo;We are almost to the end of the season," Sengun said. &ldquo;I'm playing more comfortable and I've learned a lot."
The Heat trailed by 13 late in the first half before Herro scored 15 points in a 23-6 run over the final 4:35 before intermission. Butler had the other eight points in that run for the Heat, a burst capped by Herro making a 3-pointer with 29 seconds left and then a 36-footer just before the buzzer.
&ldquo;Just trying to come in and impact the game," said Herro, the likely frontrunner for the NBA's sixth man of the year award. &ldquo;The second quarter was fun."
But the story was Oladipo, who was 4 for 7 from the field, 2 for 3 from 3-point range, plus had four assists against his former team. He was with the Rockets briefly last season, before getting traded to Miami and playing in just four games before being shut down for a second surgery on the leg he originally injured in 2019.
&ldquo;Everybody is really encouraging him," Spoelstra said. &ldquo;They've seen him behind the scenes, really working and grinding."
Rockets coach Stephen Silas had Oladipo in Houston last season and said he enjoyed their 20 games together.
&ldquo;He&rsquo;s competitive. He wants to do things the right way. He is a fighter. For him to fight through all of the injuries that he&rsquo;s had and manage the ups and downs and the emotional part of what he&rsquo;s been through is admirable,&rdquo; Silas said. &ldquo;And he&rsquo;s just a great guy, a really good person to kind of sit down and talk to.&rdquo;
Oladipo had missed each of Miami&rsquo;s last 89 games, including last season&rsquo;s playoff appearance. He missed 201 games since the initial injury three years ago, sidelined for a year following the first surgery and more 11 months this time after the second surgery.
Finally, he's back.
&ldquo;Just to see him out there, it&rsquo;s crazy,&rdquo; Heat forward P.J. Tucker said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s unbelievable. It&rsquo;s pretty cool.&rdquo;
TIP-INS
Rockets: PG John Wall, who missed his 77th consecutive game dating back to last season, was in attendance. ... An off-court item that the Rockets pointed to as a positive came a few nights ago, when Wood rented out a movie theater to take teammates to see &ldquo;The Batman,&rdquo; which was released Friday. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s growth from Christian to do that. ... We&rsquo;ve had a lot of cool moments,&rdquo; Silas said.
Heat: The Heat outrebounded Houston 50-33. ... Miami had more than just Oladipo playing with ties to Houston. Lowry and Tucker &mdash; who had 11 points and 12 rebounds &mdash; both spent parts of four seasons with the Rockets and Butler is a Houston-area native. ... Lowry was scoreless, missing all three of his shots. ... Gabe Vincent and Max Strus were out of the regular rotation with Lowry and Oladipo playing. &ldquo;Guys understand the opportunity with this group. ... We're going to need everybody," Spoelstra said.
22 OVER
At 44-22, Miami is 22 games over the .500 mark for the first time since the end of the 2013-14 season. The Heat remained three games ahead of Philadelphia in the East standings; the 76ers beat Chicago on Monday night.
STILL OUT
Rockets guard Dennis Schr&ouml;der missed his fourth consecutive game with a sprained right ankle. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s been able to do his rehab. He&rsquo;s been on the floor for a couple of days. He&rsquo;s just trying to get to 100%,&rdquo; Silas said.
UP NEXT
Rockets: Host the L.A. Lakers on Wednesday.
Heat: Host Phoenix on Wednesday.

Victor Oladipo scored 11 points in just under 15 minutes of action in Miami's win over Houston.

Oladipo returns, Herro scores 31, Heat top Rockets 123-106

MIAMI (AP) — Tyler Herro and Jimmy Butler each scored 21 points, and the Miami Heat pulled away in the fourth quarter to beat the Philadelphia 76ers 99-82 on Saturday night.
Gabe Vincent scored 16 points and Caleb Martin added 14 for the Heat, who are 11-2 in their last 13 games. Miami was again without Kyle Lowry, who missed his fourth consecutive game because of personal reasons.
Miami went 3-1 on the week against four East contenders, beating Chicago, Brooklyn and now Philadelphia. The only loss was at Milwaukee, a game where the Heat led by 14 midway through the fourth quarter before collapsing.
Joel Embiid finished with 22 points and 15 rebounds for Philadelphia, which held out James Harden on the second night of a back-to-back as he recovers from a left hamstring injury. The 76ers had a season-low in points and fell to 1-14 when scoring less than 100 points.
Tyrese Maxey added 17 points for the 76ers, who ended a five-game winning streak. Tobias Harris added 16 for Philadelphia.
The win gave Miami (43-22) a season-high three-game lead in the Eastern Conference over the second-place 76ers (39-24), with Milwaukee and Chicago (both 39-25) 3 1/2 games back.
“I really don’t look at the standings,” 76ers coach Doc Rivers said. “What do they matter? You have to win. And I swear to God, after 82, someone’s going to tap me and say ‘This is who you’re playing.’ ... You can only control what you can control. The other stuff is for everyone else to talk about.”
It was the first time since a three-game stretch in mid-December where Philadelphia trailed by 20 in consecutive outings. The 76ers trailed by 21 against Cleveland on Friday night before rallying to win 125-119.
The biggest deficit Saturday was 20, with Miami taking a 40-20 edge on a 3-pointer by Martin with 8:03 left in the half. Philadelphia went on a 12-2 run to cut the margin in half over the next 3 minutes, but Miami wound up taking a 54-40 edge into the break.
In the third, the 76ers kept chipping away. An 11-2 run got Philadelphia within two, before Vincent made a 3-pointer to end the quarter and send Miami into the final 12 minutes with a 73-68 lead.
Miami then outscored Philadelphia 26-14 in the fourth.
TIP-INS
76ers: Philadelphia remained 12 wins shy of 3,000 all-time, a milestone only the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers have reached. ... Embiid got his ninth rebound with 3 seconds left in the first quarter. He didn’t get his 10th until 9:05 remained in the third quarter.
Heat: Duncan Robinson’s first 3-pointer of the night was the 713th of his career, breaking a tie with Eddie Jones and moving him into No. 2 on Miami’s all-time list. Tim Hardaway has the club record with 806, something Robinson has a shot of reaching before the season ends. ... Heat managing general partner Micky Arison was among those at Cameron Indoor Stadium on Saturday for Mike Krzyzewski’s final home game at Duke. Heat CEO Nick Arison was Duke’s manager during his college days there.
SLAP HAPPY
Embiid flailed at a loose ball in the third quarter and wound up slapping Butler — his former Philadelphia teammate — in the side of the head, a play that did not appear to be intentional. Embiid went over to Butler and apologized but was given a technical anyway.
STAYING HOME
This was the opener of a stretch where Miami plays 11 out of 12 games at home. The Heat play one road game between now and March 30 — that being at Philadelphia on March 21. Miami has now played 29 home games so far this season, tied for the fewest in the league with Orlando, Houston and Denver. The Heat also have only five road games left, also tied for the fewest in the league with Orlando.
UP NEXT
76ers: Host Chicago on Monday.
Heat: Host Houston on Monday.
___
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Tyler Herro and Jimmy Butler each scored 21 points, and the Miami Heat pulled away in the fourth quarter to beat the Philadelphia 76ers 99-82 on Saturday night.
Gabe Vincent scored 16 points and Caleb Martin added 14 for the Heat, who are 11-2 in their last 13 games. Miami was again without Kyle Lowry, who missed his fourth consecutive game because of personal reasons.
Miami went 3-1 on the week against four East contenders, beating Chicago, Brooklyn and now Philadelphia. The only loss was at Milwaukee, a game where the Heat led by 14 midway through the fourth quarter before collapsing.
Joel Embiid finished with 22 points and 15 rebounds for Philadelphia, which held out James Harden on the second night of a back-to-back as he recovers from a left hamstring injury. The 76ers had a season-low in points and fell to 1-14 when scoring less than 100 points.
Tyrese Maxey added 17 points for the 76ers, who ended a five-game winning streak. Tobias Harris added 16 for Philadelphia.
The win gave Miami (43-22) a season-high three-game lead in the Eastern Conference over the second-place 76ers (39-24), with Milwaukee and Chicago (both 39-25) 3 1/2 games back.
&ldquo;I really don&rsquo;t look at the standings,&rdquo; 76ers coach Doc Rivers said. &ldquo;What do they matter? You have to win. And I swear to God, after 82, someone&rsquo;s going to tap me and say &lsquo;This is who you&rsquo;re playing.&rsquo; ... You can only control what you can control. The other stuff is for everyone else to talk about.&rdquo;
It was the first time since a three-game stretch in mid-December where Philadelphia trailed by 20 in consecutive outings. The 76ers trailed by 21 against Cleveland on Friday night before rallying to win 125-119.
The biggest deficit Saturday was 20, with Miami taking a 40-20 edge on a 3-pointer by Martin with 8:03 left in the half. Philadelphia went on a 12-2 run to cut the margin in half over the next 3 minutes, but Miami wound up taking a 54-40 edge into the break.
In the third, the 76ers kept chipping away. An 11-2 run got Philadelphia within two, before Vincent made a 3-pointer to end the quarter and send Miami into the final 12 minutes with a 73-68 lead.
Miami then outscored Philadelphia 26-14 in the fourth.
TIP-INS
76ers: Philadelphia remained 12 wins shy of 3,000 all-time, a milestone only the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers have reached. ... Embiid got his ninth rebound with 3 seconds left in the first quarter. He didn&rsquo;t get his 10th until 9:05 remained in the third quarter.
Heat: Duncan Robinson&rsquo;s first 3-pointer of the night was the 713th of his career, breaking a tie with Eddie Jones and moving him into No. 2 on Miami&rsquo;s all-time list. Tim Hardaway has the club record with 806, something Robinson has a shot of reaching before the season ends. ... Heat managing general partner Micky Arison was among those at Cameron Indoor Stadium on Saturday for Mike Krzyzewski&rsquo;s final home game at Duke. Heat CEO Nick Arison was Duke&rsquo;s manager during his college days there.
SLAP HAPPY
Embiid flailed at a loose ball in the third quarter and wound up slapping Butler &mdash; his former Philadelphia teammate &mdash; in the side of the head, a play that did not appear to be intentional. Embiid went over to Butler and apologized but was given a technical anyway.
STAYING HOME
This was the opener of a stretch where Miami plays 11 out of 12 games at home. The Heat play one road game between now and March 30 &mdash; that being at Philadelphia on March 21. Miami has now played 29 home games so far this season, tied for the fewest in the league with Orlando, Houston and Denver. The Heat also have only five road games left, also tied for the fewest in the league with Orlando.
UP NEXT
76ers: Host Chicago on Monday.
Heat: Host Houston on Monday.
___
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Tyler Herro and Jimmy Butler each scored 21 points, and the Miami Heat pulled away in the fourth quarter to beat the Philadelphia 76ers 99-82 on Saturday night.
Gabe Vincent scored 16 points and Caleb Martin added 14 for the Heat, who are 11-2 in their last 13 games. Miami was again without Kyle Lowry, who missed his fourth consecutive game because of personal reasons.
Miami went 3-1 on the week against four East contenders, beating Chicago, Brooklyn and now Philadelphia. The only loss was at Milwaukee, a game where the Heat led by 14 midway through the fourth quarter before collapsing.
Joel Embiid finished with 22 points and 15 rebounds for Philadelphia, which held out James Harden on the second night of a back-to-back as he recovers from a left hamstring injury. The 76ers had a season-low in points and fell to 1-14 when scoring less than 100 points.
Tyrese Maxey added 17 points for the 76ers, who ended a five-game winning streak. Tobias Harris added 16 for Philadelphia.
The win gave Miami (43-22) a season-high three-game lead in the Eastern Conference over the second-place 76ers (39-24), with Milwaukee and Chicago (both 39-25) 3 1/2 games back.
&ldquo;I really don&rsquo;t look at the standings,&rdquo; 76ers coach Doc Rivers said. &ldquo;What do they matter? You have to win. And I swear to God, after 82, someone&rsquo;s going to tap me and say &lsquo;This is who you&rsquo;re playing.&rsquo; ... You can only control what you can control. The other stuff is for everyone else to talk about.&rdquo;
It was the first time since a three-game stretch in mid-December where Philadelphia trailed by 20 in consecutive outings. The 76ers trailed by 21 against Cleveland on Friday night before rallying to win 125-119.
The biggest deficit Saturday was 20, with Miami taking a 40-20 edge on a 3-pointer by Martin with 8:03 left in the half. Philadelphia went on a 12-2 run to cut the margin in half over the next 3 minutes, but Miami wound up taking a 54-40 edge into the break.
In the third, the 76ers kept chipping away. An 11-2 run got Philadelphia within two, before Vincent made a 3-pointer to end the quarter and send Miami into the final 12 minutes with a 73-68 lead.
Miami then outscored Philadelphia 26-14 in the fourth.
TIP-INS
76ers: Philadelphia remained 12 wins shy of 3,000 all-time, a milestone only the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers have reached. ... Embiid got his ninth rebound with 3 seconds left in the first quarter. He didn&rsquo;t get his 10th until 9:05 remained in the third quarter.
Heat: Duncan Robinson&rsquo;s first 3-pointer of the night was the 713th of his career, breaking a tie with Eddie Jones and moving him into No. 2 on Miami&rsquo;s all-time list. Tim Hardaway has the club record with 806, something Robinson has a shot of reaching before the season ends. ... Heat managing general partner Micky Arison was among those at Cameron Indoor Stadium on Saturday for Mike Krzyzewski&rsquo;s final home game at Duke. Heat CEO Nick Arison was Duke&rsquo;s manager during his college days there.
SLAP HAPPY
Embiid flailed at a loose ball in the third quarter and wound up slapping Butler &mdash; his former Philadelphia teammate &mdash; in the side of the head, a play that did not appear to be intentional. Embiid went over to Butler and apologized but was given a technical anyway.
STAYING HOME
This was the opener of a stretch where Miami plays 11 out of 12 games at home. The Heat play one road game between now and March 30 &mdash; that being at Philadelphia on March 21. Miami has now played 29 home games so far this season, tied for the fewest in the league with Orlando, Houston and Denver. The Heat also have only five road games left, also tied for the fewest in the league with Orlando.
UP NEXT
76ers: Host Chicago on Monday.
Heat: Host Houston on Monday.

Tyler Herro and Jimmy Butler each scored 21 points, and the Miami Heat pulled away in the fourth quarter to beat the Philadelphia 76ers 99-82 on Saturday night.
Gabe Vincent scored 16 points and Caleb Martin added 14 for the Heat, who are 11-2 in their last 13 games. Miami was again without Kyle Lowry, who missed his fourth consecutive game because of personal reasons.
Miami went 3-1 on the week against four East contenders, beating Chicago, Brooklyn and now Philadelphia. The only loss was at Milwaukee, a game where the Heat led by 14 midway through the fourth quarter before collapsing.
Joel Embiid finished with 22 points and 15 rebounds for Philadelphia, which held out James Harden on the second night of a back-to-back as he recovers from a left hamstring injury. The 76ers had a season-low in points and fell to 1-14 when scoring less than 100 points.
Tyrese Maxey added 17 points for the 76ers, who ended a five-game winning streak. Tobias Harris added 16 for Philadelphia.
The win gave Miami (43-22) a season-high three-game lead in the Eastern Conference over the second-place 76ers (39-24), with Milwaukee and Chicago (both 39-25) 3 1/2 games back.
&ldquo;I really don&rsquo;t look at the standings,&rdquo; 76ers coach Doc Rivers said. &ldquo;What do they matter? You have to win. And I swear to God, after 82, someone&rsquo;s going to tap me and say &lsquo;This is who you&rsquo;re playing.&rsquo; ... You can only control what you can control. The other stuff is for everyone else to talk about.&rdquo;
It was the first time since a three-game stretch in mid-December where Philadelphia trailed by 20 in consecutive outings. The 76ers trailed by 21 against Cleveland on Friday night before rallying to win 125-119.
The biggest deficit Saturday was 20, with Miami taking a 40-20 edge on a 3-pointer by Martin with 8:03 left in the half. Philadelphia went on a 12-2 run to cut the margin in half over the next 3 minutes, but Miami wound up taking a 54-40 edge into the break.
In the third, the 76ers kept chipping away. An 11-2 run got Philadelphia within two, before Vincent made a 3-pointer to end the quarter and send Miami into the final 12 minutes with a 73-68 lead.
Miami then outscored Philadelphia 26-14 in the fourth.
TIP-INS
76ers: Philadelphia remained 12 wins shy of 3,000 all-time, a milestone only the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers have reached. ... Embiid got his ninth rebound with 3 seconds left in the first quarter. He didn&rsquo;t get his 10th until 9:05 remained in the third quarter.
Heat: Duncan Robinson&rsquo;s first 3-pointer of the night was the 713th of his career, breaking a tie with Eddie Jones and moving him into No. 2 on Miami&rsquo;s all-time list. Tim Hardaway has the club record with 806, something Robinson has a shot of reaching before the season ends. ... Heat managing general partner Micky Arison was among those at Cameron Indoor Stadium on Saturday for Mike Krzyzewski&rsquo;s final home game at Duke. Heat CEO Nick Arison was Duke&rsquo;s manager during his college days there.
SLAP HAPPY
Embiid flailed at a loose ball in the third quarter and wound up slapping Butler &mdash; his former Philadelphia teammate &mdash; in the side of the head, a play that did not appear to be intentional. Embiid went over to Butler and apologized but was given a technical anyway.
STAYING HOME
This was the opener of a stretch where Miami plays 11 out of 12 games at home. The Heat play one road game between now and March 30 &mdash; that being at Philadelphia on March 21. Miami has now played 29 home games so far this season, tied for the fewest in the league with Orlando, Houston and Denver. The Heat also have only five road games left, also tied for the fewest in the league with Orlando.
UP NEXT
76ers: Host Chicago on Monday.
Heat: Host Houston on Monday.

Tyler Herro and Jimmy Butler each scored 21 points, and the Heat pulled away in the fourth quarter to beat the 76ers, 99-82.

Heat top 76ers 99-82, move 3 games ahead in East race

It has become an annual joke, one that NBA players keep repeating.
For the sixth consecutive year, players had the right to have a significant say in the process of deciding who will start the All-Star Game. The NBA uses a formula to do that now, with fan voting counting for 50% of the total, a media panel counting for 25% and the players themselves getting 25%.
And, also for the sixth consecutive year, most players didn’t take the process seriously.
There’s no other way to explain how 297 players had at least one of their peers — or themselves — saying that they should start next month’s All-Star Game in Cleveland. Ben Simmons got two votes; he has not played this season because he doesn’t want to play for Philadelphia. Kawhi Leonard got two votes; he has not played this season because of injury. John Wall, T.J. Warren, Luka Samanic and Michael Carter-Williams all got votes; they, too, have not played this season.
The NBA got votes back from 323 players in this year’s voting. Only four players appeared on more than half of those ballots. Kevin Durant was on 64.1% of them, Giannis Antetokounmpo on 56.7%, LeBron James on 52.9% and Nikola Jokic on 51.7%.
Imagine this: More than half of the players in the NBA didn’t think that Joel Embiid — who likely would win the MVP award going away if the vote was held today — shouldn’t be an All-Star starter.
Make it make sense.
The NBA changed the rules six years ago for 768,112 reasons. That was the number of fan votes that Zaza Pachulia received in 2016, nearly enough to make him an All-Star starter that season. His candidacy was fueled by social-media influencers and many votes from the former Soviet republic of Georgia.
Hence, the league went to the weighted formula. And players have turned it into a mockery.
In 2017, there were 283 players who got at least one All-Star starters vote from a peer or themselves. In 2018, the number was 249. In 2019, it was 289. In 2020, it went up to 292. In 2021, up again to 310.
At least this season the number went down, albeit slightly.
But it’d be great to hear the arguments from players about why Kyrie Irving, who has played in seven games this season because of his vaccination status, got more votes from players (25) than someone like Miami’s Jimmy Butler (23), who has helped the Heat move into first place in the Eastern Conference.
Or why someone thought Zylan Cheatham and Jay Huff should start the All-Star Game. By all accounts, they are excellent teammates. But they have combined for five NBA appearances and zero NBA points this season. Each got one vote anyway.
Moses Wright played in one game, logging 88 scoreless seconds, for the Clippers. He got two starter votes. So did McKinley Wright IV, his five points in three games for Minnesota earning him the two votes. Joel Ayayi scored two points in seven games with Washington; he got a vote. George King got a vote, which is one vote for every point he’s scored for Dallas this season. 
Many of the players who got one or two votes were hardship signings who, quite frankly, deserve enormous credit for keeping the league afloat this season when rosters were getting decimated by positive COVID-19 tests.
But most of the player votes didn’t seem to be sentimental or look like praise for those who were brought in on those 10-day deals. They apparently were either meant to be funny, or to make fun of the process, or both.
Luckily, fans are pretty much getting what they wanted, which should be all that matters since the game is about them. The nine players who got the most fan votes were all picked as starters — James, Stephen Curry, Durant, Antetokounmpo, Jokic, DeMar DeRozan, Embiid, Ja Morant and Andrew Wiggins. The only starter who wasn’t in the top 10 of fan voting was Trae Young; he was 11th among fans, one spot behind Paul George.
And, once again, the player voting silliness doesn’t appear to have cost anyone a well-deserved starting nod.
But there will be a day when that happens, and that’ll be an embarrassing day for the NBA.
___
Tim Reynolds is a national basketball writer for The Associated Press. Write to him at treynolds(at)ap.org
___
More AP NBA: <a href="https://apnews.com/hub/NBA">https://apnews.com/hub/NBA</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/AP_Sports">https://twitter.com/AP_Sports</a>

It has become an annual joke, one that NBA players keep repeating.
For the sixth consecutive year, players had the right to have a significant say in the process of deciding who will start the All-Star Game. The NBA uses a formula to do that now, with fan voting counting for 50% of the total, a media panel counting for 25% and the players themselves getting 25%.
And, also for the sixth consecutive year, most players didn&rsquo;t take the process seriously.
There&rsquo;s no other way to explain how 297 players had at least one of their peers &mdash; or themselves &mdash; saying that they should start next month&rsquo;s All-Star Game in Cleveland. Ben Simmons got two votes; he has not played this season because he doesn&rsquo;t want to play for Philadelphia. Kawhi Leonard got two votes; he has not played this season because of injury. John Wall, T.J. Warren, Luka Samanic and Michael Carter-Williams all got votes; they, too, have not played this season.
The NBA got votes back from 323 players in this year&rsquo;s voting. Only four players appeared on more than half of those ballots. Kevin Durant was on 64.1% of them, Giannis Antetokounmpo on 56.7%, LeBron James on 52.9% and Nikola Jokic on 51.7%.
Imagine this: More than half of the players in the NBA didn&rsquo;t think that Joel Embiid &mdash; who likely would win the MVP award going away if the vote was held today &mdash; shouldn&rsquo;t be an All-Star starter.
Make it make sense.
The NBA changed the rules six years ago for 768,112 reasons. That was the number of fan votes that Zaza Pachulia received in 2016, nearly enough to make him an All-Star starter that season. His candidacy was fueled by social-media influencers and many votes from the former Soviet republic of Georgia.
Hence, the league went to the weighted formula. And players have turned it into a mockery.
In 2017, there were 283 players who got at least one All-Star starters vote from a peer or themselves. In 2018, the number was 249. In 2019, it was 289. In 2020, it went up to 292. In 2021, up again to 310.
At least this season the number went down, albeit slightly.
But it&rsquo;d be great to hear the arguments from players about why Kyrie Irving, who has played in seven games this season because of his vaccination status, got more votes from players (25) than someone like Miami&rsquo;s Jimmy Butler (23), who has helped the Heat move into first place in the Eastern Conference.
Or why someone thought Zylan Cheatham and Jay Huff should start the All-Star Game. By all accounts, they are excellent teammates. But they have combined for five NBA appearances and zero NBA points this season. Each got one vote anyway.
Moses Wright played in one game, logging 88 scoreless seconds, for the Clippers. He got two starter votes. So did McKinley Wright IV, his five points in three games for Minnesota earning him the two votes. Joel Ayayi scored two points in seven games with Washington; he got a vote. George King got a vote, which is one vote for every point he&rsquo;s scored for Dallas this season.
Many of the players who got one or two votes were hardship signings who, quite frankly, deserve enormous credit for keeping the league afloat this season when rosters were getting decimated by positive COVID-19 tests.
But most of the player votes didn&rsquo;t seem to be sentimental or look like praise for those who were brought in on those 10-day deals. They apparently were either meant to be funny, or to make fun of the process, or both.
Luckily, fans are pretty much getting what they wanted, which should be all that matters since the game is about them. The nine players who got the most fan votes were all picked as starters &mdash; James, Stephen Curry, Durant, Antetokounmpo, Jokic, DeMar DeRozan, Embiid, Ja Morant and Andrew Wiggins. The only starter who wasn&rsquo;t in the top 10 of fan voting was Trae Young; he was 11th among fans, one spot behind Paul George.
And, once again, the player voting silliness doesn&rsquo;t appear to have cost anyone a well-deserved starting nod.
But there will be a day when that happens, and that&rsquo;ll be an embarrassing day for the NBA.

Associated Press writer Tim Reynolds explains how putting the NBA All-Star voting process into the players' hands is a mistake.

Analysis: NBA All-Star voting by players, again, was flawed

MIAMI (AP) — The final rebound of the game fell into Jimmy Butler's hands just a moment or two before the final buzzer, and Bam Adebayo started celebrating for two reasons.
One, he knew Butler had just gotten a triple-double.
Two, the Miami Heat had just won his comeback game.
Tyler Herro scored 23 points, Adebayo scored 14 in his first game coming off a six-week absence following thumb surgery and the Miami Heat held off the Toronto Raptors 104-99 on Monday night.
“We’re just blessed to have a team like this," Adebayo said. “Everybody buys in. Everybody wants to compete. And everybody wants to get the job done."
Adebayo played 32 minutes, shooting 4 for 12 and grabbing nine rebounds.
“You can see his energy out there," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said after his team pulled into a virtual tie with Chicago for first in the Eastern Conference. “He makes us different."
Butler finished with 19 points, 10 assists and 10 rebounds — the last of those coming as time was expiring, when Fred VanVleet's 3-point try missed. It was Butler's ninth triple-double with the Heat, tying LeBron James for the most in team regular-season history.
Chris Boucher scored 23 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for Toronto. VanVleet finished with 22, and Pascal Siakam added 18 points and 10 assists for the Raptors. Scottie Barnes scored 16 points, OG Anunoby scored 14 and former Heat forward Precious Achiuwa grabbed 15 rebounds for Toronto.
Siakam scored off a turnover with 1:48 left to get Toronto within 99-96, but PJ Tucker made a corner 3 with 20 seconds left — off Butler's 10th assist — to help Miami hold on.
Toronto basically used a six-man rotation, with those players getting between 34 and 42 minutes. The only other Raptor who got minutes was Justin Champagnie, who played 9:07 before leaving with a dislocated finger.
“We played as tough as we could,” Raptors coach Nick Nurse said. “I didn’t see anything that was changing. We were battling from start to finish. ... That one could have went either way. It was a hell of an effort by our guys.”
The game was expected to be the first time that Heat guard Kyle Lowry faced the Raptors since leaving Toronto for Miami this past season. Lowry helped Toronto win the 2019 NBA title on his way to claiming to the unofficial moniker of GROAT — the Greatest Raptor Of All-Time.
Lowry missed the game for personal reasons.
“I wanted to see him, obviously,” Nurse said.
Lowry missed a pretty good one.
There were 22 lead changes and 10 ties in the first 35 minutes, putting the teams knotted at 75-75 late in the third. Herro scored the last five points of the third quarter, then had the first bucket of the fourth to put Miami up by seven.
The Heat wouldn’t trail again. Anunoby made a 3-pointer with 6:57 left to get Toronto within two, but Miami scored the next seven points in a span of 59 seconds — a basket by Adebayo, a corner 3 from Max Strus and a driving layup by Caleb Martin for a 98-89 lead.
TIP-INS
Raptors: Gary Trent Jr. (ankle) was listed as questionable and has been doing some on-court work but wound up missing his fifth consecutive game. ... Khem Birch, who broke his nose and needed surgery last week, is likely to miss about two weeks. ... Each of VanVleet’s first 10 shot attempts were 3-pointers. ... Toronto used a 17th starting lineup of the season. The Raptors have had only four lineups start at least four games.
Heat: Chicago, Brooklyn, Milwaukee and Philadelphia — the teams that started Monday closest to Miami in the East standings — all lost on Monday. ... Gabe Vincent scored 15 points for the Heat. ... Floyd Mayweather Jr., a regular at Heat games in recent years, sat courtside. ... The Heat are 3-5 on Mondays this season. They’re 25-11 on all other days. ... Adebayo wore a wrap to protect his repaired thumb. ... Lowry’s next game will be the 1,000th regular season appearance of his career.
SEE YOU SOON
Monday’s game was the first of three Heat-Raptors meetings in a span of 16 days. The teams play again in Miami on Jan. 29 and then the Heat visit Toronto — potentially Lowry’s first game back since his departure — on Feb. 1. It’s unclear if fans will be back at Raptors games by then; Miami also visits Toronto on April 3.
LINEUP CHANGES
With Adebayo back, it meant rookie center Omer Yurtseven was the odd man out in the Heat rotation. Yurtseven had averaged 11.6 points and 13.4 rebounds in his last 14 appearances, but didn't play on Monday. Yurtseven’s 14-game streak of double-digit rebounds is the second-longest in the NBA this season behind Utah’s Rudy Gobert, who entered Monday with an 18-game streak of at least 10 rebounds.
RAPTORS AT MIDPOINT
Monday marked Toronto’s 41st game of the season — meaning all 30 NBA teams have now reached the midway point of their planned 82-game campaigns. The Raptors (21-20) are over .500 at the halfway mark for the eighth time in the last nine seasons, the exception being last season. “There’s been a lot of positives,” Nurse said.
UP NEXT
Raptors: Visit Dallas on Wednesday.
Heat: Host Portland on Wednesday.
___
More AP NBA: <a href="https://apnews.com/hub/NBA">https://apnews.com/hub/NBA</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/AP_Sports">https://twitter.com/AP_Sports</a>

The final rebound of the game fell into Jimmy Butler's hands just a moment or two before the final buzzer, and Bam Adebayo started celebrating for two reasons.
One, he knew Butler had just gotten a triple-double.
Two, the Miami Heat had just won his comeback game.
Tyler Herro scored 23 points, Adebayo scored 14 in his first game coming off a six-week absence following thumb surgery and the Miami Heat held off the Toronto Raptors 104-99 on Monday night.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;re just blessed to have a team like this," Adebayo said. &ldquo;Everybody buys in. Everybody wants to compete. And everybody wants to get the job done."
Adebayo played 32 minutes, shooting 4 for 12 and grabbing nine rebounds.
&ldquo;You can see his energy out there," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said after his team pulled into a virtual tie with Chicago for first in the Eastern Conference. &ldquo;He makes us different."
Butler finished with 19 points, 10 assists and 10 rebounds &mdash; the last of those coming as time was expiring, when Fred VanVleet's 3-point try missed. It was Butler's ninth triple-double with the Heat, tying LeBron James for the most in team regular-season history.
Chris Boucher scored 23 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for Toronto. VanVleet finished with 22, and Pascal Siakam added 18 points and 10 assists for the Raptors. Scottie Barnes scored 16 points, OG Anunoby scored 14 and former Heat forward Precious Achiuwa grabbed 15 rebounds for Toronto.
Siakam scored off a turnover with 1:48 left to get Toronto within 99-96, but PJ Tucker made a corner 3 with 20 seconds left &mdash; off Butler's 10th assist &mdash; to help Miami hold on.
Toronto basically used a six-man rotation, with those players getting between 34 and 42 minutes. The only other Raptor who got minutes was Justin Champagnie, who played 9:07 before leaving with a dislocated finger.
&ldquo;We played as tough as we could,&rdquo; Raptors coach Nick Nurse said. &ldquo;I didn&rsquo;t see anything that was changing. We were battling from start to finish. ... That one could have went either way. It was a hell of an effort by our guys.&rdquo;
The game was expected to be the first time that Heat guard Kyle Lowry faced the Raptors since leaving Toronto for Miami this past season. Lowry helped Toronto win the 2019 NBA title on his way to claiming to the unofficial moniker of GROAT &mdash; the Greatest Raptor Of All-Time.
Lowry missed the game for personal reasons.
&ldquo;I wanted to see him, obviously,&rdquo; Nurse said.
Lowry missed a pretty good one.
There were 22 lead changes and 10 ties in the first 35 minutes, putting the teams knotted at 75-75 late in the third. Herro scored the last five points of the third quarter, then had the first bucket of the fourth to put Miami up by seven.
The Heat wouldn&rsquo;t trail again. Anunoby made a 3-pointer with 6:57 left to get Toronto within two, but Miami scored the next seven points in a span of 59 seconds &mdash; a basket by Adebayo, a corner 3 from Max Strus and a driving layup by Caleb Martin for a 98-89 lead.
TIP-INS
Raptors: Gary Trent Jr. (ankle) was listed as questionable and has been doing some on-court work but wound up missing his fifth consecutive game. ... Khem Birch, who broke his nose and needed surgery last week, is likely to miss about two weeks. ... Each of VanVleet&rsquo;s first 10 shot attempts were 3-pointers. ... Toronto used a 17th starting lineup of the season. The Raptors have had only four lineups start at least four games.
Heat: Chicago, Brooklyn, Milwaukee and Philadelphia &mdash; the teams that started Monday closest to Miami in the East standings &mdash; all lost on Monday. ... Gabe Vincent scored 15 points for the Heat. ... Floyd Mayweather Jr., a regular at Heat games in recent years, sat courtside. ... The Heat are 3-5 on Mondays this season. They&rsquo;re 25-11 on all other days. ... Adebayo wore a wrap to protect his repaired thumb. ... Lowry&rsquo;s next game will be the 1,000th regular season appearance of his career.
SEE YOU SOON
Monday&rsquo;s game was the first of three Heat-Raptors meetings in a span of 16 days. The teams play again in Miami on Jan. 29 and then the Heat visit Toronto &mdash; potentially Lowry&rsquo;s first game back since his departure &mdash; on Feb. 1. It&rsquo;s unclear if fans will be back at Raptors games by then; Miami also visits Toronto on April 3.
LINEUP CHANGES
With Adebayo back, it meant rookie center Omer Yurtseven was the odd man out in the Heat rotation. Yurtseven had averaged 11.6 points and 13.4 rebounds in his last 14 appearances, but didn't play on Monday. Yurtseven&rsquo;s 14-game streak of double-digit rebounds is the second-longest in the NBA this season behind Utah&rsquo;s Rudy Gobert, who entered Monday with an 18-game streak of at least 10 rebounds.
RAPTORS AT MIDPOINT
Monday marked Toronto&rsquo;s 41st game of the season &mdash; meaning all 30 NBA teams have now reached the midway point of their planned 82-game campaigns. The Raptors (21-20) are over .500 at the halfway mark for the eighth time in the last nine seasons, the exception being last season. &ldquo;There&rsquo;s been a lot of positives,&rdquo; Nurse said.
UP NEXT
Raptors: Visit Dallas on Wednesday.
Heat: Host Portland on Wednesday.
___
More AP NBA: <a href="https://apnews.com/hub/NBA">https://apnews.com/hub/NBA</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/AP_Sports">https://twitter.com/AP_Sports</a>

The final rebound of the game fell into Jimmy Butler's hands just a moment or two before the final buzzer, and Bam Adebayo started celebrating for two reasons.
One, he knew Butler had just gotten a triple-double.
Two, the Miami Heat had just won his comeback game.
Tyler Herro scored 23 points, Adebayo scored 14 in his first game coming off a six-week absence following thumb surgery and the Miami Heat held off the Toronto Raptors 104-99 on Monday night.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;re just blessed to have a team like this," Adebayo said. &ldquo;Everybody buys in. Everybody wants to compete. And everybody wants to get the job done."
Adebayo played 32 minutes, shooting 4 for 12 and grabbing nine rebounds.
&ldquo;You can see his energy out there," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said after his team pulled into a virtual tie with Chicago for first in the Eastern Conference. &ldquo;He makes us different."
Butler finished with 19 points, 10 assists and 10 rebounds &mdash; the last of those coming as time was expiring, when Fred VanVleet's 3-point try missed. It was Butler's ninth triple-double with the Heat, tying LeBron James for the most in team regular-season history.
Chris Boucher scored 23 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for Toronto. VanVleet finished with 22, and Pascal Siakam added 18 points and 10 assists for the Raptors. Scottie Barnes scored 16 points, OG Anunoby scored 14 and former Heat forward Precious Achiuwa grabbed 15 rebounds for Toronto.
Siakam scored off a turnover with 1:48 left to get Toronto within 99-96, but PJ Tucker made a corner 3 with 20 seconds left &mdash; off Butler's 10th assist &mdash; to help Miami hold on.
Toronto basically used a six-man rotation, with those players getting between 34 and 42 minutes. The only other Raptor who got minutes was Justin Champagnie, who played 9:07 before leaving with a dislocated finger.
&ldquo;We played as tough as we could,&rdquo; Raptors coach Nick Nurse said. &ldquo;I didn&rsquo;t see anything that was changing. We were battling from start to finish. ... That one could have went either way. It was a hell of an effort by our guys.&rdquo;
The game was expected to be the first time that Heat guard Kyle Lowry faced the Raptors since leaving Toronto for Miami this past season. Lowry helped Toronto win the 2019 NBA title on his way to claiming to the unofficial moniker of GROAT &mdash; the Greatest Raptor Of All-Time.
Lowry missed the game for personal reasons.
&ldquo;I wanted to see him, obviously,&rdquo; Nurse said.
Lowry missed a pretty good one.
There were 22 lead changes and 10 ties in the first 35 minutes, putting the teams knotted at 75-75 late in the third. Herro scored the last five points of the third quarter, then had the first bucket of the fourth to put Miami up by seven.
The Heat wouldn&rsquo;t trail again. Anunoby made a 3-pointer with 6:57 left to get Toronto within two, but Miami scored the next seven points in a span of 59 seconds &mdash; a basket by Adebayo, a corner 3 from Max Strus and a driving layup by Caleb Martin for a 98-89 lead.
TIP-INS
Raptors: Gary Trent Jr. (ankle) was listed as questionable and has been doing some on-court work but wound up missing his fifth consecutive game. ... Khem Birch, who broke his nose and needed surgery last week, is likely to miss about two weeks. ... Each of VanVleet&rsquo;s first 10 shot attempts were 3-pointers. ... Toronto used a 17th starting lineup of the season. The Raptors have had only four lineups start at least four games.
Heat: Chicago, Brooklyn, Milwaukee and Philadelphia &mdash; the teams that started Monday closest to Miami in the East standings &mdash; all lost on Monday. ... Gabe Vincent scored 15 points for the Heat. ... Floyd Mayweather Jr., a regular at Heat games in recent years, sat courtside. ... The Heat are 3-5 on Mondays this season. They&rsquo;re 25-11 on all other days. ... Adebayo wore a wrap to protect his repaired thumb. ... Lowry&rsquo;s next game will be the 1,000th regular season appearance of his career.
SEE YOU SOON
Monday&rsquo;s game was the first of three Heat-Raptors meetings in a span of 16 days. The teams play again in Miami on Jan. 29 and then the Heat visit Toronto &mdash; potentially Lowry&rsquo;s first game back since his departure &mdash; on Feb. 1. It&rsquo;s unclear if fans will be back at Raptors games by then; Miami also visits Toronto on April 3.
LINEUP CHANGES
With Adebayo back, it meant rookie center Omer Yurtseven was the odd man out in the Heat rotation. Yurtseven had averaged 11.6 points and 13.4 rebounds in his last 14 appearances, but didn't play on Monday. Yurtseven&rsquo;s 14-game streak of double-digit rebounds is the second-longest in the NBA this season behind Utah&rsquo;s Rudy Gobert, who entered Monday with an 18-game streak of at least 10 rebounds.
RAPTORS AT MIDPOINT
Monday marked Toronto&rsquo;s 41st game of the season &mdash; meaning all 30 NBA teams have now reached the midway point of their planned 82-game campaigns. The Raptors (21-20) are over .500 at the halfway mark for the eighth time in the last nine seasons, the exception being last season. &ldquo;There&rsquo;s been a lot of positives,&rdquo; Nurse said.
UP NEXT
Raptors: Visit Dallas on Wednesday.
Heat: Host Portland on Wednesday.

Tyler Herro scored 23, Bam Adebayo added 14 in his first game coming off a six-week absence and the Heat held off the Raptors.

Bam back, Butler gets triple-double, Heat top Raptors 104-99

Tim Reynolds is a writer for the Associated Press.