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LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) &mdash; Sir&rsquo;Jabari Rice scored 20 of his game-high 24 points in the second half and overtime, and No. 6 Texas held off Oklahoma 85-83 on Saturday.
Rice&rsquo;s fourth 3-pointer of the game gave Texas an 84-77 lead with 2:26 left in overtime.
Oklahoma, however, had a chance to tie or win when Texas&rsquo; Tyrese Hunter missed one of two free throws with 6.8 seconds left. But Sam Godwin missed a shot from near the rim, and Texas extended its winning streak against Oklahoma to five games.
Marcus Carr added 17 points for Texas (21-6, 10-4 Big 12), and Timmy Allen had 15 points, nine rebounds and four assists.
Grant Sherfield led Oklahoma (13-14, 3-11) with 18 points, including a 3-pointer that sent the game to overtime. Milos Uzan scored 15 for the Sooners.
NO. 1 ALABAMA 108, GEORGIA 59
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) &mdash; Brandon Miller scored 21 points, Nick Pringle had 19 points and 12 rebounds and Mark Sears made five 3-pointers in the first half to lead Alabama.
The Crimson Tide (23-4, 13-1 Southeastern Conference) rebounded from their first SEC loss by racing to a 54-25 halftime lead and a season scoring high. Alabama was coming off a 68-59 loss at No. 10 Tennessee on Wednesday night after rising to No. 1 for only the second time in program history and first in 20 years.&nbsp;
ustin Hill led Georgia (16-11, 6-8) with 17 points. Terry Roberts scored 11 and Braelen Bridges 10.
NO. 4 UCLA 78, CALIFORNIA 43
LOS ANGELES (AP) &mdash; Jaime Jaquez Jr. scored 20 points and UCLA routed last-place California to improve to 15-0 at Pauley Pavilion this season and extend the nation&rsquo;s longest home winning streak to 23 games.
Amari Bailey added 16 points and nine rebounds for the first-place Bruins (23-4, 14-2 Pac-12), who clinched a first-round bye in next month&rsquo;s Pac-12 Tournament with their 11th win in a row over last-place Cal.
Kuany Kuany scored 14 points to lead the Golden Bears (3-24, 2-14), who dropped their 11th in a row. They fell to 0-3 against top-5 teams this season, having also lost a pair against No. 8 Arizona.
NO. 5 KANSAS 87, NO. 9 BAYLOR 71
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) &mdash; DaJuan Harris scored all 14 of his points in the second half as Kansas stormed back from a double-digit halftime deficit.
The Jayhawks (22-5, 10-4 Big 12) outscored the Bears 55-26 in the second half. Jalen Wilson led Kansas with 21 points and 13 rebounds. KJ Adams added 17 points and Gradey Dick had 16.
The Jayhawks are tied with Texas for the top spot in the Big 12 Conference.
Baylor (20-7, 9-5) got nearly all of its scoring from its three-guard combo of Adam Flagler (22 points) Keyonte George (20 points) and LJ Cryer (15 points).
NO. 7 VIRGINIA 57, NOTRE DAME 55
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) &mdash; Kihei Clark scored 15 points, including a pair of critical free throws with 22.6 seconds left, and became Virginia&rsquo;s career assist leader in the narrow win over Notre Dame.
With Notre Dame closing to 55-54, Clark converted both ends of a one-and-one. Trey Wertz made the front end of a one-and-one with 3.9 seconds left for the Fighting Irish, but missed the second after a timeout. The ball was tipped out to Dane Goodwin for a potential game-winning 3-pointer, but his shot bounced off the rim.
Armaan Franklin added 12 points and Reece Beekman had 11 for Virginia (21-4, 13-3 Atlantic Coast Conference). Nate Laszewski led Notre Dame (10-17, 2-14) with 18 points and Goodwin had 12.
NO. 8 ARIZONA 78, COLORADO 68
TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) &mdash; Oumar Ballo had 18 points and 16 rebounds, Cedric Henderson Jr. added 15 points and Arizona dominated inside to beat Colorado.
The Wildcats (24-4, 13-4 Pac-12) opened with a rash of turnovers, falling into an early 12-point hole. Arizona righted itself quickly with a big run and slogged through a slowed-down second half by shutting down the Buffaloes.
Tristan da Silva had 18 points the Buffaloes (15-13, 7-10), who shot 38%.
KENTUCKY 66, NO. 10 TENNESSEE 54
LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) &mdash; Cason Wallace and Oscar Tshiebwe each scored 16 points and Kentucky rushed to a big lead and beat Tennessee.
The Volunteers (20-7, 9-5 SEC) trailed by 20 points at halftime and lost in their first game since toppling No. 1 Alabama.
The Wildcats (18-9, 9-5) earned their first regular-season sweep of Tennessee since the 2011-12 season. Kentucky defeated the Volunteers 63-56 on Jan. 14 in Knoxville.
Wallace had totaled nine points in the Wildcats&rsquo; previous two games. Chris Livingston added 12 points and Jacob Toppin had 11.
NO. 12 KANSAS STATE 61, NO. 19 IOWA STATE 55
MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) &mdash; Markquis Nowell hit a 3-pointer from near midcourt with 2:42 remaining to help Kansas State over Iowa State.
Nowell finished with 20 points. Keyontae Johnson had 15 points for the Wildcats (20-7, 8-6 Big 12).
Aljaž Kunc led Iowa State (17-9, 8-6) with 15 points. Without their 3-point leader Caleb Grill in the lineup, the Cyclones worked inside the paint. They had 24 points inside and relied on a balanced scoring line led by Kunc.
NO. 13 GONZAGA 97, PEPPERDINE 88
MALIBU, Calif. (AP) &mdash; Drew Timme scored 22 of his 34 points in the second half and Julian Strawther added 28 points to help Gonzaga extend its winning streak over the Waves to 45 games.
The Bulldogs (23-5, 12-2 West Coast Conference), who haven&rsquo;t lost to Pepperdine (9-10, 2-12) since Jan. 18, 2002 and have won 20 straight on the road against the Waves.
Timme moved past Bill Cartwright, who scored 2,116 points for San Francisco (1975-79), into eighth on the West Coast Conference&rsquo;s career scoring list with 2,117.
Houston Mallette led the Waves with 22 points. Jevon Porter and Maxwell Lewis added 20 points apiece.
NO. 14 INDIANA 71, ILLINOIS 68
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) &mdash; Trayce Jackson-Davis finished with 26 points and 12 rebounds, Jalen Hood Schifino made two free throws with 30.7 seconds left, and Indiana rallied from a nine-point second-half deficit to beat Illinois.
Hood-Schifino had 13 points for the Hoosiers (19-8, 10-6 Big Ten), who have won nine of 11 overall and 15 straight on their homecourt.
Matthew Mayer scored 24 to lead the Fighting Illini (17-9, 8-7), who were without injured leading scorer Terrence Shannon.
NO. 15 MIAMI 96, WAKE FOREST 87
CORAL GABLES, Fla. (AP) &mdash; Isaiah Wong scored 27 points and Nijel Pack finished with 24 in Miami&rsquo;s win over Wake Forest.
Norchard Omier had 17 points on 7-of-8 shooting while Jordan Miller added 14 points for the Hurricanes (22-5, 13-4 Atlantic Coast Conference), who won their sixth straight and improved to 15-0 at home.
Tyree Appleby scored 15 points and Damari Monsanto and Cameron Hildreth had 14 each for the Demon Deacons (17-10, 9-7). Andrew Carr and Mathew Marsh finished with 12 points each.
NO. 16 XAVIER 82, DEPAUL 68
CINCINNATI (AP) &mdash; Jack Nunge had 18 points and 10 rebounds as Xavier bounced back from a pair of narrow losses to beat DePaul.
The Musketeers (20-7, 12-4 Big East) reached the 20-win mark for the 34th time in school history, 32 of which have come since the 1982-83 season. It was the 17th career double-double for Nunge, eighth this season. Adam Kunkel scored 16 points and tied a career-high with eight assists for Xavier.
Umoja Gibson had 17 points and De&rsquo;Sean Nelson 16 for DePaul (9-18, 3-13), which lost its eighth in a row.
NO. 17 ST. MARY&rsquo;S 71, BYU 65
MORAGA, Calif. (AP) &mdash; Logan Johnson scored 27 points and Aidan Mahaney delivered once again in the second half to lead Saint Mary&rsquo;s to its 15th win in 16 games.
Mahaney scored 14 of his 16 points in the second half and Mitchell Saxen added 13. The Gaels (24-5, 13-1 West Coast Conference) won their 16th straight conference home game to maintain a one-game lead over Gonzaga in the standings.
Fousseyni Traore scored 16 points to lead the Cougars (16-14, 6-9). BYU has lost four straight and was swept in the season series by the Gaels.
NO. 18 CREIGHTON 77, ST. JOHN&rsquo;S 67
NEW YORK (AP) &mdash; Arthur Kaluma hit three straight 3-pointers down the stretch and Creighton overcame a second-half scoring drought to pull away from St. John&rsquo;s.
Creighton (18-9, 12-4) remained in a three-way tie for second place in the Big East after Providence and Xavier won earlier in the day. Marquette holds a one-game lead in the conference standings.
Ryan Nembhard scored 16 points for the Bluejays. Kaluma finished with 13 points and Ryan Kalkbrenner added 12 as Creighton won for the ninth time in 10 games.
Joel Soriano led St. John&rsquo;s with 15 points and eight rebounds. David Jones added 14 points off the bench but the Red Storm (16-12, 6-11) were unable to get their third straight win.
NO. 20 UCONN 64, SETON HALL 55
STORRS, Conn. (AP) &mdash; Jordan Hawkins scored 20 points and UConn used a big second-half run to beat Seton Hall.
Andre Jackson had a career high 15 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for UConn (20-7, 9-7 Big East).
Al-Amir Dawes and Tyrese Samuel each had 16 points for Seton Hall (16-12, 9-8), which trailed by 16 points with six minutes to play before a late run that fell short.
NO. 22 TCU 100, OKLAHOMA STATE 75
FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) &mdash; Mike Miles Jr. had 15 points in his first game in three weeks, five other TCU players also scored in double figures, and the Horned Frogs snapped a four-game losing streak by beating Oklahoma State.
Emanuel Miller had 18 points to lead TCU (18-9, 7-7 Big 12), which shot a staggering season-high 68.4% (39 of 57) from the field. Damion Baugh had 16 points with 11 assists. Shahada Wells had 15 points, Chuck O&rsquo;Bannon 12 and Micah Peavy 10.
Bryce Thompson had 18 points and John-Michael White 15 for the Cowboys (16-11, 7-7).
NO. 24 PROVIDENCE 85, VILLANOVA 72
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) &mdash; Ed Croswell scored 21 points and grabbed 10 rebounds and Providence earned its 20th victory of the season.
Bryce Hopkins added 19 points and 12 rebounds. Noah Locked finished with 16 points. Croswell connected on two late free throws to notch the 1,000th point of his career.
The Friars (20-7, 12-4 Big East) have recorded 20 or more wins in seven of coach Ed Cooley&rsquo;s 12 seasons. They improved to 15-0 at home, including 8-0 in conference play.
Eric Dixon had 18 points and eight rebounds and Justin Moore added 17 points for the Wildcats (13-14, 7-9)&nbsp;

A recap of Saturday's action in men's college basketball includes a full slate of top-25 teams in heavy competition.

No. 6 Texas needs OT at home to hold off Oklahoma 85-83

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

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

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

Virginia hasn&rsquo;t won an NCAA Tournament game since its 2019 national title and failed to even make the field last season.
The return of five starters should enable the Cavaliers to change that trend.
&ldquo;This probably is the oldest team maybe that I&rsquo;ve had,&rdquo; coach Tony Bennett said as he enters his 14th season at Virginia.
Virginia is 18th in the Associated Press preseason Top 25, making the Cavaliers the highest-ranked team that isn&rsquo;t coming off an NCAA Tournament berth.
The Cavaliers went 21-14 and reached the NIT quarterfinals last season. That followed a 2020-21 season in which Virginia earned a No. 4 seed in its region but lost to Ohio in the opening round of the tournament.
Virginia has the pieces in place to make a deeper run this season.
The Cavaliers return three double-digit scorers from last season in preseason second-team all-Atlantic Coast Conference selection Jayden Gardner (15.3), Armaan Franklin (11.1) and Kihei Clark (10.0). Clark and Gardner are graduate students, while Franklin is a senior.
Virginia also brought in Ohio transfer Ben Vander Plas, who had 14.2 points and 6.8 rebounds for his former school last season. Vander Plas scored 17 points in Ohio&rsquo;s NCAA Tournament upset of Virginia two seasons ago.
&ldquo;Last year our depth wasn&rsquo;t great and we probably didn&rsquo;t shoot the ball at the level we needed to, so we tried to improve in those areas,&rdquo; Bennett said. &ldquo;But experience is golden, I think, in college basketball. And we have that.&rdquo;
Some other programs that have reason to believe they can get back into the NCAA Tournament in March after failing to make it last season:
No. 24 DAYTON
2021-22 record: 24-11 (14-4 Atlantic 10); NIT second round
Notes: Dayton is ranked in the preseason AP Top 25 for just the third time in program history. The Flyers return all five starters, including 2022 Atlantic 10 rookie of the year DaRon Holmes II. Dayton failed to reach the NCAA Tournament despite beating eventual national champion Kansas during the year.
FLORIDA STATE
2021-22 record: 17-14 (10-10 ACC)
Florida State had advanced to at least the Sweet 16 in three straight NCAA Tournaments before struggling through a disappointing 2021-22 season. The Seminoles return their top two scorers from last season in Caleb Mills (12.7) and Matthew Cleveland (11.5). They also brought in three top-100 recruits, though 6-11 freshman center Baba Miller will miss the first 16 games of the season for a travel payment that was ruled an NCAA violation.
No. 21 OREGON
2021-22 record: 20-15 (11-9 Pac-12); NIT second round
Notes: Will Richardson is back after scoring 14.7 points per game and earning second-team all-Pac-12 honors last season. Other returning starters include Quincy Guerrier and N&rsquo;Faly Dante. The Ducks are hoping that experience helps them avoid a repeat of their late slide from last year, when they dropped eight of their final 12 games.
SAINT LOUIS
2021-22 record: 23-12 (12-6 Atlantic 10); NIT first round
Notes: Yuri Collins led all Division I players with 7.9 assists per game and can distribute to a couple of talented scorers. Gibson Jimerson ranked third in the Atlantic 10 with 16.3 points per game last season. Saint Louis also welcomes back Javonte Perkins, who had 17.1 points per game in 2020-21 before missing last season with a torn anterior cruciate ligament.
TEXAS A&amp;M
2021-22 record: 27-13 (9-9 SEC); NIT runner-up
Notes: Texas A&amp;M coach Buzz Williams criticized the selection committee last season after his team got left out of the field. The Aggies won&rsquo;t have to sweat out Selection Sunday if they can build on the momentum they established late last season, when they won 11 of their final 13 games. They return two double-figure scorers from the 2021-22 team in Henry Coleman (11.0) and Tyrece Radford (10.9).
XAVIER
2021-22 record: 23-13 (8-11 Big East): NIT champion
Notes: Xavier played its way out of NCAA Tournament consideration last year by dropping six of its last seven games before the bracket announcement. The Musketeers then bounced back by winning five straight to claim the NIT title. Colby Jones was named the NIT&rsquo;s most outstanding player last season. Jones and teammate Jack Nunge received preseason first-team all-Big East honors from the league&rsquo;s coaches.

Virginia is 18th in the AP preseason Top 25, making the Cavaliers the highest-ranked team not coming off an NCAA Tournament berth.

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Across the country, teams are competing in conference tournaments and trying to punch their ticket for the NCAA Tournament. Selection Sunday is almost here, and then the tourney starts next Tuesday. Here's a recap of Friday's slate.
Games of the Day
Texas Tech def. Oklahoma 56-66 - Big 12 Semifinal The Sooners have been on the bubble for quite some time and, after a big win against Baylor, we&rsquo;ll have to wait and see what this loss does to them. They fought tooth and nail after being down 14 points in the second half, and even took a 54-52 lead with 3:05 to play. Clarence Nadolny hit a free throw to make it 56-54 and the Red Raiders held on from there. Great game.
Saint Louis def. St. Bonaventure 57-56 - A10 Quarterfinal Saint Louis held a nine point lead with 9:35 to go, but the Bonnies went on a run to take a one point lead with 1:24 remaining. Gibson Jimerson hit a jumper with 0:17 on the clock that would end up being the game-winner. Big win for the Billikens as they advance to the A10 Semifinals.
UAB def. MTSU 102-98 in 3OT - CUSA Semifinal In a thriller, the largest lead for either team was just seven points. With a 62-62 score after regulation, the two teams headed to overtime, in which Donovan Sims hit a clutch free throw to send it to double-overtime at 69-69. It would take another overtime, but Jordan Walker and co. finally sealed the deal at 102-98, keeping the team's dream alive.
Dayton def. UMass 75-72 - A10 Quarterfinal In the second half of this one, neither team led by more than five points as it went down to the wire. DaRon Holmes II made a jumper with 51 seconds remaining that gave Dayton a 69-68 lead, and they took it home from there. Holmes II would end with 28 points in a strong outing.&nbsp;
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Duke def. Miami (FL) 80-76 - ACC Semifinal The Canes led for a good part of the first half, but it was tied at 36-36 going into the break. Duke held a 69-65 lead with 2:09 to play and from there it was a free-throw game for the Blue Devils. Keels, Moore Jr., and Griffin knocked them down and were able to seal the deal. They advance to the ACC Championship.
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The Upsets, the Madness
Indiana def. Illinois 65-62 - Big Ten Quarterfinal The Hoosiers entered this game, once again, heavy underdogs with only a 29.2% chance of winning. They kept the first half competitive and trailed by only two points at the break, but turned on the jets and had a 5 point lead in just under 10 minutes to play. Indiana is still considered a Bubble Team, but along with yesterday&rsquo;s win, they should be more comfortable.&nbsp;
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Michigan State def. Wisconsin 69-63 &nbsp;- Big Ten Quarterfinal As a true bubble team, this was a huge win for Sparty. They advance to the Big Ten Semifinals thanks in large part to Marcus Bingham Jr. and his stellar performance. Marble II and Hoggard both provided sparks off the bench in the win.
Virginia Tech def. North Carolina 72-59 - ACC Semifinal After leading by six points at the break, the Hokies really opened it up halfway through the second half. Keve Alume posted 18 and Darius Maddox scored 20 huge points off the bench in the win. They move on to the ACC Championship and hope to put a bow on this amazing run.
Creighton def. Providence 85-58 - Big East Semifinal Creighton absolutely handed it to the No. 11 team in the nation. They led by 15 points at the break and only grew their lead as the game went on. With four players in double-digits scoring, it was a balanced attack from the get-go. Great win for the Bluejays.
Texas A&amp;M def. Auburn 67-62 - SEC Quarterfinal The Aggies have had a solid season, but I doubt many people saw this coming. Tyrece Radford and Quenton Jackson had big moments and now they are (likely) a lock for the NCAA Tournament. They will face Arkansas in the Semifinals.&nbsp;
<img src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/usatsi_17874929_lg.jpg" alt="" width="450" height="300" />
Standout Performances
Jordan Walker (UAB): 40 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists
Keegan Murray (Iowa): 26 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists
Xavier Castaneda (Akron): 26 points, 4 rebounds
Michael Ertel (UAB): 26 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists
DaRon Holmes (Dayton): 28 points, 5 rebounds, 3 blocks
Jordan Wright (Vanderbilt): 27 points, 6 rebounds
Noah Fernandes (UMass): 26 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals
Jesse Zarzuela (Coppin State): 27 points, 7 assists, 5 rebounds, 2 steals
TyTy Washington (Kentucky): 25 points, 3 rebounds
Kameron McGusty (Miami FL): 24 points, 7 rebounds
Holland Woods (Grand Canyon): 24 points, 4 rebounds, 2 steals
Deandre Dishman (MTSU): 23 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists
Kofi Cockburn (Illinois): 23 points, 10 rebounds, 2 blocks
Geo Baker (Rutgers): 23 points, 3 rebounds, 3 steals, 2 assists
Brad Davison (Wisconsin): 23 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists
Teddy Allen (New Mexico State): 25 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists
Au&rsquo;Diese Toney (Arkansas): 22 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists
Jermaine Samuels (Villanova): 21 points, 12 rebounds
<img src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/usatsi_17878061_lg.jpg" alt="" width="445" height="366" />
2022 NBA Draft: Prospect Watch
Keegan Murray (Iowa): 26 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists
TyTy Washington (Kentucky): 25 points, 3 rebounds
Ochai Agbaji (Kansas): 22 points, 3 rebounds
AJ Griffin (Duke): 21 points, 7 rebounds, 4-6 3PT
Jabari Smith (Auburn): 17 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, 2 blocks
Jaden Ivey (Purdue): 17 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks
Walker Kessler (Auburn): 16 points, 9 rebounds, 4 blocks, 3 steals, 2 assists
Tari Eason (LSU): 15 points, 3 assists, 3 steals
Johnny Davis (Wisconsin): 11 points, 11 rebounds, 3 assists
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Derek Murray takes us through Friday's conference tournament results, as bubble teams battle for an NCAA tourney spot.

March Madness: Conference tournament Friday recap

According to Yahoo Sports&rsquo; Chris Haynes, Sacramento Kings point guard De&rsquo;Aaron Fox is <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/kings-receiving-interest-in-deaaron-fox-ahead-of-deadline" target="_blank" rel="noopener">one of the biggest names that could be available</a> before next month&rsquo;s trade deadline. Haynes mentioned that the Kings are receiving heavy interest in Fox and Tyrese Haliburton, but the plan internally is to build long-term around this backcourt combination.
Haynes spoke with Fox recently about his future in Sacramento among other topics.
&ldquo;You definitely think about potentially being traded because we are struggling,&rdquo; Fox <a href="https://sports.yahoo.com/deaaron-fox-addresses-kings-trade-rumors-his-ideal-role-in-the-nba-173928242.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told Haynes</a>. &ldquo;If you do have a change of scenery, it changes everything. I&rsquo;ve been here for five years. I&rsquo;ve built a life here, a family here. But once I&rsquo;m on the court, all that is out the window. You&rsquo;re not thinking about anything else than can happen outside of your control.&rdquo;
Although Fox just signed a five-year rookie-scale max extension during the 2020 offseason, his fit alongside Haliburton has brought up serious questions about who Sacramento should actually build around in their backcourt.
As I wrote last month, Haliburton has a big enough sample size now to show he blossoms when he&rsquo;s not next to a high-usage backcourt partner in Fox. When Fox was in NBA health and safety protocols, Haliburton showed a <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/tyrese-haliburton-providing-hope-potentially-forcing-kings-hand-on-backcourt-decisions" target="_blank" rel="noopener">dazzling display of what his ceiling could potentially become</a> as Sacramento&rsquo;s No. 1 option.
In 42 games this season, Fox has averaged 20.9 points, 5.1 assists, 3.7 rebounds and 1.2 steals on a pedestrian 53.1% True Shooting percentage. Simply put, Fox hasn&rsquo;t taken the developmental jumps the Kings&rsquo; front office hoped for when he inked a big-money extension. Fox is still a blur in transition, being a massive weapon in that area, but he still struggles to keep teammates involved consistently and put in complete effort on the defensive end.
Still only 24 years old, Fox has immense upside as a top scoring option in Sacramento or elsewhere. Could he be Devin Booker-like when it comes to defensive effort, once the Kings get a true contender around him? That&rsquo;s the big question for both player and team, because Sacramento is once again going nowhere for another season.
At this point, it might be best for the Kings to trade Fox at his peak value while resetting a little bit around Haliburton in their backcourt.
If Fox actually isn't untouchable &mdash; something that has been <a href="https://theathletic.com/3052221/2022/01/05/nba-trade-talk-russell-westbrooks-awkward-lakers-fit-the-hurting-hawks-and-more-sam-amicks-nba-notebook/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">mentioned by The Athletic&rsquo;s Sam Amick</a> &mdash; which teams make sense for him? Let&rsquo;s dive into some potential landing spots for the score-first point guard.
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Philadelphia 76ers
This destination has been mentioned before as a potential blockbuster revolving around Fox and Ben Simmons, who continues to sit out games for the Sixers. So, why don&rsquo;t we explore that possibility a little bit further?
Honestly, I love the idea of Fox in Philadelphia creating a lethal one-two combination with Joel Embiid. Also, I believe Fox and Tyrese Maxey can coexist in the same backcourt for Philadelphia.
Instantly, Fox would come aboard and bring a scoring jolt that&rsquo;s desperately needed to take pressure off Embiid. On the other side, I&rsquo;ve long been a fan of the idea where Simmons lands in a situation where he becomes the No. 1 scoring option.
How fun would a pick-and-roll combination of Haliburton and Simmons be in Sacramento? All around, this feels like a major win-win. We&rsquo;ll see if Philadelphia and Sacramento are actually open to the idea, but this swap feels right for both parties.
Kings receive: Ben Simmons
Sixers receive: De&rsquo;Aaron Fox
Indiana Pacers
When looking through the NBA standings, Indiana continues to stand out like a sore thumb when it comes to a team in desperate need of a reset. Rumors are <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/report-mavs-blazers-wolves-knicks-lakers-hornets-targeting-myles-turner" target="_blank" rel="noopener">picking up steam revolving around Myles Turner</a> and Caris LeVert. Domantas Sabonis has also been mentioned around the league in potential trade talks.
Sacramento and Indiana could find common ground on a potential Fox deal, which could make a lot of sense for two teams who need a shake up.
Kings receive: Domantas Sabonis, T.J. Warren, draft compensation
Pacers receive: De&rsquo;Aaron Fox
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Yes, the Kings have Richaun Holmes, who is an average starting center in the Association. However, could you imagine the on-court synergy Haliburton and Sabonis could develop as a lethal inside-out combination? As we&rsquo;ve seen in Indiana as well, there&rsquo;s some spot minutes where Holmes and Sabonis could share the floor as well (though I honestly wouldn&rsquo;t be a fan of that).
Fox would arrive in Indiana and be their star for years to come. He would be in a perfect situation to have a team built competently around him. Malcolm Brogdon would be an intriguing backcourt partner in this scenario too.
I&rsquo;m very intrigued by this potential landing spot for Fox, so keep an eye out on the Pacers here.
New York Knicks
Fox in the Big Apple? I love the sound of that. The question is: What would it cost for the Knicks to acquire him?
Honestly, unless the Knicks are willing to give up former No. 3 overall pick RJ Barrett, it likely won&rsquo;t happen. I&rsquo;m not a fan of Julius Randle in Sacramento, at least from the Kings&rsquo; perspective.
Kings receive: R.J. Barrett, Miles McBride, Kemba Walker, Taj Gibson
Knicks receive: De&rsquo;Aaron Fox
Fox and Randle would bring a potent pick-and-roll duo to New York. Meanwhile, Sacramento would acquire a young building block in Barrett who fits perfectly next to Haliburton. McBride has also shown unique upside, bringing aboard another backcourt piece who could play spot minutes with Haliburton down the road.
New York is in a tough spot after betting on running it back following a surprise playoff run last season. After stagnating, this could be the perfect move for the Knicks to make to expedite their win-now mindset with head coach Tom Thibodeau.
If the Knicks are open to trading Barrett for Fox, a big question mark currently, this could leapfrog right to the top of potential trade packages.
Boston Celtics
Boston is another team who seems poised for a major shake up within the next calendar year. Not taking a serious step forward this season, many questions are bubbling around <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/the-case-against-and-for-separating-jayson-tatum-and-jaylen-brown" target="_blank" rel="noopener">whether the Celtics&rsquo; dynamic wing duo of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown can coexist long-term</a>.
If Celtics president Brad Stevens decides to pull the plug down the line and find peak value, Brown seems to be the more obvious choice. Tatum is locked in as the Celtics&rsquo; face of the franchise, so who could they find to be an ideal compliment with him?
Enter Fox, who brings backcourt competency for a team in desperate need of it like Boston.
Kings receive: Jaylen Brown
Celtics receive: De&rsquo;Aaron Fox, draft compensation
Some might be asking why Sacramento is giving up draft compensation to Boston here, but, quite frankly, Brown has more value right now compared to Fox. And honestly, it would be a major win-win in the end for both teams.
Tatum and Fox would be a fun duo to build around in Boston, allowing more well-balanced roster construction. In Sacramento, Brown would enter as the go-to scorer with a great point guard to set him up in Haliburton.
This scenario might be more of a 2022 offseason scenario compared to the trade deadline, but crazier things have happened since both teams are stuck in neutral.
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New Orleans Pelicans
The pressure is on in the Bayou. Zion Williamson&rsquo;s injury concerns continue to put a cloud over the Pelicans&rsquo; future. New Orleans EVP David Griffin is on the hot seat, so what can he do to save his job?
Why not push the chips all-in on a franchise building block in Fox? In head coach Willie Green&rsquo;s system, acquiring Fox would be a brilliant move to make in the short and long-term. With Williamson out, Fox and Brandon Ingram would make a lethal scoring combination. And hopefully once Williamson eventually returns, the Pelicans would have their new Big Three set for years to come.
The Pelicans are loaded with future draft capital thanks to the Anthony Davis and Jrue Holiday trades. They own so many picks from the Los Angeles Lakers and Milwaukee Bucks, plus their own, which makes them a potential suitor in any star-level trade.
What would it take for Fox to land in New Orleans, though?
Kings receive: Devonte&rsquo; Graham, Josh Hart, Kira Lewis, draft compensation
Pelicans receive: De&rsquo;Aaron Fox
This trade doesn&rsquo;t look too enticing on the surface for Sacramento, but if they receive a boatload of future draft capital from the Pelicans, it makes this scenario very appealing.
Resetting around Haliburton with ample draft picks for the future would be an ideal solution to hitting the reset button in Sacramento.
Dallas Mavericks
Luka Doncic needs help in Dallas, so where can the Mavericks find a player who can take pressure off of him? Enter Fox, who could really push the Mavericks&rsquo; ceiling to a completely new level.
Fox and Doncic would create instant fireworks in Dallas, playing on and off-ball with no issue. The offensive ceiling of this duo would be one of the best in the Western Conference.
The question is, do the Mavericks have enough to make a Fox blockbuster happen?
Kings receive: Jalen Brunson, Tim Hardaway Jr., draft compensation
Mavericks receive: De&rsquo;Aaron Fox
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This trade is very interesting for a multitude of reasons. I considered a trade of Porzingis to the Kings, but would they actually want his contract? I doubt it.
That led me back to giving up a prized asset in Brunson, who is going to cash out as a restricted free agent this offseason. Why not get something now for Brunson instead of potentially letting him walk with a big offer sheet elsewhere?
Fox not only would be an upgrade over Brunson, but also form a Big Three that Mavericks owner Mark Cuban has been lusting after for years in Dallas. It&rsquo;s a big bet to make locking in a core of Doncic, Fox and Porzingis together, but, if it works out, the ceiling is astronomical.
Sacramento would land future draft compensation to go along with an intriguing backcourt piece in Brunson. Also, Hardaway could be flipped elsewhere or kept around if the Kings decided to move Buddy Hield as well in a different deal.
Charlotte Hornets
This one was suggested to me by our own <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/news/authors/nekias-duncan" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Nekias Duncan</a>, which had me thinking about some potential scenarios. Fox and LaMelo Ball would be box-office levels of entertainment in Charlotte, so I totally get the idea.
However, what would the Hornets need to give up for Fox? Here&rsquo;s where I eventually landed on that idea, which led to our biggest blockbuster yet.
Kings receive: Gordon Hayward, Terry Rozier, James Bouknight, P.J. Washington, draft compensation
Hornets receive: De&rsquo;Aaron Fox, Marvin Bagley III, Tristan Thompson, Jahmi&rsquo;us Ramsey
Yeah, that&rsquo;s a lot to take in. This could have been a lot easier if I believed the Hornets would trade away Miles Bridges in this scenario, but I don&rsquo;t think that&rsquo;s realistic. So, let&rsquo;s chew on this eight-player deal for a moment.
Charlotte swaps out Rozier for Fox, an instant upgrade who elevates Charlotte&rsquo;s playoff hopes for this season and beyond. It takes a midseason flier on Bagley, who is a restricted free agent at the end of this season. And Bagley could be a big-time beneficiary of being spoon-fed easy looks from Ball.
Sacramento lands two win-now veterans in Hayward and Rozier. Whether the Kings decide to keep him long-term or not is to be determined. The prize of this deal is the young players/prospects. Bouknight and Washington are former lottery picks who just haven&rsquo;t found a consistent role in Charlotte. With the Kings, that would definitely change.
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If the Kings indeed decide to shop Fox openly before the trade deadline, a league-wide bidding war will ensue. Yet to hit his prime, Fox has a lot of great basketball left in him. Wherever he would potentially land, Fox could change the immediate calculus for win-now possibilities.

De'Aaron Fox could be the top name available at this year's trade deadline. Which teams make the most sense for the Kings' star?

Examining potential trade destinations for De'Aaron Fox

Lonzo Ball looks good in Chicago. Kemba Walker has always looked good at Madison Square Garden.
One game into their preseasons, the Bulls and New York Knicks have to like what they see from their new backcourts.
Ball made a 3-pointer for Chicago's first basket and the Bulls kept rolling from there to a 131-95 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday night.
Walker also had the first basket for the Knicks in their 125-104 victory over Indiana, making it a happy homecoming for the point guard who grew up in the Bronx.
&ldquo;Just to see that New York across my chest, being from here, it&rsquo;s like a dream come true,&rdquo; Walker said in his postgame interview on the court.
Walker signed with the Knicks over the summer for a chance to play 41 games in the arena where he memorably led Connecticut to the Big East tournament title in 2011.
Evan Fournier, his teammate last season in Boston, is also a new Knick and they started together in the backcourt. Both finished with 12 points, delivering the improved scoring they hope to get after riding their defense to a surprising playoff berth last season.
The Bulls are hoping to get there this season after bringing in Ball from New Orleans, DeMar DeRozan from San Antonio and Alex Caruso from the Los Angeles Lakers.
With Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic already in place, the Bulls have the potential to make a leap up the Eastern Conference standings.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Forget the coffee... watch this video! Every single dunk from last night's W: <a href="https://t.co/88uxB3Ix9H">pic.twitter.com/88uxB3Ix9H</a>
&mdash; Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) <a href="https://twitter.com/chicagobulls/status/1445735602842972165?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 6, 2021</a></blockquote>

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LaVine scored 25 points, Vucevic had 10 points and nine rebounds, and the Bulls outscored the Cavaliers by 45 points while they were on the floor. DeRozan added 13 points, Caruso had 10 points and 10 assists, and Ball finished with eight points, five rebounds and five assists.
KNICKS 125, PACERS 104
Julius Randle had 20 points and nine rebounds for the Knicks, while RJ Barrett scored 17 points.
Taj Gibson scored 14 and Immanuel Quickley and Obi Toppin each came off the bench for 10 as the Knicks surpassed 100 points in three quarters.
Rookie Chris Duarte scored 15 points for the Pacers in their first game under new coach Rick Carlisle. Justin Holiday added 13, while Myles Turner and T.J. McConnell each had 10.
BULLS 131, CAVALIERS 95
Troy Brown Jr. and Javonte Green also scored 13 points in Chicago. Matt Thomas had 11 and Alize Johnson finished with eight points and 11 rebounds.
Collin Sexton scored 14 points and former Bulls forward Lauri Markkanen had 13 for the Cavaliers.
Evan Mobley, the No. 3 pick in the draft, had 10 points and eight rebounds. Ricky Rubio, acquired by the Cavs in the offseason, had 10 points, six assists and five rebounds.
ROCKETS 125, WIZARDS 119
Kevin Porter Jr. had 25 points, including five 3-pointers, and five assists in Houston.
Jalen Green, the No. 2 overall pick in July&rsquo;s draft, finished with 12 points and six rebounds but shot just 4 of 14 from the field and 0 for 6 from behind the arc.
Bradley Beal had 18 points to lead six Washington players in double figures. Aaron Holiday had 15 points, Spencer Dinwiddie &mdash; acquired from the Brooklyn Nets in a five-team trade on Aug. 6 &mdash; finished with 14 points and five assists and Corey Kispert added 12 points. Kyle Kuzma scored 11 points and Daniel Gafford 10.
GRIZZLIES 87, BUCKS 77 (3 quarters)
Ja Morant had 27 points, six rebounds and four assists through three quarters to lead Memphis.
Morant was 11-of-18 shooting and threw down high-flying dunks in the first and third quarters before a fire alarm went off in his home arena at the end of the third quarter. Fans were evacuated and the teams were sent to their locker rooms. The game would eventually be called.
De&rsquo;Anthony Melton scored 14 points and Steven Adams had 11 points and 10 rebounds for the Grizzlies.
Jordan Nwora led Milwaukee with 16 points and Grayson Allen scored 13.
Giannis Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton, Bobby Portis and Jrue Holiday &mdash; all major contributors to Milwaukee&rsquo;s NBA title run this summer &mdash; did not play for the Bucks.

One game into their preseasons, the Bulls and Knicks have to like what they see from their new backcourts.

NBA Preseason: Strong debuts for new backcourts in New York & Chicago

It's been a long, long time since the New York Knicks played games in May that impacted anything other than ping-pong balls.
Yet, Monday's victory over the Memphis Grizzlies was the Knicks&rsquo; 37th win this season, which means New York will finish the regular season with a winning record for the first time since the 2012-13 campaign.
Remarkably, with less than two weeks remaining in the 2020-21 season, New York has an outside chance to finish Top-3 in the Eastern Conference standings (and no chance of finishing Top-3 in the draft lottery). Needless to say, Knicks fans are <a href="https://twitter.com/TommyBeer/status/1388472589035708417?s=20">excited</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/TommyBeer/status/1389623942160265223?s=20">enthusiastic</a> about the team's immediate future.&nbsp;
However, it's not just the rest of May that New Yorkers can look forward to. Considering the tantalizing young talent already on the roster, the organization's abundance of cap space, the coaching staff and front office captaining the ship, and the treasure trove of draft picks the Knicks possess, the future of the franchise is quite bright.&nbsp;
When discussing the pieces already in place, it makes sense to start with Julius Randle. As was noted <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/basketball-news-king-of-new-york-why-julius-randle-belongs-in-nba-mvp-conversation-ny-knicks">in this space</a> last month, Randle, shockingly, has played at an <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/basketball-news-king-of-new-york-why-julius-randle-belongs-in-nba-mvp-conversation-ny-knicks">MVP-level</a> for much of this season. When he got off to an incredible start, pundits predicted he'd slow down considerably as the season wore on. Instead, Randle has somehow become more effective and efficient. During the Knicks&rsquo; current scorching stretch, in which they've won 12 in their past 13 games, Randle is averaging 29.4 points, 8.3 rebounds, 5.8 assists and 3.5 made three-pointers, while posting a True Shooting percentage north of 60%.
Randle, who was named the East&rsquo;s Player of the Month for April (joining Carmelo Anthony and Patrick Ewing as just the third Knick to win this award over the past 35 years), is just 26 years old.
Randle isn't the only player who has taken significant steps forward in 2020-21. R.J. Barrett's improved jumper has been arguably the most pleasant revelation in a season full of unexpected surprises.
Over the first 50 games of his NBA career, Barrett shot 39% from the floor, below 32% from behind the arc and 59% from the free-throw line.&nbsp;&nbsp;
Over his past 50 NBA games, Barrett is shooting 47% from the floor, above 45% from downtown and 74% from the charity stripe.&nbsp;
Dating back to late February, Barrett is one of only six players to average at least 18 points, five rebounds and three dimes while shooting above 45% on field goals and 42% on three-pointers. The other five? Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Nikola Vucevic, LeBron James and Julius Randle.
And Barrett still can't legally buy a beer, as the kid won't celebrate his 21st birthday until June. He'll be younger than many of the players selected in the first round of the 2021 draft.&nbsp;
Three days after Barrett's birthday, Immanuel Quickley will turn 22. The Knicks <a href="https://t.co/A1Mt9xY2Gn?amp=1">were knocked</a> for drafting IQ with the 25th overall selection last summer (CBS Sports infamously slapped the Knicks with a <a href="https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/2020-nba-draft-grades-pick-by-pick-results-tracker-and-analysis-for-completed-rounds-1-and-2/">"D+" grade</a>), but the youngster has exceeded expectations since setting foot on an NBA court. Because he's spent the season coming off the bench, 13 rookies have logged more minutes than Quickley so far, but he still ranks inside the top-five among all first-year players in points, made free throws and made three-pointers, and inside the top-10 in dimes. (Despite having played fewer minutes than LaMelo Ball, Quickley has tallied more points, threes and free throws.) And the advanced analytics are even more impressive: according to <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/players/traditional/?sort=PLUS_MINUS&amp;dir=-1&amp;Season=2020-21&amp;SeasonType=Regular%20Season&amp;PerMode=Totals&amp;PlayerExperience=Rookie">NBA.com</a>, Quickley <a href="https://twitter.com/TommyBeer/status/1389313567388733448?s=20">leads all rookies</a> in Offensive Rating, Defensive Rating, and Net Rating.
The Knicks have outscored their opponents by <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/players/traditional/?sort=PLUS_MINUS&amp;dir=-1&amp;Season=2020-21&amp;SeasonType=Regular%20Season&amp;PerMode=Totals&amp;PlayerExperience=Rookie">171 points</a> with Quickley on the court this season. Only eight qualified rookies have posted a positive plus/minus this season. And, other than IQ, none have a plus/minus higher than +62. Quickley is on pace to become just the fifth rookie over the past decade to post a season-long plus/minus north of +200. The other four are Ben Simmons, Donovan Mitchell, OG Anunoby and Jayson Tatum.
Randle and Barrett are the franchise's foundational building blocks, and Quickley is already a solid NBA rotation player, which is quite rare for a rookie.
Coming into this season, Mitchell Robinson was also viewed as a critically important piece. However, limited to just 31 games due to a pair of serious injuries, Robinson's future is a bit murky. Yet, he's only 23, and the Knicks can exercise a team option for only $1.8 million to keep him in New York for at least one more year before making a long-term decision. (New York could also explore inking him to an extension this summer, possibly at a discount, if they feel he's their center of the future.)
Obi Toppin, the No. 8 overall pick in the 2020 NBA draft, has been relatively disappointing this season, considering he was 22 years old on draft day and advertised as "NBA-ready." However, it's important to note that despite his relatively advanced age, Toppin is a late-bloomer. He wasn't recruited out of high school and was a full-time starter for just one season at Dayton. In addition, Toppin has had some encouraging flashes over the past few weeks, as the Knicks coaching staff attempts to make better use of his rare combination of size and athleticism.&nbsp;
As far as what the rest of the roster may look like moving forward, there are more questions than answers.
Yet, that's partly due to the fact that the Knicks have a very clean cap sheet. New York will have the opportunity to enter the upcoming offseason with more than $60 million in cap space, the most of any team in the league.&nbsp;
Often the toughest jump to make for an NBA franchise is the quantum leap from a mid-tier team to a legitimate championship contender. Based on their success this season, the Knicks have the pieces in place to remain respectable in 2022 and beyond. But will they be able to enter the league's upper-echelon? To do so, they'll need to import a superstar.&nbsp;
Like Charlie Brown winding up to kick Lucy's football, Knicks fans have grown accustomed to their team clearing out massive amounts of cap space only to strike out in free agency, getting rejected by their top targets and overpaying for over-the-hill veterans. So, why would this summer be any different?&nbsp;
Well, in years past, the Knicks have entered free agency reeking of desperation. Free agents couldn't help but smell the stench. Coming off losing season after losing season, the Knicks could offer max money and a chance to play in New York City, but very little in terms of supporting talent already on the roster. This summer, the Knicks (especially if they can stay in that fourth or fifth seed and make some noise in the playoffs) will be viewed as a team on the rise, having continuously built positive momentum for the past four months. Their recruiting pitch will feature the opportunity to play alongside an All-NBA forward in his prime, as well as promising youngsters still locked into rookie contracts.&nbsp;
And the person now making that pitch is Leon Rose, a former agent who has represented and cultivated strong relationships with some of the biggest names in the sport. Rose has surrounded himself with a stellar staff, and the early returns on their first flurry of moves (signing Alec Burks and Nerlens Noel, trading for Derrick Rose, etc.) have returned impressively solid dividends.&nbsp;
The other factor in the equation is the head coach whom Rose hired. Tom Thibodeau is widely considered one of the favorites to take home the Coach of the Year award, and for good reason. The Knicks&rsquo; turnaround this season is even more remarkable when you recognize New York went 21-45 in 2019-20 and brought back much of the same roster. (Four starters in Monday's win in Memphis &mdash; Randle, Barrett, Elfrid Payton and Taj Gibson &mdash; also started the Knicks&rsquo; final game last season).
Consider this: New York's combined record over their previous two seasons was 38-110 (72 games under .500). New York's record this season is 37-28 (nine games over .500).&nbsp;
Thibs also has his team playing its best basketball at the right time. The Knicks have posted the league's best record (13-3) over the past month. Over this same stretch, they rank third overall in Defensive Efficiency (107.5) and lead the entire league in both Offensive Efficiency (119.0) and Net Rating, having outscored their opponents by 182 points over their past 16 games.&nbsp;
Circling back to the free-agency discussion, having a respected leader in control is typically appealing to players who want to win. Prospective free agents often search for situations where a principled culture has been established. Just across the river, the Brooklyn Nets proved they were a team headed in the right direction before they convinced Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving to take them to that next level.
Under Thibodeau, and his highly respected assistant coaches, the Knicks are building a well-earned reputation as a collection of gritty, defensive-minded, team-first talent.
Additionally, New York isn't solely dependent on free-agent signings to infuse the roster with newfound talent.&nbsp;
The Knicks have maintained the rights to all of their future first-round picks and own the Dallas Mavericks&rsquo; first-rounder this summer (unprotected) and Dallas' selection in 2023 (top-10 protected) as a result of the Kristaps Porzingis trade.&nbsp;
Since we mentioned his name, it's important to note that the Knicks&rsquo; turnaround is tied, at least tangentially, to the Porzingis trade. New York trading away KP instead of inking him to a $158.2 million extension, and including Tim Hardaway Jr.'s massive contract in the deal, enabled New York to enter the summer of 2019 with money to burn. The Knicks obviously failed to lure in the free agents they most desired (Kevin Durant, Kawhi Leonard, Kyrie Irving), but the front office pivoted by inking Randle to a three-year, $62 million contract which, in hindsight, looks like a stroke of genius. In addition, the Knicks used $15 million of that cap space to sign Marcus Morris, who was dealt to the Clippers at the deadline for a 2020 first-round pick, which turned into Immanuel Quickley. And this season, New York used Dennis Smith Jr. as a trade chip to acquire Derrick Rose, whose contributions have been critical to the Knicks&rsquo; recent run.&nbsp;
All told, the Knicks own the rights to seven first-round draft picks over the next five years. Only two teams in the league (the OKC Thunder and Houston Rockets) have more future first-rounders. New York also owns 11 second-round selections over the next six years.&nbsp;
Knicks fans are focused on the remainder of the 2020-21 campaign, as they should be. For this eternally tortured fanbase, no playoff game could possibly be taken for granted. Yet, whenever this unexpectedly entertaining season finally reaches its conclusion, fans can take solace, having faith they likely won't have to deal with another arduous, prolonged stretch of playoff-less springs. In fact, the franchise is properly positioned to continue its impressive push toward consistent contention.

The Knicks are winning for the first time in a long time, and their future is promising due to their young core, cap room and draft picks.

The Knicks are (finally) winning: Is this only the beginning of their run?

With training camps starting in a week, the NBA's 2020 free-agency period has moved very quickly. Nearly all of the marquee free agents are off the board, aside from Anthony Davis and Brandon Ingram (RFA). However, both stars are expected to re-sign.
On Day 5, who are the top remaining free agents at each position?&nbsp;
GUARDS: Reggie Jackson, Shabazz Napier, Quinn Cook, Shaquille Harrison, Evan Turner, Dion Waiters, Marco Belinelli, Emmanuel Mudiay, Yogi Ferrell, Jamal Crawford, Isaiah Thomas, Jeremy Lin, Jordan McLaughlin (RFA), Chris Chiozza, Thabo Sefolosha, Jordan McRae (RFA), Courtney Lee, Troy Daniels, Brandon Knight, Andre Roberson, Allonzo Trier, Ky Bowman, Gary Payton II, Naz Mitrou-Long, Treveon Graham, Ian Clark, Marcus Georges-Hunt, Frank Mason, Ty Lawson, Shabazz Muhammad, J.R. Smith, Chasson Randle
FORWARDS: Anthony Davis, Nicolas Batum, Frank Kaminsky, Glenn Robinson III, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, Wilson Chandler, Kyle Korver, DeMarre Carroll, John Henson, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Taj Gibson, Jared Dudley, Ersan Ilyasova, Bruno Caboclo, Lance Stephenson, Kenneth Faried, Kenrich Williams, Anthony Tolliver, Cheick Diallo, Dante Cunningham, Donatas Motiejunas, Justin Anderson
CENTER: Hassan Whiteside, Kyle O'Quinn, Ian Mahinmi, Noah Vonleh, Skal Labissiere, Tyson Chandler, Thon Maker, Kosta Koufos, Andrew Bogut, Caleb Swanigan, Ekpe Udoh, Miles Plumlee
Who would you like your favorite team to add? Leave a comment below.

Here's a position-by-position look at the top players who remain unsigned on Day 6 of NBA free agency.

Which NBA free agents are still available?

Aaaaaaaand we&rsquo;re off!
The first major domino of NBA #TradeSZN has fallen, with future Hall-of-Fame point guard Chris Paul <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-news-phoenix-suns-oklahoma-city-thunder-chris-paul-trade-ricky-rubio-ty-jerome-kelly-oubre" target="_blank" rel="noopener">being shipped to the Phoenix Suns</a>.
Paul and forward Abdel Nader will go to the Suns; Ricky Rubio, Kelly Oubre, Ty Jerome, Jalen Lecque and a 2022 first-rounder will go to the Oklahoma City Thunder.&nbsp;
Even at age 35, Paul is one of the best players in the NBA. He&rsquo;s coming off a renaissance year in OKC where he averaged 17.6 points, 6.7 assists, 5 rebounds, and 1.6 steals per game. His fit in Phoenix, on and off the floor, should be hand-in-glove for a team ready to make serious noise in the Western Conference.
What He Brings On Offense
You can&rsquo;t talk about Paul without mentioning his virtuosic play in pick-and-roll. He&rsquo;s long been the NBA&rsquo;s preeminent floor general, able to read his defender, the big and the help in one quick glance. He combines a distinct pace with a college-student-budget-tight handle to get to where he wants to go. From there, he&rsquo;s able to strike in whatever way would make the defense wrong.
Playing drop coverage and conceding too much of the middle? Paul will snake around the screen and pull-up for elbow middies. It&rsquo;s death by a million paper cuts, if the paper cuts were 16-footers that kiss the arena lights before falling gently through the net.
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://basketballnews-media.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/images/story/body/cp3-pull-up-j.gif" alt="" height="AUTO" />
This is Paul against Jayson Tatum, one of the rising stars in the league and a tremendous defender. From the get-go, Tatum wants to shade Paul into a sea of help. Gordon Hayward, Kemba Walker and Marcus Smart are all stationed to Paul&rsquo;s right, ready to swoop in and muck up space if Paul goes that way.&nbsp;
Paul recognizes this and outright refuses to go this way. He plans on attacking the empty side, so he sets Tatum up -- hesi, hang, cross. He&rsquo;s able to attack Tatum&rsquo;s high foot, while simultaneously running him into the screen from Steven Adams. With Daniel Theis playing with a gap. Paul is able to waltz into an elbow jumper.
Let&rsquo;s talk about those jumpers for a minute. Per NBA.com&rsquo;s <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/players/shooting/?sort=10-14%20ft.%20FGA&amp;dir=1&amp;Season=2019-20&amp;SeasonType=Regular%20Season&amp;PerMode=Totals" target="_blank" rel="noopener">tracking data</a>, Paul converted an absurd 53.6 percent of his shots between 10-14 feet, easily the highest clip among the 56 players with at least 75 attempts. Back it up to jumpers between 15-19 feet, and Paul&rsquo;s percentage falls all the way down to...50.8 percent. Only six players converted a higher percentage, and none of them took as many as Paul did (195 attempts). The only player to take more was DeMar DeRozan, who converted at a much less efficient clip (45.6 percent on 204 attempts).
In short: nobody hunts out middies quite like Paul. It's a fail-safe in just about any scenario: transition, semi-transition/early offense, late clock, late game. He can get it whenever he wants, It&rsquo;s an effective counterpunch as the league as a whole has become more threes-and-layups-y.&nbsp;
Of course, that only accounts for what Paul can do for himself. If he&rsquo;s able to run a defender off a screen and waltz into space, the defense is one step away from being burned with a pass.&nbsp;
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://basketballnews-media.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/images/story/body/cp3-lob.gif" alt="" height="AUTO" />
The play is dead the second Elfrid Payton loses connection with Paul over the Danilo Gallinari screen. Taj Gibson has to step up to cut off Paul&rsquo;s space. With Gallinari spotting up above the break, Julius Randle isn&rsquo;t able to provide any relief. The sneaky part of this is Luguentz Dort relocating to the opposite corner, essentially turning this into another empty side (double) pick-and-roll.
Of course, if the defense sells out to protect the paint, Paul can dice teams with skips to the corner.
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://basketballnews-media.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/images/story/body/cp3-corner-skip.gif" alt="" height="AUTO" />
Those double drag or double stagger looks were fruitful for Paul last season. According to a source with access to Second Spectrum tracking data, only two players -- Trae Young and Kemba Walker -- ran more of these sets than Paul last season. To relate that to Phoenix, Paul had over three times the volume in these sets than Rubio. It&rsquo;s easy to envision Paul running similar actions with Cameron Johnson popping, DeAndre Ayton rolling and Devin Booker waiting for a kick-out if the defense sends extra help.
And thus, this is why this trade was so important. Booker needs some of the creation burden taken off of his plate. Not that he can&rsquo;t handle it: that man is coming off an efficient 27-4-7 season, and he was even more ridiculous during the Suns&rsquo; 8-0 bubble run (31-5-6).&nbsp;
It&rsquo;s not a surprise that Booker&rsquo;s most efficient season came with Rubio as a backcourt partner. Rubio is probably a tier below Paul as a passer, but his ingenuity with the ball in his hands made Off-Ball Booker a more feasible option. Replacing Rubio with Paul, who adds legitimate scoring prowess in addition to the passing, while also being an ace spot-up shooter (89th percentile on spot-ups last season, per Synergy) to boot?&nbsp;
Whew.
What He Brings Defensively
Paul has slipped ever so slightly as a defender over the past few seasons, though that&rsquo;s due to age-related regression. Even then, he&rsquo;s gone from All-World to Really Freakin&rsquo; Good, which is a dip you can live with if you&rsquo;re Phoenix.
The Suns can shapeshift a bit defensively due to Ayton&rsquo;s growing comfort on switches, but they&rsquo;re still primarily a drop team. That puts strain on their perimeter defenders to fight over screens and stay attached to ball-handlers to force them into tough pull-ups. Paul isn&rsquo;t as twitchy as he once was, but he remains pretty sticky.
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://basketballnews-media.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/images/story/body/cp3-steal.gif" alt="" height="AUTO" />
Here, Zach LaVine sets up a high pick-and-roll with Wendell Carter Jr. Paul is able to fight over and stay connected to LaVine&rsquo;s left hip as he attempts to snake to the left elbow. As LaVine gets the ball to his left hand to possibly set up a more natural pull-up motion, Paul flashes his hands and pokes the ball loose, leading to the easy transition bucket on the other end.
Paul is at his most comfortable pestering guys from behind, but he&rsquo;s still sneakily switchable. Teams generated less that 0.9 points per possession on trips featuring a post up against Paul, per the Second Spectrum source. The core strength is still there, the quick hands are there and he&rsquo;s just flat-out annoying to jostle with.
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://basketballnews-media.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/images/story/body/cp3-post-steal.gif" alt="" height="AUTO" />
The fun part of that clip is Paul pulling the chair and reaching around for the steal. Pay close attention to Paul&rsquo;s positioning there, though. It&rsquo;s subtle, but he&rsquo;s shading Nikola Vucevic towards the baseline. Even at a massive size disadvantage, Paul is dictating the terms of engagement.
If Vucevic is going to score, he&rsquo;s going to have to spin baseline, where Nerlens Noel will be ready to rotate over.
Of course, Paul ends up not even needing the help. As Vucevic tries to go into his second dribble (and possibly gather), Paul ghosts him and makes a play on the ball. Vucevic stumbles, and Paul is able to retrieve the rock.
That basketball know-how, especially when it comes to navigating space and dictating angles, will be huge for a team with as much young talent as the Suns have. Booker won&rsquo;t be confused for a plus defender, but perhaps he can get there with Paul taking some of the offensive burden while teaching him some of the hidden tricks of the trade.&nbsp;
Mikal Bridges is already one of the best young wing defenders in the sport; what happens with Paul giving him some advice? What if some of that communication mojo -- a.k.a. yelling -- rubs off on Ayton, who has all the makings of a terrifying rim protector if his Year 2 leap was real?
Provided that Paul stays healthy, his acquisition is a home run for the Suns in all facets. He remains an elite offensive player, a 2.5 level scorer (those rim attempts are nosediving as he ages, buddy) that can generate good looks for himself and others. He can spot up off of Booker and still direct traffic if he sees mismatches.
Defensively, Paul remains a strong on-ball defender. He&rsquo;s a vocal leader, able to call out enemy sets and scram weak links out of unfavorable situations if the situation calls for it. On the intangible side, Paul is widely regarded as one of the best leaders in the NBA. He can be grating, but he demands excellence and accountability on both ends of the floor. His fiery personality is a match for Booker at the very least -- a scary thought for any backcourt that has to face them.
The Suns being able to land Paul is a win of its own; doing so without having to give up this year&rsquo;s pick, or any of their major young pieces -- Booker (duh), Ayton (duh), Bridges or Johnson -- allows them to have their cake and eat it too. Their young guns can grow with Paul in a mentor role, or Phoenix will have the ammo to make yet another star trade down the road.
No matter what they decide moving forward, they&rsquo;ve put themselves in a much better position to compete today.

Nekias Duncan breaks down the Suns' blockbuster deal to land Chris Paul in Phoenix and how it'll benefit Devin Booker and the rest of the team.

Jason