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Magic

Giannis Antetokounmpo had 28 points, Bobby Portis scored 17 of his 19 points in the first half and the Milwaukee Bucks defeated the Orlando Magic 127-110 on Tuesday night.
Milwaukee has won four in a row and five of its last seven. Since starting the season 6-8, the Bucks have gone 17-5 to surge back near the top of the Eastern Conference standings.
&ldquo;The ball movement, the playing together and the unselfishness really stood out,&rdquo; Milwaukee coach Mike Budenholzer said. &ldquo;Guys were making the right pass and the right read and then Bobby Portis had an insane shooting half.&rdquo;
Khris Middleton scored 21 points for the Bucks, while Jrue Holiday chipped in 18 points and 10 assists. Antetokounmpo, who returned from COVID-19 protocols on Christmas, capped his 24th 20-point night in the fourth quarter by chucking Orlando&rsquo;s Freddie Gillespie to the floor with a forearm before dunking with his left hand.
&ldquo;I think we did a great job of moving the ball and that&rsquo;s when it&rsquo;s fun to play,&rdquo; said Holiday, who had nine points and two assists in the fourth quarter. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s definitely the way we want to be. When everybody is touching the ball, it&rsquo;s always good. When we do that, we&rsquo;re pretty good.&rdquo;
Orlando rookie forward Franz Wagner scored 27 of his career-best 38 points in the second half. He made 12 of 20 shots and 4 of 8 3s.
The Bucks outscored the Magic 40-21 in the second quarter, led by as much as 29 late in the first half and withstood a 19-0 third-quarter run by Orlando, which dropped to 2-12 at home. Orlando also got within 106-98 with 7:15 to play.
However, Milwaukee responded with seven straight points to all but seal the game and beat the Magic for a third time this season.
Orlando had six players out with injuries, and Terrence Ross, Mo Bamba, Chuma Okeke and Mychal Mulder couldn't play because they were in the NBA&rsquo;s COVID-19 health and safety protocols.
KNOCK ON WOOD
Budenholzer sounded almost embarrassed Tuesday when discussing his team&rsquo;s luck with good health &mdash; both on the injury front and COVID-19. The Bucks entered Tuesday with only Brook Lopez (back surgery) out of action.
&ldquo;When you look around the league and see what other teams are having to do, we&rsquo;re very fortunate,&rdquo; Budenholzer said. &ldquo;We felt like when (GM) Jon (Horst) put together the roster, it was going to be very deep. It&rsquo;s a good place to be, but it&rsquo;ll probably change tonight, tomorrow or sometime soon. But we&rsquo;ll take it while we have it.&rdquo;
TIP-INS
Bucks: University of Michigan coach Juwan Howard attended the game. His Wolverines play at Central Florida on Thursday. &hellip; The Bucks beat the Magic for the 10th consecutive time, a streak that's in line with 10 straight over the Kings and 12 straight wins against the Pistons. &hellip; DeMarcus Cousins was whistled for a technical foul after screaming, &ldquo;ball don&rsquo;t lie!&rsquo; following a missed free throw.
Magic: Guard Tim Frazier picked up four fouls in his first seven minutes of action. &hellip; Orlando was without point guard Cole Anthony for a second straight game because of &ldquo;maintenance&rdquo; on his sprained right ankle. &hellip; Magic coach Jamahl Mosley described Jalen Suggs&rsquo; recovery from a fractured thumb as &ldquo;progressing along slowly&rdquo; and added the rookie guard would be reevaluated in &ldquo;a couple of weeks.&rdquo; Suggs, the No. 5 pick in last summer&rsquo;s NBA Draft, hasn&rsquo;t played since Nov. 29.
UP NEXT
The two teams play again in Orlando on Thursday night.

The Bucks have won four in a row and 5 of their last 7. Since starting 6-8, they have gone 17-5 to surge back near the top of the East.

Bucks win 4th straight behind 28 from Antetokounmpo

As COVID-19 continues to rip into NBA rosters, more and more teams have been forced to look outside their organization to simply fill out minutes on the court.
You've probably been seeing your NBA notifications blowing up with transactions recently. Franchises can take advantage of the "hardship exception" in the NBA's by-laws, which state that if four or more players on the active and inactive rosters are dealing with injuries and illness, a team can sign and substitute a player. Since so many franchises are dealing with COVID-induced absences that typically last about 10 days to two weeks, dozens of free agents are inking 10-day deals to jump in for the short-term.
Meanwhile, for better or worse, the regular season chugs along. The pop-up signings can end up making an impact on rebuilding teams or playoff contenders. With some rotations pushed to the brink, hardship-exception signees might find meaningful minutes right away.
With that in mind, how are NBA teams approaching who they sign, and what types of players have been called into action?
Most of the additions have some level of NBA experience. Of the <a href="https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/nba-covid-fallout-lance-stephenson-isaiah-thomas-tyler-johnson-among-list-of-players-on-10-day-contracts/">over 35 players (and counting)</a> who have signed recent 10-day contracts, only a small handful have never appeared in a regular-season game before this season. This includes: Ade Murkey (Kings), Tyler Hall (Knicks), Aleem Ford and Hassani Gravett (Magic), Mac McClung (Bulls) and Malcolm Hill (Hawks). All but McClung turned pro at some level before 2021.
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The other end of the spectrum is also limited. Though Isaiah Thomas and Lance Stephenson might be the biggest names among hardship deals, they're two of the older players signed to date. The oldest player currently added is 34-year-old CJ Miles, who joined the Celtics after having recently signed with the G League Ignite, and last played with the Wizards in 2019-20. Miles, Thomas, Stephenson, Ersan Ilyasova, Tim Frazier and James Ennis are the hardship players to date over age-31.
Interestingly, teams have thus far been averse to adding bigs, even if they've become thin at the position. The only true centers who have been reportedly signed are Wenyen Gabriel (to the Nets), Luke Kornet (Cavaliers), Marquese Chriss (Mavericks) and Freddie Gillespie (Magic).&nbsp;
Chriss and Raptors signee Nik Stauskas are the highest former draft picks to be signed; both were selected No. 8 overall. They're also the only two former lottery picks that teams have inked deals. So, no, front offices are not using the hardship exception as some kind of way to take a swing on a castoff top selection.
What does appear to matter, however, is recent production. Thomas obviously got his shot with the Lakers after a 42-point outburst in his first G League appearance with the Grand Rapids Gold.
Others have used a longer stint in the G League Showcase period to audition. Five of the top-10 G League Showcase per-game scoring leaders have signed contracts this month: BJ Johnson (Magic), Justin Jackson (Celtics), Trevelin Queen (two-way deal with Houston), Stauskas and Jared Harper (Pelicans). Four of the other five already have their rights held by NBA franchises. Let's see who signs Kyle Guy.
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The Nets and Raptors make good example cases. Brooklyn has added four players as of this writing. Langston Galloway and James Ennis are two steady veterans who contributed to NBA teams last season, and can both bring an instantly-translatable skill with their shooting. Gabriel is averaging 13.9 points and 8.6 rebounds per game as a physical presence in the G League. Then there's Shaquille Harrison, one of the peskier defenders in pro hoops, period. All of them are low-usage, specialist contributors with multiple year of pro experience.
Toronto, meanwhile, has safety blankets for others on the roster should they enter league protocols. Tremont Waters and Brandon Goodwin are steady facilitating guards; Fred VanVleet and Malachi Flynn are reportedly now ineligible. Stauskas can replicate Svi Mykhailiuk's role to a degree. Juwan Morgan is a hybrid forward in the same vein (at least positionall) as Precious Achiuwa. The moves make sense.
My general conclusion seems to be that NBA teams are largely playing it safe with their hardship signings. Few franchises appear to be using this circumstance as a chance to swing for the fences on a young player or a comeback veteran. Most simply want to patch holes.
And though the NBA is obviously in a confusing, frustrating, possibly dangerous situation with the pandemic, it will be interesting to see who capitalizes on their small window of opportunity.

NBA teams have had to dig into 10-day signings with COVID-19's impact on rosters.

How are NBA teams using the hardship exception?

Basketball has evolved into a truly global sport, and the NBA pulls talent from all over the world. That&rsquo;s great for the overall quality of play, but it means that there is more competition for NBA roster spots, which are harder than ever to earn.
With Media Day in the rearview mirror and training camp underway, competition to make the final cut is heating up. Teams enter camp with as many as 20 players, but must trim the roster down to 15 by opening day (excluding the pair of two-way contracts allowed in addition for players who can move between the G League and NBA rosters).
While every team has important decisions to make, it&rsquo;s not as if every roster spot is up for grabs. On the contrary, most spots are taken by players who are signed to guaranteed contracts. It&rsquo;s the players on training-camp deals who have the most to prove this time of year; sometimes, it can be the occasional (and unlucky) guaranteed player who has underachieved so badly that his team is considering paying him to play elsewhere.&nbsp;
The last guy on the bench rarely has a great impact on his team&rsquo;s success, but it can happen &ndash; and it surely impacts the individual players. Considering the ramifications of these decisions, let&rsquo;s examine the three most interesting roster situations in the Eastern Conference.&nbsp;
Brooklyn Nets
The Nets are intriguing because &ndash; while it might look as if they don&rsquo;t need much from the end of their bench on paper &ndash; their situation is more complicated than it appears. Depending on where Kyrie Irving ultimately lands with his decision to get the COVID vaccine or not, he could miss all of his home games (and games against the Knicks at Madison Square Garden). In total, Irving could miss as many as 43 regular-season games if he stands firm on being unvaccinated. And while there is more than enough star power in Brooklyn to get by, removing a key player from the rotation for half of the season puts more pressure on a team&rsquo;s depth.
So what exactly will Brooklyn look to address with its final roster spot? The team's backcourt is in relatively good shape thanks to a combination of James Harden, Patty Mills, Jevon Carter and rookie Cam Thomas, but there are other needs to address. The Nets' frontcourt could use a youth infusion, and there&rsquo;s a limit on swingmen beyond Joe Harris and Bruce Brown. After cutting Jahlil Okafor last month, Brooklyn's decision should come down to DeAndre&rsquo; Bembry or Sekou Doumbouya. No disrespect to Bembry, but Doumbouya is a 6-foot-8 <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/detroit-pistons-moving-on-from-sekou-doumbouya-is-a-headscratcher" target="_blank" rel="noopener">former first-round pick who is 20 years old</a>. He fills multiple needs, and his youth gives the added benefit that if he works out, he could be part of the team&rsquo;s future.&nbsp;
Prediction: Sekou Doumbouya makes the cut.
New York Knicks&nbsp;
The Knicks are in an interesting spot. They just cut Luca Vildoza, who signed a four-year, non-guaranteed contract with the team at the end of the 2020-21 season. He was seen as someone who would make the team as recently as June, but things happen fast in the NBA. Considering New York will start the season without its presumptive starting center, Mitchell Robinson, the Knicks might want to add another big man. Nerlens Noel is more than qualified to hold down the fort, and Taj Gibson is a valuable, albeit slightly undersized backup, but does New York want to kick off the season without any other options? What if one of those two suffers another injury?
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The Knicks have two rookies on their training camp roster who could fill that need in Jericho Sims and Aamir Simms. The former is a freakish athlete, similar in nature to Robinson, who is an above-average defender and rim-runner. Conversely, Simms possesses <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/aamir-simms-eager-to-exhibit-a-side-of-his-game-we-havent-seen-at-the-next-level" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a more polished offensive game</a>, but he lacks the burst and leaping ability of Sims. There&rsquo;s also Dwayne Bacon and Wayne Selden, who are actively competing for the team&rsquo;s final roster spot. Bacon looked good with Orlando last season, and I expect him to make the cut. The Knicks do have a two-way contract remaining, so maybe they'll use that on one of the Sim(m)s, while keeping Bacon on the main roster.&nbsp;
Prediction: Dwayne Bacon makes the cut.
Toronto Raptors
The Raptors are also in an interesting position, but more so because they have multiple spots to fill. Toronto has 12 guaranteed contracts, and both two-way deals are spoken for. That means Toronto can keep three of the following six players: Isaac Bonga, Sam Dekker, Freddie Gillespie, Reggie Perry, Ishmail Wainright and Yuta Watanabe. Gillespie and Watanabe are known commodities north of the border, having played with the Raptors last season, and Dekker is a former first-round pick with plenty of NBA experience. All but Perry have partial guarantees for 2021-22, but a partial guarantee will not secure you a spot in the NBA.
Bonga and Perry are both 6-foot-8 and 21 years old. Perry has just one year of NBA experience, whereas Bonga has three &ndash; but neither has made their mark yet. Beyond Goran Dragic, Fred VanVleet has the most experience of all Raptors with five professional seasons. With that in mind, expect Dekker &ndash; who has four years of NBA experience &ndash; to make the cut. Additionally, the Raptors will probably stick with the guys they know, meaning that Gillespie and Watanabe are likely to be in Toronto for the 2021-22 season, too.
Prediction: Sam Dekker, Freddie Gillespie and Yuta Watanabe all make the cut.
NBA roster decisions aren&rsquo;t entirely fair. Sometimes, players are cut because of an injury or other circumstance-related issues. But it really is just a business (rarely personal), and front offices do what they feel is in their best interest.
And at the end of the day, that&rsquo;s about as objective as it gets.&nbsp;

Drew Maresca examines the three most interesting final roster spot situations in the East.

3 roster-spot battles to watch for in the Eastern Conference

Before we look ahead to Lakers-Warriors (the most epic game of the week, one would think), the play-in tournament and all of the first-round playoff series that will begin next weekend, we need to take a closer look at the 10 teams that failed to make the expanded postseason and what to expect from them this offseason.
This will be play-in week for the eight NBA teams that qualified for the expanded postseason but did not finish top-six in their respective conferences. Two of them (the losers of the 9/10 games) will be finished with their seasons by Wednesday night, and two more by Friday, moving them into exit interviews and draft-prep mode.
But let&rsquo;s start with a bottom-up look at the teams conducting exit interviews with their players today.
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HOUSTON ROCKETS: The Rockets finished with the NBA&rsquo;s worst overall record (17-55) and worst home record (9-27), and lost their season finale to Atlanta by 29. Since March 29, they lost 23 of 27 games. And let&rsquo;s just say it wasn&rsquo;t supposed to be this way when they opened the season with James Harden, John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins on their roster and immediately started getting huge production from Christian Wood. Not yielding to Harden&rsquo;s trade demand in the preseason cost them; the deal that brought them Victor Oladipo actually didn&rsquo;t turn out all that bad for them when they flipped Oladipo for a very productive Kelly Olynyk, but now there is talk of a buyout for Wall, who is owed $91.6 million over the next two years if he exercises his player option, as a long rebuild ensues. Olynyk will be an unrestricted free agent and will likely leave, which means the core they are building around includes Wood, Jae&rsquo;Sean Tate, KJ Martin, Kevin Porter Jr. and whatever they can get for Eric Gordon, who injured his groin in early March and did not return. The next big date on their calendar is the June 22 draft lottery, and because they finished with one of the three worst records, they have an equal chance (with Detroit and Orlando) of winning the No. 1 overall pick, which is projected to be Cade Cunningham of Oklahoma State.
DETROIT PISTONS: A season that began with Derrick Rose and Blake Griffin on the roster ended with a 13-point loss to a Miami Heat team that rested most of its regulars, and Troy Weaver heads into the offseason with decisions to make on Cory Joseph (non-guaranteed $12.6 million), Rodney McGruder (non-guaranteed $5 million) and Dennis Smith Jr. (eligible for a $7.7 million qualifying offer). Assuming all of those are declined, but Hamidou Diallo&rsquo;s $2.07 million qualifying offer is extended, the Pistons will have somewhere in the area of $20 million in cap room, depending on where the salary cap comes in following a season of vastly reduced revenues. Jerami Grant was a nice signing a year ago, and now the Pistons need to find some offense from the wing positions and hope Killian Hayes can have a full healthy season. Detroit had the league&rsquo;s fourth-worst offense in terms of points per game. With Isaiah Stewart finishing the season so strongly, is there a market for the underrated Mason Plumlee?
ORLANDO MAGIC: A bottom-three finish seemed unlikely after they started 4-0 and had Nikola Vucevic playing at an All-Star level, and it never quite made sense that they offloaded Vucevic at the same time they got rid of Aaron Gordon and Evan Fournier. All-Stars do not grow on trees, and Wendell Carter Jr. (acquired from Chicago) was being outplayed by other bigs on the Bulls and now the same thing is happening on the Magic. They will have Markelle Fultz and Jonathan Isaac back next season, Otto Porter and his expiring $28 million contract now comes off their books, and the only contract decision they have to make soon is whether to pick up Dwayne Bacon&rsquo;s $1.8 million non-guarantee. R.J. Hampton <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-orlando-magic-rj-hampton-q-and-a-i-dont-think-you-can-put-a-cap-on-our-ceiling" target="_blank" rel="noopener">just won Rookie of the Month for May</a> and Cole Anthony has shown plenty of promise as well. John Hammond, Jeff Weltman and Steve Clifford have roughly $28 million of cap space to work with, and the Magic have their own pick along with Chicago&rsquo;s (top-4 protected). Choosing three of the top-33 draft picks will keep the scouting staff busy.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
One of the most exciting rookies in the NBA! HBD <a href="https://twitter.com/The_ColeAnthony?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@The_ColeAnthony</a> <a href="https://t.co/KW0Y04sOUY">pic.twitter.com/KW0Y04sOUY</a>
&mdash; Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) <a href="https://twitter.com/Ballislife/status/1393623077238493184?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 15, 2021</a></blockquote>

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OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER: The only NBA team that never opened its arena to fans, the Thunder made the questionable decision to shelve Al Horford immediately after the trade deadline, after which they lost 26 of their final 29 games, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's injury was handled with extreme caution. Their victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on the final night of the season actually hurt them because it prevented a tiebreak situation with the Magic, who finished with a 21-51 record to OKC&rsquo;s 22-50 record. Sam Presti is going to do what Sam Presti wants to do, and it will be interesting to see whether NBA commissioner Adam Silver addresses the unprecedented move that was made with Horford &ndash; something his predecessor, David Stern, never would have allowed. If the veteran big man and Gilgeous-Alexander had finished the season, we probably would not have the Spurs in the No. 10 spot. OKC was just five games under .500 in late March.
CLEVELAND CAVALIERS: Cleveland's trophy acquisition is Jarrett Allen, who was a superb pickup by Koby Altman. Still, they were unable to turn Andre Drummond into anything, and the loss of Darius Garland for most of the final three weeks of the season kept him from further developing chemistry with fellow backcourt speedster Collin Sexton. The Cavs still owe Kevin Love $60 million, and they must pay Taurean Prince $13 million next season unless they can find a taker on the trade market. He averaged only 10.1 points and 3.7 rebounds after coming over from Brooklyn, but Altman had to take him for salary-matching purposes. The Anderson Varejao re-signing was pretty cool, so we will give them that. Otherwise, the rebuild figures to be slow unless Love and Prince can be moved, which seems unlikely.
MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES: The A-Rod era will begin next season, and keeping Karl-Anthony Towns happy will be Project A, B and C. One of the league&rsquo;s best people and best players, he has been in the NBA for six years after being the No. 1 overall pick of the 2015 draft, and he has a nice running mate now in Anthony Edwards along with his buddy, D&rsquo;Angelo Russell. Ricky Rubio, entering the final season of a contract that will pay him $17.8 million, seems superfluous and could be moved if a pick was coming back in return. The Wolves&rsquo; pick in this year's draft will go to Golden State unless it is top-3, in which case Minnesota's 2022 pick becomes unprotected and will go to the Warriors. Chris Finch will have a training camp for the first time to work with whatever the roster looks like, and help will not come through free agency, as the Wolves are projected to be over the cap.
TORONTO RAPTORS: The future of team president Masai Ujiri seems very much up in the air. He is the director of Basketball Without Borders, and ESPN&rsquo;s Adrian Wojnarowski has suggested Ujiri <a href="https://www.instagram.com/tv/CODxcX6haii/?igshid=1nsv2bsewml2h" target="_blank" rel="noopener">will look elsewhere for his next job</a> and hand the reins over to general manager Bobby Webster. The Raptors get a pass for their failure of a season because they had to relocate to Tampa, Fla., which meant that they basically played 72 road games when not working on their tans and fighting off mosquitoes and alligators. Webster/Ujiri will likely look at all possible sign-and-trade scenarios for Kyle Lowry, who may feel it is time to move on. Decisions must be made on the non-guaranteed contracts of Rodney Hood, Aron Baynes, Chris Boucher, DeAndre' Bembry, Paul Watson Jr., Yuta Watanabe and Freddie Gillespie. If all are declined, the Raps would have about $30 million in cap space to play with.
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2020-21 Closing thoughts: Coach Nurse <a href="https://t.co/ffAsqLN1zv">pic.twitter.com/ffAsqLN1zv</a>
&mdash; Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) <a href="https://twitter.com/Raptors/status/1394319579237736449?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 17, 2021</a></blockquote>

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SACRAMENTO KINGS: It would not be surprising to see the Kings lose Richaun Holmes, who has <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-richaun-holmes-qa-interview-free-agency-all-defensive-team" target="_blank" rel="noopener">turned into a terrific NBA player</a> and may want to play in a bigger market for a franchise that has not grown as accustomed to bad seasons as the Kings have. They have not won a playoff series since 2003-04 and have not played a playoff game since 2005-06. Does Vivek Ranadive keep head coach Luke Walton around? De'Aaron Fox, Harrison Barnes and Buddy Hield account for more than $70 million of next season&rsquo;s payroll, and Marvin Bagley III adds an additional $11.3 million. General manager Monte McNair came up under Daryl Morey in Houston, so he has seen proactive roster turnovers when the situation called for it. What is in question is whether Bagley or Hield could bring anything of value in return on the trade market because both have not lived up to expectations. They seem likely to appear in a similar column approximately one year from now.
CHICAGO BULLS: The Bulls made so many deals at the deadline and did not have enough acclimation time following March 25. Getting Nikola Vucevic at such a small cost was a coup for executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas in his first season. Now he must decide on non-guarantees for Thaddeus Young ($14.1 million) and Tomas Satoransky ($10 million), and the franchise should expect to see Al-Farouq Aminu exercise his player option and thereby remain on the roster with a salary of $10.1 million. Lauri Markkanen should receive his qualifying offer of $9.026 million, and perhaps the biggest question is whether this team will stick with Coby White as the point guard of the future or try to find a way to get a player such as Kyle Lowry to be their primary playmaker.
NEW ORLEANS PELICANS: All in all, it was not a good season for David Griffin, Stan Van Gundy, Zion Williamson or Brandon Ingram after the previous campaign ended with so much promise. The JJ Redick episode did not make anyone happy. The season ended with four-consecutive losses and Ls in six of the final eight games, a $50,000 fine for Griffin for complaining that Williamson&rsquo;s broken finger was the result of rough treatment of the former overall No. 1 pick that was being overlooked by the referees. Not one single player appeared in all 72 games &ndash; although Eric Bledsoe came up closest with 71. James Johnson and Willy Hernangomez are the only unrestricted free agents of note, and Lonzo Ball will be a restricted free agent who could solve some roster problems through a sign-and-trade. Griffin will have three extra second-round picks, and next year he gets the Lakers&rsquo; pick unprotected.

Chris Sheridan checks in with the organizations whose respective seasons ended Sunday and areas they'll need to address.

Closing the door on the NBA's 10 non-playoff teams

DALLAS (AP) — Luka Doncic had his 11th triple-double of the season with 20 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists and the Dallas Mavericks guaranteed themselves a top-six finish in the Western Conference, to avoid the NBA's play-in next week, with a 114-110 victory over Toronto on Friday night. 
Kristaps Porzingis, who finished with 21 points and 10 rebounds, made a 3-pointer on the game's first shot and the Mavericks never trailed in their regular-season home finale, though the undermanned Raptors cut it close late. Toronto used only seven players, going without its top seven scorers — mostly because of injuries, but also with the season winding down and the Raptors out of contention for even a play-in spot in the East. 
Toronto, which trailed by 19 points early in the second half, was within 105-102 on Malachi Flynn’s 3-pointer with three minutes left, which followed a Mavericks turnover after his layup. But Dorian Finney-Smith responded with a 3-pointer for Dallas and Doncic then drove for a one-handed slam. Doncic had earlier rebounded his own missed short jumper and followed that with a nifty layup. 
Raptors rookie Jalen Harris, a Dallas native making his second career start in as many nights, had 31 points to lead Toronto. Flynn had 26 points. 
The Southwest Division-winning Mavericks (42-29) are in fifth place in the West, with a one-game lead over Portland (41-30) for the No. 5 seed with one regular-season game remaining for both teams. The Trail Blazers have the tiebreaker if they finish with the same record, since they won two of three against Dallas this season. 
Teams finishing seventh through 10th in each conference are forced into play-in games next week to determine who advances. The top six teams get an extended break after a condensed regular-season schedule, though with 10 fewer games than usual, because of the pandemic. 
BAYLOR CONNECTION
Toronto rookie forward Freddie Gillespie from Baylor got his first career NBA start, and it came on a night when the Baylor coach Scott Drew and the national champion Bears were in attendance to be recognized by the Mavericks. Dallas County officials declared May the month of the Bears in the county.
TIP-INS
Raptors: Stanley Jonson had a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds. ... Toronto extended a franchise record with its 37th different starting lineup this season. It was the ninth game in a row they used a different starting five. 
Mavericks: It was the 36th career triple-double for Doncic, who is 11th on the NBA career list. He is still seven behind Fat Lever for the top 10, but now three ahead of Bob Cousy. ... Jalen Brunson finished with 19 points and Finney-Smith had 17. ... Dallas had lost 12 of its previous 16 games against the Raptors, including 116-93 in Tampa on Jan. 18. 
UP NEXT
Raptors: Regular-season “home” finale against Indiana on Sunday in Tampa. 
Mavericks: Regular-season finale at Minnesota. 
___
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Luka Doncic had his 11th triple-double of the season and the Dallas Mavericks guaranteed themselves a top-six finish in the West.

Mavericks beat Raptors to clinch top-6 spot, avoid play-in

To tank or not to tank, that is the question that every team will have to face at one point or another.
That&rsquo;s not to say there aren&rsquo;t many routes to contention in the NBA; the Eastern Conference&rsquo;s top-three teams are proof of that.
The Philadelphia 76ers -- the poster boy for tanking -- bottomed out for four-straight years, resulting in a quartet of top-three picks, including back-to-back No. 1 overall picks in 2016 and 2017.
The Brooklyn Nets made 2020 free-agency splashes, signing superstars Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving to a combined $305 million over four years (and then traded for James Harden).
The Milwaukee Bucks got lucky to draft centerpiece Giannis Antetokounmpo with the 15th overall pick in 2013, and then, through various trades over the years, acquired Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday.
Now, only a year removed from owning the league&rsquo;s second-best record and two years removed from winning the Larry O&rsquo;Brien trophy -- and currently on the outside looking in at the play-in tournament -- the Raptors are asking themselves: to tank, or not to tank? &nbsp;&nbsp;
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It's a question that Masai Ujiri has been fortunate enough to evade since arriving in Toronto in 2013, when, fortuitously, a Rudy Gay trade to the Sacramento Kings sparked the greatest era in Raptors history. An era that was capped with a championship.&nbsp;
Two years later, five of the eight core championship players are on new teams, including three of the starting five. Fans hope that this season is an anomaly and that the team&rsquo;s bad fortune is a result of lady luck being held by customs at the border. With the roster undergoing so much turnover, the front office is left having to assess the current roster and future of this team.
Even with the NBA changing the lottery odds, tanking remains the most efficient way for a majority of teams to obtain and develop elite young talent -- something the Raptors haven&rsquo;t been able to do since James Dolan goofed into trading for Andrea Bargnani.&nbsp;
But what does it mean to tank? And have the Raptors done a good enough job of it? &nbsp;
In Hamlet&rsquo;s most famous soliloquy, written by Shakespeare, Hamlet asks:&nbsp;
&ldquo;To be, or not to be? That is the question&mdash;
Whether &rsquo;tis nobler in the mind to suffer The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, Or to take arms against a sea of troubles, And, by opposing, end them?&rdquo; &nbsp;
Asking if it&rsquo;s better to suffer through your bad luck, or to push back against it -- and in his case&hellip; die. But in a less-grim Raptors scenario, shut down the real season and actively tank. So, have the Raptors tanked?
Tanking is often reduced to losing as many games as possible to ensure the highest odds at the draft. Have the Raptors done a good job of that? If we&rsquo;re keeping to Hamlet&rsquo;s extreme binary, most would argue not only have they not tanked, they haven&rsquo;t not tanked either. &nbsp;Which is correct, in the most immediate short-term view of the season.&nbsp;
But what if we took a step back and shifted our focus? What if we changed the lens with which we view the Raptors' decisions from the short term to a long-term view? Instead of prioritizing losses above all else, development becomes the main priority, with losses added as a bonus. The outcome of games matters less than the journey it took to get there. With our new adjusted lens, let&rsquo;s take a look at the back half of the Raptors' season to see how they&rsquo;ve fared.&nbsp;
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Keeping Kyle Lowry at the Deadline
There has been a good deal of criticism levied at the Raptors for holding onto Kyle Lowry. If your plan is to tank, why hold onto your 35-year-old, All-Star-caliber veteran point guard who's on an expiring deal? &nbsp;
Although the question is fair, as <a href="https://twitter.com/william_lou/status/1391058680360099840?s=21" target="_blank" rel="noopener">William Lou of Yahoo Sports&rsquo; Canada points out</a>, the answer isn&rsquo;t so cut and dry. The Raptors are 3-6 with Lowry since the trade deadline, and 6-9 in the 15 games without him.&nbsp;
While Lowry is a free agent, and the Raptors risk losing him for zilch in the offseason, they can also offer him the most money and still include him in sign-and-trades this summer.&nbsp;
With our adjusted focus on the long-term success of the team, holding on to the greatest Raptor in franchise history instead of trading him for a pu-pu platter at the deadline feels like a no-brainer. You haven&rsquo;t closed your opportunities to trade him in the summer, you have him to help the development of your young guys, you&rsquo;ve put yourself in a prime position to retain him should he want to stay and (as an added bonus in the short term), he isn&rsquo;t winning you many games. &nbsp;
Pascal Siakam&rsquo;s Extended Minutes
Since the trade deadline, Pascal Siakam is averaging 36.8 minutes per game, tied with Harrison Barnes for third-most in the league. If the goal is to tank, why play your star extended minutes? &nbsp;
Focusing solely on the short-term goal of losing as many games as possible, playing Siakam nearly 37 minutes a night makes little sense. Shifting your focus to a long-term view, we&rsquo;ll see that wins and losses for a marginal chance at a higher pick matter a lot less than your 27-year-old&rsquo;s continued development. In the last 10 games, Pascal Siakam is averaging 23.9 points, 7.4 rebounds and 3.6 assists on 46/35/74 splits.&nbsp;
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The Raptors have managed to find a way to tank but not at the expense of developing their core guys. As the season has progressed, we&rsquo;ve seen Siakam finally return to the player he was prior to the league shutting down over one year ago. He&rsquo;s taken on a higher usage rate without the same major dips in efficiency. He&rsquo;s been more aggressive, more decisive and, in the last five games, averaging over 28 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists.
Winning Too Much
The Raptors have won nine games since the trade deadline. Many on the #Fade4Cade train contend that that&rsquo;s far too many wins. And even with the short-term lens on, it's hard to see this argument.&nbsp;
Bringing us back to the great Will Lou, of the Raptors' nine wins, <a href="https://twitter.com/william_lou/status/1391060329585594369?s=21" target="_blank" rel="noopener">five were to tanking teams</a>. Those wins include: The Stephen Curry-less Golden State Warriors, who Toronto beat by over 50 points (protect the net rating at all costs), the Cleveland Cavaliers twice, the Orlando Magic and the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Outside of the win-by-accident games, the Raptors defeated the San Antonio Spurs in a game that saw Yuta Watanabe, Khem Birch, Malachi Flynn and Chris Boucher all finish in double digits. They took down the Washington Wizards, thanks to a game-winner by newbie Gary Trent Jr. They upset the Brooklyn Nets, which saw Siakam and OG Anunoby combine for 52 points on 18-for-33 shooting, and won over the L.A. Lakers, as Lowry and Siakam combined for 76 points on 27-for-46 shooting. In all of these victories, the Raptors were missing core players and allowing a rookie to play extended minutes in competitive games.
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Since the deadline, the only Raptors to have played one-third of the available minutes have been players with contracts that go beyond next year or guys expected to stay (Gary Trent Jr., Khem Birch and Yuta Watanabe).
Realigning our perspective to a long-term view, we wipe away any anger over losses and recognize that outside of the Tankathon wins, the Raptors won games by relying on their bench depth and young guys to carry a large offensive load. You never waste an opportunity to develop your young talent for a 1-to-2% chance at a more favorable position in the lottery.
And even if you&rsquo;re stubborn in your belief that they have won too much over their last 20 games, the Magic (who own the next-best odds) are 5.5 games back from Toronto. No matter how hard the Raptors pivot toward the bottom of the standings, they were never going to be bad enough to catch Orlando, let alone the other tankers. (The Magic are so deep in the tank, they literally gifted Birch to The North, who is now the Raptors' potential future Hall-of-Fame starting center).
There are a multitude of routes to building a contender. There are also several forms of tanking, and the Raptors have selected one that's far less harsh than the #TrustTheProcess Sixers of yesteryear. And that&rsquo;s because a one-year tank, with a 33% chance at a top-five prospect, isn&rsquo;t going to catapult this team back into contention.&nbsp;
If the goal of this year was to tank to come back next season and once again contend, the Raptors have successfully done that with a promising team of young players to support their core -- with or without Kyle Lowry next season. Going into the year, the Raptors had no bigs and no bench. Since the trade deadline, the Raptors have acquired Birch and Freddie Gillespie, providing them ample opportunity to grow and develop for the future. In addition, the Raptors went younger, trading Norman Powell to the Portland Trail Blazers for Trent. And most importantly, the organization has continued to develop Flynn, Watanabe, Jalen Harris and Paul Watson Jr. while simultaneously distributing big minutes to Anunoby and Boucher to grow into bigger roles.
Tanking for a lottery pick is only one piece of the puzzle for team development, and the Raptors have placed themselves in prime position to acquire a lottery pick and focused their attention on development of their young, long-term prospects at the same time.
Doing that at the expense of playing your veterans is a minor form of tanking that should aid the Raptors in a major way.&nbsp;

Imman Adan breaks down the Raptors' season, and how the team found a way to tank while still developing their core players.

To tank, or not to tank? Analyzing the Raptors' present and future

Kyle Lowry had 37 points and 11 assists, Pascal Siakam had 39 points and 13 rebounds and the short-handed Toronto Raptors defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 121-114 on Sunday night.
LeBron James had 19 points, seven rebounds and six assists before going back to the locker room with 6:42 to play. It was the second game back for James after missing 20 because of a sprained right ankle.
Toronto ended a three-game losing streak despite not having Fred VanVleet, OG Anunoby, Chris Boucher or Gary Trent Jr. available because of injuries or to rest after losing at Utah on Saturday.
DeAndre&rsquo; Bembry had 14 points off the bench and the Raptors led by as many as 21 to hand the defending NBA champion Lakers another baffling defeat.
Kyle Kuzma had 24 points for Los Angeles, Anthony Davis chipped in with 12 and Andre Drummond had 19 points and 11 rebounds.
After trailing by as many as 12 points in the first quarter, the Raptors led 72-59 at the half after blitzing the Lakers for 40 points in the second. A rampaging Lowry had 13, including the final seven points for Toronto going into the locker room, and Bembry chipped in with 11.
The Lakers got back within 10 points early in the fourth quarter, but Lowry responded with a personal 8-2 run.
Lowry was 8 for 13 from 3-point range and 12 for 20 overall.
Kuzma hit a 3 with 58.8 seconds to play to cut Toronto's lead to six before Bembry and Siakam hit free throws to seal it.
TIP-INS
Raptors: Freddie Gillespie had 11 points and seven rebounds. ... Siakam had 17 points in the first quarter. ... Toronto has used 30 different starting lineups in 65 games.
Lakers: Kuzma finished the game 8 for 16 from 3-point range. The rest of the Lakers were 5 for 13. ... G Dennis Schroder did not play after being placed in the league&rsquo;s health and safety protocols. It is his second stint there after missing four games in February after being exposed to someone who tested positive for COVID-19.
UP NEXT
Raptors: At the Clippers on Tuesday.
Lakers: Host Denver on Monday.
___
More AP NBA coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/nba and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Kyle Lowry had 37 points and 11 assists, Pascal Siakam had 39 points and 13 rebounds and the short-handed Raptors defeated the Lakers on Sunday night.

Lowry leads depleted Raptors past Lakers; LeBron exits early

The Toronto Raptors are signing Freddie Gillespie to a two-year NBA contract.
Source: <a href="https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1387398445711958021" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Shams Charania/Twitter</a>
ANALYSIS:&nbsp;Gillespie played through two 10-day deals with the Raptors. The 6-foot-9 big man made the most of his limited opportunities, averaging 5.3 points and 3.6 rebounds in 16.0 minutes per game across 10 appearances. Gillespie also shot a strong 60 percent from the floor, including 81.3 percent around the rim.

Gillespie had played through two 10-day deals with the team.

Raptors ink Freddie Gillespie to two-year contract

What Kevin Love did was unprofessional, inexcusable and frankly, immature.
Unless you&rsquo;ve been living under a rock or aren&rsquo;t a fan of the NBA, chances are you&rsquo;ve come across the viral clip of Love angrily batting a ball inbounds after a referee tossed it over to him. That&rsquo;s where we&rsquo;re going to start.
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That's some high IQ ball right there, <a href="https://twitter.com/iAmSJ?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@iAmSJ</a> <a href="https://t.co/Y5N6ckYCgS">pic.twitter.com/Y5N6ckYCgS</a>
&mdash; Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) <a href="https://twitter.com/Raptors/status/1386850611593990149?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 27, 2021</a></blockquote>

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It&rsquo;s no secret that the louder national outlets and the talking heads are going to make this into something it&rsquo;s not, so let&rsquo;s provide some context as to why Love was fired up in the first place.
On the possession prior to the meltdown, the 32-year-old was attempting to box out ever-so-active Toronto Raptors big man Khem Birch, which resulted in a foul and Love&rsquo;s knee hitting the floor hard; he actually ended up with quite a floor burn. About a minute later, the equally-as-active Freddie Gillespie bumped him on a similar play, and his force sent Love into the stanchion underneath the basket as Malachi Flynn got a layup out of it. Love glanced over at the official on the baseline and was unhappy with a lack of a loose ball foul call. So to vent his frustration, Love decided to hand-deliver a free three points to Toronto by punching the ball in bounds, giving Stanley Johnson the easiest steal (and assist) of his professional career.
Now, let&rsquo;s lay out the reasons that this act was selfish and wrong. For starters, Love is the oldest, most seasoned player on this mostly young Cleveland Cavaliers team. He and Matthew Dellavedova are the only ones that are left from the championship years, and are considered the dependable veterans of this group to guide those inexperienced players and set an example. With that decision, Love showed that it is okay to pout and cost your team points and momentum when you don't get your way.
Speaking of which, that&rsquo;s the second point to make: the Cavs were *in the game*. With fewer than two minutes remaining in the third quarter, the Raptors were clinging to a six-point lead in a game where they had to stave off a feisty Cleveland bunch that was missing seven players, including Collin Sexton. That advantage ballooned to nine, and then 11, to close the period because of Love&rsquo;s mistake. One would think he&rsquo;d have a little more emotional maturity to center himself in a two-possession contest.
But that kind of leads to the third thing: this is not the first time Love has lashed out. This has been a pattern since he and the Cavs decided to continue their relationship post-LeBron James, when the two parties came to a four-year, $120 million extension agreement in the summer of 2018. While hindsight is 20-20 in both cases, that deal has not amounted well to either -- on the cap sheet or on the floor.
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Let&rsquo;s make this perfectly clear: Love hurting his toe in that preseason and having to step away four games into that contract absolutely sucked, and it was just the beginning of an incredibly unfortunate trend that he&rsquo;s dealt with since. Through no fault of his own, the veteran simply has not been able to stay on the floor. Anybody can imagine the mental toll that can take on somebody&rsquo;s psyche, especially if you&rsquo;ve played the game for as long as he has. He even talked as recently as March about how difficult this latest calf injury was to heal, strictly from the impact it had on his mind more than the physical aspect.
However, the situation is what it is. Love has played 96 games out of a possible 208, which equates to 46% if you&rsquo;re wondering. If we&rsquo;re being honest, that could be what he&rsquo;s frustrated about, which is understandable.&nbsp;
Still, getting into a shouting match with then-head-coach John Beilein and general manager Koby Altman in a practice wasn&rsquo;t the way to handle that. Throwing up your hands mid-game, clapping at a then-20-year-old Collin Sexton and chucking a ball for a &ldquo;pass&rdquo; to Cedi Osman wasn&rsquo;t the way to handle that. Showing up your teammates and head coach and deliberately turning the ball over in a winnable game because you got pushed around, even if you might&rsquo;ve been justified in your aggravation, is not the way to handle that.
(According to a <a href="https://sports.yahoo.com/sources-kevin-love-apologized-to-the-cavaliers-after-inbounds-play-161921633.html?guccounter=1&amp;guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly90LmNvLw&amp;guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAN2xZ1KlOb25Q-73M0qf-qQbJ06Guw3Y7UkYv-TlNAwEIq9BLCNefOrDBoXRfIYCaT068yp_7fakV_jtV1wceA9emYXbK1PmfEjEK8y12BZk8xjwWA0bu5xiRXgJonGuzQwL16wJgIlLj_wxUh2vcW6YjlHYrUSlAfXW1zHaRIO9" target="_blank" rel="noopener">report from Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports</a>, "Love&rsquo;s intent wasn&rsquo;t to slap the ball inbounds, sources said. Love was frustrated with officials and not his team&rsquo;s performance, sources said.")
Cleveland.com&rsquo;s Chris Fedor reported that a <a href="https://www.cleveland.com/cavs/2021/04/kevin-love-is-supposed-to-be-one-of-cleveland-cavaliers-leaders-which-is-why-his-behavior-is-unacceptable-chris-fedor.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">source texted him that the behavior was "unacceptable."</a> Cavs head coach J.B. Bickerstaff relayed that he apologized to his teammates; Love did not speak to the media following the game. It might&rsquo;ve been a good time to clear the air, however, cooling down before addressing the matter could have been a smart decision.
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In terms of discipline, the Cavs and general manager Koby Altman can&rsquo;t be soft here. They <a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&amp;rct=j&amp;q=&amp;esrc=s&amp;source=web&amp;cd=&amp;cad=rja&amp;uact=8&amp;ved=2ahUKEwiKkqPa2p7wAhWoTN8KHdx0DtcQFjAFegQIAhAD&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.espn.com%2Fnba%2Fstory%2F_%2Fid%2F25332090%2Fjr-smith-away-cavs-team-seeks-trade&amp;usg=AOvVaw1LupbzCDqCFFWfbY_VYii5">sent JR Smith home in 2018</a> due to his discontent. They came down hard on Kevin Porter Jr. with suspensions and <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-rumors-cleveland-cavaliers-expected-to-move-kevin-porter-jr-locker-room-outburst" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ended up trading the blossoming guard following a heated argument</a>. They recently <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-rumors-andre-drummond-trade-possibilities-destinations-no-contract-buyout-toronto-raptors-dallas-mavericks-brooklyn-nets-sacramento-kings-new-york-knicks" target="_blank" rel="noopener">kept Andre Drummond away from the team</a> to try and find a new home for him (though that was less of a punishment and more of a situation). The point is, with these examples: What should make Love immune from paying the price?
There&rsquo;s no demand to sit him down or release him; that would be way too reactionary. But a few games of an in-house suspension or DNP-CDs would be appropriate at the least. Haynes reported late this morning that the team is taking care of the matter internally, yet <a href="https://twitter.com/ChrisBHaynes/status/1387064877789765635?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">"focused on turning the page"</a> after Love's apology.
If Cleveland wants to create the culture it desires, it needs to address this elephant in the room. Love has meant a great deal to this franchise, has stuck through thick and thin and continues to be important for the next generation of wine-and-golders. On the floor, the difference he makes is legitimate.
That being said, something has to be done to stop this juvenile pattern of habits. Every time Love has an episode like this, the immediate response is, &ldquo;Damn, he really hates Cleveland,&rdquo; or &ldquo;he doesn&rsquo;t get along with Sexton.&rdquo; Both are hardly anywhere near the truth, and guess what? He signed the contract, a fruitful one at that.
Instead of constantly looking for a reason why these things are happening, maybe we need to realize that there&rsquo;s only been one constant.
It&rsquo;s time to be the adult in the room.

Spencer Davies breaks down Kevin Love's latest incident, why this pattern is unacceptable and how the Cavs should handle it.

Something's got to give with Kevin Love

The Toronto Raptors are planning on signing forward Freddie Gillespie to a 10-day contract, according to The Athletic.&nbsp;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
The Toronto Raptors plan to sign forward Freddie Gillespie of G League Memphis to a 10-day contract, sources tell me and <a href="https://twitter.com/BlakeMurphyODC?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BlakeMurphyODC</a>.
&mdash; Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) <a href="https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1379794924825161728?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 7, 2021</a></blockquote>

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Gillespie spent this season in the G League playing for the Memphis Hustle, and has never appeared in an NBA game. He played in 15 games for the Hustle in the G League bubble, averaging 10.5 points per game and 10.3 rebounds. Prior to turning pro, Gillespie spent two years at Baylor.&nbsp;

Gillespie spent this season in the G League with the Memphis Hustle.

Raptors to sign Freddie Gillespie to 10-day contract

The NBA G League held its annual draft ahead of a condensed <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-g-league-2021-season-orlando-bubble-teams-format-rules-two-way-players-jeremy-lin-rule-health-safety-covid-protocols-draft-ignite" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2021 bubble season</a> that's scheduled to tip-off in early February. The first selection by the Greensboro Swarm -- the Charlotte Hornets' affiliiate -- was Admiral Schofield, who was the No. 42 pick of the 2019 NBA Draft. 
Each round consisted of 19 available draft picks. However, because a G League roster can only have 10 designated G League players, only 22 players were selected.&nbsp;
Round One:
1. Greensboro Swarm: Admiral Schofield
A 6-foot-5 shooting guard/small forward from the University of Tennessee, Schofield last played for the Washington Wizards and their affiliate, the Capital City Go-Go, before being traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder and waived immediately.
2. Memphis Hustle (from Erie BayHawks): Freddie Gillespie
A 6-foot-9 power forward from Baylor University who went undrafted in the 2020 NBA Draft.
3. Canton Charge (from Rio Grande Valley Vipers): Antonio Blakeney
A 6-foot-4 shooting guard from Louisiana State University who signed a two-way contract with the Chicago Bulls after going undrafted in 2017. He is the 2018 NBA G League Rookie of the Year, and last played for the Jiangsu Dragons of the Chinese Basketball Association.
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://basketballnews-media.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/images/story/body/usatsi_13658981-1_lg.jpg" alt="" width="860" height="AUTO" />
4. Iowa Wolves (from Windy City Bulls via Lakeland Magic): Allonzo Trier
A 6-foot-4 shooting guard from the University of Arizona, who spent two years with the New York and Westchester Knicks after going undrafted in 2018. Trier was waived by the Knicks on June 26, 2020.
5. Lakeland Magic (from Westchester Knicks): Tahjere McCall
A 6-foot-4 shooting guard from Tennessee State University. Undrafted in 2017, McCall has spent the last three seasons in the G League with the Long Island Nets and the College Park Skyhawks.
6. Canton Charge (from South Bay Lakers): Anthony Lamb
A 6-foot-6 small forward from the University of Vermont who went undrafted in the 2020 NBA Draft.
7. Oklahoma City Blue (from Iowa Wolves): No selection.
8. Lakeland Magic (from Long Island Nets): DJ Hogg
A 6-foot-9 small forward from Texas A&amp;M University, who spent the last two seasons in the G League with the Delaware Blue Coats and Wisconsin Herd after going undrafted in the 2018 NBA Draft.
9. Westchester Knicks (from Oklahoma City Blue via Canton Charge): Justin Patton
A 6-foot-11 center from Creighton University, Patton was taken No. 16 overall in the 2017 NBA Draft. Since then, he has spent time with Minnesota Timberwolves, Philadelphia 76ers, Oklahoma CIty Thunder and all of their G League affiliates. He spent the 2019-20 season with the Wisconsin Herd before signing a training camp deal with the Milwaukee Bucks.
10. Rio Grande Valley Vipers (from Agua Caliente Clippers via Oklahoma City Blue, Canton Charge, Santa Cruz Warriors): Armoni Brooks
A 6-foot-3 shooting guard from the University of Houston who spent his rookie season with the College Park Skyhawks after going undrafted in the 2019 NBA Draft.
11. Raptors 905: Kevon Harris
A 6-foot-6 shooting guard from Stephen F. Austin University who went undrafted in the 2020 NBA Draft.
12. Rio Grande Valley Vipers (from Delaware Blue Coats): Jarron Cumberland
A 6-foot-5 shooting guard from the University of Cincinnati who went undrafted in the 2020 NBA Draft.
13. Oklahoma City Blue (from Stockton Kings via Greensboro Swarm): Vincent Edwards
A 6-foot-8 small forward out of Purdue University who last played for the Oklahoma City Blue. Drafted by the Utah Jazz with the No. 52 pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, Edwards was immediately traded to the Houston Rockets and assigned to their G League affiliate, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers; he averaged nearly 10 points per game to bring the Vipers a G League championship in the 2018-19 season.
14. Austin Spurs: Jonathan Kasibabu
A 6-foot-8 small forward from Fairfield University who last played for the Long Island Nets.
15. Raptors 905 (from Lakeland Magic): Gary Payton II
A 6-foot-3 point guard from Oregon State University who has spent the last four seasons on two-way contracts throughout the NBA while trying to find stability with one team. He last played for the Washington Wizards.
16. Memphis Hustle: Anthony Cowan Jr.&nbsp;
A 6-foot point guard from the University of Maryland who went undrafted in the 2020 NBA Draft.
17. Iowa Wolves (from Canton Charge via Oklahoma City Blue): Dakarai Tucker&nbsp;
A 6-foot-5 shooting guard/small forward from the University of Utah. Tucker spent the 2018-19 season with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers before heading overseas.
18. Salt Lake City Stars (could not make pick)
19. N/A
Round Two:
1. Delaware Blue Coats (from Rio Grande Valley Vipers): Jemmerio Jones
A 6-foot-5 small forward from New Mexico State University. Jones went undrafted in the 2018 NBA Draft before spending time with both the Los Angeles and South Bay Lakers. Jones was traded from the Lakers to the Washington Wizards in 2019 before spending the 2019-20 season with the Wisconsin Herd.
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://basketballnews-media.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/images/story/body/usatsi_13859052-1_lg.jpg" alt="" width="860" height="AUTO" />
2. Fort Wayne Mad Ants (from Windy City Bulls): Oshae Brissett
A 6-foot-7 shooting guard/small forward from Syracuse University. Brissett signed a two-way contract with the Toronto Raptors after going undrafted in the 2019 NBA Draft. The Raptors waived Brissett ahead of the 2020-21 season after signing a partially guaranteed contract.
3. Westchester Knicks (could not make pick)
4. Iowa Wolves (could not make pick)
5. Long Island Nets (could not make pick)
6. Agua Caliente Clippers (from Oklahoma City Blue; could not make pick)
7. Fort Wayne Mad Ants: Quincy McKnight
A 6-foot-4 shooting guard from Seton Hall University who went undrafted in the 2020 NBA Draft.
8. Agua Caliente Clippers (could not make pick)
9. Santa Cruz Warriors: Selom Mawugbe
A 6-foot-10 power forward from Azusa Pacific University who went undrafted in the 2020 NBA Draft.
10. Raptors 905 (could not make pick)
11. Memphis Hustle (from Capital City Go-Go via Agua Caliente Clippers; could not make pick)
12. Austin Spurs (from Delaware Blue Coats): No selection.
13. Erie BayHawks (via Sioux Falls Skyforce; could not make pick)
14. Greensboro Swarm (from Texas Legends; could not make pick)
15. Austin Spurs (from Stockton Kings): Kaleb Johnson
A 6-foot-6 shooting guard/small forward from Georgetown University whose most recent season was marred due to injuries. He is the younger brother of San Antonio Spurs shooting guard/small forward Keldon Johnson.
16. Santa Cruz Warriors (from Austin Spurs; could not make pick)
17. Memphis Hustle (could not make pick)
18. Oklahoma City Blue (from Canton Charge): Rob Edwards
A 6-foot-4 shooting guard from the University of Arizona who went undrafted in the 2020 NBA Draft.
19. Salt Lake City Stars (could not make pick)
Round Three:
1. Greensboro Swarm (could not make pick)&nbsp;
2. Erie BayHawks (could not make pick)&nbsp;
3. Westchester Knicks (could not make pick)
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://basketballnews-media.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/images/story/body/usatsi_14119898-1_lg.jpg" alt="" width="860" height="AUTO" />
4. Delaware Blue Coats (from South Bay Lakers via Agua Caliente Clippers): Braxton Key
A 6-foot-8 forward from the University of Virginia who went undrafted in the 2020 NBA Draft. Key was the final pick of the G League Draft.
5. Iowa Wolves (could not make pick)
6. Long Island Nets (could not make pick)
7. Oklahoma City Blue (could not make pick)
8. Fort Wayne Mad Ants (could not make pick)
9. Canton Charge (from Santa Cruz Warriors; could not make pick)
10. Raptors 905 (could not make pick)
11. Delaware Blue Coats (could not make pick)
12. Lakeland Magic (could not make pick)
13. Memphis Hustle (could not make pick)
14. Canton Charge (could not make pick)
15. Raptors 905 (from Salt Lake City Stars; could not make pick)
16. N/A
17. N/A
18. N/A
19. N/A
TRANSACTIONS
G League Transactions are a lot harder to follow and to find, particularly when the season was abruptly cut short with no decided future. Below are the most notable transactions in the days leading up to the draft.
South Bay Lakers&nbsp;
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">Acquire 2021-22 first-round pick from Santa Cruz Warriors in exchange for the returning rights to Dusty Hannahs.</li>
</ul>
Raptors 905
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">Acquired the returning rights to Ben Moore from Fort Wayne Mad Ants in exchange for the returning rights to Devin Robinson.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">Traded the returning rights to Ben Moore to the Memphis Hustle in exchange for the returning rights to Matt Mooney.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">Traded future second-round pick to the Lakeland Magic in exchange for the No. 15 pick in the 2021 G League Draft (Gary Payton II).</li>
</ul>
ROSTER CONSTRUCTION
In prior seasons, G League teams held open tryouts and training camps before trimming their rosters. Because of COVID regulations and the uncertainty surrounding the season, this was not possible this year.&nbsp;
Each participating G League team is allowed a roster of 10 G League-specific players. These players will earn a base salary of $35,000. Players traded in the G League will earn the same salary, as will returning players, G League draft picks and designated veteran players. Any player in the G League is eligible to be called up by any team at any point during the season.
AFFILIATE PLAYERS
NBA teams are allowed to sign no more than four &ldquo;affiliate players&rdquo; who were with the team during training camp. These include training camp contracts and Exhibit-10 contracts, and can include a $50,000 signing bonus.&nbsp;
RETURNING PLAYERS
In the G League, rights are held to players no matter the situation for two years. This means that players who have decided to return to the G League after spending time overseas will return to their previous team, barring trades.&nbsp;
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DESIGNATED VETERAN PLAYERS (THE JEREMY LIN RULE)
New this season, G League teams are allowed to circumvent the draft and sign players with more than five years of NBA experience. Rights to these players will not be held upon completion of the season.
TWO-WAY PLAYERS
Two-way players are eligible to spend 50 games with their NBA parent team and unlimited time with their G League team. Teams who have two-way players but are not participating in the bubble are allowed to assign their players to teams that are participating in the bubble. Two-way players do not count against the total roster and are not included on the 10-man G League roster.
ASSIGNMENT PLAYERS
Teams are still allowed to send players down to the G League, as long as those players have not played more than three NBA seasons. There are exceptions, including injury rehabilitation and exceeding the maximum number of dressed players on a bench. It&rsquo;s likely that assignment players will be sent down for significant amounts of time if they are sent down at all, due to COVID regulations and quarantine protocol.
With the final rosters in the process of being constructed, the NBA G League is set to tip-off in early-mid February at ESPN&rsquo;s Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando.

Kelsea O'Brien rounds up the 2021 G League Draft and the most notable details ahead of the G League season.

Breaking down the 2021 NBA G League Draft

Nearly 11 months after the 2019-20 NBA G League season was suspended and ultimately canceled, the league has formulated a plan for 2021. Here is everything you need to know about the new G League season.
The Location:
The success of the NBA bubble set the precedent for the G League's return. Like the NBA, all G League games will be played at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, FL (just outside of Orlando).
The Teams:
Not every NBA team decided to send their G League affiliate to the new bubble. This will give the newly-formed G League Ignite team (which features top NBA prospects who are part of the professional path program) a chance to play their very first season alongside the following 17 teams:
Agua Caliente Clippers (Los Angeles Clippers affiliate) Austin Spurs (San Antonio Spurs affiliate; formerly Columbus Riverdragons, Austin Toros) Canton Charge (Cleveland Cavaliers affiliate; formerly Huntsville Flight, Albuquerque Thunderbirds, New Mexico Thunderbirds) Delaware Bluecoats (Philadelphia 76ers affiliate; formerly Utah Flash, Delaware 87ers) Erie BayHawks (New Orleans Pelicans affiliate) Fort Wayne Mad Ants (Indiana Pacers affiliate)&nbsp; Greensboro Swarm (Charlotte Hornets affiliate) Iowa Wolves (Minnesota Timberwolves affiliate; formerly Iowa Energy) Lakeland Magic (Orlando Magic affiliate; formerly Erie BayHawks) Long Island Nets (Brooklyn Nets affiliate) Memphis Hustle (Memphis Grizzlies affiliate) Oklahoma City Blue (Oklahoma City Thunder affiliate; formerly Asheville Altitude, Tulsa 66ers) Raptors 905 (Toronto Raptors affiliate) Rio Grande Valley Vipers (Houston Rockets affiliate) Salt Lake City Stars (Utah Jazz affiliate; formerly Idaho Stampede) Santa Cruz Warriors (Golden State Warriors affiliate; formerly Dakota Wizards) Westchester Knicks (New York Knicks affiliate)
The following teams have opted OUT of the G League bubble:
Capital City Go-Go (Washington Wizards affiliate) College Park Skyhawks (Atlanta Hawks affiliate; formerly Erie BayHawks) Grand Rapids Drive (Detroit Pistons affiliate; formerly Anaheim Arsenal, Springfield Armor) Maine Red Claws (Boston Celtics affiliate) Northern Arizona Suns (Phoenix Suns affiliate; formerly Long Beach Jam, Bakersfield Jam) Sioux Falls Skyforce (Miami Heat affiliate) South Bay Lakers (Los Angeles Lakers affiliate; formerly Los Angeles D-Fenders) Stockton Kings (Sacramento Kings affiliate; formerly Reno Bighorns) Texas Legends (Dallas Mavericks affiliate; formerly Colorado 14ers) Windy City Bulls (Chicago Bulls affiliate) Wisconsin Herd (Milwaukee Bucks affiliate)
NOTE: The Mexico City Capitanes, formerly of the Liga Nacional de Baloncesto Profesional, were slated to begin the five-year experiment of having a G League team outside of Canada or the U.S. The bubble format has pushed this timeline back, and the Capitanes will not be playing with the G League in Florida.
The Format:
Each of the 18 participating teams will play a minimum of 15 games. The top eight teams will advance through single-elimination playoff rounds until a champion is named for the season.&nbsp;
The Rules:
With the inability to have two-way players safely transition between the parent and affiliate teams -- or to send players from the parent team down on assignment -- the G League has implemented new rules to ensure a smooth and simple season that still produces maximum benefits for its players.
Two-Way Players:
Rather than the previously allotted 45-day maximum, two-way players will now be eligible to spend 50 of the 72 regular-season games with their parent team. This ensures that the days are not &ldquo;used up&rdquo; without the player ever stepping on the court. The salary for two-way players was adjusted for the 2021 season, and is now a flat $449,155 rather than a prorated salary dependent on days of service.&nbsp;
Teams that do not have an active affiliate participating in the G League bubble will be allowed to send both two-way players and roster players on assignment to the G League bubble.&nbsp;
The Jeremy Lin Rule:
After an attempt to acquire NBA champion Jeremy Lin fell through for the Santa Cruz Warriors due to his FIBA clearance, the NBA and G League created a new rule that allows NBA teams to fill one G League roster spot with an NBA veteran who has at least five years of experience. This rule allows Lin to sign with the G League itself (instead of a specific designated team) and to be assigned to a roster where he would fill a need -- in this case, the Santa Cruz Warriors. Lin is not the only former NBA player to take advantage of the newly created loophole, as Nik Stauskas has signed with the G League via the same avenue in order to play for his hometown Raptors 905.&nbsp;
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Health and Safety:
The health and safety protocols of the NBA bubble were so successful that they are being implemented in their entirety into the G League bubble. Mask wearing, social distancing, enhanced cleaning and sanitization methods -- plus regular COVID testing -- should ensure the bubble and everyone in it is kept coronavirus free.&nbsp;
The Draft:
The G League draft will be held on Monday, Jan. 11. Only the 17 teams participating in the bubble, excluding the Ignite, will be eligible to draft players. The draft is three rounds and will be conducted via Zoom. G League teams who already have a complete roster or have used the Jeremy Lin Rule will not be required to use their available draft picks and can forego all remaining picks in the draft. Players signed using the Jeremy Lin Rule will not be required to enter the draft pool.&nbsp;
Notable players who have declared for the G League draft include: Lance Stephenson, Michael Beasley, Emeka Okafor, Terrence Jones, Shabazz Muhammad, Mario Chalmers, Festus Ezeli, Vander Blue, Marquis Teague, Allonzo Trier, Admiral Schofield, Antonio Blakeney, Justin Patton, Kenny Wooten, Jacob Evans, Tyler Ulis, Cat Barber, Isaiah Briscoe, Phil Booth, Terry Armstrong, Diamond Stone, Quincy Pondexter, Shawne Williams, Freddie Gillespie, Dusty Hannahs, Hollis Thompson, Jemerrio Jones, Cory Jefferson, Deonte Burton, Charles Cooke, CJ Fair, Gary Payton II, Shamorie Ponds and Chris Walker among others.&nbsp;
Players that were waived by a team prior to the new season are also draft eligible. Like the NBA, once a player is waived, his rights no longer belong to his former team -- thus becoming a G League free agent. Players who have signed overseas with rights still held by their former G League teams are also eligible to rejoin that team and circumvent the draft.&nbsp;
The Date:
The G League schedule has not been released yet, but teams have been given a tentative start date of Feb. 8. While this would usually be at the same time as the NBA All-Star Break, the late start to the NBA season moved the All-Star break back to the beginning of March.&nbsp;
All NBA G League games are streamed on Twitch and <a href="https://gleague.nba.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the G League's website</a>.

Kelsea O'Brien dives into the details of the NBA G League's upcoming 2021 campaign inside of the Florida bubble.