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Suns

Serbia needed to pull off the biggest comeback in Olympic history to book their ticket to the semifinals of the Paris 2024 Olympics as they took down a pesky Australia Boomers squad 95-90 at the Bercy Arena in Paris, France.&nbsp;
Despite a monstrous game from ageless wonder Patty Mills, Serbia managed to come back from 24 points down in the 2nd quarter behind a huge second half showing. Three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic was at the forefront of it all by taking over the game down the stretch on both ends of the floor to seal the come from behind victory.&nbsp;
Australia led the game 44-20 in the second quarter behind the hot shooting hands of Mills, who then scored 18 big points in the first half. However, the Serbians displayed their toughness and resiliency as they slowly chipped away at the lead. They finally took the lead in the 3rd quarter, 65-64, but Australia answered the call and the game went back and forth from there. Both teams were trading baskets in the 4th quarter and it looked like a win for Serbia at the end, but Patty Mills made another clutch play for the Boomers as he hit a tough, stepback mid range jumper over the outstretched arms of Jokic to send the game into overtime.&nbsp;
However, a crucial call near the end of the 4th quarter saw Jock Landale foul out of the game, and it hurt Australia badly in extra time. Serbia immediately went to Jokic in OT, feeding him the ball every time &ndash; and he delivered. Jokic scored on a hook shot then followed it up with a post fade away the next possession to give Serbia a 3-point lead. Jokic then made a huge defensive play on the other end to effectively end the game and give Serbia the win.&nbsp;
Jokic had 21 points, 14 rebounds, and 9 assists in yet another near triple-double performance while Bogdan Bogdanovic added 17 points to lead the Serbians. They will now move on to the semifinals where they will face the winner of the USA-Brazil matchup.
Mills ended up with 26 points in a tough losing effort for Australia as they failed to reach the medal rounds this time after winning bronze in Tokyo 2020. Josh Giddey, a rising NBA star, scored 25 of his own to lead Australia.

Serbia needed to pull off the biggest comeback in Olympic history to book their ticket to the semifinals of the Paris 2024 Olympics.

Serbia completes biggest comeback in Olympics history to stun Australia

Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Josh Giddey is headlining Australia&rsquo;s 22-player pool for the 2024 Paris Olympics, as announced by Basketball Australia.
The 21-year-old young star, who also led the Boomers last year in the FIBA World Cup 2023, is joined by fellow NBA players Patty Mills (Miami Heat), Joe Ingles (Orlando Magic), Matisse Thybulle and Duop Reath (Portland Trailblazers), Josh Green and Dante Exum (Dallas Mavericks), Jock Landale (Phoenix Suns), and Dyson Daniels (New Orleans Pelicans).
Players with NBA experience are also in the squad, including Xavier Cooks, Jack White, Nick Kay, and Matthew Dellavedova as well as Kansas Jayhawks freshman and soon-to-be NBA draftee Johnny Furphy.
Rounding out the squad are eight current NBL players Chris Goulding, DJ Vasiljevic, Jack McVeigh, Keanu Pinder, Matthew Dellavedova, Sam Froling, Will Magnay, and Will McDowell-White.&nbsp;
The 22-man roster was announced and picked by Basketball Australia with their head coach Brian Goorjian at the helm. The Boomers aim to send a strong roster to Paris in hopes of a podium finish
One notable absence from the pool is former no.1 overall pick Ben Simmons, who withdrew from the squad yet again due to a nagging back injury that needed surgery.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve been actively monitoring the Aussie players across international leagues in USA, Europe, and Asia as well as domestically in the NBL and we&rsquo;re confident in the potential chemistry of this list,&rdquo; Goorjian said.
Australia will be in Group A with Canada, Greece OQT winner, and Spain OQT winner for the 2024 Paris Olympics slated later this year.

Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Josh Giddey is headlining Australia’s 22-player pool for the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Josh Giddey leads Australia Boomers’ player pool for Paris Olympics

NBA free agency has died down and the 2023-24 NBA season is nearly three months away. This is why August is known as the dog days of the NBA calendar.
However, NBA fans will be able to watch some of their favorite players in action very soon, as the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup tips off tomorrow.
From Nov. 2021 through Feb. 2023, 80 countries battled for a spot in the World Cup but only 32 national teams qualified. There are a ton of NBA players participating, as Team USA has a talented young roster and they'll be facing stars such as Luka Doncic, Karl-Anthony Towns, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Lauri Markkanen and Rudy Gobert.
Here's everything you need to know about the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup.
WHEN IS IT?
World Cup games will be played Aug. 25 through Sept. 10. There have been a number of warm-up games in recent weeks, but the real action tips off tomorrow.
First Round (Group Phase): Aug. 25-30 Second Round (Group Phase): Aug. 31 - Sept. 4 Quarterfinals: Sept. 5-6 Semifinals: Sept. 8 Final: Sept. 10 Third-Place Game: Sept. 10
The <a href="https://www.nba.com/news/fiba-basketball-world-cup-2023-schedule" target="_blank" rel="noopener">full schedule of games can be found here</a>.
WHERE IS IT?&nbsp;
For the first time ever, the FIBA Basketball World Cup will feature three host countries: the Philippines, Japan and Indonesia.
WHICH COUNTRIES QUALIFIED?
These are the 32 countries that will be participating in the 2023 FIBA World Cup: Angola, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Cape Verde, China, Cote d&rsquo;Ivoire, Dominican Republic, Egypt, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Iran, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Latvia, Lebanon, Lithuania, Mexico, Montenegro, New Zealand, Philippines, Puerto Rico, Serbia, Slovenia, South Sudan, Spain, United States and Venezuela.
These are the groups for the first round:
Group A:&nbsp;Angola, Dominican Republic, Philippines, Italy
Group B:&nbsp;&nbsp;South Sudan, Serbia, China, Puerto Rico
(Groups A and B will play their games at Araneta Coliseum in the Philippines)
Group C:&nbsp;Team USA, Jordan, Greece, New Zealand
Group D:&nbsp;Egypt, Mexico, Montenegro, Lithuania
(Groups C and D will play their games at Mall of Asia Arena in the Philippines)
Group E:&nbsp;Germany, Finland, Australia, Japan
Group F:&nbsp;Slovenia, Cape Verde, Georgia, Venezuela
(Groups E and F will play their games at Okinawa Arena in Japan)
Group G:&nbsp;Iran, Spain, Cote d&rsquo;Ivoire, Brazil
Group H:&nbsp;Canada, Latvia, Lebanon, France
(Groups G and H will play their games at Jakarta Arena in Indonesia)
WHICH NBA PLAYERS ARE COMPETING?
There are quite a few NBA players participating in this tournament. The <a href="https://www.nba.com/news/fiba-world-cup-roster-tracker-2023" target="_blank" rel="noopener">full list can be found here</a>, but below are the national teams that feature notable NBA players:
Group A
Dominican Republic: Karl-Anthony Towns (Minnesota Timberwolves), Lester Quinones (Golden State Warriors)
Philippines: Jordan Clarkson&nbsp;(Utah Jazz)
Group B
China: Kyle Anderson&nbsp;(Minnesota Timberwolves)
Serbia: Bogdan Bogdanovic (Atlanta Hawks), Aleksej Pokusevski (Oklahoma City Thunder), Nikola Jovic (Miami Heat)
Group C
Greece: Thanasis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee Bucks)
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United States: Paolo Banchero (Orlando Magic), Mikal Bridges (Brooklyn Nets), Jalen Brunson (New York Knicks), Anthony Edwards (Minnesota Timberwolves), Tyrese Haliburton (Indiana Pacers), Josh Hart (New York Knicks), Brandon Ingram (New Orleans Pelicans), Jaren Jackson Jr. (Memphis Grizzlies), Cameron Johnson (Brooklyn Nets), Walker Kessler (Utah Jazz), Bobby Portis (Milwaukee Bucks), Austin Reaves (Los Angeles Lakers)

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Group D
Lithuania: Jonas Valanciunas (New Orleans Pelicans)
Montenegro: Nikola Vucevic (Chicago Bulls)
Group E
Australia: Josh Giddey (Oklahoma City Thunder), Patty Mills (Atlanta Hawks), Matisse Thybulle (Portland Trail Blazers) Josh Green (Dallas Mavericks), Joe Ingles (Orlando Magic), Dyson Daniels (New Orleans Pelicans), Dante Exum (Dallas Mavericks), Jock Landale (Houston Rockets), Xavier Cooks (Washington Wizards)
Finland: Lauri Markkanen (Utah Jazz)
Germany: Franz Wagner (Orlando Magic), Dennis Schroder (Toronto Raptors), Moritz Wagner (Orlando Magic), Daniel Theis (Indiana Pacers),&nbsp;
Japan: Yuta Watanabe (Phoenix Suns)
Group F
Georgia: Goga Bitadze (Orlando Magic), Sandro Mamukelashvili (San Antonio Spurs)
Slovenia: Luka Doncic (Dallas Mavericks)
Group G
Brazil: Raul Neto (Cleveland Cavaliers)
Spain: Santi Aldama (Memphis Grizzlies), Usman Garuba (Atlanta Hawks)
Group H
Canada: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Oklahoma City Thunder), R.J. Barrett (New York Knicks), Dillon Brooks (Houston Rockets), Lu Dort (Oklahoma City Thunder), Nickeil Alexander-Walker (Minnesota Timberwolves), Dwight Powell (Dallas Mavericks)
France: Rudy Gobert (Minnesota Timberwolves), Nicolas Batum (Los Angeles Clippers), Evan Fournier (New York Knicks), Frank Ntilikina (Charlotte Hornets)
Latvia: Davis Bertans (Oklahoma City Thunder)
HOW TO WATCH
FIBA recently announced that all 92 World Cup games will be available across ESPN's platforms. Six games will air on ESPN2 (including Team USA's three first-round games), while the other 86 games will be available on ESPN+.
FIBA&rsquo;s official streaming service, <a href="https://www.courtside1891.basketball/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Courtside 1891</a>, will also air the games live and on-demand. If you're interested in Courtside 1891, FIBA is offering our readers 20% off their World Cup bundle. Follow the instructions below if you'd like to use the 20% discount:
<ul style="font-weight: 400;">
<li><a href="https://www.courtside1891.basketball/choose-a-package" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Click this link</a> and you&rsquo;ll get a prompt to register</li>
<li>You&rsquo;ll then be redirected to the choose-a-package page</li>
<li>Select the &lsquo;Max &ndash; World Cup Bundle&rsquo;&nbsp;</li>
<li>Use the discount code FIBAWCAK to get 20% off</li>
</ul>
Enjoy the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup, and hopefully the dog days of summer will fly by quickly!

The 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup tips off tomorrow. Here's everything you need to know about the tournament.

Everything you need to know about the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup

PHOENIX (AP) &mdash; Nikola Jokic scored 32 points in another triple-double, Jamal Murray added 26 and the Denver Nuggets advanced to the Western Conference finals for the first time since 2020 by beating the short-handed Phoenix Suns 125-100 in Game 6 on Thursday night.
Denver&rsquo;s series victory comes two seasons after the Nuggets were embarrassed in a second-round postseason sweep by the Suns. This time, it was the Suns getting blown out on their home floor to end the season for the second straight year.
The Nuggets will play in the conference finals for the first time since they lost to the Lakers in five games in the Florida bubble during the COVID-19 pandemic. They have never reached the NBA Finals.
The top-seeded Nuggets used a 23-2 run during the latter part of the first quarter to take a 44-26 lead and never looked back. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope &mdash; averaging 9.5 points in the playoffs &mdash; scored 17 in the first quarter while Jokic added 14.
Caldwell-Pope finished with 21 points. Jokic shot 13 of 18 from the field and added 12 assists and 10 rebounds.
Denver&rsquo;s offensive onslaught continued in the second as the lead grew to 81-51 by halftime, leading to boos from Suns fans as players made their way to the locker room. The second half was essentially an afterthought.
Cameron Payne scored 31 points for Phoenix, hitting 7 of 9 3-pointers. Kevin Durant added 23.
The Suns were playing without injured starters Deandre Ayton and Chris Paul. Ayton sustained a rib contusion in Tuesday&rsquo;s Game 5 while Paul has been out the past four games with a strained left groin.
Phoenix was eliminated in the Western Conference semifinals at home for a second straight season despite a blockbuster trade deadline deal for Durant, a 13-time All-Star and one of the game&rsquo;s most prolific scorers. The 34-year-old had some good moments in the playoffs, but made just 1 of his first 10 shots on Thursday as the Suns fell into a huge hole.
Suns guard Devin Booker was brilliant in most of the postseason, averaging 36 points per game on 60% before Game 6. But the three-time All-Star finished with just 12 points on Thursday.
The home team won the first five games of the series until the Nuggets broke through in Game 6.
DEJA VU
For the Suns, the loss was eerily similar to Game 7 of last year&rsquo;s Western Conference semifinals.
Phoenix, with the NBA&rsquo;s best record, fell behind Dallas by 30 points by halftime and ended up losing 123-90 to end its season.
In the shot clock era, the home team has trailed by 30-plus points in a potential playoff elimination game just three times. Phoenix is now responsible for two of them. The other was the Bucks in 2015.
TIP-INS
Nuggets: Murray was listed as questionable before the game with a non-COVID illness. Murray got a big hug from Nuggets coach Michael Malone as he checked out of the game for the final time.
Suns: Jock Landale finished with 13 points and five rebounds, starting in place of Ayton. ... Hosted their 80th consecutive sellout crowd, counting regular season and postseason games. ... The Suns have never won a title since coming into the league in 1968.

The Nuggets advanced to the Conference Finals for the first time since 2020 by beating the short-handed Suns 125-100 in Game 6.

Nuggets blow past Suns 125-100, advance to Conference Finals

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) &mdash; Veteran Brooklyn Nets point guard Patty Mills and rising Oklahoma City star Josh Giddey are among the 10 NBA players selected in Australia&rsquo;s extended squad of 18 to prepare for the basketball World Cup.
Mills&rsquo; teammate Ben Simmons is still recovering from injury and wasn&rsquo;t picked for the squad&rsquo;s upcoming training camp, but coach Brian Goorjian hasn&rsquo;t ruled him out of calculations for the global tournament.
Matisse Thybulle, Joe Ingles, Jock Landale, Josh Green, Matthew Dellavedova, Xavier Cooks, Jack White and Dyson Daniels are the other NBA players picked for the extended roster, which will be cut to 12 before Australia&rsquo;s opening game against co-host Japan on Aug. 25.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s been a thorough process. The coaches and I have had many discussions about getting the mix right but I&rsquo;m really pleased with where we&rsquo;ve landed with the guys we&rsquo;ve selected, there&rsquo;s a good balance across the court,&rdquo; Goorjian said in a statement Monday. &ldquo;The fact it&rsquo;s been so tough goes to show the depth of talent we have in Australian basketball right now.&rdquo;
Australia won the bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics and will again be among the medal contenders in the FIBA World Cup, which is being co-hosted by Philippines, Japan and Indonesia.
The Boomers have been drawn into Pool E with Japan, Germany and Finland and will play their group-stage games in Okinawa.
Giddey, who was among the last players cut from the Olympic roster for Tokyo, will get his first chance to play for Australia at a major international meet.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve always dreamed of playing for the Boomers and representing Australia, so to get this opportunity is really special,&rdquo; Giddey said. &ldquo;There&rsquo;s a lot of talent in this squad and I think we&rsquo;ve got a good chance of matching it with every team -- I&rsquo;m excited for the challenge.&rdquo;
___
Australia squad: Xavier Cooks, Dyson Daniels, Matthew Dellavedova, Dante Exum, Sam Froling, Josh Giddey, Chris Goulding, Josh Green, Joe Ingles, Nick Kay, Jock Landale, Thon Maker, Will McDowell-White, Patty Mills, Keanu Pinder, Duop Reath, Matisse Thybulle, Jack White.

Patty Mills and Josh Giddey are among the 10 NBA players selected in Australia’s extended squad of 18 to prepare for the World Cup.

Patty Mills among 10 NBA players in Australia’s extended squad

PHOENIX (AP) &mdash; Devin Booker had 36 points and 12 assists, Kevin Durant also scored 36 points and the Phoenix Suns beat the Denver Nuggets 129-124 on Sunday to even their Western Conference semifinal playoff series at two games apiece.
Backup guard Landry Shamet made four crucial 3-pointers in the fourth quarter to keep the Suns ahead. Denver lost despite a huge game from MVP runner-up Nikola Jokic, who poured in 53 points on 20-of-30 shooting.
Jokic used his physical play to knock down several big buckets, even&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/nuggets-suns-jokic-ishbia-technical-a2c83b6bc613666925579917ddbaecf9">ripping the ball away from Suns owner Mat Ishbia</a>&nbsp;at one point after the ball went out of bounds, which earned the Nuggets All-Star a technical foul.
The series returns to Denver for Game 5 on Tuesday.
The Suns took a 98-92 lead into the fourth quarter after a scoring flurry from Booker, who had 17 points in the third. Phoenix wouldn&rsquo;t trail in the fourth, though Denver didn&rsquo;t go quietly.
The Nuggets trailed 116-106 with 4:55 remaining but never panicked, slowly cutting into the lead. They pulled within 123-120 with 22.4 seconds left but TJ Warren made two free throws to push the margin back to five.
Booker &mdash; averaging 36 points on 60% shooting in these playoffs &mdash; was hot once again, shooting 14 of 18 from the field, including 3 of 4 on 3-pointers. Shamet finished with 19 points, shooting 5 of 8 on 3s.
Jamal Murray added 28 points and seven assists for the Nuggets.
Suns point guard Chris Paul missed his second straight game with a strained left groin suffered during Game 2.
The Suns took a 63-61 lead by halftime. Jokic had 24 points for the Nuggets before the break while Durant had 21 for the Suns.
JOKIC VS ISHBIA
Jokic was assessed a technical foul in the second after a bizarre altercation with Ishbia.
Late in the period, Suns guard Josh Okogie crashed into the seats while trying to save a loose ball. He landed in a group of fans on the baseline that included Ishbia, who grabbed the basketball.
Jokic was trying to get the basketball quickly &mdash; apparently so the Nuggets could start their offensive possession &mdash; when he tried to take the ball away from Ishbia. The ball flew backward into the crowd, and then Ishbia was knocked backward by Jokic&rsquo;s elbow.
There were a few minutes of confusion as officials sorted out the weird scene, and then Jokic was assessed a technical foul.
Ishbia told The Associated Press at halftime that he was &ldquo;fine&rdquo; and more worried about the game than the altercation. He was back in his usual seats in the second half.
AYTON&rsquo;S BIG OVATION
Suns center Deandre Ayton was the subject of scorn from media and fans following his subpar performance in Game 3.
Ayton had just four points and nine rebounds in Game 3 and the former No. 1 overall pick was benched in the fourth quarter in favor of Jock Landale.
But the big man got the fans back on his side during the first offensive possession of the night, grabbing three consecutive offensive rebounds before Booker hit a short jumper as the crowd roared. Ayton finished with eight points and eight rebounds.
TIP-INS
Nuggets: Aaron Gordon and Michael Porter Jr. each scored 11 points.
Suns: Booker scored 13 points on 5 of 6 shooting in the first quarter. He scored 18 points in the first quarter of Game 3.

The Phoenix Suns beat the Denver Nuggets 129-124 on Sunday to even their Western Conference semifinal playoff series at 2-2.

Booker, Durant both score 36, Suns even series with Nuggets

PHILADELPHIA (AP) &mdash; James Harden&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/76ers-celtics-nba-playoffs-0f96443546f1fdbeae8aeaa4ce146c76">showed in Game 1</a>&nbsp;he could still be as great once as he ever was in his prime. The Beard just overall these days isn&rsquo;t as great as he once was in his halcyon days with Houston.
Harden&rsquo;s occasional big postseason games for the 76ers &mdash; like the 45 points he dropped against Boston in a Game 1 win &mdash; now come with immediate fallout.
Like&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/76ers-celtics-nba-playoffs-2023-2b0c931791b7d48b403ead0c9c7e1813">Game 2</a>, when Harden shot 2 of 14 in a loss.
Or&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/celtics-76ers-embiid-mvp-tatum-brown-e5b065453c1bd57287e6655e0ffa351f">Game 3</a>, when Harden had 3-for-14 shooting for 16 points in, yes, another loss.
For those keeping score at home, Harden&rsquo;s 5-for-28 shooting the last two games is the worst for him over any two-game span in his career &mdash; that includes regular season or playoffs &mdash; in which he&rsquo;s attempted at least 20 shots.
Yikes.
It&rsquo;s no wonder the Celtics hold a 2-1 lead in the Eastern Conference semifinals ahead of Sunday&rsquo;s Game 4 in Philadelphia. It&rsquo;s also no wonder why the whispers have grown louder that Harden wants to finish his career with the Rockets. Lose Game 4, and it could be the last one in Philly for Harden &mdash; and with more games like the last two, would the Sixers really be that crushed to see him go?
Harden brushed off concerns about his play, especially his odd Game 3 tendency of passing on open looks.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m pretty good on basketball instincts,&rdquo; Harden said. &ldquo;I know when to score. I know when to pass, so I&rsquo;m pretty sure a lot of it was the right play.&rdquo;
Harden took a so-called discount (opting out of a $47.4 million deal this season to sign a more team-friendly extension) to chase a championship with reigning MVP Joel Embiid and the Sixers. The 10-time All-Star has a $35.6 million player option for the 2023-24 season and he will likely decline it and chase more riches in another market.
Maybe circumstances change if the 76ers get past Boston and make a deep run.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s up to him to figure out how to best help us,&rdquo; Embiid said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s fine. Sometimes you make them and sometimes you miss them. He made a lot of shots in Game 1. The last few games they haven&rsquo;t been going in. I have the trust in him to keep telling him to be aggressive and keep shooting.&rdquo;
But history is against Philly. Not just NBA history &mdash; teams that win Game 3 when a playoff series is tied 1-1 go on to win the series 73% of the time &mdash; but rivalry history. The Celtics eliminated the 76ers in the playoffs in 2020, 2018, 2012, 2002 and 1985. The Sixers haven&rsquo;t beat the Celtics in the playoffs since 1982 &mdash; a year before the Sixers won their last NBA championship.
Kevin Durant, Harden&rsquo;s former teammate during an ill-fated run in Brooklyn,&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/nuggets-suns-booker-durant-jokic-0469ef36ee77fe2eddb4dad8bce202b">scored 39 points</a>&nbsp;and the Phoenix Suns beat the Denver Nuggets 121-114 to cut Denver&rsquo;s lead to 2-1 in their Western Conference semifinal series. Devin Booker scored 47 points, shooting 20 of 25 from the field, including 5 of 8 from 3-point range, to keep the Suns alive headed into Sunday&rsquo;s Game 4 in Phoenix.
CELTICS AT 76ERS
Celtics lead 2-1. Game 4, 3:30 p.m. EDT, Sunday, ESPN
-- NEED TO KNOW: The 76ers are in trouble. Embiid is still achy, Harden is struggling and the Celtics clearly have Philly&rsquo;s number. The Celtics went 3-1 against the 76ers in the regular season and seem poised to repeat the feat in the playoffs. Not even the emotional carryover from Embiid&rsquo;s MVP ceremony helped the Sixers, as they quickly fell behind by 10 and never had the juice to fully recover.
&mdash; KEEP AN EYE ON: Jayson Tatum. He watched Embiid&rsquo;s ceremony from the locker room and said it &ldquo;kind of got me really ready to play.&rdquo; He scored a team-high 27 points after he was held to just seven points in Game 2. Tatum scored eight points only 4 minutes into Game 3. If he continues to play like he did in Game 3 &mdash; while teammate Jaylen Brown continues to harangue Harden &mdash; it could be another big day for Boston.
&mdash; INJURY WATCH: Grant Williams said he still hurt from taking an accidental boot from Embiid to the back of his head. Embiid isn&rsquo;t 100% yet as he plays through a sprained right knee.
&mdash; PRESSURE IS ON: 76ERS. The 76ers grabbed the early edge with a Game 1 win in Boston that earned them home-court advantage. They gave it right back in two straight losses where they&rsquo;ve mostly looked out of sorts against the Celtics.
NUGGETS AT SUNS
Nuggets lead 2-1. Game 4, 8 p.m. EDT, Sunday, ESPN
&mdash; NEED TO KNOW: The Suns won their first game of the series in Game 3 thanks to another huge effort from Devin Booker, who scored 47 points on 20 of 25 shooting. Kevin Durant added 39. They&rsquo;ll probably need a similar effort to win Game 4 considering 12-time All-Star point guard Chris Paul is expected to be out once again with a strained groin.
&mdash; KEEP AN EYE ON: The Jokic-Ayton matchup. Denver star Nikola Jokic had another huge game in Game 3 with 30 points, 17 assists and 17 rebounds. On the other hand, Ayton had arguably the worst game of his playoff career with just four points and nine rebounds in 26 minutes. Ayton was so ineffective that the former No. 1 overall pick was benched in favor of Jock Landale in the fourth quarter. The Suns still won but that&rsquo;s a trend that probably can&rsquo;t continue if Phoenix is going to win the series.
&mdash; INJURY WATCH: Outside of Phoenix&rsquo;s Paul, both teams are relatively healthy.
&mdash; PRESSURE IS ON: Booker. The three-time All-Star is averaging more than 36 points per game in these playoffs and its fairly clear that he has to continue his Hercules-style production if the Suns hope to advance.

The Celtics and Nuggets enter Sunday with 2-1 series leads over the 76ers and Suns.

Celtics, Nuggets seek 3-1 series leads over 76ers, Phoenix

PHOENIX (AP) &mdash; Devin Booker has carried a massive offensive load for the Phoenix Suns in these playoffs, averaging more than 35 points per game despite defenders draped all over him in most games.
Faced with a nearly must-win game on Friday night, he somehow did even more.
Booker scored 47 points, Kevin Durant added 39 and the Phoenix Suns beat the Denver Nuggets 121-114 to cut Denver&rsquo;s lead to 2-1 in their Western Conference semifinal series.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s all I know, this is all I dreamed of as a kid,&rdquo; Booker said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve dedicated a lot of my life, moved away from my family when I was young, to pursue being in these moments.&rdquo;
Booker had another ultra-efficient scoring night, shooting 20 of 25 from the field, including 5 of 8 from 3-point range. Durant shot just 12 of 31 from the field, but made 14 of 16 free throws.
&ldquo;They knew what we had to do to win this game,&rdquo; Suns coach Monty Williams said.
The Suns will try to even the series in Game 4 on Sunday in Phoenix.
The Suns took a 90-88 lead into the fourth quarter, retaking the lead after the Nuggets erased a 15-point halftime deficit. Phoenix scored the first nine points of the fourth &mdash; including the final two on Durant&rsquo;s fast-break dunk &mdash; to push their advantage to 99-88.
They wouldn&rsquo;t trail in the fourth quarter. Durant started 1 for 9 from the field but made 11 of his final 22.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s frustrating not making shots, because that&rsquo;s what I&rsquo;m paid to do,&rdquo; Durant said. &ldquo;But there also comes a time when you&rsquo;ve just got to figure it out and push through it.&rdquo;
Denver&rsquo;s Nikola Jokic &mdash; who finished second in the MVP voting on Tuesday to Philadelphia&rsquo;s Joel Embiid &mdash; finished with 30 points, 17 assists and 17 rebounds.
Jamal Murray led the Nuggets with 32 points, while Michael Porter Jr. added 21 points and 12 rebounds. Murray said he was disappointed he didn&rsquo;t contribute more down the stretch.
&ldquo;I had some great looks at the end of the game and that would have kept us right there,&rdquo; Murray said. &ldquo;I feel like they pulled away because of that. I have to be more locked in, more relaxed down the stretch.&rdquo;
Denver coach Michael Malone said his team played well at times, but that the defense against Booker was &ldquo;unacceptable.&rdquo; Booker repeatedly got near the rim for short jumpers or layups, which contributed to the 20 of 25 shooting night.
&ldquo;I wasn&rsquo;t a math major but that is a really high percentage,&rdquo; Malone said. &ldquo;We have to be a lot better.&rdquo;
The Suns put Cameron Payne in the starting lineup to take the place of 12-time All-Star Chris Paul, who suffered a strained left groin in the Game 2 loss and didn&rsquo;t play on Friday. Payne &mdash; a playoff hero for a few games two seasons ago when Paul was out &mdash; scored seven points, including a big 3-pointer early in the fourth.
Williams also shook up the bench rotation, giving Terrence Ross, Jock Landale and TJ Warren more minutes. Landale finished with six points and nine rebounds, while Warren hit a couple crucial buckets in the final minutes to help the Suns keep the lead.
Booker scored 27 points in the first half on 12-of-15 shooting to push the Suns ahead 67-52 by halftime. Durant added 21, including 11 points on free throws.
AYTON BENCHED
It was a tough night for Suns starting center Deandre Ayton, who finished with just four points and nine rebounds in 26 minutes.
Ayton was so ineffective that Williams benched the former No. 1 overall pick in favor of Landale, who was providing much more energy and rebounding. Booker said it&rsquo;s his job to help Ayton push through the tough times.
&ldquo;That&rsquo;s life,&rdquo; Booker said. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve been around long enough to understand that not every night is going to be your night. It&rsquo;s doing other things to make up for it. ... Energy and effort always has to be high, especially around this time. You can&rsquo;t get flustered, you can&rsquo;t get in your own head. I could see that a little with him today, so it&rsquo;s my job to pump him up.&rdquo;
TIP-INS
Nuggets: Jokic had 10 assists in the first half. ... Had a 51-41 rebounding advantage.
Suns: Durant shot 16 of the team&rsquo;s 18 free throws. He had all of them until Booker shot two free throws in the final seconds.

Devin Booker scored 47 points, Kevin Durant added 39 and the Suns beat the Nuggets 121-114 to cut Denver’s lead to 2-1.

Booker scores 47, Durant adds 39, Suns beat Nuggets 121-114

"We're a championship team."
That's what Nuggets guard Jamal Murray said, as <a href="https://www.denverpost.com/2023/02/03/nuggets-jamal-murray-championship-team/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">part of a larger answer</a> about the team's prospects after Thursday night's 134-117 win over the Golden State Warriors. Murray was a big part of the win, scoring 33 points (9-of-12 from two, 3-of-11 from three), dishing out 8 assists and grabbing 5 rebounds in a little over 30 minutes.
"All that stuff, not being happy, has gotta go out the window or else we&rsquo;re not going to win," Murray said. "It&rsquo;s nice to have a coach that knows that and knows what we&rsquo;re trying to accomplish.&rdquo;
There are a couple of ways to decipher the rest of Murray's words. You can take the "duh" approach and leave it there. Any team with title aspirations &mdash; and the Nuggets, headlined by MVP frontrunner Nikola Jokic while boasting the West's best record, certainly fit the bill &mdash; needs buy-in. Beyond the Xs and Os and rotation decisions, a head coach's primary responsibility is to get buy-in from its players.&nbsp;
Michael Malone has appeared to get that for the most part. You can see that most blatantly with the Nuggets' defensive performance. Per Cleaning The Glass, they're up to 16th in defensive rating on the year, excluding garbage time. <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-examining-the-denver-nuggets-poor-defense-nikola-jokic-michael-malone-bruce-brown-michael-porter-jr" target="_blank" rel="noopener">In early December</a>, I wrote about how pourous their then-ranked 27th defense was; Coach Malone seemingly lamented it every other game.
If you read a little deeper into Murray's reminder for connectivity, you could interpret it as a message to second-year guard Bones Hyland.
Hyland didn't appear in Thursday night's game. He only played four minutes in Tuesday's win over (what's left of) the New Orleans Pelicans. In fact, here is Hyland's minute count over the Nuggets' past 10 games: 8, 15, 18, 8, 11, 0 (inactive), 24, 21, 4, 0 (DNP).
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There have been reports of Hyland and Malone not seeing eye-to-eye. It would make sense; young players &mdash; especially young guards &mdash; have to do a lot to earn Malone's trust on both ends of the floor.
Hyland is a microwave scorer, unafraid to pull from 30 feet if he's feeling it. He's drained nearly 38% of his threes on high volume (5.7 attempts in 19.5 minutes) this season. He's also, at this stage of his career, a harmful defender due to his off-ball awareness and shaky screen navigation. Those are hard sells for Malone fundamentally, even while acknowledging how talented Hyland is.
But with the relationship appearing to deteriorate, trade rumors have <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/report-bones-hyland-is-one-of-the-most-likely-players-to-be-dealt" target="_blank" rel="noopener">continued to swirl</a>. Most recently, ESPN's Tim MacMahon essentially called a Hyland trade an inevitability. Brian Windhorst didn't go that far, but it seems the writing is on the wall in Denver.&nbsp;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
&ldquo;Bones Hyland is getting traded. It&rsquo;s a matter of where and for what.&rdquo; (via <a href="https://twitter.com/espn_macmahon?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@espn_macmahon</a>) <a href="https://t.co/JlUJQI7YnW">pic.twitter.com/JlUJQI7YnW</a>
&mdash; The Trade Deadline (@_TradeDeadline) <a href="https://twitter.com/_TradeDeadline/status/1621550941500473348?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 3, 2023</a></blockquote>

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

Beyond the intrigue of the Nuggets potentially moving Hyland this early, figuring out who they'd actually pursue is also challenging.
It's easy to look at the roster and pinpoint&nbsp;what&nbsp;they should pursue. Finding a bigger, more reliable two-way presence on the perimeter would be at the top of the list. As it stands, rookies Christian Braun and Peyton Watson are the only "3s" between 6-foot-6 and 6-foot-8 on the roster. Braun has been in and out of the rotation this season despite his positive flashes, and we've seen virtually nothing from Watson.
If they land on another guard to directly replace Hyland, that player would need to hold their own defensively &mdash; and likely be capable of punching above their weight &mdash; while being able to toggle between on and off-ball duties. Murray has been commanding the second unit when staggered away from Jokic; ideally, you'd want to take some of that creation burden off of him.
The "who" of it is what makes this tough. Hyland isn't just a young trade chip &mdash; he might be the&nbsp;trade chip for the Nuggets considering their first-round pick situation. <a href="https://www.prosportstransactions.com/basketball/DraftTrades/Future/Nuggets.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Due to prior trades</a>, the earliest available first-rounder they can move <a href="https://www.denverstiffs.com/2023/1/10/23547887/the-denver-nuggets-trade-deadline" target="_blank" rel="noopener">is their 2029 first</a>. Cashing in Hyland for a veteran could still be the move, but it'd be beneficial to add a vet who could move the needle this year and&nbsp;next year, at the very least.
No team wants to "lose" a deal obviously, but there's heightened importance in nailing a trade involving Hyland because of it.
For that reason, I'd imagine the first call would be to the Chicago Bulls. Alex Caruso doesn't fit the wing-with-size archetype, but he doubles as one of the NBA's stingiest and most versatile perimeter defenders. He is one of the best screen navigators in the sport, possesses quick hands that allow him to pester ball-handlers and restrict passing lanes and has the strength and guile to defend bigger wings or forwards when called upon.
A fun stat, per Second Spectrum: Over the past two seasons, possessions featuring a post-up defended by Caruso have garnered just 0.82 points per possession (PPP). Among the 114 players who have defended at least 75 post-ups in that time frame, that mark ranks 11th. Players ahead of him include Pascal Siakam (0.74 PPP), Draymond Green (0.75 PPP), PJ Tucker (0.76 PPP), Onyeka Okongwu (0.78 PPP) and Jayson Tatum (0.8 PPP).
Any questions concerning Caruso come on the offensive end of the floor. He's currently shooting 40.2% from deep, but is only attempting 4.3 threes per 100 possessions, the second-lowest clip of his career. Because of his infrequent trigger &mdash; with more infuriating catch-and-holds sprinkled in this season &mdash; defenses are okay defending him conservatively on the perimeter.&nbsp;
Caruso remains a smart cutter and a tough-as-nails screener, making him an ideal partner for Nikola Jokic whenever they play together. His cross screens consistently help Nikola Vucevic establish deep post position; it's easy to see him doing the same for Jokic. There's also room for him to act as a brush screener whenever the Nuggets want to utilize Jokic as the pick-and-roll ball handler.
Per <a href="https://marcstein.substack.com/p/the-latest-nba-trade-winds?utm_source=post-email-title&amp;publication_id=392205&amp;post_id=99187151&amp;isFreemail=false&amp;utm_medium=email" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Marc Stein of Substack ($)</a>, the Bulls reportedly want two first-round picks in a deal for Caruso. Would the Bulls consider Hyland as a first-rounder, and would the 2029 first the Nuggets could actually offer be enough to entice them? If so, Hyland, Jeff Green, Ish Smith and the 2029 first is a package that could get the ball rolling.
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(There would be haggling, of course. The Nuggets would rather add second-rounders &mdash; they have six, including two this year. If they do include the first-rounder, I'm sure they'd ask for protections &mdash; or explore what it would take to get the Bulls to include Andre Drummond in the deal as well. In short, there are conversations to be had here.)
If not the Bulls, the Nuggets should check in with the Washington Wizards again. They just did business over the summer with the wing room; why not see if they could pry Delon Wright out of there? It would take one of Green or Smith along with Hyland for salary-matching purposes. Because of the age gap and team control aspect, the Nuggets may be able to ask for minor draft compensation.
Among available forwards, I wonder if they'd call the Phoenix Suns and check in on Jae Crowder. Because of Crowder's contract status &mdash; he's set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer &mdash; the Nuggets likely wouldn't have to think about including a future first. The Hyland-Green-Smith triumvirate would work salary-wise for Crowder and a minimum piece (maybe Jock Landale or Josh Okogie).
STRAY THOUGHTS
<ul>
<li>If the San Antonio Spurs didn't already have multiple guards they're somewhat invested in, a Hyland-led package for Josh Richardson would be something worth exploring.</li>
<li>Same guard-heavy issue with the Utah Jazz, otherwise a Jarrod Vanderbilt deal would be at the top of the list for me.</li>
<li>The Sacramento Kings and Warriors have reportedly been linked to Matisse Thybulle. The Nuggets have the offensive infrastructure to slot Thybulle in as a cutter and occasional screener. How would we feel about a Hyland/Green for Thybulle/Shake Milton swap? Feels like a third team would be needed to balance things further for the Sixers, but I'd be intrigued.</li>
<li>Hyland for Cam Reddish is the "Man, everybody would hate this" trade that I can't push in good faith.</li>
</ul>

The Denver Nuggets may be on the verge of trading Bones Hyland. Nekias Duncan explores which landing spots make sense for Hyland.

Exploring possible trade destinations for Nuggets' Bones Hyland

BOSTON (AP) &mdash; Devin Booker wore a hockey toque to deal with the sub-zero temperatures in Boston and pulled out a baseball metaphor to describe his possible return to the basketball court.
&ldquo;Rounding third,&rdquo; Booker said after watching from the bench as his Phoenix Suns teammates beat the Celtics 106-94 on Friday night.
Mikal Bridges scored 25 points and Dario Saric had 14 with 13 rebounds Friday night to lead the Phoenix Suns to a 106-94 victory over Boston and send the NBA-leading Celtics to their fourth loss in six games.
Chris Paul added 15 points, eight assists and six rebounds for Phoenix, which had a 20-point, second-quarter lead trimmed to one by the end of the third. The Suns opened the fourth with eight straight points to turn back Boston&rsquo;s rally.
Booker, a native of Grand Rapids, Michigan, wore a Detroit Red Wings knit cap as he sat on the bench in the same building where he scored 70 points in 2017. He hasn&rsquo;t played since sustaining a groin injury on Christmas; it was just the second time he has joined the team on a road trip since.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m mindful of what I say because I don&rsquo;t want to get everybody excited about it, or depress everybody, either. It&rsquo;s just where he is,&rdquo; Suns coach Monty Williams said before the game. &ldquo;We do feel like he&rsquo;s getting closer and closer to coming back.&rdquo;
The Suns lost nine of their first 11 games after the three-time All-Star went out, but have won seven of the last nine while they wait for his return, which could come during current the five-game road trip.
&ldquo;For us to win it without Book is big for everyone&rsquo;s confidence, because he will be back shortly,&rdquo; center Jock Landale said. &ldquo;We would have liked to win a few more games, but now that we&rsquo;re winning a lot of games and he&rsquo;s on the verge of coming back, it&rsquo;s big for us.&rdquo;
Jaylen Brown scored 27 points and Jayson Tatum had 20 for the Celtics, who beat the Brooklyn Nets by 43 points on Wednesday and beat the Suns by 27 in December. But the two Boston All-Stars shot a combined 12 for 36 from the floor and 6 for 22 from 3-point range.
The Suns led 74-73 to start the fourth quarter before running off the next eight points, prompting Boston coach Joe Mazzulla to call a timeout. Derrick White drove for a layup to snap the slump, but Damion Lee and Saric hit back-to-back 3s, and the Celtics never got closer than six from there.
The Celtics scored the first seven points of the game, but quickly gave it all back. Phoenix scored the next 12, with Ayton putting in three straight baskets to start the run.
The Suns started the second quarter with back-to-back 3-pointers by Ish Wainright and Lee &mdash; sparking another 8-0 run that helped them open a 32-20 lead. It was up to 20 points with four minutes left in the second before Tatum hit his first basket of the game &mdash; a 3-pointer &mdash; as Boston scored 11 in a row before going into the half trailing 57-44.
TIP-INS
Tatum missed his first six shots. ... Wainright sank a full-court shot, but it was just after the buzzer to end the third quarter. ... Boston&rsquo;s Luke Kornet left early in the fourth and limped to the locker room. ... The Celtics took the court on Jan. 23 with a 35-12 record and a nine-game winning streak.
UP NEXT
Suns: At Detroit on Saturday.
Celtics: At Detroit on Monday night.

Mikal Bridges scored 25 points to lead the Suns to a 106-94 victory over the Celtics — Boston's fourth loss in six games.

Mikal Bridges scores 25, leads Suns to 106-94 win over Celtics

PHOENIX (AP) &mdash; Cam Johnson didn&rsquo;t need much time on the floor to do some damage.
Johnson scored 24 points in just 18 minutes, Dario Saric added 19 off the bench and the Phoenix Suns won their fourth straight game by beating the Charlotte Hornets 128-97 on Tuesday night.
The four-game winning streak has helped the Suns make a huge jump in the jumbled Western Conference race &mdash; all the way from 12th to sixth. Before the recent winning streak, they had lost 12 of 14.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s the NBA &mdash; you weather storms. It&rsquo;s life &mdash; you weather storms,&rdquo; Johnson said. &ldquo;Things don&rsquo;t always go your way. We&rsquo;ve found that out the past couple years. That doesn&rsquo;t mean you tuck tail, run, sell the farm, hide away forever.
&ldquo;We have a lot of confidence in our group. Top to bottom.&rdquo;
The Suns built a 30-point lead midway through the second quarter, though Charlotte cut it to 58-50 early in the third. Phoenix rebuilt its lead to 98-77 by the fourth before cruising to the comfortable victory.
<div class="Component-dfp-0-2-70 apnews_article_midarticle_1" data-card-id="sovrn-article-midarticle">Johnson was hot from the outset, scoring 16 points in seven minutes in the first quarter by making all six of his shots, including four 3-pointers. The forward was playing in his third game since returning from a knee injury that kept him out more than two months. He&rsquo;s knocked the rust off quickly, shooting 9 of 11 from the field against the Hornets, including 6 of 7 from 3-point range.</div>
<div class="Component-dfp-0-2-70 apnews_article_midarticle_1" data-card-id="sovrn-article-midarticle">
&ldquo;To see that ball come off his hands as easy as it did tonight was pretty cool,&rdquo; Suns coach Monty Williams said. &ldquo;When he&rsquo;s making shots like that, it opens it up for everyone else.&rdquo;
Suns guard Chris Paul added 14 points and 11 assists. Mikal Bridges scored 18 points and Jock Landale had 15. Bismack Biyombo blocked five shots.
Charlotte couldn&rsquo;t overcome its brutal start. The Hornets shot just 6 of 23 (26.1%) in the first quarter. Terry Rozier scored 19 points, but shot just 7 of 21 from the field. Mason Plumlee added 17 points while Jalen McDaniels had 15 points and 10 rebounds.
&ldquo;They shot the ball well,&rdquo; Hornets coach Steve Clifford said. &ldquo;We did not.&rdquo;
The Suns jumped out to 36-15 lead after one quarter, shooting 60% from the field. Phoenix pushed that advantage to 50-20 with seven minutes remaining in the half but the Hornets responded with a 27-8 run to cut it to 58-47 at halftime.
<div class="Component-dfp-0-2-70 apnews_article_midarticle_2" data-card-id="sovrn-article-midarticle">
&ldquo;I loved our defensive intensity to start the game,&rdquo; Williams said.
It was the second straight game that the Suns struggled to hold a big lead, though both games ended in a win. They had a 29-point advantage over Memphis in the third quarter Sunday before hanging on for a 112-110 win.
TIP-INS
Hornets: G LaMelo Ball (left ankle, right wrist soreness) missed his third straight game. G Gordon Hayward (hamstring strain), G Cody Martin (hamstring soreness) and G/F Kelly Oubre Jr. (left hand surgery) were also out.
Suns: C Deandre Ayton (non-COVID illness) missed his third straight game. G Devin Booker (groin), G Cameron Payne (foot sprain) and G Landry Shamet (foot soreness) were also out. ... The team&rsquo;s four-game winning streak is its longest since a six-game stretch in November. ... Hosted a 51st straight sellout crowd. ... Had a 55-39 rebounding advantage.
</div>
</div>

Cam Johnson scored 24 points, and the Phoenix Suns won their fourth straight game by beating the Charlotte Hornets 128-97.

Suns win 4th straight, roll past Hornets 128-97

PHOENIX (AP) &mdash; The broad-shouldered Ish Wainright looks as if he should be making plays in the NFL instead of the NBA.
For a while, that was the dream.
But Wainright's athletic career is back on the basketball court these days, and he used his surprising skill set to help the short-handed Phoenix Suns win their second straight game by beating the Indiana Pacers 112-107 on Saturday night.
&ldquo;Obviously, you need talent in this league,&rdquo; Suns coach Monty Williams said. &ldquo;But playing hard, with talent, it's a great combination.&rdquo;
Josh Okogie led the Suns with 24 points and 10 rebounds while Mikal Bridges added 22 points, but it was a couple clutch plays from Wainright during the final possessions iced it.
The muscular 6-foot-5, 235-pound forward nailed a corner 3 with 1:10 left to push the Suns up by 107-101 and then added a nifty assist on a pass to Jock Landale for an easy basket &mdash; two stellar possessions that kept that feisty Pacers fighting from behind.
Indiana had a chance to tie on its final possession, but Buddy Hield missed a rushed 3-pointer with two seconds left. The Pacers lost despite a triple-double from T.J. McConnell, who had 18 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds.
Phoenix and its ragtag roster took an 87-83 lead into the fourth quarter. The Suns were once again missing a big chunk of their staring lineup, including the All-Star backcourt of Chris Paul and Devin Booker. Starting center Deandre Ayton was out with a non-COVID-19 illness.
But the Suns are still playing hard and treading water in the Western Conference.
&ldquo;We're holding it down and just building trust,&rdquo; Wainright said of playing without the team's stars. &ldquo;They're trusting us, so when they get back, we'll trust them.&rdquo;
Both the Suns and Pacers struggled to score in the fourth quarter.
The Suns pushed to a 102-94 lead with 2:49 left but the Pacers scored four points on one possession when Phoenix's Saben Lee was called for a flagrant foul after elbowing Hield in the face. Hield hit both free throws and Bennedict Mathurin made a layup after the Pacers retained possession because of the flagrant foul.
The Pacers eventually pulled to 104-101 but Wainright's corner 3 swung the momentum back in the Suns' favor.
The Suns won despite shooting 41.8% from the field. The Pacers shot just 37.5%.
Indiana was without its leading scorer Tyrese Haliburton, who missed his sixth straight game. The Pacers have lost seven straight.
&ldquo;Getting the next win is going to be challenging,&rdquo; Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. &ldquo;That is how it is in his league.&rdquo;
The Suns had a 59-57 lead at halftime. Bridges led the Suns with 14 points while Bismack Biyombo had 12 points, seven rebounds and three blocks. Mathurin &mdash; who played at Arizona in college &mdash; scored 12 points for the Pacers and finished with a team-high 23.
WAINRIGHT'S JOURNEY
Wainright played four seasons of basketball at Baylor before switching to football, where he was a tight end for one season for the Bears.
He played well enough on the football field that he earned a tryout with the NFL's Buffalo Bills in 2018, but didn't make the final roster. Then it was back to basketball, and he played in Europe for a couple years before signing a two-way contract with the Suns in 2021.
He didn't play much at first, but has slowly earned a bigger role.
&ldquo;It's player development,&rdquo; Williams said. &ldquo;But it's also the player committing to the development. You can come in the gym, jack up shots and collect a check, or you can be intentional about it.&rdquo;
MCCONNELL'S TRIPLE DOUBLE
McConnell had the third triple-double of his NBA career, grabbing a 10th rebound late in the fourth quarter.
&ldquo;Rebounding is kind of one of those things as a guard, if you are not blocking out, you have to guess where the ball is going,&rdquo; McConnell said. &ldquo;Try to chase long rebounds and they kind of came to me tonight. I wasn&rsquo;t hunting for them they kind of landed in my hands.&rdquo;
TIP-INS
Pacers: Haliburton was wearing the jersey of San Francisco 49ers rookie quarterback Brock Purdy while sitting on the bench. Haliburton and Purdy both played in college at Iowa State.
Suns: Paul, Booker, Ayton, F Cam Johnson, G Cam Payne and G Landry Shamet were all out. ... Honored the 1992-93 Suns team that won the Western Conference championship. They lost to the Bulls in the NBA Finals in six games. Several players were in attendance, including 11-time All-Star Charles Barkley, who was MVP that season. ... Hosted their 49th straight sellout crowd.
&nbsp;

Josh Okogie put up 24 points and 10 rebounds and the Phoenix Suns beat the Indiana Pacers 112-107.

Okogie, Bridges lead short-handed Suns past Pacers 112-107

TORONTO (AP) &mdash; Gary Trent Jr. matched his season high with 35 points, Pascal Siakam had 26 and the Toronto Raptors snapped a five-game home losing streak with a 113-104 victory over the short-handed and sloppy Phoenix Suns on Friday night.
Scottie Barnes hit a tiebreaking 3-pointer with 3:16 left in the fourth quarter and rookie center Christian Kololo followed with another long-range basket to help the Raptors win for the third time in 11 games. O.G. Anunoby scored 16 points and Barnes finished with 11.
Siakam has scored at least 25 points in seven consecutive games. Vince Carter did it in a franchise-record eight straight in February and March, 2001.
Chris Paul had 20 points and 12 assists, but had six of the Suns' season-worst 27 turnovers that led to 34 points for the Raptors.
Mikal Bridges scored 21 points and Torrey Craig had 13 as Phoenix lost for the fifth time in its past six.
The Suns played their third straight game without All-Star guard Devin Booker, who is expected to miss at least four weeks because of a strained left groin.
Booker had missed five of seven games because of hamstring and groin ailments before returning against Denver on Christmas Day. He lasted just four minutes before leaving. The Suns also are without Cam Johnson (right knee), Cameron Payne (right foot) and Landry Shamet (right Achilles).
Toronto guard Fred VanVleet missed his second straight game because of a sore lower back
The Raptors led 33-24 after one quarter, and were up 53-51 at the half.
Trent dunked after stealing Craig&rsquo;s errant pass with 9:32 left in the third quarter. That was the 19th turnover for Phoenix, matching its previous single-game worst this season.
Suns guard Josh Okogie turned the ball over again 23 seconds later, leading to a 3 for Siakam.
After scoring 10 points off 15 Phoenix turnovers in the first half, Toronto scored 15 points off seven Suns turnovers in the third quarter.
Trent scored 18 points in the third as the Raptors took an 86-79 lead to the fourth.
TIP-INS
Suns: Had nine turnovers in the first quarter. &hellip; Jock Landale had 11 rebounds. &hellip; Duane Washington Jr. scored 11 points. &hellip; Outrebounded Toronto 42-32.
Raptors: Went 5-10 in December. &hellip; Trent shot 9 for 9 at the free throw line.
&nbsp;

Gary Trent Jr. matched his season high with 35 points, and the Toronto Raptors beat the Phoenix Suns 113-104.

Trent scores 35 points, Raptors beat short-handed Suns

PHOENIX (AP) &mdash; Jaren Jackson Jr. had 24 points and 11 rebounds, Desmond Bane scored 17 points in his return and the Memphis Grizzlies took advantage of Phoenix star Devin Booker's absence to rout the Suns 125-100 on Friday night.
Phoenix played without Booker because of groin soreness for the third straight game, with the Suns losing the last two. In his last game, Booker scored a season-high 58 points in a home victory over New Orleans.
Tied with Denver for the Western Conference lead at 20-11, the Grizzlies had their starting lineup from last season on the floor for the first time this season. Bane played 24 minutes after missing 18 games because of a sprained right big toe.
Memphis scored the first eight points and led 15-4 when Phoenix called its first timeout. The Grizzlies were up 39-20 after 12 minutes after dropping the first two games on a four-game road swing.
&ldquo;Those guys have played a lot together," Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins said. "They set a tone, they take pride in that. We definitely needed to play better coming out of the gate, especially on the road. Obviously, offensively the execution was great, but it really started with our defense.&rdquo;
Brandon Clarke had 24 points and nine rebounds off the bench for Memphis. Dillon Brooks added 16 points, Ja Morant had 12 points and 11 assists and Steven Adams grabbed 11 rebounds. The Grizzlies dominated the boards, 53-35.
The teams will meet again Tuesday night in Memphis.
&ldquo;We fear nobody. We got a different type of swag to us," Brooks said. "It&rsquo;s great to have everybody back, it&rsquo;s great to win like this. We got these guys (Tuesday) so we&rsquo;re going to be ready.&rdquo;
Deandre Ayton led Phoenix (19-14) with 18 points. Duane Washington Jr. had 14 points in 19 minutes, and Landry Shamet &mdash; who scored a career-high 31 points in a loss to Washington on Tuesday night &mdash; added 13 points and a team-high five rebounds. Chris Paul had 10 points.
&ldquo;We got to get back chasing something and right now I feel like the prey," Suns coach Monty Williams said. "I don't like that feeling. I told our guys the same thing. We got to get our edge back right from the jump.
&ldquo;They just put their hands on us. Their mentality was we may lose the game, but we are not going to lose the fight and they won both tonight."
Shamet agreed with his coach.
&ldquo;The basketball stuff doesn't matter if you don't have that kind of physicality, that approach that you need to win games in the NBA,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;We were a step slow and they just played with more energy and purpose than we did.&rdquo;
Before the game, Williams said Booker has been shooting the last couple of days and is progressing a bit, but he &ldquo;didn&rsquo;t want to speculate&rdquo; if Booker would return on Christmas at Denver.
TIP-INS
Grizzlies: Coach Taylor Jenkins said before the game of Bane&rsquo;s return: &ldquo;Real proud of what he&rsquo;s done the last couple weeks. He&rsquo;s progressed ahead of schedule.&rdquo; ... Morant, averaging 27.0 points per game entering Friday, was 4 of 14 from the floor and missed both 3-point attempts. ... Memphis is 9-8 against fellow Western Conference teams.
Suns: Jock Landale (concussion protocol) and Josh Okogie (right hip) returned to the Phoenix rotation. &ldquo;Just having big depth is a plus,&rdquo; Williams said. Cameron Payne remains sidelined by a sprained right foot. ... The Suns play their next six games on the road.
&nbsp;

Jaren Jackson Jr. had 24 points and 11 rebounds, and the Memphis Grizzlies routed the Phoenix Suns 125-100.

Bane returns, Grizzlies rout Booker-less Suns 125-100

PHOENIX (AP) &mdash; Kyle Kuzma scored 29 points and the Washington Wizards stopped their 10-game losing streak on Tuesday night, beating the Phoenix Suns 113-110.
Washington played without Kristaps Porzingis, sidelined with what Wizards coach Wes Unseld Jr. called a &ldquo;non-COVID illness." But Daniel Gafford filled in at center and had 12 points and eight rebounds as the Wizards won for the first time since Nov. 28, when they beat Minnesota 142-128 in Washington.
Bradley Beal, held to two points in the first half, scored 16 in the fourth quarter and finished with 27 for the Wizards (12-20), including two free throws to make it a five-point lead with 14 seconds left. Deni Avdija had 16 points and 10 rebounds.
Washington led by as many as 17 points in the third quarter, but Phoenix cut the deficit to 80-78 by the end of the period and took a 10-point lead midway through the fourth. The Wizards got it back to 100-96 and a charging foul on Ayton against the Wizards' Taj Gibson led to nine straight points for the visitors.
&ldquo;That&rsquo;s a huge step for us,&rdquo; Unseld said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s something that we can continue to build on. You give yourself a chance. We minimized some of the mistakes that jumped us and bit us the last few games.
"These guys have continued to play hard and (the streak) didn&rsquo;t affect their competitive spirit. Sometimes you make your own luck. Some of those hustle plays, 50-50 balls, the charge that Taj took, those are the plays that get you out of those ruts. I&rsquo;m happy for those guys, I know they&rsquo;re relieved and excited at the same time.&rdquo;
Landry Shamet led the Suns with a season-high 31 points, making a career-high nine 3-pointers. Deandre Ayton had 30 points and 13 rebounds.
&ldquo;My teammates were finding me, and I just made shots,&rdquo; Shamet said. &ldquo;We couldn't close the game out.&rdquo;
Devin Booker missed his second straight game with groin soreness after scoring 58 points against New Orleans on Saturday.
&ldquo;Our defense in the fourth quarter broke down and we gave up 33 points, and 25 points off turnovers in the game," Suns coach Monty Williams said. &ldquo;That kind of put us in mud. The offense wasn't our demise tonight, it was our defense.
&ldquo;I thought we got a bit tired and missed some shots and didn't execute down the stretch.&rdquo;
Earlier Tuesday, mortgage executive Mat Ishbia agreed in principle to buy a majority stake of the Phoenix Suns and Phoenix Mercury from the <a href="https://apnews.com/article/phoenix-suns-los-angeles-clippers-houston-rockets-brooklyn-nets-nba-5af4d0887bf5dc1c9a115025f3518570">embattled owner Robert Sarver for $4 billion</a>.
Chris Paul, who scored 28 points against the Lakers on Monday, didn&rsquo;t score Tuesday until midway through the third quarter and finished with 12 points and 11 assists.
Duane Washington Jr., in his first game back from a hip injury, scored 10 for the Suns. Mikal Bridges also scored 10.
TIP-INS
Wizards: Unseld said before the game that Porzingis woke up this morning &ldquo;not feeling particularly well.&rdquo; While tests came back negative for COVID-19, he missed the shootaround and was still not feeling right. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think it&rsquo;s anything that&rsquo;s substantial. Hopefully it&rsquo;s just 24=, 48-hour variety,&rdquo; Unseld said. He also said he&rsquo;s hopeful that G Delon Wright, who has missed nearly two months with a right hamstring strain, could return in Washington&rsquo;s next game Thursday.
Suns: Josh Okogie (right hip soreness) joined the injured list. Cameron Payne (foot) and Jock Landale (concussion protocol) remain sidelined along with Booker and Cam Johnson (right knee meniscus tear). Williams said Booker will probably have an evaluation on Wednesday.
&nbsp;

Kyle Kuzma scored 29 points and the Wizards stopped their 10-game losing streak on Tuesday night, beating the Suns 113-110.

Wizards snap losing streak at 10, beat Suns 113-110

PHOENIX (AP) — It looked like Father Time might be making some gains on the 37-year-old Chris Paul over the past few months.
The 12-time All-Star proved on Monday night he's not going down without a fight.
Paul scored a season-high 28 points, Deandre Ayton added 21 points and 11 rebounds and the Phoenix Suns rolled past the Los Angeles Lakers 130-104. 
The Suns did just about everything well in the blowout win. They shot 50% from the field, made 20 3-pointers, had a 51-36 rebounding advantage and just eight turnovers.
“When we play like that, it's tough to stop us,” Paul said.
The game was almost more notable for who wasn’t playing instead of the action on the court. The Lakers were missing their All-Star trio of LeBron James (left ankle soreness), Anthony Davis (right foot soreness) and Russell Westbrook (left foot soreness).
The Suns were missing six players, including three-time All-Star Devin Booker (right groin soreness), who scored a season-high 58 points in Saturday’s win over the Pelicans.
Paul had his best scoring game of the season in Booker's absence, shooting 9 of 18 from the field, including 3 of 5 from 3-point range. The point guard had a slow start to the year, coming into the game averaging a career-low 11.1 points per game, but he's been more productive over the past few weeks since returning from a heel injury.
Paul's built his stellar career on passing the basketball and not necessarily scoring, but with Booker on the bench, the Suns needed his production.
“I was happy to see him aggressive, knocking down shots and taking shots,” Suns coach Monty Williams said. “Everyone on the team, we tell Chris to shoot the ball. It's the most unbelievable thing ever — having to tell a Hall of Fame player to shoot.”
Paul said he doesn't mind that Williams and his teammates are always bugging him to shoot.
“I guess it could be worse,” Paul said laughing. “They could tell me not to shoot.”
The Suns have won three straight, bouncing back after dropping five in a row. All five starters scored at least 15 points.
Phoenix also has a six-game winning streak over the Lakers during the regular season.
Phoenix led by 26 points early in the third quarter, but the Lakers cut that advantage to 91-77 late in the third. The Suns responded with back-to-back 3-pointers from Ish Wainright and Landry Shamet and took a 99-77 lead into the final quarter.
“That is a well-oiled machine over there,” Lakers coach Darvin Ham said. “They took care of business over there tonight and I felt that our guys competed to best of their ability.”
Dennis Schroder led the starless Lakers with a season-high 30 points. He shot 12 of 19 from the field. Kendrick Nunn scored 17 points off the bench. Lonnie Walker IV and Thomas Bryant both added 16 points.
“End of the day, it is the next man up mentality,” Schroder said. “Everybody has to be ready to play and compete at the highest level. You can’t control if someone is going to be out.”
The Suns jumped out to a 38-24 lead, shooting 66.7% in the first quarter. Paul scored 14 points. Torrey Craig made a wide-open 3-pointer just before the halftime buzzer to give the Suns a 68-44 advantage.
TIP-INS
Lakers: G Austin Reaves (right ankle sprain) and G Juan Toscano-Anderson (right ankle sprain) were not available.
Suns: Ayton returned after missing two games. ... Along with Booker, F Cameron Johnson (right meniscus tear), F/C Jock Landale (concussion), G Cameron Payne (right foot strain) and G Duane Washington Jr. (left hip muscle strain) were not available. ... Hosted a 43rd consecutive sellout crowd. ... Craig scored 17 points on his 32nd birthday.
UP NEXT
Lakers: Travel to face Sacramento on Wednesday.
Suns: Host Washington on Tuesday.
___
AP NBA: <a href="https://apnews.com/hub/NBA">https://apnews.com/hub/NBA</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/AP_Sports">https://twitter.com/AP_Sports</a>

Chris Paul scored a season-high 28 points, and the Phoenix Suns rolled past the Los Angeles Lakers 130-104.

Paul scores season-high 28, Suns roll past Lakers 130-104

LOS ANGELES (AP) &mdash; Mikal Bridges scored 27 points, Chris Paul added 15 points and 13 assists and the Phoenix Suns snapped a five-game losing streak with a 111-95 victory over the depleted Los Angeles Clippers on Thursday night.
Devin Booker scored 14 points in his return from a two-game absence with a hamstring injury for the Suns, whose longest skid in three years ended with a blowout of a Clippers lineup missing most of its important players. Phoenix took a 27-point lead in the first half and maintained a comfortable double-digit margin while closing out just its second win in eight games in December.
&ldquo;Ain't no easy nights in this league,&rdquo; said Bridges, who went 11 for 18. &ldquo;I know they were missing some players, but they're still in the league. We came out here and we played hard. Felt good to make some shots early.&rdquo;
Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, Norman Powell, Reggie Jackson and Ivica Zubac didn't play, leaving Los Angeles without its top three scorers, four of its starters Wednesday in a victory over Minnesota, and five regular rotation players averaging a combined 74.5 points and 28.4 rebounds per game.
The Suns also were depleted: Deandre Ayton couldn&rsquo;t play after injuring his ankle in the first half of Phoenix&rsquo;s loss at Houston on Tuesday, and Cameron Payne sat out with a foot injury that incurred in the same game.
&ldquo;I'm happy we finally got a win out of this road trip, and we're going to try to keep this train moving," Paul said.
Although Booker struggled with his shot from all ranges, going 6 for 22 and missing eight of his nine 3-point attempts, Bridges rebounded sharply from a 4-for-24 shooting effort against the Rockets.
&ldquo;He's a prideful player,&rdquo; Suns coach Monty Williams said. &ldquo;He needed a forklift to get his lip off the ground the other night, he was so down about his performance. ... When he's shooting the ball like (tonight), we're a pretty good team.&rdquo;
Terance Mann scored a season-high 22 points for the Clippers, whose three-game winning streak ended. John Wall had 12 points and five assists in his second start for LA after sitting out Wednesday&rsquo;s game with knee soreness.
&ldquo;In the second half, we did a better job of attacking the paint and trying to make a play,&rdquo; Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said. &ldquo;We didn't do that in the first half. I'm just proud of our guys to keep competing and keep trying to play the right way.&rdquo;
Leonard sat out for the 21st time this season to rest his surgically repaired right knee. George sat for the ninth time this season, citing left knee soreness after playing in the previous six games.
Without their dynamic duo, the Clippers couldn&rsquo;t come close to the standard they set in two home games over the previous three days, beating the NBA-leading Boston Celtics and the Timberwolves.
&ldquo;It's definitely real frustrating when we had a good thing going, had a nice little rhythm, figuring stuff out again, about to start a nice little win streak, I thought, and this happens,&rdquo; Mann said. &ldquo;We've just got to figure it out from here now.&rdquo;
TIP-INS
Suns: Bismack Biyombo had five points, five rebounds and five fouls while starting in place of Ayton. ... Cameron Johnson missed his 21st straight game while recovering from knee surgery. ... Jock Landale had 15 points and 10 rebounds.
Clippers: Zubac left Wednesday's game with left knee pain. ... Powell hasn't played since November due to a groin injury. ... Jackson sat out for the second time in four games with a left Achilles injury.
&nbsp;

Mikal Bridges scored 27 points, and the Suns snapped a five-game losing streak with a 111-95 victory over the depleted Clippers.

Suns snap 5-game skid with 111-95 win over depleted Clippers

NEW ORLEANS (AP) &mdash; Zion Williamson watched his second 3-pointer go down, turned toward the Pelicans' defensive end and threw a triumphant punch into the air.
Adding perimeter scoring to his already formidable play in the paint, Williamson scored 35 points for a second straight game, and New Orleans beat the short-handed Phoenix Suns 129-124 in overtime Sunday for their seventh straight victory.
&ldquo;Zion is &mdash; he&rsquo;s a matchup problem,&rdquo; Pelicans coach Willie Green said. &ldquo;He just attacks. And when he attacks like he does, he&rsquo;s just tough to cover. ... It&rsquo;s incredible what he can do.&rdquo;
CJ McCollum added 29 for the Pelicans, who beat the Suns &mdash; playing without star guard Devin Booker because of left hamstring tightness &mdash; for the second time in three days and won for the 12th time in their last 14 games as they've surged to the Western Conference lead.
&ldquo;The Suns, they've earned their resume; they're a great team," Williamson said. &ldquo;So for us to get two back-to-back wins against them, that's big for our confidence.&rdquo;
Deandre Ayton had 28 points and 12 rebounds for Phoenix, but fouled out on Williamson's drive with New Orleans clinging to a two-point lead in the final minute of regulation.
Williamson and Naji Marshall each made only one of two free throws in the final 36 seconds of the fourth quarter, allowing Chris Paul to tie it with a pull-up jumper with 2.8 seconds to go.
The game went to overtime after Williamson's mid-range jumper rimmed out at the horn, but Paul joined Ayton on the bench after fouling out with 2:52 to go in the extra period. Paul initially appeared to have drawn a foul on a missed 3-pointer, but the Pelicans challenged the call. On video review, officials ruled that Paul kicked out his right leg into Williamson.
The Pelicans then scored six straight on McCollum's step-back jumper, Marshall's late-shot-clock finger roll and McCollum's floater off the glass to take the lead for good and send the Suns to a fifth loss in six games.
&ldquo;Let it slide off. Realize it&rsquo;s a long season," Paul said about the Suns' recent swoon. "We know we definitely have to get better and right some things here. But it&rsquo;s not do or die yet.&rdquo;
Marshall finished with 16 points and fellow reserve Larry Nance Jr. had 15 points, four steals and two late blocks for New Orleans.
&ldquo;That's a team that, we're trying to get to their level,&rdquo; Nance said about the Suns. &ldquo;They've been to the Finals ... We're trying to pass them so they're a really good gauge for us to measure ourselves.&rdquo;
Williamson, whose highlights included an alley-oop dunk in transition and driving, off-balance layups while being fouled, tied his season high in points after also scoring 35 on Friday night in the first of two consecutive home games against Phoenix.
Mikal Bridges scored 27 points for Phoenix. Cameron Payne had 17 and Paul assisted on 11 baskets.
New Orleans used a 27-9 run &mdash; during which Williamson and McCollum each scored seven &mdash; to open a 90-75 lead in the third quarter.
But the Suns cut it to 98-93 by the end of the period, with Payne hitting a 3, a layup and two free throws during an 18-8 spurt.
New Orleans maintained a narrow lead for most of the fourth quarter until Torrey Craig, who scored 14, hit a 3 to tie it at 111 with 2:48 to go.
&ldquo;We were undermanned and we saw different guys giving everything they can,&rdquo; Suns coach Monty Williams said. &ldquo;They were spent at the end of game, so that&rsquo;s a very good sign. I&rsquo;m just proud of the effort we made when we got down.&rdquo;
TIP-INS
Suns: Booker played 36 minutes Friday night. Suns coach Monty Williams said Booker wanted to play but the team thought it would be better for his longer-term health for him to rest. Booker has averaged 27.4 points per game this season. ... Damion Lee scored 12 points. ... Phoenix had 19 offensive rebounds, converting those into 21 second-chance points. ... Went 13 of 17 from the free-throw line.
Pelicans: Rookie Dyson Daniels had 11 points and six assists. He briefly left the game in the fourth quarter after banging knees with the Suns' Jock Landale, but returned in overtime. ... Brandon Ingram (left foot) missed his seventh straight game and fellow wing player Herb Jones (left ankle) missed his fifth straight. ... Outscored Phoenix 70-64 in the paint. ... Went 21 of 28 on free throws.
UP NEXT
Suns: At Houston on Tuesday night.
Pelicans: At Utah on Tuesday night.

New Orleans beat the short-handed Phoenix Suns 129-124 in overtime Sunday for their seventh straight victory.

Zion Williamson scores 35 again, Pelicans top Suns 129-124 in OT

It's time to lay to rest any remaining doubts on the legitimacy of the 2022-23 Boston Celtics defense.
The Celtics and Phoenix Suns squared off in a battle of top seeds Wednesday night, but the ensuing contest was far removed from such a thriller. Boston took on Phoenix's humming offense &mdash; ranked second in the NBA entering the matchup &mdash; and held it to 65 points through three quarters as part of a 125-98 drubbing in Arizona.&nbsp;
This game was never close, and while Boston's historic scoring pace kept up, its defense also returned to its imposing presence we saw in the second half of last season.
According to Cleaning the Glass, the Suns sported their worst single-game rates of the entire season in: Effective Field Goal percentage (40.0%), turnover rate (19.2%) and points per 100 plays (83.3). Those numbers do not include garbage time, which CTG categorized as... the entire fourth quarter.
Despite missing their top two bigs in Robert Williams III and Al Horford, Boston turned in its statement outing of the season. They had some help &mdash; Phoenix shot a ghastly 17% from beyond the arc and missed several makeable perimeter attempts &mdash; but the Celtics did what they have done most of this season: Dare teams to beat them in the mid-range and keep driving advantages at a minimum.&nbsp;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
The Celtics defense was quite good last night. Here&rsquo;s an example of how they approached Phoenix&rsquo;s base Booker-centric actions and what worked! Little breakdown with help from ⁦<a href="https://twitter.com/NowOnAirr?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NowOnAirr</a>⁩ 🎙 <a href="https://t.co/jQyySO3fHz">pic.twitter.com/jQyySO3fHz</a>
&mdash; Ethan Fuller (@ethman43) <a href="https://twitter.com/ethman43/status/1600882128383770627?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 8, 2022</a></blockquote>

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The Celtics outscored the Suns 73-44 between the second and third quarters, and their onslaught began around the time of this defensive possession. Their key defensive mission was to make life uncomfortable for red-hot scorer Devin Booker and, in his first game back from injury, Chris Paul. In the above clip, we see how they key in on a Suns set designed to get Booker driving at high speed, and use their second-side help defender to muck up Booker's options (check out the video for a breakdown with sound).
A similar turnover unfolded soon after, and highlighted that the job wasn't done at the second-side help. Derrick White has been playing at an All-Defense level this season. Here's an example of his greatness:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Why is Derrick White so important to the Celtics defense? One reason: his ability to rotate, process, and intercept. I&rsquo;ve noticed him do this a few times in the corner recently and wanted to show how remarkable he is. Breakdown 🎙 <a href="https://t.co/Tyk6SPqtTk">pic.twitter.com/Tyk6SPqtTk</a>
&mdash; Ethan Fuller (@ethman43) <a href="https://twitter.com/ethman43/status/1600888065450442753?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 8, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Bringing help from the second side is a pragmatic way to stop a scorer from succeeding on an initial drive, but it only works if the surrounding defenders stay aware and rotate with urgency. The Celtics have reached that level of focus, spearheaded by the guard trio of Smart, White and Malcolm Brogdon.&nbsp;
However, the larger challenge for Boston would be: Can Blake Griffin and Luke Kornet contain the Suns when they get to the paint? The answer, impressively, was yes.&nbsp;
Let's spotlight Kornet for more than his polarizing "Kornet Kontests" (or Eclipses, whatever you want to say). The Celtics had both him and Griffin in the same basic defensive roles they've played all season &mdash; deep-drop-coverage big. As long as they kept driving Suns players and rolling bigs in front, they could stay in position for a contest. Deandre Ayton and Jock Landale don't shoot the three-ball particularly often, and Boston was perfectly happy to let them shoot mid-range jumpers.
<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/un18ym" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
This was one particularly impressive play where Kornet perfectly reads Paul's intentions. He obviously has unique size and length at 7-foot-2 that makes opponents think just a bit longer. But Kornet never bites on CP3 shooting the ball and recognizes the lob when it's coming.&nbsp;
The above clip was an exemplary possession, but Kornet had several other moments where his presence alone convinced players to opt for mid-range pull-ups and floaters versus drives all the way to the basket.&nbsp;
The Suns took just 25.0% of their shots at the rim, though they're not a frequent interior scoring team anyway. However, they attempted 32.9% of their shots in Cleaning the Glass's "short mid-range" area between 4-to-14 feet from the basket &mdash; their third-highest frequency of the season &mdash; and made just 31.8% of those shots. It was an ugly performance that underscored what the Celtics have tried to do all season: Funnel teams into taking middies.&nbsp;
Boston wields the third-best Defensive Rating in basketball (107.2) in its 7-1 stretch over the last two weeks. That includes shutdown efforts against high-level offenses in Brooklyn, Sacramento and Phoenix. This unit knows how to contain some of the greatest scorers in the game and knows how to catch up when those scorers move the ball. That's a pretty scary combination.

Marcus Smart, Derrick White and Luke Kornet underscored a dominant defensive outing for the Celtics.

How the Celtics' blowout of the Suns shows their defense has arrived

This marks the first time that NBA opening-night rosters have at least 120 international players in consecutive seasons