Fighting Saints

Game 1 of the 2022 NBA Finals will be played on Thursday, June 2. Remarkably, that date is the exact one-year anniversary of the Boston Celtics' announcing Brad Stevens had stepped away from head coaching duties to assume the role of president of basketball operations in place of the departing Danny Ainge.
Let's have a look back at what has been an extraordinary and almost unimaginable 12 months&hellip;
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During his eight seasons on the sidelines in Boston, Stevens was viewed as one of the league's better head coaches. He was regarded as an elite tactician and considered an important part of the Celtics' sustained success. Under his stewardship, Boston advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals three times in four years.
So when the club announced that its long-time top executive in Ainge was retiring and that Stevens would be promoted to team president last June, it came as a shock to most. Would Stevens be able to replicate the regular-season success he enjoyed as head coach? Could Boston get over the hump and advance all the way to the NBA Finals?
Although Ainge left a roster stocked with a budding superstar in Jayson Tatum, his All-Star caliber sidekick in Jaylen Brown, veteran stalwart Marcus Smart and a few promising youngsters, Stevens took control at a precarious juncture. Boston entered last summer capped out (with a directive from ownership not to incur a costly luxury tax bill) and lacking excess draft capital.&nbsp;
Stevens' first order of business was parting ways with Kemba Walker and his cumbersome contract. With two years and $73 million remaining on his deal, Walker was the team's highest-paid player. When healthy, the four-time All-Star Walker was highly productive on the offensive end for the C's, but his balky left knee had robbed him of his quickness. Some suggested the Celtics sit tight, hoping that an entire offseason of rest would allow Kemba to re-establish himself as a quality starter. If Boston wanted to trade Walker, Stevens would have to get creative.
The week before the 2021 NBA Draft, Stevens dealt Boston's first-round pick (16th overall) and a 2025 second-round draft pick to the Oklahoma City Thunder for Al Horford and a 2023 second-rounder.&nbsp;
At the time, Stevens' first significant move as team president was considered highly questionable.&nbsp;
Following the 2019-20 season, when Horford posted career-worst numbers for the Philadelphia 76ers after signing a monstrous four-year, $109 million pact, the veteran big man's contract was viewed as one of the worst in the league. In December 2020, the Sixers were forced to attach a future first-round pick and the draft rights to Vasilije Micic (who just won his second EuroLeague Final Four MVP) in a trade with OKC just to get out from under Horford's contract.
During his lone season in Oklahoma City, Horford appeared in just 28 games for the Thunder. After the trade deadline passed in February 2021, the Thunder shut him down for the rest of the season. At the time, it felt like Stevens was trading for a potentially washed-up 35-year-old center with two years and $53.5 million left on his contract ($41 million of it guaranteed).
But after struggling at times to find his groove in the regular season, Horford has been a crucial cog in the Celtics' run to the Finals. During these playoffs, he is averaging 11.9 points, 9.6 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.9 three-pointers,1.6 blocks and 0.9 steals per game, all while shooting 50.0% from the floor, a scorching 43.2% from downtown, and 83.3% from the free-throw line.
Per Basketball-Reference, Horford is just the third player in NBA history (joining Draymond Green and Rasheed Wallace) to average more than 1.5 blocks and more than 1.5 made treys in a postseason (minimum 15 games played). Horford is also the first player ever over the age of 35 to tally more than 25 blocks and more than 25 three-pointers in a single postseason.
To say the Walker/Horford trade has worked out well for Boston would be a dramatic understatement.&nbsp;
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After acquiring Horford, Stevens' next critical decision would be choosing a new head coach. After interviewing several candidates, Stevens zeroed in on Ime Udoka and officially hired him in late June. Udoka was a bit of a gamble, as he had never been a head coach, having spent the previous nine seasons as an assistant with San Antonio (2012-13 to 2018-19), Philadelphia (2019-20) and Brooklyn (2020-21).&nbsp;
Udoka's job was made that much more difficult when the C's stumbled out of the gates this season. By the turn of the new year, there was some finger-pointing in the locker room with the Celtics losing too many winnable games. Three weeks into January, Boston was still below .500 with a 23-24 record.
However, Udoka remained stoically stern, providing a calm and reassuring presence in the locker room and on the sideline. His ability to outcoach opponents and his command of the X's and O's gained him the trust of his team. Over the second half of the season, Boston ranked in the top three in Defensive Efficiency, and led the league in Offensive Efficiency (122.6) and Net Rating (plus-12.7) by a wide margin.
Udoka earned Coach of the Month honors on multiple occasions, and would go on to finish fourth in the NBA Coach of the Year voting. The league-wide respect he's garnered has only increased as he's helped guide his team to the championship series.&nbsp;
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When the free agency frenzy commenced in July 2021, Stevens had to decide what to do with shooting guard Evan Fournier. Ultimately, Boston opted to let Fournier leave for New York.
The Celtics' only free-agent addition of note last summer was inking Dennis Schroder to a team-friendly, one-year deal for $5.9 million. However, Stevens signed Marcus Smart (four years, $76.5 million) and Robert Williams III (four years, $48 million) to lengthy extensions.
The Smart signing, in particular, looks genius in retrospect.&nbsp;
It had been rumored that Ainge was seriously considering trading away Smart in different deals in years past. However, Stevens made it clear that he was committing to Smart for the long term. Just as importantly, Stevens let it be known he would entrust Smart with the team's primary point guard duties. This may seem like an easy decision with the benefit of hindsight, but it's important to point out that entering this season, Smart had started in just 228 of the 449 games he had appeared in. And a large percentage of those starts were alongside point guards such as Kemba Walker, Kyrie Irving and Isaiah Thomas.&nbsp;
The C's flourished with Smart installed as the floor general, especially on the defensive end. Smart, as we know, would be named NBA Defensive Player of the Year, becoming the first guard to win the award since Gary Payton in 1996.
Starting in each of the 71 regular-season games he played, Smart finished the season ranked seventh in the NBA in steals per game (1.68), ranked fifth among all guards with a Defensive Rating of 105.2, and led the NBA with 1.1 loose balls recovered per contest. He was also near the top of the league in deflections, charges drawn and defensive rebounds. On the offensive end, he averaged a career-high 5.9 assists per game and posted an Effective Field Goal percentage above 50% for the first time.
Had Stevens not locked up Smart last summer, he would undoubtedly have been one of the most highly sought-after players on the free-agent market next month.&nbsp;
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Before being sidelined by a knee injury late in the season, Williams had also been enjoying a breakout 2021-22 campaign, averaging career-highs in points (10.0), rebounds (9.6), blocks (2.2), steals (0.9), field-goal percentage (73.6%) and free-throw percentage (72.2%). Like Smart, Williams' value now exceeds his salary.&nbsp;
In February, Stevens recognized Boston's backcourt needed an upgrade. Hence, he sent Josh Richardson and Romeo Langford and a top-four-protected 2022 first-round pick to the San Antonio Spurs in exchange for Derrick White at the trade deadline. Udoka, who was familiar with White having spent time as an assistant in San Antonio, asked him to sacrifice some of his offense. White would serve as a reserve, which meant fewer field goal attempts and fewer minutes. White embraced the role, supplied solid defense on the perimeter and knocked down a handful of big buckets during Boston's run to the Finals.
Ironically, of all the trades and signing Stevens has made over the past 12 months, arguably the most important and impactful are the ones he did NOT agree to. It sounds outlandish now because the C's are four wins away from the franchise's 18th championship, but plenty of pundits and fans in New England had been calling for the Celtics to break up the duo of Brown and Tatum.
While there was no denying their collective talent, many argued the roster was unbalanced, and that the skill sets Tatum and Brown brought to the table were a bit duplicitous. Thus, some folks contended that the best path forward was trading Brown (possibly in a package with Smart) for a pure point guard (such as Damian Lillard).
Pressure and the corresponding rumors reached a fever pitch in the dark days of December and January.&nbsp;
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Damnit I&rsquo;m holding everybody in Boston accountable, from the front office, to the coaching staff and down to Jaylen and Tatum. It&rsquo;s time to break them up! Carry on&hellip; <a href="https://twitter.com/FirstTake?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@FirstTake</a> <a href="https://t.co/2fNHMFavfd">pic.twitter.com/2fNHMFavfd</a>
&mdash; Kendrick Perkins (@KendrickPerkins) <a href="https://twitter.com/KendrickPerkins/status/1479494503765524483?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 7, 2022</a></blockquote>

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As noted above, Boston was below .500 for much of the season. On Jan. 15, the Celtics had a worse record than both the Knicks and Washington Wizards. Boston was 11th in the East, on the outside of the Play-in Tournament looking in.&nbsp;&nbsp;
But Stevens never budged, trusting in the roster he helped construct. And the results speak for themselves. Twelve months after he was hired, Stevens's squad is preparing for the NBA Finals.&nbsp;
Earlier this month, the NBA announced Memphis Grizzlies General Manager Zach Kleiman as the winner of the 2021-22 Basketball Executive of the Year Award. Stevens came in sixth, receiving only one first-place vote. However, that award is based on regular-season accomplishments.
Given how well Boston has performed in the playoffs, there is little doubt about which executive's moves have looked best in the postseason.&nbsp;
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Tommy Beer reviews Brad Stevens' first season as Celtics president with his one-year anniversary coinciding with NBA Finals Game 1.

Brad Stevens deserves massive credit for the Celtics' success

Izaiah Brockington couldn&rsquo;t help but lick his chops.&nbsp;
On Dec. 9, 2021, highly-touted 2022 NBA Draft prospect Keegan Murray and his Iowa Hawkeyes were traveling to Ames for an in-state rivalry game. The 6-foot-8, 225-pound forward was leading the nation in scoring with an average of just under 24 points per game (on a scorching 59.3% clip from the field), and the Hawkeyes were averaging over 90 points per contest at that point.
Through rigorous film study, Brockington observed Murray&rsquo;s favorite spots on the court, where he liked to catch the ball and how he got his buckets. And from the tip, the 6-foot-4, 200-pound guard followed through. He denied post-entry to Murray time and time again, helped the helper and put pressure on the Hawkeyes on the perimeter.
By the end of the night, Brockington outscored and outrebounded Murray while holding him to the worst game of his season by far (9 points on 4-of-17 from the field), while simultaneously delivering the game's most efficient performance with 29 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals.
&ldquo;I feel like that was definitely one of my best games of the season. I really came into that game wanting to shut him down,&rdquo; Brockington told BasketballNews.com in a phone interview. &ldquo;I went out there and really tried to take away his strengths and mainly speed him up. I feel like he was really good when he was allowed to play at his pace and when guys were giving him space to work and see what was going on on the floor. So, I really came into that game wanting to lock him down on defense. And then, the 29 points, that was a bonus really.&rdquo;
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Unlike Murray, who&rsquo;s projected to be a lottery pick in most mock drafts (including <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/2022-nba-mock-draft/players/keegan-murray" target="_blank" rel="noopener">No. 6 overall</a> in <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft" target="_blank" rel="noopener">BasketballNews.com&rsquo;s latest</a>), you surprisingly won&rsquo;t find Brockington&rsquo;s name anywhere on those big boards. And no, you won&rsquo;t find him partaking in this week&rsquo;s NBA Draft Combine nor the G League Elite Camp. Considering his size at the guard position coupled with his ability to rebound, make <a href="https://twitter.com/SynergySST/status/1507061353076383744?s=20&amp;t=bJGYe1FEeuLkx9hLdfQYuQ" target="_blank" rel="noopener">high-difficulty shots</a> and, most importantly, defend at a high level, it&rsquo;s a head-scratcher.
Take into account that Brockington spearheaded a 22-win Iowa State program that won just two games the season before, an NCAA-record turnaround, and it just seems like a downright mistake. So, he&rsquo;ll just have to prove that he stands out and find other ways to turn heads &mdash; just like he did last December.
&ldquo;I feel like my work ethic allows me to catch guys that a lot of people deem 'better' or would rank higher [than me]," Brockington said. "I feel like I have the intangibles that other people don't. I have athleticism, and I have the dog mentality &mdash; somebody who just loves to compete and loves to win and isn't gonna let somebody just walk all over them.
&ldquo;I love to compete. I attribute it to being from Philly. We just never back down from a challenge. The intangibles, I feel like, set me apart. And then, with my work ethic, all of these things that people say I don't have, I'm working every day and I'm ready to show everybody that I do [have them].&rdquo;
Having just worked out for the Atlanta Hawks, Brockington&rsquo;s list of interested teams is growing. According to sources, the Toronto Raptors, Phoenix Suns, Los Angeles Clippers, New Orleans Pelicans, Los Angeles Lakers, Indiana Pacers, Sacramento Kings, Utah Jazz and Brooklyn Nets are lined up next &mdash; and he has five other teams who asked to schedule workouts at Tandem&rsquo;s Pro Day on Friday.
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Brockington&rsquo;s lone season at Iowa State went down as the best of his college career, and he considers it the most fun he had playing basketball at the collegiate level because the roster was brand-new and had something to prove.
As a senior, he averaged 16.9 points and 6.8 rebounds per game, was named to the All-Big 12 First Team and earned the 2021-22 midseason John Wooden award. Boasting the Cyclones&rsquo; highest usage rate (27.5%), he took on the most responsibility he had to that point and ran with the opportunity.
Defensively, Brockington attributes much of his success (93.2 Defensive Rating) to the players he had to guard along the way. Starting in the Big 12, a conference he refers to as &ldquo;ridiculous&rdquo; in regards to talent, match-ups against Kansas standout Ochai Agbaji and Baylor&rsquo;s Jeremy Sochan and James Akinjo helped iron sharpen iron. The nights were intense and featured high-level basketball.
This past season, Brockington was adept at cutting off catch-and-drives (0.47 points per possession, per InStat) and defending pick-and-roll ball-handlers (0.54 PPP). It&rsquo;s something that he believes carried over his time at Penn State, where he spent two seasons prior to transferring.
&ldquo;We were really big on defense, so it was really about angles over there. And then, going to Iowa State, Coach TJ [Otzelberger] and our whole defensive scheme was non-stop pressure and to get guys to go into our help,&rdquo; Brockington said. &ldquo;But I feel like... you can push guys to your help, but it's better to be able to guard somebody and not need the help. I feel like, yeah, I definitely would try to cut guys off so that it's not forcing us to rotate and create long closeouts. Little things like that just help you stay more compact on defense and just stay more locked on your man.
&ldquo;So at Iowa State, we would drill things like [pick-and-roll defense] &mdash; getting over screens, being able to communicate and getting over and under, and just sticking on the ball-handler, making it tough for them. But, I also feel like I can thrive in an all-switching situation because I have strength and I have explosiveness. I feel like when I get caught down in the post, I can front or just make it tough for bigger guys to get easy position. I feel like I can thrive in either system, for sure."
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The Work Gonna Show🖤✍🏾&hellip;<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/iPromise?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#iPromise</a>🙏🏾 <a href="https://t.co/K23fSy995m">pic.twitter.com/K23fSy995m</a>
&mdash; Izaiah Brockington (@TheOnlyiZB) <a href="https://twitter.com/TheOnlyiZB/status/1527033907014684682?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 18, 2022</a></blockquote>

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During his two years with the Nittany Lions, he took on different roles and began to blossom under Pat Chambers. Again, there was plenty of talent to face-off against in the Big Ten, such as current Chicago Bulls guard Ayo Dosunmu at Illinois, San Antonio Spurs forward Joe Wieskamp at Iowa, Indiana Pacers guard Duane Washington and future NBA Draft pick Johnny Davis at Wisconsin. Stylistically, Brockington believes the Big Ten&rsquo;s physicality helped prepare him too.&nbsp;
At Penn State, Brockington reconnected with his longtime friend Lamar Stevens. The now-Cleveland Cavaliers forward performed night-in and night-out for the team, showing Brockington the consistency and hard work it takes to be successful. Stevens has been in his ear throughout the pre-draft process, sharing what needs to be done and how to stick in the league. Brockington appreciates the support and encouragement, and he's taking every bit of that advice.
(Brockington&rsquo;s collegiate basketball odyssey actually began at St. Bonaventure, the first of three schools he&rsquo;d attend. Playing for Mark Schmidt for one year, he and the Bonnies had a solid season led by seniors Jaylen Adams and Matt Mobley. Brockington ultimately transferred to Penn State to be closer to home and ended up sitting out a season, by rule, before suiting up).
As far as translatable skills go at the next level, Brockington states that his defense and rebounding top the list, along with his athleticism and ability to get downhill.&nbsp;
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In addition, Brockington takes pride in being well-versed in any kind of role. At St. Bonaventure and early on at Penn State, he did a bit of everything &mdash; serving as a spot-up shooter, a slasher, a rebounding specialist and a sixth man. He even played spot minutes off the bench at one point.
At Iowa State, he was a go-to guy, a star player and a leader for the first time in his college career, so opposing defenses threw everything but the kitchen sink at him.
&ldquo;Against certain teams &mdash; Texas comes to mind specifically &mdash; [they were], like, face-guarding me. [Texas] Tech would have a guy pressure and they would have dudes sit in gaps and essentially try to force me off of the ball. Seeing double-teams and all of that was new," Brockington said with a laugh. "It was just crazy being guarded like that in college 'cause I'd never had to deal with things like that before. I feel like those things really pushed me to be able to adapt and really try to just make smart decisions."
On the offensive end, Brockington has an appetite for the mid-range. The sly southpaw is able to get to his spots quickly off the ball and fire away with his leaping lefty jumper, and he likes to attack off the catch (with fireworks often following). Though he admits that is the area where he&rsquo;s most comfortable at the moment, Brockington understands the importance of being a three-level scorer.
&ldquo;I've been working on really being a combo guard &mdash; a guy that can use pick-and-rolls and make reads and just really making the right decision every time, a lot of basketball IQ things,&rdquo; Brockington said. &ldquo;And then, just knocking down threes... I've been working a ton and I'm looking to show everybody that I can knock down threes off the kick-out and off the pick-and-roll and off the dribble. I've been working extremely hard on that, and it's been going great.
&ldquo;I mean, [the mid-range] is an underappreciated part of the game. But a lot of analytics guys will tell you that it's inefficient, and that's probably true for most guys. That's just not the case with me. I feel like when I take mid-rangers, I create enough space horizontally and vertically to be able to get a clean look off.&rdquo;
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Despite spending five years in college, Brockington is only 22 years old because he graduated from high school early. Possessing that much experience at his age, he considers it an advantage. At the same time, Brockington says age doesn&rsquo;t have to do with his ability to play the game, pick up new information and improve as a player.
&ldquo;My experience in college has really taught me about consistency and taught me what hard work can do, and it's really about the preparation leading into everything,&rdquo; Brockington said. &ldquo;Games are won way before that time comes. Games are won in the offseason. Games are won in the film room. Games are won in pregame shootaround. So those are things I'll always have with me.&nbsp;
&ldquo;It hasn't been a typical college journey, but one thing that's remained the same is everywhere I go, I put my head down and work. I went out there, I produced and I was out there trying to win."
For Brockington, growing up in Philadelphia, he&rsquo;d always attend his father Antoine&rsquo;s rec-league games and hear stories about him. Antoine was a hell of a pro in his own right, achieving tremendous success overseas after an impressive career at Coppin State, where he won the 1997-98 MEAC Player of the Year award &mdash; and Izaiah looked up to him proudly.
Now, as the pre-draft process begins, it&rsquo;s Izaiah Brockington&rsquo;s time to carve his own path and make him proud.
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Spencer Davies speaks with Izaiah Brockington about his breakout season at Iowa State, unique path and next-level aspirations.

Izaiah Brockington hopes his unique journey culminates in NBA success

Following one of the most shocking postseason exits in recent memory, the No. 1 seed Phoenix Suns have to somehow regroup after another 2-0 series collapse. Instead of Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks being the Suns&rsquo; kryptonite, Luka Doncic <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/luka-doncic-enters-into-next-tier-of-nba-superstars-following-western-conference-semifinals-comeback" target="_blank" rel="noopener">played spoiler</a> well ahead of schedule for a team many believed was finally going to win its first-ever NBA championship.
The way it all ended for Phoenix in Game 7 brings up a lot of questions, one of which revolves around the future of Deandre Ayton, who was a no-show in the Suns&rsquo; final contest with 5 points in 17 minutes. Against the small-ball Dallas Mavericks, Phoenix and Ayton failed to capitalize on countless opportunities to get the Bahamian big man going around the paint with his elite touch. It was a disappointing downward slope for Ayton as the Western Conference semifinals progressed, and now there are rightfully questions as to where the two sides go from here.
Once thought to be a shoo-in for a rookie-scale max extension following Phoenix&rsquo;s miraculous Finals run last season, Ayton now enters a potentially awkward summer with the team who drafted him No. 1 overall in 2018.
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According to ESPN&rsquo;s Adrian Wojnarowski, Ayton did not feel valued by the Suns, as he didn't receive what he believed was a well-deserved max-deal offer. Wojnarowski also reported in October that Ayton&rsquo;s representation was told by ownership that the 7-footer doesn&rsquo;t deserve to be in that max-level conversation.
In an exclusive sit-down with BasketballNews.com last month taking <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/suns-series-monty-williams-james-jones-robert-sarver-turnaround-phoenix-arena-facility" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a deeper dive into the Suns&rsquo; organization as a whole</a>, team owner Robert Sarver showed belief in the former University of Arizona product long-term.
&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think he&rsquo;s so divisive here,&rdquo; Sarver told BasketballNews.com last month when asked about Ayton&rsquo;s uncertain future. &ldquo;I think he&rsquo;s shown that he&rsquo;s improved each year, helps us on both on the defense and the offense. I think offensively you see this year he&rsquo;s taken another good step in terms of his touch and his ability to score around the basket. So, he&rsquo;s been a key part of what we&rsquo;re doing.&rdquo;
Ayton finished his fourth season in Phoenix averaging 17.3 points, 10.0 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 0.7 blocks on a career-high 65.6% True Shooting percentage. Certainly <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/there-are-no-good-answers-for-the-chris-pauldeandre-ayton-duo" target="_blank" rel="noopener">benefiting from Chris Paul's brilliance</a> over the last two years, there's always been an interesting discussion regarding how Ayton would function outside of the Suns&rsquo; system in a higher-usage role.
However, as Sarver pointed out, Ayton has continued to make improvements on both ends of the court under Suns head coach Monty Williams&rsquo; guidance. Completely buying into a complementary role alongside Paul and Devin Booker, Ayton&rsquo;s importance can&rsquo;t go unnoticed considering Phoenix's franchise-record-setting, 64-win campaign.
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Having added a patented hook shot to his game while also showing versatility on the defensive end &mdash; which has become more refined in a winning environment &mdash; what could the next steps look like for Ayton with his second contract? Whether it be in Phoenix or elsewhere, Ayton&rsquo;s market will reportedly be robust. Wojnarowski said on Monday that teams are preparing to try to get into the mix for the Suns&rsquo; versatile big man.
Since the Suns have not dipped into the luxury tax since the 2009-10 season &mdash; and the Joe Johnson situation in 2005 still hovers over the organization (<a href="http://www.azcentral.com/story/sports/nba/suns/2014/09/27/phoenix-suns-owner-robert-sarver-applies-lessons-learned-years/16344759/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">and Sarver</a>) &mdash; many have wondered whether Phoenix will feel comfortable paying into the tax for a significant amount.
But when it comes to Sarver's stance on the tax now, it's completely different this time around. Not only are the Suns comfortable paying the bill, but they realize their window to win is right now.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m not saying we&rsquo;re in a market that can be in it 10 years in a row. But when you get to a certain level where you have a chance to compete and you&rsquo;re a top-four, top-six, top-eight team, if you&rsquo;re at the level where you have a legitimate chance to compete &mdash; get to your Conference Finals and maybe win a championship &mdash; then I think you go in the tax, you pay and you do what you gotta do,&rdquo; Sarver told BasketballNews.com.
While the goal of a repeat Finals trip wasn&rsquo;t in the cards for Phoenix in these playoffs, an interesting offseason is now set to ensue. After such an ugly loss in Game 7 at the Footprint Center, can Phoenix actually feel comfortable running it back? The looming decision on Ayton&rsquo;s future now becomes the hot topic in the Valley for the foreseeable future.
&ldquo;You look at Cam [Johnson], Mikal [Bridges], Deandre [Ayton] &mdash; we&rsquo;ve got some really good players that have made tremendous steps,&rdquo; Sarver stated in April to BasketballNews.com. &ldquo;I thought they showed that last year in the playoffs that they&rsquo;re ready to compete at the highest level.&rdquo;
Will an abrupt ending change the Suns&rsquo; internal tune on how they view Ayton? We&rsquo;ll see, but the early indications are that they are ready to commit to winning at the highest level for the long-term. Whether Ayton is part of that puzzle or used to acquire another star player via sign-and-trade this offseason will now be a discussion that has to be had internally.
Phoenix already is up to $128.8 million committed in salary for next season. If the Suns re-sign Ayton to a lucrative contract, plus keep some key depth pieces around, they will be absorbing the highest luxury-tax bill in the NBA.
Another angle to consider here is Devin Booker&rsquo;s forthcoming third contract, which will be his biggest cash-in yet on a supermax scale. Once Booker is named to an All-NBA team, he&rsquo;s eligible to sign a four-year, $211 million extension. No question about it, that will be done in short order with the way Phoenix views Booker as their face of the franchise.
Circling back around to Ayton, the market for him could actually present a max offer from one of the few teams with the necessary cap space. Big-needy teams such as the Detroit Pistons, San Antonio Spurs, Portland Trail Blazers and Indiana Pacers can easily make an Ayton offer sheet happen, immediately putting pressure on the Suns. If the Suns and Ayton are instead heading their separate ways, a sign-and-trade is the most realistic route to recouping some assets for the former No. 1 pick.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s internal,&rdquo; Williams sternly said after Ayton only played 17 minutes in Game 7.
How the Suns view Ayton internally will determine whether he&rsquo;s viewed as a player deserving of a lucrative max-scale payday in a few months.
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After an ugly ending, the Suns' offseason could bring about massive changes. How do the Suns view former No. 1 pick Deandre Ayton?

Deandre Ayton's uncertain future becomes hot topic for Suns

Phoenix Suns head coach Monty Williams has won the 2021-22 NBA Coach of the Year award, <a href="https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1523753731665375232" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according to Shams Charania of The Athletic</a>. Williams guided his team to a league-best 64-18 record this season and the top seed in the Western Conference.
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Phoenix Suns head coach Monty Williams has won the 2021-22 NBA Coach of the Year award, sources tell <a href="https://twitter.com/TheAthletic?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TheAthletic</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/Stadium?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Stadium</a>. Williams led the franchise to an NBA-best 64-18 record this season.
&mdash; Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) <a href="https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1523753731665375232?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 9, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Williams finished second in Coach of the Year voting during the 2020-21 season with Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau beating him out for the award.
Here's the NBA's official press release:
NEW YORK &ndash; Phoenix Suns head coach Monty Williams is the recipient of the Red Auerbach Trophy as the 2021-22 NBA Coach of the Year, the NBA announced today. &nbsp;This is the first NBA Coach of the Year Award for Williams, who joins Cotton Fitzsimmons (1988-89) and Mike D&rsquo;Antoni (2004-05) as head coaches to earn the honor with the Suns.
Williams received 458 points (81 first-place votes) from a global panel of 100 sportswriters and broadcasters. &nbsp;Memphis Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins finished in second place with 270 points (17 first-place votes). &nbsp;Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra finished in third place with 72 points (one first-place vote). &nbsp;Coaches were awarded five points for each first-place vote, three points for each second-place vote and one point for each third-place vote
Williams guided the Suns to an NBA-leading 64-18 record in the regular season, the most victories and the highest winning percentage (.780) in a season in franchise history. &nbsp;Phoenix had identical 32-9 records at home and on the road. &nbsp;The Suns tied for the third-most road wins and fifth-best road winning percentage (.780) in a season in NBA history.
Phoenix won a franchise-record 18 consecutive games from Oct. 30 &ndash; Dec. 2, 2021. &nbsp;The streak included a 16-0 record in November, tied for the second-most wins in a month without a loss in NBA history, trailing only the Atlanta Hawks&rsquo; 17-0 record in January 2015.
The Suns finished first in the NBA in net rating (+7.5), third in defensive rating (106.8) and fifth in offensive rating (114.2), making them the only team to rank in the top five in all three categories. &nbsp;They were 47-0 when leading after the third quarter, the most such wins without a loss in a season in the shot clock era (which began in the 1954-55 season).
Williams was named the NBA Western Conference Coach of the Month twice (October/November and January). &nbsp;He and his staff also earned the spot to coach Team LeBron in the 2022 NBA All-Star Game.
This is Williams&rsquo; third season as the Suns&rsquo; head coach. &nbsp;Last season, he guided Phoenix to a 51-21 record and its first appearance in the NBA Finals since the 1992-93 season, finishing in second place in the voting for the 2020-21 NBA Coach of the Year Award. &nbsp;Williams previously served as head coach of the New Orleans Hornets/Pelicans for five seasons.
Williams will be presented with a special edition 75th Anniversary commemorative trophy today in celebration of winning the 2021-22 NBA Coach of the Year Award, gifted in addition to the Red Auerbach Trophy, which he will receive later. &nbsp;The commemorative trophy, composed of a solid crystal basketball, features the NBA 75 logo 3D laser etched and suspended within its center.
The NBA Coach of the Year Award trophy is named in honor of Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer Red Auerbach. &nbsp;The legendary head coach guided the Boston Celtics to nine NBA championships, including eight in a row from 1958-59 &ndash; 1965-66.
The voting results for the 2021-22 NBA Coach of the Year Award are below. &nbsp;The balloting was tabulated by the independent accounting firm Ernst &amp; Young LLP. &nbsp;Complete ballots for each voter will be posted at PR.NBA.com after the announcement of all end-of-season awards.
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Phoenix Suns head coach Monty Williams has won the 2021-22 NBA Coach of the Year award.

Suns' Monty Williams wins Coach of the Year award

The WNBA will begin its 26th season this weekend with several intriguing storylines, including the potential retirement of Sue Bird and Sylvia Fowles, the return of Becky Hammon as a coach and the absence of Brittney Griner.
There is no bigger headline engulfing the league than Griner.
The Mercury&rsquo;s All-Star center remains in Russia after being detained following her arrival at a Moscow airport on Feb. 17. Russian authorities said a search of her luggage revealed vape cartridges that allegedly contained oil derived from cannabis, which could carry a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. Griner&rsquo;s status has been changed to &ldquo;wrongfully detained&rdquo; and she has a hearing scheduled for May 19.
But Griner&rsquo;s presence will be felt even in her absence.
The league plans to honor Griner and keep her ongoing situation front and center with a floor decal that will feature her initials along with her number 42. It will appear on the home court of all 12 teams starting with Friday&rsquo;s season openers. The regular season ends Aug. 14.
Teams will play a record 36 games this year.
&ldquo;The 36-game schedule will provide fans greater opportunities to see the best players in the world compete at the highest level,&rdquo; WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said when the schedule was announced in December.
Before Griner&rsquo;s arrest the Mercury made many moves in the offseason to put the team in contention to win another championship after losing to Chicago last season in the Finals. Phoenix added Tina Charles and Diamond DeShields to the roster to complement Diana Taurasi and Skylar Diggins-Smith.
DeShields joins the Mercury from the Sky, who will try and become the first team to repeat as champions since the Los Angeles Sparks did it in 2001-02. Chicago added Emma Meesseman &mdash; the 2019 WNBA Finals MVP &mdash; to its roster.
Then there is the looming retirement of All-Stars Bird and Fowles.
Bird, the league&rsquo;s all-time assist leader, has said all signs are pointing toward this year being her last with the Seattle Storm, but she does not want the upcoming season to be a farewell tour.
Fowles has stated she will retire after this season. The WNBA&rsquo;s all-time leading rebounder said it was a tough decision whether to come back for a 15th season or not.
With Fowles and Bird having a foot out the door, the league welcomes back Hammon this season.
Hammon took over as coach of the Las Vegas Aces, replacing Bill Laimbeer, after serving as an NBA assistant coach for the San Antonio Spurs since 2014. She&rsquo;s one of six former players who are now head coaches in the league.
A few other storylines to follow this season:
HEALTHY MYSTICS
No team went through more injury problems the last two seasons then the Washington Mystics. Coach Mike Thibault hopes his team has finally put all that bad luck in the rearview mirror and is looking forward to having Elena Delle Donne and Alysha Clark in the lineup.
Delle Donne has only played in three games the last two seasons because of COVID-19 concerns and back issues. The former league MVP last was on the court fulltime in 2019 when the Mystics won their first championship. Clark missed last season, which would have been her first in Washington, due to a Lisfranc injury in her right foot.
REBUILDING FEVER
Indiana used four first-round picks in the draft to try and rebuild its roster, taking NaLyssa Smith (2nd), Emily Engster (4th), Lexie Hull (6th) and Queen Egbo (10th). The Fever also drafted Destanni Henderson (20th). Draft choices haven&rsquo;t worked out so well for Indiana the last few years as the Fever selected Lauren Cox third in 2020 and she was cut last season. Last year Indiana took Kysre Gondrezick fourth. She is also no longer with the franchise.
RETURN OF THE COMMISSIONER&rsquo;S CUP
The league is bringing back the Commissioner&rsquo;s Cup for the second year. The in-season tournament was won by Seattle last year. The Storm beat the Connecticut Sun in the championship game, which was played in Phoenix. There are 10 designated &ldquo;Cup games&rdquo; per team &ndash; the first home game and first road game each team plays against its five conference rivals.
FRESH STARTS
Meesseeman, Charles and DeShields aren&rsquo;t the only players in new places this season. Liz Cambage now calls Los Angeles home after leaving Las Vegas. The 6-foot-8 Australian center will try and get the Sparks back into being championship contenders. Courtney Williams returned to Connecticut after spending two seasons with the Atlanta Dream. The Dream picked up former WNBA All-Star MVP Erica Wheeler.&nbsp;

The WNBA will begin its 26th season this weekend with several intriguing storylines

Griner, Hammon’s return, Phoenix additions headline WNBA’s new season

With March Madness behind us and the NBA Draft lottery odds set, we're now into the next phase of the scouting season.
BasketballNews.com Sr. NBA Draft Analyst Matt Babcock transitioned our 2022 NBA Draft Big Board into <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft" target="_blank" rel="noopener">our first NBA Mock Draft of the year</a>. As teams, scouts and analysts gather intel, this mock serves as an early peek into what draft night could look like in June.
Babcock discussed his latest projections, some early storylines to monitor in the spring, prospects who shined in the NCAA Tournament, and more in the following Q&amp;A.
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What makes Jabari Smith the pick for the Rockets at No. 1?
The Houston Rockets only won 20 games this season, but it's not all doom and gloom. They're in rebuild mode, and they've already gotten a good group of young players together. In last year's NBA Draft, they selected Jalen Green with the second pick, and it looks as if he could emerge into a primetime scorer who they can build around. 
They also drafted Alperen Sengun, Usman Garuba and Josh Christopher,&nbsp; selected KJ Martin with a late second-round pick the year before, and added Kevin Porter Jr. via trade. All of the players mentioned above are younger than 21 years old. They've struggled to win games up to this point, but they have a young nucleus to work with as they look to build for the future.
Regarding this year's draft, it's pretty close among the top prospects, and it seems as if everyone has their unique argument as to who are the top prospects and why &mdash; which I appreciate, as I think there usually tends to be too much groupthink in the draft space. Anyway, Jabari Smith Jr. is my No. 1 guy, and he has been for a while now. At 6-foot-10, Smith is an absolute sniper from the perimeter as a stretch four, and with time I think he will also prove that he has much more in his bag as a scorer. 
On the defensive end, Smith has a chance to be special. He's about as switchable as it gets, and he's tough. His versatility on both ends of the ball will provide a lot of lineup flexibility to whatever team selects him. In addition to possessing perhaps the most upside of any player projected to be in the 2022 NBA Draft, he can essentially co-exist with just about any group of players. Therefore, I believe that Jabari Smith Jr. would be the right pick for the Rockets if they indeed win the NBA Draft Lottery.&nbsp;
Which teams could shake up the draft selections if lottery luck lands them in the top-3?
My first tier includes Jabari Smith Jr., Jaden Ivey, Chet Holmgren and Paolo Banchero this year. Of that group, Jaden Ivey is the only guard. Due to his style of play, I'm not sure he's a great fit with several teams potentially selecting towards the top, including Houston, Orlando, Indiana and San Antonio -- they're all pretty guard-heavy at the moment. If any combination of these teams lands in the top-3, I wouldn't be surprised to see Ivey sliding back a touch. 
Another thing worth noting is that I'm also not sure Paolo Banchero would fit well with teams like New York or New Orleans. On the flip side, Jabari Smith Jr. and Chet Holmgren fit in pretty seamlessly with most teams. I think these are a few elements that could potentially dictate how the first few picks unfold.
What inspired Mark Williams' rapid rise to the No. 12 overall pick?
I'll admit the 12th pick is on the high side for Mark Williams, but I like the fit, and I don't think it's too much of a stretch. Williams had a terrific season at Duke this year, and he's continued to grow on me. His performance versus Gonzaga in Las Vegas in November was one of the best showings I saw in-person all season. I think he has a chance to develop into becoming a solid starting center as a rim running and rim-protecting 5-man. I wouldn't be surprised to see him have a long and productive NBA career. 
In our most recent simulated mock draft, Oklahoma City selected Paolo Banchero with the fourth pick and Mark Williams with the 12th pick, coincidentally Duke's frontcourt this past season. The Thunder have Shai Gilgeous-Alexander locked up on a long-term deal and Sam Presti's lottery selection last year, Josh Giddey, looks like a star in the making. So it seems their backcourt of the future is solid. Adding Bancero and Williams would bolster their frontcourt, giving OKC's roster shape moving forward.
Which other prospects benefited most from their March Madness performances?
He was already rated super high, but I think Paolo Banchero finished strong. Ochai Agbaji was terrific versus Villanova in Kansas' Final Four game. Benedict Mathurin had a couple of outstanding games in the tournament, and Kennedy Chandler was good for Tennessee. I think all of those players helped themselves in March.
What is one of your favorite later-round team-player fits?
A few picks in the second round that stand out are David Roddy from Colorado State to the Pacers, Jake LaRavia from Wake Forest to the Hawks, and Colin Gillespie from Villanova to the Pelicans. None of those players necessarily blow me away with their talent or tools, but I think all three could become excellent complementary players.
What makes G League Ignite prospects Dyson Daniels, MarJon Beauchamp and Jaden Hardy worthy of first-round status?
They're all very different players from one another, but they're all talented in their own right. Daniels and Beauchamp showed well this season and have moved up the ranks. Hardy came into the season projected to be a high pick and the highest of this group, but he didn't do quite as well as most people had hoped, myself included.&nbsp;
Daniels has terrific size and versatility on both ends of the ball, Beauchamp is very athletic, plays with a great pace, and makes a lot happen. Hardy might have struggled a bit this season, however, he still has a lot of raw talent as a scorer and shot-maker with deep range. I expect all three to be selected in the first round.
While many of us were focused on March Madness, have any draft-eligible international players made waves recently?
Ousmane Dieng, a player from France currently playing for the New Zealand Breakers in the Australian League, is the player that comes to mind in regards to someone who has been making waves recently on the international scene. Dieng has terrific size for an on-ball playmaker, and I think he possesses a lot of upside as a versatile point forward. He has a good chance of becoming a first-round pick.
After the success of last year's first Tampa Bay Pro Combine, what should we expect from the event this spring?
It's been great to see some of our guys who participated in the Tampa Bay Pro Combine last year find success quickly in their careers. I mean, Terry Taylor and Brandon Williams signed NBA contracts, but they also played significant minutes for their teams. Jordan Goodwin and Micah Potter had opportunities with NBA teams too. It was incredible to see!&nbsp;
We've changed the format this year. First, we cut the number of invited players from nearly 50 to 24 this year. Instead of just playing five-on-five games all week, we decided to host simulated NBA pre-draft workouts the first two days, where we'll have six players on the court at a time and 12 per day. The main reason for this change was to comply with NBA guidelines so that NBA scouts could attend. Anyway, we have another great group of guys set to fly out and compete. It should be a great week!
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Ethan Fuller checks in with Matt Babcock after the unveiling of his first 2022 NBA Mock Draft.

2022 NBA Draft: Q&A with Matt Babcock on first mock, notable risers

It hasn&rsquo;t even been a week since the playoffs began, and we&rsquo;ve already seen some amazing basketball and game-winning shots. Joel Embiid buried the Raptors on Wednesday, and Jayson Tatum himself scored a buzzer-beating layup against the Nets last Sunday.
We&rsquo;ve seen some crazy individual performances and some dramatic finishes. We&rsquo;ve even seen some of the younger teams out there like the Memphis Grizzlies show that they can take a few punches, but recover.
One thing we haven&rsquo;t seen, though, is what I would call a rivalry. It&rsquo;s something I found myself thinking about while watching the Celtics beat Brooklyn in Game 2.
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I&rsquo;ve heard different people question whether Brooklyn and Boston are becoming rivals and whether this can be the beginning of a rivalry, and sad to say, I just don&rsquo;t see it. There&rsquo;s definitely an interesting storyline and connection between the two teams, but rivals?
Sad to say, I don&rsquo;t really think there&rsquo;s real rivalries in the NBA anymore. And I really don&rsquo;t think they&rsquo;ll ever come back.
To have a rivalry, I think you need a few different things.
The first, and most important, is the same set of core players, at least five or six. The second is that the teams have to actually be good enough to be some of the last ones standing when it&rsquo;s all said and done; there has to be something bigger than a division title at stake for the players to really be emotionally invested.
And the third is that the teams have to actually play each other often. When I was an assistant coach on the Cavs &mdash; even though we played the Warriors in the Finals four years in a row &mdash; we didn&rsquo;t really consider them our &ldquo;rival,&rdquo; because we just didn&rsquo;t really see them and play them enough. It just so happened that when we did, it was for the championship.
The main thing preventing us from seeing real rivalries develop in today&rsquo;s game is player movement. There&rsquo;s nothing wrong with players moving around and picking their own paths, but we all know that back in the 1980s and 1990s, it was just different. It was &ldquo;a business&rdquo; back then too, but guys made their teams their homes. It&rsquo;s really not like that anymore.
More and more, we see players today signing three- and four-year deals. By the time you blink, guys are free agents and moving on to new teams. Gordon Hayward signed with the Celtics and it seemed like he was gone before you knew it. I remember the days when guys used to get seven-year deals. Shoot, Magic Johnson signed a 10-year deal with the Lakers back in the day.
And that&rsquo;s just it... &ldquo;Back in the day.&rdquo;
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If anything, the rivalries we see in the NBA today are more between a player and a certain team or between two or three players &mdash; and that&rsquo;s not really the same thing.
I found myself having these thoughts during the Nets-Celtics series mainly because, as fun as it is to see these teams go at it, I don&rsquo;t really think they&rsquo;re going to get to that level. It&rsquo;s only the first round of the playoffs.
When I think of rivalries, I think of Shaq and Kobe vs. Tim Duncan and Tony Parker. I think of Michael and Scottie against Patrick Ewing and the Knicks, Isiah and the Pistons vs. Jordan and the Bulls. Magic Johnson and Larry Bird, and of course, the classic Lakers and Celtics battles.
What those rivalries all had in common was continuity, and it&rsquo;s missing from the league in today&rsquo;s day and age. Think about it, pretty much all of the biggest stars in the league (except Steph Curry and Giannis) have been on more than one team. LeBron, Durant, Kawhi, Paul George, Russell Westbrook and James Harden have all even switched conferences.
Because of that, we haven&rsquo;t really gotten the same opportunity we once did to see teams grow into contenders, and to be standing in one another&rsquo;s way like we once did. It probably won&rsquo;t happen much more in the NBA, and I definitely don&rsquo;t really see that happening with Brooklyn and Boston.
As far as the Celtics and Nets are concerned, Durant is 33 years old and Kyrie is 30. I don&rsquo;t really look at Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown as their rivals, I more so look at them as the young, up-and-coming team that&rsquo;s trying to show the older generation that it&rsquo;s their time to take over. Ben Simmons gives the Nets some youth, and maybe he can prolong their championship window, but I don&rsquo;t see these two teams battling it out at the top of the Eastern Conference for a chance to go to the Finals year after year.
In today&rsquo;s game, we tend to focus more so on individual players and their individual storylines, and it makes sense since, like I said, guys seem to switch teams so much more.
If anything, what we have seen more of are mini-rivalries on an individual level. And even those were just mini-rivalries.
When LeBron was in Cleveland the first go-round and then Miami, you could have said he had a mini-rivalry with Paul Pierce and KG, I guess. You could probably make the same argument for Chris Paul and Steph Curry in the Western Conference too. Before them, maybe Steve Nash in Phoenix and Dirk in Dallas and Tim Duncan in San Antonio? They definitely had some fierce battles.
But compared to some of the classic rivalries we&rsquo;ve seen, and what I came up watching, none of today&rsquo;s &ldquo;rivalries&rdquo; really compare.
That said, the league today is still in great hands. We&rsquo;re seeing the game played at maybe the highest level ever, and there are so many individual storylines; it&rsquo;s impossible to not get invested.
But things are just different now. Players are quicker to move on and even those who give us those fierce battles are friendlier with their competitors than they were back in the day.
I&rsquo;m not mad at it, it&rsquo;s just a fact. And when I saw Boston take Game 2 from Brooklyn on Wednesday night, I saw a lot of things. Unfortunately, though, I didn&rsquo;t necessarily see a rivalry in the making.
And I&rsquo;m not sure when I will again.
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James Posey shares his thoughts on the current NBA Playoffs and what makes a real rivalry.

Sad but true: In the NBA, playoff rivalries may be a thing of the past

Just when the Dallas Mavericks finally earned home-court advantage in the playoffs for the first time since winning the NBA title 11 years ago, they could face multiple games without their top player.
<a href="https://apnews.com/article/dallas-mavericks-san-antonio-spurs-nba-sports-jason-kidd-619222aa783a75cdbff2b01bf986cedb">Star point guard Luka Doncic strained his left calf</a> in the regular-season finale and didn't practice all week leading into the Western Conference first-round opener against the Utah Jazz on Saturday. Doncic is listed as doubtful for Game 1.
The Mavericks surged to the fourth seed by going 36-12 from New Year's Eve on after a 16-18 start. The fifth-seeded Jazz finished 4-7 to fall below the Mavericks.
<a href="https://apnews.com/article/los-angeles-clippers-utah-jazz-dallas-mavericks-los-angeles-lakers-nba-e90d3f99d8bef8eda7c1814d4be27f0f">In a meeting that was crucial to Dallas catching Utah</a>, Doncic scored 32 points in a 114-100 win while defensive stalwart Rudy Gobert and 3-point threat Bojan Bogdanovic sat for the Jazz.
Now the only NBA player to average at least 28 points, eight rebounds and eight assists could be sidelined while Utah, led by Donovan Mitchell, is close to full strength. Dallas hasn't won a playoff series since the title season, losing in the first round six times.
&ldquo;We prepared for Luka for this whole series,&rdquo; Jazz guard Mike Conley said. &ldquo;We prepared for what it would look like without him. They&rsquo;re a team with a deep roster of guys who can make plays. They&rsquo;ve shown they can do that over time.&rdquo;
FILLING IN
If Doncic doesn't play, Spencer Dinwiddie and Jalen Brunson figure to be the first two scoring options for Dallas.
Dinwiddie, acquired from Washington in the trade that sent Kristaps Porzingis to the Wizards, had his highest-scoring game with the Mavericks (36 points) the first time he played without Doncic.
Brunson, drafted in the second round the same year Dallas traded up for third overall pick Doncic in 2018, has been starting alongside the three-time All-Star most of the season after being his backup their first three years together.
A year after his role diminished as the series went along in a seven-game loss to the Los Angeles Clippers, Brunson could end up in a leadership position similar to his days at Villanova, where he won two NCAA championships in three years.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m not really too worried about putting pressure on myself,&rdquo; said Brunson, who averaged career bests of 16.3 points and 4.8 assists in the regular season. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t see it as pressure. I see it as opportunity.&rdquo;
PLAYOFF MODE
Mitchell's playoff prowess has been on display the past two years.
The three-time All-Star averaged a career-best 36.3 points on 52.9% shooting in a seven-game series against Denver two years ago. Last season, he averaged 32.3 points over 10 games against Memphis and the Clippers. Mitchell has averaged nearly five made 3s over his past 17 playoff games.
&ldquo;I can see the way he&rsquo;s working right now in practice, before practice, and after practice,&rdquo; Gobert said. &ldquo;Everything he does is at a high level.&rdquo;
STARK CONTRAST
The home court would appear to matter quite a bit in this series. The Mavericks are 58-36 all-time at home against the Jazz, playoffs included. Utah is 73-25 against Dallas in Salt Lake City.
One of those road victories for the Mavericks, though, was a playoff breakthrough for young Dirk Nowitzki and company in 2001. Nowitzki was making his postseason debut when Dallas won 84-83 in the deciding Game 5.
HEALTHY AT LAST
The Jazz enter the playoffs healthy for a change.
Bogdanovic was sidelined against Denver two seasons ago after undergoing season-ending wrist surgery. Conley missed five games against the Clippers last season while rehabbing an injured hamstring.
Mitchell was hobbled by a serious ankle injury late in the LA series, when the top-seeded Jazz won the first two games at home before dropping four straight.
&ldquo;We got our guys focused on the right things and not what&rsquo;s going on outside,&rdquo; Conley said. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re now able to lock ourselves in and just go after something we all want.&rdquo;
ALL RIGHT UNDER KIDD
In his Dallas coaching debut, Jason Kidd has led the Mavericks to their highest seed since he was the point guard on the 2011 title team led by Nowitzki.
Dallas last had the home court in a five-game victory over Kevin Durant, James Harden, Russell Westbrook and Oklahoma City in the West finals. The Mavericks beat LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals.

Just when the Mavericks finally earned home-court advantage in the playoffs, they could face multiple games without their top player.

Doncic injury looms over first-round Mavs-Jazz playoff series

A rested and rehabbed Ja Morant is all set for the NBA playoffs, and the All-Star guard has the talented Memphis Grizzlies believing they're ready to make a deep postseason run.
Morant sat out the regular-season finale on Sunday, but returned the night before after missing nine games with a <a href="https://apnews.com/article/memphis-grizzlies-nba-sports-taylor-jenkins-memphis-3edf112695f80293ee4a45297b50ae52">sore right knee</a>.
&ldquo;I felt like I needed a game or two to get my legs back under me, to get the game-type feel,&rdquo; Morant said.
It appears he has his legs back under him.
Morant <a href="https://apnews.com/6c14b04053027561ae8e40065ebab0fc">scored 21 points in a win over the New Orleans Pelicans</a> that tied Memphis' franchise record for victories in a season at 56. Then, along with the other Grizzlies starters, he sat out the <a href="https://apnews.com/article/memphis-grizzlies-boston-celtics-nba-sports-santi-aldama-bd5aa43bdefea2681b5c59dd1df5f2f0">regular-season finale</a>.
It has been a steady ascension for Morant, who boosts the Grizzlies with each step he takes.
The No. 2 overall pick in the 2019 NBA draft and 2020 rookie of the year, Morant helped end Memphis&rsquo; playoff drought in 2021 when the Grizzlies played their way to the No. 8 seed.
Now with a resume worthy of MVP consideration, he has led Memphis to its highest seed ever at No. 2 in the West with the NBA's second-best record of 56-26. The Grizzlies believe they are ready to take the next step; reaching the playoffs is no longer good enough for this team.
Memphis starts its quest Saturday when it hosts Minnesota, a 109-104 winner over the Los Angeles Clippers. Not that the opponent matters to Morant.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m focused on us,&rdquo; the third-year guard out of Murray State said. "Getting better during that week stretch and just being ready to go out there and play the first two games here at home. No matter who it is, we go into the game's the same way. It&rsquo;s going to be different coverages, depending on the team, but our play style never changes.&rdquo;
This franchise was swept in the 2013 Western Conference finals, which was the only time it got past the second round.
Morant's value to the Grizzlies goes beyond mere stats.
Head cheerleader when on the bench, he brings everyone to their feet by <a href="https://twitter.com/NBATV/status/1498479488316809217?s=20&amp;t=vElgdbRggUxur_d4YlmOAw">dunking over 7-footers</a>, throwing down lobs or dishing the ball off to a teammate for an easy basket.
Even his high-flying <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1512944760541126657">blocks</a> on defense are must-see TV.
His own coach wants to see what Morant does next to attack with his &ldquo;elite level&rdquo; ballhandling skills.
&ldquo;That&rsquo;s what you need at this level,&rdquo; Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins said. "I&rsquo;m trying to follow him at times to see what&rsquo;s coming next but when he does something I&rsquo;m like, &lsquo;Here we go!&rsquo; This is what he does. I know he has more in store moving forward that&rsquo;s going to definitely surprise me.&rdquo;
And likely opponents as well.
Morant boosted his scoring average by 8.3 points a game and improved in every statistical category this season. He averaged 27.4 points, 5.7 rebounds and 6.7 assists in 57 games.
Orlando coach Jamahl Mosley said people get so enamored watching Morant's nightly highlight-reel plays that they forget his high basketball IQ.
&ldquo;His ability to understand where the reads are on the floor, teams are still going under him and he&rsquo;s still able to get to the paint at such a high clip,&rdquo; Mosley said. "He&rsquo;s just playing at a tremendous pace, and he has the ability to get to the paint continuously without teams being able to stop him.&rdquo;
Morant's speed and fearlessness driving to the basket helped him shoot 49.3% in the paint where he averaged an NBA-high 16.8 points. He had 22 games this season scoring at least 20 points in the paint, most by a guard over the last 25 seasons, according to ESPN Stats &amp; Info.
Spurs guard Lonnie Walker IV said he could learn from Morant on how to go attack the big men inside.
&ldquo;He does a fantastic job going to his left,&rdquo; Walker said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s either, if he&rsquo;s on the right side, he&rsquo;s going to snake it or if he&rsquo;s on the left side, he&rsquo;s going downhill and doing what he does.&rdquo;
With this ability to get to the basket, when he's making 3s, San Antonio forward Doug McDermott said Morant is almost un-guardable.
&ldquo;He&rsquo;s so quick,&rdquo; McDermott said. "He can split ball screens and he gets everyone else involved. He&rsquo;s a great player, and we&rsquo;ll be seeing a lot of him in the coming years."
Having Morant healthy for the postseason is a confidence boost for the Grizzlies, even though they went 20-5 without him during the season.
&ldquo;He&rsquo;s the motor for our team," forward Brandon Clarke said. "Obviously we&rsquo;re still a good, good team without him. But with Ja, we&rsquo;re great.&rdquo;
___
AP Freelance Writer Clay Bailey in Memphis contributed to this report.

Memphis starts its quest Saturday when it hosts Minnesota. Not that the opponent matters to Ja Morant.

Healthy Ja Morant has Grizzlies thinking deep postseason run

Luka Doncic will be able to play for the Dallas Mavericks in their regular-season finale after the NBA office rescinded his 16th technical foul of the season Saturday, wiping out an automatic one-game suspension.
The Mavericks, already guaranteed opening the playoffs at home, host San Antonio on Sunday night. They still have the possibility of moving up to the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference.
It was the second time this season that the league rescinded a technical foul called against the All-Star guard.
Doncic got his latest tech at the end of the first quarter of the <a href="https://apnews.com/article/portland-trail-blazers-dallas-mavericks-nba-sports-dwight-powell-31232475634dbd80712fb1e410a0bc74">Mavericks' 128-78 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers</a> on Friday night. He was upset there was no foul called after he was undercut and knocked down when taking a shot from beyond midcourt.
Crew chief Tony Brothers, who issued the tech, told a pool reporter after the game that Doncic wouldn&rsquo;t stop complaining.
&ldquo;He started to complain to each of the officials. When I was walking toward the table, he was 15 feet in the backcourt still complaining, so he got a technical for continuously complaining,&rdquo; Brothers said, adding that there was no profanity used by Doncic.
Doncic, who had 39 points and 11 rebounds while playing only three quarters, <a href="https://twitter.com/townbrad/status/1512633105198297090?s=20&amp;t=GWrr0FtZCDa_dxRLs_EXXA">said after the game that he was just asking how the play wasn't a foul</a> on the quarter-ending play.
After taking an inbound pass in the backcourt with 2.6 seconds left in the first quarter, Doncic moved by Elijah Hughes, who reached in and then appeared to stumble. That led to contact with Doncic, who was then in the air and fell on his rear end while the shot was no good.
As soon as he fell, Doncic extended both of his arms and pleaded his case to the referee closest to him. He then got up and went to talk to Brothers.

Luca Doncic had his latest technical foul rescinded, allowing him to play in Sunday's season finale.

Doncic can play in Mavs' finale after NBA rescinds 16th tech

DALLAS (AP) &mdash; Luka Doncic was assessed his 16th technical foul Friday night and will be suspended for the Dallas Mavericks' regular-season finale unless that call is rescinded by the NBA office.
Doncic was undercut by Portland's Elijah Hughes when taking a shot from beyond midcourt at the end of the first quarter. After no foul was called, Doncic could be heard telling a Mavs official that he asked Tony Brothers &ldquo;How is that not a foul?&rdquo; before the lead referee whistled the technical against him.
After taking an inbound pass in the backcourt with 2.6 seconds left, Doncic moved by Hughes to get off the shot. Hughes reached in and appeared to stumble and make contact with Doncic, who was then in the air before falling on his rear end. Doncic immediately extended both arms before getting up and questioning the refs.
If the 16th technical is upheld, that would be an automatic one-game suspension and Doncic wouldn't play Sunday night against San Antonio. But he would be good for the start of the playoffs.
Dallas led 36-13 at the end of the first quarter, when Doncic had 13 points, eight rebounds and four assists.
&nbsp;

Luka Doncic was assessed his 16th technical foul Friday night and will be suspended for the Dallas Mavericks' regular-season finale.

Doncic gets 16th tech, which means missing Mavs' finale

In the NBA Playoffs, stars often shine the brightest, with the biggest names often delivering on the biggest stage. That's to be expected, but truthfully, games are often won and lost because of the production from key role players.
Throughout the regular season, coaches may roll out a 10- or 11-man rotation consistently, providing ample rest for everybody as the season goes, as well as ensuring the development of younger players. But as the postseason kicks off, that rotation shrinks down to about eight guys playing significant minutes.&nbsp;
For the Memphis Grizzlies, De'Anthony Melton is one of those essential bench pieces that has helped Memphis lock up the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference. In fact, Memphis is now 22-4 when Melton scores 10 or more points off the bench; last season, Memphis was 16-5 in the games Melton scored double digits. So that's a pretty good indicator of the impact he has on the team's success.
The 23-year-old guard has earned a couple of nicknames over his time in Memphis. Bally Sports Southeast analyst Brevin Knight calls him "Mr. Do Something" because Melton is always contributing, even when he is not scoring. But when he is scoring, Melton has become known as "Microwave Melt."
Melton is the prime example of a binge scorer.
From November through January, De'Anthony shot 29.5% from deep on 169 attempts. He began to turn it around in February, shooting 43.8% on 48 attempts. During the month of March, Melton was on an absolute heater, shooting 47.1% on 87 attempts.
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De&rsquo;Anthony is only the 8th NBA player since the 83-84 season to have 5 straight games with 4+ 3s without starting a a game during the streak. His 26 total 3s are one of the five highest totals by a bench player over any five game span since 83-84 as well.
&mdash; Shawn Coleman (@StatsSAC) <a href="https://twitter.com/StatsSAC/status/1508628215673368581?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 29, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Melton extended this 4-triple streak off the bench to six straight against the San Antonio Spurs on March 30. Even more impressive about this stretch is that he's shot 50% or better from deep in seven straight games and in eight of his last 10.&nbsp;
His ability to knock down the deep ball is crucial to the Grizzlies' spacing. With Steven Adams providing no ability to stretch the floor, and Ja Morant needing space to get downhill and continue his unbelievable paint scoring, Memphis needs someone other than Desmond Bane to make defenders think twice about helping.
Currently, this is how the team's three-point shooting lines up without its top two snipers (Bane and John Konchar).
<ul>
<li>Tyus Jones: 39.3%</li>
<li>Kyle Anderson: 32.4%</li>
<li>Jaren Jackson Jr.: 31.9%</li>
<li>Dillon Brooks: 30.3%</li>
<li>Ziaire Williams: 30.1%</li>
</ul>
Jones and Morant do not share the floor together often; however, their success in a small sample size this season may lead to Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins playing them together in the postseason to take pressure off Morant and provide that aforementioned spacing. (Williams is likely to have his minutes diminished in the playoffs as well.) Come playoff time, Memphis is poised to run a nine-man rotation with Jones, Melton, Anderson and Brandon Clarke coming off the bench.
As the numbers suggest, the Grizzlies struggle to shoot the ball. They lead the league in a lot of categories, but simply cannot convert from downtown outside of Bane. So, quite frankly, Memphis needs Microwave Melt to carry over into the playoffs.&nbsp;
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Last season, Melton fell into one of his cold spells as the playoffs started. After winning the 9/10 game, and subsequently knocking off the Golden Warriors for the No. 8 seed, Memphis ran into a historically efficient Utah Jazz offense and simply could not keep up. Melton, at times, was unplayable due to his poor shooting in the series. Outside of Game 4 in Memphis, in which he went 3 of 6 from distance, Melton made just 3 of his 14 shots from deep and went 6 of 22 overall.
It was unexpected and certainly the worst case for the Grizzlies. In the months of March and April 2021, Melton shot 46.7% from deep on 107 attempts. But his frigid stretch hit right after. In the 10 games in May, Melton shot 30.8% on 3.9 attempts per game, and his streakiness reared its head at the wrong time.&nbsp;
For Melton, his shooting woes are almost always mechanical issues. Balance is crucial for jump shots. The ability to have a balanced base and rise straight up increases the likelihood of a made shot, so any lean towards the left or right then has to be accounted for on the trajectory of the ball.&nbsp;
Say your weight is evenly distributed (50-50 on each leg), and you rise straight up on the shot; no other adjustments on the shot must be made. If a right-handed shooter has a tendency to distribute his/her weight 60-40 in favor of the left leg &mdash; that slight lean left &mdash; it means the trajectory has to have a counter-adjustment to the right to compensate.&nbsp;
In an interview with DaMichael Cole of the Mempis Commercial Appeal, Melton <a href="https://www.commercialappeal.com/story/sports/nba/grizzlies/2022/03/30/memphis-grizzlies-guard-deanthony-melton-nbas-hottest-shooter/7184297001/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">spoke about his own adjustment</a>. "I would say for me just making sure my base is wide. Make sure I got a solid, good foundation to start there because I used to bring my feet in too close," Melton <a href="https://www.commercialappeal.com/story/sports/nba/grizzlies/2022/03/30/memphis-grizzlies-guard-deanthony-melton-nbas-hottest-shooter/7184297001/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>.
A shoulder-width base is almost a sure-fire way to get as close to a 50-50 weight distribution as possible.
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There are a couple of things to look for on this first clip. In regards to his feet, this is what Melton had been doing for much of his career, bringing his right foot in too close to his left and fighting his own body for balance. Then, he receives the pass shoulder-high, but brings it below his waist to load, adding more action than needed. Finally, though his release does not seem to have the hitch it did in 2020-21, his timing at the apex of his jump is off a tick.
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This is another catch-and-shoot opportunity here for Melton, but it's in transition, so his momentum is carrying him forward. He overcompensates for the positive momentum, missing it on the front of the rim, attempting to take a little off of the shot. The timing of the release is better here, as he releases it just before the apex, but his knees are almost touching as he brings his right foot in too far once again.
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Fast forward to March 23 when Melton hit a career-high 6 threes against the Brooklyn Nets. This angle gives you a great picture of what his mechanics are focused on. Many coaches at the youth levels teach their players to have their "toes pointed towards the basket," or to be square. That actually complicates the shooting motion. Notice the slight left turn of the feet. This small mechanical adjustment allows for the shooting elbow to be more comfortably and naturally aligned with the rim.&nbsp;
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The adjustments with his feet are noticeable. Rather than having his left foot planted on the catch and bringing his right foot in to initiate the shooting motion, Melton receives the pass with a slight two-footed hop that centers his weight on a more even stance. This allows for him to rise straight up with a fluid release that is on time.
The playoffs are around the corner, and the Grizzlies should not expect 50% shooting on 6 to 8 attempts per game, but even 36% on 4 to 5 triple tries would go a long way throughout the gauntlet in the Western Conference.
De'Anthony Melton is an X-factor to watch when the postseason begins on April 16.&nbsp;
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Justin Lewis breaks down De'Anthony Melton's hot offensive stretch and why he'll be an X-factor for the Grizzlies this postseason.

What to make of De'Anthony Melton's recent play with the Grizzlies

Just two weeks ago, the San Antonio Spurs were 27-44, two-and-a-half games out of postseason positioning and three games behind the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference standings.
The Lakers' failures have been the dominant headline of this year's playoff race. However, their epic meltdown is overshadowing a Spurs team that capitalized on an easy stretch of schedule to go 6-1 in the past two weeks and surge to the No. 10 seed.
San Antonio boasts a fifth-ranked offense and defense over that time, according to Cleaning the Glass. Sure, three of the wins have come against the Portland Trail Blazers, and a fourth victory versus the Houston Rockets; however, the Spurs have also downed Golden State and New Orleans &mdash; and even fighting tooth and nail in a one-point loss against second-seeded Memphis is commendable. This roster features just two players over age-26 in Doug McDermott (30) and Josh Richardson (28).&nbsp;
For a team that has appeared well out of contention all season, the Spurs have displayed impressive resilience with this late run.
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Any praise starts with Dejounte Murray, who is simply a full-blown superstar. The 25-year-old kicked his All-Star season up another notch in March, putting up 25.6 points, 8.8 rebounds and 8.6 assists per game with a 57.5% True Shooting percentage. Then, on defense, he led the NBA with 4.7 deflections per game.
Murray averaged 92.6 touches per game last month &mdash; third in the entire NBA &mdash; and sported a 33.5% usage rate, in the 81st percentile among point guards. His assist rate (39.3%) is in the 88th percentile post-February, and it underscores the success Murray is having with tremendous responsibility as an engine.
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Against the Pelicans, Murray racked up 13 assists against 2 turnovers. He often simply made the right pass, and on other plays, he showed off the vision and control that has come to define his methodical tempo.
Murray may be the fulcrum, but he isn't carrying San Antonio. The Spurs missed him for the past two games due to illness, yet still soundly thrashed Portland twice. They beat New Orleans on a night where Murray had those 13 assists but shot 4 of 19 from the field.
Tre Jones subbed into the starting lineup for Murray in those two wins against the Trail Blazers, handing out 16 assists without turning the ball over once. Jones has a scintillating 62.6% True Shooting percentage and a 6.40 assist-to-turnover rate during the seven-game run.
Keldon Johnson has shined as the team's second-leading scorer at 22.0 points per game. He has reasserted himself as a powerful driver while canning 47% of his corner threes over the past seven games. The drive-and-kick game has also shined.
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Johnson is already a reliable driver who continues to improve. Since March 1, his overall turnover rate has dropped to a pristine 7.0%, while his assist totals have gone up. The reads that the 22-year-old has made out of his attacks have been quite impressive.
It feels like the young core is rising collectively on the score sheet. Devin Vassell has knocked down 37.0% of his three-pointers since the All-Star break, showing off the pull-up savvy that made him a 2020 lottery pick. Zach Collins has returned from lengthy injury absences to back up Jakob Poeltl and help San Antonio post the second-highest offensive rebound rate in the NBA over the past seven games.&nbsp;
Even 19-year-old Josh Primo, the youngest player in the NBA, has stepped in as a starter over the past eight games. He hasn't been an efficient offensive contributor, but Primo is still playing 27.2 minutes per game for a Spurs team that is winning when it counts. That's meaningful development.
Seven different Spurs have logged a 15-plus-point outing during the 6-1 run. Five others have scored between 10 and 15 points at least once. Regardless of the context or competition, it's fun to see so many players impacting the point total.
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On defense, San Antonio has arguably played even better, and it starts with Poeltl. The 26-year-old has already faced the most at-rim shots in the league this season and performed admirably. During the recent winning stretch, Poeltl has faced 7.7 shots at the rim per game. Opponents are shooting just 45.7% on those attempts &mdash; the lowest rate against any player facing at least 5 attempts per game in that span.
Overall, the Spurs have held their opponents to just 54.1% shooting at the rim over the past seven games, per Cleaning the Glass, by far the league's lowest rate in that span. Teams have struggled to get out and run on San Antonio, and when stuck in a half-court game, the Spurs have allowed the fifth-fewest points per half-court possession.
In short: It's been a fantastic run, and it's placed all the pressure on the Lakers to change their fate.
L.A. is 4-16 since the All-Star break with the NBA's second-worst defensive rating. The Lakers still have to face Phoenix and Denver, two top-10 offenses on the season, along with the Warriors and Oklahoma City Thunder. The Lakers must win at least two games to even have a mathematical chance at the No. 10 seed, and even if they somehow won out, San Antonio would then only need to win two games (the Spurs hold the tiebreaker).
The Spurs have a difficult road ahead against four West playoff teams in the Denver Nuggets, Minnesota Timberwolves, Warriors and Dallas Mavericks. Does San Antonio's recent hot stretch provide enough momentum to split the schedule? Do the Lakers have anything left in the tank to apply pressure?
Regardless of the outcome, Gregg Popovich and his staff should take pride in how the young Spurs have fought for their spot in the postseason.
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Dejounte Murray has helped lead the young Spurs into the Play-In Tournament picture, and a number of others are contributing as well.

The Lakers might be collapsing, but let's give credit to the Spurs

We have reached the final installment of this season's NBA Sour Rankings and it's been a wild ride.
Of the 30 NBA teams, 28 appeared on the list at some points in the season. I inversed each ranking and turned it into a point value to tally up the most prominent members. The Los Angeles Lakers (134 points), Sacramento Kings (117), New York Knicks (113) and Portland Trail Blazers (99) were the highest point-getters, and continuously peppered the rankings since they each disappointed at consistent levels throughout the year.
Who never touched the Sour Rankings? The San Antonio Spurs and Orlando Magic. I bet you didn't expect them. Those squads had the combination of extremely low expectations and frequent flashes from young talent. Despite those franchises never being on top of the NBA sphere, I never felt frustrated by by either team because there was always a silver lining after every game.
So we arrive at the final ranking with several playoff contenders sputtering to the finish.
If you're new to the Sour Rankings, here's a refresher: Unlike the typical "power rankings" that are so common throughout sports media, Sour Rankings are a bizarro-world counter. These rankings highlight the top-10 most frustrating NBA franchises throughout the season, and they are updated every week to match the twists and turns of the league.
This is not merely a bottom-10 of your typical best-to-worst outlooks. You will see championship contenders and playoff hopefuls mixed in with struggling squads. Teams well under .500 may never touch the Sour Rankings because they are on track with their respective processes. Injuries, drama, transactions and generally underwhelming play will earn you a spot on this list.
The central question is ultimately this: How good should you feel about the direction of each franchise? Let's get going.
Escaping the Sour Rankings:&nbsp;The Dallas Mavericks have climbed up to fourth in the Western Conference standings and flipped to home-court advantage against the Utah Jazz, who they'll likely play in the postseason. The Chicago Bulls have somewhat righted the ship and maintain a hold on fifth place in the Eastern Conference. The Knicks may be out of the playoff picture, but they've suddenly been hit with a wave of developmental flashes from the young core. <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-stats-notebook-immanuel-quickleys-unusual-shot-diet-can-work" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Immanuel Quickley leads the way</a>.&nbsp;
10. Boston Celtics (47-28)
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
ESPN Sources: Celtics C Robert Williams has suffered a meniscus tear in his left knee and will minimally miss several weeks. Further evaluation today will help provide a timetable. Boston moved into first-place Sunday, and Williams has been immense part of NBA&rsquo;s best defense.
&mdash; Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) <a href="https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/1508469824195899398?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 28, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Man... <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/report-celtics-center-robert-williams-feared-to-have-torn-meniscus" target="_blank" rel="noopener">that is pain</a>. What else is there to say?
(Last week: Unranked)
9. Brooklyn Nets (39-36)
Brooklyn boasts the league's fourth-ranked offense over the past two weeks, and that was before the New York City vaccination policies changed, allowing Kyrie Irving to play in home games. The Nets can end their season with some positive momentum, as they face just three more teams at .500 or better.
One of those teams is the Atlanta Hawks, who Brooklyn is currently slotted to play in the Play-In bracket. The race for the eighth seed is dead even between the Nets and Charlotte Hornets, and that's a battle within a battle to get at least two extra shots at a playoff spot. Should the Nets lose, do they want to face a dominant Trae Young with their not-so-dominant defense?
(Last week: 8)
8. Golden State Warriors (48-27)
The Warriors have lost 5 of their last 6 games and just took a 123-115 defeat against the Wizards. They are 6-10 since the All-Star break, and while those losses have come with a mix of injured absences involving Stephen Curry and Draymond Green, it's concerning that the rest of the cast can't keep things together &mdash; even against bad teams. Golden State is currently two games up on the Mavericks for the third seed, but only four games separate the team from the sixth-place Denver Nuggets. This is a sneaky-close middle tier with the Warriors holding little momentum.
(Last week: 10)
7. Atlanta Hawks (37-37)
As mentioned, the Hawks face a potential playoff preview with the Nets. But they'll likely have to meet both Brooklyn and Charlotte in some order in the postseason. Atlanta went 2-2 against the Hornets in the regular season, and is 0-2 vs. the Nets prior to this coming Saturday's matchup. That doesn't inspire much confidence that the Hawks, as the No. 10 seed, can storm through both to the playoffs.
(Last week: 7)
6. Utah Jazz (45-30)
Utah received a quality playoff test this past week with games against the Nets, Celtics, Hornets and Mavericks. The Jazz lost all four games, though they missed Gobert. Their perennially stalwart defense is down to 20th over the past two weeks, and against the Celtics in particular, they couldn't seem to contain anyone. Donovan Mitchell is averaging 26.4 points per game since the All-Star break, but even that isn't mattering when the defense doesn't show up beyond Gobert.
(Last week: Unranked)
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5. Miami Heat (47-28)
Bryan Fonseca wrote a great piece this past week about <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/the-miami-heats-blow-up-was-necessary-but-now-the-rest-is-up-to-them" target="_blank" rel="noopener">that Heat meltdown on Wednesday</a> against the Warriors. His message was that these types of altercations don't have to define the rest of the season. But the dust-up certainly is right now, as the Heat have lost their grip on the East's top spot. They followed up the defeat with two more bad losses to the Knicks and Nets.
Miami still has conference powers in Boston, Chicago and Toronto left on the schedule. With the top four seeds separate by half a game, the Heat could easily plummet to the bottom of the tier.
(Last week: Unranked)
4. Washington Wizards (32-42)
Let's talk about Corey Kispert! The No. 15 pick flailed, as most rookies do, to open his NBA career. But Kispert has meaningfully caught fire in recent weeks. The 23-year-old sharpshooter is drilling 42.4% of his three-pointers in March. He just hit six triples on his way to a career-high 25 points in the team's aforementioned win over the Warriors. Washington hasn't had too much to get excited about in these last two weeks, so at least Kispert is helping send the young core into the summer on a high note.
(Last week: 2)
3. Portland Trail Blazers (27-47)
According to <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/jerami-grant-trade-rumors-portland-is-still-the-frontrunner" target="_blank" rel="noopener">James L. Edwards III of&nbsp;The Athletic</a>, the Trail Blazers are still the front-runner to trade for Jerami Grant this offseason. "I think a lottery pick would be the kind of sweetener that would [get a deal done]," Edwards told HoopsHype's Michael Scotto.
I just don't understand how a team so badly in need of a reset can cash in what will likely be its highest draft pick in a decade to go make a last-ditch attempt at keeping the current group relevant. Portland does not have a playoff-caliber roster regardless of Damian Lillard's health. Trading away several key future pieces for Jerami Grant will not change this. I'm simply against this move for the franchise's future.
(Last week: 4)
2. Los Angeles Lakers (31-43)
Here we go!
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
WHAT A COMEBACK 😱 The Pelicans rally from a 23-point deficit to take down the Lakers in NoLa! <a href="https://t.co/MmFRQr8n2l">pic.twitter.com/MmFRQr8n2l</a>
&mdash; NBA TV (@NBATV) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBATV/status/1508254421804716033?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 28, 2022</a></blockquote>

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The Lakers are on a two-game skid and the Spurs are on a three-game win streak. Los Angeles has eight games to try and hold off San Antonio and at least survive to reach the postseason. Over the past two weeks, in which the Lakers have gone 2-5, they have the league's ninth-ranked offense and 27th-ranked defense. Their last eight games include the Mavericks, Jazz, Pelicans, Suns, Warriors, Thunder and Nuggets (twice).
Whew, this is not going to be easy!
(Last week: 1)
1. Sacramento Kings (27-48)
The Kings shut down Richaun Holmes for the season due to "personal reasons" and did not specify why. Robin Epley of the <a href="https://www.sacbee.com/opinion/article259668860.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sacramento Bee found out</a>: Holmes is facing serious domestic violence allegations amid an ongoing custody battle.
Obviously this is an ongoing process with no conclusion yet. But Epley makes the point painfully clear in her article.
"I&rsquo;m not convicting Richaun Holmes ahead of his court date. It does, however, appear that the Kings were focused on covering up a serious situation involving allegations of domestic violence by one of their players. When I contacted the team this week, they refused to comment on the serious charges facing their player, or say anything beyond the cryptic announcement of Holmes&rsquo; departure," she writes.
Epley goes more into some important statistics surrounding domestic violence cases in the U.S. and in the NBA. I seriously implore you to read them if you haven't yet. But the point is: This is yet again another case being swept under the rug by the league and its franchises.
(Last week: 3)
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Ethan Fuller ranks the most frustrating NBA teams in the last Sour Rankings of the season.

NBA Sour Rankings: The final countdown

Orlando, Fla. (AP) &mdash; Kyrie Irving scored a career-high 60 points, most in the Nets' NBA history, to lead Brooklyn to a 150-108 victory over the Orlando Magic on Tuesday night.
Irving shot 20 for 31, including 8 of 12 on 3-pointers, in 35 minutes. He made 12 of 13 free throws in matching the highest-scoring game in the NBA this season, done just a night earlier by Minnesota's Karl-Anthony Towns against San Antonio.
Irving scored 41 points in the first half, the most in the first two quarters since Kobe Bryant had 42 against Washington on March 28, 2003.
The guard left the game after hitting a long 3-pointer with 8:33 remaining and Brooklyn leading 128-94. He gave the Nets consecutive 50-point performances, after Kevin Durant had 53 on Sunday against the New York Knicks.
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How many different ways did Kyrie get buckets en route to his career-high 60 points?? <a href="https://t.co/xNhdil1V7C">pic.twitter.com/xNhdil1V7C</a>
&mdash; NBA (@NBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1503903787907440641?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 16, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Durant added 19 points in the Nets' fourth straight win.
Cole Anthony had 19 points and seven assists for Orlando.
Playing in only his 19th game of the season because he isn't eligible to play home games because of New York City's mandate requiring vaccination against COVID-19, Irving reached the 50-point mark by spinning a layup off the glass with 5:02 left in the third quarter.
It marked the sixth 50-point game of his NBA career and the 16th 50-point game in the league this season, including two apiece by Irving, Durant, LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston's Jayson Tatum.
He went on to pass Deron Williams' Nets record of 57 points.
Irving scored 50 points last Tuesday in a 132-121 win at Charlotte. His previous career high was 57 points for Cleveland at San Antonio on March 3, 2015.
Irving had 16 points and three assists in the Nets' 48-point first quarter, in which they shot 74% (20 for 27) including 5 of 6 on 3s.
The Nets led 86-56 after Irving's 41-point first half. He was 14 for 19, including six 3-pointers.
TIP-INS
Nets: Brooklyn shot 16 for 27 from 3-point range. . . . G Cam Thomas (back contusion) did not play, and G Seth Curry (left ankle) missed a second straight game. Coach Steve Nash said both players might be available Wednesday night against Dallas. ... The Nets won three of four against the Magic this season. Neither Durant nor Irving played in the loss.
Magic: G Jalen Suggs did not play for the third time in five games after re-injuring his right ankle on Sunday night. ... The Magic announced that F Jonathan Isaac will not play this season, marking the second straight season Isaac has missed entirely since tearing his left ACL on Aug. 2, 2020.
UP NEXT
Nets: Play at home Wednesday night against Dallas.
Magic: Play at home Thursday night against Detroit.

Kyrie Irving scored a career-high 60 points, most in the Nets' history, to lead Brooklyn to a 150-108 victory over the Orlando Magic.

Irving scores career-best 60 points, Nets rout Magic 150-108

Most NBA teams have approximately 15 games left in their regular-season schedules. Even if some squads are still mathematically in the postseason hunt, we can start to distinguish the desperate bids from the real races.
In the Eastern Conference, the Washington Wizards (despite how things look on the court) continue to chase the Charlotte Hornets and are three games back of an East Play-In spot. The Los Angeles Lakers, New Orleans Pelicans, Portland Trail Blazers and San Antonio Spurs all hold some grip onto the Western Conference Play-In battle. But as the games wind down, the intensity ratchets up, and every loss can feel like a brick wall.
If you're new to the Sour Rankings, here's a refresher: Unlike the typical "power rankings" that repeat themselves throughout sports media, Sour Rankings are a bizarro-world counter. These rankings highlight the top-10 most frustrating NBA franchises throughout the season, and they will be updated every week to match the twists and turns of the league.
This is not merely a bottom-10 of your typical best-to-worst outlooks. You will see championship contenders and playoff hopefuls mixed in with struggling squads. Teams well under .500 may never touch the Sour Rankings because they are on track with their respective processes. Injuries, drama, transactions and generally underwhelming play will earn you a spot on this list.
The central question is ultimately this: How good should you feel about the direction of each franchise? Let's get going.
Escaping the Sour Rankings:&nbsp;The Toronto Raptors are riding a three-game win streak that includes quality victories over the Phoenix Suns and Denver Nuggets. They now sit just one game back of the struggling Cleveland Cavaliers for the all-important sixth seed and definitely have enough momentum to take it with 15 games left in the regular season.
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10. Golden State Warriors (46-22)
The Warriors rallied with a massive week highlighted by two double-digit wins against the Nuggets and a Saturday primetime victory against the Milwaukee Bucks. The win over the Bucks was particularly impressive because Stephen Curry attempted just 7 field goals; Klay Thompson (38 points), Jordan Poole (30 points) and Andrew Wiggins (21 points) carried the scoring load. Golden State has looked rudderless at times without Draymond Green, but hopefully this three-game hot stretch inspires confidence.
(Last week: 7)
9. Houston Rockets (17-51)
Jalen Green is still playing superb basketball, but KJ Martin has come alive with a longer leash as Houston wades through its rebuilding season. <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/kj-martin-more-than-meets-the-eye" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mark Schindler wrote a fantastic article</a> over the weekend on Martin's mini-breakout. The 21-year-old is up to 43.8% from three-point range since the break and is much more than a slasher, as Mark illustrates. This is what you hope happens amidst all the losing, and if it continues, Houston might get out of the rankings altogether next week.
(Last week: 8)
8. Cleveland Cavaliers (38-29)
It's been a rough post-All-Star run for Cleveland, who is just 3-6 since the break. Jarrett Allen's finger fracture has impacted the Cavs' top-tier defense; it's now ranked 25th over the past two weeks. Caris LeVert, Lauri Markkanen and Rajon Rondo have also dealt with their own injuries. Cleveland is now just a single game up on Toronto in a tightly-packed East playoff race. The overall picture is still bright, but the recent downturn is simply a bummer for a franchise that can feel a tangible post-LeBron playoff appearance within its grasp.
(Last week: Unranked)
7. Charlotte Hornets (33-35)
Last week I attempted, for the second time this season, to point out a solid defensive stretch by the Hornets. Once again, they made me look like a buffoon. Charlotte gave up at least 115 points in all three of its games this past week, going 1-2 against the Boston Celtics, Brooklyn Nets and Pelicans. At least Isaiah Thomas got in a nice game with 14 points against New Orleans. No matter how you feel about his viability as an NBA player, it's impossible not to root for Thomas.
(Last week: 9)
6. Brooklyn Nets (35-33)
Nets Twitter (and I presume the rest of Nets fandom) positively exploded with joy in Brooklyn's dominant 129-100 win over the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday. The triumph is perhaps the highlight of the season to date and hopefully a spark plug, as Brooklyn has rattled off three consecutive victories. We also need to keep talking about Bruce Brown, who is averaging 14.4 points, 6.0 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game since the All-Star break.&nbsp;
(Last week: 1)
5. New York Knicks (28-40)
I'm an absolute sucker for Deuce McBride propaganda, so here you go:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Deuce has been freakin absurd at the nail as he's finally started to get rotation minutes <a href="https://t.co/2m98NjOo4p">pic.twitter.com/2m98NjOo4p</a>
&mdash; Mark Schindler (@MSchindlerNBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/MSchindlerNBA/status/1502679211127054337?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 12, 2022</a></blockquote>

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New York went 2-2 this week, but with some respectable losses to the Memphis Grizzlies and Miami Heat. More importantly, we're seeing meaningful time and flashes from young talents, whether it be McBride, RJ Barrett, Jericho Sims or Immanuel Quickley. That's all that matters over the final weeks.
(Last week: 2)
4. Los Angeles Lakers (29-38)
LeBron James has now dropped multiple 50-bombs out of the All-Star break and continues his lopsided battle with Father Time. Also lopsided? The Lakers are 2-0 since the break when James scored at least 50 points and 0-7 when he doesn't. That's... not exactly a desirable bar for success. Los Angeles now looks ahead at 6 games in 10 days with five against current playoff teams. I would not be surprised if they entered a March 27 contest against New Orleans behind the Pelicans in the standings.
(Last week: 3)
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3. Sacramento Kings (24-45)
Sacramento stands four-and-a-half games behind a Play-In spot, is 2-7 since the All-Star break and has bottom-10 metrics on both ends of the floor during that span. The Kings are giving up the ninth-highest frequency of three-pointers to opponents per Cleaning the Glass, and those teams are shooting a strong 38.2% from the floor. Sacramento has the playoff-bound Chicago Bulls, Bucks, Celtics and Suns next on tap, which doesn't bode well for them stopping the current four-game slide.
(Last week: 4)
2. Portland Trail Blazers (26-40)
Despite sitting 11th in the West and just one game behind the Pelicans, Portland simply can't put enough quality games together. The Blazers finally earned a 127-118 win over the Wizards to snap a six-game skid on Saturday. Anfernee Simons is down with a knee injury and will be re-evaluated in 1-to-2 weeks, meaning Portland loses its most coveted young player for the short-term future. Props to Josh Hart for his 44-point explosion though.
(Last week: 5)
1. Washington Wizards (29-37)
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Win, loss, tie, blowout either way: what on earth is this roster and minutes distribution man I know KP didn&rsquo;t play, but like how does that clear anything up lol <a href="https://t.co/1VkTfPnQfh">pic.twitter.com/1VkTfPnQfh</a>
&mdash; Mark Schindler (@MSchindlerNBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/MSchindlerNBA/status/1503001470148427779?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 13, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Mark Schindler highlighted the rotation discord in Washington, and it's pretty baffling. Corey Kispert is playing 39 minutes? Deni Avdijia is playing 13 minutes? Washington should either be making a last-ditch playoff push (three games out of 10th right now) or committing to playing the more experienced young lottery talents it has added over the past few years. Yet somehow, neither is happening.
(Last week: 6)
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The Wizards and Trail Blazers are tumbling in Ethan Fuller's latest Sour Rankings.

NBA Sour Rankings: Wizards, Trail Blazers in postseason peril

Gregg Popovich tied Don Nelson&rsquo;s NBA record with his 1,335th career victory as a coach in the San Antonio Spurs&rsquo; 117-110 win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday night.
Popovich chose to ignore the achievement, as he has many others during his illustrious 26-year tenure leading San Antonio. He didn't mention it to players after the victory, and he didn't take any questions about the record during a brief, three-question session with reporters after.
&ldquo;You guys know Pop,&rdquo; San Antonio center Jakob Poeltl said. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think he really cares about stuff like that. It didn&rsquo;t even really get mentioned. I doubt it will get mentioned when we get the next win. It&rsquo;s just how he is.&rdquo;
Popovich will try to pass Nelson when San Antonio hosts the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday night.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s hard to put into words how much of an impact he&rsquo;s had on the Spurs organization, USA Basketball and basketball in general," Spurs guard Josh Richardson said.
The only difference between this record-tying game and any previous was the 73-year-old Popovich&rsquo;s decision to get a little physical with players prior to the game.
&ldquo;He was trying to get us to play a little bit more aggressive,&rdquo; Poeltl said. &ldquo;In these last few games, we&rsquo;ve been pretty soft on defense. Shootaround this morning was a little bit more intense. I think that was just him trying to get a message across. He was pushing guys around, and then it kind of ended up in a huddle mosh-pit situation.&rdquo;
San Antonio needed the jolt, even with the struggling Lakers without LeBron James.
The Spurs had lost four straight with Popovich on the precipice of matching the record, and they were in danger of extending that skid with a late collapse as James sat the game out with a sore left knee.
Dejounte Murray had 26 points and 10 rebounds, and Poeltl and Richardson each had 18 points. Richardson was making his first start with San Antonio.
Talen Horton-Taylor had 18 points to lead Los Angeles, and Russell Westbrook, Malik Monk and Carmelo Anthony added 17 points each.
Popovich has five NBA titles and is a lock for enshrinement in the NBA Hall of Fame after a career in which he&rsquo;s coached Spurs greats including David Robinson, Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili. Robinson sat courtside Monday, and Popovich jokingly told him to check into the game during a time.
These aren&rsquo;t the same Spurs from Robinson&rsquo;s prime. San Antonio is 25-40, already assured of a third straight losing season after 22 consecutive finishes over .500. Monday&rsquo;s game nearly got away, too.
The Lakers pulled within 108-105 on Horton-Taylor&rsquo;s jumper with 5:40 left, and the Spurs were scoreless for nearly four minutes before Poeltl&rsquo;s free throw with 37.4 seconds left. Los Angeles never got closer than three, though.
&ldquo;The just played a little smarter than us down the stretch,&rdquo; LA guard Malik Monk said.
The Lakers were without James and Anthony Davis. James was a late scratch Monday after scoring a season-high 56 points Saturday in a victory over the Golden State Warriors.
Los Angeles had lost four straight and seven of eight prior to James&rsquo; highest point total with the Lakers, which matched the third highest of his career.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s kind of frustrating that we have a great win like we did against Golden State and Lebron&rsquo;s knee is a little sore and he&rsquo;s got to miss and we take a little step back,&rdquo; Monk said. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve got to do a better job and figure things out as a team when he&rsquo;s out.&rdquo;
It marked the eighth straight game that the Lakers have faced a double-digit deficit.
The Lakers remained in the game by cutting to the rim without the ball for open layups, drives to the basket and the Spurs&rsquo; poor free-throw shooting. San Antonio was 16 for 30 on free throws, including 6 for 14 in the third quarter.
TIP-INS
Lakers: James has missed 17 games this season due to various injuries, including abdomen and ankle ailments. Los Angeles coach Frank Vogel is hopeful James will play Wednesday in Houston. ... Westbrook collected his third foul with 11:38 left in the first half. He finished with five fouls in 35 minutes.
Spurs: Devin Vassell, Lonnie Walker IV and Keita Bates-Diop all missed the game with an undisclosed illness. Popovich said it was not COVID-19 related. ... Poeltl picked up two fouls in the first 1 1/2 minutes and spent the remainder of the first quarter on the bench.
UP NEXT
Lakers: At Houston on Wednesday.
Spurs: Host Toronto on Wednesday.

Gregg Popovich tied Don Nelson’s NBA record with his 1,335th career victory as a coach in the Spurs’ 117-110 win over the Lakers.

Spurs' Popovich ties Nelson for NBA career wins record

The Sour Rankings are all about spotlighting disappointment, negativity and drama in the NBA. As the writer of this column, even I get a little bummed out after writing so many critical paragraphs.
So we're mixing up the agenda this week. You'll still receive the same Sour Rankings, but I'll additionally provide a positive development for each squad. Some will be obvious (LeBron James dropped 56 two nights ago), and others will hopefully surprise. For fans of these teams, the positivity should at least provide some much-needed comfort.
If you're new to the Sour Rankings, here's a refresher: Unlike the typical "power rankings" that repeat themselves throughout sports media, Sour Rankings are a bizarro-world counter. These rankings highlight the top-10 most frustrating NBA franchises throughout the season, and they will be updated every week to match the twists and turns of the league.
This is not merely a bottom-10 of your typical best-to-worst outlooks. You will see championship contenders and playoff hopefuls mixed in with struggling squads. Teams well under .500 may never touch the Sour Rankings because they are on track with their respective processes. Injuries, drama, transactions and generally underwhelming play will earn you a spot on this list.
The central question is ultimately this: How good should you feel about the direction of each franchise? Let's get going.
Escaping the Sour Rankings:&nbsp;The Milwaukee Bucks didn't stay long, now riding a four-game winning streak after picking up three statement wins against playoff competitors in the Miami Heat, Chicago Bulls and Phoenix Suns. The New Orleans Pelicans also received some positive news on the Zion Williamson front to pair with their solid play, so they escape as well.
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10. Toronto Raptors (34-30)
The Raptors have come out from the All-Star break just 2-5, with both those wins coming versus the Brooklyn Nets. They're in somewhat of an Eastern Conference standings bubble at seventh, currently three games behind the Cleveland Cavaliers and three games up on eighth place (a triple tie).
Unfortunately, Malachi Flynn is <a href="https://www.cbssports.com/fantasy/basketball/news/raptors-malachi-flynn-out-at-least-10-days/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">out at least 10 days</a> with a hamstring injury. But his post-All-Star run is worth highlighting because it was sneaky-unreal. Flynn averaged 12.5 points per game, shot 42.3% from long range and handed out 27 assists against a single turnover in six contests. Hopefully he can return from injury soon because he really appeared to be putting things together offensively.
(Last week: Unranked)
9. Charlotte Hornets (32-33)
We're once again at the point of questioning a surprisingly successful Hornets defense. <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/stats-notebook-charlotte-is-buzzing-behind-a-weirdly-successful-defense" target="_blank" rel="noopener">I wrote a whole Stats Notebook on Charlotte's defense</a> over a month ago and the team responded by being abjectly terrible.&nbsp;
Well, now the Hornets are eighth in defensive rating since the All-Star break and one of five NBA teams with top-12 metrics on both sides of the basketball. Is this a real sign of progress or just another small-sample mirage? We'll find out pretty soon.
(Last week: 7)
8. Houston Rockets (16-48)
Jalen Green, man.
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Jalen Green SAUCE 🥫🔥<a href="https://t.co/ofdpU8YjRv">pic.twitter.com/ofdpU8YjRv</a>
&mdash; BasketballNews.com (@basketbllnews) <a href="https://twitter.com/basketbllnews/status/1500663635160481792?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 7, 2022</a></blockquote>

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He's been leading all rookies with 18.1 points per game since Feb. 1. Green is attacking the rim with effort (79th percentile in frequency, per Cleaning the Glass) and finishing effectively (64.0% at the rim, in the 74th percentile). The highlights alone have breathed some life into Houston, which finally snapped a 12-game losing streak with Sunday night's victory over the Grizzlies.
(Last week: 6)
7. Golden State Warriors (43-21)
So Golden State is 2-8 in its last 10 games, and Andrew Wiggins has notably underwhelmed since his first All-Star appearance. Still, we're keeping things positive, and the best part of the Warriors' past month has been the rise of two lottery rookies.
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/stats-notebook-3-nba-prospects-who-are-quietly-figuring-things-out" target="_blank" rel="noopener">I wrote about Jonathan Kuminga recently</a>, so I'd like to focus on Moses Moody here. He's played in 11 games for the Warriors since the start of February and knocked down an even 50.0% of his threes while averaging 17.1 minutes per contest. Regression is inevitable, but it's nice to see Moody's shot translating so far, as he moves up from the G League to a larger presence in the rotation.
(Last week: Unranked)
6. Washington Wizards (29-34)
Washington is about to hit a great stretch of its schedule despite heading out west. Just 3 of the next 8&nbsp; games are against teams over .500 (Los Angeles Clippers, Denver Nuggets and Warriors) and the other five matchups include the New York Knicks, Portland Trail Blazers, Los Angeles Lakers (twice) and Rockets. This is a great opportunity for the Wizards to string together some wins as their closest East competitors struggle. Washington is still just two games back of a three-way tie for eighth place in the standings. With Kristaps Porzingis now healthy, it's go time for a playoff push.
(Last week: 5)
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5. Portland Trail Blazers (25-38)
After losing four straight games by 14 or more points (three of them by at least 30), Portland has entered the cliff-hanging window for its playoff hopes. But let's give Brandon Williams the name recognition he deserves.&nbsp;
The 22-year-old guard went undrafted this past season, tried out for the Westchester Knicks in the G League and promptly tore it up with the team this season. He's now earned a two-way deal with the Blazers, and is averaging 14.8 points in 21.4 minutes per game over his last four contests while making 42.9% of his threes. These types of stories never get old.
(Last week: 8)
4. Sacramento Kings (24-42)
The Kings scrounge up a couple of wins against the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs to keep their postseason hopes barely alive. De'Aaron Fox is certainly doing his best to put any remaining ire about trading Tyrese Haliburton behind the team. Fox has put up a whopping 28.3 points per game since the start of February, and sports a 36.5% three-point clip. We've said this several times when Fox heats up, but if that jumper is even semi-legit, he becomes a wholly-different caliber of offensive player.
(Last week: 4)
3. Los Angeles Lakers (28-35)
LeBron James is just the fourth NBA player ever to score 50 or more points at over 37 years old. His 56-point outburst was historic on several fronts, and it reminded the city and the league that &mdash; when all else is failing &mdash; The King is still The King. In fact, LeBron's 29.4 points per game are the fourth-most he's had in any NBA season, and the most since the 2009-10 campaign in Cleveland. Level it out, and his per-36 scoring output of 28.8 points is the highest he's ever had.
(Last week: 1)
2. New York Knicks (26-38)
Ariel Pacheco is one of my favorite Knicks follows, so I'll let his Twitter thread do the talking after a great win over the Clippers:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Knicks/Clippers - 6 things that stood out The Deuce, IQ, Cam, RJ, Mitch/Sims lineup held the Clippers scoreless for a 6 min stretch. Fun combo of ball pressure, timely switches, good contesting. Forced a couple of turnovers well. Multiple guys who can guard multiple positions <a href="https://t.co/6rWZ4lt0i6">pic.twitter.com/6rWZ4lt0i6</a>
&mdash; Ariel (@APachecoNBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/APachecoNBA/status/1500850399464636416?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 7, 2022</a></blockquote>

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I will beg for more Deuce McBride-Immanuel Quickley minutes as long as I live, but this small sample bodes well for the defense of the future. New York actually has the ninth-best defensive rating in the NBA since the All-Star break (small sample size alert), so there may be some good development happening.&nbsp;
(Last week: 2)
1. Brooklyn Nets (32-33)
So, the Nets do have the league's second-worst defense since the All-Star break and lost at full strength to the Boston Celtics in a huge Sunday matinee game to move to 3-13 since Feb. 1.
However! Let's talk about Bruce Brown.
The 25-year-old has made 50% of his three-pointers in that 16-game stretch. He's up to 37.7% on the season, which would be a major career-high clip. Brown isn't exactly a Joe Harris replacement; he takes just 1.1 threes per game and hasn't earned the full respect of the defense. But he is probably Brooklyn's best perimeter defender, and if he can be solid enough on offense, the Nets could really use someone of his style.
(Last week: 3)
&nbsp;
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Ethan Fuller provides some positivity for each team in this week's Sour Rankings.

NBA Sour Rankings: Look on the bright side

Scottie Barnes made his first 11 shots and had 28 points and a season-high 16 rebounds, leading the Toronto Raptors to a 133-97 victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Monday night in the opener of a home-and-home series.
Blown out by Charlotte and Atlanta in their first two games after the All-Star break, the Raptors were on the good side of a romp against a Nets team that was missing their best players, their coach and apparently anyone who could guard Barnes.
The forward was 10 for 10 at halftime, the first rookie to be perfect on 10 or more shots in a half since Derrick Rose on March 18, 2009, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. The Nets finally stopped the No. 4 pick when James Johnson blocked his shot with 7:08 left in the third quarter.
By then, Barnes was on the way to matching his highest-scoring game on a night Toronto led by as many as 39 points.
Precious Achiuwa had 20 points and eight rebounds for the Raptors, who played without All-Star guard Fred VanVleet because of a sore right knee. VanVleet replacement Malachi Flynn scored 18 points.
The teams play again Tuesday in Toronto, which the Nets hope will be their last game without Kevin Durant, who is expected to return soon after missing the last 20 games with a sprained left knee ligament. Kyrie Irving and Ben Simmons were also out for the Nets, and coach Steve Nash was placed in health and safety protocols shortly before the game. Assistant Jacque Vaughn ran the team in his place.
The Raptors moved three games ahead of the Nets for seventh place in the Eastern Conference. The No. 7 seed hosts No. 8 to open the play-in round, with the winner of that game earning the No. 7 seed. No. 8 hosts the winner of the 9-10 game for the No. 8 seed.
The Nets never envisioned having to worry about that, but it looks increasingly likely after their 14th loss in 17 games. LaMarcus Aldridge scored 15 points, while Cam Thomas and Bruce Brown had 14.
Brooklyn was coming off a victory at defending champion Milwaukee on Saturday, with Irving scoring 38 points. Irving was unavailable again at home Monday because he hasn't met New York City's vaccine mandate, nor will he be able to travel to Toronto.
Nash said before the game he has not had any new talks with Irving about getting the shot.
Toronto was 6 for 9 from 3-point range to take a 42-27 lead after one quarter. Barnes had 13 points on 5-for-5 shooting, then went 5 for 5 and scored 11 in the second, when Toronto led by 28 before taking a 71-48 lead to the break.
TIP-INS
Raptors: Coach Nick Nurse said OG Anunoby (broken right finger) hadn't seen a specialist yet so had no update. ... The Raptors signed forward D.J. Wilson to a third 10-day contract.
Nets: Vaughn coached the Nets at the end of the 2019-20 season after Kenny Atkinson was fired in early March. He guided the Nets to the playoffs, where they were swept by the Raptors in the first round at Walt Disney World, shortly before Nash was hired.
SIMMONS STATUS
Nash, who held his news conference before he was ruled out, said he <a href="https://apnews.com/article/philadelphia-76ers-brooklyn-nets-nba-sports-new-york-97acc40e376f443d8d8ff716844f4bf8">doesn't think Simmons will practice this week</a> after being bothered by back pain. He hasn't been cleared for any high-intensity work, making it unlikely the former 76ers star will be ready when the Nets visit Philadelphia on March 10.
GOING AGAINST GORAN
Goran Dragic's second game with the Nets was against the Raptors, who had acquired him last summer in the deal that sent Kyle Lowry to Miami. Dragic played in just five games for the Raptors before they dealt him before the trade deadline to San Antonio. The veteran guard agreed to a buyout and signed with the Nets last week.
Nurse said coaching against him was no big deal.
&ldquo;Listen, I think he&rsquo;s happy where he&rsquo;s at now and guys in that stage of their career, it&rsquo;s not uncommon,&rdquo; Nurse said.
UP NEXT
The Raptors will be allowed to play in front of full capacity on Tuesday after being limited to 1,000 fans when they were last home on Feb. 12.
&ldquo;It hasn&rsquo;t been that great for our team or even our opposition coming in, the low energy that's been in that building with no one there,&rdquo; Nurse said. &ldquo;So especially for a place that&rsquo;s full of energy, it&rsquo;s a super-fun place to be when we do have funs and all that stuff, so we&rsquo;re certainly looking forward to that.&rdquo;

Scottie Barnes was 10 for 10 at halftime, the first rookie to be perfect on 10 or more shots in a half since Derrick Rose on March 18, 2009.

Barnes makes first 11 shots, Raptors romp 133-97 in Brooklyn

The NBA All-Star break is always a good time to reflect on the first half of the season and look ahead to the remainder of the campaign. For fantasy-basketball enthusiasts, it also means that the fantasy playoffs are just a few weeks away.
Who better to help break down this season from a fantasy perspective than one of the most respected names in the fantasy-basketball community?&nbsp;
BasketballNews.com chatted with <a href="https://twitter.com/redrock_bball" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Josh Lloyd</a> &mdash; the host of the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1I9lmlRwqSehJzlRo6DKqg" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Locked On Fantasy Basketball Podcast</a> as well as the lead fantasy analyst for <a href="https://basketballmonster.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Basketball Monster</a> and <a href="https://www.yahoo.com/author/josh-lloyd/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Yahoo Sports Australia</a> &mdash; to get some fantasy advice for the home stretch, pick his brain about the first half of this season and learn about his journey from pharmacist to fantasy expert.
In terms of fantasy production, which players have surprised you the most so far this season?&nbsp;
Josh Lloyd: &ldquo;Gary Trent Jr. has been a huge surprise to me as well as Dejounte Murray. I also did not expect DeMar DeRozan to have the best season of his career at his age on a new team with an established number-one guy.&rdquo;
Which players have disappointed you this season?&nbsp;
Lloyd: &ldquo;Isaiah Stewart has been a huge letdown, as were Damian Lillard and Bradley Beal &mdash; even before they missed time due to injury.&rdquo;
Who are a few players that should be owned in significantly more leagues?&nbsp;
Lloyd: &ldquo;Patrick Beverley is the number-one player who stands out to me. He does get hurt a lot, but when healthy, he shouldn&rsquo;t be on any waiver wires. I&rsquo;d also take a chance on guys like Cam Payne (now with Chris Paul&rsquo;s injury) and Jaxson Hayes in New Orleans; they need to be grabbed.&rdquo;
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Who are some players to keep an eye on as this season progresses that could become a decent add (just based on the trajectory they&rsquo;re on or the opportunity ahead of them)?&nbsp;
Lloyd: &ldquo;I&rsquo;m always going to watch Alperen Sengun. It will take Christian Wood missing time, but that is always possible. I also want to track the Pacers&rsquo; big-man situation, and especially Isaiah Jackson. There are a lot of unknowns there, but Jackson has the highest fantasy upside.&rdquo;&nbsp;
Which struggling player will get back on track and reward patient fantasy owners?&nbsp;
Lloyd: &ldquo;OG Anunoby is in a big slump at the moment and I believe he will get back to his usual production soon. I&rsquo;d also look at Anthony Edwards, who has really struggled of late. But resting his ankle should allow him to attack the last part of the season with vigor.&rdquo;
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Who should fans be most concerned about rest-of-season?&nbsp;
Lloyd: &ldquo;Malcolm Brogdon and Zion Williamson haven&rsquo;t been ruled out for the season, but I doubt they play. I would also be pretty concerned about Tyrese Maxey with James Harden in town.&rdquo;
Which trade-deadline acquisitions are worth a look after their change of scenery?&nbsp;
Lloyd: &ldquo;To be honest, most of the value is created for players who remained on their teams, like Devin Vassell taking on a bigger role with Derrick White gone [in San Antonio]. I would also look at Justise Winslow in Portland.&rdquo;
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You were a pharmacist and then you made the transition to fantasy analyst. What went into that decision? And was it scary leaving behind a great job with plenty of security?&nbsp;
Lloyd: &ldquo;It was simply about doing something I enjoyed. Pharmacy had become pretty stale and limiting and I spent so much time analyzing the NBA anyway that when a chance came up to make that a career, I took it. It was a little scary, but I didn&rsquo;t make the full-time transition for a couple of years, when I had full-time employment in the fantasy industry already secured.&rdquo;
There are a ton of people who would love to become a fantasy analyst, but they probably don&rsquo;t know where to start or they think it&rsquo;s unrealistic. What advice would you give to someone who wants to pursue a career as a fantasy analyst?&nbsp;
Lloyd: &ldquo;The number-one thing to do is be active. Get involved in Twitter. Post in the fantasy-basketball subreddit. Start your own YouTube channel or podcast, or even blog. Just practice writing or speaking and analyzing the game. It&rsquo;s not easy and takes a lot of commitment. The number-one thing to build yourself up, though, is to be consistent.&rdquo;&nbsp;
Our Tommy Beer recently put together his <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/the-202122-fantasy-basketball-allstar-team" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2022 Fantasy All-Star Team</a>, highlighting which NBA players were fantasy studs during the first half of the season. Did any of your players make the list?
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Need some fantasy advice? Josh Lloyd shares his must-add players, biggest surprises and letdowns, players who concern him and more.