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Suns

Izaiah Brockington couldn&rsquo;t help but lick his chops.&nbsp;
On Dec. 9, 2021, highly-touted 2022 NBA Draft prospect Keegan Murray and his Iowa Hawkeyes were traveling to Ames for an in-state rivalry game. The 6-foot-8, 225-pound forward was leading the nation in scoring with an average of just under 24 points per game (on a scorching 59.3% clip from the field), and the Hawkeyes were averaging over 90 points per contest at that point.
Through rigorous film study, Brockington observed Murray&rsquo;s favorite spots on the court, where he liked to catch the ball and how he got his buckets. And from the tip, the 6-foot-4, 200-pound guard followed through. He denied post-entry to Murray time and time again, helped the helper and put pressure on the Hawkeyes on the perimeter.
By the end of the night, Brockington outscored and outrebounded Murray while holding him to the worst game of his season by far (9 points on 4-of-17 from the field), while simultaneously delivering the game's most efficient performance with 29 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals.
&ldquo;I feel like that was definitely one of my best games of the season. I really came into that game wanting to shut him down,&rdquo; Brockington told BasketballNews.com in a phone interview. &ldquo;I went out there and really tried to take away his strengths and mainly speed him up. I feel like he was really good when he was allowed to play at his pace and when guys were giving him space to work and see what was going on on the floor. So, I really came into that game wanting to lock him down on defense. And then, the 29 points, that was a bonus really.&rdquo;
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Unlike Murray, who&rsquo;s projected to be a lottery pick in most mock drafts (including <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/2022-nba-mock-draft/players/keegan-murray" target="_blank" rel="noopener">No. 6 overall</a> in <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft" target="_blank" rel="noopener">BasketballNews.com&rsquo;s latest</a>), you surprisingly won&rsquo;t find Brockington&rsquo;s name anywhere on those big boards. And no, you won&rsquo;t find him partaking in this week&rsquo;s NBA Draft Combine nor the G League Elite Camp. Considering his size at the guard position coupled with his ability to rebound, make <a href="https://twitter.com/SynergySST/status/1507061353076383744?s=20&amp;t=bJGYe1FEeuLkx9hLdfQYuQ" target="_blank" rel="noopener">high-difficulty shots</a> and, most importantly, defend at a high level, it&rsquo;s a head-scratcher.
Take into account that Brockington spearheaded a 22-win Iowa State program that won just two games the season before, an NCAA-record turnaround, and it just seems like a downright mistake. So, he&rsquo;ll just have to prove that he stands out and find other ways to turn heads &mdash; just like he did last December.
&ldquo;I feel like my work ethic allows me to catch guys that a lot of people deem 'better' or would rank higher [than me]," Brockington said. "I feel like I have the intangibles that other people don't. I have athleticism, and I have the dog mentality &mdash; somebody who just loves to compete and loves to win and isn't gonna let somebody just walk all over them.
&ldquo;I love to compete. I attribute it to being from Philly. We just never back down from a challenge. The intangibles, I feel like, set me apart. And then, with my work ethic, all of these things that people say I don't have, I'm working every day and I'm ready to show everybody that I do [have them].&rdquo;
Having just worked out for the Atlanta Hawks, Brockington&rsquo;s list of interested teams is growing. According to sources, the Toronto Raptors, Phoenix Suns, Los Angeles Clippers, New Orleans Pelicans, Los Angeles Lakers, Indiana Pacers, Sacramento Kings, Utah Jazz and Brooklyn Nets are lined up next &mdash; and he has five other teams who asked to schedule workouts at Tandem&rsquo;s Pro Day on Friday.
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Brockington&rsquo;s lone season at Iowa State went down as the best of his college career, and he considers it the most fun he had playing basketball at the collegiate level because the roster was brand-new and had something to prove.
As a senior, he averaged 16.9 points and 6.8 rebounds per game, was named to the All-Big 12 First Team and earned the 2021-22 midseason John Wooden award. Boasting the Cyclones&rsquo; highest usage rate (27.5%), he took on the most responsibility he had to that point and ran with the opportunity.
Defensively, Brockington attributes much of his success (93.2 Defensive Rating) to the players he had to guard along the way. Starting in the Big 12, a conference he refers to as &ldquo;ridiculous&rdquo; in regards to talent, match-ups against Kansas standout Ochai Agbaji and Baylor&rsquo;s Jeremy Sochan and James Akinjo helped iron sharpen iron. The nights were intense and featured high-level basketball.
This past season, Brockington was adept at cutting off catch-and-drives (0.47 points per possession, per InStat) and defending pick-and-roll ball-handlers (0.54 PPP). It&rsquo;s something that he believes carried over his time at Penn State, where he spent two seasons prior to transferring.
&ldquo;We were really big on defense, so it was really about angles over there. And then, going to Iowa State, Coach TJ [Otzelberger] and our whole defensive scheme was non-stop pressure and to get guys to go into our help,&rdquo; Brockington said. &ldquo;But I feel like... you can push guys to your help, but it's better to be able to guard somebody and not need the help. I feel like, yeah, I definitely would try to cut guys off so that it's not forcing us to rotate and create long closeouts. Little things like that just help you stay more compact on defense and just stay more locked on your man.
&ldquo;So at Iowa State, we would drill things like [pick-and-roll defense] &mdash; getting over screens, being able to communicate and getting over and under, and just sticking on the ball-handler, making it tough for them. But, I also feel like I can thrive in an all-switching situation because I have strength and I have explosiveness. I feel like when I get caught down in the post, I can front or just make it tough for bigger guys to get easy position. I feel like I can thrive in either system, for sure."
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The Work Gonna Show🖤✍🏾&hellip;<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/iPromise?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#iPromise</a>🙏🏾 <a href="https://t.co/K23fSy995m">pic.twitter.com/K23fSy995m</a>
&mdash; Izaiah Brockington (@TheOnlyiZB) <a href="https://twitter.com/TheOnlyiZB/status/1527033907014684682?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 18, 2022</a></blockquote>

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During his two years with the Nittany Lions, he took on different roles and began to blossom under Pat Chambers. Again, there was plenty of talent to face-off against in the Big Ten, such as current Chicago Bulls guard Ayo Dosunmu at Illinois, San Antonio Spurs forward Joe Wieskamp at Iowa, Indiana Pacers guard Duane Washington and future NBA Draft pick Johnny Davis at Wisconsin. Stylistically, Brockington believes the Big Ten&rsquo;s physicality helped prepare him too.&nbsp;
At Penn State, Brockington reconnected with his longtime friend Lamar Stevens. The now-Cleveland Cavaliers forward performed night-in and night-out for the team, showing Brockington the consistency and hard work it takes to be successful. Stevens has been in his ear throughout the pre-draft process, sharing what needs to be done and how to stick in the league. Brockington appreciates the support and encouragement, and he's taking every bit of that advice.
(Brockington&rsquo;s collegiate basketball odyssey actually began at St. Bonaventure, the first of three schools he&rsquo;d attend. Playing for Mark Schmidt for one year, he and the Bonnies had a solid season led by seniors Jaylen Adams and Matt Mobley. Brockington ultimately transferred to Penn State to be closer to home and ended up sitting out a season, by rule, before suiting up).
As far as translatable skills go at the next level, Brockington states that his defense and rebounding top the list, along with his athleticism and ability to get downhill.&nbsp;
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In addition, Brockington takes pride in being well-versed in any kind of role. At St. Bonaventure and early on at Penn State, he did a bit of everything &mdash; serving as a spot-up shooter, a slasher, a rebounding specialist and a sixth man. He even played spot minutes off the bench at one point.
At Iowa State, he was a go-to guy, a star player and a leader for the first time in his college career, so opposing defenses threw everything but the kitchen sink at him.
&ldquo;Against certain teams &mdash; Texas comes to mind specifically &mdash; [they were], like, face-guarding me. [Texas] Tech would have a guy pressure and they would have dudes sit in gaps and essentially try to force me off of the ball. Seeing double-teams and all of that was new," Brockington said with a laugh. "It was just crazy being guarded like that in college 'cause I'd never had to deal with things like that before. I feel like those things really pushed me to be able to adapt and really try to just make smart decisions."
On the offensive end, Brockington has an appetite for the mid-range. The sly southpaw is able to get to his spots quickly off the ball and fire away with his leaping lefty jumper, and he likes to attack off the catch (with fireworks often following). Though he admits that is the area where he&rsquo;s most comfortable at the moment, Brockington understands the importance of being a three-level scorer.
&ldquo;I've been working on really being a combo guard &mdash; a guy that can use pick-and-rolls and make reads and just really making the right decision every time, a lot of basketball IQ things,&rdquo; Brockington said. &ldquo;And then, just knocking down threes... I've been working a ton and I'm looking to show everybody that I can knock down threes off the kick-out and off the pick-and-roll and off the dribble. I've been working extremely hard on that, and it's been going great.
&ldquo;I mean, [the mid-range] is an underappreciated part of the game. But a lot of analytics guys will tell you that it's inefficient, and that's probably true for most guys. That's just not the case with me. I feel like when I take mid-rangers, I create enough space horizontally and vertically to be able to get a clean look off.&rdquo;
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Despite spending five years in college, Brockington is only 22 years old because he graduated from high school early. Possessing that much experience at his age, he considers it an advantage. At the same time, Brockington says age doesn&rsquo;t have to do with his ability to play the game, pick up new information and improve as a player.
&ldquo;My experience in college has really taught me about consistency and taught me what hard work can do, and it's really about the preparation leading into everything,&rdquo; Brockington said. &ldquo;Games are won way before that time comes. Games are won in the offseason. Games are won in the film room. Games are won in pregame shootaround. So those are things I'll always have with me.&nbsp;
&ldquo;It hasn't been a typical college journey, but one thing that's remained the same is everywhere I go, I put my head down and work. I went out there, I produced and I was out there trying to win."
For Brockington, growing up in Philadelphia, he&rsquo;d always attend his father Antoine&rsquo;s rec-league games and hear stories about him. Antoine was a hell of a pro in his own right, achieving tremendous success overseas after an impressive career at Coppin State, where he won the 1997-98 MEAC Player of the Year award &mdash; and Izaiah looked up to him proudly.
Now, as the pre-draft process begins, it&rsquo;s Izaiah Brockington&rsquo;s time to carve his own path and make him proud.
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Spencer Davies speaks with Izaiah Brockington about his breakout season at Iowa State, unique path and next-level aspirations.

Izaiah Brockington hopes his unique journey culminates in NBA success

Zach LaVine has an Olympic gold medal. What he doesn&rsquo;t have is NBA playoff experience.
At last, that part is about to change.
No active NBA player has been in more regular-season games without making his playoff debut than LaVine, who has appeared in 478 games with the Chicago Bulls. He&rsquo;s expected to play in his first playoff game Sunday night when the Bulls visit Milwaukee.
Once LaVine makes his playoff debut, the title nobody wants &mdash; active player with most games and no playoff appearances &mdash; will fall to Buddy Hield. He&rsquo;s been in 468 games with Sacramento, New Orleans and Indiana.
If Hield appears in at least 32 games next season, he will become the eighth player with at least 500 regular-season appearances but zero playoff contests. He&rsquo;ll join Tom Van Arsdale (929), Otto Moore (682), Nate Williams (642), Omri Casspi (588), Sebastian Telfair (564), Popeye Jones (535) and Eddy Curry (527) in that club.
Curry has a ring from his time with the Miami Heat in the 2011-12 season, but didn&rsquo;t play in a game during that postseason run.
EIGHT IS (USUALLY) ENOUGH
Phoenix won eight games more than any other team this season. That usually means a championship.
Not always, though.
The last four teams to have at least eight more wins than any other team in the regular season have gone on to win a title. Those clubs are the Los Angeles Lakers in 2000, the Chicago Bulls in 1992 and 1996, and the Boston Celtics in 1984.
The 1971 Milwaukee Bucks, 1967 Philadelphia 76ers, and both the 1960 and 1965 Celtics also ended seasons with such huge regular-season margins with championships. But the Celtics in both 1958 and 1973 did not, nor did the Washington Capitols in 1947 &mdash; the inaugural season of the BAA, which was the precursor to the NBA. The Capitols (49-11) won 10 more regular-season games than anyone else in 1946-47, but the Philadelphia Warriors (35-25) won that first season&rsquo;s championship.
PLAYOFF MONEY
The NBA has set this season&rsquo;s playoff pool at $17,317,334. All 16 playoff teams are guaranteed $258,449 just for making the field; most teams will make more, and the deeper teams go in the playoffs, they&rsquo;ll make much more.
Phoenix is already assured at least $1,194,952. The Suns would claim $5,077,456 if they win the NBA title.
Miami has secured $695,527 already. The Heat would get $4,578,031 if they win the championship.
Any team that makes the NBA Finals is guaranteed $3,106,286; any team other than the Suns or Heat that wins the championship would receive at least $4,140,953.
BEST EVERYWHERE
Phoenix had the NBA&rsquo;s best home record and the NBA&rsquo;s best road record this season &mdash; 32-9 in both instances.
Only four of the last nine teams to pull off that feat, including ties in the standings, went on to win the NBA title. Those clubs were Golden State in 2015 and 2017, the Los Angeles Lakers in 2000 and the Chicago Bulls in 1996.
The most recent teams to be best at home, best on the road and still not win a title: Houston in 2018, Dallas in 2007, Seattle in 1994, Portland in 1991 and the Lakers in 1990.
MILESTONE WATCH
Philadelphia&rsquo;s Doc Rivers is on the cusp of becoming the fifth coach in NBA history to win 100 postseason games. The 76ers need just two wins in their first-round series against Toronto to get Rivers to the milestone.
The other coaches with 100 wins: Phil Jackson (229), Pat Riley (171), Gregg Popovich (170) and Larry Brown (100).
Miami&rsquo;s Erik Spoelstra can also get to 100 playoff wins this year &mdash; but the Heat would have to get to the NBA Finals, then win three games in the title round to get him there. Spoelstra enters these playoffs with 85 postseason victories.
Among players, Brooklyn&rsquo;s Kevin Durant is three points shy of matching Jerry West (4,457) for eighth on the all-time playoff list. Durant needs 307 points to tie No. 7 Karl Malone (4,761) on that list, meaning the Nets would likely have to get to at least the second round for that to occur this year.
FAVORED TEAMS
Utah was favored in more games than any other team this season, picked by oddsmakers 73 times in the 82-game regular season. The Jazz were followed by Phoenix (70), Milwaukee (66), Golden State (62), Boston (61) and Miami (59) on the most-favored list.
The team that covered a spread with the most regularity this season: Memphis, which rewarded its backers 64.6% of the time. Utah was tied for next-to-last in that department, covering at a 40.2% rate.
Oklahoma City was favored the fewest times in the league, just on three occasions. Portland was the worst at covering, doing so 37.8% of the time.
BACK TO BACK
If Milwaukee&rsquo;s Giannis Antetokounmpo wins his second consecutive NBA Finals MVP award &mdash; now named for Bill Russell &mdash; he would join select company.
Only six players have won that award in consecutive years. Chicago&rsquo;s Michael Jordan won it back-to-back-to-back on two separate occasions, 1991 through 1993 and then 1996 through 1998. Shaquille O&rsquo;Neal won three in a row for the Los Angeles Lakers from 2000 through 2002. Hakeem Olajuwon won for Houston in 1994 and 1995, Kobe Bryant did for the Lakers in 2009 and 2010, LeBron James did for Miami in 2012 and 2013, and Kevin Durant did it for Golden State in 2017 and 2018.
Jerry West was the award&rsquo;s first winner in 1969. It has been named for Russell since 2009.
THREE&rsquo;S WIN
As one might guess, it&rsquo;s difficult to make up a significant disparity in 3-pointers made.
Teams that were outscored by 15 or more points from 3-point range this season won only 20.8% of the time &mdash; going 94-348 in those contests.
IGUODALA&rsquo;S FAREWELL
Golden State&rsquo;s Andre Iguodala has said he is retiring when this season ends. He wanted to go back to the Warriors for a farewell, and the Warriors welcomed him back for many reasons &mdash; what he brings at this time of year among them.
No player in this year&rsquo;s playoffs has played, counting actual appearances only, in more postseason wins than Iguodala. He has appeared in 103 playoff wins, five more than Philadelphia&rsquo;s Danny Green, eight more than Brooklyn&rsquo;s Kevin Durant, 16 more than Miami&rsquo;s Udonis Haslem and 17 more than Warriors teammates Klay Thompson and Draymond Green.
THE REFEREES
Tom Washington is working the NBA playoffs for the 24th time and Scott Foster was selected as part of the postseason referee corps for the 22nd time. They&rsquo;re the senior members of a 36-person group that will work games in Round 1.
There are three playoff newcomers: Eric Dalen, Mitchell Ervin and Justin Van Duyne.
Foster has worked 201 playoff games, while Washington has worked 172. Other veterans in this year&rsquo;s playoffs include Tony Brothers and James Capers (163 games apiece), Marc Davis (161), Ed Malloy (121), Bill Kennedy (120), Zach Zarba (117) and John Goble (100).
The rest of the first-round officials are: Brent Barnaky, Curtis Blair, Nick Buchert, Kevin Cutler, JB DeRosa, Kane Fitzgerald, Tyler Ford, Brian Forte, Pat Fraher, Jacyn Goble, David Guthrie, Courtney Kirkland, Karl Lane, Eric Lewis, Mark Lindsay, Tre Maddox, Rodney Mott, Gediminas Petraitis, Michael Smith, Ben Taylor, Josh Tiven, Scott Twardoski, James Williams and Sean Wright.
The NBA also selected eight alternates &mdash; including Lauren Holtkamp, the only woman to make this season&rsquo;s list. If picked for a game, Holtkamp would join Violet Palmer as the only female referees to work a postseason contest.

The AP's Tim Reynolds ties a bow on the 2021-22 NBA regular season and prepares us for the playoffs.

Playoff time: 10 things to know about the NBA's postseason

Indiana Pacers president of basketball operations Kevin Pritchard sent a clear message at the trade deadline.
It's time for a shakeup.
After posting a second straight losing record at home, missing the playoffs for the first time in seven years and recording their fewest wins in a season since 1984-85, the Pacers are embarking on their biggest offseason overhaul in years.
A three-trade flurry in February culminated in sending two-time All-Star Domantas Sabonis to Sacramento and Caris LeVert, widely considered one of Pritchard&rsquo;s cornerstone pieces, to the Cavaliers.
&ldquo;This franchise, right now, is in one of the most exciting positions it could possibly be with the potential for a top-five pick and the potential to possibly have Cleveland&rsquo;s (first-round) pick," coach Rick Carlisle said, noting Indiana also holds Houston's early second-round pick. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re going to get it right in the draft, and we&rsquo;re going to have a great summer, and next year&rsquo;s going to be an exciting year.&rdquo;
Things certainly can't get much worse than they did this past season.
Injuries again derailed the Pacers' postseason plans as Carlisle won just 25 games in the first year of his second tenure with the team. Lengthy absences of guards Malcolm Brogdon and T.J. McConnell, forward T.J. Warren and center Myles Turner &mdash; all projected to be key rotational players &mdash; prompted Pritchard to pull the plug and start dealing.
The new plan is to build around point guard Tyrese Halburton. Indiana views the 22-year-old as a budding star, capable of ending its long quest to find a playmaking ball-handler.
Haliburton's new teammates embraced the move.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m especially excited about playing with Tyrese, just the way he came in here and made an impact on our organization, on our fans and on the guys around him," Turner said Monday. &ldquo;He makes everybody better."
What else did the Pacers learn from mixing, matching and experimenting with lineups over the final 26 games?
Buddy Hield, who came over from Sacramento with Haliburton, and Jalen Smith, who arrived in a trade with Phoenix, also were solid players. Rookie center Isaiah Jackson provides a different kind of post presence and rookie guard Chris Duarte became one of Indiana's most consistent players until an injured toe sidelined him.
Forward Oshae Brissett continued to develop, and Carlisle may have unearthed a couple more hidden gems with midseason pickups Duane Washington Jr. and Terry Taylor.
This summer could be equally busy as Pritchard tries to put the Pacers back in playoff position.
&ldquo;I think first we've got to get healthy, that's obvious and then it'll be up to the front office what pieces they add, what pieces they trade,&rdquo; Brogdon said. &ldquo;When you make a move like we did, a monumental move in the middle of the season, I think there are other moves that follow and I think we'll be seeing that this summer.&rdquo;
WHAT'S NEXT
Brogdon and Turner would be the most attractive trade candidates. Both are proven veterans, capable of helping a playoff team become a title contender and both are on expiring contracts. Brogdon counts $22.6 million against the salary cap while Turner, a two-time blocked shots champ, would be an $18 million cap hit. The Pacers could be looking to add more draft picks, free up cap space for free agency or add veterans.
WATCHING THE CAVS
The Pacers thought they'd definitely have two first-rounders when they got the Cavs' lottery-protected pick two months ago. But a late-season swoon has jeopardized that possibility. Cleveland finished eighth in the Eastern Conference and now needs to win one game to make the playoffs. Two losses would mean they'll keep the pick, preventing the Pacers from having three of the top 35 picks in June.
NOT FINISHED YET?
Fan favorite Lance Stephenson provided a second-half spark on and off the court for Indiana. While it seems unlikley Indiana would keep the soon-to-be 32-year-old on a young team building for the future, Stephenson isn't ready to end his career.
&ldquo;I'm just trying to keep my body strong and sharp," he said. "I'm just mad that the season is over because I feel great right now, I feel like I can keep going."

The Pacers are embarking on their biggest offseason overhaul in years.

Pacers start long offseason looking to overhaul roster

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) &mdash; Nikola Jokic flirted with another triple-double with 37 points, 13 rebounds and nine assists, helping the Denver Nuggets hold off the Indiana Pacers 125-118 on Wednesday night.
The Nuggets led by as many as 31 points in the second quarter before the Pacers stormed back. Indiana led 102-100 with 7:40 left in the fourth quarter before the Nuggets scored seven straight points to regain control.
Jokic made his first nine shots in the first half and finished 15 of 19 from the field for Denver. He fell one assist shy of his 20th triple-double of the season after getting one Monday night at Charlotte. Bones Hyland scored 20 points and Will Barton added 18 for the Nuggets, who shot 62.5% for the game.
"My frustration is we get bored with success," Nuggets coach Michael Malone said. &ldquo;I hate when we get up 31 points early."
Hyland said Malone told the team a win is a win.
&ldquo;We pulled it out," Hyland said. &ldquo;It may have been ugly. We have to clean things up. We could have won the game by a lot of points, but the biggest thing is we came out with a win.'&rdquo;
The Nuggets had 19 turnovers, 11 more than the Pacers.
&ldquo;We had too many turnovers, I had seven of them,&rdquo; Jokic said.
Malone said the important thing is the Nuggets are going back home as the No. 5 seed.
Seven of the nine Pacers who played scored in double figures, led by Buddy Hield with 20 points, Terry Taylor with 18 and Goga Bitadze 17. The Pacers shot 45.4% for the game.
After trailing big early in the first half, Indiana cut the deficit to forge a 91-all tie after three quarters. Indiana shot 62.5% to hold a 38-22 edge in the third quarter.
&ldquo;Give Indiana credit, they got back in the game,&rdquo; Malone said. &ldquo;They turned up the heat, the intensity, the pressure. They became the attacker until the last six or seven minutes. You want guys that are going to fight and not sit there and take it. You want guys that will fight for every inch and I think we have had bunch of guys like that.&rdquo;
With the Nuggets leading 100-98 with 8:41 left in the fourth quarter, Denver&rsquo;s Austin Rivers shoved Lance Stephenson after he felt Stephenson hit him while guarding him. Both players were called for technicals.
Rivers was ejected later after a second technical because he faked throwing an elbow at Stephenson, but didn&rsquo;t make contact. Malone said referee Tony Brothers said it was malicious act by Rivers. Malone said he would talk to the league about the ejection.
The Nuggets shot 68% in the first quarter to take a 43-15 lead. The 28-point margin was the largest by any team in the league after the first quarter this season.
The Pacers were able to trim the deficit to 69-53 at halftime by holding a 38-26 edge in the second quarter.
&ldquo;Obviously a bad start,&rdquo; said Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton, who had 15 points and 12 assists. "The crowd got involved, and that&rsquo;s what got us going. We've just got to figure out how to bottle up that third and fourth quarter and second half and sustain it.&rsquo;
TIP-INS
Nuggets: JaMychal Green missed his second consecutive game with a wrist injury. ... Jamal Murray, who hasn&rsquo;t played this season after ACL surgery, did strength training in the hallway and had a workout on the court before team workouts.
Pacers: Isaiah Jackson remains out. He missed two games because of a concussion. He tried to play March 23 against Sacramento, but left after a short stint with a headache. ... Oshae Brissett missed his second consecutive game with a sore back. However, Duane Washington Jr. returned after missing the past two games with a hip injury.
UP NEXT
Nuggets: Hosts Minnesota on Friday.
Pacers: At Boston on Friday.
&nbsp;

Nikola Jokic had 37 points, 13 rebounds, and nine assists, helping the Denver Nuggets hold off the Indiana Pacers 125-118.

Jokic has 37 points to lead Nuggets past Pacers 125-118

Desmond Bane scored 30 points, hitting 12 of 15 shots, and the Memphis Grizzlies built a big lead early before coasting to a 133-103 victory over the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday night to clinch a spot in the playoffs.
Jaren Jackson Jr. finished with 20 points, going 7 of 13 from the field, as the Grizzlies shot 54%. De&rsquo;Anthony Melton added 19 and John Konchar matched his career high with 18. Bane was 5 of 7 from outside the arc as Memphis made a season-high 21 3-pointers.
Before the game, Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins announced that leading scorer Ja Morant would miss the next two weeks with right knee soreness. Morant sat out the previous two games after tweaking the knee in Memphis&rsquo; loss to Atlanta last Friday.
But the Grizzlies were sharp again without their All-Star, just as they were in a 132-120 victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday, and became the second team to lock up a spot in the postseason.
With Memphis leading 107-71 entering the fourth, the Grizzlies reserves finished up the game.
Lance Stephenson led the Pacers with 25 points, while Terry Taylor had 17. Goga Bitadze finished with 14.
Besides Morant, the Grizzles were also without Dillon Brooks, who rested his left ankle, and Brandon Clarke (left hip soreness.)
Indiana also was playing the second consecutive night after a last-second loss to Sacramento. Like Memphis, the Pacers had multiple players out. Additionally, Pacers coach Rick Carlisle missed the game for personal reasons.
As they did against Brooklyn on Wednesday night, the Grizzlies surpassed 70 points in the first half, taking a 74-48 lead into the locker room. Bane had 23 points, missing only one of his shots in the half, going 5 of 6 from outside the arc.
The Grizzlies opened the second half on a 10-0 run and Memphis had its seventh win in the last eight.
TIP-INS
Pacers: Lloyd Pierce served as acting coach with Carlisle absent. &hellip; G Malcolm Brogdon missed his third game with rest. &hellip; Bitadze has reached double figures in seven straight. &hellip; Duane Washington Jr., who turned 22 on Thursday, finished with four points. &hellip; Indiana is 9-28 on the road.
Grizzlies: Memphis outscored the Pacers 44-23 in the first quarter, matching its most points in a quarter this season. &hellip; The 10 3-pointers in the first quarter were a franchise record. &hellip; Memphis is 7-1 against the Central Division. Its only loss was to the Milwaukee Bucks, whom Memphis plays Saturday night. &hellip; C Steven Adams had 17 rebounds, nine of them off the offensive glass.
UP NEXT
Pacers: Travel to Toronto to face the Raptors on Saturday.
Grizzlies: Continue a four-game homestand Saturday against Milwaukee.

The Grizzlies built a big lead early before coasting to a 133-103 victory to clinch a spot in the NBA postseason.

Bane has 30, Jackson Jr. 20 as Grizzlies rout Pacers 133-103 for playoff spot

ATLANTA (AP) &mdash; Trae Young scored 33 of his 47 points in the first half, and the Atlanta Hawks beat the Indiana Pacers 131-128 on Sunday night.
Atlanta, 10th in the Eastern Conference, had seven players score in double figures and shot 54.8% from the field. Danilo Gallinari and De'Andre Hunter had 15 points apiece, and Kevin Huerter finished with 14.
The Hawks have won 13 of 15 at home and two straight overall. They had a season-high 77 points in the first half.
Tyrese Haliburton and Buddy Hield each scored 25 points for Indiana, which has dropped four of five and 13 of 17. The Pacers, 13th in the East, fell to 8-27 on the road.
Young&rsquo;s 33 first-half points were a career high for either half. He was coming off his NBA-leading 23rd game of at least 25 points and 10 assists in Friday&rsquo;s win over the Los Angeles Clippers. That&rsquo;s 10 more than James Harden, the next closest player. He finished with five assists.
The Hawks&rsquo; biggest lead of the first half was 19 in the closing seconds on Young&rsquo;s two free throws. Atlanta shot 60% from the floor in the first half, 59.1% on 3s.
Young was 9 for 13 from the floor, including 7 for 9 on 3s, in the first two quarters. He did as he pleased most of the game, pulling up for long 3s, showing off his ballhandling ability and scoring with ease.
Indiana went on a 21-10 run to begin the third and pulled within seven at the 6:09 mark, but Young drove the lane for a runner and hit a layup on a fast break to make it 94-82 and cause the Pacers to call timeout.
Young went 14 for 14 on free throws.
The Pacers, down to eight players because of injuries, pulled within two on Duane Washington Jr.&rsquo;s free throws with 1:09 remaining in the game. Young knocked down a pair of free throws with 28.8 seconds to go and two more with nine seconds left to help close it out.
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TIP-INS
Pacers: C Goga Bitadze (right foot), G Chris Duarte (left big toe) and G Lance Stephenson (left ankle) were questionable before the game but were ruled out. ... G Malcolm Brogdon (concussion), G T.J. McConnell (right wrist), C Myles Turner (left foot), F T.J. Warren (left foot), and G Ricky Rubio (left knee) were out.
Hawks: F John Collins, the team&rsquo;s second-leading scorer and rebounder, was out with a right finger sprain and a right foot strain. Gallinari started in his spot and scored 11 points in the second quarter. ... Atlanta&rsquo;s previous first-half high was 76 points, coming against Indiana on Feb. 8. ... Young reached 40 points for the seventh time this season.
TOUGH TO STOP
Atlanta coach Nate McMillan has been impressed all season with Young&rsquo;s ability to run the pick-and-roll and create scoring opportunities for his teammates. The Hawks rank seventh in scoring and Young is fifth in scoring and third in assists.
&ldquo;I think we&rsquo;ve seen pretty much everything teams have tried to do,&rdquo; McMillan said. &ldquo;Trap, they deny, they try to play box-and-one. Normally he&rsquo;s going to get the best defender and normally they&rsquo;ve tried to (use) length. They switch one through five, so Trae has seen really all the defenses this year. Trae does a good job creating offense out of that set so we&rsquo;re going to continue.&rdquo;
UP NEXT
Pacers: Host Memphis on Tuesday.
Hawks: Host Portland on Monday.

Trae Young scored 33 of his 47 points in the first half, and the Atlanta Hawks beat the Indiana Pacers 131-128 on Sunday night.

Trae Young scores 47, Hawks hold off Pacers 131-128

Darius Garland had 41 points and 13 assists and hit a decisive pair of free throws with 14 seconds left to lead the Cleveland Cavaliers past the Indiana Pacers 127-124 on Tuesday night.
The Pacers went ahead 124-122 with 40 seconds remaining when Malcolm Brogdon was credited with a basket after Evan Mobley was called for goaltending. Mobley then tied the game on a putback before Garland put the Cavs ahead with his free throws.
Dean Wade intercepted a pass by Brogdon on the Pacers' next possession. Lamar Stevens hit a free throw, and Indiana's Tyrese Haliburton missed a desperation heave at the buzzer.
Mobley finished with 22 points and 12 rebounds and Lauri Markkanen added 21 points for Cleveland, which has won two straight after losing six of its previous seven.
Haliburton led the Pacers with 25 points, and Duane Washington Jr., Jalen Smith and Gogh Bitadze each scored 15.
Indiana led 98-90 after three quarters, but Cleveland scored the first nine points of the fourth to set up the back-and-forth finish.
The Cavaliers led by as many as 12 in the first quarter. The Pacers rallied in the second to tie it 63-all at halftime.
TIP-INS
Cavaliers: Coach J.B. Bickerstaff said he doesn&rsquo;t know if Jarrett Allen will return before the regular season ends. Allen, who averages 16.1 points and 10.8 rebounds, broke his left middle finger during Sunday's win over Toronto. He did not travel with the team, which started a three-game trip. ... Caris LeVert, who was traded from the Pacers to the Cavs last month, missed his seventh consecutive game with a sprained right foot.
Pacers: Lance Stephenson was a late scratch with an ankle sprain. ... Rookie Chris Duarte returned to action after missing the previous three games with a toe injury.
UP NEXT
Cavaliers: At Miami on Friday.
Pacers: At San Antonio on Saturday.

Darius Garland had 41 points and 13 assists and hit a decisive pair of free throws with 14 seconds left to lead the Cavs past the Pacers.

Garland scores 41, leads Cavs past Pacers 127-124

Markelle Fultz played in an NBA game for the first time in 418 days, returning to the Orlando Magic after a lengthy rehab for a knee injury. Fultz played 16 minutes in a sizable victory over the Indiana Pacers, finishing with 10 points and 6 assists, going 5 of 7 from the field.
While Fultz is still just 23 and an intriguing part of Orlando's rebuild, this team has changed a lot in the year and change since he last played. What can we glean from his initial foray to the hardwood this season?
It was just one game and he was on a minutes restriction, However, I did think it was pretty interesting that he didn't log a single minute with Jalen Suggs or Cole Anthony. I'd imagine this is largely due to wanting to get him comfortable in his first game back, but considering that Suggs and Anthony aren't going anywhere soon, it definitely made me go "hmmm," as Nekias Duncan would say (<a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-dunker-spot/id1547857052" target="_blank" rel="noopener">listen to the Dunker Spot</a>).
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It's worth noting just how porous the Pacers' defense has been of late (No. 28 in February, per Cleaning the Glass), but Fultz dazzled with ease, slicing into the defense.
He pushed the pace off misses and looked for easy kick-aheads in early offense.
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He primarily operated out of a ball-screen or with a snug screen on drives (something I particularly enjoyed being thrown in from Magic head coach Jamahl Mosely).&nbsp;
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This allowed him to mostly avoid driving into significant contact, and he was adept at setting up his man right into the screener, or even just using his bigs as a barrier if they weren't setting a screen.
I also loved the utilization of quick pitches and pistol actions to mimic the action of ball-screens while making it harder to go under them. Fultz didn't take a three last night, but he also didn't fully need to, as Orlando schemed to try to make it all about getting to paint and creating.
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This drive still gets stalled, but by using the pitch instead of the screen, it forces a switch between Chris Duarte and Duane Washington Jr.; Fultz took full advantage of it by immediately backing down the latter, as he still got some downhill traction.
Tyrese Haliburton brings late help, but from the strong side and on a poor angle, and Fultz hits the cutting Gary Harris to draw free throws.
In the moments where Fultz was walled off and didn't have an immediate passing window when he got into the paint, he let his pull-up jumper fly &mdash; and it looked pretty good!
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The footwork was immaculate, the jumper was fairly fluid; the hitch just isn't as big of a deal or as detrimental when he's inside the arc; there's the slight pause at the top of his release, but these are crisp shots. (He shot 43.3% on pull-up twos in 2019-20, his last healthy season, a pretty solid mark!)
Fultz felt smooth as a mover throughout his time on the floor, but definitely seemed a bit fatigued later on, entirely sensible considering how long it's been since he's played a game. He was really active on defense, routinely tagging up the roller and using his wingspan to be a nuisance. You could see some slight struggles with screen navigation, and he got dusted at the point of attack pretty cleanly once, but it felt much more due to fatigue rather than the residual impact of his knee injury.
The most encouraging thing to me from his comeback game? Fultz was not afraid of contact, a common barrier when returning to play.
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With both of these boards he went after, I let out a little cheer at my desk! Fultz's game is so predicated on interior play, so returning without hesitancy is so crucial to his efficacy and confidence. (Also, oof Mo Bamba.)
Here's my highlight of the night though.
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Fultz attacked the second side off the catch on a broken play. Again, the Pacers' defense was BAD (it helps to have both players involved in ICE coverage), but the finish was so slick to adjust to the late contest.
Overall, this was a really fun game from Fultz, as he demonstrated his feel and court vision. He pretty easily factors in as the best live-ball passer on the Magic, and I'm very intrigued to see how he starts to mesh into the current core.
I really liked his minutes with Wendell Carter Jr. and find them to be a pretty natural pairing. Dynamic screening will be a boon to helping optimize Fultz, along with mixing in Carter's pop game.
Franz Wagner and Fultz in tandem is so, so enticing, and I fast-forwarded through the game in hopes of seeing that they played another stint together. I need more! The people demand it.
While last night allowed for some rose-colored optimism, it's worth noting that it could be a while before Fultz is fully back to his true self. Just seeing him on the court again last night and doing the things that make him such a funky and endearing player was joyous, and made for a great evening of basketball.
As the Magic look to find further footing in their core the remainder of the season, it's more than worth tuning in to see how things develop.
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Markelle Fultz returned to the court for the first time in over a year on Monday. What flashed in his game? Mark Schindler analyzes.

Takeaways from Markelle Fultz's much-anticipated return in Orlando

Wendell Carter Jr. had 21 points and 12 rebounds and eight Orlando players scored in double figures as the Magic beat the Indiana Pacers 119-103 on Monday night.
Mo Bamba and Franz Wagner had 15 points apiece for Orlando.
The game marked the return of Magic guard Markelle Fultz, who tore his left ACL almost 14 months ago. Fultz had 10 points and six assists in 16 minutes, leaving the game with the Magic up by 16 points in the middle of the fourth quarter.
Tyrese Haliburton had 23 points and seven assists for the Pacers, and Buddy Hield added 18 points.
Indiana forward Jalen Smith was ejected after picking up two technical fouls with 7:04 left in the third quarter. The ejection came in the middle of a 14-2 run by the Magic, and the Pacers never recovered.
Hield and Duane Washington Jr. hit 3-pointers during a 10-0 run midway through the second quarter that gave the Pacers their biggest lead of the game at 49-38.
Carter answered with three dunks to help Orlando finish the half on a 17-7 spurt, and the Magic pulled ahead for keeps when Wagner and Carter opened the second half with a layup and a 3-pointer, respectively.
It was the second straight win for the Magic, and the ninth loss in 11 games for the Pacers.
TIP-INS
Pacers: Rookie C Isaiah Jackson had all six of his points and all five of his rebounds after sitting down with four fouls with 9:13 left in the third quarter. ... G Malcolm Brogdon (Achilles) and F Lance Stephenson (ankle) did not play, but the Pacers are hopeful of having both back Wednesday night.
Magic: Fultz's last start for the Magic was on Jan. 6, 2021. He played four minutes in a win against Cleveland that left Orlando with a 6-2 record. The Magic went 15-49 in the remainder of the season, and none of the other starters from that game are still on the roster. ... Carter had double-digit rebounds for the fifth straight game. ... The Magic have not won three straight since Feb. 17-21, 2021.
UP NEXT
Pacers and Magic play again in Orlando on Wednesday night.
___
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Wendell Carter Jr. had 21 points and 12 rebounds and eight Orlando players scored in double figures.

Fultz scores 10 in return, helps Magic beat Pacers 119-103

Indiana Pacers president of basketball operations Kevin Pritchard spoke to the local media after yesterday's franchise-altering NBA trade deadline. Not only was two-time All-Star center Domantas Sabonis shipped out, the Pacers also dealt Caris LeVert, Justin Holiday, Jeremy Lamb and Torrey Craig.
In the monster Sabonis deal that occured on Tuesday between the Pacers and Sacramento Kings, Tyrese Haliburton was the prized return possession. Pritchard relayed how eager he is to build this next chapter of Pacers basketball around the second-year point guard.
"Point guard of our future. And if you have been in this business for a long time, getting a point guard that is young with upside and you feel like you can build around for the next 10 years, those don't come around very often," Pritchard said on Friday.
Pritchard said Haliburton is the team's primary foundational building block, but also referenced what has become an intriguing collection of prospects in Indiana.
"Tyrese is that guy," Pritchard said. "We feel like not only on the court but off the court he brings a persona that we need and it's going to be great building around him and Chris [Duarte] as our young players... and Goga [Bitadze] and [Isaiah] Jackson and Duane [Washington Jr.]. We feel like we've got a lot of young players we can take a look at and grow."
Since the Pacers are giving the keys to Haliburton, <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/ind-could-move-off-brogdon-in-offseason-giving-keys-to-haliburton-on-offense" target="_blank" rel="noopener">rival NBA executives believe</a> that the Pacers will look to trade Malcolm Brogdon this offseason. Brogdon signed a two-year, $45-million extension in late October, so this summer is the earliest that the Pacers could deal the veteran point guard.

The Pacers altered their long-term future prior to the trade deadline. Now, Tyrese Haliburton is the face of the franchise in Indiana.

Kevin Pritchard says Pacers will build team around Tyrese Haliburton

The Indiana Pacers were expected be one of the team making massive moves before Thursday&rsquo;s NBA trade deadline. Already, we&rsquo;ve seen two big-time deals from Indiana, as the organization begins a full-scale rebuild for the first time in over a decade.
The Pacers set off the fireworks a few days ago when Caris LeVert was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers for Ricky Rubio&rsquo;s expiring contract, a lottery-protected first-round pick, Houston&rsquo;s early 2022 second-round pick and an additional 2027 second-rounder via Utah.
Indiana <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/ind-trading-domantas-sabonis-for-tyrese-haliburton-in-blockbuster-deal" target="_blank" rel="noopener">followed that up Tuesday with an even bigger transaction</a>, sending out Domantas Sabonis to the Sacramento Kings and receiving an excellent haul for its All-Star center. The Pacers netted Tyrese Haliburton, Buddy Hield and Tristan Thompson in the deal.
The main attraction here for Indiana eyes toward Haliburton, the enticing second-year guard from Iowa State. Indiana is very high on Haliburton to the point where the team didn&rsquo;t need to receive significant draft capital back in return for Sabonis &mdash; a complete pivot from earlier discussions leaguewide.
Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle mentioned last year when he was in Dallas that he believed Haliburton should've been the Rookie of the Year, so the love affair for Haliburton in Indianapolis is abundantly clear on all levels of the organization.
Haliburton checks all the boxes for what a rebuilding team looks for in a foundational building block. So far this season, Haliburton has averaged 14.3 points, 7.4 assists, 3.9 rebounds, 1.7 steals in 34.5 minutes per game. On top of that, Haliburton&rsquo;s advanced metrics jump off the page for a promising look into how he will function as a primary offensive weapon moving forward. Haliburton is carrying an above-average True Shooting percentage of 58.0%. That's certainly nothing to gloss over when looking into the next step of his career arc, which has flashed already on multiple occasions in Sacramento.
Not only can the wiry playmaker slither around defenses operating as a primary facilitator with an innate basketball IQ, but he&rsquo;s also more than comfortable playing off the ball to take on highly-efficient perimeter opportunities. With the Kings, Haliburton already displayed that he can function alongside another high-usage guard in De&rsquo;Aaron Fox; however, when his running mate went into NBA health and safety protocols earlier this season, the second-year guard <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/tyrese-haliburton-providing-hope-potentially-forcing-kings-hand-on-backcourt-decisions" target="_blank" rel="noopener">blossomed</a>.
Haliburton now forms an intriguing, youthful backcourt with Pacers rookie shooting guard Chris Duarte. On paper, the Haliburton-Duarte pairing has excellent potential to complement one another&rsquo;s biggest strengths. Fellow rookies Isaiah Jackson and Duane Washington Jr. have also flashed real upside throughout this lost season for Indiana, continuing a hopeful upward trajectory for Indy looking well into the future.
The Pacers are now is an interesting spot over the next 48 hours. Are they done making moves? I would say it&rsquo;s doubtful, thanks in large part to how many movable pieces are still at their disposal. Rubio&rsquo;s hefty expiring could be flipped to another destination to bring aboard another young piece. Torrey Craig is another veteran who could be moved between now and Thursday as championship-level teams search for versatile wings.
Looking ahead into the offseason, Indiana has the potential of stockpiling even more long-term chips thanks to the contracts of Turner, Hield and Brogdon. Simply put, there&rsquo;s no way the Pacers are done yet overhauling this roster from top to bottom.
All roads lead back to the newly-acquired crown jewel for the Pacers. Haliburton steps into the new vision for Pacers basketball as the primary building block to assemble a roster around.
It&rsquo;s been a very long time coming for the Pacers to blow it all up. Now, after the moves have been made to shuffle the deck, Indiana has already become a massive deadline winner.
All of the following are now in the possession of Indiana after unloading LeVert and Sabonis: Haliburton, Hield, Thompson, 2022 1st (via Cleveland), 2022 2nd (via Houston), 2027 2nd (via Utah).
The Pacers never had a shot to make significant noise in the Eastern Conference, which now is littered with real contenders.
No longer is Indiana&rsquo;s core stagnant. Instead, with Tuesday&rsquo;s blockbuster, the Pacers now have one of the most intriguing long-term young cores to monitor.
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A major blockbuster trade occurred in the NBA between the Pacers and Kings. Despite trading an All-Star, Indiana is a big winner.

Pacers come out huge winners of massive trade with Tyrese Haliburton

Indiana Pacers rookie Isaiah Jackson celebrated his best game of the season with an unexpected bath.
He savored every precious second of the ice cold water.
Jackson scored 26 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and posted his first double-double in his first career start, leading the Pacers past the Los Angeles Clippers 122-116 on Monday night.
&ldquo;It surprised me because I didn&rsquo;t know the guys were going to do that and I'm not going to lie, it was very cold," he said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s the first time it's happened to me and it&rsquo;s something I&rsquo;m going to remember forever."
The first-round draft pick out of Kentucky spent most of Indiana&rsquo;s first 51 games scrapping for minutes and avoiding fouls. But with Indiana&rsquo;s top three centers out of action, the Pacers challenged Jackson and he impressed everyone.
Jackson was 12 of 19 from the field, posted season highs in points and rebounds, blocked two shots and even made a 3-pointer all without being called for a single foul. Duane Washington Jr. added 16 points, including four 3s in the fourth quarter, to help the short-handed Pacers earn their second win in six games.
Rick Carlisle became the second coach in the franchise&rsquo;s NBA history to win 200 career games. Frank Vogel had 250 wins in five seasons with the team and this one looked awfully good to Carlisle.
&ldquo;He did such a great job in every area tonight,&rdquo; Carlisle said, referring to Jackson. &ldquo;When we talked about him in the draft, this is what we were talking about and this is a dimension this team hasn&rsquo;t had.&rdquo;
The worn-out Clippers also were caught off guard. Amir Coffey finished with 27 points and Reggie Jackson had 21 as their five-game winning streak against Indiana came to an end.
&ldquo;To go 4-4 on this tough trip was pretty good for us. It is what it is and now we have to go back and try to regroup," coach Tyronn Lue said. &ldquo;They played well and Isaiah Jackson did a hell of a job."
Neither team was near full strength.
Injured All-Stars Paul George and Kawhi Leonard were out again for the Clippers, and the Pacers played without two-time All-Star Domantas Sabonis, who entered the COVID-19 health and safety protocols earlier Monday.
Not surprisingly, it turned this game into a grind-it-out contest.
Indiana took a 30-27 lead after one quarter and a 60-55 halftime advantage. Even when it appeared the Clippers had taken control with a 14-5 run late in the third period, they couldn't put it away. Instead, the Pacers answered with 10 straight points to retake an 84-82 lead &mdash; only to give it back on Nicolas Batum's 3 to end the third.
Batum opened the fourth with another 3 to make it 88-84 and this time Indiana answered with 12 points in a row, including three consecutive 3s by Washington, to make it 99-89. Los Angeles never led again.
TIP-INS
Clippers: Lost at Indiana for the first time since 2018. ... Batum scored 13 points despite playing with a sore lower back. ... Serge Ibaka had 14 points and 11 rebounds. ... Jackson added five assists. ... Eric Bledsoe also scored 13 points. ... Jason Preston (right foot) and Ivica Zubac (sore right calf) sat out with injuries.
Pacers: Caris LeVert had 17 points, seven rebounds and nine assists. ... Terry Taylor had 15 points and eight rebounds. ... Justin Holiday finished with 13 points, including a 3 to seal the win in the waning minutes. He also had five rebounds and six assists. ... Lance Stephenson had 10 points, three rebounds and four assists.
INJURY UPDATE
Carlisle provided a lengthy pregame medical report. Sabonis is expected to miss at least six additional days. Oshae Brissett (right ankle) was a late scratch and Goga Bitadze will return from his sore right foot when he feels comfortable.
Meanwhile, Malcolm Brogdon (right Achilles tendon) and T.J. Warren (left foot) squared off Monday in a 1-on-1 competition, T.J. McConnell had a pin removed from his surgically repaired right wrist and center Myles Turner (left foot) is shooting again. But Carlisle provided no timetable for the return of any players.
UP NEXT
Clippers: Play their first home game since Jan. 17 on Thursday against the crosstown Lakers.
Pacers: Host the Orlando Magic on Wednesday in the second game of a three-game homestand.
___
More AP NBA: <a href="https://apnews.com/hub/NBA">https://apnews.com/hub/NBA</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/AP_Sports">https://twitter.com/AP_Sports</a>

Isaiah Jackson scored 26 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and posted his first double-double in his first career start

Jackson's breakout game sends Pacers past Clippers 122-116

<div class="count-caption Component-countCaption-0-2-154">
<div class="Component-imageCaption-0-2-160">
<div class="embed-caption Component-root-0-2-163 Component-embedCaption-0-2-157" data-key="embed-caption">INDIANAPOLIS (AP) &mdash; Domantas Sabonis scored a career-high 42 points on 18-of-22 shooting to lead the Indiana Pacers to a 125-113 victory over the Utah Jazz on Saturday night.</div>
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</div>
<div class="Article" data-key="article">
Lance Stephenson contributed 16 points, a career-high 14 assists and four steals off the bench for the Pacers. Duane Washington Jr. added 16 points and Justin Holiday 15 for Indiana.
The Pacers snapped a six-game losing streak and completed a season sweep of the Jazz.
&ldquo;Lance gives us a different vibe,&rdquo; Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. &ldquo;There&rsquo;s a spark he has with his personality. There is change in disposition, body language and enthusiasm. Lance with the ball can make a lot of things happen. He has the ability to be unpredictable yet under control. The intriguing thing about Lance is he&rsquo;s so unselfish. He&rsquo;s a giver and he&rsquo;s an energy giver.&rdquo;
Donovan Mitchell led Utah with 36 points and nine assists. Bojan Bogdanovic scored 21 points and Jordan Clarkson 18 for the Jazz.
Stephenson had seven assists in the fourth quarter and four were to Sabonis Carlisle said Sabonis and Stephenson fit well together.
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Stephenson, who joined the team on a 10-day contract before the Jan. 2 game at Cleveland, said he has felt more comfortable the last two games.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;re playing together, now that I know the plays,&rdquo; said Stephenson, who scored 30 against Brooklyn on Wednesday night. &ldquo;The first two games I didn&rsquo;t know the plays. I didn&rsquo;t know all my teammates. I was just making the reads.&rdquo;
Stephenson, in his third stint with the Pacers, did play with Sabonis previously. Sabonis said he loves playing pick-and-roll with Stephenson.
&ldquo;He&rsquo;s a very smart player, he knows how to play,&rdquo; Sabonis said. &ldquo;We love having him.&rdquo;
As a whole, Sabonis said the team has been sharing the ball well of late.
Indiana shot 56% in the first half to take a 61-52 advantage at halftime. Utah used a 12-0 run to cut the lead to 70-69 midway through the third quarter. Indiana held on for a 90-86 lead after three quarters.
Holding a 101-97 edge, Holiday began an 8-0 run with consecutive 3-pointers. Indiana was able to maintain its lead.
The Pacers shot 55% while the Jazz made just under 48% from the field.
Mitchell said the concentration and effort levels have to be higher.
&ldquo;If we want to be a championship team, we&rsquo;ve got to do it every night,&rdquo; Mitchell said. &ldquo;And tonight we didn&rsquo;t.&rdquo;
Mitchell said the team wasn&rsquo;t doing the little things defensively often enough.
&ldquo;For us to be where we need to be, we need to do it every possession, and I can&rsquo;t say that we did that,&rdquo; Mitchell said.
This was the second night of a back-to-back for Utah, which lost at Toronto Friday night.
TIP-INS
Jazz: Rudy Gobert, who was the first NBA player to test positive for COVID-19 in March 2020, was sidelined by COVID-19 protocols after testing positive on Wednesday. Hassan Whiteside started in his Gobert&rsquo;s spot. &hellip; Elijah Hughes was sidelined by a non-COVID-19 illness.
Pacers: Indiana was without Caris LeVert, Goga Bitadze, Justin Anderson, Isaiah Jackson and Torrey Craig for health and safety protocols. Malcolm Brogdon has cleared protocols but it still recovering from an Achilles tendon injury.
UP NEXT
Jazz: At Detroit on Monday, ending a string of five consecutive road games.
Pacers: At Boston on Monday, the first of back-to-back games with Celtics. Indiana hosts Boston on Wednesday.
</div>

Lance Stephenson added 16 points and a career-high 14 assists off the bench.

Sabonis scores career-high 42 to lead Pacers past Jazz, 125-113

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) &mdash; Domantas Sabonis scored a career-high 42 points on 18-of-22 shooting to lead the Indiana Pacers to a 125-113 victory over the Utah Jazz on Saturday night.
Lance Stephenson contributed 16 points, 14 assists and four steals off the bench for the Pacers. Duane Washington Jr. added 16 points and Justin Holiday 15 for Indiana.
Donovan Mitchell led Utah with 36 points and nine assists. Bojan Bogdanovic scored 21 points and Jordan Clarkson 18 for the Jazz.
The Pacers snapped a six-game losing streak and completed a season sweep of the Jazz. Indiana shot 56% in the first half to take a 61-52 advantage at halftime. Utah used a 12-0 run to cut the lead to 70-69 midway through the third quarter. Indiana held on for a 90-86 lead after three quarters.
Holding a 101-97 edge, Holiday began an 8-0 run with consecutive 3-pointers. Indiana was able to maintain its lead.
The Pacers shot 55% while the Jazz made just under 48% from the field.
This was the second night of a back-to-back for Utah, which lost at Toronto Friday night.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
TIP-INS
Jazz: Rudy Gobert, who was the first NBA player to test positive for COVID-19 in March 2020, was sidelined by COVID-19 protocols after testing positive on Wednesday. Hassan Whiteside started in Gobert&rsquo;s spot. &hellip; Elijah Hughes was sidelined by a non-COVID-19 illness.
Pacers: Indiana was without Caris LeVert, Goga Bitadze, Justin Anderson, Isaiah Jackson and Torrey Craig for health and safety protocols. Malcolm Brogdon has cleared protocols but it still recovering from an Achilles tendon injury.
UP NEXT
Jazz: At Detroit on Monday, ending a string of five consecutive road games.
Pacers: At Boston on Monday, the first of back-to-back games with Celtics. Indiana hosts Boston on Wednesday.

Domantas Sabonis scored a career-high 42 points to lead the Pacers to a win over the Jazz, outdueling Donovan Mitchell who had 36.

Sabonis scores career-high 42 to put Pacers past Jazz, 125-113

NEW YORK (AP) — RJ Barrett scored 24 of his 32 points in the first half, Julius Randle had 30 points and 16 rebounds in his first game after coming off the COVID-19 health and safety protocols list, and the New York Knicks beat the Indiana Pacers 104-94 on Tuesday night.
Alec Burks added 14 points for New York (18-20), which snapped a two-game losing streak. Immanuel Quickley chipped in with 11.
“With both guys the most important thing is them attacking the rim,” New York coach Tom Thibodeau said about Barrett and Randle. “The aggressiveness of RJ attacking the rim, and for Julius to do what he did today is just remarkable. 
“We had no idea what he was going to be like. So, unbelievable effort. Unbelievable game. Sixteen rebounds. Just all the things that he did.”
Kiefer Skyes scored 22 points in the Pacers' fifth straight loss. Duane Washington Jr. added 17. Domantas Sabonis and Torrey Craig each contributed 15.
“I'm not just here to survive,” said Sykes, who signed with the Pacers as a free agent on Dec. 27. “I'm here to thrive. I want to be in the NBA for a long time. So I'm going to continue to work and have that mindset and outwork everybody.” 
The New York-Indiana rivalry in the mid-to-late 1990s was among the NBA’s must-see matchups. This game was far from it, with a decimated Pacers squad taking on a Knicks team nearly back at full strength. 
Malcolm Brogdon, Chris Duarte, Isaiah Jackson, Jeremy Lamb, Caris LeVert, Goga Bitadze, Kelan Martin and T.J. Warren all missed the game for Indiana as they were in health and safety protocols. T.J. McConnell did not play as he is recovering from right wrist ligament surgery. By comparison, New York was aided by the returns of Randle, Mitchell Robinson and Jericho Sims from protocols. 
It was tied at 55 at halftime, even with Barrett's huge first half. The Pacers, who trailed by 12 early in the second quarter, finished the final seven minutes of the period with an 18-8 run.
“Just trying to be aggressive,” Barrett said of his approach early in the game. “That's really it. When you get into the paint, you make reads: You (have) to finish or kick out. It puts pressure on the defense.” 
Randle took over in the third, scoring 14 points on 5-for-7 shooting, including 2 for 2 from 3. New York led 84-77 after three and Barrett, Randle and Burks took turns knocking down big shots in the fourth. 
“He makes us different. That's his gift. He can play with speed. He can play with power. He can make decisions," Thibodeau said of Randle. “It does make us different, yeah.”
TIP-INS
Pacers: Rick Carlisle will be coaching Indiana at home on Wednesday while his one-time team, the Dallas Mavericks, will retire Dirk Nowitzki's number before their nationally televised game against the Golden State Warriors. “I’m really disappointed that I’m unable to attend that (ceremony),” Carlisle said. Carlisle coached the Mavericks from 2009-21. “It’s (going) to be so special. … Dirk just means so much to so many of us and he proved to be a great champion as well. It’ll be very emotional.“
Knicks: Thibodeau disagreed that an upcoming stretch of eight games out of 10 at Madison Square Garden could benefit his squad. “We can’t look ahead,” Thibodeau said before the game. “We’re not going to win just because we’re home. That’s not how you win. We’ve got to come in and put the work into it.”
UP NEXT:
Pacers: Host Brooklyn on Wednesday night.
Knicks: Begin a home-and-home series against Boston on Thursday night at Madison Square Garden.
___
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

RJ Barrett and Julius Randle led the New York Knicks to a win over the Indiana Pacers.

Barrett has 32, Randle has big return as Knicks beat Pacers

DETROIT (AP) — Kyle Kuzma hit a 3 with 0.6 seconds left in overtime and the Washington Wizards handed the Detroit Pistons their 10th straight loss, 119-116 Wednesday night. 
Kuzma scored 26 points and Bradley Beal added 25 for the Wizards, who blew a 13-point lead in the fourth quarter.
“This is a good win for us,” Beal said. “It wasn't pretty, but we did what we needed to do to win the game. That's always the goal.”
Jeremi Grant scored 28 points for the Pistons, who haven’t won since beating the Indiana Pacers 97-89 on Nov. 17. The 10-game skid matches Detroit’s longest since a 13-game slide from Nov. 15-Dec. 9, 2014. They also lost 10 straight from Feb. 24-March 14, 2015.
Rookie Cade Cunningham added 21 points, including eight of Detroit's 10 points in overtime.
“In the NBA, you are going to get teams' best defense at the end of games," Pistons coach Dwane Casey said. “That means you have to have players who can create their own shots, and Cade and Jeremi are both able to do that for us.” 
Washington led by 13 with 7:14 left, but Frank Jackson’s 3-pointer pulled the Pistons within 104-102 with 1:46 to play.
“They were playing with more desperation than we were,” Wizards coach Wes Unseld Jr. said. “We let our guard down in a situation where we need to be finding a way to put the game away.”
After both teams missed, Beal hit a floater with 31 seconds left to make it 106-102. 
Isaiah Stewart scored to make it a two-point game, and Beal was called for a backcourt violation with 12.9 seconds left before Spencer Dinwiddie fouled Grant with 2.3 seconds remaining.
He hit both shots, and Beal's jumper hit the side of the backboard as time expired.
“They made some tough shots, but we’ve got to stop turning over the ball,” Beal said. “That's more on my (butt) than anyone else.”
Cunningham's fourth layup of overtime made it 116-116 with 23 seconds left, but Kuzma hit the winner. 
“I love Cade, but he makes me feel old,” Beal said. “I've been a fan of his since high school — I probably knew he was going to be a pro before he did. He's going to be a problem for this league for a long time.”
Caldwell-Pope added 13 points for the Wizards, who outscored Detroit 52-38 in the paint and finished with a 13-7 edge on the offensive glass.
Daniel Gafford had seven points, nine rebounds and six blocks.
“They kicked our butts in the paint," Casey said. “They broke our backs with the extra possessions and the points at the rim.”
The usually offensively challenged Pistons put up 60 points in the first half, good enough for an eight-point lead, but Caldwell-Pope scored 10 points in the first two minutes of the third quarter as the Wizards made it 62-62.
“We weren't ready to play at the start of the second half,” Casey said. “That's unacceptable.”
Grant kept the Pistons in the game with 12 points in the period, but Washington led 89-86 going into the fourth quarter.
For the second quarter in a row, the Wizards caught Detroit flat-footed, starting with an 8-2 run. Casey called timeout after Kuzma's 3-pointer made it 97-88 with 9:34 to play.
“The Pistons aren't a team that are going to give up,” Unseld said. “They are struggling, but they have kept fighting all year.”
TIP-INS
Wizards: Caldwell-Pope (2013) and Dinwiddie (2014) were drafted by the Pistons in back-to-back seasons and played two years together before Dinwiddie was traded to the Chicago Bulls.
Pistons: Cunningham picked up the first technical of his career for arguing a second-quarter call. 
UP NEXT
Wizards: Host the Utah Jazz on Saturday.
Pistons: Visit the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday.
___
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Detroit native Kyle Kuzma hit a corner three with .6 tenth of a second left, and the Wizards beat the Pistons 119-116 in OT.

Kuzma's buzzer-beater lifts Wiz over slumping Pistons in OT

DETROIT (AP) &mdash; Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 30 points and 13 assists, Luguentz Dort scored 28 points and the Oklahoma City Thunder rallied past the Detroit Pistons 114-103 Monday night in a battle of teams that entered with eight-game losing streaks.
&ldquo;I thought our team showed a lot of heart and fight in the second half,&rdquo; Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. &ldquo;We've lost all these games, so it would have been easy to give up when they came out making everything. They didn't do that.&rdquo;
Detroit led by 16 in the third quarter and 12 early in the fourth, but the Pistons were outscored 25-8 in the final five minutes of their ninth straight loss.
&ldquo;We played a great first half, but we forgot how to take care of the ball in the third quarter and we didn't play defense in the fourth,&rdquo; Pistons coach Dwane Casey said. &ldquo;We're a young team, but that's not an excuse. We have to learn to play 48 minutes a night.&rdquo;
Gilgeous-Alexander's layup with 3:46 left gave Oklahoma City its first lead of the game, and after Cade Cunningham's miss, Mike Muscala made it 101-97 with a 3-pointer.
Another empty possession by the Pistons led to a three-point play for Dort, giving Oklahoma City a 104-97 advantage with 2:43 to play.
&ldquo;We didn't focus on how far behind we were, we just tried to win the next possession,&rdquo; Gilgeous-Alexander said. &ldquo;I didn't know we were shooting (89.5%) for the quarter. I was just trying to get us a good look every time we had the ball.&rdquo;
Cunningham had 28 points and 11 rebounds for the Pistons, while Jeremi Grant added 20 points.
&ldquo;We talked before the game about how this was the night we were going to change this,&rdquo; Cunningham said. &ldquo;But we've got 19 losses now. We have to stop talking about fixing this and start doing something on the floor.&rdquo;
Cunningham scored nine points in the first five minutes and finished with 15 in the first half. The offensively challenged Pistons shot 49% from the floor, including 52.6% on 3-pointers, to take a 63-50 lead into the half.
&ldquo;They came out shooting that way, but we kept playing hard with the wind in our face,&rdquo; Daigneault said, &ldquo;That's the reason we were able to take advantage when we got the wind at our back down the stretch.&rdquo;
Detroit only scored 18 points in the third quarter, turning the ball over seven times, but played enough defense to hang on to a nine-point lead.
&ldquo;We stopped playing the way we are supposed to play,&rdquo; Cunningham said. &ldquo;Instead of following the game plan, we started freestyling."
Jordan Lyles opened the fourth with a 3-pointer, but the Thunder answered with a nine-point run. Casey called a timeout with 9:33 left and his team's lead down to 84-81.
&ldquo;We could smell the win at that point,&rdquo; Daigneault said. &ldquo;We just had to keep up the effort.&rdquo;
TIP-INS
Thunder: Oklahoma City, the fifth-best rebounding team in the NBA, was outrebounded 52-40. The Pistons had 16 offensive rebounds.
Pistons: Detroit came into the game ranked second in the league in bench scoring at 39.4 points per game. However, the Pistons only got 12 points from the bench in the first half.
UP NEXT
Thunder: Visit the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday.
Pistons: Host the Washington Wizards on Wednesday.

Detroit led by 16 in the third quarter and 12 early in the fourth, but the Pistons were outscored 25-8 in the final five minutes.

Thunder rally, beat sliding Pistons to end 8-game skid

The Sacramento Kings became the first NBA team to fire their head coach this season, relieving Luke Walton of his duties after just 17 games due to the franchise's 6-11 start.
Which head coach will be fired next?
<a href="https://www.betonline.ag/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">BetOnline</a> recently released odds on who will be let go next, and oddsmakers think Detroit Pistons head coach Dwane Casey (2/1), Los Angeles Lakers head coach Frank Vogel (3/1), Houston Rockets head coach Stephen Silas (5/1) and New Orleans Pelicans head coach Willie Green (6/1) have the hottest seats.
The coaches least likely to get canned are Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr (300/1), Utah Jazz head coach Quin Snyder (250/1), Phoenix Suns head coach Monty Williams (250/1), Washington Wizards head coach Wes Unseld Jr. (200/1) and San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich (200/1).
Here are the full odds:
Dwane Casey, 2/1 Frank Vogel, 3/1 Stephen Silas, 5/1 Willie Green, 6/1 Mark Daigneault, 10/1 Nick Nurse, 11/1 Taylor Jenkins, 12/1 Nate McMillan, 18/1 Ime Udoka, 20/1 Jamahl Mosley, 20/1 Mike Budenholzer, 22/1 Rick Carlisle, 25/1 Chauncey Billups, 28/1 Michael Malone, 33/1 Chris Finch, 40/1 Tyronn Lue, 40/1 Doc Rivers, 50/1 Tom Thibodeau, 60/1 James Borrego, 66/1 Jason Kidd, 75/1 Steve Nash, 80/1 JB Bickerstaff, 125/1 Erik Spoelstra, 150/1 Billy Donovan, 200/1 Gregg Popovich, 200/1 Wes Unseld Jr., 200/1 Monty Williams, 250/1 Quin Snyder, 250/1 Steve Kerr, 300/1
They also released odds on <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/kenny-atkinson-terry-stotts-have-best-odds-to-become-kings-coach" target="_blank" rel="noopener">who the Sacramento Kings will hire as their next head coach</a>.

Which coach will be fired next? BetOnline's oddmakers are looking at Dwane Casey (2/1), Frank Vogel (3/1) and Stephen Silas (5/1).

Which NBA coach gets fired next? Casey, Vogel, Silas have best odds

Isaiah Stewart plays hard. <a href="https://streamable.com/ihig1a" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Really hard, in fact</a>. It&rsquo;s unmistakable whenever he&rsquo;s on the floor. This is not the type of &ldquo;hard&rdquo; to which the majority of NBA players adhere. There are few around the league whose motors are constantly discernible in the fashion Stewart&rsquo;s is. He is always aiming to make his presence felt, seeking out some manner to imprint himself.
Last year, that approach was quite beneficial and earned him an All-Rookie Second Team berth. Only a handful of rookies cobbled together more impressive campaigns. The Detroit Pistons have an excellent young prospect whom they should be highly encouraged about. Long-term, there&rsquo;s a decent chance he emerges as the best center from the 2020 class, despite being the third one off the board in November (fourth, if you classify Obi Toppin as such).
In 21.4 minutes per game, Stewart averaged 7.9 points, 6.7 rebounds and 1.3 blocks on 59.7% True Shooting (.553/.333/.696 split). Across 34 post-All-Star Break games, the 20-year-old gathered steam, averaging 10.4 points, 7.6 rebounds and 1.5 blocks on a 60.8 TS% (.551/.345/.700 split).&nbsp;
As a rookie, Stewart was a superb defender. The Pistons were <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/team/1610612765/onoffcourt-advanced/?sort=DEF_RATING&amp;dir=1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">6.1 points better defensively</a> with him on the court, and he ranked in the <a href="https://dunksandthrees.com/epm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">88th percentile in Defensive Estimated Plus-Minus</a>, the latter of which was third among first-year rotation guys (apologies, Paul Reed).&nbsp;
Already, he&rsquo;s a technician in drop coverage against pick-and-rolls. He routinely positions himself in ideal spots, staying at home with his man when needed or delaying the ball-handler&rsquo;s decision-making until the point-of-attack defender recovers. With active hands, he stunts at initiators to kill their dribble and recognizes when to peel back to rollers.&nbsp;
His fluency as a pick-and-roll defender belied his first-year status and is truly impressive. At his peak, he&rsquo;s going to be one of the NBA&rsquo;s best ball-screen antagonists because he&rsquo;s proficient at baiting the offense into acting as he prefers. That is what premier defenders do.&nbsp;
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Flanked predominantly by insufficient perimeter defenders, he was also thrust into many help-side rim protection circumstances and performed admirably. According to NBA.com, as the primary defender, Stewart held players 6.4 percentage points below their average on looks within 6 feet of the hoop, which placed him 30th among 85 players to contest at least four such shots a night.&nbsp;
To juxtapose Stewart with his contemporaries, James Wiseman held players 0.4 percentage points below their average, while Onyeka Okongwu held players 1.8 percentage points below their average. This statistic is by no means teflon, but it does, in some capacity, help underline how well the former Washington center performed in year one.&nbsp;
His proclivity for unceasing activity aids him in these efforts. Although he only stands 6-foot-8, his 9-foot standing reach &mdash; a serviceable measurement &mdash; shines through around the cup and is amplified by timing and awareness.
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We received it in spurts last season, largely over the second half of the year, but I&rsquo;d also like to see Detroit further explore Stewart&rsquo;s viability as a switch big. Both Cade Cunningham and Killian Hayes are good point-of-attack defenders, and Jerami Grant offers versatility as well. Mixing up the coverage to gauge the volume, style and caliber of matchup he can handle on switches is a worthwhile endeavor as the Pistons embark on another rebuilding stage with the hopes of establishing more clarity in 2021-22.
The early indicators from year one are rather emboldening, too. Mobility is a critical factor in his pick-and-roll exploits. That remains the case in examples that skew closer to one-on-one contexts. His lateral quickness is exceptional for a big man, and the swiftness with which he flips his hips to answer changes of direction is phenomenal. Assessing these gifts through a playoff lens for Detroit is a bit premature, but defensive versatility is vital in that department (see, the Bucks of Milwaukee, most recently). Stewart has laid the foundation to meet that criteria.&nbsp;
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Isaiah Stewart rocks, man. <a href="https://t.co/iwMaDjmXjV">pic.twitter.com/iwMaDjmXjV</a>
&mdash; Jackson Frank (@jackfrank_jjf) <a href="https://twitter.com/jackfrank_jjf/status/1438554487610744838?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 16, 2021</a>
<script src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
</blockquote>
A few warts persist defensively for him, though. His aggression tends to result in high foul counts. He averaged 6.2 fouls per 100 possessions last season, and he&rsquo;s prone to biting on shot fakes or sly dribble moves. This is exactly the sort of blemish that can be exhausted with development, but it&rsquo;s something to monitor as he looks to assume a grander minutes load this year.&nbsp;
Despite massive gains as a vertical athlete (more on this later), he is hindered at times. If he is not prompt in his rotation, the slow load-up period enables scorers to shoot before he&rsquo;s ready to stamp his mark. In conjunction with an adequate, yet nonetheless suboptimal, 9-foot standing reach, he&rsquo;ll find himself a step or two slow as a defensive anchor on occasion.&nbsp;
As his defensive role scales up alongside his minutes, I&rsquo;m curious to see if this becomes a more prevalent concern. Technique and timing are the lifeblood of defensive success, but physical tools carry importance, too. Stewart&rsquo;s margin of error is simply smaller than other centers with superior athletic traits.
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Essentially from the outset, Stewart distinguished himself defensively; however, the starkest development that occurred between December and May was offensively. Early in the year, he would barely glance toward the rim when the ball was in his hands; any time he had the ball outside of 3 feet from the hoop, he was searching for a release valve. By the last week of April, he was absolutely launching threes and hunting shots as if he were a premier floor-spacer. Over his final eight games, he took more than four triples six times. It reached the point where he was even eliciting hasty closeouts and countering with <a href="https://twitter.com/jackfrank_jjf/status/1391809821469396994?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ball skills like these</a>, which would&rsquo;ve been unheard of in December.
Peering further out, his three-point rate leaped from .034 before the All-Star Break to .221 afterward, including .400 during the aforementioned final eight games. He even experimented with some <a href="https://streamable.com/yzwyjc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">face-up scoring</a>, which is probably his most likely path to any sort of self-creation equity.&nbsp;
Cautiously interpreting post-All-Star Break runs from young dudes on lottery-bound teams is prudent, but this was a guy who glaringly changed the way he approached his role and how he viewed scoring opportunities. His numbers beyond the arc and at the charity stripe aren&rsquo;t sterling indicators &mdash; but examine other statistical hints and the chances of him becoming a legit stretch big crystallize.&nbsp;
He shot 77.4% from the line in college on more than twice his rookie sample (199 vs. 92). According to Cleaning The Glass, he converted 53 of his 104 mid-range attempts (51%) last year. Plus, that post-All-Star jump in three-point volume is meaningful and salient. Stewart only logged 20 three-pointers in 32 collegiate games, a total he matched across his final four games of 2020-21. Believe in the jumper &mdash; because he clearly does.
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The longball wasn&rsquo;t the lone example of his striking in-season development. As a screen-and-roll threat, he grew substantially. He never really found the proper cadence to match Delon Wright and Derrick Rose&rsquo;s tempos, but figured out how to succinctly transition from pick to dive by midseason, and offered his ball-handlers a reliable finishing option. The screening itself is still being refined, but he&rsquo;s also entirely willing to re-screen or flip the angle to suit initiators.&nbsp;
Once Stewart discovered the screen-and-roll dance, his improvements as a vertical athlete really announced themselves. Hayes consistently sought his play-finishing services, and Stewart exhibited a propensity for big-time slams. The difference between his explosiveness in college versus the NBA is startling. Rarely do players enjoy these evolutions.&nbsp;
Compare this:&nbsp;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Isaiah Stewart just has such little vertical explosion without significant load time. He should be able to finish this over the smaller defender: <a href="https://t.co/8EU4E44RCV">pic.twitter.com/8EU4E44RCV</a>
&mdash; Jackson Frank (@jackfrank_jjf) <a href="https://twitter.com/jackfrank_jjf/status/1251946706154827776?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 19, 2020</a></blockquote>
... With these clips. The strides are jarring.
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Issues are present when there isn&rsquo;t much of a runway from which to build upon and jump. Despite the table being set for the majority of his interior finishes, he only shot 64% at the rim and ranked in the 35th percentile among big men (per Cleaning The Glass). He still struggles to propel himself off the ground amid traffic; that hamstrings his ability to extend over the top and invites shot-blockers to ply their trade against him.&nbsp;
To be clear, 64% around the rim is not inherently poor. That&rsquo;s 1.28 points per shot; you want those to be the result of an offensive possession. That is excellent efficiency. Between the leaping setbacks and seemingly poor hands that cause him to fumble some passes, there are just certain hurdles for a 6-foot-8 center who doesn&rsquo;t sport moon boots as sneakers.
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This is why the jumper feels so critical for Stewart&rsquo;s offensive ceiling. He is not a particularly dynamic roller and effectively passing on the move feels well into the distance developmentally. Emerging as a legitimate pick-and-pop who periodically dives into the paint rather than vice versa is the utopian outcome of his maturation.&nbsp;
Reaching a threshold where he&rsquo;s one of the league&rsquo;s better stretch centers is quite plausible, too. How the Pistons deploy him, Jerami Grant and Kelly Olynyk in ball-screen actions alongside their youthful initiators this season will help illuminate what they deem as his consummate path in that regard.
Stewart&rsquo;s motor captures the attention of basketball diehards. It explains aspects of his alluring skill set, such as his masterful offensive rebounding (10.8% rate, 79th percentile, per Cleaning The Glass) and some of his defensive intrigue. Track him long enough, though, and his motor becomes merely the pilot to draw in viewership.&nbsp;
His defense is much more than effort and suggests a highly impactful peak down the road. The baseline of a complementary offensive game has been established. He&rsquo;s a notably better athlete after one season in the NBA, making significant progress in flexibility and vertical pop.
The 2020 draft is not even a year removed from history, but it&rsquo;s clear that Isaiah Stewart does not just have a motor. He plays hard &mdash; and he&rsquo;s a darn good player while doing so.

Jackson Frank analyzes how Pistons big man Isaiah Stewart developed over his rookie season on both ends of the floor.

Isaiah Stewart provides plenty of intrigue beyond his motor

OK, Lakers Nation: Your team is stacked like never before in the LeBron James era.
Anthony Davis will be back healthy. Russell Westbrook is coming aboard. So is Dwight Howard, along with Carmelo Anthony, Wayne Ellington, Malik Monk, Kendrick Nunn, Trevor Ariza and Kent Bazemore.
This team is loaded.
And while they are certain to win the NBA&rsquo;s geriatric award, a championship is no sure thing. But when it comes to dominating the regular season, both in terms of media coverage and watchability, nobody is even a close second.
Bear that in mind for a couple of reasons, not the least of which is that the writers and broadcasters who vote for the NBA&rsquo;s Most Valuable Player award watch a whole lot of basketball on TV. And it is safe to say we will see a heck of a lot more of the Lakers than we will of, say, the Thunder.
The Lakers have three legitimate MVP candidates in Westbrook, Davis and James. But for whatever reason, the major U.S. sportsbooks have listed all three of them with very long odds for MVP. At DraftKings Sportsbook, Davis and Westbrook are listed at +2500, to use the new parlance, and James is +1500.
At FanDuel Sportsbook, Westbrook is an astonishing 85-1. He is 55-1 at PointsBet, and 50-1 at WilliamHill.
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And if you think those odds are going to stay that high in the long-term, we have a bridge in Brooklyn that we will sell you for a very low price.
Here is the thing about the legalized U.S. sports gambling market: The books are not all that great at setting the futures odds accurately. They are very good at most things they do. But on some of these future markets, they are off by a country mile. The sharp gamblers know this, and you should, too.
Westbrook, in case you have forgotten, spent last year with a Washington Wizards team that closed the season with a tremendous finishing kick after having their campaign hugely disrupted by COVID-related postponements. They won 17 of their final 24 games, and Westbrook had triple-doubles in 19 of those contests. He was one assist shy of two more triple-doubles.
The guy gets bashed a lot for a variety of things (including switching teams so often in recent years), but do not let the haters convince you that he is a bad player. He remains a super-stud, and there are worse things you can do with one Benjamin than lay it on Russ at 85-1 for the MVP. If he opens the season with three of four triple-doubles in a row, you are going to see that number shrink considerably (perhaps to single digits).
Of course, Davis is a legit MVP contender as well, and there is a chance that the Lakers spread the wealth around so much that these guys cancel each other out. And while that may indeed be the case, there is still questionable logic in having Luka Doncic (+400), Joel Embiid and Kevin Durant (+700), Giannis Antetokounmpo and Steph Curry (+800) and Damian Lillard (+1200) listed with lower odds than any of the Lakers. Also at +1500 along with LeBron is reigning MVP Nikola Jokic (+1800). Trae Young (+1800), Devin Booker (+2000) and James Harden (+2000) are also listed lower than Westbrook and Davis. (All of those odds from DraftKings Sportsbook).
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Jokic won the MVP award last season for a lot of reasons, not the least of which was his durability as he appeared in all 72 games while averaging 26.4 points, 10.8 rebounds and 8.3 assists. But the Denver Nuggets finished tied for third in the Western Conference, and it is pretty rare for a player from a third-seeded team to win the award.
Voters typically look at individual stats first and a team&rsquo;s record second. Last season, because of the amount of injuries around the NBA, Jokic sort of won it by default, getting 91 of 101 first-place votes. Embiid, who finished second, got just a single first-place vote (from Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic). Steph Curry, who finished third, got five first-place votes.
Assuming the senescent nature of the Lakers roster does not lead to the same type of injury problems they had last season, they will finish atop the Western Conference. FanDuel Sportsbook currently lists them as +195 to win the West, followed by the Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Clippers at +500, and the Utah Jazz at +650.
The Brooklyn Nets (+230) and the Lakers (+400) are the two favorites to win the NBA title.
But remember: The Most Valuable Player award only takes into account what happens during the regular season. If Westbrook plays the same way for the Lakers as he did at the end of last season for the Wizards, churning out triple-doubles on a nightly basis, he could win MVP in the same sort of runaway fashion as Jokic did last season. Dennis Schroder and Alex Caruso are gone, and Kendrick Nunn (who&rsquo;s more of a shooter than a playmaker) is now the de facto backup point guard.
There are no sure things in the gambling world. But there are reasonable risks.
Wagering on Westbrook, who has 184 career triple-doubles, is not the worst idea in the history of ideas. Give it some thought, especially because others are not.
BetMGM spokesman John Ewing said that Curry has taken a league-leading 14.8% of tickets to Westbrook&rsquo;s 2.3%. PointsBet&rsquo;s Wyatt Yearout said that Doncic is taking a league-leading 10.71% to Westbrook&rsquo;s 7.14% (the same as Antetokounmpo, Durant and Curry).

Russell Westbrook was dominant for the Wizards at end of last season. Now, after joining the Lakers, he's an interesting MVP bet.