Blue Raiders

Blake Stern previews the NBA's Central Division, breaking down each team's projected lineup and burning question entering the year.

NBA Central Division Preview: Burning questions, rotation projections

MIAMI (AP) &mdash; Aaron Gordon scored 27 points, Nikola Jokic added 23 and the Denver Nuggets moved one win away from their first NBA championship by beating the Miami Heat 108-95 on Friday night to take a 3-1 lead in the title series.
Bruce Brown scored 21 off the bench for the Nuggets, who took both games in Miami to grab complete command. They&rsquo;ll have three chances to win one game for a title, two of those in Denver, the first of them in what&rsquo;s sure to be a raucous atmosphere for Game 5 on Monday night.
Jamal Murray had 15 points and 12 assists &mdash; his fourth consecutive double-digit assist game &mdash; for Denver.
Jimmy Butler scored 25 points for Miami, which has now fallen into 3-1 holes in each of its last three finals appearances &mdash; this one joining 2014 and 2020. Bam Adebayo had 20 points and 11 rebounds for the Heat, while Kyle Lowry had 13 points.
The Heat walked off the floor in silence, fully aware of how much trouble they&rsquo;re in now.
The Nuggets were overwhelming favorites to start the series, for obvious reasons. Denver was the Western Conference&rsquo;s No. 1 seed; Miami was the Eastern Conference&rsquo;s No. 8 seed. The Nuggets had won nine of the last 10 regular-season meetings between the teams, and their run of success over the Heat has continued through four games of the finals.
Denver led by 13 going into the fourth, and Miami came out for the final quarter with appropriate desperation. The Heat scored the first eight points, Jokic committed his fifth foul and had to go to the bench with 9:24 left &mdash; and it was down to 86-81 when Butler converted a three-point play with 8:42 remaining.
But the Nuggets &ndash; who fell apart in the fourth quarter of Game 2 for their lone loss of the series &ndash; didn&rsquo;t fold, even with their two-time MVP still out. Murray made a 3-pointer to stop Miami&rsquo;s 8-0 spurt, and Jeff Green made a huge corner 3 from near the Heat bench for a 94-85 edge with 6:21 left.
Jokic checked out with Denver up 10. He came back with the Nuggets up nine.
Miami didn&rsquo;t take advantage of that chance, and now finds itself on the wrong end of history. Teams that take a 3-1 lead in the NBA Finals have won 35 out of 36 previous times, and the Heat will have to buck that trend to keep Denver from winning its title.
The Nuggets even survived a scare. Jokic tweaked his right ankle when he landed on the back of Max Strus&rsquo; foot midway through the opening quarter. He remained in the game after it happened, briefly retreated to the Denver locker room before the start of the second quarter and played the rest of the way with no evident issues.
TIP-INS
Nuggets: Murray played with tape protecting the bottom of his left hand, thanks to a nasty floor burn he got in Game 3. &hellip; It was Denver&rsquo;s 25th win on the road this season, tying a franchise record set last season. ... Michael Porter Jr. scored 11 for the Nuggets.
Heat: It was retiring 20-year veteran Udonis Haslem&rsquo;s 43rd birthday and rookie Nikola Jovic&rsquo;s 20th birthday. Jovic was 58 days old when Haslem signed his first Heat contract. &hellip; If it was Miami&rsquo;s home finale this season, then the Heat went 613-299 in its home arena during his career. &hellip; Miami started the playoffs 6-0 at home. The Heat are 0-4 on their home floor since.
SLOW START
Miami led 21-20 after one quarter. The 41 combined points were the fewest in the first quarter of the last 24 finals games; the first quarter of Game 4 of the Toronto-Golden State series in 2019 had 40 points.
CELEB WATCH
Kentucky coach John Calipari was in the crowd, as was Academy Award winner Forest Whitaker, two-time WNBA MVP A&rsquo;ja Wilson of the Las Vegas Aces, Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields and twins Haley and Hanna Cavinder &mdash; who helped the Miami Hurricanes make the Elite Eight in this year&rsquo;s NCAA women&rsquo;s tournament.

The Nuggets moved one win away from their first NBA championship by beating the Heat 108-95 on Friday night to take a 3-1 lead.

Nuggets now in full command of NBA Finals, top Heat 108-95 for 3-1 lead

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

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) &mdash; Damian Lillard set franchise- and career-highs with 71 points &mdash; tied for the most in the NBA this season &mdash; and 13 three-pointers and the Portland Trail Blazers snapped a two-game skid with a 131-114 victory over the Houston Rockets on Sunday night.
Lillard tied Cleveland&rsquo;s Donovan Mitchell for the most points in a game this season after Mitchell also scored 71 in a win over Chicago on Jan. 2. Lillard broke his own franchise mark of 61 points, which he&rsquo;d done twice, on a three-pointer with 4:42 left that also topped his career record for threes in a game with 11.
Lillard&rsquo;s 13 three-pointers were one shy of the NBA record set by Golden State&rsquo;s Klay Thompson in 2018. Thompson&rsquo;s Warriors teammate Stephen Curry (2016) and Chicago&rsquo;s Zach LaVine (2019) also made 13 threes.
In the final minutes, the crowd at the Moda Center was on its feet, phones recording the moment, while chanting &ldquo;MVP! MVP!&rdquo;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
71 points 13 threes 6 assists 6 boards 2 TOs 39 minutes 57.9 FG% 59 3PT% 100 FT% <a href="https://twitter.com/Dame_Lillard?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Dame_Lillard</a> is the first player in NBA history with 70+ points, 10+ threes, 5+ assists, 5+ rebounds in a game. He was one 3 shy of tying the record for most 3s in a game. <a href="https://t.co/49UPnvpit8">pic.twitter.com/49UPnvpit8</a>
&mdash; Alex Kennedy (@AlexKennedyNBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/AlexKennedyNBA/status/1630072531016089601?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 27, 2023</a></blockquote>

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Lillard left the game with 44 seconds left, tied with Mitchell, Elgin Baylor (1960) and David Robinson (1994) for the eighth-most points scored in a game in NBA history. Wilt Chamberlain owns the league record with 100 for Philadelphia against New York on March 2, 1962, at Hershey, Pennsylvania.
Lillard had 41 points and eight three-pointers by halftime. It was a career-high in a half for Lillard and the most points in a half for any player in the league this season. He had 50 by the start of the fourth quarter.
Jerami Grant added 13 points for the Blazers, who led by as many as 23. Portland is part of a cluster of eight Western Conference just four wins apart that are vying for playoff spots.
Alperen Sengun had 17 points and 10 rebounds for the Rockets, sitting in last place in the Western Conference with just 13 overall wins and nine-straight losses.
Houston trailed 102-88 heading into the final quarter, but scored the first six points of the period to close the gap to 102-94. Grant&rsquo;s three-pointer for Portland extended the margin to 108-98.
Lillard&rsquo;s three, his 11th of the night to tie his career high, made it 113-103 with 6:43 left. He added a driving layup and a free throw. Houston could not catch up.
Lillard started after resting for Thursday night&rsquo;s 133-116 loss to Sacramento. He participated in the NBA All-Star Game and won the three-point contest the previous weekend.
But Portland remained without center Jusuf Nurkic (left calf) and guard Anfernee Simons (right ankle).
The Blazers had a 31-30 lead after one quarter, led by Lillard&rsquo;s 16. Portland extended the lead to 50-39 after Lillard went on a personal 9-2 run against the Rockets, capped by a three-pointer from 35 feet out.
The Blazers led 73-58 at the break with Lillard the 10th player since the 1996-97 season with 40-plus points in a half.
Lillard has 15 games with 50 or more points, sixth-most in NBA history.
SIDELINED
Guards Jalen Green and Kevin Porter Jr. did not play, although Rockets coach Stephen Silas said both should be available for the team&rsquo;s short upcoming homestand. Green missed his second game with a strained left groin. Porter has been out 19 games because of a left foot contusion.
TIP-INS
Rockets: It was the third and final meeting between the teams this season. The Blazers won the previous two. Last season, the series ended 2-2. ... Jae&rsquo;Sean Tate had four fouls in the first half, but finished with 17 points.
Trail Blazers: Following reports that Lillard was rallying his teammates for the final 23 games of the season, Blazers coach Chauncey Billups was asked how he&rsquo;s motivating his team for the stretch run. &ldquo;What I&rsquo;m mostly always talking about is `Here&rsquo;s where we are. Here&rsquo;s how we got there. This is how we&rsquo;ve got to climb out of it,&rsquo;&rdquo; Billups said.
UP NEXT
Rockets: Return home to face the Denver Nugget on Tuesday.
Trail Blazers: Visit the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday.

Damian Lillard had a franchise-high and career-high 71 points and 13 threes as the Blazers beat the Rockets 131-114 on Sunday night.

Damian Lillard has 71 points and 13 threes; Blazers beat Rockets

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

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

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

DENVER (AP) &mdash; Reserve Jeff Green scored a season-high 24 points, Nikola Jokic notched his 21st triple-double of the season and the Denver Nuggets headed into the All-Star break with a 118-109 victory over the short-handed Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday night.
Nikola Jokic finished with 14 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists for the Western Conference-leading Nuggets, who moved to an NBA-best 27-4 at home this season. Michael Porter Jr. hit five 3-pointers and finished with 22 points.
&ldquo;For us to continue to find ways to win and have different guys step up every night, I think it speaks to our chemistry, our depth,&rdquo; Nuggets coach Michael Malone said. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve got a really good team in there.&rdquo;
Luka Doncic had 37 points in leading a banged-up Dallas team that was missing guard Kyrie Irving due to lower-back tightness. Doncic and Irving have played alongside each other in two games since Irving was acquired as part of a deal with Brooklyn on Feb. 6.
The Nuggets led by 21 in the fourth quarter, only to see the Mavericks cut it to 105-95 with 5:50 remaining on Christian Wood&rsquo;s layup. Soon after, Porter blocked a shot on one end, raced back and hit a 3-pointer on the other to gain some breathing room.
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Where it really got away from the Mavs, coach Jason Kidd conceded, was in the second, when the Nuggets broke open a one-point game with a 35-19 quarter.
&ldquo;You&rsquo;re sitting in a good place against the best team in the West and so we have to look at doing a better job,&rdquo; Kidd said.
The two teams split their four-game season series.
View Denver as a favorite?
&ldquo;When you have a guy like Jokic on your team, you&rsquo;re the favorite,&rdquo; Doncic said.
Jokic joined some exclusive company by going over 500 assists and 500 rebounds before the All-Star break. The other NBA players to accomplish the feat were Russell Westbrook (three times, &rsquo;16-17, &rsquo;17-18, &rsquo;18-19) and Oscar Robertson (&rsquo;61-62).
Jokic, the two-time reigning MVP, remains on pace to average a triple-double this season.
&ldquo;He makes it look like a walk in the park,&rdquo; recently acquired backup center Thomas Bryant said of Jokic&rsquo;s ease with triple-doubles. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s not easy at all.&rdquo;
Doncic&rsquo;s big night was his 65th career game with 35 or more points. Only LeBron James had more (87) before his 24th birthday. Doncic turns 24 on Feb. 28.
TIP-INS
Mavericks: F Justin Holiday was signed Wednesday. He played in 28 games for Atlanta this season and averaged 4.5 points. ... F Davis Bertans (calf), G Tim Hardaway Jr. (hamstring) and F/C Maxi Kleber (hamstring) were inactive.
Nuggets: Denver was without guard Jamal Murray (right knee inflammation) along with forward Aaron Gordon (bruised ribs).
FRIENDLY REMINDER
Malone made sure to remind his team the All-Star break didn&rsquo;t begin until 11 p.m. &mdash; well after their game. They listened.
&ldquo;Times have changed, guys get their private jets running, waiting to go somewhere,&rdquo; cracked Malone, who will coach Team LeBron at the All-Star Game.
COLORADO KID
Backup guard Reggie Jackson jumped at the chance to sign with the Nuggets and play close to home. Jackson, who grew up down the road in Colorado Springs, agreed to a deal with Denver on Tuesday. He wasn&rsquo;t in uniform against Dallas.
The 32-year-old Jackson&rsquo;s favorite player as a kid was Chauncey Billups, the Denver native who went to the University of Colorado before embarking on a long NBA career.
Jackson will wear No. 7 with Denver &mdash; a number Billups wore in 2009 while with the Nuggets.
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Reserve Jeff Green scored a season-high 24 points, and the Denver Nuggets beat the short-handed Dallas Mavericks 118-109.

Green helps Nuggets go into break with 118-109 win over Mavs

John Wall&rsquo;s two-year stint with the Houston Rockets finally came to an end last offseason, when the two sides agreed to a buyout &ndash; allowing the 32-year-old point guard to sign with the Los Angeles Clippers.&nbsp;
Now, in a candid conversation on the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FMHTV1PpNWA" target="_blank" rel="noopener">&ldquo;Run Your Race&rdquo; podcast</a>, Wall opened up to Dallas Mavericks guard Theo Pinson and co-host AJ Richardson about his time in Houston and why the relationship soured.
As soon as Pinson brought up the Rockets, Wall said that his experience was &ldquo;trash.&rdquo;&nbsp;
&ldquo;Beyond trash. Because I'm going there thinking James [Harden] is going to be there, you know what I mean, when I get traded [there], but he already wants out," Wall said. "When I landed, I&rsquo;m about to go do my [press] conference and sh*t and he was like, &lsquo;Well, I'm on my way to Atlanta for Lil Baby&rsquo;s birthday.&rsquo; The f*ck?! [He&rsquo;s] talking about, &lsquo;You want to get on a jet with me?&rsquo; I just got traded here! I can&rsquo;t f*ck up. I gotta be on good terms. I don't know how the owner is, how the GM is, I don't know nothing. This ain't like I'm in D.C. If I was in D.C. I&rsquo;d be like, &lsquo;Hell yeah, we out!&rsquo; It&rsquo;s my show. But this ain&rsquo;t my show over here&hellip;
&ldquo;He don't come to training camp, none of that, so that news is all toxic. For me, I ain't played in two years. Mom passed, my Achilles, then COVID so I'm like, &lsquo;I don't give a f*ck who playing, I just want to hoop. That's it.&rsquo; I went there, worked my ass off and played.&rdquo;&nbsp;
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Once Harden was traded to the Brooklyn Nets in January, it became clear that the Rockets were entering a rebuild. Wall claims that the team tanked to secure a top draft pick. Houston would win just 17 games that season, finishing with the NBA's worst record and ultimately landing the No. 2 overall pick (which they used on Jalen Green).
&ldquo;I mean, we lost 20 in a row; we was trying to lose on purpose &ndash; tanking,&rdquo; Wall said. &ldquo;Like, we started starting someone named Justin Patton! This is how our starting line-up was: me, David Nwaba, Jae'Sean Tate, Justin Patton and somebody else. I'm like, well, who the f*ck can I win a game with, with this sh*t?&rdquo;
At that point, Wall said he focused on mentoring the team's young core &ndash; explaining that this situation wasn&rsquo;t normal and that they shouldn&rsquo;t get used to losing or their bad habits.
"I always wanted to teach them like, &lsquo;Don't get used to this sh*t, this is not how the NBA is. It&rsquo;s just a bad organization right now.&rsquo; Like, they got to fix some sh*t around,&rdquo; Wall said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;d always talk to Jalen Green, Kevin Porter, KJ [Martin], like, &lsquo;Don't get adjusted to this losing sh*t, this is not how the league is.&rsquo; But at the same time, I had to tell them like, &rsquo;The sh*t y&rsquo;all are getting away with over here, if you go to any other teams, you would be out of the f*cking league! You wouldn't play!&rsquo; I'm trying to explain that to them because they think it's sweet. But I'm like, &lsquo;If you ever get traded or go somewhere else, you&rsquo;re going to be like, &lsquo;This motherf*cker was right!&rsquo;&rdquo;&nbsp;
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Over the course of Wall's two seasons with the Rockets, he only appeared in 40 games &ndash; averaging 20.6 points, 6.9 assists, 3.2 rebounds, 2.0 threes and 1.1 steals on .404/.317/.749 shooting splits.&nbsp;
Entering the 2021-22 season, the front office and Wall weren&rsquo;t on the same page about his role, so the executives ultimately asked Wall to stay away from the team.
&ldquo;My second year [in Houston], they didn't want to play me at all,&rdquo; Wall said. &ldquo;At the end of my first year, they were like, &lsquo;Yo, we want to bring you back. We love the way you leading the team. You've been a leader for the young guys.&rsquo; I'm like, &lsquo;I don't give a f*ck about none of that. I said if God put me in this place to help the young guys, then that's what it is. But he didn't put me here for y'all to try to tank and, for me to be a player that can still play and just be wasting my talent, I'm not doing it.&rsquo; They were like, &lsquo;Nah, you&rsquo;re going to start for us next year...&rsquo; and whatever. And I would have been fine coming off the bench for them! But I'm like, &lsquo;Don't just give a motherf*cker a [starting] spot, let him earn it!&rsquo;&nbsp;
&ldquo;So, I go back to check on my condo and a month before the season, they call... This is Coach (Stephen Silas) talking to me and he goes, &lsquo;How would you feel coming off the bench?&rsquo; I said, &lsquo;For who? No offense, but for who? I was your best player last year.&rsquo; [He says], &lsquo;This is what the GM wants. He wants you to play like 10-to-15 minutes a game and sometimes don't play.&rsquo; I said, &lsquo;I'm not doing it.&rsquo; Either you&rsquo;re going to guarantee me some minutes or not. But I'm like, &lsquo;Let a motherf*cker earn the [starting] spot!&rsquo; The coach was like, &lsquo;Man, you don't deserve that, you should be a starter, but this is what they want to do.&rsquo; Well, I'm not doing that. I said I'll rehab, I'll work out every day, I&rsquo;ll stick around the team, I'll come to meetings, I'll fly with ya&rsquo;ll and I'll mentor the guys. So, that&rsquo;s what I'm doing. Then, it got to the point where they were like, &lsquo;Don't come around.&rsquo; They didn't want me around.&nbsp;
&ldquo;I had to work out at 7 a.m. like I was a rookie. I had to work out before they got there; by the time they would come in, I'd be home. I'd be back home by 10:30, chilling all day. So, I'm like, &lsquo;My kids are in Miami. Sh*t, I can't be here.&rsquo; And I'm bored as sh*t! From 10:30 to all day, I'm just chilling until the game. The game is at 7:00 and I get there at 6:59 [since] I ain&rsquo;t playing and I&rsquo;ve already worked out for the day. So, I'm in a whole other place. I'm going out like a motherf*cker, I&rsquo;m bored as hell, I'm wasting money for no reason. So I said, &lsquo;Let me go back to Miami, get on a regular schedule and spend time with my kids every day until I get traded.&rsquo; I didn't get traded, but I got a buyout, so now I'm here [in Los Angeles]. That's how it all went. That&rsquo;s how crazy it was.&rdquo;
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
Silas pushed back on Wall&rsquo;s claim that the Rockets were intentionally trying to lose games.
"When we go out every night, we&rsquo;re trying to win a basketball game. And we prepare the same way that I prepared when I was working for perennial playoff teams," Silas said, according to the <a href="https://www.chron.com/sports/rockets/article/stephen-silas-john-wall-criticism-17726187.php" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Houston Chronicle</a>. "We have the same expectations for play. We do things in a manner that is putting us in the direction to win every single night that we&rsquo;re out there. Is that [always] going to happen? No. We&rsquo;re a young team, we have 19- and 20- and 21-year-old guys who emotionally, they go up and down, and with their games there is going to be inconsistency."
Also, Silas said that Wall's dismissal from the team "wasn't a perfect situation for anybody," and that the Rockets' decision to build around Green and Porter "made it hard for John."&nbsp;
The Rockets are still rebuilding, and they currently have the NBA's worst record (10-36). Houston has the league's 30th-ranked offense (scoring 106.2 points per 100 possessions) and 28th-ranked defense (allowing 115.5 points per 100 possessions). However, Silas doesn't think the Rockets' culture is broken or that this rebuilding period will do long-term damage to the team's young core, as Wall suggested.
"The best teacher is experience, and that's what they're getting right now," Silas <a href="https://www.chron.com/sports/rockets/article/stephen-silas-john-wall-criticism-17726187.php" target="_blank" rel="noopener">explained</a>. "You look at certain guys around the league, and just because they went through a rebuild, they [don&rsquo;t] have a losing attitude."
Wall is currently averaging 11.4 points, 5.2 assists and 2.7 rebounds in 22.2 minutes per game for the Clippers, who currently have the eighth-best record in the Western Conference at 24-24.

In a candid interview, John Wall detailed his split from the Rockets and described his stint in Houston as "beyond trash."

John Wall criticizes Rockets: 'It's just a bad organization right now'

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Malik Monk scored 33 points, including the tiebreaking free throw with 0.7 seconds left, and the Sacramento Kings came back from down 19 points late in the third quarter to beat the Denver Nuggets 127-126 on Wednesday night.
“I was talking to my old teammate, DeAndre Jordan, the whole time,” Monk said on the final free throws. "That free throw felt the best it has all night, I thought it was going in. Then I just had to lock in and hit the next one. I don’t miss two in a row.” 
Nikola Jokic scored 40 points for Denver but missed a 3-pointer at the top of the key as time expired. 
“Sacramento played really well,” Jokic said. “It was not just one guy. We couldn’t stop a couple of them.”
De’Aaron Fox had 31 points and 13 assists, while Domantas Sabonis returned to the lineup with 31 points, 10 rebounds and five assists. The Kings had lost three of four at home.
“He literally has a broken thumb,” Fox said of Sabonis. “He still went out there and it just shows his toughness. He wants to win. When he came here it wasn’t just for the future, he wants to win games now.”
The Nuggets played without Jamal Murray, Aaron Gordon and Bruce Brown. They had their five-game winning streak snapped.
“I felt like we were bigger and when you play big it’s harder for them to share the basketball," Kings acting head coach Jordi Fernandez said. "Our activity, our communication, our willingness to fly around, I feel like that really changed the game.”
Michael Porter Jr. had 19 points for Denver after a 30-point performance Tuesday in the Nuggets' victory in the opener of the two-game series in Sacramento. Bones Hyland scored 20 points in his first start of the season. 
“Obviously tonight was not a great night for our defense,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said. “That’s why we lost. You can’t rely on offense against a young hungry team that got beat last night.”
TIP-INS
Nuggets: Jokic had seven rebounds and six assists.
Kings: Sacramento coach Mike Brown missed his second consecutive game after he entered the health and safety protocols after testing positive for COVID-19. Fernandez took his place. … The Kings received a technical foul after a delay of game call with 11:09 left in the second quarter.
UP NEXT
Nuggets: Host Miami on Friday.
Kings: Host Utah on Friday in the final game of a six-game homestand.

Malik Monk scored 33 points, and the Sacramento Kings rallied from 19 points down to beat the Denver Nuggets 127-126.

Monk scores 33, hits winning free throw as Kings top Nuggets

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) &mdash; Michael Porter Jr. scored 30 points, Jamal Murray added 25 and the Denver Nuggets rallied from a 20-point deficit to beat the Sacramento Kings 113-106 on Tuesday night for their fifth straight win.
&ldquo;We got down by 20 points and we didn&rsquo;t drop our heads,&rdquo; coach Michael Malone said. &ldquo;We just stayed with it, kept on chopping away and were able to get the win.&rdquo;
Porter and Murray sparked an 8-0 run in a span of 56 seconds late in the fourth quarter to turn a tie game into another win for the top team in the Western Conference.
Porter's 3-pointer broke a 96-all tie with 3:14 to play and Murray followed with a desperation 3 just before the shot clock expired. Murray then added a steal and breakaway layup to make it 104-96 with 2:14 to play and Denver hung on from there.
&ldquo;That&rsquo;s what you want,&rdquo; Malone said. &ldquo;You need your best players to step up.&rdquo;
Nikola Jokic added 20 points, 11 assists and nine rebounds for the Nuggets, who have won eight of their last nine games.
De'Aaron Fox scored 26 points and Kevin Huerter added 11 for the Kings, who have lost three of four games to open a six-game homestand.
&ldquo;This was a game, especially the first of a back-to-back, we needed to have more energy than them,&rdquo; Huerter said. &ldquo;We came out the right way &hellip; and obviously they kind of worked us in the second half.&rdquo;
The Kings built a 20-point lead midway through the second quarter before the Nuggets chipped away thanks to the play of Porter, who scored 19 points in the first half.
Sacramento led 56-47 at the break, holding Jokic to two points on two shots.
&ldquo;The most important stretch of this game was how we closed the second quarter,&rdquo; Malone said. &ldquo;They had all the momentum, they were feeling good and we allowed that to happen. They didn&rsquo;t feel us. To have that run of 23-12 to kind of get back in the game, cut it to nine at the half, and then we used our third and fourth quarter to kind of continue that.&rdquo;
But Jokic scored 14 points in the third quarter to cut the deficit to four points headed into the tight final period.
&ldquo;At some point we were tired and made some mistakes,&rdquo; said acting Kings coach Jordi Fernandez. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s human nature.&rdquo;
SHORT-HANDED
The Kings were without coach Mike Brown and star center Domantas Sabonis.
Brown entered the health and safety protocols after testing positive for COVID-19 and missed the game. Fernandez took his place.
Sabonis was sidelined with an avulsion fracture of the ulnar collateral ligament in his right thumb. Sabonis hurt his non-shooting hand in the fourth quarter of Sacramento&rsquo;s loss to Washington on Friday. He will be re-evaluated Wednesday.
Denver forward Aaron Gordon missed the game with a shoulder injury.
TIP-INS
Nuggets: This was the third time in the past six seasons that Jokic was held to two points or fewer in the first half when playing at least 17 minutes. ... G Bruce Brown left the game in the second quarter with a sprained right ankle and didn't return. ... Zeke Nnaji replaced Gordon in the starting lineup for his third start in three seasons in the NBA. He fouled out with no points in 15 minutes.
Kings: Alex Len, who had played 25 minutes all season, started in place of Sabonis. ... Former Kings GM Vlade Divac sat courtside next to owner Vivek Ranadive.
&nbsp;

Michael Porter Jr. scored 30 points, and the Denver Nuggets rallied from a 20-point deficit to beat the Sacramento Kings 113-106.

Nuggets rally to beat Kings 113-106 for 5th straight win

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) &mdash; Andrew Wiggins shoots more than 100 three-pointers most practices, as many reps as needed &ldquo;until I feel good.&rdquo;
The ball is smooth coming out of his hand, he's in position, the ball is going through the net.
On Saturday night, Wiggins almost made his career-best ninth three-pointer, but his foot was on the line.
He dazzled from beyond the arc, scoring a season-best 36 points and matching his career high with eight threes, leading the Golden State Warriors past the Houston Rockets 120-101 in the second game of back-to-backs for both teams.
&ldquo;I felt like I was just flowing,&rdquo; Wiggins said. &ldquo;My shot felt good, my teammates did a great job finding me and getting me open shots and good looks.&rdquo;
Stephen Curry scored 30 points with eight threes of his own to go with 10 assists. Jordan Poole started in place of a resting Klay Thompson and added 21 points and five assists, one night after a 30-point performance off the bench with a season-high seven threes.
Wiggins knocked down consecutive threes midway through the third quarter and shot 14-of-19 overall as the Warriors won their 10th straight at home.
Kevin Porter Jr. scored 20 points and Tari Eason contributed 13 off the bench for Houston.
Jalen Green added 13 points but missed all five of his tries from long range a night after the 20-year-old guard had 30 to help fuel a 16-point comeback in the second half of a stunning 122-121 win at Phoenix. The Rockets were sluggish from the start in this one.
Golden State became just the second team in NBA history to make 20 three-pointers in four of five games, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. The Jazz did so from Nov. 27-Dec. 8, 2021.
The Warriors raced to a 22-4 lead, making their initial seven shots, as Houston began 2 for 11. Golden State led 39-23 after one quarter.
&ldquo;It was a phenomenal first 18 minutes, I thought that was maybe the best stretch we&rsquo;ve had all year to start the game and then halfway through the second quarter, maybe eight minutes left in the second quarter we didn&rsquo;t have any turnovers, we had like 16 assists, we were defending, rebounding, doing everything right and then we just lost our focus,&rdquo; Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s our biggest challenge right now is trying to maintain our focus long enough to not give up leads and allow teams back in and I thought that&rsquo;s what happened tonight.&rdquo;
A DAY FOR KLAY
Thompson sat on the second game in consecutive nights, as has been standard practice for him to not play both contests &mdash; for now, that is. This marked the Warriors' fifth back-to-back of 15 total.
&ldquo;The hope is that he will play back-to-backs later this year. Today, he will go through really good court work to try and simulate as best we can what a back-to-back would feel like for him,&rdquo; Kerr said.
TIP-INS
Rockets: The Rockets shot 2-for-15 from deep in the first half &mdash; 1-of-6 by Porter, who missed eight of his nine on the night &mdash; and 3-of-28 overall. ... Houston lost its fourth straight on the Warriors' home floor and eighth in a row overall in the series, dating to a 135-105 win on Feb. 20, 2020. ... The Rockets are 2-10 on the road against the Western Conference.
Warriors: Kevon Looney grabbed 12 rebounds. ... Curry, Poole and Wiggins combined for 10 threes in the first half. ... The Warriors committed no turnovers and only two fouls in their 39-point opening quarter. ... Golden State improved to 11-1 at home and the unbeaten run is the best for the team on its home floor since 11 in a row from Oct. 30-Dec. 3, 2021.
UP NEXT
Rockets: Host the 76ers on Monday night.
Warriors: Host the Pacers on Monday night.

The Golden State Warriors beat the Houston Rockets 120-101 in the second game of back-to-backs for both teams.

Andrew Wiggins scores 36 points, leads Warriors past Rockets

For the last four years, Nikola Jokic has set a standard as the offensive fulcrum in the NBA.
The two-time Most Valuable Player led the league in touches per game from 2018-19 through 2021-22, according to data tracked by NBA Stats and Second Spectrum. He became the first player in tracking history (dating back to 2013-14) to average over 100 touches per game across an entire season in 2020-21, then did it again last year.
But for the first time in five years, Jokic isn't atop the leaderboard in that statistical category.
That spot currently belongs to Tyrese Haliburton.&nbsp;
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
The dynamic young guard is averaging 97.1 touches per contest through his first 21 games &mdash; easily a career high, and even an uptick from his two-month stretch last spring after the Indiana Pacers acquired him before the trade deadline. That mark is on pace to be the fourth-highest non-Jokic touch diet recorded in 10 years of tracking.&nbsp;
At just 22 years old, Haliburton has rapidly ascended to his current status as the NBA's assist leader and one of its premier orchestrators. Just look at the latest history he made:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Tyrese Haliburton has posted 40 assists and zero turnovers across his last three games 🔥 Per NBA Stats, he&rsquo;s the first player to do that in a three-game span since individual turnovers were first tracked in 1977-78 🤯 <a href="https://t.co/3EKLBYNd73">pic.twitter.com/3EKLBYNd73</a>
&mdash; BasketballNews.com (@basketbllnews) <a href="https://twitter.com/basketbllnews/status/1597745470264131589?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 30, 2022</a></blockquote>
&ldquo;I want to be a 20-and-10 guy and I want to be an All-Star,&rdquo; Haliburton <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-interview-tyrese-haliburton-indiana-pacers-chad-buchanan-bennedict-mathurin-myles-turner-sacramento-kings-domantas-sabonis-trade-drew-hanlen" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told our Alex Kennedy before the season</a>.
So far, he's on track, posting 19.3 points and 11.2 assists per game, even after a dud outing against his former Sacramento Kings team. Many people, myself included, expected Haliburton to stuff the stat sheet this year on a bad Pacers team destined for the NBA Draft lottery.
Except... the Pacers haven't been bad. They're 12-9 and fourth in a crowded middle pack of the Eastern Conference. In that time, Haliburton has been the clear best high-volume passer in the league.&nbsp;
Seriously, pick a site and pick a stat. Haliburton is responsible for 51.3% of his team's assists, the best mark in the NBA, and his 1.76 assist-to-usage rate is also tops in the league, per Cleaning the Glass. He passes the ball more than anyone else (76.2 times per game) and 18.3% of those passes turn into assists or free throws (ranked 7th), according to Second Spectrum.&nbsp;
BBall Index has 11 listed metrics for playmaking traits; Haliburton is in the 98th percentile or higher in 10 of them. But I'd like to specifically highlight his 11.7 "high value assists" per 75 possessions, which track his rate of creation for three-point, at-rim and free-throw assists.
Haliburton leads the NBA by a significant margin with 4.76 three-point assists per game. His instinctual processing is otherworldly, as he'll show us:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Tyrese Haliburton takes us inside the mind of the <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@nba</a>&rsquo;s assists leader, sharing his thought process during the final play of last night's game when he found Andrew Nembhard for the game-winning three. <a href="https://t.co/u6D1McSmqD">pic.twitter.com/u6D1McSmqD</a>
&mdash; Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) <a href="https://twitter.com/Pacers/status/1597663024386801666?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 29, 2022</a></blockquote>

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The most popular assist combination in the league, according to PBP Stats, is Haliburton setting up Buddy Hield. He's done it 61 times; no other player has connected with a teammate more than 50 times this season. Haliburton also has another, quieter frequent-assist partner: Jalen Smith, who's been the beneficiary 44 times this season (seventh-most in the NBA).&nbsp;
<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/pgk1nd" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
Haliburton recognizes that defenses don't fully respect Smith as a perimeter shooter yet. But the combo guard is still happy to hit up his teammate for an open shot, and Smith has lately been knocking them down as a trailing or spot-up shooter. Then Haliburton also capitalizes with his ball-screen savvy, drawing in defenders to hit Smith as the roller or as a separate cutter.&nbsp;
These dishes might not always seem flashy, but they reinforce two key developments: Haliburton's overall pristine court awareness, and his growing gravity as an individual scorer. Here's a snapshot of his presence at the rim in his career, per Cleaning the Glass:
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%; height: 132px;" border="1">
<tbody>
<tr style="height: 44px;">
<td style="width: 15.6944%; height: 44px;">Season</td>
<td style="width: 13.9972%; height: 44px;">% of FGA At Rim</td>
<td style="width: 23.3968%; height: 44px;">% of Rim FGM That Were Assisted</td>
<td style="width: 19.6108%; height: 44px;">At-Rim FG%</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 15.6944%; height: 22px;">2020-21</td>
<td style="width: 13.9972%; height: 22px;">16%</td>
<td style="width: 23.3968%; height: 22px;">40%</td>
<td style="width: 19.6108%; height: 22px;">67%</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 15.6944%; height: 22px;">2021-22 (SAC)</td>
<td style="width: 13.9972%; height: 22px;">15%</td>
<td style="width: 23.3968%; height: 22px;">28%</td>
<td style="width: 19.6108%; height: 22px;">64%</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 15.6944%; height: 22px;">2021-22 (IND)</td>
<td style="width: 13.9972%; height: 22px;">22%</td>
<td style="width: 23.3968%; height: 22px;">49%</td>
<td style="width: 19.6108%; height: 22px;">64%</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 15.6944%; height: 22px;">2022-23</td>
<td style="width: 13.9972%; height: 22px;">30%</td>
<td style="width: 23.3968%; height: 22px;">18%</td>
<td style="width: 19.6108%; height: 22px;">67%</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
Haliburton is getting to the cup more than ever and doing some serious heavy lifting by himself to create those shots. Yet, he's experienced no falloff in efficiency whatsoever.&nbsp;
<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/sfpg1h" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
I mean &mdash; this just looks so easy! Haliburton is changing directions quickly into mismatches, getting low and turning corners with purpose, using changes in stride to decelerate, finishing off buckets with his length and touch, and, in the last clip, just making defenders look downright silly. He was not supposed to have this in his bag coming out of Iowa State. He just makes attacking with the basketball look effortless.
Haliburton is scoring on 51.7% of his driving field goal attempts; that's not a world-beating rate, but it's very good for his volume, and it sufficiently threatens opponents. This means more defenders stay focused on Haliburton, resulting in more passing lanes appearing on his internal radar.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
This glosses over Haliburton's perimeter shot-making, which has started cold, but is a hallmark of his game. The third-year guard has canned just 34.0% of his catch-and-shoot treys while keeping a better, 38.0% clip on pull-ups. The catch-and-shoot numbers are bound to improve; he's been over 43% in each of his prior two years and has a long track record of shooting prowess.&nbsp;
Revisiting Kennedy's <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-interview-tyrese-haliburton-indiana-pacers-chad-buchanan-bennedict-mathurin-myles-turner-sacramento-kings-domantas-sabonis-trade-drew-hanlen" target="_blank" rel="noopener">summer feature</a>, Haliburton said that becoming an imposing scorer would allow both himself and his teammates to prosper:
"I think being more aggressive as a scorer will allow me to also open up more things as a facilitator; I think it boosts both things for me... [I&rsquo;ll] still be facilitating, but I&rsquo;ll also be looking for my own [shot], and that's gonna help everybody at the end of the day," Haliburton said.
It is remarkable that, in the span of 21 games, Haliburton has manifested these results. It's another testament to his vision, both on the basketball court and of his own stardom.
THE OUTLIERS (a.k.a. other random interesting numbers I found in the void):
<ul>
<li>Returning to the touches leaders: Jokic ranks third currently at 93.1 touches per game. The slight dip makes sense; Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. have hit a string of consistent health, and Bones Hyland's role continues to grow. Don't let the change distract from Jokic remaining one of the sport's unique artists.</li>
<li>The Boston Celtics!</li>
</ul>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Jump Shooting By Team. <a href="https://t.co/DJav9GGB6d">pic.twitter.com/DJav9GGB6d</a>
&mdash; Kirk Goldsberry (@kirkgoldsberry) <a href="https://twitter.com/kirkgoldsberry/status/1597984396732428293?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 30, 2022</a></blockquote>

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<ul>
<li>With the continued demise of mid-range shooting and a push towards creating quality shots at the rim, we might be hitting a math-breaking point for the league:</li>
</ul>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
eFG% on 2PAs has passed that of 3PAs as 2P% keeps climbing. <a href="https://t.co/lujr2qBEYy">pic.twitter.com/lujr2qBEYy</a>
&mdash; Tom Bassine (@tvbassine) <a href="https://twitter.com/tvbassine/status/1598314428042280961?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 1, 2022</a></blockquote>
<ul>
<li>Would like to give a shoutout to Jalen Williams, who just won NBA Rookie of the Month for November and has absolutely been one of my favorite rookies to watch all season long:</li>
</ul>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Jalen Williams is shooting 62.1% on two-pointers this season and only 45% of those have been assisted. He's already got such a smooth ability to change pace, finish with strength and length, and use floater touch. Some great moments from his 27-point game: <a href="https://t.co/fZxV1Uuacx">pic.twitter.com/fZxV1Uuacx</a>
&mdash; Ethan Fuller (@ethman43) <a href="https://twitter.com/ethman43/status/1598340267588861952?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 1, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Tyrese Haliburton is the NBA's leader in touches per game and has made the most of his offensive impact.

NBA Stats Notebook: Tyrese Haliburton arriving as an offensive engine

MILWAUKEE (AP) &mdash; Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 44 points and became Milwaukee&rsquo;s career free throws leader as the Bucks rolled to a 125-105 victory over the Houston Rockets on Saturday night.
Antetokounmpo went 8 of 13 from the foul line to increase his total to 3,508 free throws out of 4,891 attempts (71.7%). <a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/m/moncrsi01.html">Sidney Moncrief made 3,505 free throws with the Bucks from 1979-89.</a>
The two-time MVP played less than 28 minutes but still had 12 rebounds. Antetokounmpo shot 17 of 21 from the floor, including 2 of 3 from 3-point range.
Antetokounmpo left for good with 8:08 remaining and the Bucks ahead 107-85.
This game began a six-game homestand for the Bucks, who <a href="https://apnews.com/article/philadelphia-76ers-milwaukee-bucks-nba-sports-tyrese-maxey-326a61a43cbbf5370e9a98fc21e71568#:~:text=PHILADELPHIA%20(AP)%20%E2%80%94%20Wesley%20Matthews,Philadelphia%2076ers%20on%20Thursday%20night.">won their season opener 90-88 at Philadelphia</a> on Thursday night.
The Rockets were playing one night after a <a href="https://apnews.com/article/memphis-grizzlies-houston-rockets-nba-sports-garrison-mathews-2c658f3b8de750f91362a9d695779eed">129-122 home loss to Memphis.</a> Eric Gordon, who scored 17 points against the Grizzlies, didn&rsquo;t play Saturday due to what the team described as maintenance of an injured right groin.
Houston also was missing Bruno Fernando, who had left the Grizzlies game with a sore left knee.
Rockets coach Stephen Silas said they were simply resting Gordon rather than having the 33-year-old guard play on back-to-back nights. Silas said he wasn&rsquo;t sure how long Fernando might be out.
Jalen Green led the Rockets with 22 points. Kevin Porter Jr. had 18, Kenyon Martin Jr. 14, Jabari Smith Jr. 13 and Tari Eason 11.
The Bucks scored the game&rsquo;s first 13 points and never trailed. The Rockets never got the margin below 12 points in the second half.
Jrue Holiday, who shot 2 of 15 and had just six points in the Bucks' victory over the 76ers, exceeded that scoring output in the first two minutes of Saturday&rsquo;s game and finished with 19 points. Bobby Portis had 13 and Grayson Allen added 11 as the Bucks shot 56.5% from the floor.
TIP-INS
Rockets: Silas said the Rockets might not have a set starting lineup for much of the season. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re going to be pretty fluid as far as who we&rsquo;re playing against, who&rsquo;s playing well for our group and who&rsquo;s available,&rdquo; Silas said before the game.
Bucks: Coach Mike Budenholzer didn&rsquo;t have the walking boot that he was wearing in Philadelphia. Budenholzer has been recuperating after having replacement surgery on his right ankle during the offseason. ... Rookie first-round pick MarJon Beauchamp made his NBA debut, entering the game with just over two minutes left. Beauchamp, the 24th overall pick in the draft, hadn't played against the 76ers. ... Brook Lopez had five of the Bucks' 10 blocks.
UP NEXT
Rockets: Return home to face Utah on Monday night before beginning a four-game trip.
Bucks: Host Brooklyn on Wednesday night.

Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 44 points and became Milwaukee’s career free throws leader as the Bucks rolled to a 125-105 victory.

Antetokounmpo scores 44 points, Bucks rout Rockets 125-105

In 2020, the Phoenix Suns firmly planted themselves within the NBA as a sustainable contender. Following the addition of Chris Paul, Phoenix ended its 11-year playoff drought with a miraculous Finals appearance.
The 2021-22 campaign was supposed to be the crescendo moment for an instant rebuild that was stuck in neutral before the arrival of general manager James Jones and head coach Monty Williams. All season, Phoenix was dominating opponents, putting on historic efficiency clinics in clutch-time situations that vaulted the team ahead of everyone else. However, a near-worst-case scenario occurred when Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks delivered a knockout blow in the Western Conference semifinals.
How it all ended was a look-in-the-mirror moment for the Suns, one that has brought some ripple effects to their current roster and long-term situation.
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From an off-court perspective, majority owner Robert Sarver will soon sell his stake in the organization following a year-long suspension. Early evaluations lean toward the Suns soon becoming the NBA&rsquo;s most expensive team from new ownership buy-in. Before this occurred, restricted free agency involving 2018 No. 1 overall pick Deandre Ayton brought some icy feelings, which included internal tension between he and Williams after their Game 7 bench spat. Ayton admitted that the two didn&rsquo;t speak to each other after the season ended, which somehow lasted into training camp.
Ayton signed a lucrative four-year maximum offer sheet with the Indiana Pacers, but the Suns matched it within mere minutes; this situation bears watching well into the season. Phoenix&rsquo;s summer flirtation with Kevin Durant, who had the Suns as his preferred trade destination, will only linger until it&rsquo;s finally resolved one way or another by July.
Jae Crowder is also away from the team, as his trade request has been granted. Crowder was expected to take on a reduced role in favor of Cameron Johnson, but the veteran forward wasn&rsquo;t receptive to the idea.
The Athletic&rsquo;s Shams Charania recently reported that the <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/jae-crowder-and-suns-working-towards-trade" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Atlanta Hawks are a top candidate to acquire Crowder</a>, but Phoenix won&rsquo;t simply make a deal to get the starting-caliber wing off their roster. Phoenix&rsquo;s intention is to improve their depth in any Crowder transaction, which could happy soon with the regular season on the horizon. Evidenced by the Suns&rsquo; <a href="https://nba.nbcsports.com/2022/09/24/reports-suns-push-for-jarred-vanderbilt-derailed-bojan-bogdanovic-trade/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">pursuit of Bojan Bogdanovic (prior to the Detroit trade) and promising young Utah Jazz forward Jarred Vanderbilt</a>, monitor that framework as any potential outline for a deal moving forward.
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The Hawks are interested in acquiring Jae Crowder, an ideal fit on the wing surrounding Trae Young. <a href="https://t.co/QvlgQUKQY7">https://t.co/QvlgQUKQY7</a>
&mdash; Evan Sidery (@esidery) <a href="https://twitter.com/esidery/status/1579494085534306307?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 10, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Mining through the chaos is an all too familiar occurrence in Phoenix that is creeping back into its most successful era since Steve Nash piloted Mike D&rsquo;Antoni&rsquo;s 7 Seconds or Less offense in the mid-2000s. Questions have been persistent all offseason about the Suns after their postseason embarrassment. 
Is the window closing on Phoenix and their realistic championship hopes?
With the Suns&rsquo; core pieces now entering their primes &mdash; led by soon-to-be 26 year old shooting guard Devin Booker &mdash; that would be a strong bet against consistent internal improvement. Booker has now fully established himself as one of the NBA&rsquo;s best scorers. Mikal Bridges was runner-up for Defensive Player of the Year, and will now be empowered to take more scoring looks this season. Johnson adds much-needed sharpshooting and floor-spacing capabilities while holding his own on the other end of the court. Ayton will also be relied upon as more of a scorer this season since Paul will be going into his age-37 season.
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The biggest questions around the Suns persist from the looming Crowder trade, which will leads right into the second-unit depth. Currently, Phoenix&rsquo;s primary bench rotation consists of Cameron Payne, Landry Shamet, Torrey Craig, Jock Landale and Dario Saric. Saric&rsquo;s return from a torn ACL suffered in the 2021 Finals helps bring back a connective piece, but it&rsquo;s a lot of pressure on Payne and Shamet to bounce back from subpar campaigns. In turn, the consistent theme of Paul and Booker maintaining their elite status as a backcourt will be of utmost importance in 2022-23.
The Western Conference is only getting stronger around the Suns. The defending-champion Golden State Warriors aren&rsquo;t going anywhere anytime soon. The Denver Nuggets are finally at full strength with the impending returns of Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. alongside two-time MVP Nikola Jokic. The Dallas Mavericks and Memphis Grizzlies continue their climb up the ladder thanks to their young stars. Also, the New Orleans Pelicans easily stand out as a team ripe for a major leap thanks to Zion Williamson&rsquo;s return.
This season, we will truly find out whether the Suns&rsquo; hopes to finally win a championship will be one left in the rear-view mirror, or if it becomes even more of a potential reality with their current core.

Has the window closed on the Suns' championship hopes? Lingering questions need to be answered one way or another this season.

Suns enter prove-it season amid drama, lingering questions

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) &mdash; Duncan Robinson scored 29 points to lead the Miami Heat to a 111-108 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday night.
Robinson shot 7 for 11 from the field, including 5 for 7 on 3-pointers. Jamal Cain, an undrafted rookie who played his last college season at Oakland University, scored 19 points, and Nikola Jovic &mdash; the 27th overall pick in the draft &mdash; scored 13 points as the Heat played the game with their reserves.
Dillon Brooks led Memphis with 18 points, while Ja Morant and Desmond Bane each scored 17 with four assists.
The Heat, playing on the road for the second night of a back-to-back, sat their starters, including Jimmy Butler, Kyle Lowry and Bam Adebayo.
Meanwhile, Memphis was at full strength, except for forward Jaren Jackson Jr., who is out for a couple of more months recovering from a stress fracture in his right foot.
While the Grizzlies played their regular starters, there were some reserves who took the night off, tightening the rotation. Bane played 28 minutes, while Morant and Brooks logged 26 minutes each.
The Heat took their lead with a rally spanning the second and third quarters and held on at the end when both teams had bench players in the game. Memphis missed a pair of 3-point attempts to tie the game in the closing 10 seconds
CELTICS 112, HORNETS 103
In Greensboro, North Carolina, Jaylen Brown scored 19 points, Derrick White finished with 18 points and six assists to lead Boston.
Justin Jackson added 16 for the Celtics, and Payton Pritchard scored 15. Noah Vonleh had 14 points and 13 rebounds.
LaMelo Ball had 23 points and nine assists to lead the Hornets, and Kelly Oubre Jr. scored 18 points on 7-for-14 shooting. Terry Rozier added 14 points as Charlotte remained winless in three preseason games.
The Celtics sat some of their starters, including Jayson Tatum, Al Horford and Marcus Smart. However, Blake Griffin &mdash; signed this week &mdash; finished with seven points and nine rebounds in 16 minutes in his Celtics debut.
MAGIC 110, MAVERICKS 105
Top draft pick Paolo Banchero scored 19 points and Terrence Ross added 16 to led visiting Orlando.
Banchero, the 6-foot-10 forward out of Duke, shot 6 for 13 from the field and had five rebounds. Mo Bamba had 13 points and seven rebounds for the Magic.
Christian Wood scored 23 points on 8-for-12 shooting. Luka Doncic had 16 points in 18 minutes, making 6 of 8 shots from the field, and also had five assists.
KNICKS 131, PACERS 114
Obi Toppin scored 24 points on 10-for-14 shooting to lead host New York.
Toppin was 4 for 7 on 3-pointers as the Knicks improved to 2-0 in the preseason. RJ Barrett scored 18 points, while Jalen Brunson and Immanuel Quickley finished with 17 points each.
Tyrese Haliburton led the Pacers with 20 points. Bennedict Mathurin, the sixth overall pick in last summer&rsquo;s draft, had 19 points and Buddy Hield added 13 points.
BULLS 131, NUGGETS 113
DeMar DeRozan scored 22 points on 9-for-15 shooting to lead host Chicago.
Coby White and Javonte Green added 15 points each for the Bulls, while Nikola Vucevic finished with 14 points and seven rebounds.
Bones Hyland had 24 points for Denver, while Michael Porter Jr. scored 20 points. Aaron Gordon added 14 points.
ROCKETS 116, RAPTORS 100
Tari Eason, the seventh overall pick in last summer&rsquo;s draft out of LSU, had 24 points and eight rebounds to lead host Houston.
Jalen Green added 23 points for the Rockets, while Kevin Porter Jr. had 15.
Pascal Siakam scored 18 points for the Raptors. O.G. Anunoby scored 13 points, but missed all five of his 3-point attempts. Dalano Banton had 14 points. Gary Trent Jr., Precious Achiuwa and Chris Boucer each scored 10 points in the game.
PELICANS 107, PISTONS 101
Jose Alvarado scored 28 points and Zion Williamson added 13 for host New Orleans.
Naji Marshall had 14 points on 5-for-12 shooting, including just 3 for 12 on free throws for the Hornets. Alvarado shot 12 for 18 from the field.
Saddiq Bey led the Pistons with 23 points, while Isaiah Steward and Jaden Ivey finished with 14 apiece.

Duncan Robinson scored 29 points to lead the Heat to a 111-108 victory over the Grizzlies on Friday night.

Duncan Robinson scores 29 as Heat beat Grizzlies 111-108

Nekias Duncan thoroughly breaks down all five teams in the Northwest Division ahead of the 2022-23 season.

2022-23 NBA Season Preview: Northwest Division

Is the NBA ready to add an expansion team? Evan Sidery explores what kind of team you could build in a present-day expansion draft.

NBA Expansion Mock Draft: What would a new expansion team look like?

NBA Summer League is a showcase for some of the top young talent in basketball. It also gives those on the fringes of the league a chance to break out, and reveal inspirational journeys of perseverance in the process.
Boston Celtics swingman Matt Ryan canned a game-winner on Monday to cap a performance I'll highlight in this roundup. But perhaps the best part came in his postgame interview:
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🎥: <a href="https://twitter.com/ASherrodblakely?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ASherrodblakely</a> asked Matt Ryan about how it feels to see his hard work starting to pay off. He got choked up a bit while reflecting on the fact that a year ago he was driving for Door Dash and know he&rsquo;s on a Celtics roster <a href="https://t.co/GBRk9ya2rQ">pic.twitter.com/GBRk9ya2rQ</a>
&mdash; 𝕂𝕨𝕒𝕟𝕚 𝔸. 𝕃𝕦𝕟𝕚𝕤 (@KwaniALunis) <a href="https://twitter.com/KwaniALunis/status/1546689627628589057?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 12, 2022</a></blockquote>

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For Ryan and dozens of professional hopefuls, Summer League can help alter the course of their careers and lives. Performances like these are worth saluting.
Here's who stood out from what I saw on Monday:&nbsp;
STUDS
Trey Murphy III, New Orleans Pelicans
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Trey Murphy dropped a 30-piece in the <a href="https://twitter.com/PelicansNBA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PelicansNBA</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBASummer?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBASummer</a> win!<a href="https://twitter.com/treymurphy?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@treymurphy</a> 30 PTS (10-18 FGM) | 6 REB <a href="https://t.co/QesZWbUZM0">pic.twitter.com/QesZWbUZM0</a>
&mdash; NBA (@NBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1546649262146129922?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 12, 2022</a></blockquote>
Box score stats: 30 points, 6 rebounds, 10/18 FG, 3/6 3PT
Murphy put on a full scoring display to open the afternoon. The second-year forward impressed me particularly with how he reached the rim off the dribble, changing speeds and using ball-screens to get downhill. He's a lot bigger and stronger than I've given him credit for; he finished hard through contact multiple times.
Of course, Murphy also knocked down a few long three-pointers, which has been his calling card since entering the league. He's been one of the most impressive scorers at Summer League to date, and hopefully it helps Murphy carve his niche in a deep Pelicans rotation.
Tari Eason, Houston Rockets
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Tari Eason dropped BUCKETS for the <a href="https://twitter.com/HoustonRockets?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@HoustonRockets</a> in their <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBASummer?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBASummer</a> win!<a href="https://twitter.com/TAR13ASON?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TAR13ASON</a>: 22 PTS, 11 REB, 2 STL, 2 BLK <a href="https://t.co/V9cMKqdDd2">pic.twitter.com/V9cMKqdDd2</a>
&mdash; NBA (@NBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1546681252379611137?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 12, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Box score stats: 22 points, 11 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, 2 blocks, 9/16 FG, 2/3 3PT
If you want to call Eason the rookie MVP of the summer, I'd hear you out. The No. 17 overall pick seems to get better every game, and against the San Antonio Spurs, Eason unleashed his most prolific two-way performance.
His defense remains top-notch for a young player. Eason punctuated his effort with an awesome defensive rotation and block in the third quarter. Then on offense, he was scoring buckets as a rolling lob threat, an off-dribble driver and a corner shooter. I've reached the stage with Eason where I'm constantly reminding myself not to overreact about his talent.
Matt Ryan, Boston Celtics
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MATT RYAN! BALL GAME! <a href="https://t.co/y97v9OGUBK">pic.twitter.com/y97v9OGUBK</a>
&mdash; Taylor Snow (@taylorcsnow) <a href="https://twitter.com/taylorcsnow/status/1546679203650732034?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 12, 2022</a></blockquote>
Box score stats: 23 points, 2 steals, 7/12 FG, 6/11 3PT
Ryan was the hero in Boston's 111-109 win over Milwaukee thanks to his buzzer-beating three-pointer that included a twisted ankle in the process. But he caught fire throughout the contest. Ryan is excellent at relocating, and specifically earned some open looks when he capitalized on the chaos of an offensive rebound or loose ball.
Ryan played a grand total of five minutes with Boston last season after coming from the Grant Rapids Gold. With so many open roster spots, the Celtics could easily bring him back or sign him to a two-way contract.
Sandro Mamukelashvili, Milwaukee Bucks
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WHAT IS THIS SANDRO MAMUKELASHVILI <a href="https://t.co/BqPLOUyS1C">pic.twitter.com/BqPLOUyS1C</a>
&mdash; Steve Jones Jr. (@stevejones20) <a href="https://twitter.com/stevejones20/status/1546676214890364929?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 12, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Box score stats: 28 points, 9 rebounds, 3 steals, 2 blocks, 9/19 FG, 3/5 3PT
Though the Bucks lost their matchup against Boston, they had two outstanding individual performances. The first came from Mamukelashvili, the No. 54 pick in the 2021 NBA Draft. Mamukelashvili only had a pair of assists, but I thought they were two signifcant reads: a corner dart to an open MarJon Beauchamp three-pointer, and a dump-off from a drive to AJ Green. They complemented a versatile scoring performance, and he went toe-to-toe with Boston's Mfiondu Kabengele in a great battle that might have ended with the above posterization.
I liked some of Mamukelashvili's defensive moments too. He stuck to Juhann Begarin, an athletic driving wing, and picked up 2 blocks. It was a pretty great all-around effort for a player who could give Milwaukee some quality frontcourt depth.
Lindell Wigginton, Milwaukee Bucks
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Keeping Up With The Canadians 🇨🇦 Lindell Wigginton | vs. Boston 24 POINTS 3 THREE POINTERS 5 REBOUNDS 5 ASSISTS<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBASummer?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBASummer</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/Bucks?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Bucks</a> <a href="https://t.co/LZM7jXZ1zA">pic.twitter.com/LZM7jXZ1zA</a>
&mdash; NBA Canada (@NBACanada) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBACanada/status/1546849359483924482?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 12, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Box score stats: 24 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 8/13 FG, 3/7 3PT
Wigginton was throwing dimes all over the court. His 6 turnovers don't do Wigginton justice, as 2 of those were great passes that Wigginton's teammates simply mishandled. Wigginton assisted Mamukelashvili on three of his makes and also pushed the Bucks forward on fast breaks.
As a scorer, the second-year guard used ball-screens to find a lane or force a switch, which he punished twice with pull-up twos. Defenders sometimes went under screens, and Wigginton responded by drilling some high-arcing threes. He balanced creativity with poise as a lead guard.
Chet Holmgren, Oklahoma City Thunder
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I could watch Chet Holmgren block shots all day long. <a href="https://t.co/jnXHPjfffH">pic.twitter.com/jnXHPjfffH</a>
&mdash; Thunder Film Room (@ThunderFilmRoom) <a href="https://twitter.com/ThunderFilmRoom/status/1546672039179833344?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 12, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Box score stats: 16 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks, 7/10 FG, 2/4 3PT
As the above Tweet implies, we will be lucky to see the No. 2 pick swatting shots for a long, long time. Holmgren's incredible instincts and timing aren't any new revelation, but that doesn't mean we can't appreciate them over and over again.
Orlando did not defend Holmgren as a roller particularly well in this one, and he found some easy finishes as a result. He also hit the defense with a sweet step-back three and positions himself well for dump-offs from passers like Josh Giddey. The only area I'd nitpick is that he sometimes tried to do too much as a ball-handler and coughed up some turnovers. But why not try to get creative in this setting?
Other notable performers: Daishen Nix (Rockets), Jabari Smith Jr. (Rockets), Josh Christopher (Rockets), Malaki Branham (Spurs), MarJon Beauchamp (Bucks), Mfiondu Kabengele (Celtics), Justin James (Magic), AJ Lawson (Mavericks), Quentin Grimes (Knicks), Jabari Walker (Trail Blazers)
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DUDS
Sharife Cooper, Atlanta Hawks
Box score stats: 0 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 turnovers, 0/8 FG
It's been a really rough week for Cooper as an offensive player. He's made 1 of his 14 field goal attempts through two games, and there isn't much to be optimistic about with his scoring flashes. Cooper really struggled to create easy looks at the rim. There were times where he'd even beat his defender on a drive and have them pinned on his hip, but he lacked the vertical explosion and strength to turn the advantages into quality chances. His perimeter shot looked inconsistent and timid. Hopefully, Cooper can turn things around, because we've seen so much more from him in the past year.
Leandro Bolmaro, Utah Jazz
Box score stats: 8 points, 7 rebounds, 2 steals, 3/12 FG, 0/2 3PT
The Jazz eked out a win over the Dallas Mavericks despite some ghastly individual shooting nights. Bolmaro was determined to attack the Mavs off the dribble. The aggression was great, but it often came with a low-quality shot because he could not beat a defender, or he would drive into a crowd. I do want to credit Dallas because the team collectively played great defense against Bolmaro. The former Minnesota T-Wolves swingman also missed some must-have layups that I'm not concerned about in the future.
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Caleb Houstan, Orlando Magic
Box score stats: 4 points, 1 steal, 1 block, 2/10 FG, 0/6 3PT
This is another dud performance that I wouldn't be concerned about long-term. Houstan spaced the floor extremely well, was active as a cutter and even displayed some confidence attacking closeouts. He just missed shots that he should make. Now, if you're a skeptic of Houstan as a shooter based on his time at Michigan, then maybe this outing means more to you. I'm a firm believer in Houstan being one of the more talented pure movement threats in this draft class, so an off night isn't a harbinger for me.
Tre Mann, Oklahoma City Thunder
Box score stats: 9 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 3/14 FG, 1/6 3PT
In a similar vein, Mann has proven from his flashes in the regular season that he's going to be an NBA-caliber scorer. Though Mann's Monday effort won't mean much in the long run, I felt he made some odd decisions on when to attack vs. settle/pass.
Sometimes ,Mann would try and make too much happen off the bounce against a stout Magic defense. On one other play, he had what appeared to be an easy rim attack, but hesitated and shot a three that ended up letting a defender back in the picture to contest. These are probably microscopic miscues, but I definitely want to monitor how Mann works alongside primary playmakers in Giddey and Jalen Williams.

Trey Murphy III poured in 30 points to lead Monday's top performances at NBA Summer League on Day 5.

10 studs and duds from Day 5 of NBA Summer League in Las Vegas

Bookmark this page and we'll keep you up-to-date on every NBA rumor. We'll continue updating this tracker over the next 24 hours.

NBA Rumor Tracker: Compiling the latest news and intel

In one week, we saw the 2022 NBA Draft picture begin to clarify.&nbsp;
The Orlando Magic jumped to the No. 1 pick after last Tuesday's NBA Draft Lottery, with the Oklahoma City Thunder earning the No. 2 pick and the Houston Rockets selecting third. Throughout the week, draft hopefuls also went under the microscope at the NBA Draft Combine, showing their skills in front of NBA teams and media members.
Our Senior NBA Draft Analyst Matt Babcock was in Chicago for the Combine and NBA G League Elite Camp, and over the next month, he'll be gathering intel and updating our <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2022 NBA Mock Draft</a> regularly.
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With the Combine in the rear-view mirror, Babcock provides his thoughts on some of the most pressing topics before the stretch run of the pre-draft process in a Q&amp;A:
What are your initial thoughts on how the NBA Draft Lottery results could affect things come June?
"Two picks towards the top stand out to me: Oklahoma City at No. 2 and Sacramento at No. 4. My big question is: Does Sam Presti take Jaden Ivey? I&rsquo;ve been saying this for a while, but the impression is that Ivey&rsquo;s actual stock among NBA circles is higher than what&rsquo;s being portrayed in most of the media and the public. I believe that he&rsquo;s No. 1 or No. 2 on more teams' boards rather than being No. 4 or No. 5 as he is on most of the media&rsquo;s mock drafts.
"The other pick is Sacramento &mdash; the early word is this pick could easily be on the move. I&rsquo;m not quite sure what to make of it just yet, but I&rsquo;ll surely be keeping a pulse."
Several prospects who participated in the first day of scrimmages opted not to return for the second day. What do you think of this move?
"Well, if the player got hurt, or if a team made a guarantee to select them, that&rsquo;s one thing. But if it&rsquo;s just to avoid the possibility of not playing well the second day, I&rsquo;m not into that at all. I think it&rsquo;s safe to say that all of the players who chose to play think they deserve a higher projected draft status. In that case, play. Show your stuff! Go out there and earn what you think you deserve. It not only sends a bad message to teams &mdash; I think it&rsquo;s a slippery slope regarding how they approach their careers too."
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Much was made of Patrick Baldwin Jr.'s underwhelming athletic testing results. Do you see this notably impacting his draft stock?
"Patrick Baldwin Jr. battled some injuries this past season. His unwillingness to play through those minor injuries and his lack of toughness has raised concerns. He also chose to not play in the 5-on-5 games at the NBA Draft Combine. So for him to have such an underwhelming vertical jump just adds another negative element to the overall evaluation. He&rsquo;s a very skilled and talented player, but I&rsquo;ll be direct here: I think he should go back to school."
Santa Clara wing Jalen Williams has been a buzzing name on social media. How has his Combine performance resonated with teams?
"Jalen Williams definitely helped himself last week. He&rsquo;s versatile, skilled, and long for a player that&rsquo;s nearly 6-foot-6. I don&rsquo;t think he&rsquo;s overly athletic, but he&rsquo;s moved up a little bit. I think some teams liked him more than others, but his name was certainly buzzing. I think he&rsquo;s solidified himself as a solid draft pick."
Kendall Brown appears to be the biggest winner in the NBA combine testing. Are his standout numbers helping his draft stock?
"No, I don&rsquo;t think Kendall Brown&rsquo;s athletic testing helped him much, but let me explain. Coming into the season, Brown was widely regarded as a high-priority prospect, so everyone in the league saw him at some point or another. I think I can speak for all scouts on this one; we don&rsquo;t need to see any metrics to figure out that Kendall Brown is a freak athlete. So, although the numbers are impressive, it was expected."
Which other players significantly improved their draft stock with strong efforts at the combine?
"A few guys who helped themselves were Darius Days of LSU and Marcus Sasser of Houston, both of whom played their ways into the NBA Draft Combine by competing at the G League Elite Camp first.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Let the games begin! 🙌 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBADraftCombine?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBADraftCombine</a> <a href="https://t.co/iVRC9VzzyE">pic.twitter.com/iVRC9VzzyE</a>
&mdash; Matt Babcock (@MattBabcock11) <a href="https://twitter.com/MattBabcock11/status/1527368377353678848?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 19, 2022</a></blockquote>

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"Another player who impressed me was Gonzaga&rsquo;s Andrew Nembhard."
Did any other draft hopefuls personally stand out to you that you might not have known well before the combine?
"Yes &mdash; Ryan Rollins of Toledo. He didn&rsquo;t light the world on fire by putting up huge numbers, but he really caught my eye. He&rsquo;s very shifty and quick. I think he has the potential to develop into a dynamic on-ball creator. I had the chance to meet him briefly, and Derek Murray will be interviewing him for us soon. I&rsquo;m looking forward to learning more about Ryan over the course of the next few weeks."
With a month still left before the draft, how can prospects most directly impact their pre-draft image at this point?
Players are beginning to visit teams now. On those visits, some players will play competitive 1-on-1, 2-on-2 and 3-on-3, in addition to individual drills. That is the best way to move the needle for a player. The teams will also be interviewing the players and getting to know them on a personal level.
Many players have either recently hired an agent (or plan to) as the draft process continues. As a former agent, what advice can you offer to players currently making these decisions?
"At this point, players should have already signed with an agent. This doesn&rsquo;t exactly answer your question, but one bit of advice that I&rsquo;d share with players who just recently hired agents is to stick to the plan. They signed with their agents for a reason. These prospects are in probably the most vulnerable situation they&rsquo;ve ever been in, as they don&rsquo;t know how things will unfold, where they&rsquo;ll live and play next year, or how much money they&rsquo;ll make. It&rsquo;s nerve-wracking. They need to trust their agents and let them do their jobs. They&rsquo;re experts. See the plan through &mdash; at least the imminent one."
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The NBA Draft Lottery and NBA Draft Combine have set the stage for the next month of the 2022 draft process.

Jestin