Cougars

Day 8 of the 2024 NBA Playoffs saw some interesting games as we entered the halfway mark of the first round. The Orlando Magic leveled up their series vs the Cleveland Cavaliers, 2-2, at home. Boston regained control of the series against Miami after a tough game 2 loss to now lead 3-1, while OKC took a commanding 3-0 lead vs NOLA who are still without Zion Williamson. Lastly, the Lakers, after 4 games finally win against the Nuggets after leading most of the time in the entire series.
Check out the recap here:
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FINAL SCORE THREAD 🧵<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBAPlayoffs?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBAPlayoffs</a> - Game 4 🏀 CLE 89 - 112 ORL | Series tied 2-2 Franz Wagner 📊 34 PTS | 13-17 FG | 13 REB | 4 AST Jonathan Isaac 📊 14 PTS | 5-7 FG | 4-6 3P | 7 REB | 2 BLK Jarrett Allen 📊 21 PTS | 8-11 FG | 9 REB <a href="https://t.co/f31CYHJM2F">pic.twitter.com/f31CYHJM2F</a>
&mdash; BasketballNews.com (@basketbllnews) <a href="https://twitter.com/basketbllnews/status/1784369901299470391?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 27, 2024</a></blockquote>

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<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBAPlayoffs?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBAPlayoffs</a> - Game 3 🏀 OKC 106 - 85 NOP | Thunder leads series 3-0 Shai Gilgeous-Alexander 📊 24 PTS | 8-20 FG | 8 AST | 5 REB | 4 STL Jalen Williams 📊 21 PTS| 9-16 FG | 3-4 3P | 9 REB | 5 AST | 2 STL Josh Giddey 📊 21 PTS | 8-13 FG | 4-7 FG | 8 REB | 6 AST<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ThunderUp?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ThunderUp</a> <a href="https://t.co/T8twIl6DnJ">pic.twitter.com/T8twIl6DnJ</a>
&mdash; BasketballNews.com (@basketbllnews) <a href="https://twitter.com/basketbllnews/status/1784373151289454723?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 28, 2024</a></blockquote>

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<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBAPlayoffs?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBAPlayoffs</a> - Game 3 🏀 BOS 104 - 84 MIA | Celtics lead series 2-1 Jayson Tatum 📊 22 PTS | 11 REB | 6 AST Jaylen Brown 📊 22 PTS | 11-20 FG | 8 REB | 3 AST | 2 STL <a href="https://t.co/YF1clU5Ua2">pic.twitter.com/YF1clU5Ua2</a>
&mdash; BasketballNews.com (@basketbllnews) <a href="https://twitter.com/basketbllnews/status/1784394162206540138?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 28, 2024</a></blockquote>

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<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBAPlayoffs?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBAPlayoffs</a> - Game 4 🏀 DEN 108 - 119 LAL | Nuggets lead series 3-1 LeBron James 📊 30 PTS | 14-23 FG | 5 REB | 4 AST | 3 STL Anthony Davis 📊 25 PTS | 23 REB | 11-17 FG | 6 AST D'Angelo Russell 📊 21 PTS | 8-15 FG | 4 AST Austin Reaves 📊 21 PTS | 7-15 FG | 6 AST First time&hellip; <a href="https://t.co/DRLLSh7emJ">pic.twitter.com/DRLLSh7emJ</a>
&mdash; BasketballNews.com (@basketbllnews) <a href="https://twitter.com/basketbllnews/status/1784425292049903767?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 28, 2024</a>
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Day 8 of the 2024 NBA Playoffs saw some interesting games as we entered the halfway mark of the first round.

2024 NBA Playoffs Day 8 Recap: Lakers finally strike vs Nuggets; Celtics regain control

The Cleveland Cavaliers are the hottest team in the Eastern Conference, winning 14 of their last 15 games. The Cavs are currently 32-16, which is their best record through 48 games in five years.
With Monday night&rsquo;s win over the Sacramento Kings, the Cavaliers have climbed past the Milwaukee Bucks for second place in the Eastern Conference standings and first place in the Central Division. They are now just five games behind the Boston Celtics for first in the East.
This is somewhat uncharted territory for &lsquo;The Land&rsquo; as they have not been on any kind of streak like this before. Since 2024 began, they have the league&rsquo;s best record at 15-2 to surpass the franchise record for the best start to a calendar year. LeBron James&rsquo; 2008, 2010 and 2016 Cavaliers teams previously held the record with 12-3 marks.
Two of those James-led teams lost to the Finals-bound Celtics (2008 and 2010) while the 2016 squad won it all, which bodes well for this version of the Cavaliers with championship aspirations.
Their next 10 games to close out February include six teams below .500 and two games against a Philadelphia 76ers team without reigning MVP Joel Embiid, meaning this hot streak could continue. Their upcoming schedule is at Washington, at Brooklyn, at Toronto, vs. Philadelphia, vs. Chicago, vs. Orlando, at Phildelphia, at Washington, vs. Dallas and at Chicago.
The key to Cleveland&rsquo;s hot streak has been their main cog, Donovan Mitchell. Recently named to his fifth straight All-Star Game, the 6-foot-3 guard is averaging 28.2 points, 6.4 assists, 5.5 rebounds and 1.9 steals per game this season. The superb Mitchell has been willing the Cavs to win. What&rsquo;s more impressive is that Mitchell started this hot streak without fellow centerpieces Darius Garland and Evan Mobley in the lineup (although they have since returned from injuries).
Now, with Garland and Mobley back in the fold, the Cavaliers are even more lethal offensively and defensively as they look to contend in the Eastern Conference. Mobley&rsquo;s return has been impactful for Cleveland as they are tied for the best defense in the league in 2024, having a defensive rating of 105.4 along with the new-look New York Knicks.
The Cavaliers also filled a big need in the offseason by adding shooters Max Strus and Georges Niang in free agency. In last year&rsquo;s playoffs, they were exposed by the Knicks as they lacked outside shooting to complement Mitchell and Garland&rsquo;s drives and pick-and-roll actions with non-shooting big men Mobley and Jarrett Allen.&nbsp;
This season, the Cavs&rsquo; offseason signing of Strus has been huge, with the 6-foot-6 wing providing the necessary spacing. Strus was immediately inserted into the starting lineup over mainstays Caris LeVert and Isaac Okoro and it has done wonders for Cleveland.
Off the bench, Niang also provides the same threat from outside in certain situations. The Cavs also rewarded Sam Merrill with some playing time, and he&rsquo;s been balling and shooting the ball at a high clip as of late, helping the team go on this amazing run.
Speaking of LeVert and Okoro, both wings have made noticeable improvements from last season with each playing a specified role suited to their strengths. LeVert comes in as a secondary playmaker and shotmaker to ease the burden on Garland and Mitchell, while Okoro plays lockdown defense on the opponent&rsquo;s best perimeter player as well as providing timely cuts to the rim and knocking down the occasional three-pointer.
Moreover, head coach J.B. Bickerstaff has found his ideal rotation now that they&rsquo;re fully healthy again. Garland, Mitchell, Strus, Mobley and Allen are the team&rsquo;s usual starting five, and then off the bench comes Dean Wade, Okoro and LeVert. The Cavs always leave one big on the floor at all times (either Mobley or Allen) when the bench players come in while Garland and Mitchell&rsquo;s minutes get staggered in the middle of quarters. Niang and Merrill are their ninth and 10th men, providing a deep bench whenever they need extra shooting on the floor or when Strus struggles from outside.
Now, the Cavaliers will try to finish the season strong and hope that their regular-season success will translate to the postseason.

The Cleveland Cavaliers are the hottest team in the Eastern Conference, winning 14 of their last 15 games.

The Cavs are playing their best basketball of the Donovan Mitchell era

In a game featuring two of the best No.1 overall picks in recent memory, the Minnesota Timberwolves blasted the Orlando Magic, 113-92, at the Kia Center in Orlando on Tuesday night.
Anthony Edwards, the No.1 pick in 2020, and Paolo Banchero, the No. 1 pick in 2022, failed to get any kind of momentum going throughout the game. Edwards only mustered 6 points due to foul trouble, while Banchero struggled shooting against a big Wolves frontline, finishing 8-of-22 from the floor for 18 points.&nbsp;
Lucky for Edwards, his teammates picked up the slack as the Wolves ran the Magic off the floor right from the get-go. They led from start to finish and never let Orlando develop a rhythm or make a run.
Karl-Anthony Towns led the Wolves with 28 points on a perfect 5-of-5 shooting from three-point range, while frontcourt mate Rudy Gobert was dominant in the paint, finishing with 21 points and 12 boards. Towns also made history as one of three active players to have 25+ points, 5+ rebounds, 5+ assists, 5+ threes and 3+ steals, joining Stephen Curry and Jalen Brunson.
Orlando, who's still without Franz Wagner, Wendell Carter Jr., Joe Ingles and Jonathan Isaac among others, only shot 36% from the floor against a stifling Minnesota defense that is ranked No. 1 in the NBA.
After this blowout victory, the Wolves will travel to Boston to face the Celtics tomorrow in a battle of the top-seeded teams in each conference.
As for the Magic, they will face their division-rival Miami Heat in their next game; they are currently tied for the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference.

The Minnesota Timberwolves blasted the Orlando Magic, 113-92, at the Kia Center in Orlando on Tuesday night.

Timberwolves blow out Magic as Anthony Edwards, Paolo Banchero struggle

When the new league year began on July 1, NBA teams were quick to sign free agents and start negotiating extensions with some of their younger players.&nbsp;
Players who were selected in the first round of the NBA Draft are signed to rookie-scale contracts, which are eligible to be extended on the first day (July 1) of the fourth and final year of their deal. This past offseason, the vast majority of players eligible for rookie-scale extensions were picked in the first round in 2020. Teams have until the day before the start of the 2023-24 regular season (which begins on October 24) to agree to an extension, or else those players will hit restricted free agency next summer.&nbsp;
Out of the 30 first-round picks in the 2020 NBA Draft, 27 were eligible for rookie-scale extensions. In addition, the Orlando Magic&rsquo;s Chuma Okeke also became eligible for a rookie-scale extension because he signed his rookie deal in 2020, a year after he was drafted due to injury. So far this offseason, five players have signed extensions, with four of them receiving maximum contracts.&nbsp;
Those who received the max signed what&rsquo;s called a Designated Rookie Extension, which has a starting salary at 25% of the 2024-25 salary cap (projected at $37,405,750) with 8% raises over five years (for a total contract value of $216,953,350). However, via the &ldquo;Derrick Rose rule,&rdquo; if any of the players who signed one of these extensions is a member of any of the 2023-24 All-NBA teams, their starting salary will be set at 30% of the 2024-25 salary cap (projected at $44,886,900) with 8% raises over five years (for a total contract value of $260,344,020). These players include Minnesota&rsquo;s Anthony Edwards, Charlotte&rsquo;s LaMelo Ball, Indiana&rsquo;s Tyrese Haliburton and Memphis&rsquo; Desmond Bane. However, Bane&rsquo;s extension doesn&rsquo;t contain the &ldquo;Rose Rule&rdquo; language, so he can&rsquo;t receive a starting salary raise even if he earns an All-NBA nod.
There is also a new wrinkle in the Collective Bargaining Agreement that changed the rules in regards to rookie-scale extensions, allowing teams to offer all players an extension up to five years. Previously, only players who were offered maximum contracts could agree to an extension up to five years. So far, no team has given out a five-year non-max extension.
The only player who has signed a non-max rookie extension this offseason is Detroit&rsquo;s Isaiah Stewart. Stewart, the No. 16 pick in 2020, has been a starter for the rebuilding Pistons over the past few years. The tough, defensive big man agreed to a four-year, $64 million extension with $60 million guaranteed, $4 million in potential performance bonuses and a team option in the final season. Stewart&rsquo;s extension could serve as a potential benchmark for other big man extension candidates like Toronto&rsquo;s Precious Achiuwa and Atlanta&rsquo;s Onyeka Okongwu.
With 21 first-round picks (and Okeke) still awaiting a potential extension, let&rsquo;s take a look at who is most likely to receive an extension and what their deals might look like.
LIKELY TO BE EXTENDED
Patrick Williams (Chicago Bulls): Williams has been a steady force for the Bulls amid the team&rsquo;s struggles to consistently play winning basketball. The former Florida State forward has improved his shooting each year of his career but has yet to really break out as a primary scoring option for Chicago. Williams is just 22 years old and still has a lot of potential, so he should command an extension similar to what Atlanta&rsquo;s De&rsquo;Andre Hunter received last summer.
Extension Prediction: Four years, $90,000,000, no options
Onyeka Okongwu (Atlanta Hawks): Okongwu has been slotted as the Hawks&rsquo; center of the future for a few years now and has mostly looked the part backing up Clint Capela. Atlanta has a very crowded cap sheet, especially after extending Dejounte Murray. It is possible they could look to move Capela soon in order to free up cap space and give the starting center job to Okongwu. As mentioned above, look for Okongwu to ask for slightly above what Detroit gave Isaiah Stewart.
Extension Prediction: Four years, $72,000,000, could earn up to $80,000,000 with incentives, no options
Devin Vassell (San Antonio Spurs): The Spurs should try to lock up some of their reliable young pieces as they begin the Victor Wembanyama era. Similar to what San Antonio did with Keldon Johnson, they&rsquo;ll likely look to give Vassell a long-term value deal. They also could take advantage of the new CBA rules, keeping the former No. 11 pick under contract through 2029.
Extension Prediction: Five years, $110,000,000, no options
Josh Green (Dallas Mavericks): Green has quietly been developing very nicely with the Mavericks and could fight for a spot in the starting lineup this fall. The Australian native has shown real potential as a 3-and-D wing and could command the full mid-level exception if he reaches the open market next summer. Dallas shouldn&rsquo;t (and most likely won&rsquo;t) let that happen.
Extension Prediction: Four years, $65,000,000, no options
Immanuel Quickley (New York Knicks): Quickley is coming off his best season as a pro that saw him finish as runner-up for the NBA&rsquo;s Sixth Man of the Year award. A scoring machine, the former Kentucky guard would likely start for a good chunk of NBA teams, but will likely have to be the backup as long as Jalen Brunson is in New York. The Knicks would certainly love to keep Quickley, but look for them to wait all the way up to the October 23 deadline to pay him in order to maintain trade flexibility.
Extension Prediction: Four years, $88,000,000, could earn up to $92,000,000 with incentives, no options
Jaden McDaniels (Minnesota Timberwolves): McDaniels is certainly viewed as a core piece by the Timberwolves&rsquo; brass as they fought hard to keep him out of the Rudy Gobert trade, sacrificing more draft capital instead. The Washington product has been a versatile, two-way player since arriving in Minnesota and is an ideal wing next to Anthony Edwards. He should be paid accordingly.
Extension Prediction: Four years, $100,000,000, no options, declining annual salary
LIKELY TO REACH RESTRICTED FREE AGENCY
James Wiseman (Detroit Pistons): Wiseman has been better on both sides of the ball since being traded to Detroit last February, but his game still needs to be developed further if the Pistons are to seriously invest in him.
Isaac Okoro (Cleveland Cavaliers): Cleveland has been looking for a permanent solution at their starting small-forward position for some time now, resulting in them paying Caris LeVert and signing Max Strus. Okoro hasn&rsquo;t shown he can be the Cavs&rsquo; long-term solution.
Obi Toppin (Indiana Pacers): If Toppin had stayed in New York, there&rsquo;s no way he would have been extended. Now in Indiana, the former Naismith National Player of the Year should get a chance to start and improve his stock going into next summer.
Deni Avdija (Washington Wizards): Avdija is a pretty good young player outside of his shooting struggles. With a new regime in Washington, Avdija may be a trade candidate if new president Michael Winger doesn&rsquo;t see him as a part of the team&rsquo;s long-term plan.
Aaron Nesmith (Indiana Pacers): A starter for the Pacers last year, Nesmith may be buried on the depth chart with the additions of Toppin and rookie Jarace Walker. He hasn&rsquo;t made enough of an impact to warrant an extension.
Cole Anthony (Orlando Magic): Anthony has been a solid bench contributor for Orlando since being drafted out of North Carolina. However, the Magic backcourt is extremely crowded with the addition of rookie Anthony Black, making them unlikely to prioritize securing a deal with Anthony.
Aleksej Pokusevski (Oklahoma City Thunder): Poku is coming off a fractured leg that kept him out for the back half of last season. He needs to show that he can be a long-term piece if he wishes to stay with the Thunder.
Saddiq Bey (Atlanta Hawks): Bey is certainly talented enough to warrant an extension, fitting into the starting five seamlessly after being acquired from Detroit at the trade deadline. However, the team may have to choose between extending Bey or Okongwu in order to manage their already-very-full salary cap sheet.&nbsp;
Precious Achiuwa (Toronto Raptors): The Raptors have already committed to a center in Jakob Poeltl this offseason. Achiuwa hasn&rsquo;t shown enough to break through outside of his bench role to warrant an extension.
Zeke Nnaji (Denver Nuggets): Despite not being a regular member of the rotation, Nnaji has shown he is a capable backup option to Nikola Jokic when he&rsquo;s on the floor. While an extension isn&rsquo;t in the cards, the Nuggets should look to retain him.
Payton Pritchard (Boston Celtics): Boston would probably love to keep Pritchard on a team-friendly deal, as he has been a reliable insurance option for them since coming into the league. The former Oregon guard will more than likely want to test the free-agency market to see if he can possibly find a path to more playing time elsewhere.
LIKELY TO NOT RECEIVE A QUALIFYING OFFER, BECOME AN UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENT NEXT SUMMER
Killian Hayes (Detroit Pistons): Hayes has not lived up to his top-10 pick billing and has fallen out of Pistons general manager Troy Weaver&rsquo;s long-term outlook. Detroit could extend him a qualifying offer next summer, but he likely won&rsquo;t receive much interest on the open market.
Kira Lewis Jr. (New Orleans Pelicans): Lewis has been relegated to a reserve while suffering through multiple injuries through his first three years in the NBA. The Pelicans have made it known league-wide that he is available for trade.
Chuma Okeke (Orlando Magic): Okeke has struggled with his all-around game for the better part of the last two years and is unlikely to be retained by Orlando going forward.
Malachi Flynn (Toronto Raptors): Flynn hasn&rsquo;t taken advantage of the many opportunities he&rsquo;s had to be a part of the Raptors&rsquo; rotation as the backup point guard. He may see some run this year, but the Raptors may have seen enough to move on this summer.
THE TYRESE MAXEY WILD CARD
Tyrese Maxey (Philadelphia 76ers): Maxey is the wild card of the rookie-extension candidates, as Sixers general manager Daryl Morey has said that the team will hold off on extending the 22-year-old shooting guard in order to maintain trade and cap flexibility going into next summer. Maxey has blossomed into a core member of the 76ers going forward and would likely receive close to, if not the full, max rookie extension. With no end in sight to the James Harden debacle, the Sixers may want to secure their young prize before their situation could turn worse.

Blake Stern takes a look at which players are most likely to receive a rookie-scale extension prior to the October 23 deadline.

Checking in on the NBA's rookie-scale extension candidates

With the NBA&rsquo;s 2023 free-agency period pretty much wrapped up, why not take a look at how projecting next year's free-agent market? Obviously, a lot can change between now and then, but let&rsquo;s examine each team&rsquo;s cap situation and how much cap room they project to have next summer.&nbsp;
Next year&rsquo;s free-agency class could feature some big names, including Kawhi Leonard, Pascal Siakam, Tyrese Maxey (restricted), Paul George, LeBron James, James Harden, Jrue Holiday, OG Anunoby and DeMar DeRozan.&nbsp;
For the purposes of this exercise, I&rsquo;m going to separate teams into four spending-power tiers: Cap Space Teams, Non-Tax MLE Teams, Luxury Tax Teams and Second Apron Teams. Also, let's assume that the salary cap will be set at $149,623,000 and the luxury tax will come in at $181,823,000, the maximum 10% jump from this upcoming season set under the new CBA.
CAP SPACE TEAMS
Teams in this tier are currently projected to have cap space next summer. They have spending access to their cap space, Bird Rights, the Room Exception (projected at $8,495,000) and the Veteran Minimum Exception.
San Antonio Spurs ($77,195,776 under the cap) If Victor Wembanyama is 70% as good as he&rsquo;s hyped up to be entering this season, one would figure that the Spurs will spend big or at least make a meaningful impact on the free-agent market next summer. They project to have an enormous amount of cap space, so it&rsquo;s very possible we&rsquo;ll see San Antonio take on some more bad contracts in trades to give them even more draft capital. Also, they&rsquo;ll want to retain Devin Vassell, who will be a restricted free agent next offseason once the Spurs extend his qualifying offer.
Philadelphia 76ers ($73,034,842 under the cap) The Sixers are perhaps the most interesting team in terms of their 2024 offseason outlook. By letting Tyrese Maxey hit restricted free agency next summer rather than extending him this year, Philadelphia gave themselves serious cap flexibility. Tobias Harris and James Harden both have expiring contracts, so the Sixers will have to use their cap space to replace their production. A Harden trade would obviously change their projected cap room, but it remains to be seen what they&rsquo;ll get back for the former MVP and how much it&rsquo;ll impact their books.
Toronto Raptors ($60,339,034 under the cap) After losing Fred VanVleet, the Raptors are walking a tightrope when it comes to whether they&rsquo;ll compete or rebuild. They face some tough decisions. Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby are both set to hit free agency next summer, so Toronto needs to decide whether they want to extend or trade their best players. Not to mention, Precious Achiuwa and Gary Trent Jr. also need new contracts.
Orlando Magic ($58,010,944 under the cap) Orlando has a lot of options for next summer, but the Magic may start with retaining many of their own players. Franz Wagner will likely receive a big contract extension, while Markelle Fultz and Cole Anthony will be up for new contracts. Given that Orlando has a logjam in their backcourt &ndash; with Fultz, Anthony, Jalen Suggs and Anthony Black &ndash; it&rsquo;ll be interesting to see what they do with Fultz and Anthony. The Magic will still have plenty of room to add quality talent for yearly average values over the NTMLE.
Detroit Pistons ($57,781,166 under the cap) Detroit may approach the 2024 offseason similar to how Houston approached this summer, as a young team hoping to use its massive cap space on good veterans in order to take bigger steps toward playoff contention. With that said, the first priority for the team will be agreeing to a contract extension with Cade Cunningham.
Utah Jazz ($50,315,319 under the cap) The Jazz find themselves in a unique position where they could go in two directions. After committing a three-year deal to Jordan Clarkson, they can use their cap space to give 2023 Most Improved Player Lauri Markkanen a contract extension. If they want to have significant cap space for next summer instead, they can hold off on giving Markkanen an extension until free agency is settled.
Washington Wizards ($47,123,801 under the cap) Despite their cap space next year, don&rsquo;t expect Washington to be a big player in 2024 free agency. In the beginning stages of a rebuild, the Wizards will probably keep their sights on collecting more draft capital. They do have an interesting decision coming up with recent trade acquisition Tyus Jones, whom they&rsquo;ll likely want to keep long-term.&nbsp;
Charlotte Hornets ($41,300,515 under the cap)&nbsp; They may lose some 2024 cap space if they eventually re-sign PJ Washington this offseason, but watch out for Charlotte to be one of the many small-market teams with money to spend next summer. With LaMelo Ball in the first year of his max contract extension, Charlotte may cash in on a marquee player to keep their young star happy.
Brooklyn Nets ($33,048,185 under the cap) The Nets do have the potential to have significant cap space next summer if they choose not to re-sign most of their own free agents. However, the Nets will more than likely focus on exploring the trade market and retaining big man Nic Claxton before reaching next year&rsquo;s free agency. Spencer Dinwiddie and Royce O&rsquo;Neale will also hit free agency next offseason.
Indiana Pacers ($20,488,005 under the cap) Indiana could get to an even higher number in cap space if they decline Bruce Brown&rsquo;s $23 million team option next season. If Brown has a good year, the Pacers would likely keep him on a long-term deal that would consume a good chunk of their space. Other impending free agents they might like to keep include Obi Toppin, Aaron Nesmith and Jalen Smith.
Oklahoma City Thunder ($10,264,814 under the cap) The Thunder will likely continue to utilize the strategy of taking on short-term, bad-money contracts in exchange for draft capital. As they inch closer to contention, they will be looking at some big-money extensions for many of their young pieces, including one for Josh Giddey next year.&nbsp;
NON-TAX MLE TEAMS
Teams in this tier are currently projected to be over the salary cap but under the luxury tax. They have spending access to Bird Rights, the Non-Taxpayer Mid-Level Exception (projected at $13,644,000), the Bi-Annual Exception (projected at $4,968,000) unless used in 2023-24, and the Veteran Minimum Exception.
Chicago Bulls ($19,465,689 under the cap) The Bulls could potentially operate as a cap-space team if they elect to let DeMar DeRozan and Patrick Williams walk in free agency, but that seems unlikely. In addition, the Bulls could potentially create more space if Lonzo Ball&rsquo;s knee injury is considered career-ending by an NBA/NBPA-appointed physician. (Ball would still be paid, it just wouldn&rsquo;t count against the cap).&nbsp;
Sacramento Kings ($210,669 under the cap) The Kings used up most of their cap space by signing Domantas Sabonis to a big four-year extension that ties him with the team through 2028. As long as they are competitive, they will likely pursue quality pieces with their Non-Tax MLE to support Sabonis and De&rsquo;Aaron Fox. They will also likely try to keep Malik Monk and look at extension options for Davion Mitchell.
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New Orleans Pelicans ($487,911 over the cap) The Pelicans are fairly set with their core of CJ McCollum, Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram under contract through 2025. Ingram and McCollum are both extension-eligible this offseason, but the Pelicans may wait on dishing out extensions to maintain flexibility under the tax. New Orleans must also monitor Jonas Valanciunas&rsquo; free agency and a possible extension for Trey Murphy III.&nbsp;
Atlanta Hawks ($1,658,172 over the cap) Similar to the Kings, the Hawks wiped away their cap space when they signed Dejounte Murray and De&rsquo;Andre Hunter to four-year, $120 million and four-year, $90 million extensions, respectively. Already pushing past the salary cap, the Hawks may face a money crunch as they broach the luxury tax line. Retaining restricted free agents Onyeka Okongwu and Saddiq Bey next offseason may be tricky.
Los Angeles Clippers ($5,018,261 over the cap) The Clippers are in an interesting spot with George and Leonard both needing new deals, which they will likely get despite their inability to stay on the floor. Many veterans with big salaries will come off the books next year, like Marcus Morris, Nic Batum and Robert Covington. The question is whether the Clippers will continue to commit significant capital to a roster that hasn&rsquo;t met its lofty expectations.
Miami Heat ($7,751,630 over the cap) The Miami Heat are in a holding pattern with their roster as they engage in a Mexican standoff with the Blazers on a Damian Lillard trade, which could see them skyrocket into the deep tax. Outside of the Dame situation, Jimmy Butler will likely look for another big extension this offseason, which will pay him max money deep into his late 30s. They will also have to contend with potentially losing Caleb Martin, who has a player option for 2024-25.
Houston Rockets ($8,734,919 over the cap) The biggest spenders of this past offseason, the Rockets made big moves for Fred VanVleet and Dillon Brooks. Houston could get back into the cap-space tier again if they choose to part ways with Kevin Porter Jr. and his non-guaranteed $15.9 million salary. Jalen Green and Alperen Sengun will also be up for extensions.&nbsp;
Cleveland Cavaliers ($11,399,749 over the cap) The Cavs are pretty set going into the 2023-24 season and beyond with two max guys (Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell) and key guys on fairly big deals (Jarrett Allen, Caris LeVert and Max Strus). They will likely give Evan Mobley a big extension next offseason, which could push them into the luxury tax in the near future. For next offseason, their only notable free agent is Isaac Okoro.
New York Knicks ($11,400,861 over the cap) This morning, the Knicks inked Josh Hart to a four-year contract extension that pushed them over the cap for 2024-25. Their main concerns for next summer are Immanuel Quickley and Isaiah Hartenstein, who are both up for new contracts. They will likely be able to avoid the tax by declining their team option on Evan Fournier or trading his expiring contract for another expiring deal.
Dallas Mavericks ($13,566,153 over the cap) The Mavericks are not likely to seek pathways to cap space next summer after doubling down on their trade for Kyrie Irving by re-signing him to a three-year, $120 million deal. They should look to retain Josh Green, who will be a restricted free agent. Luka Doncic&rsquo;s happiness looms over all of the Mavs&rsquo; moves, as ESPN&rsquo;s Tim McMahon <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/mavs-fear-luka-doncic-may-request-trade-unless-they-build-contender">reported in April</a> that the Mavericks are worried about Doncic potentially seeking a trade elsewhere as soon as next year.
Los Angeles Lakers ($15,380,636 over the cap) The Lakers had a pathway to almost two max slots in the unlikely scenario that they decided to pivot from the LeBron-AD era. However, that option is out the window with them inking Davis to a three-year supermax extension that will keep him with the team through 2028. LeBron James&rsquo; decision to stay with the team or leave will ultimately dictate how the Lakers approach spending next offseason.
Portland Trail Blazers ($20,567,876 over the cap) Portland is in the midst of turning the page to a new era as they look to accommodate franchise cornerstone Damian Lillard&rsquo;s trade request. If they do end up trading Lillard, expect their cap numbers to come down slightly, but not enough to get any meaningful space. Whether Lillard is traded for the Miami package or something else, Portland shouldn&rsquo;t be a major player in free agency for a while.&nbsp;
LUXURY TAX TEAMS
Teams in this tier are currently projected to be over the salary cap and luxury tax. They have spending access to Bird Rights, the Taxpayer Mid-Level Exception (projected at $5,500,000), and the Veteran Minimum Exception.
Minnesota Timberwolves ($14,474,085 under the tax) The Timberwolves have paid the luxury tax only once since 2007. They should be a tax team once again, with Karl-Anthony Towns' supermax extension and Anthony Edwards' max extension kicking in. In addition, Minnesota will need to use significant capital to keep players like Jaden McDaniels, Mike Conley and Kyle Anderson, all of whom will be free agents in 2024.
Golden State Warriors ($9,696,462 under the tax) While the Warriors are currently under the tax, they are likely going to re-sign 2024 free agent Klay Thompson to a long-term deal at a lower number or at least use his Bird Rights to acquire another piece at a similar number. Golden State can cut some costs by releasing Chris Paul after the season, as his $30 million salary for 2024-25 is non-guaranteed.
Milwaukee Bucks ($6,142,529 under the tax) The Bucks re-signed Khris Middleton and Brook Lopez to big-money deals, committing to the players who won them the 2021 title. Another one of those players, Jrue Holiday, is set to reach free agency and will likely demand max money. In addition, Giannis Antetokounmpo becomes eligible for a supermax extension of up to three years in October and can sign a four-year supermax extension next offseason.
Denver Nuggets ($6,732,627 over the tax) The defending champs have their core of Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, Michael Porter Jr. and Aaron Gordon locked in through the 2025 offseason. They&rsquo;ve already lost Bruce Brown and Jeff Green this summer and will be forced to work around the edges with Kentavious Caldwell-Pope potentially heading for free agency next summer.
Boston Celtics ($7,306,800 over the tax) The trade for Kristaps Porzingis pushed the Celtics into the luxury tax for the first time since 2018, and that was before they signed Jaylen Brown to a five-year supermax extension. With Jayson Tatum&rsquo;s own supermax extension on the horizon next year, the Celtics figure to be a tax team, and potentially a second apron team, for the foreseeable future.
SECOND APRON TEAMS
Teams in this tier are currently projected to be over the salary cap, luxury tax and second luxury tax apron ($17.5 million over the tax). They have spending access to just Bird Rights and the Veteran Minimum Exception. The second apron was introduced in the new CBA and prevents teams from using the Taxpayer MLE, trading first-round picks seven years away, signing buyout free agents and taking back more salary than they send out in trades among other restrictions.
Memphis Grizzlies ($13,829,477 over the tax) For the first time under owner Robert Pera, the Grizzlies will be paying the luxury tax. While Memphis probably won&rsquo;t reach the second apron, they are not likely to have enough spare capital to use their Tax MLE and be able to fill out their roster without going over it. Their core of Ja Morant, Desmond Bane and Jaren Jackson Jr. are locked up to big money, long-term deals that will keep Memphis among the league's biggest spenders for likely the next decade-plus.
Phoenix Suns ($27,039,607 over the tax) Phoenix is by far the most limited team when it comes to spending, and they will be for the next few seasons after trading for Bradley Beal&rsquo;s behemoth contract. With four max contracts, including two supermax contracts, the Suns have blown through the second apron. Like this past offseason, the supporting cast around their core four will be mostly minimum-salary contracts.

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Which NBA teams project to have the most cap space in 2024?

ATLANTA (AP) &mdash; Dejounte Murray sank three free throws with 2:14 remaining to give Atlanta the lead and added a fall-away jumper with less than a minute left to lead the Hawks to a 120-118 win over the short-handed Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday night.
Murray led Atlanta with 29 points and Onyeka Okongwu added a season-high 21. The Hawks remained tied with Toronto, which beat Miami 106-92 on Tuesday night, for the eighth-best record in the Eastern Conference.
The Cavaliers held out starting forward Isaac Okoro (left knee soreness) and center Jarrett Allen (strained right groin) and were led by Donovan Mitchell&rsquo;s 44 points. Mitchell, who surpassed 10,000 career points, tied LeBron James&rsquo; Cavaliers record of10 games of 40-or-more points in a season.
With Atlanta&rsquo;s win, NBA- and Eastern Conference-leading Milwaukee clinched the Central Division title.
WARRIORS 120, PELICANS 109
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) &mdash; Stephen Curry had 39 points with eight 3-pointers, eight rebounds and eight assists, Jordan Poole added 21 points and Golden State rallied past New Orleans.
Klay Thompson scored 17 and hit five 3s to set a single-season career high of 278, which leads the NBA. Draymond Green was whistled for a double technical for tussling with Brandon Ingram late in the second quarter &mdash; and Green&rsquo;s foul was upgraded to a Flagrant 1. He already served a one-game suspension March 17 at Atlanta for his 16th technical.
The Warriors moved up a spot into sixth place in the crowded Western Conference standings, a half-game up on Minnesota and 1 1/2 games ahead of New Orleans. The top six teams are guaranteed playoff berths.
Ingram had 26 points, eight rebounds and seven assists, Trey Murphy III scored 21 points and CJ McCollum added 15 for the Pelicans, who came in riding a five-game winning streak.
GRIZZLIES 113, MAGIC 108
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) &mdash; Desmond Bane scored 31 points and made 8 of 10 free throws down the stretch, leading Memphis past Orlando.
Bane&rsquo;s free throws thwarted a last-minute rush by the Magic, led by Franz Wagner, who ended up with 25 points, including nine in the final 1:10.
Xavier Tillman had 20 points for Memphis, while Luke Kennard and Jaren Jackson Jr. finished with 16 points apiece. Jackson added 10 rebounds and three blocks.
Ja Morant, the Grizzlies&rsquo; leading scorer, sat out the first night of a back-to-back with right thigh soreness.
Paolo Banchero finished with 24 points and Wendell Carter Jr. added 14 for the Magic.
HORNETS 137, THUNDER 134
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) &mdash; P.J. Washington scored 22 of his career-high 43 points in the fourth quarter, and Charlotte rallied to beat Oklahoma City for its third straight win.
Three Thunder players scored career highs &mdash; Isaiah Joe with 33 points and Josh Giddey and Jalen Williams with 31 each. But Williams and Giddey each missed one of two free throws in the final 16 seconds, and Williams missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer that would have forced overtime.
It was a potentially costly loss for Oklahoma City. The Thunder were looking to strengthen their position in the Western Conference play-in race despite being short-handed. Oklahoma City guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who entered the day fourth in the league averaging 31.3 points per game, sat out with a sprained left ankle.
Charlotte was short-handed, too. Terry Rozier (right foot discomfort) and Kelly Oubre (strained right shoulder) sat out for the third straight game and Dennis Smith (sprained right toe) also did not play.
RAPTORS 106, HEAT 92
TORONTO (AP) &mdash; Pascal Siakam scored 26 points, Scottie Barnes had 22 points and a career-high 12 assists and Toronto beat Miami.
O.G. Anunoby scored 22 points, and Precious Achiuwa and Fred VanVleet each had 12 as Toronto won for the 10th time in 11 home games.
Tyler Herro scored 33 points and Bam Adebayo had 21 points and 12 rebounds as Miami lost its second straight. The Heat are 15-22 on the road.
Miami played without leading scorer Jimmy Butler, who sat because of a sore neck.
WIZARDS 130, CELTICS 111
WASHINGTON (AP) &mdash; Kristaps Porzingis had 32 points and 13 rebounds, and Washington boosted its flickering postseason hopes with a victory over Boston.
The Wizards, playing without Bradley Beal (left knee soreness) and Kyle Kuzma (right ankle sprain), pulled within 2 1/2 games of Chicago for the final play-in spot in the Eastern Conference. Washington has six games remaining in the regular season.
The Celtics had their three-game winning streak snapped. Jayson Tatum led Boston with 28 points, and Jaylen Brown contributed 18 points.
Deni Avdija matched a career high with 25 points and added 10 rebounds for Washington. Monte Morris scored 19 points.

A recap of Monday's slate of NBA games includes a down-to-the-wire battle in Atlanta.

Hawks beat Cavaliers 120-118, help Bucks clinch Central Division

CLEVELAND (AP) &mdash; Darius Garland had 21 points and seven assists, Donovan Mitchell scored 20 points and the Cleveland Cavaliers led by 35 points in a 114-90 victory over the Detroit Pistons on Saturday night.
Evan Mobley had 16 points, 11 rebounds, six assists and four blocked shots, Jarrett Allen scored 15 points and Caris LeVert had 11. The Cavaliers are fourth in the Eastern Conference with 16 games left.
All-Star starter Mitchell, who sprained a finger on his left hand in the third quarter, and Garland only played 24 minutes apiece as the Cavaliers swept the four-game season series with Detroit. The Pistons were held below 95 points in each.
Cleveland is 40-26 and leads surging New York by 1 1/2 games for home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs.
Marvin Bagley III had 20 points and 13 rebounds for Detroit. The Pistons have the second-worst record in the NBA at 15-49 and are 0-11 in the Central Division. They have lost seven straight overall and seven in a row on the road.
Detroit played without four starters in center Jalen Duran (bilateral ankle soreness), forwards Bojan Bogdanovic (bilateral Achilles soreness) and Isaiah Stewart (right hip soreness) and guard Cade Cunningham (left tibia stress fracture).
Neither team led by double-digits until Mobley made a floater to open the third quarter, putting Cleveland up 56-45.
Ricky Rubio&rsquo;s 3-pointer early in the fourth gave the Cavaliers their largest advantage at 102-67.
Pistons rookie Buddy Boeheim &mdash; the son of Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim &mdash; scored his first NBA points on a 3-pointer in the fourth quarter. He only played one minute without taking a shot in his one previous game.
CHANGE OF SCENERY
Pistons center James Wiseman has seen his playing time double since being acquired in a Feb. 9 trade with Golden State. The second overall pick in the 2020 draft averaged 11.8 points, 8.2 rebounds and 24.7 minutes over his first five games with Detroit. &ldquo;I love him, I think he&rsquo;s a sponge,&rdquo; coach Dwane Casey said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s just raw and we have an opportunity to be patient with him, which Golden State didn&rsquo;t.&rdquo;
TIP-INS
Pistons: Duren is averaging an NBA rookie-high 8.7 rebounds. The Memphis product has missed four straight games. &hellip; F Isaiah Livers (left ankle sprain) returned from a one-game absence. &hellip; F Eugene Omoruyi, who made two starts and played in 23 games with Oklahoma City this season, signed a 10-day contract.
Cavaliers: Mitchell and C Jarrett Allen both appeared in their 400th NBA games, while F Isaac Okoro played in his 200th. &hellip; Garland committed four fouls in the first half. &hellip; G Sam Merrill signed a 10-day contract to fill the roster spot that was held by F Kevin Love before his release. Merrill was averaging 16.4 points with the Cleveland Charge of the G League, setting a team record with 10 3-pointers against Greensboro on Feb. 22.
UP NEXT
Pistons: Host Portland on Monday night.
Cavaliers: Host Boston on Monday night.

Darius Garland had 21 points and the Cleveland Cavaliers led by 35 points in a 114-90 victory over the Detroit Pistons on Saturday night.

Darius Garland scores 21 points, Cavaliers rout Pistons 114-90

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) &mdash; Myles Turner scored 24 points, Tyrese Haliburton had 15 points and 14 assists and the Indiana Pacers ran away from the Orlando Magic in the second half for a 121-108 victory on Saturday night.
Indiana shot 59% in the second half and won for only the fourth time in 21 games.
&ldquo;That was one of the better games we&rsquo;ve played in a while, on the road,&rdquo; coach Rick Carlisle said. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve played some good home games, but it&rsquo;s been a while (more than two months) since we&rsquo;ve won on the road.&rdquo;
Bennedict Mathurin scored 19 points and Jordan Nwora had 18 for the Pacers, while Jalen Smith added seven rebounds and five blocks.
&ldquo;Jalen Smith and Nwora really were exceptional off the bench,&rdquo; Carlisle said.
Franz Wagner led Orlando with 21 points. Paolo Banchero scored 19 points and Markelle Fultz 18. The Magic struggled with their shooting, going 6 for 29 from 3-point range and finished the game at 38.9% overall.
Both teams shot below 40% in the first half, while the Pacers blocked nine shots, including four by Smith.
Andrew Nembhard, Buddy Hield and Haliburton hit 3-pointers in a 17-2 run to open the second half that put Indiana up by 68-54.
&ldquo;We knew we were due for a big quarter there,&rdquo; Haliburton said. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know if the first half was as much them doing a good job on us defensively or us not playing our brand of basketball. But we were able to do that in the third and that was big for us.&rdquo;
Mathurin, Nwora and T.J. Connell sparked another rally that stretched the lead to 19 points with 7:51 left in the game, and a 3-pointer by Mathurn pushed the Pacers&rsquo; lead to 21, their largest of the game.
&ldquo;Our second unit really helped us today,&rdquo; Haliburton said. &ldquo;They have been struggling of late, just getting comfortable playing with each other. I thought they were really good today.&rdquo;
The Magic, who are just behind the Pacers in the conference playoff race, never recovered from the start of the second half.
&ldquo;I think something happened that we can&rsquo;t let happen,&rdquo; Wagner said. &ldquo;After a couple of shots being missed or us not getting what we wanted, we let it affect how we played on the other end. That&rsquo;s when they made that run.&rdquo;
TIP-INS
Pacers: Indiana&rsquo;s last road win was Dec. 23 at Miami. . . . The Pacers had 34 assists on 48 field goals. . . . Turner, who tied his career high with 40 points against Boston on Thursday night, had only two points until hitting a 10-footer with 3:24 left in the first half. ... Nwora finished the game with a plus-minus of 17.
Magic: F Jonathan Isaac, who played a season-high 16 1/2 minutes Thursday night, was held out of the game due to &ldquo;injury recovery management.&rdquo; ... Newly acquired C Goga Bitadze had six points and four rebounds in his first minutes with Orlando after Wendell Carter Jr. left the game with three fouls in the first quarter. . . . Carter shot 1 for 11 while taking down a game-high 11 rebounds in 18 minutes. . . . Gary Harris opened the game&rsquo;s scoring with a 3-pointer, but never made another shot in eight filed goal attempts.
UP NEXT
Pacers: At Dallas on Tuesday.
Magic: At New Orleans on Monday.

Myles Turner scored 24 points, Tyrese Haliburton had 15 points and 14 assists and the Pacers beat the Magic 121-108 on Saturday.

Myles Turner, Tyrese Haliburton help Pacers beat Magic 121-108

BOSTON (AP) &mdash; With Boston College clutching a double-digit lead over No. 6 Virginia late in the second half, the Conte Forum security staff huddled in a tunnel just off the court to prepare for the onslaught of fans that was all but inevitable.
The crowd knew. The Virginia players knew. Everyone in the building knew the Eagles were on the verge of the biggest win of coach Earl Grant&rsquo;s tenure.
&ldquo;I think they sensed, &lsquo;Boy, I think we&rsquo;re going to get these guys,&rsquo;&rdquo; Virginia coach Tony Bennett said after BC beat the cold-shooting Cavaliers 63-48 on Wednesday night to send the sellout crowd streaming onto the court in celebration.
&ldquo;As this thing wore on, you could feel the crowd get into it,&rdquo; said Bennett, whose team shot a season-low 32% from the field against the BC defense. &ldquo;They put us on our heels. It was a lot for some of our guys. We&rsquo;ve got to learn from that, because of what we&rsquo;ve got coming up.&rdquo;
Makai Ashton-Langford scored 16 points and Jaeden Zackery had all 12 of his points in the second half for BC (14-15, 8-10 Atlantic Coast Conference). It was the Eagles&rsquo; third win over a ranked team this season, but the first over one in the top 10 since beating top-ranked Duke in 2017.
&ldquo;I think we&rsquo;re moving in the right direction,&rdquo; said Grant, who is in his second year since moving to Chestnut Hill from the College of Charleston. &ldquo;I thought the night was a great test. We were excited about the challenge; we were excited going into it. We knew it would be hard, but we wanted to see what we were.&rdquo;
Jayden Gardner scored 16 points for Virginia (21-5, 13-4), which fell into a second-place tie with Pittsburgh in the ACC, one-half game behind Miami. The Cavaliers, who had been as high as No. 2 in the AP Top 25, had won four in a row and 11 of their previous 12 games.
Armaan Franklin, the Cavaliers&rsquo; leading scorer, and fellow guard Reece Beekman combined to go 4 of 18 from the field and miss all six of their 3-point tries. Virginia finished 4 of 21 (19%) from beyond the arc.
The Cavaliers also shot 67% from the free-throw line, including back-to-back misses by Ryan Dunn that earned all 7,000 in attendance a free order of cheesy bacon fries.
That was all the encouragement the crowd needed.
And the players fed off it, too.
&ldquo;The program is going up,&rdquo; Zackery said. &ldquo;Coming in against ranked teams, we feel like that motivates us more because, honestly, at that point, we don&rsquo;t have anything to lose. They&rsquo;re the ones that are ranked. We just come in, play our best.&rdquo;
Virginia led early before BC took the lead for good midway through the first half, using an 11-2 run to open a 26-17 advantage. The Eagles made it a 13-point game early in the second.
Gardner hit back-to-back baskets midway through the second to make it 44-37, but Isaac McKneely missed a 3-pointer that could have made it a four-point game. Zackery responded by driving the lane, bouncing off a defender and rolling it in off the rim before giving a double-armed flex in celebration.
Then, after Kihei Clark missed a layup, Zackery hit a 3-pointer to give BC a 49-37 lead, earning a congratulatory shoulder-squeeze from big man Quinten Post. Bennett called timeout, but the Cavaliers never again got within single digits.
BIG PICTURE
Virginia had beaten Boston College four times in a row and needed only to keep moving up to earn a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament. The setback against a sub-.500 team will be damaging.
Boston College had already beaten Virginia Tech and Clemson this season when they were ranked. The Eagles haven&rsquo;t beaten three ranked teams in a season since 2008-09.
UP NEXT
Virginia: At North Carolina on Saturday.
Boston College: At Wake Forest on Tuesday.

Makai Ashton-Langford scored 16 points and Jaeden Zackery had all 12 of his points in the second half for the Golden Eagles in the upset.

No. 6 Virginia goes cold, Boston College wins 63-48

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The 12 best modern-history players to never make an NBA All-Star team

LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) &mdash; Texas Tech coach Mark Adams was just happy fans stuck around for the biggest comeback in school history, and the first Big 12 win of the season for a Sweet 16 team from a year ago.
The Red Raiders erased a 23-point deficit after halftime to end an eight-game conference skid, with De&rsquo;Vion Harmon scoring all 16 of his points after the break in an 80-77 overtime victory against No. 13 Iowa State on Monday night.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m still in shock here,&rdquo; Adams said. &ldquo;I was just so proud of our guys. They didn&rsquo;t give up on themselves. I was proud of the fans. I was afraid they were going to leave at halftime.&rdquo;
The 23-point comeback matched the largest in a win in Division I this season and the largest in a power conference game since Boston College overcame the same deficit to beat Clemson on Jan. 15, 2022, according to KenPom.
The Red Raiders trailed 59-36 with 12:36 remaining after one of Caleb Grill&rsquo;s career-best eight 3-pointers, but a 20-3 run started not long after to make it close down the stretch.
Kevin Obanor had 24 points and 13 rebounds for the Red Raiders (12-10, 1-8 Big 12), who won their second consecutive game including a victory over LSU in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge.
Grill scored 24 points but missed his final three 3-pointers after starting 8 of 9. One miss was an off-balance air ball on a frantic game-ending sequence in which the Cyclones (15-6, 6-3) missed three from long range trying to force a second overtime.
&ldquo;They just decided they were going to crank up the pressure, really come after us and try to spread us out,&rdquo; said Iowa State coach T.J. Otzelberger, whose team was coming off a double-digit loss to Missouri in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge that followed a win over fifth-ranked Kansas State. &ldquo;We got out of sorts.&rdquo;
Iowa State still led by five with 40 seconds remaining in regulation when Obanor hit a 3-pointer and the Red Raiders forced one of 13 second-half turnovers from the Cyclones on the inbound play.
Harmon, who had 11 points in the second half and five in OT, was fouled on a drive and made both free throws for the first tie of the game at 71-all with 21 seconds remaining after Iowa State had led from the opening bucket.
Iowa State&rsquo;s Gabe Kalscheur had 19 points but went 0 of 6 from 3, with one of the misses coming up short at the buzzer in regulation.
The Red Raiders took their first lead early in overtime on a layup by D&rsquo;Maurian Williams, and their biggest lead was the final margin.
Harmon put them ahead for good with one of two free throws with 42 seconds remaining in overtime, and Obanor hit two more after another of Grill&rsquo;s late misses on an off-balance 3.
Grill had the first long try in the final seconds, Jaren Holmes got the rebound but also was short from beyond the arc. Holmes ended up with the ball one more time, but was short again as the buzzer sounded.
Texas Tech&rsquo;s biggest previous comeback was from 17 down in a 99-94 overtime victory at Nevada on Dec. 27, 1997.
&ldquo;I thought our defense was much better (in the second half), but the big thing was just we were the most aggressive team on both ends of the floor the second half,&rdquo; Adams said. &ldquo;That was the difference.&rdquo;
The Cyclones, who beat Texas Tech by 34 points at home last month, led by 17 at halftime and took their first 20-point lead one of Grill&rsquo;s 3s in the opening seconds of the second half.
BIG PICTURE
Iowa State: The Cyclones entered with the Big 12&prime;s best scoring defense and had held their first seven conference opponents under 70 points for the first time since joining the conference in the mid-1990s. But three straight teams, including the SEC&rsquo;s Missouri in a 78-61 win Saturday, have surpassed that mark.
Texas Tech: The Red Raiders rallied without freshman point guard Pop Isaacs, their leading scorer scorer in conference play. He missed a second consecutive game with an ankle injury while 6-foot-11 senior center Fardaws Aimaq was out with a foot injury.
GOING COLD
Iowa State&rsquo;s only field goal in the final 10 minutes of regulation was the 3-pointer that gave Grill his career high of eight. The Cyclones were 3 of 16 in the final 10 minutes of regulation and OT.
&ldquo;This isn&rsquo;t a time to figure out who&rsquo;s fault it was and doom and gloom,&rdquo; Otzelberger said. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve had some really great moments. We&rsquo;re going to continue to have some great moments.&rdquo;
UP NEXT
Iowa State: No. 8 Kansas visits Saturday. The Jayhawks beat the Cyclones by two at home on Jan. 14.
Texas Tech: At No. 11 Baylor on Saturday. The Bears can sweep the season series after the Red Raiders swept last season, including a victory in Waco when Baylor was No. 1.

The 23-point comeback matched the largest in a win in Division I this season. The Red Raiders trailed 59-36 with 12:36 remaining.

Texas Tech rallies from 23 down, beats No. 13 Iowa St. in OT

NORMAN, Okla. (AP) &mdash; Grant Sherfield scored a season-high 30 points, and Oklahoma beat No. 2 Alabama 93-69 on Saturday in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge to end the Crimson Tide&rsquo;s nine-win streak.
Jalen Hill added a career-high 26 points, helping second-year Oklahoma coach Porter Moser to his biggest win with the program. Tanner Groves had 14 points and 12 rebounds.
The Sooners (12-9) had lost three straight, but against the Crimson Tide shot 58% from the field.
Rylan Griffen led Alabama (18-3) with 15 points and seven rebounds. Freshman Brandon Miller, who came in averaging 19.5 points per game, finished with 11.
NO. 3 HOUSTON 75, CINCINNATI 69
HOUSTON (AP) &mdash; Jarace Walker had a career-high 25 points and seven rebounds, and Houston rallied from an 11-point second-half deficit to defeat Cincinnati.
Walker, who scored 13 points in the second half, was 10 of 14 from the field. J&rsquo;Wan Roberts added 14 points and six rebounds, and Jamal Shead scored 13 points for Houston (20-2, 8-1 American Athletic Conference).
Houston has won at least 20 games in eight straight seasons under coach Kelvin Sampson.
Landers Nolley II had 24 points, including 6 3-pointers. Vicktor Lakhin added 15 points, and David DeJulius had 14 points and nine assists for Cincinnati (14-8, 5-4).&nbsp;
NO. 4 TENNESSEE 82, NO. 10 TEXAS 71
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) &mdash; Olivier Nkamhoua scored 27 points and Zakai Zeigler had 22 points and 10 assists to lead Tennessee over Texas in an SEC/Big 12 Challenge.
Josiah-Jordan James added 14 and Santiago Vescovi had 12 for Tennessee (18-3), which led by as many as 22 midway through the second half.
Sir&rsquo;Jabari Rice scored 21 to lead Texas (17-4). Marcus Carr and Brock Cunningham finished with 11 each.
NO. 5 KANSAS STATE 64, FLORIDA 50
MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) &mdash; Keyontae Johnson had 13 points and 11 rebounds against his former team, Markquis Nowell flirted with the first triple-double in Kanas State history, and the Wildcats beat Florida in an SEC/Big 12 Challenge.
Nowell finished with 13 points, nine rebounds and eight assists, and Nae&rsquo;Qwan Tomlin also had 11 points. The Wildcats improved to 18-3 to match the 1972-73 team for the best start through 21 games in school history.
Johnson struggled from the field, going just 5 of 16 and even getting stuffed by the front of the rim during a windmill dunk on a second-half fast break. But it was nevertheless a special night for the senior forward, who collapsed on the Gators&rsquo; sideline due to a heart condition during a game against Florida State just over two years ago.
Colin Castleton scored 13 points for the Gators (12-9). Myreon Jones and Will Richard had 11 apiece.
NO. 6 ARIZONA 95, WASHINGTON 72
SEATTLE (AP) &mdash; Azuolas Tubelis had 25 points and 10 rebounds, Oumar Ballo added 21 points and 12 rebounds, and Arizona used a big second-half run to pull away to win its fourth straight.
Tubelis topped 20 points for the first time in five games and his rebound putback while being fouled with 4:29 remaining gave the Wildcats a 78-63 lead and sent Washington fans headed for the exits.
Kerr Kriisa added 18 points, hitting six 3-pointers, and Courtney Ramey scored 14 for the Wildcats (19-3, 8-3 Pac-12).
Keion Brooks Jr. led Washington with 25 points and Keyon Menifield added 21. But the Huskies (13-10, 5-7) suffered from too many scoring droughts and didn&rsquo;t have an answer for Arizona&rsquo;s 19-1 run in the early stages of the second half.
NO. 7 VIRGINIA 76, BOSTON COLLEGE 57
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) &mdash; Armaan Franklin and Jayden Gardner scored 18 points each and Virginia used a big first-half run to take control over Boston College for its sixth straight victory.
The Cavaliers (16-3, 8-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) trailed 18-15 before starting an 18-4 run over the next 11 minutes. Virginia put the game away with a 16-4 second-half spurt.
Quinten Post scored 24 to lead the Eagles (10-12, 4-7) and Makai Ashton-Langford added 12 points.
Virginia&rsquo;s Isaac McKneely finished with 12 points and Reece Beekman had 11 and eight assists.
NO. 9 KANSAS 77, KENTUCKY 68
LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) &mdash; Jalen Wilson scored 22 points, including one in a series of huge 3-pointers down the stretch, and Kansas avoided its first four-game losing streak under coach Bill Self.
Wilson made 9 of 18 from the field and grabbed eight rebounds for Kansas (17-4), which finished even with Kentucky at 49% shooting. K.J. Adams Jr. added 17 points, Dick had 13 and McCullar 11 with 12 rebounds as the Jayhawks edged Kentucky 34-29 on the glass.
Oscar Tshiebwe had 18 points and nine rebounds, and Jacob Toppin and Cason Wallace each added 14 for Kentucky (14-7), which had won its previous four.
MISSISSIPPI STATE 81, NO. 11 TCU 74, OT
STARKVILLE, Miss. (AP) &mdash; Tolu Smith had 27 points, 13 rebounds and five assists to lead Mississippi State to an overtime victory.
Dashawn Davis added 16 points to help Mississippi State (13-8) snap a five-game losing streak. Shakeel Moore had 11, including six in overtime, while Cameron Matthews had 10 points and 10 rebounds for the Bulldogs. Tyler Stevenson also added 10 points off the Bulldogs&rsquo; bench.
Damion Baugh led TCU (16-5) with 19 points and Emanuel Miller had 13. Shahada Wells and Jakobe Coles each had 12 for the Horned Frogs and Chuck O&rsquo;Bannon had 10.
Davis&rsquo; 3 pointer with 55 seconds left in the second half gave the Bulldogs a 66-64 advantage. Emanuel Miller scored with 32 seconds remaining and then both teams missed chances to win in regulation.
MISSOURI 78, NO. 12 IOWA STATE 61
COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) &mdash; Kobe Brown scored 20 points, and D&rsquo;Moi Hodge scored 17 points to help Missouri take down Iowa State in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge.
Brown scored 14 of his points in the first half and led Missouri (16-5) with 12 rebounds. Nick Honor added 12 points and DeAndre Gholston scored 10.
Jaren Holmes led Iowa State (15-5) with 19 points, and Gabe Kalscheur added 14.
The Tigers&rsquo; 78 points were a season-high for an Iowa State opponent in regulation; the Cyclones are 0-3 this season when allowing at least 70 points in regulation.
CREIGHTON 84, NO. 13 XAVIER 67
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) &mdash; Arthur Kamula scored 20 points, Creighton&rsquo;s four other starters finished in double-figures and the Bluejays earned their fourth straight Big East win.
Creighton (13-8, 7-3) steadily built a double-digit lead throughout the game and made 34 of its 60 field goal attempts (56.7%) before a sold-out crowd.
Ryan Kalkbrenner scored 17 points, Baylor Scheierman had 14, Trey Alexander finished with 13 and Ryan Nembhard added 11 for the Bluejays, who avenged a 90-87 loss at Xavier on Jan. 11.
Zach Freemantle led Xavier (17-5, 9-2) with 18 points, followed by Colby Jones and Adam Kunkel with 13.
NO. 14 GONZAGA 82, PORTLAND 67
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) &mdash; Julian Strawther had a career-high 40 points, including eight 3-pointers, and Gonzaga pulled away down the stretch for its 16th consecutive victory over Portland.
Anton Watson added 17 points for Gonzaga (18-4, 7-1 West Coast Conference).
Strawther is the first player to reach 40 points for the Zags since Kyle Wiltjer had 45 against Pacific in 2016.
Portland (11-13, 3-5) was led by Moses Wood with 19 points. Juan Sebastian Gorosito, a freshman, finished with a career-high 17 points.
WEST VIRGINIA 80, NO. 15 AUBURN 77
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) &mdash; Erik Stevenson scored a career-high 31 points and West Virginia withstood a furious late rally from Auburn to win an SEC/Big 12 Challenge matchup.
The Mountaineers (13-8) have won two straight for the first time in a month. Jimmy Bell Jr. added 15 points for the Mountaineers.
Charles Barkley cheered on his alma mater from a courtside seat, but Auburn (16-5) couldn&rsquo;t overcome another slow start. The Tigers have lost two straight for the first time in two years.
Jaylin Williams led Auburn with 18 points. Johni Broome added 15 and Allen Flanigan scored 13.
NO. 16 MARQUETTE 89, DEPAUL 69
CHICAGO (AP) &mdash; David Joplin went 8 for 11 from 3-point range for a career-high 28 points, Tyler Kolek had 24 points, 10 assists and 9 rebounds, and Marquette defeated DePaul.
Marquette has won eight of its last nine games, and moved into a tie with No. 13 Xavier atop the Big East.
Marquette (17-5, 9-2) pulled away in the second half. Oso Ighodaro had 10 points, making all five of his shots, and Olivier-Maxence Prosper scored 13 and had 8 rebounds.
Umoja Gibson scored 25 points for DePaul (9-13, 3-8) on 8-of-12 shooting.
NO. 17 BAYLOR 67, ARKANSAS 64
WACO, Texas (AP) &mdash; Keyonte George scored 24 points, including seven in a row down the stretch, and Baylor beat Arkansas in an SEC/Big 12 Challenge.
Baylor (16-5) fell behind by as many as eight points in the second half after an early 11-point lead. But the Bears closed it out after Flo Thamba made two free throws for a 55-53 lead with 3:37 left.
LJ Cryer added 20 points and Jalen Bridges had 10 for the Bears, who won their sixth game in a row despite shooting a 34% (20 of 59) from the field. They offset the season-worst shooting from the field by making 21 of 24 free throws, including two by Cryer with 10 seconds left and two by George with 4.3 seconds remaining.
Ricky Council IV scored 25 points for Arkansas (14-7). Davonte Davis had 16 points, but missed the front end of a 1-plus-1 with 2.3 seconds left, though Joseph Pinion got the ball in the right corner only to miss wildly on a 3-pointer as time ran out.
HOFSTRA 85, NO. 18 COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON 81
CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) &mdash; Aaron Estrada scored 25 points and Darlinstone Dubar added 18 as Hofstra ended College of Charleston&rsquo;s 20-game winning streak.
The Pride (15-8, 8-2 Colonial Athletic Association) were down 28-20 early before rallying past the Cougars (21-2, 9-1), who had not lost since falling to then-No. 1 North Carolina on Nov. 11.
Tyler Thomas had 17 points and eight rebounds for Hofstra.
Ante Brzovic finished with 18 points to lead Charleston.
PITTSBURGH 71, NO. 20 MIAMI 68
PITTSBURGH (AP) &mdash; Blake Hinson tipped in a Jamarius Burton miss with 31 seconds remaining and Pittsburgh rallied past Miami.
The Panthers (15-7, 8-3 ACC) held the Hurricanes (16-5, 7-4) scoreless over the final 2:26 while closing on an 11-0 run to beat a ranked team for the third time this season to bolster its increasingly impressive NCAA tournament resume.
Hinson finished with 21 points for Pitt. Burton had 19 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists as the Panthers stunned Miami in front of a rare sell-out crowd at the Petersen Events Center.
Jordan Miller led the Hurricanes with 18 points. Isaiah Wong added 14 but Miami committed three of its 12 turnovers in the final 35 seconds as the Panthers stormed back.
NO. 21 FAU 70, W. KENTUCKY 63
BOCA RATON, Fla. (AP) &mdash; Brandon Weatherspoon scored 14 points and Florida Atlantic remained undefeated at home.
The victory extended FAU&rsquo;s winning streak to a program-record 20 games, which is now the nation&rsquo;s longest. The Owls&rsquo; 21 victories on the season ties their Division I record set in 2010-11. Western Kentucky (11-11, 3-8 Conference USA) has lost five straight.
Alijah Martin scored eight while grabbing seven rebounds for the Owls (21-1, 11-0).
Jordan Rawls led all scorers with 17 for W. Kentucky. Dayvion McKnight and Emmanuel Akot each had 16.
NO. 22 SAINT MARY&rsquo;S (CAL) 57, BYU 56
PROVO, Utah (AP) &mdash; Logan Johnson had 14 points and freshman Aidan Mahaney scored all 10 of his points, including a fade-away jumper just before the buzzer, in the second half and Saint Mary&rsquo;s (Cal) won its 10th in a row.
Mitchell Saxen had 11 points, 10 rebounds, four assists and two blocks for Saint Mary&rsquo;s (19-4, 8-0 West Coast Conference). Alex Ducas scored 12 points and Augustas Marciulionis added 10.
Dallin Hall was fouled on a driving lay-up attempt with 10.2 seconds left and made 1-of-2 free throws to give BYU a 56-55 lead but Mahaney took the inbounds pass, probed the defense before he drove the lane, stopped near the right block and pivoted away from the basket before hitting the winning jumper over the out-stretched arm of defender Fousseyni Traore.
Hall scored a career-high 23 points on 9 of 14 shooting but made just 3 of 6 from the free-throw line for BYU (14-10, 4-5). Fousseyni Traore added 11 points and eight rebounds.
NO. 24 CLEMSON 82, FLORIDA STATE 81
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) &mdash; Chase Hunter drove the lane and drew a foul, sinking the free throw, to help Clemson escape with a win over Florida State.
Hunter Tyson scored 27 points on 10 of 17 shooting for Clemson (18-4, 10-1 Atlantic Coast Conference), which halted an eight-game road losing streak to Florida State. Hunter finished with 25.
Matthew Cleveland scored 15 of his 18 points in the second half for Florida State (7-15, 5-6), which made a season-high 13 3-pointers. Caleb Mills and Darin Green Jr. each hit four 3-pointers for the Seminoles. Freshman forward Baba Miller had his best game, scoring 11 points and pulling down four rebounds in 20 minutes.

A recap of Saturday's action in men's college hoops includes five upsets in the AP top 15.

Oklahoma's rout of No. 2 Alabama one of many top-15 upsets on Saturday

MIAMI (AP) &mdash; Bam Adebayo has a theory. All these close games that the Miami Heat are playing now, in his mind, are providing valuable lessons to draw upon later this season.
And the fact that they&rsquo;re winning a lot of those games right now is an added bonus.
Jimmy Butler had 29 points, Adebayo added 20 and the Heat rallied again in the fourth quarter to beat the Orlando Magic 110-105 on Friday night. It capped a 3-0 homestand for the Heat, with those wins coming by three, four and five points.
&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know if we just like dogfights,&rdquo; Adebayo said. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know if we just like to make it interesting.&rdquo;
Max Strus scored 17 points, 15 of them on 3-pointers, for Miami &mdash; which moved a season-high six games over .500 at 28-22. Caleb Martin scored 13 points, Gabe Vincent had 11 and Tyler Herro had 10 for the Heat.
Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner and Cole Anthony all had 19 points for the Magic, while Wendell Carter Jr. had 16 and Markelle Fultz added 10. Orlando is 14-10 in its last 24 games, after starting the season 5-20.
Turnovers simply doomed the Magic. They had 20, compared to 11 by Miami &mdash; and the Heat turned Orlando&rsquo;s giveaways into 32 points. Orlando scored 13 off Miami&rsquo;s turnovers.
&ldquo;We turned it over,&rdquo; Magic coach Jamahl Mosley said. &ldquo;When it comes down to it, you&rsquo;ve got to take care of the basketball. I loved our fight. I loved the fact that we were in it, in a great environment, on the road, against a tough team. But you&rsquo;ve got to take care of the basketball.&rdquo;
Strus&rsquo; 3-pointer with 3:01 left in the third put Miami up 73-69. The rest of the quarter was all Orlando. The Magic closed the third on a 10-0 run, then scored the first basket of the fourth to go up 81-73 on a dunk by Moritz Wagner.
And then the momentum swung right back to Miami. The Heat scored 19 of the next 25 points to go up 92-87, setting up yet another down-to-the-wire finish &mdash; the theme of this now-completed three-game Miami homestand.
The Heat beat New Orleans by four on Sunday, then Boston by three on Tuesday.
&ldquo;Anytime we win, it&rsquo;s a good thing,&rdquo; Butler said.
TIP-INS
Magic: Jonathan Isaac, who returned to the Magic lineup for the first time in 2-1/2 years earlier this week after knee and hamstring injuries, was inactive on the first night of a back-to-back. He played in Orlando&rsquo;s games on Monday and Wednesday. ... Anthony had 17 points by halftime, matching his best first half of the season. He also had 17 by intermission against Atlanta on Oct. 21.
Heat: Rapper and record executive &ndash; and the star of one of Miami&rsquo;s pregame intro videos this season &ndash; Rick Ross was at the game celebrating his birthday. He turns 47 on Saturday. ... It was Miami&rsquo;s 50th game of the season and 37th decided by single digits; the Heat are 21-16 in those games. ... The Heat outscored the Magic 54-32 in the paint.
FIRST OF 4
It was the first of four meetings between the Florida rivals this season. They&rsquo;ll meet again Feb. 11, March 11 and on the season&rsquo;s final day &mdash; April 9.
The Magic have now played all other teams in the league at least once this season. Miami has yet to face New York or Philadelphia.

Jimmy Butler had 29 points, Bam Adebayo added 20 and the Heat rallied again in the fourth quarter to beat the Orlando Magic 110-105.

Heat rally again, top Magic 110-105 to close 3-0 homestand

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) &mdash; Paolo Banchero scored 23 points, Jonathan Isaac played in an NBA game for the first time in 2 1/2 years and the Orlando Magic broke the Boston Celtics&rsquo; nine-game winning streak Monday night with a 113-98 victory.
Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown scored 26 points apiece for the Celtics, who managed just three points after Tatum&rsquo;s 3-pointer cut Orlando&rsquo;s lead to 97-95 with 6:20 remaining.
&ldquo;We guarded in that second half,&rdquo; said Cole Anthony, who came off the Magic bench with 18 points, five rebounds, four assists and two steals. &ldquo;Under 100 points for a a team that&rsquo;s got two guys (Tatum and Brown) averaging 60 points? That&rsquo;s a heck of a job by our team.&rdquo;
Wendell Carter Jr. had 21 points and 11 rebounds for the Magic, who beat the Celtics for the third straight time after losing 10 straight to Boston.
&ldquo;We had 18 turnovers,&rdquo; said Tatum. who had three of them. &ldquo;They have long, active guys, and you&rsquo;ve got to take care of the basketball.&rdquo;
The Celtics, whose 35-13 record is still the best in the NBA, had not lost since Jan. 3 at Oklahoma City.
&ldquo;I think it says more about Orlando and how they played tonight,&rdquo; said Boston interim coach Joe Mazzulla. &ldquo;They were physical, they had an edge about them and I thought they played really well.&rdquo;
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Isaac missed 211 games since tearing his ACL in the NBA&rsquo;s restart at Walt Disney World on Aug. 2, 2020. He finished with 10 points, three rebounds and two steals, playing about 9 1/2 minutes.
&ldquo;Much love to the Magic for sticking with me,&rdquo; Isaac said. &ldquo;And the Magic fans were excited, so I was just trying to bottle all that up in one moment. It was surreal.&rdquo;
Banchero made 3 of 5 3-pointers and had five rebounds.
&ldquo;Obviously he&rsquo;s probably the Rookie of the Year and he&rsquo;s getting better every month,&rdquo; Tatum said.
After Mo Wagner&rsquo;s 3-pointer put the Magic up 43-29 in the second quarter, they went 5:21 before scoring another field goal. Tatum scored the last six points on a 12-0 run that lifted the Celtics to their first lead of the game, 45-44 with 4:10 left in the first half.
Orlando led 55-54 at halftime, then opened up a 13-point lead with the help of 3-pointers by Isaac and Gary Harris during a 15-3 run midway through the third quarter.
&ldquo;I know they came out and hit some really tough shots early on, but we stayed he course from there,&rdquo; said Magic coach Jamahl Mosley. &ldquo;Then obviously we wanted to make sure it was a defensive effort down the stretch.&rdquo;
TIP-INS
Celtics: G Marcus Smart (right ankle) and F/C Robert Williams III (hyperextended left knee) did not play after getting injured Saturday night at Toronto. ... G Malcolm Brogdon missed the game for personal reasons. ... Tatum went to the Boston locker room with 6:47 left in the third quarter with a &ldquo;cramping on the side of my stomach,&rdquo; but re-entered the game with 2:04 left in the period.
Magic: Franz Wagner had 15 points, seven rebounds and a game-leading plus-17 plus/minus ratio. . . . The Magic shot 51.2 overall and 11 for 27 (40.7%) from 3-point range . . . Fultz&rsquo;s slam dunk with 7:49 left in the third quarter was the first field goal by a Magic starting guard.
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The Orlando Magic broke the Boston Celtics’ nine-game winning streak Monday night with a 113-98 victory.

Banchero, Isaac, Magic end Celtics’ 9-game win streak 113-98

After being sidelined for nearly two-and-a-half years &ndash; 904 days to be exact &ndash; due to a torn ACL, Orlando Magic forward Jonathan Isaac made his return on Monday against the Boston Celtics.&nbsp;
Isaac looked excellent in Orlando's 113-98 win, finishing with 10 points, 3 rebounds, 2 steals and an assist in 10 minutes &ndash; while shooting 4-of-7 from the field and 2-of-3 from three-point range.&nbsp;
Isaac was on a minutes restriction, but made the most of his playing time. From the moment he checked in, he made his presence felt by knocking down jumpers and guarding both Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. 
The former No. 6 overall pick provided a ton of energy and activity &ndash; even diving for a loose ball at one point &ndash; and he didn&rsquo;t hesitate when given opportunities to shoot. The fans gave him a huge ovation when he first checked in, and they went nuts every time he made a play.
His best sequence came late in the third quarter, when he knocked down a three-pointer and then stole the ball from Brown to create a fastbreak dunk for Paolo Banchero.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Jonathan Isaac THREE + STEAL + POWER SLAM PAOLO that's 10 PTS + 3 REB + 2 STL + 2 3PM in 9 MIN The Magic are so back <a href="https://t.co/le25Znnmy1">pic.twitter.com/le25Znnmy1</a>
&mdash; Beyond the RK (@beyondtheRK) <a href="https://twitter.com/beyondtheRK/status/1617700433946107906?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 24, 2023</a></blockquote>

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Isaac initially tore his left ACL on Aug. 2, 2020, when Orlando was competing in the NBA Bubble at Walt Disney World. Isaac suffered numerous setbacks &ndash; and even needed a separate surgery on his right hamstring at one point &ndash; causing him to miss the last two seasons entirely.
"It&rsquo;s been such a long road," Isaac said after the win. "[I was] thinking about all that it has taken to get here &ndash; the tough days, the good days, the bad days, the ups-and-downs, and all of the people that were a part of getting me back. The training staff, we call them the purple people eaters, but our coaches that worked with me tirelessly &ndash; Nate Tibbetts and all of those guys. And then just my family, my church family, my faith that I have been fortunate enough to lean on this entire time. I wouldn&rsquo;t be here [without] all of that. Much love to the Magic for sticking with me, and the Magic fans that were excited. Just trying to bottle all of that up in one moment, it was surreal.&rdquo;
To put Isaac&rsquo;s missed time in perspective, consider this: the last time he appeared in an NBA game, Anthony Edwards and LaMelo Ball had yet to be drafted. Also, the movie "Tenet" hadn't come out yet. The Magic looked very different back then too; the only players remaining on the roster from when Isaac suffered his injury are Markelle Fultz, Terrence Ross and Mo Bamba.
Now, the Magic are one of the youngest teams in the NBA and they&rsquo;ve assembled a talented core that includes Banchero, Franz Wagner, Wendell Carter Jr., Bol Bol, Jalen Suggs, Cole Anthony and Fultz. Since Isaac is only 25 years old and still has plenty of untapped potential, the former No. 6 overall pick should fit right in with Orlando going forward.&nbsp;
&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve been waiting for J.I. to get back and it&rsquo;s been a long process, but he had to take his time and listen to his body,&rdquo; Banchero told Basketball News. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m happy for him that he&rsquo;s finally able to come back and just receive the love that he deserves. These fans have been waiting to see him, so everybody is really excited. This is probably the healthiest we&rsquo;ve been all year.&rdquo;&nbsp;
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Prior to his injury, Isaac was widely regarded as one of the best young defenders in the NBA, driving opposing teams crazy with his versatility, quickness, length and activity. During the 2019-20 season, Isaac averaged 11.9 points, 6.8 rebounds, 2.3 blocks and 1.6 steals on .470/.340/.779 shooting splits. If he can stay healthy, it&rsquo;s not crazy to think that All-Defensive honors are in his future, and he could even grow into a Defensive-Player-of-the-Year candidate.
The Magic currently have the NBA's 22nd-ranked defense (allowing 112.2 points per 100 possessions), so they could certainly use a healthy Isaac on that end of the court.
&ldquo;When you talk about the journey he&rsquo;s been on since getting hurt&hellip; he&rsquo;s that example of what it takes to work to get back,&rdquo; Magic head coach Jamahl Mosley said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s never wavered, understanding how strong his faith is and understanding the process of what he had to do in order to get back on the floor. So that&rsquo;s what makes us so proud of what he&rsquo;s done and been able to do to get back on the court.&rdquo;
Mosley was impressed with Isaac's effort on Monday night.
"I thought he was great," Mosley said. "I thought he did a great job playing with a level of poise. I think that was the importance of&nbsp;him getting the G League time. Obviously, there was a ton of emotions and rightfully so. I thought it was great the way he handled himself."

After being sidelined for nearly two-and-a-half years – 904 days to be exact – Magic forward Jonathan Isaac made his return on Monday.

After missing 2 years, Magic's Jonathan Isaac provides spark in return

Orlando Magic forward Jonathan Isaac is expected to play in his first game since August 2020 on Monday night versus the Boston Celtics, <a href="https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1617219218155470849" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reports Shams Charania of The Athletic</a>.&nbsp;
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After missing over two NBA seasons, Orlando Magic forward Jonathan Isaac is expected to make his return and season debut on Monday vs. Boston, source tells <a href="https://twitter.com/TheAthletic?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TheAthletic</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/Stadium?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Stadium</a>.
&mdash; Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) <a href="https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1617219218155470849?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 22, 2023</a></blockquote>

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Isaac tore the ACL in his left knee in August 2020 but had a setback during rehabilitation as he injured his right hamstring that required an additional surgery in March 2022. Earlier this month, he was able to work his way back to play with the Lakeland Magic, the Magic's G League affiliate.
The 25-year-old has only played 136 games after being taken with the 6th overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft. When has has played, the 6'10" forward has averaged 9.3 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks per game.

Jonathan Isaac is expected to play for the Orlando Magic on Monday after being sidelined for more than two seasons with injuries.

Magic's Jonathan Isaac expected to play Monday after missing two seasons

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) &mdash; Shahada Wells scored 17 points as No. 14 TCU beat No. 2 Kansas 83-60 on Saturday in one of the worst losses in Bill Self&rsquo;s 20-year coaching career with the Jayhawks.
The loss snapped a 16-game winning streak at home for Kansas and was the second-largest home loss under Self. The Jayhawks (15-3, 5-2 Big 12), who lost 83-82 in overtime at Kansas State on Tuesday, had not lost consecutive games in the state since 1989 &mdash; against K-State and Missouri.
Kansas trailed by 10 at halftime and never closed the gap within single digits. TCU extended the lead to as many as 24 points. The Jayhawks shot only 32.1% in the second half.
TCU (15-4, 4-3 Big 12), which shot 54.4% (31 of 57) from the field, got 15 points from Mike Miles Jr. and 11 from Damion Baugh.
NO. 4 ALABAMA 85, MISSOURI 64
COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) &mdash; Noah Clowney and Mark Sears each scored 17 points, and Alabama remained undefeated against unranked teams this season.
Freshman Brandon Miller added 15 points and eight rebounds for Alabama (17-2, 7-0 Southeastern Conference), and reserve Jahvon Quinterly scored 13 points. Clowney also had 14 rebounds, and Sears finished with eight rebounds and three steals.
Isiaih Mosley led Missouri (14-5, 3-4) with 19 points. Mohamed Diarra had eight points and 12 rebounds.
NO. 11 ARIZONA 58, NO. 5 UCLA 52
TUSCON, Ariz. (AP) &mdash; Oumar Ballo scored 16 points, Azuolas Tubelis had a double-double and Arizona withstood a late rally to end UCLA&rsquo;s 14-game winning streak.
The Wildcats (17-3, 5-3 Pac-12) took a 56-44 lead on Ballo&rsquo;s alley-oop dunk with 2:07 left. But the Bruins (17-3, 8-1) fought back, creating four straight turnovers to pull within 56-52. UCLA then blocked consecutive shots but couldn&rsquo;t convert on two shots of its own. Arizona&rsquo;s Pelle Larsson hit two free throws with 0.9 seconds to close it out.
Tyger Campbell led the Bruins with 13 points and Jaime Jaquez Jr. added 12 with 11 rebounds.
NO. 6 GONZAGA 99, PACIFIC 90
STOCKTON, Calif. (AP) &mdash; Drew Timme scored 24 of his career-high 38 points in the second half, including 18 straight points during one stretch, and Gonzaga pulled away in the closing minutes.
Timme made 17 of 23 shots and almost all of them within a couple feet of the rim. Anton Watson added 16 points and 13 rebounds for Gonzaga (17-4, 6-1 WCC). Rasir Bolton added 16 points for the Bulldogs, who had won their previous three road games in conference play by a combined eight points, and Julian Strawther had 15.
Jordan Ivy-Curry led five Pacific players in double figures with 17 points. Nick Blake scored 16 before fouling out. Keylan Boone finished with 15, Luke Avdalovic added 13 and Judson Martindale finished with 12. Pacific (10-12, 3-4) made eight 3-pointers in the first half and was tied at 47 at halftime, but the Tigers were just 1 of 8 from deep in the second half.
NO. 7 TEXAS 69, WEST VIRGINIA 61
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) -- Marcus Carr scored 19 of his 23 points in the second half to lead Texas.
Dylan Disu added 13 points before fouling out, and Christian Bishop and Tyrese Hunter scored 11 apiece for the Longhorns (16-3, 5-2 Big 12), who bounced back from a double-digit loss at No. 12 Iowa State on Wednesday.
The Mountaineers (11-8, 1-6) had several players in early foul trouble. Kedrian Johnson had a career-high 22 points, but his teammates fell flat in the second half against the Longhorns.
NO. 8 XAVIER 95, GEORGETOWN 82
CINCINNATI (AP) &mdash; Zach Freemantle tied a career-high with 30 points and Colby Jones had 20 as Xavier handed Georgetown its 29th straight Big East loss.
Adam Kunkel scored 14 points to help the Musketeers (16-4, 8-1 Big East) bounce back from a 73-72 loss at DePaul on Wednesday.
Primo Spears scored a career-high 37 points and Akok Akok had 14 for the Hoyas (5-15, 0-9 Big East), who have lost 10 straight. Spears&rsquo; previous high was 34 against LaSalle on March 5, 2022.
NO. 9 TENNESSEE 77, LSU 56
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) &mdash; Josiah-Jordan James scored a season-high 22 points and Tennessee defeated LSU, which has lost six straight.
James, who missed eight games in November and December due to injury, made his second straight start for the Volunteers (16-3, 6-1 Southeastern Conference). Playing 31 minutes, James was 9-of-16 from the field and matched his career-high with four 3-pointers.
Tennessee point guard Zakai Zeigler had 12 points and 10 assists, which tied his career high. Julian Phillips and Tyreke Key each had 10 points.
KJ Williams led LSU (12-7, 1-6) with 16 points. Trae Hannibal added 10 points. The Tigers committed 19 turnovers which resulted in 33 Volunteers points.
NO. 10 VIRGINIA 76, WAKE FOREST 67
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (AP) &mdash; Armaan Franklin scored 18 of his 25 points during the first half and Virginia survived blowing nearly all of a 19-point lead to beat Wake Forest.
Kihei Clark added 12 points despite getting into foul trouble for the Cavaliers (15-3, 7-2 Atlantic Coast Conference). But it was a day of wild swings for Virginia, who went from missing its first eight shots to suddenly being unable to miss to go up 34-15 &mdash; only to see the Demon Deacons push back to within a single point with 8 1/2 minutes left.
Damari Monsanto had a career-high 25 points for the Demon Deacons (14-6, 6-3), highlighted by making 7 of 15 3-pointers.
OKLAHOMA STATE 61, NO. 12 IOWA STATE 59
STILLWATER, Okla. (AP) &mdash; Avery Anderson scored 18 points, including the go-ahead free throws, and Oklahoma State defeated Iowa State for its first win over a ranked team this season.
Kalib Boone added 13 points for the Cowboys (11-8, 3-4 Big 12), who won their second straight game.
Osun Osunniyi scored 15 points and Gabe Kalscheur added 14 for Iowa State (14-4, 5-2), which had won seven of its last eight games. Cyclones sharpshooter Caleb Grill spent most of the second half on the bench wearing a back brace and wasn&rsquo;t in the game in the closing minutes.
NO. 13 KANSAS STATE 68, TEXAS TECH 58
MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) &mdash; Markquis Nowell had 23 points, eight rebounds and five assists in Kansas State&rsquo;s win over Texas Tech.
Keyontae Johnson had 15 points and 11 rebounds for the Wildcats (17-2, 6-1 Big 12), who won for the 11th time in 12 games. Ismael Massoud scored 12 points.
Pop Isaacs and De&rsquo;Vion Harmon each scored 13 points for Texas Tech (10-9, 0-7), which shot 32.4% (23 for 71) from the field.
NO. 16 AUBURN 81, SOUTH CAROLINA 66
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) &mdash; Johni Broome had a season-high 27 points and 11 rebounds as Auburn took control late in the opening half to run past struggling South Carolina.
Broome&rsquo;s performance helped the Tigers to their fifth straight win and offset a career-best 30 points from Gamecocks&rsquo; freshman Gregory &ldquo;GG&rdquo; Jackson II.
The 6-foot-10 Broome took full advantage of South Carolina&rsquo;s undersized interior for the Tigers (16-3, 6-1 Southeastern Conference). He hit 12 of his 17 shots in 30 minutes for his sixth double-double this season and fifth against an SEC opponent.
Meechie Johnson was the only other player for South Carolina (8-11, 1-5) in double figures with 11 points.
DUKE 68, NO. 17 MIAMI
DURHAM, N.C. (AP) &mdash; Kyle Filipowski had 17 points and 14 rebounds and Jeremy Roach scored 14 points in his first game in more than two weeks to lift Duke over Miami.
Tyrese Proctor had 11 points and Dariq Whitehead added 10 points for the Blue Devils (15-4, 5-3 Atlantic Coast Conference), who played their first game of the season without a national ranking.
Jordan Miller&rsquo;s 19 points and Nijel Pack&rsquo;s 18 were tops for Miami (15-4, 6-3), which has lost three of its last five games.
NO. 18 CHARLESTON 87, NORTHEASTERN 61
BOSTON (AP) &mdash; Ben Burnham scored 15 points, Pat Robinson III added 14 and Ryan Larson had 12 to lead Charleston to its 20th win in a row.
The Cougars (21-1, 9-0 Colonial Athletic Association) scored 13 straight points in the first half to pull away and extend the longest active winning streak in the nation. They have not lost since the second game of the season, to then-No. 1 North Carolina on Nov. 11, climbing to their highest ranking in The Associated Press Top 25 since 1999.
Chris Doherty had 11 points and 13 rebounds and Jared Turner also scored 11 for Northeastern (8-11, 4-4). The Huskies haven&rsquo;t beat a Top 25 team since 2015.
NO. 19 CLEMSON 51, VIRGINIA TECH 50
CLEMSON, S.C. (AP) &mdash; Hunter Tyson&rsquo;s 3-pointer with 12 seconds left lifted Clemson to a dramatic victory over Virginia Tech.
Tyson caught a pass just left of the key, took a look at at the basket and let it fly. The crowd exploded as the ball went through and the Tigers (16-4, 8-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) continued their unexpected run atop the ACC.
PJ Hall led Clemson with 20 points and eight rebounds.
Grant Basile led the Hokies (11-8, 1-7) with 13 points.
NO. 20 MARQUETTE 74, SETON HALL 53
NEWARK, N.J. (AP) &mdash; Kam Jones scored 22 points, Oso Ighodaro had 18 on 7-for-7 shooting and Marquette beat Seton Hall.
Marquette (16-5, 8-2 Big East) shot 54% (29 for 54) from the field in its second straight win since an 80-76 loss to Xavier last weekend.
Kadary Richmond led Seton Hall (12-9, 5-5) with 10 points and five assists. The Pirates committed a season-high 26 turnovers.
NO. 21 BAYLOR 62, OKLAHOMA 60
NORMAN, Okla. (AP) &mdash; Jalen Bridges scored 11 points and hit a trio of game-turning 3-pointers in the final five minutes as Baylor rallied to hold off Oklahoma.
Adam Flagler had 16 points and five assists, and Keyonte George added 11 points as Baylor (14-5, 4-3 Big 12) won its fourth straight game after opening conference play with three straight losses and briefly dropping out of The Associated Press Top 25.
Jalen Hill had 17 points and nine rebounds, while Tanner Groves added 16 points, nine rebounds and three blocked shots for the Sooners (12-7, 2-5).
NO. 22 PROVIDENCE 75, DEPAUL 64
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) &mdash; Noah Locke had a career-high 29 points, including seven 3-pointers, to help Providence fend off DePaul.
Bryce Hopkins added 20 points and 11 rebounds as the Friars (15-5, 7-2 Big East) snapped a two-game losing skid and improved to 11-0 at home. They are 2-2 without point guard Jared Bynum, who missed his fourth consecutive game with a torso injury.
The Blue Demons (9-11, 3-6) came in fresh off a home victory over eighth-ranked Xavier. But they dropped their sixth straight road game and are now 0-4 in conference games away from home. Umjoja Gibson had 16 points and five assists for DePaul and Da&rsquo;Sean Nelson added 13 points.
NO. 24 FLORIDA ATLANTIC 67, UTEP 59
EL PASO, Texas (AP) &mdash; Johnell Davis scored 20 points on 6-for-9 shooting and Florida Atlantic extended its program record for consecutive wins to 18.
Davis hit 2 of 3 attempts from 3-point distance and was perfect on six shots from the line for FAU (19-1, 9-0 Conference USA). Vladislav Goldin finished with 11 points, six rebounds and three blocks for the Owls.
Calvin Solomon finished with 16 points and 10 rebounds, and Tae Hardy also scored 16 points for UTEP (11-9, 4-5). Mario McKinney Jr. added 11 points, seven rebounds and two steals.
NO. 25 ARKANSAS 69, OLE MISS 57
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (AP) &mdash; Anthony Black scored 17 points, reserve Joseph Pinion had 13 and Arkansas snapped a four-game losing streak by topping Mississippi.
Only nine teams in Division I had made fewer 3-pointers than Arkansas (13-6, 2-5 Southeastern Conference) this season, but the Razorbacks tied a season high by making eight from beyond the arc. They led by as many as 21 points.
Pinion and Devo Davis each made three 3s. Davis had 16 points and Jordan Walsh finished with 13.
Ole Miss (9-10, 1-6) committed 17 turnovers. The Rebels had six giveaways in the first six minutes of the second half, helping Arkansas extend its three-point halftime lead to 11 at the first media timeout after the break.

A roundup of Saturday's top-25 action in men's college basketball includes a TCU rout of the second-ranked Jayhawks on the road.

No. 14 TCU blows out No. 2 Kansas in Allen Fieldhouse

Basketball News highlights the reporting, analysis and podcasts that defined a year of basketball in 2022.

Best of Basketball News: Spotlighting our top content from 2022

TORONTO (AP) &mdash; O.G. Anunoby matched his season high with 32 points, Pascal Siakam had 26 points and 10 rebounds and the Toronto Raptors beat short-handed Orlando 121-108 Saturday, handing the slumping Magic their eighth consecutive loss.
Scottie Barnes scored 17 points and had a season-high 14 rebounds, and Fred VanVleet had 13 points as the Raptors won their third straight home game, improving to 9-2 north of the border.
Toronto shot a season-best .560, making 47 of 84 attempts.
Bol Bol scored 18 points for Orlando, which has the worst record in the NBA at 5-19. The Magic are 1-11 on the road.
Bol was the only Magic starter to reach double figures. Paolo Banchero, who came in as the NBA&rsquo;s leading rookie scorer, shot 2 for 8 and finished with nine points.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a long season, a lot of games,&rdquo; Banchero said. &ldquo;You&rsquo;re going to have nights like this. You&rsquo;ve just got to move on to the next one.&rdquo;
Former Raptor Terrence Ross scored 18 points, Admiral Schofield had 13 and Cole Anthony 12.
The banged-up Magic were again without top rebounder Wendell Carter Jr., who missed his ninth straight game because of an injured right foot, and point guard Jalen Suggs, who missed his fifth straight with a sore right ankle.
After being blown out at New Orleans on Wednesday and again at Brooklyn on Friday, the Raptors started better in this one.
&ldquo;We just wanted to regroup, be better,&rdquo; Barnes said. &ldquo;It was a bad feeling in the locker room (Friday).&rdquo;
Toronto had five dunks in the first quarter and scored 26 points in the paint to lead 36-22 after one.
&ldquo;They came out like a team that was determined,&rdquo; Magic head coach Jamahl Mosley said. &ldquo;Anunoby set the tone early.&rdquo;
Anunoby shot 12 for 17. Four of his 10 baskets from 2-point range were dunks.
&ldquo;I like it when he goes down there and he&rsquo;s making a move and all of a sudden, he&rsquo;s dunking it,&rdquo; Raptors coach Nick Nurse said. &ldquo;There&rsquo;s some power to get to that spot and then there&rsquo;s a lot of burst left at the end."
After scoring 13 points and making six of seven shots in the opening quarter, Anunoby connected on all three of his field goal attempts and went 3 for 3 at the line in the second. With 23 points by the intermission, he matched his career high for points in a half.
Toronto led 64-48 at the break and took a 94-73 advantage to the fourth.
POWER MOVE
Bol grabbed the rebound on Siakam&rsquo;s blocked shot late in the second and drove the length of the court for a huge one-handed slam that drew gasps from the crowd.
SAME STARTERS
After using 10 different starting lineups in the past 10 games, Toronto went with the same five starters from Friday&rsquo;s loss to the Nets; Anunoby, Siakam, VanVleet, Barnes, and rookie center Christian Koloko.
TIP-INS
Magic: G Gary Harris (strained right hamstring) sat for the second straight game. Orlando was also without C Mo Bamba (back spasms), C Jonathan Isaac (left knee) and F Chuma Okeke (left knee). &hellip; Missed their first six 3-point attempts.
Raptors: F Juancho Hernangomez left in the first half because of a sprained right ankle and did not return. X-rays did not reveal a fracture. &hellip; F Precious Achiuwa (right ankle) missed his 11th straight game and F Otto Porter Jr. (dislocated toe, left foot) missed his eighth straight. &hellip; With his fourth point of the game, Siakam passed Andrea Bargnani (6,581) for fifth on Toronto&rsquo;s all-time points list&hellip;. Siakam had eight rebounds.
UP NEXT
Magic: Host the Milwaukee Bucks on Monday night.
Raptors: Host the Boston Celtics on Monday night.

O.G. Anunoby matched his season high with 32 points, and the Raptors beat the Magic 121-108 on Saturday.

O.G. Anunoby matches season-high 32, Raptors rout Magic 121-108

MILWAUKEE (AP) &mdash; Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 38 points and the Milwaukee Bucks capitalized on a 23-2 run in the first eight-plus minutes of the third quarter to rally past the Cleveland Cavaliers 117-102 on Friday night.
The Bucks came back from a 16-point deficit and snapped Cleveland&rsquo;s four-game winning streak by outscoring the Cavaliers 35-10 in the third period. The Cavaliers hadn&rsquo;t scored below 15 points in any quarter this season before Friday.
Donovan Mitchell scored 29 points and Darius Garland added 20 for Cleveland. After combining to shoot 14 of 26 and score 38 points in the first half, they went 4 of 16 for 11 points over the final two periods.
Cleveland&rsquo;s Jarrett Allen played only 12 minutes and scored one point before leaving with a hip injury. The 6-foot-11 center picked up a pair of fouls in the first two minutes of the game and took a hard fall on the second fould.
The Cavaliers hadn&rsquo;t lost since their last visit to Milwaukee, <a href="https://apnews.com/article/cleveland-cavaliers-milwaukee-bucks-nba-sports-brook-lopez-bc0950b33355c88bb4ca4fe5c107c4b6" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a 113-98 Bucks victory</a> on Nov. 16.
Jevon Carter scored 18 points and Bobby Portis had 14 for the Bucks. Antetokounmpo added nine rebounds and six assists to go along with his game-high scoring.
After trailing 63-52 at halftime, the Bucks turned the game around in the third quarter.
Jrue Holiday, who committed three fouls in the first 1&frac12; quarters, scored his first points of the game in the opening minute of the third. He followed that up with a 3-pointer.
Carter then found Antetokounmpo for a dunk on an alley-oop, though Antetokounmpo missed a free throw that would have given him a three-point play. Mitchell scored to extend Cleveland&rsquo;s lead to 65-59, but a Brook Lopez 3-pointer and an Antetokounmpo dunk cut the lead to one.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
THE TRAIN IS COMING GET OFF THE TRACKS CLEVELAND!<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FearTheDeer?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#FearTheDeer</a> 😤😤😤 <a href="https://t.co/o2PaoyjNXW">pic.twitter.com/o2PaoyjNXW</a>
&mdash; Bally Sports Wisconsin (@BallySportWI) <a href="https://twitter.com/BallySportWI/status/1596332770149642241?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 26, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Lopez then blocked a shot that led to an Antetokounmpo 3-pointer, giving the Bucks their first lead of the night with 7:19 left in the third. Antetokounmpo added another dunk 30 seconds later and Jevon Carter made a 3-pointer to keep the run going.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
HE WON'T STOP DUNKING IT ON THE CAVS! <a href="https://t.co/SVQMQ4iUYH">pic.twitter.com/SVQMQ4iUYH</a>
&mdash; Bally Sports Wisconsin (@BallySportWI) <a href="https://twitter.com/BallySportWI/status/1596333429381013505?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 26, 2022</a></blockquote>

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The Cavaliers trailed 75-65 by the time the spurt finally ended on a pair of Isaac Okoro free throws with 3:51 left in the third.
Milwaukee eventually led by as many as 22 points.
TIP-INS
Cavaliers: Dean Wade had seven points and 12 rebounds in his return after missing six games with right knee soreness. Kevin Love was out for the third time in four games due to a fractured right thumb. Caris LeVert missed a third straight game with a sprained left ankle.
Bucks: Pat Connaughton and Serge Ibaka weren't available due to non-COVID illnesses. Connaughton had just played his first two games of the season earlier this week after recovering from a strained right calf. Holiday played after being listed on the injury report as probable with a non-COVID illness.
UP NEXT
Cavaliers: At Detroit on Sunday. In their only previous matchup this season, the <a href="https://apnews.com/article/boston-celtics-cleveland-cavaliers-nba-sports-detroit-pistons-97df59f13f6479fb7b80b0a9dd10f892" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Cavaliers beat the Pistons 112-88</a> at Detroit on Nov. 4.
Bucks: Host Dallas on Sunday to close a four-game homestand.

The Bucks capitalized on a 23-2 run in the first eight-plus minutes of the third quarter to rally past the Cavaliers 117-102 on Friday night.