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Spurs

The tributes officially started in 2019 with Dirk Nowitzki Way, a street that was renamed in Dallas to honor the greatest Mavericks player of all time. Then in January, the Mavs retired his No. 41 jersey. Then in September, Germany retired the No. 14 jersey he wore for his country.
Even after scoring 30,000 points, he still is not enjoying all the fuss.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s been super surreal,&rdquo; Nowitzki said, &ldquo;and a little embarrassing for me.&rdquo;
Merry Christmas, Dirk. Here comes another celebration. Two of them, actually.
On Wednesday, he was <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/basketball-hall-of-fame-announces-candidates-for-class-of-2023" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced as a nominee for the 2023 enshrinement class</a> by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. And on Sunday, when the Mavs host the Los Angeles Lakers as part of the NBA&rsquo;s Christmas quintupleheader, the Dirk Nowitzki Statue will be unveiled at American Airlines Arena.
It will be the ultimate Christmas present and incredibly fitting that it comes on a day where a slew of international stars that Nowitzki helped pave the way for &mdash; Philadelphia&rsquo;s Joel Embiid, Milwaukee&rsquo;s Giannis Antetokounmpo, Denver&rsquo;s Nikola Jokic and fellow Maverick Luka Doncic &mdash; will get showcased on the NBA&rsquo;s big day.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s been super fun to watch,&rdquo; Nowitzki said when asked about the ongoing imprint international players are making on the game. &ldquo;And along the way, if I inspired somebody to pick up a basketball or if I motivated a guy to work harder or dream of the NBA, of course, that&rsquo;s humbling to me ... super humbling. That makes me proud, for sure.&rdquo;
It&rsquo;s not a new development. The last four MVP&rsquo;s &mdash; in reverse order, Jokic, Jokic, Antetokounmpo, Antetokounmpo &mdash; are from Serbia and Greece. It seems reasonable to think that this season&rsquo;s MVP will be an international player as well, with Jokic, Doncic and Embiid likely among the early frontrunners.
Entering Tuesday, the NBA&rsquo;s top five scorers were from five different countries &mdash; Embiid (Cameroon), Doncic (Slovenia), Oklahoma City&rsquo;s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Canada), Antetokounmpo (Greece) and Kevin Durant (U.S.).
Such was unthinkable just a few years ago. Over a 13-season span, from 2004-05 through 2016-17, only one international player cracked the top five &mdash; Nowitzki, who was fourth on two occasions during that stretch. Every other slot was taken by an American.
This is what former Commissioner David Stern wanted &mdash; and why he prioritized making the NBA go international.
&ldquo;It was his vision to truly make the NBA and basketball a global sport," Commissioner Adam Silver said last weekend before a Miami-San Antonio game in Mexico City. &ldquo;I began at the league in 1992, shortly before the Barcelona Olympics and the Dream Team. We saw the impact that had. Now looking back 30 years, 30 years of playing games in M&eacute;xico City, it&rsquo;s really happening."
It&rsquo;s not an accident that Doncic, Antetokounmpo, Jokic and Embiid are getting the Christmas game treatment. They are brands, huge draws globally, and the NBA has embraced international viewers more and more over the years.
Nowitzki preceded them all, a mop-topped German kid who initially wasn&rsquo;t sure if he wanted to come to the NBA when he got drafted and wound up making the best possible decision for him and the Mavericks. He played three times on Christmas; Dallas went 2-1 in those games and Nowitzki averaged 27.3 points.
The Christmas lineup this year goes like this &mdash; Philadelphia at New York first, then the Lakers at Dallas, Milwaukee at Boston, Memphis at defending champion Golden State, then Phoenix at Denver in the nightcap. Some star power will be missing, with the Lakers without Anthony Davis and the Warriors without Stephen Curry. It&rsquo;ll be LeBron James&rsquo; 17th Christmas appearance, and the first for the Grizzlies.
&ldquo;These are the games that everybody grew up watching,&rdquo; James said last year when asked about Christmas.
The NBA does its part to make sure &ldquo;everybody&rdquo; can watch &mdash; like the NBA Finals, the Christmas games are being sent to more than 200 countries and territories, with commentating happening in more than 50 languages.
German, of course, will be one of them. The Nowitzki statue depicts his famous one-legged jumper, a shot that changed the game. He was a unicorn when he got to the U.S.; a 7-footer who could shoot, pass and dribble and wasn&rsquo;t just a back-to-the-basket guy. Now, those skills aren&rsquo;t rare to see in big men. They&rsquo;re basically required.
Again, it&rsquo;s so fitting that the statue is coming on Christmas. His game was a gift. And with the way it&rsquo;s been emulated by so many in the last 20 years, it&rsquo;s a gift that keeps on giving.
&ldquo;That&rsquo;s going to be there forever,&rdquo; Nowitzki said. &ldquo;I think that&rsquo;s what&rsquo;s so unbelievable, that this statue will stand there, and my kids will grow up with it. That&rsquo;s what&rsquo;s really mindboggling and so amazing about it&mdash; that this piece is for really for eternity and will be there long, long after I&rsquo;m gone.&rdquo;
___
Tim Reynolds is a national basketball writer for The Associated Press. Write to him at treynolds(at)ap.org

On Sunday, when the Mavs host the Lakers as part of the NBA’s Christmas quintupleheader, the Dirk Nowitzki Statue will be unveiled.

Fitting that Dirk Nowitzki will be celebrated on Christmas

Brandon Boston Jr. had 22 points and eight rebounds and the Los Angeles Clippers used a 32-9 fourth quarter to beat the Utah Jazz 82-65 on Friday in the NBA Summer League.
Los Angeles scored just 11 points in the third quarter before opening the fourth on a 24-4 run for a 74-60 lead.
Jay Scrubb added 14 points and Cameron Reynolds had 12 for Los Angeles (2-2).
Leandro Bolmaro led Utah (2-2) with 19 points. Johnny Juzang scored eight of Utah&rsquo;s opening 12 points, and finished with 14. Tacko Fall, a 7-foo-6 center, had eight points, nine rebounds and four blocks.
76ERS 97, NUGGETS 71
Grant Riller scored 18 points and Trevelin Queen added 17 as Philadelphia routed Denver.
Riller scored 13 points, in just six first-half minutes, to help Philadelphia build a 48-27 lead. Denver shot just 25.6% from the field in the first half, including 4 of 17 from 3-point range. The 76ers led 69-39 late in the third quarter.
Isaiah Joe had 14 points and four 3-pointers for Philadelphia (2-2). Justin Smith and Aminu Mohammed each scored 10 points.
Mbaye N&rsquo;Diaye scored 12 points and Christian Braun had 11 points, six rebounds, six assists and four steals for Denver (2-2).
THUNDER 90, WARRIORS 82
Jeremiah Robinson-Earl had 15 points and 14 rebounds, Jalen Williams had 10 points with six assists and Oklahoma City beat Golden State.
Gabe Brown and Jaden Shackelford each scored 12 points for Oklahoma City (3-1). Eugene Omoruyi scored 11 points and Vit Krejci had 10 points, seven rebounds and five assists. Chet Holmgren did not play.
Jonathan Kuminga scored 16 points and James Wiseman added 14 for Golden State (1-3). Quinndary Weatherspoon added 11 points and Gui Santos had 10.
KINGS 82, SUNS 69
Keegan Murray continued his strong Summer League showing with 21 points and 10 rebounds, Neemias Queta added 15 points on 6-of-6 shooting and also grabbed 10 rebounds to help Sacramento beat Phoenix.
Murray, picked No. 4 overall in June's draft, is averaging 23.3 points and 7.3 rebounds after four games in Las Vegas. DJ Steward added 14 points for the Kings.
Ish Wainright led Phoenix with 13 points and McKinley Wright IV added 11 points, eight rebounds and two steals.
WIZARDS 97, PACERS 79
Jordan Schakel scored 21 points with seven rebounds and five assists, Jordan Goodwin added 19 points and three steals and Washington beat Indiana.
Isaiah Todd hit three 3-pointers and finished with 17 points and eight rebounds for Washington. Tahjere McCall scored 13 points, Jaime Echenique added 10 points, eight rebounds and three blocks for the Wizards.
Kendall Brown led Indiana with 14 points and Aaron Nesmith added 12.
Johnny Davis (back tightness), picked No. 10 overall by the Wizards in last month's draft, and Bennedict Mathurin (toe), who Indiana selected No. 6 overall, did not play.
RAPTORS 88, HEAT 78
Dalano Banton scored 18 points, Armoni Brooks 17 and Jeff Dowtin added 16 points, eight rebounds and five assists to help Toronto beat Miami.
Ron Harper Jr. scored 14 points and Rodions Kurucs 13 for the Raptors.
Kyle Allman Jr. led the Heat with 17 points, Orlando Robinson added 13 points and 11 rebounds and Javonte Smart also scored 13 points. Haywood Highsmith scored 10 points.
LAKERS 102, PELICANS 94
Cole Swider hit five 3-pointers and finished with 21 points, Javante McCoy added 14 points and seven assists to help Los Angeles beat New Orleans and eliminate the Pelicans from Summer League championship contention.
Max Christie scored 12 points, Mason Jones added 11 and Jay Huff had 10 points and four blocks for the Lakers. Scotty Pippen Jr. finished with 11 points and seven assists.
Jared Harper led the Pelicans with 20 points. Deividas Sirvydis made 4 of 7 from 3-point range and finished with 17 points and eight rebounds, John Petty Jr. scored 16 points and Tyrique Jones had 11 points, 13 rebounds and four assists.
Dyson Daniels, a 6-foot-6 19-year-old who New Orleans selected No. 8 overall in last month's draft, didn't play for the Pelicans.

Brandon Boston Jr. had 22 points and eight rebounds and the Clippers used a 32-9 fourth quarter to beat the Jazz 82-65.

Clippers use 32-9 4th quarter to beat Jazz at Summer League

DENVER (AP) &mdash; Jae Crowder received all sorts of quizzical text messages for his decision to sign with the Phoenix Suns in the offseason.
What was he thinking? The Suns hadn't been to the playoffs in a decade. The West was stacked.
&ldquo;I look like a genius, huh?&rdquo; cracked Crowder, who took his talents to the Suns after helping Miami reach the NBA Finals last season. &ldquo;I knew the type of group these guys were. I felt like they were hungry. They wanted to do some special things and I wanted to be a part of it.&rdquo;
Behind the brilliant backcourt of Chris Paul and Devin Booker and steady contributions from the likes of Crowder, the Suns are roaring into the Western Conference Finals for the first time since 2010, the last year they reached the postseason.
The Suns completed a four-game sweep of the short-handed Denver Nuggets with a <a href="https://apnews.com/article/los-angeles-lakers-denver-nuggets-phoenix-suns-nikola-jokic-nba-e666fed6b9cb3f5b93606aaf17a5eb71">125-118 win </a> Sunday night in a testy game in which MVP Nikola Jokic was ejected in the third quarter for a flagrant foul on Cameron Payne.
It was the seventh-straight win for Phoenix &mdash; the longest playoff winning streak in team history.
After bouncing LeBron James and the defending champion Lakers in six games during the first round, the Suns made even quicker work of Jokic and the Nuggets.
Now, they get to rest up before playing either top-seeded Utah or the Los Angeles Clippers. The Jazz lead that series 2-1 heading into Game 4 on Monday night in Los Angeles. Phoenix was 1-2 against the Clippers in the regular season and 3-0 against the Jazz.
&ldquo;Everybody at this point is banged up and can use that kind of recovery,&rdquo; Phoenix coach Monty William said. "We earned it and we want to take advantage of it.
&ldquo;But right now, I'm not even thinking about that. I&rsquo;m just happy about what these guys have accomplished."
Crowder has become quite a postseason catalyst, with his teams going 22-9 over his last 31 playoff games. Before the 2020 season, his teams were 20-31 in playoff games.
&ldquo;Very impressive how locked in we are as a unit,&rdquo; Crowder said. &ldquo;We have great leadership. We have great coaching putting us in a position to succeed right now.
"I definitely feel like we&rsquo;re connected as a group and it shows.&rdquo;
Right after the final horn, Paul and Booker &mdash; who combined for 71 points &mdash; made their way through the post-series handshakes and hugs near the Nuggets logo.
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Waiting on the side was Williams. He shared a heartfelt embrace with each one.
Williams is tight with Paul, from their coach/guard time together in New Orleans. They have a strong bond away from the court, too, and Paul was there for <a href="https://apnews.com/article/030c056106bc43f291bf5cea03328b96">Williams when Williams lost his wife from injuries in a car accident in 2016</a>.
&ldquo;Monty has been through things in his life that a lot of people don&rsquo;t necessarily come back from,&rdquo; said Paul, who scored 13 of his 37 points in the fourth quarter. "Basketball aside, he means so much to me and my family. So to be on this journey with him and to see it paying off is nice. We&rsquo;re a lot alike. We stay locked in. I don&rsquo;t feel good until the buzzer sounds. Monty&rsquo;s the same way. When the series is over, and the game is over, it&rsquo;s nice to share those moments.&rdquo;
The last time the Suns were this far was 2010 behind a cast that included the likes of Amar&rsquo;e Stoudemire, Steve Nash, Jason Richardson and Grant Hill. They fell to Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers 4-2.
&ldquo;The emotions are happy, grateful, tired, relieved," Williams said of advancing to the conference finals. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s one of those moments for me that quite frankly I never thought I&rsquo;d have a chance to experience. For me, I have a level of gratitude I can&rsquo;t even explain.&rdquo;
To share it with Paul means that much more.
&ldquo;Chris has meant so much to my career, he's meant so much to my life,&rdquo; Williams said. &ldquo;The darkest moment of my life Chris was right there and one of the highlights of my career, he's right there.
"That&rsquo;s where it is right now. I&rsquo;m not really good at waxing eloquent about how I feel other than just telling you I just feel grateful for this opportunity and to be on this team and in this moment and have a chance to move forward.&rdquo;
___
AP Basketball Writer Tim Reynolds contributed to this report.
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The Suns have advanced to the Western Conference Finals for the first time since 2010, the last year they reached the postseason.