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Nets

Most NBA teams have a young core of some sort, but some are better than others.
Each year, teams try to add to their young nucleus through the draft. The 2023 NBA Draft just featured the most highly-anticipated prospect since LeBron James in Victor Wembanyama, plus a number of other talented rookies like Scoot Henderson, Brandon Miller and the Thompson twins.
Entering the 2023-24 season, which team has the best young core? Today, we'll rank the five best cores from around the league. The criteria is simple: players must be age-25 or younger to be considered.
5. Orlando Magic&nbsp;
The Magic landed young star Paolo Banchero with the No. 1 overall pick last season, pairing him with 2021 lottery pick Franz Wagner to form a nice one-two punch. Cole Anthony had high expectations entering the league, but he hasn't quite become the player that fans wanted him to be. One player who has exceeded expectations is Wendell Carter Jr. After a shaky start to his career with the Chicago Bulls, Carter has found his place on the Magic and is considered one of the better young starting centers in the NBA. He isn't the only player who turned his career around after landing in Orlando, as Markelle Fultz is playing his best basketball and has a nice redemption story of his own. Other young players who have an opportunity to make an impact going forward are Orlando's recent lottery picks Anthony Black and Jett Howard, both of whom are 19 years old. Orlando has consistently been one of the worst teams in the league for several years now and while their rebuilding roster is solid, it isn&rsquo;t quite as good or enticing as some of the other teams on our list.
Notable Players: Paolo Banchero (20), Franz Wagner (23), Wendell Carter Jr. (24), Anthony Black (19), Jett Howard (19), Markelle Fultz (25), Cole Anthony (23), Jalen Suggs (21), Jonathan Isaac (25), Caleb Houstan (20)
4. New Orleans Pelicans
The Pelicans are the only young core on this list with postseason experience, as they made the playoffs in 2021-22 and made the play-in tournament last season. Their young core is largely carried by four players: Brandon Ingram, Zion Williamson, Trey Murphy III and Herb Jones. Ingram has become a terrific scorer, and he's coming off a season in which he averaged career-highs in points (24.7) and assists (5.8). While Williamson has been one of the best players in the NBA when healthy, we haven&rsquo;t seen him on the court very much since he was drafted in 2019. Murphy is a terrific shooter and Jones has had a very solid start to his career as well, making a name for himself as a lockdown perimeter defender. New Orleans has a few other young players with potential including Dyson Daniels, Jordan Hawkins and Kira Lewis Jr., but they have yet to prove themselves. Ingram, Williamson, Murphy and Jones are the main reason why the Pelicans are ranked here.
Notable Players: Brandon Ingram (25), Zion Williamson (23), Trey Murphy III (23), Herb Jones (24), Dyson Daniels (20), Jordan Hawkins (21), Kira Lewis Jr. (22)
3. Houston Rockets
The Rockets have one of the more underrated young cores in the NBA, as their lack of success has prevented them from getting much recognition. Fortunately for the Rockets, their main issue has been lack of experience, and the team addressed it this offseason. They had money to spend and they brought in some veterans to help lead the team, most notably Fred VanVleet. That said, their young core is still extremely talented and got even better through this year&rsquo;s draft. The key for this Rockets team to succeed is to make sure these young players continue to develop at a high rate, which is where new head coach Ime Udoka and his staff come in. They have multiple players on their roster with All-Star potential, and it's possible they'll compete for a play-in spot by the end of the season.
Notable Players: Jalen Green (21), Jabari Smith (20), Alperen Sengun (21), Amen Thompson (20), Tari Eason (22), Kevin Porter Jr. (23), Cam Whitmore (19)
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2. San Antonio Spurs&nbsp;
The Spurs undoubtedly have one of the NBA's best young cores. No. 1 overall pick Victor Wembanyama has made San Antonio the team to watch this season. That said, they likely won&rsquo;t be a playoff team for at least another year. While it's possible that they'll shock everyone, it will be difficult for Wembanyama to lead them to the postseason as a rookie. He will likely need at least a year to adjust to the NBA and develop before taking that next leap in his career. Wembanyama isn&rsquo;t the only young star on the Spurs, as they have already started developing fellow cornerstones Devin Vassell and Keldon Johnson, who have made quite an impression. Throw in Tre Jones, Jeremy Sochan, Malaki Branham, Romeo Langford and Blake Wesley, and it's clear why the Spurs are this high. Other young players who have shown promise are Charles Bassey and Julian Champagnie, both of whom came over from the Philadelphia 76ers&rsquo; organization. These two players have displayed a ton of potential, particularly in the G League and Summer League, and they could be solid contributors for years to come.&nbsp;
Notable Players: Victor Wembanyama (19), Keldon Johnson (23), Tre Jones (23), Devin Vassell (22), Jeremy Sochan (20), Malaki Branham (20), Romeo Langford (23), Zach Collins (25), Blake Wesley (20), Julian Champagnie (22), Charles Bassey (22), Dominick Barlow (20), Sandro Mamukelashvili (24)
1. Oklahoma City Thunder
The Spurs were a hard core to beat but, to nobody&rsquo;s surprise, the Oklahoma City Thunder have the best young core in the NBA. Not only do they have the youngest starting lineup in the league, it is filled with young stars. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has emerged as one of the best guards in the league, while Josh Giddey and Rookie-of-the-Year runner-up Jalen Williams just had a terrific season. Chet Holmgren, the No. 2 overall pick in last year's draft, hasn't played yet but he will undoubtedly make an immediate impact and could give OKC a Rookie-of-the-Year finalist for the second year in a row. Despite how young the Thunder are, they could make a serious playoff push this season, with Shai at the steering wheel. Perhaps what's scariest about the Thunder is that they have 35 draft picks over the next seven years, including 15 first-rounders, so their already-impressive young core is still a work in progress.
Notable Players: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (25), Chet Holmgren (21), Josh Giddey (20), Jalen Williams (22), Cason Wallace (19), Luguentz Dort (24), Aleksej Pokusevski (21), Isaiah Joe (24), Tre Mann (22), Jaylin Williams (21), Ousmane Dieng (20), Jeremiah Robinson-Earl (22), Keyontae Johnson (23)

Entering the 2023-24 season, which NBA teams have the best young core? Hunter Simpson ranks the best cores from around the league.

Ranking the NBA's top-5 young cores entering the 2023-24 season

ATLANTA (AP) &mdash; Al Horford hit a huge 3-pointer against his former team and the Boston Celtics broke open a tight game in the closing minutes to finish off the Atlanta Hawks 128-120 on Thursday night for a 4-2 victory in the opening-round playoff series.
The second-seeded Celtics advance to face the third-seeded Philadelphia 76ers, who&rsquo;ve been resting since completing their four-game sweep of Brooklyn last Saturday.
Game 1 is Monday night in Boston.
Boston ripped off an 11-0 run that included three straight 3-pointers, with Horford&rsquo;s big shot sandwiched around 3s from Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
Tatum capped the spurt with a dunk, which gave the Celtics a 121-113 lead with 2:07 remaining.
<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://twitter.com/i/status/1651780420944666624" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Brown led the Celtics with 32 points, while Tatum had 30</a>. Horford, who played in Atlanta from 2007-16, chipped in with 10 points and 12 rebounds.
After carrying the Hawks to an improbable victory in Game 5 at Boston, Atlanta&rsquo;s Trae Young ran out of steam in the second half. He missed 12 of 13 shots over the final two quarters.
Young had 30 points and 10 assists, but he finished just 9 of 28 from the field.
Marcus Smart also came up big for Boston, scoring 22 points and brilliantly running the Boston offense down the stretch.
Dejounte Murray returned to the Hawks lineup after serving a one-game suspension for bumping an official at the end of Atlanta&rsquo;s Game 4 loss.
Murray seemed a bit out of sync, missing all five of his shots in the first half. He was better in the second half but still managed just 14 points.
The Hawks needed a few more to keep their season going.
Young forced the series back to Atlanta with a long 3-pointer that stunned the Celtics 119=117 in Boston, capping the Hawks&rsquo; improbable comeback from a 13-point deficit in the fourth quarter.
Coming off his 38-point, 13-assist effort, Young kept it going with 18 points in the first quarter.
But the Celtics finally clamped down on the Hawks star, whose heroics had forced Janet Jackson to postpone her scheduled Thursday concert until Friday to make room for Game 6.
Now, State Farm Arena is wide open for the summer.
TIP-INS
Celtics: Boston finished 18 of 42 from 3-point range. Every Boston started made at least one from long range, as did three players off the bench. ... Malcom Brgodon had 17 points. ... Tatum led the Celtics with 14 rebounds.
Hawks: All five Atlanta starters scored in double figures. De&rsquo;Andre Hunter had 20 points, John Collins added 16 and Clint Capela finished with 10. ... Onyeka Okongwu grabbed 11 rebounds.

The Celtics broke open a tight game in the closing minutes to finish off the Hawks 128-120 on Thursday night for a 4-2 series win.

Celtics pull away, beat Hawks 128-120 for 4-2 series win

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

BOSTON (AP) &mdash; His team trailing by a point and its season on the brink, Hawks star Trae Young got all the encouragement he needed in the huddle during his team&rsquo;s timeout.
&ldquo;I just had to trust in what I&rsquo;ve done my whole life and shoot it with confidence,&rdquo; Young said.
He did, and kept Atlanta&rsquo;s season alive.
Young had 38 points and drained a long go-ahead 3-pointer from beyond the top of the key with 2.8 seconds left to help the Hawks cap a late comeback and beat the Boston Celtics 119-117 Tuesday night.
The victory trims Boston&rsquo;s lead in the first-round playoff series to 3-2 and sends the teams back to Atlanta for Game 6 Thursday.
Young had 16 points in a frenetic fourth quarter, getting support from his teammates who collectively knocked down a series-best 19 3-pointers.
John Collins added 22 points for Atlanta, who played without Dejounte Murray, who was suspended for one game for bumping official Gediminas Petraitis after the end of Game 4.
With Murray out, Young picked up the offensive slack and helped Atlanta keep pace early, scoring nine of Hawks&rsquo; first 13 points. By the time the final quarter arrived, Collins got a sense of familiarity watching his teammate.
&ldquo;I know what time it is. It&rsquo;s Ice Trae time. He&rsquo;s clutch. He wants to be in that moment. He wants the big shot,&rdquo; Collins said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s what he does.&rdquo;
Jaylen Brown scored 35 points and Jayson Tatum added 19 for the Celtics, who were outscored 37-25 in the fourth quarter. It came after Boston had dominated for three quarters. For the game the Celtics held a 60-38 scoring edge in the paint and 24-8 in transition.
A sloppy finish made it all for not.
&ldquo;We had some boneheaded plays, some fouls. Gave them some opportunities to get going,&rdquo; Brown said. &ldquo;We just gotta finish the game.&rdquo;
Derrick White put the Celtics in front 117-116 with 7.3 second remaining, setting up a final possession for the Hawks. The ball went to Young in the backcourt, who dribbled into the front court and knocked down a 29-footer over Brown.
The Celtics bobbled their initial inbounds pass and had another chance with 0.5 seconds left, but Tatum&rsquo;s fading 3-point try found only air as time expired.
Brown, who has been recovering from a late-season facial fracture, went unmasked for most of the Celtics&rsquo; victory in Game 4, saying he found energy after taking it off during a 31-point scoring night.
He wore it again for Game 5 and maintained the same intensity, leading all scorers with 23 first-half points.
Atlanta trailed by 13 before tying the game at 111 on a 3-pointer Young.
As the Hawks began to mount their run, fans inside TD Garden began peppering him with expletive-laced chants.
&ldquo;When people do that I think that&rsquo;s just total respect. I mean, they aren&rsquo;t doing that to everybody,&rdquo; he said.
Boston pushed the ball up the court and got the ball to Robert Williams, who dropped in a layup. He was fouled but missed his ensuing free throw.
The score was still 113-111 when Young drove and was fouled by Al Horford. Tatum took issue with the call and was whistled for a technical foul. Young hit all three free throws to put the Hawks in front 114-113.
Brown turned it over, then misfired on a driving layup. Atlanta&rsquo;s next possession ended in a jump ball that was controlled by Boston. Williams scored on a layup to put the Celtics back in the lead with 25 seconds left.
Young was fouled again with 15.8 seconds remaining and connected on two more free throws.
The Celtics called a timeout. The ensuing play wound up with White driving to the basket. He was fouled and went to the line for what appeared to be the game-winning free throws.
Young had other plans.
&ldquo;You can tell, you look in his eyes and there was a calm,&rdquo; Hawks coach Quin Snyder said. &ldquo;Sometimes that happens in the middle of a storm.&rdquo;
MR. 4TH QUARTER
Young now has 60 fourth-quarter points in the series.
TIP-INS
Hawks: Started collectively better from 3-point range, hitting 6 of 11 in the opening 12 minutes to take a 30-27 lead into the second quarter. But they shot just 3 for 10 from beyond the arc in the second period as Boston nudged in front.
Celtics: Had a two-point jumper by Horford upgraded to a 3 after review with 8:07 left in the second quarter to tie the game at 41. Boston then outscored Atlanta 25-17 the rest of half and led 66-58 at the half.

Trae Young had 38 points and drained a long go-ahead 3-pointer to help the Hawks cap a late comeback and beat the Celtics 119-117.

Trae Young’s long 3 lifts Hawks to 119-117 win over Celtics

Professional basketball players are in a constant state of data collection. Al Horford's been logging tricks of his trade for 16 years, and it's helped him reinvent his game to suit a team in the title hunt.
Horford, age 36, will be the fourth-oldest starter and fifth-oldest rotation player in the 2023 NBA playoffs, behind only LeBron James, Chris Paul, PJ Tucker and Kyle Lowry. He has dramatically transformed his game to suit the era and needs of today's league, and the Celtics have taken note.
After a March 1 win against the Cavaliers, coach Joe Mazzulla alluded to Horford's evolution, heightened by his experience and attention to detail.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s massive,&rdquo; Mazzulla said postgame. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s done a great job this year in recognizing coverage and screening. ...And he recognized the coverage [the Cavaliers] were in and popped and shot it. The second time they tried to switch him, he created an advantage. He&rsquo;s constantly trying to find small ways to reinvent his game.&rdquo;
Horford is averaging his highest minutes per game (30.6) of the last five seasons, but his on-ball role has diminished to career-lows according to practically every go-to metric (usage rate, touches, touch time, etc.). He's played five total seasons with the Celtics across two stints; comparing his usage across those years is fascinating. Here's some touch data from PBP Stats highlighting three such years: his All-Star season in 2017-18, his first season back in Boston in 2021-22, and this current one.
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%; height: 110px;" border="1">
<tbody>
<tr style="height: 44px;">
<td style="width: 14.84579%; height: 44px;">Year</td>
<td style="width: 14.84579%; height: 44px;">Touches/game</td>
<td style="width: 14.84579%; height: 44px;">Frontcourt touches/game</td>
<td style="width: 14.84579%; height: 44px;">Elbow touches/game</td>
<td style="width: 14.84579%; height: 44px;">Post touches/game</td>
<td style="width: 14.84579%; height: 44px;">Seconds per touch</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 14.84579%; height: 22px;">2017-18</td>
<td style="width: 14.84579%; height: 22px;">63.5</td>
<td style="width: 14.84579%; height: 22px;">40.0</td>
<td style="width: 14.84579%; height: 22px;">3.1</td>
<td style="width: 14.84579%; height: 22px;">5.2</td>
<td style="width: 14.84579%; height: 22px;">2.20</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 14.84579%; height: 22px;">2021-22</td>
<td style="width: 14.84579%; height: 22px;">49.2</td>
<td style="width: 14.84579%; height: 22px;">29.4</td>
<td style="width: 14.84579%; height: 22px;">2.2</td>
<td style="width: 14.84579%; height: 22px;">1.9</td>
<td style="width: 14.84579%; height: 22px;">1.73</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 14.84579%; height: 22px;">2022-23</td>
<td style="width: 14.84579%; height: 22px;">45.7</td>
<td style="width: 14.84579%; height: 22px;">25.4</td>
<td style="width: 14.84579%; height: 22px;">1.1</td>
<td style="width: 14.84579%; height: 22px;">0.9</td>
<td style="width: 14.84579%; height: 22px;">1.53</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
It makes sense that Horford would take a back seat in his return to the Celtics given that Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown had risen to stardom. But the elbow and post touch volume in particular is stunning &mdash; Horford is getting the ball in those spots not even half as much as last year, and fractionally compared to his last All-Star appearance. His days of facilitating and scoring out of the post are over.
We all know Horford has laid down a transcendant shooting year, but the scale of his shift to the arc cannot be overstated. Per Cleaning the Glass, a whopping 67% of Horford's total shot attempts have come from distance. That is a mind-boggling 23% increase from last year; to put that in context, Horford had never increased his three-point frequency by more than 12% year-over-year since he first started shooting them often in 2015-16.&nbsp;
To make this type of leap &mdash; and match it with a career-high 44.6% clip (an 11% jump from last year) &mdash; is one of the more astounding developments I've seen from a veteran in some time.&nbsp;
Boston needs Horford at this level for the playoffs. Last year, the Warriors gunked up the Celtics offense in the NBA Finals by shutting off driving lanes for Jayson Tatum and Jaylen. They were unafraid to let Horford and Grant Williams bomb away above the break, even as both shot the ball well, if it meant Tatum and Brown could not penetrate the defense.&nbsp;
But this year could be different. Horford can punish as a reliable outlet on his own or force opponents to stay home on him. He's also more than doubled his shot frequency in the corners and added an area defenses have to track.
Horford's evolving role means we see less of him as the facilitating big that has helped define his game in the past. But he's still a very good passer and the numbers (and tape) back this up.
The NBA Underground has a set of <a href="https://thenbaunderground.com/analytics/better-passing-stats" target="_blank" rel="noopener">statistics that help us understand passing impact</a> beyond basic assists per game. One interesting number: passing turnover to potential assist ratio, which basically says that for every 100 potential assists (pass leading to a shot attempt), a player is logging X amount of passing turnovers.
Horford is averaging 3.9 passing turnovers per 100 potential assists, putting him seventh-best among 364 players. It's not a perfect assessment of passing, but it shows he's making quality decisions when he does have the ball. Just under 10% of his total passes this year turned into assists or free throws, a mark that ranks ninth among bigs this year, per Second Spectrum.&nbsp;
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Plays like this are meaningful because Boston should want to get Tatum cutting and running without the ball. It keeps him from being the sole defensive focus and allows him to get up to speed more easily. Horford and Robert Williams III are both capable high-low passers, and while this isn't a jaw-dropping dime, it shows how either big can be leveraged effectively.
Horford isn't put in this position as often anymore, but he still gets plenty of assists by swinging the ball around at the arc and dishing short passes to Celtics guards and wings who use screens off the ball. There's schematic creativity on display around Horford and he's tasked with making the advantage pay off.
We could say the same for his defense. Derrick White has been Boston's best defender this season. Robert Williams is the team's most dynamic shot-blocker and Marcus Smart is the intense tone-setter. But I truly don't think this is a top-5 unit without Horford holding down his role as an individual stopper.
The Celtics typically task Horford with handling the opponent's best scoring forwards or bigs. Among the 20 players he matched up against for 20 or more possessions per game this season (per NBA Stats): Bam Adebayo, Deandre Ayton, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen, Joel Embiid, Nikola Jokic, Paolo Banchero, Nikola Vucevic, Myles Turner.
Many of these players are also heavily involved in pick-and-rolls, where the Celtics usually ask Horford to play some form of shallow drop coverage while the guard goes over the screen. The shallow drop big man is one of the toughest responsibilities in today's NBA; they have to contain the drive from a guard while keeping the roll man in front to remove a lob threat.
And that's not all he's doing &mdash; Boston switches a lot away from the ball, so Horford then has to slide onto wings and occasionally guards. He actually spoke about this a couple weeks ago with JJ Redick on The Old Man and the Three (start at 31:30).&nbsp;
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Horford's impact shows up in several of the defensive stats I've come to trust. BBall Index has created estimates for defensive positional versatility and role versatility based on what positions and usage rates players are guarding. Horford ranks in the 92nd and 85th percentiles at his position, respectively.&nbsp;
Also from BBall Index: Horford is contesting 38.1% of opponents' shots at the rim while he is on the court (89th percentile) and holding opponents to an at-rim efficiency 6.2% lower than expected (91st percentile). Those are particularly impressive numbers considering Horford is 36 and not a volume shot-blocker.
It will certainly help to have Rob Williams by his side. The two bigs have only played 330 minutes together this season, but the Celtics are outscoring opponents by 15.1 points per 100 possessions when they share the floor.
Still, Horford is going to take the primary frontcourt assignments before Williams. And this postseason run could be a gauntlet. The Celtics start by facing the Hawks' trio of John Collins, Clint Capela and Onyeka Okongwu. Win that series, and there's a good chance they meet Embiid in the second round. An Eastern Conference Finals trip could see Antetokounmpo and Brook Lopez, or Mobley and Allen. Then, should Boston make a return Finals run, they might run into any of Jokic, Domantas Sabonis, Jaren Jackson Jr., Deandre Ayton, or others at the big positions.&nbsp;
That's a monster workload for a 36-year-old trying to play into June for the second consecutive year.&nbsp;And&nbsp;he carries pivotal pressure as a spacer and ball-mover.&nbsp;
Horford's evolution has been commendable and his value to the Celtics far outweighs his spotlight. If Boston wants to win a championship, he can't let up on either end.

Horford will hold down key two-way roles for however far the Celtics advance in the postseason.

NBA Stats Notebook: Why Al Horford is the Celtics' playoff X Factor

Some moments from the 2022-23 NBA regular season:
Oct. 18: Boston defeats Philadelphia and Golden State beats the Los Angeles Lakers on opening night. <a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/golden-state-warriors-nba-sports-stephen-curry-e246e86804a28295efea3e00d33dc510" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Warriors received their championship rings</a> from last season in a ceremony preceding their game.
Oct. 20: <a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/los-angeles-lakers-san-antonio-spurs-miami-heat-nba-sports-8e45a1092f25e28f0672a83d317a9a68" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NBA referee Tony Brown, 55, dies of pancreatic cancer.</a> He worked more than 1,100 games in a two-decade career.
Nov. 4: <a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/brooklyn-nets-nba-sports-kyrie-irving-racial-injustice-972e41eed3debbd9a548433c78227f05" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Nike suspends its relationship with Kyrie Irving</a> and canceled plans to release his next signature shoe, part of the massive fallout caused by the Brooklyn Nets&rsquo; guard tweeting a link to a film containing antisemitic material. Nike and Irving eventually part ways; Irving eventually apologizes and returns to the Nets.
Nov. 5: <a class="paragraph-link" href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1589042762686795777?s=20&amp;t=nk9Tw0T3tQEq6Mw4vOqrsg" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Sacramento&rsquo;s De&rsquo;Aaron Fox</a> hits from just inside the midcourt stripe at the buzzer of overtime, giving the Kings a 126-123 win in Orlando.
Nov. 8: <a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/miami-heat-nba-sports-breonna-taylor-fc0f38a2c59da07f90833ae479e66cc0" target="_blank" rel="noopener">To commemorate Election Day,</a> the NBA plays no games. The league encourages its teams and fans to spend the day participating in civic engagement.
Nov. 11: The arena where the Miami Heat play starts the process of getting a new name, after the <a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/ftx-miami-heat-arena-name-change-b3f47e4fb5bb0f102560fa6956997bdb" target="_blank" rel="noopener">cryptocurrency exchange FTX collapses.</a> FTX was in the early stages of a 19-year, $135 million naming rights deal with Miami-Dade County.
Nov. 13: <a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/philadelphia-76ers-utah-jazz-nba-sports-joel-embiid-bef34587365fd8e8668f6024ab73d05a" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Philadelphia&rsquo;s Joel Embiid scores a career-best 59</a> points in a win over Utah. He adds 11 rebounds, eight assists and seven blocked shots.
Nov. 28: <a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/los-angeles-lakers-indiana-pacers-nba-sports-b6e1415dd4d8fa0fac2a10c8477da348" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Andrew Nembhard hits a 3-pointer at the buzzer</a> and Indiana stuns the Los Angeles Lakers 116-115. The Pacers trailed by 17 with 9:27 remaining; it was the biggest fourth-quarter comeback in the NBA this season.
Dec. 13: The NBA announces a rebranding of its MVP award, revealing a new trophy and a new name &mdash; <a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/chicago-bulls-charlotte-hornets-nba-sports-david-stern-de67e49f0255ef10f140365636110ae4" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Michael Jordan Trophy.</a>
Dec. 17: In Mexico City, <a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/san-antonio-spurs-miami-heat-nba-sports-duncan-robinson-074cecb1060491994c22a42efa8670a6" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Miami defeated San Antonio 111-101.</a> It was the NBA&rsquo;s first game in Mexico City since 2019.
Dec. 20: <a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/cleveland-cavaliers-phoenix-suns-college-football-nba-sports-f455a8e3b437a07aa4684c7dd3adb16b" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mortgage billionaire Mat Ishbia</a> strikes a deal to purchase embattled Robert Sarver&rsquo;s share of the Phoenix Suns and Phoenix Mercury in a deal that values the franchise at $4 billion.
Dec. 25: Philadelphia tops New York, Dallas beats the Los Angeles Lakers, Boston beats Milwaukee, Golden State tops Memphis and Denver edges Phoenix in the NBA&rsquo;s Christmas quintupleheader.
Dec. 27: <a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/new-york-knicks-dallas-mavericks-sports-basketball-luka-doncic-ed7d9ce55160d04e2c206f6a8b742cdd" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Dallas&rsquo; Luka Doncic has a 60-point triple-double</a> in the Mavericks&rsquo; 126-121 win over New York. He added 21 rebounds and 10 assists in the first 60-20-10 game in NBA history.
Jan. 2: <a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/kobe-bryant-chicago-bulls-los-angeles-lakers-cleveland-cavaliers-utah-jazz-ef2ccddb44dd42fa14ebed5f8344c5a2" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Cleveland&rsquo;s Donovan Mitchell scores 71 points</a> in the Cavaliers&rsquo; 145-134 overtime win over Chicago. Mitchell was 22 of 34 from the field, 7 of 15 on 3-pointers and 20 for 25 from the foul line. He also had 11 assists, marking the first time anyone had more than 70 points and 10 assists in an NBA game.
Jan. 10: <a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/miami-heat-oklahoma-city-thunder-nba-sports-basketball-18113c7918466a8d6a41714b963403cb" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Miami goes 40 for 40 from the foul line</a> in a one-point win over Oklahoma City. The 40-for-40 breaks the previous NBA record of 39-for-39 by Utah in 1982.
Jan. 13: <a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/chicago-bulls-atlanta-hawks-san-antonio-spurs-nba-sports-e05988d6e1537c605aad5ea8a14d4887" target="_blank" rel="noopener">At the Alamodome in San Antonio,</a> the Spurs sell an NBA-record 68,323 tickets for a game against Golden State.
Jan. 19: With presumed 2023 No. 1 draft pick Victor Wembanyama sitting courtside, Zach LaVine scores 30 points and the <a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/chicago-bulls-nba-sports-jaden-ivey-hamidou-diallo-3770db44edb9a08e1ad116ecad45109f" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Chicago Bulls ease past the Detroit Pistons 126-108</a> in Paris. France was the seventh different country to host an NBA practice or game this season.
Feb. 6: <a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/los-angeles-lakers-new-york-knicks-dallas-mavericks-clippers-nba-ea90e45174274a917654448db9554dfc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Brooklyn trades Kyrie Irving to Dallas,</a> ending his up-and-down stint with the Nets that was more memorable for off-the-court challenges than actual play.
Feb. 7: <a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/lebron-james-nba-scoring-record-cd0df2a355eaf80c6d534cbb16d44ca9" target="_blank" rel="noopener">LeBron James makes a 14-foot jumper late in the third quarter to break Kareem Abdul-Jabbar&rsquo;s career NBA scoring record.</a> Abdul-Jabbar held the mark since 1984 and was in Los Angeles to watch James&rsquo; record-breaker.
Feb. 9: <a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/brooklyn-nets-phoenix-suns-nba-sports-basketball-3932b34f477549895cce131490bec86d" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Brooklyn trades Kevin Durant to Phoenix,</a> a blockbuster on NBA trade-deadline day.
Feb. 16: <a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/boston-celtics-nba-sports-basketball-ime-udoka-151efe3c319c986b770437cd25794339" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Boston removes the interim title from 34-year-old coach Joe Mazzulla,</a> the former assistant who took over the Celtics in September after now-former coach Ime Udoka was suspended by the team for having an inappropriate relationship with a woman in the organization.
Feb. 18: <a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/milwaukee-bucks-sports-nba-all-star-game-walker-kessler-collin-sexton-6a2ea26147bafb0f80ea77620cacf2e9" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Philadelphia&rsquo;s Mac McClung puts on a scintillating show</a> to win the dunk contest at All-Star weekend. Portland&rsquo;s Damian Lillard wins the 3-point contest and Utah players Jordan Clarkson, Walker Kessler and Collin Sexton combined to win the Skills Challenge.
Feb. 19: <a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/nba-sports-lebron-james-kyrie-irving-giannis-antetokounmpo-2cf83e2e57350687e68ba89a6deb2707" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Boston&rsquo;s Jayson Tatum scores a record 55 points</a> and Team Giannis tops Team LeBron 184-175 to win the All-Star Game in Salt Lake City.
Feb. 24: <a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/los-angeles-clippers-sacramento-kings-nba-sports-malik-monk-4047cea9a226d5fd135de97c65d0d054" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sacramento defeats the Los Angeles Clippers 176-175.</a> The 351 combined points are the second-most in NBA history, behind only Detroit&rsquo;s 186-184 win over Denver on Dec. 13, 1983.
Feb. 26: <a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/houston-rockets-portland-trail-blazers-nba-sports-damian-lillard-1e1a83642e942d51d91ee014b5b7947c" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Portland&rsquo;s Damian Lillard scores 71 points</a> in the Trail Blazers&rsquo; 131-114 win over Houston. Lillard made 22 of 38 shots from the field, 13 of 22 from 3-point range and all 14 of his free throws. He also led Portland in assists, with six.
Feb. 27: <a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/utah-jazz-atlanta-hawks-nba-sports-playoffs-264bcc009ce664a640b5c903e35f1656" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Atlanta introduces Quin Snyder</a> as its new coach, after firing Nate McMillan about a week earlier.
March 4: Memphis guard Ja Morant live-streams himself holding a gun while inside a Denver-area strip club. He quickly announces he was taking &ldquo;some time away to get help&rdquo; and ultimately was <a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/ja-morant-suspended-nba-gun-video-8cc82061f6465f96d6c5d0806d92d7d0" target="_blank" rel="noopener">suspended for eight games by the NBA</a> for his personal conduct.
March 17 and 19: A tale of two comebacks. San Antonio blew a 29-point lead on March 17 and lost to Memphis 126-120; two nights later, the Spurs rallied from a 24-point second-half deficit and beat Atlanta 126-118. It was the biggest second-half comeback for the Spurs under coach Gregg Popovich.
March 29: Jrue Holiday has 51 points, eight assists and eight rebounds, while Giannis Antetokounmpo adds 38 points, 17 rebounds and 12 assists, and Milwaukee tops Indiana 149-136. <a class="paragraph-link" href="https://twitter.com/Bucks/status/1641271779380559872?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">It&rsquo;s the first time in NBA history two teammates</a> have had at least 38 points, eight assists and eight rebounds in the same game.
April 1: In the early morning hours, <a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/nba-labor-players-0cf524b13e459eeb5853dad9a455e0e0" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the NBA and the National Basketball Players Association strike a handshake deal</a> on what, if approved by owners and players, will be a seven-year Collective Bargaining Agreement that will take effect in July and ensure labor peace in the league until at least 2029.
April 7: Dallas sits several regulars, including Kyrie Irving, and plays Luka Doncic for only about a quarter in a loss to Chicago. The loss eliminated the Mavericks from postseason contention and the team&rsquo;s motivation for losing catches the eye of the NBA, <a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/mavericks-playoffs-nba-investigation-tanking-7ac5f76590adafd9df1c7c590a78d346" target="_blank" rel="noopener">which opens an investigation the next day.</a>
April 9: Udonis Haslem scores 24 points in his final regular season game, as his 20-year career with the Miami Heat draws to an end. <a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/magic-heat-haslem-finale-f8e560c77aa5c36a20dbb12ebb58fca5" target="_blank" rel="noopener">At 42, he&rsquo;s nearly two years older</a> than anyone else to have scored at least 24 points in an NBA game.

Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press revisits the notable moments from the 2022-23 NBA season.

Season of NBA moments: LeBron, Lillard, Mitchell and more

ATLANTA (AP) &mdash; Trae Young made two free throws with 1.8 seconds remaining in overtime to give Atlanta the lead and the Hawks beat the Dallas Mavericks 132-130 on Sunday night to keep pace in the Eastern Conference play-in race.
Young was fouled by Kyrie Irving, who scored 41 points, with the game tied at 130. Following Young&rsquo;s free throws, Luke Doncic, who scored 22 points, missed a last-second 3-pointer.
The Hawks (39-39) moved back into eighth place in the play-in race. Toronto and Chicago put pressure on the Hawks with wins before Atlanta&rsquo;s game. The Hawks have the tiebreaker advantage over Toronto.
The Hawks entered the game only a half-game ahead of the 10th-place Bulls for the final play-in spot in the Eastern Conference.
Dallas (37-42) remained 11th in the Western Conference, one spot out of the play-in.
Irving&rsquo;s mid-range jumper with 37 seconds remaining in regulation tied the game at 121. Saddiq Bey&rsquo;s layup gave the lead back to Atlanta.
Christian Wood was fouled by John Collins and made one free throw before missing the second with 1.2 seconds remaining. With 0.4 seconds remaining, Atlanta&rsquo;s Clint Capela fouled JaVale McGee near the basket as McGee reached for Doncic&rsquo;s inbound pass. McGee missed the first free throw and made the second to tie the game at 123 and force overtime.
John Collins&rsquo; 3-pointer, followed by Clint Capela&rsquo;s jam, gave Atlanta an 84-74 lead midway through the third period. The Hawks stretched the advantage to 15 points at 91-76, but Dallas used a 15-3 run to close the deficit to 94-91 entering the final period.
Hawks small forward De&rsquo;Andre Hunter missed his second consecutive game after an MRI on Saturday revealed a bone bruise and muscle strain in his left knee.
Hawks coach Quin Snyder said Hunter is &ldquo;a unique player and very important ... for his ability to take a defensive matchup.&rdquo; Snyder said before the game Hunter would have been valuable in the matchups against the Mavericks, where the presence of small forward Tim Hardaway Jr. makes it more difficult to devote extra defensive attention to Doncic and Irving.
TIP-INS
Mavericks: Coach Jason Kidd made a pregame plea for improved contributions from his bench &ldquo;on both ends.&rdquo; It was part of his emphasis on improved overall defensive play. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s effort. It&rsquo;s grit,&rdquo; Kidd said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s what you want to do as much as energy.&rdquo; Kidd complained the Mavs&rsquo; defense was &ldquo;nonexistent&rdquo; in a 129-122 loss at Miami on Saturday night. ... Christian Wood had 18 points and 11 rebounds.
Hawks: Saddiq Bey had 13 points as the fill-in starter for Hunter. ... Capela had 14 points and 11 rebounds.
UP NEXT
Mavericks: Begin streak of three straight home games to finish regular season when they host Sacramento on Wednesday night.
Hawks: At Chicago on Tuesday night.

The Atlanta Hawks beat the Dallas Mavericks 132-130 on Sunday night to keep pace in the Eastern Conference play-in race.

Trae Young lifts Hawks past Mavericks in overtime, 132-130

BOSTON (AP) &mdash; The collective sentiment among the Celtics following their 41-point win at Eastern Conference-leading Milwaukee was it would be meaningless if they lost Friday&rsquo;s follow-up at home against Utah.
Despite some unexpected hiccups just getting home, Boston successfully avoided a letdown.
Jayson Tatum had 39 points and 11 assists and the Celtics pushed past the Jazz 122-114 to continue to gain ground in the race for the East&rsquo;s top playoff seed.
Boston had its normal travel routine altered following Thursday&rsquo;s win at Milwaukee when an issue pushed its return flight back from postgame to early Friday afternoon. The Celtics landed six hours before the game.
&ldquo;We kind of looked at it as a challenge,&rdquo; Tatum said. &ldquo;It was fun figuring it out regardless of how the last 24 hours was. It was rewarding. ... It kind of brought us closer together.&rdquo; Malcolm Brogdon added 19 points and Derrick White finished with 17. Boston had 17 3-pointers, including five by Tatum.
The Celtics (54-24) are 1 1/2 games behind Milwaukee (55-22) and were coming off a 41-point win over the Bucks. Milwaukee is off until Sunday, when it hosts the 76ers. The Celtics have four games remaining.
&ldquo;I trusted our guys,&rdquo; Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said. &ldquo;I knew we were going to be really competitive. I knew we were going to put ourselves in position to win the game. I could just sense it from our guys.&rdquo;
Talen Horton-Tucker led Utah with 28 points and eight assists. Walker Kessler added 20 points and 10 rebounds.
The Jazz (36-41) came in holding the 12th spot in the West and trailing 10th-place Oklahoma City by 1 1/2 games and 11th place Dallas by a half-game. The Mavericks were idle, but the Thunder lost at Indiana.
The Celtics took control in the second and third quarters, outscoring the Jazz 66-49.
Boston also took advantage of a huge free throw discrepancy for most of the night. The Celtics connected on 21 of 22 attempts, compared to 13 of 14 for the Jazz. But 12 of Utah&rsquo;s attempts were in the fourth quarter.
It was Boston&rsquo;s players who took issue with the officiating with just over four minutes to play when Blake Griffin and Tatum were whistled for technical fouls 10 seconds apart.
A minute after that, Griffin and Kris Dunn got tangled up after a foul by Dunn, leading to a technical on Dunn. Tatum made the subsequent free throw, but Dunn had words for the officials, was assessed a second technical and ejected.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m all for the fight, I&rsquo;m not for fighting,&rdquo; Jazz coach Will Hardy said. &ldquo;Both teams were a little bit chippy. Nobody was dirty in any way.&rdquo;
The exchange ultimately put the Celtics in front 117-101 with just over three minutes left.
With Al Horford (back stiffness) and Robert Williams (left knee) both out, the Celtics went small for the second straight game against the Jazz starting Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Griffin, White and Smart.
Horford and Williams also missed the first meeting between the teams earlier this month along with Smart &mdash; a win by Utah.
This time, it was the Jazz missing several contributors, with three of their top four scorers &mdash; Lauri Markkanen (bruised left hand), Jordan Clarkson (sprained finger) and Collin Sexton (strained left hamstring) &mdash; all out.
TIP-INS
Jazz: Outscored the Celtics 68-46 in the paint. ... Didn&rsquo;t take their first free throw until the 5:40 mark of the third quarter. Boston had attempted 16 to that point. ... Utah had six turnovers in the first quarter.
Celtics: Scored 19 points off 18 Jazz turnovers. ... Former Red Sox star David Ortiz, current manager Alex Cora both sat courtside, as did rapper Jack Harlow and actor Casey Affleck.
NOT SHUT DOWN
Hardy disputed a recent report that Clarkson and Sexton will be essentially shut down for the rest of the season.
&ldquo;I watched Jordan and Collin do a rehab 3-on-3 this morning in hopes of getting back to playing. So, I have not shut them down for the season,&rdquo; Hardy said. &ldquo;They&rsquo;re still preparing as if they&rsquo;re coming back.&rdquo;
Clarkson has been sidelined since March 7 (12 games). Sexton has been out since Feb. 23 (17 games).
UP NEXT
Jazz: At Nets on Sunday.
Celtics: At 76ers on Tuesday.

Jayson Tatum had 39 points and 11 assists and the Celtics pushed past the Jazz 122-114 on Friday night.

Jayson Tatum’s 39 lifts Celtics over short-handed Jazz 122-114

CORAL GABLES, Fla. (AP) &mdash; Jordan Miller took 20 shots in the regional final for Miami and made them all, helping the Hurricanes rally their way into the Final Four. The personification of clutch.
Fitting.
A guy named Clutch is why he&rsquo;s at Miami, why Miller has become one of the stars of March Madness &mdash; and why the Hurricanes are one of the four men&rsquo;s teams lucky enough to head to Houston this weekend and see their season stretch into April.
It was around this time two years ago when Miami then-assistant coach Bill Courtney&rsquo;s phone rang with news that Miller had entered the transfer portal and was leaving George Mason. Courtney dove into some tape and began looking into Miller&rsquo;s background. Turns out, one of Courtney&rsquo;s old pickup-game buddies from Virginia &mdash; Clutch, real name Gary Collins &mdash; was Miller&rsquo;s AAU coach.
&ldquo;The recruitment got pretty simple from there,&rdquo; said Courtney, now the Hurricanes&rsquo; associate head coach.
Good thing that recruitment went the way it did, because Miami has needed Miller this season &mdash; never more than it did on Sunday. Miller was 7 for 7 from the field and 13 for 13 from the foul line in Miami&rsquo;s 88-81 win over Texas, a victory that sent the Hurricanes (29-7) into Saturday&rsquo;s national semifinals against UConn (29-8). For the season, Miller is averaging 15.4 points and 6.1 rebounds per game, second-most for Miami in both categories.
He helped the Hurricans get to the Elite Eight last season &mdash; and at least one step further this season.
&ldquo;That loss sat with me for a really, really long time,&rdquo; Miller said of the defeat to eventual national champion Kansas in last year&rsquo;s tournament. &ldquo;I had to put it in the past because it was a new season, but having the opportunity to kind of right your wrongs almost and get past something that stumped you previously is a great feeling.&rdquo;
The 20-for-20 combined shooting effort from the field and the line against Texas matched Christian Laettner&rsquo;s historic game for Duke against Kentucky in a regional final in 1992. Laettner &mdash; who went 10 for 10 from both the field and the line in that game &mdash; tweeted congratulations to Miller on Monday; Miller responded with &ldquo;Appreciate you! Glad to join some elite company.&rdquo;
There is rich irony in that Miller came to Miami from George Mason &mdash; as did Hurricanes coach Jim Larra&ntilde;aga, who took that school to the Final Four in 2006 and got Miami to the Final Four on exactly the 17th anniversary of that win.
&ldquo;I just asked Jordan to ask the people at George Mason who know what kind of coach I am if he&rsquo;d fit in my program,&rdquo; Larra&ntilde;aga said. &ldquo;And a lot of them told him, &lsquo;Yeah, you should go play for Coach L.&rsquo; I was so impressed with him as an individual. You know, the basketball ability is one thing but his personality, his work ethic, his basketball IQ made me feel like &lsquo;OK, this kid will fit in really, really well.&rsquo; I had no idea he was this good.&rdquo;
The Hurricanes were even talking to other players &mdash; frankly, with better numbers &mdash; than Miller had when he entered the portal. Had it not been for Clutch, it&rsquo;s extremely likely that Miami would have gone in a different direction. And then who knows how this season would have turned out for Miller or the Hurricanes.
&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know if anyone expected this,&rdquo; Courtney said. &ldquo;Clutch was the only one who told me he could be this.&rdquo;
Larra&ntilde;aga doesn&rsquo;t think many people know how good Miller is. He calls the 6-foot-7, 195-pound wing &ldquo;the most underrated player in the country.&rdquo;
That moniker might not hold up anymore, especially not after the show Miller put on on Sunday. The 27 points might be a breakout of sorts; it was the second-best scoring effort of his 141-game collegiate career, and by far the most points he&rsquo;s managed in a postseason game at either George Mason or Miami.
Larra&ntilde;aga essentially challenged Miller when last season ended to be this guy.
&ldquo;I sat down and talked to Jordan before this season began. I just said to him: &lsquo;Your role is going to completely change. We&rsquo;re going to expand it,&rsquo;&rdquo; Larra&ntilde;aga said. &ldquo;He asked me one question: &lsquo;Hey, if I get a defensive rebound, can I push it in transition, dribble it up the court?&rsquo; I asked him one question: &lsquo;Are you going to turn the ball over?&rsquo; And he said &lsquo;No.&rsquo; I said, &lsquo;Then you can do it.&rsquo;&rdquo;
They chart everything in every practice at Miami, as is the case at many schools, and Larra&ntilde;aga quickly became enthralled by the idea of Miller getting his way &mdash; grabbing a rebound like a big guy, then heading downcourt like a guard. For every turnover he had in scrimmages, he had seven assists. Such a ratio is absurd for point guards; for wings and combo players like Miller, it&rsquo;s unheard of. During the season, it&rsquo;s still a very respectable 2:1.
&ldquo;He&rsquo;s underrated because he&rsquo;s under been under the radar,&rdquo; Larra&ntilde;aga said. &ldquo;People just haven&rsquo;t seen him to understand how good he is. I think he showed the country how good he is these past two weeks.&rdquo;
Indeed, thanks to Clutch, he&rsquo;s been clutch. And Clutch is heading to Houston this weekend, to see if Miller and Miami can grab a national championship. The underrated kid might end up standing tallest of all.

A guy named Clutch is why Jordan Miller is at Miami, and is a big reason why he has become one of the stars of March Madness.

A ‘Clutch’ tip helps Miller, Miami reach first Final Four

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) &mdash; Karl-Anthony Towns hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with 11 seconds to play after Kyle Anderson stole a pass by Draymond Green, and Minnesota held off Golden State.
Jordan Poole gave Golden State the lead on a 3 with 1:28 left, moments after Towns had connected from deep. Poole had a game-high 27 points.
The Warriors had a chance with 9.9 seconds left but Stephen Curry couldn&rsquo;t corral Poole&rsquo;s errant pass, then Curry missed a contested 3 from the baseline just before the final buzzer.
Towns had 14 points and five rebounds in his second outing following a 52-game absence with a strained right calf.
The Warriors had their nine-game home winning streak snapped and missed a chance to boost their playoff positioning. A victory also would have clinched Sacramento&rsquo;s first postseason berth since 2006. The Kings will try to end the longest playoff drought in NBA history Monday night at home against Minnesota.
BULLS 118, LAKERS 108
LOS ANGELES (AP) &mdash; LeBron James scored 19 points off the bench in his return from a monthlong injury absence, but Zach LaVine had 32 to lead the Chicago Bulls to a 118-108 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday.
DeMar DeRozan added 17 points for the Bulls, who easily overcame James&rsquo; return with an impressive performance in their seventh win in nine games. LaVine hit 11 of his first 14 shots to lead an offensive effort that snapped the Lakers&rsquo; three-game winning streak despite the return of the NBA&rsquo;s career scoring leader.
James sat out 13 games with right foot soreness, missing four weeks during the Lakers&rsquo; run at a playoff berth.
For only the second time in his 20-year, 1,958-game NBA career, James wasn&rsquo;t a starter. He came in midway through the first quarter.
The Lakers still were without D&rsquo;Angelo Russell, who missed his second straight game with a right hip injury. Los Angeles went 8-5 in James&rsquo; absence.
CAVALIERS 108, ROCKETS 91
CLEVELAND (AP) &mdash; Jarrett Allen had 24 points and 14 rebounds, Donovan Mitchell scored 22 and Cleveland beat Houston to clinch a playoff spot for the first time since 2018.
It&rsquo;s also the first time Cleveland has made the playoffs without LeBron James on the roster since 1998.
The Cavaliers are closing in on locking up the No. 4 spot in the Eastern Conference &mdash; and home-court advantage in the first round. They&rsquo;ve won 9 of 11.
Evan Mobley added 19 points and Darius Garland had 17 for Cleveland.
Jalen Green scored 30 to pace the Rockets, who have lost five straight.
GRIZZLIES 123, HAWKS 119
ATLANTA (AP) &mdash; Ja Morant scored 27 points in his return to the Memphis starting lineup and the Grizzlies held off Atlanta for their sixth consecutive win.
Desmond Bane added 25 points for Memphis, twice delivering fourth-quarter baskets after the Hawks pulled within one.
Memphis is second in the Western Conference despite a 15-22 road record. But the six-game winning streak, the NBA&rsquo;s longest active streak, includes two victories away from home.
Morant received a big cheer from the Atlanta sellout crowd during pregame introductions. He came off the bench in his first two games after serving an eight-game NBA suspension for posting a video in which he was shown waving a gun at a Denver-area strip club.
Trae Young led the Hawks with 28 points and 10 assists, one day after he was ejected for throwing the ball at an official during a 143-130 win over Indiana.
CELTICS 137, SPURS 93
BOSTON (AP) &mdash; Jaylen Brown scored 41 points and grabbed 13 rebounds to lead Boston over San Antonio.
The Celtics were without star forward and leading scorer Jayson Tatum, who was sidelined with a bruised left hip. But they still moved within 1&frac12; games of Milwaukee for the Eastern Conference&rsquo;s best record with their seventh victory in nine games.
Malcolm Brogdon added 20 points and nine assists for Boston, and Derrick White had 19 points with eight rebounds.
Zach Collins had 21 points with seven rebounds for the Spurs, who finished an 0-4 road trip.
CAVALIERS 108, ROCKETS 91
CLEVELAND (AP) &mdash; Jarrett Allen had 24 points and 14 rebounds, Donovan Mitchell scored 22 and Cleveland beat Houston to clinch a playoff spot for the first time since 2018.
It&rsquo;s also the first time Cleveland has made the playoffs without LeBron James on the roster since 1998.
The Cavaliers are closing in on locking up the No. 4 spot in the Eastern Conference &mdash; and home-court advantage in the first round. They&rsquo;ve won 9 of 11.
Evan Mobley added 19 points and Darius Garland had 17 for Cleveland.
Jalen Green scored 30 to pace the Rockets, who have lost five straight.
RAPTORS 114, WIZARDS 104
TORONTO (AP) &mdash; O.G. Anunoby scored 29 points, Fred VanVleet had 28 and Toronto never trailed in a win over Washington.
Pascal Siakam had 19 points and 11 rebounds, and Jakob Poeltl added 12 points and 12 rebounds.
Ninth-place Toronto clinched the three-game season series with the Wizards and maintained a three-game lead over 11th-place Washington in the Eastern Conference standings. Both teams have seven games remaining.
Scottie Barnes scored 13 points in his return to the starting lineup after missing two games because of a sore left wrist as Toronto won for the ninth time in 10 home games.
Kristaps Porzingis scored 26 points for the short-handed Wizards, who have lost four straight road games. Washington played without guard Bradley Beal (left knee) for the third straight game, while forward Kyle Kuzma (right ankle) sat out for the fourth consecutive game. Washington was also without guard Monte Morris (left groin).
HORNETS 110, MAVERICKS 104
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) &mdash; The Charlotte Hornets overcame a 40-point outing from Luka Doncic for their second win over Dallas in three days, another costly blow to the Mavericks&rsquo; playoff hopes.
Gordon Hayward scored 22 points and P.J. Washington added 21 points and 12 rebounds for the Hornets, who have been eliminated from playoff contention.
Doncic picked up his 16th technical foul of the season in the third quarter, meaning he will face a one-game suspension Monday night unless the technical is rescinded by the league office.
Kyrie Irving had 18 points for Dallas.
MAGIC 119, NETS 106
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) &mdash; Cole Anthony had 21 points to lead eight Orlando scorers in double figures, and the Magic overcame Mikal Bridges&rsquo; 44 points in a victory over Brooklyn.
Franz Wagner added 19 points and 10 rebounds for Orlando. Wendell Carter had 18 points and six rebounds, and Jalen Suggs returned from an injury with 16 points to help the Magic win their third straight. Paolo Banchero finished with 11 points and nine rebounds.
Bridges came up one point short of his career high. Cam Thomas added 18 points for the Nets, who lost for the sixth time in seven games.
THUNDER 118, TRAIL BLAZERS 112
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) &mdash; Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 31 points and Oklahoma City beat depleted Portland.
Jalen Williams had 23 points and Isaiah Joe added 20 off the bench for the Thunder (37-38), who moved into a tie for ninth place in the Western Conference with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Shaedon Sharpe led the Trail Blazers with a career-high 29 points, and Nassir Little scored a season-best 28 off the bench. The loss was Portland&rsquo;s eighth in 10 games. The Blazers (32-42) are four games back of 10th place in the West and the final spot in the play-in tournament.
Portland was playing without four of its five regular starters as guards Damian Lillard (right calf) and Anfernee Simons (right foot), forward Jerami Grant (left calf) and center Jusuf Nurkic (right knee) all sat out.

A recap of Sunday's action in the NBA includes Karl-Anthony Towns burying a clutch triple to snap Golden State's home winning streak.

Towns makes two late three-pointers, lifts Timberwolves over Warriors

SAN ANTONIO (AP) &mdash; Tari Eason matched his season high with 20 points and the Houston Rockets ended an 11-game losing streak, beating the San Antonio Spurs 122-110 on Saturday night.
Alperen Sengun had 16 points and K.J. Martin and Josh Christopher each added 14 points for the Rockets in the opener of a home-and-home series. Last in the NBA at 14-49, they hadn&rsquo;t won since Feb. 1.
Devonte&rsquo; Graham had 28 points to lead San Antonio. Zach Collins added 14 points and 10 rebounds.
The teams will play again Sunday night in Houston to close a back-to-back set.
San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich and lead assistant Brett Brown returned after missing the Spurs&rsquo; game Thursday night against Indiana because of non-COVID illnesses.
The Spurs are still without Keldon Johnson, however, and Devin Vassell sat out after playing Thursday following a 25-game absence.
Vying for the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft, San Antonio entered having won two straight after losing a franchise-record 16 straight. It is 4-24 in 2023. Houston is 4-23 in 2023.
TIP-INS
Rockets: San Antonio honored former Rockets and Spurs guard Mario Elie following the first quarter. Elie won three NBA titles during an 11-year career, helping San Antonio capture its first championship in 1999. The tribute is part of the Spurs&rsquo; season-long 50th Anniversary celebration. &hellip; Jae&rsquo;Sean Tate was held out for injury management following a sprained right ankle. &hellip; The Rockets&rsquo; last victory over the Spurs was Jan. 12, 2022, in San Antonio.
Spurs: Johnson missed his second straight game with a sprained left foot. Johnson has missed eight games this season while leading the Spurs in scoring at 21.8 points per game. &hellip; Vassell sat out for injury management after playing for the first time since undergoing arthroscopic left knee surgery on Jan. 11.

Tari Eason matched his season high with 20 points and the Rockets ended an 11-game losing streak, beating the Spurs 122-110.

NBA-worst Rockets beat Spurs to end 11-game losing streak

BOSTON (AP) &mdash; Mikal Bridges was considered a defensive star and complementary offensive player in Phoenix before abruptly having his five-year run there ended when he was shipped to Brooklyn as part of the trade that sent Kevin Durant to the Suns.
Bridges gave his new team another glimpse of the go-to potential he could grow into.
Bridges scored 38 points and the Nets overcame a 28-point deficit to stun the Boston Celtics 115-105 on Friday night.
He has reached 30 or more points in three of Brooklyn&rsquo;s last six games. Bridges also had 10 rebounds, playing nearly 43 minutes.
&ldquo;I think we kind or realized over a couple of games that offense wasn&rsquo;t really our problem,&rdquo; Bridges said. &ldquo;I feel like our offense is pretty good. But our defense, we got stops and stayed together possession-by-possession. ... We just kept and stayed together.&rdquo;
It was Brooklyn&rsquo;s first victory over Boston in four meetings this season.
Bridges played through pain in the second half after knocking knees with Derrick White, hitting on the same spot he did in a similar collision with Jalen Brunson in Wednesday loss to the Knicks.
&ldquo;I think when I got traded it was kind of at the right time because when everybody was out in Phoenix I had to take up another role offensively and be more aggressive,&rdquo; Bridges said. &ldquo;By the time I got traded I was in a great rhythm and was confident.&rdquo;
Fellow former Sun Cam Johnson added 20 points. Dorian Finney-Smith finished with 17.
It is the largest comeback by a Boston opponent since the Los Angeles Clippers also rallied from 28 down to beat Boston 123-112 at TD Garden on Feb. 9, 2019.
The Celtics have lost two out of three and lost more ground on East-leading Milwaukee, which was idle Friday. Boston, which made 26 3-pointers in a 139-96 win over the Nets on Feb. 1, went just 9 of 30 from beyond the arc on Friday.
&ldquo;They beat us in every analytical category possible,&rdquo; Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said. &ldquo;If we don&rsquo;t commit to the margins, no matter how hard we play, we&rsquo;re not going to win.&rdquo;
Jaylen Brown led Boston with 35 points. Jayson Tatum, who was celebrating his 25th birthday, added 22 points and 13 rebounds.
Boston led by 28 in the first half before being outscored 69-43 over the second and third quarters.
The Nets scored just 23 points in the first 16 minutes of the game, allowing Boston to go up 51-23 with 7:23 left in the first half.
It evaporated in a rash of pull up jumpers and one-and-done possesses for the Celtics as Brooklyn mounted a 57-23 run to nudge in front 80-74 with 3:56 in the third quarter. The lead was 106-90 early in the fourth.
During one wild sequence, the Nets secured four offensive rebounds and had five shots on a single possession before the Celtics were finally able to corral the ball, triggering a fast break and layup by Derrick White. It was one of the few highlights for Boston the rest of the way.
The Nets&rsquo; frantic rally also saw the Celtics lose big man Robert Williams for the night after he left early in the third with left hamstring tightness.
A 3-pointer by Marcus Smart got Boston as close as 110-102 with just over four minutes to play. But Finney-Smith answered with a triple of his own on the Nets&rsquo; next possession.
The lead grew as high as 51-23 early in the second, but the Nets chipped it down 64-55 at halftime.
NEW INJURY FOR SIMMONS
Nets coach Jacque Vaughn said Ben Simmons began experiencing some back soreness this week while starting to increase his activity to strengthen the sore left knee that has kept him sidelined since the All-Star break restart. There isn&rsquo;t a timeline for him to return, and there hasn&rsquo;t been discussion of sitting him down for the remainder of the season.
TIP-INS
Nets: Outscored the Celtics 40-27 in the second quarter, shooting 65% (15 of 23) from the field. Bridges had 15 points in the period. &hellip; Johnson, who celebrated his 27th birthday, was whistled for three fouls in less than three minutes of action. It contributed to the Nets putting Boston in the bonus at the 8:48 mark of the opening quarter.
Celtics: Finished with 19 turnovers, leading to 21 Brooklyn points. ...Went 0 for 6 from 3-point line in third quarter. &hellip; Al Horford played his 1,000th career regular-season game. He&rsquo;s only the 11th active player to reach that plateau. After his milestone was announced to the TD Garden crowd, he capped the ensuing possession with a 3-pointer to put Boston in front 16-5.
UP NEXT
Nets: Host Charlottes on Sunday night.
Celtics: Host New York on Sunday night.

Mikal Bridges scored 38 points and the Brooklyn Nets overcame a 28-point deficit to stun the Boston Celtics 115-105 on Friday night.

Mikal Bridges scores 38 points, Nets rally to stun Celtics 115-105

Editor's Note: After this Associated Press article was written yesterday, <a href="https://theathletic.com/4244770/2023/02/23/quin-snyder-atlanta-hawks-head-coaching-job/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Shams Charania of the Athletic reported Thursday morning</a> that the Atlanta Hawks have begun formal discussions with former Utah Jazz head coach Quin Snyder in "an attempt to swiftly hire" him for the same position. ATLANTA (AP) &mdash;&nbsp;Atlanta Hawks general manager Landry Fields said Wednesday former Utah coach Quin Snyder is among those being considered to replace Nate McMillan.
The Hawks (29-30) fired McMillan on Tuesday. Fields stressed that Atlanta&rsquo;s eighth-place standing in the Eastern Conference is not acceptable for a team that advanced to the conference finals in 2021.
Snyder, 56, was 372-264 as Utah&rsquo;s coach from 2014-22. He guided the Jazz to six consecutive playoff appearances before stepping down after last season.
Fields said Snyder&rsquo;s availability &ldquo;is a factor in the sense that I feel comfortable mentioning his name, but there are other candidates I don&rsquo;t want to mention because they are a part of other teams.&rdquo;
Snyder was a Hawks assistant in 2013-14.
Other possible candidates include Golden State assistant Kenny Atkinson and Milwaukee assistant Charles Lee, both former Atlanta assistants.
Fields said he has started talking with potential candidates and could make a hire this season. Assistant coach Joe Prunty began serving as interim coach at practice Wednesday but may not be involved in the interview process for the full-time position.
&ldquo;To do this now, sort of last minute, there&rsquo;s enough on Joe&rsquo;s plate,&rdquo; Fields said, adding that his message to Prunty is &ldquo;just focus on the task at hand and we&rsquo;ll cover everything else later.&rdquo;
McMillan, 58, went 99-80 as Atlanta&rsquo;s coach, including a 27-11 record as interim in the second half of the 2020-21 season. His success that season in leading Atlanta to the Eastern Conference finals earned him the full-time position.
The Hawks are hoping for a similar late-season revival under Prunty, but players say consistency and accountability must improve.
&ldquo;It ain&rsquo;t on Nate McMillan,&rdquo; guard Dejounte Murray said after practice. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve all got to look in the mirror.&rdquo;
Added center Clint Capela: &ldquo;It&rsquo;s on all of us. ... Consistency, we just have to be better.&rdquo;
McMillan couldn&rsquo;t follow up on the 2021 success. The Hawks lost to Miami in the first round of the playoffs last season after surviving the play-in tournament.
Hawks forward John Collins said McMillan &ldquo;was a great coach&rdquo; but added &ldquo;we need a different type of guidance&rdquo; from the next coach.
When asked if accountability from players was lacking under McMillan, Collins said, &ldquo;Yeah, I definitely feel we can do a better job with that.&rdquo;
Prunty, who has been an NBA assistant coach since 1996, has previous experience as an interim coach. He posted a 21-16 record with Milwaukee after Jason Kidd was fired during the 2017-18 season.
&ldquo;It definitely helps, for sure, but every situation is different,&rdquo; Prunty said. &ldquo;... The reality is it&rsquo;s very difficult to make wholesale changes. There may be things that could be tweaked here and there.&rdquo;
Collins described Prunty as &ldquo;a cool, calm coach, real relaxed.&rdquo;
&ldquo;I feel we&rsquo;re all comfortable with Joe,&rdquo; Collins said. &ldquo;Hopefully, it can be a smooth transition.&rdquo;
Atlanta, which plays at home against Cleveland on Friday night, is struggling to remain in the top 10 in the conference for a return spot in the play-in field. The Hawks lost four of six games before the All-Star break and are only one game ahead of 10th-place Toronto in the East.
Fields said he considered a coaching change for one month and was influenced by back-to-back losses to Charlotte and the New York Knicks before the break.
&ldquo;I do believe there was slippage and I felt that was a need we needed to address,&rdquo; Fields said.
Fields said he did not consult point guard Trae Young or other players before making the move. Fields said speculation that McMillan&rsquo;s efforts were affected by conflicts with Young were unfair to the player and were not a factor in his decision to make a coaching change.
Young was not made available for interviews on Wednesday.
Overall in 19 seasons, McMillan has a 760-668 record with the Seattle SuperSonics, Portland Trail Blazers, Indiana Pacers and Hawks.

Quin Snyder was 372-264 as Utah’s coach from 2014-22. He guided the Jazz to six consecutive playoff appearances before exiting.

Hawks GM Fields says Snyder a candidate to replace McMillan

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) &mdash; Anthony Edwards scored 31 points and Jaylen Nowell added a career-high 30 to lead Minnesota to a 143-118 win over Utah on Wednesday night amid word the&nbsp;Timberwolves, Jazz and Los Angeles Lakers were part of an eight-player swap&nbsp;hours ahead of the NBA trade deadline.
&ldquo;It was crazy, the last six hours,&rdquo; Edwards said. &ldquo;But, I mean, we&rsquo;re here to play basketball at the end of the day. We can&rsquo;t really feed into that &mdash; we have nothing to do with that. (My teammates) did a great job of staying locked in and they kept me locked in.&rdquo;
Playing loose, the Timberwolves set a season high with 79 points in the first half and led 107-80 midway through the third quarter, helped by 64% shooting from the field and 61% from 3-point range.
While not speaking directly about a trade that hadn&rsquo;t been announced, Minnesota coach Chris Finch detailed the difficulty if playing while the roster was in flux.
&ldquo;We just talked briefly about things before taking the floor. These things, it&rsquo;s unfortunate timing, you don&rsquo;t ever get to pick your timing. Maybe in some ways, it was good that we could just play a game and not have to overthink things. But guys were ready,&rdquo; Finch said.
Luka Garza scored a career-high 25 points and the Timberwolves made 23 3-pointers at a 54% shooting clip, tying their highest output of the season.
&ldquo;It was definitely strange,&rdquo; Garza said of the deal happening just before the game. &ldquo;But I don&rsquo;t want to ever look back in my time in NBA and be like, I didn&rsquo;t make the most of what was my childhood dream.&rdquo;
The three-team trade was confirmed to The Associated Press on Wednesday night by a person with knowledge of the deal, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the teams hadn&rsquo;t announced the major deal made ahead of Thursday afternoon&rsquo;s trade deadline.
In the deal, the Timberwolves sent D&rsquo;Angelo Russell to the Lakers, where he played his first two NBA seasons from 2015-17. Utah shipped Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Mike Conley to Minnesota and dealt Jarred Vanderbilt and Malik Beasley to the Lakers. The Jazz received Russell Westbrook, Juan Toscano-Anderson and Damian Jones from the Lakers, as well as a first-round draft pick in 2027.
The Jazz were short-handed in the game without four players who have logged significant minutes this season, as the teams were just shells of their former selves.
The Timberwolves were also missing a host of regulars as Rudy Gobert (groin), Kyle Anderson (back) and Austin Rivers (suspension) were held out, and Karl-Anthony Towns is still sidelined with a right calf strain.
Lauri Markkanen scored 21 points and Collin Sexton had 20 in Utah&rsquo;s worst home loss of the season. Their worst road loss of the season was a 26-point defeat to Milwaukee on Dec. 17.
&ldquo;Credit to Minnesota, they made a lot of shots and we missed a lot of make-able shots,&rdquo; Utah coach Will Hardy said of his team making just 31 of 65 shots in the paint. &ldquo;They made 23 3s at 54% and that was too hard for us to overcome.&rdquo;
This Jazz have assembled a formidable collection of draft capital, including key pieces from Minnesota in last summer&rsquo;s Gobert deal.
<div class="Component-dfp-0-2-62 apnews_article_midarticle_3" data-card-id="sovrn-article-midarticle">
Utah has 15 unprotected or lightly protected first-round picks to use through 2029, along with a talented under-25 group of Markkanen, Walker Kessler, Sexton and Ochai Agbaji and more than $60 million under the salary cap if they buy out Westbrook, as expected.
Conley was Utah&rsquo;s only true point guard &ndash; and one of the last holdovers from the Donovan Mitchell and Gobert era. Now, Sexton will have the opportunity to prove he can be an effective starting playmaker on a winning team.
Meanwhile, the Timberwolves will see if they can thrive with a veteran, pass-first point guard like Conley, who is averaging a career high 7.7 assists this season.
Jazz guard Jordan Clarkson said they have something special coming their way in Conley.
&ldquo;He&rsquo;s a leader, great point guard and a guy that makes everybody&rsquo;s life easier on the court,&rdquo; Clarkson said. &ldquo;That guy was like Yoda, honestly. He had so many stories and he had such an enlightenment about him. You just listened to him. &hellip; He can communicate with anyone.&rdquo;
TIP-INS
Timberwolves: After two overtime games, Minnesota has won two games by more than 25 points and lost one by 34. &hellip; The Timberwolves had 27 fast-break points to just two for the Jazz. &hellip; Luke Garza made a career-best four 3-pointers.
Jazz: In the first quarter, Rudy Gay passed Jason Kidd for 88th on the NBA all-time points scored list with 17,530. &hellip; Udoka Azubuike matched his season-high of four points with two rim-rattling dunks.
</div>

Anthony Edwards scored 31 points and Jaylen Nowell added a career-high 30 to lead Minnesota to a 143-118 win over Utah

T’wolves top Jazz in matchup of teams trading with Lakers

It&rsquo;s reasonable to think Chet Holmgren will be an NBA All-Star one day. He was a highly recruited high school player whose one year at Gonzaga was stellar enough for Oklahoma City to make him the No. 2 pick in last year&rsquo;s draft. He&rsquo;s an obvious talent, an enormous talent.
And it&rsquo;s terrible that Holmgren got hurt last summer and will miss the entirety of this season.
But evidently, his rehab has been going extremely well &mdash; since four NBA players say he should start next month&rsquo;s All-Star Game.
That&rsquo;s right. When NBA players were asked in recent weeks who should start their All-Star Game in Salt Lake City on Feb. 19, four of them said that Holmgren should, even though he has yet to make his NBA debut.
So, congratulations to everyone involved. It&rsquo;s a new record: 330 different NBA players got a vote &mdash; either from themselves or their peers &mdash; saying they should be an All-Star starter. That&rsquo;s 20 more than the number of players who got votes in 2021.
Keep in mind only 10 people will start the All-Star Game. There might be, at the most, 20 legitimate candidates for those starting nods. OK, let&rsquo;s say it&rsquo;s 30 players, even. That&rsquo;s 300 less than the number of people who received votes.
That means a ton of votes were wasted, unserious, a joke.
This all started seven years ago, after almost 800,000 people stuffed the ballot boxes and nearly made Zaza Pachulia an All-Star starter. So the NBA changed the rules, going to a weighted formula &mdash; 50% is determined by fan votes, 25% by media votes, 25% by player votes.
The fans pretty much got who they wanted, as should always be the case. LeBron James, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry, Luka Doncic, Nikola Jokic and Jayson Tatum were the top seven fan vote-getters; they all were announced as starters when the list was revealed Thursday night. So did No. 9 Kyrie Irving, No. 10 Donovan Mitchell and No. 12 Zion Williamson.
No. 7 Joel Embiid didn&rsquo;t make the cut, nor did No. 11 Anthony Davis.
Player votes were a big reason why Davis wasn&rsquo;t a starter. Only 30 players voted for Davis among Western Conference frontcourt players, while 80 voted for Williamson. That made the difference.
But many of the 375 ballots returned by players were puzzling.
Chicago&rsquo;s Lonzo Ball got four votes. Miami&rsquo;s Omer Yurtseven got three votes. Jae Crowder, who is still a member of the Phoenix Suns in name only, got two votes. Denver&rsquo;s Collin Gillespie and Portland&rsquo;s Ibou Badji each got one vote.
Here&rsquo;s what they all have in common: Like Holmgren, none has played this season.
There were other interesting &mdash; a polite way of saying odd, in this case &mdash; trends within the data. Only Jokic (58.7%), Antetokounmpo (58.7%) and James (51.5%) appeared on more than half of the All-Star ballots cast by NBA players this year.
The Phoenix Suns were hoping that guard Devin Booker would get consideration as a starter. He wasn&rsquo;t close, probably in large part because he&rsquo;s missed some time this season with injury.
&ldquo;We know and the league knows and the players know,&rdquo; Phoenix coach Monty Williams said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s the best (shooting) guard in the game and one of the best players in the game.&rdquo;
Perhaps the players don&rsquo;t know: Only 8.5% said Booker should be a starter.
Milwaukee&rsquo;s Grayson Allen got four votes, which is one more than reigning NBA defensive player of the year Marcus Smart of Boston received. Yes, Allen has been a contributor to what the Bucks have done so far this year. He&rsquo;s had his moments. He&rsquo;s hit big shots. But it&rsquo;s not a fine line between solid player and All-Star starter &mdash; it&rsquo;s more like a crater.
There certainly could be a year where the irresponsible voting really costs somebody a spot. It won&rsquo;t be this year. Certainly, arguments could be made for other players &mdash; Embiid, Domantas Sabonis, Ja Morant, Lauri Markkanen, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander &mdash; as candidates to start.
They&rsquo;ll all probably be All-Stars anyway.
The coaches will now decide the reserves; the votes for the starters no longer count for anything. Only the coaches&rsquo; ballots count toward the last seven All-Stars selected from each conference. And if someone has to bow out of the game because of injury, Commissioner Adam Silver chooses a replacement.
But hopefully, there will soon come a time when the players take the voting more seriously. If not, maybe the NBA needs to consider taking their vote away.
___
Tim Reynolds is a national basketball writer for The Associated Press. Write to him at treynolds(at)ap.org

Despite not playing one minute this year, four NBA players say Chet Holmgren should start next month’s All-Star Game.

Analysis: It may be time to re-think NBA All-Star voting

DALLAS (AP) &mdash; Trae Young's latest matchup against Luka Doncic was his first with Dejounte Murray.
Atlanta's backcourt mates kept their winning streak alive against the MVP candidate.
Murray scored 30 points, Young had 18 points and 12 assists and the Hawks beat the Dallas Mavericks 130-122 on Wednesday night.
John Collins added 19 points as Atlanta won a season-best fourth consecutive game to get back over .500 at 23-22.
Doncic scored 30 points but had just three in the fourth quarter and fell to 4-3 in head-to-head meetings with Young. They were traded for each other as top-five picks on draft night in 2018, Doncic going third overall and Young fifth.
Murray and Collins combined to go 7 of 11 from 3-point range as the Hawks shot 57% from deep and 50% overall.
Dallas was down one when Murray, acquired in the offseason for multiple first-round draft picks, hit a 3 for a 124-120 lead just inside the two-minute mark of the fourth quarter. Young pushed the lead to six with 41 seconds left on a high-arching floater.
&ldquo;These are the things we were looking for or have been looking for with (Murray) and Trae,&rdquo; coach Nate McMillan said. &ldquo;Trae did a good job ... understanding that (Murray) had a hot hand, was feeling it and was in a rhythm and we tried to milk that.&rdquo;
Dallas shot 52% overall and 38% from long range with 16 3s but couldn't get stops while allowing at least 130 points for the third consecutive game.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a shootaround,&rdquo; Mavs coach Jason Kidd said. &ldquo;In this league, you do that, no matter if you have Luka or Kareem or LeBron, you&rsquo;re going to lose.
&ldquo;Until we put in a better effort into defense and understanding what we have to do, then we&rsquo;re going to score 120 but we&rsquo;re going to give 130, 140. One night we might give up 150.&rdquo;
Christian Wood had 22 points and nine rebounds for the Mavericks, who were coming off a 1-4 trip and have lost five of seven since a seven-game winning streak that was their longest since the franchise's lone championship season of 2010-11.
Murray put Atlanta ahead for good with a jumper to start a 7-0 that broke a 110-110 in the fourth quarter.
Dallas took its first lead at 75-73 in the third quarter on a 3-pointer from Doncic that started an 11-0 run. Murray answered by scoring the next eight points to get the Hawks back within two.
MORE CAPELA
Atlanta&rsquo;s Clint Capela had 16 points and six rebounds in his second game back after missing 13 of the previous 14 games with a right calf strain. McMillan said Capela was still on a minutes restriction off the bench. He played 23, two more than in his return and was on the floor with the game on the line late.
TWO MAVERICKS RETURN
Dorian Finney-Smith started for Dallas after missing 14 games with a right adductor strain, and Josh Green was back from a 20-game absence due to a right elbow sprain. Finney-Smith had nine points and nine rebounds in 35 minutes. Green scored nine points in 20 minutes.
TIP-INS
Hawks: Eight of the nine Atlanta players scored in double figures. After Capela, Bogdan Bogdanovic had 12 and De'Andre Hunter and Onyeka Okongwu finished with 11 apiece. AJ Griffin scored 10. ... The Hawks were last over .500 on Dec. 27.
Mavericks: Spencer Dinwiddie scored 11 of his 20 points in the fourth quarter. ... Reggie Bullock scored 18 on 4-of-7 shooting from 3.
MOVING TIME
McMillan said the initial goal he set for the team in a chart he showed the players recently was to finish in the top six in the Eastern Conference, which would avoid the play-in tournament.
The Hawks won two play-in games last season to get the eighth seed. They lost to top-seeded Miami in five games in the first round after going to the East finals in 2020-21.
&ldquo;We need to start winning some games because we&rsquo;re in the second half of the season and this thing normally goes pretty fast,&rdquo; McMillan, whose team entered the game seeded ninth, said before the game.

Dejounte Murray scored 30 points, Young had 18 points and 12 assists and the Hawks beat the Dallas Mavericks 130-122.

Young, Hawks beat Doncic, Mavs 130-122 for 4th straight win

With 6:45 left in the first quarter, Terance Mann brings the ball up the right side of the floor.
Kawhi Leonard (yeah, he's playing) attempts to set a flat screen on Tobias Harris to help pry Mann open, but mostly whiffs on the pick. Mann finds himself in the right corner, staring down Harris as the clock ticks.&nbsp;
Ivica Zubac steps up to set a screen this time, this time to Mann's left. With the right side emptied, Mann could run Harris off a bruising screen and force Joel Embiid to defend the 2-on-1 with minimal help.&nbsp;
Instead, Mann rejects the screen and continues driving to his right. He's able to get two feet in the paint, <a href="https://youtu.be/WwY__zWQArs" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Nashing around</a> while drawing the attention of Embiid and (a trailing) Harris. That opens up a window for a dump-off pass to Zubac, leading to two points.
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; left: 0px; top: 0px; overflow: hidden;" src="https://streamable.com/e/7rb8ot" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
It's a simple possession that takes half the shot clock to complete. It features three things we haven't seen enough of from the Los Angeles Clippers this season: Kawhi as a screener, a paint touch from a guard and easy, efficient offense being created.
The Clippers have been disjointed all season long. Their 23-23 record and minus-0.7 net rating screams "mid," not "sure-fire title contender." There's obvious bail to shoot; of the 46 games the Clippers have played, their best three players &mdash; Kawhi, Paul George and Zubac &mdash; have only appeared in 15 games together. Even with that, the Clippers have <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/lineups/advanced?CF=GROUP_NAME*E*leonard:GROUP_NAME*E*george:GROUP_NAME*E*zubac&amp;GroupQuantity=3&amp;TeamID=1610612746&amp;slug=advanced" target="_blank" rel="noopener">barely won those minutes</a> &mdash; plus-14 (+2.6 NET) in 260 minutes.
That's probably the most concerning portion of this Clippers season for me. It's one thing to be searching for continuity; everyone was already banking in maintenance days for Kawhi, specifically. I am not here to argue about the merits of that; do it on your timeline, if you must.
But it's another thing to be searching for&nbsp;answers. It's felt more like the latter from the Clippers this year. That's baked into some of the lineup choices of course, but you've also seen it with the&nbsp;roles&nbsp;on the roster.
No player speaks to this dynamic quite like Mann. His rise in the rotation has been a joy to watch. From energy piece, to connector, to "Hey, he's kinda baking Rudy Gobert right now" to connector-plus-defensive-stopper to... point guard? To point guard!
Mann has started the last five games as the nominal point, and he's mostly produced. His box-score numbers are up: 15.4 points (59.4% from two, 45.8% from three on 4.8 attempts), 5.0 rebounds and 3.4 assists (0.8 turnovers) per game.
Naturally, his usage <a href="https://go.nba.com/zu548" target="_blank" rel="noopener">is way up</a>: Mann ranks second on the team in touches per game (68.6), time of possession (4.8), and fourth in seconds per touch (4.2) and dribbles per touch (3.4).
Mann has done a solid job of mixing in his snappy nature with more on-ball patience. He's served as&nbsp;the&nbsp;rim threat among the Clippers' starters, parlaying that gravity into reads like the one above.&nbsp;
To that point: On trips featuring a Mann-led ball-screen during this stretch, the Clippers are generating 1.13 points per possession (PPP) &mdash; a mark on par with Luka Doncic's league-leading clip.
(Of course, the volume and responsibility isn't close between those two &mdash; Mann's at 13 picks per 100 possessions during this stretch, while Luka's at nearly 69 per 100 on the year &mdash; but the point is that the Clippers have been getting good stuff from Mann as of late.)
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
Pick-and-rolls aren't the only part of half-court offense though. And zooming out, the Clippers have posted a 95.7 offensive rating in the half-court; that ranks 21st over the last five games, and is only slightly better than their season-wide mark (94.8, 24th).&nbsp;
The idea of Mann kicking off possessions has a similar feel to Marcus Smart (or Derrick White) with the Boston Celtics. If Mann (Smart/White) is tilting the defense with a drive, that means he's kicking it out to Kawhi and George (Jayson Tatum/Jaylen Brown). The theory is sound.
Mann doesn't have the kind of passing chops that Smart does, which lessens the overall impact of that gambit. Beyond that, Smart's role in that dynamic is a bit of a luxury. The Clippers currently&nbsp;need&nbsp;Mann to shoulder that kind of load right now.
That speaks to the growth Mann has shown throughout his young career, but it also signals a problem team-wide. And this is where we put on our glasses and look at what the Clippers have gotten out of John Wall and Reggie Jackson lately.
It ain't good.
Let's take a cursory glance at the box-score numbers since the beginning of December, shall we?
<ul>
<li>John Wall (16 games): 9.6 points (37% on twos, 36.2% from three), 4.9 assists (2.4 turnovers), -68 in 351 minutes</li>
<li>Reggie Jackson (18 games): 9.1 points (40.8% on twos, 33.8% from three), 2.6 assists (1.8 turnovers), -58 in 430 minutes</li>
<li>Terance Mann (22 games): 9.8 points, (55.8% on twos, 39.1% from three), 2.2 assists (0.8 turnovers), +32 in 530 minutes</li>
</ul>
The efficiency isn't really close. Narrow it down to the latest five-game sample, and the gap <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/players/traditional?LastNGames=5&amp;TeamID=1610612746&amp;PerMode=PerGame&amp;DateFrom=" target="_blank" rel="noopener">is even wider</a>.
On drives specifically, you really start to see difference between the three. Per Second Spectrum, here are the numbers on drives that feature a paint touch since Dec. 1:
<ul>
<li>Wall: 81 drives, 0.82 PPP on direct plays (Wall shoots, or passes it to a player who immediately shoots)</li>
<li>Jackson: 82 drives, 1.01 PPP</li>
<li>Mann: 82 drives, 1.08 PPP</li>
</ul>
Add in just how much better Mann has been defensively, and you start to understand why we're getting close to recycling the "Do the Clippers need a point guard" question from the past two seasons.&nbsp;
It's undeniable that they've gotten underwhelming results from their point guard stable this season, so much that Mann has had to shoulder more of that load as of late. The Clippers could certainly benefit from better point guard play.
Do they need an actual point guard? I'm still not sure I'd press that button, though it's worth mentioning they've <a href="https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/nba-trade-rumors-clippers-interested-in-mike-conley-suns-a-fred-vanvleet-suitor-jazz-eyeing-john-collins/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">recently been linked</a> to Mike Conley, per the reporting of Substack's Marc Stein. Maybe they think so.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
Conley could help some of the half-court quarterbacking. He's averaging a career-high 7.5 assists this year, and can still get busy behind the arc. On the flip side, he's in the midst of his worst inside-the-arc season; he's converting a career-low 42.9% of his twos, with a lot of that due to a career-low 50% clip inside of three feet.
If they're interested in Conley, would they be willing to kick the tires on a reunion with Chris Paul? Like Conley, he could provide some structure in the half-court. There's a similar aversion to the rim, and uptick in volume from beyond the arc. Both have partial guarantees for next season (and beyond, for Paul). I'm just sayin'.
Before he was eventually moved to the New York Knicks, the Clippers were <a href="https://www.si.com/nba/clippers/news/report-clippers-still-interested-in-acquiring-derrick-rose" target="_blank" rel="noopener">linked to Derrick Rose</a> as a potential suitor. Rose currently finds himself outside of the Knicks' rotation; I'd doubt it would take much to acquire him if there was still interest there.
The answer could be another wing to operate as the tip of the spear. Maybe the perpetually-available Eric Gordon, since we're on the topic of reunions.
Regardless of which pathway is chosen, the current setup feels untenable. They haven't done enough from beyond the arc, in terms of volume (12th in three-point rate) or efficiency (37.3%, 10th), to compensate for the lack of juice they're getting at the rim &mdash; 23rd in rim rate, 26th (63.8) in efficiency.
Until we see change in one or both of those areas, the Clippers' title hopes will be just that: Hope.

Nekias Duncan highlights Terance Mann's recent success at point guard and what the Clippers need to do to get back on track.

With the Clippers searching for direction, where should they turn?

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) &mdash; Negativity has dogged the Kentucky basketball program since its disappointing loss to South Carolina on Tuesday.
Heading into Saturday&rsquo;s 63-56 win over No. 5 Tennessee, Wildcats coach John Calipari did his best to insulate his players while absorbing as many bullets as possible himself.
&ldquo;I haven&rsquo;t lost faith in any of these guys,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve got a good team. (Friday night), I collected all the (players&rsquo; cell) phones and iPads and everything else.&rdquo;
Antonio Reeves scored 18 points and Oscar Tshiebwe had 15 points and 13 rebounds to lead the Wildcats (11-6, 2-3 Southeastern Conference) over the Volunteers. The victory ended a 25-game home win streak for Tennessee (14-3, 4-1) that dated back to the end of the 2020-21 season.
Kentucky led 58-50 with 3:28 left in the game. Two free throws by Santiago Vescovi and two buckets by Uros Plavsic closed the gap to two with less than a minute to play.
A Wildcat turnover gave Tennessee a shot to tie or take the lead, but Zakai Zeigler and Plavsic missed down low.
&ldquo;Both coaches made it a slugfest,&rdquo; said Calipari. &ldquo;Nobody backed down.&rdquo;
The Wildcats showed a physical presence and dominated the Volunteers on the boards, 43-23. Tennessee came into the game leading the SEC in rebounding margin (+9.94).
&ldquo;Our frontline&rsquo;s gotta do a better job rebounding,&rdquo; said Tennessee coach Rick Barnes. &ldquo;On the defensive end, we have to get everyone involved.&rdquo;
The Tennessee big man Plavsic, who scored 19 points, was the only Vol to match Kentucky&rsquo;s physicality.
Calipari said the strategy was to focus on the Vols&rsquo; perimeter play, while letting Plavsic have his way.
&ldquo;They can beat us with 3s,&rdquo; said Calipari. &ldquo;They won&rsquo;t beat us with 2s.&rdquo;
CJ Fredrick scored eight in a row and had 10 of his 13 points in the first half as Kentucky led at the break, 33-26.
Vescovi, who tweaked his shooting (left) shoulder in a collision early in the game, had seven in the first half for Tennessee. He finished with 13 points.
&ldquo;We had some uncontested looks at the rim,&rdquo; Barnes said. &ldquo;Point-blank layups &mdash; you&rsquo;ve gotta make them.&rdquo;
POLL IMPLICATIONS
During his 36 seasons as a head coach in college basketball, Rick Barnes has led his teams into the AP Top 25 a total of 299 weeks. That includes 131 weeks in the Top 10.
BIG PICTURE
Kentucky: Besides the frustration that comes with six losses this early in the season, the Wildcats have had to deal with injury problems. G Cason Wallace (back) and F Jacob Toppin (shoulder) have been sidelined. Both started against the Vols. &hellip; Big man Oscar Tshiebwe leads the SEC with 10 double-doubles this season. &hellip; Sahvir Wheeler leads the SEC with 6.3 assists a game. This is his third straight year on top. &hellip; John Calipari coached his 36th game against Tennessee. No other coach has led his team against the Vols in as many games.
Tennessee: Senior G Santiago Vescovi has been hot lately. He came into the Kentucky game averaging 16.5 points over his last five games while shooting 60% from the field and 57% from 3-point. &hellip; Zakai Ziegler, who has gotten used to his role as a point guard coming off the bench, had 27 assists in his last three games heading into Saturday. &hellip; Chris Lofton (2004-08), the SEC&rsquo;s all-time leader in 3-point baskets made (431), had his No. 5 hoisted into the rafters of Thompson-Boling Arena.
UP NEXT
Kentucky: Hosts Georgia on Tuesday.
Tennessee: Visits Mississippi State on Tuesday.

Antonio Reeves scored 18 points and Oscar Tshiebwe had 15 points and 13 rebounds to lead the Wildcats over the Volunteers.

Calipari, Kentucky silence doubters, beat No. 5 Tennessee

BOSTON (AP) &mdash; Jayson Tatum scored 32 points and Jaylen Brown added 19 as the Boston Celtics beat the Chicago Bulls 107-99 Monday night and reached the midway point of their season with the NBA's best record.
Grant Williams added 20 points and Al Horford had seven rebounds and eight points, including a clutch 3-pointer with 24 seconds to play that helped seal the win for the defending Eastern Conference champions, who are 29-12 after the first 41 games.
"That was big. Regardless of their record, it&rsquo;s a really talented team. Any given night, they can beat anybody," Tatum said, noting the Celtics were able to only split the four-game season series with the Bulls.
Chicago also lost star forward DeMar DeRozan to an injury in the third quarter, yet managed to trim Boston's 16-point lead to two points with two minutes left to play.
&ldquo;They&rsquo;re always going to play you tough," said Tatum, who also had eight rebounds and seven assists.
Malcolm Brogdon scored 20 points for Boston, which played without injured point guard Marcus Smart.
Zach LaVine led Chicago with 27 points, scoring 15 in the fourth quarter while leading the Bulls' furious comeback bid.
&ldquo;The way he played gave us a chance to win and I thought our guys competed and battled,&rdquo; Chicago coach Billy Donovan said. &ldquo;But I thought there were some things we needed to clean up, like the rebounding and some of the straight-line drives and some of the late rotations."
Chicago, which had won three straight, lost DeRozan in the third quarter with a strained right quadriceps. Nikola Vucevic had 21 points and 13 rebounds for Chicago. DeRozan finished with 13 points in 23 minutes.
A 3-pointer by LaVine pulled Chicago within 99-97 late in the fourth, but the comeback stalled when he missed a jumper in the final minute and the Celtics got the rebound to Tatum, who dribbled about 20 seconds off the clock before getting the ball to Horford for a 3-pointer. Horford's shot bounced off the rim, then found its way through for a 104-99 lead with 24 seconds left.
&ldquo;Credit to Al. That was a big-time shot,&rdquo; Tatum said.
LaVine missed again for the Bulls and Tatum broke free for a two-handed dunk, drawing a foul and converting the free throw to seal it with 12 seconds remaining.
Down 11 points entering the fourth quarter, a layup by LaVine pulled Chicago within 89-84. But the Celtics answered the surge with Brown&rsquo;s back-to-back jumpers and a three-point play by Williams.
The Celtics led 59-50 at halftime, matching their largest lead of the game after the Bulls committed three of their six turnovers in the final few minutes and the Celtics capitalized with a 9-2 run to close the period.
NOW STARTING
Without Smart, Boston coach Joe Mazzulla shuffled his lineup and gave center Robert Williams his first start of the season. Williams, who was recovering from knee surgery and didn't make his season debut until December, finished with six points, seven rebounds and blocked a pair of shots.
DEROZAN UPDATE
Donovan hoped DeRozan wouldn't be out long, although he was working with very few details after the game and waiting for a more definitive report.
TIP-INS
Bulls: G Alex Caruso returned in the first quarter after missing the last two games with a sprained right ankle. He finished with six points .... G Javonte Green (right knee soreness) and C Tony Bradley (health and safety protocols) did not play.
Celtics: Tatum had 10 points midway through the first quarter and scored 12 of Boston&rsquo;s 28 points in the opening the period. ... Smart left in the third quarter Saturday in a win at San Antonio after bumping knees with Zach Collins.
&nbsp;

Jayson Tatum scored 32 points and Jaylen Brown added 19 as the Boston Celtics beat the Chicago Bulls 107-99.

Celtics top Bulls 107-99, improve NBA's best record to 29-12

SAN ANTONIO (AP) &mdash; Jayson Tatum scored 34 points, including the tiebreaking jumper with 33 seconds left, Jaylen Brown added 29 and the Boston Celtics beat the San Antonio Spurs 121-116 on Saturday.
The reigning Eastern Conference champions maintained the NBA&rsquo;s best record by winning for the sixth time in eight games.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m actually glad the game went like that for us,&rdquo; Boston interim coach Joe Mazzulla said. &ldquo;We needed a game like that, to where it&rsquo;s back and forth. Things aren&rsquo;t going our way; they are going our way. You just don&rsquo;t get a lot of those. It&rsquo;s easier to say that because we won, but I&rsquo;m happy the game went the way it did because we got to execute some stuff.&rdquo;
And it gave Tatum an opportunity to close out a victory.
Tatum was serenaded with &ldquo;MVP! MVP!&rdquo; chants late in the first half while attempting a free throw. The All-Star rewarded the Celtics fans in attendance with his highest-scoring game since dropping 38 points against Houston on Dec. 27.
San Antonio had eight players score in double figures, including 18 points each from Josh Richardson, Zach Collins and Tre Jones.
San Antonio never led but remained close throughout despite being without injured starters Keldon Johnson, Devin Vassell and Jakob Poeltl.
&ldquo;Great game, couldn&rsquo;t be more proud of them,&rdquo; Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. &ldquo;Jayson did it at the end of the game, (he) got us. But taking care of the ball, rebounding, playing with effort, I couldn&rsquo;t be more proud of our guys. A great game for them to be participating in and to play the way they did. Lots of great contributions from everybody on the court and over time we will get everybody back.&rdquo;
Richardson and fellow former Celtics player Romeo Langford forged a tie with 37 seconds remaining. Following a layup by Langford with 1:12 left, Richardson drained a 3-pointer that tied the game at 116.
Tatum followed with a step-back 13-footer to put Boston ahead and made the first of two free throws before intentionally missing the second to preserve the victory.
&ldquo;Obviously they are an extremely well-coached team,&rdquo; Tatum said. &ldquo;Teams like that are dangerous. Kind of playing carefree, the pace that they play at. They don&rsquo;t necessarily have an agenda, just pass, cut and try to get the best shot. Constant movement.&rdquo;
Boston was forced to call a timeout four minutes into the third quarter after San Antonio opened the second half on a 13-3 run to close within 71-70. Jones had seven points in the run, including a three-point play after Derrick White was called for goaltending following a foul by Marcus Smart.
Tatum responded by making an open 3-pointer. San Antonio would again pull within a point at 79-78, but Brown responded with a three-point play.
TIP-INS
Celtics: Smart exited the game in the third quarter after bumping knees with Collins on a screen. Smart told reporters after the game that X-rays were negative, but his status remains uncertain. &hellip; Boston had dropped two straight in San Antonio, last winning Nov. 9, 2019, at the AT&amp;T Center. ... White was honored prior to being announced in the starting lineup. White spent his first 4 1/2 seasons with the Spurs after being drafted 29th in 2017 out of Colorado. San Antonio traded White to Boston on Feb. 10 for Richardson, Langford and a first-round pick they used to select Blake Wesley 25th in 2022.
Spurs: Vassell will undergo arthroscopic left knee surgery Jan. 11 in New York. Popovich said Vassell will likely not return until after the All-Star Game, which is Feb. 19 in Salt Lake City. &hellip; Johnson sat out after suffering a strained left hamstring during the first half of Friday&rsquo;s victory against Detroit. &hellip; Poeltl missed the game with bursitis in his Achilles heel.
WELCOME HOME
White was honored with a video highlighting his time in San Antonio, which drew thunderous applause.
&ldquo;I was extremely thankful for it,&rdquo; White said. &ldquo;I always had great times here and the crowd was amazing. I was just extremely thankful and grateful for it, for them to do that for me.&rdquo;
&nbsp;

Jayson Tatum scored 34 points, Jaylen Brown added 29 and the Boston Celtics beat the San Antonio Spurs 121-116.