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Hawks

The article was initially published on BasketballNews on April 6, 2022.
Anyone else love going back and looking at old box scores and falling down afternoon-long rabbit holes, or am I the weirdo?
You might&rsquo;ve read the headline and either recalled this event actually happening, or are befuddled at how such a thing could take place, even in that NBA.
This article, published on April 6, 2022, marks 25 years since the Del Harris-led Los Angeles Lakers held Jim Cleamons and his Dallas Mavericks to 2 points in the third quarter of a regular-season game.
The contest was held at the LA Forum, where a 50-24 Laker team met a 22-53 Mavs squad with two weeks remaining before the playoffs started. Staples wasn&rsquo;t that big yet, and Crypto didn&rsquo;t exist. (Some might say it still doesn&rsquo;t, but you can fight about that amongst yourselves.)
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A large-ass, Biggie verse-having, All-Star center named Shaquille O&rsquo;Neal had been <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/1997/02/14/sports/injury-to-o-neal-is-a-blow-to-lakers.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">out with a knee injury</a> suffered that February, which he returned from five days later. Something tells me, if you made it here, you&rsquo;ve heard of him. Also on the Lakers, quite famously, was a talented rookie named Kobe Bryant, who had been playing regular rotation minutes at 18 years old, but wasn&rsquo;t yet Kobe.
The Mavericks had traded a controversial-but-talented point guard in Jason Kidd earlier in the season &mdash; along with Tony Dumas and Loren Meyer &mdash; to the Phoenix Suns for a package highlighted by Michael Finley, Sam Cassell and A.C. Green. They also dealt Jamal Mashburn to the Miami Heat several weeks later for Kurt Thomas, Sasa Danilović and Martin M&uuml;&uuml;rsepp.
And right before the deadline, Dallas rerouted Cassell as part of a five-man package including Jim Jackson, George McCloud (who wound up on the Lakers retroactively), Eric Montross and Chris Gatling for Shawn Bradley, Khalid Reeves, Robert Pack and Ed O&rsquo;Bannon &mdash; famously the Most Outstanding Player of the 1995 Final Four, and <a href="https://www.primerus.com/business-law-articles/ed-obannon-shines-a-light-upon-student-athletes-right-of-publicity-624201.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">killer of EA's NCAA Football and NCAA Basketball video game franchises</a>. This move not only cemented Dallas&rsquo; rebuild, but it officially made way for a <a href="https://www.dallasnews.com/sports/mavericks/2018/06/06/flashback-jamal-mashburn-on-what-really-happened-between-jason-kidd-jim-jackson-and-toni-braxton/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Toni Braxton-less future in Texas</a>.
The Mavericks, <a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/DAL/1997_games.html">who came in as losers of 10 straight heading into this game</a> &mdash; a lengthy skid that never saw the team score more than 92 points &mdash; went into Hollywood and started Pack, Finley, Green, Bradley and Derek Harper. Without Shaq, the Lakers began with Derek Fisher, Eddie Jones, Jerome Kersey, Corie Blount and Sean Rooks, who played a game-high 43 minutes (33 over his season average).
<a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/199704060LAL.html">The Mavericks led 30-17 after the first quarter and 51-37 at halftime</a>. The teams combined to attempt 12 threes in the first half, which most teams would typically combine to do in a quarter today. The Mavericks shot 21 of 44 from the field and outrebounded the Lakers 24-16 while holding L.A. to 12 of 32 shooting.
Bryant and Robert Horry went a combined 2 of 9 off the bench, and Rooks had logged 10 points and 7 boards to that point. Harper and Finley combined for 25 points on 9 of 15 shooting, while Bradley had 9 points and 9 rebounds.
Okay, now let's get to why you&rsquo;re here.
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Not only did the Mavericks score 2 points in the entire third quarter, but the points came from a pair of Harper free throws with 1:51 left in the quarter. So it took over 10 minutes to even get on the board in this period.
Anyway, the Mavericks shot 0 of 15 from the field for the quarter and missed all 4 of their three-balls. They also had 9 turnovers and only made one substitution over the entire 12 minutes, removing Pack for Sa&scaron;a Danilović about halfway through the third. That meant Green, Harper, Finley and Bradley were each a minus-25 for the quarter, and Pack was a minus-20.
For good measure, the Mavericks third quarter could be summed up like this:
<ul>
<li>Points: 2</li>
<li>Fouls: 3</li>
</ul>
The Lakers outscored the Mavericks 27-2 and still just led 64-53 after three. L.A. shot 10 of 17 in the quarter, made 5 of 7 triples, only needed to pull down 8 rebounds and turned the ball over just twice.
The Mavs outdid their horrific third quarter only 48 seconds into the fourth with two layups. They even cut their deficit to as close as 7 points in garbage time before the Lakers pulled away with a 87-80 win.
Fisher scored 21 points &mdash; not even close to a career-high for him &mdash; but to that point, his highest point tally had been just 14. In fact, the 21 points would remain a career-best mark for Fisher until he netted 26 points on March 13, 2001 in a win over the Boston Celtics four years later.
Sean &ldquo;2019 Bam Adebayo&rdquo; Rooks ended the night with 15 points, 11 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 blocks. Bryant logged about 22 minutes off the bench, netting 13 points on 3 of 9 shooting, also finishing with 3 steals and going a perfect 5 of 5 at the free-throw line.
Harper led the Mavs with 18 points on 6 of 15 shooting. Finley only put up 9 shots in over 34 minutes of play. The next time he put up just 9 shots in that many minutes? <a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/200203310WAS.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">March 31, 2002</a>.
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So, what ended up happening to these two teams? Glad you asked!
The Lakers finished 56-26 and fourth in the Western Conference, sweeping the Kenny Anderson, Isaiah Rider, and Rasheed Wallace-led Portland Trail Blazers in Round 1. Then, in the West semifinals, L.A. fell to the No. 1 seed Utah Jazz, who eventually lost to the Chicago Bulls in the 1997 NBA Finals. The Lakers still had a few more years of Harris before Phil Jackson eventually came to clean things up prior to the 1999-2002 three-peat era.
The Mavericks finished 24-58 and were actually still fourth in the Midwest Division among seven teams, completing 1996-97 with only the sixth-worst record in the league. Unfortunately, they didn&rsquo;t own their own draft pick, but fortunately, the Celtics &mdash; who had it at No. 6 &mdash; used it on Ron Mercer, so it wasn&rsquo;t an egregious miss.
Tracy McGrady did go No. 9 overall, and the Mavs did settle on Kelvin Cato at No. 15, but they landed with a kid named Dirk Nowitzki in the 1998 NBA Draft after another 20-win season.
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Bryan Fonseca revisits when the Mavericks only mustered a measly 2 points in the third quarter against the Lakers.

Revisiting the time the Mavericks scored just 2 points in a quarter

Detroit Mercy guard Antoine Davis has a chance to end his career as one of the most prolific scorers and 3-point shooters in college basketball history.
Davis is more concerned with earning the NCAA Tournament berth that has eluded him thus far.
The 6-foot-1 Davis entered the transfer portal during the offseason but opted to play one more season for his father. Mike Davis took over Detroit Mercy after reaching the NCAA Tournament four of his six seasons at Texas State, but he still hasn&rsquo;t earned a bid at his current school.
&ldquo;I experienced it for myself as a spectator but not as a player,&rdquo; Antoine Davis said as he recalled those years watching his father coach Texas State. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s been rough, but I look forward to this season. We&rsquo;re all on the same page. Everybody wants to do the same thing. I think we can make it happen.&rdquo;
Reaching the NCAA Tournament is just about the only thing Antoine Davis has failed to accomplish in his stellar college career. He enters the 2022-23 season as one of the most noteworthy players from mid-major or low-major programs.
Davis has scored 2,734 career points to rank 22nd in Division I history. He was the third-leading Division I scorer last season with 23.9 points per game, and that was actually the lowest average of his career. Davis averaged 26.1 points in 2018-19, 24.3 in 2019-20 and 24.0 in 2020-21.
If Davis matches his output from last season, when he scored 694 points, he would end his career second on the all-time list. Pete Maravich owns the record with the 3,667 points he scored in his three-season career at LSU from 1967-70.
His 429 career 3-pointers put him just 80 away from the Division I record. Fletcher Magee made 509 3-pointers at Wofford from 2015-19.
Davis has scored in double figures in 111 consecutive games. The Division I record of 115 is shared by Campbell&rsquo;s Chris Clemons (2016-19) and La Salle&rsquo;s Lionel Simmons (1987-90).
The extra season of eligibility Davis received due to the pandemic has helped him approach those records. It also gives him an opportunity to become a five-time, first-team all-Horizon League selection. Davis already is the first player ever to earn first-team all-Horizon League honors in four separate seasons.
Davis committed to Houston in high school but changed his mind and opted for Texas State to play for his father, who owns a 397-310 career record and coached Indiana to an NCAA Tournament final in 2002. When his dad took the Detroit Mercy job, Davis ended up enrolling there instead.
&ldquo;He knows my game better than anybody else,&rdquo; Davis said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s been working me out for years and years. He just knows what I can do and everything. It wouldn&rsquo;t have to be anything different. I knew his system for the most part, and I really wanted to play for him, at the end of the day.&rdquo;
He thought about leaving Detroit Mercy and the Horizon League this year. Davis entered the transfer portal and strongly considered BYU and Kansas State before choosing to finish his college career where he started it.
&ldquo;It would feel a little off playing somewhere else or ending my career somewhere else,&rdquo; Davis said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s what ultimately made me come back.&rdquo;
Some other players from mid-major or low-major programs who bear watching:
MAX ABMAS, ORAL ROBERTS
Abmas burst onto the scene in 2021 when he averaged 26.7 points in three NCAA Tournament games to help Oral Roberts beat Ohio State and Florida before falling to Arkansas in the Sweet 16. He led Division I with 24.5 points per game that season. Abmas followed that up by averaging 22.8 points last season to rank fifth. His 3.8 3-pointers per game ranked third.
SINCERE CARRY, KENT STATE
Carry, a Duquesne transfer, was the Mid-American Conference&rsquo;s player of the year in his first season at Kent State. The 6-1 guard ranked second in the MAC in assists (4.8) and fifth in scoring (17.9) and made the MAC&rsquo;s all-defensive team.
AARON ESTRADA, HOFSTRA
The Oregon transfer was the Colonial Athletic Association player of the year last season in his first year at Hofstra. Estrada led the CAA in scoring (18.5) and assists (5.0) and also had 5.7 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game.
TOSAN EVBUOMWAN, PRINCETON
Although he&rsquo;s a 6-foot-8 forward, Evbuomwan actually led the Ivy League in assists last season with 5.1 per game. He was named the Ivy player of the year. Evbuomwan, who is from Newcastle, England, also ranked fourth in the league in scoring (16.0), rebounding (6.7) and steals (1.4).
DARIUS McGHEE, LIBERTY
McGhee has been named ASUN player of the year each of the last two seasons. He averaged 24.6 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.6 assists in 2021-22. He led all Division I players with 142 3-pointers and ranked second in points per game.
JORDAN &ldquo;JELLY&rdquo; WALKER, UAB
After starting his career at Seton Hall and playing two seasons at Tulane, Walker has found a home at UAB. Walker ranked eighth in Division I in 3-pointers per game (3.41) and 16th in points per game (20.3) last season while leading Conference USA in both categories. He was named Conference USA player of the year.

Antoine Davis of Detroit Mercy is one of many players from mid-major programs to keep an eye on in 2022-23.

NCAA records within reach for Detroit Mercy’s Antoine Davis

RJ Nembhard Jr. had 16 points and six assists, Isaiah Mobley added 15 points and 10 rebounds, and the Cleveland Cavaliers held off the Atlanta Hawks 94-90 on Saturday in the NBA Summer League.
Mobley, a second-round pick in this year's draft, grabbed six rebounds on the offensive end and added four assists for the Cavaliers (3-2). Fellow second-rounder Luke Travers pitched in with 14 points and five boards. Cam Young scored 15 points. First-round pick Ochai Agbaji did not play.
Tyrese Martin scored 21 to top the Hawks (2-3). Chaundee Brown Jr. added 17 points. Chris Clemons finished with 16 points, while Tyson Etienne scored 13.
Atlanta's top pick A.J. Griffin &mdash; 17th overall &mdash; did not play.
PISTONS 102, MAGIC 86
Jules Bernard had 22 points and nine rebounds, Charlie Moore had 21 points and eight assists, and Detroit cruised past Orlando.
Bernard sank all three of his 3-point attempts for the Pistons (3-2). Braxton Key added 15 points, while Stanley Umude scored 13. Detroit sat first-rounders Jaden Ivey and Jalen Duren for the finale.
Justin James had 18 points to lead the Magic (2-3). Tommy Kuhse added 13 points, while Zavier Simpson and Daniel Oturu scored 10 apiece.
Orlando dropped its final three games without top pick Paolo Banchero. The Magic decided to pull Banchero from the event just hours before a showdown with No. 2 pick Chet Holmgren and Oklahoma City.
TIMBERWOLVES 89, HORNETS 86
Kevon Harris scored 23 points on 9-of-11 shooting to help Minnesota fend off Charlotte.
Harris hit all four of his 3-pointers for the Timberwolves (2-3). Wendell Moore Jr. had 15 points, while second-round pick Josh Minott scored 12. Marial Shayok had seven points, 10 rebounds and four steals.
JT Thor finished with 28 points and five steals for the Hornets (2-3). Justin Minaya scored 10 points and Mark Williams, the 15th overall pick, had eight points and seven rebounds.
Thor completed a three-point play, then buried a 3-pointer to get the Hornets within 88-86. Jacob Gilyard sank 1 of 2 free throws with 4.9 seconds left and Minott blocked Bryce McGowens' 3-pointer to end the game.
SPURS 90, GRIZZLIES 87
Malaki Branham made five 3-pointers and scored 23 points to help San Antonio turn back Memphis.
Branham, the 20th overall pick, was 5 of 8 from distance to help the Spurs (1-4) notch their first win in their final try. DJ Stewart added 16 points on 7-of-10 shooting, while Robert Woodard II had six points to go with 10 rebounds.
Kenneth Lofton Jr. paced the Grizzlies (2-3) with 27 points and 12 rebounds. First-rounder David Roddy added 19 points. Ronaldo Segu and Kennedy Chandler scored 13 and 10, respectively.
Lofton sank a 3-pointer with 2:07 remaining to give Memphis an 87-86 lead. Branham answered with a 3 and Blake Wesley &mdash; the No. 25 pick &mdash; hit 1 of 2 free throws with 4.1 seconds left to cap the scoring. Dakota Mathias missed a 3-pointer on the game's final shot.
BULLS 119, 76ERS 104
Marko Simonovic scored 26 points, Malcolm Hill added 23 and Chicago breezed past Philadelphia.
Simonovic made 11 of 15 shots and grabbed eight rebounds to help the Bulls (4-1) close out with three straight wins. Carlik Jones scored 15 points but had seven of Chicago's 15 turnovers. Dalen Terry, the 18th overall pick, had three points, two assists and two rebounds in nine-plus minutes.
Charlie Brown Jr. led the 76ers (2-3) with 21 points. Grant Riller scored 19. Trevelin Queen had 16 points and seven of Philadelphia's 21 turnovers. Filip Petrusev scored 14.
NETS 102, CELTICS 95
Cam Thomas scored 25 points, David Duke Jr. added 24 and Brooklyn knocked off Boston.
Thomas added six assists for the Nets (3-2), while Duke handed out five. Kessler Edwards scored 15 points and Day'Ron Sharpe had 10 points and 10 rebounds.
Juhann Begarin topped the Celtics (3-2) with 25 points. Mfiondu Kabengele scored 18. Second-rounder JD Davison &mdash; Boston's only pick in the draft &mdash; totaled 17 points and 10 rebounds.
KINGS 92, ROCKETS 81
Jeriah Horne scored 20 points to lead Sacramento over Houston
Jared Rhoden pitched in with 15 points and seven rebounds for the Kings (3-2). Sacramento chose to sit No. 4 overall pick Keegan Murray for the finale.
Tari Eason, the No. 17 pick in the draft, had 19 points and 10 rebounds for the Rockets (2-3). TyTy Washington Jr. scored 15 points, while Daishen Nix had 14 points and seven boards. No. 3 overall pick Jabari Smith Jr. had 12 points and 12 rebounds.
LAKERS 95, MAVERICKS 84
Cole Swider scored 16 points to spark Los Angeles past Dallas.
Swider sank 4 of 6 from 3-point range for the Lakers (3-2). Jay Huff had 13 points, Javante McCoy scored 12 and Scotty Pippen Jr. 11.
A.J. Lawson had 19 points to lead the Mavericks (0-5) &mdash; the only team without victory in the event. Moses Wright scored 17 with six boards. Jaden Hardy scored 15 but had seven of Dallas' 19 turnovers. Lawson turned it over six times. Jerrick Harding had 11 points and five assists.
HEAT 86, CLIPPERS 83
Kyle Allman Jr. scored 26 points, sinking a go-ahead 3-pointer with 31 seconds left, and Miami rallied past Los Angeles.
Allman added seven rebounds and six assists for the Heat (2-3). Dru Smith had 22 points and Jamal Cain pitched in with 11 points and 11 rebounds. Miami outscored Los Angeles 31-20 in the final quarter
Reggie Perry, Jay Scrubb and Xavier Moon all scored 16 for the Clippers (2-3).

Check out this recap of Saturday's NBA Summer League action.

Nembhard, Mobley lead Cavs past Hawks 94-90 in Summer League

Santi Aldama scored 31 points, David Roddy added 20 and the Memphis Grizzlies tied the Las Vegas Summer League record for points in a game in a 120-84 victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday.
The Grizzlies (2-1), who never trailed and led by double figures for more than 33 minutes, hit 12 3-pointers, shot 59% from the field and had 31 assists. Their 120 points matched the record set by the Denver Nuggets in 2007.
Summer League games are 40 minutes, eight fewer than an NBA regular-season game.
The 6-foot-11 Aldama, a first-round draft pick in 2021, made 12 of 14 from the field, hit 4 of 5 from 3-point range, grabbed nine rebounds and blocked three shots. Ziaire Williams, the No. 10 pick in the 2021 draft, had 14 points, seven rebounds and eight assists.
Roddy, a 6-foot-5, 255-pound forward who was picked No. 23 overall in June&rsquo;s draft, was 7-of-11 shooting. Kenneth Lofton Jr. added 11 points, eight rebounds and four assists.
Cam Thomas made 11 of 13 free throws and finished with 29 points for Brooklyn (1-2). The No. 27 pick overall in the 2021 draft, Thomas has scored at least 26 points in each of his three games in Las Vegas and is averaging 28.7 per game. Day&rsquo;Ron Sharpe added 13 points, nine rebounds and two blocks, and David Duke Jr. scored 12 points.
BULLS 93, RAPTORS 83
Carlik Jones scored 17 points on 7-of-7 shooting with five assists, and Dalen Terry scored all of his 14 points in the first half to help Chicago beat Toronto.
Malcolm Hill added 11 points for Chicago (2-1). Ethan Thompson and Makur Maker scored 10 points apiece.
Toronto scored 12 fourth-quarter points, nine that came as Ryan Hawkins hit three 3-pointers in the final 64 seconds.
Dalano Banton scored 18 points for Toronto (1-1). Jeff Dowtin added 16 points and D.J. Wilson scored 10. Christian Koloko, a 7-foot center out of Arizona, finished with five points, four rebounds and three blocks. The Raptors' only pick (No. 33 overall) in June&rsquo;s draft, Koloko shot 2 of 8 from the field and 0 for 3 from the free throw line but made his lone 3-point attempt.
The Bulls, who trailed by as many as 10 points in the first quarter, shot 55% (33 of 60) from the field, had 20 assists and scored 36 points off 18 Toronto turnovers.
HAWKS 95, HEAT 88
Tyrese Martin scored 21 points on 9-of-14 shooting, while Chaundee Brown Jr. was 8 of 11 from the field and finished with 18 points to help Atlanta beat Miami.
Chris Clemons, who averaged 30.1 points as a senior at Campbell in 2018-19, scored 15 for the Hawks.
Atlanta (1-2) made 37 of 69 (53.6%) from the field and shot 44.4% (8 of 18) from 3-point range.
Javonte Smart led Miami with 19 points on 5-of-14 shooting. Kyle Allman Jr. scored 14 points and Bryson Williams 11.
CELTICS 103, WARRIORS 92
Mfiondu Kabengele had 20 points and 13 rebounds, 19-year-old Juhann Begarin scored 21 points and Boston beat Golden State despite big games by Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody.
Kuminga scored 22 points on 11-of-22 shooting. Moody added 21 but made just 6 of 19 from the field and 2 of 9 from 3-point range.
James Wiseman, the No. 2 pick in the 2020 draft, had six points, seven rebounds and three blocks in his second game back from a knee injury that sidelined him for most of the last year-plus.
Justin Jackson scored 24 points, including five 3-pointers, for Boston. Brodric Thomas hit 4 of 7 from 3-point range and finished with 18 points.
PACERS 101, PISTONS 87
Bennedict Mathurin shot 5 of 9 from the field, 9 of 10 from the free throw line and finished with 20 points to help Indiana beat Jaden Ivey-less Detroit.
The No. 6 pick in last month's draft, Mathurin added five rebounds, three assists and three steals with no turnovers. Terry Taylor had 14 points and nine rebounds, and Isaiah Jackson also scored 14 points on 7-of-7 shooting for the Pacers. Aaron Nesmith added 12 points.
Ivey, taken by the Pistons with the No. 5 pick in the draft, as well as Saben Lee, Isaiah Stewart and Isaiah Livers did not play for Detroit.
Buddy Boeheim led the Pistons with 18 points. Stanley Umude scored 14, Charlie Moore added 13 and Jalen Duren &mdash; picked 13th overall in June's draft &mdash; had 12 points.
SUNS 105, MAVERICKS 78
Louis King and Olivier Sarr each had a double-double to lead Phoenix in its rout of Dallas.
King finished with 14 points and 10 rebounds, and Sarr added 12 points and 10 rebounds. Jo Lual-Acuil Jr. also scored 12 points, McKinley Wright IV had 11 and Leonardo Meindl 10 for the Suns.
Jerrick Harding led the Mavericks with 20 points and A.J. Lawson scored 10. Jaden Hardy had 11 points on 4-of-15 shooting. Hardy, the No. 37 overall pick is last month&rsquo;s draft, was a consensus 5-star recruit out of high school in 2021 and spent last season with the NBA G League Unite.
LAKERS 83, CLIPPERS 72
Mason Jones had 15 points and 10 rebounds, and Javante McCoy scored 14 points to help the Lakers beat the Clippers.
Sacha Killeya-Jones added 11 points, eight rebounds and two blocks for the Lakers. Nate Pierre-Louis scored 10 points.
Jay Scrubb and Brandon Boston Jr. scored 15 points apiece for the Clippers. Boston made just 3 of 12 from the field but hit 9-of-12 free throws and grabbed nine rebounds.

Santi Aldama scored 31 points, David Roddy added 20 and the Grizzlies tied the NBA Summer League record for points in a game.

Grizzlies tie NBA Summer League scoring record, beat Nets 120-84

CHICAGO (AP) — Zach LaVine scored 25 points and the Chicago Bulls beat the Atlanta Hawks for the second time in three nights, 131-117 on Wednesday.
The Bulls extended their winning streak to a season-high five games. The Hawks, who are playing without 15 players due to the NBA’s health and safety protocols and injuries, lost for the fifth time in six games.
The Bulls shot 61.9% and had a season-high with 38 assists. They beat the Hawks 130-118 on Monday night in Atlanta.
Trey Young scored 26 points for Atlanta, and Clint Capela added 18 in the opener of a six-game trip.
“We got three-fourths of our team out,” Young said. “I came to shoot around not knowing most of my teammates.”
LaVine punctuated his performance with a. 360 dunk that extended the Bulls’ lead to 119-96 with 6:44 left.
Nicola Vucevic had 16 points and a season-high 20 rebounds for Chicago. DeMar DeRozan scored 20 pointts, and guard Coby White had 17 points and 12 assists. Reserve guard Ayo Dosunmu converted 6 of 7 shots and finished with 14 points, as did Javonte Green.
“I think people realize how good (LaVine) is,” Bulls interim coach Chris Fleming said. “I think that secret is out. He’s been an All-Star and has played at an extremely high level.”
The Bulls made 40 of 43 field goal attempts in the first half (69.8%), including 6 of 10 three-point attempts.
The Bulls had an 18-1 run to end the first half with a 74-53 lead. They were credited with 24 assists in the first half without point guard Lonzo Ball, who is in health and safety protocols.
TIP-INS
Hawks: Chris Clemons and Cameron Oliver were signed to 10-day contracts. Wes Iwundu was activated from the NBA’s health and safety protocol. The Hawks have 12 players in protocols, which has caused coach Nate McMillan to play Young, Cam Reddish, Capela and Skylar Mays, a two-way guard, longer than he’d prefer. “We really don’t have subs for them,” McMillan said. “There are times we’re having to put four-five guys out there who don’t know our system. We’re giving them basic sets.”
Bulls: Marko Simonovic entered the NBA’s health and safety protocols. Simonovic is the 17th Bulls player to enter the protocols this season. F Patrick Williams (ligament tear) had pins removed from his left wrist, but Fleming didn’t know how this would affect Williams’ rehab schedule. Williams was expected to miss the regular season. With coach Billy Donovan currently in health and safety protocols, Fleming said he expects to remain as interim coach through at least the next two games.
UP NEXT
Hawks: At Cleveland on Friday night.
Bulls: At Indiana on Friday.

The Chicago Bulls beat the Atlanta Hawks, extending their win streak to five games.

Bulls beat Hawks for 2nd time in 3 nights, run streak to 5

The news cycle in the NBA was churning particularly hard Tuesday, with <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-news-nbpa-tighten-covid-19-coronavirus-protocols-masks-season-game-postponements" target="_blank" rel="noopener">new rules designed to stop the spread of COVID</a>, developing news regarding the <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-brooklyn-nets-unhappy-kyrie-irving-investigation-absence-covid-maskless-party-sean-marks" target="_blank" rel="noopener">whereabouts of Kyrie Irving</a>, and a new statement from James Harden that <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-rumors-houston-rockets-mulling-trade-offers-james-harden-philadelphia-76ers-ben-simmons-matisse-thybulle-brooklyn-nets-first-round-picks-kevin-durant-boston-celtics-toronto-raptors-interested" target="_blank" rel="noopener">puts the possibility of him being traded back on the frontburner</a> of the NBA universe.
But like just about everything in the regular news cycle as 2021 slogs along, the news provided more questions than answers -- such as:
Will confining players to their hotel rooms without guests, making them wear masks on the sidelines and limiting their time together really reduce their exposure to coronavirus, of which 4,500 people lost their lives Tuesday as the pandemic raged on? Or are the new regulations simply a band-aid that will do more to keep people further apart as we relentlessly try to move forward?
Hotel rooms are now closed off to non-team guests on the road. Movement of players and staff is limited on the road, with both now prohibited from leaving the hotel for non-team activities. Previously, players were allowed two guests in their rooms, including family and friends. This is an isolation game that the players did not sign up for.
"I'm a grown man. I'm gonna do what I want to do. If I want to go see my family, I'm going to go see my family," said George Hill, a guard for the Oklahoma City Thunder and longtime NBA veteran. "They can't tell me I have to stay in a room 24/7. If it's that serious, then maybe we shouldn't be playing. But it's life; no one's going to be able to just cancel their whole life for this game."
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
George Hill speaks to the media following tonight's loss to the San Antonio Spurs.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ThunderUp?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ThunderUp</a> <a href="https://t.co/wIQgAMAiru">pic.twitter.com/wIQgAMAiru</a>
&mdash; FOX Sports Oklahoma (@FOXSportsOK) <a href="https://twitter.com/FOXSportsOK/status/1349203531769802761?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 13, 2021</a></blockquote>

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

The Washington Wizards have already postponed their game tonight against Utah as infections, contact tracing and injuries have left them unable to field a team of eight players.&nbsp;
That puts them alongside the Boston Celtics, Miami Heat, Philadelphia 76ers, Dallas Mavericks and Chicago Bulls as teams dealing with significant COVID-related issues.&nbsp;
NBA players have now had their freedoms outside of the workplace significantly reduced. Will they be able to live with the changes without the Association having to call a massive timeout? Again, that is one of the reasons why today brings more questions than answers.
Next: What could Kyrie Irving possibly be thinking?
Ah, yes. That question is vexing the Brooklyn Nets today much as it did in the past when he was with the Boston Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers. Is this a mental health break? If so, when does it end? The Nets are clearly frustrated as they head into Madison Square Garden tonight, knowing that Irving is out for another few days. Irving can answer everyone&rsquo;s questions by speaking publicly, but he instead chooses to stay mum and have his exploits chronicled and speculated upon via social media. The optics don't seem great.
The Nets, by the way, kept DeAndre Jordan on the bench the entire game against Denver last night (with a DNP-CD).&nbsp;Could that mean they are getting ready to trade him, perhaps as part of a package for Harden? Jordan makes $41.5 million and any potential trade partner would have to match that salary. In Brooklyn&rsquo;s case, Jordan and Caris Lavert only get them to $26.6 million, whereas Jordan and Irving puts them at $43.8 million. If the Rockets sent back a player such as Chris Clemons to match the salaries, this would work ... and presumably would make everyone except Kyrie happy.
Could it happen? Look, folks. If 2020 taught us anything, it is that anything can happen.
And should the Rockets hang onto Harden for another two days, we can all have a look at him on TNT, which has picked up the Rockets&rsquo; game against the Spurs and dropped Heat-Sixers as folks in Philadelphia (led by Joel Embiid) wonder why the 76ers are being treated a little differently than everyone else by the league office.
Embiid said the following after going for 45 points and 16 rebounds against shorthanded Miami in a 138-135 thriller.
"It just seems like every other game keeps getting canceled. But us, I guess the league just keeps making us play," Embiid said. "There's really no other explanation behind it, especially that Denver game, when we had to dress an injured player just to make sure we had enough players to be able to compete -- while other teams that haven't had that many players and the league hasn't made any of them dress an injured player, just to make sure there's a game going on.&rdquo;
Is the big fella onto something? Nobody can say for sure. All around the NBA and the world, the same can be said for everyone.&nbsp;
So here is a question we all can appreciate: When, exactly, does 2021 get better than 2020? We are all waiting, with different degrees of patience and impatience, for that moment to arrive. It&rsquo;ll allow us to look back on this January as a time capsule that we all survived one way or another, the NBA keeping us all sane to a certain degree every night after we navigate insanity in our daytimes. Keep going, y&rsquo;all.&nbsp;

As the NBA season pushes on, Chris Sheridan breaks down the updated COVID protocols and whether they'll be effective.

NBA brings more questions than answers after eventful Tuesday

MRI confirmed that Rockets guard Chris Clemons suffered a torn Achilles tendon, and he will undergo season-ending surgery and make a full recovery, sources tell <a class="css-4rbku5 css-18t94o4 css-901oao css-16my406 r-1n1174f r-1loqt21 r-1qd0xha r-ad9z0x r-bcqeeo r-1ny4l3l r-1ddef8g r-qvutc0" dir="ltr" role="link" href="https://twitter.com/TheAthleticNBA" data-focusable="true">@TheAthleticNBA </a><a class="css-4rbku5 css-18t94o4 css-901oao css-16my406 r-1n1174f r-1loqt21 r-1qd0xha r-ad9z0x r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0" dir="ltr" role="link" href="https://twitter.com/Stadium" data-focusable="true">@Stadium</a>.
Source: <a href="https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1339297330424639488?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Shams Charania of The Athletic</a>
ANALYSIS: Clemons suffered the unfortunate injury in Tuesday's preseason game against the San Antonio Spurs. The Campbell alum was on a two-way contract with the Rockets last season before the deal was converted into a standard contract. Houston loses depth at the point guard position with this setback, and you have to feel for Clemons considering his career is just starting to blossom.

Clemons suffered the injury in Tuesday's preseason game vs. San Antonio.

Chris Clemons to undergo surgery for torn Achilles

If the kiss of death in the NBA is being under 6-feet tall, Markus Howard of Marquette is a dead man walking. 
No matter that he led the NCAA in scoring last season at 27.8 points per game, or that he finished last season with five-straight games scoring at least 30 points, or that he dropped 51 on USC last Thanksgiving and had two other games with at least 40.
He measured just 5-foot-9 &frac12; without sneakers and weighed 170 pounds at the NBA Draft Combine, which hurts his stock because NBA scouts shy away from little guys.
Howard is currently ranked No. 62 on ESPN&rsquo;s latest draft board, which means he could go undrafted on Nov. 18. If so, that would make it two years in a row that the NCAA&rsquo;s leading scorer was not selected.&nbsp;Last year, Chris Clemons from Campbell University was not drafted, but he was signed afterward by the Houston Rockets and eventually had his two-way contract converted into a regular NBA contract.
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://basketballnews-media.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/images/story/body/usatsi_13965486-1_lg.jpg" alt="" width="860" height="AUTO" />
Trae Young of Oklahoma was the last No. 1 NCAA scorer to get drafted, going fifth overall to the Atlanta Hawks in 2018. He finished last season as the No. 4 scorer in the league (29.6 PPG), and he is the most untouchable player on Atlanta&rsquo;s roster -- despite being 6-foot-1, short by NBA standards.
James Daniel III led the nation in scoring as a junior at Howard in 2016. He transferred to Tennessee, but got injured, went undrafted in 2018 and ended up playing professionally in Cyprus.&nbsp;
As we count down the days to the 2020 NBA draft while simultaneously <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-news-nbpa-players-association-executive-director-michele-roberts-2020-2021-season-collective-bargaining-agreement-cba-revenue-meetings-black-lives-matter" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wondering what the 2020-21 season will look like</a>, front-office executives around the league are in the difficult position of having to make judgments on players without seeing them at an in-person NBA Draft Combine (as they would under normal circumstances).&nbsp;
That makes most of the mock drafts we are all seeing even more of an educated guessing game than usual, and more astute front offices are seeking diamonds in the rough who will drop lower than they should, often for fairly benign reasons (like not being 6-feet tall).
Simply being able to put up points is not enough when it comes to playing in the NBA, where what you can do defensively is almost as important as what you can do offensively. And if a first-rate scorer is someone an opponent is going to exploit on the other end of the court, the guy will probably end up eating pasta (basketball parlance for playing professionally in Europe) before too long.
We are now in early November, and there will be more than two weeks of risers and fallers in a variety of mock drafts found on the Internet, some better than others. (Our Matt Babcock, for example, knows what he's doing and posted his <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-2020-draft-rumors-mock-draft-projection-top-pick-trade-matt-babcock-anthony-edwards-lamelo-ball-timberwolves-warriors-hornets-bulls-cavaliers-hawks-lakers-pistons-knicks-lottery-analysis-select" target="_blank" rel="noopener">latest mock draft today</a>). But keep in mind that front offices often leak misinformation to draft pundits in order to confuse opposing teams. If "Team X" is said to be especially intrigued by "Player Y," take it with a grain of salt.
With that being said, here are three players that NBA consultant Ryan Blake of "Marty Blake and Associates" believes may be undervalued on draft night. All three players will have their phone ringing off the hook with training-camp invites right after the draft if they are not selected 1-60.
Markus Howard, Marquette
He spent four seasons at Marquette, and his junior season included a 53-point night against Creighton, and 45-point nights against Kansas State (ranked 12th at the time) and Buffalo (ranked 14th at the time). He also went for 38 points against 14th-ranked Villanova. The prior season, as a sophomore, he had a 52-point game against Providence.&nbsp;
&ldquo;He&rsquo;s an unbelievable athlete, has a fire in his belly and plays hard on both ends of the floor,&rdquo; Blake said of Howard. &ldquo;He has a fearless mentality, and scouts will not ignore that. 
"He shot over 42 percent for his career in a big-time conference, but he is going to have to prove that he can defend NBA guards and is not prone to turning the ball over.&rdquo;
Babcock&rsquo;s prediction: Drafted in the 50s or undrafted. 
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://basketballnews-media.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/images/story/body/usatsi_14017688-1_lg.jpg" alt="" width="860" height="AUTO" />
Sam Merrill, Utah State
As somewhat of a combo guard for the Aggies, Merrill started all 32 games and averaged 19.8 points while shooting 41 percent from the three-point line. A four-year starter, he led the Aggies in assists all four seasons and was named &ldquo;Best Defender&rdquo; by his teammates as a freshman. Merrill also won Mountain West Tournament MVP in back-to-back seasons. A graduate in business administration, he has been married for two-and-a-half years and spent two years in Nicaragua as a Mormon missionary.&nbsp;
&ldquo;He has a calm intensity, which is sort of an oxymoron, but you watch for someone like this who truly competes for 40 minutes whether his team wins or loses," Blake said. "Coaches know he wants the ball in his hands at the end of games and will either shoot or make the right play."
Babcock&rsquo;s prediction: Drafted in the low 50s or undrafted. 
Paul Reed, DePaul
Coming out after his junior season, the 6-foot-9 power forward averaged 15.2 points, 10.7 rebounds and nearly three blocks per game for the Blue Demons. Reed shot nearly 52 percent from the field while also averaging almost two steals per game. 
&ldquo;He makes a huge impact at both ends of the floor, although he didn&rsquo;t shoot it great from deep (30.8 percent),&rdquo; Blake said. &ldquo;But he made plays for others and defended, and he just crashes the glass. But he can immediately come into the league and make an impact, because everyone knows you can&rsquo;t play NBA basketball if you can&rsquo;t play defense. He has an awkward jumper, but he can become a better shooter in time because he has the work ethic. And at 22 years old, he is mature.&rdquo;
Babcock&rsquo;s prediction: &ldquo;A good intangibles guy. A motor guy. I have him going No. 45 (to Orlando)."

Chris Sheridan takes a look at three undervalued NBA Draft prospects that could be picked late or go undrafted in 2020.