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Timberwolves

With the 2024-25 NBA season just days away, the Western Conference is locked, loaded, and ready for battle. The offseason drama has settled, rosters are finalized, and every team is gearing up for what promises to be a fierce and competitive race. From reigning contenders to rising underdogs, the West is stacked with talent and ambition. Let&rsquo;s break down the top 15 teams in the West as we head into this thrilling new season&mdash;no frills, just what you need to know.
<ol>
<li> Minnesota Timberwolves The Timberwolves are turning a new page after trading away longtime cornerstone Karl-Anthony Towns for Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo and are now fully embracing Anthony Edwards as the franchise cornerstone. The T-Wolves&rsquo; mix of young talent and veteran leadership gives them a balanced roster around Edwards. Rudy Gobert remains a defensive anchor as a 4-time DPOY, Edwards is primed for a superstar leap, and if the supporting cast, including Jaden McDaniels and Naz Reid, steps up, the Wolves could be ready to take the top spot in the West.</li>
<li> Oklahoma City Thunder The Thunder&rsquo;s rebuild is no longer a long-term project; they&rsquo;re ready to compete now. However, due to Isaiah Hartenstein&rsquo;s injury to start the season, we&rsquo;re placing the Thunder at no.2 for now. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is already an All-NBA guard and arguably a top 5 player in the league. Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams figure out to be the dynamic inside-out duo around SGA. Add in Hartenstein and Alex Caruso, the two new acquisitions this offseason with their capable role players Lu Dort, Cason Wallace, Aaron Wiggins, and Isaiah Joe, this young core is as versatile as it is exciting. OKC&rsquo;s depth and versatility on both ends of the floor could propel them into serious title contention.</li>
<li> Phoenix Suns The Suns have loaded up for a title run, and with Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and Bradley Beal leading the charge, Phoenix has one of the most dangerous offensive trios in the league. They have added their most significant hole which is the PG spot with a solid pick up in Tyus Jones, and they have one of the best offensive coaches in the league in Mike Budenholzer. The Suns&rsquo; questions lie in their depth and health, but if they can manage those concerns, they&rsquo;re built for a championship push. Their offensive firepower is unmatched, and if they click, the Suns will be a team no one wants to face.</li>
<li> Memphis Grizzlies Memphis has weathered their offseason storms and enters the season with a gritty identity intact. Ja Morant is back after his injury and suspension last year and he will now play with last season&rsquo;s addition Marcus Smart. Together with the continued growth of Jaren Jackson Jr. and Desmond Bane, the Grizzlies are primed to be competitive and come back from their prime two seasons ago where they won 50+ games. Memphis&rsquo; defensive dominance paired with offensive firepower ensures they can be one of the top teams in the West with a deep bench with solid role players.</li>
<li> Denver Nuggets After falling short to Minnesota in 7 games last playoffs, the Nuggets will enter the season with their core mostly intact. Nikola Jokić remains the most dominant center and the best player in the game. With Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. healthy, the Nuggets are poised for another deep run. But perhaps their biggest loss this season was losing Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to free agency and that might be a hit so they&rsquo;re currently ranked at no.5 to start the year. It could be a lot to ask for young players like Christian Braun or Julian Strawther to fill the void left by KCP, so it will be interesting to see how Denver handles his loss this season.</li>
<li> Dallas Mavericks Luka Dončić and Kyrie Irving experiment is back after a successful season last year, where Dallas entered the NBA Finals for the first time since 2011 &ndash; when they won the title. The two stars can mesh to create one of the league&rsquo;s most potent offenses and with the continued internal development of young players like Dereck Lively, the Mavs can build on that Finals appearance. With newcomer Klay Thompson set to provide historic spacing for their dynamic duo, Dallas has the talent to climb the standings and challenge the top teams in the West.</li>
<li> New Orleans Pelicans The Pelicans&rsquo; fate will always hinge on Zion Williamson&rsquo;s health. When Zion plays, New Orleans is a force to be reckoned with. Now paired with newly-acquired point guard Dejounte Murray, they have a balanced attack capable of competing with any team in the conference with Brandon Ingram and CJ McCollum still on the fold. If Zion stays on the floor, the Pelicans could find themselves rising up the ranks, but his availability remains the biggest X-factor.</li>
<li> Golden State Warriors The Warriors are clinging to their championship window with Stephen Curry still playing at an elite level. The addition of capable veterans in Kyle Anderson, Buddy Hield, and DeAnthony Melton gives them depth and personnel that can play in their offense to surround the core of Curry and Draymond Green for their foundation. Health and age are concerns, but if their veterans stay intact, Golden State can&rsquo;t be counted out.</li>
<li> Sacramento Kings The Kings struggled a bit last season after making their long-awaited playoff return two seasons ago, and they&rsquo;re looking to build on that momentum. They have signed DeMar DeRozan and he should bring a new wrinkle to their motion and three-hunting offense. DeRozan&rsquo;s mid range ability should be a welcome addition to Sacramento&rsquo;s offense. De&rsquo;Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis still lead an explosive offense, but defense remains a question mark. Sacramento&rsquo;s high-flying, fast-paced style makes them a regular-season juggernaut, but they&rsquo;ll need to tighten up defensively if they want to make a deep playoff run.</li>
<li> Los Angeles Lakers The Lakers are counting on LeBron James and Anthony Davis staying healthy for a full season. With the front office standing pat on making moves this offseason, the Lakers&rsquo; success will hinge on their superstar duo. If LeBron and AD can avoid injury, Los Angeles will be a formidable playoff team, but health is always a looming concern with this group.</li>
<li> Houston Rockets The Rockets added veterans Fred VanVleet and Dillon Brooks to guide their young core last season and this season could be the time for them to step up. They finished strong last year behind defensive minded coach Ime Udoka and the result could be a team that surprises many. Jalen Green and Alperen Sengun have star potential, and younger players Jabari Smith Jr. and Amen Thompson add even more excitement. The Rockets also drafted Reed Sheppard with the 3rd pick and Houston is hoping to lay the foundation for success and could push for a Play-In spot this season.</li>
<li> San Antonio Spurs Victor Wembanyama enters his second season, and the Spurs are fully embracing their rebuild around the budding star. While Wembanyama showed flashes of brilliance as a rookie, San Antonio is still in the development phase. But with the addition of Chris Paul, the Spurs now have a capable PG to feed Wemby and the other guys, possibly unlocking a new level to their games. With their young core, the Spurs may not be a playoff team yet, but their future looks incredibly bright with Wembanyama leading the way.</li>
<li> Los Angeles Clippers The Clippers&rsquo; fortunes rest on the health of Kawhi Leonard&mdash;again. After losing Paul George for nothing, Leonard is left to fend LA off by himself in their new arena at Intuit Dome. Gone are the days when LA has the talent to compete with anyone as they&rsquo;re just but a shell of themselves. Leading the way for the injured Leonard will be a 34-year-old James Harden and that might be too much to ask of the aging superstar. However, if Kawhi can return healthy and he can avoid the injury bug, the Clippers will be in the playoff mix, but that&rsquo;s a big &ldquo;if&rdquo; for this squad.</li>
<li> Portland Trail Blazers With Damian Lillard long gone, the Blazers will fully commit another season to their rebuild. Scoot Henderson, Anfernee Simons, and Shaedon Sharpe form a promising young core, but Portland will likely spend this season focusing on player development. While they won&rsquo;t be in playoff contention, the Blazers are positioning themselves well for the future, with an eye on growth and improvement.</li>
<li> Utah Jazz The Jazz are continuing their rebuild, with Lauri Markkanen emerging as a cornerstone player. While they have some intriguing young pieces like Taylor Hendricks and Keyonte George, Utah isn&rsquo;t ready to compete just yet. This season will be about development and finding which young players can be part of their long-term plans. The Jazz may not win many games this year, but they&rsquo;re building toward a brighter future.</li>
</ol>

Let’s break down the top 15 teams in the West as we head into this thrilling new season.

2024-2025 NBA Western Conference Power Rankings: A race at the top to start the year

The first round of the 2024 NBA Draft is done and dusted, and the second round will start today at 4 PM Eastern at ESPN&rsquo;s Seaport District Studios in New York. This will be the first time in NBA history that the draft will be separated into two days, with the first round being at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.&nbsp;
Here are all the first-round selections courtesy of the NBA: (article to be updated with the second-round picks)
<ol>
<li> <a href="https://www.nba.com/draft/2024/prospects/zaccharie-risacher">Zaccharie Risacher</a> (JL Bourg-en-Bresse) to the Atlanta Hawks</li>
<li> <a href="https://www.nba.com/draft/2024/prospects/alexandre-sarr">Alex Sarr</a> (Perth) to the Washington Wizards</li>
<li> <a href="https://www.nba.com/draft/2024/prospects/reed-sheppard">Reed Sheppard</a> (Kentucky) to the Houston Rockets</li>
<li> <a href="https://www.nba.com/draft/2024/prospects/stephon-castle">Stephon Castle</a> (Connecticut) to the San Antonio Spurs</li>
<li> <a href="https://www.nba.com/draft/2024/prospects/ron-holland">Ron Holland II</a> (G League Ignite) to the Detroit Pistons</li>
<li> <a href="https://www.nba.com/draft/2024/prospects/tidjane-salaun">Tidjane Salaun</a> (Cholet Basket) to the Charlotte Hornets</li>
<li> <a href="https://www.nba.com/draft/2024/prospects/donovan-clingan">Donovan Clingan</a> (Connecticut) to the Portland Trail Blazers</li>
<li> <a href="https://www.nba.com/draft/2024/prospects/rob-dillingham">Rob Dillingham</a> (Kentucky) to the San Antonio Spurs &mdash; traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves</li>
<li> <a href="https://www.nba.com/draft/2024/prospects/zach-edey">Zach Edey</a> (Purdue) to the Memphis Grizzlies</li>
<li> <a href="https://www.nba.com/draft/2024/prospects/cody-williams">Cody Williams</a> (Colorado) to the Utah Jazz</li>
<li> <a href="https://www.nba.com/draft/2024/prospects/matas-buzelis">Matas Buzelis</a> (G League Ignite) to the Chicago Bulls</li>
<li> <a href="https://www.nba.com/draft/2024/prospects/nikola-topic">Nikola Topic</a> (KK Crvena Zvezda) to the Oklahoma City Thunder</li>
<li> <a href="https://www.nba.com/draft/2024/prospects/devin-carter">Devin Carter</a> (Providence) to the Sacramento Kings</li>
<li> <a href="https://www.nba.com/draft/2024/prospects/carlton-carrington">Bub Carrington</a> (Pittsburgh) to the Portland Trail Blazers &mdash; traded to Washington Wizards</li>
<li> <a href="https://www.nba.com/draft/2024/prospects/kelel-ware">Kel&rsquo;el Ware</a> (Indiana) to the Miami Heat</li>
<li> <a href="https://www.nba.com/draft/2024/prospects/jared-mccain">Jared McCain</a> (Duke) to the Philadelphia 76ers</li>
<li> <a href="https://www.nba.com/draft/2024/prospects/dalton-knecht">Dalton Knecht</a> (Tennessee) to the Los Angeles Lakers</li>
<li> <a href="https://www.nba.com/draft/2024/prospects/tristan-da-silva">Tristan da Silva</a> (Colorado) to the Orlando Magic</li>
<li> <a href="https://www.nba.com/draft/2024/prospects/jakobe-walter">Ja&rsquo;Kobe Walter</a> (Baylor) to the Toronto Raptors&nbsp;</li>
<li> <a href="https://www.nba.com/draft/2024/prospects/jaylon-tyson">Jaylon Tyson</a> (Cal) to the Cleveland Cavaliers</li>
<li> <a href="https://www.nba.com/draft/2024/prospects/yves-missi">Yves Missi</a> (Baylor) to the New Orleans Pelicans</li>
<li> <a href="https://www.nba.com/draft/2024/prospects/daron-holmes-ii">DaRon Holmes II</a> (Dayton) to the Phoenix Suns &mdash; traded to the Denver Nuggets</li>
<li> <a href="https://www.nba.com/draft/2024/prospects/aj-johnson">AJ Johnson</a> (Illawarra) to the Milwaukee Bucks</li>
<li> <a href="https://www.nba.com/draft/2024/prospects/kyshawn-george">Kyshawn George</a> (Miami) to the New York Knicks &mdash; traded to Washington Wizards</li>
<li> <a href="https://www.nba.com/draft/2024/prospects/pacome-dadiet">Pacome Dadiet</a> (Ratiopharm Ulm) to the New York Knicks</li>
<li> <a href="https://www.nba.com/draft/2024/prospects/dillon-jones">Dillon Jones</a> (Weber State) to the Washington Wizards &mdash; traded to Oklahoma City Thunder (via Knicks)</li>
<li> <a href="https://www.nba.com/draft/2024/prospects/terrence-shannon-jr">Terrence Shannon Jr.</a> (Illinois) to the Minnesota Timberwolves</li>
<li> <a href="https://www.nba.com/draft/2024/prospects/ryan-dunn">Ryan Dunn</a> (Virginia) to the Denver Nuggets &mdash; traded to the Phoenix Suns</li>
<li> <a href="https://www.nba.com/draft/2024/prospects/isaiah-collier">Isaiah Collier</a> (USC) to the Utah Jazz</li>
<li> <a href="https://www.nba.com/draft/2024/prospects/baylor-scheierman-2">Baylor Scheierman</a> (Creighton) to the Boston Celtics</li>
</ol>
&nbsp;
<ol start="31">
<li> <a href="https://www.nba.com/draft/2024/prospects/jonathan-mogbo">Jonathan Mogbo</a> (San Francisco) to the Toronto Raptors</li>
<li> <a href="https://www.nba.com/draft/2024/prospects/kyle-filipowski">Kyle Filipowski</a> (Duke) to the Utah Jazz</li>
<li> <a href="https://www.nba.com/draft/2024/prospects/tyler-smith">Tyler Smith</a> (G League Ignite) to the Milwaukee Bucks</li>
<li> <a href="https://www.nba.com/draft/2024/prospects/tyler-kolek">Tyler Kolek</a> (Marquette) to the Portland Trail Blazers &mdash; traded to the New York Knicks</li>
<li> <a href="https://www.nba.com/draft/2024/prospects/johnny-furphy">Johnny Furphy</a> (Kansas) to the San Antonio Spurs &mdash; traded to the Indiana Pacers</li>
<li> <a href="https://www.nba.com/draft/2024/prospects/juan-nunez">Juan Nunez</a> (Ratiopharm Ulm) to the Indiana Pacers &mdash; traded to San Antonio Spurs</li>
<li> <a href="https://www.nba.com/draft/2024/prospects/bobi-klintman">Bobi Klintman</a> (Cairns) to the Minnesota Timberwolves &mdash; traded to the Detroit Pistons</li>
<li> <a href="https://www.nba.com/draft/2024/prospects/ajay-mitchell">Ajay Mitchell</a> (UC Santa Barbara) to the New York Knicks &mdash; traded to Oklahoma City Thunder</li>
<li> <a href="https://www.nba.com/draft/2024/prospects/jaylen-wells">Jaylen Wells</a> (Washington State) to the Memphis Grizzlies</li>
<li> <a href="https://www.nba.com/draft/2024/prospects/oso-ighodaro">Oso Ighodaro</a> (Marquette) to the Portland Trail Blazers &mdash; traded to the Phoenix Suns (via Knicks)</li>
<li> <a href="https://www.nba.com/draft/2024/prospects/adem-bona">Adem Bona</a> (UCLA) to the Philadelphia 76ers</li>
<li> <a href="https://www.nba.com/draft/2024/prospects/kj-simpson">KJ Simpson</a> (Colorado) to the Charlotte Hornets</li>
<li> <a href="https://www.nba.com/draft/2024/prospects/nikola-djurisic">Nikola Djurisic</a> (KK Mega Basket) to the Miami Heat &mdash; traded to the Atlanta Hawks (via Heat)</li>
<li> <a href="https://www.nba.com/draft/2024/prospects/pelle-larsson">Pelle Larsson</a> (Arizona) to the Houston Rockets &mdash; traded to the Miami Heat (via Rockets)</li>
<li> <a href="https://www.nba.com/draft/2024/prospects/jamal-shead">Jamal Shead</a> (Houston) to the Sacramento Kings &mdash; traded to the Toronto Raptors</li>
<li> <a href="https://www.nba.com/draft/2024/prospects/cam-christie">Cam Christie</a> (Minnesota) to the Los Angeles Clippers</li>
<li> <a href="https://www.nba.com/draft/2024/prospects/antonio-reeves">Antonio Reeves</a> (Kentucky) to the Orlando Magic &mdash; traded to the New Orleans Pelicans</li>
<li> <a href="https://www.nba.com/draft/2024/prospects/harrison-ingram">Harrison Ingram</a> (North Carolina) to the San Antonio Spurs</li>
<li> <a href="https://www.nba.com/draft/2024/prospects/tristen-newton">Tristen Newton</a> (Connecticut) to the Indiana Pacers</li>
<li> <a href="https://www.nba.com/draft/2024/prospects/enrique-freeman">Enrique Freeman</a> (Akron) to the Indiana Pacers</li>
<li> <a href="https://www.nba.com/draft/2024/prospects/melvin-ajinca">Melvin Ajinca</a> (Saint-Quentin Basketball) to the New York Knicks &mdash; traded to the Dallas Mavericks</li>
<li> <a href="https://www.nba.com/draft/2024/prospects/quinten-post">Quinten Post</a> (Boston College) to the Golden State Warriors &mdash; traded to Thunder, then to Blazers, then to Warriors</li>
<li> <a href="https://www.nba.com/draft/2024/prospects/cam-spencer">Cam Spencer</a> (Connecticut) to the Detroit Pistons &mdash; traded to the Memphis Grizzlies (via Timberwolves)</li>
<li> <a href="https://www.nba.com/draft/2024/prospects/anton-watson">Anton Watson</a> (Gonzaga) to the Boston Celtics</li>
<li> <a href="https://www.nba.com/draft/2024/prospects/bronny-james">Bronny James</a> (USC) to the Los Angeles Lakers</li>
<li> <a href="https://www.nba.com/draft/2024/prospects/kevin-mccullar-jr">Kevin McCullar Jr.</a> (Kansas) to the Phoenix Suns &mdash; traded to the New York Knicks</li>
</ol>
&nbsp;

The first round of the 2024 NBA Draft is done and dusted, and the second round will start today at 4 PM Eastern at ESPN’s Seaport District Studios in New York.

2024 NBA Draft: Full results

With just over a month left before the destinies of franchises are altered when the 2024 NBA Draft happens on June 26-27 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, teams are hard-pressed on whether or not to keep their picks or trade them for win-now pieces.
Here&rsquo;s all the buzz around the league so far in anticipation of the big day:
Rockets open to trading no.3 pick for Mikal Bridges
According to reports, the Houston Rockets would be open to trading their 2024 NBA no.3 selection for Brooklyn&rsquo;s Mikal Bridges. The Rockets have been in a resurgence after being bad for 4 years since James Harden left the team and are now looking for a win-now piece to add to their team.
Led by young stars Alperen Sengun and Jalen Green and fiery coach Ime Udoka, the Rockets finished just outside of the play-in tournament this season. Adding Bridges instead of the third pick in the draft would allow the Rockets to be aggressive in winning next season and then develop the pick for future use.
Pelicans defer this year&rsquo;s pick to Lakers, choose to swap 2025 1st
The New Orleans Pelicans will defer their pick this year to the Los Angeles Lakers to choose to swap the 2025 pick instead, according to ESPN&rsquo;s Adrian Wojnarowski. The move is seen to be made in anticipation of what&rsquo;s about to be a weaker draft compared to recent years. The 2025 one, on the other hand, figures to be one of the best and deepest in years.
The Pelicans will keep their 21st pick this year and let the Lakers keep the 17th pick. According to reports, LA is also shopping the pick around to find a player suited around stars LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
Kings willing to part ways with 13th pick, Huerter, Barnes
As they prepare to retool this offseason around stars De&rsquo;Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis, the Sacramento Kings are reportedly willing to trade their 13th pick of this year; &lsquo;s draft along with Harrison Barnes and Kevin Huerter. Sacramento &ldquo;wants to seriously compete&rdquo; in Fox&rsquo;s and Sabonis&rsquo; prime years as they aggressively hunt for a win-now piece to pair with their two all-stars.

T teams are hard-pressed on whether or not to keep their picks or trade them for win-now pieces. Here’s all the buzz in the league.

2024 NBA Draft Buzz: The latest movements around the league leading up to the draft

This article was originally published on Jan. 16, 2021.
We&rsquo;ve all been here before.&nbsp;
It&rsquo;s a random Wednesday. Full slate of games, hard to keep track of everything. Maybe you&rsquo;re peeping an ESPN matchup. Perhaps you&rsquo;re watching your favorite team on the local channel if you&rsquo;re in the market, or you&rsquo;re streaming it LEGALLY ON NBA LEAGUE PASS BECAUSE THAT IS THE ONLY WAY YOU ARE ALLOWED TO DO IT. WINK.&nbsp;
But anyway, you&rsquo;re watching a game. You&rsquo;re roaming Twitter. And then a tweet catches your eye: PLAYER X HAS DUNKED ON LEBRON JAMES.
Your brow raises. You see a few tweets from your online pals big-upping the play. You&rsquo;re really interested now. You click on the video from a Big Social Media Account. And this is the dunk:
<img src="https://basketballnews-media.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/images/story/body/brr.gif" alt="" width="512" height="AUTO" />
The excitement drops a little bit. That&rsquo;s a nice dunk from Wendell Carter Jr. LeBron James is underneath the basket, and there&rsquo;s a challenge. But something doesn&rsquo;t feel right about it.&nbsp;
Then you see a different angle of the Dunk Heard &lsquo;Round The World.
<img src="https://basketballnews-media.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/images/story/body/wendell-w-lebron-in-the-area.gif" alt="" width="512" height="AUTO" />
You feel betrayed. LeBron didn&rsquo;t get dunked on; LeBron&rsquo;s arm got dunked on as he jumps out of the darn play! This isn&rsquo;t <a href="https://youtu.be/xtOUpybXmzo" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Scottie Pippen on Patrick Ewing</a> or <a href="https://youtu.be/6kBWO82HUa4?t=28" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Vince Carter on Alonzo Mourning</a>! I can yell at these clouds if I want to!
If you&rsquo;re anything like me, you&rsquo;re tired of being misled. If I hear or read that a player got baptized, I want to see some Holy Water coming out of the rim after the aerial duel. And if you are like me, this is the piece for you. This is the guide of all guides, breaking down the different types of dunks. A universal standard of slams, if you will, so we can finally get on the same page about poster dunks.
A brief note before digging in. I am using a tier system so it&rsquo;s easier to separate the types of dunks. Like many things in life, the scale can slide on a case-by-case basis. For example, breakaway dunks are generally uncontested, which makes them the lowest tier of dunk for me. However, a breakaway dunk from 360-enthusiast Zach LaVine is different -- and much cooler -- than the two-handed flushes we see from Jimmy Butler. Each dunk is still its own thing.&nbsp;
Disclaimer: Alley-oops can fall under virtually all of these categories, with the obvious exception of put-backs.
TIER 10: BREAKAWAYS
Break-away dunks are pretty self-explanatory. There&rsquo;s a long rebound after a miss. A player leaks out early, and gets a dunk with no resistance. They&rsquo;re pretty basic with a few exceptions. LaVine, Paul George or Glenn Robinson III may bust out a 360 or windmill on occasion. LeBron has made the one-handed tomahawk a staple of his repertoire.
<img src="https://basketballnews-media.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/images/story/body/lebron-tomahawk.gif" alt="" width="512" height="AUTO" />
It&rsquo;s basic, but it&rsquo;s so darn cool. Power, a little bit of flair, the hang time. All that good stuff.
TIER 9: TIP SLAMS
I like the timing, positioning and coordination it takes to pull off a putback slam. The lower-level ones are uncontested, but can be rated higher depending on the work a player puts in before the ball comes off the rim. Take this multiple-effort possession from Larry Nance Jr. as an example:
<img src="https://basketballnews-media.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/images/story/body/larry-nance-jr-putback.gif" alt="" width="512" height="AUTO" />
TIER 8: BUSINESS DECISIONS
The OG: Shaquille O&rsquo;Neal
Also popularized by: LeBron James, Blake Griffin, Zion Williamson
This is for the power dunkers. Whether it&rsquo;s in transition, flowing off of a broken play or rumbling down the lane after a high-ball screen, it&rsquo;s hilarious to watch players actively decide, &ldquo;Nope, I don&rsquo;t get paid enough for this.&rdquo; Take this play from the 2016-17 season, featuring Blake Griffin:
<img src="https://basketballnews-media.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/images/story/body/willy-hernangomez-business-decision.gif" alt="" width="512" height="AUTO" />
The key actor here is Willy Hernangomez (No. 14). He is watching this snug pick-and-roll all the way through. His man, noted three-point marksman DeAndre Jordan, is chilling above the break. Not only can Hernangomez make the rotation to cut off Griffin at the rim, he should make that rotation because Jordan is not a threat at all. Instead, he begins to load up, quickly realizes that Griffin will put him in the gulag, and decides against challenging the shot.
Hilarious sequence.
TIER 7: FLY-BYS
This is where having a discerning eye is important. When you think about it, this kind of dunk -- and the praise that these types of dunk typically generate -- is about deception.
A defender jumps across a player to make it look like he&rsquo;s legitimately challenging the dunk. There&rsquo;s no real threat of a block or swipe. The dunk happens because, again, there&rsquo;s no real threat to it otherwise. And somehow both players end up looking good. The dunker gets &ldquo;poster&rdquo; equity they don&rsquo;t deserve; the defender gets a slight pat on the back for giving effort instead of making a business decision.
<img src="https://basketballnews-media.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/images/story/body/hhh.gif" alt="" width="512" height="AUTO" />
It&rsquo;s all a darn farce. A cool-looking farce at times, but a farce nonetheless.&nbsp;
TIER 6: SELF-LOBS
We&rsquo;ve reached the coolest of the non-contact dunks. It doesn&rsquo;t get much better than throwing the ball to yourself for a slam, man. Look at Jamal Murray getting himself out of trouble.
<img src="https://basketballnews-media.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/images/story/body/jamal-murray-self-lob.gif" alt="" width="512" height="AUTO" />
TIER 5: &ldquo;IN THE VICINITY&rdquo; SLAMS (Also known as ITVs)
Folks, the rubber is starting to reach the road. The ITVs involve actual attempts at a contest and/or a little contact, a step up from the Fly-bys. This is where I&rsquo;d say the Wendell-on-LeBron dunk falls, though I wouldn&rsquo;t be mad at anyone that would classify it as a Fly-by. A better example would be this slam from Matisse Thybulle last season.
<img src="https://basketballnews-media.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/images/story/body/mfff.gif" alt="" width="512" height="AUTO" />
There&rsquo;s an attempt at a challenge, but Thybulle still gets the better of Mason Plumlee. But Plumlee doesn&rsquo;t get dunked on. There isn&rsquo;t enough contact to call it a poster of the highest order.&nbsp;
This is also where failed chasedown blocks come in. With guys flying in from behind, the dunk-on element just isn&rsquo;t there most of the time. Take the famous Kobe-on-LeBron dunk from the 2011 All-Star game.
<img src="https://basketballnews-media.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/images/story/body/kobe-on-lebron.gif" alt="" width="512" height="AUTO" />
TIER 4: PUTBACK POSTERS
I&rsquo;ve always gone back and forth with myself about where to place these types of dunks. On one hand, the blindsided nature of it makes it a bit unfair to defenders. You can&rsquo;t defend against what you can&rsquo;t see. However, there&rsquo;s enough contact at play, and a player Mossin&rsquo; a dude and flushing it down is generally some high level stuff.
<img src="https://basketballnews-media.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/images/story/body/gerald-green-putback-poster.gif" alt="" width="512" height="AUTO" />
Yes, that is the #BASED and #RARE Gerald Green in a Celtics uni. And yeah that&rsquo;s Mason Plumlee again. Sorry, man.
TIER 3: DUNK-ONS/CHARGE CRUSHERS
We&rsquo;ve reached the portion of the program where dudes are getting legitimately yammed on, but there are a couple of factors that keep it from ranking higher.
First, the level of contest still matters. A lot of these dunks feature dudes sliding over in an attempt to take a charge (hence the alternative name). The higher level posters feature someone trying to actually block the dunk. Sure, a charge and blocked dunk are functionally the same in terms of the result the defense wants -- taking away two points -- but we&rsquo;re talking about highlights here.&nbsp;
Secondly, and I admit we&rsquo;re splitting hairs a bit, size also matters. The first dunk I thought of was Nuggets-era J.R Smith yamming it over Gary Neal:
<img src="https://basketballnews-media.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/images/story/body/jrs.gif" alt="" width="512" height="AUTO" />
Objectively a good dunk, but Gary Neal is ground bound and short. You have to dock some points there. I&rsquo;m sorry. The famous DeAndre Jordan-on-Brandon Knight flush, while iconic, also falls in this category.
The higher end of this would be another classic involving the Spurs: LeBron dunking on Tim Duncan.
<img src="https://basketballnews-media.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/images/story/body/lebron-on-tim-duncan.gif" alt="" width="512" height="AUTO" />
That&rsquo;s more like it.
TIER 2: THE THROW-IN
THE OG: Blake Griffin
ALSO POPULARIZED BY: Derrick Jones Jr.
DUNK TRUTHERS DON&rsquo;T READ THIS!
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Dunk Truthers are stupid poopyheads.&nbsp;
Yes, we&rsquo;re well aware that dunks that involve the rim being grabbed -- or at least touched -- are more pure, whatever the heck that means. But you look at Blake Griffin embarrassing the life out of Timofey Mozgov and tell me it isn&rsquo;t one of greatest athletic feats you&rsquo;ve ever seen.
<img src="https://basketballnews-media.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/images/story/body/blake-over-mozgov.gif" alt="" width="512" height="AUTO" />
Derrick Jones Jr. has some gnarly ones in his bag as well, highlighted by this lob he converted against the Raptors that still doesn&rsquo;t make much sense to me.
<img src="https://basketballnews-media.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/images/story/body/hyyy.gif" alt="" width="512" height="AUTO" />
TIER 1: THE PURE POSTER
Pippen on Ewing. Carter on &lsquo;Zo. <a href="https://youtu.be/tYpwjB0IzoU" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Baron Davis on Andrei Kirilenko</a>. Michael Jordan on, well, name almost any big man you can think of that played in the '90s.&nbsp;
We can go more modern, like Larry Nance Jr. doing this to pre-DPOY-candidate Brook Lopez:
<img src="https://basketballnews-media.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/images/story/body/lrrr.gif" alt="" width="512" height="AUTO" />
Another hidden gem: young DeMar DeRozan throwing the hammer down over Rudy Gobert:
<img src="https://basketballnews-media.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/images/story/body/derozan-on-gobert.gif" alt="" width="512" height="AUTO" />
The constant for these dunks: full-on, body-to-body contact with a legitimate attempt for a contest. You&rsquo;ll know it when you see it.
BONUS TIER: THE VINCE CARTER
Yeah, this is still the best dunk I&rsquo;ve ever seen.
<img src="https://basketballnews-media.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/images/story/body/vince-carter-dunk-of-death.gif" alt="" width="512" height="AUTO" />
You clear a seven footer, you get your own dunk tier. Those are the rules.

Nekias Duncan has put together the guide of all guides, breaking down the different types of dunks and rating them on a tier system.

The Dunk-tionary: The official guide to ranking dunks

For some NBA players, things don&rsquo;t click right away. But a rookie struggling is no reason to fret; most rookies in the NBA are, to put it bluntly, kind of bad. Adjusting to the size, speed and strength of NBA veterans is a tall task, but franchises understand that and will usually show patience regarding rookies.&nbsp;
Sometimes things don&rsquo;t click in year two either. Of course, teams want to see improvement in a player&rsquo;s counting statistics and feel for the game, but growing pains are expected for sophomores too. If things haven&rsquo;t clicked by year three though, alarms start to go off. When a player still looks lost on the floor &ndash; or is already on his second or third team &ndash; his future prospects start to look a little bleak.&nbsp;
That&rsquo;s why the stories of Dennis Smith Jr. and Kris Dunn are massively impressive. Both are former top-10 picks who lasted less than two years with the teams that drafted them (the New York Knicks and Minnesota Timberwolves, respectively). They have each been waived, overlooked and altogether neglected. But now, Smith and Dunn have found homes with teams that expect legitimate production from them this season &ndash; and maybe beyond.&nbsp;
Smith signed a one-year, $2.5-million deal with the Brooklyn Nets this summer and he will serve as the team&rsquo;s backup point guard, leading a second unit that will also include Dorian Finney-Smith and Royce O&rsquo;Neale &ndash; and has some serious potential for excitement on the defensive end. Dunn, meanwhile, just had his 2023-24 contract guaranteed by the Jazz and will almost certainly get regular minutes in Utah&rsquo;s backcourt.&nbsp;
For DSJ, this is all happening about 18 months after he was cut from an actively tanking Portland Trail Blazers team when an elbow injury sidelined him for a few weeks. A midseason waiving by one of the league&rsquo;s worst teams certainly feels like the metaphorical closing of a curtain that could signal the end of a player&rsquo;s career.
Less than a month before the 2022-23 season, though, the Charlotte Hornets signed Smith to a one-year deal. The signing was mostly out of necessity, as the Hornets didn&rsquo;t have a point guard to back up LaMelo Ball &ndash; but it was a deal nonetheless. If there was ever an example of &ldquo;last, last chance,&rdquo; this was it.&nbsp;
Back in his home state, Smith showed from day one that he wasn&rsquo;t going to let this be the end of the line, becoming one of the best guard defenders in the entire league last season. He was in the 95th percentile for deflections per 36 minutes (via CraftedNBA), fifth in the entire league in steal rate (2.6%) and opposing teams averaged 10.7 fewer points per 100 possessions when&nbsp;
Smith was on the floor. That can&rsquo;t all be attributed to him, of course, but that number in conjunction with other defensive stats show just how important Smith was to Charlotte&rsquo;s (surprisingly) stout defense.&nbsp;
Smith showed flashes of defensive brilliance long before last season; here he is in 2018 locking up Paul George on a crucial crunch time possession.&nbsp;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
HOLY DEFENSE DENNIS SMITH JR. <a href="https://t.co/KEwMsLiQmT">pic.twitter.com/KEwMsLiQmT</a>
&mdash; Nick Angstadt (@NickVanExit) <a href="https://twitter.com/NickVanExit/status/1079563179171201024?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 31, 2018</a></blockquote>
But his complete buy-in on that side of the ball in 2022-23 is what solidified Smith as someone who will more than likely stick around for years to come. Stops like this one against Stephen Curry became the norm for DSJ.&nbsp;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
HORNETS beat the WARRIORS! Dennis Smith Jr had 13/9/8 &amp; forced OT with this bucket &amp; defense on Steph Curry <a href="https://t.co/2pCMn4eltC">pic.twitter.com/2pCMn4eltC</a>
&mdash; Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) <a href="https://twitter.com/Ballislife/status/1586532732380753920?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 30, 2022</a></blockquote>
Stifling defense wasn&rsquo;t the only reason Smith earned another contract though; he posted the lowest turnover rate of his career and the best assist-to-turnover ratio of his career too. His own shooting splits weren&rsquo;t pretty (47.5% true shooting), but Smith protected the ball and made enough things happen for his teammates that calling him a defensive specialist feels like a disservice.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
The man with a vision🤞 <a href="https://twitter.com/Dennis1SmithJr?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Dennis1SmithJr</a> x <a href="https://twitter.com/PJWashington?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PJWashington</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/HornetsOnBally?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@HornetsOnBally</a> <a href="https://t.co/XPbrrP6J8Y">pic.twitter.com/XPbrrP6J8Y</a>
&mdash; Charlotte Hornets (@hornets) <a href="https://twitter.com/hornets/status/1594493295799173120?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 21, 2022</a></blockquote>
Dunn&rsquo;s career has been just as big of a roller coaster as Smith&rsquo;s. After just one season in Minnesota, he was essentially a throw-in piece of the Zach LaVine-to-Chicago-Bulls trade on draft night in 2017.&nbsp;
He spent three years with Chicago, showing some promise in his first season there. But his production declined over the next two seasons, and the Bulls let him walk after the 2020 season. Short stints in Memphis, Atlanta and Portland were discouraging too, and Dunn was teamless throughout most of the 2022-23 season. It looked like the end.&nbsp;
Shortly after an opportunity presented itself for Smith, Dunn was also given a chance to redeem himself. Dunn was playing in the G League when he got the call from the Jazz, who were basically just looking for a healthy body to provide backcourt depth after Collin Sexton went down with an injury. 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Former No. 5 overall pick Kris Dunn is signing a 10-day contract with the Utah Jazz, sources tell me and <a href="https://twitter.com/Tjonesonthenba?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Tjonesonthenba</a>. Dunn, a six-year NBA veteran, has played for Capital City Go-Go in G League this season.
&mdash; Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) <a href="https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1628105973561974784?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 21, 2023</a></blockquote>
However, Dunn was much more than just a healthy body. He scored in double figures in his first seven games with Utah, while also averaging almost two steals per game. Overall, he posted counting stats of 13.2 points, 5.6 assists and 4.5 rebounds while shooting 53.7% from the floor. His turnover rate &ndash; a big problem in all of his stops &ndash; was at a career low 11.0% too.
These weren&rsquo;t just empty stats or &ldquo;gimme&rdquo; buckets either. Dunn was creating for both himself and others at a pretty high level in his 22 games with Utah. (A small sample size, but still impressive). Only 25% of his buckets were assisted, putting him in the 87th percentile among point guards &ndash; AKA Ja Morant, De&rsquo;Aaron Fox and James Harden territory.&nbsp;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
kris dunn is shooting 97.13% on really difficult-looking layups since joining the jazz. don't bother fact-checking this. it's incredibly accurate. you can tell because i went out two decimal places and everything. <a href="https://t.co/TtUptfzc01">pic.twitter.com/TtUptfzc01</a>
&mdash; Dan Favale (@danfavale) <a href="https://twitter.com/danfavale/status/1644803650236153863?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 8, 2023</a></blockquote>
That flare for creation carried over to the preseason as well:&nbsp;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Well this is tough stuff from Kris Dunn <a href="https://t.co/ZsflOF2Jq6">pic.twitter.com/ZsflOF2Jq6</a>
&mdash; Nekias (Nuh-KY-us) Duncan (@NekiasNBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NekiasNBA/status/1713579298282475566?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 15, 2023</a></blockquote>
Smith and Dunn&rsquo;s late-blooming nature brings a few things to mind.&nbsp;
Firstly, it exemplifies just how talented the NBA is right now. Smith was solid enough in his short tenure with Portland, and it was an injury that got him cut &ndash; a move that was pretty darn close to ending his NBA career.&nbsp;
The margins are so thin around the edges of the league that a ton of NBA-caliber players are left without teams &ndash; forced to battle for an incredibly small number of roster spots. Is this a good thing? Well, an excess of talent is a better problem to have than a dearth of talent, and the NBA does deserve some credit for investing in the G League and giving it the resources necessary to become a legitimate minor league system. So&hellip; kind of.&nbsp;
Secondly, it raises a question about how patient teams should be when trying to develop players. How patient should teams be? Because at first glance, paying players who haven&rsquo;t proven much of anything on the court seems a little reductive. But the NBA may have reached a point where there are enough examples of guys developing into good, productive players three-plus years into their career that extending guys based on upside might become as common as drafting them for upside.&nbsp;
If teams fully embrace the development of players rather than giving up when the development is actually an intensive process, it could pay dividends. But it&rsquo;s certainly a risk &ndash; doubling down on a player because of their perceived ceiling could look pretty bad if he never turns into that guy.
Regardless, we could be watching that shift happen already. In recent days, players like Zeke Nnaji (Denver Nuggets) and Deni Avdija (Washington Wizards) signed contract extensions with the teams that drafted them. Both are highly talented to be sure, but neither has blossomed into the player they were drafted to be &ndash; hence, they mostly got extended based on their untapped potential, not what they&rsquo;ve shown on the court thus far.&nbsp;
But no matter what Dennis Smith Jr. and Kris Dunn&rsquo;s success stories say about the NBA &ndash; if anything at all &ndash; these guards are two of the best stories in the NBA this season. Brooklyn and Utah are reaping the rewards of two journeymen who have finally started to become the players that teams wanted them to be from the start.

After being waived and nearly seeing their NBA careers come to an end, Dennis Smith Jr. and Kris Dunn bounced back in a major way.

Dennis Smith Jr. and Kris Dunn are NBA's paragons of persistence

Blake Stern previews the NBA's Central Division, breaking down each team's projected lineup and burning question entering the year.

NBA Central Division Preview: Burning questions, rotation projections

The 2023-24 NBA season gets underway next month, with another highly anticipated year of basketball on the forecast. 
The NBA also happens to be one of the few sports where the offseason is just as exciting thanks to player movement and the soap-opera-esque storylines that can emerge. This can make it easy for fans to quickly move on from the previous season. 
However, each season deserves recognition, and last year was no exception. From historic accomplishments to jaw-dropping plays, there were a number of unforgettable moments worth discussing from the 2022-23 season.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
De'Aaron Fox drains the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TissotBuzzerBeater?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TissotBuzzerBeater</a> for the win from BEYOND! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ThisIsYourTime?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ThisIsYourTime</a> <a href="https://t.co/BwYotIU2cA">pic.twitter.com/BwYotIU2cA</a>
&mdash; NBA (@NBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1589042762686795777?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 5, 2022</a></blockquote>
5. De&rsquo;Aaron Fox Hits Unreal Buzzer Beater
Last season saw the revival of the Sacramento Kings. Finishing as the third seed in the Western Conference, they clinched their first postseason berth in 16 seasons. Leading this resurgence was De&rsquo;Aaron Fox, who averaged 25 points per game on a career-best 51.2% from the field.&nbsp;
What really stood out about Fox's season was his play during clutch situations. He consistently showed up late, averaging 8.3 points in the fourth quarter &ndash; the second-best mark in the league behind only Kyrie Irving (9.8). Ending the season, he led the league in clutch points (194) and was recognized as the NBA's first-ever Clutch Player of the Year.
Fox had some incredible moments en route to winning the inaugural award. In November of last year, the Kings were involved in a tight contest with the Orlando Magic. Tied at 123-123 in overtime, Fox brought the ball up the court and drained a three-pointer from nearly half-court with no time left on the clock to stun the hometown fans in Orlando.&nbsp;
Fox and the Kings certainly made their mark on the league and will look to carry that momentum into the 2023-24 season.&nbsp;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Steph Gonna STEPHHHHH <a href="https://t.co/6R3Q7z1vro">pic.twitter.com/6R3Q7z1vro</a>
&mdash; Golden State Warriors (@warriors) <a href="https://twitter.com/warriors/status/1616246949006528512?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 20, 2023</a></blockquote>
4. Steph Curry Shows Off Against Former Finals Foe
Golden State Warriors superstar Steph Curry is familiar with long-distance threes. The NBA&rsquo;s all-time leader in three-point field goals utilizes his deep range often, making him dangerous at the end of quarters.&nbsp;
Curry notoriously takes shots from near half-court and beyond when quarters are coming to a close, and he doesn&rsquo;t shy away from showing his excitement when they go down. The one he hit in January of this year against the Boston Celtics had to feel good. It was the first time that Curry had been back in TD Garden since Game 6 of the 2022 NBA Finals, where he clinched his fourth NBA championship and earned first NBA Finals MVP award.
The last thing Boston needed is another reminder of Curry burying their hopes for a league-best 18th championship, but the sharpshooter did so in quite the fashion. Curry stripped Celtics forward Jayson Tatum just past half-court and attempted his patented logo three, sending the ball through the net as the first-half buzzer sounded.&nbsp;
Curry is heading into his 15th NBA season and has yet to show signs of slowing down, leaving the four-time champion looking to add even more unforgettable moments to his resume.&nbsp;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
OH MY GOODNESS JA MORANT 😱 DUNK OF THE YEAR CANDIDATE <a href="https://t.co/OQsyR28lKj">pic.twitter.com/OQsyR28lKj</a>
&mdash; NBA (@NBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1614439270994919424?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 15, 2023</a></blockquote>

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

3. Morant&rsquo;s Ja-Dropping Dunk
The NBA is constantly evolving, and these days the league features arguably the most talented and athletic players of any era. Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant may be one of the best example of this, as the 6-foot-3 point guard has made a habit of posterizing taller players almost nightly. Morant makes an effort to try these nasty dunks over significantly larger defenders, keeping fans on the edge of their seat anytime he enters the paint.&nbsp;
Morant pulled off arguably his greatest dunk to date earlier this year. Facing the Indiana Pacers on the road back in January, the high-flying Morant would split a double-team and throw down a monster slam over forward Jalen Smith.&nbsp;
Unfortunately, Morant's multiple firearm-related incidents off the court will keep him off the court for some time, as he was suspended for the first 25 games of the 2023-24 season by NBA commissioner Adam Silver. After the suspension, hopefully a refocused Morant will add more posters to his collection.&nbsp;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
UNREAL ENDING IN DALLAS 😱 LUKA (54 PTS) PUTS IN HIS OWN REBOUND TO TIE IT UP WITH 1 SECOND LEFT WE'RE GOING TO OT AFTER A 12-3 MAVS RUN IN THE LAST 30 SECONDS 📲 <a href="https://t.co/WjxYAo1gl0">https://t.co/WjxYAo1gl0</a> <a href="https://t.co/LKpwGgNbGU">pic.twitter.com/LKpwGgNbGU</a>
&mdash; NBA (@NBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1607948900731883523?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 28, 2022</a></blockquote>
2. Luka Doncic Hits Game-Tying Shot During Historic Performance&nbsp;
While the Dallas Mavericks had a forgettable 2022-23 season in terms of team performance, Luka Doncic certainly had his fair share of impressive moments. Doncic has already racked up a career&rsquo;s worth of highlights in just five seasons in the NBA. The 24-year-old has a very unique style of play, and the term "Luka Magic" was coined to describe his highlight-reel plays.
Magic was most definitely in the air on the night of December 27, 2022. Doncic and the Mavericks were taking on the New York Knicks. With 33.2 seconds remaining in the game, the Knicks held a nine-point lead over the Mavericks. According to ESPN Stats and Info, teams were 0-13,884 over the last 20 seasons when trailing by at least nine with 35 or fewer seconds remaining in regulation.&nbsp;
That record would become 1-13,884 by the end of the night.&nbsp;
The Mavs and Doncic would go on a miraculous 9-3 run, leading to a situation where Doncic was at the free-throw line with the Mavs down 115-112 with 4.2 seconds left. Doncic would convert the first free throw, then intentionally miss the second in an attempt to tie the game. After multiple bounces, the ball miraculously found its way back into Doncic's hands and he threw up a quick shot, getting it to go and tying the game with one second remaining. The game would go into overtime and the Mavericks would finish the job, defeating the Knicks 126-123.&nbsp;
This would go down as arguably Doncic's best performance since entering the NBA. He dropped a historic stat line of 60 points, 21 rebounds and 10 assists &ndash; the first 60-point, 20-rebound, 10-assist game ever in NBA history. This was an unprecedented performance on several fronts, and Doncic will look to add even more magical moments to his already-impressive resume this upcoming season.&nbsp;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
38,388 POINTS LeBron James hits the fadeaway jumper to become the NBA&rsquo;s all-time leading scorer! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ScoringKing?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ScoringKing</a> <a href="https://t.co/P5LyTZAZn3">pic.twitter.com/P5LyTZAZn3</a>
&mdash; NBA (@NBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1623185295481966592?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 8, 2023</a></blockquote>

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1. LeBron James Breaks All-Time Scoring Record
Heading into the 2022-23 campaign, many expected Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James to break Kareem Abdul-Jabbar&rsquo;s all-time scoring record. Once the season got underway, the record-setting performance drew closer and closer with James scoring at his expected pace.&nbsp;
The fabled moment came to pass on February 7 of this year, with the Lakers taking on the Oklahoma City Thunder in Los Angeles. James entered the game needing 36 points to pass Abdul-Jabbar, and The King made it apparent that he wanted to break the record that night, showing an eagerness to score that we typically don't see from the 38-year-old these days. 
James reached 34 points and, with just over 10 seconds left in the third quarter, Abdul-Jabbar&rsquo;s record was broken after a 39-year run. James backed down Thunder wing Kenrich Williams and hit a fadeaway jumper, officially putting his name No. 1 in the record books with 38,388 points.
The 2023-24 campaign will mark <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/revisiting-lebron-james-legendary-nba-career-as-he-enters-year-21">the 21st season of LeBron's legendary career</a> and if it's anything like his other campaigns, it will feature plenty of iconic moments.
<a href="https://twitter.com/basketbllnews" target="_blank" rel="noopener">What were your favorite moments from the 2022-23 NBA season? Tweet us at @basketbllnews!</a>

From historic accomplishments to jaw-dropping plays, Jack Maguire looks back at five unforgettable moments from last NBA season.

Revisiting 5 unforgettable moments from the 2022-23 NBA season

With the NBA&rsquo;s 2023 free-agency period pretty much wrapped up, why not take a look at how projecting next year's free-agent market? Obviously, a lot can change between now and then, but let&rsquo;s examine each team&rsquo;s cap situation and how much cap room they project to have next summer.&nbsp;
Next year&rsquo;s free-agency class could feature some big names, including Kawhi Leonard, Pascal Siakam, Tyrese Maxey (restricted), Paul George, LeBron James, James Harden, Jrue Holiday, OG Anunoby and DeMar DeRozan.&nbsp;
For the purposes of this exercise, I&rsquo;m going to separate teams into four spending-power tiers: Cap Space Teams, Non-Tax MLE Teams, Luxury Tax Teams and Second Apron Teams. Also, let's assume that the salary cap will be set at $149,623,000 and the luxury tax will come in at $181,823,000, the maximum 10% jump from this upcoming season set under the new CBA.
CAP SPACE TEAMS
Teams in this tier are currently projected to have cap space next summer. They have spending access to their cap space, Bird Rights, the Room Exception (projected at $8,495,000) and the Veteran Minimum Exception.
San Antonio Spurs ($77,195,776 under the cap) If Victor Wembanyama is 70% as good as he&rsquo;s hyped up to be entering this season, one would figure that the Spurs will spend big or at least make a meaningful impact on the free-agent market next summer. They project to have an enormous amount of cap space, so it&rsquo;s very possible we&rsquo;ll see San Antonio take on some more bad contracts in trades to give them even more draft capital. Also, they&rsquo;ll want to retain Devin Vassell, who will be a restricted free agent next offseason once the Spurs extend his qualifying offer.
Philadelphia 76ers ($73,034,842 under the cap) The Sixers are perhaps the most interesting team in terms of their 2024 offseason outlook. By letting Tyrese Maxey hit restricted free agency next summer rather than extending him this year, Philadelphia gave themselves serious cap flexibility. Tobias Harris and James Harden both have expiring contracts, so the Sixers will have to use their cap space to replace their production. A Harden trade would obviously change their projected cap room, but it remains to be seen what they&rsquo;ll get back for the former MVP and how much it&rsquo;ll impact their books.
Toronto Raptors ($60,339,034 under the cap) After losing Fred VanVleet, the Raptors are walking a tightrope when it comes to whether they&rsquo;ll compete or rebuild. They face some tough decisions. Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby are both set to hit free agency next summer, so Toronto needs to decide whether they want to extend or trade their best players. Not to mention, Precious Achiuwa and Gary Trent Jr. also need new contracts.
Orlando Magic ($58,010,944 under the cap) Orlando has a lot of options for next summer, but the Magic may start with retaining many of their own players. Franz Wagner will likely receive a big contract extension, while Markelle Fultz and Cole Anthony will be up for new contracts. Given that Orlando has a logjam in their backcourt &ndash; with Fultz, Anthony, Jalen Suggs and Anthony Black &ndash; it&rsquo;ll be interesting to see what they do with Fultz and Anthony. The Magic will still have plenty of room to add quality talent for yearly average values over the NTMLE.
Detroit Pistons ($57,781,166 under the cap) Detroit may approach the 2024 offseason similar to how Houston approached this summer, as a young team hoping to use its massive cap space on good veterans in order to take bigger steps toward playoff contention. With that said, the first priority for the team will be agreeing to a contract extension with Cade Cunningham.
Utah Jazz ($50,315,319 under the cap) The Jazz find themselves in a unique position where they could go in two directions. After committing a three-year deal to Jordan Clarkson, they can use their cap space to give 2023 Most Improved Player Lauri Markkanen a contract extension. If they want to have significant cap space for next summer instead, they can hold off on giving Markkanen an extension until free agency is settled.
Washington Wizards ($47,123,801 under the cap) Despite their cap space next year, don&rsquo;t expect Washington to be a big player in 2024 free agency. In the beginning stages of a rebuild, the Wizards will probably keep their sights on collecting more draft capital. They do have an interesting decision coming up with recent trade acquisition Tyus Jones, whom they&rsquo;ll likely want to keep long-term.&nbsp;
Charlotte Hornets ($41,300,515 under the cap)&nbsp; They may lose some 2024 cap space if they eventually re-sign PJ Washington this offseason, but watch out for Charlotte to be one of the many small-market teams with money to spend next summer. With LaMelo Ball in the first year of his max contract extension, Charlotte may cash in on a marquee player to keep their young star happy.
Brooklyn Nets ($33,048,185 under the cap) The Nets do have the potential to have significant cap space next summer if they choose not to re-sign most of their own free agents. However, the Nets will more than likely focus on exploring the trade market and retaining big man Nic Claxton before reaching next year&rsquo;s free agency. Spencer Dinwiddie and Royce O&rsquo;Neale will also hit free agency next offseason.
Indiana Pacers ($20,488,005 under the cap) Indiana could get to an even higher number in cap space if they decline Bruce Brown&rsquo;s $23 million team option next season. If Brown has a good year, the Pacers would likely keep him on a long-term deal that would consume a good chunk of their space. Other impending free agents they might like to keep include Obi Toppin, Aaron Nesmith and Jalen Smith.
Oklahoma City Thunder ($10,264,814 under the cap) The Thunder will likely continue to utilize the strategy of taking on short-term, bad-money contracts in exchange for draft capital. As they inch closer to contention, they will be looking at some big-money extensions for many of their young pieces, including one for Josh Giddey next year.&nbsp;
NON-TAX MLE TEAMS
Teams in this tier are currently projected to be over the salary cap but under the luxury tax. They have spending access to Bird Rights, the Non-Taxpayer Mid-Level Exception (projected at $13,644,000), the Bi-Annual Exception (projected at $4,968,000) unless used in 2023-24, and the Veteran Minimum Exception.
Chicago Bulls ($19,465,689 under the cap) The Bulls could potentially operate as a cap-space team if they elect to let DeMar DeRozan and Patrick Williams walk in free agency, but that seems unlikely. In addition, the Bulls could potentially create more space if Lonzo Ball&rsquo;s knee injury is considered career-ending by an NBA/NBPA-appointed physician. (Ball would still be paid, it just wouldn&rsquo;t count against the cap).&nbsp;
Sacramento Kings ($210,669 under the cap) The Kings used up most of their cap space by signing Domantas Sabonis to a big four-year extension that ties him with the team through 2028. As long as they are competitive, they will likely pursue quality pieces with their Non-Tax MLE to support Sabonis and De&rsquo;Aaron Fox. They will also likely try to keep Malik Monk and look at extension options for Davion Mitchell.
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New Orleans Pelicans ($487,911 over the cap) The Pelicans are fairly set with their core of CJ McCollum, Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram under contract through 2025. Ingram and McCollum are both extension-eligible this offseason, but the Pelicans may wait on dishing out extensions to maintain flexibility under the tax. New Orleans must also monitor Jonas Valanciunas&rsquo; free agency and a possible extension for Trey Murphy III.&nbsp;
Atlanta Hawks ($1,658,172 over the cap) Similar to the Kings, the Hawks wiped away their cap space when they signed Dejounte Murray and De&rsquo;Andre Hunter to four-year, $120 million and four-year, $90 million extensions, respectively. Already pushing past the salary cap, the Hawks may face a money crunch as they broach the luxury tax line. Retaining restricted free agents Onyeka Okongwu and Saddiq Bey next offseason may be tricky.
Los Angeles Clippers ($5,018,261 over the cap) The Clippers are in an interesting spot with George and Leonard both needing new deals, which they will likely get despite their inability to stay on the floor. Many veterans with big salaries will come off the books next year, like Marcus Morris, Nic Batum and Robert Covington. The question is whether the Clippers will continue to commit significant capital to a roster that hasn&rsquo;t met its lofty expectations.
Miami Heat ($7,751,630 over the cap) The Miami Heat are in a holding pattern with their roster as they engage in a Mexican standoff with the Blazers on a Damian Lillard trade, which could see them skyrocket into the deep tax. Outside of the Dame situation, Jimmy Butler will likely look for another big extension this offseason, which will pay him max money deep into his late 30s. They will also have to contend with potentially losing Caleb Martin, who has a player option for 2024-25.
Houston Rockets ($8,734,919 over the cap) The biggest spenders of this past offseason, the Rockets made big moves for Fred VanVleet and Dillon Brooks. Houston could get back into the cap-space tier again if they choose to part ways with Kevin Porter Jr. and his non-guaranteed $15.9 million salary. Jalen Green and Alperen Sengun will also be up for extensions.&nbsp;
Cleveland Cavaliers ($11,399,749 over the cap) The Cavs are pretty set going into the 2023-24 season and beyond with two max guys (Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell) and key guys on fairly big deals (Jarrett Allen, Caris LeVert and Max Strus). They will likely give Evan Mobley a big extension next offseason, which could push them into the luxury tax in the near future. For next offseason, their only notable free agent is Isaac Okoro.
New York Knicks ($11,400,861 over the cap) This morning, the Knicks inked Josh Hart to a four-year contract extension that pushed them over the cap for 2024-25. Their main concerns for next summer are Immanuel Quickley and Isaiah Hartenstein, who are both up for new contracts. They will likely be able to avoid the tax by declining their team option on Evan Fournier or trading his expiring contract for another expiring deal.
Dallas Mavericks ($13,566,153 over the cap) The Mavericks are not likely to seek pathways to cap space next summer after doubling down on their trade for Kyrie Irving by re-signing him to a three-year, $120 million deal. They should look to retain Josh Green, who will be a restricted free agent. Luka Doncic&rsquo;s happiness looms over all of the Mavs&rsquo; moves, as ESPN&rsquo;s Tim McMahon <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/mavs-fear-luka-doncic-may-request-trade-unless-they-build-contender">reported in April</a> that the Mavericks are worried about Doncic potentially seeking a trade elsewhere as soon as next year.
Los Angeles Lakers ($15,380,636 over the cap) The Lakers had a pathway to almost two max slots in the unlikely scenario that they decided to pivot from the LeBron-AD era. However, that option is out the window with them inking Davis to a three-year supermax extension that will keep him with the team through 2028. LeBron James&rsquo; decision to stay with the team or leave will ultimately dictate how the Lakers approach spending next offseason.
Portland Trail Blazers ($20,567,876 over the cap) Portland is in the midst of turning the page to a new era as they look to accommodate franchise cornerstone Damian Lillard&rsquo;s trade request. If they do end up trading Lillard, expect their cap numbers to come down slightly, but not enough to get any meaningful space. Whether Lillard is traded for the Miami package or something else, Portland shouldn&rsquo;t be a major player in free agency for a while.&nbsp;
LUXURY TAX TEAMS
Teams in this tier are currently projected to be over the salary cap and luxury tax. They have spending access to Bird Rights, the Taxpayer Mid-Level Exception (projected at $5,500,000), and the Veteran Minimum Exception.
Minnesota Timberwolves ($14,474,085 under the tax) The Timberwolves have paid the luxury tax only once since 2007. They should be a tax team once again, with Karl-Anthony Towns' supermax extension and Anthony Edwards' max extension kicking in. In addition, Minnesota will need to use significant capital to keep players like Jaden McDaniels, Mike Conley and Kyle Anderson, all of whom will be free agents in 2024.
Golden State Warriors ($9,696,462 under the tax) While the Warriors are currently under the tax, they are likely going to re-sign 2024 free agent Klay Thompson to a long-term deal at a lower number or at least use his Bird Rights to acquire another piece at a similar number. Golden State can cut some costs by releasing Chris Paul after the season, as his $30 million salary for 2024-25 is non-guaranteed.
Milwaukee Bucks ($6,142,529 under the tax) The Bucks re-signed Khris Middleton and Brook Lopez to big-money deals, committing to the players who won them the 2021 title. Another one of those players, Jrue Holiday, is set to reach free agency and will likely demand max money. In addition, Giannis Antetokounmpo becomes eligible for a supermax extension of up to three years in October and can sign a four-year supermax extension next offseason.
Denver Nuggets ($6,732,627 over the tax) The defending champs have their core of Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, Michael Porter Jr. and Aaron Gordon locked in through the 2025 offseason. They&rsquo;ve already lost Bruce Brown and Jeff Green this summer and will be forced to work around the edges with Kentavious Caldwell-Pope potentially heading for free agency next summer.
Boston Celtics ($7,306,800 over the tax) The trade for Kristaps Porzingis pushed the Celtics into the luxury tax for the first time since 2018, and that was before they signed Jaylen Brown to a five-year supermax extension. With Jayson Tatum&rsquo;s own supermax extension on the horizon next year, the Celtics figure to be a tax team, and potentially a second apron team, for the foreseeable future.
SECOND APRON TEAMS
Teams in this tier are currently projected to be over the salary cap, luxury tax and second luxury tax apron ($17.5 million over the tax). They have spending access to just Bird Rights and the Veteran Minimum Exception. The second apron was introduced in the new CBA and prevents teams from using the Taxpayer MLE, trading first-round picks seven years away, signing buyout free agents and taking back more salary than they send out in trades among other restrictions.
Memphis Grizzlies ($13,829,477 over the tax) For the first time under owner Robert Pera, the Grizzlies will be paying the luxury tax. While Memphis probably won&rsquo;t reach the second apron, they are not likely to have enough spare capital to use their Tax MLE and be able to fill out their roster without going over it. Their core of Ja Morant, Desmond Bane and Jaren Jackson Jr. are locked up to big money, long-term deals that will keep Memphis among the league's biggest spenders for likely the next decade-plus.
Phoenix Suns ($27,039,607 over the tax) Phoenix is by far the most limited team when it comes to spending, and they will be for the next few seasons after trading for Bradley Beal&rsquo;s behemoth contract. With four max contracts, including two supermax contracts, the Suns have blown through the second apron. Like this past offseason, the supporting cast around their core four will be mostly minimum-salary contracts.

How much cap room is your favorite NBA team projected to have next summer? Blake Stern breaks down where all 30 teams stand.

Which NBA teams project to have the most cap space in 2024?

Harrison Barnes is staying with the Sacramento Kings, agreeing Thursday to a three-year, $54 million contract, according to a person with knowledge of the negotiations.
The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the deal has not been announced by the team. ESPN first reported the agreement.
The deal was struck one day before the start of free agency in the NBA. Barnes will be entering his sixth year with the Kings, who went to the playoffs this past season for the first time since 2006.
He averaged 15.0 points last season, fourth-best on the Kings behind De&rsquo;Aaron Fox, Domantas Sabonis and Kevin Huerter.
Barnes also was the only player on the Kings to appear in all 82 regular-season games &mdash; making him one of only three players in the NBA to start at least 82 games. Mikal Bridges actually started 83 for Brooklyn and Phoenix, and Nikola Vucevic started 82 for Chicago.
For his career, Barnes &mdash; a member of the U.S. Olympic team that won gold at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games &mdash; has averaged 14.2 points in 11 seasons.

Harrison Barnes is staying with the Sacramento Kings, agreeing Thursday to a three-year, $54 million contract.

Harrison Barnes agrees to 3-year, $54 million deal to stay with Kings

DENVER (AP) &mdash; Everything from the history books to the way they&rsquo;ve played through most of the postseason suggests the Denver Nuggets are on the verge of capturing their first NBA title in 47 years in the league.
The goal now for Denver is to not let up against the Miami Heat on Monday in what will be the first title-clinching opportunity in franchise history.
&ldquo;My biggest concern going into any close-out game is human nature and fighting against that,&rdquo; coach Michael Malone said Sunday after practice. &ldquo;Most teams, when you&rsquo;re up 3-1, they come up for air.&rdquo;
Malone&rsquo;s mission to keep the Nuggets thinking about hoops, not that trophy, could be helped by the fact that Miami&rsquo;s only win in this series came a week ago in Denver. Also, the Heat have won seven road games during the postseason and are 2-0 when they&rsquo;ve faced elimination &mdash; against Chicago in the play-in tournament and at Boston in Game 7 of the conference finals.
When the teams left Denver a week ago, the series was tied at 1 and Malone was grilling the Nuggets over effort after a 111-108 loss. Now that it&rsquo;s 3-1, after two double-digit wins in Miami, it&rsquo;s clear Nikola Jokic and Co., received the message.
On Sunday, the coach tapped into his own team&rsquo;s recent history &mdash; the Nuggets overcame 3-1 deficits twice to win two series in the bubble in 2020 &mdash; to emphasize that this series isn&rsquo;t over yet.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve been down 3-1. We&rsquo;ve come back and won. We know anything is possible,&rdquo; Malone said.
Nobody needed to convince the Heat of that.
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Coach Erik Spoelstra called his team &ldquo;a very stubborn and defiant group.&rdquo; And when asked about the confidence the Heat players had in each other, even after putting themselves in what has historically been a near-impossible situation, Jimmy Butler said: &ldquo;At an all-time high.&rdquo;
Only one of 36 teams that have fallen behind 3-1 in the history of the finals has come back to hoist the Larry O&rsquo;Brien Trophy. That was the 2016 Cavaliers, led by LeBron James, who trailed Golden State 3-1 before running off three straight, including the finale in Oakland in a game that goes down as one of the best in finals history.
The 1993 Suns and 1998 Jazz were down 3-1 and both managed to win Game 5 in Chicago. In both instances, Michael Jordan and the Bulls wrapped up the series in Game 6s on the road.
Among the few hints revealed about Xs and Os during these day-before news conferences was the effectiveness of Denver&rsquo;s improving D around the 3-point line. Malone tore into his team after Miami made 17 3-pointers in Game 2, many of them unguarded after the Heat exploited confusion in the Nuggets&rsquo; switching defense.
Miami made 11 3s in&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/nba-finals-2023-heat-nuggets-f15a5273ea2e05117142ee65953284c2">Game 3</a>&nbsp;(when the Nuggets got triple-doubles from both Jokic and Jamal Murray) then only eight in&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/nba-finals-2023-heat-nuggets-b0f83f7baccd425dbf8aba440e3e210c">Game 4</a>&nbsp;(when Aaron Gordon showed off the team&rsquo;s depth by leading the team with 27 points).
&ldquo;You have to have an aggressive mindset to be an effective defensive team,&rdquo; Malone said. &ldquo;But if you don&rsquo;t have communication and discipline to go along with that, I think you&rsquo;re going to be missing some really key components.&rdquo;
Spoelstra said Denver&rsquo;s shift in defense &mdash; having players fight through picks instead of switching on the perimeter &mdash; did, in fact, make a difference. Still, he insisted, it&rsquo;s nothing Miami hasn&rsquo;t seen a hundred times by now.
&ldquo;That&rsquo;s what the deal is,&rdquo; Spoelstra said. &ldquo;They are trying to take away certain things. We are trying to get to certain things. (It&rsquo;s about) how can you get to it and how can you get to it on your terms.&rdquo;
Spoelstra offered no clues regarding the recurring mystery in this series &mdash; whether 20-point-a-game scorer Tyler Herro might be returning from a broken hand.
&ldquo;No new update,&rdquo; Spoelstra said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s doing another contact workout today. I probably won&rsquo;t have anything for you tomorrow morning.&rdquo;
Even with all their focus on unfinished business on the court, the Nuggets front office spent the weekend looking toward the future. ESPN reported&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/37826075/sources-nuggets-get-package-picks-deal-thunder" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">an under-the-radar trade</a>&nbsp;involving draft picks, in which Denver gave up a protected 2029 first-rounder in exchange for one of Oklahoma City&rsquo;s first-rounders in 2024.
It was a subtle acknowledgment that the Nuggets, with Jokic, Murray, Gordon and Michael Porter Jr., all signed to big contracts, are looking at adding affordable talent sooner rather than later in an effort to keep their current championship window open.
Never in their history &mdash; which dates back to the founding of the ABA in 1967, then their move to the NBA nine years after that &mdash; has anyone on the Nuggets been caught thinking about multiple titles, let alone one.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s just nice to see us be a big family and understand what it takes to win,&rdquo; Murray said. &ldquo;But yeah, it&rsquo;s been a journey, a lot of fun. We have got more work to do.&rdquo;
</div>

The Denver Nuggets are on the verge of capturing their first NBA title in 47 years in the league. They just need to win one more game.

One win away from first title, Nuggets try to avoid letdown

DENVER (AP) &mdash; Nuggets big man Nikola Jokic has his bandmates back together. They&rsquo;re making up for lost time, too.
Paired again in the playoffs&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://twitter.com/NBATV/status/1651051540634017792" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">with Jamal Murray</a>&nbsp;and Michael Porter Jr., Jokic and his crew made quick work of short-handed Minnesota, closing out the Timberwolves with a 112-109 win&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/playoffs-nuggets-timberwolves-edwards-jokic-2da19619ba1700de0b50478cb7cef58b">in Game 5 of their first-round series</a>&nbsp;Tuesday night. Denver, the No. 1 seed in the West, will face a Phoenix Suns team led by its own terrific trio &mdash; Devin Booker, Chris Paul and Kevin Durant &mdash; starting&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://www.nba.com/playoffs/2023/west-semifinal-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Saturday</a>&nbsp;at Ball Arena.
The trifecta of Murray, Porter and Jokic haven&rsquo;t been plugged in at the same time for the playoffs since the NBA bubble in 2020. It was a magical time, too, in Florida, when the team advanced to the Western Conference Finals, where they lost to LeBron James and the eventual champion Los Angeles Lakers.
It seems so long ago, with Murray missing the last two versions of the playoffs as he recovered from a torn left ACL and Porter sitting out last season&rsquo;s postseason due to a balky back.
But they knew that once they were all reunited, they could be a powerful force.
They flashed that Tuesday by doing a little bit of everything. There was Murray, coming up big at crunch time on his way to 35 points. And Jokic, the reigning back-to-back NBA MVP who did his usual thing with 28 points, 17 boards and 12 assists. Porter, too, who despite struggling from the field found a way to contribute with defense &mdash; something he wasn&rsquo;t always known for &mdash; and by grabbing 10 rebounds. He also scored eight crucial points in the fourth quarter.
&ldquo;It was good to be back in the playoffs and just be playing at a high level along with Jamal,&rdquo; said Porter, who swished two big 3-pointers to help Denver fend off Anthony Edwards and the plucky Timberwolves. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s a good feeling.&rdquo;
A year ago, guard/forward Bruce Brown was swept out of the postseason as a member &mdash; along with Durant &mdash; of the Brooklyn Nets. Brown did his homework as he looked for a new team last summer and liked the what he saw in the Mile High City. He and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope have given the Nuggets better depth in these playoffs.
&ldquo;I just knew they had a bunch of great players,&rdquo; said Brown, who wore a cowboy hat as he walked out of the locker room after a game in which the Nuggets went 32 of 36 from the free throw line. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m very impressed (with this team).&rdquo;
Next up, a Suns team that swept the Nuggets in the second round of the 2021 playoffs. But that was without Murray. This is a revamped Nuggets cast.
Phoenix has a new look, too, with Durant coming over from the Nets as part of blockbuster deal at the NBA&rsquo;s trade deadline day.
This could be the start of something good. Despite Denver being the top seed &mdash; and Phoenix being No. 4 &mdash; the Nuggets feel overlooked.
&ldquo;Nobody is out there picking us to win,&rdquo; Nugget forward Jeff Green said. &ldquo;We know we have what it takes to win. We&rsquo;ve just got to keep showcasing.&rdquo;
First, some time to rest &mdash; and celebrate.
Nuggets coach Michael Malone wants his players to appreciate what they just accomplished. Him, too, as he earned his 25th playoff win to break a tie with Doug Moe and become the Nuggets&rsquo; winningest coach in the NBA playoffs.
&ldquo;To win a series in the playoffs is hard,&rdquo; Malone said. &ldquo;So I&rsquo;m really proud of our guys.&rdquo;
The Suns and Nuggets split their season series 2-2. But it was hard to gain any sort of read into the series as Jokic sat out the last two, so he hasn&rsquo;t played the Suns with Durant.
Both teams put on quite a show on Christmas night, with&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1607264124186107905" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Aaron Gordon turning</a>&nbsp;in one of the most spectacular dunks of the season. It paved the way to a 128-125 overtime win where Jokic had 41 points, 15 boards and 15 assists.
&ldquo;Probably, they&rsquo;re the favorites to win the championship,&rdquo; Jokic said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s going to be a big challenge for us.&rdquo;
These are the types of moments Porter pondered when he was sidelined with the bad back last year.
&ldquo;I wasn&rsquo;t trying to look too far ahead, but to get back here and be competitive in a playoff series, man, it&rsquo;s a great feeling,&rdquo; Porter said. &ldquo;Especially considering everything I&rsquo;ve been through.&rdquo;

Denver, the No. 1 seed in the West, will face a Phoenix team led by its own terrific trio: Devin Booker, Chris Paul and Kevin Durant

Back to health, Porter and Murray help Nuggets to next round

The NBA announced that 242 players have filed as early-entry candidates for the 2023 NBA Draft. Here is the complete list.

NBA announces 242 early-entry candidates for 2023 NBA Draft

MIAMI (AP) &mdash; Jimmy Butler had the game of his life, and the Miami Heat had a comeback for the ages.
Butler scored 56 points &mdash; tying the fourth-best scoring performance ever in an NBA playoff game &mdash; and the Heat roared back from 14 points down in the final quarter to stun the Milwaukee Bucks 119-114 on Monday night to put the NBA&rsquo;s top overall seed on the brink of early elimination.
The 56 points also became Butler&rsquo;s career high. He was 19 for 28 from the field, 15 of 18 from the foul line and added nine rebounds for eighth-seeded Miami &mdash; which took a 3-1 lead over the Bucks in their Eastern Conference first-round series.
&ldquo;For my team, to get this dub, in this way, in this atmosphere, for this city, it&rsquo;s huge,&rdquo; Butler said.
Brook Lopez scored 36 points and grabbed 11 rebounds for Milwaukee. Giannis Antetokounmpo returned from a two-game absence with a bruised back and had a triple-double &mdash; 26 points, 10 rebounds and 13 assists.
And the Bucks &mdash; who now need to win three straight, starting with Game 5 at Milwaukee on Wednesday &mdash; led almost the whole way, until the Heat roared back in the final minutes.
&ldquo;We didn&rsquo;t make enough plays on either end,&rdquo; Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said. &ldquo;And they did.&rdquo;
Butler had 21 of his points in the fourth, and the Heat still trailed 101-89 after a layup by Lopez with 6:09 left.
That&rsquo;s when a 13-0 run, capped by a Butler dunk off a Bucks turnover, put Miami up for the first time all night with 3:17 left &mdash; 102-101.
The lead changed hands four more times, and Butler&rsquo;s 3-pointer with 1:20 left put Miami ahead for good. He added a step-back jumper on Miami&rsquo;s next possession, punched the air in celebration, and the Heat knew they would soon be leaving with a 3-1 lead.
&ldquo;For 40 minutes of this game, it was frustrating. ... It just shows you that when you have the right grit and perseverance, you can win,&rdquo; Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. &ldquo;And then it always helps to have a guy like him.&rdquo;
The only players to score more in a playoff game: Michael Jordan had 63 in 1986, Elgin Baylor had 61 in 1962, Donovan Mitchell had 57 in 2020. Butler became the fourth with 56, joining Jordan, Wilt Chamberlain and Charles Barkley.
Bam Adebayo scored 15, Caleb Martin had 12 and Gabe Vincent scored 10 for the Heat.
Antetokounmpo missed Games 2 and 3 of the series &mdash; and most of Game 1 &mdash; with a bruised lower back. He worked out Sunday, went through shootaround with the Bucks on Monday, got cleared to play and looked good as new.
But Butler was better than ever.
He set the tone early &mdash; with the highest-scoring quarter of his career. He had 22 of Miami&rsquo;s 28 first-quarter points, including 20 in a row over a span of 5:45 late in the period.
And in the fourth, he had 21 more &mdash; leading a massive comeback, one that put a team that won an NBA-best 58 games this season squarely on the ropes in Round 1.
&ldquo;The series is still going,&rdquo; Spoelstra said. &ldquo;And we have great respect for the championship DNA that group has.&rdquo;
TIP-INS
Bucks: Milwaukee now has made 138 3-pointers in eight games against Miami this season, including playoffs. No team has ever made more vs. the Heat in a season; Boston made 126 in 10 games last season. &hellip; All three of Antetokounmpo&rsquo;s playoff triple-doubles have come on the road &mdash; two at Miami, the other at Boston.
Heat: Butler is averaging 16.5 points in first quarters in the series, with at least 13 points to open all four games. &hellip; It was the 99th win of Spoelstra&rsquo;s playoff career.
OLADIPO TRIBUTE
The game was Miami&rsquo;s first since&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/oladipo-injury-heat-nba-playoffs-d5d7cec8f9a875de139be68e9bb3a538">Victor Oladipo&rsquo;s season-ending torn left patellar tendon injury.</a>&nbsp;Heat players arrived at the arena wearing&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://twitter.com/MiamiHEAT/status/1650632827354992640?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Oladipo T-shirts.</a>&nbsp;&ldquo;He said, &lsquo;Don&rsquo;t shed any tears for me. I&rsquo;m going to get through all of this,&rsquo;&rdquo; Spoelstra said.
FANDUEL SAYS
Milwaukee closed as a 7.5-point favorite at&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://sportsbook.fanduel.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">FanDuel Sportsbook.</a>&nbsp;The Heat hadn&rsquo;t been more than a 2.5-point underdog in any home game this season, and weren&rsquo;t such a big underdog in their arena since Feb. 27, 2019 against Golden State &mdash; 177 games ago.
ERA ENDS
With&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/aaron-rodgers-trade-jets-packers-0a6b5e68c1c3d5c2ab1b9e59312dd181">Aaron Rodgers getting traded</a>&nbsp;from Green Bay to the New York Jets earlier Monday, it was the first time in the last 2,611 games that the Bucks played with neither Rodgers nor Brett Favre considered the Packers&rsquo; first-string quarterback &mdash; excluding games affected by injury.

Butler's 56 points tied the fourth-best scoring performance ever in an NBA playoff game, and the Heat stunned the Bucks 119-114.

Jimmy Butler scores 56, Heat stun Bucks 119-114 for 3-1 lead

Philadelphia is waiting, and in&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/76ers-embiid-nba-playoffs-2023-ff8a8b733b9de46806eb76a54702fb9a">Joel Embiid&rsquo;s case, ailing.</a>
The lone team with a ticket to the second round of the NBA playoffs will get some company over the next few days, possibly as early as Tuesday.
The 76ers finished off a sweep of the Brooklyn Nets over the weekend, despite being without their MVP candidate center. Embiid isn&rsquo;t the only big name dealing with injury &mdash; all eyes will be on Miami on Monday and whether&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/giannis-antetokounmpo-bucks-injury-playoffs-a869333a0ba7db14aec1f5cb0ba552ff">Milwaukee&rsquo;s Giannis Antetokounmpo</a>&nbsp;can play through his bruised lower back.
A good sign for the Bucks: Antetokounmpo was participating on-court with his teammates for a shootaround practice Monday morning, a clear indicator that he&rsquo;s trying to play.
WHAT'S NEXT?
<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/lebron-heat-bucks-giannis-nba-playoffs-588f3b85a18eead750a5e04a4c9b9903">There are a pair of Game 4&prime;s on Monday,</a>&nbsp;with two lower-seeded teams holding an opportunity to take 3-1 series leads. Eighth-seeded Miami plays host to top-seeded Milwaukee in an East matchup, while the seventh-seeded Los Angeles Lakers then face second-seeded Memphis in a West contest.
Road teams hold the leads going into Monday, and then Tuesday, it&rsquo;ll be three home teams that have a chance to join Philadelphia in the second round.
Boston hosts Atlanta, Denver hosts Minnesota and Phoenix hosts the Los Angeles Clippers. The Celtics, Nuggets and Suns all hold 3-1 leads.
At least one other possible clincher comes Wednesday when New York takes its 3-1 lead to Cleveland. There are also Game 5&rsquo;s that night in the Grizzlies-Lakers, Heat-Bucks and Golden State-Sacramento series.
HOW TO WATCH?
&mdash; Monday&rsquo;s Milwaukee-Miami and Memphis-Lakers games are on TNT
&mdash; Tuesday&rsquo;s Atlanta-Boston and Clippers-Phoenix games are on TNT, and the Minnesota-Denver game is on NBA TV.
&mdash; Wednesday&rsquo;s Lakers-Memphis and Golden State-Sacramento games are on TNT. The New York-Cleveland and Miami-Milwaukee games are on NBA TV.
&mdash; All those games will also be available through a team&rsquo;s usual local broadcaster.
&mdash; The NBA Finals will be broadcast on ABC beginning June 1.
WHO WINS THE AWARDS?
We started finding out those answers last week when the league office began announcing award winners. More awards are coming this week, with Most Improved Player (finalists are Utah&rsquo;s Lauri Markkanen, Oklahoma City&rsquo;s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and New York&rsquo;s Jalen Brunson) coming Monday and Rookie of the Year (finalists are Orlando&rsquo;s Paolo Banchero, Utah&rsquo;s Walker Kessler and Oklahoma City&rsquo;s Jalen Williams) coming Tuesday.
The NBA has not said when the MVP award &mdash; finalists are Philadelphia&rsquo;s Joel Embiid, Denver&rsquo;s Nikola Jokic and Milwaukee&rsquo;s Giannis Antetokounmpo &mdash; will be announced.
The other winners so far this year:
&mdash; April 17:&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/jackson-grizzlies-dpoy-nba-defensive-player-award-25780ba4e0e48bdc7bd9ba2707cbaf97">Memphis&rsquo; Jaren Jackson Jr. won defensive player of the year,</a>&nbsp;with Milwaukee&rsquo;s Brook Lopez finishing second and Cleveland&rsquo;s Evan Mobley placing third.
&mdash; April 18:&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/nba-clutch-player-award-fox-kings-f6179cafd2b2e9cc86c55ce2d46d1a66">De&rsquo;Aaron Fox of Sacramento was revealed</a>&nbsp;as the inaugural winner of the new Clutch Player award. Miami&rsquo;s Jimmy Butler was second and Chicago&rsquo;s DeMar DeRozan was third.
&mdash; April 19:&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/nba-coach-of-year-mike-brown-0ecdc80451e22c30c79b0a62da792102">Sacramento&rsquo;s Mike Brown got all the first-place votes,</a>&nbsp;making him the first unanimous Coach of the Year. Oklahoma City&rsquo;s Mark Daigneault was second and Boston&rsquo;s Joe Mazzulla was third.
&mdash; April 20:&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/nba-sixth-man-brogdon-award-41654d7e908f97fc02f77c26fb98d707">Boston&rsquo;s Malcolm Brogdon won Sixth Man of the Year,</a>&nbsp;a race where Milwaukee&rsquo;s Bobby Portis Jr. and New York&rsquo;s Immanuel Quickley were the other finalists.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
There have been only two playoff games decided by exactly one point in the last 365 days &mdash; and Golden State has won them both.
The Warriors beat Sacramento 126-125 on Sunday, the league&rsquo;s first one-point playoff game since the Warriors won at Memphis 117-116 on May 1, 2022.
QUOTABLE
&ldquo;I didn&rsquo;t think we were going to go undefeated the whole postseason, so I&rsquo;ll be curious to see how we react going home for Game 5.&rdquo; &mdash; Denver coach Michael Malone, after his team lost in overtime at Minnesota on Sunday and missed out on a chance for a four-game sweep.

The 76ers punched their ticket to the second round of the NBA playoffs and they will get some company over the next few days.

NBA Playoffs: 76ers waiting for more teams to make 2nd round

The last time Golden State faced a 2-0 series deficit, Stephen Curry was finishing his freshman year at Davidson and coach Steve Kerr was still in broadcasting.
It&rsquo;s been a while. It was 2007, to be precise.
But that&rsquo;s where the Warriors are again now, having dropped&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/nba-playoffs-warriors-kings-2023-965846db11aa9086e8eb66b846d6bd0a">the first two games to the Sacramento Kings.</a>&nbsp;Also in a 2-0 hole: The Brooklyn Nets, who fell again&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/nets-76ers-playoffs-b1d93ff38c8b4896bfa13e18462b7912">to the Philadelphia 76ers.</a>&nbsp;Philadelphia simply held serve at home, as did Sacramento, but the pressure is now quite high on both the Warriors and Nets.
Atlanta, Cleveland and Phoenix will look to avoid falling into 0-2 holes on Tuesday.
WHAT'S NEXT?
<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/playoffs-cavaliers-knicks-celtics-hawks-59a6e8717e469c11883a51b3c889ef15">A trio of Game 2&rsquo;s await on Tuesday,</a> with Atlanta at Boston, New York at Cleveland and the Los Angeles Clippers at Phoenix. The Celtics, Knicks and Clippers will be seeking 2-0 leads.
Game 2&rsquo;s in the Los Angeles Lakers-Memphis, Miami-Milwaukee and Minnesota-Denver series are set for Wednesday.
KINGS-WARRIORS TENSIONS
Golden State&rsquo;s&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/nba-playoffs-2023-draymond-green-ejected-075df068895834184e0877648d513b0a">Draymond Green was ejected for stomping</a>&nbsp;on the chest of Sacramento&rsquo;s Domantas Sabonis in Game 2 on Monday night &mdash; with some of the Warriors saying Sabonis committed the actual dirty play by grabbing Green&rsquo;s ankle.
Now the teams will wait to see if the NBA will weigh in, with fines or suspensions possible.
HOW TO WATCH
&mdash; Most games being played Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday will be shown nationally on TNT. The exceptions are Hawks-Celtics on Tuesday, Heat-Bucks on Wednesday and Suns-Clippers on Thursday; they&rsquo;ll all be on NBA TV. There&rsquo;s also local coverage for most games in Round 1.
&mdash; Some games return to ESPN and ABC this coming weekend.
&mdash; The NBA Finals will be broadcast on ABC beginning June 1.
WHO WINS THE AWARDS?
We started finding out those answers on Monday, the first of four days of award-handing-out from the league office this week.
&mdash; Monday:&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/jackson-grizzlies-dpoy-nba-defensive-player-award-25780ba4e0e48bdc7bd9ba2707cbaf97">Memphis&rsquo; Jaren Jackson Jr. won defensive player of the year,</a>&nbsp;with Milwaukee&rsquo;s Brook Lopez finishing second and Cleveland&rsquo;s Evan Mobley placing third.
&mdash; Tuesday: The inaugural winner of the new Clutch Player award &mdash; Miami&rsquo;s Jimmy Butler, Chicago&rsquo;s DeMar DeRozan or Sacramento&rsquo;s De&rsquo;Aaron Fox &mdash; will be made known.
&mdash; Wednesday: Coach of the Year &mdash; Sacramento&rsquo;s Mike Brown is the big favorite, with Oklahoma City&rsquo;s Mark Daigneault and Boston&rsquo;s Joe Mazzulla the other finalists &mdash; will be awarded.
&mdash; Thursday: Sixth Man of the Year will be revealed, with Boston&rsquo;s Malcolm Brogdon, Milwaukee&rsquo;s Bobby Portis Jr. and New York&rsquo;s Immanuel Quickley the finalists.
INSIDE THE DPOY VOTE
Only five players &mdash; Jackson, Miami&rsquo;s Bam Adebayo, Golden State&rsquo;s Draymond Green, and Milwaukee teammates Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jrue Holiday &mdash; got defensive player of the year votes both last season and this season.
Adebayo has gotten at least one first-place vote in four consecutive seasons. That&rsquo;s the longest active streak in the league.
Last year&rsquo;s top three votegetters &mdash; in order, Marcus Smart, Mikal Bridges and Rudy Gobert &mdash; got 63% of the votes in 2022. They combined for zero votes this year.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
The Warriors and Kings combined for 18 turnovers in the first quarter Monday. The last time an NBA game had more in a first quarter was Nov. 15, 2010, when Memphis and Orlando combined for 20. That was about 16,000 first quarters ago.
QUOTABLE
&ldquo;Steph is the greatest of the great. You&rsquo;re not stopping him. You&rsquo;re not going to slow him down. You just want to try your best to make him work.&rdquo; &mdash; Kings coach Mike Brown, on the challenge of guarding Stephen Curry.

Brooklyn and Golden State will head home down 0-2, while Atlanta, Cleveland and Phoenix look to avoid falling into an 0-2 hole Tuesday.

NBA Playoffs: Warriors, Nets heading home in 0-2 hole

Nobody blocked more shots per game, nor had better defensive numbers at the rim this season, than Memphis&rsquo; Jaren Jackson Jr.
And voters noticed.
The Memphis big man was announced Monday night as the NBA&rsquo;s defensive player of the year, becoming the second player to win the award while wearing a Grizzlies&rsquo; uniform. He joins Marc Gasol in that club, after the Spaniard did it a decade ago.
Jackson led the league with 3.0 blocks per game this season, after finishing fifth in the defensive player of the year voting last season. He got 56 first-place votes and 391 voting points to finish ahead of runner-up Brook Lopez of the Milwaukee Bucks, who got 31 first-place votes and 309 points. Cleveland&rsquo;s Evan Mobley &mdash; in just his second NBA season &mdash; was third with eight first-place votes and 101 points.
&ldquo;Team defense really helps us. It goes a long way,&rdquo; Jackson said on the TNT broadcast that announced the award.
The shooting percentage that Jackson allowed at the rim &mdash; 46.9% &mdash; was the best in the league among those with at least 300 shots defended there, and was an obvious plus on Memphis&rsquo; path to the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference playoffs.
&ldquo;Hands down, no-brainer, JJ&rsquo;s definitely defensive player of the year,&rdquo; Memphis coach Taylor Jenkins said earlier this month.
Jenkins could get into all the analytics that he wants, but the simple eye test also tells the story. Jackson wasn&rsquo;t ready for the start of the season because his surgically repaired right foot needed more recovery time.
And Memphis was, well, not great on defense while waiting for Jackson to get ready.
&ldquo;He missed the first (15) games of the year. We were really bad defensively,&rdquo; Jenkins said. &ldquo;He comes back into the lineup and things turn the corner drastically.&rdquo;
Jackson gave Jenkins and the Grizzlies&rsquo; staff much credit for his role in helping him win the award.
&ldquo;They&rsquo;ve instilled the confidence in me to be aggressive offensively &mdash; but really unleash me defensively to go out there and do whatever,&rdquo; Jackson said.
Lopez, the runner-up, had never been this close to a major individual award in his 15 NBA seasons.
Even though he&rsquo;s always been a shot-blocker &ndash; he&rsquo;s swatted 1.8 per game throughout his career &ndash; this was the first time that Lopez was a serious candidate for the DPOY award. He finished 10th in the balloting in 2020, a season in which his Milwaukee teammate Giannis Antetokounmpo took home both that award and MVP.
Lopez blocked a career-best and league-high 193 shots this season, plus contested 17.5 shots per game &mdash; by far the most of anyone in the league.
Golden State&rsquo;s Draymond Green was fourth, followed by Miami&rsquo;s Bam Adebayo in fifth, Antetokounmpo in sixth, Toronto&rsquo;s O.G. Anunoby and Milwaukee&rsquo;s Jrue Holiday tied for seventh, Philadelphia&rsquo;s Joel Embiid and Brooklyn&rsquo;s Nic Claxton tied for ninth, Chicago&rsquo;s Alex Caruso in 11th and Miami&rsquo;s Jimmy Butler in 12th.
The award was the first major individual one to be announced by the league this season.
Three more awards are scheduled to be revealed later this week &mdash; Clutch Player (Butler, Chicago&rsquo;s DeMar DeRozan or Sacramento&rsquo;s De&rsquo;Aaron Fox) is coming Tuesday, Coach of the Year (Sacramento&rsquo;s Mike Brown, Oklahoma City&rsquo;s Mark Daigneault or Boston&rsquo;s Joe Mazzulla) will be announced Wednesday and Sixth Man of the Year (Boston&rsquo;s Malcolm Brogdon, Milwaukee&rsquo;s Bobby Portis Jr. or New York&rsquo;s Immanuel Quickley) will be revealed Thursday.

Nobody blocked more shots per game, nor had better defensive numbers at the rim than Jaren Jackson Jr. And voters noticed.

Jackson wins Defensive Player of the Year over Lopez, Mobley

NEW YORK (AP) &mdash; Nikola Jokic is a finalist to win a third straight NBA MVP award, with Joel Embiid and Giannis Antetokounmpo the players who can stop him.
The three leading vote-getters for the league&rsquo;s individual awards were announced Friday and the marquee category featured familiar names.
Jokic repeated as MVP last year, with Embiid the runner-up and Antetokounmpo third. The Denver Nuggets center could now become the first player to win three straight MVP awards since Hall of Famer Larry Bird from 1984-86.
Antetokounmpo has also won consecutive MVP awards, in 2019 and 2020, along with an NBA Finals MVP when the Milwaukee Bucks captured the 2021 title. Embiid, the Philadelphia 76ers center who won his second straight scoring title, has never won.
The winners will be announced beginning next week.
The finalists for the other categories:
COACH OF THE YEAR
Mike Brown, Sacramento; Mark Daigneault, Oklahoma City; Joe Mazzulla, Boston.
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
Paolo Banchero, Orlando; Walker Kessler, Utah; Jalen Williams, Oklahoma City
MOST IMPROVED PLAYER
Jalen Brunson, New York; Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City; Lauri Markkanen, Utah.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Jaren Jackson Jr., Memphis; Brook Lopez, Milwaukee; Evan Mobley, Cleveland.
SIXTH MAN OF THE YEAR
Malcolm Brogdon, Boston; Bobby Portis, Milwaukee; Immanuel Quickley, New York.
CLUTCH PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Jimmy Butler, Miami; DeMar DeRozan, Chicago; De&rsquo;Aaron Fox, Sacramento.

Nikola Jokic is a finalist to win a third straight MVP award, with Joel Embiid and Giannis Antetokounmpo the players who can stop him.

NBA award finalists: Jokic, Embiid, Antetokounmpo competing for MVP

Some moments from the 2022-23 NBA regular season:
Oct. 18: Boston defeats Philadelphia and Golden State beats the Los Angeles Lakers on opening night. <a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/golden-state-warriors-nba-sports-stephen-curry-e246e86804a28295efea3e00d33dc510" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Warriors received their championship rings</a> from last season in a ceremony preceding their game.
Oct. 20: <a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/los-angeles-lakers-san-antonio-spurs-miami-heat-nba-sports-8e45a1092f25e28f0672a83d317a9a68" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NBA referee Tony Brown, 55, dies of pancreatic cancer.</a> He worked more than 1,100 games in a two-decade career.
Nov. 4: <a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/brooklyn-nets-nba-sports-kyrie-irving-racial-injustice-972e41eed3debbd9a548433c78227f05" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Nike suspends its relationship with Kyrie Irving</a> and canceled plans to release his next signature shoe, part of the massive fallout caused by the Brooklyn Nets&rsquo; guard tweeting a link to a film containing antisemitic material. Nike and Irving eventually part ways; Irving eventually apologizes and returns to the Nets.
Nov. 5: <a class="paragraph-link" href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1589042762686795777?s=20&amp;t=nk9Tw0T3tQEq6Mw4vOqrsg" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Sacramento&rsquo;s De&rsquo;Aaron Fox</a> hits from just inside the midcourt stripe at the buzzer of overtime, giving the Kings a 126-123 win in Orlando.
Nov. 8: <a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/miami-heat-nba-sports-breonna-taylor-fc0f38a2c59da07f90833ae479e66cc0" target="_blank" rel="noopener">To commemorate Election Day,</a> the NBA plays no games. The league encourages its teams and fans to spend the day participating in civic engagement.
Nov. 11: The arena where the Miami Heat play starts the process of getting a new name, after the <a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/ftx-miami-heat-arena-name-change-b3f47e4fb5bb0f102560fa6956997bdb" target="_blank" rel="noopener">cryptocurrency exchange FTX collapses.</a> FTX was in the early stages of a 19-year, $135 million naming rights deal with Miami-Dade County.
Nov. 13: <a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/philadelphia-76ers-utah-jazz-nba-sports-joel-embiid-bef34587365fd8e8668f6024ab73d05a" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Philadelphia&rsquo;s Joel Embiid scores a career-best 59</a> points in a win over Utah. He adds 11 rebounds, eight assists and seven blocked shots.
Nov. 28: <a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/los-angeles-lakers-indiana-pacers-nba-sports-b6e1415dd4d8fa0fac2a10c8477da348" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Andrew Nembhard hits a 3-pointer at the buzzer</a> and Indiana stuns the Los Angeles Lakers 116-115. The Pacers trailed by 17 with 9:27 remaining; it was the biggest fourth-quarter comeback in the NBA this season.
Dec. 13: The NBA announces a rebranding of its MVP award, revealing a new trophy and a new name &mdash; <a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/chicago-bulls-charlotte-hornets-nba-sports-david-stern-de67e49f0255ef10f140365636110ae4" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Michael Jordan Trophy.</a>
Dec. 17: In Mexico City, <a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/san-antonio-spurs-miami-heat-nba-sports-duncan-robinson-074cecb1060491994c22a42efa8670a6" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Miami defeated San Antonio 111-101.</a> It was the NBA&rsquo;s first game in Mexico City since 2019.
Dec. 20: <a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/cleveland-cavaliers-phoenix-suns-college-football-nba-sports-f455a8e3b437a07aa4684c7dd3adb16b" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mortgage billionaire Mat Ishbia</a> strikes a deal to purchase embattled Robert Sarver&rsquo;s share of the Phoenix Suns and Phoenix Mercury in a deal that values the franchise at $4 billion.
Dec. 25: Philadelphia tops New York, Dallas beats the Los Angeles Lakers, Boston beats Milwaukee, Golden State tops Memphis and Denver edges Phoenix in the NBA&rsquo;s Christmas quintupleheader.
Dec. 27: <a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/new-york-knicks-dallas-mavericks-sports-basketball-luka-doncic-ed7d9ce55160d04e2c206f6a8b742cdd" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Dallas&rsquo; Luka Doncic has a 60-point triple-double</a> in the Mavericks&rsquo; 126-121 win over New York. He added 21 rebounds and 10 assists in the first 60-20-10 game in NBA history.
Jan. 2: <a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/kobe-bryant-chicago-bulls-los-angeles-lakers-cleveland-cavaliers-utah-jazz-ef2ccddb44dd42fa14ebed5f8344c5a2" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Cleveland&rsquo;s Donovan Mitchell scores 71 points</a> in the Cavaliers&rsquo; 145-134 overtime win over Chicago. Mitchell was 22 of 34 from the field, 7 of 15 on 3-pointers and 20 for 25 from the foul line. He also had 11 assists, marking the first time anyone had more than 70 points and 10 assists in an NBA game.
Jan. 10: <a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/miami-heat-oklahoma-city-thunder-nba-sports-basketball-18113c7918466a8d6a41714b963403cb" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Miami goes 40 for 40 from the foul line</a> in a one-point win over Oklahoma City. The 40-for-40 breaks the previous NBA record of 39-for-39 by Utah in 1982.
Jan. 13: <a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/chicago-bulls-atlanta-hawks-san-antonio-spurs-nba-sports-e05988d6e1537c605aad5ea8a14d4887" target="_blank" rel="noopener">At the Alamodome in San Antonio,</a> the Spurs sell an NBA-record 68,323 tickets for a game against Golden State.
Jan. 19: With presumed 2023 No. 1 draft pick Victor Wembanyama sitting courtside, Zach LaVine scores 30 points and the <a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/chicago-bulls-nba-sports-jaden-ivey-hamidou-diallo-3770db44edb9a08e1ad116ecad45109f" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Chicago Bulls ease past the Detroit Pistons 126-108</a> in Paris. France was the seventh different country to host an NBA practice or game this season.
Feb. 6: <a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/los-angeles-lakers-new-york-knicks-dallas-mavericks-clippers-nba-ea90e45174274a917654448db9554dfc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Brooklyn trades Kyrie Irving to Dallas,</a> ending his up-and-down stint with the Nets that was more memorable for off-the-court challenges than actual play.
Feb. 7: <a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/lebron-james-nba-scoring-record-cd0df2a355eaf80c6d534cbb16d44ca9" target="_blank" rel="noopener">LeBron James makes a 14-foot jumper late in the third quarter to break Kareem Abdul-Jabbar&rsquo;s career NBA scoring record.</a> Abdul-Jabbar held the mark since 1984 and was in Los Angeles to watch James&rsquo; record-breaker.
Feb. 9: <a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/brooklyn-nets-phoenix-suns-nba-sports-basketball-3932b34f477549895cce131490bec86d" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Brooklyn trades Kevin Durant to Phoenix,</a> a blockbuster on NBA trade-deadline day.
Feb. 16: <a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/boston-celtics-nba-sports-basketball-ime-udoka-151efe3c319c986b770437cd25794339" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Boston removes the interim title from 34-year-old coach Joe Mazzulla,</a> the former assistant who took over the Celtics in September after now-former coach Ime Udoka was suspended by the team for having an inappropriate relationship with a woman in the organization.
Feb. 18: <a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/milwaukee-bucks-sports-nba-all-star-game-walker-kessler-collin-sexton-6a2ea26147bafb0f80ea77620cacf2e9" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Philadelphia&rsquo;s Mac McClung puts on a scintillating show</a> to win the dunk contest at All-Star weekend. Portland&rsquo;s Damian Lillard wins the 3-point contest and Utah players Jordan Clarkson, Walker Kessler and Collin Sexton combined to win the Skills Challenge.
Feb. 19: <a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/nba-sports-lebron-james-kyrie-irving-giannis-antetokounmpo-2cf83e2e57350687e68ba89a6deb2707" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Boston&rsquo;s Jayson Tatum scores a record 55 points</a> and Team Giannis tops Team LeBron 184-175 to win the All-Star Game in Salt Lake City.
Feb. 24: <a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/los-angeles-clippers-sacramento-kings-nba-sports-malik-monk-4047cea9a226d5fd135de97c65d0d054" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sacramento defeats the Los Angeles Clippers 176-175.</a> The 351 combined points are the second-most in NBA history, behind only Detroit&rsquo;s 186-184 win over Denver on Dec. 13, 1983.
Feb. 26: <a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/houston-rockets-portland-trail-blazers-nba-sports-damian-lillard-1e1a83642e942d51d91ee014b5b7947c" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Portland&rsquo;s Damian Lillard scores 71 points</a> in the Trail Blazers&rsquo; 131-114 win over Houston. Lillard made 22 of 38 shots from the field, 13 of 22 from 3-point range and all 14 of his free throws. He also led Portland in assists, with six.
Feb. 27: <a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/utah-jazz-atlanta-hawks-nba-sports-playoffs-264bcc009ce664a640b5c903e35f1656" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Atlanta introduces Quin Snyder</a> as its new coach, after firing Nate McMillan about a week earlier.
March 4: Memphis guard Ja Morant live-streams himself holding a gun while inside a Denver-area strip club. He quickly announces he was taking &ldquo;some time away to get help&rdquo; and ultimately was <a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/ja-morant-suspended-nba-gun-video-8cc82061f6465f96d6c5d0806d92d7d0" target="_blank" rel="noopener">suspended for eight games by the NBA</a> for his personal conduct.
March 17 and 19: A tale of two comebacks. San Antonio blew a 29-point lead on March 17 and lost to Memphis 126-120; two nights later, the Spurs rallied from a 24-point second-half deficit and beat Atlanta 126-118. It was the biggest second-half comeback for the Spurs under coach Gregg Popovich.
March 29: Jrue Holiday has 51 points, eight assists and eight rebounds, while Giannis Antetokounmpo adds 38 points, 17 rebounds and 12 assists, and Milwaukee tops Indiana 149-136. <a class="paragraph-link" href="https://twitter.com/Bucks/status/1641271779380559872?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">It&rsquo;s the first time in NBA history two teammates</a> have had at least 38 points, eight assists and eight rebounds in the same game.
April 1: In the early morning hours, <a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/nba-labor-players-0cf524b13e459eeb5853dad9a455e0e0" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the NBA and the National Basketball Players Association strike a handshake deal</a> on what, if approved by owners and players, will be a seven-year Collective Bargaining Agreement that will take effect in July and ensure labor peace in the league until at least 2029.
April 7: Dallas sits several regulars, including Kyrie Irving, and plays Luka Doncic for only about a quarter in a loss to Chicago. The loss eliminated the Mavericks from postseason contention and the team&rsquo;s motivation for losing catches the eye of the NBA, <a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/mavericks-playoffs-nba-investigation-tanking-7ac5f76590adafd9df1c7c590a78d346" target="_blank" rel="noopener">which opens an investigation the next day.</a>
April 9: Udonis Haslem scores 24 points in his final regular season game, as his 20-year career with the Miami Heat draws to an end. <a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/magic-heat-haslem-finale-f8e560c77aa5c36a20dbb12ebb58fca5" target="_blank" rel="noopener">At 42, he&rsquo;s nearly two years older</a> than anyone else to have scored at least 24 points in an NBA game.

Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press revisits the notable moments from the 2022-23 NBA season.

Season of NBA moments: LeBron, Lillard, Mitchell and more

DALLAS (AP) &mdash; Kyrie Irving scored 25 of his 31 points during a second-half rally, and the Dallas Mavericks stayed in the race for the final play-in spot in the Western Conference playoffs with a 123-119 victory over the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday night.
Luka Doncic had 29 points and 10 rebounds as the Mavericks (38-42) matched Oklahoma City&rsquo;s record for the 10th seed in the West with two games remaining.
The Thunder own the tiebreaker, so Dallas, which reached the West finals last year, needs at least one Oklahoma City loss to have a chance at another playoff run.
Facing the brink of postseason elimination with a loss, the Mavericks rallied from 13 points down in the third quarter, when Irving started and finished a 12-0 run with 3-pointers for an 82-78 lead.
Doncic and Tim Hardaway Jr., who scored 24 points, had the other two 3s on the run as Doncic and Irving won for the fifth time in 16 games together since the blockbuster trade that brought Irving from Brooklyn.
Dallas ended a three-game losing streak with just its second victory in its past nine games.
De&rsquo;Aaron Fox scored 28 points and Domantas Sabonis had a triple-double with 19 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists for the Kings, who have already ended a 16-year playoff drought and are all but locked in to the third seed in the West.
Irving put Dallas ahead for good with a jumper midway through the fourth quarter, and the lead was three when he hit a high-arching 3 from the corner for a 120-114 lead with two minutes remaining.
Sacramento had a season-high 22 offensive rebounds for a 30-14 edge in second-chance points, but the Mavericks had the biggest one of the game when Christian Wood grabbed a miss from Irving and five seconds later hit a 3-pointer for a 123-114 lead with a minute to go.
Wood scored 14 points despite 5-of-15 shooting.
TIP-INS
Kings: All five starters scored in double figures. Harrison Barnes had 16 points against his former team, Kevin Huerter scored 14 and Keegan Murray added 11.
Mavericks: Starters Reggie Bullock and Dwight Powell combined for just five points on just four shots. ... Josh Green had 10 points and nine rebounds.
UP NEXT
Kings: Golden State in home finale Friday.
Mavericks: Chicago visits Friday.

The Mavericks (38-42) matched Oklahoma City’s record for the 10th seed in the West with two games remaining.

Mavs keep play-in hopes alive with 123-119 win over Kings

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) &mdash; Jrue Holiday scored a career-high 51 points, Giannis Antetokounmpo had 38 points in a triple-double and the NBA-leading Milwaukee Bucks beat the Indiana Pacers 149-136 on Wednesday night.
Antetokounmpo added 17 rebounds and 12 assists to help the Bucks improve to 55-21. The two-time NBA MVP was an assist shy of a triple-double at halftime with 20 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists. He returned after sitting out Monday night in a victory at Detroit because of a sore knee.
Holiday had 18 points in the third quarter, when the Bucks scored a season-high 46 points to build a 12-point lead. He was 20 of 30 from the field with three 3-pointers and hit 8 of 10 free throws. His previous best was 40 points in an overtime victory over visiting Boston on Feb. 14.
Brook Lopez added 21 points for the Bucks.
Rookie Bennedict Mathurin led Indiana &mdash; playing without its top three scorers &mdash; with 29 points. Aaron Nesmith had 22 and Jordan Nwora 18. Jalen Smith fouled out early in the fourth with 17. Rookie Andrew Nembhard had 15 points and 15 rebounds.

Jrue Holiday scored a career-high 51 points, Giannis Antetokounmpo had a 38-point triple-double and the Bucks beat the Pacers 149-136.