Tigers

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) &mdash; Anthony Edwards had 33 points in 25 minutes and the Minnesota Timberwolves routed San Antonio 151-131, the most points allowed in regulation under Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, on Saturday at the Moody Center.
Minnesota shot 56% on 3-pointers while making a season-high 24 3s.
&ldquo;From the beginning of the game I feel like everybody was hitting and it just carried over,&rdquo; Edwards said.
Karl-Anthony Towns added 22 points, Mike Conley had 20 points and Rudy Gobert had 10 points and 13 rebounds for Minnesota.
The Timberwolves won for the sixth time in nine games. Minnesota will finish no lower than ninth in the Western Conference but still have a chance of finishing eighth ahead of New Orleans, who they host Sunday.
Julian Champagnie had 24 points to lead San Antonio, which will finish with one of the league&rsquo;s three worst records. Keita Bates-Diop added 22 points and Tre Jones had 21 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds.
The Spurs&rsquo; final home game of the season was played in Austin. The Spurs played their final two games at the Moody Center on the campus of the University of Texas as part of the Spurs&rsquo; regional outreach initiative.
San Antonio struggled offensively with its entire starting lineup out with injury except for Jones.
&ldquo;Minnesota was really hot from 3,&rdquo; Popovich said. &ldquo;They must have had close to 25 3s. I mean, big, but guys did well. They had 21 assists in the first half. Played physically, lot of guys got minutes that normally don&rsquo;t get those minutes. Great learning situation for everybody.&rdquo;
Minnesota led by as many as 33 points in the second half after being tied at 35 in the first quarter.
&ldquo;Come out and be aggressive (in the second half)," Edwards said. "Do what we normally do, blow stuff up. In the first half we were just kind of letting them get into their action. Came out and blew stuff up and that pretty much changed the intensity of the game.&rdquo;
TIP-INS
Timberwolves: Minnesota co-owner Alex Rodriguez was sitting courtside near former San Antonio star Tony Parker. Popovich greeted Rodriguez prior to tip-off. &hellip; The Timberwolves split their four-game series with the Spurs this season. The average margin of victory in each game was 12.5 points.
Spurs: Washington scored the most points against San Antonio under Popovich, defeating the Spurs 157-153 in double overtime on Feb. 25, 2022. &hellip; Popovich said the team sent C Zach Collins home after the finger he recently received stitches on began swelling. &ldquo;Looks like some sort of infection,&rdquo; Popovich said. Collins will not play in the Spurs&rsquo; finale Sunday in Dallas. &hellip; Starters Keldon Johnson (sprained right foot), Jeremy Sochan (sore right knee) and Devin Vassell (injury management for left knee) all sat out with injuries. Also missing were reserve wings Doug McDermott (sprained right ankle) and Devonte&rsquo; Graham (left adductor strain). &hellip; San Antonio honored former All-Star LaMarcus Aldridge following the first quarter. Aldridge recently announced his retirement after playing 16 seasons in the league, including 5 1/2 with the Spurs. Aldridge starred at Texas before being drafted by the Portland Trailblazers in 2006. &hellip; San Antonio finished 14-27 at home this season. The Spurs were 16-25 at home last season.
WE&rsquo;LL BE BACK
Popovich said the Spurs are eager to return to Austin after selling out both games at the Moody Center.
The Spurs had 16,023 attend Thursday&rsquo;s game and attracted 16,148 Saturday after allotting more standing-room only tickets.
&ldquo;Obviously, people enjoy it,&rdquo; Popovich said of a return. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s great to see the place packed like that. It&rsquo;s a great town, so hopefully we will be doing it more.&rdquo;
UP NEXT
Timberwolves: Host New Orleans on Sunday.
Spurs: At Dallas on Sunday.

Anthony Edwards had 33 points in 25 minutes and the Minnesota Timberwolves routed the San Antonio Spurs 151-131 on Saturday.

Anthony Edwards scores 33, Timberwolves beat Spurs

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) &mdash; Rodney Terry held Texas together in crisis. Then he took the Longhorns on their deepest NCAA Tournament run in 15 years.
His reward: Texas removed the &ldquo;interim&rdquo; tag from his title and made him the full-time head coach.
&ldquo;I felt confident the whole time to be honest with you,&rdquo; Terry said Tuesday at his news conference, where the former assistant was introduced as head coach. &ldquo;I&rsquo;d prepared my whole life for this opportunity.&rdquo;
Not everyone was so calm about it. As the season wore on and Texas advanced deeper in the NCAA Tournament, the university&rsquo;s wait-and-see approach became one of the biggest stories of the postseason as fans and players, past and present, wondered what more did he have to prove?
For some, March Madness was being mad at Texas for being slow on the decision.
Texas finally announced Monday &mdash; about 24 hours after the Longhorns&rsquo; season ended in the Elite Eight &mdash; that Terry was indeed the new head coach.
&ldquo;You had a very long job interview,&rdquo; Texas President Jay Hartzell said Tuesday. &ldquo;And I would say you nailed it.&rdquo;
Texas officials put Terry in charge when Chris Beard initially was suspended, then fired, midseason after a felony domestic violence arrest.
He&rsquo;d been a Texas assistant for a decade under Rick Barnes before head-coaching stints at Fresno State and UTEP, before returning to the Longhorns as an assistant in 2021.
&ldquo;My time and Fresno and UTEP prepared me for this opportunity,&rdquo; Terry said. &ldquo;No one knows this place better than me and how to be successful at an elite level (at Texas).&rdquo;
Once in charge, Terry did just about everything anyone could ask. He guided an experienced, senior-laden team to a second-place finish in the Big 12 Conference, the third-most wins in school history, a Big 12 Tournament championship and its first Elite Eight since 2008.
The university did not immediately release a copy of the contract under a public records request from The Associated Press. University of Texas System Board of Regents Chairman Kevin Eltife said Terry got a five-year deal for $3 million per year.
&ldquo;Coach Terry is just everything we want in a leader,&rdquo; Eltife said. &ldquo;We all want to win. But you also want someone who is a role model for our student. Class, integrity and character. And look at the way he handled himself after the incident we went through.&rdquo;
Attending the news conference were Terry&rsquo;s players from this season, as well as several former prominent Longhorns and NBA players, including LaMarcus Aldridge and T.J. Ford. Both played at Texas while Terry was an assistant.
&ldquo;Everyone was worried what would happen&rdquo; after Beard was fired, Aldridge said. &ldquo;He bonded those guys together.&rdquo;
Beard was arrested on Dec. 12 after his fianc&eacute;e told police he strangled, bit and hit her during a confrontation at his home. She later said Beard didn&rsquo;t choke her. Texas fired Beard on Jan. 5, calling him &ldquo;unfit&rdquo; to lead the program.
The district attorney dismissed the charge in February. Prosecutors said they could not prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt and the fianc&eacute;e did not want to go to trial.
Beard has since been hired at Mississippi.
Terry said Beard reached out to congratulate him on Monday, adding he wished Beard &ldquo;nothing but success&rdquo; at Ole Miss.
Terry credited the Longhorns players for not fracturing under the stress of having their head coach fired midseason.
&ldquo;No team faced the challenge you guys faced this year,&rdquo; Terry said.
Texas should be regular contenders for the Elite Eight and beyond, he said. Texas went to the Final Four in 2003 and advanced to the Sweet 16 or Elite Eight four more times in his first stint as an assistant.
&ldquo;We set a high bar for ourselves&rdquo; this season, Terry said. &ldquo;We want to get back to that Elite Eight game. Obviously we want a different outcome when we get to that game and have a chance to get to the Final Four.&rdquo;

Rodney Terry held Texas together in crisis. Then he took the Longhorns on their deepest NCAA Tournament run in 15 years.

Terry says he always felt confident he’d earn Texas job

GREENSBORO, N.C. (AP) &mdash; Jack Nunge scored 18 points, Adam Kunkel added 15 on five first-half 3-pointers, and No. 3 seed Xavier beat 11th-seeded Pittsburgh 84-73 on Sunday to reach its first Sweet 16 since 2017.
Colby Jones had 10 points, 14 rebounds and seven assists, and Souley Boum and Jerome Hunter each chipped in with 14 points as all five Xavier starters scored in double digits.
Xavier distributed the ball well, particularly early on with 17 assists on 19 baskets in the first half to build a 48-34 lead at the break. The Musketeers finished with 22 assists.
Xavier (27-9) moves on to play No. 2 seed Texas on Friday in the Midwest Region semifinals in Kansas City, Missouri.
Blake Hinson scored 18 points and Jamarius Burton had 16 for Pitt (24-12).
Nunge set the tone early, dominating the paint with eight points in the first 10 minutes while Jones knocked down two 3s as the Musketeers built a 28-18 lead.
The Musketeers then blew the game open with a 12-2 run behind Kunkel, who made two 3s and threw an alley-oop dunk to Nunge. Kunkel followed with his fifth 3 of the first half to give Xavier a 19-point lead with 1:26 left.
Nunge picked up his fourth foul with 9:35 remaining in the game and Xavier up by 18, a play that ended with Pitt coach Jeff Capel getting slapped with technical foul that left him barking at officials. Pitt guard Greg Elliott stepped in front of his coach and tried to box him out at the scorer&rsquo;s table to keep him from getting a second tech.
The Musketeers managed just fine without Nunge, pushing the lead to 20 with 7:22 remaining on a jumper by Boum.
Nunge returned but fouled out with 3:18 left and Xavier up by 14.
Burton cut the lead to 10 with an and-one off a drive through an unprotected lane. Elliott&rsquo;s 3-pointer with 1:45 remaining trimmed Xavier&rsquo;s lead to eight, but the Panthers did not get closer.
BIG PICTURE
Pitt: The Panthers won their first two NCAA Tournament games since 2014, beating Mississippi State in the First Four and throttling No. 6 Iowa State in the first round. After holding the Cyclones to 41 points on Friday, Pitt allowed Xavier to score 42 in the first 15 minutes. It didn&rsquo;t help that big man Federiko Federiko played less than a minute because of a knee problem.
Xavier: Sean Miller has the Musketeers headed in the right direction in the first season of his second stint as their coach. After needing to come back from 13 down in the second half to beat 14 seed Kennesaw State, the Musketeers left no doubt about this one, coming out focused and ready to play.
UP NEXT
Xavier will face a Longhorns team that has won six straight games.

Jack Nunge scored 18 points, Adam Kunkel added 15 on five first-half threes, and No. 3 seed Xavier beat 11th-seeded Pittsburgh.

Xavier beats Pitt 84-73, reaches first Sweet 16 since 2017

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) &mdash; Jahvon Quinerly scored 24 points, Brandon Miller made the clinching free throws with six seconds left and No. 2 Alabama rallied from a 17-point deficit before beating archrival Auburn 90-85 in overtime Wednesday night.
The Crimson Tide (26-4, 16-1 Southeastern Conference) clinched outright their second regular-season SEC title in three years but continued to live on the edge over a troubling eight days that included courtroom revelations in a capital murder trial.
Miller rebounded teammate Jaden Bradley&rsquo;s missed dunk and drew a foul, making both free throws. Noah Clowney had blocked K.D. Johnson&rsquo;s layup attempt on the other end.
The Tigers (19-11, 9-8), who had three key players foul out, couldn&rsquo;t close it out after leading almost the entire way in regulation. They were up 17 with under 11 minutes left.
Alabama won its fourth straight but the past three have gone down to the wire since courtroom revelations tied freshmen Miller and Bradley to the scene of a murder. Neither has been charged or accused of a crime, but then-teammate Darius Miles and another man are facing capital murder charges.
Police said Miles texted Miller asking him to bring the gun.
NO. 22 TCU 75, NO. 9 TEXAS 73
FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) &mdash; Damion Baugh scored a career-high 24 points, Emanuel Miller had 20 and TCU denied Texas a chance to play for a share of the Big 12 title in its upcoming regular-season finale.
Baugh scored on a breakaway layup off the opening tip and the Horned Frogs (20-10, 9-8 Big 12) never trailed. It was the second loss in a row and third in five games for the Longhorns (22-8, 11-6), who haven&rsquo;t won a regular-season conference crown since 2008.
Texas hosts third-ranked Kansas (25-5, 13-4) on Saturday. The Jayhawks had already clinched at least a piece of the Big 12 title Tuesday night, and now know they won&rsquo;t have to share it.
Sir&rsquo;Jabari Rice scored 16 points for the Longhorns, and Tyrese Hunter had 15.
NO. 10 GONZAGA 104, CHICAGO STATE 65
SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) &mdash; Drew Timme scored 17 points in what&rsquo;s expected to be his final home game at Gonzaga, and the Bulldogs trounced Chicago State in a postseason tune-up.
Timme made his 99th start at Gonzaga. The senior forward ranks second on the school&rsquo;s career scoring list, 21 points behind Frank Burgess (1958-61).
The 6-foot-10 Timme has played four seasons at Gonzaga but could return for a fifth because of extra eligibility granted by the NCAA due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He has not announced any definitive plans.
Fellow senior Rasir Bolton added 15 points for the Zags (26-5), who won their seventh straight game. Malachi Smith scored 14.
Jahsean Corbett led Chicago State (11-19) with 22 points and seven rebounds.
Gonzaga added the game to avoid going more than a week without playing before the West Coast Conference Tournament in Las Vegas.
NO. 11 KANSAS STATE 85, OKLAHOMA 69
MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) &mdash; Desi Sills flirted with a triple-double in his Bramlage Coliseum farewell and Kansas State held on to beat Oklahoma.
Keyontae Johnson and Markquis Nowell also had big senior send-offs for the Wildcats. Sills finished with 15 points, nine rebounds and eight assists, while Johnson had 16 points and Nowell added 11 points and 10 assists to help Kansas State (23-7, 11-6 Big 12) snap a three-game skid against the Sooners.
Nae&rsquo;Qwan Tomlin scored 19 points for Kansas State, which led by 20 early in the second half before the Sooners (14-16, 4-13) made a late run. Milos Uzan had 20 points to lead Oklahoma.
NO. 14 UCONN 88, DEPAUL 59
HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) &mdash; Adama Sanogo scored 26 points to lead five UConn players in double figures and the Huskies closed out their home schedule in emphatic style with an easy win over skidding DePaul.
Andre Jackson filled up the stat sheet for Connecticut (23-7, 12-7 Big East) with 11 points, nine assists and eight rebounds. Tristen Newton added 12 points for the Huskies, who have won four straight and seven of eight.
Nick Ongenda tied a career high with 17 points for DePaul (9-21, 3-16), which has lost 11 in a row.
UConn put the game away early, opening on a 29-2 run.
NO. 19 XAVIER 94, NO. 20 PROVIDENCE 89
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) &mdash; Souley Boum scored a season-high 33 points and Colby Jones added a career-best 29 to help Xavier beat Providence and clinch the No. 2 seed in the Big East Tournament.
Ed Croswell had 17 points with 13 rebounds, and Bryce Hopkins also scored 17 for Providence, which cut a 22-point first-half deficit to two in the second half.
It was the Friars&rsquo; first loss at home in 16 games this season.
With one game remaining, Xavier (22-8, 14-5 Big East) has a one-game lead over Providence (21-9, 13-6) and controls the tiebreaker, having swept their two regular-season matchups.
OHIO STATE 73, NO. 21 MARYLAND 62
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) &mdash; Felix Okpara had 12 points and 12 rebounds to help Ohio State finish its home schedule with a win over Maryland.
Justice Sueing had 16 points to lead six Buckeyes in double figures. Ohio State (13-17, 5-14 Big Ten) jumped ahead early with a 12-0 run and didn&rsquo;t give up the lead the rest of the way.
Julian Reese had 17 points and 12 rebounds for the Terrapins (20-10, 11-8).
VANDERBILT 68, NO. 23 KENTUCKY 66
LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) &mdash; Jordan Wright hit a go-ahead fall-away jumper in the lane with 2.6 seconds remaining to finish with 23 points, and Vanderbilt topped Kentucky for its first win at Rupp Arena since January 2007.
The surging Commodores (17-13, 10-7 Southeastern Conference) earned their seventh win in eight games and are 7-3 since losing to Kentucky 69-53 last month in Nashville.
Wright&rsquo;s drive tied the game with 42 seconds left, and Tyrin Lawrence grabbed Antonio Reeves&rsquo; missed jumper with 20 seconds to go.
Reeves&rsquo; 3-point attempt missed the rim altogether as time expired. Kentucky had won its previous four and re-entered the rankings on Monday for the first time in seven weeks.
Oscar Tshiebwe had 21 points and 20 rebounds for the Wildcats (20-10, 11-6).
NOTRE DAME 88, NO. 25 PITTSBURGH 81
SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) &mdash; Marcus Hammond and Cormac Ryan each scored 20 points as Notre Dame beat Pittsburgh to win longtime coach Mike Brey&rsquo;s final home game.
Nate Laszewski and Trey Wertz each added 14 points for the Fighting Irish (11-19, 3-16 Atlantic Coast Conference), who snapped a seven-game losing streak.
Brey, stepping down at season&rsquo;s end, received warm ovations from the crowd before and after the game. He improved to 315-76 at Purcell Pavilion over 23 years as Notre Dame coach.
Jamarius Burton, Nelly Cummings and Nike Sibande all scored 19 points for Pittsburgh. Blake Hinson added 15 points and 13 rebounds for the Panthers (21-9, 14-5), who lost for only the second time in 10 games. They were playing their first game since moving into the AP Top 25 for the first time in seven years.

A recap of Wednesday's top-25 action in men's college hoops includes the Crimson Tide winning the regular-season SEC title.

No. 2 Alabama rallies from 17 down to top rival Auburn 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

Objectively, Damian Lillard is as accomplished as nearly anyone in the NBA, but the legacies of all-time greats are judged against other all-time greats. Shaquille O&rsquo;Neal teases Charles Barkley on "Inside the NBA" about having won zero championships because he can. Win one, and you&rsquo;re forever a member of the club. Fail to do so, and you&rsquo;ll remain on the outside looking in.
Granted, being an all-time great is a good club to be a part of, but failing to win a championship can be utterly haunting. Just watch players like Barkley and Patrick Ewing talk about failing to win on the biggest stage. You hear regret in their voices. And pain. And there&rsquo;s nothing they can do about it.
It&rsquo;s premature to lump Lillard in with the aforementioned greats. After all, he&rsquo;s still only 31, meaning he has years remaining before we can have an honest discussion about his place amongst league legends (with or without a championship). I&rsquo;ll happily wait until he&rsquo;s retired to assess his legacy.
What I will address now is the fact that Lillard&rsquo;s inability to deliver a championship to Portland in his 10 seasons is actually not his fault. In fact, I posit that that no superstar in recent memory can be blamed less than Lillard for his team&rsquo;s shortcomings. Lillard has faced a grueling uphill battle since joining the Trail Blazers as a rookie, and his presence has resulted in Portland consistently outperforming their talent.
First, let&rsquo;s inventory how Lillard&rsquo;s Trail Blazers have fared in the postseason. In total, Portland has missed the playoffs twice since Lillard was drafted: once during his rookie year and again in 2021-22, a season in which Lillard was shut down in late December due to abdominal surgery. Had Lillard been healthy all season, his Blazers may have made their ninth consecutive postseason appearance.
Once there, Lillard is an impactful postseason player, posting 25.7 points and 6.2 assists per game in 12 career postseason series. Across his playoff career, he&rsquo;s shot 41.2% from the field, 36.9% on threes and 88.7% on free throws. He&rsquo;s also had several epic shots that were either game-winners or series-enders, which probably inspired Robert Horry, an all-time great shooter himself, to recently refer to Lillard the best clutch shooter ever.
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Robert Horry calls Damian Lillard the best clutch shooter ever over Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant &ldquo;He has hit a clutch shot versus every team in the NBA.&rdquo;<a href="https://t.co/lg34EjTZNB">https://t.co/lg34EjTZNB</a>
&mdash; NBACentral (@TheNBACentral) <a href="https://twitter.com/TheNBACentral/status/1525203234650050562?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 13, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Despite his heroics, Lillard&rsquo;s Trail Blazers have never reached the NBA Finals. They did succeed in reaching the Western Conference Finals once in 2019. They ultimately lost to the Golden State Warriors. They also lost to the eventual champion San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference Semifinals in 2014, the 73-9 Warriors in the Western Conference Semifinals in 2016 and the eventual champion Los Angeles Lakers in the first-round in 2020. So, four of Lillard&rsquo;s eight postseason appearances ended against either the eventual champions or the dynastic Warriors.
Like Barkley and Ewing before him, Lillard has been a victim of time and circumstance, as his prime fell right in the middle of the Golden State Warriors&rsquo; historic run. But in Lillard&rsquo;s case, his struggles have been about more than his opponents. After all, Lillard is not dominated by any one player like how Jordan dominated his era. His circumstances are more a result of his supporting cast, or lack thereof.
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Lillard&rsquo;s stance on recruiting is that he wants to remain in Portland. He&rsquo;ll assist in recruiting free agents to Rip City, but he will not entertain recruiting pitches from other teams&rsquo; stars, a fair and respectable stance. For whatever reason, Lillard has been unsuccessful in recruiting others thus far. For example, he failed to land Kelly Oubre in Portland just last summer. However, there are limited examples of a dedicated push by Lillard in recruiting. Whether he foregoes recruiting or fails at it , the result is the same, and it hurts.
But as much as Lillard could participate in team building, there is a management team that is paid a handsome salary to build the team into a legitimate contender, regardless of Lillard's recruitment style. Frankly, that front office has failed to surround Lillard with top-tier co-stars.
A quick inventory of recent NBA champions reveals that Portland&rsquo;s talent is simply insufficient. Seven of the last 10 champions had multiple All-Stars. The other three were San Antonio in 2014, Cleveland in 2016 and Milwaukee in 2021, and we know all three teams had far more talent than any Portland team. Comparatively, battling all-time great competition, Lillard&rsquo;s only active All-Star teammate has been LaMarcus Aldridge, and they only overlapped as All-Stars twice.
There is also CJ McCollum, who was the 2015-16 Most Improved Player. Despite not being named to an All-Star team, he&rsquo;s certainly been an All-Star caliber player for much of his career. He&rsquo;s even (slightly) better in the playoffs, where he&rsquo;s scored 20.2 points, 4.4 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game in 13 series.
McCollum's and Aldridge&rsquo;s better seasons sadly didn&rsquo;t overlap. Aldridge&rsquo;s final season in Portland (2014-15) was McCollum&rsquo;s sophomore season, and McCollum wasn&rsquo;t yet the McCollum we've come to know.
Portland could be on to something now. Anfernee Simons could prove to be a valid backcourt mate for Lillard. The former IMG star had a breakout season last year, averaging 17.3 points per game on 40.9% on three-pointers. If Joe Ingles can regain his pre-injury form and Jusuf Nurkic can remain healthy, there are some promising pieces in the mix.
However, the Trail Blazers still need at least one more creator. Fortunately, Portland has a 37.2% chance of sneaking into the top-four in this year&rsquo;s NBA Draft. Doing so would equip them with a valuable trade chip that could deliver exactly the type of player they need and maybe get them closer to becoming NBA Champions.
Regardless as to what happens with Portland in the immediate future, a closer look at Lillard's body of work reveals just how great he really is. Soon, he may join that elusive and exclusive championship club, but even if he doesn&rsquo;t, we should be careful how we refer to his failures. Because more so than practically anyone in NBA history, not winning a championship shouldn't paint our perception of Lillard.&nbsp;
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Damian Lillard is already an all-time great. We can't ignore his postseason failures, but he can't be defined by them, either.

Damian Lillard's inability to win isn't his fault

Let's start here: Kyrie Irving is an incredible basketball player.&nbsp;
Nobody in the league has a better handle, and he probably possesses the best layup package of all-time. He hit one of the <a href="https://youtu.be/ORqiqbJYl0w" target="_blank" rel="noopener">biggest and most memorable shots</a> in NBA history. Irving has earned a spot on the All-NBA team three times in his career. He'll presumably be inducted into the Hall of Fame five years after hanging up his Nikes.
During the 2021-22 regular season, Irving averaged 27.4 points, 5.8 assists, 4.4 rebounds, 1.4 steals and a career-high 3.4 made three-pointers per game. At age 29, he was named an All-Star for the seventh time.
Earlier this year, Portland Trail Blazers head coach and former NBA Finals MVP Chauncey Billups called Irving the "<a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/33038306/former-finals-mvp-chauncey-billups-brooklyn-nets-kyrie-irving-most-skilled-pg-history" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the most skilled player</a>" ever to play the point guard position. Last month, following a 60-point explosion from Irving in a victory over Orlando, Knicks shooting guard Evan Fournier tweeted, "Kyrie really the most skilled player ever." The next day, Kendrick Perkins, a former player and current NBA analyst, concurred with Fournier, <a href="https://twitter.com/TommyBeer/status/1518989460406370304?s=20&amp;t=dHe_pd4xPTwNZ-7DTar1OA" target="_blank" rel="noopener">declaring, "no disrespect to Michael Jordan</a>&hellip; but Kyrie is the most skilled player to ever play the game."
So, when Irving exercises his player option this summer and becomes an unrestricted free agent, the Nets should immediately offer him a max contract and hope he signs it, right?&nbsp;
Wrong.&nbsp;
Make no mistake, as the aforementioned stats demonstrate, Irving is deserving of a lucrative contract based on his ability. However, the issue is that he's often been either unable or unwilling to step onto the court and prove his worth.&nbsp;
Since signing a $136.5 million contract with the Nets in 2019, Irving has appeared in just 103 of 216 (47%) regular-season games, including only 29 of 82 this past season. During this three-season span, he's missed games due to injuries to his left hamstring, ankle, right shoulder, groin, right knee, quad, left hip, back and left thigh. He also famously sat out most of this past season after refusing to get vaccinated against COVID-19 and, in January of 2021, missed two weeks during an unauthorized leave of absence <a href="https://nypost.com/2021/01/08/kyrie-irvings-nets-absence-a-reaction-to-dc-riot/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reportedly</a> due to trauma caused by "the attack on the U.S. Capitol in Washington by supporters of President Donald Trump."
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"I felt like I was letting the team down at a point when I wasn't able to play...it became a distraction at times" Kyrie Irving talks about the challenges the Nets faced this season <a href="https://t.co/e4y702Miyy">pic.twitter.com/e4y702Miyy</a>
&mdash; Nets Videos (@SNYNets) <a href="https://twitter.com/SNYNets/status/1518779899825332225?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 26, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Kyrie has appeared in more than 60 games just once over the last five seasons. He's averaged fewer than 51 games played per season in the previous seven years.
That was during the heart of his prime. Irving now finds himself on the wrong side of 30.&nbsp;
Even more troublesome, in recent years, Irving's presence has not resulted in postseason success. In the summer of 2017, when Irving was a teammate of LeBron James in Cleveland, a team that reached the Finals in each of the prior three seasons, Kyrie demanded to be traded.
Here's a look at how each of Irving's seasons have ended after Cleveland shipped him to Boston that August:
2018: Injured&nbsp; 2019: Beat by the Bucks 4-1 in Round 2&nbsp; 2020: Injured (Raps sweep Nets in Round 1) 2021: Injured (Bucks beat Brooklyn in Round 2) 2022: Swept by the Celtics in Round 1&nbsp;
This summer, Irving has a decision to make. He has a player option worth $35,328,700 for the 2022-23 campaign. If Irving declines his option, he would be eligible to sign a new <a href="https://www.espn.in/nba/insider/insider/story/_/id/33812380/why-kevin-durant-kyrie-irving-relationship-fuel-undermine-brooklyn-nets-future" target="_blank" rel="noopener">five-year deal with Brooklyn worth up to $248 million</a>.&nbsp;
After the Nets' season-ending loss to Boston in Game 4 on Monday night, Irving bombastically declared he planned to remain in Brooklyn for the long haul. "I don't really plan on going anywhere," Irving said. "When I say I'm here with [Kevin Durant], I think that it really entails us managing this franchise together alongside Joe [Tsai] and Sean [Marks]."&nbsp;
(It's also worth noting that after Steve Nash was hired in September of 2020, <a href="https://netswire.usatoday.com/2020/10/01/kyrie-irving-i-dont-really-see-us-having-a-head-coach/">Irving stated</a>, "I don't really see us having a head coach. You know what I mean? KD could be a head coach. I could be a head coach.&rdquo;)
Last month, the NBA informed franchises that the projected salary cap for the 2022&ndash;23 season would be $122 million, <a href="https://theathletic.com/news/nbas-projected-2022-23-salary-cap-luxury-tax-higher-than-expected-sources/r8em7FbiVamW/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according to</a> a report from The Athletic. Under the CBA, because Irving has 10+ years of NBA experience, the Nets can offer him a max contract starting at 35% of the cap and can include 8% raises each year for up to five years.&nbsp;
Here's an annual breakdown of the five-year max pact Irving is eligible to ink:
2022-23: $42.7 million 2023-24: $46.1 million 2024-25: $49.8 million 2025-26: $53.8 million&nbsp; 2026-27: $58.1 million&nbsp;
Irving would be 35 years of age by the end of the '26-27 campaign.
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It's obvious why Kyrie would prefer to stay put, but would re-signing Irving to a max deal be in Brooklyn's best interest?
This past season, owner Joe Tsai spent $266 million in salary and luxury tax payments, which was the second-highest amount in league history. The Nets don't have a single playoff win to show for it.&nbsp;
Despite his abundant talent, Irving was a major factor in Brooklyn's disappointing performance this year. Prior to the start of the season, when Irving informed the front office that he was refusing to get vaccinated, Nets management banished him from the practice facility and team premises.&nbsp;
At the time, general manager Sean Marks declared, "We're not looking for partners that are going to be half-time." Owner Joe Tsai said the Nets needed the entire roster "pulling the same direction."
Although the <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/the-202122-nets-are-arguably-the-most-disappointing-team-in-nba-history-" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Nets 2021-22 campaign will go down as one of the most disappointing seasons in NBA history</a>, Brooklyn actually got off to a fantastic start despite Irving's non-compliance with New York City's vaccine mandate. Powered by MVP-caliber play from Kevin Durant, the Nets posted a .724 winning percentage over the season's first two months. On December 18th, which was the day the Nets announced that Irving would be welcomed back to the club, Brooklyn was 21-9 and owners of the best record in the Eastern Conference. Following Irving's return, the Nets struggled mightily, posting a 23-29 record (.442 winning percentage) over the final three months of the regular season.
Late in the year, with Brooklyn in danger of slipping out of the playoffs and the play-in tournament altogether, head coach Steve Nash was forced to lean heavily on Durant as soon as KD returned from his knee injury. Over the final 15 games of the regular season, Durant logged more total minutes (588) than any player in the NBA, averaging a whopping 39.2 minutes a night.&nbsp;
Durant averaged a league-high 44 minutes per game in the postseason.&nbsp;&nbsp;
In Brooklyn's embarrassing defeat to Boston in the first round, Irving averaged just 15.3 points while shooting a putrid 37% from the floor and a frigid 18% from downtown over the final three games of the series. Irving was, at best, the fifth-best/most impactful player in the series.
In some respects, this two-second clip sums up Irving's and the Nets' season:
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1.4 seconds left in the half. Plenty of time to take a dribble and get up a heave from half court. In what is, quite literally, a must-win game for his team. Where every point is crucial. And Kyrie Irving decides not to even attempt a shot. Disgraceful. <a href="https://t.co/3TDzx1Dzpq">pic.twitter.com/3TDzx1Dzpq</a>
&mdash; Tommy Beer (@TommyBeer) <a href="https://twitter.com/TommyBeer/status/1518743786960080898?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 26, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Based on how the last three games, three weeks, three months and three years have played out, do the Nets want to remain in a long-term partnership with this man? Do they want to pony up $250 million for the privilege to do so?&nbsp;
Because the Nets are over the salary cap even without Irving on the books, letting him go for nothing would be nonsensical. However, working out a sign-and-trade would likely lead to a better allocation of the team's assets.&nbsp;
Considering the current construction of the Nets roster around Durant (and the team's lack of depth), might it make more sense for Brooklyn to pursue a defensive-minded, pass-first point guard to play alongside KD, Joe Harris, Ben Simmons, etc.? One which is far more affordable than Irving?&nbsp;
Keep in mind that Brooklyn has nine potential free agents this summer: Patty Mills (player option), Andre Drummond, Nic Claxton, LaMarcus Aldridge, Blake Griffin, Kessler Edwards (team option), David Duke Jr. and, most notably, Bruce Brown.&nbsp;
It's worth noting that over Games 2 and Game 3 vs. Boston, Brown scored nearly twice as many points as Irving (49 vs. 26, respectively) and grabbed six more rebounds. Brown is also a far superior defender and five years younger. Not to mention he's not nearly as much of a distraction.&nbsp;&nbsp;
Even though they are capped out, Brooklyn has a trade exception worth $11.3 million to utilize and will be able to spend their mid-level exception in free agency.
Tyus Jones, who again led the NBA in assist-to-turnover ratio this season, will be a free agent this summer. Gary Payton II is also set to hit the open market.&nbsp;
If Irving were open to a sign-and-trade, Brooklyn wouldn't necessarily have to get a point guard back in such a deal. Sean Marks and company could simply move Irving for the best packable available, whether that be a combination of players or draft capital.
The big "if" is whether Irving would agree to such a scenario. Could he be convinced that his relationship with Brooklyn has run its course and that breaking up is best for both parties? Would Durant co-sign such a decision?&nbsp;
If Irving refuses a sign-and-trade, the Nets have to play hardball in negotiations. Agreeing to commit $200+ million to a player as injury-prone and untrustworthy as Irving would be organizational malpractice. Brooklyn should only guarantee a fraction of Irving's salary and should include as many incentives as possible (such as 65+ games played per season, etc.)
Ultimately, attempting to predict future decisions from Kyrie Irving, a man who once proclaimed the earth was flat and later forfeited $17 million because he refused to get a shot in his arm, is a fool's errand.&nbsp;
One thing is certain: It will be fascinating to see how this all plays out.&nbsp;&nbsp;
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Tommy Beer breaks down why it would be "organizational malpractice" for Brooklyn to extend Kyrie Irving this summer.

Why the Nets should part ways with Kyrie Irving

After everything the Brooklyn Nets went through this season, they still entered the playoffs with the third-best championship odds (+600), which is a testament to this team's talent on paper. However, though they were considered a favorite to hoist the Larry O&rsquo;Brien trophy and boasted the NBA&rsquo;s second-highest payroll ($174,811,922), the Nets failed to win a single playoff game. &nbsp;
Multiple players blamed Brooklyn&rsquo;s lack of continuity. Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving played just 17 games together this season after playing only 27 games together last year. Irving couldn&rsquo;t suit up in home games until late March due to New York City&rsquo;s vaccine mandate. A number of key contributors were acquired halfway through the campaign, including Seth Curry, Andre Drummond and Goran Dragic, making it even tougher for the team to get everyone on the same page.&nbsp;
Injuries also impacted the team&rsquo;s ability to play at full strength and develop chemistry, as Durant missed 27 games with a sprained MCL, Joe Harris suffered a season-ending ankle injury in November and Ben Simmons dealt with a herniated disc in his back after being traded to Brooklyn as the centerpiece of the James Harden blockbuster.
Now, after being swept by the Boston Celtics on Monday night, what&rsquo;s next for the Nets?
&ldquo;This summer is gonna be a very, very important summer for our organization,&rdquo; Durant said after the Game 4 loss. &ldquo;We'll see where we go next year."
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Durant is correct, as the Nets will be one of the most interesting teams to watch this offseason, and it&rsquo;s possible that their roster could look very different entering the 2022-23 season.
The Nets have only six players with guaranteed contracts for next season: Durant, Simmons, Harris, Curry, Cam Thomas and Day'Ron Sharpe. Brooklyn already has $144,555,667 in guaranteed money on their books for 2022-23. Next year&rsquo;s salary cap is projected to be $122 million and the luxury tax is expected to be $149 million, so they&rsquo;ll likely have one of the NBA&rsquo;s most expensive payrolls once again.
The Nets are already close to being a tax-paying team before factoring in any of their potential free agents such as Irving, Drummond, Dragic, Bruce Brown, Patty Mills, Nic Claxton, Blake Griffin, LaMarcus Aldridge, Kessler Edwards and David Duke Jr.&nbsp;
Irving has a player option worth $35,328,700. On Monday night, Irving was asked about his future and said, &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t really plan on going anywhere... There's no question where I'm going: I'm here with 7 (Durant)."
Either Irving will opt-in and cost quite a bit, or he&rsquo;ll opt-out and potentially cost even more if he signs a new, multi-year deal with the Nets.
Mills also has a player option, which is worth $6,184,500. He could opt-in, but it&rsquo;s also possible that the 33-year-old will prioritize his long-term security and try to ink a multi-year contract elsewhere. He's coming off a productive season, averaging 11.4 points, 2.8 threes and 2.3 assists while shooting 40.0% from three, so he will likely have other suitors.
Claxton and Duke will hit restricted free agency, assuming the Nets extend qualifying offers to both players ($2,228,276 for Claxton and $1,576,305 for Duke). Also, Edwards has a team option worth $1,563,518.
The rest of Brooklyn's players are unrestricted free agents including Brown, Drummond, Dragic, Aldridge, Griffin and Johnson.&nbsp;
Brown earned $4,736,102 this season, but he's going to get a significant raise after his career-year, averaging 9.0 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.1 steals and 0.7 blocks on .506/.404/.758 shooting splits. He was one of the Nets' most dependable and versatile players all season long. He stepped up in the playoffs, averaging 14.0 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.3 steals and 0.8 blocks on .568/.429/.800 shooting splits. This is a relatively weak free-agency class, so don&rsquo;t be surprised if some team makes a big offer to the 25-year-old.
When asked about the possibility of re-signing with the Nets, Brown responded, &ldquo;Yeah, hopefully. The season just ended. I&rsquo;m not thinking about it. If there's a chance to stay, we'll talk about it. But we'll see."&nbsp;
It remains to be seen if Drummond, Dragic, Aldridge and Griffin will return.&nbsp;
Drummond played well as the Nets' starting center, averaging 11.8 points, 10.3 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 1.0 block and 0.9 steals (while shooting 61.0% from the field) in 22.3 minutes per game. When Drummond signed a one-year deal last offseason, it seemed like he wanted to showcase his value and then ink a larger contract this summer, so if he gets the kind of offer he&rsquo;s anticipating, he&rsquo;ll likely be too expensive for Brooklyn to retain.
In a shockingly candid moment back in March, Drummond <a href="https://twitter.com/krisplashed/status/1506663720931500046" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told reporters</a>: "If we're all being honest, I'm only here &lsquo;til the rest of the season. Who knows what&rsquo;s gonna happen in the offseason? So they need a guy like [Claxton].&rdquo;
Last season, the NBA world was outraged that a super-team like the Nets was able to add Griffin and Aldridge for nothing via the buyout market, putting them alongside their Big Three of Durant, Irving and Harden. At one point, Brooklyn&rsquo;s roster had a combined 41 All-Star appearances and 32 All-NBA selections. However, it didn't translate to postseason success. It remains to be seen if Griffin, Aldridge or Dragic will return. It&rsquo;s possible that Brooklyn will be able to attract other ring-chasing veterans to take their places.
After all, despite their first-round flameout, the Nets will once again enter next season as a top contender. If Simmons is able to return his All-NBA, Defensive-Player-of-the-Year-candidate form, it would be a huge addition that makes the Nets much scarier. And the more Durant and Irving play together, the more dangerous they&rsquo;ll become as a duo. Also, with Harris and Curry, the Nets will have two outstanding shooters to put around their Big Three. If this team is able to stay healthy and develop chemistry, Brooklyn has the talent to go on a deep postseason run.
Using the taxpayer mid-level exception and minimum deals, Brooklyn shouldn&rsquo;t have trouble surrounding its core with decent veterans.
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When asked specifically about who might be back and what the Nets need to add to their roster in order to contend, Durant shrugged.
"We just got done playing. You know I don't know the answer to that question right now,&rdquo; Durant said. &ldquo;I don't know the situations with the contracts. I just don't know. Obviously when you lose in the playoffs, you&rsquo;re looking toward next year and who may be on the team, and there's a lot of high expectations around the Nets so people want to have some hope of what may happen in the future. But at this point, an hour after the game, it's hard for me to say.&rdquo;
Another avenue for the Nets to improve is through the 2022 NBA Draft, where they&rsquo;ll have the No. 23 overall pick via the Philadelphia 76ers. In <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft" target="_blank" rel="noopener">BasketballNews.com's latest 2022 NBA Mock Draft</a>, Brooklyn is projected to take Jaden Hardy of the G League Ignite with its late-first-round selection.
The Nets can try to find a diamond-in-the-rough with that selection, or they can attempt to trade that pick for a win-now piece. Since the Nets will be above the luxury tax and the rookie will be a relatively cheap contributor, it may make sense to keep the pick. Remember, this year&rsquo;s roster featured four rookies: Thomas, Sharpe, Edwards and Duke.
In recent years, players such as OG Anunoby, Darius Bazley and Rodney Hood have been selected at No. 23 overall. Other notable players drafted at that spot include Tayshaun Prince, A.C. Green, Wesley Person, Wilson Chandler, Bobby Jackson, Trevor Booker, DeShawn Stevenson and Tyronn Lue.
While the roster could look very different, don&rsquo;t expect the Nets to make a coaching change. Steve Nash expressed that he hopes to return as the team&rsquo;s head coach, and Durant got annoyed and shot down a question about whether Nash is still the right coach to lead the Nets.
&nbsp;&ldquo;Come on, man. Yeah,&rdquo; Durant said. &ldquo;Steve has been dealt a crazy hand the last three years. He&rsquo;s had to deal with so much stuff as a first-time head coach &mdash; trades, injuries, COVID, just a lot of stuff he had to deal with. I&rsquo;m proud of how he just focused and of his passion for us. We'll all continue developing over the summer and see what happens.&rdquo;
Durant did express that he wants to have some input over this offseason&rsquo;s personnel decisions.
&ldquo;Yeah, of course! I want to know who I'm playing with out on the floor. I want to know what we're thinking,&rdquo; Durant said. &ldquo;[Nets general manager] Sean [Marks] and the front office, we all just talk basketball regardless because we all enjoy basketball; sometimes our team may come up and what we need and what I see from a player&rsquo;s perspective. We always have conversations and that&rsquo;s what makes great organizations.&rdquo;
Irving made it clear that he wants to be involved in &ldquo;managing this franchise&rdquo; as well.
&ldquo;When I say I&rsquo;m here with Kev, it really entails us managing this franchise together alongside [Nets governor] Joe [Tsai], Sean and our group of family members that we have in our locker room and organization,&rdquo; Irving said.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s not just about me and Kev. We're cornerstones here, but we have Ben and a few other guys who are under contract [too]. I think we've just gotta make some moves this offseason and really talk about it and really be intentional about what we&rsquo;re building, and have some fun with it and make it enjoyable.&rdquo;
After a disappointing season, all eyes will be on the Nets to see how their decision-makers attempt to right the ship.
If the last year has been any indication, there won&rsquo;t be a dull moment.&nbsp;
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
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After getting swept by the Celtics, the Nets are poised for a very interesting offseason. What's next for the team?

2022 NBA offseason preview: What's next for the Brooklyn Nets?

In a game defined by its giants, being a big man has always carried a certain level of expectation.&nbsp;
And arguably no NBA franchise has this expectation looming more than the San Antonio Spurs.&nbsp;
From the early days of Artis Gilmore, to the "The Admiral" David Robinson's stint commanding the watchtower, to Tim Duncan&rsquo;s subtle dominance, to LaMarcus Aldridge&rsquo;s <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/players/defense-dash-lt6/?Season=2017-18&amp;SeasonType=Regular%20Season&amp;CF=PLAYER_NAME*E*Aldridge" target="_blank" rel="noopener">surprisingly effective</a> repellent nature, the Spurs have always fielded an elite defensive big man.
And that makes Jakob Poeltl the perfect successor to this chain of iconic anchors.
This season, the human fly swatter is contesting shots at a <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/players/hustle/?sort=CONTESTED_SHOTS&amp;dir=1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">higher rate</a> than anyone in the league, while also holding opponents to <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/players/defense-dash-lt6/?Season=2021-22&amp;SeasonType=Regular%20Season&amp;CF=PLAYER_NAME*E*Poeltl" target="_blank" rel="noopener">over eight percentage points</a> below their usual average.&nbsp;
Along with his eye-popping numbers, the sophisticated beauty of his game has been easy to admire year after year (even having said he was playing on one of the most <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/matissa/2022/02/05/why-jakob-poeltl-is-a-giant-bargain-for-the-spurs/?sh=1d90fdefeb12" target="_blank" rel="noopener">valuable</a> contracts in basketball).
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So, it was time to get inside the mind of one of the league&rsquo;s best defenders.
During training camp, Poeltl made it known that San Antonio's massive roster turnaround meant he needed to be more vocal, particularly on the defensive end of the floor. And considering <a href="https://www.sportingnews.com/us/nba/news/hidden-gems-jakob-poeltl-is-the-best-center-that-nobodys-talking-about/1acr9r7wz5mg913hug0jnr42sk" target="_blank" rel="noopener">renowned analysts</a> are praising his communication skills, it&rsquo;s safe to say his mission has been accomplished.
&ldquo;First of all, [communication] is one of the biggest parts of being a big man in the NBA.&rdquo; Poeltl told BasketballNews.com in a phone interview. &ldquo;If you are not good at communicating, your guards are going to keep running into trouble over and over again.&rdquo;
Here is a perfect example of his articulation skills at work.
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute;" src="https://streamable.com/e/29utb9" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
Turning up the volume is recommended here; if you listen closely, you can hear Poeltl instructing nearby help defenders to &ldquo;stay&rdquo; back on their man because he&rsquo;s going to offer the necessary backline support himself. This forces Steven Adams to make the weak-side corner pass (an easier pass for the defense to close-out on), and ultimately, Poeltl's reassurance results in a missed shot.&nbsp;
Then, Poeltl dove a little deeper into specific coverages. Being the mad scientist he is, Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich loves throwing a good ol&rsquo; zone at opposing offenses.
Listen to this next clip to hear Poeltl break down what&rsquo;s going through his mind in these situations.
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute;" src="https://streamable.com/e/2xzbv7" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
&ldquo;[It] comes down to a lot of communication as well," Poeltl said. "The offense is going to try and exploit weak spots. I&rsquo;m just constantly on the lookout for what they are possibly trying to set up. And telling those guys around me to move over, overload one side, whatever it might be.&rdquo;
Poeltl also emphasized the importance of ball-screen coverage in today&rsquo;s constantly evolving pick-and-roll ecosystem.
&ldquo;There&rsquo;s a lot of pick-and-rolls in this league because it&rsquo;s so efficient and you're creating a lot of 2-on-1 situations," he said.
As the big man who has handled the <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/players/roll-man/?SeasonType=Regular%20Season&amp;TypeGrouping=defensive&amp;sort=POSS&amp;dir=1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">fourth-most</a> ball-screens in the NBA, Poeltl knows his way around these spots.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m really just trying to keep the offensive players guessing," he said. "And at the end of the day, play the percentages.&rdquo;
The next clip provides a prime example of what he&rsquo;s talking about:
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute;" src="https://streamable.com/e/surx68" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
Poeltl intentionally sags off of Mike Conley because, while he&rsquo;s a good short mid-range shooter (<a href="https://cleaningtheglass.com/stats/player/695#tab-shooting_accuracy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">45%</a>), he&rsquo;s a slightly better finisher (<a href="https://cleaningtheglass.com/stats/player/695#tab-shooting_accuracy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">53%</a>). But even more important, by accounting for the roller, Jakob avoids Rudy Gobert&rsquo;s lob-finishing wrath (<a href="https://cleaningtheglass.com/stats/player/1310#tab-shooting_accuracy">77%</a>).
"Playing the percentages" became a recurring theme throughout this conversation, and Poeltl's appreciation of the mathematics of the game bears resemblance to another defensive tactician &mdash; Bill Russell.
Like Russell, Poeltl makes himself familiar with his opponent&rsquo;s moves and tendencies in order to lure them into their least efficient spots on the court.
&ldquo;I try to play [their] tendencies," Poeltl said. "I know which moves [they] like, which moves [they] might like a little less. I try to make [them] take lower percentage shots.&rdquo;
And his astuteness appears to be paying dividends, as Poeltl has held some of the best low-post bigs in the league to numbers below their usual outputs.
Poeltl Matchup Data (2021-22)
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%; height: 324px;" border="1">
<tbody>
<tr style="height: 54px;">
<td style="width: 19.5822%; height: 54px;">
Player 
</td>
<td style="width: 25.718%; height: 54px;">
Partial Possessions*
</td>
<td style="width: 21.4783%; height: 54px;">
FG% vs. Poeltl*
</td>
<td style="width: 22.7776%; height: 54px;">
Season FG%*
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 54px;">
<td style="width: 19.5822%; height: 54px;">
Valanciunas&nbsp;
</td>
<td style="width: 25.718%; height: 54px;">
146.8
</td>
<td style="width: 21.4783%; height: 54px;">
52.9%
</td>
<td style="width: 22.7776%; height: 54px;">
54.3%
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 54px;">
<td style="width: 19.5822%; height: 54px;">
Gobert
</td>
<td style="width: 25.718%; height: 54px;">
93.8
</td>
<td style="width: 21.4783%; height: 54px;">
54.5%
</td>
<td style="width: 22.7776%; height: 54px;">
71.3%
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 54px;">
<td style="width: 19.5822%; height: 54px;">
Embiid
</td>
<td style="width: 25.718%; height: 54px;">
76.7
</td>
<td style="width: 21.4783%; height: 54px;">
42.9%
</td>
<td style="width: 22.7776%; height: 54px;">
49.6%
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 54px;">
<td style="width: 19.5822%; height: 54px;">
Ayton
</td>
<td style="width: 25.718%; height: 54px;">
75.4
</td>
<td style="width: 21.4783%; height: 54px;">
46.7%
</td>
<td style="width: 22.7776%; height: 54px;">
63.8%
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 54px;">
<td style="width: 19.5822%; height: 54px;">
Vucevic
</td>
<td style="width: 25.718%; height: 54px;">
74.7
</td>
<td style="width: 21.4783%; height: 54px;">
46.7%
</td>
<td style="width: 22.7776%; height: 54px;">
47.4%
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
(Mobile users scroll right to view full table)
Poeltl's work against current MVP candidate Joel Embiid deserves further examination. Poeltl is holding Embiid to 42.9% from the floor on 35 shot attempts. But what&rsquo;s more, he&rsquo;s only allowed Embiid to take 6 free throws during the nearly 77 partial possessions he&rsquo;s spent on him. This is a far cry from the <a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/e/embiijo01.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">17.4 free throw attempts</a> Embiid typically averages per 100 possessions.
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute;" src="https://streamable.com/e/7niqah" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
Poeltl does two things well while guarding Embiid:
<ol>
<li>He baits him into taking a bevy of mid-range jumpers (the least efficient shot in Embiid&rsquo;s illustrious shot profile).</li>
<li>He avoids getting handsy with Embiid and falling prey to his infamous <a href="https://twitter.com/rich_hofmann/status/816337297910153216?s=20&amp;t=IZbWympJN3SijK8xXTdMWw" target="_blank" rel="noopener">rip-through</a> maneuver.&nbsp;</li>
</ol>
And like Hakeem Olajuwon, Poeltl is a master at navigating the <a href="https://medium.com/the-basketball-dictionary/2-9-6fb93080023c" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2.9</a> position of the paint without getting called for a defensive three seconds. (Turn your volume up.)
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute;" src="https://streamable.com/e/48iivd" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
&ldquo;I think that has a lot to do with reputation as well, where just being around for a long time, you figure out these little things," Poeltl said. "I remember my first couple seasons in the NBA &mdash; first of all, I was a lot more paranoid to get called for defensive three seconds, and I probably actually was getting called on it a lot more as well. So, I think the biggest thing there that I had to figure out over the years is the timing of it. Like, being in the paint at the right moment when an offensive player &mdash; like a guard or somebody &mdash; is trying to attack. Not wasting those three seconds. Like, standing in there when there is nothing happening.
"Then, I have to go out [of the paint] to clear myself, and in that moment somebody starts driving, and then I&rsquo;m late for the rotation. So, again, it comes down to timing it well, [and] trying to read what the offense is trying to do.&rdquo;
In staying with the topic of great defenders, the best not only omit shots as they come, but also deter would-be trespassers from entering their hunting grounds entirely. Poeltl looks like he&rsquo;s trending towards no-fly-zone territory.
After peaking in January, his number of contests per game has gone downward &mdash; an indication that offensive players may have finally learned their lesson.&nbsp;
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/screen-shot-2022-04-08-at-11-03-22-am_lg.png" alt="" width="584" height="348" />
*Data Provided by NBA.com
Poeltl's presence on the interior is almost reminiscent to that of the Dark Knight in Gotham City. Both Batman and the Spurs' rim-protector serve as a cautionary symbol of what will happen when you cross the line.
&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know if I&rsquo;d call myself a vigilante.&rdquo; Poeltl joked. &ldquo;I pretty much always try to make the paint look as crowded as possible. Try to discourage the other team from driving in there. At the end of the day, contesting a shot is good, but if I can make it look crowded in the first place and discourage them from coming in the paint, that&rsquo;s already a win in my book.&rdquo;
With shades of the various all-timers painted all over his game, is there a particular player that Poeltl has consciously modeled his game after?
&ldquo;Not really, to be honest," Poeltl said. "I always tried to feel the game out for myself. I always tried to find my own way.&rdquo;
Stating that he&rsquo;s just trying to find his way is an undersell.
In fact, Poeltl has more than found his own way. He&rsquo;s an elite shot-blocker, a vocal defensive quarterback and a serious contender for an All-Defensive Team nomination.&nbsp;
But most important of all, he&rsquo;s San Antonio&rsquo;s newest watchful protector &mdash; the franchise's next great defensive big man.
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Mat Issa goes one-on-one with Jakob Poeltl to discuss his defensive prowess and break down his film deterring the NBA's best.

Jakob Poeltl: The San Antonio Spurs' newest watchful protector

This week found me recalling an early-season article from <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/tom-thibodeau-isnt-the-only-reigning-coach-of-the-year-to-struggle" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Moke Hamilton on the Coach of the Year curse</a>. Moke wrote this when the Knicks were 12-12; they're now 11 games under .500 and the aura surrounding Thibodeau's first season in New York is all but gone.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Sixers feeling comfortable switching Maxey on Randle and not doubling feels like the Knicks season in a nutshell. <a href="https://t.co/1ws9NEhqbT">pic.twitter.com/1ws9NEhqbT</a>
&mdash; Steve Jones Jr. (@stevejones20) <a href="https://twitter.com/stevejones20/status/1498010231904813059?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 27, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Julius Randle is nowhere near the All-NBA player he was last season, and the complementary players haven't challenged defenses consistently. Here we are with New York well out of the postseason race and once again figuring out a franchise direction for the season. There's a good quote from Evan Fournier hidden in this week's rankings.
If you're new to the Sour Rankings, here's a refresher: Unlike the typical "power rankings" that repeat themselves throughout sports media, Sour Rankings are a bizarro-world counter. These rankings highlight the top-10 most frustrating NBA franchises throughout the season, and they will be updated every week to match the twists and turns of the league.
This is not merely a bottom-10 of your typical best-to-worst outlooks. You will see championship contenders and playoff hopefuls mixed in with struggling squads. Teams well under .500 may never touch the Sour Rankings because they are on track with their respective processes. Injuries, drama, transactions and generally underwhelming play will earn you a spot on this list.
The central question is ultimately this: How good should you feel about the direction of each franchise? Let's get going.
Escaping the Sour Rankings:&nbsp;Utah has won 8 of its last 9 games, and Donovan Mitchell is on fire. With two great wins over the Dallas Mavericks and Phoenix Suns, the Jazz break free of this list.
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10. New Orleans Pelicans (25-36)
The Zion Williamson saga was the dominant subject of NBA conversations last week. <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/new-orleans-pelicans-zion-williamson-lack-of-transparency" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mark Schindler's recent piece</a> explains just how layered this situation is. Unfortunately, the off-court tension distracts and hampers the fact that this team has been really, really good out of the All-Star break. New Orleans steamrolled the Suns and Los Angeles Lakers. The Pelicans have the best defensive rating in this uber-small sample size, and have been much-improved on offense with CJ McCollum in the fold. I fully expect them to leave the Sour Rankings behind next week as long as there's no more Zion drama.
(Last week: 10)
9. Milwaukee Bucks (36-25)
So... the Bucks have not been very good recently? Milwaukee is 12-12 in the 2022 calendar year and has lost 4 of its last 5 games. Since Jan. 1, the team has the 18th-ranked defense in the NBA and the 27th-ranked defense over the past two weeks without missing any of their signature defensive studs for extended periods. The Bucks face the Charlotte Hornets on Monday but then have the Miami Heat, Chicago Bulls and Suns on the schedule. They're still my pick to come out of the East, but I admittedly don't think the public sphere is showing enough concern.
(Last week: Unranked)
8. Portland Trail Blazers (25-36)
Portland opened up the post-All-Star stretch by getting its doors absolutely smashed with two 30-plus-point losses to the Golden State Warriors and Denver Nuggets. The Trail Blazers are dealing with several serious injuries and simply don't have the depth to remain competitive at this stage. As much as we love Anfernee Simons and Josh Hart, they won't be the duo to lead Portland to Play-In games. Drew Eubanks is currently the only center in the rotation.
(Last week: 8)
7. Charlotte Hornets (30-32)
Gordon Hayward remains out with an ankle injury, but hopefully Charlotte is finding some of its footing amid a tense Eastern Conference playoff race. I'd like to shout out JT Thor, who has emerged as a rotation piece. The rookie second-round pick has played at least 10 minutes in each of the last five contests after not reach double-digit minutes since Dec. 13. I don't know how long this lasts, but I'm intrigued to watch more of him and see if he's grown comfortable enough to stay this season.
(Last week: 6)
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6. Houston Rockets (15-45)
Jalen Green had put together a really strong stretch prior to his dud in Houston's 99-98 loss against the Los Angeles Clippers. The rookie has a 57.2% True Shooting percentage in February, is hitting 38.6% of his threes and averaging 16.5 points per game &mdash; all monthly bests outside of a December in which he only played three games. While the Rockets flounder on their current nine-game skid, at least Green is showing the scoring promise he's been labeled with throughout his basketball career.
(Last week: 5)
5. Washington Wizards (27-33)
Kind of a radical return for the Wizards, who lost a crazy 157-153 double-OT game to the San Antonio Spurs and fell narrowly again on the second night of a back-to-back versus the Cleveland Cavaliers. We're in the sans-Bradley Beal, pre-Kristaps Porzingis purgatory world, so Washington expectedly has some tough sledding coming out of the All-Star break.&nbsp;
One small stat of note: Rui Hachimura is canning 48.8% of his three-pointers since rejoining the team. That's a 16% spike from last season, and hopefully a positive indicator of Hachimura expanding his range since he was drafted ninth overall in 2019.&nbsp;
(Last week: 4)
4. Sacramento Kings (22-40)
The Kings are 3.5 games out of a Play-In spot with 20 games to go, and are currently riding a four-game losing streak. It's desperation time for De'Aaron Fox, Domantas Sabonis and the rest of this win-now-ish group. Sacramento began the stretch run with two understandable defeats to Denver, but the schedule gets easier.
Four of the next five contests are against teams well under .500 in New Orleans, Oklahoma City, San Antonio and New York. It's imperative that the Kings find a groove over the next two weeks.
(Last week: 7)
3. Brooklyn Nets (32-29)
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Kyrie Irving scored a season-high 38 points (14/26 FG) in a win vs the Bucks! Dragic: "When you watch Kyrie, it feels like he's in the video games. It's just crazy how he moves &amp; how he's making those tough shots."<a href="https://t.co/eLfonZsyWO">pic.twitter.com/eLfonZsyWO</a>
&mdash; Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) <a href="https://twitter.com/Ballislife/status/1497893361759444997?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 27, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Man, was that a necessary win against the Bucks on Saturday. Brooklyn numbed the 129-106 thumping by the Boston Celtics early in the week and grabbed a win with Kyrie Irving back as Kevin Durant nears a return. Unfortunately, it appears Nic Claxton is getting the short end of the stick again with Andre Drummond and LaMarcus Aldridge taking place over him in the rotation. Sigh.&nbsp;
(Last week: 3)
2. New York Knicks (25-36)
&ldquo;I feel like sometimes we&rsquo;re looking at each other, second-guessing what play we&rsquo;re going to run, who we&rsquo;re going to go to... What is he going to do? We have no expectations right now from each other because we have no rhythm and no confidence in the fourth quarter. So again, as long as we don&rsquo;t fix that as players, things are not going to change.&rdquo;
That quote comes from Evan Fournier. It's not a great look at all for the Knicks, who have been outscored 252-161 in the fourth quarter and overtime over the past eight games, <a href="https://www.sny.tv/articles/evan-fournier-admits-knicks-no-confidence-late-games" target="_blank" rel="noopener">per SNY's Ian Begley.</a> Yikes.
(Last week: 2)
1. Los Angeles Lakers (27-33)
The Lakers are very much the viral laughingstock of the NBA right now after losing by 30 to the Pelicans. I'm not a fan of StatMuse and the way it uses its platform, but this was pretty funny:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
The Lakers are 6-14 since Desmond Bane said "Them footsteps ain't scaring nobody." Only the Rockets have fewer wins in that span. <a href="https://t.co/M3tQ0UbfQg">pic.twitter.com/M3tQ0UbfQg</a>
&mdash; StatMuse (@statmuse) <a href="https://twitter.com/statmuse/status/1498354136605102082?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 28, 2022</a></blockquote>

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(Last week: 1)
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Looking to go to the hottest concerts, sports, theater &amp; family shows near you? Get 100% guaranteed tickets to more than 125,000 live events from TicketSmarter, the official ticket marketplace of BasketballNews.com.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ticketsmarter.com/?utm_source=basketballnewscom&amp;utm_medium=tsaff&amp;utm_campaign=referral" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Order online now</a>!

The Lakers and Knicks continue to dominate in the latest NBA Sour Rankings installment.

NBA Sour Rankings: Too much second-guessing

Nekias Duncan thoroughly grades every NBA trade from 2022 Deadline Week.

Grading every move from 2022 NBA trade deadline week

Damian Lillard&rsquo;s defiance has made him a social-media punching bag, as his Portland Trail Blazers are dissolving around him and looking like a completely different team.
Lillard hasn&rsquo;t played since New Year&rsquo;s Eve, and as he recovers from abdominal surgery, he watched his team <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/breaking-down-why-the-blazersclippers-deal-works-for-both-sides" target="_blank" rel="noopener">deal Norman Powell and Robert Covington</a> to the Los Angeles Clippers while the best player coming back is Eric Bledsoe. Keon Johnsn was also included in the trade and while Portland hopes he pops off, he's only 19 years old, so who knows how soon he can make an impact? The Blazers also received a 2025 second-round pick &ndash; the year Lillard turns 35.
Then, on Tuesday, Lillard watched his Blazers acquire Josh Hart, Didi Louzada, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Tom&aacute;&scaron; Satoransky and draft picks in exchange for Larry Nance Jr., Tony Snell, and the reason we&rsquo;re gathered here today: CJ McCollum.
#Narratives are already in motion. The jokes have been flying on social media about how people are, in hindsight, underwhelmed by the run that Lillard and McCollum had. But before we stomp on their Basketball-Reference pages and laugh in their comments about &ldquo;not having won anything,&rdquo; we should offer a massive amount of respect for what they accomplished in Portland.
You&rsquo;ve probably seen the photo of a 5-foot-2 McCollum as a freshman in high school, but even that symbolizes so much here.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
CJ McCollum was really 5&rsquo;2&rdquo; playing Varsity basketball as a freshman lol <a href="https://t.co/ukPiVyOUYC">pic.twitter.com/ukPiVyOUYC</a>
&mdash; Nothing Matter3D (@HiDefDee) <a href="https://twitter.com/HiDefDee/status/1376562700440965131?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 29, 2021</a></blockquote>

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The parallels Lillard and McCollum maintained were astounding; they were the reason the backcourt became divisive among NBA consumers &mdash; with some loving them and thinking that the Blazers could build a contender around them, while others refused to believe that a pair of 6-foot-3 scoring machines could lead a team to a title, even in this guard-friendly era.
These things need to be delivered out loud and thoroughly processed.
Lillard went to Weber State, and McCollum went to Lehigh. Both played in mid-major conferences, and they are two of the better mid-major players we&rsquo;ve seen this century. But really, the Big Sky and Patriot League are closer to the bottom of the NCAA&rsquo;s Division I conference rankings; take it from a Northeast Conference alum.
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Lillard was drafted No. 6 overall in 2012; the only Weber State player drafted in the first round, period. McCollum was taken No. 10 overall the following year and is <a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/friv/draft.fcgi?college=lehigh" target="_blank" rel="noopener">still the only Lehigh player to be selected in an NBA Draft</a>. One of the first things that people noted when Lillard got drafted was that <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXXXDlzv0-U" target="_blank" rel="noopener">he never played against a top-25 team while in college</a>. And Bill Simmons <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJBwqmwfQbg" target="_blank" rel="noopener">couldn&rsquo;t believe a Patriot Leaguer was selected</a> in the top-10 in 2013.
Suddenly, we looked up and Lillard was the NBA's Rookie of the Year, <a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/awards/awards_2013.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">receiving every single first-place vote</a> over perennial favorite Anthony Davis, who won a gold medal with Team USA during the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.&nbsp;And then, in 2013-14, Portland was in the playoffs, where they&rsquo;ve been every year since Lillard and McCollum became teammates &ndash; the longest active streak in the NBA. Even then, McCollum didn&rsquo;t have his coming out party until 2015-16, when he immediately filled an All-Star sized scoring role vacated by LaMarcus Aldridge (who left for San Antonio) and won the NBA's Most Improved Player award.
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They played similarly and complemented each other exceptionally. Lillard and McCollum would each produce 20 points a night, occasionally going off for 30 each, and in a brutal Western Conference, return to playoffs no matter what was around them. And then they&rsquo;d lose, which led some to dismiss them.
In 2015, it was a five-game gentlemen&rsquo;s sweep as a No. 4 seed against the Grit N&rsquo; Grind Memphis Grizzlies, who went up 2-1 on the Golden State Warriors in the semifinals before losing to the eventual champions. In 2018, as a No. 3 seed, it was that memorable sweep against the same Pelicans that McCollum now joins, who were the sixth seed.
Then, in 2019, we finally saw a breakthrough: a run to the Western Conference Finals. Thanks to a legendary 37-point performance from McCollum in Game 7 of the semifinals, the Blazers beat the Denver Nuggets on the road &ndash; still CJ's paramount performance to date. Portland met up with the Warriors in the Conference Finals, and Golden State ultimately swept them (even though they were missing Kevin Durant, who was out due to a calf strain).
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The Blazers followed up that Conference-Finals appearance with consecutive first-round exits. With that said, Portland's failures can't be blamed on Lillard and McCollum alone.
Their fellow starters and key teammates include Al-Farouq Aminu, Mason Plumlee, Meyers Leonard, Noah Vonleh, Jusuf Nurkić, Evan Turner, Mo Harkless, Jake Layman, Zach Collins, Trevor Ariza, Carmelo Anthony, Hassan Whiteside and Norman Powell. Despite having one of the best backcourts we&rsquo;ve seen in generations, the Blazers could never figure out how to properly surround them with talent. (And honestly, doing is probably harder in the real world than we realize).
But in spite of their nitpickable shortcomings, their rigorous conference, their identical 6-foot-3 statures, their style of play and the lack of an ideal supporting cast, Lillard and McCollum co-engineered (along with Aldridge the first two years) the NBA&rsquo;s longest playoff streak. And they did so defiantly, as underrecruited long-time college players who stunned scouts by becoming top-10 picks and high-end NBA talents.
They led five 50-plus-win teams and two No. 3 seeds out West. Lillard is a <a href="https://www.nba.com/news/nba-75th-anniversary-team-announced" target="_blank" rel="noopener">top-76 NBA player ever</a>, and McCollum is one of the best active NBA players to never make an All-Star team (and he probably would've made multiple appearances had he been in the Eastern Conference instead).
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People have been trying to separate this duo for years via trade machines, NBA 2K, forums, social-media posts, comments under those posts, text threads, direct messages, barbershop debates, radio call-ins, post-sex conversations, you name it. Finally, that day is here, and the circumstances suck.
Lillard <a href="https://www.theplayerstribune.com/articles/damian-lillard-loyalty-over-everything" target="_blank" rel="noopener">continually preached loyalty and wanting to win the hard way</a>. McCollum <a href="https://www.theringer.com/the-bill-simmons-podcast/2021/2/3/22263991/brooklyn-bliss-draymonds-dip-and-cj-mccollum-stops-by" target="_blank" rel="noopener">asked us to stop putting him in trade rumors</a>.
The parallels between the two are why many loved them, and the parallels proved to be their demise. But dammit, they accomplished a lot. We could say that they were ultimately underwhelmed by their surroundings, but let&rsquo;s also acknowledge how hard this damn thing is. You can&rsquo;t take playoff streaks for granted &ndash; look at what the Pelicans, Cleveland Cavaliers and Sacramento Kings are doing this week in hopes of ending their postseason droughts.
This could&rsquo;ve had a happy ending, and it still might, but it doesn&rsquo;t appear that it&rsquo;ll be with Lillard and McCollum together. They didn&rsquo;t fail, and they probably didn&rsquo;t live up to your (or their own) expectations, but that&rsquo;s usually how our experiences on Earth go. Regularly, even if we don&rsquo;t want to admit it, that&rsquo;s OK, because more often than we acknowledge, that&rsquo;s life.

Bryan Fonseca looks back on what Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum accomplished together with the Portland Trail Blazers.

End of an era: Saluting the defiance of Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum

If there&rsquo;s one thing the Brooklyn Nets aren&rsquo;t short on, it&rsquo;s basketball talent. For the team, that&rsquo;s a good thing.&nbsp;
For Paul Millsap personally? Not so much.
Now in his 16th year, after just 24 games in Brooklyn, the 36-year-old veteran big man is looking for a new opportunity.&nbsp;
Since he signed on in Brooklyn last summer, the Nets have seen Nicolas Claxton and Day&rsquo;Ron Sharpe become reliable role players and LaMarcus Aldridge return from retirement. Meanwhile, 32-year-old Blake Griffin has maintained his place in the rotation, effectively leaving Millsap as the odd man out.&nbsp;
Of the five, he averages the fewest minutes per game (11.3 &mdash; a career low) and is the only one who hasn&rsquo;t started a single contest. Considering his pedigree, his unhappiness should come as no surprise.&nbsp;
Millsap effectively lost his job with the Denver Nuggets after the team acquired Aaron Gordon, and he chose to sign with Brooklyn because the team was perceived to have a shallow front court.&nbsp;
Surprisingly, though, it is Millsap who has drowned in the rotation.
With the NBA&rsquo;s Feb. 10 trade deadline approaching, there are a few teams which could both afford Millsap the opportunity to play meaningful minutes and contend for a championship. Whether the Nets trade him or buy him out, Millsap will eventually find a new home this season. If he&rsquo;s fortunate, it&rsquo;ll be with one of these clubs&hellip;
Milwaukee Bucks
After starting 70 games for the NBA champion Bucks last season, incumbent starter Brook Lopez hasn&rsquo;t appeared in a game since October. Currently recovering from back surgery, the Bucks are hopeful that Lopez can return before the playoffs begin, but as of now the team is rather thin up front.
Bobby Portis has filled in admirably since Lopez has gone down, and he&rsquo;s played well enough as a starter for head coach Mike Budenholzer to wonder whether Portis should retain the starting job even after Lopez returns. On the season, Portis is shooting a remarkable 41.4% from three-point territory. Although it&rsquo;s an appreciable decrease from the 47% he shot last season, that he&rsquo;s come close to maintaining his proficiency is an accomplishment, considering he&rsquo;s taking nearly twice as many attempts per game (4.5 this season compared to 2.4 last season).
It&rsquo;s not difficult to imagine a scenario where Millsap is able to give coach Budenholzer some minutes up front, especially considering the gaping hole that&rsquo;s been left in the team&rsquo;s rotation with Lopez&rsquo;s injury.
Phoenix Suns
Over the past 15 years, one of the constants in the NBA is that Chris Paul is going to find a way to maximize the players and the talent around him. We&rsquo;ve seen it since CP3 was suiting up in New Orleans, and we&rsquo;ve seen it most recently with Bismack Biyombo.&nbsp;
Unfortunately for the big man, Biyombo&rsquo;s career story &mdash; at least before arriving in Phoenix &mdash; has mostly been one about unfulfilled expectations. He was not re-signed by the rebuilding Charlotte Hornets after his contract expired last season and went unsigned for the first-half of this season.
Because of injuries to Deandre Ayton and JaVale McGee, the Suns found themselves with a need in the frontcourt and, without fail, Biyombo has experienced quite the resurgence. Through nine games in Phoenix, he is averaging what would be a career-high 10.8 points per game on 70.2% shooting from the field. He&rsquo;s benefited greatly from playing alongside Paul, as well as with units that share the ball and play relatively fast.
According to Basketball-Reference.com, approximately 67% of Biyombo&rsquo;s field goal attempts come within three feet of the basket, with another 30% coming from 3-10 feet.&nbsp;
In other words, he&rsquo;s excelled by providing the team with an inside presence that the Suns are sorely missing without Ayton, and it&rsquo;s conceivable that Millsap could provide a similar interior offensive presence.&nbsp;
Dallas Mavericks
After hovering around .500 for the early part of the season, the Mavericks are 10-3 in 2022. Both Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis have missed a fair share of games this season, but recent reports suggest that the Mavericks &mdash; who want to continue to build around their duo &mdash; are open for business.&nbsp;
In recent weeks, there have been reports citing Myles Turner and Dennis Schroder as players the Mavericks have some level of interest in, but Turner recently suffered a stress reaction in his left foot that may sideline him until after the trade deadline.
To make matters worse, Tim Hardaway Jr. fractured the fifth metatarsal in his left foot and is expected to be out for an extended period of time. Millsap won&rsquo;t necessarily help absorb any of the available minutes in the Mavericks&rsquo; backcourt, but he would help the team by providing another serviceable body who can help replace the 14.2 points per game they&rsquo;ll lose with Hardaway out of the lineup.
Along with Porzingis, Dorian Finney-Smith, Dwight Powell and Maxi Kleber have played most of the available big man minutes for Jason Kidd&rsquo;s team. It&rsquo;s difficult to imagine Millsap, even at 36 years old, not being able to provide value to a front line featuring those three.&nbsp;
With Turner potentially off the board and Hardaway on the shelf, Dallas will certainly have to find help elsewhere, especially with the team finally beginning to click after its season got off to a rough start.
Chicago Bulls
Patrick Williams was lost for the season back in October, and in January the Bulls have had players dropping like flies.&nbsp;
Zach LaVine only missed five games and returned to the lineup on Monday night after suffering a minor left knee injury, but neither Alex Caruso nor Lonzo Ball were as fortunate. Ball and Caruso will each miss the next 6-8 weeks, with Derrick Jones Jr. out for a similar time frame. Meanwhile, Nikola Vucevic is battling left knee soreness.
The Bulls need bodies, and it would help if they happened to be big.
Enter Millsap.
Although there probably won&rsquo;t be many shots available for Millsap, he would provide immediate help to a Bulls front line that ranks 28th in the league in rebounds.
DeMar DeRozan has spent some time at power forward for Chicago this season, which isn&rsquo;t ideal. DeRozan &mdash; who has slowed down in recent weeks after being mentioned among MVP candidates earlier this season &mdash; would be better served by having another big in the lineup.
Although Chicago will be without Ball and Caruso for the foreseeable future, the team will need another big body or two if it hopes to challenge the likes of Milwaukee and Brooklyn for the Eastern Conference. Millsap could help.
Utah Jazz
Rudy Gobert and Hassan Whiteside have proven to be a formidable tandem patrolling the paint for the Jazz, and they&rsquo;ve also proven that a team can still find success in today&rsquo;s NBA by playing traditional big men.
Although Millsap wouldn&rsquo;t provide the same spacing as Bojan Bogdanovic or Rudy Gay, he would provide the team with some needed insurance in the event that Gobert or Whiteside went down for an extended period of time.&nbsp;
Aside from the fact that Millsap began his career in Utah, he would also facilitate some offensive balance for the team &mdash; according to NBA.com, the Jazz score 38.6% of their points from three-point territory, which ranks third in the league. With respect to points scored in the paint, they rank 16th, with just 42.4%.
Millsap still possesses a back-to-basket game and could help Utah in one of the areas they need to improve.
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Moke Hamilton examines some of the teams that should take a close look at acquiring Paul Millsap from the Nets.

Five teams that could benefit from a Paul Millsap trade

By now, the secret&rsquo;s out.
The Memphis Grizzlies are good. And Ja Morant is a true superstar.
With 11 wins in a row, Memphis has suddenly found itself as the third seed in the Western Conference, and if there&rsquo;s one team that has the capability of destroying your playoff bracket, it&rsquo;d be the Grizz.
Interestingly enough, most people have come to know those facts, because behind Morant, the Grizzlies are simply no longer capable of being ignored. Not by me, not by you, and, apparently, not by the universe of NBA fans.
Although the fan vote is now only one of three voting processes that determine the starters for the All-Star Game, the fans serve as a very interesting focus group that does a good job of revealing the perceived value of a player&rsquo;s contributions.&nbsp;
Historically, there have been players who've seen their deserved vote totals inflated due to having support from bigger markets, and this season is no exception. But the reason this is reported in the first place is because, truth be told, the fan votes usually get it right.&nbsp;
The NBA <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/lebron-james-steph-curry-lead-second-allstar-fan-voting-returns" target="_blank" rel="noopener">released its second return of NBA All-Star votes</a> on Thursday afternoon, and currently, Steph Curry enjoys a narrow edge over LeBron James as the overall leading vote-getter, while Kevin Durant leads all Eastern Conference players. If voting ended today and the fan vote carried the day, Curry and Durant would be the All-Star Game captains.
But LeBron trails Curry by just 77,034 votes, so LeBron could catch him. Considering the fact that the winner of that race gets the honor of being captain, it&rsquo;s just the latest installment in what has become an awesome rivalry between the Chef and the King.
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The other thing that jumps off the page when you review the second returns, though? It is Morant who is currently second among Western Conference guards, leading Luka Doncic by a sizable margin of about 223,000 votes. It&rsquo;s difficult to imagine Doncic making up that ground, and unless something dramatic happens, Morant appears to be headed to Cleveland as an All-Star starter.
Who had that in the office pool?
The Grizzlies star addressed the fact after Thursday night&rsquo;s win.
&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t even know what to say honestly,&rdquo; Morant said when apprised of the fact that he was in line to become a starter over Doncic.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m mostly in like a little emotional moment just to see how much fans I got who want to see me in the All-Star game&hellip; Thank ya&rsquo;ll, [I] love ya&rsquo;ll for rooting for me.&rdquo;
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12 is thankful for all star voting love 💙<a href="https://twitter.com/JaMorant?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JaMorant</a> // <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBAAllStar?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBAAllStar</a> <a href="https://t.co/IDN8PijA4V">pic.twitter.com/IDN8PijA4V</a>
&mdash; Memphis Grizzlies (@memgrizz) <a href="https://twitter.com/memgrizz/status/1481861132046458888?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 14, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Even still, for those who don&rsquo;t actually root for Morant, his rise has been inspiring to witness.
At just 22 years old, the third-year point guard is averaging 24.6 points, 5.8 rebounds and 6.8 assists per contest, including 26.7 points per game during the team&rsquo;s 11-game win streak.
While some young players see the likes of Curry and LeBron and fawn, Ja comes to snatch their crowns. With him in the lineup, the Grizzlies have gone 2-1 against both the Lakers and Warriors this season, and recently defeated Kevin Durant and the Brooklyn Nets at the Barclays Center during Memphis' current win streak. If you lump the Phoenix Suns in there, the Grizzlies have an impressive 6-3 record against those teams altogether, and that sample size is indicative of a larger truth: Memphis is a damn good basketball team. And they&rsquo;re being led by a point guard who has potential rarely seen at this level.
As a lead guard on a young team, and as a player who is still fighting to earn his notoriety in a league full of international stars, Ja has already mastered one of the most difficult things for someone at his position. He knows how to pick and choose his spots. Despite his superhuman athleticism, the one constant in his game is that he rarely forces anything on the floor, and never presses or panics. He defers and makes plays when he should and takes over when he should.
Typically, it takes a young guard time to develop those instincts. Damian Lillard, Kyrie Irving and Derrick Rose all had that gift, and like Ja, they were atypical in that they were tremendously effective from Day 0. They all became All-Stars in their second year (not a coincidence), with Kyrie becoming a starter in his third and Rose becoming the league&rsquo;s youngest MVP in history in his third.
Morant&rsquo;s rise to starter, assuming it happens, would be more impressive than Irving&rsquo;s considering the fact that he plays in the Western Conference, and the fact that his team currently sits at No. 3.
And although Lillard had much more success in his third season &mdash; the Portland Trail Blazers won 51 games in 2014-15 &mdash; he also had another All-Star in LaMarcus Aldridge.
Truth be told, Rose is really the only other point guard who, at this point, is an appropriate comparison for Morant. Ja is simply taking us places rarely seen in the NBA, and the fact that he&rsquo;s doing it in the Western Conference makes it all the more remarkable.
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At a certain point, if the Grizzlies continue winning, we are going to have to start asking ourselves what it would take for Morant to start peeling off some MVP votes from the presumptive leaders.&nbsp;
As we enter play on Jan. 14, Durant and Curry &mdash; the two likely All-Star Game captains &mdash; would probably land somewhere in the top-five if MVP voting were to take place right now. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Nikola Jokic and LeBron James are all not strangers to the award, and each of them have reasons both for and against consideration.
But at a certain point, just like he has with the West All-Star scene, Ja is likely to crash that party, as well.&nbsp;
On Thursday night, he surpassed Doncic. And as he works on keeping Luka in his rearview mirror, it would probably be wise for us to consider that this is only the beginning for Ja.
Fortunately, based on what the fans told us in the second return, the secret&rsquo;s out.

Moke Hamilton details Ja Morant's incredible stretch and season to this point, and illustrates his popularity based on All-Star voting.

Secret's out: Ja Morant is forcing his way into the NBA MVP race

NBA championships are often determined by the superstars participating in the series. Those superstars are also judged by the number of championship rings they possess at the end of their illustrious careers. However, in most series, there are unsung heroes who play a massive part in their team reaching the pinnacle.
These X-factors do the necessary things not only for their teams to win, but also for their stars to shine the brightest.&nbsp;Think about Andre Iguodala in 2015, Marc Gasol in 2019 or Danny Green in just about any year.&nbsp;
Iguodala is obviously an extreme case by winning Finals MVP, but his work on the defensive end made what Steph Curry and Klay Thompson did easier. The Toronto Raptors traded Jonas Valanciunas for a fossilized version of Gasol, but the veteran big's defensive prowess and playmaking added up just enough to lead The North to a title. Green just did his thing, shooting from deep and defending top-tier wings.
The NBA is loaded with more talent than ever, which leads to more contending teams than ever. There are the favorites like the Brooklyn Nets, Golden State Warriors, Phoenix Suns and Milwaukee Bucks, and some fringe favorites such as the Chicago Bulls, Miami Heat and Utah Jazz. Outsiders like the Memphis Grizzlies, Philadelphia 76ers and Dallas Mavericks are making noise too.
With a number of teams in true contention, and others that could be a few trades or buyouts away from contention, the team who has the biggest X-factor will prevail. Let's take a look at who's been the most impactful this season so far.
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Honorable Mention: Ben Simmons (from a team perspective) 
This is more like a multiverse scenario, or one of those "choose your own path" books you read as a kid. Ben Simmons is an X-factor who could determine this season's NBA champion for a few different reasons.&nbsp;
Scenario 1:
Nothing happens. ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported Wednesday that Sixers president Daryl Morey has stayed adamant on standing pat, even after a meeting with Simmons' agent Rich Paul. So say Morey keeps his strong stance of only taking back one of the 25 players on his <a href="https://www.nbcsports.com/philadelphia/sixers/sixers-daryl-morey-holding-firm-ben-simmons-says-buckle" target="_blank" rel="noopener">top-secret wish list</a>. The Sixers have managed to still do well &mdash; currently fifth in the East &mdash; but with 21% of their payroll not even coming around the team, they will be hard-pressed to be actual contenders this season.
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Lunch meeting in Philadelphia with Paul and Sixers' management to talk through the ongoing Simmons situation, sources said. Sixers continue to want Simmons to return to the floor, but there's no movement on that front --- nor traction on a trade now. Trade deadline is Feb. 10.
&mdash; Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) <a href="https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/1481378946608291840?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 12, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Simmons staying put and not playing would all but eliminate the Sixers from championship contention.
Scenario 2:
Ben Simmons shows up eventually and plays for Philly. Would this be a mentally and physically prepared Ben Simmons, or an "I'm just here so I don't get fined" Ben Simmons? The former would put this team back into the conversation as a real threat in the Eastern Conference, while the latter would sabotage the season even worse than sitting out has. This feels like the least likely of all scenarios to happen.
Scenario 3:
Morey finds a deal of his liking, whether that brings back what he has been holding out for all along or he settles for "good enough." Even finding a couple of competent starters in return for a player who hasn't played at all would be an increase in title odds for Philadelphia.
On top of the Sixers gaining valuable players to add to their rotation for a playoff push, whoever adds Simmons also likely improves their odds at contending as well. Teams like the Portland Trail Blazers, Cleveland Cavaliers and Atlanta Hawks would all immediately improve and have the ability to throw a wrench into the postseason picture.
The biggest wildcard in the NBA continues to be Ben Simmons and his elite defense and playmaking has the ability to reshape the playoff picture. Mix in some confidence if he were out of Phildelphia and he is one of the biggest X Factors in the league.
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Nic Claxton, Brooklyn Nets 
The third-year big out of the University of Georgia has burst onto the scene in Brooklyn for Steve Nash and the Nets. The Brooklyn roster hosts LaMarcus Aldridge, Day'Ron Sharpe, Blake Griffin and Paul Millsap as the team's "bigs" other than Claxton. With a high-powered offense led by future Hall-of-Famers Kyrie Irving, James Harden and Kevin Durant, the Nets need somone to on the back end to do the dirty work: rebound, set screens, block shots, etc.
Enter Claxton.
Some might argue that a larger role coming at this point in his career is one season too late, as Brooklyn opted to feed DeAndre Jordan minutes when Bruce Brown wasn't playing as the small-ball 5. Nonetheless, we are here, and more importantly for the Nets, Claxton is here.
Per 36 minutes, Nic leads the team in rebounding and blocked shots for players who have played at least 300 minutes on the season. Even more surprising, according to Basketball-Reference, he leads the team in Offensive Rating at 129, which is 10 points higher than Durant, the next in line. His Defensive Rating of 106 is also second behind Brown.&nbsp;
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It's his ability to drive and use his length to finish over and around the most elite shot-blockers like Myles Turner that makes him such a great fit in this offense. He's a perfect pick-and-roll partner for any of the stars handling the ball and an even better rim-runner in transition.&nbsp;
Gary Payton II, Golden State Warriors 
In the Warriors' Jan. 11 matchup against the Memphis Grizzlies, Ja Morant got what and where he wanted when he wanted, early and often, to the tune of 15 first-quarter points. After a quick opening run by Golden State, Memphis responded by Ja, Ja and more Ja. He seemed unstoppable.
Unstoppable force, meet immovable object.
Payton II might be the only player in the NBA who can slow down Morant. Andrew Wiggins, an important defender for the Warriors himself, had little success hanging with Morant. If GP II can hang with the electric Morant, he will be able to frustrate the likes Donovan Mitchell, Chris Paul, Russell Westbrook and more of the like over the course of a playoff series.&nbsp;
Payton single-handedly flipped the game from an 18-point deficit to a Golden State lead by cutting off the head of the snake. Picking up Morant for 94 feet and being extremely physical slowed down the All-Star guard to the point where he was asking the refs for a foul call. It forced the Grizzlies to insert Tyus Jones as a secondary ball-handler... meaning Payton's defense changed a game plan.
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The Warriors are, once again, an elite defensive team. The player with the best Defensive Rating on the team? Payton, allowing just 98 points per 100 possessions, is among the top defenders in the entire league by this metric. GP II is not a one-trick pony with his stellar point-of-attack defense; he is also shooting the three-ball at a 42% clip this season on just under 2 attempts per contest.&nbsp;
While Stephen Curry has certainly improved defensively throughout his career, Steve Kerr having the option to unleash Payton on the other team's best guard will prevent Curry and even Klay Thompson from expending that energy and picking up fouls.
Mikal Bridges, Phoenix Suns
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Mikal Bridges. <a href="https://t.co/0AApeLPjVt">pic.twitter.com/0AApeLPjVt</a>
&mdash; Dom2K🎄🎅🎁 (@Dom_2k) <a href="https://twitter.com/Dom_2k/status/1465017291175870464?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 28, 2021</a></blockquote>

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Every team in the NBA would want Mikal Bridges if you gave them the chance. He is absolutely the perfect glue guy for any lineup. His length and defensive ability allow him to guard almost every team's best player in the league. He currently possesses a Defensive Rating of 107, which is ironically the second-highest on the Suns, but that is more about who he is guarding rather than his ability.
Bridges is also a highly efficient, low-usage-rate player. He does not need nor demand the ball offensively to be effective. He fits that Bruce Bowen or Shane Battier role quite well. 58% of his three-point attempts are from the corner, and he is converting those at a 40.7% rate &mdash; the ultimate 3-and-D player that teams across the league covet.
His basketball IQ and fit next to Paul and Devin Booker are crucial to the success of the Phoenix Suns. Just like Payton in Golden State, Bridges can guard Morant, Mitchell, LeBron James, Paul George and more at a high level, allowing Booker to use his legs primarily on the offensive side of the ball.&nbsp;
Mikal Bridges makes the Suns one of the toughest outs in the NBA. Not Devin Booker. Not Chris Paul. Not Deandre Ayton. Mikal Bridges.
It is what he does on both sides of the ball at a high level, night-in and night-out, that ultimately fuels the Suns.

Justin Lewis highlights the X-factors making the most impact across the NBA this season, including one who hasn't played yet.

Analyzing 3 crucial NBA X-factors who deserve praise this season

NEW YORK (AP) &mdash; Rookie Cam Thomas made a runner in the lane with 1.4 seconds left in overtime and the Brooklyn Nets beat the San Antonio Spurs 121-119 on Sunday to snap a five-game home losing streak.
Kevin Durant scored 28 points for the Nets and James Harden had 26 points, 12 assists and seven rebounds. But both struggled after the Nets had a 10-point lead with 4 minutes to play in regulation, forcing the extra period.
The Spurs made Durant give up the ball on the Nets' final possession and he got it to Thomas, who gave Brooklyn its first home victory since Dec. 16.
Lonnie Walker IV scored 25 for the Spurs, while Dejounte Murray finished with 19 points, 12 assists and nine rebounds.
But the Spurs couldn't get up a good shot on the last possession of regulation or overtime in another frustrating loss.
Harden's basket gave the Nets a 111-99 lead with 4:59 left and it still was 113-103 when Durant scored with 4:01 to play. But Brooklyn was shut out from there, with rookie Josh Primo's 3-pointer tying it with 40 seconds to play.
Durant missed a series of jumpers afterward and his only basket OT was a follow shot. But he made the pass the Nets needed to end their woes at home, where they had fallen to 10-10.
Nic Claxton had 16 points and 14 rebounds for the Nets, who opened a cross-country, back-to-back set of games. They play at Portland on Monday in a game that was originally scheduled for December but postponed when the Nets had a coronavirus outbreak.
The Spurs had a three-point lead with 4:23 left in the second quarter before the Nets closed with a 16-4 spurt to take a 60-51 lead to halftime.
Brooklyn pushed it to 72-58 when Patty Mills made a 3-pointer against his former team, but Bryn Forbes had a good finish to the third quarter as the Spurs cut it to 91-89.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
TIP-INS
Spurs: Forbes scored 18 points. ... Primo scored 12 and Jakob Poeltl had 11 points and 12 rebounds.
Nets: Former Spurs forward LaMarcus Aldridge missed the game with a sore right foot. Coach Steve Nash said he believed the injury was just some irritation and wouldn't sideline Aldridge long. ... Nash said he had no update on Joe Harris, who is recovering from left ankle surgery.
CAPTAIN AMERICA
Before the game, Gregg Popovich presented Durant with a trophy for being chosen last year's <a href="https://twitter.com/BrooklynNets/status/1480232656973537286?s=20">USA Basketball male athlete of the year</a>. Asked about coaching Durant in Tokyo, where he became the Americans' career scoring leader, Popovich said: &ldquo;I go to the common denominator: No Kevin, no gold. That&rsquo;s the most simplistic and an honest statement one can make.&rdquo;
BRUTAL BACK-TO-BACK
Nash said the Nets were still determining how they would handle who would play Monday in Portland. He said the Nets wouldn't use the unusual schedule as an excuse but couldn't remember one quite like it.
&ldquo;I can&rsquo;t remember all the back-to-backs I ever played in, but I don&rsquo;t remember any six-hour flights in between a back-to-back and three-hour time zones and all that stuff,&rdquo; Nash said. &ldquo;So it&rsquo;s different, but we&rsquo;ve got to take it as an opportunity, an opportunity to succeed under adversity.&rdquo;
UP NEXT
Spurs: Visit the New York Knicks on Monday.
Nets: Visit Portland on Monday.

Rookie Cam Thomas made a runner with 1.4 seconds left in OT. The Nets beat the Spurs 121-119 to snap a five-game home losing streak.

Nets edge Spurs on Thomas' OT basket to end 5-game home skid

NEW YORK (AP) — Ja Morant scored 36 points and five Grizzlies scored in double figures as Memphis extended its winning streak to five games with a 118-104 win over the Brooklyn Nets on Monday night.
Desmond Bane scored 29 points, Brandon Clarke added 16, and Jarrett Culver and Tyus Jones had 12 apiece.
Kevin Durant led the Nets with 26 points on 8-for-24 shooting from the field, including 2 for 8 from 3-point range. James Harden added 19 points in 5-for-14 shooting. Nic Claxton added 11 points and Blake Griffin and Bruce Brown each finished with 10 points as Brooklyn lost its third straight.
Morant scored 18 points in the third period and had a spectacular tomahawk dunk that drew a gasp from the Barclay Center crowd of more 17,000, which included NFL wide receiver Antonio Brown, whose career is on hold after leaving the field and his Tampa Bay teammates in the Buccaneers’ win over the Jets on Sunday.
The first of two regular-season matchups between the leaders in the Atlantic and Southwest divisions concerned Brooklyn coach Steve Nash. Nash, in his pregame comments, pointed to the Grizzlies’ ability to offensive rebound and force turnovers, parts of the game in which the Nets have struggled.
Memphis scored 14 points off nine Brooklyn turnovers in the opening quarters and led 56-47 at halftime. The Grizzlies also grabbed 13 offensive rebounds, which helped them score 18 second-chance points.
Memphis built its lead to as many as 25 points in the third quarter by continuously attacking the paint, led by Morant’s acrobatic drives.
The Grizzlies extended their lead to 28 points in the fourth quarter. With Durant and Harden on the bench, Brooklyn’s reserves cut the deficit to 10 points, but got no closer. 
Brown scored seven of his 10 points in the period, and Jevon Carter (six), Day’Ron Sharpe (six), and Cam Thomas (eight) scored all of their points during the ill-fated comeback attempt.
TIP-INS:
Grizzlies: The NBA announced before the game that Morant was named the player of the week in the Western Conference. The second overall pick in the 2019 draft averaged 34.7 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 34 minutes in three games — all wins — over the Phoenix Suns, Los Angeles Lakers, and San Antonio Spurs. Morant, who was awarded player of the week for the first time in his career, is averaging 24.7 points, 5.7 rebounds, 6.6 assists, and 1.48 steals in 32.4 minutes, and has started every game this season for Memphis.
Nets: The Nets have had their season upended by the pandemic. Brooklyn, which had 10 players in COVID-19 protocol as far back as Dec. 17, announced prior to the game that the NBA rescheduled five of its games. The Nets will host San Antonio at noon on Jan. 9, before flying to Portland to play the Trail Blazers the next night. Brooklyn’s game against Denver, initially scheduled for Dec. 19, was moved to Jan. 26. That forced the league to move the previously scheduled matchup against the Toronto Raptors to Feb. 28. Finally, the league shifted the Dec. 21 game against Washington to Feb. 17. … The Nets were short-handed as starting center LaMarcus Aldridge missed the game with a sore right foot.
UP NEXT:
Grizzlies: Visit Cleveland on Tuesday night.
Nets: Visit Indiana on Wednesday night.
___
MORE AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Ja Morant scored 36 points, and the Memphis Grizzlies beat the Brooklyn Nets on the road.

Morant leads Grizzlies over Nets; Antonio Brown looking on

Josh Giddey has court vision on par with Ricky Rubio, yet he&rsquo;s four inches taller. He brings the ball up the floor and acts as the initiator in pick-and-rolls, yet he&rsquo;s the team&rsquo;s leading rebounder. He&rsquo;s only 22 games into his promising young career, yet he may already be the best 19-year-old passer the league has ever seen.
Yeah, you heard me. Maybe the best 19-year-old passer in NBA history. This season, Giddey has recorded a <a href="https://backpicks.com/2018/07/15/nba-passer-ratings-since-1978/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">passer rating</a> of 8 with an <a href="https://backpicks.com/2017/10/16/offensive-load-and-adjusted-tov/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">offensive load</a> of 33.8, per Backpicks. Only one other player since 1955 has ever posted a passer rating of 8+ with an offensive load of 30+ in their age-19 season: LaMelo Ball. While the sample size may be small (since 19-year-olds usually aren&rsquo;t ready to compete with the best athletes in the world), it&rsquo;s still rarified air.
And this isn&rsquo;t just some cherry-picked stat that illustrates his prowess: Just watch and bear witness to his distributing virtuosity.
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Despite his prodigious passing, he still leaves a lot to be desired. He&rsquo;s shooting just 27.6% from three-point range; he struggles consistently getting to and finishing around the rim; and an awkward frame and slow feet limit his ability to face-up on defense.
This enigmatic set of skills begs an interesting question: What is the ceiling for a player as peculiar as Josh Giddey? Can he be an integral piece of a Presti-led dynasty, or will he end up as collateral damage in a rebuild gone wrong?
As we did with <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/how-high-can-anthony-edwards-fly-examining-the-20yearolds-ceiling" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Anthony Edwards</a>, let&rsquo;s try to answer these questions by looking at five possible developmental outcomes for Giddey. We&rsquo;ll analyze what would have to take place in order for him to reach each tier and predict which outcome seems most likely.
Also, for each player comparison, I&rsquo;ve included that player&rsquo;s peak season in terms of Box Plus/Minus (using the <a href="https://backpicks.com/page/2/#RS%20BPM" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Backpicks</a> version of the stat).
Tier 1: Pessimist Floor - Marko Jaric (Rotation Player)
Peak BPM (2004-05): 1.8 (T-65th that season)
A true deep cut whom only the most diehard of NBA fans will recognize. In all seriousness though, if Giddey doesn&rsquo;t improve, there&rsquo;s a chance he could end up as a flash in the pan like this former passing aficionado.
During his prime, Jaric was the rare wing-sized player who could handle the ball, operate the pick-and-roll and make slick finds like in this clip here:
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Passes like that were not uncommon for Jaric, who was one of the great facilitators of the mid-2000s, finishing second in the league in passer rating (8.5) in 2004-05.
However, Jaric was out of the league by age-30 because of his poor shooting efficiency (<a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/j/jaricma01.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">rTS -4.1%</a>), which was primarily caused by his inability to finish at the rim. From 2003 to 2009, except for one outlier season, Jaric never placed above the 24th percentile for his position in finishing accuracy around the rim, per Cleaning the Glass.
Giddey currently ranks in the 21st percentile in that category this season, which is a big reason why he&rsquo;s shooting <a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/g/giddejo01.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">9.1% below the league average in efficiency</a> to start his career.
The one saving grace for Giddey here is that Jaric never really developed a short mid-range game, shooting 33.7% from that area from 2003-2009. In contrast, Giddey is knocking down 46% of those looks this season, which places him in the 74th percentile for his position and gives him the consistent halfcourt scoring device Jaric never had.
Tier 2: Optimist Floor - Kyle Anderson (Starter)
Peak BPM (2020-21): 3.1 (T-28th that season)
For Giddey to become an impactful starter, the Thunder need to stop putting him in situations that expose his weaknesses as a defender.
Too many times this season, he&rsquo;s been put in positions where he&rsquo;s had to try and dance with faster players on the perimeter...
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...or serve as the last line of defense around the rim because of his size:
<iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/kvHU6V86gmg" width="100%" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
&nbsp;
Players whose effectiveness comes from their mental attributes rather than their physical attributes are best utilized on defense in an off-ball, free-safety capacity, where they can channel their cerebral instincts to create havoc from the weak side of the floor.&nbsp;
A perfect example of this is Kyle Anderson. The two best BPM finishes of his career came in 2017-18 (2.2) and 2020-21 (3.1); in those seasons, his teams finished third and sixth in the league in defensive efficiency, respectively. Both years, Anderson was surrounded by feisty point-of-attack defenders (like Danny Green, Dejounte Murray and Dillion Brooks) and sturdy rim-protectors (like Jonas Valanciunas and LaMarcus Aldridge), who could shield him from his deficiencies and allow him to focus on his strengths.
During those seasons, Anderson ranked in the 96th and 85th percentile in steal percentage, per Cleaning the Glass, Giddey is only in the 69th percentile this season, but he has the length and awareness necessary to kick it up a notch and be an impactful defender if the Thunder use their treasure chest of draft picks to acquire personnel that enables him to do so.
Tier 3: Median Outcome - Joe Ingles (Sub All-Star)
Peak BPM (2020-21): 4.0 (T-17th that season)
This comparison is low-hanging fruit if I&rsquo;ve ever seen it. Both players are Australian, incredible passers, unconventionally athletic and (hopefully) contributors to winning basketball. The only real difference (other than the hair) is that one is currently a far superior shooter.
Joe Ingles tore through several threads of nylon with his shooting last season, and a big reason for this level of efficiency (<a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/i/inglejo01.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">+11% rTS</a>) was his proficiency as a catch-and-shoot and pull-up three-point shooter.
Last season, he shot 48.9% on 3.3 catch-and-shoot attempts and 41.2% on 2.7 pull-up three-pointers. Conversely, Giddey is knocking down just 26.7% and 35.7% of those types of shots. He&rsquo;s also shooting poorly from the free-throw line (<a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/g/giddejo01.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">67.9% on 1.3 attempts</a>), which is a strong indicator of future shooting success. But that&rsquo;s where the good news comes in: Ingles was also a subpar free throw shooter early in his career. In 2009-10, his age-23 season, Ingles shot only 69.4% from the line on 3.2 attempts for CB Granada.
Of course, Ingles has since transformed himself into a great shooter by developing a consistent and fluid shooting motion:
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Giddey&rsquo;s current shooting mechanics are <a href="https://rollcallsportsnet.com/josh-giddey-nba-draft-scouting-report/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">funky</a>, but Ingles&rsquo; case study shows us there&rsquo;s opportunity for improvement. Such growth is necessary if Giddey wants to become an efficient scorer and top-50 player in the league.
Tier 4: Reasonable Ceiling - Toni Kukoc (All-Star Caliber)
Peak BPM (1996-97): 4.7 (10th that season)
Giddey has already shown the ability to make high-level reads in the pick-and-roll, going downhill on dribble hand-off, or while galloping down the floor in transition (see his passing montage above). But very rarely does he receive the ball on the elbow and operate down there like a passing hub.
That&rsquo;s where Toni Kukoc comes in.&nbsp;
Kukoc&rsquo;s ability to make decisions in the mid/high-post was an essential ingredient to the Bulls&rsquo; triangle offense during their second three-peat. He could receive the ball and either draw a double-team and find the cutter going toward the basket, or face up his defender, collapse the defense by penetrating towards the rim and kick it to the open man:
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Kukoc may have a couple of inches on him, but in today&rsquo;s small-ball world, Giddey and the Thunder can definitely hunt matchups that allow Giddey to use his size to see over the top of defenders and pinpoint weaknesses in the opposition from that position on the floor.
Kukoc was also a part of <a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/CHI/1994.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">five-straight top-six defenses</a> in Chicago from 1993-98, and while he lacked lateral quickness and vertical leaping ability, he made up for it by using his strength to bang with bigger guys in the post:
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Meanwhile, we&rsquo;ve already seen stronger forwards like Jae&rsquo;Sean Tate bully Giddey down low:
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Giddey would do well in his quest to become an All-Star to schedule some extra weight-room sessions &mdash; especially considering he doesn&rsquo;t have to worry about added muscle taking away from his speed. If he can do that while also occasionally moonlighting as a passing hub, he will be able to scale alongside high-usage ball-handlers and perimeter defenders, like Kukoc did during the second half of the Bulls&rsquo; dynasty.
Tier 5: Best-Case-Scenario Ceiling - Manu Ginobili (Solid All-NBA)
Peak BPM (2004-05): 5.5 (3rd that season)
J. Kyle Mann recently described Giddey&rsquo;s style as <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qSvieH2lfnw&amp;t=457s" target="_blank" rel="noopener">&ldquo;chaotic but purposeful</a>," so who better to compare Giddey to than the master of tamed mayhem himself, Manu Ginobili.
At his best, arguably no one straddled the fine line between chaos and order the way Ginobili did in his prime. There was a certain &ldquo;calculated recklessness&rdquo; to his game that made him unlike any player who came before him, and when you look at some of his offensive numbers in an All-NBA season, you see that Giddey has a ways to go to reach Ginobili&rsquo;s level.
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%;" border="1">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 14.264%;">PLAYER</td>
<td style="width: 9.45753%;">YEAR</td>
<td style="width: 16.1332%;">POINTS PER 75</td>
<td style="width: 12.6618%;">FTA PER 75</td>
<td style="width: 8.52468%;">rTS%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 14.264%;">Manu Ginobili</td>
<td style="width: 9.45753%;">2007-08</td>
<td style="width: 16.1332%;">25.4</td>
<td style="width: 12.6618%;">7.8</td>
<td style="width: 8.52468%;">+7.2</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 14.264%;">Josh Giddey</td>
<td style="width: 9.45753%;">2021-22</td>
<td style="width: 16.1332%;">13.1</td>
<td style="width: 12.6618%;">1.6</td>
<td style="width: 8.52468%;">-9.1</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
At a glance, the gap between peak-Ginobili and current-day Giddey seems too wide to be closed. Yet the key to Giddey unlocking this tier rests on his ability to emulate one key facet of <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8LTgStJw9ao" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Scientist&rsquo;s</a> game: finishing at the rim.
As it stands, Giddey lacks the ability to soar over defenders or sprint past them, so when he meets larger defenders in the paint, he either gets his shot erased or avoids challenging them entirely:
<iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/wlUszUldXGk" width="100%" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
Ginobili was also slow-footed and definitely wasn&rsquo;t winning any dunk contests in his prime, so to compensate, he crafted a sophisticated (yet replicable) drive game. One thing he liked to do was take a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9dr08ffRS10" target="_blank" rel="noopener">negative step</a> with his non-pivot foot to give him some added explosiveness on his bull rushes to the rim:
<iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/aZfDSiNI2F8" width="100%" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
He would also try to throw his defender&rsquo;s timing off by deploying a bevy of hesitation moves at his disposal:
<iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/93x5qt85S50" width="100%" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
And he maximized his movement by using his length to elongate his strides. This allowed him to pick up his dribble early and gain control of his body and the basketball to brace himself for contact around the hoop:
<iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/4utcERL-hl8" width="100%" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
His drive game and outside shooting (<a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/g/ginobma01.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">career 37% shooter on 3.8 attempts</a>) also augmented his playmaking. From 2007 to 2014, Ginobili created between 8.0 and 9.0 open shots for his teammates per 100 possessions, per Backpicks. He would draw the defense&rsquo;s attention with his scoring and this was especially noticeable in pick-and-roll situations; the defending big would regularly try hedging Ginobili, which temporarily put the Spurs in 4-on-3 situations and led to open shots like this play right here:
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Combining Ginobili&rsquo;s finishing package with the shooting improvements previously discussed would elevate Giddey into a constant advantage creator capable of forcing the defense into rotation and dissecting openings on the floor. That type of player is an All-NBA performer and, more importantly, a heavyweight offensive force on a championship contender.
The Verdict: Tier 5
And that is exactly what I think Josh Giddey will become. I know it&rsquo;s poor practice to believe a best-case scenario is also the most likely outcome, but Giddey is such an outlier among outliers that an unlikely result only makes sense.
There&rsquo;s a real argument to be made that at 19 years old, Giddey may already be a better passer (not creator) than Ginobili. And while his drive game needs work, he&rsquo;s shown flashes of being able to change speeds and lull defenders to sleep, just like Argentina&rsquo;s Flying Man:
<iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/u2lwCgrSLnM" width="100%" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
Unicorn players like Ginobili don&rsquo;t come around often; that&rsquo;s what makes them special. But when you see a kid like Giddey who surveys the floor with an eagle eye and controls the tempo like a nightclub DJ, it's hard to ignore the fact that he's of a rare breed.
His idiosyncrasies make you believe that he'll overcome the shooting woes; that he'll put on some weight and become a better defender; that he'll harness his full powers as a finisher; and that with the right personnel, he will be the fulcrum of a contender someday in Oklahoma City.

Josh Giddey has shown flashes of brilliance as a rookie, but what is the 19-year-old's ceiling? Mat Issa explores his range of outcomes.

Did the Thunder find lightning in a bottle with Josh Giddey?

It&rsquo;s time for another installment of your daily picks against the spread on &ldquo;Nothing But Bets,&rdquo; <a href="http://BasketballNews.com">BasketballNews.com</a>'s daily NBA betting podcast. For Friday&rsquo;s action, we have an awesome nine-game slate on tap.
All odds are provided by TwinSpires Sportsbook. Player over/under prop picks are from our sponsor, Prize Picks. We&rsquo;ve hit three power play over/under bets over the last two days ($300 total to win $3,000)! Let&rsquo;s dive into it all below.
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Detroit Pistons vs. Brooklyn Nets (-10)
Continuing to bet against the Pistons is surely winning many NBA bettors a lot of money. Detroit is going nowhere fast, while the Nets are really starting to click together at the perfect time. With the Pistons on the second night of a back-to-back, I&rsquo;m forecasting a huge blowout win in favor of the Nets. Kevin Durant and James Harden are going to have their way with Detroit, and this is locked in as one of my best overall bets tonight. On Prize Picks, here&rsquo;s a fun Nets-related prop to tail: Durant over 26.5 points, Harden over 20.5 points, LaMarcus Aldridge over 10.5 points, Harden over 8.5 assists. Locking this in with a power play wins you back 10x the amount, so $100 to win $1,000 if you so desire.
Washington Wizards (-2) vs. Memphis Grizzlies
Give me the road underdog here to cover and outright win this game. The Grizzlies have been so fun to watch this season, not only because of Ja Morant&rsquo;s star leap, but also due to young role players thriving as well. Desmond Bane and De&rsquo;Anthony Melton have become key cogs to the Grizzlies&rsquo; success, helping take pressure off Morant on both ends of the court. In this matchup against the Wizards, I lean towards Memphis winning the perimeter and inside situations. Memphis is more well-rounded, plus they can get defensively when needed. Memphis as the underdog was too good to pass up on here, and the Prize Picks props were no different: Morant over 24.5 points, Bane over 15.5 points, Melton over 11.5 points, Morant over 6.5 assists.
Orlando Magic vs. San Antonio Spurs (-4)
There&rsquo;s a first time for everything in the world of NBA betting, and tonight I&rsquo;m rolling with the Magic to cover the 4-point spread at home against San Antonio. The Spurs are a little more experienced, but they have also been very inconsistent like Orlando to start this season. Orlando&rsquo;s young core is showing some real signs of blossoming over the next few months, and this game could be a fun experience. Give me the Magic at +4, but not enough to feel comfortable in picking them on the moneyline odds. On Prize Picks, here&rsquo;s an enticing power play option: Dejounte Murray over 18 points, Wendell Carter Jr. over 13.5 points, Franz Wagner over 12.5 points, Mo Bamba over 9.5 rebounds.
Toronto Raptors (-5.5) vs. Cleveland Cavaliers
Get your popcorn ready for this rookie battle, folks. The two players leading the early Rookie of the Year race, Cleveland&rsquo;s Evan Mobley and Toronto&rsquo;s Scottie Barnes, square off for what should be a fantastic matchup. In this one, though, I&rsquo;m leaning towards Barnes winning Round 1. However, the main reason isn&rsquo;t because of the No. 4 overall pick. OG Anunoby and Fred VanVleet should have fantastic outings alongside Barnes, which is why I&rsquo;m hammering the Raptors to cover the 5.5-point spread. For Prize Picks over/unders, these caught my attention: Anunoby over 19.5 points, VanVleet over 18.5 points, Barnes over 14.5 points, Jarrett Allen over 13.5 points, Allen over 11.5 rebounds.
Milwaukee Bucks (-3.5) vs. New York Knicks
This truly feels like a game where Giannis Antetokounmpo goes off. Easily the best player on the court in this one against an improved Knicks team, Giannis can simply be too much to handle when he catches fire. That&rsquo;s what I&rsquo;m projecting tonight as Giannis leads Milwaukee over New York, easily covering the 3.5-point spread. On Prize Picks, tail me on a Giannis-heavy over/under power play: Giannis over 27.5 points, Giannis over 11 rebounds, Pat Connaughton over 9.5 points, Giannis over 5.5 assists. If the Finals MVP does what I think he can to the Knicks&rsquo; defense, he&rsquo;s a solid investment for a massive payout.
Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Los Angeles Clippers (-2.5)
Paul George has been so awesome to watch back as the No. 1 option this season in Kawhi Leonard&rsquo;s absence. The Indiana version of George is back, and even better than he was five years ago. George is doing everything for the Clippers, and that&rsquo;s why he should be near the top of MVP ballots if Los Angeles begins to rattle off wins here throughout November. In Minnesota once again, I&rsquo;m rolling with George and Co. to pull off the win and cover the spread. No surprise, I&rsquo;m betting on a big outing from George on Prize Picks: George over 27.5 points, Karl-Anthony Towns over 24.5 points, Reggie Jackson over 18.5 points, Anthony Edwards over 23.5 points, George over 5 assists.
Sacramento Kings (-2) vs. Charlotte Hornets
The Hornets got smacked around by the Warriors on Wednesday. However, I&rsquo;m all-in on the Hornets being a top-six seed in the Eastern Conference this season. LaMelo Ball is taking the Year 2 leap. Miles Bridges is earning himself over $100 million on his next contract. Gordon Hayward and Kelly Oubre Jr. are also providing a nice buffer on the wing as well. If the Hornets want to prove they&rsquo;re for real, these are games they win on the road across the country. Hammer the Hornets as the underdog on the spread, plus the outright win. Charlotte makes another statement, providing hope with a big bounce-back victory. On Prize Picks, betting on a high-scoring shootout could be a very wise way to profit: De&rsquo;Aaron Fox over 21.5 points, Ball over 19.5 points, Bridges over 19.5 points, Harrison Barnes over 18.5 points, Ball over 2 threes. Honestly, this is the game I&rsquo;m most looking forward to watching for Friday&rsquo;s action-packed slate.
Portland Trail Blazers (-5) vs. Indiana Pacers
With Caris LeVert&rsquo;s return earlier this week, Indiana is finally finding a groove. The big man duo of Domantas Sabonis and Myles Turner is finally showing promise after a slow start as well. Chris Duarte, the Pacers&rsquo; newest lottery pick, has zero fear becoming a go-to scorer from the jump. Everything for Indiana is riding high right now, but I think it crashes down to earth momentarily when they begin a west coast road trip in Portland against the Trail Blazers. Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum hold a huge backcourt advantage, so I&rsquo;m riding that all the way to Portland covering the 5.5-point spread. If you also bet on big games between Lillard and McCollum, Prize Picks has you covered: Lillard over 25.5 points, McCollum over 22.5 points, Lillard over 3.5 threes, McCollum over 3 threes.
Golden State Warriors (-9) vs. New Orleans Pelicans
Who&rsquo;s going to stop the Warriors, especially once Klay Thompson returns? This team looks scary good right now, thanks in large part to Stephen Curry&rsquo;s brilliance once again. Going against this short-handed Pelicans team, Golden State should roll in blowout fashion. Curry is going to pile up the points, while key players step up alongside him. Honestly, this feels like the biggest deficit of the night in terms of win-loss margin. The Pelicans will have no answers for the Warriors, and it&rsquo;s an easy bet to hammer the 9-point spread here. On Prize Picks, a hot shooting night from the Warriors could win you back big bucks as well: Curry over 30.5 points, Jordan Poole over 17.5 points, Curry over 5.5 threes, Poole over 2.5 threes, Andrew Wiggins over 1.5 threes.
Recapping our picks here on &ldquo;Nothing But Bets,&rdquo; here&rsquo;s who I&rsquo;m rolling with tonight: Nets -10, Grizzlies ML (+2), Magic +4,&nbsp; Raptors -5.5, Bucks -3.5, Clippers -2.5, Hornets ML (+2), Trail Blazers -5, Warriors -9.
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Nothing But Bets is back dropping off picks against the spread, plus enticing over/under props via Prize Picks, for an awesome nine-game slate in the NBA.

Nothing But Bets: NBA Projections for 11/5/21

The Brooklyn Nets look like such a title favorite that James Harden felt the need for a reminder they aren't a title team.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;re not the target. The defending champions are the targets,&rdquo; Harden said. &ldquo;They won last year. We&rsquo;re trying to catch them.&rdquo;
It's easy to forget about the Milwaukee Bucks. They have the NBA crown, but none of the drama of some other top contenders in the Eastern Conference, where the situations with Ben Simmons in Philadelphia and Kyrie Irving in Brooklyn were the biggest stories leading into the season.
Those two teams finished ahead of Milwaukee in the regular season, but the Bucks ousted the Nets in the second round and went on to win their first NBA title in 50 years.
Giannis Antetokounmpo went home and celebrated in Greece. Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday went to Japan and won an Olympic gold medal.
Now they are back together again, quietly working toward a repeat amid all the noise around them.
The Nets <a href="https://apnews.com/article/kyrie-irving-covid-vaccine-nets-dcd6d5c6d027934cf763dc167610ce58" target="_blank" rel="noopener">won't allow Irving to play or practice with them</a> until he is vaccinated, instead of letting him play in road games while he is ineligible to play at home because of New York's vaccination mandate.
Kevin Durant and Harden might still be good enough with a potent roster around them, but the Nets &mdash; and their rivals &mdash; know they aren't the same team without Irving's talents.
&ldquo;Probably the team took the best decision for them to keep the players as locked in as possible and not take that outside noise to affect the team as they go for a championship run,&rdquo; Antetokounmpo said. "They have a great team. Do I know if it&rsquo;s right or wrong? I don&rsquo;t know. I&rsquo;ve got to think about it. But at the end of the day, I think everybody&rsquo;s entitled to their own opinion. But Kyrie&rsquo;s a great player.&rdquo;
The 76ers, who had the best record in the East last season, <a href="https://apnews.com/article/nba-sports-ben-simmons-philadelphia-76ers-philadelphia-19893f007a732fc7d032fb3182fdb6ef" target="_blank" rel="noopener">have been without Simmons</a> for almost the entire preseason while the All-Star guard stayed away in hopes of a trade. He finally arrived in Philadelphia this week.
Even if those teams are weakened, it seems like a stronger conference than a season ago. Miami got Kyle Lowry. The surprising New York Knicks added Kemba Walker and Evan Fournier. The Chicago Bulls could be poised for a move with DeMar DeRozan and Lonzo Ball.
&ldquo;A lot of teams in our conference have gotten better. We have to get better,&rdquo; said Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau, whose team finished a surprising fourth last season.
A look at the East, in predicted order of finish:
PLAYOFF BOUND
1. Brooklyn - With former MVPs and scoring champions Durant and Harden healthy, the Nets may not even need a Big Three.
2. Milwaukee - If Antetokounmpo dominates like he did in the NBA Finals, a third MVP award in four years is possible.
3. Miami - Heat never found their top form after reaching NBA Finals in the bubble, but got both more rest and more talent during this longer offseason.
4. Philadelphia - Could be anywhere from 1 with Simmons to 8 without him, so put the 76ers in the middle for now.
5. Atlanta - Trae Young and the improving Hawks are a team on the rise after reaching the East finals.
6. New York. Added good scoring punch to what was a top defensive team in Thibodeau's first season.
INTO THE PLAY-IN
7. Boston - Getting Al Horford back in green should pay off for the Celtics.
8. Chicago - Count on Zach LaVine and Lonzo Ball providing plenty of highlights.
9. Indiana - Getting Rick Carlisle into a locker room that had friction between players and coach last season is a major move.
10. Charlotte - Were tough for anyone last season when Rookie of the Year LaMelo Ball and Gordon Hayward were both healthy.
FACING LONG ODDS
11. Toronto - Being home again should make Raptors a playoff contender again, even without Lowry.
12. Washington - Lost a great individual talent in Russell Westbrook but could be a better team with newcomers such as Spencer Dinwiddie and Kyle Kuzma.
13. Cleveland - Collin Sexton and Darius Garland will shoot them to some wins, just not quite enough.
14. Detroit - No. 1 pick Cade Cunningham takes his place on a Pistons team that has some good young pieces.
15. Orlando - Magic traded away their best players last season and might be years away from contending again.
WHAT TO KNOW
EYES ON EMBIID
Joel Embiid was putting together an MVP-type season in Philadelphia last season before he was hurt. The 76ers might need him to be great again without knowing what they'll get from Simmons.
BETTER BROOKLYN
Durant had little help when both Harden and Irving were hurt during the series against the Bucks. But with the additions of Patty Mills, Paul Millsap, James Johnson and the unretired LaMarcus Aldridge, the Nets look deep enough to overcome any absences this season.
TOP SEED SLUMP
The 76ers went out in the second round last season, making it five straight years that the No. 1 seed couldn't win the East. Cleveland was the last team to do it, in 2016.
COACHING CHANGES
The four teams with new coaches range from playoff clubs to rebuilding ones. Ime Udoka takes over for Brad Stevens in Boston, Carlisle is back for a second stint in Indiana, Wes Unseld Jr. comes home to Washington and Jamahl Mosley gets his change in Orlando.

The NBA's Eastern Conference seems like it's stronger than a season ago.

Jamarcus