Houston Rockets

WASHINGTON (AP) &mdash; Shai Gilgeous-Alexander hit a 3-pointer with 1.1 seconds remaining and matched a career high with 42 points as the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Washington Wizards 121-120 on Wednesday night.
Gilgeous-Alexander scored 30 points in the second half, making nine of his 10 field goals in the final quarters.
&ldquo;Those are shots I&rsquo;m comfortable shooting,&rdquo; Gilgeous-Alexander said. &ldquo;I found a sweet spot, and really just take what they give me.&rdquo;
After he made what proved to be the winning shot, he wagged his finger to his teammates as he walked to the bench.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve got to get one more stop,&rdquo; Gilgeous-Alexander said. &ldquo;Just one more stop, and the game will be over, and we got it.&rdquo;
Kristips Porzingis scored 27 points for Washington, which had its four-game winning streak halted.
Bradley Beal, whose jumper with 6.1 seconds remaining gave the Wizards a 120-118 lead, finished with 25 points. Beal returned after missing five games, three while in the league&rsquo;s health and safety protocols and two for rest.
&ldquo;I felt really good tonight &mdash; except for the first quarter,&rdquo; Beal said.
Luguentz Dort contributed 16 points for Oklahoma City. Kyle Kuzma added 18 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists for Washington.
LOSING THE GAME
Washington had a 17-point lead in the first quarter. There were 15 lead changes.
&ldquo;The transition between the second and third quarters, that&rsquo;s where we lost it,&rdquo; Beal said.
Oklahoma City outscored the Wizards 35-20 in the third quarter.
Gilgeous-Alexander is difficult to play.
&ldquo;He&rsquo;s very crafty,&rdquo; Beal said. &ldquo;He probably doesn&rsquo;t blow you away with his speed. ... When you&rsquo;re confident in yourself, and you&rsquo;re playing at those levels, he doesn&rsquo;t think anybody can guard him. He really has that mindset that he attacks everybody. We should have started fouling (him) and put him on the ground, do something to alter him.&rsquo;
HOLMGREN LEARNS
C Chet Holmgren, the second overall pick in June&rsquo;s draft, won&rsquo;t play this season after undergoing right foot surgery. He&rsquo;s on the current four-game trip, and it&rsquo;s good for his spirits and for the Thunder.
&ldquo;When he&rsquo;s around, I think he elevates the team because he&rsquo;s about the team,&rdquo; Daigneault said. &ldquo;A week away from the team can drag.&rdquo;
TIP-INS
Thunder: F Darius Bazley missed his fourth straight game with a sprained right ankle. G Tre Mann was out for a second game with low back soreness. &hellip; The team spent part of Tuesday taking a White House tour. &ldquo;I thought it was great exposure for our team,&rdquo; coach Mark Daigneault said. &ldquo;The season, it narrows your focus into the next city, next game, next day. It&rsquo;s a broadening experience when you do something like that. It broadens your scope, and I think that&rsquo;s important in a long season.&rdquo; &hellip; Gilgeous-Alexander missed five free throws. In the season&rsquo;s first 13 games, he missed six. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m running away from fouls now,&rdquo; he joked. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve got to be better next time.&rdquo;
Wizards: Beal had a steal, giving him 735 and tying him with Elvin Hayes for third in franchise history. &hellip; G Delon Wright hasn&rsquo;t played since Oct. 25 due to a strained right hamstring. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s supposed to get reevaluated this week,&rdquo; coach Wes Unseld Jr. said.
UP NEXT
Thunder: Visit Grizzlies on Friday
Wizards: Host Heat on Friday

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 30 points in the second half, making 9 of his 10 field goals in the final quarters.

Gilgeous-Alexander nets 42, hits winner as OKC beats Wizards

NEW YORK (AP) &mdash; Julius Randle had 25 points and 12 rebounds, Jalen Brunson scored 21 points and the New York Knicks kept No. 1 pick Paolo Banchero and the Orlando Magic winless with a 115-102 victory Monday night.
RJ Barrett added 20 points for the Knicks, who have won two straight since a season-opening overtime loss in Memphis. Mitchell Robinson shot 6 for 17 and scored 14.
Banchero scored 21 points to become just the third No. 1 pick to open a career with four consecutive games of 20 or more points, but the wait continues for his first win as a pro.
Bol Bol added 19 points off the bench and Wendell Carter Jr. had 17 points and 11 rebounds, but the big guys didn't get enough help from the perimeter. Orlando was 7 for 35 (20%) on 3-pointers.
The Knicks led by three midway through the third quarter before Randle's three-point play started a 15-4 burst that ended with <a href="https://twitter.com/briancmahoney/status/1584717727880515584?s=20&amp;t=xWg82Qr0dwmAou2IrwYDYQ">perhaps the highlight play</a> of their young season. Brunson picked up a loose ball and threw a long pass ahead to Obi Toppin, the high-flying crowd favorite who won the slam dunk contest at All-Star weekend. Instead of trying to dunk it himself, Toppin dropped a bounce pass behind him to a trailing Barrett, who slammed it down to make it 94-80.
Orlando cut it to six with about 4 1/2 minutes remaining, but Brunson was fouled while knocking down a jumper for a three-point play, and Robinson's follow shot restored a double-digit lead at 109-98.
TIP-INS
Magic: The other No. 1 picks with a longer streak of 20-plus point games than Banchero were Elvin Hayes (10 games in 1968-69) and Oscar Robertson (6 in 1960-61). ... Jamahl Mosley earned his first coaching victory exactly one year earlier in the same arena when the Magic beat the Knicks 110-104.
Knicks: Coach Tom Thibodeau said the Knicks have increased the number of 3-point attempts they want to take in a game. He wouldn't reveal the number, but it seemed to be somewhere near 50. They averaged 37.5 attempts in their first two games and took 37 Monday. ... G Quentin Grimes remained out with left foot soreness.
UP NEXT
Magic: At Cleveland on Wednesday.
Knicks: Host Charlotte on Wednesday.

Julius Randle had 25 points and 12 rebounds, Jalen Brunson scored 21 points and the Knicks kept Paolo Banchero and the Magic winless.

Knicks keep Banchero, Magic winless with 115-102 victory

WASHINGTON (AP) &mdash; About a week before the season even started, the city council in Washington weighed in on Bradley Beal's return to the Wizards.
It made Oct. 11 &ldquo;Bradley Beal Day&rdquo; as a way of honoring his contributions to the community.
Now Beal has a chance to show his importance to the city on the court. When the Wizards host Chicago on Friday night, it will be his first home game since signing a five-year contract to stay in Washington during the offseason. It will also be his first home game since January, before a wrist injury ended his 2021-22 season early. Coming back from that was the big thing on Beal's mind this week.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m just excited to hoop," he said. "I haven&rsquo;t hooped in a long time.&rdquo;
That injury could have ended his tenure in Washington, but he signed <a href="https://apnews.com/article/washington-wizards-nba-sports-bradley-beal-926200389e0727e5854808758e7aa599">a five-year deal</a> worth up to $251 million to remain with the team. Beal <a href="https://apnews.com/article/washington-wizards-nba-sports-basketball-bradley-beal-fe79862f03f773ce68f5e0b37b0838c6">said then</a> that winning a championship with the Wizards would mean more than doing it on a super team with several other stars.
That decision should only enhance his popularity in Washington, where he's played his entire career, but as he enters his 11th season, there's also pressure on both him and the team. The Wizards missed the playoffs last season, and they haven't advanced past the second round since 1979. Unless there's some significant improvement soon, Beal may fade into the background in a league where the top stars are expected to be factors in the postseason.
A three-time All-Star, Beal averaged a career-high 31.3 points per game two seasons ago, when he and Russell Westbrook formed a dynamic backcourt that helped the team make at least a short appearance in the playoffs. Westbrook was then dealt to the Lakers, and Beal's scoring average dipped to 23.2 last season, when he shot a career-low 30% from 3-point range.
When asked if he thought he was being underrated after his injury-shortened season, Beal indicated there may be at least a small chip on his shoulder.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s been like that my whole career, no change now," he said. "Been slighted even when I was healthy, so it doesn't matter.&rdquo;
After breaking up the Westbrook-Beal tandem, the Wizards have assembled a more balanced roster. Kyle Kuzma arrived in the deal for Westbrook, and Washington acquired Kristaps Porzingis in the middle of last season.
The Wizards won their opener this season, <a href="https://apnews.com/article/indiana-pacers-washington-wizards-nba-sports-kyle-kuzma-4e4c02c133145fdd382f8f8b5a06e649">114-107 at Indiana</a> on Wednesday. Beal scored a fairly efficient 23 points with six assists and five rebounds.
It's the second season for Washington under coach Wes Unseld Jr., whose father is the only person aside from Beal to play 10-plus seasons with this franchise. The Wizards hoped to improve defensively last season, but the results were mixed. Beal said that has to start with him and Kuzma.
&ldquo;Me and Kuz. We have to have the mindset of, we have to defend on a nightly. We&rsquo;re going to have a majority of the toughest jobs guarding guys," he said. "Once me and Kuz are dialed in and locked in defensively, that sets the tone for everybody else.&rdquo;
At the offensive end, it's well established what Beal can do. If he stays healthy, he's likely to pass Elvin Hayes for No. 1 on Washington's career scoring list this season. That would be another feel-good moment for the franchise and for Beal, whose philanthropic efforts already earned him that nod from the city's government.
&ldquo;It's amazing," Beal said. "That's something, I don't take it for granted. A big part of who I am is what I do off the floor, and I take a lot of pride in that. So to be recognized for that, it means the world.&rdquo;
___
Follow Noah Trister at https://twitter.com/noahtrister

When the Wizards host Chicago on Friday night, it will be his first home game since signing a five-year contract to stay in Washington.

Beal can expect warm welcome at Wizards' home opener

Keep track of where the top 2022 undrafted free agents are headed after draft night.

2022 NBA UDFA Tracker: Latest news on undrafted free agents

Chris Paul turns 37 years old next week, but you would have no idea that&rsquo;s the case with the way he slammed the door shut on the New Orleans Pelicans potentially forcing a Game 7.
The Phoenix Suns&rsquo; future Hall-of-Fame point guard put together a masterclass performance, dropping 33 points and 8 assists on 14-of-14 shooting. Paul is the only player in NBA postseason history to attempt at least 14 field goal attempts without a miss, once again putting the Suns on his back when it mattered most.
Paul was the Suns&rsquo; only reliable offensive threat in Game 6, and he was totally okay with that. Easily slicing and dicing through New Orleans&rsquo; aggressive on-ball defense, Paul was able to get to his spots on the floor with no issue.
What was most remarkable is the fluidity and ease with which he disposed of New Orleans' defense. The Pelicans threw a hailstorm at Paul, toying with matchups, personnel, pressure and coverages.
As the game wore on, Paul eradicated each barrier set in front of him.&nbsp;
Jaxson Hayes struggled much of the series to remain an on-court neutral, and Game 6 was a microcosmic view of why (he ended up playing 12 minutes in spite of starting, playing only 13.8 minutes per game for the series).
Jae Crowder didn't shoot well last night, but he was dominant as a screener for Phoenix's offense. He set an absurd number of early offense screens to force inopportune switches and dicatate play immediately in the halfcourt.
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Crowder makes contact with CJ McCollum before five seconds have leaked off the clock, and that was a regularity. Deandre Ayton sets his screen further in to make it difficult for Hayes to recover quickly to the perimeter and switch on the screen; Ayton was demonstrative as a screener last night, an obelisk on the court, always ready to shift the dynamics of the court in a moment's notice.
Ayton flips the screen to open a pocket for Paul, Hayes tries to fight back under as Jonas Valanciunas keeps things in front in drop coverage, and Paul cashes the jumper.
The Pelicans started to prioritize length and mobility as the game went on, pressing Paul tight with Naji Marshall, Herb Jones and Jose Alvarado. Larry Nance Jr., a force in this series, played close to the level of screens as the defense worked to shrink those pockets near the elbow.
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Let's just note how many things the defense does here that they weren't off rip.
We have the three quarters pressure. The big is playing at the level. Ingram is fighting to deny the switch and keep Naji Marshall in front of Paul, as Marshall darts under the Ayton screen. Paul breaks right and jams Marshall into a well-placed rescreen from Ayton. Brandon Ingram stunts off Crowder to jab at the ball, but Paul is unfazed as he switches hands, crossing to his left before pulling up on a dime. Paul starts into his shot prep and Jones stunts from the strongside corner... and it just didn't matter.
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New Orleans did everything they could to stay solid while attacking Paul in every which way, a culmination of adjustments they'd made throughout the first half, and yet Chris Paul still rendered it ineffective. That's soul crushing.
Perhaps the shots he&nbsp;didn't take did an even better job of showcasing how absurd his play was.
Watch this play. The control is unreal. Paul is having his Neo-taking-over-the-Matrix moment. Every dribble is precise, calculated and surgical. He's shifting Ingram constantly.
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The second Ingram's hips turn, Paul flips the ball to Ayton for a quick rise and fire as he was in the midst of his own absurd shooting performance, as he went 10-of-12 from the field on a variety of finishes.
The late-game lob to take the lead was killer. The synergy between Paul and Ayton made a broken possession heartbreaking for New Orleans.
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Just when you think Paul's kept in front and smothered, you're getting yammed on with a well-disguised lob.
If Chris Paul had taken 27 shots last night, I'm not sure he misses. He just hit everything, and some of the bounces he got were ridiculous, displaying his otherworldly touch.
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A triple bounce on the rim after a high-arcing tear drop?
The ball flipping over the rim after hitting the front for the game-sealing bucket?
Just an absurd display of shot-making that felt willed on by divine intervention of some sort. It was one of the greatest offensive performances I've ever seen.
Throughout the Suns&rsquo; hard-fought first-round series against the Pelicans, Paul showcased brilliant moments on multiple occasions. In the end, Paul averaged 22.3 points, 11.3 assists and 1.8 steals on a 66.3% True Shooting.
As Suns head coach Monty Williams mentioned after the Suns&rsquo; close-out victory, this is just an expectation for players with the greatness of Paul.
&ldquo;I just know that great players have a knack for that,&rdquo; Willams said. &ldquo;They know when to and when not to. The game slows down for them, slower than it does for everybody else.&rdquo;
Williams even alluded to how Paul's outing is up there with the greatest performances (if not the greatest) he&rsquo;s witnessed from his superstar point guard. And doing it back where it all started for Paul in the Association made this moment even more special. The roots in New Orleans are still entrenched for Paul, and closing it all out in this manner was simply a breathtaking experience.
&ldquo;Unbelievably special,&rdquo; Paul said of his historical game in New Orleans. &ldquo;You have no idea what it&rsquo;s like for me to walk in here. Everybody that works back here, these people part of my family. &hellip; Chris (an arena security guard), he been here since I was here. Pound him before every game here back when I played in New Orleans, and did the same thing this entire series. My older brother sitting on the baseline. All of these people, it&rsquo;s my family. People sitting courtside been here since I was here.
"There&rsquo;s nothing like playing in this city, man. There&rsquo;s nothing like it. I went to other teams and all that, but the energy here, the way they show much love to the players, to your family. When I walked in, they asked if my parents were here and all that. And then Willie [Green], so many different ties to this team. [Garrett] Temple, Gary Clark was in my AAU program. &hellip; There&rsquo;s so many different ties to New Orleans and there always will be.&rdquo;
While sitting next to Paul, Devin Booker even mentioned how he and his father, Melvin, would drive down from Moss Point, Mississippi, to watch Paul and the New Orleans Hornets in the postseason. This full-circle experience for Paul is one he will never forget, and this trend of becoming an upgraded version of the &ldquo;Point God&rdquo; in close-out situations for the Suns continues to hold true.
Whether it be Paul&rsquo;s historical Game 6 in the Western Conference Finals last season against another former team in the Los Angeles Clippers, or what he just pulled off another year older in New Orleans, there&rsquo;s simply no more denying the greatness of CP3.
BasketballNews.com's <a href="https://twitter.com/MG_Schindler" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mark Schindler</a> contributed to this article.
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Chris Paul's unbelievable Game 6 performance was the point guard's latest masterclass that put his greatness on full display.

Chris Paul's Game 6 masterclass is his latest moment of greatness

CJ McCollum and Jaxson Hayes each scored 23 points and the New Orleans Pelicans clinched a spot in the Western Conference play-in tournament, beating the Sacramento Kings 123-109 on Tuesday night.
Brandon Ingram added 17 points, eight assists and seven rebounds for the Pelicans (35-44), who never trailed. New Orleans has won four of five.
Damian Jones had 22 points for Sacramento. The Kings, who were eliminated from playoff contention on Sunday for an NBA-record 16th consecutive season, trailed by three at halftime but couldn&rsquo;t keep up when the Pelicans went on a shooting streak in the second half.
New Orleans led by three at halftime, then pulled away with seven 3s in the third quarter &ndash; one by five different players and two from Trey Murphy III.
Sacramento got within 105-99 in the fourth quarter before McCollum scored down low and Ingram followed with two free throws.
That helped the Pelicans inch closer to returning to the playoffs for the first time since 2017-18, when they were coached by Alvin Gentry &ndash; currently the Kings interim coach. New Orleans has stayed in the hunt this season despite being without star forward Zion Williamson, who hasn&rsquo;t played since fracturing his right foot and undergoing surgery in the offseason.
The Pelicans were also missing Jonas Valanciunas (right ankle soreness) against the Kings but it hardly mattered. New Orleans held a 44-36 rebounding advantage and outscored Sacramento in the paint 58-44.
TIP-INS
Pelicans: New Orleans shot 9 of 15 on 3s in the second half.
Kings: Jones made six of his first seven shots and scored 15 points before halftime. &hellip; De&rsquo;Aaron Fox (wrist) and Domantas Sabonis (left knee) remain out.
UP NEXT
Pelicans: Travel to face the Trail Blazers on Thursday. New Orleans has won both games against Portland this season.
Kings: Play the Clippers in Los Angeles on Saturday.

The Pelicans clinched a spot in the Western Conference play-in tournament, beating the Kings 123-109 on Tuesday night.

Pelicans beat Kings 123-109, clinch Play-In spot in West

Desmond Bane and Ja Morant scored 25 points each, and the Memphis Grizzlies dominated the short-handed Chicago Bulls 119-106 on Monday afternoon for their 12th win in 13 games.
Brandon Clarke added 15 points and seven rebounds in the Grizzlies' main event of the 20th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration. King was assassinated on April 4, 1968, at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis.
DeMar DeRozan led the Bulls with 24 points and five assists, Ayo Dosunmu had 15 points and Coby White finished with 16 points, six rebounds and five assists for Chicago, which lost its fourth straight.
Memphis built a double-digit lead in the second quarter and stretched the advantage to 23 in the third &mdash; and didn't stop there.
Memphis, which saw its 11-game winning streak end Friday in a loss to the Dallas Mavericks, outscored the Bulls 38-25 in the second quarter for a 58-45 lead at the break. Chicago also was stymied early by a dozen turnovers, allowing Memphis to benefit from its transition game.
The Bulls entered the day as the top team in the Eastern Conference, but were without key rotation players like Zach LaVine, Lonzo Ball and Alex Caruso. However, Chicago kept its top spot because Brooklyn lost to Cleveland on Monday.
TIP-INS
Bulls: Chicago has played Memphis five times in the Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Day Game. The teams split the previous four games. &hellip; LaVine missed his second game with left knee pain from an injury suffered against Golden State on Jan. 14. &hellip; Ball missed his second game, also with left knee soreness. Coach Billy Donovan said before the game that Ball flew back to Chicago to have the knee looked at by a doctor. &hellip; Chicago announced Monday it had waived two-way guard Devon Dotson. ... Dosunmu, a rookie, turned 22 Monday.
Grizzlies: As part of the day&rsquo;s celebration, the Grizzlies honored former NBA players Muggsy Bogues, Elvin Hayes and Allan Houston for their dedication to human and civil rights and the social justice movement. &hellip; Memphis missed all seven of 3-pointers in the first quarter. &hellip; Jaren Jackson Jr. left the floor with 9:20 left in the second quarter after taking a shot to the calf. He returned before halftime.
UP NEXT:
Bulls: Host Cleveland on Wednesday, Chicago's only home game over a six-game stretch.
Grizzlies: Open a four-game road trip Wednesday at Milwaukee.

Desmond Bane and Ja Morant scored 25 points each, and the Grizzlies dominated the shorthanded Bulls 119-106.

Bane, Morant score 25 apiece to lead Grizzlies past Bulls

Los Angeles Clippers head coach Ty Lue has entered health and safety protocols, team says.
Source: <a href="https://twitter.com/ChrisBHaynes/status/1476992932653666308" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports (Twitter)</a>
ANALYSIS: Haynes added that assistant Brian Shaw will serve as interim head coach until Ty Lue can clear the league's health/safety protocols. Lue becomes the 10th NBA head coach to enter COVID-19 protocols, Indiana's Rick Carlisle, Sacramento's Alvin Gentry, and Lakers' Frank Vogel have recently cleared protocols.

Clippers head coach Ty Lue enters health/safety protocols.

Clippers head coach Ty Lue enters health/safety protocols

At the approximately one-quarter mark of the NBA season, I would have expected we'd get a clearer picture of the league hierarchy.
That is not so.
First place and 13th place in the Eastern Conference are separated by just six games. Fourth place to 10th place in the Western Conference are just a game-and-a-half apart. So many franchises have been hit with obstacles in such a short time that, aside from a handful of bottom-feeders, it's tough to discern the contenders from the pretenders leaguewide. However, that doesn't mean there isn't a tier of "most chaotic" teams that fill up our rankings.
If you're new to the Sour Rankings, here's a refresher: Unlike the typical "power rankings" that repeat themselves throughout sports media, Sour Rankings are a bizarro-world counter. These rankings highlight the top-10 most frustrating NBA franchises throughout the season, and they will be updated every week to match the twists and turns of the league.&nbsp;
This is not merely a bottom-10 of your typical best-to-worst power rankings. You will see championship contenders and playoff hopefuls mixed in with struggling squads. Teams well under .500 may never touch the Sour Rankings because they are on track with their respective processes. Injuries, drama, transactions and generally underwhelming play will earn you a spot on this list.
The central question is ultimately this: How good should you feel about the direction of each franchise? Let's get going:
Escaping the Sour Rankings:&nbsp;The Atlanta Hawks, Minnesota Timberwolves and Memphis Grizzlies continued to build on positive consecutive weeks. They're all back to .500 or better with some statement wins, and thus, sneak out in lieu of some falling squads.
10. Cleveland Cavaliers (10-10)
After finally ending a five-game losing streak with a nice win over the lowly Orlando Magic, Cleveland gets a chance to turn the tide back around with Evan Mobley healthy.&nbsp;
(Last week: 10)
9. Philadephia 76ers (10-10)
Philly went 2-7 in the stretch Joel Embiid missed while he was recovering from COVID-19. In his return, Embiid dropped 42 points, but the 76ers still lost in double-overtime against the (rival?) Timberwolves. It's certainly great to have Embiid back, and the 76ers will no doubt return to winning soon, but the skid was a sobering reminder that this team does not have the depth to sustain injuries or other absences to its stars.
(Last week: Unranked)
8. Detroit Pistons (4-16)
This is not meant as a dig toward Cade Cunningham; the No. 1 pick is still woefully inefficient as a shooter, but has shown plenty of other promising flashes so far. The problem is little else jumps out as exciting across the roster &mdash; aside from <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/killian-hayes-is-finding-his-way-playing-off-cade-cunningham-detroit-pistons" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Killian Hayes' catch-and-shoot threes</a>. The Pistons have lost six in a row with a roster that really isn't super young. Zero players on the league's worst offense shoot over 37% from long range. Among the bottom-dwellers, this has been one of the uglier rebuilding seasons.
(Last week: Unranked)
7. Toronto Raptors (9-12)
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All that talk about Toronto's length-fueled defensive juggernaut has yet to translate, as the Raptors have the NBA's second-worst defense over the past two weeks. After taking down the Grizzlies, the Raptors lost twice by double digits to the Indiana Pacers and Boston Celtics &mdash; two squads in the same apparent tier of playoff contention. Should the playoffs even be the focus for a young team rebuilding on the fly? That's up for debate, but if you're expecting a postseason appearance, things currently look grim.
(Last week: Unranked)
6. Sacramento Kings (8-13)
Beating the Los Angeles Lakers in a triple-overtime thriller sure feels great for Kings fans, but that got nullified pretty quickly when Sacramento gave up 128 points to a Ja Morant-less Grizzlies team. The Kings forced just nine Memphis turnovers and got outrebounded 68-49 in the blowout loss. Opponents have scored 120 or more points in 4 of the last 5 contests. For interim head coach Alvin Gentry, that's the first task: get something out of a traditionally inept defense.
(Last week: 5)
5. New Orleans Pelicans (5-17)
How about the Pelicans? A 2-2 week with wins over the Washington Wizards and Utah Jazz is nothing to sneeze at. Devonte' Graham's game-winner against Utah gave NOLA fans their highlight of the season, and we're starting to get promising flashes from young players like Kira Lewis Jr. and Herb Jones. Jones, in particular, has been a defensive revelation as a second-round rookie who now starts; he has three or more steals in each of his last three games.
(Last week: 1)
4. New York Knicks (11-9)
Tom Thibodeau said Monday that <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/kemba-walker-no-longer-in-knicks-rotation-alec-burks-will-start-vs-nets" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kemba Walker will not be part of the Knicks' rotation</a> for the time being, and Alec Burks will start at point guard on Tuesday against the Nets. Regardless of how you feel about the recent 2-1 stretch, that's a pretty rough look for one of the marquee additions of the offseason. New York has had the 21st-ranked offense through the past two weeks as RJ Barrett continues to flounder.&nbsp;
(Last week: 4)
3. Los Angeles Lakers (11-11)
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
The Silencer is Back <a href="https://t.co/qfJogU4rhx">pic.twitter.com/qfJogU4rhx</a>
&mdash; Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) <a href="https://twitter.com/Lakers/status/1463710318714966018?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 25, 2021</a></blockquote>

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

Despite winning the night before Thanksgiving, the Lakers should sure be glad they played Detroit on Sunday night. Things were looking ugly after the fully healthy squad lost to the Kings to fall back under .500. L.A. is one of the worst rebounding teams in basketball; they're 27th in offensive-rebound percentage, per Cleaning the Glass, and sixth-worst in opposing offensive rebound percentage. With a mediocre offense and a below-average defense, second-chance opportunities become even more devastating.
(Last week: 3)
2. Houston Rockets (3-16)
The Rockets have a nice little winning streak going after snapping their 15-game slide with narrow victories over the Chicago Bulls and Charlotte Hornets. Christian Wood dropped 33 points and 16 rebounds, and Kevin Porter Jr. put up 23 points and 12 assists, in the wild overtime win over Charlotte.
That's nice and all, but I need to see more from more young players to consider moving the Rockets &mdash; especially with the drama surfacing about <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/whats-wrong-with-the-houston-rockets" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Stephen Silas on the hot seat</a> and <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/john-wall-will-continue-to-sit-games-after-meeting-with-rockets-front-office" target="_blank" rel="noopener">John Wall asking for (and not getting) playing time</a>.
(Last week: 2)
1. Denver Nuggets (9-10)
Denver is riding a six-game losing streak with the worst defense and worst point differential in the NBA over the past two weeks. The team lost PJ Dozier for the season due to a torn ACL, and are reportedly losing Michael Porter Jr. for the year as well when <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/michael-porter-jr-to-undergo-potential-season-ending-back-surgery" target="_blank" rel="noopener">undergoes the third back surgery</a> in his short career. No need to dive much deeper; it's pretty obvious the Nuggets are in a tailspin.&nbsp;
(Last week: 6)

The Los Angeles Lakers and New York Knicks also continue to underwhelm.

NBA Sour Rankings: Injury-plagued Nuggets tumble to No. 1

Lou Dunbar is a Harlem Globetrotters legend.&nbsp;
A showman who has been with the organization since 1977 &mdash; as a player, coach and director of player personnel. Dunbar, a college All-American at the University of Houston, is often considered a precursor to Magic Johnson, because of his size &mdash; 6-foot-10 and unique ability as a ball-handler.&nbsp;
Over 79 career games with the Cougars, he scored 1,765 points.&nbsp;
Dunbar played a year of pro basketball abroad before calling it quits on a &ldquo;straight&rdquo; basketball career. He was working at a jewelry story in Houston, when he signed a free agent deal with the Rockets. It was a deal that ultimately didn&rsquo;t lead to an NBA career, but it did open the door to the Globetrotters.&nbsp;
Nicknamed "Sweet Lou" as a Globetrotter, Dunbar has a gregarious presence that radiates, even over the phone. When he tells a story, he often punctuates it with an infectious chuckle. Separate from our conversation regarding <a href="https://www.independent.com/2021/10/15/the-day-santa-barbara-police-racially-profiled-three-harlem-globetrotters/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">being racially profiled by Santa Barbara Police</a>, here's a look into a talk we had recently:
Who were your basketball heroes growing up?
Lou Dunbar: My first one was Wilt Chamberlain. Coming up I wore the number 13 because of Wilt &ndash; I loved Wilt. Going into high school, Elgin Baylor. I switched my number to 22 because of Elgin Baylor.&nbsp;
Did you ever meet Wilt?
Dunbar: My coach, Tex Harrison played with Wilt; they were roommates. I met him through Tex Harrison in Hawaii &ndash; he used to live over there. We went out for lunch or dinner. From what I saw, Wilt was a great guy.&nbsp;
Why do you think that generation of players is so overlooked or forgotten today?
Dunbar: Nobody knows who they are. You have to be a student of the game. You can&rsquo;t just be a student of this era. Everything they told Wilt he couldn&rsquo;t do, he did it. Look at the record books, he&rsquo;s in every category &ndash; then you have guys like Oscar Robertson. Back then they played real basketball, wasn&rsquo;t none of that crying. You come to the well, if you want to drink, you better be ready to drink.&nbsp;
Even guys like David Thompson who came out when I came out; David Thompson was something special; but you don&rsquo;t hear people talking about him &ndash; David Thompson was a beast, man. He invented the alley-oop &mdash; he and a little guy, Monte Towe. My senior year of college we went on an All-Star tour; every game we played, David Thompson got an alley-oop the first play of the game &ndash; he was great at going backdoor, he&rsquo;d fake up top to the free throw line and go backdoor and Monte Towe would throw that alley-oop.
Who were the guys that showed you the ropes when you first became a Globetrotter?
Dunbar: My first year I played with Meadowlark Lemon and Curly Neal. I tell these young guys today the opportunity they have is so much different than when I came up. They used to use my young legs for the first dunk of the game and then after that I&rsquo;d sit and watch like I had bought a ticket.&nbsp;&nbsp;
Meadowlark gave me one of the greatest compliments I had being a Globetrotter: he said I picked this up better than anybody who ever played with him &ndash; I knew all the positions on the floor.&nbsp;
My second year I played with Geese Ausbie and Marques Haynes.&nbsp;
As far as being a showman, Meadowlark was guy who did stuff by timing. Every show, you know Meadowlark was about to do this, or that. Geese, we never knew where he was &ndash; he was spontaneous, I loved that about Geese. He was hilarious; he just went off the cuff. I picked up a little of everything from both of those guys.&nbsp;
What made you come back to the Trotters year after year?
Dunbar: This is not for everybody. Tex Harrison used to say that all the time. Nobody travels like the Globetrotters: most of time we play seven days a week and sometimes twice on Saturday and Sunday. It&rsquo;s not an easy gig so you have to have some love for the game and this organization to be able to do it day in day out.&nbsp;
Regardless of how many games we played a week I loved what I did. I had the best job in the world. It was kind of like Santa Claus. We put smiles on people&rsquo;s faces every day. A lot of people get up and say man, I don&rsquo;t want to go to work.
You are a Houston guy. Did you ever play at the Fonde Rec Center?
Dunbar: Come on man. You can&rsquo;t come to Houston and not do that. Once we got off the road that&rsquo;s where we went to play. I recruited Moses Malone coming out of high school, he was down there. All the pros &ndash; John Lucas &ndash; everybody; whose who in the game of basketball and they went to the Fonde Rec Center.&nbsp;
I still play downtown.&nbsp;
With the Globetrotters, we do fool around a bit, but when we come back home, we go to Fonde and get it on.
How do you think you&rsquo;d have been as an NBA player?
Dunbar: I don&rsquo;t think I&rsquo;d have been bad. I went that route and was tired. I played a year in Europe &ndash; came back signed a free agent contract with the Houston Rockets and was in LA in the summer pro with those guys. They would play me sparingly. I thought I did alright when they played me.&nbsp;
There comes a point in your life when you have to move on.
People from the Globetrotters asked me to come to training camp and everything else is history. I&rsquo;ve enjoyed what I have done. I think I left a stamp on some people&rsquo;s lives.&nbsp; It&rsquo;s been a good run. It&rsquo;s like everything else you have your good times you have your bad times. I can tell you the good outweigh the bad. I&rsquo;d never trade it for anything in the world.

Nicknamed "Sweet Lou" as a Globetrotter, Dunbar has a gregarious presence, that radiates, even over the phone.

Q&A with Harlem Globetrotters legend 'Sweet Lou' Dunbar

The NBA released the remaining 25 players of the league's 75th anniversary team Thursday night on TNT.
Here is the official release from the NBA, which lists all 75 players that made the team and the people that voted on the NBA's top 75 players of all-time team:
"A total of 158 NBA championships and 730 NBA All-Star selections. &nbsp;A combined 110 Kia NBA Most Valuable Player Awards and Bill Russell NBA Finals MVP Awards. &nbsp;More than 1.5 million points scored.
Those are just some of the collective accomplishments of the players who comprise the NBA 75th Anniversary Team, which was announced across TNT and ESPN from Oct. 19-21 as the league tipped off its landmark 75th Anniversary Season.
The NBA 75th Anniversary Team was selected by a blue-ribbon panel of current and former NBA players, coaches, general managers and team and league executives, WNBA legends and sportswriters and broadcasters. &nbsp;Voters were asked to select the 75 Greatest Players in NBA History without regard to position. &nbsp;Panelists did not rank their selections. &nbsp;Current and former players were not allowed to vote for themselves.
As a result of a tie in the voting, the 75th Anniversary Team features 76 players. &nbsp;Team highlights include:
&bull; Eleven active players have been named to the 75th Anniversary Team: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Carmelo Anthony, Stephen Curry, Anthony Davis, Kevin Durant, James Harden, LeBron James, Kawhi Leonard, Damian Lillard, Chris Paul and Russell Westbrook.
&bull; All 50 members of the NBA 50th Anniversary Team, which was named in 1996, have been selected to the 75th Anniversary Team.
&bull; The 75th Anniversary Team includes four players who played in the first NBA All-Star Game in 1951 (Paul Arizin, Bob Cousy, George Mikan and Dolph Schayes), the first winner of the Kia NBA Most Valuable Player Award (Bob Pettit for the 1955-56 season) and the first winner of the Bill Russell NBA Finals MVP Award (Jerry West for the 1969 NBA Finals).
&bull; Bill Russell joins Cousy, Mikan and Pettit as the only four players who have been named to all four NBA Anniversary Teams: the 25th Anniversary Team (10 players named), 35th Anniversary Team (11 players named), 50th Anniversary Team and 75th Anniversary Team. (The 25th Anniversary Team was the only one of the four teams that did not allow for the inclusion of active players at the time.)
&bull; Six international players from six countries and territories have been selected to the 75th Anniversary Team: Antetokounmpo (Greece), Tim Duncan (U.S. Virgin Islands), Patrick Ewing (Jamaica), Steve Nash (Canada), Dirk Nowitzki (Germany) and Hakeem Olajuwon (Nigeria).
&bull; The five NBA legends who are serving as ambassadors for the 75th Anniversary Season are part of the 75th Anniversary Team: Clyde Drexler, Magic Johnson, Nowitzki, Pettit and Oscar Robertson. Representing different eras of the league&rsquo;s history, the ambassadors will make appearances throughout the 2021-22 season and have a significant presence at NBA All-Star 2022 in Cleveland.
The NBA 75th Anniversary Team is listed below in alphabetical order, followed by the list of voters. &nbsp;The balloting was tabulated by the independent accounting firm Ernst &amp; Young LLP. &nbsp;For player profiles on each member of the 75th Anniversary Team, click here and visit NBA.com/75."
<table style="width: 95.7926%; height: 464px;">
<tbody>
<tr style="height: 27px;">
<td style="text-align: center; width: 149.879%; height: 27px;" colspan="4" width="691">NBA 75TH ANNIVERSARY TEAM</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 23px;">
<td style="width: 27.0755%; height: 23px;" width="173">Kareem Abdul-Jabbar</td>
<td style="width: 27.5653%; height: 23px;" width="173">Clyde Drexler</td>
<td style="width: 19.6609%; height: 23px;" width="173">Damian Lillard</td>
<td style="width: 75.5776%; height: 23px;" width="173">Scottie Pippen</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 23px;">
<td style="width: 27.0755%; height: 23px;" width="173">Ray Allen</td>
<td style="width: 27.5653%; height: 23px;" width="173">Tim Duncan</td>
<td style="width: 19.6609%; height: 23px;" width="173">Jerry Lucas</td>
<td style="width: 75.5776%; height: 23px;" width="173">Willis Reed</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 23px;">
<td style="width: 27.0755%; height: 23px;" width="173">Giannis Antetokounmpo</td>
<td style="width: 27.5653%; height: 23px;" width="173">Kevin Durant</td>
<td style="width: 19.6609%; height: 23px;" width="173">Karl Malone</td>
<td style="width: 75.5776%; height: 23px;" width="173">Oscar Robertson</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 23px;">
<td style="width: 27.0755%; height: 23px;" width="173">Carmelo Anthony</td>
<td style="width: 27.5653%; height: 23px;" width="173">Julius Erving</td>
<td style="width: 19.6609%; height: 23px;" width="173">Moses Malone</td>
<td style="width: 75.5776%; height: 23px;" width="173">David Robinson</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 23px;">
<td style="width: 27.0755%; height: 23px;" width="173">Nate Archibald</td>
<td style="width: 27.5653%; height: 23px;" width="173">Patrick Ewing</td>
<td style="width: 19.6609%; height: 23px;" width="173">Pete Maravich</td>
<td style="width: 75.5776%; height: 23px;" width="173">Dennis Rodman</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 23px;">
<td style="width: 27.0755%; height: 23px;" width="173">Paul Arizin</td>
<td style="width: 27.5653%; height: 23px;" width="173">Walt Frazier</td>
<td style="width: 19.6609%; height: 23px;" width="173">Bob McAdoo</td>
<td style="width: 75.5776%; height: 23px;" width="173">Bill Russell</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 23px;">
<td style="width: 27.0755%; height: 23px;" width="173">Charles Barkley</td>
<td style="width: 27.5653%; height: 23px;" width="173">Kevin Garnett</td>
<td style="width: 19.6609%; height: 23px;" width="173">Kevin McHale</td>
<td style="width: 75.5776%; height: 23px;" width="173">Dolph Schayes</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 23px;">
<td style="width: 27.0755%; height: 23px;" width="173">Rick Barry</td>
<td style="width: 27.5653%; height: 23px;" width="173">George Gervin</td>
<td style="width: 19.6609%; height: 23px;" width="173">George Mikan</td>
<td style="width: 75.5776%; height: 23px;" width="173">Bill Sharman</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 23px;">
<td style="width: 27.0755%; height: 23px;" width="173">Elgin Baylor</td>
<td style="width: 27.5653%; height: 23px;" width="173">Hal Greer</td>
<td style="width: 19.6609%; height: 23px;" width="173">Reggie Miller</td>
<td style="width: 75.5776%; height: 23px;" width="173">John Stockton</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 23px;">
<td style="width: 27.0755%; height: 23px;" width="173">Dave Bing</td>
<td style="width: 27.5653%; height: 23px;" width="173">James Harden</td>
<td style="width: 19.6609%; height: 23px;" width="173">Earl Monroe</td>
<td style="width: 75.5776%; height: 23px;" width="173">Isiah Thomas</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 23px;">
<td style="width: 27.0755%; height: 23px;" width="173">Larry Bird</td>
<td style="width: 27.5653%; height: 23px;" width="173">John Havlicek</td>
<td style="width: 19.6609%; height: 23px;" width="173">Steve Nash</td>
<td style="width: 75.5776%; height: 23px;" width="173">Nate Thurmond</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 23px;">
<td style="width: 27.0755%; height: 23px;" width="173">Kobe Bryant</td>
<td style="width: 27.5653%; height: 23px;" width="173">Elvin Hayes</td>
<td style="width: 19.6609%; height: 23px;" width="173">Dirk Nowitzki</td>
<td style="width: 75.5776%; height: 23px;" width="173">Wes Unseld</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 23px;">
<td style="width: 27.0755%; height: 23px;" width="173">Wilt Chamberlain</td>
<td style="width: 27.5653%; height: 23px;" width="173">Allen Iverson</td>
<td style="width: 19.6609%; height: 23px;" width="173">Hakeem Olajuwon</td>
<td style="width: 75.5776%; height: 23px;" width="173">Dwyane Wade</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 23px;">
<td style="width: 27.0755%; height: 23px;" width="173">Bob Cousy</td>
<td style="width: 27.5653%; height: 23px;" width="173">LeBron James</td>
<td style="width: 19.6609%; height: 23px;" width="173">Shaquille O&rsquo;Neal</td>
<td style="width: 75.5776%; height: 23px;" width="173">Bill Walton</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 23px;">
<td style="width: 27.0755%; height: 23px;" width="173">Dave Cowens</td>
<td style="width: 27.5653%; height: 23px;" width="173">Magic Johnson</td>
<td style="width: 19.6609%; height: 23px;" width="173">Robert Parish</td>
<td style="width: 75.5776%; height: 23px;" width="173">Jerry West</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 23px;">
<td style="width: 27.0755%; height: 23px;" width="173">Billy Cunningham</td>
<td style="width: 27.5653%; height: 23px;" width="173">Sam Jones</td>
<td style="width: 19.6609%; height: 23px;" width="173">Chris Paul</td>
<td style="width: 75.5776%; height: 23px;" width="173">Russell Westbrook</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 23px;">
<td style="width: 27.0755%; height: 23px;" width="173">Stephen Curry</td>
<td style="width: 27.5653%; height: 23px;" width="173">Michael Jordan</td>
<td style="width: 19.6609%; height: 23px;" width="173">Gary Payton</td>
<td style="width: 75.5776%; height: 23px;" width="173">Lenny Wilkens</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 23px;">
<td style="width: 27.0755%; height: 23px;" width="173">Anthony Davis</td>
<td style="width: 27.5653%; height: 23px;" width="173">Jason Kidd</td>
<td style="width: 19.6609%; height: 23px;" width="173">Bob Pettit</td>
<td style="width: 75.5776%; height: 23px;" width="173">Dominique Wilkins</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 23px;">
<td style="width: 27.0755%; height: 23px;" width="173">Dave DeBusschere</td>
<td style="width: 27.5653%; height: 23px;" width="173">Kawhi Leonard</td>
<td style="width: 19.6609%; height: 23px;" width="173">Paul Pierce</td>
<td style="width: 75.5776%; height: 23px;" width="173">James Worthy</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
&nbsp;
<table style="width: 97.1703%; height: 798px;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: center; width: 170.677%;" colspan="4" width="719">NBA 75TH ANNIVERSARY TEAM VOTING PANEL</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Kareem Abdul-Jabbar</td>
<td style="width: 24.8663%;" width="180">Tim Duncan</td>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Jack McCallum</td>
<td style="width: 96.613%;" width="180">David Robinson</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Marv Albert</td>
<td style="width: 24.8663%;" width="180">David DuPree</td>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Brian McIntyre</td>
<td style="width: 96.613%;" width="180">Bill Russell</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">David Aldridge</td>
<td style="width: 24.8663%;" width="180">Wayne Embry</td>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Ann Meyers</td>
<td style="width: 96.613%;" width="180">Bob Ryan</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Sam Amick</td>
<td style="width: 24.8663%;" width="180">Julius Erving</td>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Yoko Miyaji</td>
<td style="width: 96.613%;" width="180">Bill Simmons</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Giannis Antetokounmpo</td>
<td style="width: 24.8663%;" width="180">Patrick Ewing</td>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Earl Monroe</td>
<td style="width: 96.613%;" width="180">Sam Smith</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Steve Aschburner</td>
<td style="width: 24.8663%;" width="180">Walt Frazier</td>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Steve Nash</td>
<td style="width: 96.613%;" width="180">Stephen A. Smith</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Charles Barkley</td>
<td style="width: 24.8663%;" width="180">George Gervin</td>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Rachel Nichols</td>
<td style="width: 96.613%;" width="180">Marc Spears</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Rick Barry</td>
<td style="width: 24.8663%;" width="180">Russ Granik</td>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Dirk Nowitzki</td>
<td style="width: 96.613%;" width="180">Erik Spoelstra</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Howard Beck</td>
<td style="width: 24.8663%;" width="180">Becky Hammon</td>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Shaquille O&rsquo;Neal</td>
<td style="width: 96.613%;" width="180">John Stockton</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Dave Bing</td>
<td style="width: 24.8663%;" width="180">Elvin Hayes</td>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Robert Parish</td>
<td style="width: 96.613%;" width="180">Hannah Storm</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Sue Bird</td>
<td style="width: 24.8663%;" width="180">Ernie Johnson</td>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Candace Parker</td>
<td style="width: 96.613%;" width="180">Sheryl Swoopes</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Carol Blazejowski</td>
<td style="width: 24.8663%;" width="180">Magic Johnson</td>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Chris Paul</td>
<td style="width: 96.613%;" width="180">Isiah Thomas</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Mike Breen</td>
<td style="width: 24.8663%;" width="180">Sam Jones</td>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Bob Pettit</td>
<td style="width: 96.613%;" width="180">Rod Thorn</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Doris Burke</td>
<td style="width: 24.8663%;" width="180">Michael Jordan</td>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Scottie Pippen</td>
<td style="width: 96.613%;" width="180">Rudy Tomjanovich</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Jerry Colangelo</td>
<td style="width: 24.8663%;" width="180">Steve Kerr</td>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Gregg Popovich</td>
<td style="width: 96.613%;" width="180">Peter Vecsey</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Doug Collins</td>
<td style="width: 24.8663%;" width="180">Bob Lanier</td>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Shaun Powell</td>
<td style="width: 96.613%;" width="180">Bill Walton</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Cynthia Cooper</td>
<td style="width: 24.8663%;" width="180">Kara Lawson</td>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Ahmad Rashad</td>
<td style="width: 96.613%;" width="180">Rick Welts</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Bob Costas</td>
<td style="width: 24.8663%;" width="180">Lisa Leslie</td>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Willis Reed</td>
<td style="width: 96.613%;" width="180">Jerry West</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Dave Cowens</td>
<td style="width: 24.8663%;" width="180">Nancy Lieberman</td>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Tim Reynolds</td>
<td style="width: 96.613%;" width="180">Michael Wilbon</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Billy Cunningham</td>
<td style="width: 24.8663%;" width="180">Zach Lowe</td>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Bill Rhoden</td>
<td style="width: 96.613%;" width="180">Lenny Wilkens</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Stephen Curry</td>
<td style="width: 24.8663%;" width="180">Jerry Lucas</td>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Pat Riley</td>
<td style="width: 96.613%;" width="180">James Worthy</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Clyde Drexler</td>
<td style="width: 24.8663%;" width="180">Jackie MacMullan</td>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Oscar Robertson</td>
<td style="width: 96.613%;" width="180">Jeff Zillgitt</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
Some notable snubs include Tracy McGrady, Bernard King, Alex English, Vince Carter, Tony Parker, Chris Bosh, Dwight Howard, Bob McAdoo, and Pau Gasol to just name a few. This list was part of the NBA's marketing campaign for the league's historic 75th season and will surely spark a conversation/debate amongst NBA fans all over the world.

The NBA released the final 25 players of the 75th anniversary team Thursday on TNT.

Final 25 members of NBA's 75th Anniversary Team announced

The <a class="c-link" tabindex="-1" href="https://www.basketballnetwork.net/dr-j-shares-who-was-the-only-player-wilt-chamberlain-feared/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-stringify-link="https://www.basketballnetwork.net/giannis-antetokounmpo-shares-why-he-doesnt-associate-or-practice-with-other-nba-players-in-the-offseason/" data-sk="tooltip_parent" data-remove-tab-index="true">following article</a>&nbsp;first appeared on&nbsp;<a class="c-link" tabindex="-1" href="http://basketballnetwork.net/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-stringify-link="http://BasketballNetwork.net" data-sk="tooltip_parent" data-remove-tab-index="true">BasketballNetwork.net</a>:
It&rsquo;s hard to think of any players throughout NBA history that were as dominant and imposing on the court as Wilt Chamberlain. &ldquo;The Big Dipper&rdquo; is immortalized in history as one of the best players ever, setting numerous statistical <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/basketball-news-what-are-the-most-unbreakable-individual-records-in-nba-history-lebron-james-wilt-chamberlain" target="_blank" rel="noopener">records that will most likely never be broken</a>. At 7-foot-1, Wilt was an athletic giant who was ahead of its time, presenting an unsolvable case for most of the big men of his era.&nbsp;
The physical stature, skill, confidence and aura around Wilt made him the most feared matchup for the whole league, as you were getting 50-pieced with 20 rebounds on a nightly basis with ease. But even though Wilt dominated the NBA for the whole of his career, even he had to face some tough matchups from time to time. His biggest rival was Bill Russell, as his Celtics teams robbed Wilt of getting more than two rings on his resume.
You may think Russell was the only player Wilt didn&rsquo;t like to face, but there was one player you wouldn&rsquo;t think of instantly who apparently gave Wilt real problems. Julius Erving recently joined Darius Miles and Quentin Richardson on the "Knuckleheads" podcast and discussed various interesting topics.
Since Dr. J is remembered as one of the best dunkers in NBA history, the crew wanted to know Erving&rsquo;s favorite dunk from his career. Erving picked a monster dunk over the legendary Elvin Hayes, but along the way of telling the story of that day, he slipped in an interesting note about Big E&rsquo;s teammate Wes Unseld being one of the most rugged players in the game and the only guy Wilt feared:
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m going in the lane, and that damn Wes Unseld was back there helping, and Elvin. I knew Unseld would hurt you and not even blink,&rdquo; Erving said on <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9H4enZ3t-04" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Knuckleheads Podcast</a>. &ldquo;He would take the courage from the other players on your team because they wouldn&rsquo;t even come out and come to your rescue. Might not even come pick you up because they gonna get hit by him too. So he was the only guy Wilt was scared of in the league, and I always heard that before I got over to the league.&rdquo;
It&rsquo;s hard to imagine someone as imposing, confident and dominant as Wilt being afraid of anyone, but the legendary Hall-of-Famer Wes Unseld was apparently a thorn in his side. At just 6-foot-7, Unseld was one of those stern and strong undersized big men, who used his basketball IQ and fearlessness to handle his own in the paint. He wasn&rsquo;t the most skilled guy, but Unseld still managed to average a double-double while pulling down 14 rebounds per game for his whole career. A true enforcer and fighter.&nbsp;
That type of player will make anyone work, even the great Wilt Chamberlain. Unseld likely made Wilt work for every bucket and sent him home bruised. Sometimes, that is enough to make you simply hate playing against the guy.&nbsp;

On the "Knuckleheads" podcast, Julius Erving revealed the one NBA player that Wilt Chamberlain feared during his playing days.

Dr. J shares 'the only guy Wilt Chamberlain was scared of' in the NBA

Free agent guard Wayne Ellington Jr. has reached an agreement with the Los Angeles Lakers on a one-year deal.
Source: <a href="https://twitter.com/ChrisBHaynes/status/1422341918877315072" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Chris Haynes/Yahoo Sports</a>
Free agent F Trevor Ariza has agreed to a one-year deal with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Source: <a href="https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/1422341065261133826" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Adrian Wojnarowski/ESPN</a>
Free agent Dwight Howard is returning to the Lakers, his agent Qais Haider tells ESPN.
Source: <a href="https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/1422344004730032131" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Adrian Wojnarowski/ESPN</a>
ANALYSIS: All three players are former Lakers, although they joined the franchise at different times. The journeyman Ariza played for Los Angeles in the 2007-08 and 2008-09 seasons. Ellington spent a season with the Lakers in 2014-15. He shot 42.2% from downtown with the Pistons this past season.
Howard won the Lakers' most recent NBA title in 2020 and spent last season with the Philadelphia 76ers.

Both players are former Lakers, although they joined the franchise at different times.

Lakers agree to deals with Wayne Ellington, Trevor Ariza, Dwight Howard

The Bill Russell NBA Finals MVP award is often one of the most confusing additions to a player's legacy.
Logically, it doesn't make much sense to apply so much weight to an award tied a tiny seven-game sample size at most. But Finals MVP recognizes the ability to elevate one's game to new heights while on the greatest basketball stage in the world. It's a touchstone for the series, and that season, and its place in the history of the NBA.&nbsp;
But the small sample also allows some players to make a surprising mark on a Finals. These five award-winners may not have been the odds-on favorite entering the showdown, but they all took command in high-stakes moments and became X-factors for their respective franchises. Though these are the most "unlikely" Finals MVP winners, all of them deserve praise for contributing to success.
Magic Johnson, 1980 Los Angeles Lakers
When Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was ruled out for Game 6 of the 1980 NBA Finals with an ankle injury, the Lakers had to turn to one rookie point guard from Michigan State to bring home the title. Magic Johnson was less than a year removed from being selected first overall, but was already blazing his trail as a basketball legend.&nbsp;
In that pivotal Game 6, Johnson put up 42 points, 15 rebounds, 7 assists and 3 steals -- as the team's center -- in a 123-107 championship-clinching win over the Philadelphia 76ers. At age 20, he is still the youngest Finals MVP winner in league history and the only rookie to receive the award. Johnson's star would only continue to rise; he took home three Finals MVP trophies in his illustrious career.
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Jerry West, 1969 Los Angeles Lakers
Only one player has ever won Finals MVP as the leader of a losing franchise. Ironically, it came in the first year of the award, and even as trophy namesake Bill Russell and the Boston Celtics won in seven games. But it's tough to go against West's unreal series, in which he averaged 37.9 points (without a three-point line!), 7.4 assists and 4.7 rebounds per game.
West scored 53 points in the Lakers' Game 1 victory and 42 points in the 108-106 Game 7 loss. He beat out John Havlicek, who put up 28.3 points and 11.0 rebounds per game for Boston, to win the award. I'd bet against seeing another losing MVP winner for now, unless they can put up the same gaudy numbers as West.
Cedric Maxwell, 1981 Boston Celtics
Maxwell is the lone winner before 2000 to not be inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame. During his 11-year career, the small forward made an impact as a dynamic scorer and rebounder, but never made an All-Star team or averaged over 20 points per game.&nbsp;
But Maxwell did capitalize on a sluggish Finals between the Celtics and Houston Rockets. As a 25-year-old, he put up a team-high 17.7 points to go with 9.5 assists and 2.8 rebounds per game. Larry Bird, Kevin McHale and Robert Parish were all on the roster, but all three were still growing into their roles as a Big Three. Maxwell carried the torch in advance while helping hold Houston to just 38% shooting as a team during the series.
Andre Iguodala, 2015 Golden State Warriors
During the 2014-15 regular season, Iguodala was no more than a serviceable bench piece for the Warriors, averaging just 7.8 points and 3.3 rebounds per game. But he transformed in the Finals, putting up 16.3 points, 5.8 rebounds and 4.0 assists while helping the Warriors begin their dynasty with the 2015 championship.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
6 YEARS AGO, The Golden State Warriors won the title &amp; Andre Iguodala took home Finals MVP!<a href="https://t.co/LjXLhg1HOa">pic.twitter.com/LjXLhg1HOa</a>
&mdash; Fadeaway World (@FadeawayWorld) <a href="https://twitter.com/FadeawayWorld/status/1405140602744836109?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 16, 2021</a></blockquote>

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There's skepticism around this award, as Warriors superstar Stephen Curry also dropped 26.0 points, 6.3 assists, 5.2 rebounds and 1.8 steals per game in the series. But Iguodala was the front man for defending LeBron James, and led a Warriors fortress that kept the Cavaliers from surpassing 100 points in any game. Both Curry and Iguodala deserve praise for delivering Oakland a title.&nbsp;
Wes Unseld, 1978 Washington Bullets
Of all the awards handed out, this one stumps me. Unseld was no-doubt an amazing NBA player, a well-deserved Hall-of-Famer and a key piece for the Bullets. But the power forward won Finals MVP in 1978 while averaging just 9.0 points, 11.7 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game. Scoring isn't the only way to impact the game, but Unseld was seventh on his team in that category, and others such as Elvin Hayes and Bob Dandridge consistently stepped up in the seven-game series win over the Seattle SuperSonics.
In fairness to Unseld, he is one of the supreme connectors in league history. Unseld's play often transcended the box score, which was especially limited back in the 1970s, and his defense against Jack Sikma and the SuperSonics was notable. It's just such an outlier from other MVP-caliber performances. Hayes and Dandridge each shouldered the scoring load and pushed Washington ahead in some gritty contests.

Throughout NBA history, some surprising names have left their mark and won the Finals MVP award, writes Ethan Fuller.

Who were the most unlikely Finals MVP winners in NBA history?

Carmelo Anthony moved up to 10th on the NBA's all-time scoring list during Portland's game against the Atlanta Hawks on Monday night. Anthony moved past Hall of Famer Elvin Hayes (27,313 points) to crack the NBA's top 10 all-time scorers. Anthony also has a real chance to pass Moses Malone, who is ninth on the list with 27,409 points, before the season comes to a close.
Before Anthony signed with Portland, many people suggested he just hang 'em up and call it a career. But Carmelo has now cemented himself as a pivotal part of the Blazers' rotation in his second season with the team.
To read more on Carmelo and his success with the Blazers, <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/its-a-shame-carmelo-didnt-end-up-in-portland-sooner" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kenyon Martin of BasketballNews.com recently outlined why it's worked for 'Melo in Portland.</a>
Here is the bucket that moved Anthony past Hayes:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
4-point play for Melo moves him into 10th in all-time scoring! 👏 <a href="https://t.co/vsF1scCy42">pic.twitter.com/vsF1scCy42</a>
&mdash; NBA (@NBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1389379915003437056?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 4, 2021</a></blockquote>

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Here is the Associated Press' article on Melo's incredible accomplishment:
<div class="story_html__1fn6P">
ATLANTA (AP) &mdash; Carmelo Anthony looked like he was all done just a couple of seasons ago.
Now, he's part of a truly exclusive club in the NBA.
Welcome to the Top 10, Melo.
Anthony scored 14 points Monday night in <a href="https://apnews.com/article/portland-trail-blazers-atlanta-hawks-nba-sports-0388c756a1103f04f7e73d340a373b57">Portland's 123-114 loss</a> to the Atlanta Hawks, moving him past Elvin Hayes for 10th place on the career scoring list with 27,318.
&ldquo;If you&rsquo;re in the top 10 of anything of all time, it&rsquo;s a special moment,&rdquo; said Anthony, who's in his 18th NBA season and turns 37 before the month is out.
Anthony cruised past Hayes early in the second quarter, <a href="https://twitter.com/i/status/1389379373858426880https://twitter.com/i/status/1389379373858426880">hitting a 3-pointer while getting fouled</a> by Danilo Gallinari and knocking down the free throw to complete a four-point play.
Anthony was fully aware of how many points he needed to surpass Hayes.
&ldquo;I knew this moment,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I didn&rsquo;t know those other moments &mdash; 15, 13, 11. But 10 is something I knew."
It appeared Anthony was headed for a forced retirement after he played just 10 games during the 2018-19 season.
He parted ways with Houston, was waived by Chicago and didn't hook up with Portland until the next season was several weeks old.
Even though he went more than a year without playing a game, Anthony found new life and a new role with the Trail Blazers.
A starter his entire career, he's now coming off the bench, playing a supporting role to younger stars, players who still look up to him, such as Damian Lillard.
&ldquo;Being in the top 10 in a really special accomplishment,&rdquo; Lillard said. &ldquo;For him, it's probably a little more special. A lot of people counted him out and tried to finish him.&rdquo;
During his time with the Trail Blazers, Anthony has passed nine players on the career scoring list.
He knocked off Alex English, Kevin Garnett, John Havlicek and Paul Pierce last season. He's taken down Tim Duncan, Dominique Wilkins, Oscar Robertson, Hakeem Olajuwon and now Hayes this season.
Next up for Anthony: Moses Malone at 27,409 points.
Melo's got a good chance at catching him, too, by the end of the regular season.
&ldquo;For Melo to be out a year and come back makes it even more remarkable,&rdquo; Portland coach Terry Stotts said. &ldquo;I always appreciate greatness, whether it's a player I'm coaching or coaching against. Melo is a great player. He's a Hall of Fame player.&rdquo;
Lillard went on and on about what a pleasure it's been to have Anthony as a teammate, disputing those who have described him over the years as a selfish player who was never quite good enough to lead his teams &mdash; most notably, Denver and New York &mdash; to a championship.
&ldquo;I appreciate him more as a friend than I do as a teammate, and I really appreciate him as a teammate," Lillard said. "I think that really speaks to the kind of person he is.&rdquo;
Afterward, <a href="https://twitter.com/i/status/1389407171595603969">Stotts presented Anthony with a game ball</a> in the locker room.
&ldquo;We need to acknowledge milestones,&rdquo; the coach said. &ldquo;This is a big one. Top 10 of all time. That's big time.&rdquo;
After his teammates finished clapping, Anthony said, "A couple of years ago, I didn't think I was gonna be in this moment right now. I was out the league for whatever reason. I&rsquo;m back. I persevered. I stayed strong, I stayed true to myself and now I&rsquo;m here in the top 10.&rdquo;
He's not done yet.
&rdquo;I'm still enjoying the game," Anthony said. &ldquo;I'm still loving the game. I'm still approaching the game the same way.&rdquo;
___
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
</div>

Carmelo Anthony, of the Portland Trail Blazers, has moved into the top 10 of the NBA's all-time scoring list.

Carmelo Anthony moves up to No. 10 on NBA's all-time scoring list

CJ McCollum scored 10 of his 23 points in the fourth quarter and Portland held on for a 129-119 win over the Boston Celtics on Sunday night, extending the Trail Blazers' winning streak to four.
Damian Lillard had 26 points and 13 assists for Portland. Carmelo Anthony finished with 13 points &mdash; including a 3-pointer with 1:08 remaining to help seal it after Boston pulled within two points.
The Trail Blazers improved to 4-0 on their six-game road trip. They entered the game in seventh in the Western Conference playoff standings and are trying to work their way out of the play-in round.
Jayson Tatum scored 33 to lead Boston, which is trying to avoid falling into the play-in round in the final weeks of the season.
After rallying from 32 points behind to beat San Antonio in overtime Friday night, the Celtics couldn&rsquo;t produce another comeback against the Blazers, who shot 52% (44 for 85).
Norman Powell scored 23 points, Robert Covington had 10 and Jusuf Nurkic pulled down 11 rebounds for Portland.
After the teams went into halftime tied at 71, Portland capitalized on six turnovers in the third quarter and led 103-98 entering the fourth quarter.
Tristan Thompson appeared to put the Celtics back up on a put-back dunk, but the basket was waved off because of offensive interference. The Blazers, who led 107-106 after the call that was widely disputed by the Celtics and their fans, got back-to-back 3-pointers from McCollum and Anthony for a 113-106 lead.
The Celtics stayed within a basket or two and had another chance after Tatum hit a pair of free throws to pull Boston within 121-119 with 1:21 left to play.
But Anthony answered for Portland with a 3-pointer, then sidestepped his way back on defense while waving his arms at Boston&rsquo;s fans. After a miss by the Celtics, Powell took it the other way for a layup and Portland had a 126-119 lead.
TIP-INS
Trail Blazers: Lillard led all scorers with 11 points in the first quarter. ... Anthony needs 10 points to pass Elvin Hayes (27,313) for No. 10 on the NBA's career list.
Celtics: G Kemba Walker (left oblique strain) missed his fourth straight game. Coach Brad Stevens said the Celtics hoped to have Walker practicing again by Tuesday and possibly playing again Wednesday at Orlando. ... Marcus Smart finished with 11 points, eight assists and eight rebounds before he was ejected with 1:56 left after receiving a technical foul. ... Jaylen Brown, a game-time decision because of a right ankle sprain, finished with 16 points and 11 rebounds. ... Evan Fournier scored 21.
UP NEXT
Trail Blazers: Visit Atlanta on Monday night.
Celtics: Visit Orlando on Wednesday night.
___
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

CJ McCollum scored 10 of his 23 points in the fourth quarter Sunday night and helped the Trail Blazers extend their winning streak to four.

McCollum powers Trail Blazers past Celtics 129-119 in fourth straight win

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — LaMelo Ball returned from a 21-game absence with 11 points, leading the Charlotte Hornets to a 107-94 victory over the Detroit Pistons on Saturday night. 
A leading candidate for Rookie of the Year, Ball had surgery to repair a broken wrist sustained on March 20. The point guard played 28 minutes and added eight rebounds and seven assists, including a <a href="https://twitter.com/hornets/status/1388636661882445824?s=20">nifty underhand pass</a> from his own backcourt to Miles Bridges.
“You have to have top-notch confidence to pull something like that off,” Bridges said. “He threw it right to my pocket. It’s good to have him back.”
Terry Rozier led Charlotte with 29 points, including a 3-pointer to beat the shot clock to help stave off Detroit’s final rally late in the fourth quarter. 
Bridges added 27 points on 11-of-16 shooting and PJ. Washington had 16. Malik Monk, who returned after a 15-game absence (ankle), joined Ball with 11 points.
“I felt the game coming back to me,” Ball said. “Every day I woke up and the wrist was feeling better.”
Charlotte blocked 15 shots, a season high for any team and the fifth time the Hornets have had 15 or more blocks in a game in franchise history. They beat the Pistons for the 12th straight time.
Frank Jackson scored 25 points for Detroit, which has lost five of six. Saddiq Bey added 22, Tyler Cook 12, and Killian Hayes 10 for the Pistons, who cut the lead to single digits twice in the second half but couldn’t draw any closer.
Bridges left in the third period after appearing to injure his right shoulder blocking a shot. He had the shoulder on ice until late in the period and returned. 
The Hornets, who entered the day eighth in the Eastern Conference, snapped a two-game skid. They’ll play in Detroit on Tuesday.
“I expect it to only get better from here, but it was a breath of fresh air just to have that jolt back in the gym for us,” Hornets coach James Borrego said of Ball's return. “We found our way playing with pace even before this, but Melo really takes it to the next level.”
RISING ROOKIE
Borrego feels like Ball will prove he’s the Rookie of the Year in his final 10 games.
“We were climbing the standings with him in the lineup and Malik in the lineup,” Borrego said. “LaMelo has had a major impact on our winning this season. For a young guy to put up those numbers, but to do it with that sort of winning impact, is significant for us.”
Ball averaged 15.9 points and Monk 13.1 before their injuries.
COACH'S COMPLIMENT
Frank Jackson, a former Hornets draft pick, has filled a sixth-man need in Detroit. His coach identifies with his style.
“I’m happy for him,” Pistons coach Dwane Casey said of Jackson, averaging a career-best 9.1 points. “He’s my kind of guy. He’s worked, scratched, and earned everything.”
TIP-INS
Hornets: Charlotte missed its first 10 3-point attempts and finished 14 of 37. … Forward Gordon Hayward (right foot sprain) did not play. … Guard Devonte’ Graham (right knee contusion) also missed the game.
Pistons: Detroit started three rookies — Bey, Hayes, and Isaiah Stewart. Josh Jackson, with three years of service, was the most senior starter. … Detroit had seven players unavailable for the game Saturday. Ruled out: Hamidou Diallo, Wayne Ellington, Jerami Grant, Cory Joseph, Jahlil Okafor, Mason Plumlee, and Dennis Smith Jr.
UP NEXT:
Hornets: Host Miami on Sunday.
Pistons: Host Orlando on Monday.

LaMelo Ball returned from a 21-game absence with 11 points, leading the Hornets to a 107-94 win over the Pistons on Saturday.

LaMelo Ball returns, helps Hornets beat Pistons 107-94

On the&nbsp;<a href="https://open.spotify.com/episode/4XfYjNSwnDMz8u35qqKYj4?si=Pg3o40z7SsG8q8XOLK1yVw&amp;nd=1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Posted Up podcast with Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports</a>, Julius Erving declined to include LeBron James among his top two all-time NBA teams.
"He's the guy who has led the charge in terms of superteams being put together, when he put them together in Miami. He put together a team in Cleveland as well, and put together a team in Los Angeles. He can put together his own team -- I ain't gonna pick his team," Erving said on the podcast.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
&ldquo;He&rsquo;s the guy who has led the charge in terms of super teams...&rdquo;<a href="https://twitter.com/JuliusErving?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JuliusErving</a> doesn't have LeBron on his top-two All-Time NBA teams 👀 Check out Posted Up with <a href="https://twitter.com/ChrisBHaynes?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ChrisBHaynes</a> ➡️ <a href="https://t.co/LIqxEaKxVO">https://t.co/LIqxEaKxVO</a> <a href="https://t.co/IROWlOSYkT">pic.twitter.com/IROWlOSYkT</a>
&mdash; Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) <a href="https://twitter.com/YahooSports/status/1386847194242699265?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 27, 2021</a></blockquote>
Erving listed on his first team: Oscar Robertson, Jerry West, Elgin Baylor, Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain. On the second team was Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, Karl Malone and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

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Erving spoke to Yahoo Sports' Chris Haynes on the Posted Up podcast.

Julius Erving leaves LeBron James off all-time teams, cites his super-teams

Bradley Beal scored 33 points and the Washington Wizards rallied to beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 119-110 on Sunday night for their eighth straight victory.
Down eight early in the fourth quarter at 95-87, Washington tied it at 105 on Beal's jumper with 4:55 remaining. Washington then closed on a 14-5 run to equal the team&rsquo;s longest winning streak since 2001 when a player by the name of Michael Jordan was on the roster.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Bradley Beal's 33 PTS power <a href="https://twitter.com/WashWizards?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@WashWizards</a> to 8 STRAIGHT Ws! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/DCAboveAll?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#DCAboveAll</a> <a href="https://t.co/CSDcybxTez">pic.twitter.com/CSDcybxTez</a>
&mdash; NBA (@NBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1386510947737604096?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 26, 2021</a></blockquote>

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Beal, who entered Sunday as the NBA&rsquo;s second leading averaging 31.1 points and just a fraction behind Golden State&rsquo;s Stephen Curry, scored 20 points in the first half and then ended with nine in the fourth quarter despite constant double teams causing coach Scott Brooks to deliver some high praise.
&ldquo;He&rsquo;s impossible to stop,&rdquo; Brooks said.
Russell Westbrook had 14 points, 11 assists and five rebounds, ending his triple-double streak at four. He failed to record a triple-double for only the third time in 17 games.
Cavaliers coach J.B. Bickerstaff was happy with his team&rsquo;s defense on Westbrook.
&ldquo;I thought we did a good job of shrinking the floor around him and making him play in a crowd,&rdquo; Bickerstaff said.
Cavaliers scoring leader Collin Sexton sat out because of a concussion after scoring 28 points Friday night in a loss to Charlotte.
Darius Garland led Cleveland with 28 points, Jarrett Allen had 27 points and 12 rebounds, Cedi Osman scored 19 points, and Kevin Love had 12. The Cavaliers have lost five of six.
Robin Lopez had 14 points for Washington, and Daniel Gafford added 12 points to go along with four steals and four blocks.
TIP-INS
Cavaliers: Osman started after not playing in Cleveland&rsquo;s previous five games. Osman played 37 minutes. &hellip;Bickerstaff was given a technical foul with 1:07 left in the first half after Larry Nance Jr. was called for a foul on Gafford&rsquo;s attempted dunk. &hellip; Garland has scored 20 or more points in a career-best six straight games.
Wizards: Anthony Gill made his second career start, scoring five points in 14 minutes. ... Beal played his 596th game for Washington to move into fourth place in franchise history. He passed Charles Jones, who played for the then-Bullets from 1984-93&hellip;.Washington is 10-1 with Gafford active since coming over in a trade with Chicago.
HACHIMURA HEALING
Forward Rui Hachimura missed his fourth straight game with left knee soreness. Coach Scott Brooks said if Hachimura doesn&rsquo;t return Monday night against the Spurs he&rsquo;s hopeful to have him back Wednesday night against the Lakers.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s trending in the right direction,&rdquo; Brooks said.
JORDAN MEMORY
Speaking of Jordan, afterwards Beal said he had just one memory of Jordan on the Wizards and that was of a two-handed blocked shot of Ron Mercer.
FAILING FOURTH
Before the game Bickerstaff said one of the keys would be limiting turnovers against Washington&rsquo;s surging backcourt. After going up by a game-high eight immediately to start the fourth, Cleveland committed six turnovers to finish the game with 19. Washington had just ten.
&ldquo;I thought they did a really good job of turning up the pressure,&rdquo; Bickerstaff said.
&ldquo;They started trapping him and we were unsuccessful on the back side of it. That was the biggest difference in that fourth quarter.&rdquo;
MOVING UP
Beal become the second player in Washington franchise history to surpass 13,000 career points. Beal now has 13,012 points, trailing only franchise leader Elvin Hayes, who finished with 15,551.
UP NEXT
Cavaliers: Vs. Toronto in Tampa, Florida, on Monday night.
Wizards: Host San Antonio on Monday night.
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Bradley Beal scored 33 points and the Wizards rallied to beat the Cavaliers 119-110 on Sunday night for their eighth straight victory.

Wizards beat Cavs for 8th straight win, longest streak since 2001

DeMar DeRozan scored 11 of his team-high 32 points in the final 7:40 and made all 12 of his free throws in the San Antonio Spurs&rsquo; 110-108 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans on Saturday night.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Another 30-piece for <a href="https://twitter.com/DeMar_DeRozan?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DeMar_DeRozan</a> tonight 🔥 32 PTS | 8 AST | 7 REB <a href="https://t.co/KBMa72ApGG">pic.twitter.com/KBMa72ApGG</a>
&mdash; San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) <a href="https://twitter.com/spurs/status/1386173071866810369?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 25, 2021</a></blockquote>

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

With the Spurs clinging to a 104-103 lead with 2:04 left, DeRozan scored the next four points, and the Pelicans could not respond.
DeRozan played an outstanding floor game despite being limited with a right quad contusion that nearly prompted coach Gregg Popovich to hold him out of the game.
&ldquo;There was no doubt I was going to play,&rdquo; DeRozan said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s really sore, but I&rsquo;ve played with worse. It feels fine. I&rsquo;m glad I didn&rsquo;t get hit on it again.&rdquo;
The Pelicans damaged their chances by committing 19 turnovers and going 17 of 32 from the foul line. San Antonio made 27 of 32 free throws.
&ldquo;I think even with that the opportunities were there,&rdquo; Pelicans coach Stan Van Gundy said. &ldquo;We had some defensive rebounds down the stretch that we couldn&rsquo;t get. (But) the free throws and turnovers made it a close game. We shot the same number of free throws that they did and they made 10 more. That&rsquo;s going to be tough to overcome.&rdquo;
Derrick White added 22 points for the Spurs, hitting four 3-pointers. White also blunted a Pelicans rally by blocking a layup attempt by 7-foot center Jaxson Hayes, which led to a lane jumper by DeRozan that ignited his 11-point run in the final 7:40.
Popovich marveled at DeRozan&rsquo;s stamina and resilience in playing through bumps and bruises.
&ldquo;He seems to never get tired, and he&rsquo;s always ready to go,&rdquo; Popovich said. &ldquo;He wants the ball, he wants to score, but he&rsquo;ll get it to his teammates if that&rsquo;s appropriate. He loves being in that situation. He&rsquo;s the best on our team with that.&rdquo;
Zion Williamson led the Pelicans with 33 points and 14 rebounds, and Brandon Ingram had 24 points, six rebounds and six assists. Wiliamson had the shaky foul-shooting bug, going 7 of 13 on free throws.
&ldquo;They hit tough shots and made free throws, and some of those rebounds we need to get &mdash; we didn&rsquo;t get them,&rdquo; Williamson said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s as simple as that. It is frustrating a little bit, because those are things we can change. All I can say in that is take the lesson, learn from it and try to get better.&rdquo;
After taking just one shot in the second quarter, Ingram took nine shots in the third quarter and made five, scoring 11 points to help New Orleans cut it to 85-84. The Spurs were 1 of 8 from long range in the quarter and were outscored 34-28.
TIP-INS
Spurs: F Rudy Gay sat out with a back injury. &hellip; The Spurs went to a zone defense in the final three minutes and frustrated the Pelicans. &hellip; Coach Gregg Popovich said C Jakob Poeltl, who had five blocks, has been a defensive anchor. &ldquo;We would be in bad shape defensively it it weren&rsquo;t for Jakob Poeltl,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s not an overstatement. That&rsquo;s not an exaggeration. I&rsquo;m not trying to pump him up or anything. It&rsquo;s a fact.&rdquo;
Pelicans: Williamson reached the 2,000th-point mark in his 79th game, the 10th fastest in NBA history, tying him with Rick Barry and Elgin Baylor. &hellip; The Pelicans dropped 4 1/2 games behind San Antonio for 10th place in the Western Conference, the final play-in spot. The Spurs also hold a 2-1 series edge on New Orleans. &hellip; Coach Stan Van Gundy said G Nickeil Alexander-Walker (high ankle sprain) is escalating his physical activity and may return for the final 10 days. &hellip; G Josh Hart (finger surgery) is behind that pace,
UP NEXT
Spurs: At Washington on Monday night.
Pelicans: Host the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday night.

“He seems to never get tired, and he’s always ready to go,” Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich said of DeRozan.