Cleveland Cavaliers

MILWAUKEE (AP) &mdash; Rui Hachimura had 26 points, Kristaps Porzingis scored 22 and the Washington Wizards defeated the short-handed Milwaukee Bucks 118-95 on Sunday night for their season-best fifth consecutive victory.
The scuffling Bucks played without Giannis Antetokounmpo, who sat out due to left knee soreness. Antetokounmpo is averaging 38 points and 14.6 rebounds over his last six games, which included a 43-point, 20-rebound effort in Friday night&rsquo;s win over Minnesota that snapped Milwaukee&rsquo;s four-game losing streak.
Jrue Holiday also missed the game with an illness, and Khris Middleton sat out for the eighth consecutive game due to right knee soreness.
Daniel Gafford had 17 points for the Wizards (17-21), who weren&rsquo;t at full strength, either. They played without leading scorer Bradley Beal, who is dealing with left hamstring soreness.
Bobby Portis led Milwaukee with 19 points and 10 rebounds. Jevon Carter had 14 points and Grayson Allen added 13 points and eight assists.
Washington led 34-17 after the first quarter, paced by Gafford&rsquo;s 13 points, as the Wizards exploited a two-center lineup with Bucks big man Brook Lopez benched early on with foul trouble. Milwaukee shot 26% overall and just 3 of 14 from long range in the period, while the Wizards connected on half of their shots.
The Wizards led by 26 in the second quarter and held a 68-50 advantage at halftime. Washington shot 57.4% in the first half, while Milwaukee connected on just 34.6% of its shots.
Washington remained easily in control throughout the second half as the cold-shooting Bucks failed to mount any sustained runs.
TIP-INS
Wizards: F Taj Gibson sat out a second consecutive game with left groin soreness. &ldquo;We don&rsquo;t want to push it to the point where this could be something that would last much longer than it should,&rdquo; coach West Unseld Jr. said. &hellip; Gafford, who came in averaging 7.1 points per game, scored Washington&rsquo;s first eight points. &hellip; Washington had 72 points in the paint.
Bucks: G George Hill also missed the game due to illness. &hellip; Joe Ingles was assessed a first-quarter technical foul after exchanging words with Porzingis, who also received a technical. &hellip; Milwaukee lost for just the fourth time in 19 home games this season.
UP NEXT
The teams face each other again Tuesday night in Milwaukee.

Rui Hachimura had 26 points, Kristaps Porzingis scored 22 and the Wizards defeated the short-handed Bucks 118-95 on Sunday night.

Wizards cruise past short-handed Bucks 118-95

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) &mdash; Kristaps Porzingis had 30 points and 13 rebounds and the Washington Wizards routed the short-handed Orlando Magic 119-100 on Friday night for their fourth straight victory.
Kyle Kuzma added 23 points and Rui Hachimura had 16 points and seven rebounds. The Wizards played without star guard Bradley Beal for the second straight game because of a strained hamstring.
Franz Wagner had 28 points and eight assists for Orlando, and Paolo Banchero added 21 points. The Magic had only eight players available after suspensions by the NBA in the wake of an incident in Detroit on Wednesday night.
The Wizards overcame 26 turnovers with 56% shooting and a 53-35 rebounding advantage. The Magic have lost three straight after winning eight of nine.
Wagner scored eight points on a 16-0 run that put the Magic up 32-27 early in the second quarter. Prorzingis scored 15 points in the final 8:39 of the period, leaving Washington with a 56-47 lead at the break.
Two 3-pointers by Corey Kispert and three-point plays by Porzingis and Daniel Gafford helped the Wizards expand their lead to 25 in the first six minutes of the second half.
TIP-INS
Wizards: F Taj Gibson sat out the game with a groin injury. ... The Wizards have won six straight against Orlando.
Magic: The Magic played without C Mo Wagner, G Cole Anthony, C Mo Bamba, C Wendell Carter Jr., G R.J. Hampton and G Gary Harris, all of whom were suspended for their participation in an altercation at Detroit. Wagner also will miss Orlando's next game along with three other players.
&nbsp;

Kristaps Porzingis had 30 points and 13 rebounds and the Washington Wizards routed the Orlando Magic 119-100.

Porzingis, Wizards beat Magic 119-100 for 4th straight win

PHOENIX (AP) &mdash; Kyle Kuzma scored 29 points and the Washington Wizards stopped their 10-game losing streak on Tuesday night, beating the Phoenix Suns 113-110.
Washington played without Kristaps Porzingis, sidelined with what Wizards coach Wes Unseld Jr. called a &ldquo;non-COVID illness." But Daniel Gafford filled in at center and had 12 points and eight rebounds as the Wizards won for the first time since Nov. 28, when they beat Minnesota 142-128 in Washington.
Bradley Beal, held to two points in the first half, scored 16 in the fourth quarter and finished with 27 for the Wizards (12-20), including two free throws to make it a five-point lead with 14 seconds left. Deni Avdija had 16 points and 10 rebounds.
Washington led by as many as 17 points in the third quarter, but Phoenix cut the deficit to 80-78 by the end of the period and took a 10-point lead midway through the fourth. The Wizards got it back to 100-96 and a charging foul on Ayton against the Wizards' Taj Gibson led to nine straight points for the visitors.
&ldquo;That&rsquo;s a huge step for us,&rdquo; Unseld said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s something that we can continue to build on. You give yourself a chance. We minimized some of the mistakes that jumped us and bit us the last few games.
"These guys have continued to play hard and (the streak) didn&rsquo;t affect their competitive spirit. Sometimes you make your own luck. Some of those hustle plays, 50-50 balls, the charge that Taj took, those are the plays that get you out of those ruts. I&rsquo;m happy for those guys, I know they&rsquo;re relieved and excited at the same time.&rdquo;
Landry Shamet led the Suns with a season-high 31 points, making a career-high nine 3-pointers. Deandre Ayton had 30 points and 13 rebounds.
&ldquo;My teammates were finding me, and I just made shots,&rdquo; Shamet said. &ldquo;We couldn't close the game out.&rdquo;
Devin Booker missed his second straight game with groin soreness after scoring 58 points against New Orleans on Saturday.
&ldquo;Our defense in the fourth quarter broke down and we gave up 33 points, and 25 points off turnovers in the game," Suns coach Monty Williams said. &ldquo;That kind of put us in mud. The offense wasn't our demise tonight, it was our defense.
&ldquo;I thought we got a bit tired and missed some shots and didn't execute down the stretch.&rdquo;
Earlier Tuesday, mortgage executive Mat Ishbia agreed in principle to buy a majority stake of the Phoenix Suns and Phoenix Mercury from the <a href="https://apnews.com/article/phoenix-suns-los-angeles-clippers-houston-rockets-brooklyn-nets-nba-5af4d0887bf5dc1c9a115025f3518570">embattled owner Robert Sarver for $4 billion</a>.
Chris Paul, who scored 28 points against the Lakers on Monday, didn&rsquo;t score Tuesday until midway through the third quarter and finished with 12 points and 11 assists.
Duane Washington Jr., in his first game back from a hip injury, scored 10 for the Suns. Mikal Bridges also scored 10.
TIP-INS
Wizards: Unseld said before the game that Porzingis woke up this morning &ldquo;not feeling particularly well.&rdquo; While tests came back negative for COVID-19, he missed the shootaround and was still not feeling right. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think it&rsquo;s anything that&rsquo;s substantial. Hopefully it&rsquo;s just 24=, 48-hour variety,&rdquo; Unseld said. He also said he&rsquo;s hopeful that G Delon Wright, who has missed nearly two months with a right hamstring strain, could return in Washington&rsquo;s next game Thursday.
Suns: Josh Okogie (right hip soreness) joined the injured list. Cameron Payne (foot) and Jock Landale (concussion protocol) remain sidelined along with Booker and Cam Johnson (right knee meniscus tear). Williams said Booker will probably have an evaluation on Wednesday.
&nbsp;

Kyle Kuzma scored 29 points and the Wizards stopped their 10-game losing streak on Tuesday night, beating the Suns 113-110.

Wizards snap losing streak at 10, beat Suns 113-110

DENVER (AP) &mdash; Nikola Jokic had a season-high 43 points to go with 14 rebounds and eight assists, and the Denver Nuggets overcame strong games from former teammates Will Barton and Monte Morris to beat the undermanned Washington Wizards 141-128 on Wednesday night.
Jokic shot 17 of 20 from the field, missing just one attempt from inside the 3-point line in a fast-paced game devoid of much defense.
&ldquo;I was rolling,&rdquo; Jokic said. &ldquo;Guys were finding me.&rdquo;
Bones Hyland scored 23 points and Aaron Gordon added 22. Denver shot 65% from the field and had a whopping 98 points in the paint in its third straight win.
Nuggets coach Michael Malone was &ldquo;shocked&rdquo; at all the points inside. Wizards coach Wes Unseld Jr. was disgusted.
&ldquo;They were just playing with a level of ease,&rdquo; he said.
Barton matched a season best with 22 points and Morris added a season-high 20 in Washington's eighth straight loss. Kyle Kuzma scored 24.
The Wizards were without their top two scorers in the opener of a six-game trip. Bradley Beal (hamstring) missed his fifth straight game and Kristaps Porzingas (back) was out after exiting early Monday against Brooklyn. Rui Hachimura (ankle) and Delon Wright (hamstring) also remained sidelined.
Barton and Morris stepped up in the first matchup since the <a href="https://apnews.com/article/los-angeles-lakers-washington-wizards-denver-nuggets-nba-sports-51a7cf2c9c977128b87f8423d0668d07">offseason trade</a> that sent the pair to Washington for Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Ish Smith.
Barton spent eight seasons in Denver and is the franchise leader in 3-pointers. Morris started 74 games last season while filling in for injured point guard Jamal Murray.
They combined for seven 3s in a first half that left Washington trailing 72-67. But without Porzingis, the Wizards had nobody to contain Jokic.
Taj Gibson started on him and got into foul trouble. Daniel Gafford then took a shot and provided little resistance. A small lineup didn't work, either.
The two-time reigning MVP scored on a post move, went coast-to-coast for a layup, then grabbed a rebound and threaded a long bounce pass to Caldwell-Pope for a bucket during a 6-0 run early in the third quarter.
Jokic later scored with his left hand in the lane, had a three-point play and converted in the post. He ended up with 15 points in the third as Denver took the lead for good.
After Washington got within five early in the fourth, Jokic returned and hit two free throws before feeding Jeff Green for a dunk as the Nuggets pulled away.
&ldquo;We were hitting him, meeting him early. He just found his spots,&rdquo; Gibson said. &ldquo;He's 7-foot. He's talented.&rdquo;
MILE HIGH RETURN
The crowd roared after the Nuggets played video tributes for Barton and Morris during the first two timeouts.
Barton said he's proud of &rdquo;laying the bricks" for a franchise that moved from the draft lottery to Western Conference contender.
&ldquo;It was a blessing to come here, making a name for myself and making a career out of this,&rdquo; Barton said. &ldquo;To show what I can do and get respect around the league, I'll never take that for granted. I cherish all the moments I had.&rdquo;
TIP-INS
Wizards: Beal worked out Tuesday but is &ldquo;still not where he needs to be,&rdquo; according to Unseld. ... There's no structural damage for Porzingis, but Unseld was unsure when he'll return. ... Unseld said &ldquo;it's trending in the right direction&rdquo; that Wright will play on the trip.
Nuggets: Michael Porter Jr. (heel) participated in shootaround drills but hasn't been cleared for contact. He missed his 10th straight game. ... Malone decided no one deserved the defensive player of the game chain &ldquo;because there was no defense in the game.&rdquo;
&nbsp;

Nikola Jokic had a season-high 43 points to go with 14 rebounds, and the Denver Nuggets beat the Washington Wizards 141-128.

Jokic scores 43 as Nuggets down ex-mates, Wizards 141-128

WASHINGTON (AP) &mdash; Kyle Kuzma scored 36 points, and the Washington Wizards overcame the absence of Bradley Beal and Kristaps Porzingis to beat the Dallas Mavericks 113-105 on Thursday night.
Rui Hachimura added 23 points for Washington, which was missing Beal because of health and safety protocols and Porzingis because of a left groin strain. The Wizards fell behind 22-8 but quickly rallied and eventually pulled away thanks to a trio of 3-pointers by Kuzma early in the fourth.
Spencer Dinwiddie, who went to Dallas in the trade that sent Porzingis to Washington, led the Mavericks with 33 points, and Luka Doncic contributed 22. The Mavericks have lost two in a row following a four-game winning streak.
The Wizards (6-6) haven't started quite as impressively as last season, when they won 10 of their first 13 games, but Thursday's performance gave them back-to-back victories for only the second time this season. It was the start of a six-game homestand for Washington, the first four of which are against teams from the Western Conference.
Washington climbed out of its early deficit and trailed 61-58 at halftime. The Wizards then closed the third quarter strong and led 87-83 before Kuzma opened the fourth with a 3-pointer. He later made two more 3s to make it 98-86.
With Porzingis unavailable, Daniel Gafford made an impact with 11 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks.
NEW STREAK
After scoring at least 30 points in each of the first nine games, Doncic has been held under that by both Orlando and the Wizards.
TIP-INS
Mavericks: Christian Wood (left knee sprain) and Davis Bertans (right knee effusion) were out.
Wizards: Delon Wright (right hamstring strain) and Taj Gibson (cervical strain) did not play. ... The Wizards wore pink jerseys as part of their City Edition Cherry Blossom uniforms. ... Kuzma had 11 rebounds and seven assists. ... The Washington bench outscored Dallas' 50-25.
UP NEXT
Mavericks: Host Portland on Saturday night.
Wizards: Host Utah on Saturday night.
___
Follow Noah Trister at https://twitter.com/noahtrister

Kyle Kuzma scored 36 points, and the Wizards overcame the absence of Bradley Beal and Kristaps Porzingis.

Kuzma scores 36 to lead Wizards past Mavericks 113-105

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

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

NEW YORK (AP) &mdash; Kemba Walker couldn&rsquo;t have envisioned this Christmas.
Less than two weeks ago, his coach wouldn&rsquo;t even call his name.
On Saturday, his hometown fans were chanting it.
Walker became the seventh NBA player with a triple-double on Christmas, and the New York Knicks beat the depleted Atlanta Hawks 101-87 for their first win on the holiday in a decade.
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<div class="Component-adTitle-0-2-29">&ldquo;It was amazing,&rdquo; Walker said. &ldquo;Those are moments that you dream about. It&rsquo;s kind of hard to put it into words, to be honest.&rdquo;</div>
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Julius Randle had 25 points and 12 rebounds for the Knicks in a matchup of teams that met in the first round of last season&rsquo;s playoffs. But the Hawks were missing Trae Young among nine players in the NBA&rsquo;s health and safety protocols, so it wasn&rsquo;t much of a rematch of Atlanta&rsquo;s five-game victory.
Walker finished with 10 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds. The 6-foot guard raced around the floor trying desperately for his 10th rebound for much of the second half, finally getting it in the fourth quarter when Mitchell Robinson&rsquo;s block came to him.
It was the first triple-double on Christmas since Golden State&rsquo;s Draymond Green in 2017, continuing Walker&rsquo;s strong stretch since going from a nine-game stint out of the rotation to back in the starting lineup when the Knicks were short-handed.
He said he couldn&rsquo;t have foreseen things turning so quickly.
&ldquo;This is not how we pictured it,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I ain&rsquo;t complaining, either.&rdquo;
Fans in the sold-out crowd chanted &ldquo;Kemba Walker! Kemba Walker!&rdquo; for the New York native, who scored 44 points in a loss to Washington on Thursday.
&ldquo;As a teammate, as a brother, I&rsquo;m happy for him that he&rsquo;s able to come out and be who he is,&rdquo; Randle said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m sure when he signed to come here this is kind of what he envisioned, playing the type of basketball that he&rsquo;s playing right now.&rdquo;
Evan Fournier and Quentin Grimes each scored 15 points for the Knicks, who snapped a six-game Christmas skid. They are 23-31 in their league-high 54 appearances, but hadn&rsquo;t won one since 2011.
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<div id="div-gpt-ad_site_article_midarticle2" class="DFPSlot Component-ad-0-2-28" data-key="ad-placeholder" data-google-query-id="CMPY4p-JgPUCFcMLiAkdFOQFXA">
<div id="google_ads_iframe_15786418/APNews/site/article/midarticle2_0__container__">John Collins and Delon Wright each scored 20 points for the Hawks, who were playing on Christmas for the first time since 1989. They had their six-game road winning streak snapped.</div>
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Young starred in his first playoff series last spring against New York, ignoring profane taunts by Knicks fans and getting the last word when he bowed to them near the close of Atlanta&rsquo;s clinching Game 5 victory.
But he couldn&rsquo;t clear protocols in time for a coveted spot on the calendar, and playing short-handed caught up with the Hawks. Coach Nate McMillan said some players even asked to be subbed out of the game, which he said never happens.
&ldquo;It wasn&rsquo;t a lack of energy,&rdquo; McMillan said. &ldquo;I think our guys are tired. They&rsquo;ve been logging a lot of minutes.&rdquo;
The Knicks made their first seven shots and raced to a 19-3 lead on Randle&rsquo;s 3-pointer with 7:48 left in the first quarter.
They blew it open in the third quarter, and consecutive 3-pointers by Grimes and Taj Gibson to open the fourth gave New York its biggest lead at 87-66. From there the only drama was whether Walker would get one more rebound.
The Hawks&rsquo; injury report took three tweets from the team&rsquo;s official account to list, and besides Young featured key players such as Kevin Huerter, Lou Williams and Danilo Gallinari. Clint Capela returned from protocols and had six points and nine rebounds.
Meanwhile, the Knicks are getting healthier. RJ Barrett returned to the starting lineup and Grimes made his first appearance since setting a Knicks rookie record with seven 3-pointers and scoring 27 points against Milwaukee on Dec. 12. He was then placed into protocols and missed the last five games.
TIP-INS
Hawks: Signed guards Anthony &ldquo;Cat&rdquo; Barber and Malik Ellison, both playing this season for the College Park Skyhawks, Atlanta&rsquo;s NBA G League affiliate, to 10-day contracts. Ellison is the son of former No. 1 draft pick Pervis Ellison.
Knicks: Hall of Famer Bernard King, who set the Christmas record of 60 points playing for the Knicks in 1984, was at the game. ... The Knicks are down to just Nerlens Noel, Miles McBride and Jericho Sims in protocols. Immanuel Quickley and Kevin Knox II have been cleared but need to regain their conditioning before playing.
CHRISTMAS TRIPLE-DOUBLES
Besides Walker and Green, the other players with Christmas triple-doubles are Russell Westbrook, LeBron James, Oscar Robertson, Billy Cunningham and John Havlicek. Robertson did it four times.
HOLIDAY HOOPS HISTORY
The Hawks fell to 9-12 on Christmas. They are 2-1 against the Knicks, with both victories coming when they were based in St. Louis.
UP NEXT
Hawks: Host Chicago on Monday.
Knicks: Visit Minnesota on Tuesday to begin a four-game road trip.
___
More AP NBA:&nbsp;<a class="" href="https://apnews.com/hub/nba">https://apnews.com/hub/nba</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a class="" href="https://twitter.com/AP_Sports" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://twitter.com/AP_Sports</a>

Walker posted 10 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists in the victory.

Kemba Walker’s triple-double leads Knicks over Hawks, 101-87

Lonzo Ball looks good in Chicago. Kemba Walker has always looked good at Madison Square Garden.
One game into their preseasons, the Bulls and New York Knicks have to like what they see from their new backcourts.
Ball made a 3-pointer for Chicago's first basket and the Bulls kept rolling from there to a 131-95 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday night.
Walker also had the first basket for the Knicks in their 125-104 victory over Indiana, making it a happy homecoming for the point guard who grew up in the Bronx.
&ldquo;Just to see that New York across my chest, being from here, it&rsquo;s like a dream come true,&rdquo; Walker said in his postgame interview on the court.
Walker signed with the Knicks over the summer for a chance to play 41 games in the arena where he memorably led Connecticut to the Big East tournament title in 2011.
Evan Fournier, his teammate last season in Boston, is also a new Knick and they started together in the backcourt. Both finished with 12 points, delivering the improved scoring they hope to get after riding their defense to a surprising playoff berth last season.
The Bulls are hoping to get there this season after bringing in Ball from New Orleans, DeMar DeRozan from San Antonio and Alex Caruso from the Los Angeles Lakers.
With Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic already in place, the Bulls have the potential to make a leap up the Eastern Conference standings.
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Forget the coffee... watch this video! Every single dunk from last night's W: <a href="https://t.co/88uxB3Ix9H">pic.twitter.com/88uxB3Ix9H</a>
&mdash; Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) <a href="https://twitter.com/chicagobulls/status/1445735602842972165?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 6, 2021</a></blockquote>

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LaVine scored 25 points, Vucevic had 10 points and nine rebounds, and the Bulls outscored the Cavaliers by 45 points while they were on the floor. DeRozan added 13 points, Caruso had 10 points and 10 assists, and Ball finished with eight points, five rebounds and five assists.
KNICKS 125, PACERS 104
Julius Randle had 20 points and nine rebounds for the Knicks, while RJ Barrett scored 17 points.
Taj Gibson scored 14 and Immanuel Quickley and Obi Toppin each came off the bench for 10 as the Knicks surpassed 100 points in three quarters.
Rookie Chris Duarte scored 15 points for the Pacers in their first game under new coach Rick Carlisle. Justin Holiday added 13, while Myles Turner and T.J. McConnell each had 10.
BULLS 131, CAVALIERS 95
Troy Brown Jr. and Javonte Green also scored 13 points in Chicago. Matt Thomas had 11 and Alize Johnson finished with eight points and 11 rebounds.
Collin Sexton scored 14 points and former Bulls forward Lauri Markkanen had 13 for the Cavaliers.
Evan Mobley, the No. 3 pick in the draft, had 10 points and eight rebounds. Ricky Rubio, acquired by the Cavs in the offseason, had 10 points, six assists and five rebounds.
ROCKETS 125, WIZARDS 119
Kevin Porter Jr. had 25 points, including five 3-pointers, and five assists in Houston.
Jalen Green, the No. 2 overall pick in July&rsquo;s draft, finished with 12 points and six rebounds but shot just 4 of 14 from the field and 0 for 6 from behind the arc.
Bradley Beal had 18 points to lead six Washington players in double figures. Aaron Holiday had 15 points, Spencer Dinwiddie &mdash; acquired from the Brooklyn Nets in a five-team trade on Aug. 6 &mdash; finished with 14 points and five assists and Corey Kispert added 12 points. Kyle Kuzma scored 11 points and Daniel Gafford 10.
GRIZZLIES 87, BUCKS 77 (3 quarters)
Ja Morant had 27 points, six rebounds and four assists through three quarters to lead Memphis.
Morant was 11-of-18 shooting and threw down high-flying dunks in the first and third quarters before a fire alarm went off in his home arena at the end of the third quarter. Fans were evacuated and the teams were sent to their locker rooms. The game would eventually be called.
De&rsquo;Anthony Melton scored 14 points and Steven Adams had 11 points and 10 rebounds for the Grizzlies.
Jordan Nwora led Milwaukee with 16 points and Grayson Allen scored 13.
Giannis Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton, Bobby Portis and Jrue Holiday &mdash; all major contributors to Milwaukee&rsquo;s NBA title run this summer &mdash; did not play for the Bucks.

One game into their preseasons, the Bulls and Knicks have to like what they see from their new backcourts.

NBA Preseason: Strong debuts for new backcourts in New York & Chicago

Cameron Payne signed a three-year, $19 million deal with the Phoenix Suns last month. The 27-year-old point guard confirmed that he could have received more money from a different team, but he never seriously considered leaving Phoenix.&nbsp;
The Suns gave him an opportunity when it seemed like his days as a professional basketball player were numbered, so he wanted to remain loyal to them.
&ldquo;It got me back into the NBA. I feel like I gotta pay the favor back, even though I don&rsquo;t have to,&rdquo; Payne told <a href="https://arizonasports.com/story/2774535/cam-payne-had-to-run-it-back-with-suns-hopes-to-build-on-hustle-identity/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Arizona Sports 98.7</a>. &ldquo;Man, it changed my life. And it&rsquo;s only right for me to just ride it out with Phoenix as well. Monty [Williams], a great coach, he been coaching me up this last year and in the Bubble. I just love it, I love it out there. I just had to stay, I had to.&nbsp;
&ldquo;I want to be a Valley boy.&rdquo;
The New York Knicks were among the teams to express interest in Payne, who <a href="https://nypost.com/2021/08/02/nba-free-agency-knicks-potential-cam-payne-plan/?utm_source=twitter_sitebuttons&amp;utm_medium=site%20buttons&amp;utm_campaign=site%20buttons" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reportedly</a> could&rsquo;ve earned around $10-12 million annually had he decided to test the market.
Payne was one of the feel-good stories of the 2021 NBA Finals, emerging as a significant contributor for Phoenix on the biggest stage just one year after being out of the NBA.&nbsp;
Looking back at Payne&rsquo;s career, he&rsquo;s had a unique journey with plenty of ups and downs.
After two outstanding seasons at Murray State &ndash; including a sophomore year in which he averaged 20.2 points, 6.0 assists, 3.7 rebounds, 2.4 threes and 1.9 steals &ndash; Payne was the No. 14 pick in the 2015 NBA Draft by the Oklahoma City Thunder. Despite being a lottery pick, he had a limited role in OKC since he was behind Russell Westbrook on the depth chart and the team was in win-now mode, advancing to the Western Conference Finals during his rookie year.
After two seasons, the Thunder dealt Payne to the Chicago Bulls in a five-player trade (which brought Taj Gibson, Doug McDermott and a 2018 second-round pick to the Thunder). Payne split time between the Bulls and their G League affiliate for two years, and he struggled.&nbsp;
In 2017, a Bulls source famously told <a href="https://chicago.suntimes.com/2017/8/31/18408586/bulls-trade-for-pondexter-plus-pick-may-move-on-from-payne?fbclid=IwAR1Sdm_49iTHo6HolcXc29WkNkztqdCNPOdnZC1Qf-D90bu-ZDDhAO0J0rU" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the Chicago Sun-Times</a>: &ldquo;We knew the second practice [after he was acquired] that he couldn&rsquo;t play at [the NBA] level. The only reason it took two practices was because we thought maybe it was nerves in the first one. Any coach who says differently is lying."
Payne was still on Chicago&rsquo;s roster when a team source made those comments, and he would stick around for another year-and-a-half after that article was published.&nbsp;Bulls fans were heavily critical of Payne too, nicknaming him the "Tank Commander." 
Why? 
"Because fans think he might be the worst player in the league. Fans couldn&rsquo;t wait till Payne made his return [from injury], because then the team would lose more games because of him,&rdquo; <a href="https://pippenainteasy.com/2018/03/18/since-his-return-cameron-payne-has-actually-played-well/%20%20wrote%20Daniel%20Greenberg%20of%20the%20blog%20Pippen%20Ain't%20Easy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wrote</a> Daniel Greenberg of the blog Pippen Ain&rsquo;t Easy.&nbsp;
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/payne23_lg.jpg" alt="" width="782" height="390" />
In January of 2019, the Bulls waived Payne. He ended up inking a pair of 10-day contracts with the Cleveland Cavaliers. He went from earning $3,263,294 from his rookie-scale contract to making just $177,062 from the Cavaliers&rsquo; 10-day deal. After his second 10-day contract expired, Cleveland decided not to sign him for the remainder of the season. The Toronto Raptors briefly signed Payne, but then they waived him 11 days later after just one preseason appearance.
When the 2019-20 NBA season started, Payne remained unsigned.&nbsp;
At this point, Payne signed with the Shanxi Loongs of the Chinese Basketball Association. However, after two months with the team, he had played in just two games (averaging 22.5 points, 7.5 assists, 6.0 rebounds and 4.5 steals). And he only appeared in those two games because one of his American teammates, Jamaal Franklin, got hurt. Payne was riding the bench with Shanxi due to CBA rules that restrict American players. The Loongs ultimately replaced Payne with Franklin once he got healthy, ending his stint in China.&nbsp;
This was rock bottom for Payne. Even in China, he was viewed as a reserve and ultimately got cut. He was only 25 years old, but he started to wonder if his professional-basketball career was nearing an end.
"I just always thought, like, 'Is it time? Is it over for me? Is basketball over for me? Already?'&rdquo; Payne <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N1EKKrC-oeQ" target="_blank" rel="noopener">admitted</a>. &ldquo;And then I'm like, 'Nah, I work too hard. I work too hard.'&rdquo;
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Payne was out of the NBA &ndash; out of pro basketball entirely &ndash; just four years removed from being a lottery pick. He knew that the average NBA career lasts roughly four seasons, and it&rsquo;s something that he thought about often.
&ldquo;The average [career] span in the NBA is three-to-four years,&rdquo; Payne said. &ldquo;[I&rsquo;d ask myself], &lsquo;Are you gonna be in and out?&rsquo;"
Most players (especially lottery picks) can't imagine their career fizzling out after a few seasons. Keep in mind, every NBA player has already achieved the impossible by making it to the league. At some point, they were surely told that making it to the NBA was unrealistic. After all, only 0.03% of high-school-senior players go on to play at this level. You don&rsquo;t earn one of the 450 NBA roster spots without having enormous confidence and self-assuredness. Of course most players expect to stick in the NBA long-term and have a legendary career; after all, aiming for the stars and refusing to be "realistic" is what got them to the league in the first place. In their mind, failure isn't an option.
Until... it is. Once a player starts struggling and their career isn&rsquo;t going as planned, it can be devastating. When a Chinese Basketball Association team cuts you and nobody shows interest in signing you, it&rsquo;s not just humbling &ndash; it&rsquo;s heartbreaking.
After Shanxi replaced him, Payne returned home to Memphis to train and weigh his options.&nbsp;
&ldquo;It kind of hurt to go back home, and everybody asks you, &lsquo;What you doing? Who you playing with next year?&rsquo; It would be questions like that, that kind of [frustrated me],&rdquo; Payne recalled. &ldquo;You're like, &lsquo;Man, I ain't really trying to answer that question...&rsquo; Obviously, I'm trying to make a team. People asking, &lsquo;What you doing? Who you going to play with next year?&rsquo; is always in the back of my head when I'm working out because I never want to be back at the bottom, going to China and stuff like that.&rdquo;
Payne ended up joining the Texas Legends of the NBA G League in hopes of getting called up by an NBA squad. He had thrived against G League competition before, averaging 20.2 points, 5.5 assists, 3.9 rebounds, 2.4 threes and 1.8 steals in 10 games as an affiliate player with the Oklahoma City Blue and Windy City Bulls.&nbsp;
This time, he dominated.&nbsp;
In 15 games with the Legends, Payne averaged 23.2 points, 7.3 assists, 4.7 rebounds, 2.8 threes, 2.1 steals and 0.8 blocks on 48.6 / 36.8 / 77.8 shooting splits. In March 2020, he was named the NBA G League Player of the Week after putting up 23.3 points, 10.3 assists, 7.3 rebounds, 2.7 steals and 1.3 blocks to lead Texas to a 3-0 record.
During the NBA&rsquo;s COVID-19 stoppage, Payne finally got the call he&rsquo;d been praying for: Phoenix wanted to sign him and bring him to the Bubble in Orlando. Suns head coach Monty Williams was on the Thunder&rsquo;s coaching staff when Payne was a rookie, and he had worked closely with the young point guard.&nbsp;
During Phoenix's 8-0 run in the Bubble, Payne averaged 10.9 points, 3.9 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.9 threes and 1.0 steal while shooting an uber-efficient 46.2% from three-point range.
He hasn&rsquo;t looked back since.&nbsp;
In the first round of the 2021 NBA Playoffs against the Los Angeles Lakers, Payne stepped up in a major way after Chris Paul hurt his shoulder. He ran the team smoothly in Paul's absence, averaging 12.5 points, 3.3 assists, 3.0 rebounds, 1.2 steals and 1.0 blocks (while shooting 42.3% from three and 100% from the free-throw line).
With Paul sidelined due to COVID-19 in the Western Conference Finals, Payne had the best game of his career: 29 points, 9 assists, 2 threes, 2 steals, 2 blocks and 0 turnovers. He picked a great time to go off, as Phoenix won 104-103 and took a 2-0 lead in the series.
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Cam Payne showing off the moves 👀 <a href="https://t.co/GIXvmnzDrq">pic.twitter.com/GIXvmnzDrq</a>
&mdash; NBA TV (@NBATV) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBATV/status/1407530494871232514?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 23, 2021</a></blockquote>

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He helped the Suns advance to the NBA Finals, where they came within two wins of hoisting the Larry O&rsquo;Brien trophy against the Milwaukee Bucks. During the Finals, Payne was asked about his journey and his support system that helped him along the way. He shouted out his mother, LeShawn.&nbsp;
&ldquo;She's seen what I've been through; she's seen everything I've done,&rdquo; Payne said of his mother. &ldquo;She's just as excited and happy and feels so much for me because she knows what I've been through. She knows it ain't been an easy road. She's seen me cry on a hospital bed, thinking it was over... It's unbelievable. It's crazy. It&rsquo;s almost like a dream-come-true type of thing.&rdquo;
One year ago, if someone told Payne that he&rsquo;d play a key role in the 2021 NBA Finals, would he believe them?&nbsp;
&ldquo;Absolutely not! To be honest, when I first signed, I just wanted to be able to get some time in the Bubble and try to make someone's roster this season,&rdquo; Payne admitted. &ldquo;I didn't think all this was going to come about, us making it to the Finals. I kind of felt like we were going to be able to make the playoffs, but here? No, not even a little bit. It's a crazy roller-coaster, this thing here.&nbsp;
&ldquo;Life's crazy. I just put the work in, put the time in, prayed on it, everything, and I'm just going to keep on doing the same thing.&rdquo;
While the Suns came up short in the Finals, they&rsquo;re bringing back all of their key pieces and adding some reinforcements (such as JaVale McGee and Landry Shamet). Also, aside from Paul, many of their best players are age-25 or younger &ndash; including Devin Booker (24), Deandre Ayton (23), Mikal Bridges (24) and Cam Johnson (25). That means they should continue to improve, especially after playing the postseason for the first time.
Not long ago, Payne was desperate for any team to give him a shot. Fortunately for him, the only team that expressed interest just happened to put him in the perfect situation: playing key minutes on an NBA-Finals team, while learning from an all-time great point guard and an outstanding head coach whom he adores with a system that is a terrific fit for his game.
Payne knows what it&rsquo;s like to be ostracized by the NBA, wondering whether he&rsquo;ll have to look for non-basketball work. Over the last year, he played like someone who never wants to be in that position again, and it paid off with the biggest contract of his career and job security that he&rsquo;ll never take for granted.

Last year, Cameron Payne was out of the NBA and unsure of his basketball future. Now, he just signed the biggest contract of his life.

Cam Payne ready for next chapter of improbable journey: 'Life's crazy'

With training camps starting in a week, the NBA's 2020 free-agency period has moved very quickly. Nearly all of the marquee free agents are off the board, aside from Anthony Davis and Brandon Ingram (RFA). However, both stars are expected to re-sign.
On Day 5, who are the top remaining free agents at each position?&nbsp;
GUARDS: Reggie Jackson, Shabazz Napier, Quinn Cook, Shaquille Harrison, Evan Turner, Dion Waiters, Marco Belinelli, Emmanuel Mudiay, Yogi Ferrell, Jamal Crawford, Isaiah Thomas, Jeremy Lin, Jordan McLaughlin (RFA), Chris Chiozza, Thabo Sefolosha, Jordan McRae (RFA), Courtney Lee, Troy Daniels, Brandon Knight, Andre Roberson, Allonzo Trier, Ky Bowman, Gary Payton II, Naz Mitrou-Long, Treveon Graham, Ian Clark, Marcus Georges-Hunt, Frank Mason, Ty Lawson, Shabazz Muhammad, J.R. Smith, Chasson Randle
FORWARDS: Anthony Davis, Nicolas Batum, Frank Kaminsky, Glenn Robinson III, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, Wilson Chandler, Kyle Korver, DeMarre Carroll, John Henson, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Taj Gibson, Jared Dudley, Ersan Ilyasova, Bruno Caboclo, Lance Stephenson, Kenneth Faried, Kenrich Williams, Anthony Tolliver, Cheick Diallo, Dante Cunningham, Donatas Motiejunas, Justin Anderson
CENTER: Hassan Whiteside, Kyle O'Quinn, Ian Mahinmi, Noah Vonleh, Skal Labissiere, Tyson Chandler, Thon Maker, Kosta Koufos, Andrew Bogut, Caleb Swanigan, Ekpe Udoh, Miles Plumlee
Who would you like your favorite team to add? Leave a comment below.

Here's a position-by-position look at the top players who remain unsigned on Day 6 of NBA free agency.

Which NBA free agents are still available?

Aaaaaaaand we&rsquo;re off!
The first major domino of NBA #TradeSZN has fallen, with future Hall-of-Fame point guard Chris Paul <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-news-phoenix-suns-oklahoma-city-thunder-chris-paul-trade-ricky-rubio-ty-jerome-kelly-oubre" target="_blank" rel="noopener">being shipped to the Phoenix Suns</a>.
Paul and forward Abdel Nader will go to the Suns; Ricky Rubio, Kelly Oubre, Ty Jerome, Jalen Lecque and a 2022 first-rounder will go to the Oklahoma City Thunder.&nbsp;
Even at age 35, Paul is one of the best players in the NBA. He&rsquo;s coming off a renaissance year in OKC where he averaged 17.6 points, 6.7 assists, 5 rebounds, and 1.6 steals per game. His fit in Phoenix, on and off the floor, should be hand-in-glove for a team ready to make serious noise in the Western Conference.
What He Brings On Offense
You can&rsquo;t talk about Paul without mentioning his virtuosic play in pick-and-roll. He&rsquo;s long been the NBA&rsquo;s preeminent floor general, able to read his defender, the big and the help in one quick glance. He combines a distinct pace with a college-student-budget-tight handle to get to where he wants to go. From there, he&rsquo;s able to strike in whatever way would make the defense wrong.
Playing drop coverage and conceding too much of the middle? Paul will snake around the screen and pull-up for elbow middies. It&rsquo;s death by a million paper cuts, if the paper cuts were 16-footers that kiss the arena lights before falling gently through the net.
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This is Paul against Jayson Tatum, one of the rising stars in the league and a tremendous defender. From the get-go, Tatum wants to shade Paul into a sea of help. Gordon Hayward, Kemba Walker and Marcus Smart are all stationed to Paul&rsquo;s right, ready to swoop in and muck up space if Paul goes that way.&nbsp;
Paul recognizes this and outright refuses to go this way. He plans on attacking the empty side, so he sets Tatum up -- hesi, hang, cross. He&rsquo;s able to attack Tatum&rsquo;s high foot, while simultaneously running him into the screen from Steven Adams. With Daniel Theis playing with a gap. Paul is able to waltz into an elbow jumper.
Let&rsquo;s talk about those jumpers for a minute. Per NBA.com&rsquo;s <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/players/shooting/?sort=10-14%20ft.%20FGA&amp;dir=1&amp;Season=2019-20&amp;SeasonType=Regular%20Season&amp;PerMode=Totals" target="_blank" rel="noopener">tracking data</a>, Paul converted an absurd 53.6 percent of his shots between 10-14 feet, easily the highest clip among the 56 players with at least 75 attempts. Back it up to jumpers between 15-19 feet, and Paul&rsquo;s percentage falls all the way down to...50.8 percent. Only six players converted a higher percentage, and none of them took as many as Paul did (195 attempts). The only player to take more was DeMar DeRozan, who converted at a much less efficient clip (45.6 percent on 204 attempts).
In short: nobody hunts out middies quite like Paul. It's a fail-safe in just about any scenario: transition, semi-transition/early offense, late clock, late game. He can get it whenever he wants, It&rsquo;s an effective counterpunch as the league as a whole has become more threes-and-layups-y.&nbsp;
Of course, that only accounts for what Paul can do for himself. If he&rsquo;s able to run a defender off a screen and waltz into space, the defense is one step away from being burned with a pass.&nbsp;
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The play is dead the second Elfrid Payton loses connection with Paul over the Danilo Gallinari screen. Taj Gibson has to step up to cut off Paul&rsquo;s space. With Gallinari spotting up above the break, Julius Randle isn&rsquo;t able to provide any relief. The sneaky part of this is Luguentz Dort relocating to the opposite corner, essentially turning this into another empty side (double) pick-and-roll.
Of course, if the defense sells out to protect the paint, Paul can dice teams with skips to the corner.
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Those double drag or double stagger looks were fruitful for Paul last season. According to a source with access to Second Spectrum tracking data, only two players -- Trae Young and Kemba Walker -- ran more of these sets than Paul last season. To relate that to Phoenix, Paul had over three times the volume in these sets than Rubio. It&rsquo;s easy to envision Paul running similar actions with Cameron Johnson popping, DeAndre Ayton rolling and Devin Booker waiting for a kick-out if the defense sends extra help.
And thus, this is why this trade was so important. Booker needs some of the creation burden taken off of his plate. Not that he can&rsquo;t handle it: that man is coming off an efficient 27-4-7 season, and he was even more ridiculous during the Suns&rsquo; 8-0 bubble run (31-5-6).&nbsp;
It&rsquo;s not a surprise that Booker&rsquo;s most efficient season came with Rubio as a backcourt partner. Rubio is probably a tier below Paul as a passer, but his ingenuity with the ball in his hands made Off-Ball Booker a more feasible option. Replacing Rubio with Paul, who adds legitimate scoring prowess in addition to the passing, while also being an ace spot-up shooter (89th percentile on spot-ups last season, per Synergy) to boot?&nbsp;
Whew.
What He Brings Defensively
Paul has slipped ever so slightly as a defender over the past few seasons, though that&rsquo;s due to age-related regression. Even then, he&rsquo;s gone from All-World to Really Freakin&rsquo; Good, which is a dip you can live with if you&rsquo;re Phoenix.
The Suns can shapeshift a bit defensively due to Ayton&rsquo;s growing comfort on switches, but they&rsquo;re still primarily a drop team. That puts strain on their perimeter defenders to fight over screens and stay attached to ball-handlers to force them into tough pull-ups. Paul isn&rsquo;t as twitchy as he once was, but he remains pretty sticky.
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Here, Zach LaVine sets up a high pick-and-roll with Wendell Carter Jr. Paul is able to fight over and stay connected to LaVine&rsquo;s left hip as he attempts to snake to the left elbow. As LaVine gets the ball to his left hand to possibly set up a more natural pull-up motion, Paul flashes his hands and pokes the ball loose, leading to the easy transition bucket on the other end.
Paul is at his most comfortable pestering guys from behind, but he&rsquo;s still sneakily switchable. Teams generated less that 0.9 points per possession on trips featuring a post up against Paul, per the Second Spectrum source. The core strength is still there, the quick hands are there and he&rsquo;s just flat-out annoying to jostle with.
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The fun part of that clip is Paul pulling the chair and reaching around for the steal. Pay close attention to Paul&rsquo;s positioning there, though. It&rsquo;s subtle, but he&rsquo;s shading Nikola Vucevic towards the baseline. Even at a massive size disadvantage, Paul is dictating the terms of engagement.
If Vucevic is going to score, he&rsquo;s going to have to spin baseline, where Nerlens Noel will be ready to rotate over.
Of course, Paul ends up not even needing the help. As Vucevic tries to go into his second dribble (and possibly gather), Paul ghosts him and makes a play on the ball. Vucevic stumbles, and Paul is able to retrieve the rock.
That basketball know-how, especially when it comes to navigating space and dictating angles, will be huge for a team with as much young talent as the Suns have. Booker won&rsquo;t be confused for a plus defender, but perhaps he can get there with Paul taking some of the offensive burden while teaching him some of the hidden tricks of the trade.&nbsp;
Mikal Bridges is already one of the best young wing defenders in the sport; what happens with Paul giving him some advice? What if some of that communication mojo -- a.k.a. yelling -- rubs off on Ayton, who has all the makings of a terrifying rim protector if his Year 2 leap was real?
Provided that Paul stays healthy, his acquisition is a home run for the Suns in all facets. He remains an elite offensive player, a 2.5 level scorer (those rim attempts are nosediving as he ages, buddy) that can generate good looks for himself and others. He can spot up off of Booker and still direct traffic if he sees mismatches.
Defensively, Paul remains a strong on-ball defender. He&rsquo;s a vocal leader, able to call out enemy sets and scram weak links out of unfavorable situations if the situation calls for it. On the intangible side, Paul is widely regarded as one of the best leaders in the NBA. He can be grating, but he demands excellence and accountability on both ends of the floor. His fiery personality is a match for Booker at the very least -- a scary thought for any backcourt that has to face them.
The Suns being able to land Paul is a win of its own; doing so without having to give up this year&rsquo;s pick, or any of their major young pieces -- Booker (duh), Ayton (duh), Bridges or Johnson -- allows them to have their cake and eat it too. Their young guns can grow with Paul in a mentor role, or Phoenix will have the ammo to make yet another star trade down the road.
No matter what they decide moving forward, they&rsquo;ve put themselves in a much better position to compete today.

Nekias Duncan breaks down the Suns' blockbuster deal to land Chris Paul in Phoenix and how it'll benefit Devin Booker and the rest of the team.