Highlanders

Day 8 of the 2024 NBA Playoffs saw some interesting games as we entered the halfway mark of the first round. The Orlando Magic leveled up their series vs the Cleveland Cavaliers, 2-2, at home. Boston regained control of the series against Miami after a tough game 2 loss to now lead 3-1, while OKC took a commanding 3-0 lead vs NOLA who are still without Zion Williamson. Lastly, the Lakers, after 4 games finally win against the Nuggets after leading most of the time in the entire series.
Check out the recap here:
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FINAL SCORE THREAD 🧵<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBAPlayoffs?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBAPlayoffs</a> - Game 4 🏀 CLE 89 - 112 ORL | Series tied 2-2 Franz Wagner 📊 34 PTS | 13-17 FG | 13 REB | 4 AST Jonathan Isaac 📊 14 PTS | 5-7 FG | 4-6 3P | 7 REB | 2 BLK Jarrett Allen 📊 21 PTS | 8-11 FG | 9 REB <a href="https://t.co/f31CYHJM2F">pic.twitter.com/f31CYHJM2F</a>
&mdash; BasketballNews.com (@basketbllnews) <a href="https://twitter.com/basketbllnews/status/1784369901299470391?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 27, 2024</a></blockquote>

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<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBAPlayoffs?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBAPlayoffs</a> - Game 3 🏀 OKC 106 - 85 NOP | Thunder leads series 3-0 Shai Gilgeous-Alexander 📊 24 PTS | 8-20 FG | 8 AST | 5 REB | 4 STL Jalen Williams 📊 21 PTS| 9-16 FG | 3-4 3P | 9 REB | 5 AST | 2 STL Josh Giddey 📊 21 PTS | 8-13 FG | 4-7 FG | 8 REB | 6 AST<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ThunderUp?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ThunderUp</a> <a href="https://t.co/T8twIl6DnJ">pic.twitter.com/T8twIl6DnJ</a>
&mdash; BasketballNews.com (@basketbllnews) <a href="https://twitter.com/basketbllnews/status/1784373151289454723?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 28, 2024</a></blockquote>

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<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBAPlayoffs?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBAPlayoffs</a> - Game 3 🏀 BOS 104 - 84 MIA | Celtics lead series 2-1 Jayson Tatum 📊 22 PTS | 11 REB | 6 AST Jaylen Brown 📊 22 PTS | 11-20 FG | 8 REB | 3 AST | 2 STL <a href="https://t.co/YF1clU5Ua2">pic.twitter.com/YF1clU5Ua2</a>
&mdash; BasketballNews.com (@basketbllnews) <a href="https://twitter.com/basketbllnews/status/1784394162206540138?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 28, 2024</a></blockquote>

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<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBAPlayoffs?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBAPlayoffs</a> - Game 4 🏀 DEN 108 - 119 LAL | Nuggets lead series 3-1 LeBron James 📊 30 PTS | 14-23 FG | 5 REB | 4 AST | 3 STL Anthony Davis 📊 25 PTS | 23 REB | 11-17 FG | 6 AST D'Angelo Russell 📊 21 PTS | 8-15 FG | 4 AST Austin Reaves 📊 21 PTS | 7-15 FG | 6 AST First time&hellip; <a href="https://t.co/DRLLSh7emJ">pic.twitter.com/DRLLSh7emJ</a>
&mdash; BasketballNews.com (@basketbllnews) <a href="https://twitter.com/basketbllnews/status/1784425292049903767?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 28, 2024</a>
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Day 8 of the 2024 NBA Playoffs saw some interesting games as we entered the halfway mark of the first round.

2024 NBA Playoffs Day 8 Recap: Lakers finally strike vs Nuggets; Celtics regain control

This article is part of a two-part series preview for the upcoming 2023-2024 NBA Playoffs.
With the 2023-2024 NBA Playoffs starting, all eyes will be on all teams competing for the championship as fans and players look on for a taste of postseason action. As eight playoff teams in each conference gear up for what promises to be an intense battle for the title, each team faces its own set of unique challenges. In this article, we take a closer look at the biggest question facing each Western Conference team heading into the playoffs, from injuries and roster changes to key matchups and strategic decisions.
<h3>Oklahoma City Thunder - How far can their youth and inexperience take them in the playoffs?</h3>
The Thunder got away through the regular season with historic from MVP frontrunner Shai Gilgeous Alexander, an impressive rookie season by Chet Holmgren, a star sophomore leap by Jalen Williams, and a coaching masterclass in a genius coach Mark Daigneault.
However, the playoffs as we know it is a different beast &ndash; will Mark Daigneault be able to sustain the good coaching he has done with his team throughout this regular season?
How much of this youth and inexperience be a factor for them to advance deeper in the playoffs; will they be able to use it to their advantage? Or will it be a hindrance against other experienced teams when they face each other in these tight situations? Most of the time, these situations require patience and discipline &ndash; teams with playoff experience have shown over time and have done it time and time again on their way to a deep playoff run.
<h3>Denver Nuggets - Can they go back to back?</h3>
There&rsquo;s really no other question for a team like the Nuggets at the peak of their powers: Can they win back-to-back titles? There has not been a back-to-back champion in the NBA for the past 5 years, with the last one coming in 2017 and 2018 when the Warriors won it all.
Like Boston, it is a title or bust status with Denver as of now. They have been fairly healthy throughout the regular season, have a mostly intact roster that won it all last year, and have the best player in the world in Nikola Jokic in his absolute prime. Denver this year has again all the necessary pieces to win &ndash; the right amount of shooters, defensive guys, scoring in the paint &ndash; which are all the makings of a championship team.
A couple of questionable factors though would be how much of an impact the loss of Bruce Brown would have in these playoffs. Brown was arguably the 5th, or 4th best player in their championship run last year &ndash; maybe even the 3rd in some games. He was essential on offense and defense, guarding the opponent&rsquo;s best perimeter threats while providing off-ball scoring and cuts that fit perfectly with Jokic.
Second, they&rsquo;ll be facing championship-caliber teams with hunger and drive to defeat them, and all have been competitive with the Nuggets this season. The Lakers, although the Nuggets swept them last year in the Western Conference Finals, still have LeBron James and Anthony Davis, and they won&rsquo;t take that lightly &ndash; likely coming back with a vengeance.
The Suns have won the season series with the Nuggets 2-1 and they pose a threat to the Nuggets with their formula of having three elite shotmakers that can explode anytime &ndash; which the Nuggets may not cover all at the same time.&nbsp; The Wolves, who perhaps have the best lineup suited to defeat them, are lurking in the same bracket waiting to pounce on them at sight.&nbsp;
These are all challenges a defending champion must go through to achieve a rare feat because the playoffs are supposed to be hard.
<h3>Minnesota Timberwolves -&nbsp; Will they finally break through after years of heartbreak?</h3>
This has already been a win of a season for the Timberwolves, achieving their second most wins in franchise history (56) since 2004 when they won 58 wins and reached the conference finals.
However, this has not stopped them from wanting more, and the wolfpack is not satisfied nor contented with just this achievement &ndash; they want more.
Minnesota wanting to go win that first playoff series like a hungry pack of wolves has been evident since trading for 3-time Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert. Although they fell short last season due to untimely injuries to key players, the Wolves ran it back and have proven their little experiment with two bigs in star Karl Anthony Towns and Gobert would work.&nbsp;
Led by their resurgent young superstar Anthony Edwards equipped with the best defense in the league, Minnesota certainly hopes this team would be the one &ndash; the one to end the longest playoff series win droughts in the league for quite some time now.
<h3>Los Angeles Clippers - Will they be able to meet the expectations this time around?</h3>
The Clippers trading for James Harden signaled one thing for the franchise: They are going all in with Kawhi Leonard and Paul George and surrounding them with all the help they can get. They are far from a perfect team, but the Clippers want to have the best possible results this season before transferring to their new arena next year.
The Clippers have only appeared in the conference finals once in the Leonard-George era after being plagued by several injuries during their different playoff runs. Due to that, people haven&rsquo;t been able to see what the team is capable of when their two stars are fully healthy in a playoff run.
However, this year might just be their year. Their core of Harden, George, and Leonard have been mostly healthy all season long. The front office has also surrounded them with complementary pieces to help them win. LA now has usable bigs in Zubac, Plumlee, and Theis; they have Terrance Mann as their designated stopper; Norman Powell being the sixth man off the bench microwave scorer; a 3-and-D wing in Amir Coffe; and Russell Westbrook as the spark plug that gives them the boost and the energy off the bench.
After being just the &lsquo;second team in LA&rsquo; and &lsquo;that other team in LA&rsquo; for years, the Clippers aim to prove the doubters wrong and change the perception that surrounds the team as they pivot into a new era of Clippers basketball.&nbsp;
<h3>Dallas Mavericks - Will Luka finally fulfill the promise he has been showing so far in his career?</h3>
Throughout his young NBA career, Luka Doncic has had one of the best starts since LeBron James statistically. He has been in constant range of breaking or matching LeBron&rsquo;s records in points scored, triple-doubles, assists, and rebounds. However, this has not always translated into wins with Doncic just appearing in just one conference finals in the first six years of his career. But that might change this season.&nbsp;&nbsp;
This year, the Mavericks have put up arguably the best roster on paper that Luka has had in his career &ndash; arguably even better than the 2022 team that made the conference finals.
Alongside Doncic&rsquo;s MVP act is a true partner in crime in Kyrie Irving; shot-blocking and rim-rolling vertical threats in Daniel Gafford and Lively; rugged forwards that can shoot in PJ Washington, Dante Exum, Josh Green, and Derrick Jones; a microwave off-the-bench scorer in Tim Hardaway Jr; and veteran bigs that have been in Dallas for quite some time now and you can count on in always with Maxi Kleber and Dwight Powell.
Can Luka finally overcome the Clippers? This season was one for the books with an MVP caliber and worthy year by averaging close to 34 points a game with 9 rebounds and 9 assists per game. Doncic has taken his game to another level in the regular season &ndash; this time, can he take his playoff game to another level as well?
All great young players have to go through someone as the stepping stone to reach newer heights &ndash; and Luka has lost to this Kawhi Leonard and Paul George-led Clippers team twice already in his career in the playoffs.
LeBron had to go through the Celtics, Jordan had to go through the Pistons. Could it be Luka&rsquo;s turn to get through this Clippers team that has tormented him for two playoff series?
<h3>Phoenix Suns - Will this new formula take them over the top?</h3>
The Suns have experienced substantial playoff success over the past three years by having a Finals appearance and reaching the conference semifinals twice. However, those groups fell short, with the feeling of something lacking or something missing that could take them over the top.
So lo and behold, Phoenix scrapped it and took a different approach this season &ndash; ditching the point guard spot and getting a rugged and physical big that could set screens and not demand the ball much on offense.
In its place came through as the Suns traded for Bradley Beal &ndash; going with a new formula by having three shot creators and shotmakers on the floor at the same time &ndash; pairing him with Kevin Durant and Devin Booker. They also traded away former no.1 overall pick DeAndre Ayton for Jusuf Nurkic, a wide-bodied center whose job is to set screens, rebound, and get their three creators open in the lane or for jump shots.
They added an elite shooter in Grayson Allen to space the floor alongside those three, or sometimes Royce O&rsquo;Neale comes in for more defense against the opposing perimeter threats.
The Suns&rsquo; new approach and formula to the game make it incredibly hard to defend because you have to have three elite defenders to contain those three shot-creators, who can explode and get buckets at any point in the game. Although their defense is still suspect at times, the main point of this lineup is not to outscore &ndash; but to out-create teams and have a variety of options to dissect and defeat defenses.
If this new strategy works and could take the Suns to the promised land in these playoffs remains to be seen.
<h3>Los Angeles Lakers - Will they have enough this time around?</h3>
Despite a strong run to the Western Conference Finals as a 7th seed, the Lakers fell short last year vs the Nuggets after being swept 4-0. Throughout the season, the Nuggets&rsquo; dominance of the purple and gold continued, and now they have lost eight straight games against this Denver team.&nbsp;
However, there is optimism that the Lakers will turn it around and have a different result vs the Nuggets. Superstar LeBron James, even at 39 years old, looks to prove that he still has something left in the tank. Although they got outplayed and outcoached last in that series by the Nuggets, James can make those adjustments being the cerebral and high IQ player that he is.
James is perhaps one of the best if not the best tactically sound players of all time, so it would make sense &ndash; if they were to defeat Denver, he needs to be able to outsmart Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets this time around. Superstar tandem Anthony Davis will also be vital to the series having to defend the &lsquo;Joker&rsquo; and producing buckets himself.
The Lakers will also feature some new bench pieces this year that could be difference makers in the series Taurean Prince, Spencer Dinwiddie, and Gabe Vincent, all of whom could defend and hit those spot-up threes if needed.
Then there&rsquo;s a hungry D&rsquo;Angelo Russell who had a bad series vs Denver last year raring to bounce back along with an always-solid Austin Reaves to be the stabilizer.
<h3>Pelicans - How will they fare without Zion Williamson?</h3>
The New Orleans Pelicans start and end with their young star Zion Williamson. After going out with what is to be believed a left hamstring strain, everything now hinges on his health.&nbsp;
The Pelicans obviously need him no matter what and whether or not he&rsquo;s healthy for their first-round series vs the Thunder will likely be the answer if they win it or not.
We&rsquo;ve seen what Williamson is capable of doing, scoring 40 points and grabbing 11 rebounds in his first taste of postseason action in their play-in game vs the Lakers. The burly forward bullied the Lakers&rsquo; defense and he showed his once generational type of body and scoring prowess come together after finally being healthy for a full season in his five years in the NBA.
New Orleans has fallen short a lot of times in the playoffs, either failing to make it or to win a series, and it is clear that Zion is the difference that separates them from winning or losing a playoff series.

s eight playoff teams in each conference gear up for what promises to be an intense battle for the title, each team faces its own set of unique challenges.

2024 Western Conference Playoffs: Each team’s biggest question heading into the playoffs

LeBron James, Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant have become synonymous with the sport of basketball, serving as the gold standard for this generation of players and drawing in fans from all over the world.
Aside from 2021 and 2023, every NBA Finals series since 2011 has featured one of James, Curry or Durant. The trio have a combined 44 All-Star appearances, and at the 2024 NBA All-Star Game in Indianapolis, we got to watch them play together on the same team for the first time ever.
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Steph Curry, LeBron James, and Kevin Durant all on the same team for the first time ever tonight 🔥✊ <a href="https://t.co/uUaAKwxaVr">pic.twitter.com/uUaAKwxaVr</a>
&mdash; Guru (@DrGuru_) <a href="https://twitter.com/DrGuru_/status/1759349903652995079?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 18, 2024</a></blockquote>
Seeing the faces of the NBA share the court as teammates was a lot of fun and left fans wanting for more.
Enter Team USA.
The world might witness these three legends team up once again in the coming months &mdash; this time while donning the red, white and blue. in hopes of leading Team USA to a fifth consecutive gold medal at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
While we got a taste of the trio during NBA All-Star Weekend, fans would love to see them in a competitive environment. Curry&rsquo;s otherworldly shooting, James' IQ and playmaking, plus Durant&rsquo;s deadly three-level scoring with extremely high stakes? That would be something to behold.
James, Curry and Durant are all highly intelligent basketball players who complement each other really well, so it would likely be a seamless transition on Team USA.
All three have expressed their interest in playing for the national team and were <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/usa-basketball-announces-player-pool-for-team-usas-2024-mens-national-team" target="_blank" rel="noopener">recently included in the player pool that Team USA announced</a>.
Although the NBA season is still ongoing and a lot can still happen between now and July, but barring injuries or any unforeseen circumstances, the three global basketball icons will likely lead Team USA&rsquo;s pursuit for the gold medal in this year&rsquo;s Olympic Games. This hunt for the gold will coincide with the 50th anniversary of USA Basketball, making their run even more special.
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Beautiful, isn't it? Breaking down our 50th Anniversary logo 👇<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/USAB50?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#USAB50</a> 🇺🇸 <a href="https://t.co/O4F7odCkWY">pic.twitter.com/O4F7odCkWY</a>
&mdash; USA Basketball (@usabasketball) <a href="https://twitter.com/usabasketball/status/1749606150721388855?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 23, 2024</a></blockquote>
The American trio will aim to replicate the success of their predecessors from the original &ldquo;Dream Team&rdquo; in 1992 when NBA superstars Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird won the gold medal in Barcelona.
James, 39, has won three Olympic medals for Team USA (one bronze and two golds) with the last one coming 12 years ago when he won gold in London. The NBA&rsquo;s all-time leading scorer has expressed interest in suiting up for Team USA once again, and he has been in contact with several other NBA stars to join him including Curry and Durant. James&rsquo; impressive track record for his national team speaks for itself. After serving Team USA for eight years from 2004 to 2012, he is second all-time in games played (24) for Team USA.&nbsp;
The 35-year-old Curry has yet to play for Team USA in the Olympics. Curry already has two FIBA World Championships in his trophy case, which also includes four NBA championships and two NBA MVPs, but winning an Olympic gold medal might be the cherry on top of what has been an illustrious career. Curry has notably shown interest in playing for Team USA in the Olympic Games, and he is very likely to do so this year. With Warriors head coach Steve Kerr also calling the shots for Team USA, it makes a lot of sense for Curry to make his Olympic debut in Paris.
Finally, Durant is arguably the most accomplished Team USA player of all-time. Winning three Olympic gold medals (2012, 2016 and 2020-21) and a FIBA World Championship (2010), Team USA&rsquo;s &ldquo;Captain America&rdquo; is gunning for his record-setting fourth Olympic Gold medal. (He's currently tied with fellow USA great Carmelo Anthony, who also has three gold medals). Durant winning another gold medal would likely solidify him as the greatest Team USA player of all-time (if he isn't already). A two-time NBA champion and Finals MVP, Durant is one of the most lethal scorers the game has ever seen.
Aside from James, Curry and Durant &ndash; the NBA&rsquo;s most recognizable faces &ndash; who else will don the red, white and blue? The other finalists for the 2024 USA Men&rsquo;s national team are Bam Adebayo, Jarrett Allen, Paolo Banchero, Desmond Bane, Scottie Barnes, Devin Booker, Mikal Bridges, Jaylen Brown, Jalen Brunson, Jimmy Butler, Alex Caruso, Anthony Davis, Anthony Edwards, Joel Embiid, De&rsquo;Aaron Fox, Paul George, Aaron Gordon, Tyrese Haliburton, James Harden, Josh Hart, Tyler Herro, Jrue Holiday, Chet Holmgren, Brandon Ingram, Kyrie Irving, Jaren Jackson Jr., Cam Johnson, Walker Kessler, Kawhi Leonard, Damian Lillard, Donovan Mitchell, Chris Paul, Bobby Portis, Austin Reaves, Duncan Robinson, Jayson Tatum, Derrick White and Trae Young.
With James, Curry and Durant leading the way, Team USA will the favorite in Paris. However, they'll face stiff competition from the rest of the world, particularly world-champion Germany and star-studded squads like Australia and Team Canada. Generational international talents like Giannis Antetokounmpo, Nikola Jokic, Luka Doncic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Victor Wembanyama will look to dethrone Team USA.
This iteration of the Olympics is shaping up to be the hardest challenge the Americans will ever face, and hopefully James, Curry and Durant will be at the forefront of it all. In likely their last dance in international competition, James, Curry and Durant will surely want to ride off into the sunset wearing gold medals around their necks.

The next time LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Steph Curry are playing together, it will be with Team USA during the Paris Olympics.

LeBron James, Steph Curry, Kevin Durant set to team up again — this time for USA

USA Basketball announced today a 41-athlete player pool for the 2024 USA Basketball Men&rsquo;s National Team. The players were selected by USA Basketball Men&rsquo;s National Team managing director&nbsp;Grant Hill&nbsp;and is subject to change. The 12-member 2024 USA Men&rsquo;s National Team, which will represent the United States at the 2024 Olympic Summer Games in Paris, will be announced at a later date.
Featuring 28 players who have represented the USA in Olympics and/or FIBA Men&rsquo;s World Cup and who together have collected 23 Olympic or World Cup gold medals, the 2024 USA Men&rsquo;s National Team finalists are&nbsp;Bam Adebayo,&nbsp;Jarrett Allen,&nbsp;Paolo Banchero,&nbsp;Desmond Bane,&nbsp;Scottie Barnes,&nbsp;Devin Booker,&nbsp;Mikal Bridges,&nbsp;Jaylen Brown,&nbsp;Jalen Brunson,&nbsp;Jimmy Butler,&nbsp;Alex Caruso,&nbsp;Stephen Curry,&nbsp;Anthony Davis,&nbsp;Kevin Durant,&nbsp;Anthony Edwards,&nbsp;Joel Embiid,&nbsp;De&rsquo;Aaron Fox,&nbsp;Paul George,&nbsp;Aaron Gordon,&nbsp;Tyrese Haliburton,&nbsp;James Harden,&nbsp;Josh Hart,&nbsp;Tyler Herro,&nbsp;Jrue Holiday,&nbsp;Chet Holmgren,&nbsp;Brandon Ingram,&nbsp;Kyrie Irving,&nbsp;Jaren Jackson Jr.,&nbsp;LeBron James,&nbsp;Cam Johnson,&nbsp;Walker Kessler,&nbsp;Kawhi Leonard,&nbsp;Damian Lillard,&nbsp;Donovan Mitchell,&nbsp;Chris Paul,&nbsp;Bobby Portis,&nbsp;Austin Reaves,&nbsp;Duncan Robinson,&nbsp;Jayson Tatum,&nbsp;Derrick White&nbsp;and&nbsp;Trae Young.
&ldquo;The United States boasts unbelievable basketball talent and I am thrilled that many of the game&rsquo;s superstars have expressed interest in representing our country at the 2024 Olympic Summer Games,&rdquo; Hill said. &ldquo;It is a privilege to select the team that will help us toward the goal of once again standing atop the Olympic podium. This challenging process will unfold over the next several months as we eagerly anticipate the start of national team activity."&nbsp;
The 2024 USA Men&rsquo;s National Team will be led by head coach&nbsp;Steve Kerr&nbsp;(Golden State Warriors), who is assisted by&nbsp;Mark Few&nbsp;(Gonzaga University),&nbsp;Tyronn Lue&nbsp;(L.A. Clippers) and&nbsp;Erik Spoelstra&nbsp;(Miami Heat). Last summer, the quartet coached the 2023 USA Basketball Men&rsquo;s National Team to a fourth-place finish at the 2023 FIBA Men&rsquo;s World Cup in Manila. Kerr is a 2020 Olympic gold medalist after serving as an assistant coach to&nbsp;Gregg Popovich&nbsp;in Tokyo.
In related news, USA Basketball also announced that the 2024 USA Men&rsquo;s National Team will host Canada at Las Vegas&rsquo; T-Mobile Arena as part of the USA Basketball Showcase. The exhibition contest is set for July 10 at 7:30 p.m. PT/10:30 p.m. ET live on FS1.
The USA Basketball Showcase features a series of games that help the USA Basketball National Teams prepare for major competitions, including the Olympic Summer Games and FIBA World Cup.
Following Las Vegas, the Americans will embark on an international training window that features exhibition games against the national teams of South Sudan on July 20 and Germany on July 22 at the O2 Arena in London.
Tickets for all three contests are on sale now at&nbsp;<a href="http://www.usab.com/tickets">www.usab.com/tickets</a>.
"USA Basketball is excited to return to Las Vegas as our men's national team program looks forward to tipping off the journey to the 2024 Olympic Games there in July," said&nbsp;Jim Tooley, USA Basketball CEO. "The game at T-Mobile Arena against Canada is an important opportunity in our preparations and a great opportunity for our fans to support the U.S. national team before heading overseas."&nbsp;
Prior to the Canada game, the USA will hold training camp in Las Vegas, its longtime training hub. Additional information will be announced at a later date.
The USA officially qualified for the 2024 Olympics as one of the top two nations from the FIBA Americas zone at the 2023 FIBA World Cup in September. The American men will compete for their fifth straight &ndash; and 17th&nbsp;overall &ndash; Olympic gold medal.
In total, USA Basketball will be represented by four teams at the 2024 Olympic Summer Games, including 5-on-5 men and women and 3x3 men and women. The USA are reigning Olympic champions in 5-on-5 men and women and 3x3 women, with 3x3 men set to make their Olympic debut next summer. &nbsp;More information about all four USA Basketball teams will be announced at a later date.

USA Basketball announced today a 41-athlete player pool for the 2024 USA Basketball Men’s National Team.

USA Basketball announces player pool for 2024 Men’s National Team

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

NBA Central Division Preview: Burning questions, rotation projections

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SlamBall co-founder Mason Gordon spoke to Alex Kennedy about the sport's return, the new season on ESPN and much more.

The return of SlamBall: Co-founder Mason Gordon discusses new season

Today, the NBA and FIBA announced 80 of the top high-school-age prospects from across Africa who will participate in the 19th edition of Basketball Without Borders (BWB) Africa, which will be held July 28-31 at the American International School of Johannesburg (AISJ) in South Africa.
BWB Africa 2023 will bring together 80 boys and girls from more than 25 African countries &ndash; including 19 NBA Academy Africa and NBA Academy Women&rsquo;s Camp Africa 2022 prospects &ndash; to learn directly from current and former NBA, WNBA and FIBA players, legends and coaches and compete alongside their peers from across the continent.&nbsp;
The campers will be coached by two-time NBA All-Star Bam Adebayo (Miami Heat; U.S.; ties to Nigeria), 2022 NBA All-Star Darius Garland (Cleveland Cavaliers; U.S.), 2022 NBA champion Jonathan Kuminga (Golden State Warriors; Democratic Republic of the Congo) and Jalen Suggs (Orlando Magic; U.S.).
Five current and former NBA head coaches will also serve as BWB Africa 2023 coaches: Cavaliers head coach J.B. Bickerstaff; two-time NBA Coach of the Year, Nigeria Men&rsquo;s National Team head coach and Sacramento Kings head coach Mike Brown; 2018 NBA Coach of the Year Dwane Casey (most recently with the Detroit Pistons); Los Angeles Lakers head coach Darvin Ham; and veteran NBA coach Dave Joerger (most recently with the Philadelphia 76ers).
Several former NBA and WNBA players will also serve as BWB Africa 2023 coaches, including 2015 FIBA AfroBasket champion Olumide Oyedeji (Nigeria), 2011 NBA champion Ian Mahinmi (France; ties Benin), former NBA player and Basketball Africa League Head of League Operations Ruben Boumtje-Boumtje (Cameroon), former NBA player Tacko Fall (Senegal), 2003 WNBA champion Astou Ndiaye (Senegal), two-time WNBA champion Taj McWilliams-Franklin, four-time WNBA champion Sheryl Swoopes and Mozambique basketball legend Clarisse Machanguana.&nbsp;
Toronto Raptors Vice-Chairman, Team President and Alternate NBA Governor Masai Ujiri; New Orleans Pelicans Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations David Griffin; and Portland Trail Blazers Assistant General Manager Mike Schmitz will serve as camp directors, while David Crewe and Frank Adams (Phoenix Suns) will serve as the camp&rsquo;s athletic trainers.
The players and coaches will lead the campers through a variety of activities, including movement efficiency drills, offensive and defensive skill stations, three-point contests, 5-on-5 games, and life skills and leadership development sessions.&nbsp;&nbsp;A ceremony on the final day of the camp will award the Kim Bohuny Camp MVP, the Patrick Baumann Sportsmanship Award, the B.J. Johnson Most Improved Player Award, the Three-Point Champion and the Defensive MVP to the boys and girls who distinguish themselves on the court and as leaders.
As part of the camp, NBA players and coaches will also participate in several community outreach initiatives around Johannesburg, including a hospital visit and a Her Time to Play seminar for the female campers on July 28, and a court unveiling in the Alexandra Township on Saturday, July 29.&nbsp; In addition, BWB Africa 2023 coaches will lead a development clinic for local coaches at AISJ on July 30.&nbsp;&nbsp;
Also on July 29, select&nbsp;NBA players&nbsp;will visit the NBA Store at Sandton City Mall in Johannesburg and engage with fans.
BWB Africa 2023 will be supported by Nike, a global partner of BWB since 2002, which will outfit participants with Nike apparel and footwear, and Gatorade, which will keep players and coaches hydrated throughout the camp.
BWB has reached more than 4,100 participants from 136 countries and territories since 2001, with 112 former campers advancing to the NBA or WNBA.&nbsp; The NBA and FIBA have staged 70 BWB camps in 47 cities across 32 countries on six continents.
The following is a complete list of players participating in the 19th&nbsp;BWB Africa camp (rosters subject to change):
&nbsp;
<table style="width: 447px;" width="447">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 403px;" colspan="2">
GIRLS
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Name
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Country
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Ines Bellahmer
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Algeria
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Filomena Luis
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Angola
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Guigma Sadia
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Burkina Faso
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Gisele Kipo*
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Cameroon
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Hannah Dibadjou
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Cameroon
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Salma Khedr*
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Egypt
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Leila El Sanadily
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Egypt
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Aisha Hassan
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Egypt
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Lucie Mounganga
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Gabon
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Fatoumata Sylla
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Guinea
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Roseline Ooko
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Kenya
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Harena Randriamasimanana
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Madagascar
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Fitahiana Ratsimason
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Madagascar
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Joanie Rakotonanahary
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Madagascar
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Fatoumata Samake*
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Mali
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Oumou Soumare
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Mali
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Aya El Kallali*
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Morocco
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Albertina Matsinhe*
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Mozambique
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Bata Lurdes*
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Mozambique
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Shanaya Matusse*
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Mozambique
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Joy Biribebe
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Nigeria
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Benitha Ngarambe
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Rwanda
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Jane Dusabe
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Rwanda
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Fatou Sima
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Senegal
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Marie Diouf
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Senegal
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Ndickou Matar Diop*
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Senegal
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Tacko Sy
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Senegal
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Sheriffa Rahman
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Sierra Leone
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Onnetse Molokwame
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
South Africa
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Luhle Ndaba
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
South Africa
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Reneilwe Motebele
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
South Africa
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Susan Peter
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
South Sudan
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Asunta Ring
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
South Sudan
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Nawasa Lazaro
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Tanzania
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Ibouanga Moussounda
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Togo
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Arwa Ghorbel*
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Tunisia
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Eya Nasri
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Tunisia
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Afef Bengoula
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Tunisia
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Christine Namyalo
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Uganda
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Immaculate Adongpiny
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Uganda
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
*Participated in NBA Academy Women&rsquo;s Camp Africa 2022
&nbsp;
<table width="447">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 418.75px;" colspan="2" width="447">
BOYS
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Name
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Country
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Aginaldo Neto*
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Angola
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Manuel Camboma*
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Angola
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Inacio Anatoli Da Silva
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Angola
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Claudino Capangaa
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Angola
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Sansao Wika
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Angola
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Philippe Ntungicimpaye
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Burundi
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Arnold Eyadi Kenfack
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Cameroon
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Hermann Bel Gassina
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Cameroon
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Chris Naguidebe
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Central African Republic
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Tahir Doungous*
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Chad
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Zie Cheikh Conde
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
C&ocirc;te d&rsquo;Ivoire
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Tarek Khairy
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Egypt
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Ahmed Nedale
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Egypt
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Karim El Gizawi
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Egypt
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Courage Agbekpornu
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Ghana
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Kiggundu Austin Omondi
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Kenya
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Chouhaybou Keita
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Mali
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Mahamadou Konate
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Mali
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Hamza Bechchar
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Morocco
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Bolaji Oderinlo
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Nigeria
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Sultan Baruwa
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Nigeria
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Ibrahim Dan-Mutum
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Nigeria
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Jonah Precious
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Nigeria
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Ezekiel Obe*
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Nigeria
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Andre Bonazebi
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Republic of Congo
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Jude Fred Nkouka Silaho
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Republic of Congo
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Khadim Mboup*
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Senegal
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Assane Mandian*
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Senegal
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Yakhya Diop*
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Senegal
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Amar Diop*
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Senegal
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Mouhamed Camara
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Senegal
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Siyanda Radebe
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
South Africa
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Gilchrist Storm
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
South Africa
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Khaman Maluach*
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
South Sudan
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Moses Marial Mandiria
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
South Sudan
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Bol Wieu Mou Thet
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
South Sudan
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Lual Deng Lual Aguek
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
South Sudan
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Rayen Rouissi
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Tunisia
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Amen Hammi
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Tunisia
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Liberty Fusire*
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Zimbabwe
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
*NBA Academy Africa prospect

Bam Adebayo, Darius Garland, Jonathan Kuminga and Jalen Suggs will coach 80 top high-school-age prospects from across Africa.

Adebayo, Garland, Kuminga, Suggs to coach prospects at BWB Africa 2023

MIAMI (AP) &mdash; Aaron Gordon scored 27 points, Nikola Jokic added 23 and the Denver Nuggets moved one win away from their first NBA championship by beating the Miami Heat 108-95 on Friday night to take a 3-1 lead in the title series.
Bruce Brown scored 21 off the bench for the Nuggets, who took both games in Miami to grab complete command. They&rsquo;ll have three chances to win one game for a title, two of those in Denver, the first of them in what&rsquo;s sure to be a raucous atmosphere for Game 5 on Monday night.
Jamal Murray had 15 points and 12 assists &mdash; his fourth consecutive double-digit assist game &mdash; for Denver.
Jimmy Butler scored 25 points for Miami, which has now fallen into 3-1 holes in each of its last three finals appearances &mdash; this one joining 2014 and 2020. Bam Adebayo had 20 points and 11 rebounds for the Heat, while Kyle Lowry had 13 points.
The Heat walked off the floor in silence, fully aware of how much trouble they&rsquo;re in now.
The Nuggets were overwhelming favorites to start the series, for obvious reasons. Denver was the Western Conference&rsquo;s No. 1 seed; Miami was the Eastern Conference&rsquo;s No. 8 seed. The Nuggets had won nine of the last 10 regular-season meetings between the teams, and their run of success over the Heat has continued through four games of the finals.
Denver led by 13 going into the fourth, and Miami came out for the final quarter with appropriate desperation. The Heat scored the first eight points, Jokic committed his fifth foul and had to go to the bench with 9:24 left &mdash; and it was down to 86-81 when Butler converted a three-point play with 8:42 remaining.
But the Nuggets &ndash; who fell apart in the fourth quarter of Game 2 for their lone loss of the series &ndash; didn&rsquo;t fold, even with their two-time MVP still out. Murray made a 3-pointer to stop Miami&rsquo;s 8-0 spurt, and Jeff Green made a huge corner 3 from near the Heat bench for a 94-85 edge with 6:21 left.
Jokic checked out with Denver up 10. He came back with the Nuggets up nine.
Miami didn&rsquo;t take advantage of that chance, and now finds itself on the wrong end of history. Teams that take a 3-1 lead in the NBA Finals have won 35 out of 36 previous times, and the Heat will have to buck that trend to keep Denver from winning its title.
The Nuggets even survived a scare. Jokic tweaked his right ankle when he landed on the back of Max Strus&rsquo; foot midway through the opening quarter. He remained in the game after it happened, briefly retreated to the Denver locker room before the start of the second quarter and played the rest of the way with no evident issues.
TIP-INS
Nuggets: Murray played with tape protecting the bottom of his left hand, thanks to a nasty floor burn he got in Game 3. &hellip; It was Denver&rsquo;s 25th win on the road this season, tying a franchise record set last season. ... Michael Porter Jr. scored 11 for the Nuggets.
Heat: It was retiring 20-year veteran Udonis Haslem&rsquo;s 43rd birthday and rookie Nikola Jovic&rsquo;s 20th birthday. Jovic was 58 days old when Haslem signed his first Heat contract. &hellip; If it was Miami&rsquo;s home finale this season, then the Heat went 613-299 in its home arena during his career. &hellip; Miami started the playoffs 6-0 at home. The Heat are 0-4 on their home floor since.
SLOW START
Miami led 21-20 after one quarter. The 41 combined points were the fewest in the first quarter of the last 24 finals games; the first quarter of Game 4 of the Toronto-Golden State series in 2019 had 40 points.
CELEB WATCH
Kentucky coach John Calipari was in the crowd, as was Academy Award winner Forest Whitaker, two-time WNBA MVP A&rsquo;ja Wilson of the Las Vegas Aces, Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields and twins Haley and Hanna Cavinder &mdash; who helped the Miami Hurricanes make the Elite Eight in this year&rsquo;s NCAA women&rsquo;s tournament.

The Nuggets moved one win away from their first NBA championship by beating the Heat 108-95 on Friday night to take a 3-1 lead.

Nuggets now in full command of NBA Finals, top Heat 108-95 for 3-1 lead

MIAMI (AP) &mdash; The Boston Celtics were a tenth of a second away from elimination. The Miami Heat were a tenth of a second from the NBA Finals.
Derrick White owned that final moment.
<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1662660685023657984?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">White scored on a putback as time expired</a>&nbsp;and the Boston Celtics moved to the brink of the greatest comeback in NBA playoffs history, holding off the Miami Heat 104-103 on Saturday night to force a Game 7 in the Eastern Conference finals.
&ldquo;Derrick White, like a flash of lightning, just came out of nowhere and saved the day, man,&rdquo; Boston&rsquo;s Jaylen Brown said. &ldquo;An incredible play.&rdquo;
White knew it was good. Referees reviewed it, but it didn&rsquo;t take long to give the official word.
Elation for Boston. Devastation for Miami.
&ldquo;Ball came to me,&rdquo; White said. &ldquo;I made the shot.&rdquo;
Perhaps Boston will call it The Shot.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
DERRICK WHITE JUST SENT THE CELTICS TO GAME SEVEN ARE YOU KIDDING ME 😱😱😱 <a href="https://t.co/CwWBN9FcKM">pic.twitter.com/CwWBN9FcKM</a>
&mdash; BasketballNews.com (@basketbllnews) <a href="https://twitter.com/basketbllnews/status/1662658954256687104?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 28, 2023</a></blockquote>

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

White became the second player in NBA history to hit a buzzer-beater with his team trailing and facing elimination &mdash; Michael Jordan&rsquo;s &ldquo;The Shot&rdquo; for Chicago against Cleveland in 1989 being the other.
&ldquo;I was just happy,&rdquo; White said. &ldquo;Season was on the line. We don&rsquo;t want to go home.&rdquo;
Jayson Tatum scored 31 points, Brown scored 26 and Marcus Smart added 21 for the Celtics, who became only the fourth NBA team to erase a 3-0 deficit in a best-of-seven series and force a deciding game. The others in that club &mdash; the 1951 New York Knicks in the NBA Finals, the 1994 Denver Nuggets in the second round and the 2003 Portland Trail Blazers in the first round &mdash; all lost Game 7, all on the road.
Boston, however, is going home for its shot at history. Game 7 is Monday night on the Celtics&rsquo; floor, a matchup that&rsquo;ll decide who meets the Western Conference champion Denver Nuggets in a title series that will start Thursday.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a seven-game series,&rdquo; Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. &ldquo;There&rsquo;s nothing better than Game 7s.&rdquo;
Jimmy Butler made three free throws with 3.0 seconds left &mdash; the foul was originally called with 2.1 seconds left; referees put 0.9 seconds back on after reviewing the play to see if it was a 3-point try that Al Horford fouled him on &mdash; for a one-point Heat lead. It capped a Miami rally from 10 points down with less than 4 minutes remaining.
The Celtics had White inbound the ball on the game&rsquo;s final possession, and he passed to Smart &mdash; who missed a 3-pointer. But White sprinted from the inbound spot to the rim, the ball fell into his hands and he got the lay-in away just before time ran out to extend Boston&rsquo;s season.
There had been other buzzer-beaters from players whose teams were facing an elimination game, but before Saturday, only Jordan&rsquo;s came with his team trailing.
Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla was asked what went through his mind at that moment.
&ldquo;Nothing,&rdquo; Mazzulla said. &ldquo;Game 7.&rdquo;
Butler scored 24 points and Caleb Martin had 21 for the Heat, who are trying to pull off their own improbable trek to the title series by being only the second No. 8 seed to make the NBA Finals. They&rsquo;ve now lost as many games this week &mdash; three &mdash; as they had in their first 14 playoff games this spring combined on the way to ousting No. 1 Milwaukee, then No. 5 New York and taking what was supposed to be an insurmountable 3-0 lead over the second-seeded Celtics.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve got to go on the road and do something special,&rdquo; Butler said. &ldquo;But we&rsquo;ve got a special group.&rdquo;
The Celtics have now won five of their last six East finals games in Miami &mdash; a stretch that includes a Game 7 over the Heat last season to reach the NBA Finals.
That one, obviously, ended the Heat season. At least this time, Miami still has a chance.
&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know how we&rsquo;re going to get this done, but we&rsquo;re going to go out there and get it done,&rdquo; Spoelstra said. &ldquo;And that&rsquo;s what the next 48 hours is about. There&rsquo;s been nothing easy about this season for our group, and so we just have to do it the hard way.&rdquo;
The Heat are the 151st team to grab a 3-0 series lead in a best-of-seven. All 150 of the previous clubs finished the job. But the Celtics have made very clear that they have other ideas, and Mazzulla listed a lot of reasons why.
&ldquo;Faith. Love. Togetherness. Physicality. Belief. Hope.&rdquo; Mazzulla said. &ldquo;All those things combined. It starts with the locker room. Those guys had a choice to make and they chose to believe in each other.&rdquo;
TIP-INS
Celtics: The Celtics are 5-0 when facing elimination this season, 3-0 on the road. They beat Philadelphia twice on their way to erasing a 3-2 lead in the East finals, and now have tied this series. &hellip; Malcolm Brogdon (right forearm strain) was downgraded to out about an hour before game time. ... White scored 11 for the Celtics, and Robert Williams III had 10.
Heat: Gabe Vincent scored 15, Duncan Robinson scored 13 and Bam Adebayo added 11 for Miami. ... Diddy was at the game, as was former Heat guard Goran Dragic and Florida Panthers star Matthew Tkachuk. &hellip; Unless Miami wins Game 7 at Boston, it may have been the final home game of Heat forward Udonis Haslem&rsquo;s 20-year career. The Heat are 613-297 in the 910 games in their home arena with Haslem on the roster; that doesn&rsquo;t include the restart bubble&rsquo;s home games in 2020.
GAME 7 HISTORY
The Celtics are 27-9 in Game 7s, winners of their last four &mdash; including one in Miami last season and one earlier this season, against Philadelphia in the East semifinals. They&rsquo;re 1-1 against the Heat all-time in such games (losing the 2012 East finals deciding game in Miami), and 22-5 at home in Game 7.
The Heat are 6-5 all-time in Game 7s, losing their last two (home vs. Boston in 2022, at Toronto in 2016), and are 0-2 when facing such a game on the road. Besides the Raptors game seven years ago, they lost a Game 7 at Atlanta in 2009.

The Celtics moved to the brink of the greatest comeback in NBA history, holding off the Heat 104-103 on Saturday to force a Game 7

White’s putback as time expires lifts Celtics past Heat, forces Game 7

LOS ANGELES (AP) &mdash; The Los Angeles Lakers hope LeBron James&nbsp;will decide to continue his career after he recovers from the difficult end to their season.
James didn&rsquo;t meet with the media on the day after the top scorer in NBA history said he needed time to think about his basketball future following&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/nba-playoffs-2023-nuggets-lakers-9f7a28f73a56c431672d840c93185b60">the Lakers&rsquo; elimination from the Western Conference finals</a>.
The 38-year-old James has skipped his team&rsquo;s postseason media exit interviews before, but his decision Tuesday left Lakers fans hanging about his intentions with his enigmatic comments following a four-game sweep by the Denver Nuggets.
General manager Rob Pelinka and coach Darvin Ham said they&rsquo;ll speak with James soon about his future.
&ldquo;We all know that (James) speaks for himself, and we&rsquo;ll look forward to those conversations when the time is right,&rdquo; Pelinka said. &ldquo;LeBron has given as much to the game of basketball as anyone who has ever played. When you do that, you earn a right to decide whether you&rsquo;re going to give more. ... Obviously, our hope would be that his career continues, but we want to give him the time to have that inflection point and support him along the way.&rdquo;
Despite James&rsquo; 40-point performance, including a career playoff-best 31 points in the first half, the seventh-seeded Lakers were swept by the top-seeded Nuggets with a 113-111 defeat in Game 4 on Monday night, ending James&rsquo; attempt to win his fifth career championship in his 20th NBA season.
Ham joked: &ldquo;Coming off a tough loss like that, the work we&rsquo;ve put in this season, I think I was ready to retire after last night, too.&rdquo;
Pelinka and Ham declined to speculate on whether James&rsquo; frustration stemmed from his persistent foot injury, which could conceivably require surgery to correct fully. He missed a month of the regular season down the stretch, but returned to his usual heavy workload before the playoffs.
James had been largely healthy throughout his NBA career until he reached his mid-30s in Los Angeles, where he has missed significant chunks in four of his five seasons.
&ldquo;When there&rsquo;s any injury, you seek multiple medical opinions, and there were some that doubted whether he could play again this season,&rdquo; Pelinka said. &ldquo;For him to end the season playing virtually 48 minutes and posting a virtual 40-point triple-double as a player in the 20th year of his NBA career is staggering.&rdquo;
The Lakers all said they understood why James would question his future after an outstanding performance in defeat.
&ldquo;I feel like that&rsquo;s human nature, to be his age and be playing at the level he&rsquo;s playing at,&rdquo; Troy Brown Jr. said. &ldquo;Personally, I feel like because of his love of the game, he will continue to play. But I don&rsquo;t blame him at all.&rdquo;
Pelinka said he hopes to keep much of the Lakers&rsquo; current core around James and Anthony Davis, calling roster continuity &ldquo;a high priority&rdquo; after several years of major annual changes. James is due to make $46.9 million in the first season of his two-year, $97 million contract extension, but several key contributors to the playoff run are free agents.
&ldquo;I think there&rsquo;s proof in concept that this was a really good team,&rdquo; Pelinka said. &ldquo;But we&rsquo;re not going to rest on our laurels. If there&rsquo;s opportunities to get even better, we&rsquo;re always looking to improve. But we have a core that&rsquo;s highly successful, and that&rsquo;s a good starting point.&rdquo;
Los Angeles was one of the NBA&rsquo;s best teams after its moves at the trade deadline, going 18-8 to end the regular season even without James. The Lakers then made an impressive run to the conference finals, knocking off second-seeded Memphis and defending champion Golden State, but ran out of steam against the powerhouse Nuggets.
&ldquo;We feel like we&rsquo;ve got special players in the locker room that enjoy playing with each other,&rdquo; Pelinka said. &ldquo;We know there&rsquo;s more growth and improvement in that group, especially if we get a training camp together.&rdquo;
REAVES AND RUI
Pelinka made it clear he intends to do everything possible to re-sign Austin Reaves. The undrafted second-year pro is a restricted free agent after seizing a starting job and effectively becoming the Lakers&rsquo; No. 3 offensive option.
&ldquo;I want to be here. It feels like home to me, in a sense,&rdquo; Reaves said. &ldquo;Obviously it&rsquo;s a lot different than my actual home (in Arkansas). It&rsquo;s a little bigger. Traffic is a little worse. ... But it feels like a home for me, the way the fans support me, the players, the coaching staff, front office. It&rsquo;s just definitely somewhere I want to be, but we&rsquo;ll see what happens.&rdquo;
Rui Hachimura also is a restricted free agent, and Pelinka said the Lakers hope to keep him as well.
Hachimura said his short tenure with the Lakers was &ldquo;a crazy three months for me. It was one of the best times of my life.&rdquo;
D-LO&rsquo;S FUTURE
The Lakers&rsquo; most prominent unrestricted free agent is D&rsquo;Angelo Russell, who had several outstanding performances after his trade-deadline return to Los Angeles, but struggled badly enough in the playoffs to lose his starting job in the finale.
Russell, who scored only 25 points in the four conference finals games, called the season &ldquo;a complete success.&rdquo;
&ldquo;We&rsquo;ll see what opportunity presents itself, and obviously I&rsquo;ll do the best for myself,&rdquo; Russell said. &ldquo;I think the future is bright. I think Rob Pelinka has some decisions to make, but that&rsquo;s his job. (I) would love to be here and contribute to that, so we&rsquo;ll see.&rdquo;

The Los Angeles Lakers hope LeBron James will decide to continue his career after he recovers from the difficult end to their season.

Rob Pelinka, Darvin Ham respond to LeBron James considering retirement

The Miami Heat and Denver Nuggets are each one win away from the NBA Finals.&nbsp;
That means the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers are each trying to do something that has never been done in NBA history: come back from an 0-3 deficit. 
Teams that trailed 0-3 in the NBA playoffs have a 0-149 record all-time.
Here&rsquo;s a look at what the Celtics and Lakers are saying with their season on the line entering Game 4.
BOSTON CELTICS
The Celtics haven&rsquo;t looked like themselves during the Eastern Conference Finals.&nbsp;
After blowing double-digit leads in Games 1 and 2, they were blown out 128-102 by the Heat in Sunday&rsquo;s must-win Game 3. How will the team respond now that they&rsquo;re facing elimination on Tuesday night?
JAYSON TATUM: &ldquo;As tough as it is, we've just got to try to move on. Prepare, get ready, practice, film and stuff for tomorrow. Obviously, we're in a tough position, but we've just got to have some pride, bounce back and just be better come Tuesday. &hellip; Definitely [need to] play better than we did tonight and have some pride, obviously, and believe that we've just got to win on Tuesday. That's just the message, the mentality that we have is: get a win on Tuesday. We'll figure the rest out from there.&rdquo;
AL HORFORD &ldquo;This is a part of our journey right now. And right now we're in a low low, and rightfully so, we're being counted out because we haven't been able to respond. But we're not out yet. It is 3-0. I know what it looks like. I think I saw the other day, [0-3 teams have a record of] 0-149 or something like that. We're not out yet. We're still kicking &ndash; one of four teams that are still kicking. &hellip; This year, we've been able to bounce back and figure it out. Our backs are against the wall now, so that's something that we have to do.&rdquo;&nbsp;
JAYLEN BROWN: &rdquo;I'm going to fight until the end. Try to get our guys ready for the next game, and we come out and we put our best foot forward. At the end of the day, that's what we've got to do, and that's just how I see it. The series isn't over yet. It's looking bad, but you come out, have some pride about yourself and put your best foot forward. &hellip; We've just got to come out and play basketball. Come out with a great mentality, come out and have some pride about yourself, come out and have some pride about who you're playing for, have some pride about whatever, and just come out and play basketball. I believe we can win the next one, so we've just got to come out and play.&rdquo;
JOE MAZZULLA: &ldquo;I think the most important thing is just sticking together, and then I have to be better. I've got to put them in better positions. I've got to get them ready to play. I have to have the game plan ready for us to be physical and to execute, and it's important that we stick together. &hellip; I think it starts with we've got to defend, we have to get stops, we have to execute. When you do not execute on the defensive end and they make shots, then it affects the way you play offense. We just have to put our identity into our defensive execution first.&rdquo;
AL HORFORD: &ldquo;We have to understand that our DNA, our core as a team, is on the defensive end. That's who we are, and that's something that we have to find if we want to come back and win this series.&rdquo;
JAYSON TATUM: &ldquo;I deleted Twitter from my phone to start the playoffs. Honestly, I haven't seen anything good, bad or indifferent since Game 1 against the Hawks. I'm certain after every game you win, you're the best player and the best team, and when you lose, you're not the star and the team is not good enough. I'm certain there will be some of that, but out of sight, out of mind. You don't see it, because that's not what's important. What's important is the guys in the locker room, teammates, coaches, and we're all in this together just trying to figure it out.&rdquo;
Game 4 between the Celtics and Heat is Tuesday at 8:30 p.m. ET on TNT.
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/usatsi_20499493.jpg" alt="" width="645" height="430" />
LOS ANGELES LAKERS
After the Lakers lost 10 of their first 12 games to start the season, their analytics department gave them a .3% chance of making the playoffs. One month ago, Lakers head coach Darvin Ham wrote &ldquo;.3% PLAYOFFS&rdquo; on a whiteboard in the locker room to remind the team that they&rsquo;ve already done the unthinkable once this season.&nbsp;
Now, the odds are stacked against them yet again as they trail 0-3 against the Nuggets in the Western Conference Finals. This team spent the second half of the season clawing to keep their playoff hopes alive, and they&rsquo;re drawing on that experience now that their backs are against the wall.
But do LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Co. have what it takes to make NBA history? 
ANTHONY DAVIS: &ldquo;We never intend to pack it in. Obviously, as you see throughout the course of this season, we have always been a team to fight. We are resilient. Everyone keeps fighting 'til it's over. It's not over. They have to win another game. &hellip; [We were] 2-10, 13th place, climbing uphill basically all season to get to this point, and it's the same thing here. Obviously it's a steeper climb being down 0-3. But we are going to keep taking it one game at a time and try to get better and come out with a win on Monday.&rdquo;
AUSTIN REAVES: &ldquo;Our backs have been against the wall. I've spoke about it probably the last two months &ndash; maybe more than that &ndash; since the trade deadline, [we&rsquo;ve been] swinging, throwing punches to fight to get to this opportunity. We'll go watch film, and we can either come out Monday and go home or we can fight for another day. And with the group of guys that we've got, I know what that answer will be.&rdquo;
LEBRON JAMES: &ldquo;I mean, just got to get one. Just one at a time. Just focus on Game 4, and you know, that's all you can really think about. &hellip; Just get ready for Monday and just got to get one. It's a one-game series for us. Every game counts, obviously."
DARVIN HAM: &ldquo;I mean, I think the deficit is 3-0, not 4. So as long as they have not gotten to four yet, there's still hope. We're still alive. We just have to focus on winning one game.&rdquo;
ANTHONY DAVIS: &ldquo;Take it one game at a time. You know, come Monday, leave it out on the floor, and try to get a win. Take it to Game 5, Game 6, Game 7. That's all you can really do. &hellip; We&rsquo;ll look at the film and see where we can get better, especially late-game [on] both ends of the floor, and then get ready to line them up on Monday and try to keep the season alive."
LEBRON JAMES: "I still [believe]. It's time to go right back home and start to refuel and start the treatment process and recovery process, and get ready for Monday. My mindset is always locked in as if it's Game 1.&rdquo;
Game 4 between the Lakers and Nuggets is Monday at 8:30 p.m. ET on ESPN.

Here’s what the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers are saying with their season on the line entering Game 4.

Can the Celtics or Lakers make NBA history by coming back from down 0-3?

LOS ANGELES (AP) &mdash; Jamal Murray scored 37 points, Nikola Jokic added 24 points and eight assists, and the Denver Nuggets rolled to a 3-0 lead in the Western Conference finals with a 119-108 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday night.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope scored 12 of his 17 points in the second half against his former team for the top-seeded Nuggets, who have never been this close to the NBA Finals in 47 years in the league.
Denver blew a big early lead in Game 3, but made a decisive 13-0 run in the fourth quarter to snap the Lakers&rsquo; nine-game home winning streak since March 26, including seven straight victories since the regular season ended.
No team has rallied from a 3-0 playoff series deficit in NBA history. Game 4 is Monday night in Los Angeles.
Anthony Davis had 28 points and 18 rebounds for the seventh-seeded Lakers, who hadn&rsquo;t lost three straight games since early February. Los Angeles&rsquo; prolonged, desperate surge ever since the trade deadline has finally run out of steam against the powerhouse Nuggets, who have won five consecutive playoff games.
LeBron James had 23 points, 12 assists and seven rebounds for Los Angeles, hitting three 3-pointers after starting the series 0 for 13 from distance. Austin Reaves added 23 points and seven rebounds, but Rui Hachimura was the only other Lakers scorer to crack double figures with 13 points.
Jokic&rsquo;s streak of four consecutive triple-doubles ended in a fairly quiet game for the two-time MVP. But Murray scored 17 points in a dynamic first quarter following his 23-point fourth quarter two nights ago, and he had 30 points by halftime of Game 3.
Bruce Brown scored 15 points and hit a key 3-pointer down the stretch for the Nuggets before Jokic all but iced it on a 3-pointer with 3:17 to play.
The Lakers&rsquo; passionate fans turned out in force for the 17-time champion franchise&rsquo;s first conference finals games at home since 2010, the year of their last title. Los Angeles tried desperately to get back in the series, with James playing 43 minutes after spraining his left ankle in Game 2 on top of his already sore right foot.
But the Nuggets&rsquo; flight to the coast didn&rsquo;t cool off Murray in the slightest: After lighting up the Lakers to close Game 2, the Canadian guard made his first five shots in Game 3 and poured in 17 points in the first quarter &mdash; even while Jokic went scoreless for the second straight quarter.
Murray&rsquo;s fourth 3-pointer of the night made him 11 of 13 from the field for 26 points midway through the second quarter, scoring more than half of Denver&rsquo;s points at an unbelievable pace. Reaves and Davis kept the Lakers in it, with Reaves racking up 15 points, three assists and three rebounds in the second quarter alone.
Hachimura&rsquo;s 3-pointer early in the fourth gave the Lakers their first lead since the opening minutes, but the Nuggets took charge again in a rally highlighted by Brown&rsquo;s 3-pointer with 7:02 to play, after which he taunted the Lakers&rsquo; bench with Los Angeles&rsquo; own &ldquo;Freeze&rdquo; 3-point celebration.
D&rsquo;Angelo Russell had another rough game for the Lakers, scoring three points on 1-of-8 shooting in 20 minutes. Russell was the Lakers&rsquo; biggest addition in their trade deadline transformation, but the point guard has just 21 points in this three-game series.
TIP-INS
Nuggets: Aaron Gordon had seven points in 32 minutes. ... Michael Porter Jr. had 14 points and 10 rebounds, capped by a 3-pointer in the final 90 seconds.
Lakers: Backup C Mo Bamba missed his ninth consecutive game with a sore left ankle. The team is hopeful Bamba can play at some point in this series. ... Fans near courtside included Jack Nicholson, Eddie Murphy, Denzel Washington, Jake Gyllenhaal, Andy Garcia, Dyan Cannon, Ken Jeong, Joel McHale, LA Kings captain Anze Kopitar and defenseman Drew Doughty, and Khalil Mack, Derwin James and Sebastian Joseph-Day from the Los Angeles Chargers&rsquo; defense.

The Denver Nuggets rolled to a 3-0 lead in the Western Conference finals with a 119-108 win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday.

Nuggets on brink of NBA Finals with 119-108 win over Lakers in Game 3

DENVER (AP) &mdash; Jamal Murray scored 23 of his 37 points in the fourth quarter, propelling the Denver Nuggets to a 108-103 come-from-behind win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday night for a 2-0 lead in the Western Conference finals.
Nikola Jokic had his 13th playoff triple-double with 23 points, 17 rebounds and a dozen assists for the Nuggets, who have never been this close to reaching the NBA Finals in their history.
Game 3 is Saturday night at Crypto.com Arena, where LeBron James and the Lakers are 8-0 in the playoffs.
Murray missed 12 of his 17 shots through three quarters but found his touch in the fourth, going 6 for 7, including four 3-pointers and fueling a 15-1 run that gave Denver a 96-84 lead.
Just like in Game 1, the Lakers didn&rsquo;t go down easily. They pulled to three points on Austin Reaves&rsquo; jumper before Murray sank two free throws with 12 seconds left and Bruce Brown stole the ball from James, then dribbled out the final 8 seconds.
The Nuggets improved to 41-8 at home, best in the NBA, including 8-0 in the playoffs.
James and Reaves both scored 22 for Los Angeles. Anthony Davis scored 18 after pouring in 40 in the opener and Rui Hachimra scored 21 points off the bench.
For much of the night, it appeared as though the Lakers would wrest home-court advantage from the Nuggets, who are the top seed for the first time in their history. The Lakers won the series openers at Memphis and Golden State to reach the conference championship.
The outstanding defense Hachimura played on Jokic in the fourth quarter of the Lakers&rsquo; loss in Game 1 led many to believe coach Darvin Ham would start Hachimura to try to stymie the Nuggets&rsquo; star center from the start. But instead he came off the bench again.
&nbsp;

The Denver Nuggets got a 108-103 come-from-behind win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday night for a 2-0 lead in the WCF.

Jamal Murray’s big 4th quarter propels Nuggets past Lakers 108-103

LOS ANGELES (AP) &mdash; Anthony Davis had 25 points and 13 rebounds, a slow-starting LeBron James finished with 21 points, eight assists and eight rebounds, and the Los Angeles Lakers took a 2-1 lead in their second-round playoff series with a 127-97 victory over the Golden State Warriors in Game 3 on Saturday night.
D&rsquo;Angelo Russell hit five 3-pointers while scoring 21 points for the seventh-seeded Lakers, who remained unbeaten at home in the postseason with a strong defensive effort against the reigning NBA champions.
James didn&rsquo;t take a shot in the first quarter for the first time in his NBA-record 275 playoff appearances, but he warmed up in time to lead several runs in the second and third quarters while Los Angeles pulled away.
Stephen Curry scored 23 points and Andrew Wiggins had 16 in a collective stinker for the Warriors, who committed 19 turnovers and never mounted a response to the Lakers on either end in the second half. Golden State went 13 for 44 on 3-pointers &mdash; making just 10 while the game was still competitive &mdash; after hitting 21 in each of the series&rsquo; first two games in San Francisco.
Game 4 is Monday night in Los Angeles.
Davis had an impressive bounce-back game under both baskets after contributing minimally in Game 2, blocking four shots and leading the Lakers&rsquo; latest strong defensive effort. Los Angeles has built its 16-5 run since March 17 on defense, and the Warriors couldn&rsquo;t hit enough shots from the perimeter to counteract their disadvantages in size and athleticism.
Klay Thompson had 15 points and seven rebounds for the Warriors, but the rest of the roster beyond their top three scorers struggled mightily, combining for just 18 points before coach Steve Kerr pulled his starters with 9:11 to play. Draymond Green had two points in 23 minutes while playing with foul trouble.
The Warriors were held under 100 points for only the fifth time in 92 games this season.
The rivals split two games in San Francisco to open the series, with the Warriors earning a 27-point blowout victory in Game 2 after dropping the opener.
But this much-anticipated playoff rematch between generational superstars James and Curry has featured more garbage time than memorable thrills in the past two games. After Lakers coach Darvin Ham sat down his stars before the fourth quarter of Game 2, Kerr pulled the plug while facing a 26-point deficit early in the fourth quarter of Game 3.
James began Game 3 making a clear effort to be a playmaker, but he didn&rsquo;t even take his first shot until 8:02 remained in the first half. He hit a free throw for his first point with 6:32 left, and he subsequently led a rally that pushed the Lakers in front to stay.
JaMychal Green stayed in the Warriors&rsquo; starting lineup even with Kevon Looney available to play in Game 3. Looney missed Game 2 with an illness.
FIGHT ON
James&rsquo; son, Bronny, announced his decision&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/bronny-james-lebron-usc-cad1708433f0af166e241e2001426363">to play at the University of Southern California</a>&nbsp;about two hours before tipoff. The 18-year-old was among the top uncommitted recruits in the nation, and he chose to stay close to home with a loaded Trojans team coming off its third straight NCAA Tournament appearance. Bronny James, USC hoops coach Andy Enfield and Trojans football coach Lincoln Riley all attended Game 3.
TIP-INS
Warriors: The Los Angeles-born Thompson grew up a Lakers fan in Orange County, and this series is his first chance to play against the 17-time NBA champion franchise in the postseason. His father, Mychal, is the Lakers&rsquo; radio color commentator, and his brother, Trayce, plays for the Dodgers. ... Andre Iguodala has increased his workload and should return to practice next week, Kerr said. The veteran has been out since March 13 after having surgery on his left wrist. He isn&rsquo;t likely to play in this series, but could return later in the postseason. ... Moses Moody got a flagrant foul in the second quarter for tripping Davis while lying on the ground after Davis blocked his shot.
Lakers: James passed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for fifth place on the NBA&rsquo;s career playoff rebounding list. ... Backup center Mo Bamba missed his third straight game with a left ankle injury. ... Another celebrity-laden sellout crowd gathered for the Lakers&rsquo; longest playoff run in their home arena since 2012. Fans near courtside included Michael B. Jordan, Kim Kardashian, Woody Harrelson, Don Cheadle, Dustin Hoffman, Nia Long, Adele, Andy Garcia, Kevin Hart and quarterback Bryce Young, the Pasadena native and No. 1 overall pick by Carolina in last month&rsquo;s NFL draft.

The Lakers took a 2-1 lead in their second-round playoff series with a 127-97 victory over the Warriors in Game 3 on Saturday night.

LeBron James, Lakers rout Warriors 127-97, take 2-1 series lead

Sacramento Kings general manager Monte McNair has been named the NBA's 2022-23 Executive of the Year, the league announced today.
In just his third season as an NBA general manager, McNair assembled a team that went 48-34 &ndash; securing the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference and ending the Kings' 16-year playoff drought.
McNair hired Kings head coach Mike Brown, who was the unanimous winner of the NBA's 2022-23 Coach of the Year award. He built the team around the star tandem of De'Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis, and his key offseason additions included Kevin Huerter, Malik Monk and No. 4 overall pick Keegan Murray.
McNair received 16 first-place votes and 98 total voting points. Cleveland Cavaliers president of basketball operations Koby Altman was the runner-up, receiving seven first-place votes and 63 total voting points.
Utah Jazz GM Justin Zanik (20 total points), Denver Nuggets GM Calvin Booth (20 total points) and Boston Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens (13 total points) rounded out the top-five.
<img src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/exec1.png" alt="" width="748" height="316" />
Other executives who received at least one vote were Jon Horst (Milwaukee Bucks), James Jones (Phoenix Suns), Leon Rose (New York Knicks), Zach Kleiman (Memphis Grizzlies), Sean Marks (Brooklyn Nets), Rob Pelinka (Los Angeles Lakers), Sam Presti (Oklahoma City Thunder), Daryl Morey (Philadelphia 76ers), David Griffin (New Orleans Pelicans) and Tim Connelly (Minnesota Timberwolves).
Unlike the other end-of-season awards that are voted on by media members, the voting panel for the Executive of the Year award consisted of front-office executives across the NBA. The balloting was tabulated by the independent accounting firm Ernst and Young LLP.

Sacramento Kings general manager Monte McNair has been named the NBA's 2022-23 Executive of the Year.

Sacramento's Monte McNair named NBA's 2022-23 Executive of the Year

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

NBA announces 242 early-entry candidates for 2023 NBA Draft

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) &mdash; Texas commit Ronald Holland had 15 points and USA Basketball rallied in the fourth quarter to beat Team World 90-84 at the Nike Hoop Summit on Saturday night.
Bronny James &mdash; the son of LeBron James, who was in attendance &mdash; made his USA Basketball debut and scored 11 points, including a pair of free throws to seal it with 5.4 seconds remaining.
Holland added nine rebounds, six steals and five assists for the Americans, who got 11 points from Isaiah Collier. Jared McCain, DaJuan Wagner and Justin Edwards each scored 10 points for Team USA.
Mackenzie Mgbako scored 22 points for Team World, which got 17 from Michael Nwoko, 15 from Aden Holloway and 12 from Andrej Stojakovic &mdash; the son of former NBA player Peja Stojakovic.
The U.S. improved to 17-7 against the World teams at the Nike event that dates to 1995.
Mgbako made a fadeaway with 7:56 left to put the World team up 70-69, but the Americans quickly reclaimed the lead and kept it the rest of the way. James made a 3-pointer with 4:54 left to push the USA lead out to six, and Holland had a putback score with 3:00 remaining to make it 86-79.
WOMEN&rsquo;S GAME
TEAM USA 100, TEAM WORLD 79
LSU commit Mikaylah Williams scored 22 points, Notre Dame commit Hannah Hidalgo added 13 and Team USA topped Team World 100-79 in the inaugural women&rsquo;s game of the Nike event.
Connecticut commit Kamorea Arnold, Stanford commit Sunaja Agara and Oklahoma commit Sahara Williams each had 10 points for the Americans, while Hidalgo finished with eight assists and five steals. Texas commit Madison Booker finished with eight points, eight assists, five assists and three steals for Team USA.
Williams was 6 for 7 from 3-point range.
Shaneice Swain &mdash; who is entering the WNBA draft and expects to be picked Monday &mdash; led Team World with 19 points, while Toby Fournier had 18 points with nine rebounds and Nyadiew Puoch scored 16 points.

Both the men and women represented Team USA with victories over Team World on Saturday.

USA Basketball sweeps Team World at Nike Hoop Summit

LOS ANGELES (AP) &mdash; Near the end of what he once referred to as the most important regular-season stretch of his career, LeBron James was able to briefly savor one thing many thought was going to be near impossible after 12 games.
The Los Angeles Lakers will have a winning record in the regular season.
The&nbsp;Lakers defeated the Phoenix Suns 121-107&nbsp;on Friday night for their 42nd win to guarantee a finish over .500. That was only a dream in early November when Los Angeles stumbled out of the gates with a 2-10 record.
&ldquo;I was just telling AD (Anthony Davis), &lsquo;Can you believe we&rsquo;re going to finish this season above .500 after everything that has gone on this season?&rsquo; We turned this thing around in the regular season,&rdquo; James said. &ldquo;There&rsquo;s more basketball to be played, but to know that we&rsquo;re going to finish a few games above .500 is pretty cool.&rdquo;
According to Sportradar, the Lakers (42-39) are only the fourth team since 1981 to start 2-10 or worse and finish with a winning record. The New Jersey Nets did it twice (1981-82, 2004-05) while the Chicago Bulls beat the odds in 2004-05.
Los Angeles was able to accomplish its turnaround despite James and Davis being in the same lineup for only 35 games.
James missed 27 games, including a four-week stretch from late February to late March because of right foot soreness.
Davis was out for 26 games, mostly because of a right foot stress injury. He has missed only two games, though, since Feb. 1.
The Lakers have won five of their last seven since&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/lakers-lebron-james-return-injury-109c58929fb947c7ebd81540121a44f3" target="_blank" rel="noopener">James returned to the lineup</a>&nbsp;on March 26. They didn&rsquo;t get over .500 until a 12-point&nbsp;win at Minnesota&nbsp;on March 31, the 77th game of the season.
&ldquo;We are playing extremely well. The guys did an unbelievable job when I was out. The games that I played (since returning), I just try to do my part,&rdquo; James said.
The biggest catalyst to the turnaround was the trade deadline, when the Lakers reset their roster. They acquired guards D&rsquo;Angelo Russell and Malik Beasley, forward Jarred Vanderbilt and center Mo Bamba, along with trading Russell Westbrook.
The Lakers&rsquo; 17-9 record since the Feb. 9 trade deadline is the second-best mark in the Western Conference.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s been a real good group. There&rsquo;s a lot at stake and on the line that we have no choice but to improve,&rdquo; Davis said. &ldquo;Our practice has been games and we&rsquo;ve been able to figure out things on the fly.&rdquo;
Russell led the Lakers with 24 points and Beasley scored 21 in the win over the Suns. Austin Reaves also has emerged as an integral player, averaging 17.8 points since the All-Star break.
The Lakers&rsquo; main goal going into Sunday&rsquo;s regular-season finale against the Utah Jazz is trying to get into the top six and avoid the play-in tournament. They are seventh in the West and need help.
Going into the final day, the Lakers could finish as high as fifth or as low as ninth.
Coach Darvin Ham&rsquo;s main priority is trying to make sure his team gets some rest during what has been a late-season grind. Sunday&rsquo;s game will be their fourth in six days, with the possibility of a play-in game on Tuesday or Wednesday.
&ldquo;We have to do what we need to do to make sure we have the proper energy, the proper rest, care, making sure we&rsquo;re taking care of our guys and their physical issues,&rdquo; Ham said. &ldquo;I just think the stakes being what they are is really going to ramp up our guys.&rdquo;
Even with the off day, James was in Portland on Saturday watching his son, Bronny, take part in the Nike Hoops Summit. James smiled when asked about taking the trip and said something that sums up the last month:
&ldquo;There&rsquo;s no rest for the weary, you know?&rdquo;

After a season with plenty of ups and downs, the Los Angeles Lakers are guaranteed to finish with a record over .500.

Late-season turnaround propels Lakers to winning record

LOS ANGELES (AP) &mdash; When the Los Angeles Lakers reached the final minutes of a tight game they desperately needed to win, the player with the ball in his hands on every possession Sunday night wasn&rsquo;t one of their superstars, but an undrafted second-year reserve guard who has made a career out of surpassing expectations.
Austin Reaves took over, scoring the Lakers&rsquo; last 10 points during the final 93 seconds of a 111-105 win over the Orlando Magic that breathed life into Los Angeles&rsquo; flickering playoff hopes while LeBron James is out with a foot injury.
Reaves ended up with a career-high 35 points, and Lakers fans serenaded him with chants of &ldquo;M-V-P! M-V-P!&rdquo; each time he stepped to the free-throw line down the stretch.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s special,&rdquo; Reaves said. &ldquo;I grew up a Lakers fan, so to do it for this organization especially is surreal. Sometimes I&rsquo;ve got to stop and really think about what I am doing. Obviously, I think all the odds were stacked against me from where I&rsquo;m from.&rdquo;
Reaves has become something more than another interesting find by the Lakers&rsquo; scouting department: The unsung prospect from rural Arkansas who played more baseball than basketball growing up is now a versatile, vital part of Los Angeles&rsquo; rotation. He&rsquo;s in line for a huge pay raise in free agency this summer &mdash; after he helps the Lakers into the playoffs, he hopes.
&ldquo;He carried us tonight with his play,&rdquo; Anthony Davis said after Reaves added six rebounds and six assists while hitting nine of his 14 shots against Orlando. &ldquo;He got whatever he wanted, pick-and-rolls, 3s, got to the line 18 times. We know what we have in Austin. We&rsquo;re very confident in him.&rdquo;
Reaves became only the seventh player in franchise history to score at least 35 points in a reserve role, but the way he got his points was particularly impressive. Driving to the hoop and shooting with confidence, he also repeatedly baited the Magic into fouls and then made 16 of his 18 free throws, both career highs.
&ldquo;He gets a lot of those calls,&rdquo; Davis said. &ldquo;Me and Bron joke about it, like, &lsquo;Man, we wish we could get some of those.&rsquo; As a guard, he&rsquo;s able to &mdash; I don&rsquo;t want to say manipulate the game &mdash; but to see how the game is being called and use it to his advantage, like guys who get a lot of free throws.&rdquo;
Reaves said he has studied how James Harden and Trae Young draw fouls and attempted to incorporate their strategies into his game. Between his penchant for getting fouled and his physical approach on defense, Reaves regularly ends up moderately bloodied or bruised after games.
Reaves sees it as a way to help the Lakers without relying on superior strength or world-class speed. Lakers coach Darvin Ham calls him a daredevil, while James describes him as fearless.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve said many times I&rsquo;m not the most athletic person in the world,&rdquo; Reaves said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m not the best at anything, but I think I&rsquo;m really good at a lot of things.&rdquo;
Reaves jokes about his limited athletic ability, yet he would be the most athletic person in almost any room in the world &mdash; except the room where he spends most of his life.
And basketball is in his blood: Both of his parents were accomplished players at Arkansas State, his mother a high-scoring 6-footer and his father a playmaking guard. He grew up idolizing Kobe Bryant, his grandmother&rsquo;s favorite player.
He was modestly recruited out of high school, and he headed to the pros after five years in college at Wichita State and Oklahoma. He started out on a two-way contract with the Lakers last season but played his way into a firm NBA role as a rookie.
Reaves will be a restricted free agent this summer, and Lakers fans are already fretting about his future two years after they lost Alex Caruso, another undrafted find who played his way into a major role on the 2020 championship team. Los Angeles allowed Caruso to leave for Chicago apparently to avoid adding to its luxury tax bill, even though Caruso said he would have given a discount to stay.
The Lakers can match any contract offer given to Reaves, and it&rsquo;s clear how their superstars feel about him: James cheered for Reaves&rsquo; big finish from the bench before tweeting about Reaves postgame: &ldquo;You toooooo TOUGH!!&rdquo;
Reaves smiled when he was shown the tweet, briefly looking like a star-struck Lakers fan once again.
&ldquo;I felt like there was a really good chemistry IQ-wise from day one,&rdquo; Reaves said of his bond with James. &ldquo;Stuff like that (tweet) means a lot to me. Looking back in 20 years when I&rsquo;m hopefully retired, playing golf every day, I can tell my kids, my grandkids.&rdquo;

Reaves has become something more than another interesting find by the Lakers’ scouting department.