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Suns

The Tyrese Haliburton era is well on its way in Indianapolis, which means it&rsquo;s likely time to say adios to Malcolm Brogdon in an Indiana Pacers uniform. Brogdon is one of the more <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/five-nba-players-who-feel-destined-to-be-traded-this-offseason" target="_blank" rel="noopener">obvious trade candidates in the NBA this offseason</a> thanks to his consistent injury issues and Haliburton&rsquo;s quick emergence. Despite Brogdon's missed games, he will still attract interest from rival teams.
During Brogdon&rsquo;s three-year tenure with the Pacers, he averaged 18.9 points, 6.3 assists, 5.1 rebounds and 0.8 steals per game on a 55.3 True Shooting percentage. Brogdon always produced when he was on the court for Indiana, but his availability was an issue. Going forward, it&rsquo;s going to be hard for Brogdon to shed the &ldquo;injury prone&rdquo; label because it&rsquo;s been an issue dating back to his collegiate career at the University of Virginia.
Aside from injury concerns, Brogdon&rsquo;s market will be robust with playofff or championship-hopeful teams lining up for his services. As a versatile multi-positional defender, connective playmaker and secondary scorer, Brogdon can really help a team that's going in the opposite direction as the rebuilding Pacers.
Without further ado, let&rsquo;s go ahead and dive into the most realistic trade packages Indiana could expect for Brogdon this offseason. As Indiana turns the page to Haliburton, it&rsquo;s time to extract some value from a potential Brogdon deal.
Phoenix Suns
Pacers receive: Landry Shamet, Dario Saric, 2024 1st-round draft pick (lottery protected)
Suns receive: Malcolm Brogdon, 2022 No. 31 pick
Phoenix&rsquo;s lack of guard depth was exposed throughout the playoffs. They simply can&rsquo;t rely on Cameron Payne anymore, who was a DNP-CD when it mattered most in the Western Conference Semifinals. Phoenix flirted with the idea of chasing Brogdon before signing Ricky Rubio back in 2019. Three years later, bringing Brogdon to the Valley as the Suns&rsquo; short-term backup and long-term fit alongside Devin Booker is a home run transaction.
Also, there has been some buzz that the Suns are trying to get into the 2022 NBA Draft. They have met with multiple players projected to be selected in the mid-to-late first round, including LSU&rsquo;s Tari Eason, Ohio State&rsquo;s E.J. Liddell and Duke&rsquo;s Wendell Moore. Adding any of those prospects will be impossible without adding a pick. The Suns could always buy an early second-round pick for $3 million, but that&rsquo;s never been their way of thinking.
Is this where Suns GM James Jones could get creative to snag a championship piece at discounted value? Brogdon and Chris Paul sharing minutes is a dream scenario for Phoenix since all 48 minutes at point guard would provide well above-average production. Also, we could see three-guard lineups galore thanks to Brogdon&rsquo;s versatility.
In this scenario, Indiana would add a shooter in Shamet who only has two guaranteed years left on his extension. Maybe Shamet could be their Buddy Hield replacement if they also decide to trade him soon. Adding a future first for Brogdon is the right risk for Indiana to take as well.
Utah Jazz
Pacers receive: Mike Conley, Jared Butler, 2025 2nd-round pick
Jazz receive: Malcolm Brogdon
The Jazz desperately need to shake things up. Stagnation is on the horizon in Salt Lake City, if it hasn&rsquo;t reached that point already. Utah may blow it up this offseason, but even if they don't, they need to do something in order to keep Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert happy long-term.
As we saw during the Jazz&rsquo;s quick postseason exit, Conley seems like a shell of himself. Looking back on that trade now, Utah has to be kicking themselves for surrendering so much for the veteran point guard.
Utah needs to get creative to avoid moving one of Mitchell or Gobert soon, so Conley going back home to Indianapolis makes a lot of sense here. Brogdon is a huge upgrade over Conley, and he helps address a dire need of perimeter defense.
Indiana would add a veteran mentor for Haliburton to lean on for a year since Conley&rsquo;s contract isn&rsquo;t fully guaranteed in 2023-24. Adding a young scoring guard in Butler alongside a future second-round pick might not be enough for the Pacers, but it's at least enough to start negotiations.
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Los Angeles Lakers
Pacers receive: Russell Westbrook, Talen Horton-Tucker, 2023 2nd, 2025 2nd, 2027 1st (lottery protected)
Lakers receive: Malcolm Brogdon, Buddy Hield, Goga Bitadze
This only makes sense if the Pacers are willing to take on the final year of Westbrook&rsquo;s contract, which would have any team second-guessing themselves beforehand. Surprisingly enough, Indiana is actually the betting favorite to land Westbrook if the Lakers offload him this offseason.
The Pacers would need a hefty return in order take on Westbrook while also relinquishing Brogdon and Hield. Adding Horton-Tucker, two future second-round picks and the Lakers&rsquo; next available first-round selection gets the job done. Los Angeles would hate to part with THT and even more draft capital, but Brogdon and Hield are perfect pieces to place alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Who knows, maybe Bitadze slides into the Lakers&rsquo; rotation as the backup center?
Indiana is embracing a full-scale rebuild, and pulling off a move like this would be consistent with that approach.
Minnesota Timberwolves
Pacers receive: D&rsquo;Angelo Russell, No. 19 pick, No. 40 pick
Timberwolves receive: Malcolm Brogdon, Goga Bitadze, No. 31 pick, 2023 2nd (via San Antonio Spurs)
As <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/examining-potential-trade-destinations-for-dangelo-russell" target="_blank" rel="noopener">our Nekias Duncan recently wrote</a>, a D&rsquo;Angelo Russell departure from Minnesota feels imminent this summer. It&rsquo;s another unfortunate turn in the career for Russell, who continues to bounce around the Association, unable to find a long-term home. The fit in Minnesota alongside good friend Karl-Anthony Towns had its moments, but Russell&rsquo;s negatives popped up in the postseason when it mattered most. After being benched in crunch-time situations by head coach Chris Finch and not having his name mentioned in The Athletic&rsquo;s recent story on new executive Tim Connelly, it wouldn't be shocking to see Russell playing elsewhere in 2022-23.
Even with the Pacers already having Haliburton and Chris Duarte, this feels like a spot where they could take a year-long look at Russell as a potential long-term backcourt piece. As a former top-three pick, Russell would bring more fanfare to the Pacers&rsquo; rebuild. And if he meshes well alongside Haliburton, Russell could become a long-term piece in Indiana and finally find a home.
From the Timberwolves&rsquo; point of view, this makes a whole lot of sense. Brogdon is a much better fit alongside Towns and Anthony Edwards, as he's easily able to slide into the No. 3 scoring role while providing an ideal complementary low-usage skill set. Taking a flier on Bitadze, a former top-20 pick, is also interesting, and as he could back up Towns.
Miami Heat
Pacers receive: Duncan Robinson, Max Strus, 2023 1st (lottery protected)
Heat receive: Malcolm Brogdon
As we&rsquo;ve seen unfold late in the postseason, Miami needs to find another offensive creator. Simply put, the Heat need more weapons to compete with the NBA&rsquo;s current juggernauts. Luckily for Miami, some much-needed flexibility could be on the way.
The Duncan Robinson contract looks like a disaster, but what if they could use his bloated salary and some future draft capital to bring in an immediate impact piece? Brogdon feels like the perfect remedy for Miami since he can take playmaking pressure off of Jimmy Butler, Tyler Herro and Kyle Lowry. Brogdon and Lowry could split minutes, which is a huge benefit for both players and would help keep them fresh and out of the training room.
For Indiana, they could be comfortable taking on Robinson&rsquo;s contract with all of their salary-cap space currently available. Adding Strus and a draft pick could make this deal worth it for the Pacers.
All of a sudden, Miami is now in a strong position to make another deep postseason push with Brogdon onboard for 2022-23 and beyond.
***
Every team in the NBA needs shooting, defensive versatility and playmaking. Even with his injury history, Brogdon would be well worth the risk for any team looking to take the next step forward.
If Brogdon is able to stay healthy, adding him at this price could be a coup for whichever team is next after Milwaukee and Indiana.
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With the Tyrese Haliburton era blossoming for the Pacers, Malcolm Brogdon is one of the most logical NBA trade candidates.

Examining potential trade destinations for Malcolm Brogdon

The 2021-22 season wasn&rsquo;t supposed to end this way for the Phoenix Suns... not even close. After a shocking exit in the Western Conference semifinals, where do the Suns turn now? With how well-built Phoenix&rsquo;s roster is, there actually aren&rsquo;t many holes. However, the potential domino effects are franchise-altering and there are a number of different directions the team may go.
The future of Deandre Ayton is now <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/uncertain-future-of-deandre-ayton-becomes-top-topic-for-suns" target="_blank" rel="noopener">murkier than expected</a> following Phoenix's shocking Game 7 blowout defeat on its home court against the Dallas Mavericks. Ayton only played 17 minutes, which included a verbal skirmish with Suns head coach Monty Williams.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s internal,&rdquo; Williams said of why Ayton was benched in Game 7.
Ayton will be a restricted free agent after the Suns decided not to extend a five-year, rookie-scale max offer his way before the regular season began. He was the NBA's first No. 1 pick since Anthony Bennett to not sign a contract extension before entering the final year of his rookie deal.
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There&rsquo;s a potentially awkward dynamic on the horizon between Ayton and the Suns. Ayton wants the highest possible dollar amount, but Phoenix&rsquo;s stance at this point is unknown. ESPN&rsquo;s Adrian Wojnarowski reported in October that the Suns didn&rsquo;t view Ayton as a max-level player who deserved a five-year contract. Is it possible that the Suns&rsquo; stance has changed after Ayton&rsquo;s 2021-22 campaign?
Suns general manager James Jones said Wednesday during his season-ending press conference that the team's main theme will be continuity, foreshadowing the likelihood of Phoenix running it all back with a core that set a new franchise record for wins.
&ldquo;We want to continue to keep our consistency, our continuity,&rdquo; Jones said.
Robert Sarver, the Suns' owner since 2004, also spoke on-record recently to BasketballNews.com about Ayton&rsquo;s future in Phoenix. It sure feels like Phoenix values the 2018 No. 1 overall pick, but at what cost?
&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think he&rsquo;s so divisive here,&rdquo; Sarver told BasketballNews.com last month. &ldquo;I think he&rsquo;s shown that he&rsquo;s improved each year, helps us on both the defense and the offense. I think offensively, you see this year he&rsquo;s taken another good step in terms of his touch and his ability to score around the basket. So, he&rsquo;s been a key part of what we&rsquo;re doing.&rdquo;
Whichever direction the Suns decide to go with Ayton will have a significant impact on this offseason. It could be relatively boring summer in the Valley, or Ayton&rsquo;s value could be parlayed into going all-out for a superstar.
Expect to see the Suns let Ayton test the open market in July. If he receives a max offer sheet, that&rsquo;s when the clock officially begins to tick on how explosive Phoenix&rsquo;s plans could become.
Another housekeeping note for Phoenix related to contracts is a massive one set to be signed this summer. Once Devin Booker officially is announced on an All-NBA team, he will become eligible for a four-year, $211 million supermax contract. It&rsquo;s an easy decision for Booker and the Suns, so a hefty new contract for Booker will keep him in Phoenix through at least 2027-28.
2022-23: $33.8 million
2023-24: $36.0 million
2024-25: $47.1 million
2025-26: $50.9 million
2026-27: $54.7 million
2027-28: $58.5 million
Add in the Ayton situation on top of a looming Booker supermax, and Phoenix is ready to fully commit to paying deep into the luxury tax. Don&rsquo;t forget that Cameron Johnson is another significant piece to the puzzle for Phoenix and he could be signing his own extension this summer that keeps him in Phoenix long-term through his prime years.
Running it back with this core feels like the route that will be traveled, and you can't blame the Suns for that line of thinking considering their immense success over the last two seasons after toiling in obscurity.
&ldquo;As your team improves, typically your payroll increases,&rdquo; Jones said Wednesday when asked about potential luxury-tax issues.
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As mentioned, this builds upon what Sarver already confirmed to BasketballNews.com last month. For the first time since 2009-10, Phoenix will be paying the luxury tax and continue to do so for the next few years, too.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m not saying we&rsquo;re a market that can be in it for 10 years in a row, but when you get to a certain level where you have a chance to compete and you&rsquo;re a top-four, top-six, top-eight team, [you pay it],&rdquo; Sarver said. &ldquo;If you&rsquo;re at that level where you have a legitimate chance to compete &mdash; get to your Conference Finals and maybe win a championship &mdash; then I think you go in the tax; you pay and you do what you gotta do.&rdquo;
Committing to being a full-time tax team is a huge change of pace from years past for the Suns, but the time is now to compete for their first NBA title.
Outside of the contractual angles that cloud the current in Phoenix, what moves need to be made in order to improve their roster?
After witnessing the failures behind Chris Paul and Booker in the backcourt &mdash; mainly from backup point guard Cameron Payne, who finished the postseason with a ghastly 35.2% True Shooting percentage &mdash; finding more creators is of the utmost importance.
The Suns had a golden opportunity at the trade deadline to acquire Eric Gordon, but haggling over a future first-round draft pick ended those discussions. It&rsquo;s hard to deny how much a player like Gordon would&rsquo;ve helped Phoenix&rsquo;s offense when it began to sink against Dallas. If the Suns had a competent starting-level third guard, there&rsquo;s a good chance they'd be playing the Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference Finals instead of the Mavericks.
Whether it be signing a free agent or utilizing the trade market, some potentially available backup guard options who could help Phoenix immediately include: Jordan Clarkson (trade), Eric Gordon (trade), Derrick Rose (trade), Terrence Ross (trade), Ricky Rubio, Dennis Schroder, Tyus Jones, Delon Wright and Goran Dragic.
The Suns&rsquo; roster is already filled with quality depth pieces, but how can this team take the next step? Will Ayton be part of their long-term vision alongside Booker and Mikal Bridges? Can the Suns take advantage of their flexibility with $30-plus million in expiring contracts? Is star-hunting actually in the cards?
Following one of the most disappointing playoff performances in recent memory, how the Suns respond moving forward will show how resilient this group truly is.
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After a shocking postseason exit for the Suns, what's next ahead? Evan Sidery previews an interesting offseason ahead.

2022 NBA offseason preview: What's next for the Phoenix Suns?

NEW YORK &ndash; Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokić has been named the 2021-22 Kia NBA Most Valuable Player, the NBA announced today.
This is the second Kia NBA Most Valuable Player Award for Jokić, who also earned the honor last season. &nbsp;He becomes the 13th player to win the award in consecutive seasons, joining Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Larry Bird, Wilt Chamberlain, Stephen Curry, Tim Duncan, LeBron James, Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, Moses Malone, Steve Nash and Bill Russell.
Jokić received 875 points (65 first-place votes) from a global panel of 100 sportswriters and broadcasters. Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid finished in second place with 706 points (26 first-place votes). Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo finished in third place with 595 points (nine first-place votes), followed by Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker in fourth place with 216 points and Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Dončić in fifth place with 146 points. &nbsp;Players received 10 points for each first-place vote, seven points for each second-place vote, five points for each third-place vote, three points for each fourth-place vote and one point for each fifth-place vote.
This is the first time that both the top three and four of the top five finishers in voting for the Kia NBA Most Valuable Player Award are international players, with Jokić (Serbia), Embiid (Cameroon) and Antetokounmpo (Greece) comprising the top three and Dončić (Slovenia) joining them in the top five. &nbsp;Jokić is the second European player to win the award more than once, joining Antetokounmpo, the MVP in the 2018-19 and 2019-20 seasons.
In his seventh NBA season, Jokić averaged 27.1 points, 13.8 rebounds, 7.9 assists, 1.47 steals and 0.85 blocks per game, setting career highs in each category except assists (second highest). &nbsp;Jokić, who played 74 games and averaged 33.5 minutes, ranked sixth in the NBA in points, second in rebounds, eighth in assists, 12th steals and 33rd in blocks per game. &nbsp;He led the league in total rebounds (1,019) and total defensive rebounds (813). &nbsp;His career-high 58.3 field goal percentage was eighth highest in the NBA.
Jokić, 27, became the first player in NBA history to record at least 2,000 points, 1,000 rebounds and 500 assists in a season and the first player to average at least 25.0 points, 13.0 rebounds and 6.0 assists in a season. &nbsp;He led the NBA in triple-doubles with 19 and double-doubles with 66, both single-season records for a Nuggets player.
Jokić earned his fourth consecutive NBA All-Star selection and second straight All-Star start. &nbsp;He twice was named the Kia NBA Western Conference Player of the Month (January and March/April) and the NBA Western Conference Player of the Week (Jan. 24 and April 4).
Behind Jokić, the Nuggets (48-34) qualified for the NBA Playoffs presented by Google Pixel for the fourth consecutive season. &nbsp;With Denver trying to clinch a playoff spot late in the season, Jokić averaged 35.7 points, 16.3 rebounds, 7.4 assists and 2.14 steals in his final seven games.
The Nuggets selected Jokić with the 41st overall pick during the second round of the 2014 NBA Draft. &nbsp;Last season, he became the lowest-drafted player to win the Kia NBA Most Valuable Player Award with the exception of three-time recipient Moses Malone, who was not selected in the NBA Draft.
Jokić will be presented with a special edition 75th Anniversary commemorative trophy today in celebration of the honor, gifted in addition to the Kia NBA Most Valuable Player Award trophy, which he will receive later. &nbsp;The commemorative trophy, composed of a solid crystal basketball, features the NBA 75 logo 3D laser etched and suspended within its center.
The voting results for the 2021-22 Kia NBA Most Valuable Player Award are below. &nbsp;The balloting was tabulated by the independent accounting firm Ernst &amp; Young LLP. &nbsp;Complete ballots for each voter will be posted at PR.NBA.com after the announcement of all end-of-season awards.
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This is the second NBA Most Valuable Player Award for Jokić, who also earned the honor last season.

Nuggets’ Nikola Jokić wins 2021-22 NBA Most Valuable Player award

Devin Booker scored 28 points, Deandre Ayton added 20 and the Phoenix Suns beat the Dallas Mavericks 110-80 on Tuesday night to take a 3-2 lead in the Western Conference semifinals.
The Suns used a huge third quarter to turn a tight game into a comfortable win. Phoenix opened up the second half on an 11-4 run, highlighted by Booker&rsquo;s two 3-pointers, for a 61-50 lead.
Mavs coach Jason Kidd called for a timeout, but it did little to stop the onslaught. The Suns led 82-60 going into the fourth with Booker pouring in 12 points during the third.
While the Suns were finally finding some offensive continuity, the Mavs completely lost theirs, scoring just four points in the first six minutes of the third. At times, the Dallas offense regressed to mostly watching Luka Doncic try and work magic, but he couldn&rsquo;t do it all by himself.
The Mavs had 12 turnovers during the third quarter.
The top-seeded Suns bounced back after dropping the previous two games and can win the series in Game 6 on Thursday in Dallas.
Doncic finished with 28 points and 11 rebounds. Jalen Brunson added 21 points. The Mavs shot just 38% from the field.
The Suns took a hard-fought 49-46 lead into halftime. Booker scored 16 points on 7-of-11 shooting from the field. Doncic countered with 18 points, though it was a little less efficient after making 7 of 16 shots.
The Mavericks led for a majority of the first half before Booker&rsquo;s baseline jam tied it at 40-all with 3:47 before halftime. Mikal Bridges had a nifty steal and then scored on a fast-break layup for a 44-42 lead.
BOOK THE BUCKET
Booker now has 804 points in 30 career playoff games.
The 25-year-old is one of just 18 players in NBA history with at least 800 points in his first 30 postseason games.
He joins Anthony Davis, Donovan Mitchell, Kevin Durant, LeBron James, Tracy McGrady, Vince Carter and Allen Iverson, who have all accomplished the feat since 2000.
HONORING GRINER
Chris Paul came to the arena wearing a shirt that had Phoenix Mercury star Brittney Griner&rsquo;s picture on the front and her name on the back.
Griner &mdash; a seven-time WNBA All-Star &mdash; was detained in Russia on Feb. 17 after authorities at the Moscow airport said they found vape cartridges that allegedly contained oil derived from cannabis in her luggage, which could carry a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. The Biden administration determined Griner is being wrongfully detained. A hearing in a Russian court is set for May 19.
The WNBA and and U.S. officials have worked toward Griner&rsquo;s release, but have yet to make any headway with the Russian government.
TIP-INS
Mavericks: Doncic made his first 3-point attempt in Game 5 after a 1-of-10 performance from long range in Game 4. ... F Dorian Finney-Smith was called for a flagrant 1 after a hard foul on Booker in the third quarter.
Suns: F Torrey Craig (right elbow contusion) was available to play. ... Ayton was called for an offensive foul on the first possession of the game. He missed a big chunk of the first half after picking up two quick fouls. ... Coach Monty Williams dropped backup G Cameron Payne from the playing rotation after two ineffective games in Dallas. ... The Suns hosted a sellout crowd for a 32nd consecutive game.

Devin Booker scored 28 points, Deandre Ayton added 20 and the Suns beat the Mavericks 110-80 to go up 3-2 in the series.

Booker scores 28, Suns rout Mavericks 110-80 for 3-2 lead

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

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

When Ish Wainright first walked into the practice facility in Scottsdale, Arizona, Phoenix Suns head coach Monty Williams had no idea who he was.
Signed on a two-way contract by Phoenix this season, Wainright&rsquo;s path to the biggest stage is an awe-inspiring one. After playing for the Baylor Bears throughout his collegiate career, Wainright went overseas and did well for himself in Germany. He did enough to catch the eye of NBA teams, and suited up for the Toronto Raptors in the Las Vegas summer league and preseason. Eventually, though, it led to the Suns taking notice and bringing him aboard a special organization in the Valley.
Four days ago, Wainright&rsquo;s NBA dream was officially realized, as the Suns converted his two-way deal into a standard contract &mdash; a move that makes him eligible for Phoenix's postseason roster. Wainright took the spot of Frank Kaminsky, who was released as he continues to nurse a stress reaction in his knee.
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All along the way, Wainright&rsquo;s infectious personality and tireless work ethic have left their mark within the Suns&rsquo; organization. A restricted free agent after this season, Wainright could now be Phoenix&rsquo;s newest version of the Cameron Payne success story from a few years ago.
Within a short period of time, Wainright has gained the trust of Williams and the Suns&rsquo; coaching staff. In a pinch, Wainright can play multiple roles for Phoenix. Whether it be as a small-ball 5 or a burly forward who can space the floor, the Suns&rsquo; 27-year-old rookie has already found his niche. The job for Wainright is simple within the Suns&rsquo; already well-flowing two-way operation: defend at a high level, move the ball around and hit the open-shot opportunities.
A well-known gym rat in the Suns&rsquo; training facility, Phoenix&rsquo;s player development staff have helped Wainright quickly become a knockdown three-point shooter from the most important spot on the floor. Converting an impressive 42.9% on corner threes, Wainright is now a player teams can&rsquo;t sag off of. If anything, Wainright&rsquo;s added development makes him a piece that could easily see the floor for Phoenix in the postseason. For example, with Wainright&rsquo;s shooting and frame, he could be a reserve secondary option for a potential Finals rematch against the Milwaukee Bucks.
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NBA career-high 20 PTS, 8 REBS and 4 AST for Phoenix Suns rookie and Uganda National Team star Ish Wainright against the Clippers last night. Knocked down 4-of-8 threes, put pressure on the rim, active defensively (3 STL). Incredible success story and an even better person. <a href="https://t.co/cme5sx5KE8">pic.twitter.com/cme5sx5KE8</a>
&mdash; Mike Schmitz (@Mike_Schmitz) <a href="https://twitter.com/Mike_Schmitz/status/1512099222421532673?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 7, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Wainright and his head coach are both in agreement on his role, which has a complete buy-in all levels. If anything, Wainright is the latest shining example of the Suns&rsquo; system mining another rotation gem.
&ldquo;I think the thing that I&rsquo;m seeing with him, he&rsquo;s not bringing the ball down. When he catches it in the shot pocket, he keeps it there and it&rsquo;s all legs and follow through as before I think it would&rsquo;ve been a wind up to a shot. And he&rsquo;s worked on it,&rdquo; Williams said of Wainright&rsquo;s shooting development.
&ldquo;Coach [Steve] Scalzi spends every day, every minute with Ish working on all of that stuff. But in our economy, the corner three is probably where he&rsquo;s going to get his shot when he does get in. So, he&rsquo;s got to be efficient from that spot.&rdquo;
Wainright relayed similar thoughts to Williams. It doesn&rsquo;t bother Wainright that he doesn&rsquo;t get many shot opportunities or minutes because he&rsquo;s a complete team player. Loved in a tight-knit locker room already, it speaks volumes to Wainright&rsquo;s character.
On the doorstep of making another dream into reality, Wainright knows his moment is about to be realized &mdash; signed to a regular NBA contract.
Now, on a playoff roster who's the favorite to win the NBA Finals, the Baylor alum has found a potential long-term home on the highest level of basketball.
&ldquo;My mom actually heard the conversation at my door. I heard her before I could react to anything. I heard her scream, but just having an organization and team believe in you, trusting you it means the world,&rdquo; Wainright said of learning his contract had been converted to the main roster.
&ldquo;The journey that I&rsquo;ve taken to get to this point, it means a lot. I&rsquo;m in a daze still, to be honest with you. It probably won&rsquo;t kick in until Sunday when I&rsquo;m looking at my jersey like, &lsquo;Woah.&rsquo; I&rsquo;ve dreamed about playing in the playoffs, the Finals, winning a championship. Dreamed about playing in the NBA, especially for one of the greatest teams in Suns history and also the No. 1 team in the world. It means a lot.&rdquo;
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Ish Wainright is the latest success story from the ever-growing list in Phoenix. Now, Wainright's NBA dream is becoming a reality.

Ish Wainright is the latest Suns player development success story

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Los Angeles Clippers got way too comfortable against the NBA-leading Phoenix Suns and it nearly cost them.
Leading by 39 points in the third quarter, the Clippers survived an offensive onslaught by Phoenix's bench in the fourth and hung on for a 113-109 victory on Wednesday night.
Norman Powell scored 24 points after being out two months and Paul George added 19 points in three quarters to go over 15,000 in his career for the Clippers.
“You can never relax in the NBA,” Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said. “The players are too good, the coaches are too good, and as soon as you let your guard down things like this can happen.”
With nothing at stake, Phoenix rested All-Star guards Devin Booker and Chris Paul and fellow starters Deandre Ayton and Jae Crowder on the second night of a back-to-back. The Suns had already set a franchise record for wins in a season with 63 by eliminating the Lakers from playoff contention Tuesday.
The Clippers beat up the Suns for three quarters. But Phoenix's reserves put together a 48-point fourth quarter and then ran out of time.
“It’s a great lesson for our team and any kid watching, you just play it out,” Suns coach Monty Williams said. “We just stayed with it and had that Suns grit.”
Cameron Payne came back in and hit a 3-pointer that drew the Suns within four with 10 seconds left. Amir Coffey got fouled and made both free throws to preserve the win. 
Ish Wainwright scored a career-high 20 points to lead Phoenix. Aaron Holiday added 16 points and Bismack Biyombo had 14 points and 12 rebounds. The only starter in double figures was Payne with 13 points. The Suns' bench outscored the Clippers' reserves 66-58.
“When you have games like this, you find out who that guy is that you may be able to throw into a big game,” Williams said. “You build that confidence in games like this.”
George and Powell were playing together for the first time this season, but they quickly got in sync to help the Clippers win their third in a row. They are locked into the eighth spot for the Western Conference play-in tournament next week.
George has played in five of six games since returning from a torn UCL. Powell is back after missing 21 games with a broken foot. He played in just three games with the team before getting hurt shortly after he was acquired in a trade from Portland.
“Playing with PG still didn’t seem real to me,” Powell said. “I looked up to him growing up. Early on in my career he gave me some words of encouragement that stuck with me.”
George scored 10 of his team’s first 14 points to start the game. Powell came in for the first time late in the first quarter and hit a jumper.
They started the second quarter together. Powell hit a 3-pointer and a jumper back-to-back, then George found him for another 3-pointer as part of a 22-0 run. 
“We just tried to play off one another,” George said. “The biggest thing for me was playing off the ball and letting Norm get comfortable. He’s a big-time playmaker and scorer off the ball.”
The Suns’ first points didn’t come until 6:49, when former Clipper Landry Shamet hit a 3-pointer.
The Clippers outscored the Suns 34-9 in the second to lead 60-31 going into halftime.
Ivica Zubac had 13 points and 11 rebounds for the Clippers.
TIP-INS
Suns: Their 31 points in the first half were the fewest allowed by the Clippers in a half this season. ... JaVale McGee led a rollicking, expletive-filled huddle in the tunnel before the Suns took the court to warm up. ... The Jenner sisters, Kylie and Kendall, who dates Booker, sat opposite the team bench.
Clippers: Split the season series, 2-2. ... A moment of silence was held for Gene Shue, a two-time NBA coach of the year who had two separate stints guiding the Clippers. He died earlier this week at age 90. ... Hall of Famer and Clippers executive Jerry West posed for a photo at halftime with Grammy nominee Saweetie, who sported bright pink hair. ... Hall of Famer Scottie Pippen sat courtside.
15K for PG
George reflected on becoming the 16th active player with at least 15,000 career points.
“I'm just a kid who came literally from the desert,” he said, referring to his high desert hometown of Palmdale north of Los Angeles. “Every time I touch the floor, especially because of the injuries, I’m always grateful for the opportunity.”
He added, “Hopefully, I crack the 20,000 milestone and the 30,000 milestone.”
UP NEXT
Suns: Visit Utah on Friday.
Clippers: Host Sacramento on Saturday in the first game of a back-to-back.
___
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

The Clippers survived an offensive onslaught by Phoenix's bench in the fourth and hung on for a 113-109 victory

Powell returns, Clippers beat Suns for 3rd straight win

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Dillon Brooks scored 30 points and the Memphis Grizzlies beat the Phoenix Suns 122-114 on Friday night in a matchup of the NBA's top two teams, extending their winning streak to seven. 
Brooks converted a three-point play with 32 seconds left for an eight-point lead and the short-handed Grizzlies held on to snap the Suns' nine-game winning streak. Ziaire Williams scored 19 points for Memphis and De’Anthony Melton added 17, including six straight free throws in the final 20 seconds.
Devin Booker led the Suns with 41 points, while Mikal Bridges added 18. Cameron Payne finished with 11 for Phoenix.
The game settled into an exchange of leads early in the fourth until Memphis went on a 17-2 run to give the Grizzlies a 101-87 lead just before the midway point of the period. 
The Suns have clinched the top seed and the Grizzlies the second spot in the Western Conference. Memphis secured its seed with Wednesday’s win at San Antonio and took the opportunity Friday to let some players relieve soreness or manage previous injuries. 
In addition to leading scorer Ja Morant, who has missed the last seven games with a sore right knee, guard Desmond Bane (left ankle soreness), center Steven Adams (left calf soreness), Tyus Jones (left hand soreness) and forward Jaren Jackson Jr. (right thigh injury management), all took the night off.
Meanwhile, the Suns came with their full complement of starters, plus JaVale McGee and Cameron Johnson, the latter missing the 13 previous games with a right quad contusion.
At the start, the Grizzlies came out fast, building the lead to as many as 16 in the first quarter as the Suns missed all four of their 3-pointers in the first quarter. But Phoenix was able to cut into the lead, eventually shooting 51% in the half, although the Grizzlies never relinquished the advantage and were ahead 54-50 at the break.
Phoenix moved into the lead in the third before but Memphis carried an 84-83 lead into the fourth.
TIP-INS: 
Suns: Had an eight-game road winning streak snapped … Had not lost a road game to a Western Conference opponent since Dec. 13 at the Clippers. … Chris Paul had 11 assists. DeAndre Ayton grabbed 12 rebounds.
Grizzlies: Memphis coach Taylor Jenkins got two quick technicals and was ejected with 4:12 left in the second quarter, courtesy of official Natalie Sago. Before things settled completely, Brooks also got a tech. … Need two wins to set a new franchise mark for wins in a season. The 2012-13 team finished 56-26. …With Adams taking the night off, Xavier Tillman started his first game of the season.
UP NEXT: 
Suns: Travel to Oklahoma City to face the Thunder on Sunday
Grizzlies: At Utah on Tuesday.
___
More AP NBA coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP-Sports

Dillon Brooks scores 30 points to lift the Memphis Grizzlies over the scorching-hot Phoenix Suns.

Brooks leads short-handed Grizzlies past Suns, 122-114

After another showcase, flexing their dominance in the Western Conference, the Phoenix Suns are sick and tired of the disrespect. Before making the jaw-dropping leap to elite, practically overnight, upon the arrival of Chris Paul last season, Phoenix was nothing more than a laughingstock at the bottom of the standings.&nbsp;
Now, as Suns star Devin Booker rightfully pointed out following an impressive 140-130 victory on the road in Denver on Thursday, it&rsquo;s time for this team to rightfully &mdash; as he put it &mdash; earn their flowers on a national level. The team has sixty wins and is well on its way to comfortably finishing with the NBA&rsquo;s best record. That's simply something you can&rsquo;t overlook.
Oh, by the way, Booker bested the likely-MVP favorite in Nikola Jokic by putting up an absurd 49-point, 10-assist performance on the second night of a back-to-back. Forcefully, Booker and the Suns are putting themselves, again, squarely in the national conversation. And it&rsquo;s one that should&rsquo;ve already been brought up months ago.
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&ldquo;Honestly, it&rsquo;s people playing with my name, man. It&rsquo;s just too much for me,&rdquo; Booker said of his view of the national disrespect towards himself and the Suns. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve been at it for a long time, and I&rsquo;m the type to see anything and take it as disrespect so that can get me going. The main objective is to win basketball games. They&rsquo;ve been telling me that since I was 18 or 19, so now that we have the No. 1 seed locked up, been winning basketball games for two years straight now. This teams need their flowers. Coach Monty (Williams) should&rsquo;ve been Coach of the Year last year. There&rsquo;s just so much that I feel doesn&rsquo;t get talked about on this team. We&rsquo;ve done a good job about not worrying what people say about us, but it needs some recognition.&rdquo;
Closing in on the best record in Suns franchise history, Booker is right on the money with his assessment. Toiling in mediocrity for the first five years of his career, it's obvious this was pent-up frustration finally spilling free from Booker. Early on in his career, Booker was viewed as a stat-padder who couldn&rsquo;t help elevate a team to win meaningful basketball games. Now, he&rsquo;s averaging 26.3 points, 5.1 rebounds and 5.0 assists while carrying a 57.3 True Shooting percentage on the No. 1 team in the Association.
Ramping up for another potential deep postseason run, Booker is putting his game into high gear. Taking over games whenever he pleases, all the while talking back to the naysayers along the way. Booker&rsquo;s offensive explosion on Thursday against the Nuggets ranks high on the list for Suns head coach Monty Williams, as far as best performances under his guidance.
&ldquo;One of the best performances I&rsquo;ve seen him have since I&rsquo;ve been here, because of the variables and obstacles we had. To have 49 and 10 on a back-to-back, it not only backs up what I said pre-game, but the fact that he&rsquo;s not in the MVP conversation is just somewhat silly. When you can will your team to win like that, and do it in the fashion that he did it in tonight &mdash; says a lot about his work ethic, his individual ability, and a lot of other stuff I don&rsquo;t have time to talk about.&rdquo;
The MVP push is on in Phoenix for Booker, the rare young star who stayed when his organization was at its rock bottom a few short years ago. As the Suns organization itself pointed out, twelve players in NBA history have averaged at least 25 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists on the NBA&rsquo;s best team. All 12 of those occurrences finished with said player winning MVP.
Can Booker actually make a legitimate case alongside the established top three candidates in Nikola Jokic, Joel Embiid and Giannis Antetokounmpo? It&rsquo;s doubtful at this stage, but there&rsquo;s no doubt that&nbsp;Booker deserves a spot on the All-NBA First Team.
If I had a ballot, here&rsquo;s how I would put together my All-NBA First Team: Ja Morant, Devin Booker, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Nikola Jokic, Joel Embiid. Far and away, those five players have seemed to be the most consistent all season long. Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant faded off the radar due to injuries. Luka Doncic received plenty of preseason hype, but he&rsquo;s yet to really elevate into the same category as Booker for MVP-type narrative.
Speaking of narratives, the aforementioned best player on the best team argument is hard to ignore. Booker showed in Chris Paul&rsquo;s 15-game absence that he can carry the load without any issues. During that span, Phoenix finished with an 11-4 record as Booker dominated all along the way.
Thursday saw the return of Paul to the Suns&rsquo; starting lineup, an immediate boost as the future Hall of Fame point guard finished with 17 points and 13 assists. What&rsquo;s so special and unique about the Paul-Booker backcourt pairing is they are wired the exact same way. Both are obsessed with honing their craft, but also crave success at all costs.
As Williams alluded to postgame on Thursday, having two stars who are open to receiving criticism from their coach is rare nowadays. On a team known for its lack of ego, the Suns have this trait in spades with Paul and Booker leading the charge.
&ldquo;When the best players allow themselves to be coached and called out, it means a ton,&rdquo; Williams said. &ldquo;It's certainly not something I take for granted.&rdquo;
Simply put, this version of the Phoenix Suns is special. Not only did Williams echo that same thought after Phoenix&rsquo;s latest win, but Paul and Booker also made note of it as well. When a team has bought-in completely on all levels &mdash; driven more by team success than individual accolades &mdash; the hard part of the puzzle is already accomplished. The type of chemistry Phoenix has within their locker room is rare, and they&rsquo;re bottling up that energy on a run towards what should be another trip to the NBA Finals.
The Suns have an elite head coach, the most dynamic backcourt in the NBA, young players ascending towards their ceilings (Mikal Bridges, Deandre Ayton, Cameron Johnson), plus endless amounts of championship-worthy depth pieces (Jae Crowder, JaVale McGee, Landry Shamet, Cameron Payne, Bismack Biyombo).
After the Suns suffered massive heartbreak at the end of last season, folding their cards to the Milwaukee Bucks after taking a 2-0 series lead in the Finals, they&rsquo;ve come back as an even stronger group.
Phoenix still means business, even after notching win No. 60. The team is only a few more wins away from breaking the franchise record, and more boxes still need to be checked for a team chasing greatness.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m sure the Valley is going nuts right now,&rdquo; Williams said after the Suns clinched the Western Conference&rsquo;s No. 1 seed.
Indeed, Phoenix is host to a true rising from the ashes, into a new golden era of Suns basketball.
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After clinching the Western Conference's No. 1 seed for the playoffs, the Phoenix Suns want their propers.

Dominant Suns tired of disrespect, still taking care of business

PHOENIX (AP) &mdash; As if the Phoenix Suns aren&rsquo;t strong enough already, Deandre Ayton is adding some dimensions to his game.
&ldquo;He is aggressive in the post. I didn&rsquo;t see a ton of finesse,&rdquo; Suns coach Monty Williams said after Ayton scored 20 points in the Suns&rsquo; 129-102 rout of the Chicago Bulls Friday night to move closer to clinching the NBA's best regular-season record this season.
&ldquo;I saw, &lsquo;I am getting to my spot and if you are not going to give me any resistance, I may go through you.&rsquo;"
Ayton was 8 of 11 from the field, continuing to make mid-range jumpers while also getting inside for easier shots. He also led the Suns with 12 rebounds.
At a franchise-best 57-14 through 71 games, the Suns moved nine games ahead of second-place Memphis with 11 games left. Memphis lost at Atlanta earlier Friday.
Devin Booker led Phoenix with 28 points. The Suns rolled despite being without two starters &mdash; point guard Chris Paul and forward Jae Crowder &mdash; and sixth man Cam Johnson, all out with injuries.
&ldquo;We don&rsquo;t want to be &lsquo;Chris and Book&rsquo; dimensional,&rdquo; Williams said. &ldquo;We want to be comfortable to go to other guys so that in those key moments it is not something new to them.&rdquo;
They certainly weren't Friday. Cameron Payne scored 15 points, Torrey Craig and Landry Shamet had 14 each, JaVale McGee 12 and Mikael Bridges 11.
DeMar DeRozan scored 19 points for Chicago, fifth in the Eastern Conference at 41-29. Nikola Vucevic added 16 points. Coby White had 14, Zach LaVine 12 and Tristan Thompson 11.
The Suns are 9-4 without Paul, out since the All-Star break with a fractured right thumb.
Craig started his second game in place of Crowder, and the forward came through with another strong performance. On Wednesday night at Houston, Craig scored 21 points on 8-of-8 shooting, including three 3-pointers, and had 14 rebounds.
&ldquo;To get the lead that we got and sustain it, then maintain it throughout the second half was pretty impressive,&rdquo; Craig said.
For the Bulls, it was more of the same. They lost their third in a row to fall to 2-6 in March. All the losses in the streak have been on the road, where Chicago is 16-19. After a home game on Monday, the Bulls play five straight on the road.
&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t want to take anything away from Phoenix or teams we&rsquo;ve played against, but we&rsquo;ve got to be able to have a better response when shots aren&rsquo;t going in,&rdquo; Chicago coach Billy Donovan said. &ldquo;I thought some of the (Suns&rsquo;) offensive rebounds in the second quarter really hurt us, and then we started missing shots. We gotta develop a resilience when it&rsquo;s not going well.&rdquo;
DeRozan said the team is dealing with some new adversity after a solid season.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;re at that time of the year where nothing is a secret," he said. "We&rsquo;ve played great basketball and now teams are coming after us no matter who we play. Once we figure it out, we&rsquo;ll be fine.&rdquo;
The teams met on Feb. 7 in Chicago, with Booker scoring 38 points in a 127-124 Suns victory.
&ldquo;That is a really good team over there and we played really well,&rdquo; Booker said. &ldquo;We enjoy that matchup.&rdquo;
NUMBERS
The Suns (48.5%) and Bulls (48.2%) entered Friday as the top field-goal percentage teams in the NBA. The Suns bettered their season average, making 56% while the Bulls struggled and made just 41%.
IRISH PRIDE
Williams was busy preparing for his team&rsquo;s game, but he was able to keep track of Notre Dame&rsquo;s upset victory over Alabama in the NCAA tournament earlier Friday.
&ldquo;I saw a little before I left, and then I got a text telling me that they won,&rdquo; the former Irish forward said before the game. Williams played at Notre Dame from 1989-94. &ldquo;Coach (Mike) Brey has just changed our program. I hope he&rsquo;s there for another 20 years.&rdquo;
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a big win for us because it&rsquo;s hard to get those elite players to come to Notre Dame, because of other stuff. For him to do it in a year where this is not one of the years they&rsquo;ve been really really good is great."
INJURY UPDATE
Bulls: PF Patrick Williams could return to the Bulls next week, Donovan said. Williams has missed 65 games with a wrist injury that required surgery.
Williams is likely to play Sunday for the Bulls&rsquo; Windy City G-League team before he returns to the NBA.
Donovan also said the status of G Lonzo Ball (right knee) has not changed. Ball, out since Jan. 28, is in the middle of the original prognosis of six to eight weeks, but he has not been able to resume activities. Donovan said there is a chance he will not return before the regular season ends in three weeks.
Suns: Crowder (left groin soreness) is being brought along slowly. He also missed sat out Wednesday night at Houston. Johnson (right quad) has missed eight games.
NEXT
Bulls: Host Toronto on Monday night.
Suns: At Sacramento on Sunday.
___
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Deandre Ayton scored 20 points as the Phoenix Suns rout the Chicago Bulls 129-102.

Suns rout Bulls, move closer to wrapping up top spot in NBA

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Without further ado, let&rsquo;s dive into our favorite NBA betting plays for Friday's slate.
Toronto Raptors (-9) vs. Los Angeles Lakers
The Lakers are not fun to watch right now, especially from a betting perspective. LeBron James is fun, but what else gets you excited on the Lakers&rsquo; roster right now? On Friday night in Toronto, I don&rsquo;t expect this matchup to be close. The Raptors&rsquo; well-balanced attack will overwhelm the Lakers, which ends in another embarrassing double-digit loss on the road. Hammer Toronto to cover the 9-point spread.
Pick: Raptors -9
PrizePicks Power Play: LeBron James over 28.5 points, Fred VanVleet over 19.5 points, Russell Westbrook over 15.5 points, Pascal Siakam over 4.5 assists
Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Denver Nuggets (-2.5)
Nikola Jokic is dominating the NBA right now. It&rsquo;s hard to envision the Nuggets&rsquo; success slowing down anytime soon, especially on Friday in Cleveland. Evan Mobley will be a tough test for Jokic, but in the end we&rsquo;re siding with the potential two-time MVP winner. Denver picks up an impressive win on the way to covering the small 2.5-point spread.
Pick: Nuggets -2.5
PrizePicks Power Play: Nikola Jokic over 24.5 points, Darius Garland over 23.5 points, Evan Mobley over 15.5 points, Will Barton over 13.5 points
Phoenix Suns (-5.5) vs. Chicago Bulls
Who&rsquo;s ready for a fun battle between Devin Booker and DeMar DeRozan? This is the game I&rsquo;m most looking forward to on Friday night, because both of these teams can get hot at a moment&rsquo;s notice. However, in this game, we&rsquo;re rolling with the home team in Phoenix. Expect Booker to go off, but also for the Suns&rsquo; well-oiled machine to keep them engaged versus Chicago. Hammer Phoenix with emphasis as a best bet of the night for &ldquo;Nothing But Bets&rdquo; NBA slate.
Pick: Suns -5.5
PrizePicks Power Play: DeMar DeRozan over 27.5 points, Devin Booker over 26.5 points, Nikola Vucevic over 10.5 rebounds, Cameron Payne over 7.5 assists
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For a loaded Friday NBA slate, "Nothing But Bets" drops off their picks and player props.

Best Bets: BasketballNews' picks and fantasy advice for 3/18/22

NEW ORLEANS (AP) &mdash; Devin Booker had 27 points and eight assists in 30 minutes before Phoenix coach Monty Williams gave him the rest of the night off, and the Suns beat the New Orleans Pelicans 131-115 on Tuesday night.
Mikal Bridges went 4 of 5 from deep and scored 20 for the Suns, whose accurate shooting and ability to capitalize on virtually every Pelicans mistake helped them secure their fourth victory in five games despite star guard Chris Paul's extended absence with his fractured right thumb.
The Suns shot 53% (18 of 34) from 3-point range and converted 17 Pelicans turnovers into 33 points.
Reserve center JaVale McGee scored 19 and Deandre Ayton added 18 for Phoenix, which shot 55% (49 of 89) overall.
Herb Jones scored 22 for the Pelicans, who've lost five of six as they try to hang on to the final play-in spot in the Western Conference. Guard CJ McCollum returned from a two-game absence while in health and safety protocols and scored 21 points, but also committed five turnovers. Jonas Valanciunas added 17 points and 12 rebounds.
The Pelicans were as close as 75-74 in the middle of the third quarter, but committed a turnover when they had a chance to take the lead and the Suns proceeded to take over, starting with Ayton's layup and followed soon after by Cameron Payne's 25-foot transition 3.
Booker scored the final six points of the period, starting with a pull-up jumper as he was fouled by Jose Alvarado. He added a transition 3 from 26 feet to give the Suns a 98-85 lead heading to the fourth.
New Orleans could not muster another surge in the fourth quarter, when the Suns pulled away by as many as 23 points.
The Pelicans led 34-33 early in the second quarter when the Suns surged into the lead with a 7-0 run ignited by Bridges' 3.
Booker hit 3s on consecutive possessions and then set up put Bridges' right corner 3 that put the Suns up 57-43.
New Orleans rallied with a 14-2 surge during which Jones and Valanciunas each scored six points including put-back dunks by both players. But with the crowd re-engaged, Phoenix turned an offensive rebound into a 3 by Jae Crowder to stunt New Orleans' momentum.
Payne added a 3 and Ayton found bridges on a baseline cut for a reverse layup that made it 67-59 at halftime.
TIP-INS
Suns: Made all 15 of their free throws. ... Payne, who has been starting in place of Paul, scored 14 points and had eight assists. ... Torrey Craig scored 11 points. ... Reserves combined for 43 points. ... Shot 62% (13 of 21) in the first quarter and 61% from 3-point range (11 of 18) in the first half.
Pelicans: Jaxson Hayes scored 16 points, Trey Murhpy II scored 11 points, and Devonte' Graham and Willy Hernangomez each scored 10. ... Allowed 30 points in the first quarter for the sixth straight game. ... Shot 50% (43 of 86) overall but 35% (12 of 34) from 3-point range. ... Missed seven of 24 free throws. ... Scored 13 points off of nine Suns turnovers. ... Went 1-3 during a four-game home stand.
UP NEXT
Suns: Visit Houston on Wednesday night to wrap up a two-game trip.
Pelicans: Open a three-game road trip at San Antonio on Friday night.

Devin Booker had 27 points and eight assists as the Suns beat the New Orleans Pelicans 131-115.

Booker scores 27 in 30 minutes, Suns sink Pelicans, 131-115

PHOENIX (AP) — Gary Trent Jr. scored 42 points and the Toronto Raptors held off the Phoenix Suns, beating the NBA’s leading team 117-112 on Friday night.
Trent was 8 from 11 from 3-point range and 13 of 21 from the floor. He fell just short of his career high of 44 points set last season. He also had eight rebounds.
Pascal Siakam added 25 points and 10 assists for the Raptors, and Scottie Barnes had 15 points.
The Raptors improved to 36-30, winning two straight after dropping three in a row. That coincides with the return of Fred VanVleet, who missed five games with a knee injury. VanVleet had 10 points and eight rebounds Friday.
Cameron Payne had 24 points for the Suns, and Devin Booker had 22. Booker missed two 3-point attempts in the final minute and was held to three points in the fourth quarter.
Mikael Bridges scored 18 points for Phoenix, DeAndre Ayton had 16 and Jae Crowder 13. The Suns fell to 53-14.
Toronto opened up a 96-82 lead through three quarters. But the Suns rallied with a 20-6 run to tie it at 102 with 4:36 remaining. 
With 3:27 left in the third quarter, Booker fouled Precious Achiuwa on a drive to the basket. Booker was assessed a flagrant foul (penalty one). Achiuwa made two free throws and Fred VanVleet made a 3-pointer to give Toronto its biggest lead to that point at 83-71. The Raptors led by 16 in the period.
SUNS ON THE MEND
Suns point guard Chris Paul (right thumb fracture) continued to practice shooting before the game Friday. 
“It’s awesome, but it’s just part of the normal progression for that kind of injury,” coach Monty Williams said. “We’re happy about it but you have to temper it until he’s able to get to 1-on-1, 3-on-3, 5-on-5, which is hard to do with where we are in the season.”
Paul was injured before the All-Star break and is expected to miss another month or so. While Paul is eager to return, Williams says he isn’t concerned that his point guard will try to come back too soon.
“I don’t (worry) because I know how diligent he is about his body. Anytime a guy wants to play I don’t mess with him. (Laughs) It’s when guys don’t want to play that’s (a problem). Our guys love to play.”
Cam Johnson (right quad contusion) continues to improve, Williams said. 
Malachi Flynn (left hamstring strain) and OG Anunoby (fractured finger) remain sidelined for the Raptors.
TIP-INS
Suns C Bismack Biyombo is donating his 2021-22 salary to build a hospital in his native Congo to honor his father, who died of COVID-19 in August.
Biyombo was unsigned this season until joining the Suns in January. He has a one-year, $1.4 million contract. The 11-year veteran, through the foundation that bears his name, donated $1 million in medical supplies to the Congo two years ago for supplies to fight COVID-19.
NEXT
Raptors: At Denver on Saturday night.
Suns: Host Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday night

Gary Trent Jr. scored 42 points and the Toronto Raptors held off the Phoenix Suns, beating the NBA’s leading team 117-112.

Gary Trent Jr. scores 42 points, Raptors hold off Suns

Cam Johnson banked in a 3-pointer at the buzzer to finish with a career-high 38 points and give the Phoenix Suns a wild 115-114 victory over the New York Knicks on Friday night.
Johnson's ninth 3-pointer in 12 tries came from 31 feet at the top of the key. The NBA-leading Suns, playing without All-Star guards Chris Paul and Devin Booker, improved to 51-12.
The Knicks looked as if they were headed for an impressive road win before Julius Randle's ill-timed ejection in the third quarter in an exchange with Johnson.
New York blew a 14-point lead following Randle&rsquo;s ejection, but Mitchell Robinson&rsquo;s layup with 15 seconds left gave the Knicks a 113-112 lead. Alec Burks added a free throw to give the Knicks a 114-112 advantage &mdash; but missed his second attempt &mdash; giving the Suns an opportunity in the final seconds.
That's when Johnson capped his huge night with his biggest shot, sinking the long 3-pointer after Cam Payne's pass. Johnson's shot was long, but smacked off the glass and through the hoop.
Johnson hit six 3-pointers and scored 21 points in the fourth quarter.
The Knicks &mdash; up 86-76 when Randle was tossed &mdash; have lost seven straight.
Randle scored 25 points, and Robinson added 17 points and 15 rebounds.
Randle and Johnson were called for technicals after bumping chests and exchanging words. A referee separated the two, but then Randle barreled through the ref to shove Johnson again, which earned the ejection.
Paul has been out with a broken thumb since Feb. 16 and could miss the rest of the regular season. Booker missed his second straight game because he's in the league's COVID-19 health and safety protocol.
Payne finished with 17 points and 16 assists. Mikal Bridges had 20 points.
TIP-INS
Knicks: All five starters scored in double figures. ... Slam dunk winner Obi Toppin was a late scratch with a strained left hamstring.
Suns: Johnson took a hard shoulder to the chest in the first quarter and briefly went back to the locker room. He came back for the second quarter and scored nine points before halftime. ... Hosted a 20th consecutive sellout crowd of 17,071 at the Footprint Center.
UP NEXT
Knicks: At Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday.
Suns: At Milwaukee on Sunday.

Cam Johnson banked in a three at the buzzer to finish with a career-high 38 points and give the Suns a wild 115-114 victory.

Cam Johnson banks in three, NBA-leading Suns stun Knicks 115-114

The NBA learning curve is different for everyone.
It took Giannis Antetokounmpo four years to win the Most Improved Player award that signaled his rise to stardom. Cameron Payne was all but finished in the league before he signed with the Phoenix Suns and emerged as a key contributor in the team's run to the NBA Finals last season. Andrew Wiggins is an All-Star and a core piece for the Golden State Warriors; he needed six years and two changes of scenery to get there.
Development takes time. And while those trendy, eye-popping "leap" moments are exciting, the blossoming often overshadows the buds that precede. Watching a young player start to fit the pieces together before the final puzzle takes shape is one of the true joys of being immersed in basketball.
Dozens of NBA talents are in the budding stage. Three have caught my eye on the spreadsheets and on the screen, and I'd like to highlight their promising growth while they still fly under the radar.
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JONATHAN KUMINGA, GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS
When the Warriors drafted Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody in the lottery, I (and likely several others) presumed the latter would be the first to stamp his presence in the rotation. Moody is showing promise in the G League, but it's Kuminga who has made the leap so far. He's quite literally cutting open his niche on one of the league's best teams.
Since Feb. 1, the No. 7 overall pick has averaged 14.6 points in just over 25 minutes per game. He's been a terror inside, making 73.7% of his shots within 5 feet of the basket. Those looks typically come off some spectacular cuts and finishes.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Jonathan Kuminga is really showing his smarts off the ball. You can see him recognize Anthony Davis is going to rotate over as the pass to Kevon Looney goes up and then he immediately cuts hard. Being able to read and react this quickly is awesome <a href="https://t.co/hyWmii8vp0">pic.twitter.com/hyWmii8vp0</a>
&mdash; Ethan Fuller (@ethman43) <a href="https://twitter.com/ethman43/status/1493254240252346370?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 14, 2022</a></blockquote>

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According to Synergy, 13.6% of Kuminga-involved plays include cuts. He's making an impressive 70.5% of his cutting field goals. The spatial awareness and timing on some of these are simply jaw-dropping for a rookie in an offense that requires constant off-ball focus. Kuminga is a simply nasty dunker too.
<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/d4498b" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
The thunderous dunks and full-speed finishes make up most of Kuminga's rookie highlights. However, he's quietly hitting a respectable 37.9% of his catch-and-shoot threes over the past month as well. He's not nearly a polished offensive player yet; Kuminga has logged more turnovers than assists in every month this season, and isn't a pull-up threat. However, his NBA-ready cutting and finishing already make him an asset off of the Warriors' top creators.
Kuminga's game was supposed to be a long-term investment. He doesn't turn 20 until October, and appeared extremely raw in his first pro stint with G League Ignite last season. For him to already be a rotation-caliber contributor is just one of the many pleasant surprises with this year's Golden State squad.
ALEKSEJ POKUSEVSKI, OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER
Aleksej Pokusevski might have been the single worst NBA player in 2020-21. His season was extremely poor on both ends, and outside of a couple of late-season outliers, Pokusevski rarely looked poised doing much of anything on the court.
Prior to February, the 20-year-old had been in and out of the active rotation this season with similar struggles, and spent time with the G League affiliate OKC Blue &mdash; where he still didn't play well.
That's what makes the past month so interesting. In 10 contests since Feb. 1, Pokusevski is averaging 10.8 points and 6.4 rebounds in 24.5 minutes per game while shooting 40.0% from long range. It's been by far the best 10-game stretch of his young career.&nbsp;
There are a few layers to his improved efficiency. Pokusevski has made 38.7% of his catch-and-shoot threes and appears in rhythm off the catch. However, per Second Spectrum tracking data, he's also 9 of 16 (small sample size alert) on shots where he's taken 3-to-6 dribbles. He's finishing 62.0% of his attempts at the rim, per Cleaning the Glass; while it isn't anything to write home about, it's also 10 percentage points better than his rookie year.
In this reel alone you will see:
<ul>
<li>A one-dribble, deep, pull-up triple</li>
<li>A slip to an and-one finish</li>
<li>A wacky dribble drive to a pull-up from the elbow</li>
<li>A hesi into a lefty finish</li>
<li>A sweet backdoor cut</li>
</ul>
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Whew.
Since Feb. 1, Pokusevski has logged a 12.8% turnover rate (about league average), down from a ghastly 16.4% rate up through the end of January. He's also logged a 2.6% block rate on defense, which ranks in the 80th percentile among bigs, and a 1.6% steal rate (78th percentile). Pokusevski still has defensive lapses, but the activity appears to be way up, and he scarcely commits fouls.&nbsp;
We're setting some low bars with Pokusevski, and that's okay. OKC is playing the longest of long games by developing an extremely skinny, 7-foot microwave playmaker. Year 2 was about seeing if he could turn flashes into NBA-caliber skills, and over the last month, Pokusevski seems to be catching up. He still doesn't turn 21 until December. The Thunder have plenty of time to be patient with their super-ceiling prospect as he works through the complexities of the NBA.
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COBY WHITE, CHICAGO BULLS
White appeared to have been <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/breaking-down-6-nba-players-whose-roles-may-be-diminished-" target="_blank" rel="noopener">lost in the Bulls' radical offseason upgrades</a> with Lonzo Ball, Alex Caruso and DeMar DeRozan joining the fold. Where would the 2019 seventh overall pick fit in as a score-first guard on a roster with at least four other guards and wings ahead of him in the pecking order?&nbsp;
But the 22-year-old has not only settled &mdash; he's thriving with less pressure to lead the offense. White's usage rate is a career-low 20.1%, per Cleaning the Glass, but he's averaging 116.5 points per 100 shot attempts &mdash; in the 83rd percentile among combo guards.
White has been on a heater since February, making a scorching 48.7% of his threes with a 62.4% True Shooting percentage. Despite moving in and out of the starting lineup as Chicago battles injuries, he's appeared unflappable. White is drilling 42.3% of his catch-and-shoot threes this season, up 6% from last year, and taking more of those shots than ever.
The synergy is palpable between White and DeRozan. Per the NBA's tracking data, White received 13.6% of his passes from the new Bulls star in February (second-most on the team behind Nikola Vucevic) and knocked down a whopping 63.6% of his three-pointers that came off a DeRozan dish.
His job is straightforward: get in an open spot on the perimeter, be ready when DeRozan draws help and make the shot. Some of these plays might look simple, but notice how DeRozan doesn't hesitate to dish it off when he sees defenders collapse away from White, and White doesn't hesitate with his quick trigger.
<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/i5s5v0" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
Chicago has lessened the creation burden on White; 64.7% of his made field goals have come off an assist this season compared to just 50.7% in 2020-21. It's resulted in a serious efficiency boost.&nbsp;
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 103.872%; height: 134px;" border="1">
<tbody>
<tr style="height: 44px;">
<td style="width: 10.6475%; height: 44px;">Season</td>
<td style="width: 14.2863%; height: 44px;">%Rim FG AST</td>
<td style="width: 10.2221%; height: 44px;">Rim FG%</td>
<td style="width: 11.1617%; height: 44px;">%3PT AST</td>
<td style="width: 7.6912%; height: 44px;">3PT%</td>
<td style="width: 12.1899%; height: 44px;">Touches/Game</td>
<td style="width: 9.36222%; height: 44px;">USG%</td>
<td style="width: 9.61922%; height: 44px;">TOV%</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 10.6475%; height: 22px;">2020-21</td>
<td style="width: 14.2863%; height: 22px;">32.0</td>
<td style="width: 10.2221%; height: 22px;">51.4</td>
<td style="width: 11.1617%; height: 22px;">78.5</td>
<td style="width: 7.6912%; height: 22px;">35.9</td>
<td style="width: 12.1899%; height: 22px;">66.3</td>
<td style="width: 9.36222%; height: 22px;">23.8</td>
<td style="width: 9.61922%; height: 22px;">13.1</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 10.6475%; height: 22px;">2021-22</td>
<td style="width: 14.2863%; height: 22px;">47.8</td>
<td style="width: 10.2221%; height: 22px;">58.3</td>
<td style="width: 11.1617%; height: 22px;">88.0</td>
<td style="width: 7.6912%; height: 22px;">40.2</td>
<td style="width: 12.1899%; height: 22px;">48.2</td>
<td style="width: 9.36222%; height: 22px;">20.1</td>
<td style="width: 9.61922%; height: 22px;">9.0</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
(Scroll right to see full table on mobile)
White is trending away from being that prototypical lead guard fans may have expected when the Bulls initially selected him; there's nothing wrong with that. He's showing that he's still a valuable piece to Chicago's long-term future by blending his offensive game with the stars on the roster.
THE OUTLIERS (a.k.a. other random interesting numbers I find in the void):
<ul>
<li>Mark Cheung made <a href="https://twitter.com/MarkC_NBA/status/1498757470625271809?s=20&amp;t=zYh59ymyGPfQy5v1F_cDfA" target="_blank" rel="noopener">this free, insightful app</a> that compares how 2-man duos fare in their shot and assist location spreads when they share the court. I highly recommend messing around with it.</li>
<li>SIS Hoops has started rolling out some of its data from the season, and this one caught my eye. DeMar DeRozan is an absolute monster.</li>
</ul>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Connecting on difficult shots is an invaluable skill in the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBA?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBA</a>. Here&rsquo;s a look at the league&rsquo;s deadliest marksmen on heavily contested jumpers: <a href="https://t.co/vcCEXHiTJO">pic.twitter.com/vcCEXHiTJO</a>
&mdash; SIS Hoops (@SIS_Hoops) <a href="https://twitter.com/SIS_Hoops/status/1498350909843292162?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 28, 2022</a></blockquote>

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

<ul>
<li>I think the Celtics have the makings of a great basketball team, but even I've been surprised at how highly some models out there feel about their title odds. Zach Kram wrote a phenomenal article at <a href="https://www.theringer.com/nba/2022/3/1/22955727/nba-boston-celtics-championship-odds" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Ringer</a> about why the numbers love Boston and what they could be overlooking.</li>
</ul>
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Jonathan Kuminga, Coby White and Aleksej Pokusevski are the subjects of Ethan Fuller's latest Stats Notebook.

Stats Notebook: 3 NBA prospects who are quietly figuring things out

Devin Booker has entered the NBA's health and safety protocols, the Phoenix Suns announced today.
Booker will miss tonight's game against the Portland Trail Blazers, and it's possible he'll be sidelined for additional contests.
Phoenix is already shorthanded, with <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/chris-pauls-absence-could-actually-benefit-suns-longterm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Chris Paul set to miss at least a month</a> due to a fractured thumb avulsion.
Fortunately, the Suns are expected to get Cameron Payne back tonight against the Blazers after he missed 16 games with a sprained right wrist. Payne <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/cam-payne-ready-for-next-chapter-of-improbable-journey-lifes-crazy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">stepped up for Phoenix last postseason</a> in Paul's absence.
Also, the Suns' decision to address their backcourt depth prior to the trade deadline is looking smart right about now. They dealt Jalen Smith and a 2022 second-round pick to the Indiana Pacers for <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/aaron-holiday-is-fitting-right-into-the-suns-vision" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Aaron Holiday</a>.
This season, Booker is averaging 25.6 points, 5.2 rebounds, 4.6 assists, 2.6 threes and 1.8 steals, while shooting 44.8% from the field, 36.8% from three and 86.4% from the free-throw line. The 25-year-old earned his third All-Star appearance this year.

Devin Booker will miss tonight's game against the Blazers after entering the NBA's health and safety protocols.

Suns' Devin Booker out after entering health and safety protocols

Do you know that Joe Johnson will turn 41 in June?
Do you think he knows?
Do you think he cares?!?
Well, <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/things-to-monitor-as-the-next-fiba-world-cups-next-qualifying-window-arrives" target="_blank" rel="noopener">as noted last week</a>, Joe Jesus is back on Team USA this week. You may or may not remember that Johnson was part of the 2006 World Championship American-squad that won a bronze medal. (The redeem team was still two years away.) Additionally, Johnson suited up for Team USA one year ago, playing in two FIBA AmeriCup 2022 qualifiers last February. Seven months later, he won his second BIG3 MVP Award in as many seasons, since the 2020 campaign was canceled due to COVID. Johnson even signed a 10-day NBA deal in December with the Boston Celtics, and scored <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RrH_zCL9xts" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a garbage time bucket in his only appearance</a>.
We saw Johnson play again last night for the first time since, and he led Team USA to a <a href="https://www.fiba.basketball/basketballworldcup/2023/americas-qualifiers/game/2402/USA-Puerto-Rico#tab=boxscore" target="_blank" rel="noopener">93-76 victory over Puerto Rico in Washington D.C.</a> last night, beginning the second-window of round one for the FIBA World Cup 2023 qualifiers with a win. Team USA had trailed Puerto Rico 44-42 at halftime, but flipped the game on its head with a 32-14 third-quarter outburst. Johnson, who played about 23 minutes, led the way with a team-high 18 points on 7-of-11 shooting, also making 4-of-6 free throws, and collecting four assists.
And he looked &hellip; like Joe Johnson!
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0:38 &ndash; Maybe a travel, maybe not, but off the screen, catches, triple threats, puts the spin on Luis Hern&aacute;ndez, and creates just enough space to rise for the mid-range jumper. Vintage Joe Johnson, as Michael Cole would annoyingly say. &nbsp;
0:58 &ndash; Former Kent State and Christ The King standout Christopher Ortiz knew what was coming. He played fine defense but still couldn&rsquo;t stop Johnson from posting-up, dribbling four times, fading away, and drilling in the well-contested turnaround. Elite full-court run in August type of bucket.&nbsp;
1:22 &ndash; Johnson gets a pass from Langston Galloway, quickly drives baseline on Ortiz, and floats one in over 6-foot-9 Ismael Romero after just one dribble.
1:42 &ndash; Receives a pass on the right wing, pump fakes gets Jonathan Rodriguez to bite, takes two dribbles, sees that both Romero and Tyquan Rolon won&rsquo;t commit, so Johnson rises up for the open leaner.&nbsp;
That bag is still there. His game is still gorgeous, and he didn&rsquo;t need a three-point make the entire night to pull away from a fellow top-20 team in the nation, and one of the best in the Americas. (As a Puerto Rican, it was also 20% hurtful.)
Let&rsquo;s also shoutout former Golden State Warrior center Jordan Bell, currently of the Fort Wayne Mad Ants in the G League, who played a great enough game to get his own highlight reel (!!) afterward. Bell finished with eight points, eight rebounds, three blocks, three steals, and two assists in 23 minutes off the bench, and was a game-best +21 for the night. Puerto Rico was led by Javier Mojica (Northeast Conference shoutout!), who led with 18 points on 6-of-9 shooting, while former West Virginia point guard Gary Browne Ram&iacute;rez added 16 points and four assists.
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The W improves Team USA to 2-1, and drops Puerto Rico to 1-2, both of whom will return to action to close the Group D second-window on Sunday. In Washington D.C., Team USA will face 3-0 Mexico, who&nbsp;defeated them in Chihuahua City in November, and in Havana, Cuba, Puerto Rico will play against Cuba, who&nbsp;they beat in November, as well. Mexico defeated Cuba 82-72 on Thursday, and the rest of the Americas will begin play on Friday the 25th or Saturday the 26th.
In the African region, South Sudan defeated Rwanda 68-56 and the Democratic Republic of Congo outlasted Kenya 66-56, both on Friday morning, in what were the first games played of any kind in Groups B and D in the African Region. By the time you read this, other games might&rsquo;ve been played, <a href="https://www.fiba.basketball/basketballworldcup/2023/african-qualifiers" target="_blank" rel="noopener">which you can follow here</a>. Again, as outlined last week, especially keep tabs on Cameroon vs. Tunisia, which&rsquo;ll begin at 4 p.m. EST/1 p.m. PST.
In Asia, South Korea reportedly withdrew from qualifiers this window <a href="https://www.spieltimes.com/news/south-korea-withdraws-from-fiba-world-cup-qualifiers/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">due to COVID protocols</a>, forfeiting Thursday&rsquo;s game to the Philippines, which officially goes down as a 20-0 final. That matters because point differential could help break a tie if needed, and South Korea is currently last in Group A, where they&rsquo;re the only winless team in the group. The Philippines, who&rsquo;ll host the 2023 World Cup along with Japan and Indonesia, are 2-0 after also beating India 88-64.
So, Indonesia is 0-3, and their automatic World Cup bid &ndash; which is usually the case for hosts &ndash; is <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20171213161459/http:/www.philstar.com:8080/sports/2017/12/13/1767946/learning-2019-world-cup" target="_blank" rel="noopener">provisional due to their lack of international success</a>. So far, they&rsquo;ve lost to Lebanon 96-38, and again 110-64, before having a slightly better loss against Saudi Arabia, 95-66. In Group C, not only are Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and Lebanon each 2-1, but Indonesia is dead last with a -133 point differential, the worst out of anyone in World Cup qualifiers at the moment. Do with all that what you will. For more updates on Asian qualifiers, <a href="https://www.fiba.basketball/basketballworldcup/2023/asian-qualifiers" target="_blank" rel="noopener">go here</a>.
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And, in Europe, Lithuania, now 3-0, remained undefeated after a narrow 78-77 win over Bosnia; as did Spain after winning 88-74 against Ukraine; and Russia, who won 80-69 over the Netherlands. Czech Republic, who stunned many and finished sixth in the 2019 World Cup, is now 0-3 after losing to Bulgaria, 79-70 on Thursday. Currently, they're last in Group F, and on pace to not even return to the World Cup without a substantial turnaround. Europe is the busiest of the regions and will spawn the most qualifiers, so the bulk of their games are from Friday through Sunday. For more on Europe, <a href="https://www.fiba.basketball/basketballworldcup/2023/european-qualifiers" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here you go</a>.&nbsp;
There&rsquo;s a lot else worth getting to, but we&rsquo;ll leave some on the table for when we reconvene on Wednesday. By then, this window will be over and we could see where things stand before round one finishes over the summer.
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Bryan Fonseca reviews the action from Joe Johnson and Team USA, keeping the updates coming about the FIBA World Cup qualifiers.

Joe Johnson’s game and more notes from FIBA World Cup qualifiers

During the Phoenix Suns&rsquo; final game before the All-Star break, Chris Paul suffered a fractured thumb avulsion. Paul will now be re-evaluated in six to eight weeks, bringing Paul&rsquo;s probable return right before the postseason begins.
Luckily for Phoenix, it is six-and-a-half games ahead of the Golden State Warriors for the Western Conference&rsquo;s No. 1 seed, and it would take a noticeable slip for the Suns to be caught by anyone in the West. This will be a serious test for the Suns though, because Paul has actually avoided serious injuries on the court throughout his tenure thus far in Phoenix. Paul has only missed four games with the Suns, but this will now be a real evaluation period that could potentially help them in the long run.
Both Cameron Payne and Landry Shamet are expected to be back from ankle injuries after the All-Star break. Also, the <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/aaron-holiday-is-fitting-right-into-the-suns-vision" target="_blank" rel="noopener">new acquisition of Aaron Holiday</a> now brings a sigh of relief for Phoenix's overall depth. Holiday&rsquo;s tenacious defense and adequate floor-spacing ability have already made him an upgrade over Elfrid Payton as the Suns&rsquo; emergency third-string point guard.
Paul&rsquo;s extended absence will cause major ripple effects on their offense though. With Paul on the floor, Phoenix is scoring 115.9 points per 100 possessions &mdash; 11 points better than when Paul sits for the Suns. (By the way, that&rsquo;s tied for the best mark in the Association with the Utah Jazz for Offensive Rating.) In the small sample of minutes Paul has been off the court, this season more so occurring in blowout victories, the Suns&rsquo; ORTG dips to 105.4.
Since the Suns&rsquo; explosion, we&rsquo;ve yet to really see Devin Booker run the show as much for obvious reasons. Booker playing extensively off the ball alongside Paul has helped conserve his energy for career-best defensive moments and being an assassin in the scoring department. Before Paul arrived, though, Booker had very important moments of growth as a facilitator in the Suns&rsquo; down years.
From 2018-2019, Booker operated with no starting-caliber point guard after Eric Bledsoe seemingly quit on the team via Twitter and was subsequently traded to the Milwaukee Bucks. Operating in the backcourt next to names like Payton, Isaiah Canaan, Mike James and Elie Okobo for an extensive period of time forced Booker into being the entire offensive operation.
Everything flowed through Booker every single possession, a baptism by fire so to say, but the Suns&rsquo; young shooting guard continued to blossom into a multi-faceted weapon. Booker&rsquo;s playmaking allowed for Paul to have a steady running mate, and now with the latter sidelined for potentially the rest of the regular season, this could open back up that box even further.
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Will Suns head coach Monty Williams stick to the plan and allow more minutes for Payne and Holiday alongside Booker? This seems like the best bet, but what about experimenting with Booker and seeing how it goes? Lineup combinations featuring Booker flanked by wings is a fun small-ball idea (Booker, Mikal Bridges, Cameron Johnson, Jae Crowder, Torrey Craig). And Booker&rsquo;s capabilities running the pick-and-roll will lead to pick-your-poison scenarios with either Deandre Ayton or JaVale McGee. Compared to Paul, the drop-off to Booker isn&rsquo;t as steep as many think in pick-and-roll efficiency (Paul: 0.99 PPP, Booker: 0.94 PPP).
Where Paul&rsquo;s absence will be felt the most is in the moments where it matters most. Phoenix is on pace to be the best team in NBA history for clutch-time dominance. Paul&rsquo;s stabilizing presence and precision running the show allow for Phoenix to stay afloat when most teams sink. Booker has been potent in the clutch as well, but how will it fare with one head of the two-headed monster gone for a little bit? Again, this is a potential growth moment for Booker and Phoenix. If the Suns experience little to no drop-off without Paul, Booker&rsquo;s dark-horse MVP case will continue to rise.
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All baskets by Devin Booker in Clutch Time this season. (Under 5 minutes left in the game, score within 5). <a href="https://t.co/060DOBftHy">pic.twitter.com/060DOBftHy</a>
&mdash; RB (@RyB_311) <a href="https://twitter.com/RyB_311/status/1495432852523175936?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 20, 2022</a></blockquote>

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After the All-Star break presumably through the end of the regular season, here&rsquo;s how the Suns&rsquo; rotation will look.
Starting Lineup: Cameron Payne, Devin Booker, Mikal Bridges, Jae Crowder, Deandre Ayton
Second Unit: Aaron Holiday, Landry Shamet, Cameron Johnson, Torrey Craig, JaVale McGee
Losing Paul is a huge blow in the short-term, but that 10-man unit alone is still a formidable one. The Suns&rsquo; trio around Booker &mdash; Ayton, Bridges, Johnson &mdash; should take pressure off the team's 25-year-old star, but show potential moments of growth as well. Ayton will immediately show whether or not he&rsquo;s worthy of the rookie-scale max this offseason without Paul setting him up. Bridges and Johnson are ascending into potent scoring threats, but how will Paul sitting on the sidelines impact their overall efficiency?
Luckily for the Suns, their distance from everyone else atop the West could keep them locked into the No. 1 seed. If anything, this time without their leader allows for those relied upon most long-term &mdash; even past the Paul era &mdash; to deliver when the situations calls for it.
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With Chris Paul out for the next two months, the NBA's best team could actually benefit long-term from his absence before the playoffs.

Chris Paul's absence could actually benefit Suns long-term

Trying to capitalize on a golden opportunity to make a repeat NBA Finals run, the Phoenix Suns made two moves at last week's NBA trade deadline.
First, Phoenix dealt 2020 No. 10 overall pick Jalen Smith and a 2022 second-round pick to the Indiana Pacers for Torrey Craig, who was with the team last season and perfectly fit its vision as a versatile two-way wing. Then, less than an hour later, Suns general manager James Jones made another under-the-radar move to bolster the bench.
Phoenix sent cash considerations to the Washington Wizards for reserve combo guard Aaron Holiday, who the organization was actually very interested in throughout the 2018 pre-draft process. If not for the Pacers swooping Holiday in the first round, Phoenix was hoping Holiday would slip through the cracks to the top of the second-round to pair him with Deandre Ayton and Mikal Bridges.
During his NBA career, Holiday is now on his third team in four seasons. However, Phoenix&rsquo;s team-oriented system could be the best bet to bring out the intriguing upside Holiday displayed at UCLA as a consistent three-point shooter and on-ball defender.
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In three games with the Suns, Holiday is averaging 7.3 points and 2.7 assists on an outstanding 84.6% True Shooting percentage. Of course, small sample size alert, but the mixture of attributes Holiday has brought aboard in Phoenix is a noticeable upgrade on the margins.
&ldquo;He just continues to play the kind of basketball we like to play,&rdquo; Suns head coach Monty Williams said after the Suns&rsquo; 124-121 win over the Rockets on Wednesday. &ldquo;Defensively, he just gets into stuff and he comes up with balls. I thought the inbounds play under the basket where he stole it and laid it up, that&rsquo;s Aaron [Holiday], and I like his willingness to take shots.
"And then, there was one play where it was just a muddied offensive set, and he dribbled all over the place like [Steve] Nash and then just went to the basket and laid it off the glass, and I was like, 'He&rsquo;s got some moxie and some toughness.' He&rsquo;s come here and he&rsquo;s fit right in.&rdquo;
As Williams alluded to, Holiday has stepped right into his role and thrived within the flow of Phoenix&rsquo;s &ldquo;0.5&rdquo; system. Holiday not only has shown a more robust skill set than Elfrid Payton &mdash; whose non-floor-spacing equity continues to be a bugaboo for the Suns&rsquo; reserves &mdash; but his defense in short spurts has also been fantastic when flanked by Craig and JaVale McGee.
It&rsquo;s easy to envision when the postseason arrives that Holiday won&rsquo;t play many meaningful minutes. Once Cameron Payne returns from an ankle injury after the All-Star break, Holiday&rsquo;s already minuscule role will dwindle further.
Looking past Payne, though, could Holiday usurp Landry Shamet as the fourth guard? With Shamet&rsquo;s inconsistent play all season long, especially from a shooting perspective, it&rsquo;s not too far-fetched of a scenario.
Here&rsquo;s how the Suns&rsquo; guard group shakes out entering All-Star weekend:
Starters: Chris Paul, Devin Booker
Reserves: Cameron Payne, Landry Shamet, Elfrid Payton, Aaron Holiday
Stockpiling depth across the board, the Suns now have options behind their dynamic backcourt duo of Paul and Booker. Shamet slides into the backup shooting guard minutes for Booker, but Holiday can also provide a punch there if needed. Paul hurt his hand in the Suns&rsquo; win over the Rockets, so if he&rsquo;s out for any meaningful time and they want to go very conservative with his recovery time, they have three capable players who can split duties in Payne, Payton and Holiday.
Holiday is a ball of energy, which showed itself frequently throughout his first week with Phoenix. Only giving up cash considerations for a 25-year-old reserve guard is another win for Jones, who has a very strong resume to repeat as NBA Executive of the Year with the Suns&rsquo; historically strong start at 48-10.
The Suns know their time to compete for championships is right now, especially with Paul still playing at an MVP-like level during his age-36 season. When canvassing through the Suns&rsquo; rotation, there are very few, if any, real holes to analyze.
Holiday isn&rsquo;t a game-changing move so to say, but his more consistently stable two-way play could be what looms large when shuffling out who fits within the Suns&rsquo; playoff rotation in a few months time. The early returns with Holiday in Phoenix have been outstanding, but now the real interesting tidbits will be monitored relating to how Williams balances the Suns' guard rotation moving forward.
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The Suns made two moves to bolster their depth. Aaron Holiday was one of them, and he's fit right in with Phoenix off the bat.