Detroit Pistons

The 2024 NBA Free Agency underway. Here's everything you need to know about the makings and the moves around the NBA.

2024 NBA Free Agency Tracker: All the signings and deals in the offseason

Although we&rsquo;re in the middle of the NBA Playoffs and the Boston Celtics are about to take on the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA Finals for the championship, teams on the outside looking in are starting to make their moves to bolster their benches. Here are some of them that are on the move:
Warriors, Darvin Ham to discuss assistant coach role
According to reports, Golden State has approached former Lakers head coach Darvin Ham for an assistant coaching role with the team. Although it isn&rsquo;t expected to materialize, it is a signal of the Warriors&rsquo; desire to add a big-name assistant, and indications are they are in search of either a former head coach or former player to fill the role. The Warriors will continue their search moving forward.
Wizards hire Brian Keefe as head coach
The Washington Wizards have promoted interim head coach Brian Keefe to be the team&rsquo;s full-time coach. Keefe, who will be the 26th head coach in Wizards franchise history, had an 8-31 record as interim head coach last year for Washington. He takes over the franchise who have intriguing young talents in Deni Avdija, Bilal Coulibaly, and Tristan Vukcevic.
Lue, Clippers ink extension
Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue will be back for the considerable future in LA as he extends with the Clippers for 5 years, USD 70 million. Lue, an assistant on Team USA&rsquo;s staff, has agreed with Clippers owner Steve Ballmer regarding the extension which will make him one of the league&rsquo;s highest-paid coaches.
Caron Butler returns to Miami on a 4-year deal
Butler, a part of Erik Spoelstra&rsquo;s staff in Miami, has been extended for another 4 years to remain on the bench for the Heatles. A 16-year NBA veteran and an ex-Heat player, Butler has spent the last 4 years as an assistant with the team.
David Fizdale joins Mike Budenholzer in Phoenix
Fizdale, who has been a part of Frank Vogel&rsquo;s staff, will join newly installed head coach Mike Budenholzer&rsquo;s staff in Phoenix.

Teams on the outside looking in are starting to make their moves to bolster their benches. Here are some of them that are on the move.

NBA Coaching Changes: Teams starting to equip their tacticians

The Los Angeles Lakers have pulled the plug and are dismissing head coach Darvin Ham, the team announced Saturday morning.
Amid all the rumors and speculations surrounding the development, the Lakers have parted ways with the coach who has been with them for over two years.
There were early reports over the past week after the Lakers&rsquo; loss to the Denver Nuggets in Round 1 of the 2024 NBA Playoffs. The Athletic&rsquo;s Jovan Buha was quoted saying, "The latest I've heard is the plan is still to move on from Darvin [Ham] at some point, likely by the end of the week, potentially as early as tomorrow, then the head coaching search will start. I've already started to hear some names from different people."
And today, the team finally made it official in a team statement.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Lakers Part Ways With Head Coach Darvin Ham <a href="https://t.co/or3Bx2mZ5w">pic.twitter.com/or3Bx2mZ5w</a>
&mdash; Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) <a href="https://twitter.com/Lakers/status/1786459157002121295?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 3, 2024</a>
<script src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
</blockquote>
Ham and the Lakers have had a good run, going 90-74 over the past two seasons. Ham led LA to the Western Conference Finals in 2023 but got swept by the Denver Nuggets. The Lakers got back stronger this year, finishing with a 47-35 record, but got ousted again by the Nuggets in 5 games.
Along with Ham, the Lakers&rsquo; entire coaching staff including Phil Handy and the others was also dismissed by LA&rsquo;s front office.
An extensive coaching search is set to commence as the Lakers continue their pursuit of that elusive 18th championship banner. This development will add to an already busy offseason of roster moves and the impending decision of superstar LeBron James about his future with the team.

Amid all the rumors and speculations surrounding the development, the Lakers have parted ways with head coach Darvin Ham.

Lakers dismiss head coach Darvin Ham

The Charlotte Hornets might have lost the game, but Brandon Miller certainly left an impression in his first opportunity to play against his &ldquo;basketball GOAT.&rdquo;
The rookie forward scored 22 points on 8/19 shooting and sank in 5 threes in the Hornets&rsquo; 118-130 loss against Paul George and the Los Angeles Clippers.
Miller missed the first Hornets-Clippers game earlier in the season due to an ankle injury, which Los Angeles also won, 113-104.
The 6-foot-9 Miller notably expressed his admiration for George&rsquo;s game, noting how he regards George as his &lsquo;role model&rsquo; and the player he studies and molds his game after.
In an interview with ESPN, Miller notes how George is the perfect archetype to study in today&rsquo;s NBA with his size, speed, fluidity, smoothness, and two-play play on the court.
"Paul George is the best player in my eyes ... I don't really watch anybody else as far as trying to get their moves down. Paul George is my GOAT,&rdquo; Miller said. &ldquo;It's kind of how the league is built now: Paul George is the right person to study for this generation."
The sweet-shooting rookie out of Alabama witnessed firsthand how George operates, with the 6-foot-8 former Indiana Pacer and Oklahoma City Thunder carving up the Hornets&rsquo; defense to put up 41 points. George was ultra-efficient, going 14-21 from the field including 8/12 from the three-point area, and had an all-around game by adding 7 rebounds and 4 assists.
Miller did his best to impress George by scoring a few buckets over him and then expressed his admiration again for him after the game. The two swapped their jerseys afterward.
&ldquo;When he&rsquo;s on the court, he&rsquo;s [George] a great shotmaker but not just that &ndash; he takes pride on the defensive side and that&rsquo;s the one thing that stands out with him and in his career. That&rsquo;s why my favorite player is Paul George.&rdquo;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Paul George and Brandon Miller jersey swap after the LAC-CHA game 🙌🏾 <a href="https://t.co/c4WROvHkPa">pic.twitter.com/c4WROvHkPa</a>
&mdash; BasketballNews.com (@basketbllnews) <a href="https://twitter.com/basketbllnews/status/1774598212315488671?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 1, 2024</a></blockquote>
Miller also says he&rsquo;s planning and looking forward to learning more about George in the summer, indicating the two working out together in the offseason.
&ldquo;That&rsquo;s my big bro,&rdquo; Miller said of George. I&rsquo;m looking forward to working out with him in the summer &ndash; I know he&rsquo;s going to be a tough matchup everytime we&rsquo;re gonna play with each other.&rdquo;

Brandon Miller certainly left an impression in his first opportunity to play against Paul George, his self-described “basketball GOAT."

Brandon Miller impresses in first meeting against his 'GOAT’ Paul George

The Los Angeles Lakers are currently the No. 9 seed in the Western Conference with a record of 41-32. They are also one of the conference's most polarizing teams with the postseason right around the corner.
The West&rsquo;s Play-In Tournament currently includes the Phoenix Suns, Sacramento Kings, Lakers and Golden State Warriors. Assuming L.A. makes it out of the loaded entry tournament, the No. 1 and 2 seeds should hope to avoid them. They are one year removed from a Western Conference Finals appearance, where they were swept by the eventual-champion Denver Nuggets.
On Tuesday, the Lakers took down Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks in a 128-124 double-overtime thriller. With superstar LeBron James sidelined, big man Anthony Davis tallied 34 points and 23 rebounds through left knee pain, while guards Austin Reaves and D&rsquo;Angelo Russell combined for 58 points and 22 assists on 17-of-42 shooting. The Lakers have proven that they can compete with the league&rsquo;s top contenders when they play to their full potential.
&ldquo;He assured me he was gonna push through. [The medical staff] said it was OK," head coach Darvin Ham <a href="https://theathletic.com/5371897/2024/03/27/anthony-davis-lakers-bucks-nba-standings/">said of Davis' performance, according to The Athletic</a>. "Just tolerance &mdash; whatever he could tolerate. And kudos to him, man. He played his ass off.&rdquo;
The Lakers followed up this rollercoaster win with a comfortable victory over the Memphis Grizzlies in the absence of Davis. This matchup was highlighted by a 30-point triple-double from James, along with a 32-point performance from forward Rui Hachimura. With nine games remaining in the regular season, LA hopes to continue their five-game win streak to obtain a higher seed.
James and Davis are no strangers to finding triumph in the playoffs, winning a ring together in the 2020 NBA Bubble. Consistency is the tandem&rsquo;s greatest rival, whether it&rsquo;s health concerns for James or mediocre scoring games for Davis. However, both superstars rise to the occasion in the postseason.
The Nuggets and Oklahoma City Thunder hold the top two seeds in the West, meaning the Lakers will likely match up against one of them in the opening round. James and the Lakers are familiar with coach Mike Malone and the Nuggets&rsquo; style of play and strategy, which is one of their few hopes of winning. 
However, if they find themselves facing off with the inexperienced Thunder, their chances of victory skyrocket. Led by MVP candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, OKC is a powerhouse team. However, the differences in experience could be OKC's downfall. A battle-tested Lakers squad might end their season much earlier than expected.
The Lakers' next matchup comes on Friday night against Tyrese Haliburton and the Indiana Pacers (41-33).

The Los Angeles Lakers are getting hot at the perfect time, led by superstars LeBron James and Anthony Davis.

Lakers’ LeBron James, Anthony Davis catching fire ahead of NBA playoffs

Josh Childress is a retired American basketball player who played three years at Stanford University, where he became an AP first-team All-American, consensus second-team All-American, the Pac-10 Conference Player of the Year and Pac-10 Conference Tournament MVP as a junior in 2004.&nbsp;
He was selected by the Atlanta Hawks with the No. 6 overall pick in the 2004 NBA Draft, becoming the highest Stanford player to be drafted in the NBA. While Childress played in the NBA for the Hawks (2004-2008), Phoenix Suns (2010-2012), Brooklyn Nets (2012) and New Orleans Pelicans (2013), he made a name for himself overseas when he moved to Greece to play for Olympiacos from 2008 to 2010.&nbsp;
Childress had a fruitful career overseas, playing in leagues like the NBL (with the Sydney Kings and Adelaide 36ers) in Australia and the B-League (with the San-en Neo Phoenix) in Japan. Over the course of his 15-year basketball career, Childress averaged 9.1 points and earned a number of honors including All-NBL first team, NBL top scorer, All-Euroleague second team, Greek League top scorer, Greek League best defender and NBA All-Rookie second team.
Now, the 40-year-old Childress is an investor in the East Asian Super League, <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/east-asia-super-league-set-to-have-its-biggest-event-yet-in-cebu">a rapidly growing league across East Asia.</a> During the EASL's Final Four in the Philippines, Childress spoke with BasketballNews&rsquo; Mon Anthony L. Valmoria to share what he is up to nowadays, his venture with the EASL, his fond NBA memories, his journey playing overseas and more.
You are an investor in the EASL. When did this happen?&nbsp;
Josh Childress: &ldquo;I started as an investor last year, last summer. I talked about seeing the opportunity [to] kind of &lsquo;bridge&rsquo; the gap between the countries in Asian basketball and it's a fantastic opportunity to do that. So EASL did a great job here in its first year and we hope to build on this moving forward.&rdquo;
Why invest in the EASL? Why do you think it will be a successful league?
Childress: &ldquo;I think it&rsquo;s bringing together a bunch of different countries and leagues that have all increasingly gotten better and I think if you can find a way to connect Asian basketball across the board, it will be a fantastic league. A fantastic opportunity for fans, media and the players. So, I&rsquo;m hopeful that when this tournament &ndash; this Final Four &ndash; has more traction, you get more countries involved in the league and have some great basketball.&rdquo;
After your 15-year playing career, what are you up to these days?
Childress: &ldquo;I have an investment company. I run investments; we do real estate, we do sports properties, we do stuff like this (the EASL). We invest in a bunch of different things and I run it full-time &ndash; that&rsquo;s what keeps me busy these days.&rdquo;
Watching the EASL games and seeing how basketball is played over here, how would you describe the brand of basketball that's played on this side of the world?
Childress: &ldquo;It is very physical and very fast-paced. We&rsquo;ve seen really exciting games here and I think players here are playing for pride. There&rsquo;s obviously a nice prize &ndash; a cash prize &ndash; at the end of it. But at this point, it&rsquo;s just pride and making sure that you win and you&rsquo;re the champion of Asia. So I think [basketball here] is really exciting.&rdquo;
Let's talk about your experiences as an NBA player. What are your fondest memories from your playing days?
Childress: &ldquo;Most of your memories are around your teammates, you know? Around the locker room like how fun that was, those plane rides, just the camaraderie you have with your team &ndash; that&rsquo;s the thing that I missed the most about playing. The friendships and the teammates that you have over the years.&rdquo;
Speaking of your teammates, you played with a lot of teams in the NBA &ndash; who was your favorite teammate?&nbsp;
Childress: &ldquo;They were all my favorites (smiles). But I&rsquo;d say between Marvin Williams, Zaza Pachulia, Josh Smith, Joe [Johnson], Tyronn Lue, Mike Bibby &ndash; all those guys were great teammates. I&rsquo;m very thankful that I had the opportunity to play with them.&rdquo;
What is your best NBA memory?
Childress: &ldquo;Getting drafted. I mean, that&rsquo;s a dream come true. It&rsquo;s something that, as a kid, you always see on TV. So, that was an amazing experience.&rdquo;
When it comes to American NBA players deciding to play overseas, you were one of the pioneers. What were the pros and cons?
Childress: &ldquo;It was something that has been done before, but it was a great experience. I loved playing in Greece &ndash; the fans were amazing. I got the chance to experience European basketball, which was different. The pros and the cons are that it sets you up in a situation where you&rsquo;re playing a different style of basketball and having to figure out how to play there. But that was so much fun, you&rsquo;re in very hostile environments playing against teams that you never knew existed and having the chance to compete at a high level. So, I loved my time in Europe. In the EuroLeague, basketball was fantastic; in the Greek league, it was fantastic. So hopefully we can mirror that EuroLeague style format here with the EASL.&rdquo;
Other than monetary considerations, what would you advise fellow Americans about the decision to play overseas? What other factors do you think are crucial in choosing where to play?
Childress: &ldquo;I think the biggest thing is playing style &ndash; you know, going somewhere your style of play fits [in with] where you&rsquo;re going &ndash; or having the opportunity of playing a lot of minutes. I know some guys that are going to certain countries that may pay a little bit less, but they know they&rsquo;re going to play a lot, they&rsquo;re going to play their game. And that will lead them to those opportunities for success with bigger contracts and moving the following year. So, always make sure you go somewhere where you can be the best version of yourself and play at a high level.&rdquo;

Josh Childress shares what he's up to nowadays, his EASL investment, his NBA memories and his journey playing overseas.

Q&A: Josh Childress on NBA journey, EASL investment, overseas hoops

We&rsquo;re two weeks into the 2023-24 NBA season, which is far too early for overarching declarations, but not too early for a statistical deep dive into some numbers that jumped out at us. Put on your wetsuits.
52&nbsp;
Portland Trail Blazers sophomore Shaedon Sharpe has been assisted on 52% of his made baskets this season, down considerably from the 67% he was assisted on last season. That number dropping, combined with Sharpe&rsquo;s points per game rising (20.1 PPG, up from 9.9 last season), allows us to infer a few things.&nbsp;
First, it shows that Sharpe&rsquo;s role has increased significantly, which we expected. With Damian Lillard gone and Anfernee Simons sidelined for a few months with an injury, Sharpe was the obvious next man up regarding shot attempts. And the 20-year-old isn't afraid to put up shots, as he's attempting over 15 per game.&nbsp;
Secondly, it shows that Sharpe is getting his own buckets. His self-creation ability is one of the main reasons he was the No. 7 overall pick in last year's draft &ndash; despite not playing any college ball &ndash; and he&rsquo;s starting to turn that creation potential into a real skill on a nightly basis.&nbsp;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Shaedon Sharpe&rsquo;s 26-point second half: <a href="https://t.co/lyhXlJzCcg">pic.twitter.com/lyhXlJzCcg</a>
&mdash; Brett Usher (@UsherNBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/UsherNBA/status/1719899721110577389?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 2, 2023</a></blockquote>
36.9&nbsp;
That&rsquo;s how many minutes Los Angeles Lakers big man Anthony Davis is playing per game thus far, which would be a career-high. While that number will surely come down as the season progresses &ndash; we don&rsquo;t think Darvin Ham wants to run AD into the ground during the regular season &ndash; it&rsquo;s a good sign nonetheless that he can play that many minutes a night.
Davis is making the most of his minutes too. He is leading the league in blocks per game (3.3) and has shot the ball extremely well from three-point range (42.9%). Maybe more importantly, he&rsquo;s shooting just one three-pointer a game! That&rsquo;s a great number!&nbsp;
100.7&nbsp;
That&rsquo;s the league-leading defensive rating of the Minnesota Timberwolves. This would be the best DRTG in the NBA since the 2015-16 San Antonio Spurs, who finished the season with a simply outrageous 98.2 DRTG.&nbsp;
Is Minnesota the best defensive team in almost a decade? Probably not, but they do have the potential to be elite defensively, and they are showing that through two weeks. Rudy Gobert is blocking 2.4 shots per game &ndash; much closer to his career average (2.1) than last season, when he was down to 1.4 blocks per game.&nbsp;
Surrounding Gobert is Kyle Anderson (who is still being a pest, while averaging 1.9 steals + blocks per game), a healthy Jaden McDaniels (who solidifies any defense), a 36-year-old Mike Conley (who has lost a step but still provides intelligent play on both ends), Nickeil Alexander-Walker (who is blocking shots like a madman, with a 2.7 block percentage) and budding (budded?) superstar Anthony Edwards (who is as bought in defensively as he ever has been).&nbsp;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Anthony Edwards is a two-way force - hard closeout + block on defense - tough PnR euro + finish through contact on offense <a href="https://t.co/G3zZJNVJKf">pic.twitter.com/G3zZJNVJKf</a>
&mdash; Timberwolves Clips (@WolvesClips) <a href="https://twitter.com/WolvesClips/status/1720972196477120711?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 5, 2023</a></blockquote>
50&nbsp;
That is Tyrese Haliburton&rsquo;s AST% right now. Seriously. If a player on the Indiana Pacers makes a shot, there&rsquo;s a coin flip chance that Haliburton assisted it. Sustainable? Maybe not. But I am confident in calling Haliburton a top-three facilitator in the league, and he could absolutely get to No. 1 on that list if his game continues to ascend at the pace it has in his first few seasons.
Haliburton has flash in his game, of course:&nbsp;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Haliburton with the no-look pass🙈<a href="https://t.co/daZesj2sml">pic.twitter.com/daZesj2sml</a>
&mdash; BasketballNews.com (@basketbllnews) <a href="https://twitter.com/basketbllnews/status/1719136140861813166?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 30, 2023</a></blockquote>
But like all the great distributors, some of his best passes don&rsquo;t even end up as assists &ndash; like this cross-court dime against Charlotte last Saturday:&nbsp;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
This is a great cross court pass from Haliburton and swing to Buddy. Pay attention to Charlotte's defense Melo sprints over to Brown but no one else tries to make a run at Hield until after he's making the catch. <a href="https://t.co/A0msdX9Cih">pic.twitter.com/A0msdX9Cih</a>
&mdash; Mo Dakhil (@MoDakhil_NBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/MoDakhil_NBA/status/1721252256899846227?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 5, 2023</a></blockquote>
10.3 and 13.8&nbsp;
The first number is how many assists Chris Paul records for every turnover he commits. Paul&rsquo;s facilitation is still elite, and the Golden State Warriors' second unit is benefitting mightily because of it. Point God lives on.&nbsp;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Here come the Dubs 👀 <a href="https://t.co/oPW29CMIgg">pic.twitter.com/oPW29CMIgg</a>
&mdash; Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBCSWarriors/status/1721331455669014769?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 6, 2023</a></blockquote>
The second number, however, is Paul&rsquo;s three-point percentage this season. Paul is struggling to score regularly right now.&nbsp;
Dario Saric has been a nice surprise for Golden State off the bench, Jonathan Kuminga is scoring nearly 13 points per game and Gary Payton II is shooting the ball well too. Everyone plays better when Paul is distributing at an elite level like this.
81.0
That&rsquo;s Mark Williams&rsquo; field goal percentage through six games. The Charlotte Hornets' second-year big man is looking like the big rim presence the franchise has desperately needed in recent years. 
Williams was solid in a starting role down the stretch of last season &ndash; and he appears to have refined pretty much every aspect of his game in year two.&nbsp;
As a prospect, Williams was widely perceived as a defensive force with minimal offensive ability. But seemingly every game, Williams gets more comfortable on the offensive end, showcased by a career-high 27 points on November 4.

Quinn Everts dives into some interesting numbers that jumped out from the first two weeks of the 2023-24 NBA season.

Picking Cherries: 7 NBA statistics that stand out so far this season

Watching from the hallway,&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/DoingItDodson/status/1717370045167198267" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://twitter.com/DoingItDodson/status/1717370045167198267&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1698516889209000&amp;usg=AOvVaw3jZoBngDtk4kH95MIfVfP8">&ldquo;Happy with it, not satisfied with it&rdquo;,</a>&nbsp;was overheard as the New Orleans Pelicans marched away from the FedEx Forum with a victory over the Memphis Grizzlies.
The divisional rivals were both missing key pieces but Zion Williamson finished off the hosts with 12-straight points to close out the Game 1 win. New Orleans head coach Willie Green admitted there were some frustrating moments but &ldquo;it is easier to teach off of a win than a loss.&rdquo;
The postgame locker room message ended with Coach&rsquo;s understated, &ldquo;81 more to go.&rdquo; Everything wasn't going to come together all at once for a team trying to shed unflattering narratives from the last few seasons.
&ldquo;The biggest discussion that we'll have is it&rsquo;s going to be hard," Green said. "We should expect that night-in and night-out. The NBA is going to be hard, and teams aren't going to let us just come down and execute. We have to be the team that's more forceful, and we did that tonight.&rdquo;
Memphis might have been missing Stephen Adams and Ja Morant, but New Orleans has dealt with those issues for years. No one shows mercy in the NBA and the Pelicans' Big Three did their job. C.J. McCollum poured in 24 points, Zion added 23, and Brandon Ingram&rsquo;s 19 points made 66 points from the team&rsquo;s stars. It took Williamson a while to get going, scoring only 7 first-half points on two made shots, but the highlight dunk at the end of the second quarter might&rsquo;ve awakened a monster season.
&ldquo;It helped,&rdquo; Williamson admitted, &ldquo;For me, I think it's going to be a few games, just getting that in-game flow back. No matter how much I train, workout, play pickup, it&rsquo;s nothing like a real NBA game. [I] give Jaren [Jackson Jr.] his respect. I think it actually worked out for me, just playing against the Defensive Player of the Year in the first game and just kind of feeling out how he&rsquo;s going to jump for shots, how certain teams will try to guard me. The second half was more so just kind of feeling the game.&rdquo;
Ingram needed 18 shots to notch 19 points but McCollum was &ldquo;elite,&rdquo; according to Green. McCollum felt Williamson &ldquo;settled in and got more comfortable as the game went on. Kind of felt out the defense and obviously how they were, how they were calling the game, and you got to get more aggressive. We did a better job of getting the ball in spots where he&rsquo;d be successful, and he finished plays and did what he does.&rdquo;
&ldquo;A couple of times we got ahead of ourselves to turn the ball over and things of that nature," added McCollum. "I just have to make sure I keep us settled, but I can score the ball. I can get to certain spots, and I'll continue to develop and get better as we play together more. I think that'll be helpful for all of us, the spacing, play calling, when to make the pass and when to cut. All of those things we'll continue to get better at, but I like the steps that we made from Sept. 28 to now."
There are still a lot of wrinkles to work out with this roster. Overlooked addition turned Twitter-trending star enjoying his first postgame podium Matt Ryan shared, &ldquo;There really hasn't been much time to get acclimated with everybody off the court. I flew in Monday morning to New Orleans and tonight is Wednesday, so I've been with the team for... this is like the third day I've been with the team. They kind of knew who I was. Everybody at this point knows what I'm looking to do out there, and again I just got to thank the front office and coaches for giving me this chance.&rdquo;
I asked Coach Green if there was anything they could take away from Opening Night that had long-term value. He replied, &ldquo;The biggest clarity that we have is that we want to be a mentally tough team. We did that tonight. Coming on their floor and carving out a win with different lineups. Throwing zones at them, switching one through five... all the things that we've been working on in practice. It was great to see us come to somebody's home floor and have toughness, execution and communication and to do it with joy.&rdquo;
There are always frustrations during the NBA's first 10-game feeling-out process. Next up is Josh Hart&rsquo;s return with the New York Knicks. A 2-0 start while showing the same resiliency would go a long way in the effort to win back skeptical fans.
&ldquo;Look at the teams that win the championship; they&rsquo;re consistent with the small things on a day-to-day basis," Williamson said, echoing Green. "So, if we can get to a championship level, with the small things, I think we got a good chance.&rdquo;

The New Orleans Pelicans marched away from the FedEx Forum with a victory over the Memphis Grizzlies.

Pelicans play through frustrations in opening-night win vs. Grizzlies

Blake Stern previews the NBA's Central Division, breaking down each team's projected lineup and burning question entering the year.

NBA Central Division Preview: Burning questions, rotation projections

Julius Erving is an NBA champion, two-time ABA champion, NBA Most Valuable Player, three-time ABA MVP, 11-time NBA All-Star, five-time ABA All-Star, Hall-of-Famer and a member of every NBA anniversary team (35th, 50th and 75th).
Dr. J is also 73 years old, so he's watched a lot of terrific players over the years.&nbsp;
Recently, Erving was <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDn1Ypl0qGI" target="_blank" rel="noopener">asked by Joy DeAngela</a> to name his 10 greatest players in basketball history, and his list surprised some people.
"I have five guys who are untouchable: Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, Oscar Robertson, Jerry West and Elgin Baylor," Erving <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDn1Ypl0qGI" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. "That's my all-time best team. Everybody else has to be on the second team or the third team. I made this decision when I was 15 years old. I'm sticking with it now all these years later. There is no order. I think West and Robertson would be in the backcourt. Elgin Baylor would be in the frontcourt with Wilt and Bill Russell.
"The next group of guys would be Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Michael Jordan, Earvin 'Magic' Johnson, probably Karl Malone..."
Erving admitted that he and his son debate over his list, and struggled to name his 10th and final player.
"I always argue with my son where Tim Duncan belongs, and he's like, 'He belongs ahead of Karl Malone for sure!' I'm taking Karl Malone," Erving explained. "And that last position... I like Tiny Archibald."
<iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/YDn1Ypl0qGI" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
Notably absent from Erving's list are current players like LeBron James and Stephen Curry. When DeAngela asked him about this, he explained his reasoning.
"He hasn't played long enough, he has to finish his career," Erving said, specifically talking about Curry. "Everybody I named there, their careers are finished."
This doesn't explain why a legend like Kobe Bryant isn't on the list. But Erving is entitled to his opinion, and it's good to see some older players whom younger fans may not be as familiar with getting some love. Check out DeAngela's full interview with Dr. J above.

Recently, Dr. J was asked by Joy DeAngela to name his 10 greatest players in basketball history, and his list surprised some people.

Julius 'Dr. J' Erving lists his top-10 greatest players of all-time

Today, the NBA and FIBA announced 80 of the top high-school-age prospects from across Africa who will participate in the 19th edition of Basketball Without Borders (BWB) Africa, which will be held July 28-31 at the American International School of Johannesburg (AISJ) in South Africa.
BWB Africa 2023 will bring together 80 boys and girls from more than 25 African countries &ndash; including 19 NBA Academy Africa and NBA Academy Women&rsquo;s Camp Africa 2022 prospects &ndash; to learn directly from current and former NBA, WNBA and FIBA players, legends and coaches and compete alongside their peers from across the continent.&nbsp;
The campers will be coached by two-time NBA All-Star Bam Adebayo (Miami Heat; U.S.; ties to Nigeria), 2022 NBA All-Star Darius Garland (Cleveland Cavaliers; U.S.), 2022 NBA champion Jonathan Kuminga (Golden State Warriors; Democratic Republic of the Congo) and Jalen Suggs (Orlando Magic; U.S.).
Five current and former NBA head coaches will also serve as BWB Africa 2023 coaches: Cavaliers head coach J.B. Bickerstaff; two-time NBA Coach of the Year, Nigeria Men&rsquo;s National Team head coach and Sacramento Kings head coach Mike Brown; 2018 NBA Coach of the Year Dwane Casey (most recently with the Detroit Pistons); Los Angeles Lakers head coach Darvin Ham; and veteran NBA coach Dave Joerger (most recently with the Philadelphia 76ers).
Several former NBA and WNBA players will also serve as BWB Africa 2023 coaches, including 2015 FIBA AfroBasket champion Olumide Oyedeji (Nigeria), 2011 NBA champion Ian Mahinmi (France; ties Benin), former NBA player and Basketball Africa League Head of League Operations Ruben Boumtje-Boumtje (Cameroon), former NBA player Tacko Fall (Senegal), 2003 WNBA champion Astou Ndiaye (Senegal), two-time WNBA champion Taj McWilliams-Franklin, four-time WNBA champion Sheryl Swoopes and Mozambique basketball legend Clarisse Machanguana.&nbsp;
Toronto Raptors Vice-Chairman, Team President and Alternate NBA Governor Masai Ujiri; New Orleans Pelicans Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations David Griffin; and Portland Trail Blazers Assistant General Manager Mike Schmitz will serve as camp directors, while David Crewe and Frank Adams (Phoenix Suns) will serve as the camp&rsquo;s athletic trainers.
The players and coaches will lead the campers through a variety of activities, including movement efficiency drills, offensive and defensive skill stations, three-point contests, 5-on-5 games, and life skills and leadership development sessions.&nbsp;&nbsp;A ceremony on the final day of the camp will award the Kim Bohuny Camp MVP, the Patrick Baumann Sportsmanship Award, the B.J. Johnson Most Improved Player Award, the Three-Point Champion and the Defensive MVP to the boys and girls who distinguish themselves on the court and as leaders.
As part of the camp, NBA players and coaches will also participate in several community outreach initiatives around Johannesburg, including a hospital visit and a Her Time to Play seminar for the female campers on July 28, and a court unveiling in the Alexandra Township on Saturday, July 29.&nbsp; In addition, BWB Africa 2023 coaches will lead a development clinic for local coaches at AISJ on July 30.&nbsp;&nbsp;
Also on July 29, select&nbsp;NBA players&nbsp;will visit the NBA Store at Sandton City Mall in Johannesburg and engage with fans.
BWB Africa 2023 will be supported by Nike, a global partner of BWB since 2002, which will outfit participants with Nike apparel and footwear, and Gatorade, which will keep players and coaches hydrated throughout the camp.
BWB has reached more than 4,100 participants from 136 countries and territories since 2001, with 112 former campers advancing to the NBA or WNBA.&nbsp; The NBA and FIBA have staged 70 BWB camps in 47 cities across 32 countries on six continents.
The following is a complete list of players participating in the 19th&nbsp;BWB Africa camp (rosters subject to change):
&nbsp;
<table style="width: 447px;" width="447">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 403px;" colspan="2">
GIRLS
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Name
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Country
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Ines Bellahmer
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Algeria
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Filomena Luis
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Angola
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Guigma Sadia
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Burkina Faso
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Gisele Kipo*
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Cameroon
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Hannah Dibadjou
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Cameroon
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Salma Khedr*
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Egypt
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Leila El Sanadily
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Egypt
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Aisha Hassan
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Egypt
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Lucie Mounganga
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Gabon
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Fatoumata Sylla
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Guinea
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Roseline Ooko
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Kenya
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Harena Randriamasimanana
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Madagascar
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Fitahiana Ratsimason
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Madagascar
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Joanie Rakotonanahary
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Madagascar
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Fatoumata Samake*
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Mali
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Oumou Soumare
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Mali
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Aya El Kallali*
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Morocco
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Albertina Matsinhe*
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Mozambique
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Bata Lurdes*
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Mozambique
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Shanaya Matusse*
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Mozambique
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Joy Biribebe
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Nigeria
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Benitha Ngarambe
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Rwanda
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Jane Dusabe
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Rwanda
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Fatou Sima
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Senegal
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Marie Diouf
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Senegal
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Ndickou Matar Diop*
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Senegal
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Tacko Sy
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Senegal
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Sheriffa Rahman
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Sierra Leone
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Onnetse Molokwame
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
South Africa
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Luhle Ndaba
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
South Africa
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Reneilwe Motebele
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
South Africa
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Susan Peter
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
South Sudan
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Asunta Ring
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
South Sudan
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Nawasa Lazaro
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Tanzania
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Ibouanga Moussounda
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Togo
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Arwa Ghorbel*
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Tunisia
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Eya Nasri
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Tunisia
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Afef Bengoula
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Tunisia
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Christine Namyalo
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Uganda
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Immaculate Adongpiny
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Uganda
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
*Participated in NBA Academy Women&rsquo;s Camp Africa 2022
&nbsp;
<table width="447">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 418.75px;" colspan="2" width="447">
BOYS
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Name
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Country
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Aginaldo Neto*
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Angola
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Manuel Camboma*
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Angola
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Inacio Anatoli Da Silva
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Angola
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Claudino Capangaa
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Angola
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Sansao Wika
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Angola
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Philippe Ntungicimpaye
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Burundi
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Arnold Eyadi Kenfack
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Cameroon
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Hermann Bel Gassina
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Cameroon
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Chris Naguidebe
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Central African Republic
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Tahir Doungous*
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Chad
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Zie Cheikh Conde
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
C&ocirc;te d&rsquo;Ivoire
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Tarek Khairy
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Egypt
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Ahmed Nedale
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Egypt
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Karim El Gizawi
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Egypt
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Courage Agbekpornu
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Ghana
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Kiggundu Austin Omondi
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Kenya
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Chouhaybou Keita
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Mali
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Mahamadou Konate
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Mali
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Hamza Bechchar
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Morocco
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Bolaji Oderinlo
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Nigeria
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Sultan Baruwa
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Nigeria
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Ibrahim Dan-Mutum
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Nigeria
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Jonah Precious
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Nigeria
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Ezekiel Obe*
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Nigeria
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Andre Bonazebi
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Republic of Congo
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Jude Fred Nkouka Silaho
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Republic of Congo
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Khadim Mboup*
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Senegal
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Assane Mandian*
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Senegal
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Yakhya Diop*
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Senegal
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Amar Diop*
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Senegal
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Mouhamed Camara
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Senegal
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Siyanda Radebe
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
South Africa
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Gilchrist Storm
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
South Africa
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Khaman Maluach*
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
South Sudan
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Moses Marial Mandiria
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
South Sudan
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Bol Wieu Mou Thet
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
South Sudan
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Lual Deng Lual Aguek
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
South Sudan
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Rayen Rouissi
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Tunisia
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Amen Hammi
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Tunisia
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Liberty Fusire*
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Zimbabwe
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
*NBA Academy Africa prospect

Bam Adebayo, Darius Garland, Jonathan Kuminga and Jalen Suggs will coach 80 top high-school-age prospects from across Africa.

Adebayo, Garland, Kuminga, Suggs to coach prospects at BWB Africa 2023

For all the things&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://twitter.com/OvertimeElite/status/1633301223494303745?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">the Thompson Twins</a>&nbsp;share &mdash; middle name, appetite for burgers, dynamic basketball skill sets &mdash; matching suits on draft night won&rsquo;t be one of them.
Amen and Ausar Thompson are dressing for success in their own unique style as they prepare to go in their own separate directions for really the first time. The 6-foot-7 guards out of Overtime Elite are projected&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/nba-mock-draft-wembanyama-c9dfd3d19592e1de44f5957ea2aa8b48">in the AP mock draft</a>&nbsp;to be selected in the top 10 Thursday night in New York.
That means, barring a daring move by a team, they will wind up in different cities.
It&rsquo;s a situation that&rsquo;s still hard to fully fathom for the 20-year-olds from California. It&rsquo;s also a situation that reveals another shared trait: Their sense of humor.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;ll just constantly text each other,&rdquo;&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://twitter.com/OvertimeElite/status/1658629641861562369?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">explained Amen, who&rsquo;s</a>&nbsp;the older twin by a minute.
&ldquo;But you don&rsquo;t check your phone,&rdquo; Ausar quickly countered.
&ldquo;He&rsquo;s lying,&rdquo; Amen responded.
Kidding aside, their aim is to live up to their shared middle name of &ldquo;XLNC&rdquo; (pronounced excellence), which was bestowed on them to convey a sense of power.
&ldquo;Just so with every time you&rsquo;re saying their name, there&rsquo;s that power behind it,&rdquo; their dad, Troy, said. &ldquo;Excellence, greatness &mdash; we always use all these power words and so do they, in their own expressions, so they&rsquo;re always thinking on that high note.&rdquo;
The Thompsons moved from the San Francisco Bay Area to Florida when the twins were in eighth grade to enhance their basketball careers. The playmakers shined at Pine Crest School in Fort Lauderdale, leading the team to a state title. They received offers from several traditional Power Five basketball programs.
Instead, they pivoted.
The twins took the road less traveled to the NBA draft by signing with&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://overtimeelite.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Overtime Elite</a>, a professional basketball league based in Atlanta that&rsquo;s opening another door to the pros for talented young players.
It was a chance to focus on basketball full-time and build up their strength. They did, too, adding 25 pounds of muscle over their two-year tenure with the league. An opportunity at a paycheck, too &mdash; Overtime Elite, which launched in 2021, compensates players with annual salaries of at least $100,000.
Their first year, the twins played on different Overtime Elite teams.
This past season, they combined &mdash; and dominated.
Amen (rhymes with &ldquo;a pen&rdquo;) averaged 17.2 points, 9.2 assists and 7.2 rebounds in the playoffs&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://overtimeelite.com/players/e763b02b-3045-4a91-a078-7140899327d0" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">to lead the City Reapers</a>&nbsp;to the championship.
Not to be outdone, Ausar (rhymes with &ldquo;a car&rdquo;), had a postseason&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://overtimeelite.com/players/cbb0c3ec-f9f2-43e6-bb6e-6e4ef5702d92" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">in which</a>&nbsp;he averaged 21 points, 4.8 assists and 5.2 rebounds.
When it came&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://overtimeelite.com/articles/b66abb33-0079-4dc0-9858-7f6933f9a54a" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">time to vote for the</a>&nbsp;league&rsquo;s regular season MVP award, it was no surprise who voted for whom.
Ausar for Amen.
Amen for Ausar.
Ausar earned MVP (along with the postseason version, too).
&ldquo;It would have been funny&rdquo; if Ausar won by one vote, Amen joked. &ldquo;I would&rsquo;ve taken mine back.&rdquo;
They enjoy teasing one another &mdash; and pushing each other. They&rsquo;re always in the gym, hoisting up shots or working on their footwork. They&rsquo;re competitive, too, whether it be in friendly games on the court or in the video game NBA 2K, where they&rsquo;re in agreement &mdash; Ausar reigns supreme on the video-game controller in hoops.
Their go-to meal comes from In-N-Out Burger. Ausar prefers a double cheeseburger with lettuce and special sauce, maybe grilled onions. Amen likes the same, just hold the cheese.
Amen&rsquo;s scouting report reads like this: Explosive athleticism, with exceptional court vision. Can break down defenders with his ball-handling skills and elite first step.
Ausar&rsquo;s report: Essentially the same as his brother.
Ausar projects as more of a combo guard and Amen as a ball handler in the NBA. Amen is predicted to go fourth overall to Houston and Ausar sixth to Orlando.
Their dad saw a path to the twins being elite when they were around 8 and going against players three, sometimes four, years older.
&ldquo;You knew that their forward trajectory was going to be fast, because they were already improving at such a high rate,&rdquo; Troy said. &ldquo;From here on, I just want to enjoy watching them continue to grow into this dream and just achieve the greatness they always talked about.&rdquo;
They describe their bond as &ldquo;twin telepathy,&rdquo; which Ausar said comes in handy not only on the basketball floor but in life.
Don&rsquo;t ask for specifics, though, because that&rsquo;s top secret.
&ldquo;It would be bad for the world if everybody knew how to do it. I just know where he&rsquo;s going to be at all times,&rdquo; Ausar said.
Leading into the draft, they&rsquo;ve been traveling to work out for interested teams. In Portland, they met Damian Lillard. A year ago, they were introduced to Golden State Warriors great Stephen Curry at his camp.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s super cool meeting them,&rdquo; Ausar said.
Amen and Ausar said they&rsquo;ve competed against many of the big names in the draft class with the exception of&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/nba-draft-2023-wembanyama-396be2a8eeb0be8e3323bb509405695c">Victor Wembanyama, the French star who is expected to go No. 1</a>&nbsp;to the San Antonio Spurs.
The twins are bracing for the likely separation and distance between them. They&rsquo;re even planning for the big moment when both meet on the same NBA court at a soon-to-be-determined spot.
&ldquo;That,&rdquo; Amen said, &ldquo;is going to make for one cool picture.&rdquo;

The 6-foot-7 guards out of Overtime Elite are projected to be selected in the top 10 in the 2023 NBA Draft on Thursday night.

Twins Amen and Ausar Thompson set to be taken in top-10 of NBA Draft

Bam Adebayo remembers the moment he started looking at Gabe Vincent differently.
&ldquo;Man, [it was] when he torched us in the Olympics, in the exhibition game facing Nigeria,&rdquo; Adebayo recalled. &ldquo;He came out with that type of energy, that type of voracity and that type of anger. I felt like from there, &lsquo;He's one of us.&rsquo;&rdquo;
In the game Adebayo referenced, Vincent scored 21 points, drilled 6-of-8 threes and clinched Nigeria's exhibition win over Team USA with a pair of clutch free throws in the final seconds. Vincent decided to wear Nnamdi (his middle name) on the back of his jersey, describing it as &ldquo;an alter ego of sorts; I almost become a different person.&rdquo;&nbsp;
Now, back on one of basketball&rsquo;s biggest stages, Nnamdi has resurfaced.&nbsp;
Vincent played a huge role in Miami&rsquo;s win over the Denver Nuggets in Game 2 of the NBA Finals, as he finished with 23 points, 4 threes, 3 assists and 2 steals on uber-efficient 66.7/66.7/100 shooting splits. Through two Finals games, Vincent is averaging 21 points, 4.5 threes, 4.0 assists and a steal, while shooting 57.7% from the field, 56.3% from three and 100% from the free-throw line.
He's had a number incredible performances during these playoffs, including 29 points, 6 threes, 3 assists, 1 steal and 1 block on 78.6/66.7/100 shooting in a Game 3 win over the Boston Celtics, a 22-point, 6-assist, 4-three outing to eliminate the Milwaukee Bucks, and back-to-back 20-point, 5-assist games against the New York Knicks.
&ldquo;We love Nnamdi. We really do,&rdquo; Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra said. &ldquo;If you don't know that [moniker], the national media, because you're not following us, please look that up. 
"Nnamdi, he's a special guy. He really is.&rdquo;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Gabe Vincent is the kinda hooper you love to play with. (via <a href="https://twitter.com/MiamiHEAT?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MiamiHEAT</a>) <a href="https://t.co/qT6ekpY390">pic.twitter.com/qT6ekpY390</a>
&mdash; SLAM (@SLAMonline) <a href="https://twitter.com/SLAMonline/status/1665760391027392513?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 5, 2023</a></blockquote>

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By now, you have certainly heard that Vincent went undrafted in 2018. He spent the first two years of his pro career playing for the Stockton Kings of the NBA G League, and he earned the G League&rsquo;s Most Improved Player award after averaging 21.1 points, 4.2 threes, 3.1 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.2 steals, while shooting 40.6% from deep.&nbsp;
Miami gave him an opportunity during the 2019-20 season, signing him to a two-way contract. The Heat saw potential in him, but they wanted him to transition from shooting guard to point guard. He put in a ton of work, winning over the coaching staff and his teammates.
&ldquo;He was with us in the bubble as a two-way guy. He took on, I think, the toughest role change for a young player,&rdquo; Spoelstra explained. &ldquo;He was a gunslinger 2-guard [and] we wanted to develop him into a combo guard, somebody that could organize us, be an irritant defensively, tough, learn how to facilitate and run a team. I think that's the toughest thing to do in this league: turn a 2 into a 1. He openly just embraced that. 
"He struggled at times with that because you're trying to reinvent yourself.&nbsp;Instead of saying, &lsquo;This is too tough, let me be me,&rsquo; he's really grown the last three years. He's just an incredible, winning player. This year, he's been a starter for us. He's been great. [When] he's off the bench, he's been great. He's like a lot of our guys, the competitive spirit. You get challenged like we're getting challenged in this series, you hope it brings out the best in you. And that's what it's doing with him...
&ldquo;People severely overestimate what you can get accomplished in a day, and they grossly underestimate what you can get accomplished in a matter of months [or] years when nobody is paying attention. And he's the epitome of that.&rdquo;
Looking back on his transition from shooting guard to point guard, Vincent admits that it was tough and credits his support system for helping him with the change.
&ldquo;It definitely wasn't easy,&rdquo; Vincent said. &ldquo;The staff was great with me &ndash; whether it was [watching] film or getting in the gym &ndash; and my teammates have been phenomenal, coaching me up, telling me to be more aggressive when I'm questioning it or trying to think, &lsquo;Should I pass first?&rsquo; And our stars, Jimmy, Kyle [Lowry], Bam, they have been in my ear and telling me just to play basketball. They trust my IQ of the game, and they want me just to go out there and play hard.&rdquo;
Spoelstra isn&rsquo;t the only one who loves Nnamdi; he has a lot of fans in Miami&rsquo;s locker room too.
&ldquo;He's carving a space for himself,&rdquo; Adebayo said of Vincent. &ldquo;[He&rsquo;s proving] undrafted players can start in the Finals and be productive. It doesn't mean anything that he's undrafted.&rdquo;
&ldquo;I see it every day&hellip; I know how comfortable he is,&rdquo; Jimmy Butler said. &ldquo;I know the level of confidence that we have in him and that he has in himself to go out there and run the offense at any point in time, first through fourth quarter, maybe even overtime. And we live with the decisions and the shots that he makes and takes. He's our starting point guard for a reason.&rdquo;
Entering the postseason, nobody thought the Heat could go on a Finals run. They are a Cinderella story, proving all of their doubters wrong and doing the unthinkable &ndash; just like Miami&rsquo;s undrafted players (Vincent, Caleb Martin, Max Strus, Duncan Robinson, Udonis Haslem, Haywood Highsmith and Omer Yurtseven) have done by becoming key pieces in recent years.
&ldquo;This season has been interesting. We've had highs, we've had lows,&rdquo; Vincent said. &ldquo;Obviously, we've made a push from the eight seed to the Finals. We've showed a lot of resilience, a lot of persistence, a lot of belief in one another.&rdquo;
As Vincent mentioned, this Heat team is extremely resilient. Throughout these playoffs, the Heat have won seven games after trailing by 10 or more points, which is tied for the most comeback victories by a team in a single postseason.
&ldquo;It's just part of our DNA, for one,&rdquo; Vincent said. &ldquo;Everyone on this team has battled through adversity in some manner and been knocked down and had to get back up. And number two, we have a lot of experience in these close games. So when it comes down to the wire, we are strangely comfortable&hellip; I think [Spo] loves these moments as well. He loves the competition. I think this is similar to other guys on our team. I think this is when we get the best version of Spo.&rdquo;
Regardless of the deficit, Miami never thinks they are out of a game. Their confidence never wavers.
&ldquo;I think you grow confidence in anything you're doing with the amount of work you put in, whether it's cooking or golf or basketball,&rdquo; Vincent said. &ldquo;I think we all put a lot of hours and time in and extra reps and shots so that when the time comes, you have faith and have confidence because of the work you have instilled. This group especially has put in a lot of work on the court [and] off the court, battling together. We're definitely a confident group.&rdquo;
Vincent&rsquo;s breakout couldn&rsquo;t have come at a better time &ndash; not only because he&rsquo;s helped propel Miami within three wins of a championship but because Vincent will be an unrestricted free agent on July 1.&nbsp;
Vincent earned just $1,815,677 this season, which <a href="https://twitter.com/BobbyMarks42/status/1663359595224653825" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ranked 397th among all NBA players</a>. Now, after his terrific postseason, the 26-year-old is poised for a big payday.&nbsp;
An NBA scout <a href="https://www.miamiherald.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/barry-jackson/article275722471.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">recently told</a> Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald that Vincent's next deal could pay him around $10-11 million annually.
"I've gone from thinking this guy is a good $3 million backup to [thinking he's] a $10 million, $11 million player; he's worth that in today's NBA," the scout <a href="https://www.miamiherald.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/barry-jackson/article275722471.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. "The guy has produced when it counts, and that's what teams are looking for. He has risen to the occasion.
"He's up and down at times with his shooting, but he's a clutch shooter, and that means something. He has got cojones. He's never afraid of the moment. You get high effort defensively. Decent playmaker, has toughness. To me, his value correlates a lot to his scoring."
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As Adebayo said recently: &ldquo;I feel like a lot of people are going to know who Gabe Vincent is.&rdquo;

Gabe Vincent is playing his best basketball on the NBA's biggest stage, and the timing is perfect given his upcoming free agency.

Heat's Gabe Vincent playing his best basketball at the perfect time

DETROIT (AP) &mdash; The&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/detroit-pistons-victor-wembanyama-61017c01ae34bd536f9a512ab060570c">Detroit Pistons</a>&nbsp;made a bold move in their latest attempt to become relevant in the NBA again.
Detroit reached an agreement to hire former Phoenix Suns coach&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/suns-monty-williams-fired-53f33c2c3c8d69af7449cbfbf931bc0a">Monty Williams</a>, according to two people familiar with the situation.
One of the people, speaking on condition of anonymity because the agreement had not been announced, told The Associated Press on Wednesday night that Williams agreed to a six-year contract.
Phoenix fired Williams two-plus weeks ago, two years after reaching the NBA Finals and a year after he won the league&rsquo;s coach of the year honors.
The 51-year-old Williams won 63% of his games over four regular seasons with the Suns, but they were eliminated in the Western Conference semifinals two years in a row after losing to Milwaukee in the 2021 NBA Finals.
The Pistons would be thrilled to approach that level of success anytime soon under Williams.
Detroit won an NBA-low 17 games last season, losing 30% or fewer games for the fourth straight season under Dwane Casey, who stepped down as coach with one year left on his contract to take a role in the front office.
The Pistons did not have good fortune in the draft lottery, landing the No. 5 pick overall for the second straight year and missing out on an opportunity to draft 7-foot-3 French pro&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/victor-wembanyama-summer-league-nba-2023-b6b0339c0eaa94d7e48c3ec319ea36df">Victor Wembanyama, a 19-year-old supertalent expected to be the first overall pick of the San Antonio Spurs</a>.
Detroit, a three-time NBA championship franchise, has earned a spot in the playoffs just twice in 14 years. The Pistons have not won a postseason game since 2008, when they advanced to the Eastern Conference finals for the sixth straight time during a remarkable run that included winning the 2004 NBA title and falling a game short of repeating as champions.
Jaden Ivey and Jalen Duren, the No. 5 and No. 13 pick overall last summer, did provide hope for the future with their play last season. Cade Cunningam, the No. 1 pick overall in 2021, had his second season stunted by shin surgery after playing in just 12 games.
Bojan Bogdanovic, who averaged a career-high 21.6 points, Isaiah Stewart, James Wiseman and Marvin Bagley are expected to be back.
The young team, with some experienced players in the rotation, will have a proven leader on the bench.
Williams is 367-336 in nine seasons as an NBA head coach with a 29-27 postseason record. He had a five-year stint with the New Orleans Pelicans, who fired him in 2015 with a 173-221 record and two playoff appearances.
While Williams was an assistant coach with the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2016, his wife, Ingrid, died from injuries sustained from&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/e64ac4c2322b468caf67e16fe46aa21a">a car crash</a>&nbsp;in which she was hit head-on by an SUV that crossed the center line after losing control.

The Detroit Pistons made a bold move in their latest attempt to become relevant in the NBA again: hiring coach Monty Williams.

Pistons reach agreement to hire former Suns coach Monty Williams

LOS ANGELES (AP) &mdash; The Los Angeles Lakers hope LeBron James&nbsp;will decide to continue his career after he recovers from the difficult end to their season.
James didn&rsquo;t meet with the media on the day after the top scorer in NBA history said he needed time to think about his basketball future following&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/nba-playoffs-2023-nuggets-lakers-9f7a28f73a56c431672d840c93185b60">the Lakers&rsquo; elimination from the Western Conference finals</a>.
The 38-year-old James has skipped his team&rsquo;s postseason media exit interviews before, but his decision Tuesday left Lakers fans hanging about his intentions with his enigmatic comments following a four-game sweep by the Denver Nuggets.
General manager Rob Pelinka and coach Darvin Ham said they&rsquo;ll speak with James soon about his future.
&ldquo;We all know that (James) speaks for himself, and we&rsquo;ll look forward to those conversations when the time is right,&rdquo; Pelinka said. &ldquo;LeBron has given as much to the game of basketball as anyone who has ever played. When you do that, you earn a right to decide whether you&rsquo;re going to give more. ... Obviously, our hope would be that his career continues, but we want to give him the time to have that inflection point and support him along the way.&rdquo;
Despite James&rsquo; 40-point performance, including a career playoff-best 31 points in the first half, the seventh-seeded Lakers were swept by the top-seeded Nuggets with a 113-111 defeat in Game 4 on Monday night, ending James&rsquo; attempt to win his fifth career championship in his 20th NBA season.
Ham joked: &ldquo;Coming off a tough loss like that, the work we&rsquo;ve put in this season, I think I was ready to retire after last night, too.&rdquo;
Pelinka and Ham declined to speculate on whether James&rsquo; frustration stemmed from his persistent foot injury, which could conceivably require surgery to correct fully. He missed a month of the regular season down the stretch, but returned to his usual heavy workload before the playoffs.
James had been largely healthy throughout his NBA career until he reached his mid-30s in Los Angeles, where he has missed significant chunks in four of his five seasons.
&ldquo;When there&rsquo;s any injury, you seek multiple medical opinions, and there were some that doubted whether he could play again this season,&rdquo; Pelinka said. &ldquo;For him to end the season playing virtually 48 minutes and posting a virtual 40-point triple-double as a player in the 20th year of his NBA career is staggering.&rdquo;
The Lakers all said they understood why James would question his future after an outstanding performance in defeat.
&ldquo;I feel like that&rsquo;s human nature, to be his age and be playing at the level he&rsquo;s playing at,&rdquo; Troy Brown Jr. said. &ldquo;Personally, I feel like because of his love of the game, he will continue to play. But I don&rsquo;t blame him at all.&rdquo;
Pelinka said he hopes to keep much of the Lakers&rsquo; current core around James and Anthony Davis, calling roster continuity &ldquo;a high priority&rdquo; after several years of major annual changes. James is due to make $46.9 million in the first season of his two-year, $97 million contract extension, but several key contributors to the playoff run are free agents.
&ldquo;I think there&rsquo;s proof in concept that this was a really good team,&rdquo; Pelinka said. &ldquo;But we&rsquo;re not going to rest on our laurels. If there&rsquo;s opportunities to get even better, we&rsquo;re always looking to improve. But we have a core that&rsquo;s highly successful, and that&rsquo;s a good starting point.&rdquo;
Los Angeles was one of the NBA&rsquo;s best teams after its moves at the trade deadline, going 18-8 to end the regular season even without James. The Lakers then made an impressive run to the conference finals, knocking off second-seeded Memphis and defending champion Golden State, but ran out of steam against the powerhouse Nuggets.
&ldquo;We feel like we&rsquo;ve got special players in the locker room that enjoy playing with each other,&rdquo; Pelinka said. &ldquo;We know there&rsquo;s more growth and improvement in that group, especially if we get a training camp together.&rdquo;
REAVES AND RUI
Pelinka made it clear he intends to do everything possible to re-sign Austin Reaves. The undrafted second-year pro is a restricted free agent after seizing a starting job and effectively becoming the Lakers&rsquo; No. 3 offensive option.
&ldquo;I want to be here. It feels like home to me, in a sense,&rdquo; Reaves said. &ldquo;Obviously it&rsquo;s a lot different than my actual home (in Arkansas). It&rsquo;s a little bigger. Traffic is a little worse. ... But it feels like a home for me, the way the fans support me, the players, the coaching staff, front office. It&rsquo;s just definitely somewhere I want to be, but we&rsquo;ll see what happens.&rdquo;
Rui Hachimura also is a restricted free agent, and Pelinka said the Lakers hope to keep him as well.
Hachimura said his short tenure with the Lakers was &ldquo;a crazy three months for me. It was one of the best times of my life.&rdquo;
D-LO&rsquo;S FUTURE
The Lakers&rsquo; most prominent unrestricted free agent is D&rsquo;Angelo Russell, who had several outstanding performances after his trade-deadline return to Los Angeles, but struggled badly enough in the playoffs to lose his starting job in the finale.
Russell, who scored only 25 points in the four conference finals games, called the season &ldquo;a complete success.&rdquo;
&ldquo;We&rsquo;ll see what opportunity presents itself, and obviously I&rsquo;ll do the best for myself,&rdquo; Russell said. &ldquo;I think the future is bright. I think Rob Pelinka has some decisions to make, but that&rsquo;s his job. (I) would love to be here and contribute to that, so we&rsquo;ll see.&rdquo;

The Los Angeles Lakers hope LeBron James will decide to continue his career after he recovers from the difficult end to their season.

Rob Pelinka, Darvin Ham respond to LeBron James considering retirement

LOS ANGELES (AP) &mdash; Nikola Jokic had 30 points, 14 rebounds and 13 assists, and the Denver Nuggets advanced to the NBA Finals for the first time in team history Monday night, sweeping the Western Conference finals with a 113-111 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers.
Jamal Murray scored 25 points for the top-seeded Nuggets, who overcame LeBron James&rsquo; 31-point first half and a 15-point halftime deficit with a tenacious finish in Game 4 to earn their first conference title in their 47 NBA seasons.
James finished with 40 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists after the highest-scoring postseason half of his career, but even the top scorer in NBA history couldn&rsquo;t keep the deep, dynamic Nuggets from their sixth consecutive victory overall.
James missed two tying shots in the final seconds, with Aaron Gordon appearing to block his shot at the buzzer.
Jokic earned his eighth triple-double of the playoffs by the third quarter, breaking Wilt Chamberlain&rsquo;s 1967 NBA record for triple-doubles in a single postseason. The Serbian big man also led the Nuggets&rsquo; tenacious defensive effort despite picking up his fifth foul midway through the fourth quarter &mdash; and when Denver needed a big basket, Jokic delivered that as well.
The Lakers erased a seven-point deficit and tied it with five minutes to play, but Jokic hit a 25-foot fallaway 3-pointer. After Anthony Davis hit two free throws to tie it with 1:11 left, Jokic muscled his way past Davis for the tiebreaking layup.
James then badly missed a strange fallaway jumper with 26 seconds left. After Murray missed a turnaround to give the Lakers one last chance, James&rsquo; drive at the buzzer was thwarted by Murray and Gordon, who scored 22 points.
The Nuggets will cap their superb season under coach Michael Malone by playing for their first NBA championship. Denver both eliminated the Lakers for the first time in eight playoff meetings and swept a playoff series for the first time, likely earning several days off before the finals.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Nikola Jokic and Michael Malone celebrate the first NBA Finals appearance in franchise history <a href="https://t.co/Ic7y6hkkeZ">pic.twitter.com/Ic7y6hkkeZ</a>
&mdash; Ben Golliver (@BenGolliver) <a href="https://twitter.com/BenGolliver/status/1660851131042414598?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 23, 2023</a></blockquote>

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Unless the Boston Celtics make basketball history by rallying from their 3-0 deficit in the East finals, Denver will host the eighth-seeded Miami Heat to open the NBA Finals, beginning June 1.
James scored 21 points in the first quarter and worked desperately to keep the Lakers competitive in the final game of his 20th NBA season. But the Lakers couldn&rsquo;t even force a Game 5, with an apparently exhausted Davis scoring 10 of his 21 points in the fourth quarter and adding 14 rebounds.
Austin Reaves scored 17 points for the Lakers, who were swept in a playoff series for the 11th time in team history, including nine best-of-seven series.
The loss ended seventh-seeded Los Angeles&rsquo; incredible turnaround after starting the season 2-10 under new coach Darvin Ham. After bolstering their roster at the trade deadline and surging into the postseason with two months of strong play, the Lakers then knocked off second-seeded Memphis and eliminated defending champion Golden State to stir their worldwide fans&rsquo; hopes for one of the most unlikely championship runs in NBA history.
Facing elimination for the first time in their remarkable playoff run, James and the Lakers responded with their best half of the series, taking a 73-58 halftime lead on James&rsquo; broad shoulders. He had 21 points in the first quarter, tying his playoff career high for a quarter in his record 282nd postseason game. He then matched his career high for points in any first half.
But the Nuggets responded with a relentless third quarter, taking their first lead less than eight minutes after halftime. Denver pushed its lead to seven before the Lakers rallied, with Davis&rsquo; putback dunk tying it with 5:02 to play.
TIP-INS
Nuggets: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope converted a four-point play in the first quarter. He finished with 13 points. ... The Nuggets have yet to trail in any series, and they&rsquo;re 8-0 at home in the playoffs &ndash; 10-0 since March. Denver is 12-3 overall in the postseason.
Lakers: James got an accidental 3-pointer in the first half when his lob pass to Rui Hachimura went in the basket. ... Ham shook up his starting lineup for the Lakers&rsquo; last chance, replacing struggling D&rsquo;Angelo Russell and Jarred Vanderbilt with Dennis Schr&ouml;der and Hachimura. The moves immediately worked, with the two new starters combining for 19 points in the first half. ... James&rsquo; 21 points were the most by a Lakers player in a playoff first quarter since at least 1997. ... Veteran Tristan Thompson had four points in 10 minutes during the most significant playing time of his Lakers career, which began in the final weekend of the regular season. &hellip; Kyrie Irving watched the game from courtside. The star free-agent guard has been linked to a reunion with James on the Lakers next season. Other fans at courtside included Vin Diesel, Adam Sandler and Aaron Donald.

Nikola Jokic had 30 points, 14 rebounds and 13 assists, and the Nuggets advanced to the NBA Finals for the first time in team history.

Jokic leads Nuggets to first NBA Finals, eliminating LeBron's Lakers

The Miami Heat and Denver Nuggets are each one win away from the NBA Finals.&nbsp;
That means the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers are each trying to do something that has never been done in NBA history: come back from an 0-3 deficit. 
Teams that trailed 0-3 in the NBA playoffs have a 0-149 record all-time.
Here&rsquo;s a look at what the Celtics and Lakers are saying with their season on the line entering Game 4.
BOSTON CELTICS
The Celtics haven&rsquo;t looked like themselves during the Eastern Conference Finals.&nbsp;
After blowing double-digit leads in Games 1 and 2, they were blown out 128-102 by the Heat in Sunday&rsquo;s must-win Game 3. How will the team respond now that they&rsquo;re facing elimination on Tuesday night?
JAYSON TATUM: &ldquo;As tough as it is, we've just got to try to move on. Prepare, get ready, practice, film and stuff for tomorrow. Obviously, we're in a tough position, but we've just got to have some pride, bounce back and just be better come Tuesday. &hellip; Definitely [need to] play better than we did tonight and have some pride, obviously, and believe that we've just got to win on Tuesday. That's just the message, the mentality that we have is: get a win on Tuesday. We'll figure the rest out from there.&rdquo;
AL HORFORD &ldquo;This is a part of our journey right now. And right now we're in a low low, and rightfully so, we're being counted out because we haven't been able to respond. But we're not out yet. It is 3-0. I know what it looks like. I think I saw the other day, [0-3 teams have a record of] 0-149 or something like that. We're not out yet. We're still kicking &ndash; one of four teams that are still kicking. &hellip; This year, we've been able to bounce back and figure it out. Our backs are against the wall now, so that's something that we have to do.&rdquo;&nbsp;
JAYLEN BROWN: &rdquo;I'm going to fight until the end. Try to get our guys ready for the next game, and we come out and we put our best foot forward. At the end of the day, that's what we've got to do, and that's just how I see it. The series isn't over yet. It's looking bad, but you come out, have some pride about yourself and put your best foot forward. &hellip; We've just got to come out and play basketball. Come out with a great mentality, come out and have some pride about yourself, come out and have some pride about who you're playing for, have some pride about whatever, and just come out and play basketball. I believe we can win the next one, so we've just got to come out and play.&rdquo;
JOE MAZZULLA: &ldquo;I think the most important thing is just sticking together, and then I have to be better. I've got to put them in better positions. I've got to get them ready to play. I have to have the game plan ready for us to be physical and to execute, and it's important that we stick together. &hellip; I think it starts with we've got to defend, we have to get stops, we have to execute. When you do not execute on the defensive end and they make shots, then it affects the way you play offense. We just have to put our identity into our defensive execution first.&rdquo;
AL HORFORD: &ldquo;We have to understand that our DNA, our core as a team, is on the defensive end. That's who we are, and that's something that we have to find if we want to come back and win this series.&rdquo;
JAYSON TATUM: &ldquo;I deleted Twitter from my phone to start the playoffs. Honestly, I haven't seen anything good, bad or indifferent since Game 1 against the Hawks. I'm certain after every game you win, you're the best player and the best team, and when you lose, you're not the star and the team is not good enough. I'm certain there will be some of that, but out of sight, out of mind. You don't see it, because that's not what's important. What's important is the guys in the locker room, teammates, coaches, and we're all in this together just trying to figure it out.&rdquo;
Game 4 between the Celtics and Heat is Tuesday at 8:30 p.m. ET on TNT.
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/usatsi_20499493.jpg" alt="" width="645" height="430" />
LOS ANGELES LAKERS
After the Lakers lost 10 of their first 12 games to start the season, their analytics department gave them a .3% chance of making the playoffs. One month ago, Lakers head coach Darvin Ham wrote &ldquo;.3% PLAYOFFS&rdquo; on a whiteboard in the locker room to remind the team that they&rsquo;ve already done the unthinkable once this season.&nbsp;
Now, the odds are stacked against them yet again as they trail 0-3 against the Nuggets in the Western Conference Finals. This team spent the second half of the season clawing to keep their playoff hopes alive, and they&rsquo;re drawing on that experience now that their backs are against the wall.
But do LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Co. have what it takes to make NBA history? 
ANTHONY DAVIS: &ldquo;We never intend to pack it in. Obviously, as you see throughout the course of this season, we have always been a team to fight. We are resilient. Everyone keeps fighting 'til it's over. It's not over. They have to win another game. &hellip; [We were] 2-10, 13th place, climbing uphill basically all season to get to this point, and it's the same thing here. Obviously it's a steeper climb being down 0-3. But we are going to keep taking it one game at a time and try to get better and come out with a win on Monday.&rdquo;
AUSTIN REAVES: &ldquo;Our backs have been against the wall. I've spoke about it probably the last two months &ndash; maybe more than that &ndash; since the trade deadline, [we&rsquo;ve been] swinging, throwing punches to fight to get to this opportunity. We'll go watch film, and we can either come out Monday and go home or we can fight for another day. And with the group of guys that we've got, I know what that answer will be.&rdquo;
LEBRON JAMES: &ldquo;I mean, just got to get one. Just one at a time. Just focus on Game 4, and you know, that's all you can really think about. &hellip; Just get ready for Monday and just got to get one. It's a one-game series for us. Every game counts, obviously."
DARVIN HAM: &ldquo;I mean, I think the deficit is 3-0, not 4. So as long as they have not gotten to four yet, there's still hope. We're still alive. We just have to focus on winning one game.&rdquo;
ANTHONY DAVIS: &ldquo;Take it one game at a time. You know, come Monday, leave it out on the floor, and try to get a win. Take it to Game 5, Game 6, Game 7. That's all you can really do. &hellip; We&rsquo;ll look at the film and see where we can get better, especially late-game [on] both ends of the floor, and then get ready to line them up on Monday and try to keep the season alive."
LEBRON JAMES: "I still [believe]. It's time to go right back home and start to refuel and start the treatment process and recovery process, and get ready for Monday. My mindset is always locked in as if it's Game 1.&rdquo;
Game 4 between the Lakers and Nuggets is Monday at 8:30 p.m. ET on ESPN.

Here’s what the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers are saying with their season on the line entering Game 4.

Can the Celtics or Lakers make NBA history by coming back from down 0-3?

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (AP) &mdash; When the Denver Nuggets faced the most crucial stretch of the biggest road game in franchise history, Nikola Jokic took over both on the floor and in the huddle.
The two-time MVP decided he would run a two-man, pick-and-roll offense with Jamal Murray late in Game 3 of the Western Conference finals on Saturday night, and Jokic came through with a 15-point fourth quarter. He also commanded his teammates to buckle down on defense against the Lakers, and the Nuggets responded by taking over the game on both ends.
&ldquo;Coach Jokic did a great job tonight,&rdquo; Denver coach Michael Malone said with a smile.
When told of his new job title, Jokic grimaced.
&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t want to be a coach,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I think that&rsquo;s the worst job on the planet, for sure.&rdquo;
Jokic had simply done what was necessary &mdash; and that&rsquo;s the story of Denver&rsquo;s entire season.
Whenever a challenge arises, whether it&rsquo;s in the doldrums of a dominant regular season or in tough playoff matchups with the star-studded Suns and Lakers, Jokic and the Nuggets figure out a path around it, over it or through it to keep moving toward their goal.
That goal now is only five wins away, as Murray repeatedly pointed out after&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/nba-playoffs-2023-lakers-nuggets-e164ab7e5200562166975ec15e08a4a0">the Nuggets&rsquo; 119-108 victory in Game 3</a>. With one more win over LeBron James and the reeling Lakers on Monday night, Denver can secure its first trip to the NBA Finals in the franchise&rsquo;s 47 years in the league.
&ldquo;We know next game is going to be another test,&rdquo; Murray said. &ldquo;They&rsquo;re going to come out more aggressive. (Anthony Davis) is going to be more aggressive. LeBron is going to be more aggressive, so the crowd is going to be more into it.&rdquo;
The Nuggets also can make another bit of history with a win in Game 4: Although this franchise has won 15 playoff series, Denver has never swept an opponent.
It&rsquo;s clear that this current version of the Nuggets is the best team in franchise history precisely because these players care only about team success. Denver has won five straight games while going 11-3 in the postseason, leaving no doubt about the identity of the NBA Finals favorite and the best team in a competitive conference.
While Jokic and Murray are stars, their supporting cast is the vital difference between the Nuggets and the NBA&rsquo;s other star-based teams. Personal stats, playing time and egos simply don&rsquo;t seem to matter to this group, according to its coaches and players.
&ldquo;I mean, I never doubted my team,&rdquo; Jokic said. &ldquo;We have some really good players that can step up in the right moment, and that&rsquo;s what we did.&rdquo;
Just don&rsquo;t tell the Nuggets they&rsquo;re the clear favorites to win it all: They still seem to be fueled by an underlying anger and an inferiority complex about their collective success, even after winning three Northwest Division titles and six playoff series (and counting) during five straight postseason appearances. Denver is the top seed in the West, yet seems to believe its success is a triumph over innumerable naysayers and stark odds.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;re the underdogs,&rdquo; Denver&rsquo;s Kentavious Caldwell-Pope claimed. &ldquo;We don&rsquo;t get enough credit for what we do.&rdquo;
That passion sometimes comes out in surprising ways, even during this dominant playoff series. Malone, who complained in Denver about his perception of national media narratives, took time out from praising his team after Game 3 to take a shot at Davis and the NBA officials, claiming the Lakers big man constantly violates defensive rules by &ldquo;playing free safety, sitting in the paint for eight seconds at a time.&rdquo;
Lakers coach Darvin Ham declined to counter Malone&rsquo;s criticism of Davis&rsquo; defense Sunday, saying only: &ldquo;I have a ton of respect for Mike, and his thoughts are his thoughts. His words are his words.&rdquo;
Instead, Ham got back to work after two hours of sleep focused on the first step in Los Angeles&rsquo; formidable task. Los Angeles had a lengthy film session to address the mistakes that have kept the Nuggets in control of the series.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve got an opportunity, man,&rdquo; Ham said. &ldquo;Everybody is counting us out. It&rsquo;s crazy. It&rsquo;s no different than what we&rsquo;ve been through all year. It&rsquo;s the uphill battle, and trying to solidify ourselves and re-establish what this culture is all about with the Laker organization. I think we&rsquo;ve done that, and we&rsquo;ve got an opportunity to take another step in the right direction come tomorrow.&rdquo;
The Lakers are on the ropes after their first three consecutive losses since early February, and perhaps the only element of encouragement is the fact that all three games were close late. Los Angeles had golden opportunities to win twice in Denver, and the Lakers rallied from 14 points down to take the lead early in the fourth quarter of Game 3 before Jokic ran over them.
The Lakers&rsquo; first home loss in nearly two months has left them requiring an unprecedented comeback to keep their season alive: All 149 teams that previously fell into an 0-3 hole in the NBA playoffs lost the series.
&ldquo;It ain&rsquo;t over until it&rsquo;s four games, and that&rsquo;s the best part about it,&rdquo; Lonnie Walker said. &ldquo;Kings don&rsquo;t look down when they&rsquo;ve got crowns on their head. You don&rsquo;t want that to fall. We&rsquo;re not over with. We&rsquo;re a whole bunch of kings over here. We&rsquo;re ready to eat. We&rsquo;re starving.&rdquo;

With one more win, the Denver Nuggets can secure their first trip to the NBA Finals in the franchise’s 47 years in the league.

One win from NBA Finals, Nuggets credit teamwork for playoff dominance

LOS ANGELES (AP) &mdash; Although the Los Angeles Lakers&rsquo; late-season transformation is one of this NBA season&rsquo;s best stories, LeBron James and his teammates finally appear to be running out of steam in the Western Conference finals.
They&rsquo;ve also finally run into an opponent capable of making sure this story doesn&rsquo;t have a completely happy ending.
After looking weary and mistake-prone in Denver during their first back-to-back losses in over two months, the Lakers face a must-win Game 3 Saturday.
Los Angeles has been on a prolonged roll ever since the trade deadline, going 27-12 while surging into the playoff picture, winning a play-in game and knocking out two higher-seeded opponents in six games. But that roll has finally been slowed by Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray and the respect-hungry Nuggets, whose superior late-game play was the reason they&rsquo;re up 2-0.
&ldquo;This is not the NCAA Tournament,&rdquo; James said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s the first team to four wins. We have an opportunity to go home and play great basketball and hold serve. Until a team beats you four times, you always have an opportunity to come out of it. So that&rsquo;s the confidence that we should have. I know it&rsquo;s going to be a tough hill to climb up, but we still have an opportunity to play the best basketball of the series in Game 3.&rdquo;
The Lakers insist they&rsquo;re not as tired as they looked for stretches of both games in Denver, when they settled for too many jumpers, ran the court less effectively and lost a fraction of their defensive intensity. James and Anthony Davis both say the fatigue of this relentless two-month sprint toward title contention isn&rsquo;t finally too much for a team that altered half of its roster just three months ago.
&ldquo;If you&rsquo;re not tired in the postseason...,&rdquo; James said after LA&rsquo;s 108-103 loss in Game 2. &ldquo;I mean, everybody&rsquo;s tired.&rdquo;
But James&rsquo; weariness appears to be evident in his jump shot &mdash; and in his reliance on that shot instead of the more physically demanding task of driving to the hoop. The top scorer in NBA history went 0 for 6 on 3-pointers in Game 2, making him 0 for 10 in the series. He has also missed 19 consecutive 3-pointers in the fourth quarter over the Lakers&rsquo; last 11 playoff games.
On top of the fatigue from the heavy workload for his 38-year-old body, James also sprained his left ankle in the third quarter of Game 2, although said he would be fine for Game 3.
Davis is prone to offensive inconsistency, and the stress of leading the Lakers&rsquo; defensive effort against mighty Denver may have affected him &mdash; although he insists it didn&rsquo;t. What&rsquo;s clear is that Davis&rsquo; 18-point performance on 4-of-15 shooting in Game 2 isn&rsquo;t enough from the Lakers&rsquo; franchise big man, particularly after his 40-point effort in Game 1, when the Lakers&rsquo; defense was much worse.
The Lakers are hoping for a big boost from their success-hungry home fans when they get back to their downtown arena, where they&rsquo;re 7-0 at home since the regular season ended.
&ldquo;The higher the levels you get to, you&rsquo;re going to face much, much tougher teams,&rdquo; Lakers coach Darvin Ham said. &ldquo;No disrespect to Memphis or Golden State, but (Denver) has been at the top of the food chain for a reason. Not just this year, but the last few years. So we&rsquo;ve definitely got our work cut out for us, but we&rsquo;re going to get better from this, as we always do, and we&rsquo;ll bounce back on our home floor.&rdquo;
The Lakers had lost back-to-back games just once &mdash; in mid-March &mdash; since the trade deadline. Their late-season turnaround is still stunning after the additions of D&rsquo;Angelo Russell, Rui Hachimura, Jarred Vanderbilt and Malik Beasley along with the departures of Russell Westbrook, Patrick Beverley and Kendrick Nunn, opening up playing time for vital supporting players Austin Reaves and Dennis Schr&ouml;der.
But all that quick work might not be enough to overcome the steady togetherness of the Nuggets, who have handled the Lakers much better than their own inferiority complex.
Coach Michael Malone curiously punctuated their gritty Game 2 victory with sarcastic jabs about the basketball world&rsquo;s supposed ignorance of two-time NBA MVP Jokic&rsquo;s talents, along with criticism of a &ldquo;national narrative&rdquo; he believed was too impressed by the Lakers&rsquo; Game 1 rally.
The winningest team in the West is making its fifth consecutive playoff appearance after its sixth straight winning season, yet Malone appears to be paying close attention to television&rsquo;s talking heads while pounding the nobody-believes-in-us narrative that permeates sports, even for professional powerhouses like the Nuggets and the Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs.
Perhaps that&rsquo;s because these Nuggets have never been here before: They&rsquo;re as close to the NBA Finals as this franchise has ever been, up 2-0 on a 17-time NBA champion franchise with a global brand and the sport&rsquo;s most accomplished active player.
Eliminating LeBron and the Lakers would be a signature achievement for this Denver group, and it has a chance to all but lock up the achievement with a win in Game 3.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s definitely going to be hostile there,&rdquo; Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr. said. &ldquo;They still feel like they&rsquo;re in this series, obviously. It&rsquo;s the first to four. It&rsquo;s not the first to two. They&rsquo;re not going to just roll over, and now they&rsquo;re back in LA.&rdquo;

After looking weary and mistake-prone in Denver during their first back-to-back losses in over two months, the Lakers face a must-win.

Lakers look for boost after falling behind Nuggets in Conference Finals

LOS ANGELES (AP) &mdash; Brittney Griner stood for the national anthem before her first regular-season WNBA game since being jailed in Russia.
Griner was outspoken for social justice in 2020 and didn&rsquo;t take the court during the pregame anthem. But nearly a year behind bars in Russia changed her.
&ldquo;I was literally in a cage and could not stand the way I wanted to,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;Just being able to hear my national anthem and see my flag, I definitely want to stand.&rdquo;
Griner had 18 points, six rebounds and four blocked shots Friday night for the Phoenix Mercury in a 94-71 loss to the Los Angeles Sparks.
&ldquo;Not good enough, didn&rsquo;t get the dub,&rdquo; said Griner, who nevertheless couldn&rsquo;t be down in defeat.
&ldquo;I appreciate everything a little bit more, all of the small moments, like, &lsquo;Oh, I&rsquo;m so tired I don&rsquo;t want to go to practice today,&rsquo; that has changed, honestly,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;Tomorrow is not guaranteed, you don&rsquo;t know what it&rsquo;s going to look like. I feel a lot older somehow, too.&rdquo;
The 32-year-old center&rsquo;s immediate goal is to play an entire game by the All-Star break in mid-July. She played 25 minutes Friday.
&ldquo;I hope to be exactly where I want to be,&rdquo; Griner said. &ldquo;Just getting back to how I was before all this happened.&rdquo;
Griner made an immediate impact against the Sparks. She fired a pass to Moriah Jefferson, who hit a 3-pointer for Phoenix&rsquo;s first basket. Griner grabbed a couple of rebounds and scored twice in helping the Mercury to an early lead.
&ldquo;How good did she just look? Unbelievable,&rdquo; WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert told reporters at halftime.
For the first time since last season, Phoenix coach Vanessa Nygaard opened her pregame comments without announcing how many days Griner had been jailed. Griner has been free since December when she was part of&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-brittney-griner-sports-government-and-politics-54de0cc371615a7165053a76eff17380">a high-profile prisoner swap</a>.
&ldquo;Until the day we got the news in the morning that she was on her way home, no one thought that it was going to happen,&rdquo; Nygaard said. &ldquo;We did our jobs probably with less joy than professional athletes do. It was heavy every day.&rdquo;
Not anymore.
&ldquo;Today is a day of joy,&rdquo; Nygaard said. &ldquo;An amazing, amazing thing has happened.&rdquo;
Griner and the Mercury were greeted with a standing ovation when they came on court for pregame warmups, although the biggest cheers were reserved for the Sparks.
&ldquo;Just taking it in but staying focused because at the end of the day I&rsquo;m at work,&rdquo; Griner said. &ldquo;Can&rsquo;t get caught up in the moment. Kind of feel it, but put it to the side and feel it a little bit later.&rdquo;
Griner hugged Vice President Kamala Harris and first gentleman Doug Emhoff as they left the court after Harris was presented with a No. 49 Sparks jersey. Earlier, Harris posed for photos in the Mercury&rsquo;s locker room.
&ldquo;It was nice to be able to see her face-to-face and thank her for everything,&rdquo; Griner said.
She patted her heart and applauded in return during a brief video welcoming her back to the WNBA.
&ldquo;It was nice to be back on the court for a real game,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;The love from the fans when we came out was amazing. I definitely feel it.&rdquo;
Griner scored 10 points in 17 minutes in an exhibition loss to the Sparks last week. It was her first game action since she was arrested at a Moscow airport in&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/hub/brittney-griner">February 2022</a>&nbsp;after Russian authorities said a search of her luggage revealed vape cartridges containing cannabis oil.
&ldquo;We brought back this Black, gay woman from a Russian jail and America did that because they valued her and she&rsquo;s a female athlete and they valued her,&rdquo; Nygaard said.
&ldquo;Just to be part of a group that values people at that level, it makes me very proud to be an American. Maybe there&rsquo;s other people that that doesn&rsquo;t make them proud, but for me, I see BG and I see hope and I see the future and I have young children and it makes me really hopeful about our country,&rdquo; the coach said.
Fans arriving early to Crypto.com Arena wore T-shirts with Griner&rsquo;s name and jersey number on them. The 6-foot-9 Griner stopped to photo-bomb a group of young girls posing courtside before the game.
Billie Jean King and wife Ilana Kloss, who are part-owners of the Sparks, were on hand for the opener, as was Magic Johnson, Pau Gasol, Byron Scott, Robert Horry, Los Angeles Lakers coach Darvin Ham and South Carolina women&rsquo;s coach Dawn Staley.
Since her release,&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/brittney-griner-wnba-mercury-4fd64332a21dfe5eb31cad63ec6c61fe">Griner has used her platform to advocate</a>&nbsp;for other Americans being detained abroad. She was already an LGBTQ+ activist since publicly coming out in 2013.
&ldquo;She stands for so many people, so many different kind of people who can be undervalued in our society,&rdquo; Nygaard said. &ldquo;She stands with pride and confidence and has never once has shied away from who she is.&rdquo;
Griner announced in April that she is working with Bring Our Families Home, a campaign formed last year by the family members of American hostages and wrongful detainees held overseas. She said her team has been in contact with the family of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who is being detained in Russia on espionage charges.
&ldquo;She&rsquo;s an amazing person on and off the court,&rdquo; Phoenix teammate Jefferson said. &ldquo;I think her energy just inspires everybody every single day to show up and be the best version of themselves.&rdquo;

Griner had 18 points, 6 rebounds and 4 blocked shots Friday night for the Phoenix Mercury in a 94-71 loss to the Los Angeles Sparks.