https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/nba-logos/den.png

Nuggets

For much of the early season, the Los Angeles Clippers looked like a team trapped between timelines &ndash; too talented to bottom out, too battered and old to contend, and too uncertain to inspire real belief. Injuries piled up from their key players and the conversations around the franchise quickly turned from wins and losses to future implications, draft picks, and long-term consequences. Yet amid the noise, the Clippers have finally found a sliver of clarity.
Winners of four straight games, Los Angeles is beginning to resemble something far more recognizable: a veteran team rediscovering its rhythm, leaning on its stars, and reminding the Western Conference that it is not ready to fade quietly. The recent climb back into relevance has not been easy &ndash; and it has been fueled by elite play from Kawhi Leonard, steady control from James Harden, and a roster that is slowly, finally getting healthier.
After a bleak opening stretch that tested the organization&rsquo;s patience and identity, the Clippers are showing signs of life again.
Injuries clouded the Clippers&rsquo; beginning but it has not defined their season yet. Their early-season struggles were born out of circumstance, with all the situations they have been facing throughout the course of the season.
Bradley Beal&rsquo;s early injury disrupted what the team envisioned as another offensive option capable of easing pressure off Leonard and Harden. Then came another blow: Ivica Zubac, the team&rsquo;s interior anchor on both ends, was sidelined, stripping Los Angeles of its rim protection, screening presence, and interior scoring.
For a team already walking a narrow margin in the loaded West, the absences were significant. Lineups lacked continuity and their defensive coverage suffered.
Still, instead of folding, the Clippers adapted.
Brook Lopez stepped into the starting center role and immediately provided stability. A proven veteran with championship pedigree, Lopez brought his poise. His ability to space the floor, communicate defensively, and understand high-leverage moments has quietly helped Los Angeles stay afloat. While he may not replicate Zubac&rsquo;s physical dominance in the paint, Lopez&rsquo;s shooting gravity and experience have allowed the Clippers to maintain offensive structure even amid rotation changes.
Then, if Leonard has been the Clippers&rsquo; heartbeat during this stretch, James Harden has been the engine.
Harden continues to serve as the team&rsquo;s primary ball-handler, shot creator, and playmaker, dictating tempo and ensuring that Los Angeles plays with purpose rather than desperation. His command of the offense has been critical, especially during stretches when injuries forced Ty Lue to experiment with lineups and roles.
There is a strong case to be made that Harden is playing at an All-Star level once again. With the All-Star Game set to be held at the Intuit Dome, the Clippers&rsquo; home floor, Harden&rsquo;s performance has taken on added weight &ndash; not just statistically, but symbolically. His leadership has stabilized the group, and his ability to generate efficient offense has kept the Clippers competitive even when the margin for error felt thin.
More importantly, Harden has embraced the responsibility. He has leaned into being the organizer, the problem-solver, and the player who keeps the floor balanced. For a team desperate for continuity, that consistency has mattered.
Then there is Leonard, reminding everyone who he is.
During the Clippers&rsquo; four-game winning streak, Leonard has played like a man intent on rewriting the season&rsquo;s narrative. He is averaging 35.6 points, 9.6 rebounds, and 4.4 assists during that stretch, dominating games with a blend of mastering the game&rsquo;s fundamentals and surgical efficiency that few players in the league can match.
This version of Leonard looks fully engaged &ndash; attacking mismatches, punishing defenders in the midrange, and making the right reads when help arrives. More than the numbers, it is the authority with which he is playing that stands out. The game has slowed down for him again, and when that happens, the Clippers follow.
Leonard&rsquo;s resurgence has also coincided with the team gradually getting healthier. The return of Derrick Jones Jr. has restored defensive versatility and athleticism on the wing, allowing Los Angeles to apply more pressure at the point of attack. Alongside Kris Dunn, Jones gives the Clippers two perimeter defenders capable of disrupting ball-handlers and creating transition opportunities &ndash; something the team sorely lacked earlier in the season. When Leonard is this locked in, everything else starts to align.
Despite the early turbulence, the Clippers&rsquo; roster construction still reflects a team with real aspirations. This is a roster that is built to support winning &ndash; if it stays intact &ndash; with veteran pieces ready to contend in the playoffs.
Ty Lue remains one of the league&rsquo;s most respected coaches, trusted for his adaptability, playoff experience, and ability to manage veteran egos. Around him is a group that fits specific roles with intention: Dunn and Jones for defense, John Collins as an offensive spark, Nicolas Batum and Lopez as floor spacers who understand timing, and Zubac as the backbone of the interior once healthy.
This is not a roster designed to rebuild &ndash; instead it is a roster designed to win now.
That reality is impossible to separate from the urgency surrounding the Clippers&rsquo; season. Beyond pride and playoff positioning, there is another layer of pressure hovering over every result: the first-round pick owed to the Oklahoma City Thunder. With OKC already positioned as a powerhouse, the idea of handing them a high lottery pick has become a looming nightmare scenario.
The Clippers know what is at stake. Every win matters, not just in the standings, but in shaping the future narrative of the franchise.
So far, the Clippers are not yet declaring victory. Four games do not erase weeks of disappointment and uncertainty. But they do restore belief.
What Los Angeles is finding now is rhythm &ndash; an understanding of who they are, how they want to play, and where their advantages lie. They are leaning into Leonard&rsquo;s brilliance, trusting Harden&rsquo;s orchestration, and benefiting from a supporting cast that knows its responsibilities.
In a Western Conference where the line between contention and collapse is razor-thin, the Clippers are choosing to push forward, and perhaps most importantly, they are choosing to compete.
If health holds and Leonard continues this level of play, the Clippers have the tools to make this season something more than a cautionary tale. The road ahead remains unforgiving, after a while, Los Angeles looks like a team moving with purpose once again.

After an uncertain start marked by injuries, the LA Clippers are finding their rhythm again behind Kawhi Leonard’s dominant play.

Finding their footing: Clippers begin season turnaround behind Kawhi Leonard

The Phoenix Suns have agreed to a buyout with three-time All-Star Bradley Beal, clearing the way for him to sign with the Los Angeles Clippers, ESPN&rsquo;s Shams Charania first reported.&nbsp;
In the buyout, Beal will give up approximately $13.8 million, surrendering part of his remaining $110.8 million salary, allowing Phoenix to stretch the balance over five years and clear significant cap space for future roster moves.
Once he clears waivers, Beal is expected to ink a two-year, $11 million contract with the Clippers, including a player option for the 2026&ndash;27 season.&nbsp;
The deal will offer Beal a chance to contribute with veteran leadership and scoring alongside Kawhi Leonard and James Harden in a revamped Los Angeles rotation. The Clippers&rsquo; projected starting five is now with Harden, Beal, Leonard, recently-acquired John Collins, and all-defensive teamer Ivica Zubac.
Beal&rsquo;s stint in Phoenix never met expectations. Initially envisioned as part of a super‑team with Kevin Durant and Devin Booker, the trio never reached cohesion. Over two seasons, Beal appeared in just 106 games &ndash; averaging 17.6 PPG &ndash; while the Suns failed to win a single playoff game. The buyout marks the end of one of the NBA&rsquo;s most high‑profile big‑money gambles.&nbsp;
ANALYSIS: For Phoenix, stretching Beal&rsquo;s contract clears both cap space and roster flexibility &ndash; resetting after a costly era built around star acquisition. For Beal, this move offers a chance to revive his career in a familiar city with a contending team, while retaining a role and income via his player option. For the Clippers, adding Beal gives L.A. a high-caliber scorer beside Harden and Leonard &ndash; striking a balance between immediate impact and salary caution.&nbsp;
Beal&rsquo;s buyout and subsequent Clippers deal close a tumultuous chapter in Phoenix while setting up a fresh opportunity for the guard. The Suns pivot from a failed super-team experiment, and the Clippers gain veteran depth as they chase title aspirations.

The Suns have agreed to a buyout with three-time All-Star Bradley Beal, clearing the way for him to sign with the Clippers.

Bradley Beal to join Clippers after completing buyout with Suns

Every NBA season comes with its fair share of surprises, and the 2024-25 campaign has been no different. While championship contenders and superstars have dominated headlines, several teams have quietly &mdash; or loudly &mdash; rewritten their narratives in spectacular fashion. These aren&rsquo;t just flukes or hot streaks. These are teams that have made a leap, exceeded expectations, and found themselves in playoff positioning when few thought they&rsquo;d be here, or surpassing their previous season&rsquo;s accomplishments.
Whether it&rsquo;s through masterful coaching, player development, savvy roster moves, or simply finding the right chemistry at the right time, these are the teams that have all proven that projections and preseason power rankings don&rsquo;t always tell the full story. Here's a closer look at how these franchises flipped the script and are now among the best feel-good stories of the season.
Detroit Pistons Previous season&rsquo;s record: 17-65 This season&rsquo;s record: 44-38, 6th in the East
Perhaps no team has made a bigger leap &mdash; or captured the league&rsquo;s heart &mdash; more than the Detroit Pistons. Just a year removed from a miserable 17-win season, the Pistons have pulled off one of the most dramatic turnarounds in recent NBA memory. They are now sixth in the Eastern Conference, and have set a playoff date against the third-seeded New York Knicks.
Much of that credit goes to newly hired head coach J.B. Bickerstaff, who brought immediate structure, accountability, and belief into a young locker room. But the star of the show has been Cade Cunningham. After an injury-riddled season last year, Cunningham has blossomed into a true franchise player this year &mdash; a dual-threat scorer and facilitator who commands the game at his own pace. His decision-making has improved drastically, and he's showing why he was the No. 1 overall pick. Cunningham is here, and he&rsquo;s gunning for that star/superstar status.
Surrounding Cunningham, players like Jaden Ivey (even though he was injured) and Ausar Thompson have also taken noticeable steps forward, while big man Jalen Duren has anchored the middle with toughness and poise beyond his years. Detroit has also had key free agent signings that brought veteran presence in the locker room in Malik Beasley, Tim Hardaway Jr., and Tobias Harris. They have also picked up vet PG Dennis Schroder in a trade to help Cunningham with the ball-handling duties. Everything that Detroit has done was in order to come back and see this moment &ndash; to be back in the playoffs. It&rsquo;s not just that Detroit is winning &mdash; it&rsquo;s how they&rsquo;re doing it: through defense, selflessness, and maturity. They&rsquo;ve gone from laughingstock to legitimate in over a season, and it has been incredibly fun to watch.
Houston Rockets Previous season&rsquo;s record: 22-60 This season&rsquo;s record: 52-30, 2nd in the West
After four long and grueling seasons of rebuilding, the Houston Rockets are back &mdash; and better than ever. They&rsquo;ve clinched 50 wins for the first time since the James Harden era and have soared into the second seed in the loaded Western Conference. This transformation didn&rsquo;t happen overnight, but every move the Rockets made over the last four years has culminated in a roster that&rsquo;s deep, versatile, and hungry.
It started with the front office, who made smart picks in the draft: Alperen Sengun and Jalen Green in 2021, Jabari Smith Jr. and Tari Eason in 2022, Amen Thompson and Cam Whitmore in 2023, and Reed Sheppard in 2024. The result? A blend of high-upside talent that&rsquo;s matured quickly under the right guidance. And that guidance came in the form of Ime Udoka &mdash; the tough, defense-first head coach who has instilled discipline and identity from day one.
The Rockets also balanced their youth with veteran leadership. Fred VanVleet and Dillon Brooks were crucial free-agent signings, and the trade for Steven Adams added much-needed size and experience in the paint. Sengun has quietly become one of the most skilled bigs in the league, averaging near triple-double numbers with his passing and post play. Meanwhile, Jalen Green&rsquo;s shot selection and efficiency have improved, making him a more consistent offensive threat.
Everything is clicking in Houston, and the best part? They&rsquo;re still only scratching the surface. It&rsquo;s officially liftoff time in Houston, Texas.
Cleveland Cavaliers Previous season&rsquo;s record: 51-31 This season&rsquo;s record: 64-18, 1st in the East
It might sound strange to include a 50-win team in a list of surprises, but the Cleveland Cavaliers have surpassed what many expected from them &mdash; and in a completely new way. After losing to the Celtics in the second round last season, many believed Cleveland had plateaued, stuck in a tier below the East&rsquo;s elite. But the arrival of head coach Kenny Atkinson changed everything.
Atkinson brought more than just X&rsquo;s and O&rsquo;s to Cleveland &mdash; he brought vision. His innovative offensive schemes breathed new life into the team, particularly Evan Mobley. The former third overall pick has emerged as a true two-way force this year, expanding his offensive bag while remaining a defensive anchor. Mobley has become more comfortable operating as a playmaker, setting high screens, making short-roll reads, and even spacing the floor.
Donovan Mitchell remains the alpha, capable of carrying the offense during clutch moments. But with Darius Garland and Jarrett Allen playing supporting roles to perfection &mdash; and the perfect role players giving them a punch off the bench &mdash; the Cavaliers are deeper and more dangerous than ever. This is their best season since LeBron left, and it feels like they&rsquo;ve finally found a sustainable identity. They're not just winning games; they&rsquo;re playing like a team that believes it can win the East.
Los Angeles Clippers Previous season&rsquo;s record: 44-38 This season&rsquo;s record: 50-32, 5th in the West
No team entered the season with lower public expectations relative to their talent than the Los Angeles Clippers especially after Paul George left in free agency. The assumption was that LA&rsquo;s championship window had finally slammed shut. But instead of folding, the Clippers responded with a defiant, gritty, and unified season that caught the league off guard.
Kawhi Leonard returned healthy and dominant, looking like the MVP-caliber player of old. His midrange game has been clinical, and he&rsquo;s elevated his play on both ends as the postseason approaches. But perhaps the most shocking resurgence came from James Harden, who has turned back the clock and delivered one of his most efficient seasons in years. Harden has assumed full command of the offense, orchestrating everything with poise and flair while re-establishing himself as a top-tier guard in the league that could possibly fetch an All-NBA plum.
The supporting cast has been outstanding. Ivica Zubac has taken a huge leap, anchoring the Clippers&rsquo; defense and finishing strong around the rim. He&rsquo;s firmly in the Most Improved Player conversation. Norman Powell has been a revelation in an expanded role, consistently providing scoring and hustle. The &ldquo;addition by subtraction&rdquo; idea has rung true &mdash; with more touches and opportunities, Powell has been better than ever.
And of course, credit must go to Tyronn Lue, who has maximized every piece of this roster and turned what many assumed would be a rebuilding year into a redemption tour. The Clippers became this gritty and rugged defensive team that no one wants to meet in the playoffs. They might be underdogs, but they&rsquo;ve built something real.&nbsp;
&ndash; &ndash; &ndash;
These four teams &mdash; Detroit, Houston, Cleveland, and Los Angeles &mdash; entered the season with vastly different narratives. But they all share a common thread: they weren&rsquo;t supposed to be this good. Whether through internal growth, roster management, or coaching brilliance, each franchise has exceeded expectations in its own way.
The playoffs will be the true test, but what these teams have already accomplished is worth celebrating. In a league where dynasties often dominate headlines, it's stories like these that keep the NBA fresh, unpredictable, and thrilling year after year.

Discover how the Pistons, Rockets, Cavaliers, and Clippers have surpassed this season's expectations and rewrote their narratives.

Teams that have exceeded expectations this season

In the aftermath of the Los Angeles Lakers' 123-116 loss to the Golden State Warriors, LeBron James addressed the media regarding the Warriors' recent addition of Jimmy Butler.&nbsp;
The game saw Stephen Curry leading the Warriors with 37 points, while James contributed 33 points for the Lakers. Despite a strong second-half effort, the Lakers were unable to overcome a 13-point halftime deficit. ​
James drew parallels between this move and Golden State's acquisition of Kevin Durant in 2016, noting the franchise's consistent strategy of enhancing their roster with high-caliber talent.&nbsp;
&ldquo;I've had to go against them when they added Kevin Durant,&rdquo; James said &ldquo;It's always the same, they always figure it out, and they always add someone who makes them dynamic.&rdquo;
Jimmy Butler's integration into the Warriors has been seamless, with the team achieving a 20-5 record since his arrival. Butler has been stellar for the Warriors, providing another scoring punch while being a Swiss army knife on both ends of the floor, which is vital to their actions. Butler has also complemented Curry's performance and has been contributing significantly to the team's success.
The Warriors' acquisition of Butler involved a trade that sent Andrew Wiggins, Kyle Anderson, Dennis Schr&ouml;der, Lindy Waters III, and a protected first-round pick to the Miami Heat, and this strategic move has bolstered Golden State's playoff chances in the tough Western Conference.

LeBron James addressed the media regarding the Warriors' recent addition of Jimmy Butler.

LeBron James reflects on Warriors’ acquisition of Jimmy Butler following Lakers' defeat

The NBA announced that 242 players have filed as early-entry candidates for the 2023 NBA Draft. Here is the complete list.

NBA announces 242 early-entry candidates for 2023 NBA Draft

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

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

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

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) &mdash; Luke Kennard made a franchise-record 10 3-pointers to match his career high with 30 points, Desmond Bane added 25 points and the Memphis Grizzlies clinched a playoff spot after building a 31-point halftime lead and coasting to a 151-114 victory over the Houston Rockets on Friday night.
Ja Morant scored 18 points and had eight assists in his second game after serving an eight-game league-imposed suspension after he posted a video in which he is shown waving a gun at a Denver-area strip club. Morant, as he did in his first game back Wednesday also against the Rockets, again came off the bench. He entered with 5:08 left in the first quarter.
Jaren Jackson Jr. also scored 18 points and had seven rebounds and two blocks for Memphis, which made a franchise-best 25 3-pointers and had the second-most points in team history. The Grizzlies won their 11th straight at home and moved within three games of idle Denver, which holds the top spot in the Western Conference.
Tari Eason had 21 points to lead Houston, while Kevin Porter Jr. and Jabari Smith Jr. each had 20.
CELTICS 120, PACERS 95
BOSTON (AP) &mdash; Jayson Tatum scored 34 points, setting a franchise record with his 40th 30-point game this season, and Boston rolled past Indiana.
Tatum passed Hall of Famer Larry Bird, who had 39 30-point games during the 1987-88 season.
Jaylen Brown added 27 points and seven rebounds, and Derrick White finished with 22 points and nine assists for the Celtics, who have won four of five and improved to 27-9 at home this season.
Pacers All-Star point guard Tyrese Haliburton had 20 points, nine assists and six rebounds in his first game back from a six-game absence with a combination of a bruised left knee and sprained right ankle. Myles Turner added 20 points and six rebounds.
LAKERS 116, THUNDER 111
LOS ANGELES (AP) &mdash; Anthony Davis had 37 points and 14 rebounds, Dennis Schr&ouml;der added 13 of his 21 points in the second half and the Los Angeles Lakers got a vital victory for their playoff hopes.
Lonnie Walker scored 20 points in an impressive return to the rotation for the Lakers, who have won three straight to move even with Minnesota in seventh place in the Western Conference standings. With Davis leading the way on both ends of the court, Los Angeles (37-37) also reached .500 for the first time this season after holding off the Thunder despite the injury absences of LeBron James and D&rsquo;Angelo Russell.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Josh Giddey scored 27 points apiece for Oklahoma City, which lost for only the fourth time in 12 games down the stretch. The Thunder (36-38) dropped into a tie with Dallas for 10th in the West.
WARRIORS 120, 76ERS 112
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) &mdash; Jordan Poole scored 33 points and swished a key 3-pointer with 1:18 to play off a pretty pass by Draymond Green, Stephen Curry added 29 points and eight rebounds and Golden State rallied past Joel Embiid and Philadelphia.
Embiid checked back into the game with 8:26 left and scored 13 straight on the way to 46 points, but the Warriors came back from 11 down for their ninth straight home win &mdash; and one of the most important yet as they fight for playoff positioning.
Embiid shot 13 for 23, made 19 of 22 free throws and had nine rebounds, eight assists and two steals. He helped Philadelphia take an 88-79 lead going into the fourth. He had his streak of scoring 30 or more points in a franchise-record 10 straight games snapped in Wednesday&rsquo;s 116-91 win at Chicago but made up for it.
WIZARDS 136, SPURS 124
WASHINGTON (AP) &mdash; Corey Kispert scored 26 points and sank six 3-pointers, Deni Avdija added 21 points and grabbed 11 rebounds and Washington pulled away for a win over San Antonio.
Delon Wright added 24 points and Kristaps Porzingis 23 for the Wizards, who missed three-time All-Star Bradley Beal (left knee sprain) for a second game but snapped a four-game skid.
Washington sank 15 of 30 attempts beyond the arc one game after setting season lows for number and percentage of 3s made in Wednesday&rsquo;s loss to West-leading Denver.
Keldon Johnson scored 30 points for San Antonio, which played without 2022 ninth-overall draft pick Jeremy Sochan (sore right knee) for the third time in four games.
RAPTORS 118, PISTONS 97
TORONTO (AP) &mdash; Pascal Siakam scored 32 points, Chris Boucher had 19 points and 13 rebounds and Toronto routed Detroit for its eighth win in nine home games.
Fred VanVleet added 18 points and O.G. Anunoby 17 as Toronto completed its first four-game sweep of Detroit since the 2017-18 season. The Raptors also improved to 7-0 when holding opponents below 100 points
Jaden Ivey scored 20 points and Marvin Bagley III and James Wiseman each had 14 for Detroit, but the Pistons lost for the 16th time in 17 games.
HORNETS 117, MAVERICKS 109
DALLAS (AP) &mdash; P.J. Washington Jr. scored 28 points and Gordon Hayward added 25 as undermanned Charlotte built a 21-point lead and held on to beat Dallas.
The Hornets, who were eliminated from the Eastern Conference playoff race last week, earned a split of a back-to-back after losing by 19 points on Thursday night at New Orleans and finishing with only seven healthy players.
Luka Doncic had 34 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Mavericks, who lost their third straight and for the sixth time in eight games. Kyrie Irving scored 18 points after missing one game with a toe injury. He and Doncic played together for the first time since March 8. The Mavericks are 3-7 with both in the lineup.
BUCKS 144, JAZZ 116
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) &mdash; Grayson Allen scored a season-high 25 points to lead Milwaukee past Utah.
Allen made five 3-pointers and shot 57% from the field to help the Bucks lead wire-to-wire. Giannis Antetokounmpo had 24 points and 11 assists, and Pat Connaughton scored 22 points while making six 3-pointers. Jrue Holiday added 18 points and seven assists, and Brook Lopez had 17 points, 14 rebounds and seven blocks.
Milwaukee made 22 3-pointers and shot 56% from the field to fuel its third straight victory.
Simone Fontecchio scored a career-high 26 points in his third career start to lead the Jazz.
BULLS 124, TRAIL BLAZERS 96
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) &mdash; Zach LaVine scored 33 points and Chicago dominated short-handed Portland.
Nikola Vucevic added 23 points and 15 rebounds for the Bulls, who have won six of their last eight games and sit in 10th place in the Eastern Conference standings with nine regular-season games remaining.
Portland, which has lost seven of its last eight games, was led by rookie Shaedon Sharpe, who matched his career high with 24 points. The Blazers&rsquo; lone win during the recent stretch came against the Utah Jazz 127-115 on Wednesday. Portland was at 13th in the Western Conference standings, well out of the playoff picture.
Regular Portland starters Damian Lillard (calf tightness), Jusuf Nurkic (sore right knee), Jerami Grant (quad contusion) and Anfernee Simons (sore right foot) did not play against the Bulls.
KINGS 135, SUNS 127
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) &mdash; Kevin Huerter led all scorers with 29 points and Sacramento beat Phoenix.
Huerter added nine rebounds and five assists for the Kings (44-29), who are in third place in the Western Conference behind Denver and Memphis. Domantas Sabonis finished with 27 points, nine rebounds and nine assists for the Kings.
Sacramento&rsquo;s De&rsquo;Aaron Fox exited the game with 7:16 left in the third quarter with right hamstring soreness. Fox finished with 19 points in 21 minutes.
Devin Booker finished with 32 points for the Suns (38-36). Terrence Ross scored a season-high 30 points off the bench and hit six 3-pointers.

A recap of Friday night's slate of NBA action includes Memphis punching its ticket to the postseason.

Grizzlies earn playoff berth as Kennard makes 10 3-pointers

A list of 12 of the top talents in modern NBA history to have never appeared in an All-Star Game.

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

CHICAGO (AP) &mdash; Giannis Antetokounmpo stayed on the ground, grimacing in pain before heading to the locker room. A sprained wrist in the early going ended his night.
Not before he set yet another franchise record.
<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://twitter.com/Bucks/status/1626391531526520835" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Antetokounmpo became Milwaukee&rsquo;s career assists leader</a>&nbsp;before getting injured, and the Bucks won their 12th straight, beating the Chicago Bulls 112-100 on Thursday night.
Brook Lopez scored a season-high 33 points. Jevon Carter had 22 against his hometown team, and Jrue Holiday added 15 points and nine assists.
The Bucks were never seriously threatened. But Antetokounmpo&rsquo;s injury early in the second quarter cast a bit of a cloud over a team that otherwise has so much going for it heading into the All-Star break.
Coach Mike Budenholzer said initial reports were &ldquo;hopeful&rdquo; and the X-ray was &ldquo;clean.&rdquo;
&ldquo;We&rsquo;ll just see how he feels tomorrow, see how he feels the next few days and continue to evaluate it,&rdquo; Budenholzer said.
He had &ldquo;no idea&rdquo; if Antetokounmpo would travel to Salt Lake City for the All-Star Game.
The two-time MVP was hurt trying to block a finger roll attempt by Chicago&rsquo;s Coby White after the guard drove past him. He jammed his wrist when he reached out &mdash; perhaps to soften the blow &mdash; as he crashed into the padded stanchion. He continued to flex his hand and got subbed out a few seconds later before heading to the locker room.
&ldquo;He&rsquo;s a guy that&rsquo;s attacking the basket all the time,&rdquo; Budenholzer said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s fearless. He takes a lot of falls so you kind of learn to just expect him to always just bounce back up, and that&rsquo;s what we&rsquo;re hoping for from this one.&rdquo;
Antetokounmpo finished with a season-low two points and three assists, giving him 3,274 over 10 seasons to break Paul Pressey&rsquo;s record of 3,272 from 1982 to 1990. He also had seven rebounds.
SETTING THE RECORD
Antetokounmpo matched the assists mark when he fed Lopez for a 3-pointer two minutes into the game and broke it when he passed to Carter for another 3 that bumped Milwaukee&rsquo;s lead to 19-10 in the first quarter. He also is the Bucks&rsquo; career leader in blocks, triple-doubles, free throws made, free throws attempted and minutes.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s greatness, right?&rdquo; Holiday said. &ldquo;Especially to do it with one franchise, to be here through the ups and the downs, to see where he started and where he is now. I&rsquo;m so happy for him.&rdquo;
Lopez made three 3-pointers. Carter hit four from beyond the arc, and the Bucks beat Chicago for the first time in three games this season.
SLIDE CONTINUES
The Bulls lost their sixth in a row, their worst skid since dropping six straight in the 2020-21 season. They also fell seven games under .500 at 26-33, not what they envisioned after making the playoffs a year ago.
Nikola Vucevic had 22 points and 16 rebounds. Zach LaVine scored 18, and Patrick Williams had 16 points.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;re not just throwing in the towel,&rdquo; LaVine said. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think we have the type of team or personnel to do that. Losing hurts.&rdquo;
SIDELINED STARS
Both teams were missing stars, with Milwaukee&rsquo;s Khris Middleton managing a sore right knee that has kept him out for a big portion of the season and Chicago&rsquo;s DeMar DeRozan sidelined for the second time in as many nights because of a strained right quadriceps.
TIP-INS
Bucks: Though Middleton&rsquo;s absence was not expected, coach Mike Budenholzer said the three-time All-Star did not experience a setback against Boston on Tuesday. Middleton had 16 points and 11 rebounds in 25 minutes against the Celtics. &ldquo;I think we&rsquo;re overall not concerned, but we&rsquo;ll see how he does over the break and just continue to work with him and make sure he&rsquo;s in a good place when he plays,&rdquo; Budenholzer said.
Bulls: The Bulls said DeRozan is expected to play in the All-Star Game on Sunday. ... G Ayo Dosunmu was selected to replace injured Houston Rockets guard Jalen Green on fellow former Illinois star Deron Williams&rsquo; team in Friday&rsquo;s Rising Stars game. The Chicago product played in the game as a rookie last year and was averaging 9.6 points and 2.9 assists in his second season after being drafted in the second round. Dosunmu called it a &ldquo;blessing&rdquo; to be selected again and said Williams was &ldquo;a big mentor&rdquo; for him in the draft process.

Giannis Antetokounmpo suffered a sprained wrist as the Milwaukee Bucks beat the Chicago Bulls 112-100 for their 12th straight win.

Giannis sets assists mark, hurts wrist; Bucks beat Bulls

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) &mdash; D&rsquo;Angelo Russell and the new-look Lakers figured things out on the fly to take down the defending champs on their home floor.
Working to get in sync with his new teammates and eager to complement Anthony Davis and LeBron James, Russell communicated on the court all game long after rejoining his first team where he played from 2015-17. The Lakers picked Russell second overall in 2015 out of Ohio State.
He had 15 points, six assists and five rebounds in his Lakers return after being acquired from Minnesota at the trade deadline, Dennis Schroder scored 26 points, and Los Angeles beat the Golden State Warriors 109-103 on Saturday night in a rivalry missing the star power of injured greats LeBron James and Stephen Curry.
&ldquo;It was a little weird but I&rsquo;m trying to normalize it,&rdquo; said Russell, who also played 33 games for the Warriors during the 2019-20 season. &ldquo;The sooner the better. I&rsquo;ve been in this situation. ... After that first stint you kind of get comfortable again. When you get traded so many times the irony comes back with all these teams and just kind of normalize it.&rdquo;
Schroder made a key layup with 1:17 to play after Donte DiVincenzo&rsquo;s 3-pointer cut the Lakers&rsquo; lead to 105-101. Davis had a double-double of 13 points and 16 rebounds and blocked one of his three shots on a late jumper by Klay Thompson.
<div class="Component-hubPeekEmbed-0-2-533 HubPeek noBorderBottom-0-2-176 compressedEmbed-0-2-177 hubPeekMain" data-card-id="afs:Card:522820401280">
<div class="hubPeekContainerWide-0-2-537" data-key="feed-card-hub-peak">
<div class="title-0-2-538">
&ldquo;Me and D&rsquo;Lo literally talked the entire game, about pick-and-roll, what he sees, what I see, what he like, what I like ... just trying to build that chemistry on the fly, with no practice,&rdquo; Davis said.
Jordan Poole had 29 points and six assists with a key go-ahead three-point play with 6:23 remaining, but the Warriors floundered down the stretch of the fourth quarter again. He was whistled for an offensive foul with 45 seconds left.
&ldquo;They&rsquo;re frustrated we couldn&rsquo;t close out these last two games,&rdquo; coach Steve Kerr said. &ldquo;We just haven&rsquo;t been able to string together enough wins to create a little momentum and separation in the standings.&rdquo;
Poole scored eight straight points early in the fourth with back-to-back 3-pointers that tied the game at 87 with 10:37 left. He also dished off to Ty Jerome for a layup with 5:01 to play.
James sat out his second straight game with a left foot injury since becoming the NBA&rsquo;s all-time scoring leader Tuesday against Oklahoma City, while reigning NBA Finals MVP Curry was sidelined for a third in a row with a left leg injury.
Also playing his first game for Los Angeles following a trade from Utah, Jarred Vanderbilt contributed 12 points and eight rebounds as the last-place Lakers snapped a three-game losing streak. Fellow new addition Malik Beasley missed all six of his 3s and shot 2 for 9 on the way to four points in his first game for the Lakers after being traded by Utah.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a huge win. I couldn&rsquo;t be more proud of my team,&rdquo; coach Darvin Ham said.
JAMES&rsquo; HEALTH
A scan done on James&rsquo; troublesome left ankle and foot showed no serious issue.
Ham expects to see James back on the floor before the All-Star break. When asked whether James might need to be sidelined through the break, Ham offered, &ldquo;No, I don&rsquo;t think he&rsquo;ll allow us to do that.&rdquo;
General manager Rob Pelinka said earlier Saturday that nothing was seriously wrong for James, who topped former Lakers star Kareem Abdul-Jabbar during Tuesday&rsquo;s 133-130 home loss to Oklahoma City.
The game with Golden State marked James&rsquo; seventh sidelined by soreness in the left ankle.
PAYTON II UPDATE
The Warriors hadn&rsquo;t made an announcement regarding Gary Payton II&rsquo;s physical and whether they would go through on an agreed trade with Portland to bring the defensive-minded guard back to Golden State.
&ldquo;Obviously, this whole thing has been strange. It is what it is,&rdquo; Kerr said. &ldquo;There is not a whole lot to do or say, so we are just waiting it out and seeing how it plays out.&rdquo;
TIP-INS
Lakers: Other new acquisitions Mo Bamba and Davon Reed didn&rsquo;t play. ... The Lakers opened the season at Chase Center with a 123-109 loss on Oct. 18 and Ham has been pleased with the progress, saying &ldquo;I&rsquo;d give us a B. I think it&rsquo;s been good. It&rsquo;s year 1.&rdquo; He also said: &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve shown a lot of resolve. We&rsquo;ve shown a fierce competitive spirit.&rdquo; ... LA improved to 2-9 against the Pacific Division having lost the previous two.
<div class="Component-dfp-0-2-529 apnews_article_midarticle_4" data-card-id="sovrn-article-midarticle">Warriors: Poole joined Draymond Green (14) with double-digit technicals this season. ... Golden State had won the last two vs. LA and three in a row in the series at home. ... The Warriors have to monitor the number of games for its two-way players, so Anthony Lamb is back with the G League Santa Cruz team. ... The Warriors will still play the Lakers twice at Crypto.com Arena.</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>

D'Angelo Russell had 15 points, six assists and five rebounds in his Lakers return as L.A. beat the Golden State Warriors 109-103.

Russell shines in return to Lakers after trade by T-Wolves

It was the missed call heard around the world.
The Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers were tied at 105-105 with four seconds left. LeBron James had the ball, drove to the basket and got all the way to the rim for a game-winning layup attempt and... Jayson Taytum committed what was a clear foul to seemingly everyone in America except the ones that matter &mdash; the referees.&nbsp;
No call was made, and LeBron had a wave of reactions &mdash; disbelief, despair, pain, anguish. And while some have criticized it as being an Oscar-worthy performance, many others believed that, in the words of Public Enemy, he had a right to be hostile.
This marked the fourth time in the past few weeks that Lakers players and fans believe a late-game call or non-call by the referees has gone against them and ultimately cost them the game.
Afterward, Eric Lewis, the lead official in the Lakers&rsquo; controversial loss to the Celtics, and the NBA admitted that <a href="https://twitter.com/kylegoon/status/1619565136770990080?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Tatum fouled LeBron</a>.
In addition, the National Basketball Referees Association posted on Twitter early Sunday evening.
"Like everyone else, referees make mistakes. We made one at the end of last night's game and that is gut-wrenching for us," the NBRA said. "This play will weigh heavily and cause sleepless nights as we strive to be the best referees we can be."
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Like everyone else, referees make mistakes. We made one at the end of last night&rsquo;s game and that is gut-wrenching for us. This play will weigh heavily and cause sleepless nights as we strive to be the best referees we can be.<a href="https://t.co/WyN8QVuTOl">https://t.co/WyN8QVuTOl</a>
&mdash; NBA Referees (@OfficialNBARefs) <a href="https://twitter.com/OfficialNBARefs/status/1619815874583752704?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 29, 2023</a></blockquote>

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

But does this admission really help anything? Should something be put in place so this doesn&rsquo;t continue to happen? Does this negatively affect the integrity of the NBA as a whole?&nbsp;
I caught up with former Los Angeles Laker and NBA champion Samaki Walker to dissect this issue.
<img src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/screenshot-2023-01-30-at-13-04-19-ew8whyzxiaejzvf-jpeg-image-2104-2104-pixels-scaled-39_-1.png" alt="" width="475" height="475" />
Etan Thomas: What were your first thoughts on watching the missed call on LeBron there at the end of regulation against the Celtics?
Samaki Walker: "Initially when I saw it in live play, to be honest, I didn&rsquo;t really know if it was a foul or not. But once I watched the replay, it completely confirmed that it was definitely a foul and the non-call was pretty much egregious. You've got three refs on the court, and that one ref on the baseline was literally looking directly at the play. He had the perfect angle to see exactly what happened, and he swallowed his whistle. Listen, we played. We know refs miss calls. It happens. But the way technology has evolved, the refs could call up to headquarters and make sure they get the call right quickly so it doesn&rsquo;t even slow down the game. This problem could be easily fixed.&nbsp;
"That last play was an opportunity for LeBron to add another piece to his already incredible career. We should be talking about that last play in terms of LeBron being aggressive in driving to the basket, how he didn&rsquo;t settle for the jumper, to lead his team to victory. Instead, we&rsquo;re talking about the refs, and that&rsquo;s just not what the conversation should be about."
Etan: Yeah, and there&rsquo;s a lot to discuss with this. The NBA came out with the report afterward saying that the refs did in fact miss the call and LeBron should&rsquo;ve been awarded two free throws. And I don&rsquo;t know what good that really does after the fact. They&rsquo;re just admitting what everyone already knew. To your point, they need to change something so they can have the call quickly reviewed and get the call right there.
Walker: "I agree 100 percent, and the fact that we do have this technology, if the refs feel as if they didn&rsquo;t see it &mdash; they&rsquo;re humans; they could&rsquo;ve simply missed it or are not sure, and that&rsquo;s fine, we understand human error &mdash;&nbsp; but don&rsquo;t come together and guess. There is an easy solution to this because it impacts the integrity of the league. They could have another set of eyes watching in real time, and they tell them no problem we slowed it down, this is the correct call. This could all happen and the game not even be slowed paused or slowed down."
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
LeBron is furious he didn't get this foul call at the end of the game 😳 <a href="https://t.co/hANldRDGCo">pic.twitter.com/hANldRDGCo</a>
&mdash; Action Network (@ActionNetworkHQ) <a href="https://twitter.com/ActionNetworkHQ/status/1619547824122908673?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 29, 2023</a></blockquote>

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

Etan: You said it impacts the integrity of the league. Could you go into more detail about what you meant by that? 
Walker: "This is what I meant by that: So now that gambling has legally entered the NBA, it&rsquo;s even more difficult for certain narratives to not start floating around. It just is, and this is an issue that the league has to deal with at face value.&nbsp;
"Everyone has seen the Tim Donaghy documentary, and that&rsquo;s immediately what runs through people&rsquo;s minds when a bad call of this magnitude happens. It&rsquo;s bad PR. The NBA doesn&rsquo;t want those notions even going through anyone&rsquo;s mind. That&rsquo;s why they need to fix this immediately. The NBA has to either hold these refs more accountable publicly &mdash; not in private, but publicly &mdash; or they have to utilize technology to not allow this to happen because public perception is everything. The public needs to be reassured and confident that the NBA is doing everything in its power to rectify this issue."
Etan: So either you&rsquo;re a part of the solution, or you&rsquo;re a part of the problem.
Walker: "Exactly, and this is a problem we can rectify. Let&rsquo;s have a checks-and-balances system. And to your earlier point, what good does it do to say we missed the call after the fact? That doesn&rsquo;t help anything."
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
Etan: Another part that was kind of interesting is we saw LeBron&rsquo;s reaction. And I think the refs knew they blew the call, so they didn&rsquo;t give him a technical foul. Because, especially now, if you show that much of a reaction, they are immediately blowing their whistle.
Walker: "Just earlier in this very game Dennis Schroder laid on the floor after they called a foul on him on the fast break, and they tech'd him immediately. And then I felt they called a bogus offensive foul call on Jaylen Brown. I thought that was made to patch up their previous mistake."
Etan: Like a make up call?
Walker: "Yes a make-up call. And as a professional league, we shouldn&rsquo;t have to resort to those tactics instead of just getting the call right the first time. Any questionable call, they could have someone in their ear &mdash; sitting at headquarters or wherever &mdash; telling them they slowed it down and looked at it from different angles, and inform them what the correct call is. But the NBA has to implement something. Because, again, the integrity of the league is in jeopardy."
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Anthony Davis on the final possession: &ldquo;It&rsquo;s bullshit. It&rsquo;s unacceptable. &hellip; We got cheated tonight.&rdquo; <a href="https://t.co/etu283iMAu">pic.twitter.com/etu283iMAu</a>
&mdash; Jovan Buha (@jovanbuha) <a href="https://twitter.com/jovanbuha/status/1619558445459570688?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 29, 2023</a></blockquote>

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

Etan: I definitely agree. You know, another aspect of this that&rsquo;s interesting... Immediately after the game, I saw Anthony Davis talking to reporters, and he said that they were cheated. And I expect him to be fined; I&rsquo;m sure it will be announced soon. And my question has always been, why are the refs handled with such delicate gloves to where players and coaches are fined if they criticize them? Because you can vent and criticize anything else, but the refs are just untouchable. And it&rsquo;s been like that for a while. What are your thoughts on that?&nbsp;
Walker: "Which is interesting and goes back to our previous point. They don&rsquo;t want anyone criticizing the refs because they feel that is bad PR for all of the reasons we just listed, so implement a system to get the calls right. Then, you wouldn&rsquo;t have players and coaches criticizing the refs. If your real focus is to protect the integrity of the league, implement a system where this isn&rsquo;t an issue, and the integrity won&rsquo;t be questioned. Because if you don&rsquo;t, this is going to keep happening, and that&rsquo;s just not good for the league as a whole."

Etan Thomas has a conversation with Samaki Walker discussing the controversial non-call on LeBron James last Saturday in Boston.

Samaki Walker: Missed foul call on LeBron affects NBA's integrity

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) &mdash; LeBron James said the Lakers had a choice when trailing by 25 points at halftime against the Trail Blazers.
&ldquo;I guess it&rsquo;s only one or two ways, you can either go out and you can lay down and get ready for the next game or you can see what happens in the third quarter, make a game of it," James said. &ldquo;And for us as competitors, and our team and our makeup this year, we&rsquo;re not a lay-down team. That's just not the makeup of our club.&rdquo;
James finished with 37 points and 11 rebounds, and the Lakers rallied in the second half to beat the Portland Trail Blazers 121-112 on Sunday night.
Thomas Bryant added 31 points and 14 rebounds for the Lakers in the comeback, tied for second-biggest halftime deficit that the team has erased for a win in franchise history.
Anfernee Simons had 31 points for the Blazers, who have lost three straight. Damian Lillard added 24 points and 10 assists.
The Lakers outscored Portland 40-20 to cut the margin in the third quarter. Troy Brown Jr. made a 3-pointer that got the Lakers within 97-95, before they took the lead on Bryant's 3 with 7:54 left.
James made a pair of free throws with 4:36 left that pushed the Lakers' lead to 107-103. After Lillard made free throws, Dennis Schroder's 3-pointer put Los Angeles up by five again.
Bryant's dunk gave the Lakers a 114-107 lead with 2:23 left and they held off Portland for the win.
Portland was struggling, with wins in just two of the last nine games. The Blazers were coming off a 105-95 loss to the 76ers on Thursday.
<iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/uuIK_bVnjP0" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
&ldquo;Right now, we're just not getting it done,&rdquo; Lillard said when asked if the Blazers should try to deal before the trade deadline. &ldquo;I do want to win. I don't think it's a secret that I want to win. I think we've got to do whatever we need to do to be in a position to win."
The Lakers have likewise struggled this season because of injuries, notably to Anthony Davis, who is currently dealing with a foot injury that has kept him out for 19 games.
James was questionable going into the game with a sore ankle but played. James is closing in on Kareem Abdul-Jabbar&rsquo;s NBA scoring record of 38,387 points. James is 233 points away from matching the record after Sunday's game.
Despite the rivalry, the mood was somber at times at the Moda Center following the death on Saturday of longtime broadcaster Bill Schonely who coined the expression &ldquo;Rip City!&rdquo; Schonely was 93.
Schonely called Blazers games for nearly 30 years, starting the team's first season in 1970 and including the team's championship run in 1977. Following his broadcasting career, he was an ambassador for the team until his retirement last year.
The Lakers jumped out to an 18-4 lead early, but Portland caught up, closing to 26-24 on Nassir Little's 3-pointer before the end of the first quarter.
Simons' 3-pointer gave the Blazers a 39-38 lead. Lillard hit a nearly half-court shot to push the lead to 68-46, and the Blazers led 71-46 at halftime. Portland outscored the Los Angeles 35-13 in the second quarter alone.
Beverley and James hit back-to-back layups to get the Lakers within 81-74 and cap a 16-2 Los Angeles run. A driving layup from James made it even closer at 88-82.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve been through it a lot. And I just want to try to continue to keep improving, throughout late games and one-possession games, two-possession games when we&rsquo;re down late," James said. &ldquo;And tonight we did a good job of being able to execute defensively and offensively.&rdquo;
It was the third meeting between the Lakers and the Blazers this season. They split the first two.
TIP-INS
Lakers: Davis went through a full-contact scrimmage with the team's &ldquo;stay ready&rdquo; group on Saturday. Davis has missed 19 games with a right foot stress injury and is easing his way back. Coach Darvin Hamm said Davis &ldquo;looked phenomenal.&rdquo; ... James was questionable going into the game with a sore ankle but played. ... The Lakers' 13 second quarter points were a season low.
Trail Blazers: Gary Payton II, who missed the last game with a sore calf, played. ... It was the second of the six-game homestand. ... The Blazers were also mourning the death last week of cameraman John Curry, who had been with the team for 39 years.
UP NEXT
Lakers: Host the Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday.
Trail Blazers: Host the Spurs on Monday night.

LeBron James finished with 37 points and 11 boards, and the Lakers rallied in the second half to beat the Blazers 121-112 on Sunday.

LeBron James scores 37, Lakers rally past Trail Blazers 121-112

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

Best of Basketball News: Spotlighting our top content from 2022

Nekias Duncan takes an early look at this year's NBA award races with an in-depth look at who leads the pack through mid-December.

Nekias Duncan's 2022-23 NBA award front-runners: MVP, DPOY, ROY, more

PHOENIX (AP) &mdash; Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown each scored 25 points, Malcolm Brodgon added 16 off the bench and the Boston Celtics embarrassed the Phoenix Suns 125-98 on Wednesday night.
The Celtics won for the eighth time in nine games, improving their NBA-best record to 21-5. The Suns &mdash; who came into the game with the best record in a crowded Western Conference race &mdash; lost for the third time in four games.
The expected showdown between two of the league&rsquo;s top teams never materialized with the Celtics leading by 45 points. The Celtics took a 31-21 lead after one quarter over the cold-shooting Suns, who missed all eight of their 3-point attempts.
Boston continued to build its lead in the second, taking a 69-42 lead into the break. Brown led the Celtics with 17 points in the first half, while Tatum scored had 14. Grant Williams and Brogdon both added 12.
The second half was essentially an afterthought. Tatum hit a free throw with 7:01 left in the third to push Boston&rsquo;s advantage to 40.
The Suns welcomed back All-Star point guard Chris Paul, who missed the past 14 games with a sore right heel. That&rsquo;s good news for the team&rsquo;s long-term prognosis, but it didn&rsquo;t help much Wednesday. Josh Okogie led the Suns with a career-high 28 points off the bench.
NETS 122, HORNETS 116
NEW YORK (AP) &mdash; Kyrie Irving scored 33 points, Kevin Durant had 29 and Brooklyn outlasted Charlotte.
Seth Curry added 20 points on 8-for-11 shooting to help the Nets won for the fifth time in six games.
Terry Rozier scored 30 points and Kelly Oubre Jr. had 29 for the Hornets. They have lost three straight and seven of 10.
Brooklyn led by 23 points at the start of the third quarter, but was outscored 32-23 in the period. The Hornets cut it to 109-107 with 6:28 left in the game.
RAPTORS 126, LAKERS 113
TORONTO (AP) &mdash; Pascal Siakam had 25 points and 10 rebounds and Toronto routed a short-handed Los Angeles team playing without LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
James sat out because of a sore left ankle, one night after he played 36 minutes in a 116-102 loss at Cleveland. Davis left after one quarter Tuesday night because of a non-COVID illness.
Some in the sellout crowd of 19,800 booed when the names of the injured players were displayed on the video board before the game.
Fred VanVleet also had 25 points for Toronto. Dennis Schroder led the Lakers with 18.
JAZZ 124, WARRIORS 123
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) &mdash; Simone Fontecchio dunked with 1.4 seconds remaining off Nickeil Alexander-Walker&rsquo;s steal and Utah beat Golden State in a matchup of short-handed teams.
Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Andrew Wiggins sat out for Golden State, while Utah was missing Lauri Markkanen and Mike Conley. Curry skipped the game because of soreness in his left ankle, Green has tightness in his left hip and Andrew Wiggins has a strained right adductor. For Utah, Markkanen was ill and Conley has an injured left knee.
Jordan Clarkson led Utah with 22 points. Fontecchio finished with a career-high 18 points. A rookie from Italy who will be 27 on Friday, he made four 3-pointers.
Jordan Poole tied a season high with 36 points for Golden State and Jonathan Kuminga had a season-high 24.
BUCKS 126, KINGS 113
MILWAUKEE (AP) &mdash; Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 35 points, Jrue Holiday added 31 and Milwaukee beat Sacramento for the Bucks&rsquo; 13th consecutive victory over the Kings.
The streak is Milwaukee&rsquo;s longest active streak against an opponent. The Bucks have won 12 straight against Orlando.
Brook Lopez had 17 points and nine rebounds and Khris Middleton added 14 points for the Bucks. They won their third straight to improve to 18-6.
Domantas Sabonis had 23 points and 12 rebounds for the Kings, who had won their last three. Harrison Barnes had 20 points, and Malik Monk added 16.
GRIZZLIES 123, THUNDER 102
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) &mdash; Ja Morant had 26 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists and Memphis used a second-half flurry to beat Oklahoma City.
Morant&rsquo;s triple-double was his second this season and the seventh of his career, and tied a career high for rebounds. Dillon Brooks added 24 points and Brandon Clarke finished with 17 points as the Grizzlies won their season-best fourth straight.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder with 26 points.
KNICKS 113, HAWKS 89
NEW YORK (AP) &mdash; Julius Randle had 34 points and 17 rebounds and New York capitalized on another key Atlanta injury to coast past the Hawks.
Trae Young showed up wearing sneakers in the Knicks&rsquo; blue-and-orange colors with &ldquo;King of Broadway&rdquo; on them, but he was left largely having to win this one alone after the Hawks lost a third starter when Dejounte Murray sprained his left ankle after 3 1/2 minutes.
Already without starting forwards John Collins and De&rsquo;Andre Hunter, the Hawks trailed by as many as 28 points in their fifth loss in seven games. Young finished with 19 points and six assists.
TIMBERWOLVES 121, PACERS 115
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) &mdash; D&rsquo;Angelo Russell had 15 of his 28 points in the fourth quarter, Anthony Edwards scored 26 points and Minnesota held on to beat Indiana.
Rudy Gobert added 16 points and 20 rebounds for Minnesota, which blew a 23-point lead and had to overcome an eight-point deficit. The Timberwolves &mdash; who had 23 turnovers &mdash; won for just the second time in six games.
Buddy Hield scored 26 points and hit 7 of 11 from 3-point territory for Indiana. Tyrese Haliburton had 26 points and 15 assists for the Pacers.
MAGIC 116, CLIPPERS 111, OT
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) &mdash; Rookie Paolo Banchero scored 10 of his 23 points in overtime and Orlando beat Los Angeles to snap a nine-game losing streak.
Banchero, the top overall pick in the NBA draft, made all six of his free throws in the final seven seconds of overtime, rallying the Magic from a 111-110 deficit.
Terrance Mann came off the bench to lead the Clippers with 19 points.
BULLS 115, WIZARDS 111
CHICAGO (AP) &mdash; DeMar DeRozan scored 15 of his 27 points in the fourth quarter, Nikola Vucevic had 25 points and 11 rebounds and Chicago beat Washington.
The Wizards lost their fourth in a row and played without leading scorer and three-time All-Star Bradley Beal. He strained his hamstring Sunday in a loss to the Los Angeles Lakers.
Kristaps Porzingis had 28 points and nine rebounds for Washington.
PELICANS 104, PISTONS 98
NEW ORLEANS (AP) &mdash; Zion Williamson had 29 points and 10 rebounds and New Orleans beat Detroit for its fifth straight victory and 10th in 12 games.
Trey Murphy III, a 2021 first-round draft choice starting because of Brandon Ingram&rsquo;s left foot injury, hit four 3s and had 20 points for New Orleans.
Saddiq Bey, who scored 25 points for Detroit.

A recap of Wednesday night's NBA action highlights a Boston beat-down of the Suns in the Valley.

NBA-leading Celtics embarrass sloppy Suns in blowout

On his third team in five seasons as an NBA pro, De&rsquo;Anthony Melton has made quite the first impression on the Philadelphia 76ers organization that traded for him on draft night this past June.
&ldquo;I think De'Anthony's a very easy guy to play with,&rdquo; Sixers head coach Doc Rivers said Wednesday in Cleveland. &ldquo;He doesn't talk a lot. It's pretty quiet, but [he] competes. And he does, he just plays right. He defends. And I think guys who defend always have a little more longitude to do whatever. Guys respect that.&nbsp;
&ldquo;You want to get respect in a locker room? Go stop somebody and you'll get it, and I think De'Anthony has that.&rdquo;
The truth is that Melton has always had that. Constantly seeking out the basketball on the defensive end of the floor, he is like a free safety on fastbreaks and a cornerback in passing lanes, baiting the opposing team into a cross-court pass or an ill-advised decision. That&rsquo;s because his first interceptions came on the gridiron and not a hardwood floor.
&ldquo;I played football my whole life growing up. So yeah, just doing that, I've had instincts,&rdquo; Melton told Basketball News at Philadelphia&rsquo;s morning shootaround. &ldquo;I don't know, that's just who I am. I played everything &mdash; receiver, QB, running back, safety, D-end and corner.&rdquo;
Melton is a hound with a nose for the ball, which explains his <a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/leagues/NBA_2023_advanced.html#advanced_stats::stl_pct" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NBA-leading 3.8% steal percentage</a>. On top of that, he ranks second in the league with 2.2 steals per game and is <a href="https://go.nba.com/idcdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">tied for third among his peers</a> with 3.7 deflections per contest.
(Only Toronto Raptors lockdown wing OG Anunoby has more takeaways a night, while Los Angeles Clippers star Paul George and Charlotte Hornets swingman Kelly Oubre are slightly ahead in the deflection average department).&nbsp;
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
While those are impressive numbers, it's what Melton does with his activity that catches your eye. If he doesn&rsquo;t rip it away from his man, the 6-foot-2, 200-pound guard battles for a rebound among taller, bigger guys. Even just getting a hand on the ball and tipping it out to a teammate helps.
&ldquo;It's important. One of the most dangerous shots is an offensive-rebound three,&rdquo; Melton said. &ldquo;So limiting those is important, especially when you play defense for 20-something seconds, then you're mad that you gave up a rebound and now you've gotta go another 14, you know what I mean? It's just toiling on your body.&rdquo;
And when he succeeds in retrieving the rock via a board or swipe, De&rsquo;Anthony launches it down the floor without hesitation as soon as he sees a teammate streaking in transition.
More often than not, it turns into two points.
&ldquo;It's just something I've been doing from the beginning of my career,&rdquo; Melton said. &ldquo;Just trying to get the ball ahead and get an easy basket, especially when you limit them to one shot. A lot of times, you've got the big down here, so it's not a shot-blocker at the other end of the floor. Having a guard get the rebound, it's important 'cause you can throw it up, you could push it early and just get easy baskets.&rdquo;
When asked about the most valuable thing that he brings to the Sixers, Melton pointed to those instincts and his &ldquo;ability to play hard and do whatever it takes to win the game.&rdquo;&nbsp;
Adding to that, providing depth to an ailing roster has been crucial. For one month, Philly&rsquo;s been missing All-Star guard James Harden because of a strained foot; luckily, he's due back soon. Making matters more difficult, Tyrese Maxey hasn't played since Nov. 19 due to a similar injury. His return is still a couple of weeks away.
When Melton initially came in, he was spelling both of them alongside fellow fifth-year guard Shake Milton. But with their teammates on the shelf, the two have taken their blossoming relationship from the bench to the starting five.
&ldquo;I think it's been huge for both of us,&rdquo; Melton said. &ldquo;Even Shake, you see his growth and his confidence grow through these last few games. But just staying aggressive and being confident, I think that's the biggest thing that you can have in this league. When you have those two things, you've just gotta rely on your work.&rdquo;
As a duo, Melton and Milton have looked out for one another and found ways to impact the game in different ways. Shake is averaging nearly 22 points per game on 56.3% from the field over the last seven contests, and has knocked down 13-of-20 shots featuring a dish from Melton. According to NBA.com, De&rsquo;Anthony has <a href="https://go.nba.com/g1ubq" target="_blank" rel="noopener">passed to him 109 times</a> during that span, assisting on nine of his field goals.
&ldquo;We constantly have conversations. I'm constantly talking to him in terms of my game and his game and what I've seen he can do too,&rdquo; Melton said. &ldquo;So just constant communication, open door between us. What we see, what's open, what's not. What do I see, what does he see, how we feel like they're playing each other [defensively].&nbsp;
&ldquo;Just talking to each other. It could be calming each other down, picking each other up. Just being there for your teammate, that's the most important thing. We want to go out there and play hard and play for our families.&rdquo;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Shake Milton and De'Anthony Melton combined for 25 of the Sixers' 52 1st Half PTS ... These boys understand the assignment, hear me??? <a href="https://t.co/iqFiODhccc">pic.twitter.com/iqFiODhccc</a>
&mdash; Brock Landes (@LandesBrock) <a href="https://twitter.com/LandesBrock/status/1596309411160797184?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 26, 2022</a></blockquote>

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

As for his own scoring, Melton&rsquo;s been in a bit of a shooting slump as of late; still, he&rsquo;s knocking down 35.5% of his threes and 37.7% of his catch-shoot triples on the season. De'Anthony also recorded double-figure scoring games in each of his first six starts, averaging 4.8 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 3.5 steals a night over that stretch.
Noting the experience they&rsquo;re gaining together presently, Rivers envisions the one-two punch of Melton and Milton for his rotations when the Sixers are fully healthy.
&ldquo;I think it'll be huge later,&rdquo; Rivers said. &ldquo;It'll give us opportunities to put second groups out on the floor without any of the key guys on the floor, and that's something we were not doing early in the year. There's always something [positive] that happens when injuries like this happen, and that may be one of 'em.&rdquo;
Coming from the Memphis Grizzlies, Melton was already used to playing with a superstar in Ja Morant. In Philadelphia, that remains unchanged with Joel Embiid.
At the same time, one&rsquo;s a point guard and one&rsquo;s a center.
&ldquo;It's a lot different 'cause now it's like the double [team]'s not coming from the top, it's coming to the bottom. And he's just so dominant and he can get almost any shot he wants. It is different, but... it's Joel Embiid, it's him time,&rdquo; said Melton, who will come back to Memphis with the Sixers on Friday evening.
Coming into training camp, Embiid voiced his desire for Philadelphia to be the top defense in the NBA. To this point, he and his teammates have for the most part lived up to that billing, and it&rsquo;s even more impressive because of the adversity the squad has faced with guys out.
Next man up turned into next men up, and those men have done their jobs.&nbsp;
&ldquo;It's important for us because, I mean, Jo said it at the beginning of the year &mdash; we're trying to become the No. 1 defense, and it's gonna help our offense,&rdquo; Melton said. &ldquo;It's gonna make our offense a lot easier, getting easier buckets, so now, late in the game, we've got to our go-to guys and they're fresh.&rdquo;
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
De'Anthony Melton is still in an adjustment period with his new ball club, especially with the injuries piled up. Thrust into the starting lineup and playing over 33 minutes a night since, it is the highest workload he&rsquo;s seen consecutively since becoming an NBA player.&nbsp;
&ldquo;I don't think he loves that part, being the primary ball-handler at times. That's why we try to put [Furkan Korkmaz] on the floor with him or Shake on the floor,&rdquo; Rivers said. &ldquo;We'll leave Shake on the floor by himself, but we won't leave De'Anthony. We usually have two guards on the floor.&rdquo;
&ldquo;I think that it's something I'm getting used to. I feel like my role, it's changed a little bit, but not really though,&rdquo; Melton said. &ldquo;They want me to be aggressive either way, so, whatever comes with that, they feel like and have the confidence in me to make the right play.&rdquo;

Spencer Davies catches up with De'Anthony Melton and talks about getting acclimated in Philadelphia, his defensive prowess and more.

Nose for the ball: De'Anthony Melton brings natural instincts to 76ers

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) &mdash; LaMelo Ball&rsquo;s first home game of the season didn&rsquo;t go anywhere near as well as the All-Star point guard hoped.
Not only did the Charlotte Hornets lose 125-113 to the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday night, but Ball reinjured his left ankle when he stepped on a fan&rsquo;s foot with 1:34 left in the game, an injury which likely will keep him out moving forward.
Ball was trying to save a ball from going out of bounds when he stepped on a seated fan&rsquo;s foot near the Hornets bench as he tried to brace himself from going into the crowd.
It&rsquo;s the same ankle that caused Ball to miss a portion of the preseason and the first 13 games of the regular season.
Hornets coach Steve Clifford had no immediate update on Ball's status and Ball was not made available to talk to reporters after the game.
The Hornets are at Cleveland on Friday night.
This was Ball's third game back since his initial ankle injury in the preseason, but his first at home. It began with him getting a big introduction from the public address announcer and a huge applause during pre-game introductions, but exiting with a grimace on his face and he limped to the locker room.
Ball was stellar when he played, finishing with 26 points on 10-of-17 shooting, including five 3-pointers. He also had six assists while turning the ball over four times.
&ldquo;He was great tonight,&rdquo; Clifford said.
The Hornets have been hit hard by injuries this season.
Along with Ball missing 13 games, Cody Martin has missed all but one game with quad and knee issues that eventually required surgery, Gordon Hayward has missed the last eight games with a shoulder injury and Dennis Smith the last three a ankle sprain. Earlier in the day, the Hornets also announced first-round draft pick Mark Williams suffered an ankle injury while playing for the G League's Greensboro Swarm.
Terry Rozier also missed seven games with an ankle injury.
"It's very tough but we have to be professionals about it," said Hornets guard Kelly Oubre Jr. &ldquo;It's the game of basketball and those things happen. But people who are suited up and who are healthy enough to go out there, we have to go pick up that slack.&rdquo;
Still, forward P.J. Washington said he's eager for the day the Hornets (4-12) are at full strength.
&ldquo;We all know at some point everybody&rsquo;s going to get back out there, and we can&rsquo;t wait for it," Washington said. "But right now the problem is we&rsquo;re losing games, so we&rsquo;ve got to figure it out and start getting some wins.&rdquo;
Charlotte (4-12) has lost nine of its last 10 games after starting the season 3-3 with a win over the defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors.

LaMelo Ball was trying to save a ball from going out of bounds when he stepped on a seated fan’s foot near the Hornets bench.

LaMelo Ball re-injures ankle after stepping on fan's foot

MARYVILLE, Mo. (AP) &mdash; There is growing fear among college basketball coaches at the lower levels of the sport, the vast majority of which do not make seven-figure salaries, fly around the country in private jets or hang out with rich and famous boosters and fans.
It&rsquo;s a fear that comes with success.
It only takes a couple of marquee players to compete for championships at the Division II or III level, the NAIA or even in low-major Division I leagues. But in an era of freedom of transfer and name, image and likeness endorsement money, the reality is this: If your program is too good, there&rsquo;s a good chance those prolific players will be playing elsewhere next season, recruited to major programs that can offer them more exposure, opportunities and financial benefits.
When it happens, lower-level coaches who might be coming off a 20-win season could be left rebuilding their rosters and fighting for 10 wins and, potentially, their jobs.
&ldquo;There&rsquo;s always been an opportunity to poach kids if you want to poach them, but it&rsquo;s all become easier now,&rdquo; said Joe Lombardi, the longtime coach of Division II powerhouse Indiana (Pa.). &ldquo;I believe in karma. I&rsquo;m not doing that, OK? But some places it has become a way of life. It&rsquo;s disappointing that people invest in kids and, you know, they get poached.
&ldquo;They don&rsquo;t just go to the market,&rdquo; Lombardi added. &ldquo;Some do, but a lot of them are talked into it.&rdquo;
His team reached the Final Four last season thanks largely to shooting guard Armoni Foster, who averaged 18 points for the Crimson Hawks, but who will be playing Division I ball for Buffalo this season. And while Lombardi encouraged him to seek a better opportunity for his final year of eligibility, the coach acknowledges that won&rsquo;t always be the case.
Especially when players no longer have to sit out a year under the NCAA&rsquo;s transfer rules.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve had guys that Division I schools made overtures about and I&rsquo;m eventually going to lose someone, and it might not be amicable,&rdquo; Lombardi said. &ldquo;I might not be happy with the move. But if you&rsquo;re in it long enough, that will happen.&rdquo;
It happened at Nova Southeastern, the top seed in the NCAA Tournament last year. Sekou Sylla, who averaged 22.4 points and 10.4 rebounds for the Division II program, will be playing for Towson at the Division I level this season.
And it happened at Hillsdale, another strong Division II program, where Patrick Cartier caught the attention of Colorado State. And at Bentley, which saw shooting guard Colton Lawrence follow up a strong season by leaving for Maryland-Baltimore County, a low-major program but nonetheless an opportunity for him to compete at the Division I level.
Even the bluest of the bluebloods have kept their eyes open for lower-level transfers.
Cam Martin, a bruising 6-foot-9 forward, was a two-time All-American for Missouri Southern who chose to continue his career elsewhere. He landed at Kansas, the defending Division I national champion, about a 3-hour drive from the Lions&rsquo; campus in Joplin but light years away in terms of opportunity and experience.
Martin, who graduated from Missouri Southern and is pursuing his graduate degree at Kansas, went from starting every game and playing major minutes to being a key practice player but rarely seeing the floor in actual games.
&ldquo;You have the good and bad stories that come of it,&rdquo; acknowledged Dennis Gates, the new Missouri coach who brought three players with him when he was hired from Cleveland State. &ldquo;But the rules give student-athletes an opportunity, no different than coaches have opportunities now, to represent a different program.&rdquo;
Still, as TCU coach Jamie Dixon admitted, the fact that players no longer have to sit out has changed the dynamic.
&ldquo;A kid having success at a lower conference than, say, the Big 12, was likely not to transfer and sit out because he&rsquo;s playing well,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s getting his minutes. Why would he want to sit out?&rdquo;
When the NCAA removed that impediment, it became easier for players to move on &mdash; and move up. And when NIL legislation came along, allowing players to profit off their celebrity, it created a situation where high-major programs can effectively offer financial benefits unavailable at most lower-level programs.
Throw in the chance to compete at a higher level and it&rsquo;s hard for kids to turn their back on the opportunity.
Fardaws Aimaq remembers playing for Utah Valley in the WAC Tournament last spring, and five or six NBA scouts were sitting in a corner. Aimaq dominated the first half of the Wolverines&rsquo; game, only to see the scouts get up and walk out, and he recalled thinking, &ldquo;Why did they leave?&rdquo; Aimaq texted his advisers afterward, and the answer was simple: &ldquo;They wanted to know if I was really that good or the competition was not that good.&rdquo;
Aimaq ended up transferring from the low-major school to Texas Tech in the hopes of raising his NBA draft profile this season.
&ldquo;Leaving was hard,&rdquo; he said, &ldquo;but it was just the best decision for me business-wise.&rdquo;
Just like it was for Malachi Smith, a prolific shooting guard who spent the last two seasons at Chattanooga but will play for Gonzaga this season, or Johni Broome, a 6-10 forward who transferred from Morehead State to Auburn.
Transfers go both ways, of course. Plenty of players leave high-majors for low-majors, or even lower divisions, where they might go from benchwarmer to starter. But they are typically easier for big-budget programs to replace.
It&rsquo;s tougher to accept at small schools, though, when a player who might have slipped through the recruiting cracks not only got an opportunity to play but was also developed over time &mdash; only to take their game somewhere else.
&ldquo;There could be a great player at Division III. I will not make an overture for that kid. I will not do it,&rdquo; said Lombardi, the Division II coach at Indiana (Pa.) &ldquo;Maybe I would if I was 10-20 for three straight seasons &mdash; I might then. But I just don&rsquo;t think it&rsquo;s for the good of the kid or the good of athletics.&rdquo;

There is growing fear among college basketball coaches at the lower levels of the sport.

Portal chaos puts pressure on hoops coaches in lower levels

Joe Dumars might have been destined for this job.
He played with the Bad Boys, those Detroit Pistons teams that were physical, aggressive and intimidating. And even in those rough-and-tumble times, he wound up becoming the first recipient of the NBA&rsquo;s sportsmanship award &mdash; now called the Joe Dumars Trophy.
He&rsquo;s now tasked with ensuring that players don&rsquo;t act like his old teammates often did. Dumars became Executive Vice President and Head of Basketball Operations for the NBA in May, making him a major decider in all things related to player discipline for on-court actions.
His first big decisions related to player discipline came earlier this week, when the NBA <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/heat-forwards-caleb-martin-nikola-jovic-suspended-one-game" target="_blank" rel="noopener">suspended Miami Heat teammates Caleb Martin and Nikola Jovic</a> for their roles in a scuffle during a game against the Toronto Raptors.
&ldquo;You want to do something where you really feel like you&rsquo;re contributing,&rdquo; Dumars said. &ldquo;Basically, this is the only place I haven&rsquo;t contributed to in this game.&rdquo;
At 59, with two championships as a player, another as an executive and a lifetime within the game, he doesn&rsquo;t have to be working. He could be spending his days playing and watching tennis, the sport he started playing as a 10-year-old and has loved ever since.
Instead, he&rsquo;s moved to New York, with office views from a high-rise not far from Rockefeller Center and Radio City Music Hall, smack in the middle of Manhattan.
&ldquo;I tell people that we are stewards of the game,&rdquo; Dumars said. &ldquo;And people go, &lsquo;What does that mean?&rsquo; Well, we make sure that the trains are taking off on time. We make sure that the game stays clean. We make sure that there&rsquo;s any time there&rsquo;s any disruption or things that should not be, we are here to clean this up and make sure we are presenting a great product and presenting it the right way.&rdquo;
When an altercation happens like the one Saturday in Miami, the players involved are asked to consent to an interview with league officials, video is reviewed, and Dumars and other top executives decide the best course of action.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Tensions are HIGH between the Raps and Heat! Caleb Martin and Christian Koloko get into it on the court. <a href="https://t.co/7bNwJf0sAI">pic.twitter.com/7bNwJf0sAI</a>
&mdash; TSN (@TSN_Sports) <a href="https://twitter.com/TSN_Sports/status/1583997790845161473?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 23, 2022</a></blockquote>

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

It&rsquo;s reasonable to think this call by Dumars and his team was easy: Martin drove Toronto&rsquo;s Christian Koloko into some baseline seats &mdash; thankfully unoccupied at the time &mdash; and Jovic, even though he didn&rsquo;t really appear to do much to add fuel to the fire, clearly left the bench area and therefore broke one of the NBA&rsquo;s absolute no-no&rsquo;s.
Martin missed Monday&rsquo;s game against the Raptors and will lose roughly $45,000 in salary.
&ldquo;I definitely don&rsquo;t disagree with it,&rdquo; a contrite Martin, who reached out to Koloko to apologize and promised him that he&rsquo;d be picking up a future dinner check.
Jovic also had to sit out Monday, meaning the Heat rookie has now been suspended for more games (one) than he has played (zero).
What happened Saturday could have been much worse, since Martin, Koloko and about a dozen other people all wound up where fans were. Martin ended up next to a woman in the second row; her halftime acquisition of a large popcorn, somehow, was not spilled.
But things didn&rsquo;t escalate, Dumars acted swiftly, and case closed.
Not everything has been that easy for the league in recent weeks &mdash; Phoenix owner Robert Sarver will likely sell his NBA and WNBA franchises before his one-year suspension for boorish behavior ends, Boston coach Ime Udoka will miss this entire season because of an inappropriate workplace relationship, Golden State had to deal with Draymond Green punching teammate Jordan Poole in practice and video of that exchange leaking, and Detroit assistant general manager Rob Murphy was placed on leave following allegations of misconduct made by a female former team employee.
Sarver was suspended by NBA Commissioner Adam Silver. The other incidents have been handled at the team level. On-court matters, those rise to Dumars&rsquo; desk high above Manhattan.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m super excited to work with him, and to learn from him, and to collaborate with him,&rdquo; said Monty McCutchen, the NBA vice president overseeing referee operations. &ldquo;The best collaborations are collaborations that both people, both groups, both departments benefit from. And in this short time, Joe has really proven to be a collaborator and to be a builder of relationships. I&rsquo;m excited about what that means for the future.&rdquo;
Dumars knows what it&rsquo;s like to be on the receiving end of the player-discipline side of stories. He might not have had the full &ldquo;Bad Boy&rdquo; reputation earned by Pistons teammates like Bill Laimbeer, Dennis Rodman, Rick Mahorn, Isiah Thomas and John Salley. But he certainly wasn&rsquo;t immune to scuffles; he was fined twice in December 1990 alone for dustups with twin brothers Harvey and Horace Grant, the second of those coming in a Christmas game. And as a Pistons executive, he was once fined $500,000 for leaking memos to a reporter.
He thinks having been on all sides of the NBA will only help him in this new gig.
&ldquo;If I didn&rsquo;t have the career I had, maybe my mentality would be different,&rdquo; Dumars said. &ldquo;But when you&rsquo;ve done stuff at the highest level in this in this business, that&rsquo;s kind of where you want to live.&rdquo;

In May, Dumars was named the Executive Vice President and Head of Basketball Operations for the NBA. He discusses his new role.

Joe Dumars was made for his new role at the NBA

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Kawhi Leonard had 14 points and seven rebounds in his first game in 16 months, and the Los Angeles Clippers opened a season of sky-high expectations with a 103-97 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday night.
Paul George scored 15 points and John Wall added 15 in his debut for the Clippers, who held on down the stretch to beat their more pedigreed Los Angeles rivals for the eighth consecutive time.
Leonard came off the bench for the first time since 2013 and played 21 minutes in his first game since he tore a ligament in his right knee in a playoff game in June 2021. The two-time NBA Finals MVP decided to ease back in a temporary reserve role after missing all of last season while recovering from surgery.
The Clippers' high hopes for their first championship rest largely on Leonard's ability to return to elite form. They failed to get out of the play-in last spring without Leonard and with only 31 games from George, but both are healthy now alongside five-time All-Star Wall, who provided an immediate spark.
Anthony Davis scored 25 points despite apparently having reduced mobility after a mid-game fall, while LeBron James had 20 points and 10 rebounds in the 20th home opener of his career. Lonnie Walker scored 26 points. 
The Lakers dropped to 0-2, but still rallied from two large deficits and kept it close into the final minute despite nightmare shooting performances from Russell Westbrook (0 for 11) and fellow point guards Patrick Beverley (1 for 7) and Kendrick Nunn (0 for 7) in their Lakers home debuts. The Lakers went 9 for 45 on 3-pointers overall.
Westbrook again struggled on offense, but made several impressive defensive plays while guarding Leonard down the stretch.
The oft-injured Davis gave fans a fright when he crashed to the floor after being undercut in the third quarter. He got up and went to the tunnel to stretch, but returned a few minutes later.
The Clippers broke open a close game immediately after Davis left the floor, eventually scoring 17 consecutive points in less than three minutes. But the Lakers erased that 15-point deficit with a 24-7 run, even taking the lead with 8:01 to play on an alley-oop from Austin Reaves to Walker.
TIP-INS
Clippers: Marcus Morris and Ivica Zubac scored 14 points apiece.
Lakers: This injury-plagued franchise already has four players sidelined: G Dennis Schröder (thumb surgery), C Thomas Bryant (thumb surgery), F Troy Brown Jr. (back) and G Cole Swider (foot).
KAWHI BENCHED
Leonard suggested the idea of coming off the bench until he feels fully up to speed, and coach Tyronn Lue agreed with the temporary measure. Leonard had started 447 consecutive regular season games and 100 playoff contests since Nov. 10. 2013, when he came off the bench for the Spurs in New York early in his third NBA season.
RUSS NOT BENCHED
Lakers coach Darvin Ham said he briefly spoke to Westbrook about the guard's claim that coming off the bench possibly contributed to his preseason hamstring injury because he didn't know how to warm up properly for a reserve role after spending the previous 13 years as an NBA starter. Ham said he and the Lakers “would in no way, shape or form put a player in harm's way."
Westbrook's struggles with the Lakers have prompted significant discussion about whether they would be a better team with Westbrook coming off the bench and leading the second unit, but Westbrook and Ham aren't ready to try it yet.
UP NEXT
Clippers: At Kings on Saturday.
Lakers: Host Trail Blazers on Sunday.
___
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Kawhi Leonard had 14 points and 7 rebounds in his first game in 16 months, and the Clippers opened the season with a 103-97 victory.