Pirates

Among the many components integral to the Phoenix Suns&rsquo; dominant rise of the past two seasons is their multifaceted wing trio of Mikal Bridges, Jae Crowder and Cameron Johnson.&nbsp;
Devin Booker and Chris Paul are the headlining stars, but those three forwards are trustworthy shooters, passers and defenders. While their skill- ets in those categories range across a wide spectrum, they all factor into the Suns forging a two-way approach predicated on versatility.&nbsp;
Bridges&rsquo; exploits are routinely and justifiably lauded. He finished second in Defensive Player of the Year voting this season and is regarded as one of the NBA&rsquo;s best budding wings. Johnson shot 42.5% beyond the arc and was a finalist for Sixth Man of the Year.
Perhaps sometimes lost in the shuffle of those two &mdash; along with Booker, Paul and Deandre Ayton&rsquo;s stardom &mdash; is the well-traveled swingman in Crowder. His arrival in Phoenix has coincided with the team's ascension. His services are a prominent reason that the Suns lead the Dallas Mavericks 3-2 in their Western Conference semifinal series ahead of Thursday&rsquo;s pivotal Game 6.
Through five games, the 31-year-old is averaging 12.6 points, 6.6 rebounds and 2.8 assists on 66.9% True Shooting. He&rsquo;s shooting 46.7% (14 of 30) from deep and 57.1% (8 of 14) inside the arc.&nbsp;
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Phoenix has entrusted him with a bevy of duties offensively, spanning from screener, to trigger man catalyzing sets, to off-ball shooter with a pop-gun release. The Mavericks have typically tried to hide lesser defenders like Luka Doncic, Spencer Dinwiddie and Davis Bertans on him. So, the Suns have countered by mildly increasing Crowder's offensive usage via pick-and-pops or other screening actions.&nbsp;
Whether he&rsquo;s concluding the play with his own points, or merely facilitating a mismatch for someone else to flourish, his screens and capacity to operate off of them have greatly aided Phoenix&rsquo;s offense.
Crowder is comfortable attacking off the catch to feature his floater, is a perceptive off-ball nomad and brandishes a snappy jumper to burn tardy closeouts. Periodically, he&rsquo;s even displayed some on-ball juice. Dallas is already grappling and concerned with slowing Paul, Booker and Ayton. A fourth (or fifth) option as a release valve against its compromised defenders has proven burdensome to contain.
Unlike some fifth options, Crowder cannot be entirely neglected offensively, and teams must pay him some respect. Trying to fight through his screen or show against it may create an opening for the ball-handler to pounce. To avoid those scenarios, Dallas is mostly switching, which leaves Crowder and/or the primary scorer in a beneficial situation.
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Much like his counterparts on the wings, Crowder provides ancillary traits (some of which are tied to scoring) that amplify his offensive value in a background setting. He&rsquo;s an adept connective passer and punctuality flows through his general decision-making ethos. In head coach Monty Williams&rsquo; <a href="https://www.nba.com/suns/features/coach-williams-05-system-calls-faster-pace-and-quicker-decision-making">0.5 System</a> that emphasizes quick decision-making, Crowder fits snugly.&nbsp;
Most of his passing opportunities are coming against a tilted defense where he can briefly survey the floor and proceed. Other times, he&rsquo;s catching the ball in space or on the move and extends an advantage.&nbsp;
Complementary offensive players who hammer home advantages enacted by initiators are critically important. Crowder&rsquo;s second-round showing embodies that. Dallas is repeatedly playing catch-up before possessions even migrate his way, and he&rsquo;s only furthering the divide. Historically, his shooting and playmaking ambitions intermittently grow overzealous, but he&rsquo;s been quite reliable in this series.&nbsp;
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Similar to his offensive output, Crowder dips his quill in a number of inks defensively. He&rsquo;s frequently mucking up drives as a helper around the nail, and can curtail forays into the paint. At 6-foot-6, 235 pounds, he&rsquo;s someone Phoenix sics on Jalen Brunson and contently sends Doncic&rsquo;s direction in a pinch.&nbsp;
Neither ball-handler is necessarily enduring a poor series, but they&rsquo;re both experiencing fewer profits than they did against Utah. The Suns&rsquo; collective upgrade on the wings defensively compared to the Jazz is a major reason for the discrepancy, and Crowder falls under that difference.&nbsp;
His strength, mobility and deft hands slyly bother Doncic, while Brunson&rsquo;s found tough sledding against Crowder&rsquo;s burly, durable frame. On and off the ball, the veteran is around to entangle himself in the Mavericks&rsquo; plans.&nbsp;
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During Phoenix&rsquo;s first-round duel against the New Orleans Pelicans, Crowder couldn&rsquo;t toss a penny in a fountain. He shot 33.3% from the floor, buried just two triples and scored 45 points on 48 shots across six games. Yet his defense, primarily on Brandon Ingram and CJ McCollum, shined.&nbsp;
Now, the offense has returned and the defense continues to elicit praise. As Bridges&rsquo; offense ebbs and flows in this round, Crowder&rsquo;s revival has been a welcomed addition.&nbsp;
There&rsquo;s never one archetype necessary to construct a title team. But strong, defensively inclined wings who can cook a few different dishes offensively are a common thread among many recent Finals participants. Both with the Heat in 2020 and Suns a season ago, Crowder is among those teams.&nbsp;
Phoenix isn&rsquo;t this good without him. He&rsquo;s only missed the playoffs once in his 10-year career. Although he&rsquo;s fortunately been surrounded by numerous good coaches and stars, there&rsquo;s correlation involved.
Crowder fills a diverse secondary role and performs it well, which is all the Suns have ever needed from him.&nbsp;
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Jackson Frank analyzes the crucial secondary role that Jae Crowder plays for the Suns and how he's thrived vs Dallas.

Jae Crowder's versatility has shined against the Mavericks

This past week, the Tampa Bay Pro Combine was held in Wesley Chapel, Florida, hosting 36 draft-eligible prospects, 24 of which had an opportunity to showcase their skills in front of NBA scouts. BasketballNews.com's Senior NBA Draft Analyst Matt Babcock also serves as executive director of the combine.
Last year, Darryl Hepburn launched the inaugural Tampa Bay Pro Combine. The event proved to be a success as we saw four participants play in the NBA in their rookie seasons: Terry Taylor (Indiana Pacers), Brandon Williams (Portland Trail Blazers), Micah Potter (Detroit Pistons) and Jordan Goodwin (Washington Wizards).
Thanks to title sponsor Florida's Sports Coast, Adam Thomas and Consuelo Sanchez, the event returned for a second year with hopes of helping more players find success as they transition from college to the pros. Last Friday, we wrapped up the event. Here is a recap of the 2022 Tampa Bay Pro Combine:
Arrival
Last year, we had nearly 50 players come to the Tampa Bay Pro Combine. However, we decided to change things this time around, bringing in a smaller group &mdash; 24 draft-eligible prospects &mdash; to participate in two days of simulated pre-draft workouts. Another big difference was that the workouts would be in front of NBA scouts and executives this year. We also welcomed 12 additional prospects to participate in some workouts and games. All in all, we had 36 players visit Tampa.&nbsp;
As we prepared our list of potential invites, we looked to put together a talented group of players with pro-potential, primarily fourth- and fifth-year seniors coming out of college who would be eligible for the 2022 NBA Draft. We targeted players from all over the country. We brought players to Tampa from various schools, including Arizona State, BYU, Colorado, Houston, Kansas State, Kentucky, Oregon, Providence, Tennessee, Texas Tech, Washington State, West Virginia and more.
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Ready to get going - Let&rsquo;s run it. 🏀🏁<a href="https://twitter.com/deemintz1?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@deemintz1</a> x <a href="https://twitter.com/_davwarr3n?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@_davwarr3n</a> x <a href="https://twitter.com/BallForever_?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BallForever_</a> x <a href="https://twitter.com/fulkerson_john?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@fulkerson_john</a> x <a href="https://twitter.com/AbuKigab?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AbuKigab</a> x <a href="https://twitter.com/JericoleHellems?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JericoleHellems</a> x <a href="https://twitter.com/Mark_Smith_13?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Mark_Smith_13</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TampaBayProCombine?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TampaBayProCombine</a> <a href="https://t.co/5z7XKUqMiS">pic.twitter.com/5z7XKUqMiS</a>
&mdash; Tampa Bay Pro Combine (@_TBPC) <a href="https://twitter.com/_TBPC/status/1518974087460184065?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 26, 2022</a></blockquote>

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The players arrived throughout the day on April 25, and we arranged rides to our event hotel, the brand new Residence Inn in Wesley Chapel. We provided them with Adidas gear and had dinner before going to our rooms. A good night's sleep was in order as the next two days were important since the players would be showcasing their talents in front of NBA scouts. A lot was on the line!
NBA Sessions
The next day, April 26, NBA scouts from a wide variety of teams arrived at the Wiregrass Ranch Sports Campus and sat along the sideline as trainers from Yo Murphy Performance warmed up the players for our first "NBA session." Shortly after, Coach Bob MacKinnon had the players and our staff huddle up, shouting out his signature "1, 2, 3&hellip; hard work!" before we broke off for the first workout.
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That day, the first group of six players started things off right. You could feel the intensity in the gym immediately. It was clear that the players and coaches were there with a purpose. After a series of shooting drills and skill work, MacKinnon directed the group as they transitioned into competitive play, starting with 1-on-1 and finishing with 3-on-3. I don't think there is any denying that the workout was challenging and competitive. The remaining groups matched the same level of competitiveness over the two days.

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As executive director of the Tampa Bay Pro Combine, I'm responsible for inviting the players and convincing them to come. All of the young men that came to Tampa trusted me when I told them that we were putting together a platform that would help them gain exposure as they pursued their dream of playing professional basketball. Being able to contribute to helping them get closer to accomplishing their goals is beyond rewarding for me.
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Many players helped themselves those first two days, including Michael Flowers from Washington State, Noah Horchler from Providence, Nate Johnson from Xavier and Davion Warren from Texas Tech, just to name a few.
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Three-Point Shootout
After a couple of intense days working out in front of NBA teams, we put together an optional workout on April 28, which was light, and then former NBA player Shelden Williams interviewed a number of the guys throughout the day for BasketballNews.com.
In the afternoon, we gave guys plenty of time to relax, with many of them even taking advantage of Tampa's beautiful weather by lounging at the pool of the Residence Inn and enjoying the sunshine. Later that night, we had some fun. The facility hosted a local high school All-Star game and had one of our players, Taze Moore from the University of Houston, do some dunks at halftime &mdash; he put on a show!
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To finish up the night, we held a Three-Point Shootout. The participants included Jalen Adaway (St. Bonaventure), Michael Flowers (Washington State), Noah Horchler (Providence), Nate Johnson (Xavier), Davion Mintz (Kentucky), and Cole VonHandorf (Fairmont State). Mintz started hot in the first round, but it wasn't enough as Flowers ultimately won the shootout.
Double-Header
Our last session on the court was on April 29, with some 5-on-5 play. We had three-time NBA champion and current BasketballNews.com writer and podcaster James Posey and former college standout player at Arizona and South Florida Jesus Verdejo coach the teams in both games.&nbsp;
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The first game was competitive from start to finish, ultimately seeing Team 1 win over Team 2, 100-92. Davion Mintz and Davion Warren led Team 2 in scoring with 24 and 22 points, respectively. Team 1's Amadou Sow won game MVP, scoring 26 points and grabbing an impressive 12 rebounds.
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Team 3 started fast on Team 4 in the second game, leading 26-11 after the first quarter. Kalob Ledoux and Ronaldo Segu led Team 4 in scoring, with 21 and 20 points, respectively. Meanwhile, West Virginia's Malik Curry scored 24 points, earning himself MVP honors.
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Thank You, and Good Luck
To cap off the week, our title sponsor, Florida's Sports Coast, and their manager, Consuelo Sanchez, hosted our entire group at Chuck Lager in Wesley Chapel for dinner to celebrate the successful week before everyone flew back home the following day.
That's another year in the books for the Tampa Bay Pro Combine. As our players set out to make the next steps in the pre-draft process and their respective careers, I'd like to wish everyone the best and thank them for allowing us to play a small part in their journey. Thank you to all of our staff and partners who worked so hard to make this past week happen!
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BasketballNews.com's Senior NBA Draft Analyst Matt Babcock shares an outlined recap of the 2022 Tampa Bay Pro Combine.

Recapping the 2022 Tampa Bay Pro Combine

Klay Thompson hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with 36 seconds left, and the Golden State Warriors overcame Draymond Green's first-half ejection to edge the Memphis Grizzlies 117-116 on Sunday in Game 1 of the Western Conference Semifinals.
Jordan Poole led the Warriors with 31 points off the bench, hitting 5 of 10 3-pointers. Stephen Curry added 24 points, Andrew Wiggins had 17 and Thompson finished with 15.
Green was ejected for a flagrant foul just before halftime.
Thompson missed both free throws with 6.7 seconds left, then Memphis won a jump ball before taking a timeout with 3.6 seconds remaining to set up the final play. The Grizzlies ran a play similar to Ja Morant's last-second layup to win Game 5 in the first round, but Morant's layup went over the rim.
Morant finished with 34 points and 10 assists, and Jaren Jackson Jr. matched his season high with six 3-pointers and had a career-high 33 points as Memphis' first pair of teammates to score at least 30 in a playoff game. D'Anthony Melton added 14, and Brandon Clarke had 12.
The Grizzlies finished their first-round series by coming back from double-digit deficits in their final three wins &mdash; the first team in NBA history to do that more than once in a postseason, let alone a series. They came in leading the NBA in the fourth with an average of 33 points and outscoring opponents by 10.3 points a game.
This time, they could only match the Warriors point for point in the period.
Memphis edged the Warriors out for the No. 2 seed in the West by tying the franchise record with 56 wins, and the Grizzlies also took three of four in their season series. Thompson only played one and Green two of those games and Curry three.
This was a rematch with role reversals from the 2015 semifinal the Warriors won as the younger team with Memphis led by experienced vets. This also was just the first time the Warriors started a conference semifinal on the road and third playoff series Golden State didn&rsquo;t start at home with Steve Kerr as coach.
The Warriors mixed up their lineup, benching Poole in favor of Gary Payton II to focus on defending Morant, the Grizzlies' All-Star point guard and the <a href="https://apnews.com/article/memphis-grizzlies-nba-sports-ab99752f256668274bb16e1b325e6648">NBA's Most Improved Player</a> this season.
Morant opened the game with back-to-back 3s, half of what he made the entire first round against Minnesota, and he had 14 to help the Grizzlies lead 32-24 after the first quarter. It marked the first time Memphis held an opponent to fewer than 30 points this postseason.
The Grizzlies led by as much as 13 in the second quarter and were up 61-55 at halftime.
With 1:18 left in the second, Green fouled Brandon Clarke. Officials reviewed the play for several minutes with fans chanting &ldquo;Throw him out!&rdquo; Green finished with six points, four rebounds and five turnovers.
Curry was held to eight points in the first half, none in the second and picked up his third foul seconds after Green's ejection.
Curry was held to eight points in the first half, none in the second. But he scored 13 and <a href="https://twitter.com/warriors/status/1520883744676061184">Poole had 10</a> in the third as the Warriors outscored Memphis 36-29 and led 91-90 after the third. Golden State was 14 of 21 shooting in the third, including 5 of 7 outside the arc.
TIP-INS
Warriors: Curry passed Dennis Johnson for 23rd for most playoff points with 3,123. Next up is Paul Pierce with 3,180. ... Kevon Looney and Poole started the second half in place of Green and Payton, who started but was limited to eight minutes by three early fouls. ... The Warriors also started on the road against Houston in 2018 and Toronto in 2019. ... They won a road game in a series extending their NBA record to a 25th consecutive series.
Grizzlies: Steven Adams, who led the NBA in offensive rebounds per game during the regular season, missed a second straight game in the health and safety protocols. Ziaire Williams missed his second game with a sore right knee.

The Warriors overcame Draymond Green's ejection to edge the Grizzlies 117-116 in Game 1 of the Western Conference Semifinals.

Warriors rally after Green ejection, beat Grizzlies in Game 1

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) &mdash; Desmond Bane and Dillon Brooks each scored 23 points and the Memphis Grizzlies rallied yet again to eliminate the Minnesota Timberwolves, winning 114-106 in Game 6 on Friday night.
Brandon Clarke added 17 points and 11 rebounds off the bench for the Grizzlies, who withstood another quiet night by star Ja Morant and another double-digit deficit entering the fourth quarter.
The Grizzlies advanced in the playoffs for the first time in seven years, this time to meet Golden State. They&rsquo;ll host Game 1 in Memphis.
Anthony Edwards had 16 of his 30 points in the first quarter for Minnesota. Jaden McDaniels had 24 points off the bench, and Karl-Anthony Towns added 18 points and 10 rebounds.
Morant went 4 for 14 from the field and had 17 points and 11 assists.
With the Grizzlies already the first team in NBA history to win multiple games in the same playoff series by erasing a double-digit-point fourth-quarter deficit, the here-we-go-again feeling was palpable in the building as an 84-74 lead for the Wolves at the third-quarter break quickly vanished.
Bane and Brooks each hit tying 3-pointers midway through the fourth, and Brooks fouled out just 26 seconds after his evened the score at 97.
Bane then swished another one from deep at 3:03 for a 101-99 lead, the first for the Grizzlies since they were up 39-38.
The kill shot came soon after for a Wolves team that, like so many others against the Grizzlies this season, was consistently a step and a jump behind on the glass.
Tyus Jones missed a pair of 3-pointers from the wing on the same possession, but the Grizzlies rebounded both &mdash; and Morant used the second one for a layup and a four-point lead.
After McDaniels, who had the game of his two-year career, hit a 3 with 1:34 left to bring the Wolves back within one, Jones &mdash; the former Timberwolves player and native of Minnesota &mdash; answered with a 3-pointer to bump the lead back to two possessions with 1:09 left.
ANT GOES MARCHING
The Grizzlies have had only one lead after the first quarter in this series, 33-32 in Game 2, and Edwards ensured they didn&rsquo;t get another one. The first overall pick in the 2020 draft with the bravado and the flair for the big moments had nine of his team&rsquo;s first 11 points. He hit a 3-pointer with about a minute left in the period, then blocked Morant's layup with a few seconds left.
The crowd roared when the game operations crew flashed a graphic in the second quarter with a side-by-side comparison of scoring totals of Edwards and Morant, which was 16-0 at the time.
BEVERLEY THRILLS
One of the most vital players for Minnesota in this series &mdash; all season, really &mdash; has been Patrick Beverley with his energy, experience and tenacity. One of the NBA's most notorious pests, who was on the Grizzlies roster last summer for a few days in a stopover between trades that routed him from the Clippers to the Wolves, Beverley has contributed his share of big shots, too.
He knocked down a 3-pointer from the corner to give the Wolves a 69-56 lead with Morant guarding him, grinning at the NBA's Most Improved Player, who flashed back a smile &mdash; and promptly produced with a three-point play on the other end by flipping in a layup and drawing a foul. That sparked a 12-0 spurt by the Grizzlies, which Beverley ended with another 3-pointer.
MUST-WINS IN MINNESOTA
This was the first Game 6 the Timberwolves hosted in their modest postseason history, though they had Game 7 at Target Center in 2004 when they beat Sacramento to close that second round series.
In the Western Conference finals that year, the Wolves also beat the Lakers here in Game 5 before losing in Los Angeles in Game 6. Those are the only two elimination games they&rsquo;ve ever won at home, having lost in those situations in the first round in 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2002.
Despite the devastation of the two squandered leads in defeat earlier in the series and the untrustworthy history of a franchise in a market that has not enjoyed a major professional league championship in a men&rsquo;s sport since 1991, the fans turned out once again and gave the Wolves a clear advantage.
Former Timberwolves star Latrell Sprewell sat courtside, a few seats down from Vikings wide receiver Adam Thielen, a Minnesota native. Local head coaches P.J. Fleck (Gophers football), Ben Johnson (Gophers basketball) and Cheryl Reeve (Lynx) were in the house, too, as fans clutched neon-blue glow sticks for the duration of the night in the packed downtown arena.
TIP-INS
Grizzlies: Bane has 27 made 3-pointers in the series. That's already the <a href="https://twitter.com/ESPNStatsInfo/status/1520222830645989377">most in team history</a> for a single postseason. O.J. Mayo made 20 shots from behind the arc in 13 playoff games in 2011. ... Backup forward Ziaire Williams (right knee soreness) was held out.
Timberwolves: Naz Reid was not with the team for personal reasons, so recent acquisition Greg Monroe got the backup center minutes, his first action of the series.

Desmond Bane and Dillon Brooks each scored 23 points and the Grizzlies eliminated the Timberwolves, winning 114-106 in Game 6.

Grizzlies rally past Wolves 114-106 to reach second round

Mikal Bridges scored 31 points in a stellar all-around game, Chris Paul added 22 points and 11 assists and the top-seeded Phoenix Suns beat the New Orleans Pelicans 112-97 on Tuesday night to take a 3-2 lead in the Western Conference first-round series.
The Suns never trailed but also never totally pulled away until the final few minutes against the feisty Pelicans. Once again, Phoenix found a way to close, improving to 50-0 this season when leading after three quarters, including 3-0 in this series.
Bridges closed the Suns&rsquo; scoring with two emphatic dunks in the final minute, capping arguably the best game of his pro career.
Brandon Ingram scored 22 points to lead the Pelicans. CJ McCollum added 21.
The Suns took an 89-78 lead into the final quarter after Cameron Payne&rsquo;s late 3-pointer. The Pelicans &mdash; just 36-46 during the regular season &mdash; pulled within seven points with less than two minutes left, but Cameron Johnson threw down a one-handed jam on the ensuing fast break to keep the Suns in control.
Phoenix will try to clinch the series in Game 6 on Thursday in New Orleans. If the first five games are any indication, it will not be easy.
Paul bounced back from a subpar Game 4 and Bridges showed why he was one of three finalists for the league&rsquo;s defensive player of the year, blocking four shots.
It was also an ironman performance for Bridges, who played 47 of a possible 48 minutes yet never looked tired. He made 12 of 17 shots from the field, grabbed five rebounds and had two steals.
Phoenix played its third straight game without All-Star guard Devin Booker, who was still out with a strained right hamstring that happened in Game 2.
The Suns jumped out to a 2-20 lead by the end of the first quarter. They looked much more like the team that led the NBA with 64 wins during the regular season, playing tight defense and making the extra pass on offense to get open shots.
Phoenix led by as many as 17 during the second quarter before settling for a 59-46 advantage. Paul had 16 points before the break while Ayton added 13. Ingram had 13 for the Pelicans.
LIGHTER POCKETS
Suns coach Monty Williams was fined $15,000 for publicly criticizing the officiating in Game 4 of the first-round playoff series against the New Orleans Pelicans, the NBA announced before the game. The Pelicans had a 42-15 advantage in foul shots during Game 4, which the Suns lost.
TIP-INS
Pelicans: Jose Alvarado was once again tough on defense, forcing an eight-second call in the fourth quarter against Paul, who couldn&rsquo;t get the ball out of the backcourt.
Suns: Booker has been working out at the team&rsquo;s practice facility, but it&rsquo;s still unclear when he&rsquo;ll be able to return. ... Payne gave the Suns a boost with seven points in the first quarter. He averaged just 4.8 points through the first four games of the series. ... Phoenix was just 1 of 9 from 3-point range before closing the first half by hitting 4 of 6.

Mikal Bridges scored 31 points in a stellar game, Chris Paul added 22 points and 11 assists and the Suns took a 3-2 lead.

Bridges, Paul lead Suns past Pelicans 112-97 for 3-2 lead

You hear that alarm going off? It&rsquo;s a wake-up call from Brandon Ingram reminding all NBA fans how good he truly is.
How quickly we forgot Ingram made his first All-Star Game in the 2019-20 season, carrying the Pelicans before young phenom Zion Williamson came along the follow year. Now, without Williamson all season long due to offseason foot surgery, Ingram has spread his wings in his third season in New Orleans, and is thriving under new Pelicans head coach Willie Green&rsquo;s guidance.
On the biggest stage in the NBA, Ingram is unfazed and flourishing as the best player in the team's series against the Western Conference&rsquo;s No. 1 seed. The young, feisty Pelicans have the Phoenix Suns on the ropes, as the first-round series is tied through four games.
It's to nobody's surprise, but Ingram has been the catalyst behind New Orleans&rsquo; recent surge. Over the Pelicans&rsquo; last six games &mdash; including two Play-In Tournament games and their ongoing series with Phoenix &mdash; Ingram&rsquo;s numbers are gaudy: 29.3 points, 6.3 rebounds and 5.2 assists with 63.4% True Shooting percentage. With that kind of production, he has helped back the West&rsquo;s juggernaut into an early corner and flipped this series on its head, and, as a result, it's placing all the pressure on Phoenix to finish this series off <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/devin-bookers-hamstring-injury-shifts-momentum-as-suns-prepare-for-tough-battle-with-pelicans" target="_blank" rel="noopener">without its best player in Devin Booker due to a strained left hamstring</a>.
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Ingram&rsquo;s latest masterpiece unfolded in a perfect way for New Orleans in Game 4, dropping 30 points with little resistance. 16 of which came in a huge third-quarter spurt. Following the Pelicans&rsquo; 118-103 blowout win over the Suns on Sunday evening, Ingram calmly put his recent play into perspective while also applauding all of his teammates.
&ldquo;To God be the glory. I feel this is our time,&rdquo; Ingram said. &ldquo;[We] worked so hard throughout the year to become a better team, and we finally get the chance to be on a really, really big stage and continue to play together. My teammates [have] been helping me out a lot, putting me in the right spots, passing me the ball in the right areas. Just making me look good. It&rsquo;s been a team effort. I just love playing with the guys.&rdquo;
With series momentum entirely on New Orleans&rsquo; side right now thanks to Ingram&rsquo;s virtuoso scoring performances, the Suns will have to quickly find a counter-punch to the near-knockout blow that was delivered to them on Sunday.
Whether it be Jae Crowder (Ingram&rsquo;s primary assignment throughout the series), Mikal Bridges, Cameron Johnson or Torrey Craig, Phoenix&rsquo;s wings have had no answers to trying to guard the ascending Pelicans star. When guarded 1-on-1 by one of the Suns&rsquo; four wings, Ingram is shooting 31 of 54 (57.4 FG%). Take a gander at how easy it&rsquo;s been for Ingram as of late:
<ul>
<li>Ingram vs. Crowder: 12 of 24 (50%)</li>
<li>Ingram vs. Johnson: 7 of 10 (70%)</li>
<li>Ingram vs. Bridges: 6 of 10 (60%)</li>
<li>Ingram vs. Craig: 6 of 10 (60%)</li>
</ul>
If this continues for the Pelicans, and Ingram is seemingly unguardable against blanket coverages thrown out there from the Suns, it changes everything for this now-best-of-three showdown.
&ldquo;Extremely valuable&rdquo; Green said of Ingram&rsquo;s postseason play. &ldquo;Brandon is playing some of his best basketball of the season, and he&rsquo;s doing it on the biggest stage. It&rsquo;s great to see, and he&rsquo;s more than capable. I&rsquo;ve said it before, he&rsquo;s the real deal and he goes out on the floor he puts the work into practice and we&rsquo;re seeing it on display.&rdquo;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Brandon Ingram was LIGHTS OUT in the <a href="https://twitter.com/PelicansNBA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PelicansNBA</a> Game 4 victory to even the series at 2-2, dropping 30 points for the 3rd straight game! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WBD?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WBD</a><a href="https://twitter.com/B_Ingram13?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@B_Ingram13</a>: 30 PTS, 4 REB, 5 AST Game 5: Tue. 10pm/et on TNT <a href="https://t.co/hD5EJLBGFw">pic.twitter.com/hD5EJLBGFw</a>
&mdash; NBA (@NBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1518454464885268480?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 25, 2022</a></blockquote>

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In Game 4, the Suns kept trying to claw back to make it a competitive back-and-forth contest, but New Orleans continued to slam the door in their face. Ingram&rsquo;s scoring package, coupled with aggressive on-ball defense from rookies Herb Jones and Jose Alvarado, led to a best-case scenario unfolding for the Pelicans.
During a pivotal stretch in Game 4, Phoenix brought it down to a one-possession game in the third quarter before Ingram decided to put the series in his own hands. Consistently delivering with extremely tough shots being made, Ingram has put everyone back on notice in regards to his superstar ceiling.
Crazy enough, Ingram is still only 24 years old. Not even close to his prime years yet, Ingram&rsquo;s dazzling postseason is another reminder of why the Pelicans are closer than we all expect. Obviously missing Williamson for the entirety of the season plays a huge factor, but this new group spearheaded by Ingram and CJ McCollum in the meantime has inspired hope once more in the Bayou.
&ldquo;It was great,&rdquo; Green said postgame of Ingram&rsquo;s 16-point third quarter. &ldquo;I could see that his mindset right away was &lsquo;I&rsquo;m gonna get us going.&rsquo; And that&rsquo;s what he did. He has moments where I can kinda see it in his eyes that he&rsquo;s going and I try to move out the way and let him do what he does.&rdquo;
This series continues to be played tingly on the margins both ways, but the Pelicans actually have a plus-12 point differential; both teams have won a game by 11 points each. Phoenix barely escaped Game 3 behind Chris Paul&rsquo;s fourth-quarter magic, and then two nights later, we all witnessed an authoritative beatdown of the league's top overall seed courtesy of the NOLA underdogs.
Can the Pelicans truly pull off the unthinkable and take down the Suns? With the way Ingram is putting the team on his back as of late, that&rsquo;s a real possibility. Never too high, never too low, Ingram&rsquo;s mindset is fully locked-in for an upcoming three-game war with the Suns.
And that alone is an uneasy feeling that the Suns have to deal with as the series shifts back to Phoenix with all momentum on the opposite side.
&ldquo;Superstar,&rdquo; Jose Alvarado said postgame about Ingram. &ldquo;He big time. He told me this is his first time (in the playoffs). It don&rsquo;t seem like it. He wants to win. He&rsquo;s going to do a lot for us. Mentally, he&rsquo;s going to be really good for us.&rdquo;
Allow Ingram to reintroduce himself as a star-caliber player &mdash; one who developed under the radar before loudly breaking out, and pushes the envelope even further for the resilient Pelicans.
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Coming off another stellar night in Game 4, Brandon Ingram is reminding everyone to not to forget about him as a young star.

Brandon Ingram is putting the NBA on notice during his playoff debut

Brandon Ingram scored 16 of his 30 points in the third quarter and the New Orleans Pelicans beat the Phoenix Suns &mdash; playing without injured star Devin Booker &mdash; 118-103 in Game 4 on Sunday night to tie the first-round series.
Jonas Valanciunas reasserted himself in the middle with 26 points and 15 rebounds to help the Pelicans pull even heading back to Phoenix for Game 5 on Tuesday night.
Booker strained his right straight after scoring 31 first-half points in the top-seeded Suns' Game 2 loss. Deandre Ayton led the Suns with 23 points and eight rebounds, and fellow center JaVale McGee had 14 points.
Chris Paul, who had 19-point fourth quarters in the Suns&rsquo; two playoff wins, was held to four points in 35 minutes. He had 11 assists, but committed three turnovers.
The Pelicans led 89-85 with 8:05 left and used a 12-0 run to ice it. Valanciunas, limited to six points in a Game 3 loss, scored 10 points in a 3:34 span of the fourth quarter to help the Pelicans pull away. He punctuated his scoring spree with a 3-pointer from the left wing.
New Orleans had a 35-23 advantage in the third quarter. Ingram was the catalyst, making 7 of 10 shots and assisting on two other baskets as New Orleans took an 84-74 lead. His flurry started on the Pelicans&rsquo; first three possessions of the half, with a pair of 15-footers and a layup.
The Suns used a 20-10 run, with Mikal Bridges breaking down the New Orleans defense with three layups in the final eight minutes of the first half, to take a 51-49 halftime lead.
TIP-INS
Suns: Paul had 28 assists and zero turnovers in Games 2 and 3, but he had 11 assists and three turnovers on Sunday. In the first three games, his assist-to-turnover ratio was 38-2. ... Cam Johnson had 13 points.
Pelicans: The Pelicans committed 46 turnovers in the first three games to the Suns&rsquo; 28, leading to a point differential of 72-27. But New Orleans committed just seven turnovers in Game 4.

The New Orleans Pelicans beat the Phoenix Suns 118-103 in Game 4 on Sunday night to tie the first-round series at 2-2.

Ingram, Pelicans overwhelm Booker-less Suns to tie series 2-2

Every day, BasketballNews.com gives you NBA betting analysis before tip-off. Make sure you subscribe to our daily podcast, &ldquo;Nothing But Bets&rdquo; on&nbsp;<a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/nothing-but-bets/id1589799249" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Apple Podcasts</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://open.spotify.com/episode/6zNxt0NQXPmKuryAdz89m0?si=1038d121100444fd" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Spotify</a>&nbsp;or wherever you listen to podcasts.
Without further ado, let&rsquo;s dive into our favorite NBA spread bets for the night portion of Sunday's postseason slate.
Atlanta Hawks vs. Miami Heat (-1.5)
Trae Young&rsquo;s Game 3 heroics led to an intriguing rubber match on tap for Sunday night&rsquo;s NBA playoff action. If the Hawks can somehow tie this series up against Miami, a lot of scenarios could soon unfold here. However, we&rsquo;re not forecasting that to happen. In the end, confidently hammer the Heat to take a 3-1 series lead. If Jimmy Butler gets going again offensively, plus Young is stymied on the offensive end, Miami should be able to escape Atlanta with a victory. The Heat&rsquo;s well-balanced two-way attack proves too much for the Hawks to handle in a pivotal playoff game.
Pick: Heat -1.5
Player Props: Trae Young over 26.5 points, Jimmy Butler over 24.5 points, Bam Adebayo over 8.5 rebounds, Kevin Huerter over 2.5 threes
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New Orleans Pelicans vs. Phoenix Suns (-2)
No Devin Booker, no problem for the Phoenix Suns in Game 3 as they handled business on the road in New Orleans. Chris Paul and Deandre Ayton carried the load just fine for Phoenix, so why not lock in the same idea for Game 4? The Suns are the far more talented team compared to New Orleans, even without Booker. If Ayton once again dominates Jonas Valanciunas inside, the Pelicans are in trouble. In the Pelicans&rsquo; lone win in Game 2, it was due to unsustainably hot three-point shooting alongside attacking the glass recklessly. If the Suns play within their system, they will head back to the Valley with a 3-1 series lead, even without their best player. Hammer as a best bet of the day Suns -2 over the Pelicans.
Pick: Suns -2
Player Props: Brandon Ingram over 25.5 points, CJ McCollum over 25.5 points, Chris Paul over 12.5 assists, Cameron Johnson over 2.5 threes
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For a loaded NBA postseason slate, "Nothing But Bets" drops off their favorite picks against the spread and player props.

Best Bets: BasketballNews' picks and fantasy advice for 4/24/22

Every day, BasketballNews.com gives you NBA betting analysis before tip-off. Make sure you subscribe to our daily podcast, &ldquo;Nothing But Bets&rdquo; on&nbsp;<a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/nothing-but-bets/id1589799249" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Apple Podcasts</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://open.spotify.com/episode/6zNxt0NQXPmKuryAdz89m0?si=1038d121100444fd" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Spotify</a>&nbsp;or wherever you listen to podcasts.
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Without further ado, let&rsquo;s dive into our favorite NBA spread bets for the night portion of Friday's postseason slate.
Chicago Bulls vs. Milwaukee Bucks (-2.5)
Losing Khris Middleton to a sprained MCL is going to hurt the Bucks, but Giannis Antetokounmpo has shown in the past he can carry teams on his back singlehandedly. Forecasting a monster outing for Giannis in Game 3, we&rsquo;re rolling with the Bucks to win and cover the 2.5-point spread on the road.
<blockquote class="q4-performance" data-theme="dark" data-sport="basketball" data-q4="d5ca4d0f-f964-3fc1-b12a-9637e6e4c04d" data-gid="6167e6b9-6a64-473b-90f3-9af2af05e8b3" data-server="api.quarter4.io">
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&mdash; Friday, April 22nd Milwaukee Bucks @ Chicago Bulls</blockquote>

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If Giannis gets going early, it&rsquo;s hard to envision Chicago stopping this freight train. The upcoming duel between the two-time MVP and DeMar DeRozan will be must-watch, but in the end, feel confident rolling with the defending champions here.
Pick: Bucks -2.5
Player Props: Giannis Antetokounmpo over 34.5 points, DeMar DeRozan over 29.5 points, True Holiday over 8.5 assists, Alex Caruso over 4.5 assists
New Orleans Pelicans vs. Phoenix Suns (-2.5)
Injuries are becoming an early storyline to this postseason slate. Middleton is out for the Bucks, and now the NBA&rsquo;s best team lost its superstar player for potentially the rest of their series. Devin Booker is out probably the next two or three weeks due to a mild hamstring strain. Booker&rsquo;s <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/devin-bookers-hamstring-injury-shifts-momentum-as-suns-prepare-for-tough-battle-with-pelicans" target="_blank" rel="noopener">history with hamstring injuries is concerning</a>, and it popping up now <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/with-no-devin-booker-the-phoenix-suns-will-need-a-lift" target="_blank" rel="noopener">could be looming all postseason long for Phoenix</a>.
The Pelicans are such a scrappy group, but this feels like the perfect time to wager on Phoenix. The Suns are a very well-balanced team on both ends of the court, and it should show up in a big-time manner on Friday night in New Orleans. Hammer with emphasis Suns -2.5 over the Pelicans.
Pick: Suns -2.5
Player Props: Brandon Ingram over 25.5 points, Jonas Valanciunas over 12.5 rebounds, Chris Paul over 11.5 assists, Cameron Johnson over 2.5 threes
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Who are the best bets for Thursday night's NBA playoff games? We've got you covered!

Best Bets: BasketballNews' picks and fantasy advice for 4/22/22

It&rsquo;s unfortunate NBA fans were robbed of what was bound to be a special moment on Tuesday night in Phoenix. Devin Booker was going supernova, putting up 31 points in the first half and taking the breath out of every spectator as they watched it unfold. The Suns' superstar seized the moment and pounced on the New Orleans Pelicans relentlessly, potentially on his way to dropping a postseason 50-burger.
As such, Phoenix was also well on its way to taking a commanding 2-0 series lead before the series shifted back to New Orleans, but Booker exited midway through the third quarter due to right hamstring tightness. Booker suffered the injury chasing Jaxson Hayes back in transition, which was a bugaboo for the Suns throughout their 125-114 loss in Game 2.
ESPN&rsquo;s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that Booker has a mild hamstring strain, which is likely to keep him out of the next two games in New Orleans. The positive note, though, is that the strain is believed to be mild, and Booker hasn&rsquo;t been ruled out for the remainder of Phoenix&rsquo;s opening-round series.
&ldquo;It is what it is. It&rsquo;s part of the game, you know what I mean," Chris Paul said postgame of losing Booker. "We got guys that are more than capable of stepping&nbsp;up. I mean, Book was killing it. He was having a big time game, but it is what it is.&rdquo;
Booker erupted in the first half against the Pelicans, and he continued to stay hot in all portions of the game. Kicking it all off with 16 first-quarter points, Booker followed his opening frame with 15 in the second quarter. Hitting 7 threes along the way, the Suns' 25-year-old star was doing whatever he wanted against New Orleans.
&ldquo;He was hot. He was scoring the ball well and playing well all across the board, so it is what it is," Cameron Johnson said. "We have to&nbsp;continue to fight and continue to play our style of basketball.&rdquo;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
DEVIN BOOKER FROM THE LOGO. HE'S GOT 31 AT HALFTIME 🤯<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBAPlayoffs?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBAPlayoffs</a> presented by Google Pixel on TNT <a href="https://t.co/KvE4PhzA6n">pic.twitter.com/KvE4PhzA6n</a>
&mdash; NBA (@NBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1516615684964425728?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 20, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Booker returning for Game 5 in six days could very much be in play, especially if it&rsquo;s indeed mild and there&rsquo;s no setbacks. If the Suns are able to split against the Pelicans at the Smoothie King Center, their job will be done in snatching back home-court advantage without Booker.
As New Orleans showed in Game 2, though, it is a group ready to make this tough on the betting favorites to win this year&rsquo;s NBA Finals.
Pelicans head coach Willie Green, a former Suns assistant, put together an excellent game plan to stymie Deandre Ayton and Chris Paul from having major impacts. Green has implemented Suns-esque DNA into the Pelicans, empowering his players to the highest belief and the same never-give-up mindset.
When Brandon Ingram and CJ McCollum catch fire simultaneously, it's tough for any team to handle. However, the Suns&rsquo; lack of defensive discipline on the perimeter was apparent, as the Pelicans shot a blistering 17 of 31 on threes. Ingram put on a scoring clinic with 37 points &mdash; most of which came against Defensive Player of the Year runner-up Mikal Bridges &mdash; reminding everyone just how special of a talent he is.
As our own Nekias Duncan wrote, Phoenix&rsquo;s adjustments without Booker will <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/with-no-devin-booker-the-phoenix-suns-will-need-a-lift" target="_blank" rel="noopener">revolve around its patented ball movement</a> in head coach Monty Williams&rsquo; &ldquo;0.5 offense&rdquo; scheme. More of the burden will be on Paul&rsquo;s shoulders, and the Pelicans have forced Phoenix into having Jae Crowder or Johnson bring the ball up the court to avoid Herb Jones' full-court pressure on CP3.
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Earlier this season, Booker missed time due to a left hamstring strain he suffered in the Suns' fun back-and-forth battle with the Golden State Warriors on Nov. 30. In seven games without Booker, Phoenix went 5-2 with three wins by double-digits. When canvassing through the numbers for this two-week stretch, Cameron Payne and Landry Shamet saw boosts in their roles. We already saw this play out in the second half of Game 2, which included Shamet playing most of the fourth quarter in Booker&rsquo;s absence.
Zooming out on Booker&rsquo;s hamstring issue, what is worrisome is that this is now becoming a recurring soft tissue issue. Since 2018, Booker has missed time on the injury report with "Hamstring" listed six times, and he also let it be known he played in the Finals last season with a similar problem as well.
Hamstring woes have been a constant for Booker throughout his career, but this popping up now is such unfortunate timing. Luckily it&rsquo;s only the first round against a 36-win Pelicans team, but there&rsquo;s no doubt about it that this series could be a tough road ahead for Phoenix. With the way New Orleans is rallying as an inspired group, a six-game series feels like the most realistic scenario with Booker&rsquo;s presumed return next week.
The 2021-22 Suns are one of the most dominant NBA teams in the last few years. On their way to securing a franchise record 64-win campaign, they fought though multiple injuries where important players missed extended time (Paul, Ayton, Johnson and Booker all included). That same next-man-up mentality was what Williams alluded to postgame after a stunning loss for the Suns, but now, the momentum of this series has temporarily shifted.
As the series heads back to the Bayou, tough sledding is ahead for the Suns without Booker in what should be an electric playoff environment.
Expect to see Phoenix trot out a new starting lineup where Johnson is inserted for Booker, making it: Paul, Bridges, Johnson, Crowder, Ayton. During the regular season, this five-man lineup combination only logged 12 games and 40 total minutes together. In that short sample size, though, it was outscoring opponents by 35.6 points per 100 possessions (123.5 Offensive Rating, 88.0 Defensive Rating).
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Cam Johnson steals &amp; slams to retake the lead 😤 <a href="https://t.co/dfLX5fhA6Y">pic.twitter.com/dfLX5fhA6Y</a>
&mdash; NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBAonTNT/status/1516629536212803587?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 20, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Phoenix dodged a serious long-term bullet with the initial diagnosis on Booker&rsquo;s aggravated hamstring, but a worst-case scenario occurred for the team in Game 3. The Suns lost their star player, and that has handed over momentum to an underdog on a silver platter, now making what was believed to be a quick series a much more treacherous path.
Although it will only sideline him around a week, this series will take a few turns before his eventual return. If the Pelicans stay hot behind the arc, and continue to abuse Phoenix in the rebounding department, who knows how this looks when Game 5 tips off next Tuesday.
Urgency is in the air in Phoenix, a rare feeling that has to be punctuated by taking back the series on the road without its best player.
&ldquo;We going to be ready, man," Bridges said. "That&rsquo;s our brother, so obviously hoping everything goes right, but I know everybody is ready to step up, so we&rsquo;ll be ready. We went through regular season games without him and (Chris Paul) and (Deandre Ayton), so we&rsquo;ll be ready for sure.&rdquo;
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Devin Booker's dazzling superstar performance for the Suns in Game 2 ended in a screeching halt. With Booker out, what's next?

Devin Booker's hamstring injury shifts momentum of Suns-Pelicans

Hamstring injuries freakin'&nbsp;suck.&nbsp;
Not only are they painful and annoying to deal with, they have the ability to linger. You never quite know when you're in the clear. As Charles Barkley alluded to following the New Orleans Pelicans' 125-114 Game 2 victory, you can be 100% one day and back on the shelf the next.
This is the plight of Phoenix Suns star Devin Booker. After cooking in the first half to the tune of 31 points, he tweaked his hamstring in the third quarter and didn't return. As of this writing, there's no timetable for Booker's return. That obviously puts Booker's Game 3 status in flux, but, again, hamstring injuries are tricky. Even when he's back, a close eye on his health will be warranted.
Following Booker's injury, more of the offense naturally shifted to Chris Paul. The burden was clear in the fourth quarter, where Paul played all 12 minutes and received 25 ball-screens in the process, via Second Spectrum. It was only the seventh time this season that Paul received more than 20 in a fourth quarter; the only game where Paul received more screens (26 against the San Antonio Spurs on December 6) was one without Booker.
To that point, the Suns got pretty busy in that quarter. Trips featuring a Paul ball screen generated nearly 1.27 points per possession (PPP); for reference, the Utah Jazz led the NBA in offensive rating at 1.16 PPP.
The Suns were even better against the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday night, with Paul-led ball screens generating nearly 1.5 PPP. To do that is insane; to do that without Booker as a release valve or bail-out option is even more ridiculous.
Without Booker, the Suns needed a lift. A literal one. They often set up pick-and-rolls with ghost screens before Paul and his center &mdash; JaVale McGee to begin the quarter, then Deandre Ayton later &mdash; did their dance.
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While the pick-and-roll would occur, a shooter would lift up the floor to put a Pelicans helper in a tough spot. Tagging the big on the roll would leave the shooter open; hugging the shooter would give the big a lane to the rim.
The Suns opened the fourth quarter with a pick-and-lift combo. Landry Shamet ghosted a screen to end up on the left wing, then Paul and McGee flowed into a pick-and-roll. That placed Jose Alvarado into a pick-your-poison situation.&nbsp;
<img src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/screenshot_2022_04_20_18_59_06_lg.png" alt="" width="577" height="325" />
With Herb Jones getting caught up on the screen for Paul, Larry Nance Jr. steps up to take away a pull-up middy. Since Nance Jr. stepped up to Paul, Alvarado dropped down to account for McGee's roll. If you're counting at home, that's three Pelicans accounting for two Suns. There's a guy missing.&nbsp;
<img src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/screenshot_2022_04_20_19_01_18_lg.png" alt="" width="577" height="325" />
Ah. There he is.
The beauty of the Suns' offense is that there are layers and variations to everything they do. They can get more creative, like here when they threw in an exit screen for Shamet while having Cam Johnson (right corner) lift during Ayton's roll.
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Poor Alvarado, man.
They can also simplify it &mdash; go basic spread pick-and-roll with a lone shooter on a side. Watch Johnson, first and foremost, while also noting that the Pelicans went from drop coverage to a more aggressive scheme with Jonas Valanciunas.&nbsp;
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; left: 0px; top: 0px; overflow: hidden;" src="https://streamable.com/e/88g52p" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
That's the good stuff. It's imperative that the Suns manipulate helpers to create advantages, because their best advantage-creator is on the mend right now.&nbsp;
However, this is a two-way street. Much like the Suns were &mdash; and will need to be &mdash; able to generate goodness with their lifts, they also have to be much better about defending them. The Pelicans had some fun in Game 2.
My favorite stretch came midway-ish through the third quarter. The Pelicans set up a similar exit-screen strategy on one side, while Trey Murphy ghosted a screen and relocated to the right wing. That left the right corner open, giving Nance Jr. an unhealthy amount of space to run into for this lob.
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A little bit later, the Pelicans set up the same thing. With the Suns keying in on the Nance Jr. lob, Murphy executed a lift of his own and got three points out of it.&nbsp;
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I love a good half-court counter.
This series was always going to come down to a blend of half-court execution and #ethical shot-making. The Suns had Booker as a headliner, Paul as a guy who can do it in spurts (hello, Game 1) and a ridiculously deep playbook. The Pelicans have Brandon Ingram, CJ McCollum and some nifty half-court tricks in their own bag.
If Booker is out of the equation, the Suns will have to lean more on the half-court execution. Their off-ball movement may be the lift they need.
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Nekias Duncan highlights an area of the Phoenix Suns' offense that they'll need to tap into with Devin Booker injured.

With no Devin Booker, the Phoenix Suns will need a lift

Brandon Ingram scored 37 points, CJ McCollum added 23 and the New Orleans Pelicans beat the top-seeded Phoenix Suns 125-114 on Tuesday night in Game 2, evening the series in their Western Conference first-round matchup.
Not only did the Suns lose the game, but they&rsquo;re unsure about the health status of All-Star guard Devin Booker, who was spectacular in the first half with 31 points before leaving with right hamstring tightness in the third quarter.
The Suns &mdash; who led the NBA with a franchise-record 64 wins during the regular season &mdash; trailed 77-74 when he departed.
Phoenix kept the game close without its leading scorer and even took a lead early in the fourth, but the Pelicans rallied, getting big 3s from Jose Alvarado, Ingram and McCollum to take an advantage they wouldn&rsquo;t relinquish.
Ingram added tough back-to-back jumpers in the closing minutes to keep a final Suns rally at bay. New Orleans earned its first playoff win since 2018.
Ingram finished 13 of 21 shooting from the field.
Game 3 is on Friday in New Orleans.
The Pelicans admitted they were a little surprised by the intensity of their Game 1 loss, especially during the first half when they fell into a 19-point halftime hole. They didn&rsquo;t make the same mistake on Tuesday, taking a 30-28 lead after one quarter.
The Suns rallied for a 61-56 halftime advantage thanks to Booker scoring spree. He scored all of his 31 in the first half on 12 of 18 shooting, including 7 of 10 from 3-point range. He hit a 30-footer just before the halftime buzzer after the Pelicans inexplicably left him open.
BOOKER&rsquo;S INJURY
Booker left the game and went to the locker room late in the third quarter. On the possession before he departed, he jumped to contest a fastbreak shot by New Orleans, but it wasn&rsquo;t immediately clear that he was hurt.
He returned at the beginning of the fourth quarter wearing warmups and never re-entered the game. Booker missed multiple games earlier in the season with a hamstring injury.
BACK-TO-BACK BLOCKS
One of the more entertaining exchanges of the game came in the third quarter when the Suns&rsquo; Mikal Bridges and Pelicans&rsquo; Jaxson Hayes swapped spectacular blocks on back-to-back possessions.
Bridges struck first, swatting Hayes&rsquo; turn-around jumper to start a Suns fastbreak. Bridges looked like he might finish with a dunk a few seconds later but Hayes recovered for his own block, trapping the ball with two hands against the backboard.
DA BABY
Booker scored 16 points in the first quarter on 6 of 10 shooting and his final bucket was a heartwarmer.
The guard hit a tough corner jumper just before the buzzer and fell to the floor next to the crowd. Booker looked up and there was a baby in the lap of a man right next to him, so he gave the baby a fist bump before running back to the huddle.
TIP-INS
Pelicans: McCollum nearly had a triple-double, adding nine assists and eight rebounds.
Suns: Chris Paul finished with 17 points and 14 assists but shot just 5 of 16 from the field.

Brandon Ingram scored 37 points, CJ McCollum added 23 and the Pelicans beat the top-seeded Suns 125-114 to even the series.

Pelicans rally past Suns 125-114 after Booker’s injury

Following last year's inaugural Tampa Bay Pro Combine, several participants &mdash; including Terry Taylor, Brandon Williams, Micah Potter and Jordan Goodwin &mdash; turned their dreams into reality by signing deals and playing in the NBA in their rookie season.
Now, the Tampa Bay Pro Combine is <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/tampa-bay-pro-combine-returns-with-24-nba-draft-prospects" target="_blank" rel="noopener">back for another year</a>, and our new group of participants is looking to find the same level of success. The TBPC will be held from April 26 to April 29 at Wiregrass Ranch Sports Campus in Wesley Chapel, Florida.
We are providing 24 draft-eligible prospects an opportunity to audition in front of NBA scouts, compete in a slam-dunk contest and three-point shootout on April 28, and play in a doubleheader on April 29.
NBA scouts and personnel will be allowed to attend workouts on April 26 from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. EST and April 27 from 9:45 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. EST.
Here is the list of participants:
Alex Barcello, BYU
Evan Battey, Colorado
Luka Brajkovic, Davidson
Savion Flagg, Sam Houston State
Michael Flowers, Washington State
John Fulkerson, Tennessee
John Harrar, Penn State
Noah Horchler, Providence
Nate Johnson, Xavier
Abu Kigab, Boise State
Kimani Lawrence, Arizona State
Kalob Ledoux, Santa Cruz Warriors
Davion Mintz, Kentucky
Taze Moore, Houston
Justyn Mutts, Virginia Tech
Tyler Polley, UConn
Taz Sherman, West Virginia
Jaylen Sims, UNC Wilmington
Mark Smith, Kansas State
Amadou Sow, UC Santa Barbara
Au'Diese Toney, Arkansas
Davion Warren, Texas Tech
Marcus Weathers, SMU
Jacob Young, Oregon
In addition to the 24 invitees, we will also be welcoming 12 additional draft-eligible prospects who will participate in workouts and games. Our video partner, <a href="https://event.veo.co/">Veo</a>, will record the action and distribute it via BasketballNews.com's YouTube channel, and <a href="https://instatsport.com/basketball">InStat</a> will also provide video and data from the event.
The 2022 Tampa Bay Pro Combine is presented by Florida's Sports Coast.

The 2022 Tampa Bay Pro Combine will be held from April 26 to April 29 at Wiregrass Ranch Sports Campus in Wesley Chapel, Florida.

2022 Tampa Bay Pro Combine announces list of participants

PHOENIX (AP) &mdash; Chris Paul scored 19 of his 30 points during a brilliant fourth-quarter shooting display and the Phoenix Suns beat the New Orleans Pelicans 110-99 on Sunday night in Game 1 of the first-round playoff series.
The top-seeded Suns needed Paul's big finish despite dominating most of the game. The Pelicans shook off a slow start, cutting a 23-point deficit to 79-71 by the end of the third.
New Orleans kept hitting shots in the fourth, but that&rsquo;s when Paul took over, hitting three 3-pointers and a layup in 2 1/2 minutes in a flurry that kept the Pelicans chasing. The ageless veteran will turn 37 later in these playoffs if the Suns advance far enough, but once again looked a decade younger.
Paul has never won a championship, falling just short with the Suns last year when they lost to the Bucks in six games in the Finals. He's fond of saying he never takes postseason basketball for granted and his 130th career playoff game was among his best.
Game 2 is Tuesday night in Phoenix.
The Suns were 47-0 in the regular season when leading after three quarters. Now they're 1-0 in the playoffs.
Paul shot 12 for 16 from the field, including 4 of 6 on 3-pointers.
Devin Booker &mdash; who finished with 25 points &mdash; hit a 3-pointer on the opening possession and the Suns never trailed, using a ferocious defensive effort to quickly take control. Phoenix led 53-34 by halftime, forcing the Pelicans into just 11 of 49 shooting (22%) before the break.
Suns big man Deandre Ayton was particularly dominant on the defensive end with four blocks, and had 21 points and nine rebounds, At one point in the third quarter, he swatted a shot from Jonas Valanciunas and turned toward the crowd, screaming as the fans returned a roar in approval.
CJ McCollum led the Pelicans with 25 points, but struggled with his shooting much of the night. He finished 9 of 25 from the field. Valanciunas added 18 points and 25 rebounds. Brandon Ingram scored 18 points.
New Orleans made its surprise trip to the playoffs by winning two games in the play-in tournament, beating the Los Angeles Clippers 105-101 on Friday night.
That gave the Pelicans plenty of momentum, but the Suns had the fresh legs and it showed.
The Suns' initial energy was impressive, particularly on the defensive end. They led by 16 at one point in the first quarter before settling for a 28-16 advantage going into the second.
FRIENDLY FACEOFF
It's no secret Suns coach Monty Williams and Pelicans coach Willie Green are close friends and colleagues.
Green was Williams' lead assistant last season during the Suns' run to the Finals before earning the head coaching job in New Orleans during the offseason.
Williams said he texted Green to congratulate him following the Pelicans' win over the Clippers on Friday. Otherwise, he said there's been no communcation.
&ldquo;We haven't had some long, drawn-out conversation with violins playing behind us or anything like that," Williams said pregame. &ldquo;We've got to prepare our teams to play. I'm looking forward to the competition.&rdquo;
TIP-INS
Pelicans: F Zion Williamson (right foot fracture) isn't expected to play this series. ... Larry Nance Jr. scored 14 points and grabbed six rebounds.
Suns: G Landry Shamet (sprained left foot) missed practice on Friday but was listed as available on Sunday. He didn't play. ... Cam Johnson finished with 13 points on 5-of-6 shooting. JaVale McGee added seven points and seven rebounds. ... Mikal Bridges was called for a technical foul in the fourth quarter.

Chris Paul's huge 4th quarter fuels an easy Phoenix Game 1 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans.

Chris Paul takes over in 4th, Suns beat Pelicans 110-99

In a dynamite defensive performance, the New Orleans Pelicans stifled the San Antonio Spurs, 113-103, advancing to the second round of the Play-In Tournament toward a matchup with the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday night. The final score indicates a close game, and while there were moments down the stretch after a Devin Vassell heater, the Pelicans largely controlled the game.
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/explain-one-play-how-the-pelicans-are-blending-their-big-three-together" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The trio of</a> Brandon Ingram, CJ McCollum and Jonas Valanciunas combined for 81 of New Orleans' points, all putting forth stellar performances.
Yet, if there was one takeaway (for me) from last night's game, it was that Herb Jones is HERE.
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HERB JONES <a href="https://t.co/JDJuaQLCDT">pic.twitter.com/JDJuaQLCDT</a>
&mdash; Mark Schindler (@MG_Schindler) <a href="https://twitter.com/MG_Schindler/status/1514421185051779074?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 14, 2022</a></blockquote>

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If you've followed the NBA season and come across the Pels for even a modicum of time while perusing NBA League Pass, you probably know about Jones, as he's done this all year. But he dominated in primetime, and Mark Jones' silky voice peppered the broadcast with varying intonations of "HERB JONES" as many different points of the night.
There are moments and games where it becomes recognized that a player is a star. Last night, Jones put his stamp on the national stage, emphatically punching his ticket as a defensive star. That's such a wild statement. A defensive star. It's not easy to cement yourself as a bucket-getter or primetime scorer, and it's that much harder to play defense with the ferocity, efficacy and splendor required to captivate an audience. Jones fits the bill and then some, and as a rookie, that's absurd.
(Nekias Duncan, Jackson Frank and I unanimously voted Herb Jones to <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/defensive-awards-and-a-celebration-of-defense" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the All-Defensive Second Team</a> about a month ago.)
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Jones took first time All-Star guard Dejounte Murray as his main assignment, and man, he had him in purgatory. Murray finished 5 of 19 from the field Wednesday night. Jones' hands were everywhere and on everything, reminiscent of a <a href="https://youtu.be/voTxE2U8aYc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Naruto montage</a>.
The opening possession of the game was indicative of what the night would be for Murray. It was akin to watching a world title fight open up, and the challenger unloads the first jab and immediately it's like "Oh, this is way different than I thought." And as the viewer, you quickly find out that this isn't a tune-up fight.
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This is one of my favorite things about Herb, and a part of what makes him a special defender. He uses his hands and his feet in tandem with regularity. It sounds minute, but it's a sizable difference. So much of defense is about consistency, and Jones embodies that.
His hands never come off of Murray; just enough to bother, but also possessing the deftness to not foul. Even with a pretty solid screen from Jakob Poeltl, Murray can't shake free. The Pels maintain their shell, and it's a turnover.
The Pels run a great deal of ICE coverage, forcing ball-handlers to the sidelines to prevent middle penetration. Valanciunas is a quality defender, but he has some limitations with his mobility. Plays like this allow New Orleans to stay solid and maintain a strong base. (I'm super interested to see how this plays out against a more dynamic offensive team in the Clippers, because it's much harder to play ICE against a team that can thrive on five-out lineups).
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Jaxson Hayes comes up with the double drags to ICE along with Jones, calls out the coverage and Murray catches him going downhill. While this isn't a perfect defensive possession from Herb, it's a reflection of the tools that allow him to supersede technique at times (he's an incredible technique defender, don't get it twisted). Even if he does take a wrong step, he has impeccable recovery skills and the ability to still contest what would otherwise be an easy finish at the rim against most defenders.
Run Jones through the ringer of screens and try to grease the context for an off-ball scorer? Not on Herb.
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Try to initiate the offense with a kick-ahead to one of the best downhill drivers in the game in Keldon Johnson? Not so fast. I am not a fan of the charge, but man, Jones makes me want to be. This is just a clean standing of ground, and I love it. It would be so easy to let that be a quick lay-in with a decent enough contest, but again, this is what separates Jones from the rest.
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Jones also emphatically closed the half, shutting down a sideline out-of-bounds play leading to a Johnson three-point attempt.
The block, the staredown. YES.
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Even in moments when Jones did get overly physical and was called for fouls, those are plays you live with. I'm not a huge believer in tone-setting; it can be cliche and attributed to non-basketball plays that really don't do much but stop the clock. (Although, what do I know? Glue Girl <a href="https://twitter.com/TomerAzarly/status/1514075112059727874?s=20&amp;t=su-bpBBT0mwo3mSQsH7Y-A" target="_blank" rel="noopener">was a game-changer</a>.)
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That rotation to block Vassell is fantastic; the communication and vision stands out. That reconnection on Murray after the screen is all you can ask for, even if ideally a foul is not attached. Jones constantly made multiple Spurs players feel him.
Then, there are the "crown jewel" plays &mdash; the pinnacle defensive highlights that you watch in amusement and giggle because those things just shouldn't be able to happen on the court.
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Incredible performance.
There aren't enough words to describe what a fun and enjoyable defensive player and prospect Jones is. This isn't just a "rookie defenders" shouldn't be able to that type beat. This man is legitimately already one of the best defenders on planet earth regardless of age.
While the Pelicans still need to win against the Clippers on Friday night to secure another week or two of guaranteed basketball, Herb Jones' play should be cemented in your cerebrum moving forward.
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The Pelicans secured a matchup with the Clippers after beating the Spurs, and it was sparked by Herb Jones' defense.

Not on Herb: Pelicans rookie Jones punches ticket as defensive star

New Orleans first-year coach Willie Green could have been forgiven for wondering what he had gotten himself into early this season.
Star forward Zion Williamson was injured with no clear timeline for recovery, and the Pelicans started 1-12.
Rather than foreshadowing a long year at the bottom of the Western Conference, those setbacks set the stage for New Orleans to exemplify the benefits of patience and perseverance.
Williamson still hasn't played all season, yet the Pelicans have won more games than they've lost since last Thanksgiving. They finished ninth in the Western Conference and will host the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday night in the first postseason game played in New Orleans since 2018.
&ldquo;We definitely have resiliency," Green said. "It&rsquo;s a continuation of trying to build our program, starting with the beginning of this season and how difficult it was to be 1-12, and be at a point where we have this opportunity in front of us.&rdquo;
While Gregg Popovich is in his 26th season as Spurs coach, is the NBA's career leader in coaching victories and has five NBA championships to his name, his road to the 2022 postseason hasn't been much different from Green's.
The Spurs won just four of their first 17 games and were 16 games below .500 after a loss at Charlotte on March 5. Since then, they've gone 10-8 to sneak into the last Western Conference play-in spot as the 10th seed.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;re starting to get better and better,&rdquo; said Spurs wing player Devin Vassell, now in his second NBA season. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re growing as a team. We&rsquo;ve got a lot of young players, but we&rsquo;re all developing right now.&rdquo;
Spurs guard Dejounte Murray has made major strides, becoming a first-time All-Star and averaging 21.1 points, 9.2 assists and 8.3 rebounds this season.
Brandon Ingram has been New Orleans' most productive offensive player, averaging 22.7 points, but he has gotten some help since the Pelicans acquired guard CJ McCollum in a multiplayer deal with Portland shortly before the NBA trade deadline in February.
McCollum, averaging 24 points since the trade, wasn't around for New Orleans' early season stumbles, but was well aware of them.
&ldquo;It shows you how they stuck together, how they continued to fight through adversity, how much growth the team has had,&rdquo; McCollum said. "I&rsquo;m happy I could help get us into this position where we have a chance to get some postseason experience.&rdquo;
To make it into the first round of the NBA playoffs, the winner in New Orleans must win again on Friday night, on the road, against the Los Angeles Clippers.
PRODUCTIVE LINEUP
Some recent lineup changes have yielded compelling results for New Orleans.
The 6-foot-11 Jaxson Hayes, drafted eighth overall in 2019, was inserted into the starting lineup at power forward, and McCollum took over at point guard following his trade. When those two have started alongside center Jonas Valanciunas, Ingram and defensive-minded rookie Herb Jones, the Pelicans are 7-3.
That is the likely lineup against San Antonio. Ingram, who missed the last three regular-season games with a sore hamstring, practiced Tuesday and declared himself ready.
While various injuries have limited that lineup's sample size to 10 games, Green said the way that group plays passes the &ldquo;eye test.&rdquo;
&ldquo;It looks right. It feels right,&rdquo; Green said. "The numbers kind of solidify what we&rsquo;re seeing, and we kind of go with that.&rdquo;
PERIMETER IMPROVEMENT
Spurs forward Keldon Johnson set career highs in points (17.0), rebounding (6.1), assists (2.1) and 3-point shooting (40%) in his third NBA season.
Johnson led the Spurs in 3-pointers, going 159 for 399 after making just 73 in his first two seasons.
The long-range scoring "frankly kind of surprised us all,&rdquo; Popovich said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s not what we expected him to improve on to that degree.&rdquo;
ROOKIE TRIO
During the final weeks of the regular season, the Pelicans relied on significant contributions from three rookies.
The 6-8 Jones, a second-round pick out of Alabama, has started much of the season after demonstrating he could defend many opposing teams' top scorers.
First-round pick Trey Murphy III and undrafted rookie Jose Alvarado also have emerged during the latter portion of the season.
While Murphy has only scored 10 or more points eight times &mdash; seven of those instances came in the last 16 games, including a high of 32 points.
Alvarado seldom played prior to January, but now has 16 games with two or more steals, including a high of six. He has scored more than 10 points 12 times since Jan. 20, with a high of 23, and routinely plays meaningful minutes in the fourth quarter.
&ldquo;You see the strides throughout the year, especially Trey Murphy in these last few games,&rdquo; Ingram said. &ldquo;Jose is getting more confidence shooting the basketball and Herb has been playing like a professional since he&rsquo;s been here.&rdquo;
CLOSING TIME
The Spurs say they have become more poised in late-game situations. They blew numerous fourth-quarter leads early this season, but have closed out some critical wins in recent weeks, including a 107-103 victory on March 23 in New Orleans.
&ldquo;That&rsquo;s something I&rsquo;ve really been saying since Day One: We&rsquo;re young, we&rsquo;re still growing,&rdquo; fourth-year guard Lonnie Walker said. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re starting to get used to (close games) and have that type of mindset &mdash; locked in &mdash; those final moments.&rdquo;

To make it into the first round of the NBA playoffs, the winner in New Orleans must win again on Friday night, on the road, in L.A.

Pelicans-Spurs Play-In Tournament matchup a study in resilience

NEW ORLEANS (AP) &mdash; CJ McCollum scored 23 points in 29 minutes against his former team and the New Orleans Pelicans moved closer to clinching a home play-in game with a 127-94 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers on Thursday night.
Jonas Valanciunas, who returned from a sore right ankle, scored 14 points in 21 minutes for the Pelicans, who were without leading scorer Brandon Ingram (right hamstring), but wound up not needing any starters on the floor for as many as 30 minutes against a reeling Blazers team that had a patchwork lineup and lost its ninth straight.
&ldquo;Our bench was great. They brought energy, pushed the pace," McCollum said. "From top to bottom, this was a good team win. Now we&rsquo;ve got to finish the season strong. Hopefully, we can take care of business and host the play-in game.&rdquo;
The victory, combined with San Antonio's loss at Minnesota, left New Orleans needing either one more victory or one more Spurs loss to lock up a home play-in game on Wednesday.
McCollum appeared to hurt his right hand, with which he shoots, when he we fouled and crashed to the floor in the third quarter. But after missing two free throws and a subsequent 3, he remained in game for nearly eight more minutes, hitting his fifth 3 of the game and a finger roll, before checking out for good.
Reserve center Willy Hernangomez had 17 points and 14 rebounds for New Orleans. Larry Nance Jr., sent from Portland to New Orleans as part of the trade that also brought McCollum to the Pelicans, scored 12 points, as did rookie Trey Murphy III.
Reserve guard and undrafted rookie Jose Alvarado had nine assists and four steals for the Pelicans, who led by 13 at halftime and by 25 after three and widened their lead from there.
Trail Blazers coach Chauncy Billups said he suspected his players could be getting &ldquo;really fatigued&rdquo; mentally as the season winds down.
&ldquo;You see the finish line, the season is coming to an end. We&rsquo;re not playing for the playoffs,&rdquo; Billups said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s just a natural thing that happens. So we have to, as a staff, do a better job of just getting them up to play.&rdquo;
Drew Eubanks scored 20 points and CJ Elleby had 17 points for Portland, but the Blazers were sloppy with the ball and outworked around the basket. Portland committed 22 turnovers, leading to 36 Pelicans points. New Orleans also turned 23 offensive rebounds into 33 second-chance points and outrebounded the Blazers 49-27.
&ldquo;We wanted to be active on our defense ... try to cause havoc with deflections and steals,&rdquo; Pelicans coach Willie Green said. "This triggers our offensive ability to get out and play in open court. I thought our guys did a really good job.&rdquo;
McCollum had 15 points and Valanciunas 14 in the first half, when New Orleans led by as many as 15 points.
TIP-INS
Trail Blazers: Reggie Perry scored 15 points on 7-of-10 shooting. ... Former Pelicans Didi Louzada scored 11 points and went 3 of 4 from deep. ... Josh Hart, who was part of the McCollum trade, did not play but received a loud ovation when shown on the video board above the court. Hart smiled, put his hand on his chest, stood and waved to the crowd. ... Shot 52.2% (36 of 69), including 11 of 31 from 3-point range.
Pelicans: While Ingram was a late scratch with a recurring hamstring injury, Green downplayed the seriousness of the injury. &ldquo;We just don&rsquo;t want to risk putting him on the floor and he&rsquo;s feeling sore,&rdquo; Green said. "We don&rsquo;t anticipate he&rsquo;ll miss a play-in game or anything like that. He&rsquo;s just not going tonight.&rdquo; ... Jaxson Hayes highlighted his 11-point night with several authoritative dunks. ... Rookie Herb Jones had nine points and eight rebounds, highlight by his block of what looked like either a lob or long shot by Keon Johnson. Jones raced into the Portland back court to grab the loose ball and finished with a breakaway layup.
ZION UPDATE
Green said before tipoff that Williamson, who has not played or even fully practiced this season as he recovers from an offseason foot injury, is now doing some &ldquo;controlled&rdquo; five-on-five work.
&ldquo;He&rsquo;s playing against the coaches and some of our guys will jump in," Green explained. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s playing in a controlled scrimmage and that&rsquo;s where he&rsquo;s progressed to. Past that, there&rsquo;s no update on him.&rdquo;
The Pelicans have not officially ruled out Williamson for the season, but have not offered any indication that he'll play any time soon, either. New Orleans has two regular season games left and must win two play-in games to advance to the NBA playoffs.
UP NEXT
Trail Blazers: Visit Dallas on Friday night for their final road game of the season.
Pelicans: Visit Memphis on Saturday for their road finale.
&nbsp;

CJ McCollum scored 23 points and the Pelicans moved closer to clinching a home play-in game with a 127-94 victory over Portland.

CJ McCollum scores 23 points, Pelicans beat Blazers 127-94

There wasn&rsquo;t exactly a consensus about how the 2021-22 Los Angeles Lakers&rsquo; season would end, but it&rsquo;s probably safe to say that nobody foresaw this.
On Tuesday night, the Lakers saw their bleak playoff hopes reduced to zero when the San Antonio Spurs defeated the Denver Nuggets, and immediately thereafter &mdash; and rightfully so &mdash; Frank Vogel, Anthony Davis, LeBron James and Russell Westbrook were all in the news.
In the end, there&rsquo;s no single reason the Lakers turned in one of the most disappointing seasons in franchise history &mdash; there&rsquo;s enough blame to go around.
What Rob Pelinka needs to figure out is how to fix it.
The answer, ironically, would probably be to start thinking small.
This past season, the team managed to find some serviceable pieces to augment the star-studded core, but only Davis, James, Talen Horton-Tucker and Austin Reaves are under contract next season. The Lakers hold a team option on Stanley Johnson and Westbrook and Kendrick Nunn both have player options they are likely to pick up.
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The official 2021-22 Kendrick Nunn highlight reel 🎥 <a href="https://t.co/wDPehJyqpN">pic.twitter.com/wDPehJyqpN</a>
&mdash; Lakers Lead (@LakersLead) <a href="https://twitter.com/LakersLead/status/1508967570560458762?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 30, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Combined &mdash; thanks in large part to the commitments to Westbrook, James and Davis &mdash; the Lakers are in line to have about $148 million on their 2022-23 ledger, which is already about $26 million over the projected salary cap.
Said differently, outside of offloading one of Westbrook, James or Davis without taking much salary back in return, the team wouldn&rsquo;t be able to manufacture enough cap space to have a competent opportunity of improving via free agency. Obviously, the club could go the route it went this past season and hand out one-year, minimum salary contracts to aging veterans, but the players who could actually make a difference for the Lakers won&rsquo;t exactly be lining up to sign on the dotted line given the performance of this year&rsquo;s team.
To make matters even worse, the Lakers don&rsquo;t own a pick in this year&rsquo;s draft. Their first rounder was sent to New Orleans in the Anthony Davis trade, while their second-round pick is owned by the Spurs.
So how does a team with no cap space and no draft picks improve?
Simple: by thinking small.
Ask the Brooklyn Nets, and look toward the Miami Heat.
A historically frugal franchise, Miami has never necessarily found itself in the kind of salary cap hell the Lakers are in at the moment. Part of the reason why is because one of the constants during Pat Riley&rsquo;s tenure has been investing heavily in scouting and player development. The same rings true of most successful small market franchises.
Players like LeBron James and Anthony Davis may win you the championship, but throughout history, it&rsquo;s always been players like Alex Caruso, Kyle Kuzma and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope who get you there in the first place.
Contenders invariably unearth valuable and sometimes unknown role players and maximize those role players' talent. For example, this year's Miami team has enjoyed the combination of Tyler Herro, Max Strus and Omer Yurtseven combining to earn only about $7 million. That's about $3 million less than Talen Horton-Tucker alone. Strus and Yurtseven are far from household names, but Miami wouldn&rsquo;t be entering play on April 6 as the first seed out East without them, especially considering the injuries the team has dealt with this season.
Duncan Robinson and Kendrick Nunn also go on a list that features the likes of Bam Adebayo, Mario Chalmers, Dwyane Wade and Udonis Haslem as players drafted and developed by the staff in Miami.
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Some time ago, the Lakers had what looked like a competent core of young players. It&rsquo;s hard to imagine that just four years ago, Brandon Ingram, Julius Randle, Lonzo Ball, Kyle Kuzma, Josh Hart and Jordan Clarkson were all teammates in Los Angeles. They&rsquo;ve all come and gone, most to facilitate the arrivals of LeBron, Davis and then Westbrook.
The Lakers do have a championship to show for that roster churn, but from this point forth, the way out might actually be to go back to the drawing board. Sean Marks and his Brooklyn Nets, another franchise that Lakers VP of Operations Rob Pelinka would be wise to mimic this summer, provide a blueprint for how to go about doing that.
When Marks took over the Nets in 2016, Brooklyn was not in a good place. Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Jason Terry had all come and gone, and the draft picks that became Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum and Collin Sexton were living their best lives elsewhere. The Nets had a bloated payroll, a team of scrubs and no future.
The NBA's Chicago Draft Combine was only two months after Marks was hired in Brooklyn, and despite not owning a first-round pick, he sent quite a contingent to the Windy City. Their directive was to do as much recon work as possible to find Marks some players who could help. Marks used Thaddeus Young to trade his way into the first round and came away from the draft with Caris LeVert and Isaiah Whitehead. Within the next six months, he signed two diamonds in the rough, Joe Harris and Spencer Dinwiddie.
One season later, Marks drafted Jarrett Allen and landed D&rsquo;Angelo Russell in a trade with the Lakers, and that was essentially the core that both got Brooklyn back on track and ultimately landed Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving.
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Highlights Kyrie Irving &amp; Kevin Durant 🆚 Sixers<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NetsWorld?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NetsWorld</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBATwitter?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBATwitter</a> <a href="https://t.co/viw7ZzQQIZ">pic.twitter.com/viw7ZzQQIZ</a>
&mdash; Back2Back (@B2BFR) <a href="https://twitter.com/B2BFR/status/1502186067541307394?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 11, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Obviously, that all took time to come to fruition, and time isn't something that LeBron James has. But the point is that no matter how daunting the situation, a competent NBA front office can build a team without having the most obvious assets readily available. That the Lakers have two superstars should actually make the task a bit less difficult.
In this league, there are generally two types of teams: those who rely on free agency and trades to build their contender, and those who build their programs organically, most often through the draft. Big-market teams tend to be the former, while small market teams usually go the other route.
If either Marks or Riley were put in charge of the Lakers&rsquo; front office, they would probably trade Horton-Tucker for draft capital after realizing he&rsquo;s not the right fit there. They&rsquo;d engage the Pelicans, Blazers, Thunder, Rockets, Pacers and Grizzlies &mdash; teams who may have multiple first-round picks &mdash; and find a way to come away from the draft with a young piece and at least one more promising player from the summer circuit. Only then would they go knocking on the doors of guys like Tristan Thompson, Semi Ojeleye and Victor Oladipo, all of whom could help and potentially be had for cheap.
By the time the 2022-23 season tips off, the team could be remade. Some names we&rsquo;d know, and many we wouldn&rsquo;t. But as we&rsquo;ve seen before, often, it&rsquo;s the names we don&rsquo;t know who end up making the biggest difference. Alex Caruso, anyone?&nbsp;
Neither DeMar DeRozan, Buddy Hield nor Kyle Lowry will be coming to save the day; Pelinka and James got themselves into their current mess, and they&rsquo;ll have to get themselves out.
With their season ending much sooner than anyone could have imagined, the Lakers will have plenty to address over their long summer.
But, at least in the NBA, small steps can lead to major strides.
With few options, the Lakers should be so wise.
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With the Los Angeles Lakers out of playoff contention, they must now focus on rebuilding like a small-market team.

Only fix for LeBron’s Lakers is to operate like a small-market team

Play-In and playoff time are right around the corner in the dwindling NBA season. As such, most of conversations will understandably revolve around the league's premier teams. It's easy for the teams at the bottom to get lost in the shuffle. They generally reach a point where lottery odds take precedence; in some instances, important young pieces are getting shut down like the veterans are.
I wanted to take a moment to highlight some players who are likely flying under the radar. You have to take post-All-Star break stretches with at least two grains of salt, but this is a time for unheralded players to stretch themselves. In a best-case scenario, they wind up showing you something that transfers to the next season.
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Here are a few players &mdash; just a few! &mdash; who have caught my eye recently.
KILLIAN HAYES
The Stats: 13.0 points, 3.6 rebounds, 4.4 assists (1.4 turnovers), 2.8 steals over last five games&nbsp;
The Skill: Downhill Comfort
It's been a hectic start for Killian Hayes, a high-upside guard project who's had his career derailed by injury woes to this point. Young ball-handlers need live reps to work out the kinks of their game; Hayes hasn't consistently been able to do that, which make his flaws look even worse when he's been on the floor.
Hayes is in the midst of finding himself though. He's one of the most underrated guard defenders in the sport already, boasting off-ball prowess and a knack for getting over or&nbsp;ducking under picks and remaining attached.&nbsp;
Offensively, there's been a bit of a chicken-or-egg ordeal with him. He's shown legit passing chops from the jump, but his ability to create advantages &mdash; via explosive drives or out of fear of his jumper &mdash; hasn't been there. Putting him off-ball has led to teams ignoring him as a threat.
That's what makes Hayes' recent aggression worth paying attention to. This is probably the most I've seen him generate paint touches.
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; left: 0px; top: 0px; overflow: hidden;" src="https://streamable.com/e/1noylj" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
How about this: Hayes is <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/players/drives/?Season=2021-22&amp;SeasonType=Regular%20Season&amp;LastNGames=5&amp;TeamID=1610612765&amp;sort=DRIVES&amp;dir=1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">converting over 68%</a> of his shots via drive over this five-game stretch. That's wildly impressive, and likely unsustainable. The rising drive volume is the key here. After averaging 6.0 drives per game <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/players/drives/?Season=2021-22&amp;SeasonType=Regular%20Season&amp;TeamID=1610612765&amp;sort=DRIVES&amp;dir=1&amp;SeasonSegment=Pre%20All-Star" target="_blank" rel="noopener">before the All-Star break</a>, that number has risen to 7.1. Over the last five, it's up again to 8.8.
If Hayes can get downhill more consistently, that should open up more passing windows for him. If you want to zoom out a bit, that should unlock some off-ball opportunities for Cade Cunningham so he doesn't have to create all the time (even though he's probably good enough to do so.)
Don't sell your Hayes stock, folks.
BRANDON WILLIAMS
The Stats: 14.4 points, 3.4 rebounds, 8.0 assists (2.8 turnovers), 1.6 steals over last five games
The Skill: Pick-and-Roll Passing
The Blazers are an absolute mess right now, but that's mostly fine. They're playing for lotto odds and hoping to make some "keep Damian Lillard" splashes in the offseason.
In the meantime, can I just say I've oddly enjoyed the dynamic between Brandon Williams and Drew Eubanks? Also, did you know Eubanks was averaging nearly 18 points and 12 rebounds over his last five games? You do now!
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But seriously, Williams has a real feel for pocket passing. There's a pace to him that allows him to operate with slower rollers. I've also seen enough skips in his film to say he can make most of the reads you want from him.
The question becomes: What level of a shooter is he going to be? The three-point shooting has fluctuated in both directions since he's been given more reps, and the pull-up middy <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/players/pullup/?Season=2021-22&amp;SeasonType=Regular%20Season&amp;LastNGames=5&amp;TeamID=1610612757&amp;sort=PULL_UP_FGA&amp;dir=1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">hasn't been great either</a>. There's enough craft there to be excited about though. I'm curious to see what he looks like in a more defined role next season.
DAMIAN JONES
The Stats: 16.7 points, 8.2 rebounds, 2.0 assists (1.5 turnovers), 1.8 blocks over last six games
The Skill: Playmaking
Damian Jones had stops with Golden State, Atlanta, Phoenix and the Los Angeles Lakers before landing in Sacramento. Go down the line; you don't think the Dubs could use a vertical spacer like this? Think the Suns would rather have Bismack Biyombo than Jones? Would the Lakers turn down young talent to... well actually, nevermind.
Jones has&nbsp;really&nbsp;been balling since newbie Domantas Sabonis has been out of the lineup. Averaging 17 and 8 is nothing to sneeze at, and he's predictably getting busy as a roll man and glass-cleaner.
What's been interesting &mdash; the Kings are putting the ball in his hands a little. You won't confuse him with Sabonis, but he's been allowed to be a handoff hub in Delay sets. And when the Kings are able to draw two to the ball, Jones hasn't looked entirely out of place as a short-roll decision-maker.
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Expectations of "traditional" centers are changing. If you aren't good enough to build the boat around, you'll need to complement stars with something. Some bigs have attempted to expand their range to the three-point line &mdash; something Jones has dabbled with on occasion this season &mdash; while others are becoming more adept as initiators. That Jones is showing flashes in the latter should add to his value moving forward.
ALEKSEJ POKUSEVSKI
The Stats: 14.5 points, 6.8 rebounds, 9.0 assists (4.3 turnovers), 0.8 steals over last four games
The Skill: Decision-Making
Let's start right here, because what the heck.
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That is Aleksej Pokusevski getting&nbsp;Chris freakin' Paul&nbsp;on a rip-through foul. After that, you get Pokusevski running a pick-and-roll and freezing Cam Johnson with a jump pass to the corner. The pass accuracy was off, but it's hard not to appreciate the level of manipulation.
It's easy to point to the recent triple-double, but the overarching thing is that Pokusevski looks more comfortable on both ends as of late. The shot is falling for him at nearly a 48% clip &mdash; wildly impressive considering the amount of movement attempts he fires. He's made some real strides on the ball too. He's still trying some wild stuff, but the chaos is more controlled.
Pre-break, Pokusevski had an assist rate of 11.6 and a turnover rate of 16.2. Since then, he's been firmly in the positive (22.0 to 16.7). Both numbers have shot up during this four-game stretch (35.1, 26.2) but, he's still largely been a plus-playmaker statistically.
Skipping steps in pick-and-roll. No-looks in transition. Timely "one more" passes when the ball gets to swinging. The level of ball placement with some of his interior reads should not be possible for a guy his size.
I have been, I am and I will continue to be intrigued by Poku.&nbsp;
STRAY THOUGHTS
<ul>
<li>What Houston Rockets forward KJ Martin brings to the table as a (violent) dunker and weak-side shot-blocker should be well documented at this point. I think he's also firmly proving you can't leave him completely open. I'm not buying him being a 48% shooter from deep like he has been since the All-Star break (on "meh" volume), but the form and touch are to the point where he should be accounted for as a spot-up option.&nbsp;</li>
<li>I'd keep an eye on Markelle Fultz (13.8 points, 5.4 assists, 2.0 steals over his last five) if I were you. The burst looks solid, as does the defense. So much focus has (understandably) been on his injury history and whatever the heck happened with his jumper, but that's one crafty dude with the ball in his hands.</li>
<li>Nothing deep here, just want to say I'm glad Goga Bitadze is showing some signs of life in a weird context. Related: I have no idea what Indiana's big man room is going to look like next season.</li>
</ul>
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Nekias Duncan highlights some young (role) players on struggling teams who are worth keeping an eye on.

Views from the bottom: 4 young NBA players to keep an eye on

Luka Doncic scored 34 points in a triple-double and the Dallas Mavericks routed the Lakers 128-110 on Tuesday night with Los Angeles missing LeBron James because of an ankle issue while anticipating the return of long-injured Anthony Davis.
James and Davis didn't play after being listed as doubtful, which was actually an upgrade for Davis. The eight-time All-Star hasn't played since Feb. 16 because of a right mid-foot sprain. His first full practice since the injury was Monday in Dallas.
The question is when the superstars return. The Lakers (31-44) are tied with San Antonio for the final play-in spot in the Western Conference with seven games remaining for both teams. Coach Frank Vogel was non-committal before the game.
Los Angeles finishes a three-game road trip in Utah on Thursday before returning home Friday to complete a back-to-back against New Orleans. The Pelicans are ninth in the West, a game ahead of the Lakers and Spurs.
&ldquo;With those guys out, we&rsquo;re at a talent deficit, so the focus and execution has to make up for it,&rdquo; Vogel said. &ldquo;This is just the latest dose of adversity that this year&rsquo;s team has faced. When you lose &rsquo;Bron, OK, you have to adjust yet again throughout a season of setbacks.&rdquo;
Malik Monk scored 28 points and Russell Westbrook had 25 for the Lakers, who dropped their third straight for their fifth losing streak at least that long in the past two months as part of a steady slide away from .500 for the 2020 champs.
Doncic had 25 points in the first half as Dallas scored a season-high 82 for a 26-point lead. He finished with 12 rebounds and 12 assists.
The 23-year-old star secured his first triple-double in almost two months and 10th of the season with an <a href="https://twitter.com/NBAonTNT/status/1508973213480497153?s=20&amp;t=1oiVTgbr4YMZ7HtyrqQYJg">offensive rebound for a layup</a> that gave him 32 points and put Dallas up 101-65 with 6:58 left in the third quarter. Doncic sat the fourth.
Maxi Kleber capped an 11-0 run in the final 84 seconds of the first quarter with a coast-to-coast layup just before the buzzer. Dallas shot 64% for a 43-25 lead.
One of the few times LA tried to defend the 3-pointer, Spencer Dinwiddie was fouled on a 3 that put Dallas up 63-33 in the second quarter. He missed the free throw. Dallas was 11 of 19 from 3 after Dinwiddie's make and finished with a season-high 20 in 46 attempts.
&ldquo;We respect who they are,&rdquo; Dallas coach Jason Kidd. &ldquo;They&rsquo;re dangerous. (Monk) played well. Russ played well. We took care of business from the start. I think those guys set the tone. Three great quarters of basketball.&rdquo;
TIP-INS
Lakers: The other meeting in Dallas this season was one of the 21 games James and Davis have played together. The Lakers won it 107-104 in overtime on Austin Reaves' 3 with a second remaining on Dec. 15. Reaves missed all four of his attempts from deep in his return and scored three points. ... Stanley Johnson matched his season high with 16 points.
Mavericks: G Brandon Knight signed his second 10-day contract of the season under the COVID-19 allowances after G Trey Burke joined G Sterling Brown in the health and safety protocols. ... Reggie Bullock scored 17 points and was 5 of 8 from 3, putting him at 12 of 19 over two games after going 1 of 12 in the previous two.
DALLAS IN THE WEST
The Mavericks (47-29) moved within a game of Stephen Curry and Golden State for the third seed in the West. Dallas owns the tiebreaker.
The victory also assured the Mavericks of staying at least a game ahead of Utah for No. 4, the final spot with home-court advantage in the first round. The Jazz will have that tiebreaker if they maintain their Northwest Division lead over Denver.
HOWARD BENCHED
Dwight Howard didn't play again for the Lakers after coming out five minutes into the game. &ldquo;We got down 25 points very early in the game so I was looking for somebody else to get something done,&rdquo; Vogel said.
UP NEXT
Lakers: LA can sweep the season series against Utah for the second time in three seasons after going the previous 34 years without doing it.
Mavericks: The second night of the final back-to-back of the regular season is Wednesday in Cleveland. It opens the last road trip (four games) as Dallas completes a stretch of 15 of 23 games away from home,

Luka Doncic scored 34 points in a triple-double and the Mavericks routed the Lakers 128-110 on Tuesday night.