Bears

We made it through the first day of March Madness! Sixteen teams saw their dreams shatter while the other 16 teams advanced to the Round of 32. Let&rsquo;s see who remains&hellip;
UPSET ALERT&nbsp;
East Region: 15-seed Saint Peter&rsquo;s defeats 2-seed Kentucky 85-79 in overtime
Starting with the true bracket buster of day 1, the Saint Peter&rsquo;s Peacocks upset the Kentucky Wildcats. Oscar Tshiebwe gave everything he had (as expected) with a 30-point, 16-rebound performance, but Kentucky&rsquo;s perimeter players (TyTy Washington, Kellen Grady and Sahvir Wheeler) had trouble generating offense. The Peacocks shined behind Daryl Banks III&rsquo;s 27 points and Doug Edert&rsquo;s 20 points off the bench. The game remained tight the whole way through, staying within six points, and the game was tied at the end of regulation. The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference champion pulled away with clutch plays and defensive stops that showed they weren&rsquo;t afraid of the highly decorated program. Saint Peter&rsquo;s will be taking on the 7-seed Murray State on Saturday. (For more on this upset, <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/putting-saint-peters-shocker-over-kentucky-in-historical-context" target="_blank" rel="noopener">check out Bryan Fonseca's article</a>).
Midwest Region: 12-seed Richmond defeats 5-seed Iowa 67-63
The annual bracket experts are well aware that the 12-5 matchup is always on upset watch, but since Iowa had a strong run for a Big Ten Tournament championship and one of the top NBA Draft prospects in the tournament in Keegan Murray, they felt like the pick here. But Richmond reminded the country that they too won a conference tournament championship last week and the Atlantic 10 knows them very well. Senior guard Jacob Gilyard played all 40 minutes and gave the Spiders 24 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists. Junior forward Tyler Burton and senior forward Nathan Cayo added 18 points and 15 points, respectively. Iowa&rsquo;s projected lottery pick Murray finished the game with 21 points and 9 rebounds, but there was a lull in his offense in the second half that could&rsquo;ve been the difference-maker. Richmond will face 4-seed Providence in the second round.
South Region: 11-seed Michigan defeats 6-seed Colorado State 75-63
In a matchup that many thought had upset potential, the Wolverines came away as victors over the Rams after a slow start. Colorado State jumped on Michigan in the first half and led by as many as 15 points, but Michigan proved their Power 5 experience had tested them enough to overcome the deficit. Hunter Dickinson ended as the game&rsquo;s leading scorer with 21 points and added 5 rebounds and 4 blocks. Frankie Collins filled in at point guard for the injured Devante&rsquo; Jones and finished with a respectable 14 points, 6 rebounds and 2 assists. Michigan finds 3-seed Tennessee waiting for them in the next round.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
West Region: 12-seed New Mexico State defeats 5-seed UConn 70-63
New Mexico State grabbed another win for the 12 seeds today as they knocked out UConn in the first round. This game was owned by Aggie guard Teddy Allen, who was locked in after starting the game 0-for-6 and finished with 37 points. New Mexico State as a team shot nearly 65% from three, which proved to be the difference-maker, with the Huskies only hitting 30% from deep. Allen looks to add another hot performance to his March Madness resum&eacute; on Saturday against Arkansas.
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GAMES OF THE DAY
West Region: 9-seed Memphis defeats 8-seed Boise State 64-53
The Memphis Tigers continued their strong play in the latter portion of the season and finished with a big win against Boise State. Memphis went into halftime with a 19-point lead, but a slow start by the Tigers led to the Broncos clawing themselves back into the game. DeAndre Williams ended the game with 14 points while projected NBA Draft lottery pick Jalen Duren had a 10-point, 11-rebound double-double. NBA executives and March Madness fans are getting the Duren-Chet Holmgren matchup they&rsquo;ve been clamoring for since Sunday night, as Memphis takes on Gonzaga this weekend. (This game also featured a surprise cameo from Emoni Bates, who finished with just 3 points in three minutes).
East Region: 7-seed Murray State defeats 10-seed San Francisco 92-87 in overtime
If you stayed up to watch one of the nightcap games of day 1, you probably watched Murray State and San Francisco battle it out. This game saw San Francisco guard Jamaree Bouyea score a career-high 36 points including some big shots to extend the game. However, it wasn&rsquo;t enough for the balanced attack of&nbsp; Murray State&rsquo;s KJ Williams, Trae Hannibal, Tevin Brown and Justice Hill with scoring totals of 18, 18, 17, and 15 (with Hannibal&rsquo;s 18 coming from the bench). The Racers' next test comes from the &ldquo;bracket busters&rdquo; themselves, the Saint Peter&rsquo;s Peacocks this weekend.
OTHER FIRST-ROUND RESULTS
Midwest Region
1-seed Kansas defeats 16-seed Texas Southern
4-seed Providence defeats 13-seed South Dakota State 66-57
9-seed Creighton defeats 8-seed San Diego State 72-69
East Region
1-seed Baylor defeats 16-seed Norfolk State 85-49
4-seed UCLA defeats 13-seed Akron 57- 53
South Region
3-seed Tennessee defeats 14-seed Longwood 88-56
West Region
1-seed Gonzaga defeats 16-seed Georgia State 93-72
4-seed Arkansas defeats 13-seed Vermont 75-71
East Region
8-seed North Carolina defeats 9-seed Marquette 95-63
5-seed Saint Mary&rsquo;s defeats 12-seed Indiana 82-53
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Sixteen teams saw their dreams shatter while 16 teams advanced to the Round of 32. Blake Hairston recaps day one of March Madness.

March Madness: Recapping Day 1 of the 2022 NCAA Tournament

Here are the five best fits with T&mdash;nah, just kidding. This isn&rsquo;t going to be that simplistic.
But a handful of teams should value Orlando Magic swingman Terrence Ross, who is being made available for trade, <a href="https://twitter.com/TheAthleticNBA/status/1470457239097987084" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according to a report from The Athletic</a>. To the surprise of absolutely no one, the desired compensation is highlighted by a first-round pick.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Terrence Ross had the bench going wild 😳 <a href="https://t.co/qXkFA7bWVy">pic.twitter.com/qXkFA7bWVy</a>
&mdash; NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/ESPNNBA/status/1468805359896719363?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 9, 2021</a></blockquote>

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Maybe the Magic could get one, but who knows? The 6-foot-6 wing and 10-year pro will turn 31 years old in February and will make $11.5 million next season &mdash; the last of a <a href="https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2811230-report-terrence-ross-re-signs-with-magic-on-4-year-54m-contract#:~:text=Orlando%20Magic-,Report%3A%20Terrence%20Ross%20Agrees%20to%20Re%2DSign%20with%20Magic%20on,4%2DYear%2C%20%2454M%20Contract&amp;text=The%20Orlando%20Magic%20maintained%20a,according%20to%20ESPN's%20Adrian%20Wojnarowski." target="_blank" rel="noopener">$54 million four-year extension signed in July 2019</a>. Ross&rsquo; salary for this current campaign is listed at $12.5 million.
Additionally, the University of Washington alum is statistically having his worst season since 2017-18, averaging <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/players/terrence-ross-31">10.8 points on 39/30/86 shooting splits</a>, save for his free-throw percentage; it&rsquo;s well below his 13.9 points on 41/35/86 splits in now six seasons with the Magic. But, in fairness, the Magic are 5-23 as of this writing, and you may remember how motivated PJ Tucker looked while toiling away on last season&rsquo;s nomadic Houston Rockets.
Riiight, so let&rsquo;s give Ross a break here.
Ross provides shooting that is consistently streakier than it is sharp. Anyone who never averaged more than 16 points per game in a season but <a href="https://youtu.be/mX03ZWmiwzI" target="_blank" rel="noopener">managed to go for 51</a> before might be one of the reasons there is a microwave badge in every NBA 2K game.
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That said, there are several playoff (and maybe even championship) teams with high aspirations who may want to add an affordable, athletic veteran swingman to bolster their offense.
Boston Celtics
Orlando receives: Juancho Hernang&oacute;mez ($6.9 million), Romeo Langford ($3.8 million) and draft capital
Boston receives: Terrence Ross
Josh Richardson makes $11.6 million this season and $12.2 million next, making for a perfect match... but what for? Juancho Hernang&oacute;mez, like Richardson, is signed through next season, but at only $7.4 million. If you package him with 2019 No. 14 overall pick Romeo Langford, who makes $5.6 million next season, the financial end is taken care of. From there, the Celtics have their <a href="https://www.prosportstransactions.com/basketball/DraftTrades/Future/Celtics.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">own firsts and a ton of second-rounders</a> to play with. The Magic would also get a buy-low option in Langford, which reflects much of what they&rsquo;ve been accumulating in their rebuild anyway.
Denver Nuggets
Orlando receives: JaMychal Green ($8.2 million), Bol Bol ($2.2 million) and draft capital
Denver receives: Terrence Ross
Will Barton ($15.6 million) and Monte Morris ($8.5 million) are the closest to Ross&rsquo; $12.5 million, but neither should be included in this deal. With injuries to Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. &mdash; both of whom could be out for the season &mdash; the Nuggets do need massive help offensively. They signed Davon Reed last week, <a href="https://www.numberfire.com/nba/player-news/186824/davon-reed-starting-for-nuggets-saturday-in-place-of-inactive-will-barton">who has already started a game</a>, and the team is currently 24th in scoring, 27th in pace, and dead last in free-throw attempts.
Even with injuries, a healthy JaMychal Green only sees 14.4 minutes per contest, and Bol Bol is in Year 3 of waiting, only having logged 47 minutes in 10 appearances so far. Green has a player option for $8.2 million next season, and Bol is in the final year of his rookie deal. If any team is inclined to finally free Bol, it&rsquo;s Orlando. <a href="https://www.prosportstransactions.com/basketball/DraftTrades/Future/Nuggets.htm">Regarding draft picks</a>, the Nuggets shouldn&rsquo;t give a first, but they have control of most of their own, save for two. Their 2023 pick is lottery protected and in Oklahoma City, and their 2025 first is top-five protected in, of all places, Orlando. Denver controls its second-rounders from 2024 through 2026 and every year from 2028 onward.
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Phoenix Suns
Orlando receives: Dario Sarić ($8.5 million), Jalen Smith ($4.5 million) and draft capital
Phoenix receives: Terrence Ross
Again, Orlando is 5-23: Why would the Magic care if Sarić &mdash; who tore his ACL during the NBA Finals &mdash; can&rsquo;t play, so long as they could get some sort of draft relief for Ross? Saric is even due $9.2 million next season. Smith, who was drafted No. 10 overall in 2020, is the ultra-rare lottery pick whose <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/suns-admit-mistake-drafting-jalen-smith-no-10-overall-in-2020-declining-thirdyear-option-rare-is-phoenix-suns-declining-jalen-smiths-third-year-option#:~:text=The%20Suns%20declined%20Jalen%20Smith's,this%20season%20at%20%244.4%20million." target="_blank" rel="noopener">third-year option was declined;</a> he will be a free agent in 2022. That said, the Magic could talk themselves into throwing him out there and seeing if he&rsquo;s worth keeping on a team-friendly deal.
To this point, the 21-year-old Smith has logged 213 career minutes over just 35 appearances. This trade package will likely be offered for a Ross-type of player (in salary, not necessarily style), and it works here if you think he&rsquo;s an upgrade in the spot currently occupied by Landry Shamet. The Suns control <a href="https://www.prosportstransactions.com/basketball/DraftTrades/Future/Suns.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">all of their upcoming picks</a> except for their 2022 first-rounder, which is top-12 protected and in OKC, and will likely convey.
THREE-TEAM DEAL CANDIDATES 
When you go through NBA rosters, you realize that the league has a problem related to financial classes. There are a bunch of max or near-max players, and numerous others making sub-$5 million, with a thinning middle-class. Therefore, trades are harder to construct than they seem, even though Ross&rsquo;s salary isn&rsquo;t exorbitant by league standards. That said, other teams could make a play for Ross, but it&rsquo;ll need to be aided by at least one other team&rsquo;s participation.
The Los Angeles Lakers have 10 players on minimum contracts, none higher than the $2.6 million slots occupied by Carmelo Anthony, Trevor Ariza, Rajon Rondo, DeAndre Jordan, Wayne Ellington, Avery Bradley, and Dwight Howard. Kendrick Nunn, who still hasn&rsquo;t played yet, is getting $5 million this season, with a player option for $5.3 million next year. Talen Horton-Tucker is at $9.5 million this season, followed by $10.2 million and an additional $11 million player option afterward, but he most likely isn&rsquo;t getting moved for Ross.&nbsp;
The Philadelphia 76ers can&rsquo;t trade Furkan Korkmaz until March (which is really after the season because the deadline is in February), but it would be ideal to give Ross his minutes. Korkmaz is getting, on average, $5 million a year between now and the 2023-24 season. Danny Green is getting $10 million, but don&rsquo;t count on it. The Sixers will need some help, which will be hard to find mid-season. (Bad enough that they can&rsquo;t <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/examining-potential-trade-destinations-for-ben-simmons-7" target="_blank" rel="noopener">figure out that whole Ben Simmons thing</a>, huh?)

Bryan Fonseca ponders which teams should target Magic microwave scorer Terrence Ross, who is reportedly available.

Examining potential trade destinations for Terrence Ross

It&rsquo;s time for another fun seven-game slate on Sunday in the NBA. Here on &ldquo;Nothing But Bets,&rdquo; our daily NBA betting show on the <a href="http://BasketballNews.com">BasketballNews.com</a> podcast network, we&rsquo;re ready to unveil our picks against the spread for the action.
As always, our odds are provided by TwinSpires Sportsbook and over/under prop bets are provided by PrizePicks. So far this season, &ldquo;Nothing But Bets&rdquo; is carrying a 99-77-2 record&nbsp; (56.2%).
It&rsquo;s hammering time!
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Los Angeles Lakers (-2.5) vs. San Antonio Spurs
The Lakers continue to struggle without LeBron James in the starting lineup, but this feels like a good bounce-back opportunity against the Spurs. After Anthony Davis <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/anthony-davis-rips-76-lakers-a-championship-team-not-us-right-now" target="_blank" rel="noopener">lit into the team postgame recently</a>, I think they use that as fuel to pounce all over San Antonio. Hammer the Lakers to cover the 2.5-point spread, plus the following over/under power play on PrizePicks: Davis over 25.5 points, Dejounte Murray over 17.5 points, Davis over 10.5 rebounds, Davis over 3.5 free throws made.
Atlanta Hawks (-1.5) vs. Milwaukee Bucks
Until the Hawks can snap out of their current funk, it&rsquo;s hard to trust them in a betting situation. At home against the defending champion Milwaukee Bucks, who knocked them out in the Eastern Conference Finals, I&rsquo;m expecting a back-and-forth contest. However, I&rsquo;m siding with the Bucks here to cover and win outright in Atlanta. Giannis Antetokounmpo leads the way with a dominant performance as the Bucks continue to thrive as an underdog on lines. Let&rsquo;s lock in this over/under on PrizePicks: Giannis over 27.5 points, Grayson Allen over 13.5 points, Giannis over 10.5 rebounds, Giannis over 5.5 assists.
Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Brooklyn Nets (-9)
We&rsquo;ve been on the Thunder train recently, but it comes to a screeching halt on Sunday against the Nets. Former Thunder players Kevin Durant and James Harden should have monster outings and lead Brooklyn to a comfortable double-digit victory. OKC has kept it close with better teams before, but if the Nets&rsquo; dynamic duo goes off, it&rsquo;s going to be almost impossible to keep up. Hammer the Nets -9 as one of the best bets of the day, plus the following power play on PrizePicks: Durant over 28.5 points, Harden over 22.5 points, Durant over 8.5 rebounds, Harden over 3 threes, Durant over 2 threes.
Charlotte Hornets vs. Golden State Warriors (-5)
Until the juggernaut Warriors lose, we&rsquo;re not going against them. Stephen Curry returns to where he played college ball at Davidson, and more often than not it leads to fireworks. Expect a fun battle between Curry and LaMelo Ball, but bet on Golden State to win and cover. Hammer the Warriors -5, plus the following prop on PrizePicks: Curry over 29.5 points, Ball over 19.5 points, Ball over 7 assists, Ball over 6.5 rebounds, Curry over 5.5 threes.
Houston Rockets vs. Phoenix Suns (-8.5)
The Suns are officially in a groove right now, and I don&rsquo;t expect it to stop today in Houston. Even without Deandre Ayton, the Suns should cruise in this one. Easily go with the Suns here to cover the 8.5-point spread behind an all-around fantastic outing from their backcourt spearheaded by Devin Booker and Chris Paul. On PrizePicks, tail me on this Suns-centric power play: Booker over 23.5 points, Mikal Bridges over 12.5 points, Jae Crowder over 9.5 points, Booker over 5.5 rebounds, Booker over 4.5 assists.
Denver Nuggets (-6.5) vs. Portland Trail Blazers
With Damian Lillard not playing tonight, we&rsquo;re locking in the Nuggets to cover. This is a golden opportunity for Denver to put out a statement win at home, including a monster outing from MVP Nikola Jokic. Honestly, I don&rsquo;t expect this one to be close. Hammer the Nuggets to cover the 6.5-point spread and tail the idea of Jokic going nuclear versus the Blazers on PrizePicks: Jokic over 25.5 points, Will Barton over 15.5 points, Jokic over 12.5 rebounds, Jokic over 7 assists.
Los Angeles Clippers (-4) vs. Chicago Bulls
Paul George has been so awesome to watch so far this season, and he&rsquo;s the main reason why the Clippers are making some serious moves in the Western Conference standings right now. Riding a big winning streak into a huge home matchup against Chicago, we&rsquo;re siding with George and the Clippers to pull off the victory and cover the spread. This is a great chance for George to flex his muscles a little bit as an under-the-radar MVP candidate once again. Hammer the Clippers -4 as another best bet. As of writing this, there&rsquo;s no PrizePicks props currently available. Check back into our Twitter page (<a href="https://twitter.com/NothingButBets_" target="_blank" rel="noopener">@NothingButBets_</a>) for our official power play parlay.
Recapping our picks on &ldquo;Nothing But Bets,&rdquo; here&rsquo;s who I&rsquo;m rolling with for Sunday&rsquo;s slate: Lakers -2.5, Bucks +1.5, Nets -9, Warriors -5, Suns -8.5, Nuggets -6.5, Clippers -4.
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Alongside our "Nothing But Bets" podcast on BasketballNews.com, our daily picks will be posted each day.

Nothing But Bets: NBA Projections for 11/14/21

It&rsquo;s time for our latest picks against the spread with &ldquo;Nothing But Bets,&rdquo; our daily NBA betting podcast hosted by yours truly. Each morning, we provide you the edge when canvassing the daily market for a fun slate of action. On Wednesday, a monster 13-game slate is in store, and we have you covered from all angles.
As always, our odds are provided by TwinSpires Sportsbook and over/under prop bets are provided by PrizePicks. Over the last two days, &ldquo;Nothing But Bets&rdquo; is 9-2 against the spread, including an undefeated 3-0 mark on Tuesday. Overall this season, we&rsquo;re carrying an 81-63 record (56.3%).
Did you know we&rsquo;ve also made $7,000 on PrizePicks power plays over the last week? If you haven&rsquo;t tailed yet, it&rsquo;s time to do get in on the over/under action. Without further ado, it&rsquo;s hammering time!
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Orlando Magic vs. Brooklyn Nets (-9)
It&rsquo;s hard to envision a scenario where the Magic win this game, let alone cover the 9-point spread against Brooklyn. Kevin Durant is in the MVP race right now playing at an extremely high level. Also, James Harden is working his way through the new foul rules and beginning to find his footing. Orlando has a fun young core, but that group is no match for the Nets on Wednesday night. Tail this over/under power play on PrizePicks: Durant over 28.5 points, Harden over 20.5 points, Cole Anthony over 18.5 points, Joe Harris over 2.5 threes, Durant over 2 threes.
Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Washington Wizards (-3)
It will be interesting to see <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/with-collin-sexton-sidelined-whos-next-man-up-for-cavs" target="_blank" rel="noopener">how the Cavaliers maneuver their offensive production with Collin Sexton out with a meniscus injury</a> suffered at Madison Square Garden against the New York Knicks. Expect to see Ricky Rubio take on an increased role, plus Darius Garland to have an ultra green light to shoot from deep. However, in this matchup, we&rsquo;re rolling with the road favorite in Washington. The Wizards&rsquo; well-balanced rotation around Bradley Beal has been paying huge dividends so far. For that reason, we&rsquo;re rolling with Washington against the Sexton-less Cavaliers. On PrizePicks, here&rsquo;s another enticing over/under power play: Beal over 26.5 points, Garland over 19.5 points, Evan Mobley over 17.5 points, Jarrett Allen over 12.5 rebounds, Rubio over 6.5 assists.
Houston Rockets (-3.5) vs. Detroit Pistons
In a battle between the two top picks in the 2021 NBA Draft, this should be a matchup where you sit on the couch and grab some popcorn for the entertainment value. Sure, it&rsquo;s two tanking teams going nowhere, but Cade Cunningham vs. Jalen Green is box office material on its own. For the first time this season, we&rsquo;re going with the Pistons to cover the 3.5-point spread on the road. In Round 1, give me Cunningham over Green. No surprise, on PrizePicks we&rsquo;re locking in a rookie-heavy prop: Jerami Grant over 20.5 points, Christian Wood over 19.5 points, Cunningham over 15.5 points, Green over 13.5 points, Cunningham over 5.5 rebounds.
New York Knicks (-4) vs. Milwaukee Bucks
Milwaukee looks to get revenge after it blew a 20-point lead at home against the Knicks last week. This time around, New York is the 4-point favorite with the Bucks on the second night of a back-to-back. Even as the underdog, give me the Bucks in this matchup. I&rsquo;m expecting a monster outing from Giannis Antetokounmpo under the bright lights of MSG to get this one done. Lock in Bucks +4 and the following power play on PrizePicks: Giannis over 27.5 points, Grayson Allen over 13.5 points, Giannis over 10.5 rebounds, Giannis over 5 assists.
Boston Celtics (-2) vs. Toronto Raptors
I&rsquo;m forecasting a huge night from Jayson Tatum, which should propel the Celtics over Toronto. Jaylen Brown is out tonight, but I get the feeling that we'll see one of those special outings from Tatum. Toronto has been a feisty team against the spread, especially with its fun, young wing duo in OG Anunoby and Scottie Barnes. On PrizePicks, we&rsquo;re banking on Tatum to lead us to a power play win: Tatum over 26.5 points, Anunoby over 17.5 points, Barnes over 12.5 points, Barnes over 6.5 rebounds, Tatum over 3 threes.
Memphis Grizzlies (-5) vs. Charlotte Hornets
The Hornets&rsquo; defense is a dumpster fire right now, and it&rsquo;s hard to see how they escape it anytime soon. Charlotte is in desperate need of <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/pacers-facing-a-key-decision-point-later-on-with-chris-duarte-early-emergence" target="_blank" rel="noopener">making a trade for an elite rim-protector</a> (*cough* Myles Turner *cough*), which could finally lift them to being a legitimate playoff contender. On the road in Memphis, though, I&rsquo;m hammering the Grizzlies to cover the 5-point spread. It&rsquo;s going to be a shootout, but I trust the Grizzlies way more to get a few stops when it matters compared to Charlotte. On PrizePicks, I&rsquo;m rolling with the idea of a very high-scoring game for the over/under power play: Ja Morant over 23.5 points, Miles Bridges over 20.5 points, LaMelo Ball over 19.5 points, Desmond Bane over 13.5 points, Morant over 1.5 threes.
Chicago Bulls (-3.5) vs. Dallas Mavericks
Even though the Mavericks have the best player on the floor in Luka Doncic, it&rsquo;s hard to trust them against an above-average opponent. Dallas has feasted on the bad teams, but struggled against ones who are actually consistent. That&rsquo;s no different for my prediction tonight, locking in Chicago to cover the 3.5-point spread. Expect huge outings from Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan to send the Bulls to victory. Let&rsquo;s ride with this prop on PrizePicks: Doncic over 25.5 points, LaVine over 25.5 points, DeRozan over 23.5 points, DeRozan over 0.5 threes.
New Orleans Pelicans (-4.5) vs. Oklahoma City Thunder
Hop on board of the Thunder being a fun team to actually cover spreads this season. They&rsquo;ve already busted so many parlays this season, and tonight should be no different. How in the world are the Pelicans 4.5-point favorites over OKC? Right now, the Pelicans are in a complete tailspin. Betting on New Orleans is not a wise investment, so we&rsquo;re hammering the Thunder to cover +4.5. It&rsquo;s tailing time on this fun PrizePicks power play: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander over 22.5 points, Josh Giddey over 10.5 points, Gilgeous-Alexander over 4.5 rebounds, Gilgeous-Alexander over 4.5 assists.
San Antonio Spurs (-1) vs. Sacramento Kings
The underdog theme continues for today&rsquo;s picks, as I&rsquo;m betting on the Kings to win outright in San Antonio. Sacramento has been a tad inconsistent, but I think it is just the better team overall here against the Spurs. After almost pulling off a 24-point comeback late on Monday versus the Phoenix Suns, Sacramento is showing some real resilience. Hammer the Kings at +1 and the following over/unders via PrizePicks: De&rsquo;Aaron Fox over 21.5 points, Harrison Barnes over 18.5 points, Fox over 6 assists, Barnes over 2 threes.
Denver Nuggets vs. Indiana Pacers (-3)
There will be no Nikola Jokic tonight for Denver, as he serves his one-game suspension for<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nikola-jokic-markieff-morris-ejected-after-back-and-forth-altercation" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> hitting Markieff Morris from behind Monday</a>. Also, the Nuggets will be without Michael Porter Jr. for the foreseeable future due to a back injury. Denver is without its top three scorers, so we&rsquo;re betting on Indiana to get the job done at altitude. (If you haven&rsquo;t already, go check out my <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/pacers-facing-a-key-decision-point-later-on-with-chris-duarte-early-emergence" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Pacers story from earlier today</a> as well in regards to Chris Duarte's emergence.) Here are our over/under leans on PrizePicks for this matchup: Will Barton over 18.5 points, Domantas Sabonis over 16.5 points, Sabonis over 10.5 rebounds, Sabonis over 4.5 assists.
Phoenix Suns (-5) vs. Portland Trail Blazers
Deandre Ayton is out once again for the Suns tonight against the Trail Blazers, but the momentum is very much in their favor right now. As the winners of five straight, it&rsquo;s hard to envision the Suns losing this one against the very inconsistent Blazers. When will Damian Lillard snap out of his shooting funk? Until he snaps that stretch, it&rsquo;s hard to bet on Portland. Hammer Phoenix to cover the 5-point spread and the following props on PrizePicks: Devin Booker over 24.5 points, Jusuf Nurkic over 10.5 rebounds, Chris Paul over 9.5 assists, Booker over 2 threes.
Los Angeles Lakers vs. Miami Heat (-4.5)
Miami is going to be super-charged up after what happened in Denver on Monday. Against the LeBron James-less Lakers, who continue to struggle without the best player of this generation, we&rsquo;re hammering the Heat to cover the 4.5-point spread. This feels like a statement game opportunity for Jimmy Butler, so we&rsquo;re leaning heavily in his direction for our PrizePicks over/under power play here: Butler over 23.5 points, Carmelo Anthony over 16 points, Bam Adebayo over 9.5 rebounds, Butler over 6.5 rebounds, Butler over 6 assists. Miami is a <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/heat-showcasing-early-on-why-they-belong-in-the-nbas-elite-tier" target="_blank" rel="noopener">real threat to make it out of the Eastern Conference</a> this season, so this is another chance to notch a huge win.
Golden State Warriors (-7.5) vs. Minnesota Timberwolves
Hammer this spread all the way in favor of Golden State. Stephen Curry is the early MVP favorite, and I expect another huge outing from him against Minnesota&rsquo;s backcourt. The Warriors are clicking on all cylinders, and they&rsquo;re only going to get better once Klay Thompson is back later on. Golden State landed at No. 1 in the <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-power-rankings-golden-state-warriors-come-in-at-no-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">BasketballNews.com Power Rankings</a> this week, so we&rsquo;re riding that momentum and taking the Warriors to cover. Tail this over/under power play on PrizePicks, too: Curry over 30.5 points, Karl-Anthony Towns over 23.5 points, Anthony Edwards over 22.5 points, Curry over 6 assists, Curry over 5.5 assists.
Recapping our picks here on &ldquo;Nothing But Bets,&rdquo; here&rsquo;s who I&rsquo;m rolling with for Wednesday&rsquo;s slate: Nets -9, Wizards -3, Pistons +3.5, Bucks +4, Celtics -2, Grizzlies -5, Bulls -3.5, Thunder +4.5, Kings +1, Pacers -3, Suns -5, Heat -4.5, Warriors -7.5.
All users that deposit and use the promo code NEWS on Prize Picks will receive a 100% instant deposit match up to $100! <a href="https://app.prizepicks.com/sign-up?invite_code=News" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sign up here</a>.

Nothing But Bets: NBA Projections for 11/10/21

Let&rsquo;s drop off our &ldquo;Nothing But Bets&rdquo; daily NBA picks against the spread here on <a href="http://BasketballNews.com">BasketballNews.com</a> for an awesome Saturday slate of games.
All odds are provided by TwinSpires Sportsbook. Player over/under prop picks are from our sponsor, Prize Picks. We&rsquo;ve hit three power play over/under bets over the last three days ($300 total to win $3,000)! Will we hit another one today and increase the massive bankroll even further heading into the weekend?
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Denver Nuggets (-11.5) vs. Houston Rockets
When Nikola Jokic is firing on all cylinders, the Nuggets are so tough to defend. Add in when the role players are hitting shots, the degree of difficulty to pull off the victory against Denver heightens. In this matchup against an inexperienced Rockets team, I&rsquo;m hammering the Nuggets to cover the massive 11.5-point spread. Nobody on Houston stacks up to defend Jokic, so forecasting a massive game from Jokic is a super wise investment play. Here&rsquo;s how to stack a solid power play over/under prop bet on Prize Picks for this one: Jokic over 26.5 points, Will Barton over 15.5 points, Jokic over 13.5 rebounds, Jokic over 6.5 assists, Jokic over 1.5 threes.
Miami Heat (-2) vs. Utah Jazz
These two teams are going to put on a prize fight in South Beach on Saturday night. Both the Heat and Jazz have been clicking at a high level to begin this season. In this round, though, I&rsquo;m rolling with the road underdog in Utah. The Jazz have been so efficient on both ends of the floor, and Rudy Gobert controlling the paint is going to be a massive deterrent for Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo around the basket. Give the Jazz at +2 and the outright win on the moneyline odds. Projecting a big game from Gobert, plus Utah&rsquo;s three-point shooters, here&rsquo;s a over/under power play to tail: Butler under 22.5 points, Adebayo under 17.5 points, Gobert over 13.5 rebounds, Adebayo under 9.5 rebounds, Bojan Bogdanovic over 2 threes.
Chicago Bulls (-4) vs. Philadelphia 76ers
Philadelphia is missing its defensive stopper on the perimeter in Matisse Thybulle, who entered health and safety protocols last night. That&rsquo;s a worst-case scenario when playing against Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan in Chicago. Hammer the Bulls to cover the 4-point spread here, especially as the shorthanded Sixers play without Tobias Harris and Thybulle. On Prize Picks, this power play was too enticing not to roll the dice on: LaVine over 24.5 points, DeRozan over 23.5 points, Lonzo Ball over 4.5 assists, LaVine over 2.5 threes. These two teams are pretty evenly matched, but we&rsquo;re siding with the home team who isn&rsquo;t missing two key contributors.
Dallas Mavericks (-3.5) vs. Boston Celtics
This is going to be so fun to watch, folks. Luka Doncic vs. Jayson Tatum will have me on the edge of my seat throughout, and it&rsquo;s easy to see big scoring nights from the both of them. Again, two teams who are pretty even across the board. Another similar trait they share are early-season inconsistencies, so something has to give tonight in Dallas. I&rsquo;m rolling with Luka and the Mavericks to win and cover the 3.5-point spread. It should be close throughout, but Doncic helps Dallas win by multiple possessions late. If you&rsquo;re in the same camp as me projecting huge nights from Doncic and Tatum, this is an intriguing over/under prop to tail on Prize Picks: Tatum over 26.5 points, Doncic over 26 points, Doncic over 7.5 rebounds, Doncic over 2.5 threes, Tatum over 2.5 threes.
Phoenix Suns (-4) vs. Atlanta Hawks
Deandre Ayton is a late scratch to this duel in the Valley tonight due to a leg contusion, which has now sidelined him for the Suns&rsquo; last three games. The spread has been bumped down a point from -5 to -4, but we still love the Suns in this situation. Chris Paul is maneuvering the offense like a quarterback right now, putting up career-best assist totals. I expect that train to keep rolling against Trae Young and the Hawks. Devin Booker and Mikal Bridges have settled into being the top two scoring options for Phoenix, and another big night should be in store for this wing duo. Atlanta will keep this one close, especially without Ayton, but I&rsquo;m not backing off my projection I mentioned on &ldquo;Nothing But Bets&rdquo; about the Suns covering. Hammer Phoenix at -4, plus the following over/under props on Prize Picks: Booker over 24.5 points, Bridges over 13.5 points, Paul over 10 assists, Bridges over 1.5 threes.
Portland Trail Blazers (-5.5) vs. Los Angeles Lakers
This is one I&rsquo;ve been waffling back-and-forth on. The LeBron James-less Lakers travel to Portland to take on the Trail Blazers, who are on the second night of a back-to-back after beating the Indiana Pacers in a closely-contested battle. Damian Lillard&rsquo;s shooting struggles are still there in a big-time manner, while the Lakers continue to look lost at points without LeBron on the floor. The Lakers have lost to the tanking Oklahoma City Thunder twice already this season. So, with questions on both sides, I&rsquo;m rolling with Portland at home. However, I don&rsquo;t feel good enough to back the 5.5-point spread. I&rsquo;m just going with the straight-up moneyline bet on the Blazers to win outright in this situation. On Prize Picks, here&rsquo;s another fun over/under prop: CJ McCollum over 22.5 points, Russell Westbrook over 10.5 assists, Jusuf Nurkic over 10 rebounds, McCollum over 3 threes.
Recapping our picks here on &ldquo;Nothing But Bets,&rdquo; here&rsquo;s who I&rsquo;m rolling with tonight: Nuggets -11.5, Jazz ML (+2), Bulls -4, Mavericks -3.5, Suns -4, Trail Blazers ML.
All users that deposit and use the promo code NEWS on Prize Picks will receive a 100% instant deposit match up to $100! <a href="https://app.prizepicks.com/sign-up?invite_code=News" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sign up here</a>.

Nothing But Bets: NBA Projections for 11/6/21

The NBA is already in wonderful hands, with the next generation of young stars ready to take the baton very soon. Each year, so many incredible talents join the Association and various franchises help develop them into full-fledged gems. At this point, who are the top-10 players under 25 years old?
Below is a ranking of players under age-25 based on their current standing in the league. This list doesn't factor in their upside or long-term potential, just their current contributions. If you&rsquo;re wondering where players like Devin Booker, Jamal Murray and Donovan Mitchell are, I excluded players who will turn 25 years old during the upcoming NBA campaign.
Without further ado, let&rsquo;s dive into the list of franchise-changing stars.
LUKA DONCIC, DALLAS MAVERICKS
Doncic is the favorite to win this season's NBA MVP award for good reason. He&rsquo;s already established himself as one of the best players in the league with an effortless, beautiful brand of basketball that allows him to fill the stat sheet. Each year, Doncic has significantly improved various aspects of his game. We haven&rsquo;t seen a prospect get off to this kind of start in the NBA since LeBron James, which puts Doncic on a generational path.
Doncic has already reached a level where he can carry his Dallas Mavericks to a playoff berth, and potentially to a top-four seed in 2021-22 with another leap. Next, he'll try to help the Mavs win their first playoff series since their championship run in 2011. The Slovenian phenom has next, and he certainly seems poised to take over the league. And while this ranking is solely based on each player's current contributions, it's wild to think that Doncic is still only 22 years old (meaning he's younger than some of the incoming rookies, including Davion Mitchell and Chris Duarte).
TRAE YOUNG, ATLANTA HAWKS
After an Eastern Conference Finals appearance, Young has reached league-wide superstardom. Everything clicked together for the Hawks when Nate McMillan took over for Lloyd Pierce as head coach. Atlanta rode this momentum while Young took a leap and became one of the best point guards in the Association.
Young can go off for 30-to-40 points whenever he pleases, and his playmaking ability is reminiscent of a young Steve Nash. Young&rsquo;s trajectory is to the moon, and Atlanta gaining postseason experience with last year's deep playoff run should only help Young. This season, it'll be interesting to see how Young adjusts to the <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/how-the-nba-is-trying-to-eliminate-unnatural-foulbaiting" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NBA's new rules against unnatural foul-baiting</a> (which were added in large part due to him).
JAYSON TATUM, BOSTON CELTICS
Tatum is one of my favorite NBA betting <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/5-best-bets-on-future-nba-awardwinners" target="_blank" rel="noopener">dark-horse options to win MVP</a>. Boston has built a team around Tatum that allows him to continuously produce buckets. Once the calendar hit March, Tatum averaged nearly 30 points per game with an impressive efficiency clip. Alongside Jaylen Brown, who turns 25 years old next month, Boston&rsquo;s dynamic wing duo could vault the Celtics into the Eastern Conference's second tier of contenders.
Among the young wings in the league, I&rsquo;m riding with Tatum to be the most valuable in 2021-22 and beyond. He&rsquo;s just now realizing how special of a scorer he can become in Boston.
ZION WILLIAMSON, NEW ORLEANS PELICANS
Williamson has already seen immense organizational turnover around him in the Bayou State. Through it all, he&rsquo;s still showcasing superstar potential on a nightly basis. Williamson just averaged 27.0 points in his age-20 season. And with the Pelicans building a <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/by-making-zion-williamsons-job-easier-the-pelicans-should-finally-have-real-playoff-potential" target="_blank" rel="noopener">more competent rotation</a> to space the floor, Williamson could average 30-plus points per game in 2021-22.
Williamson is a titan in the paint, and he should continue to establish his dominance throughout his career. Soon enough, New Orleans is going to become a force to be reckoned with thanks to Williamson and the rest of their young core.
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BAM ADEBAYO, MIAMI HEAT
It&rsquo;s hard to name an NBA big man who's more versatile than Adebayo. Not only can Bam score effectively around the rim with an improving range, he can also run the offense and protect the rim with the best of &lsquo;em. Adebayo already plays such a pivotal role for the Heat, and he&rsquo;s going to be a critical piece this season as they hope to make an NBA Finals run.
If Adebayo continues to develop into a more well-rounded scorer throughout his prime, he will quickly become one of the best overall bigs in the NBA. Having Kyle Lowry as his point guard will do wonders for him immediately as well.
BRANDON INGRAM, NEW ORLEANS PELICANS
Ingram is flying under the radar right now, and he shouldn&rsquo;t anymore. After his first All-Star appearance in 2019-20, Ingram still flashed jaw-dropping scoring capabilities as a perfect sidekick alongside Zion Williamson.
Ingram can score from all three levels while also drawing fouls at a star-like rate. Once everything clicks together &ndash; and he if shows improved defensive acumen &ndash; he could crack the top-five of this list next season.
SHAI GILGEOUS-ALEXANDER, OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER
Oklahoma City nabbing SGA in the Paul George trade was a franchise-altering moment for the organization. Sure, the Thunder are continuing their tanking efforts by stockpiling copious amounts of draft picks throughout the 2020s, but Gilgeous-Alexander has quickly emerged as one of the most promising young players in the NBA.
Somehow, the Thunder were floating around .500 near last year's All-Star break thanks in large part to Gilgeous-Alexander&rsquo;s brilliance. Last season, SGA averaged 23.7 points, 5.9 assists and 4.7 rebounds while posting a 62.3 True Shooting percentage.
Gilgeous-Alexander plays a unique brand of basketball and he should only continue to improve as the Thunder&rsquo;s No. 1 option moving forward. SGA has earned his place as the face of the franchise in Oklahoma City. Now, let&rsquo;s hope the Thunder can use their draft picks and assets to surround him with talent during his prime years.
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JA MORANT, MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES
Morant is so much fun to watch. The modern-day version of prime Derrick Rose, Morant&rsquo;s explosive scoring components bring endless amounts of energy to this new era of Memphis Grizzlies basketball. In his second season, Morant helped push Memphis to the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference and gave their young core some much-needed playoff experience. He can already create endless match-up problems in transition and isolation situations, and he should continue to improve as a perimeter scorer.
Morant has yet to average at least 20.0 points per game in his career, but that leap should happen in 2021-22. If the Grizzlies improve upon their impressive finish to last season, it will be in large part due to Morant taking the next step in his development.
DE&rsquo;AARON FOX, SACRAMENTO KINGS
It&rsquo;s a shame the Kings have yet to make real progress throughout Fox&rsquo;s career, because he continues to add more tricks to his bag. Last season, Fox averaged a career-high 25.2 points on a 56.5 True Shooting percentage. With some impressive draft picks in the last two years (Tyrese Haliburton and Davion Mitchell), maybe we'll finally see the Kings break their 15-year long playoff drought sometime soon.
Fox will climb this list if he works on his three-point shooting and free-throw efficiency. Thus far, Fox has shot a pedestrian 32.6% on three-pointers plus 71.8% on free throw attempts over the course of his four-year career. Even if those percentages don&rsquo;t significantly improve, Fox is already a blur in transition who continues to put up impressive outings on a nightly basis.
DEANDRE AYTON, PHOENIX SUNS
If Ayton could create for himself as a scorer, he would be much higher on this list. Although Ayton won&rsquo;t pop as a 20-plus-point-per-game big just yet, his career development is taking an interesting turn following the Suns&rsquo; improbable NBA Finals run. Playing the No. 3 role behind Devin Booker and Chris Paul, Ayton embraced doing all the dirty work &mdash; hard screens, dominating the glass, protecting the rim while staying out of foul trouble, etc.
Ayton is becoming a more valuable big in playoff situations than Rudy Gobert. Yes, that might seem like a hot take right now, but the exponential growth we saw from Ayton as a defensive anchor has changed his trajectory entirely. As one of the most efficient paint scorers to go along with elite-level defense with versatility to guard ball-handlers on switches, Ayton is the perfect center for playoff situations.
Ayton should eventually jump back into the primary No. 2 role alongside Booker as Paul ages gracefully into his new four-year, $120 million extension. In the meantime, Ayton has already thrived on the biggest stage, proving how valuable his skill set is in today's NBA. This season, Ayton will be one of the most intriguing players to follow for this very reason. And if takes a step forward with his self-creation, that would change the game again for the Bahamian big.

A new era of young stars are taking over the NBA. Which under-25 players will crack the top-10?

Ranking the top-10 players under age-25 for the 2021-22 season

"Eight Mile Rock solid." That&rsquo;s what I said of the Bahamian-born Buddy Hield.
Selected with the sixth overall pick of the 2016 NBA Draft, Hield immediately became the torchbearer for an entire generation of Caribbean-born basketball players who long dreamed of translating their dominance on the track to the hardwood.
Although scores of first-generation Caribbean players had found stardom in the United States and in Canada, Caribbean nationals have seldom found success in the NBA, much less as lottery picks.
That is, <a href="https://www.basketballinsiders.com/nba-sunday-buddy-hield-defying-the-odds/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">until Hield</a>. Hailing from a town called Eight Mile Rock in the Bahamas, Hield&rsquo;s hope was that scores of others would take the baton from him and sprint toward the winning post.
Deandre Ayton has.
Ayton&rsquo;s basketball story is one littered with the exact same obstacles and blessings as his fellow countryman who was drafted two years before him. But as a key member of the Western Conference Champion Phoenix Suns, he's experienced a higher level of success.
Ayton was selected with the first overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft. To some, he may have seemed like just another big man in a long line of those selected first overall, but the Caribbean-born Ayton&rsquo;s selection became a beacon of hope not only for the Bahamas, but for the Caribbean at large. The region is still relatively untapped, though the NBA has slowly begun to come around to the fact that the area is a basketball-talent goldmine.
At Barclays Center on the night of the 2018 NBA Draft, dozens of Ayton&rsquo;s friends and family were in attendance, as were throngs of media from his native Bahamas. And when we eventually sat down for a one-on-one conversation, Ayton&rsquo;s messaging to me was clear&hellip;
I&rsquo;m not the best of us. And I hope to open the door for the entire Caribbean community.
As the Phoenix Suns arrive on the precipice of their first-ever NBA Championship, that mission is far from accomplished, but it&rsquo;s safe to say that Ayton has done all that he can to ensure that the well-kept secret gets out.
&ldquo;There&rsquo;s a lot of them,&rdquo; Ayton told me in 2018 when asked about other talented players in the Caribbean.
&ldquo;Yeah, there&rsquo;s a lot, especially in basketball. Guys just need the opportunities.&rdquo;
With Chris Paul and Devin Booker helping to show him the way, Ayton has made the most of his. He enters Game 5 of the 2021 NBA Finals averaging 15.8 points, 12.2 rebounds and 1.0 block while shooting 68.1% from the field during the 2021 postseason &mdash; his first playoff appearance and coming-out party.
It&rsquo;s safe to say that Phoenix probably wouldn&rsquo;t be in this position without Ayton's efforts. Paul and Booker have said as much.
<img src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/ayton223_lg.jpg" alt="" width="750" height="404" />
Looking back on our sitdown in 2018, it&rsquo;s difficult to ignore his messaging and his motivation.
&ldquo;I think it was in the pre-draft, when they were doing the lottery for the teams, I was saying &lsquo;Hey, you know, there&rsquo;s times where I just wanna go back and not have people have to leave the Caribbean to exceed their goals,&rdquo; he said back then.
And since then, he&rsquo;s quietly dedicated himself to bringing attention down to the Antilles &mdash; the same attention that eluded him for far too long.
One of the major turning points for him, he recalled, was attending the Basketball Without Borders camp in Toronto in 2016. There, aside from receiving instruction and inspiration from Yao Ming, he rubbed shoulders with the likes of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Rui Hachimura, Frank Ntilikina, Thon Maker and others. The neophytes all hoped to make it in the NBA. Some have succeeded, many haven&rsquo;t.
Nonetheless, the experience opened Ayton&rsquo;s eyes, in a number of ways.
&ldquo;I met Yao Ming, that was the exciting part of it,&rdquo; Ayton recalled in 2018. &ldquo;I played with different players, you had kids my age, 14, 15, that were playing pro and you know their IQ and the way how they handle themselves was way more mature, and you wanna be mature too. If a kid is your age and you see his swag on and off the floor, being around players helps you develop, so I just fed off of them.&rdquo;
From then to now &mdash; in just three short years &mdash; he&rsquo;s come pretty far.
The road from Nassau, Bahamas to the NBA Finals has been long, but it has been as inspiring for those coming behind Ayton as it&rsquo;s been fulfilling for him.
&ldquo;As a foreigner, it&rsquo;s not gonna be easy,&rdquo; Ayton said of the journey. &ldquo;There&rsquo;s a lot of trials and tribulations, you just gotta keep pushing&hellip; If you really wanna succeed in your craft, you will be successful.&rdquo;
Ayton recalled some of the struggles he encountered along the way, and as he looked forward to becoming a force in the league, he looked back at them with a smile.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s not easy&hellip; Especially if you&rsquo;re coming out the Bahamas young," Ayton said. "People mess with your accent, there&rsquo;s all types of trolls around you, and if you&rsquo;re not good starting out, people are gonna doubt you and put you down.&rdquo;
He encountered the doubters. He heard people question his desire to be great and whether he could help anchor a championship contender. Those questions have now been answered. Emphatically.
&ldquo;You just gotta find some type of motivation that can give you an outlet and just have you keep going. Basketball is my outlet, so when I&rsquo;m not in [a good] mood, I just play basketball. It&rsquo;s something to do to get your mind off of [negative] things,&rdquo; he said back then.
For those who have been around Ayton from the beginning, his growth has been appreciable. And with the arrival of Chris Paul, he has the opportunity to play with a point guard who has a long legacy of maximizing and effectively utilizing his big man. Ayton now joins a long list of big men that includes David West, Tyson Chandler, Emeka Okafor, Blake Griffin, DeAndre Jordan and Clint Capela &mdash; all of whom enjoyed some of their most productive years playing alongside the Point God.
In a league where guards dominate the ball more than ever, perhaps we all now realize what&rsquo;s been missing for Ayton &mdash; someone who can effectively and consistently set the table.
In his own right, though, Ayton has developed the skills necessary for a big man who wishes to succeed in today's NBA, which embraces switching on the defensive end and floor-spacing on offense. He&rsquo;s unusually quick and nimble for a man his size and is a better-than-advertised midrange shooter.
As he enters next season &mdash; the final year of his rookie contract &mdash; win or lose in these Finals, the Suns will have an important decision to make with respect to the investment they wish to make in the big man.
Ayton, to his credit, has made it a rather easy decision.
Nonetheless, as he approaches stardom in the NBA as well as the most elusive goal, a championship, through it all, he hasn&rsquo;t forgotten where it all began &mdash; on an outdoor court in Nassau.
Dreaming of becoming one of the few Caribbean-born NBA champions, Ayton&rsquo;s journey is really just beginning.
Already having traveled pretty far &mdash; in a number of ways &mdash; that&rsquo;s perhaps what&rsquo;s most inspiring.

Deandre Ayton's success with the Suns has become a beacon of hope not only for the Bahamas, but for the Caribbean at large.

From the Bahamas to the NBA Finals, Deandre Ayton shouldered the load

PHOENIX (AP) &mdash; Chris Paul had 17 points and 15 assists without a turnover, Devin Booker added 18 points and 10 rebounds and the Phoenix Suns routed the Denver Nuggets 123-98 on Wednesday night to take a 2-0 lead in the Western Conference Semifinals.
Deandre Ayton had 16 points and 10 rebounds, and Mikal Bridges added 16 points for the balanced Suns. Paul was particularly impressive and it appears his ailing right shoulder &mdash; which greatly limited his play against the Lakers in the first round &mdash; isn't much of a problem anymore. He had 21 points and 11 assists in the Game 1.
Nikola Jokic had 24 points and 13 rebounds for Denver, a day after getting the NBA&rsquo;s Most Valuable Player award. But the Nuggets couldn&rsquo;t find anyone else to score consistently, leaving them reeling going back to Denver for Game 3 on Friday night.
The Suns had a 10-point halftime lead Wednesday and Jae Crowder added a pair of 3-pointers early in the third to make it 60-43. Phoenix took an 86-67 advantage into the fourth. The Suns led by 31 in the final quarter.
Crowder had another good night as the Suns' long-range shooter and enforcer. He and Denver's Aaron Gordon were each called for a technical foul after they exchanged words and shoves midway through the third. On the next possession, Crowder coaxed Gordon into committing an offensive foul, much to the delight of the 16,529 at Phoenix Suns Arena.
Paul pushed the sellout crowd into a frenzy in the fourth, throwing his 15th assist to Torrey Craig after criss-crossing around helpless Denver forward Paul Millsap. The 36-year-old guard then hit a pair of 3-pointers and the celebration was on in the desert with the Suns rolling in their first playoff appearance in 11 seasons.
Phoenix took a 52-42 halftime lead after a sloppy first half where both teams struggled to generate offense. Denver was shaky with its long range shooting, making just 1 of 13 3-pointers in the first quarter.
Booker had 13 points before the break. Jokic countered with 15 points.
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HURTING NUGGETS
Some of Denver's better players are dealing with injuries, including forward Michael Porter Jr. (back) and guard Will Barton (hamstring). Both were listed on the injury report.
Porter started and played 27 minutes, finishing with 11 points and six rebounds but shot just 3 of 13 from the field. Barton played for the first time in about six weeks, entering the game late in the first quarter. He played 16 minutes and had 10 points and was also called for a technical foul in the third.
TIP-INS
Nuggets: Guards PJ Dozier (right adductor strain) and Jamal Murray (left ACL surgery) didn't play. ... Millsap had 11 points and six rebounds.
Suns: Forward Abdel Nader (right knee arthroscopy) didn't play. ... The Suns had a 52-46 rebounding advantage.
___
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

The Phoenix Suns routed the Denver Nuggets 123-98 on Wednesday night to take a 2-0 lead in the Western Conference Semifinals.

Chris Paul has another big night, Suns rout Nuggets 123-98

PHOENIX (AP) &mdash; Chris Paul and his rejuvenated right shoulder scored 21 points and dished 11 assists, Mikal Bridges added 23 points and the Phoenix Suns beat the Denver Nuggets 122-105 on Monday night in Game 1 of the Western Conference Semifinals.
The Suns trailed for most of the first half and by 10 points early in the third quarter but rallied to take the lead by late in the third. Devin Booker made a 27-foot, step back 3-pointer and Bridges added a driving layup for a 79-72 advantage.
They pushed the lead to 88-79 going into the fourth. Paul &mdash; who played with an ailing shooting shoulder through most of the first round matchup against the Lakers &mdash; made back-to-back mid-range jumpers to put the Suns up 94-79 with 10:25 left.
The flurry came much to the delight of the sellout crowd of 16,319, who anxiously watched the point guard's every move.
Paul's buckets were the final exclamation points on a 34-9 run that helped Phoenix take control. Deandre Ayton finished with 20 points and 10 rebounds while Booker added 21 points.
It was surprising that the game didn't come down to the final minutes. The three regular-season meetings were all extremely close: One was decided by three points in regulation, another was settled in overtime and the other went to double overtime.
Game 2 is on Wednesday in Phoenix.
Nikola Jokic led the Nuggets with 22 points but went cold while the Suns made their second half run. Aaron Gordon added 18 points while Michael Porter Jr. had 15.
The big man matchup between Jokic and Ayton delivered in the first quarter as the two teams fought to a 28-all tie. Ayton threw down a thunderous dunk over Michael Porter Jr. while Jokic used his strength and positioning to make five of six shots.
Denver led 58-57 at halftime. Jokic had 15 points and six rebounds before the break while Booker and Ayton countered with 11 points each for the Suns.
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CP3'S SHOULDER
All eyes were on Paul in the opening minutes, especially after his ailing right shoulder was inadvertently bumped by Denver point guard Facundo Campazzo.
The 11-time All-Star looked uncomfortable for a moment but recovered quickly. He made a 3-pointer in the second quarter and then a turnaround jumper.
He really started to look like his old self in the fourth quarter, when he knocked down back-to-back jumpers to push the Suns up 15. Partly because of the shoulder injury, Paul averaged just 9.2 points per game against the Lakers in the first round.
NO SOUR GRAPES
Suns coach Monty Williams finished second in the NBA Coach of the Year, just behind the New York Knicks' Tom Thibodeau.
It was the closest balloting since this version of voting was introduced 19 years ago. Thibodeau got 43 first-place votes and finished with 351 total points, while Phoenix&rsquo;s Monty Williams actually got more first-place votes &mdash; he got 45 &mdash; but finished with 340 points.
Williams wasn't upset to finish second, especially since the winner was Thibodeau. The two worked together when they were assistant coaches with USA basketball.
&ldquo;It's pretty cool to watch someone I've worked with win an award like that,&rdquo; Williams said.
FLAVORTOWN IN PHOENIX
Celebrity chef Guy Fieri was among the fans sitting courtside at Phoenix Suns Arena. The band Jimmy Eat World, which was formed in Mesa, Arizona, in the 1990s and had a string of hits in the 2000s, performed at halftime.
TIP-INS
Nuggets: Guards Jamal Murray (left ACL surgery), Will Barton (right hamstring strain) and P.J. Dozier (right adductor strain) didn't play. Denver hopes that Barton and Dozier could be available at some point during the series.
Suns: Forward Abdel Nader (right knee surgery) didn't play. ... Suns F Torrey Craig had a good performance against his former team, scoring nine points and grabbing seven rebounds in 15 minutes.
___
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

The Phoenix Suns beat the Denver Nuggets 122-105 on Monday night in Game 1 of the Western Conference Semifinals.

Rejuvenated Chris Paul leads Suns over Nuggets 122-105 in Game 1

On their respective ways to the NBA Finals last season, there was one important element missing for both the Los Angeles Lakers and Miami Heat.
No fans were there.
That changes for last year&rsquo;s finalists on Thursday night, when the Lakers play host to Phoenix and the Heat return home to face Milwaukee in a pair of Round 1, Game 3 matchups. Those are two of the three games on Thursday&rsquo;s slate, the other being Denver heading to Portland for a Game 3 contest.
Portland and the Lakers are going home having taken away home-court advantage from higher-seeded opponents in their respective series by getting splits of the first two games, at third-seeded Denver and second-seeded Phoenix. Miami is limping home, the No. 6 seed in the Eastern Conference down 2-0 against the third-seeded Bucks and after getting simply blown out in Game 2.
Heat fans can get a shot in the arm &mdash; literally. The Moderna vaccine will be available if any of the expected 17,000 fans want to begin the process of getting inoculated against the coronavirus. But Heat forward Jimmy Butler stopped short of saying having a raucous home crowd, which if capacity is hit would be the biggest in the NBA during this virus-marred season, would automatically help Miami&rsquo;s chances.
&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think so,&rdquo; Butler said. &ldquo;We love playing in front of our home crowd, on our home floor, but we&rsquo;ve still got to go out there and play basketball the right way &mdash; compete and do what we say we&rsquo;re going to do before the game, what we say we&rsquo;re going to do after the game."
The Lakers, who won last season&rsquo;s NBA championship in the restart bubble at Walt Disney World, haven&rsquo;t won a playoff game in their home arena since May 18, 2012.
Here&rsquo;s how long ago that was: Lakers forward LeBron James was a month away from his first NBA title in Miami, Suns guard Chris Paul was in his first year of a six-year run with the Clippers (and he&rsquo;s been with three teams since), and Phoenix center Deandre Ayton was only about a year removed from picking up a basketball for the first time.
&ldquo;Us just coming home, 1-1, evening up this series and actually playing a real playoff game ... for the first time in, what, eight years? It&rsquo;ll be pretty special for our fans,&rdquo; James said. &ldquo;To just have our fans in the building, we want to continue to make them proud. That&rsquo;s what I came here for, to play a playoff game in front of the Laker faithful.&rdquo;
Portland won Game 1 of its matchup in Denver before the Nuggets recovered to take Game 2. Over the last three months, no team has been better than Denver on the road. The Nuggets are 14-6 in their last 20 road games, including a regular-season finale loss at Portland in which they didn&rsquo;t exactly give big minutes to their regular rotation.
Nikola Jokic made 15 of his 20 shots for Denver in Game 2, and the Nuggets had six players in double figures.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;ll have to be even better on the road to try and get Game 3,&rdquo; Nuggets coach Michael Malone said.
Thursday&rsquo;s games:
BUCKS AT HEAT
Milwaukee leads 2-0. Game 3, 7:30 p.m. EDT, TNT.
&mdash; NEED TO KNOW: Miami hasn&rsquo;t trailed 3-0 in a series since 2010, and the Heat return home to see if they can avoid that fate and get back into this matchup. Milwaukee is the first team to beat Miami by 30 or more points twice in the same season since Toronto in 2007-08 to the then NBA-worst Heat. (Oddly, the Bucks were one point shy of doing it in 2018-19, winning by 38 and 29 that season.)
&mdash; KEEP AN EYE ON: Miami&rsquo;s Bam Adebayo (9 for 26) and Jimmy Butler (8 for 32) are shooting a combined 29% in this series. That must change, fast, or else.
&mdash; INJURY WATCH: All rotation players on both sides are expected to be available Thursday.
&mdash; PRESSURE IS ON: Miami. It&rsquo;s not technically an elimination game, but it sure seems like one.
SUNS AT LAKERS
Series tied 1-1. Game 3, 10 p.m. EDT, TNT.
&mdash; NEED TO KNOW: Suns center Deandre Ayton is 21 for 24 in this series, the best two-game shooting percentage for anyone (taking nine or more shots per game) making their NBA playoff debut since Larry McNeill of the Kansas City Kings was 18 for 18 through his first two games of the 1975 playoffs. McNeill was 11 for 26 from the field for the rest of his playoff career.
&mdash; KEEP AN EYE ON: Lakers guard Dennis Schroder had 24 points in Game 2. If he takes some of the workload off LeBron James and Anthony Davis, that&rsquo;s a huge boost for the Lakers.
&mdash; INJURY WATCH: Suns guard Chris Paul&rsquo;s shoulder issue remains a major question. Paul sat out most of the second half of Game 2, playing for just under 7 minutes &mdash; and his lone fourth-quarter appearance was a 2 1/2-minute stint to give Booker a quick break.
&mdash; PRESSURE IS ON: Phoenix. When James leads a series after three games, it&rsquo;s usually curtains for the other side; his teams have won 32 of 35 series when holding the edge going into Game 4.
NUGGETS AT TRAIL BLAZERS
Series tied 1-1. Game 3, 10:30 p.m. EDT, NBATV.
&mdash; NEED TO KNOW: Denver has trailed after three games in each of its last 10 playoff series and can finally buck that trend. Portland has held the three-game series lead three times in Damian Lillard&rsquo;s career; the Blazers are 3-0 in those series.
&mdash; KEEP AN EYE ON: Nuggets guard Facundo Campazzo has four turnovers in 62 minutes through his first two NBA playoff games. He&rsquo;s played a ton of big games on the international level and his pestering, high-energy style is a big plus for Denver.
&mdash; INJURY WATCH: All eyes are on Denver&rsquo;s Will Barton, and if he can return from his right hamstring strain. He hasn&rsquo;t played since April 23 and remains listed as out for Game 3.
&mdash; PRESSURE IS ON: Portland. The Blazers got the split in Denver. Giving the home-court edge right back to the Nuggets would be less than ideal.
___
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

The Lakers play host to Phoenix and the Heat return home to face Milwaukee in a pair of Game 3 matchups in Round 1.

A year after Finals, Lakers and Heat set to play before fans

Nekias Duncan breaks down the battles that could swing each first-round series of the NBA Playoffs.

Pressure points: Battles that will decide the first round of the NBA Playoffs

Once LeBron James, Paul George, Bradley Beal and Co. signed extensions, it became clear that the 2021 free-agency class would lack star power.
Assuming Kawhi Leonard opts in, this offseason&rsquo;s top unrestricted players will be Mike Conley, Victor Oladipo, Kyle Lowry, DeMar DeRozan, Norman Powell and Dennis Schroder. The restricted free agents will be Jarrett Allen, John Collins, Lauri Markkanen, Lonzo Ball, Gary Trent Jr. and Kendrick Nunn, among others.
Some solid players will be available this summer, but the class feels somewhat underwhelming, especially when compared to the ridiculous group that could hit the market 12 months later.
The 2022 free-agent class could be loaded with star players, including Kevin Durant, James Harden, Stephen Curry, Kawhi Leonard, Bradley Beal, Kyrie Irving, Jimmy Butler, Zach LaVine, Julius Randle, Russell Westbrook, Jrue Holiday, Chris Paul and John Wall, among others. 
Durant, Harden, Leonard, Beal, Irving, Westbrook and Wall have player options, so it&rsquo;s possible that they&rsquo;ll opt-in and put off free agency. But Curry, Butler, LaVine, Randle, Holiday and Paul are unrestricted free agents and poised to be available (barring an extension).&nbsp;
&ldquo;If all of the stars hit the market, it&rsquo;ll probably be the best free-agent class ever,&rdquo; one anonymous NBA agent told BasketballNews.com. &ldquo;If that happens, the balance of power would likely shift immensely once again.&rdquo;
As if the list of unrestricted free agents wasn&rsquo;t crazy enough, the class could also feature restricted free agents such as Luka Doncic, Trae Young, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Michael Porter Jr., Deandre Ayton, Jaren Jackson Jr., Collin Sexton, Mikal Bridges, Marvin Bagley III and others from the 2018 NBA Draft currently on rookie-scale deals. However, some of those players will surely be extended around the start of the 2021-22 season.
While the superstars are the names that jump off the page first, the 2022 free-agent class is also deep. There are plenty of key contributors who project to hit the market as well: Jusuf Nurkic, Terry Rozier, Aaron Gordon, Kemba Walker*, Marcus Smart, T.J. Warren, Chris Boucher, Spencer Dinwiddie, Robert Covington, Jonas Valanciunas, Bobby Portis, Goran Dragic, Thaddeus Young, Patrick Beverley, Serge Ibaka, Will Barton, Montrezl Harrell, Ricky Rubio and more. (Walker has a player option, as indicated by the asterisk). 
Considering the 2021 class is relatively weak, it&rsquo;s possible that teams may opt to save their cap space for the summer of 2022.

The 2022 FA class could include Kevin Durant, James Harden, Kawhi Leonard, Steph Curry, Luka Doncic, Brad Beal, Kyrie Irving and more.

The NBA's 2022 free-agent class could be 'the best ever'

Stephen Curry was twice the player that Nikola Jokic was last night in the Warriors-Nuggets game, which is important for the following reason: The game was televised nationally on ESPN, and Curry had another finishing kick following an off-game against the Wizards on Wednesday.
Curry was 100-1 to win MVP last Sunday, and he was down to 18-1 two days later. He opens this morning at 17-1, the third-choice behind prohibitive favorite Jokic and second-place Joel Embiid. And most importantly, he is on voters&rsquo; minds. An extraordinarily strong finish to the season could put him into play more strongly, and the Dubs play seven of their next eight against teams with losing records.
So Curry remains a long shot, but not as long as he was a weekend ago. The favorites are Jokic at -360, Joel Embiid at +340 and Giannis Antetokounmpo (whose team has won four of six and has an easy week after their back-to-back against Philly on Saturday) at +2000.
Jokic must now carry the Nuggets even more with Jamal Murray and Will Barton sidelined, and his team is in fourth place in the Western Conference, so stay tuned.
There are 126 MVP votes (one coming from the fans), and voters select five players with a sliding score of 10 points for first place, seven for second, five for third, three for fourth and one point for fifth. If one or more of those top-four players is relegated to the bottom of a ballot (or left out altogether), it may get interesting.
Let&rsquo;s look at the other end-of-season awards, many of which appear to be decided already.
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Rookie of the Year: LaMelo Ball of Charlotte was running away with this award before injuring his wrist. The common belief is that he&rsquo;ll return before the regular season ends, meaning the award is all his. He is the current favorite at -305, and the only players near him are Anthony Edwards of Minnesota (+200) and Tyrese Haliburton of Sacramento (+700). Those latter two are fine players, but Ball has been a key component on a highly overachieving team.
Most Improved Player: Some voters will not put Randle first simply because of the fact that he was already a very good player, and although his stats are through the roof lately, this award is traditionally given to a player who went from mediocre to studly. Randle is the prohibitive favorite at -305, while Jerami Grant of Detroit is second at +400, Zion Williamson of New Orleans is 25-1, Deandre Ayton of Phoenix is 250-1, and Shake Milton of Philadelphia is 250-1. Terry Rozier is not listed.
Sixth Man of the Year: This is a tricky one, because Jordan Clarkson has been considered a lock. But check this out: Clarkson, listed as a point guard, is averaging 4 rebounds and 2.1 assists. He takes 15.1 shots per game and is shooting 42.4% from the field. From three-point range, he&rsquo;s shooting 35%. He leads the NBA in free throw percentage at 94.9%. His teammate, Joe Ingles, who&rsquo;s listed as a shooting guard, is averaging 3.7 rebounds and 4.4 assists. He takes 8.0 shots per game and is shooting 52.5% from the field. From three-point range, he&rsquo;s shooting 49.4% &ndash; the best in the NBA. He makes 85.7% of his free throws.
Let&rsquo;s say Clarkson is the better scorer, but Ingles is the far better shooter from everywhere but the free throw line. Clarkson is the better rebounder by a little, but Ingles has more than twice as many assists. And we should make a special note that leading the entire NBA in three-point accuracy is quite a feat. Ingles, at 49.4%, is far ahead of the runner-up (Bobby Portis of the Milwaukee Bucks at 48.5%). Clarkson&rsquo;s odds have moved from +350 to +1000 in three days. Ingles has an interesting case, but he is underappreciated so this one looks done... for now.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
Defensive Player of the Year: This appears to be Rudy Gobert&rsquo;s award to lose, which means the Jazz will be getting a ton of postseason awards (unless the Coach-of-the-Year narrative changes). Ben Simmons has been openly campaigning for the award, but he sat out a couple key games last week when he could have made his case on national TV. Gobert is -335, Simmons is +230 and Myles Turner of Indiana is +700. Julius Randle is second in the NBA in defensive win shares behind Gobert, but is not listed on the wagering board at any of the main U.S. sportsbooks.
Coach of the Year: Not so long ago, this looked like a lock for Quin Snyder of the Jazz. But Monty Williams is gaining ground on him now that Phoenix has a chance to win the West, and Tom Thibodeau of the Knicks has led his team to eight-consecutive wins. The Knicks have the stingiest defense in the entire NBA. If New York can hang onto fourth place in the East, this race could get interesting. FoxBet is the only book listing this line, with Snyder at -133, Williams at -105, and Doc Rivers and Thibodeau each at 11-1. Ty Lue, whose Clippers are 2.5 games back in the West with 10 games left, is 33-1. James Borrego of Charlotte is 40-1.
Nobody expects a rank outsider to make a strong enough finishing kick to move these odds considerably, but a lot can happen in three weeks. Ballots are not due until the day after the regular season ends, so do not consider any of these awards done deals just yet.

Who is MVP? Rookie of the Year? Most Improved Player? Defensive Player of the Year? Sixth Man of the Year? Coach of the Year?

Breaking down the latest odds for the NBA's end-of-season awards

Overtime, a company that focuses on basketball and is planning on launching Overtime Elite, an alternative to college basketball for star high school players, has announced that it has raised $80 million in Series C funding.
Notable investors for this round of funding include some pretty big names, including Jeff Bezos, Drake and 25+ NBA players (including Devin Booker, Trae Young, Zach LaVine).
The company announced the following on Friday:
Overtime, the leading brand for the next generation of sports fans, announced today that it has raised $80 million in Series C funding led by return investor Sapphire Sport, Black Capital and a diverse syndicate of distinguished leaders in technology, sports, finance and music.
Notable investors in this round include Bezos Expeditions (the personal investment company of Jeff Bezos), Drake, Micromanagement Ventures (the family of the late David Stern), Alexis Ohanian, Jeff Kearl (via Pelion Capital), Morgan Stanley Counterpoint Global, Blackstone Strategic Partners, and more than 25 current and former NBA stars, including Trae Young, Devin Booker, Klay Thompson and Pau Gasol.
&ldquo;The breadth and diversity of this investment group, including leaders from business, entertainment, technology and sports, speaks to Overtime&rsquo;s remarkable growth and our future trajectory,&rdquo; said Dan Porter, Overtime&rsquo;s CEO and co-founder. &ldquo;We believe this is just the tip of the iceberg, as we develop new ways for Overtime to engage with and entertain the next generation of athletes and fans."
Other notable investors include Gaingels, PROOF, Concrete Rose Capital, Dentsu Ventures, Intersect Capital, LightShed Ventures, WNBA All-Star and commentator Chiney Ogwumike, Rogue Insight Capital, Bakari Sellers, 10X Capital, True Capital Management, and Ares Management&rsquo;s Nate Walton. In total, Overtime has now raised more than $140 million in funding.
This new funding will be used towards the expansion of Overtime, including building internal capabilities around NFTs, trading cards and the company&rsquo;s unique approach to content and community to develop sports betting tailored for the next generation of fans. In addition, Overtime will continue investing in its sports app, where fans can get stats, scores, hot insights, humor, culture, kicks and more, with the goal of having the number one sports app in North America.
Overtime will also make a significant investment into the development of OTE (<a href="https://www.prweb.com/releases/overtime_launches_ote_a_pro_league_for_the_next_generation_of_basketball_stars/prweb17771416.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Overtime Elite</a>), the company&rsquo;s transformative new basketball league. This will include guaranteeing salaries for all OTE athletes, hiring a dedicated staff of more than 80 league employees, and making other investments critical to launching a new league. OTE&rsquo;s inaugural season begins in September.
More than 25 current and former NBA players invested in this round, including Deandre Ayton, Lonzo Ball, Will Barton, Devin Booker, Anthony Edwards, De&rsquo;Aaron Fox, Pau Gasol, Aaron Gordon, Danny Green, Zach LaVine, Kyle Lowry, Kenyon Martin, JaVale McGee, Khris Middleton, Kelly Olynyk, Taurean Prince, Cam Reddish, Domas Sabonis, Garrett Temple, Isaiah Thomas, Klay Thompson, Thaddeus Young, Trae Young, Gerald Wallace, Hassan Whiteside, Andrew Wiggins, and Nick &ldquo;Swaggy P&rdquo; Young.
&ldquo;When Overtime first launched, we were known for our raw and authentic sports highlights from across the globe,&rdquo; said Zack Weiner, Overtime&rsquo;s President and co-founder. &ldquo;Five years later, we&rsquo;re the leading brand for the next generation of sports fans, reaching them through our social channels, our long-form series, our e-commerce business, and now a sports league. Sports consumption is changing at a rapid pace and Overtime will continue to be at the forefront.&rdquo;
&ldquo;Overtime has built an unrivaled brand and global community from scratch in just five years. This fundraise reflects the incredible growth opportunities associated with such a market leading position, including the opportunity to bring Overtime Elite into the world,&rdquo; said Sapphire Sport Partner Michael Spirito, who led the round. &ldquo;We are thrilled to welcome this diverse and impactful group of institutional and individual investors to the Overtime family, further enabling the team to continue to build as only they know how.&rdquo;Since its founding in 2016, Overtime has become synonymous with sports for a new generation of athletes and fans, with programming that is viewed more than 14 billion times a year and an audience of almost 50 million social media followers. The company now has more than 125 employees."

Investors include Devin Booker, Trae Young, Klay Thompson, Zach LaVine, Pau Gasol, De'Aaron Fox, Kyle Lowry, Domas Sabonis.

Drake, Jeff Bezos and 25+ NBA players invest in Overtime

Ethan Fuller breaks down the NBA landscape with over half the league hovering close to a .500 record.

NBA Sour Rankings: How to understand the spectrum of mediocrity

Ethan Fuller takes a look at how the James Harden trade and other weekly events have affected the NBA landscape.

NBA Sour Rankings: Life After a Blockbuster

We&rsquo;ve all been here before.&nbsp;
It&rsquo;s a random Wednesday. Full slate of games, hard to keep track of everything. Maybe you&rsquo;re peeping an ESPN matchup. Perhaps you&rsquo;re watching your favorite team on the local channel if you&rsquo;re in the market, or you&rsquo;re streaming it LEGALLY ON NBA LEAGUE PASS BECAUSE THAT IS THE ONLY WAY YOU ARE ALLOWED TO DO IT. WINK.&nbsp;
But anyway, you&rsquo;re watching a game. You&rsquo;re roaming Twitter. And then a tweet catches your eye: PLAYER X HAS DUNKED ON LEBRON JAMES.
Your brow raises. You see a few tweets from your online pals big-upping the play. You&rsquo;re really interested now. You click on the video from a Big Social Media Account. And this is the dunk:
<img src="https://basketballnews-media.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/images/story/body/brr.gif" alt="" width="512" height="AUTO" />
The excitement drops a little bit. That&rsquo;s a nice dunk from Wendell Carter Jr. LeBron James is underneath the basket, and there&rsquo;s a challenge. But something doesn&rsquo;t feel right about it.&nbsp;
Then you see a different angle of the Dunk Heard &lsquo;Round The World.
<img src="https://basketballnews-media.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/images/story/body/wendell-w-lebron-in-the-area.gif" alt="" width="512" height="AUTO" />
You feel betrayed. LeBron didn&rsquo;t get dunked on; LeBron&rsquo;s arm got dunked on as he jumps out of the darn play! This isn&rsquo;t <a href="https://youtu.be/xtOUpybXmzo" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Scottie Pippen on Patrick Ewing</a> or <a href="https://youtu.be/6kBWO82HUa4?t=28" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Vince Carter on Alonzo Mourning</a>! I can yell at these clouds if I want to!
If you&rsquo;re anything like me, you&rsquo;re tired of being misled. If I hear or read that a player got baptized, I want to see some Holy Water coming out of the rim after the aerial duel. And if you are like me, this is the piece for you. This is the guide of all guides, breaking down the different types of dunks. A universal standard of slams, if you will, so we can finally get on the same page about poster dunks.
A brief note before digging in. I am using a tier system so it&rsquo;s easier to separate the types of dunks. Like many things in life, the scale can slide on a case-by-case basis. For example, breakaway dunks are generally uncontested, which makes them the lowest tier of dunk for me. However, a breakaway dunk from 360-enthusiast Zach LaVine is different -- and much cooler -- than the two-handed flushes we see from Jimmy Butler. Each dunk is still its own thing.&nbsp;
Disclaimer: Alley-oops can fall under virtually all of these categories, with the obvious exception of put-backs.
TIER 10: BREAKAWAYS
Break-away dunks are pretty self-explanatory. There&rsquo;s a long rebound after a miss. A player leaks out early, and gets a dunk with no resistance. They&rsquo;re pretty basic with a few exceptions. LaVine, Paul George or Glenn Robinson III may bust out a 360 or windmill on occasion. LeBron has made the one-handed tomahawk a staple of his repertoire.
<img src="https://basketballnews-media.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/images/story/body/lebron-tomahawk.gif" alt="" width="512" height="AUTO" />
It&rsquo;s basic, but it&rsquo;s so darn cool. Power, a little bit of flair, the hang time. All that good stuff.
TIER 9: TIP SLAMS
I like the timing, positioning and coordination it takes to pull off a putback slam. The lower-level ones are uncontested, but can be rated higher depending on the work a player puts in before the ball comes off the rim. Take this multiple-effort possession from Larry Nance Jr. as an example:
<img src="https://basketballnews-media.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/images/story/body/larry-nance-jr-putback.gif" alt="" width="512" height="AUTO" />
TIER 8: BUSINESS DECISIONS
The OG: Shaquille O&rsquo;Neal
Also popularized by: LeBron James, Blake Griffin, Zion Williamson
This is for the power dunkers. Whether it&rsquo;s in transition, flowing off of a broken play or rumbling down the lane after a high-ball screen, it&rsquo;s hilarious to watch players actively decide, &ldquo;Nope, I don&rsquo;t get paid enough for this.&rdquo; Take this play from the 2016-17 season, featuring Blake Griffin:
<img src="https://basketballnews-media.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/images/story/body/willy-hernangomez-business-decision.gif" alt="" width="512" height="AUTO" />
The key actor here is Willy Hernangomez (No. 14). He is watching this snug pick-and-roll all the way through. His man, noted three-point marksman DeAndre Jordan, is chilling above the break. Not only can Hernangomez make the rotation to cut off Griffin at the rim, he should make that rotation because Jordan is not a threat at all. Instead, he begins to load up, quickly realizes that Griffin will put him in the gulag, and decides against challenging the shot.
Hilarious sequence.
TIER 7: FLY-BYS
This is where having a discerning eye is important. When you think about it, this kind of dunk -- and the praise that these types of dunk typically generate -- is about deception.
A defender jumps across a player to make it look like he&rsquo;s legitimately challenging the dunk. There&rsquo;s no real threat of a block or swipe. The dunk happens because, again, there&rsquo;s no real threat to it otherwise. And somehow both players end up looking good. The dunker gets &ldquo;poster&rdquo; equity they don&rsquo;t deserve; the defender gets a slight pat on the back for giving effort instead of making a business decision.
<img src="https://basketballnews-media.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/images/story/body/hhh.gif" alt="" width="512" height="AUTO" />
It&rsquo;s all a darn farce. A cool-looking farce at times, but a farce nonetheless.&nbsp;
TIER 6: SELF-LOBS
We&rsquo;ve reached the coolest of the non-contact dunks. It doesn&rsquo;t get much better than throwing the ball to yourself for a slam, man. Look at Jamal Murray getting himself out of trouble.
<img src="https://basketballnews-media.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/images/story/body/jamal-murray-self-lob.gif" alt="" width="512" height="AUTO" />
TIER 5: &ldquo;IN THE VICINITY&rdquo; SLAMS (Also known as ITVs)
Folks, the rubber is starting to reach the road. The ITVs involve actual attempts at a contest and/or a little contact, a step up from the Fly-bys. This is where I&rsquo;d say the Wendell-on-LeBron dunk falls, though I wouldn&rsquo;t be mad at anyone that would classify it as a Fly-by. A better example would be this slam from Matisse Thybulle last season.
<img src="https://basketballnews-media.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/images/story/body/mfff.gif" alt="" width="512" height="AUTO" />
There&rsquo;s an attempt at a challenge, but Thybulle still gets the better of Mason Plumlee. But Plumlee doesn&rsquo;t get dunked on. There isn&rsquo;t enough contact to call it a poster of the highest order.&nbsp;
This is also where failed chasedown blocks come in. With guys flying in from behind, the dunk-on element just isn&rsquo;t there most of the time. Take the famous Kobe-on-LeBron dunk from the 2011 All-Star game.
<img src="https://basketballnews-media.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/images/story/body/kobe-on-lebron.gif" alt="" width="512" height="AUTO" />
TIER 4: PUTBACK POSTERS
I&rsquo;ve always gone back and forth with myself about where to place these types of dunks. On one hand, the blindsided nature of it makes it a bit unfair to defenders. You can&rsquo;t defend against what you can&rsquo;t see. However, there&rsquo;s enough contact at play, and a player Mossin&rsquo; a dude and flushing it down is generally some high level stuff.
<img src="https://basketballnews-media.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/images/story/body/gerald-green-putback-poster.gif" alt="" width="512" height="AUTO" />
Yes, that is the #BASED and #RARE Gerald Green in a Celtics uni. And yeah that&rsquo;s Mason Plumlee again. Sorry, man.
TIER 3: DUNK-ONS/CHARGE CRUSHERS
We&rsquo;ve reached the portion of the program where dudes are getting legitimately yammed on, but there are a couple of factors that keep it from ranking higher.
First, the level of contest still matters. A lot of these dunks feature dudes sliding over in an attempt to take a charge (hence the alternative name). The higher level posters feature someone trying to actually block the dunk. Sure, a charge and blocked dunk are functionally the same in terms of the result the defense wants -- taking away two points -- but we&rsquo;re talking about highlights here.&nbsp;
Secondly, and I admit we&rsquo;re splitting hairs a bit, size also matters. The first dunk I thought of was Nuggets-era J.R Smith yamming it over Gary Neal:
<img src="https://basketballnews-media.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/images/story/body/jrs.gif" alt="" width="512" height="AUTO" />
Objectively a good dunk, but Gary Neal is ground bound and short. You have to dock some points there. I&rsquo;m sorry. The famous DeAndre Jordan-on-Brandon Knight flush, while iconic, also falls in this category.
The higher end of this would be another classic involving the Spurs: LeBron dunking on Tim Duncan.
<img src="https://basketballnews-media.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/images/story/body/lebron-on-tim-duncan.gif" alt="" width="512" height="AUTO" />
That&rsquo;s more like it.
TIER 2: THE THROW-IN
THE OG: Blake Griffin
ALSO POPULARIZED BY: Derrick Jones Jr.
DUNK TRUTHERS DON&rsquo;T READ THIS!
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Dunk Truthers are stupid poopyheads.&nbsp;
Yes, we&rsquo;re well aware that dunks that involve the rim being grabbed -- or at least touched -- are more pure, whatever the heck that means. But you look at Blake Griffin embarrassing the life out of Timofey Mozgov and tell me it isn&rsquo;t one of greatest athletic feats you&rsquo;ve ever seen.
<img src="https://basketballnews-media.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/images/story/body/blake-over-mozgov.gif" alt="" width="512" height="AUTO" />
Derrick Jones Jr. has some gnarly ones in his bag as well, highlighted by this lob he converted against the Raptors that still doesn&rsquo;t make much sense to me.
<img src="https://basketballnews-media.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/images/story/body/hyyy.gif" alt="" width="512" height="AUTO" />
TIER 1: THE PURE POSTER
Pippen on Ewing. Carter on &lsquo;Zo. <a href="https://youtu.be/tYpwjB0IzoU" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Baron Davis on Andrei Kirilenko</a>. Michael Jordan on, well, name almost any big man you can think of that played in the '90s.&nbsp;
We can go more modern, like Larry Nance Jr. doing this to pre-DPOY-candidate Brook Lopez:
<img src="https://basketballnews-media.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/images/story/body/lrrr.gif" alt="" width="512" height="AUTO" />
Another hidden gem: young DeMar DeRozan throwing the hammer down over Rudy Gobert:
<img src="https://basketballnews-media.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/images/story/body/derozan-on-gobert.gif" alt="" width="512" height="AUTO" />
The constant for these dunks: full-on, body-to-body contact with a legitimate attempt for a contest. You&rsquo;ll know it when you see it.
BONUS TIER: THE VINCE CARTER
Yeah, this is still the best dunk I&rsquo;ve ever seen.
<img src="https://basketballnews-media.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/images/story/body/vince-carter-dunk-of-death.gif" alt="" width="512" height="AUTO" />
You clear a seven footer, you get your own dunk tier. Those are the rules.

Nekias Duncan has put together the guide of all guides, breaking down the different types of dunks and rating them on a tier system.

The Dunk-tionary: The official guide to ranking dunks

Ethan Fuller ranks NBA teams by their success plans, with loads of parity through three weeks of action.

NBA Sour Rankings: COVID Chaos

With the season set to start in less than a month, the NBA fan community was treated to an accelerated offseason. The NBA Draft was on Wednesday, and free agency kicked off two days later. We got a whirlwind of signings and trades -- boy, were there trades -- on the opening night, and that activity extended throughout the weekend.&nbsp;
Rosters are still being filled, but that doesn&rsquo;t mean we can&rsquo;t evaluate early winners and losers. If we can do it <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-draft-2020-winners-losers-philadelphia-76ers-new-york-knicks-pelicans-new-orleans-lonzo-ball-obi-toppin-patrick-williams-chicago-bulls-tyrese-haliburton-sacramento-kings" target="_blank" rel="noopener">for the draft</a> and none of those guys have played yet, surely we can do so for more proven commodities.&nbsp;
Let&rsquo;s hand out some awards and slander, shall we?
Winner: Centers
If we learned anything from the bubble, particularly from the Los Angeles Lakers and Denver Nuggets, it&rsquo;s that size still matters in this league. The Lakers bludgeoned teams with their size all season long, led by the ultimate unicorn in Anthony Davis. With the NBA being a copycat league, there seemed to be a real emphasis on teams adding big men early on in the free agency process.
I mean sure, the Pistons tried to sign literally all of them -- I&rsquo;m still shaking my head at the Mason Plumlee 3-year, $25 million deal -- but other bigs saw a heightened market. Derrick Favors (3/$30M) went back to his stomping grounds in Utah after looking half-dead athletically in the bubble. Meyers Leonard saw a massive drop in playing time in the bubble and playoffs, and he still was able to return to Miami for nearly $10 million. Robin Lopez shockingly opted out of a $5 million player option with the Bucks, and even more shockingly got a raise from the Washington Wizards.&nbsp;
You can&rsquo;t build the boat out of centers like you could in yesteryear, but it appears that teams have swung back the other way on their utility in general. Skilled size is king, but size in general still matters quite a bit.
Winner: Los Angeles Lakers
Whew, buddy, have the rich gotten richer.
After trading Danny Green to the Oklahoma City Thunder as part of a package for Dennis Schroder, the Lakers were able to find his replacement by adding Wes Matthews with their bi-annual exception. They then were able to add last year&rsquo;s Sixth Man of the Year, Montrezl Harrell, for the non-taxpayer mid-level exception. Harrell has his flaws defensively, but there may not be a better big in the league than Davis to cover for those warts.
Speaking of bigs, the Lakers were also able to pry Marc Gasol away from the Toronto Raptors. Gasol has slipped quite a bit in terms of mobility, but still possesses the shooting, passing and defensive aptitude to juice the Lakers&rsquo; frontcourt. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope also returns on a reasonable deal (3/$40M) after the cap space market mostly dried up on him.
The Lakers&rsquo; potential playoff rotation now consists of LeBron James, Caldwell-Pope, Matthews, Davis, Gasol, Schroder, Harrell and Alex Caruso. I think it&rsquo;s safe to say, barring injury, that they are the clear favorites to win the title this year.&nbsp;
Winner: Trae Young
Have you ever played NBA 2K&rsquo;s MyCareer mode on Hall-of-Fame difficulty? It can be a frustrating experience. It&rsquo;s less about your individual skill level. if you&rsquo;re good, you should still be able to bake CPUs; if you&rsquo;re not that good, but you&rsquo;re smart, there are some pretty simple exploits (slip those PnRs!) that can get you easy buckets. It&rsquo;s more about what the talent around you does. They just perform in a way that makes you shake your head. At a certain point, you have to assume virtually all creation responsibility if you want to score enough against the CPU to win games, assuming you don&rsquo;t stash your player on the Lakers or something. The stats you put up and the skill/badge points you earn alleviate some of the frustration, but it&rsquo;s still a pain to deal with.
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://basketballnews-media.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/images/story/body/usatsi_14021300-1_lg.jpg" alt="" width="860" height="AUTO" />
This is what I imagine Trae Young felt like last year.
His skill level is obviously high; he&rsquo;s one of the NBA&rsquo;s best passers and is a pull-up threat the second he crosses half-court. But between not having an NBA-caliber backup point guard until the Jeff Teague addition, injury woes from second-in-command Kevin Huerter and John Collins (more on him later) getting himself suspended for 25 games, it felt like Young was the only player on the Hawks that could generate offense for himself or others.
Within that lens, this offseason has been huge for him. Signing Danilo Gallinari gives the Hawks (and Young) a bonafide three-level scorer that can hold his own weight. The merits of Rajon Rondo&rsquo;s (regular season) value can be debated, but he is a high IQ guy and a tremendous passer that can create for others in the half-court. There may be more reinforcements on the way, with Kings restricted free agent and <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-rumors-trade-grade-milwaukee-bucks-jrue-holiday-bogdan-bogdanovic-giannis-antetokounmpo-nekias-deal" target="_blank" rel="noopener">honorary Bucks legend</a> Bogdan Bogdanovic signing a hefty offer sheet (4/$72M) over the weekend. If the Kings don&rsquo;t match, Bogdanovic will give the Hawks another shot creator that also offers some passing chops in pick-and-roll.
The Hawks still have some, uh, roster balancing to do, but they&rsquo;ve undoubtedly taken some of the burden off of Young&rsquo;s plate. That feels like a win for the young lad.&nbsp;
Winner: Portland Trail Blazers
I&rsquo;m not sure if &ldquo;quietly&rdquo; is the right way to describe it, but the Blazers have had themselves one heck of an offseason. It started with their pre-draft trade for Robert Covington, a ridiculous help defender that should allow the Blazers to ramp up their defensive aggression if they so choose. Of course, that doesn&rsquo;t count as a free-agency move, but the Blazers have plenty of ammo in that department as well.
Bringing back Rodney Hood was a smart move. Hood was in the midst of his most efficient season by far (with a career-high 62.5% True Shooting percentage) before injuries derailed his campaign. His off-the-bounce shooting is a wonderful counterpunch to teams that overreact to the Damian Lillard/CJ McCollum backcourt and scramble after getting the ball out of their hands.&nbsp;
The Blazers also added Derrick Jones Jr. on a sorta-rich-but-mostly-fine 1+1 deal at the mid-level. He gives Portland a level of athleticism that they haven&rsquo;t had since, well... when have they had a guy who can jump like he can? Jones is a versatile defender in terms of his individual skill set, but also brings with him a diversity of scheme deployment after playing just about any defense you can think of under Erik Spoelstra in Miami last year.
Circling back to the &ldquo;Centers Matter!&rdquo; point, the Blazers also made sure to bolster their frontcourt. Enes Kanter is back to provide interior scoring and rebounding against specific matchups. Harry Giles is a mystery box; a tremendous passer with plus-athleticism that also has no idea what he&rsquo;s doing on defense. Carmelo Anthony isn&rsquo;t a center, but does provide some semblance of frontcourt depth as a spacer and occasional end-of-shot-clock option.
Health is the big caveat for the Blazers (when hasn&rsquo;t it been?), but they&rsquo;re set up to push for a top-four seed this season.
Loser: Denver Nuggets
I have two issues with the Nuggets&rsquo; opening weekend -- enough that I&rsquo;d consider them a loser versus a team I&rsquo;m just concerned with.
First, losing Jerami Grant hurts, even if that was mostly out of their control. Grant reportedly chose a larger role in Detroit over sticking with the Nuggets, despite a willingness from Denver&rsquo;s side to offer a similar deal. It&rsquo;s hard to blame a young dude for wanting to expand his game. And as we know in today&rsquo;s NBA, good, young-ish players on bad NBA teams can always be flipped to good teams for draft compensation. I&rsquo;d be surprised if Grant finishes his deal as a member of the Pistons.
Regardless, the athleticism, shooting, cutting and defensive versatility that Grant brings will be missed in Denver. Bringing back Paul Millsap and signing JaMychal Green are solid counters, but they didn't replace Grant&rsquo;s skillset (or youth).&nbsp;
Second, even if they were able to retain Grant, the Nuggets would still be in need of an actual-factual wing defender. They&rsquo;ve done absolutely nothing to fill that void. The closest version of that player on the roster was Torrey Craig and they pulled his qualifying offer, leading to Craig signing with the Milwaukee Bucks.
Craig is a flawed player, particularly offensively. This isn&rsquo;t a &ldquo;wow, the Nuggets really dropped the ball&rdquo; type of complaint, but he was at least a facsimile of what they needed. Who is the guy on the roster that can match up -- forget defend, just match up -- with the LeBrons, Kawhis and Paul Georges of the conference? That is a lot of pressure on Will Barton or Gary Harris or PJ Dozier -- and all of those guys are undersized against 3s or 3/4 hybrids.
Loser: Charlotte Hornets
Four years, $120 million for Gordon Hayward. Even with the theoretical small-market/bad-team tax that has to be paid to land second-tier free agents, that is a steep price for a guy who:
1) Hasn&rsquo;t made an All-Star team in three seasons.
2) Has played in 125 games over the past three seasons due to lower-body injuries.
3) May still be dealing with a <a href="https://www.masslive.com/celtics/2020/07/gordon-hayards-takeover-ability-foot-pain-and-absence-3-big-questions-as-the-boston-celtics-restart-their-season.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">nerve issue in his foot</a> from his catastrophic injury in 2017.
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://basketballnews-media.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/images/story/body/usatsi_9765789-1_lg.jpg" alt="" width="860" height="AUTO" />
On top of that, the Hornets elected to waive-and-stretch Nicolas Batum -- their last big-money-gone-bad-due-to-injury wing signing -- to free up the money to bring in Hayward. Let&rsquo;s say Hayward is reasonably healthy (60 of 72 games?) and slaps up, like, 19-5-5 on solid efficiency. Is that enough to get these Hornets into the play-in tournament? Maybe?&nbsp;
I don&rsquo;t love it. I can also quibble about the Bismack Biyombo signing because there were (and are) better center options on the market, but there is familiarity there and he&rsquo;s a genuine locker-room presence.&nbsp;
Loser: John Collins
As mentioned earlier, the signing of Gallinari takes quite a bit of pressure off of Young in terms of shot creation. Gallinari is also pretty firmly a 4, which happens to be the same position that Collins plays.&nbsp;
You may say, &ldquo;Just slide Collins over to the 5!&rdquo; and sure. But the Hawks traded for Clint Capela to operate as a rim runner and rim protector. They also just drafted Onyeka Okongwu at No. 6 overall. He may be mobile enough to survive at the 4, but he does not have the shooting or ball skills (yet) to play it offensively. He should also get burn at the 5.&nbsp;
If the Hawks are serious about making the playoffs (which they seem to be based on the money they&rsquo;ve shelled out so far), then improving the defense should be priority number one. Capela, Okongwu and the recently-signed Kris Dunn all fit that billing. Capela and Okongwu are better options at holding down the fort defensively than Collins is.
These moves conveniently come during an offseason in which Collins is extension-eligible and fresh off a season where Collins missed 25 games due to stupi-, er, suspension.
I&rsquo;m not the best at math, but 2 + 2 has always come out to 4 in my experience. It&rsquo;s starting to feel like Collins is going to end up being the odd man out.&nbsp;
Collins is very talented, a legit stretch option at this point while also being a violent rim-runner and offensive rebounder; but the lack of positional versatility due to his &ldquo;meh&rdquo; length and defensive aptitude cap his ceiling in terms of playoff value. And it&rsquo;s hard to argue giving max money to a guy like that, especially when your franchise player is one of the worst defenders in the sport. If building around Young is the priority, you&rsquo;re going to need a team full of wing defenders and interior stoppers. Collins, as good as he is, doesn&rsquo;t qualify as either.
Loser: JaVale McGee
Opting into your contract, only to be shipped to Cleveland to make room for your replacement has to sting. Assuming he stays, he&rsquo;s also not any closer to consistent playing time. And even if he does carve out a 14-16-minute role as the back-up 5, he&rsquo;ll be going from LeBron to&hellip; Collin Sexton and Darius Garland as pick-and-roll passers?&nbsp;
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://basketballnews-media.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/images/story/body/usatsi_13781902-1_lg.jpg" alt="" width="860" height="AUTO" />
Quite a drop, I&rsquo;d say.
Stray Thoughts
- Maybe not a loser, but the Brooklyn Nets are loser-adjacent right now. Bringing back Joe Harris is smart, even if that price (4/$75M) seems a smidge steep for my liking. But they&rsquo;re still a couple of perimeter defenders short, and they need a 4. Badly. Go flip some stuff for Aaron Gordon, please.
- Very nerdy thing, but I love the DeAndre&rsquo; Bembry signing for Toronto. He can&rsquo;t shoot, which stinks, but he can defend multiple positions, plays at 150 MPH all the time and can make some funky passes from time-to-time. He&rsquo;s going to be fun (and sometimes infuriating) for their bench unit.
- The Bogdanovic flop was funny to watch for non-Bucks fans, but I think the consensus around the Bucks&rsquo; offseason has become overly negative because of it. They still improved their team, highlighted by the <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-rumors-trade-grade-milwaukee-bucks-jrue-holiday-bogdan-bogdanovic-giannis-antetokounmpo-nekias-deal" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jrue Holiday trade</a>. They&rsquo;ve also made some solid bargain signings. Bryn Forbes can shoot, as can D.J. Augustin. Bobby Portis can score, though that&rsquo;s probably all he can do. None of those guys are plus-defenders, but if you&rsquo;re of the belief that they&rsquo;ll be flanked by at least one of Giannis Antetokounmpo or Brook Lopez at all times, you have the interior infrastructure in place to protect them from being abused. Of course, none of this matters if head coach Mike Budenholzer doesn't evolve a bit. Which, well, I guess we&rsquo;ll see.
- Seriously, is there a single Knicks player on the roster that isn&rsquo;t repped by CAA? Somebody has to intervene, right? Right? Bueller?&nbsp;
- Shout-out to the Suns for drafting Jalen Smith at 10, then proceeding to sign or bring back three frontcourt players in less than a week. Bringing him along slowly isn&rsquo;t a bad idea, but it does make the pick look more questionable in the short-term.
- It&rsquo;s at least a little odd we&rsquo;ve heard next to nothing on the extension talks of Giannis Antetokounmpo (and by proxy, Bam Adebayo) or Brandon Ingram. I would expect the Ingram shoe to drop first, but the silence on the other end is... odd, to say the least. Teams like the Heat, Raptors and Mavericks might smell blood in the water.
- Honestly would&rsquo;ve liked to see the Hawks take the $12-or-so-million per year they spent on the Rondo/Dunn combo and use it for a De&rsquo;Anthony Melton offer sheet, but good on the Grizzlies for locking him up for cheap. That deal is going to age well, methinks.

Nekias Duncan breaks down the teams and players that were affected the most after the first three days of NBA free agency.