Bears

This article was originally published on Jan. 16, 2021.
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

After months of scrolling through countless Damian Lillard trade rumors, the <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/bucks-shock-nba-world-by-acquiring-damian-lillard-in-blockbuster-trade" target="_blank" rel="noopener">news finally broke</a> on Wednesday afternoon that the Portland Trail Blazers' long-time franchise cornerstone was headed to the Milwaukee Bucks. In one of the more surprising blockbuster trades in recent memory, the seven-time All-Star guard will pair with Giannis Antetokounmpo to form one of the best duos in the league.&nbsp;
Now, the new big fish in the trade market is none other than the player Lillard was dealt for: Jrue Holiday. The Blazers' return featured Holiday, former No. 1 pick Deandre Ayton, Phoenix Suns second-rounder Toumani Camara, an unprotected Bucks 2029 first-rounder, and 2028 and 2030 first-round pick swaps from Milwaukee. The circumstances of Lillard&rsquo;s trade request and his desire to be dealt specifically to the Miami Heat dampened his trade value, but the Blazers were able to come away with a &ldquo;palatable&rdquo; return.
 However, Holiday is unlikely to stay in Portland for long as he does not fit their rebuilding timeline around core players Scoot Henderson and Shaedon Sharpe. <a href="https://twitter.com/BobbyMarks42/status/1707100851880259810" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ESPN&rsquo;s Bobby Marks</a> graded Portland&rsquo;s trade return as &ldquo;incomplete&rdquo; pending the potential assets the team receives for Holiday when they flip him.
Many contending teams are reportedly rushing to the phones to make moves in reaction to the Lillard blockbuster, with several expressing serious interest in Holiday. These possible suitors include the Philadelphia 76ers, Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Clippers and Heat. Teams must factor in Holiday's potential free agency next summer and the possibility of signing him to a long-term extension, which he becomes eligible for on Feb. 22. Perhaps the Blazers will have some urgency to deal Holiday prior to Media Day on Oct. 2 in order to avoid questions and logistics about bringing him in for training camp.&nbsp;
For any team over the luxury-tax apron ($171,294,000) to trade for Holiday, they need to trade away at least $33,175,536 (90% of Holiday&rsquo;s 2023-24 salary) in salaries in order to legally execute a trade. The rest of the league will only need to send out $27,646,280 (75% of Holiday&rsquo;s 2023-24 salary) in order to make a deal.&nbsp;
Another important CBA note with any Holiday trade is that his $36,861,707 salary cannot be aggregated with other contracts for two months. While Holiday is still eligible to be immediately rerouted elsewhere, he cannot be traded with other players. For example, just a few months back, Chris Paul was traded to the Washington Wizards and then quickly rerouted in a separate deal to Golden State. Because Paul was the only salary going back to the Warriors, he was legally allowed to be traded. This must be taken into consideration when proposing potential trade ideas.
With Holiday potentially on the move in the coming days, let&rsquo;s take a look at some potential deals for the 33-year-old.
Realistic Trade Destinations
BOSTON CELTICS
Celtics receive: Jrue Holiday
Trail Blazers receive: Malcolm Brogdon, Al Horford, Dalano Banton (salary guarantee increased to $1,009,853 to satisfy trade rules), 2024 GSW top-4 protected first-round pick, 2025 BOS first-round pick, 2026 BOS first-round pick swap, 2024 CHI/DAL/NO (most favorable) second-round pick, 2026 MIN/NO/NYK/POR (most favorable) second-round pick
By trading away Marcus Smart this summer, the Celtics lost the key cog to their juggernaut defense. Despite not having a Defensive Player of the Year award, Holiday would probably serve as an upgrade to Smart on both the offensive and defensive ends of the floor, helping the Celtics compete against the new-look Bucks in the East. If they wish to enter the Holiday sweepstakes, they would need to trade Malcolm Brogdon ($22,500,000), whom they were close to dealing to the Clippers in July. Along with Brogdon, they would have to sacrifice either Al Horford ($10,000,000) or Robert Williams III ($11,571,429) to make the salaries work. They have all of their own draft picks to trade as well as the Golden State Warriors' pick in 2024, which they got from the Smart trade.
MIAMI HEAT
Heat receive: Jrue Holiday
Trail Blazers receive: Kyle Lowry, Nikola Jovic, Haywood Highsmith, 2027 MIA first-round pick, 2029 MIA top-14 protected first-round pick, 2028 MIA first-round pick swap, 2024 MIA top-50 protected second-round pick, 2026 LAL second-round pick, 2027 HOU/IND/MIA/OKC/SA (least favorable) second-round pick
Missing out once again in their pursuit of a star third option to pair with Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo, Miami could use an upgrade like Holiday to their seemingly incomplete roster. Holiday would provide a must-needed scoring punch and would fit seamlessly in Miami&rsquo;s hard-working culture. While their Lillard trade package was highlighted by Tyler Herro, they likely wouldn&rsquo;t use him in any trade for Holiday. Their salary going out in a deal would come from Kyle Lowry&rsquo;s expiring salary ($29,682,540) and some combination of younger players like Jaime Jaquez Jr. ($3,510,533), Nikola Jovic ($2,352,000) and Haywood Highsmith ($1,902,137). While they are somewhat restricted in terms of draft assets, they can offer up to three first-round picks if they amend their 2025 first-round pick they owe the Oklahoma City Thunder. They have three second-rounders to offer as well.&nbsp;
NEW YORK KNICKS
Knicks receive: Jrue Holiday
Trail Blazers receive: RJ Barrett, Reggie Bullock, Khem Birch, 2024 DAL top-10 protected first-round pick, 2024 DET top-18 protected first-round pick, 2024 WAS top-12 protected first-round pick
Spurs receive: Evan Fournier, 2026 MEM top-42 protected second-round pick, 2027 NO/POR (less favorable) second-round pick
The Knicks may be holding out for when the next superstar &ndash; i.e. Joel Embiid, Donovan Mitchell or Giannis Antetokounmpo (although maybe not anymore?) &ndash; asks for a trade. While New York may be focused on further down the line, acquiring a player like Holiday could allow them to boost their roster right now without giving up enough capital to harm their future superstar pursuits. A Knicks trade that would not harm their trove of draft assets would have to send out RJ Barrett ($23,883,929), who potentially fits Portland&rsquo;s rebuilding timeline. Jrue could line up as the team&rsquo;s starting shooting guard alongside Jalen Brunson, while Josh Hart would play more minutes at small forward to mitigate the loss of Barrett. Evan Fournier&rsquo;s large salary ($18,857,143) would also have to be in any deal for the Knicks to take in Holiday. Portland wouldn&rsquo;t want to acquire both Fournier and Barrett as that would push them over the luxury tax, therefore they would likely route Fournier to another team (like San Antonio).
LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS
Clippers receive: Jrue Holiday
Trail Blazers receive: Marcus Morris Sr., Robert Covington, Amir Coffey, Jason Preston (salary fully guaranteed), 2028 LAC first-round pick, 2030 LAC first-round pick, 2029 LAC first-round pick swap
The Clippers may have been given an olive branch with a player like Jrue Holiday becoming available, as he's an impact player at a price they can afford. It also provides an alternative for the Clippers to land a third star while avoiding the potential drama/issues that could come with acquiring a player like James Harden. The Clippers have a lot of high-salary veterans they could use to get to Holiday&rsquo;s number like Norman Powell ($18,000,000), Marcus Morris Sr. ($17,116,279), Nicolas Batum ($11,710,818) and Robert Covington ($11,692,308). They would probably like to keep Terance Mann, who they seem to not want to include in a potential Harden trade, although his $10,576,923 could be useful. Portland could view their unprotected picks in 2028 and 2030 as some of the best draft assets they could receive due to their aging stars and lack of postseason success.
PHILADELPHIA 76ERS
76ers receive: Jrue Holiday
Clippers receive: James Harden, 2024 NYK second-round pick, 2029 PHI second-round pick, 2030 PHI second-round pick
Trail Blazers receive: Marcus Morris Sr., Robert Covington, Amir Coffey, Jason Preston (salary fully guaranteed to satisfy trade rules), 2028 LAC first-round pick, 2029 PHI first-round pick, 2029 LAC first-round pick swap
Amidst the James Harden debacle, Daryl Morey has remained steadfast in getting a formidable return if they choose to trade the disgruntled All-Star. A reunion with Jrue Holiday, who played in Philadelphia from 2009 to 2013, certainly should get Morey and the Sixers' attention. Holiday would certainly upgrade their defense while being a good support and influence on Tyrese Maxey. The Trail Blazers would have little interest in taking a direct package from Philadelphia, which would almost certainly be headlined by Harden ($35,640,000). Harden's desired destination, the Clippers, should still be interested in acquiring him, but may be more interested in trading for Holiday directly. Portland would likely get a similar package to what they would receive if they traded directly with the Clippers, potentially leaving Philadelphia out to dry. The Sixers would have to incentivize the Clippers by trading some draft capital to take Harden instead of Holiday.
Honorable Mentions
GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS
The Warriors are a logical Holiday destination in terms of fit and trade assets. A trade package would have to send the newly acquired Chris Paul back to Portland or a third team along with a young player like Jonathan Kuminga, Moses Moody or Brandin Podziemski, plus a draft pick. Given that coach Steve Kerr has talked all summer about bringing Paul into the fold, it would be pretty surprising if the team pivoted from the future Hall-of-Famer just before training camp. If the Warriors do choose to jump in the Holiday waters, they could quickly move to the front of the line.&nbsp;
TORONTO RAPTORS
Toronto was considered the favorite to acquire Lillard at one point, with a package that was likely headlined by OG Anunoby and draft assets. In order to acquire Holiday, they would need to use a similar package, albeit with less draft capital involved. It seems as though the Raptors were being coy about potentially dealing Anunoby for Lillard, according to <a href="https://torontosun.com/sports/basketball/nba/toronto-raptors/options-for-raptors-with-damian-lillard-trade-dream-done" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun</a>. If Masai Ujiri was unwilling to include Anunoby in trade discussions before, it&rsquo;s unlikely he will do so for a player like Holiday.&nbsp;
MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES
Holiday would be a near perfect fit alongside Anthony Edwards in the Wolves' backcourt and would greatly improve their defense. However, Minnesota simply doesn&rsquo;t have the right salaries or draft assets to realistically get to Holiday&rsquo;s number unless they are willing to part ways with Karl-Anthony Towns. Even if Tim Connelly was willing to deal Towns for Holiday, the trade may not be what Portland is looking for with the 2015 No. 1 overall pick&rsquo;s five-year supermax extension beginning next season. The idea of paying supermax money to Towns will likely be a turn off for Blazers GM Joe Cronin.
ORLANDO MAGIC
Orlando is probably the most fun dark-horse destination for Jrue. While Markelle Fultz has been a suitable lead guard when healthy, Holiday would bring a championship-level veteran presence that could be useful for Orlando&rsquo;s young squad. The question with the Magic is whether they would actually pursue a deal that would accelerate their timeline with Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner, as well as whether they would part with draft capital that they could potentially use down the line in future trades.

With the Blazers looking to flip Jrue Holiday, Blake Stern breaks down several teams that make sense as a trade suitor.

NBA trade rumors: Examining potential destinations for Jrue Holiday

Since the 2013-14 season, the NBA has used player-tracking technology to collect all kinds of interesting data, including a player&rsquo;s average speed, distance traveled, number of touches and more.
Second Spectrum is the NBA&rsquo;s &ldquo;official optical tracking provider,&rdquo; and they&rsquo;ve installed a player-tracking system in the catwalk of every NBA arena. Using multiple cameras, state-of-the-art machine learning and computer-vision techniques, the software identifies and locates every player and the ball 25 times per second. If something happens on the court, the player-tracking system catches it, and the data gets uploaded to <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/players/speed-distance" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NBA.com</a>.
That&rsquo;s how we know that five players &mdash; Mikal Bridges, Miles Bridges, Tyrese Haliburton, Tyrese Maxey and Scottie Barnes &mdash; ran more than 200 miles throughout the course of last season. And for the second-straight season, Fred VanVleet led all players in average distance traveled, running 2.82 miles per game.&nbsp;
Which players are currently covering the most distance this season? And which players have the fastest and slowest average speed? Let&rsquo;s take a look:
MOST MILES PER GAME
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 50.933%; height: 220px;" border="1">
<tbody>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 18.5985%; height: 22px; text-align: left;">LaMelo Ball</td>
<td style="width: 22.4998%; height: 22px; text-align: left;">2.8 miles per game</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 18.5985%; height: 22px; text-align: left;">Fred VanVleet</td>
<td style="width: 22.4998%; height: 22px; text-align: left;">2.77 miles per game</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 18.5985%; height: 22px; text-align: left;">Terry Rozier</td>
<td style="width: 22.4998%; height: 22px; text-align: left;">2.74 miles per game</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 18.5985%; height: 22px; text-align: left;">Mikal Bridges</td>
<td style="width: 22.4998%; height: 22px; text-align: left;">2.73 miles per game</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 18.5985%; height: 22px; text-align: left;">Pascal Siakam</td>
<td style="width: 22.4998%; height: 22px; text-align: left;">2.72 miles per game</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 18.5985%; height: 22px; text-align: left;">Dejounte Murray</td>
<td style="width: 22.4998%; height: 22px; text-align: left;">2.69 miles per game</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 18.5985%; height: 22px; text-align: left;">Tyler Herro</td>
<td style="width: 22.4998%; height: 22px; text-align: left;">2.69 miles per game</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 18.5985%; height: 22px; text-align: left;">Scottie Barnes</td>
<td style="width: 22.4998%; height: 22px; text-align: left;">2.68 miles per game</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 18.5985%; height: 22px; text-align: left;">C.J. McCollum</td>
<td style="width: 22.4998%; height: 22px; text-align: left;">2.64 miles per game</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 18.5985%; height: 22px; text-align: left;">Zach LaVine</td>
<td style="width: 22.4998%; height: 22px; text-align: left;">2.64 miles per game</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
MOST TOTAL MILES
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 50.7996%; height: 220px;" border="1">
<tbody>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 22.5067%; height: 22px;">Mikal Bridges</td>
<td style="width: 24.0045%; height: 22px;">163.7 miles</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 22.5067%; height: 22px;">Anthony Edwards</td>
<td style="width: 24.0045%; height: 22px;">159.6 miles</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 22.5067%; height: 22px;">Buddy Hield</td>
<td style="width: 24.0045%; height: 22px;">156.2 miles</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 22.5067%; height: 22px;">Franz Wagner</td>
<td style="width: 24.0045%; height: 22px;">155.3 miles</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 22.5067%; height: 22px;">Julius Randle</td>
<td style="width: 24.0045%; height: 22px;">154.1 miles</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 22.5067%; height: 22px;">Scottie Barnes</td>
<td style="width: 24.0045%; height: 22px;">153 miles</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 22.5067%; height: 22px;">Evan Mobley</td>
<td style="width: 24.0045%; height: 22px;">151.5 miles</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 22.5067%; height: 22px;">Jalen Brunson</td>
<td style="width: 24.0045%; height: 22px;">150 miles</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 22.5067%; height: 22px;">P.J. Washington</td>
<td style="width: 24.0045%; height: 22px;">149.2 miles</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 22.5067%; height: 22px;">Domantas Sabonis</td>
<td style="width: 24.0045%; height: 22px;">148.9 miles</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
Clearly, a player's role and their team's style of play influence how many miles they're running each game.
FASTEST AVERAGE SPEED
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 50.933%; height: 220px;" border="1">
<tbody>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 24.3733%; height: 22px;">Wendell Moore Jr.</td>
<td style="width: 22.7734%; height: 22px;">4.71 miles per hour</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 24.3733%; height: 22px;">Luka Garza</td>
<td style="width: 22.7734%; height: 22px;">4.62 miles per hour</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 24.3733%; height: 22px;">T.J. McConnell</td>
<td style="width: 22.7734%; height: 22px;">4.62 miles per hour</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 24.3733%; height: 22px;">Jordan McLaughlin</td>
<td style="width: 22.7734%; height: 22px;">4.61 miles per hour</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 24.3733%; height: 22px;">Blake Wesley</td>
<td style="width: 22.7734%; height: 22px;">4.59 miles per hour</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 24.3733%; height: 22px;">Caleb Martin</td>
<td style="width: 22.7734%; height: 22px;">4.58 miles per hour</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 24.3733%; height: 22px;">Cody Martin</td>
<td style="width: 22.7734%; height: 22px;">4.57 miles per hour</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 24.3733%; height: 22px;">Sam Hauser</td>
<td style="width: 22.7734%; height: 22px;">4.57 miles per hour</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 24.3733%; height: 22px;">Dalano Banton</td>
<td style="width: 22.7734%; height: 22px;">4.56 miles per hour</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 24.3733%; height: 22px;">Aaron Wiggins</td>
<td style="width: 22.7734%; height: 22px;">4.55 miles per hour</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
SLOWEST AVERAGE SPEED
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 50.7996%; height: 209px;" border="1">
<tbody>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 24.386%; height: 22px;">Chris Paul</td>
<td style="width: 22.2461%; height: 22px;">3.55 miles per hour</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 24.386%; height: 22px;">Joel Embiid</td>
<td style="width: 22.2461%; height: 22px;">3.55 miles per hour</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 24.386%; height: 22px;">James Harden</td>
<td style="width: 22.2461%; height: 22px;">3.56 miles per hour</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 24.386%; height: 22px;">DeAndre Jordan</td>
<td style="width: 22.2461%; height: 22px;">3.59 miles per hour</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 24.386%; height: 22px;">Eric Gordon</td>
<td style="width: 22.2461%; height: 22px;">3.63 miles per hour</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 24.386%; height: 22px;">Luka Doncic</td>
<td style="width: 22.2461%; height: 22px;">3.66 miles per hour</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 24.386%; height: 22px;">Kevin Durant</td>
<td style="width: 22.2461%; height: 22px;">3.67 miles per hour</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 24.386%; height: 22px;">John Wall</td>
<td style="width: 22.2461%; height: 22px;">3.7 miles per hour</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 11px;">
<td style="width: 24.386%; height: 11px;">Kyle Lowry</td>
<td style="width: 22.2461%; height: 11px;">3.7 miles per hour</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 24.386%; height: 22px;">LeBron James</td>
<td style="width: 22.2461%; height: 22px;">3.72 miles per hour</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
If you're interested in checking out all of the NBA's tracking data, <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/players/speed-distance" target="_blank" rel="noopener">it can be found here</a>.

The NBA uses player-tracking technology to find out every player’s average speed, average distance traveled and much more.

Tracking data shows which NBA players run the most miles per game

NORMAN, Okla. (AP) &mdash; Grant Sherfield scored a season-high 30 points, and Oklahoma beat No. 2 Alabama 93-69 on Saturday in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge to end the Crimson Tide&rsquo;s nine-win streak.
Jalen Hill added a career-high 26 points, helping second-year Oklahoma coach Porter Moser to his biggest win with the program. Tanner Groves had 14 points and 12 rebounds.
The Sooners (12-9) had lost three straight, but against the Crimson Tide shot 58% from the field.
Rylan Griffen led Alabama (18-3) with 15 points and seven rebounds. Freshman Brandon Miller, who came in averaging 19.5 points per game, finished with 11.
NO. 3 HOUSTON 75, CINCINNATI 69
HOUSTON (AP) &mdash; Jarace Walker had a career-high 25 points and seven rebounds, and Houston rallied from an 11-point second-half deficit to defeat Cincinnati.
Walker, who scored 13 points in the second half, was 10 of 14 from the field. J&rsquo;Wan Roberts added 14 points and six rebounds, and Jamal Shead scored 13 points for Houston (20-2, 8-1 American Athletic Conference).
Houston has won at least 20 games in eight straight seasons under coach Kelvin Sampson.
Landers Nolley II had 24 points, including 6 3-pointers. Vicktor Lakhin added 15 points, and David DeJulius had 14 points and nine assists for Cincinnati (14-8, 5-4).&nbsp;
NO. 4 TENNESSEE 82, NO. 10 TEXAS 71
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) &mdash; Olivier Nkamhoua scored 27 points and Zakai Zeigler had 22 points and 10 assists to lead Tennessee over Texas in an SEC/Big 12 Challenge.
Josiah-Jordan James added 14 and Santiago Vescovi had 12 for Tennessee (18-3), which led by as many as 22 midway through the second half.
Sir&rsquo;Jabari Rice scored 21 to lead Texas (17-4). Marcus Carr and Brock Cunningham finished with 11 each.
NO. 5 KANSAS STATE 64, FLORIDA 50
MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) &mdash; Keyontae Johnson had 13 points and 11 rebounds against his former team, Markquis Nowell flirted with the first triple-double in Kanas State history, and the Wildcats beat Florida in an SEC/Big 12 Challenge.
Nowell finished with 13 points, nine rebounds and eight assists, and Nae&rsquo;Qwan Tomlin also had 11 points. The Wildcats improved to 18-3 to match the 1972-73 team for the best start through 21 games in school history.
Johnson struggled from the field, going just 5 of 16 and even getting stuffed by the front of the rim during a windmill dunk on a second-half fast break. But it was nevertheless a special night for the senior forward, who collapsed on the Gators&rsquo; sideline due to a heart condition during a game against Florida State just over two years ago.
Colin Castleton scored 13 points for the Gators (12-9). Myreon Jones and Will Richard had 11 apiece.
NO. 6 ARIZONA 95, WASHINGTON 72
SEATTLE (AP) &mdash; Azuolas Tubelis had 25 points and 10 rebounds, Oumar Ballo added 21 points and 12 rebounds, and Arizona used a big second-half run to pull away to win its fourth straight.
Tubelis topped 20 points for the first time in five games and his rebound putback while being fouled with 4:29 remaining gave the Wildcats a 78-63 lead and sent Washington fans headed for the exits.
Kerr Kriisa added 18 points, hitting six 3-pointers, and Courtney Ramey scored 14 for the Wildcats (19-3, 8-3 Pac-12).
Keion Brooks Jr. led Washington with 25 points and Keyon Menifield added 21. But the Huskies (13-10, 5-7) suffered from too many scoring droughts and didn&rsquo;t have an answer for Arizona&rsquo;s 19-1 run in the early stages of the second half.
NO. 7 VIRGINIA 76, BOSTON COLLEGE 57
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) &mdash; Armaan Franklin and Jayden Gardner scored 18 points each and Virginia used a big first-half run to take control over Boston College for its sixth straight victory.
The Cavaliers (16-3, 8-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) trailed 18-15 before starting an 18-4 run over the next 11 minutes. Virginia put the game away with a 16-4 second-half spurt.
Quinten Post scored 24 to lead the Eagles (10-12, 4-7) and Makai Ashton-Langford added 12 points.
Virginia&rsquo;s Isaac McKneely finished with 12 points and Reece Beekman had 11 and eight assists.
NO. 9 KANSAS 77, KENTUCKY 68
LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) &mdash; Jalen Wilson scored 22 points, including one in a series of huge 3-pointers down the stretch, and Kansas avoided its first four-game losing streak under coach Bill Self.
Wilson made 9 of 18 from the field and grabbed eight rebounds for Kansas (17-4), which finished even with Kentucky at 49% shooting. K.J. Adams Jr. added 17 points, Dick had 13 and McCullar 11 with 12 rebounds as the Jayhawks edged Kentucky 34-29 on the glass.
Oscar Tshiebwe had 18 points and nine rebounds, and Jacob Toppin and Cason Wallace each added 14 for Kentucky (14-7), which had won its previous four.
MISSISSIPPI STATE 81, NO. 11 TCU 74, OT
STARKVILLE, Miss. (AP) &mdash; Tolu Smith had 27 points, 13 rebounds and five assists to lead Mississippi State to an overtime victory.
Dashawn Davis added 16 points to help Mississippi State (13-8) snap a five-game losing streak. Shakeel Moore had 11, including six in overtime, while Cameron Matthews had 10 points and 10 rebounds for the Bulldogs. Tyler Stevenson also added 10 points off the Bulldogs&rsquo; bench.
Damion Baugh led TCU (16-5) with 19 points and Emanuel Miller had 13. Shahada Wells and Jakobe Coles each had 12 for the Horned Frogs and Chuck O&rsquo;Bannon had 10.
Davis&rsquo; 3 pointer with 55 seconds left in the second half gave the Bulldogs a 66-64 advantage. Emanuel Miller scored with 32 seconds remaining and then both teams missed chances to win in regulation.
MISSOURI 78, NO. 12 IOWA STATE 61
COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) &mdash; Kobe Brown scored 20 points, and D&rsquo;Moi Hodge scored 17 points to help Missouri take down Iowa State in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge.
Brown scored 14 of his points in the first half and led Missouri (16-5) with 12 rebounds. Nick Honor added 12 points and DeAndre Gholston scored 10.
Jaren Holmes led Iowa State (15-5) with 19 points, and Gabe Kalscheur added 14.
The Tigers&rsquo; 78 points were a season-high for an Iowa State opponent in regulation; the Cyclones are 0-3 this season when allowing at least 70 points in regulation.
CREIGHTON 84, NO. 13 XAVIER 67
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) &mdash; Arthur Kamula scored 20 points, Creighton&rsquo;s four other starters finished in double-figures and the Bluejays earned their fourth straight Big East win.
Creighton (13-8, 7-3) steadily built a double-digit lead throughout the game and made 34 of its 60 field goal attempts (56.7%) before a sold-out crowd.
Ryan Kalkbrenner scored 17 points, Baylor Scheierman had 14, Trey Alexander finished with 13 and Ryan Nembhard added 11 for the Bluejays, who avenged a 90-87 loss at Xavier on Jan. 11.
Zach Freemantle led Xavier (17-5, 9-2) with 18 points, followed by Colby Jones and Adam Kunkel with 13.
NO. 14 GONZAGA 82, PORTLAND 67
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) &mdash; Julian Strawther had a career-high 40 points, including eight 3-pointers, and Gonzaga pulled away down the stretch for its 16th consecutive victory over Portland.
Anton Watson added 17 points for Gonzaga (18-4, 7-1 West Coast Conference).
Strawther is the first player to reach 40 points for the Zags since Kyle Wiltjer had 45 against Pacific in 2016.
Portland (11-13, 3-5) was led by Moses Wood with 19 points. Juan Sebastian Gorosito, a freshman, finished with a career-high 17 points.
WEST VIRGINIA 80, NO. 15 AUBURN 77
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) &mdash; Erik Stevenson scored a career-high 31 points and West Virginia withstood a furious late rally from Auburn to win an SEC/Big 12 Challenge matchup.
The Mountaineers (13-8) have won two straight for the first time in a month. Jimmy Bell Jr. added 15 points for the Mountaineers.
Charles Barkley cheered on his alma mater from a courtside seat, but Auburn (16-5) couldn&rsquo;t overcome another slow start. The Tigers have lost two straight for the first time in two years.
Jaylin Williams led Auburn with 18 points. Johni Broome added 15 and Allen Flanigan scored 13.
NO. 16 MARQUETTE 89, DEPAUL 69
CHICAGO (AP) &mdash; David Joplin went 8 for 11 from 3-point range for a career-high 28 points, Tyler Kolek had 24 points, 10 assists and 9 rebounds, and Marquette defeated DePaul.
Marquette has won eight of its last nine games, and moved into a tie with No. 13 Xavier atop the Big East.
Marquette (17-5, 9-2) pulled away in the second half. Oso Ighodaro had 10 points, making all five of his shots, and Olivier-Maxence Prosper scored 13 and had 8 rebounds.
Umoja Gibson scored 25 points for DePaul (9-13, 3-8) on 8-of-12 shooting.
NO. 17 BAYLOR 67, ARKANSAS 64
WACO, Texas (AP) &mdash; Keyonte George scored 24 points, including seven in a row down the stretch, and Baylor beat Arkansas in an SEC/Big 12 Challenge.
Baylor (16-5) fell behind by as many as eight points in the second half after an early 11-point lead. But the Bears closed it out after Flo Thamba made two free throws for a 55-53 lead with 3:37 left.
LJ Cryer added 20 points and Jalen Bridges had 10 for the Bears, who won their sixth game in a row despite shooting a 34% (20 of 59) from the field. They offset the season-worst shooting from the field by making 21 of 24 free throws, including two by Cryer with 10 seconds left and two by George with 4.3 seconds remaining.
Ricky Council IV scored 25 points for Arkansas (14-7). Davonte Davis had 16 points, but missed the front end of a 1-plus-1 with 2.3 seconds left, though Joseph Pinion got the ball in the right corner only to miss wildly on a 3-pointer as time ran out.
HOFSTRA 85, NO. 18 COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON 81
CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) &mdash; Aaron Estrada scored 25 points and Darlinstone Dubar added 18 as Hofstra ended College of Charleston&rsquo;s 20-game winning streak.
The Pride (15-8, 8-2 Colonial Athletic Association) were down 28-20 early before rallying past the Cougars (21-2, 9-1), who had not lost since falling to then-No. 1 North Carolina on Nov. 11.
Tyler Thomas had 17 points and eight rebounds for Hofstra.
Ante Brzovic finished with 18 points to lead Charleston.
PITTSBURGH 71, NO. 20 MIAMI 68
PITTSBURGH (AP) &mdash; Blake Hinson tipped in a Jamarius Burton miss with 31 seconds remaining and Pittsburgh rallied past Miami.
The Panthers (15-7, 8-3 ACC) held the Hurricanes (16-5, 7-4) scoreless over the final 2:26 while closing on an 11-0 run to beat a ranked team for the third time this season to bolster its increasingly impressive NCAA tournament resume.
Hinson finished with 21 points for Pitt. Burton had 19 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists as the Panthers stunned Miami in front of a rare sell-out crowd at the Petersen Events Center.
Jordan Miller led the Hurricanes with 18 points. Isaiah Wong added 14 but Miami committed three of its 12 turnovers in the final 35 seconds as the Panthers stormed back.
NO. 21 FAU 70, W. KENTUCKY 63
BOCA RATON, Fla. (AP) &mdash; Brandon Weatherspoon scored 14 points and Florida Atlantic remained undefeated at home.
The victory extended FAU&rsquo;s winning streak to a program-record 20 games, which is now the nation&rsquo;s longest. The Owls&rsquo; 21 victories on the season ties their Division I record set in 2010-11. Western Kentucky (11-11, 3-8 Conference USA) has lost five straight.
Alijah Martin scored eight while grabbing seven rebounds for the Owls (21-1, 11-0).
Jordan Rawls led all scorers with 17 for W. Kentucky. Dayvion McKnight and Emmanuel Akot each had 16.
NO. 22 SAINT MARY&rsquo;S (CAL) 57, BYU 56
PROVO, Utah (AP) &mdash; Logan Johnson had 14 points and freshman Aidan Mahaney scored all 10 of his points, including a fade-away jumper just before the buzzer, in the second half and Saint Mary&rsquo;s (Cal) won its 10th in a row.
Mitchell Saxen had 11 points, 10 rebounds, four assists and two blocks for Saint Mary&rsquo;s (19-4, 8-0 West Coast Conference). Alex Ducas scored 12 points and Augustas Marciulionis added 10.
Dallin Hall was fouled on a driving lay-up attempt with 10.2 seconds left and made 1-of-2 free throws to give BYU a 56-55 lead but Mahaney took the inbounds pass, probed the defense before he drove the lane, stopped near the right block and pivoted away from the basket before hitting the winning jumper over the out-stretched arm of defender Fousseyni Traore.
Hall scored a career-high 23 points on 9 of 14 shooting but made just 3 of 6 from the free-throw line for BYU (14-10, 4-5). Fousseyni Traore added 11 points and eight rebounds.
NO. 24 CLEMSON 82, FLORIDA STATE 81
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) &mdash; Chase Hunter drove the lane and drew a foul, sinking the free throw, to help Clemson escape with a win over Florida State.
Hunter Tyson scored 27 points on 10 of 17 shooting for Clemson (18-4, 10-1 Atlantic Coast Conference), which halted an eight-game road losing streak to Florida State. Hunter finished with 25.
Matthew Cleveland scored 15 of his 18 points in the second half for Florida State (7-15, 5-6), which made a season-high 13 3-pointers. Caleb Mills and Darin Green Jr. each hit four 3-pointers for the Seminoles. Freshman forward Baba Miller had his best game, scoring 11 points and pulling down four rebounds in 20 minutes.

A recap of Saturday's action in men's college hoops includes five upsets in the AP top 15.

Oklahoma's rout of No. 2 Alabama one of many top-15 upsets on Saturday

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) &mdash; KC Ndefo grabbed a rebound and made a follow-up layup with 1.6 seconds remaining to give Seton Hall a 67-66 come-from-behind win over No. 15 UConn on Wednesday night.
Ndefo grabbed his eighth rebound of the game and scored the decisive points as he was fouled on the play. He missed the ensuing free throw, but helped Seton Hall rally from a 17-point first-half deficit. He finished with 14 points.
Kadary Richmond had a game-high 18 points and 10 rebounds for Seton Hall (12-8, 5-4 Big East)
Adama Sanogo had 16 points and five rebounds and Jordan Hawkins added 13 points and six rebounds for UConn (15-5, 4-5), which was without coach Dan Hurley and associate head coach Kimani Young due to the coronavirus.
DEPAUL 73, NO. 8 XAVIER 72
CHICAGO (AP) &mdash; Umoja Gibson scored 22 points, Javan Johnson added 16 and DePaul surprised Xavier.
The Musketeers (15-4, 7-1 Big East) came in rolling with 11 straight wins &mdash; their best run since the 2015-16 team got off to a 12-0 start. But they came up short against the Blue Demons (9-10, 3-5).
DePaul led by seven with about eight minutes remaining and made just enough plays to come away with its first win over a top-10 team since beating No. 5 Butler exactly three years earlier at Wintrust Arena.
Zach Freemantle had 18 points and 12 rebounds for Xavier. Jack Nunge finished with 16 points and 13 rebounds. But Big East scoring leader Souley Boum scored a season-low four.
NO. 10 VIRGINIA 78, VIRGINIA TECH 68
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) &mdash; Kihei Clark had 20 points and became Virginia&rsquo;s career victories leader as a player with No. 111 as the Cavaliers handed Virginia Tech its sixth straight loss.
Armaan Franklin added 15 points and Jayden Gardner 12 for the Cavaliers (14-3, 6-2 Atlantic Coast Conference). Clark was tied with Mamadi Diane (2017-20) on the overall victories list and with 64 career ACC wins.
Darius Maddox led the Hokies (11-7, 1-6) with 13 points and Grant Basile had 12. Virginia Tech&rsquo;s losing streak has come winning 11 of its first 12 games.
WEST VIRGINIA 74, NO. 14 TCU 65
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) &mdash; Kedrian Johnson scored 20 points and West Virginia built a big early lead and outlasted TCU.
Jimmy Bell Jr. added 15 points and 12 rebounds for West Virginia (11-7, 1-5 Big 12), whose players slapped hands with the student section after breaking a five-game losing streak.
Mike Miles Jr. scored 21 points while Emanuel Miller and Damion Baugh had 13 apiece for TCU (14-4, 3-3), which has lost three of its last four after starting the season 13-1.
NO. 16 AUBURN 67, LSU 49
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) &mdash; Wendell Green Jr. and Jaylin Williams each scored 14 points to lead Auburn to its fourth straight victory.
KJ Williams and Trae Hannibal scored 16 points apiece for LSU (12-6, 1-5 Southeastern Conference), which dropped its fifth straight conference game.
Auburn (15-3, 5-1) never trailed in the game and was only seriously threatened in the early minutes of the second half.
LSU never trailed by fewer than 12 points over the last 10 minutes of the game. After reducing its deficit to two points at 37-35, LSU made four field goals the rest of the game.
NO. 20 MARQUETTE 83, NO. 22 PROVIDENCE 75
MILWAUKEE (AP) &mdash; Kam Jones had 21 points and Tyler Kolek scored 19 as Marquette defeated Providence for its sixth victory in seven games.
Olivier-Maxence Prosper added 13 points for Marquette (15-5, 7-2 Big East). Kolek also had eight rebounds and six assists.
Bryce Hopkins had 19 points and 10 rebounds for the Friars (14-5, 6-2), who lost their second straight after a nine-game winning streak. Ed Croswell led Providence with 20 points, and Devin Carter had 18.
MISSOURI 79, NO. 25 ARKANSAS 76
COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) &mdash; Kobe Brown scored 17 points and hit two free throws with 29 seconds to lift Missouri over Arkansas.
DeAndre Gholston added 16 points and Sean East II added 12 for the Tigers (14-4, 3-3 SEC), who avenged a 74-68 loss in Fayetteville on Jan. 4.
Davonte Davis scored 18 points and Ricky Council IV had 13 for Arkansas, which has lost four in a row. Anthony Black added 15 points for the Razorbacks (12-6, 1-5).

A recap of Wednesday night's men's college basketball action includes three top-15 upsets.

Seton Hall rallies from 17 down, beats No. 15 UConn 67-66

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MIAMI (AP) &mdash; Bam Adebayo scored 30 points, including a pair of free throws to put Miami up for good with 35 seconds left, and the Heat rallied from a 13-point deficit in the fourth quarter to beat the Phoenix Suns 113-112 on Monday night.
Phoenix had three shots to win on its final possession &mdash; a missed layup by Cameron Payne, a jumper from Devin Booker that Jimmy Butler blocked, and then a 3-pointer from Booker that fell short.
Butler finished with 16 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists for Miami. Caleb Martin and Kyle Lowry each scored 15 for Miami, which got back to .500 at 7-7.
Booker led Phoenix with 25 points, and Duane Washington Jr. added 21. Deandre Ayton finished with 16 points and 12 rebounds for the Suns, who shot only four free throws compared to 25 for Miami.
CELTICS 126, THUNDER 122
BOSTON (AP) &mdash; Marcus Smart scored 20 of his 22 points in the second half, and Boston beat Oklahoma City for its seventh straight win.
Boston trailed by 15 in the third quarter but outscored Oklahoma City 37-26 in the fourth.
Jayson Tatum had 27 points and 10 rebounds for the Celtics. Jaylen Brown scored 26, and Al Horford added 12 points and 11 rebounds.
Smart also had eight assists and five rebounds, and reserve Payton Pritchard added 10 points, leading a key surge late in the third and early in the fourth as the Celtics rallied.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder with 37 points. Lu Dort scored 21 and Aleksej Pokusevski finished with 16 points and 14 rebounds.
HAWKS 121, BUCKS 106
MILWAUKEE (AP) &mdash; De&rsquo;Andre Hunter scored 24 points and Trae Young had 21 points and nine assists, leading Atlanta over Milwaukee.
Clint Capela added 19 points and 10 rebounds as the Hawks won for the fifth time in seven games. Dejounte Murray also scored 19, and John Collins had 16 points and nine boards.
Giannis Antetokounmpo, who missed the previous two games and three of the past four with left knee soreness, scored 27 points in 31 minutes. The Bucks have lost three of four after a 9-0 start.
It was the third meeting between the teams in 16 days. MarJon Beauchamp had 20 points for the Bucks, who dropped to 7-1 at home.
WARRIORS 132, SPURS 95
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) &mdash; Back in the starting lineup for a night, Jordan Poole scored a season-best 36 points on the debut of his first bobblehead and led Golden State past San Antonio.
Poole shot 13 for 20 and knocked down five 3-pointers. He exited with 8:04 left following his 13th career game of 30 or more points.
Stephen Curry added 16 points, five rebounds and five assists in 27 minutes. It was the second game of a back-to-back for the Warriors after they lost 122-115 at Sacramento on Sunday to fall to 0-7 on the road.
Keldon Johnson had 15 points for the injury-plagued Spurs.
RAPTORS 115, PISTONS 111
DETROIT (AP) &mdash; Dalano Banton scored 27 points and Chris Boucher added 20 as short-handed Toronto snapped a three-game losing streak with a victory over Detroit.
O.G. Anunoby added 19 points and seven rebounds for the Raptors, who played without Fred VanVleet (non-COVID-19 illness), Pascal Siakam (abdominal strain) and Gary Trent (hip).
Rookie guard Jaden Ivey scored 21 for the Pistons, who lost their fourth straight. Bojan Bogdanovic added 18 points.
HORNETS 112, MAGIC 105
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) &mdash; LaMelo Ball had 17 points and nine assists, and Charlotte stopped an eight-game slide by beating Orlando.
Seven players scored in double figures for the Hornets, including their entire starting lineup. Mason Plumlee had 18 points and 10 rebounds. Terry Rozier scored 17, and Kelly Oubre Jr. had 16.
Franz Wagner scored 23 points and Wendell Carter Jr. added 20 for Orlando, but the Magic committed 22 turnovers.
Ball, who missed the Hornets&rsquo; 113-93 loss at Orlando last month because of a sprained ankle, played in only his second game of the season after missing the first 13.
CLIPPERS 122, ROCKETS 106
HOUSTON (AP) &mdash; Paul George scored 22 points in three quarters to lead Los Angeles past Houston.
George, who also had eight rebounds and five assists, spent the fourth quarter on the bench with the game in hand as Clippers coach Tyronn Lue didn&rsquo;t play his starters in the final period on the front end of a back-to-back.
Jalen Green scored 25 points and Kevin Porter Jr. added 20 for the Rockets, who dropped their third in a row.
Reggie Jackson had 17 points and six assists to help the Clippers win for the third time in four games.

Bam Adebayo scored 30 points, and the Heat rallied from a 13-point deficit in the fourth quarter to beat the Suns 113-112 on Monday.

Adebayo scores 30 points as Heat rally past Suns 113-112

This marks the first time that NBA opening-night rosters have at least 120 international players in consecutive seasons

NBA features 120 international players from 40 countries, 6 continents

DENVER (AP) &mdash; Here's an example of just how much Jamal Murray was missed: Introduced before a preseason home game, the Denver Nuggets all rushed over to swarm him.
That's the level of respect the team has for its point guard, who's back on the court for the first time since tearing his left ACL on April 12, 2021.
The band is back together as <a href="https://twitter.com/nuggets/status/1577119935083356162">Murray rejoins back-to-back MVP Nikola Jokic</a>. Along with Michael Porter Jr., who was limited to nine games last season due to his balky back, they're ready to pick up where they left off when Murray and Porter were healthy. The trio led the Nuggets <a href="https://twitter.com/BeMore27/status/1574492168567197696">to the Western Conference finals</a> inside the bubble in 2020.
It may take some time for Denver to round back into that form. The Nuggets' over-under is set at <a href="https://sportsbook.fanduel.com/navigation/nba?tab=regular-season-wins">51 1/2 wins, according to FanDuel Sportsbook</a>, with a plus-2000 to capture the NBA title (the Celtics are at plus-600).
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a different vibe since we got some of our guys back,&rdquo; said forward Aaron Gordon, whose team opens the season at Utah on Oct. 19. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s a certain level of calmness. Just because we do have so many great guys on this team. We have such a talented roster that&rsquo;s so deep.&rdquo;
The lineup boasts Murray, Porter, Jokic and Gordon while adding Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to the mix. He was acquired, along with <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1579684213472870400">fellow veteran Ish Smith</a>, in an offseason deal that sent Will Barton and Monte Morris to the Washington Wizards. That leaves a bench including Bones Hyland, Jeff Green, Bruce Brown, Zeke Nnaji, Davon Reed, Vlatko Cancar and big man DeAndre Jordan. In addition, the Nuggets drafted Christian Braun out of Kansas with the 21st overall pick.
This roster was assembled in large part because Denver didn&rsquo;t have Murray and Porter last season. It gave coach Michael Malone and general manager Calvin Booth a chance to evaluate the team through "a different lens,&ldquo; Booth said.
&ldquo;I think when you have guys like Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr., it&rsquo;s easier to overlook some of your flaws,&rdquo; added Booth, whose team was eliminated in the first round by the NBA champion Golden State Warriors last season. &ldquo;We came to the realization we needed to get bigger and needed to get more versatile.&rdquo;
There was a little alarm in a preseason game when Murray tweaked his hamstring, only because he's a big part of the engine that drives the Nuggets. Malone plans to take it nice and steady with Murray's acclimation to the season.
&ldquo;The team we&rsquo;re going to be in October, November, is not the team that we&rsquo;re going to be come April in the playoffs," Malone said. &ldquo;We want to be smart as we build up.&rdquo;
MURRAY'S GOAL
Murray's primary goal is to work his way back into the 21.2-point-and-4.8-assist-a-night form he demonstrated before his injury.
&ldquo;At the moment, I just want to play,&rdquo; Murray said. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t care if I go 0-for-10. ... I just want to get those couple games under my belt, first, and then you can have all the talks you want about what you expect.&rdquo;
TOP DEFENSE
Malone&rsquo;s challenge to his team is to become a top-five defensive squad. The Nuggets were in the middle of the pack in defensive rating a season ago.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s no surprise that Boston and Golden State, the two best defenses, were in the finals,&rdquo; Malone said.
GOOD FRIENDS
The Nuggets had a powerful recruiting tool to lure Jordan to town: his good friend, Green.
Jordan said his role is whatever is required. He led the league in rebounding in 2014 and '15 while with the Los Angeles Clippers. He averaged 5.5 rebounds last season with the Los Angeles Lakers and Philadelphia 76ers.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m not out there to play 35, 40 minutes,&rdquo; Jordan said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s the back-to-back MVP&rsquo;s job. I&rsquo;m just there to be a part of the supporting cast.&rdquo;
SUPPORT SYSTEM
Porter leaned on Murray and friends in his inner circle while rehabilitating his back injuries.
&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think you really ever lose confidence,&rdquo; Porter said. &ldquo;You're always just trying to persevere through stuff. It just takes time.&rdquo;
He said he doesn&rsquo;t have any limitations.
&ldquo;Just continuing to get stronger,&rdquo; Porter said. &ldquo;Just getting back out there, being able to get in a rhythm again and keep working every day.&rdquo;
PAINTBALL
Gordon hosted a get-together in the offseason to play some hoops and paintball.
The best paintball player on the team?
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m a beast at paintball,&rdquo; Gordon said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m tough when it comes to paintball.&rdquo;

“It’s a different vibe since we got some of our guys back,” said Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon.

Nuggets' Murray ready to rejoin forces with 2-time MVP Jokic

DENVER (AP) &mdash; Jamal Murray spotted his two-time reigning MVP teammate in the open and quickly hollered out to him.
"Grab me a grape,&rdquo; the Denver Nuggets point guard said with Nikola Jokic breaking toward a fruit tray Monday at media day.
With that, Jokic dished out his first assist of the season.
Jokic will have his supporting cast back and healthy this season, with Murray feeling &ldquo;night and day&rdquo; better after missing all last year as he recovered from an ACL injury. Michael Porter Jr., too, after being limited to just nine games a year ago due to a balky back.
With the trade for Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and the signing of Bruce Brown, along with the growth of high-energy guard Bones Hyland, the Nuggets have high aspirations this season &mdash; even if they shy away from voicing it out loud.
&ldquo;We know what we want to do,&rdquo; said Brown, whose team begins training camp Tuesday in San Diego. &ldquo;So it doesn&rsquo;t need to be said.&rdquo;
It all starts in the middle with Jokic, who signed a <a href="https://apnews.com/article/denver-nuggets-nba-sports-basketball-c362b97f3d8d23b2c18b869e9278f249" target="_blank" rel="noopener">supermax extension in the offseason</a>. He's trying to join the company of Larry Bird, Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain as players who won the MVP trophy three straight seasons.
One area the Nuggets want to see him raise to another level &mdash; his vocal game.
&ldquo;Everybody is waiting for him to say something,&rdquo; Nuggets coach Michael Malone said. &ldquo;And when he does it has a profound impact.&rdquo;
The quiet leader wants to be the &ldquo;Tim Duncan of the Denver Nuggets,&rdquo; Jokic said. &ldquo;But I need win a couple of championships to be him.&rdquo;
He's got the crew around him to make a run.
Shortly after acquiring Aaron Gordon in March 2021, the Nuggets showed flashes of what they could do with a lineup consisting of Gordon, Murray, Porter and Jokic. They went 4-1 before Murray tore his ACL at Golden State. Last season, they lost Porter after the outside threat <a href="https://apnews.com/article/nba-sports-michael-porter-jr-jamal-murray-nikola-jokic-fe7764c78e82b3ee90e360cc6b0d5dba" target="_blank" rel="noopener">underwent another procedure on his back</a>.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m looking to build a chemistry with that,&rdquo; said Gordon, whose team lost to the NBA champion Golden State Warriors in the first round last season. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s going to be nice to figure out ... the flow of the game and who gets what, where and when, the how and why &mdash; we've still got to put all those questions together. It&rsquo;s going be fun.&rdquo;
Especially with Murray looking more like his old self.
"He&rsquo;s got that confidence back. He&rsquo;s got that swagger back,&rdquo; Malone said. &ldquo;Seeing him in our gym, playing with that confidence and chirping, has been fun to watch.&rdquo;
Murray's not putting expectations on his return. The Nuggets have missed the playoff version of Murray, who had two 50-point bursts in 2020 when the Nuggets made it to the Western Conference Finals.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve been taking one day at a time and everybody&rsquo;s always asking me what&rsquo;s it going to look like two months from now. I don&rsquo;t know,&rdquo; Murray said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m on the right road.&rdquo;
Same with Porter.
&ldquo;Injuries, it just takes time, I would say, to have joy in the game again, no soreness or anything,&rdquo; Porter said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s good to be on the other side of it. I&rsquo;m here now and I don&rsquo;t have any limitations. I&rsquo;m excited."
In July, the Nuggets picked up Caldwell-Pope and Ish Smith from Washington for Monte Morris and Will Barton. Caldwell-Pope is looking forward to working with Jokic, who is known for his no-look passes.
&ldquo;So I will keep my eyes on him at all times,&rdquo; Caldwell-Pope cracked.
TEAM CAMARADERIE
To develop team chemistry, Jeff Green hosted an offseason camp in Miami for the younger players. In addition, Gordon had teammates over to his place for hoops and then some paintball.
"Both returning and new players and veterans understand the importance and the opportunity that we have,&rdquo; Malone said. &ldquo;You don&rsquo;t want to waste that opportunity.&rdquo;
HONORING RUSSELL
Nuggets center DeAndre Jordan will wear No. 6 to honor the late Russell. It's a number that has been retired by the NBA, but <a href="https://apnews.com/article/nba-sports-bill-russell-lebron-james-national-basketball-players-association-f4d1eda4268a874010b49311679e75c2" target="_blank" rel="noopener">players who have worn it in the past are</a> permitted to do so.
&ldquo;Bill Russell was a great pioneer for not only the game of basketball but for off-the-floor things as well,&rdquo; Jordan said.
TOP SHOOTER?
Jack White, a 6-foot-7 forward from Australia, has been winning 3-point shooting contests in practice over the summer.
The top shooter on the team?
&ldquo;I haven&rsquo;t stepped into that yet,&rdquo; Caldwell-Pope said of the contests. &ldquo;For now he is.... I&rsquo;m looking forward to competing &mdash; and taking the top spots.&rdquo;
&nbsp;

With a healthy Jamal Murray and Michael Porter, Jr., two-time reigning MVP Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets have high aspirations.

Jokic has supporting cast back with healthy Murray, Porter

Is the NBA ready to add an expansion team? Evan Sidery explores what kind of team you could build in a present-day expansion draft.

NBA Expansion Mock Draft: What would a new expansion team look like?

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>

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

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!
<iframe src="https://playlist.megaphone.fm/?e=BNI3675694980" width="100%" height="200" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe>
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.
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>.

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.