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Suns

Yeah, the Minnesota Timberwolves' repeated shipwreckings in the first round might be tough to swallow for the next month. However, the blown leads and Karl-Anthony Towns trash talk undermine what was, in my estimation, one of the most promising seasons in recent franchise history.
Minnesota has made the playoffs twice since 2004. The only other time was a whimper of a first-round exit in 2018 that foreshadowed the collapse of a Jimmy Butler-led, Tom Thibodeau-coached roster. This season, Minnesota constructed a top-10 defense with the league's seventh-youngest roster, per RealGM, and went 30-17 in the 2022 calendar year.
Make no mistake: This franchise is on a positive trajectory, and is finally turning potential into production. Now, Minnesota has to make one of the most difficult leaps in basketball &mdash; going from a winning team to a true contender &mdash; at a time where the NBA wields some of the widest parity in recent memory.
The 2022 offseason can be a pivotal building block towards that leap. First, the franchise needs to secure its chief decision-maker.
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Sachin Gupta assumed interim duties as president of basketball operations following Gersson Rosas' departure last fall. The Wolves made all of five in-season acquisitions under his tenure (three of which were 10-day signings), and executed zero trades. It was a quiet season on paper for the creator of ESPN's Trade Machine.&nbsp;
According to the <a href="https://www.startribune.com/timberwolves-sachin-gupta-chris-finch/600169496/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Minneapolis Star Tribune</a>, Gupta seems prepared to navigate the Timberwolves through the summer, though the franchise has not made any move towards announcing a permanent head of operations yet. Wolves head coach Chris Finch has voiced his support for Gupta.
"They know my feelings about Sach," Finch said. "They know that I think he's outstanding and he's been a huge reason that we have stability in this organization right now. He's very smart. We have complete alignment. The players love him. He's appropriate in his presence around the team. He's not heavy-handed with the coaching staff. He does his job.
"I'm a huge fan, and I've advocated for him to have his opportunity to be the guy to run this team. Nothing would make me happier than that."
So time will tell if the new ownership group, currently including Glen Taylor, Alex Rodriguez and Marc Lore, feel the same.
Minnesota has most of its current roster contractually intact. The team holds $1.9 million team options on 2019 second round pick Jaylen Nowell and undrafted Naz Reid, who have both emerged as quality rotation-caliber players. Perhaps the biggest free agent name is Taurean Prince (UFA), who solidified a solid floor-spacing role off the bench in the regular season, but struggled in the playoffs.&nbsp;
Meanwhile, defensive-minded wing Josh Okogie enters restricted free agency after playing just 10.5 minutes per game this season. The former 2018 first-round pick has seen his playing time decrease in each of the last three years. Nathan Knight and McKinley Wright IV also enter restricted free agency, while Jake Layman and Greg Monroe hit the unrestricted open market.
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The Wolves likely won't have the salary cap room for flashy free agent acquisitions. According to Spotrac, Minnesota is all-but guaranteed to be over the cap before free agency even opens. Their best spending asset will be a $10.2 million non-taxpayer exception. Interestingly, Gupta has already commented on a potential team need.
"Defensive rebounding was obviously a big issue in this series and all year long," Gupta said. "That might be a more personnel thing and more size can certainly help. There's a mix for sure in terms of how we can address some of those areas and weaknesses just with development and internal growth and others that we may have to address with the roster."
Minnesota should have plenty of chances to fill this need with its exception. Purely spitballing, but some rebounding bigs who might fit in the $10.2 million exception include: Derrick Favors, Ivica Zubac, Thomas Bryant and Andre Drummond.&nbsp;
But if the front office feels a greater compulsion to act, they have the players and draft picks to create enticing trades. Minnesota holds the No. 19 pick in the first round of the NBA Draft, and Nos. 40, 48 and 50 in the second round. How many of these selections will stay in the Twin Cities with a roster nearly full already?&nbsp;
Our Senior NBA Draft Analyst Matt Babcock projects Minnesota to select Kennedy Chandler at No. 19, and then Ismael Kamagate, Jalen Williams and Hugo Besson in the second round of <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft" target="_blank" rel="noopener">his latest 2022 NBA Mock Draft</a>. Chandler could develop into a steady backup point guard behind D'Angelo Russell, while the others profile as high-upside swings that Minnesota doesn't need to step into the game right now.
One more wrinkle to monitor is Leandro Bolmaro, the No. 23 pick from the 2020 NBA Draft. The Argentinian wing spent most of 2021-22 with the Iowa Wolves in the G League, and put up 12.9 points, 5.4 assists and 5.0 rebounds per game. Is Bolmaro ready to make an NBA impact?
The Timberwolves don't need to rush their franchise timeline. Anthony Edwards is only in his second season, and as we saw in the playoffs, still radiates untapped potential despite his ascendancy. Towns is the second-oldest player currently under contract, and even he's still just 26.&nbsp;
But there's no turning back once a young roster makes the NBA playoffs. Minnesota has set postseason play as the minimum standard for next season, and with youth comes expected improvement in each subsequent season.
Now Gupta, or whoever the next president of basketball operations is, must steer the franchise toward a path to greater heights this summer.
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A disappointing first-round series masked what was a breakout season for the Minnesota Timberwolves.

2022 NBA offseason preview: What's next for the Minnesota Timberwolves?

DALLAS (AP) — Jalen Brunson scored 26 points, Dorian Finney-Smith came alive in the second half and the Dallas Mavericks, with a boost from two newly signed players, defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves 114-102 in a battle of attrition Tuesday night.
A total of nine players, including three starters, missed the game because they are in the NBA's health and safety protocol. 
Brunson scored 16 points in the first half. Finney-Smith had just four at halftime, but added 15 in the second half, including two 3-pointers in a 10-0 run in the fourth quarter that wiped out Minnesota's last lead in the game. 
Dwight Powell scored 15 points, Boban Marjanovich had 10 and Sterling Brown combined 12 points with 11 rebounds in his first start this season. 
Karl-Anthony Towns led Minnesota with and 26 points and 14 rebounds. Malik Beasley scored 22, D'Angelo Russell had 14 points and 12 assists and Jaden McDaniels scored 11.
The Mavericks got a boost from two players signed since they lost just two days before at Minnesota. Theo Pinson played 22 minutes, scored seven points, grabbed four rebounds and added three assists and four steals. In his 16 minutes, Marquese Chriss scored six points, including a thunderous dunk in the 10-0 run, and took down eight rebounds.
In the first quarter, Minnesota made 65% (13 for 20) of its field goal attempts and scored 35 points — and led Dallas by only one point. Towns didn't miss a shot and scored 12 points. In the second, the Timberwolves made just 28% of their field goal attempts and were outscored 27-15 as the Mavericks took a 61-50 halftime lead. 
In the third quarter, the Mavericks ran to a 17-point lead, 79-62, but Minnesota came back with a 13-0 run. The Wolves led 94-91 in the fourth before 3-pointers by Brown and Finney-Smith gave the Mavericks a 97-95 they didn't lose.
TIP-INS
Timberwolves: Minnesota signed F Chris Silva and G Rayjon Tucker, who had been playing in the G-League, to 10-day contracts under the COVID-related hardship allowance. Silva arrived with 59 NBA games on his resume, and Tucker with 34. ... The Wolves were without starters Patrick Beverly and Jarred Vanderbilt as well as Anthony Edwards, John Okogie and Taurean Prince because they were in the NBA's health and safety protocols.
Mavericks: Hardaway was added Tuesday afternoon to the list of players in the health and safety protocol, joining Maxi Kleber, Reggie Bullock and Josh Green. ... Doncic (left ankle injury) missed his fifth consecutive game, and Porzingis (toe) joined him on the injury list on Tuesday. Coach Jason Kidd said, “We're hopeful that (Doncic) is back for Thursday. Eugene (Omoruyi) and Willie (Cauley-Stein) remain out." ... he Mavericks added 6-5 swingman Pinson and 6-9 Chriss to 10-day contracts under the COVID-related hardship allowance. Chriss previously played in parts of five NBA seasons and Pinson in three.
UP NEXT
Timberwolves: Complete a two-game trip at Utah on Thursday.
Mavericks: Host the Bucks on Thursday in the second of two home games.

Jalen Brunson scored 26-points and the Dallas Mavericks beat the Minnesota Timberwolves, 114-102.

Brunson scores 26, replacements help Mavericks beat Wolves

Tommy Beer is back with his latest version of BasketballNews.com's NBA Power Rankings. To read last week's version, <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-power-rankings-jazz-jump-up-into-top-tier-grizz-and-cavs-climb-into-the-top-8-" target="_blank" rel="noopener">click here</a>.
The Phoenix Suns finally push past the Golden State Warriors to grab the top spot in the Basketball News Power Rankings for the first time this season, while the Cleveland Cavaliers climb into the top five.&nbsp;
1. Phoenix Suns (24-5) ⬆️ Last Week: 2
The Suns have posted a ridiculous 23-2 record over their last 25 games. And Phoenix welcomed back leading-scorer Devin Booker, who hadn't played in almost three weeks after injuring his hamstring in late November, in their 137-106 thrashing of the Charlotte Hornets on Sunday night. The Suns have also gotten tremendous production from sharpshooter Cam Johnson this month. He's averaging 14.2 points, 5.1 rebounds and 3.0 made triples (while shooting better than 44% from downtown) over his past nine contests.&nbsp;
2. Golden State Warriors (25-6) ⬇️ Last Week: 1
Golden State played without Andrew Wiggins and Jordan Poole (both are in health and safety protocols) but was still able to beat the Sacramento Kings by 15 points on Monday night, as they improved to a league-best 15-2 at home. Draymond Green led the way for the Warriors, racking up 16 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists, 2&nbsp; blocks and 2 steals. It was Green's 31st triple-double of his career. Remarkably, Golden State has won 30 of the 31 games in which Green has recorded a triple-double.&nbsp;
3. Brooklyn Nets (21-9) ⬆️ Last Week: 4
The Nets made headlines last week when they announced that All-Star guard Kyrie Irving would be welcomed back to Brooklyn. Although Irving remains unvaccinated, which will prevent him from playing in home games due to New York City's vaccine mandates, Kyrie will be able to practice with the team and play in road games (except for the matchups with the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden and the Toronto Raptors up north). The Nets roster has been decimated by COVID-19 of late, with 10 players, in addition to several staff members, in health and safety protocols.
4. Utah Jazz (21-9) ⬇️ Last Week: 3
Not only is Rudy Gobert dominating the paint per usual (averaging 15.4 points and 15.0 rebounds this season) while also leading the league in FG% (72.3%). He's also shooting a career-high 69.3% from the free-throw stripe thanks to a revamped shooting stroke. His complete skill set was on display in Monday's victory over the Hornets, as Gobert racked up 23 points and 21 rebounds while knocking down a career-high 15 free throws on 16 attempts.&nbsp;
5. Cleveland Cavaliers (19-12) ⬆️ Last Week: 8
The NBA announced Sunday that a total of five games involving nine teams would be postponed in response to COVID-19 outbreaks impacting several squads. One of the postponed contests was the Cleveland-Atlanta game scheduled for Sunday night after the Cavs, who have won six in a row, announced that five players entered protocols earlier that day. According to The Associated Press, all five Cavs &mdash; Jarrett Allen, Lamar Stevens, Dylan Windler, Denzel Valentine and RJ Nembhard &mdash; tested positive for COVID-19.
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6. Milwaukee Bucks (19-13) ⬇️ Last Week: 5
The Bucks, forced to play without both Giannis Antetokounmpo (health and safety) and Khris Middleton ((left knee hyperextension), have lost two in a row. They look to get back on track Wednesday vs. the Houston Rockets, and it sounds like there is a good chance Middleton will be cleared to return to action.&nbsp;
7. Chicago Bulls (19-10) ⬇️ Last Week: 6
The Bulls took plenty of heat for signing DeMar DeRozan to a three-year, $85 million contract last offseason, but the early returns have been exceedingly positive. Not only is DeRozan averaging a team-high 26.8 points, but he's also scoring them when Chicago needs them most. DeMar is averaging a league-best 8.0 points per game in the fourth quarter of games this season. He is shooting a scorching 54.2% from the floor, 45.5% from downtown and 91.2% from the free-throw line in the final frame.&nbsp;
8. Miami Heat (18-13) ⬆️ Last Week: 9
The shorthanded Heat have won 2 of their last 3, thanks partly to a very unexpected lift from Max Strus, who <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/qa-max-strus-on-heats-nextman-up-mentality-building-confidence" target="_blank" rel="noopener">spoke to our Spencer Davies at the beginning of last week</a>. The unheralded third-year pro exploded for a career-high 32 points to go along with 7 rebounds and 8 treys in a win over the Orlando Magic on Friday. He followed that up with 24 more points and four more triples on Sunday.
9. Memphis Grizzlies (19-13) ⬇️ Last Week: 7
The Grizzlies surprisingly posted a 10-2 record in 12 games Ja Morant missed due to a sprained left knee. The star point guard returned to action Monday night and played well, tallying 16 points, 8 assists and 6 rebounds in less than 30 minutes. However, after the game, Morant told reporters that some fans told him he should sit back out. He acknowledged that "the <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/ja-morant-hurt-by-fans-telling-him-to-sit-back-out-as-grizz-fall-to-thunder" target="_blank" rel="noopener">remarks from the fans actually hurt</a>," but Ja added, "I'm going to do what I normally do and bounce back and I'm very excited for this next game."
10. Philadelphia 76ers (16-15) ⬆️ Last Week: 11
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🔥Joel Embiid with a HUGE GAME in the <a href="https://twitter.com/sixers?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Sixers</a> win! 41 PTS, 10 REB, 5 AST, 4 BLK, 2 STL <a href="https://t.co/r471bTMV01">pic.twitter.com/r471bTMV01</a>
&mdash; NBA (@NBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1473141177650237441?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 21, 2021</a></blockquote>

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Joel Embiid put Philadelphia on his back Monday night and carried them to a 108-103 victory over the Boston Celtics. Embiid tallied 41 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists, 4 blocks and 2 steals. The much-needed win snapped a three-game losing streak for the Sixers.&nbsp;
11. Denver Nuggets (15-14) ⬆️ Last Week: 16
He seems to be running a distant third behind KD and Steph in the MVP race according to some fans and TV pundits, but you could make a very strong argument that Nikola Jokic is on pace to bring home another MVP award. How valuable is he to Denver's success? The Nuggets are 11-4 when Jokic scores 25 or more points this season. They are 2-6 when he scores fewer than 20 points or does not play. Over the nine games Denver has played this month, Joker is averaging 26.4 points, 13.1 rebounds and 9.2 (!!) assists a night. Yes, he's dishing out more dimes than Chris Paul or Trae Young. Crazy.&nbsp;
12. Los Angeles Clippers (16-15) ⬇️ Last Week: 10
Paul George returned to action on Monday night after missing the previous five games with a sprained right elbow. PG-13 poured in 25 points, but it wasn't enough, as the Clippers were whipped by the Spurs, 116-92. It was L.A.'s third consecutive defeat.&nbsp;
13. Los Angeles Lakers (16-15) ⬆️ Last Week: 14
Anthony Davis sprained his left knee on Friday, and we learned over the weekend that he'll likely miss four weeks of action. The Lakers are just one game over .500, and that's with LeBron James playing at a very high level and logging a ton of minutes. King James will have to carry the team on his back for the next month to keep L.A. afloat. We know the Lakers will be buyers at the deadline, so it'll be interesting to see if they try to make a move sooner rather than later.&nbsp;
14. Charlotte Hornets (16-17) ⬇️ Last Week: 12
The Hornets are in the midst of an exhausting six-game road trip and have lost 4 of their first 5 on this current West Coast excursion. Charlotte plays just once more this week (the final game of the trip is Thursday in Denver) before heading home to take on the Rockets next Monday.&nbsp;
15. Minnesota Timberwolves (15-15) ⬆️ Last Week: 20
The Wolves have won four in a row despite playing without Anthony Edwards, Josh Okogie, and Taurean Prince. And on Monday, Patrick Beverley and Jarred Vanderbilt entered the NBA's health and safety protocols as well. Unsurprisingly, Karl-Anthony Towns has been doing the heavy lifting for Minny. Kat is averaging 26.8 points, 7.8 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.5 triples during this four-game streak.&nbsp;
16. Washington Wizards (16-15) ⬇️ Last Week: 13
After scoring more than 30 points just twice over the first eight weeks of the season, Bradley Beal may finally be heating up. Over the three games the Wiz played last week, Beal averaged 31.0 points and 5.7 assists while shooting above 56% from the field and 42.9% from three-point territory.&nbsp;
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17. Boston Celtics (15-16) ⬇️ Last Week: 15
The C's have yet to win consecutive games this month, but it should be noted that they have played the league's most demanding schedule in December. Of the 12 games on Boston's calendar from Dec. 1 through Christmas Day, 10 of their 12 opponents have winning records. The Celtics take on the Cavs and Bucks later this week.&nbsp;
18. Dallas Mavericks (14-15) ⬇️ Last Week: 17
Kristaps Porzingis has been playing well of late, but exited Sunday's game with what the team called "right foot soreness." Luka Doncic is dealing with left ankle soreness and will miss his fifth straight game Tuesday vs. Minnesota.
19. Toronto Raptors (14-15) &harr;️ Last Week: 19
Fred VanVleet, Malachi Flynn, Scottie Barnes and Precious Achiuwa all entered the league's COVID protocols on Tuesday, bringing the total number of Raptors in health and safety protocols to seven. As of Tuesday afternoon, Wednesday's game vs. the Bulls has yet to be postponed.&nbsp;
20. Atlanta Hawks (14-15) ⬇️ Last Week: 18
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Stay safe🙄🤦🏽&zwj;♂️🤷🏽&zwj;♂️😷 <a href="https://t.co/0cBfsg0CaW">pic.twitter.com/0cBfsg0CaW</a>
&mdash; Trae Young (@TheTraeYoung) <a href="https://twitter.com/TheTraeYoung/status/1472601570579779592?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 19, 2021</a></blockquote>

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The Hawks haven't won consecutive games since late November and are just 3-6 over their last nine contests. Because Sunday's game vs. Cleveland was postponed, Atlanta will have four full days off between their last game (a loss last Friday to Denver) and their next matchup Wednesday vs. Orlando. However, the team announced over the weekend that Trae Young had entered health and safety protocols, which will likely sideline him through the Hawks' Christmas Day showdown with the Knicks at MSG. On Tuesday, Clint Capela and Danilo Gallinari joined Young.
21. Indiana Pacers (13-18) &harr;️ Last Week: 21
After a very slow start to the season, it appears the Pacers are finally headed in the right direction. Indy has won 4 of the last 6 games, and the two losses during this recent stretch were to Golden State and Milwaukee. The team's success has coincided with an uptick in Caris LeVert's performance. He's averaging 21.9 points and 4.3 assists over his last seven appearances.
22. New York Knicks (13-17) &harr;️ Last Week: 22
Like many teams, the Knicks have been hit hard by COVID-19. What makes New York's recent run of back luck so frustrating for fans is that the team's young players seem to be sidelined following breakout performances. After Obi Topping scored a career-high 19 vs. the Raptors, he entered health and safety protocols the next day. Two days after Quentin Grimes poured in a franchise-record 27 points in his first career start, he was sidelined. Miles "Deuce" McBride stepped in and stepped up (15 points, 9 assists, zero turnovers) last Thursday in a win over the Rockets, and was forced into healthy protocols the following afternoon.
23. Portland Trail Blazers (13-18) ⬆️ Last Week: 24
The Blazers have won two in a row after snapping a disastrous seven-game losing skid late last week. They have another winnable game Tuesday when they take on the New Orleans Pelicans on the road. Dame Lillard is averaging over 30 points a night since returning from an abdominal injury on Dec. 12.&nbsp;
24. Sacramento Kings (13-19) ⬆️ Last Week: 26 
With De'Aaron Fox (health and safety protocols) sidelined, Tyrese Haliburton has been a beast for the Kings. In the three games Fox has missed, Haliburton is averaging 24.0 points, 10.7 assists, 4.7 rebounds and 2.7 treys while shooting 54.7% from the floor, 57.1% from downtown and 85.7% from the charity stripe.&nbsp;
25. San Antonio Spurs (12-18) ⬇️ Last Week: 23
Dejounte Murray remained red-hot in Monday's win over the Clippers, tallying 24 points, 12 rebounds, 13 assists and 4 steals in 31 minutes. It was his third triple-double in five games, and his sixth this season. Murray is averaging 17.0 points, 10.4 assists, 9.6 boards and 2.2 thefts of the Spurs past five contests.
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26. Oklahoma City Thunder (10-19) ⬆️ Last Week: 27
After ripping down a career-high 18 rebounds to go along with 10 assists and 8 points against the Clippers on Saturday, Josh Giddey put up 19 points, 11 assists and 5 rebounds in Monday's victory over the Grizzlies. Those are remarkable numbers in back-to-back games for a 19-year-old rookie. Over OKC's last seven games, he's averaging more than seven dimes and seven boards.&nbsp;
27. Houston Rockets (10-20) ⬇️ Last Week: 25
The Rockets have come back down to earth following their shocking seven-game win streak, as they have lost 5 of their last 7. Jalen Green (left hamstring) has been sidelined since Nov. 24, but coach Stephen Silas said he is hopeful Green will return by Christmas or early next week. Kevin Porter Jr. (left thigh bruise) is reportedly targeting a return before the end of December as well.&nbsp;
28. New Orleans Pelicans (10-21) &harr;️ Last Week: 28
After an awful start to the season, in which they won just 3 of their first 19 contests, the Pels are slowly but surely making progress and have won 3 of their last 4. Jonas Valančiūnas has picked up his production of late, averaging 20.8 points (on 61.6% shooting) to go along with 11.4 boards over his past five contests.
29. Detroit Pistons (5-24) ⬆️ Last Week: 30
The Pistons snapped their 14-game losing streak by beating the Heat Sunday night in the Motor City. Saddiq Bey, who scored a team-high 26 points in the victory over Miami, finally broke out of a nasty shooting slump last week. Bey, who was shooting below 35% from the floor and below 30% from downtown over the Pistons' first 25 games this season, averaged 25.7 points, 6.0 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 3.0 made treys while shooting 54.3% from the floor, 42.9% from behind the arc, and 94.7% from the free-throw stripe over his last three.&nbsp;
30. Orlando Magic (6-25) ⬇️ Last Week: 29
Franz Wagner, the eighth overall pick in the 2021 draft, isn't drawing much national attention, but he has been fantastic for the Magic this month. Over Orlando's last 10 games, Wagner is averaging 18.4 points, 5.7 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.2 steals per contest.

Tommy Beer checks in with an installment of BasketballNews.com's NBA Power Rankings.

NBA Power Rankings: Suns eclipse Warriors for the top spot

Karl-Anthony Towns scored 24 points, D&rsquo;Angelo Russell added 22 and the Minnesota Timberwolves beat the Dallas Mavericks 111-105 on Sunday in another matchup between short-handed teams dealing with recent COVID-19 issues.
Dallas, already without star guard Luka Doncic, placed two players in the health and safety protocols the past two days. Minnesota added Josh Okogie to the protocols and Anthony Edwards and Taurean Prince each missed their second game while in the protocols.
The Mavericks then lost forward Kristaps Porzingis in the third quarter with right foot soreness. Porzingis finished with 13 points and three rebounds.
Jaylen Nowell provided a much-needed injection of shooting with a season-high 16 points off the bench for Minnesota, which has won four in a row.
Tim Hardaway Jr. had 28 points for Dallas. Dorian Finney-Smith added 23 and Jalen Brunson finished with 18 points and 11 assists.
The Timberwolves led for much of the game, but Dallas closed the third quarter on an 18-7 run to take an 88-86 lead. The Mavericks outscored Minnesota 38-30 in the quarter, but Porzingis left the game with 4:59 left in the third and didn&rsquo;t return.
Minnesota turned to Nowell, who hit a 3-pointer early in the fourth as the Timberwolves recovered with a 13-5 run.
Without Edwards and with Michael Beasley&rsquo;s continued struggles shooting, the little-used Nowell was a perfect relief. He scored in double figures for the second straight game and the third time in five games.
COVID-19 STRIKES AGAIN
A day after placing Reggie Bullock in the health and safety protocols, Dallas added Josh Green to the protocols before the game. Coach Jason Kidd also said assistants Darrell Armstrong and Jared Dudley are in the protocols.
The Los Angeles Lakers, who have also lost several players to the protocols, played the Mavericks on Dec. 15 in Dallas&rsquo; last game.
Previous to playing Los Angeles, the Mavericks didn&rsquo;t have many cases of COVID-19 to enter into the protocols. Trey Burke, in late October, is the only player to previously be in the protocols.
Before the game, Kidd said he wasn&rsquo;t making any medical determinations, but &ldquo;some who are into betting or guessing, some would say that&rsquo;s where it came from,&rdquo; he said, regarding the Lakers&rsquo; game.
Coincidentally, Edwards and Prince missed Friday&rsquo;s game against Los Angeles and Okogie was added after playing 13:29 in the game.
TIP-INS
Mavericks: Hardaway moved into the starting lineup for the first time in 10 games. Bullock had started nine straight games. G Sterling Brown (left foot soreness) returned after missing six games. &hellip; Willie Cauley-Stein (personal reasons), Frank Ntilikina (illness) and Eugene Omoruyi (right foot injury) were also unavailable for Dallas. &hellip; Finney-Smith was assessed a Flagrant 1 foul in the third quarter on a hard takedown of Towns.
Timberwolves: Beasley started his second straight game for Edwards and scored 13 on 4-of-13 shooting. &hellip; Towns made his first 11 free throws. He finished 11 of 13 from the line. ... With Nowell leading the way, Minnesota&rsquo;s bench outscored Dallas&rsquo; reserves 36-17
UP NEXT
The team&rsquo;s finish back-to-back meetings on Tuesday in Dallas.

Karl-Anthony Towns scored 24 points, D’Angelo Russell added 22 and the Minnesota Timberwolves beat the Mavericks.

Wolves beat Dallas 111-105; Mavs lose Porzingis to injury

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Ja Morant scored 33 points and Brandon Clarke had 20 points and nine rebounds as the Memphis Grizzlies put together a furious fourth-quarter rally before defeating the Minnesota Timberwolves 125-118 in overtime on Monday night.
Memphis trailed by as many as 16 with 7:30 left in regulation but a 21-4 rally erased Minnesota's advantage. The Timberwolves forced OT with a 39-foot 3-pointer banked in by Karl-Anthony Towns as regulation expired.
But Memphis pulled away in the extra period, keyed by a rebound by Clarke with 22.7 seconds left. 
De’Anthony Melton had 19 points for the Grizzlies, Jaren Jackson Jr. had 14 and Kyle Anderson and Desmond Bane added 12 each.
It was Minnesota's sixth straight loss. D’Angelo Russell, who missed the previous two games with a sprained right ankle, led the Timberwolves with 30 points. Towns had 25 points and 13 rebounds. Anthony Edwards, who entered the game shooting 30% from 3-point range, connected on 4 of 9 from outside the arc and ended up with 27 points. 
Memphis struggled in the third quarter to stop the Timberwolves — especially Russell, who scored 13 points in the frame, including connecting on 3 of 5 from outside the arc. Minnesota had an 11-point lead after the third quarter, which swelled to 16 in the fourth before the Grizzlies rallied. 
TIP-INS
Timberwolves: Had only played one road game this season before Monday’s game, which was the start of a four-game road trip. … …G Josh Okogie grabbed his 200th career offensive rebound in the second quarter.
Grizzlies: Are now 8-2 in games after losses of 19 points or more, dating to the start of last season. Memphis lost to the Wizards by 28 points on Friday. … Are 4-1 at home. … Have won seven straight over Minnesota. …Rookie F Ziaire Williams was listed as questionable with right wrist soreness and did not play.
UP NEXT: 
Timberwolves: Play at Golden State on Wednesday night.
Grizzlies: Host Charlotte on Wednesday night.
___
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP-Sports

Ja Morant led the Memphis Grizzlies to a 125-118 comeback win over the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Grizzlies rally to top Timberwolves in OT, 125-118

All stats-based analyses at this stage of the season come with a major warning: We are looking at small sample sizes. Events could be extreme without us realizing it, and averages are even more heavily influenced by outlier performances.
This Stat Notebook is going to highlight some peculiar NBA trends, but keep in mind that they may be peculiar only because we have 3-to-5 games of data to measure. Teams progress or regress to their average nature as the season moves along.
With that being said: Can we talk about this Timberwolves defense?
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Jarred Vanderbilt is so awesome. There are only a handful of NBA players who decide to execute this rotation and do so without fouling. <a href="https://t.co/dlXTjVBbZO">pic.twitter.com/dlXTjVBbZO</a>
&mdash; Jackson Frank (@jackfrank_jjf) <a href="https://twitter.com/jackfrank_jjf/status/1453487606394617857?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 27, 2021</a></blockquote>

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Minnesota has been one of the worst defensive franchises in the NBA for a long, long time. Amidst a period of remarkable turnover &mdash; five different head coaches in six seasons, multiple front office overhauls and a roster with one player left since the 2015 NBA Draft &mdash; the Wolves had maintained a steadfast commitment to playing bad defense, having never posted a positive Relative Defensive Rating (defensive rating relative to league average, per Basketball Reference) since 2013-14.
It actually gets even wilder. In the Timberwolves' 32 years of existence before this season, they had posted a positive Relative Defensive Rating only six times! They have only been an above-average defense for one-sixth of their history, and only twice since Kevin Garnett was traded.&nbsp;
So while we are looking at a tiny four-game sample, it should be noted that the Timberwolves are on pace to do something that they have rarely come even remotely close to doing: shutting opponents down.
Minnesota's fifth-ranked defense is currently giving up 100.4 points per 100 possessions, which would be the second-lowest number in franchise history. It's an early testament to a team-wide attitude shift, and the skill of some elite role-players.
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Through four games, the Timberwolves have the 28th ranked half-court offense, and the league's best half-court defense per <a href="https://twitter.com/cleantheglass?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@cleantheglass</a>. Just like we all expected.
&mdash; Nekias (Nuh-KY-us) Duncan (@NekiasNBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NekiasNBA/status/1453723532395909122?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 28, 2021</a></blockquote>

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Karl-Anthony Towns is averaging 2.5 blocks and 1.3 steals per game. Josh Okogie and Jarred Vanderbilt are both swiping over 1.5 steals per game. Jaden McDaniels has a 3.4% block rate (tops at his position, per Cleaning the Glass). Naz Reid is averaging 3.2 steals and 3.2 blocks per 36 minutes. Event creation isn't everything on defense &mdash; but for these contributions to be coming from all over the frontcourt is special.
In Wednesday night's 113-108 road win over the Milwaukee Bucks, the Timberwolves held players not named Giannis Antetokounmpo to 33.3% shooting from the field. Against the defending champs and one of the league's best offenses, that's more than satisfactory. They've got some tough offensive tests coming up, with five of the next six games against the Denver Nuggets, Los Angeles Clippers, Memphis Grizzlies and Golden State Warriors. We'll see if the sample numbers holds up.
Another small-sample standout: the Utah Jazz and their complete lack of passing. The NBA tracks passes made by each team per game. The Jazz have averaged 176.7 passes across their first three contests, a stunningly low number. For context, the Oklahoma City Thunder rank 29th with 237.6 passes per game. In the history of the NBA's tracking data (back to 2013-14), no team has ever averaged below 240 passes per game across a full season. Utah is not even close.
Yet, the Jazz are also 3-0 and owners of the league's third-best offensive rating. How can that be?
By percentage, Utah is first in the NBA in two categories: made shots that are unassisted (55.4%) and made threes that are unassisted (35.7%). They don't attempt a lot of pull-ups (25th-most FGA, per NBA.com) and don't play too often in isolation.
But one answer could come in the rebounding stats. Led by Rudy Gobert, the Jazz are No.1 in points per missed shot (30.3 per 100 possessions) and second in putback points per play. Putbacks more rarely involve passing and assist opportunities.
Still, this wouldn't account for everything. I'm interested to see which numbers are sustainable and which are outliers. There's no way the Jazz can keep up this extreme lack of ball movement while maintaining their play tendencies. Let's see what gives in the next week.

Ethan Fuller takes a look at some historic numbers regarding the Wolves' defense and Jazz's trouble passing the ball.

Stats Notebook: Stout Timberwolves defense, odd Jazz offense

Preseason NBA basketball is here, which means we're not far off from the regular season tipping off. This is where I make the obligatory "you should take everything you see with a grain of salt" disclaimer, though we should know the deal with preseason hoops by now.
The "grain of salt" portion is key. If a projected eighth man in the rotation averages 18 points per game during the preseason, it's probably safe to assume they won't match those numbers when the games start counting. However, that doesn't mean that the player hasn't showcased skills that could lead to a successful season.&nbsp;
By now, every team in the NBA has played at least one game. I won't bore you with 30 different takeaways &mdash; that may be a <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/podcasts" target="_blank" rel="noopener">podcast episode</a>/segment in the future &mdash; but here are a few things that have caught my eye so far.&nbsp;
THE WOLVES ARE PLAYING DEFENSE
The Minnesota Timberwolves were pretty darn bad at defending last season. They ranked 28th in both defensive rating and field goal percentage allowed, largely because they hemorrhaged shots at the rim (fifth-largest share of rim attempts allowed).
I was annoyed watching the Wolves defend pick-and-rolls; specifically, I wasn't a fan of Karl-Anthony Towns operating in (a deep) drop coverage. He struggled to navigate the gap, either allowing fruitful shots from ball-handlers from playing too far back or giving up lobs from committing too early.
We saw a slight-but-important shift from the Wolves in their preseason opener; Towns is playing closer to the level of the screen when the action starts.
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Beyond that, Anthony Edwards does his homework early by rotating down to the "nail" to cut off the roll from Willy Hernangomez. D'Angelo Russell could be in a "split the difference" scenario behind Edwards, but opts to stick to the corner. You generally don't want help from the strong side corner, but Josh Okogie is able to stunt at the drive, recover and contest the shot.
I really appreciate the energy the Wolves played with, as well as the schematic tweaks from last season. This doesn't mean they're going to be a&nbsp;good&nbsp;defense this year &mdash; the Russell-Towns pairing is one good teams can exploit regardless of scheme right now &mdash; but they at least look sensible.&nbsp;
TYLER HERRO LOOKS MORE COMFORTABLE
I wrote about <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/kyle-lowry-makes-early-impact-in-miami-heat-debut" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kyle Lowry's debut</a>, so I won't rehash that. I'll instead turn my attention to a different guard the Heat hopes will have a major impact on the offense: Tyler Herro.
Herro didn't have a true "sophomore slump" last season, but he certainly didn't take the leap many were hoping for. Injuries/COVID, role changes and a shortened offseason all contributed to Herro's uneven year. He seems to have enjoyed the fruits of a full offseason; muscle has been added, which should only aide him as an on-ball creator.
Beyond that, the dude just looks smooth. His combination of footwork and touch allows him to get to a variety of pull-ups, side-steps and stepbacks almost at whim.
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If this is the level of shot-creating the Heat can expect from Herro this year, second units are going to have their hands full dealing with him.
JOSH GIDDEY IS FUN
I was excited to see Josh Giddey, <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/josh-giddey-ascension-to-top-nba-draft-prospect-happened-in-blink-of-an-eye" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the OKC Thunder's sixth overall pick</a> from this year's draft, during Summer League play. His first game was against Cade Cunningham and the Detroit Pistons. A matchup for the ages in my jumbo-wing-creator-enthusiast eye.
So of course, Giddey got hurt in what felt like 10 seconds and the dream died with his absence.
Giddey made his&nbsp;real&nbsp;debut on Monday and didn't disappoint: 18 points, 7 rebounds and 3 assists in a little under 29 minutes.
My official analysis: Sign me the heck up.
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Three assists undersold the kind of passing game Giddey had. He made good decisions just about any time he was able to generate a deep paint touch. I want to see more from his jumper moving forward &mdash; his spot-ups look a bit wonky to me (though he shot 2-of-4 from three), so I'm curious to see what his mechanics look like off the dribble.&nbsp;
PRECIOUS ACHIUWA: UNLEASHED
This isn't me projecting Achiuwa to have some sort of insane leap; I mostly mean he's actually going to get the oppportunity to do stuff. He didn't get much leeway during his rookie season in Miami. Relegated to handoff, screening and glass-crashing duties, Achiuwa was a bit pigeonholed before (rightfully) losing a consistent spot in the rotation as playoff time approached.
The Toronto Raptors don't have title aspirations this season, nor do they have an All-Star center blocking the path to heavy minutes like the Heat with Bam Adebayo. This year is set up for Achiuwa to be given some freedom, so it's nice to see him have the flashes he's had so far.
Eurosteps in transition, pull-up jumpers, three-pointers &mdash; he's already taken more threes (2) than he did last season (1). Achiuwa has been allowed to push the break after grabbing rebounds.
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I'm here for it, honestly.

Nekias Duncan highlights four things that have stood out during the first week of preseason basketball.

NBA Preseason Musings: Early trends that may matter later

The joke Karl-Anthony Towns made last week was the ultimate jinx, casually noting what had been a rare absence of turnover and tumult for the Timberwolves to that point.
&ldquo;I was like, &lsquo;Man, it&rsquo;s been a real quiet offseason for Minnesota. It's very different,'&rdquo; Towns said.
The next day came the &ldquo;boom,&rdquo; as star center put it, the firing of president of basketball operations Gersson Rosas just six days before the start of training camp.
&ldquo;Just add it to the list. It&rsquo;s just the same thing every single time. It&rsquo;s something that always leads to instability,&rdquo; Towns said on Monday, taking part in the annual media day at team headquarters.
Though the dismissal of Rosas after less than 2 1/2 years on the job will rank high on the long list of dramatic turns for this oft-troubled franchise, players well-conditioned to change took a nonchalant stance toward the ill-timed shakeup of the front office during their first public interview sessions since the end of the pandemic-delayed 2020-21 season.
&ldquo;My personal reaction? I didn&rsquo;t really have one. I was on the golf course. I heard about the news, and I just tried to focus on my next shot, to be honest,&rdquo; guard D'Angelo Russell said. &ldquo;But it&rsquo;s just the world we live in, the business we live in.&rdquo;
Rosas put his stamp on the roster with several trades, headlined by the deal with Golden State to get Russell in February 2020. Of the 20 players starting training camp with the team this week, only Towns and guard Josh Okogie were around before Rosas was hired.
Though the summer was slow on transactions, with the acquisition of 10th-year NBA veteran guard Patrick Beverley the most significant, coach Chris Finch has only been around for seven months.
The 41 games Finch had last season after replacing Ryan Saunders were hardly enough for all parties to find a comfort zone in a time of COVID-19 protocols and largely empty arenas, particularly considering the rash of injuries that kept Towns, Russell, Malik Beasley &mdash; three of the top four scorers &mdash; frequently on the sideline. They missed a combined 87 games.
&ldquo;While being blessed to have so many great teammates to play with, I also didn&rsquo;t have a chance to really build any true relationships with anybody because always instability, always change,&rdquo; said Towns, who's entering his seventh year in the league.
The only place the Timberwolves have had constancy has been at the top, since Glen Taylor purchased the team in 1994. Now even their ownership is undergoing an overhaul, with the transfer of control from Taylor to Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez in motion.
The especially deliberate process, with Lore and Rodriguez on schedule to become the majority partners in two years, was designed to give Taylor an opportunity to mentor the first-time sports team owners as they catch themselves up on the inner workings of the NBA, the culture of the Timberwolves &mdash; and the WNBA's Minnesota Lynx &mdash; and the fabric of the Twin Cities market.
Lore, the e-commerce entrepreneur, and Rodriguez, the former baseball star, reached a $1.5 billion agreement near the end of last season to buy the club from Taylor. They held their introductory news conference before the players took the stage and spoke confidently of their ability to collaborate with Taylor on decisions for the direction of the organization while the 80-year-old still has a controlling stake.
&ldquo;I think it&rsquo;s important in any partnership to get people involved and get them involved as soon as possible,&rdquo; Taylor said.
That included the bold move last week to fire Rosas and elevate executive vice president Sachin Gupta to full authority over the basketball operations.
Rosas, according to multiple reports, was dismissed due to increasing internal concern about discord surrounding his relationships within the organization. Taylor, Lore, Rodriguez, Gupta and Finch all declined to comment about Rosas, mostly citing legal ramifications but also looking for an opportunity to try to paint a brighter picture after the latest dark turn for the Timberwolves.
&ldquo;This past week has been a little crazy for me,&rdquo; Gupta said.
With Lore and Rodriguez each based on the East Coast, and the Timberwolves playing in a renovated-yet-dated arena with decreased attendance before the pandemic due to their perpetual losing, fans have raised questions about how long the new owners will be committed to Minnesota. Taylor, after all, saved the Timberwolves from moving to New Orleans after a deal struck by original owners Harvey Ratner and Marv Wolfenson fell apart. Taylor bought the club instead for $88 million to keep it as a community asset.
&ldquo;We have no plans to move," Rodriguez said. "Our plan is to be right here.&rdquo;
They'll be plenty busy trying to infuse a fresh culture and needed optimism into a franchise that has made the playoffs just once in the last 17 seasons.
&ldquo;I like change. I like challenge," Taylor said, "and I think both of them are in front of us."

For the first time since the end of last season, Wolves players spoke to the media and made their stance on the franchise's direction known.

Amid latest shakeup, Timberwolves seek stability with new owners

The 2021-22 NBA season is right around the corner. One month from now, training camps will get underway. This season, BasketballNews.com will be covering the NBA from every possible angle, including ramped-up sports-betting content.
After providing some <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/5-best-bets-on-future-nba-awardwinners" target="_blank" rel="noopener">interesting future bets on the NBA award races</a>, let's take a look at the 2021-22 playoff odds. Many teams went all-in this offseason, determined to make the playoffs and go on a run.
After examining the 2021-22 playoff odds, seven teams stand out as worthy fliers. Let&rsquo;s dive into which organizations have intriguing odds that you can capitalize on before it&rsquo;s too late.
MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES: +575 odds to make playoffs
Realistically, the team that could make you a lot of money by the end of the regular season resides in Minnesota. Although the Western Conference is still loaded &ndash; with as many as 12 teams having realistic playoff aspirations &ndash; don&rsquo;t sleep on the Timberwolves finally making a push.
Karl-Anthony Towns is one of the most gifted scorers in the Association and a consistent 40% three-point shooter. Last year's No. 1 overall pick Anthony Edwards <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/basketball-news-will-anthony-edwards-surge-lead-to-nba-rookie-of-the-year-award-minnesota-timberwolves" target="_blank" rel="noopener">made a leap in the second half</a> of his rookie season, averaging 23.8 points, 5.3 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 2.9 threes and 1.4 steals in 36 games after the All-Star break. He should build off of that during his sophomore campaign, and he could crack 25.0 points per game. D&rsquo;Angelo Russell has struggled with injuries during his year-plus stint in Minnesota, but he&rsquo;s another offensive weapon that Minnesota can utilize. The Timberwolves&rsquo; roster features a lot of youth and a lot of subpar defenders, but a whole lot of points will be scored. Minnesota is hoping to out-race teams in "track-meet" style matchups where reaching 130-plus points each night is the primary objective.
Here's another underrated reason why you should take a flier on Minnesota at +575 playoff odds: the Ben Simmons rumors. Minnesota is reportedly the one team who has continually kept a dialogue going with Philadelphia. Now, after acquiring big expiring contracts in Taurean Prince and Patrick Beverley this offseason, the Wolves can make a deal work cap-wise while also throwing in a sweetener like up-and-coming prospect Jaden McDaniels. Philadelphia&rsquo;s asking price is absurd, but Minnesota can offer picks plus Prince, Beverley, McDaniels and Josh Okogie to make the salaries work. The Sixers will likely want a third team to get involved to create a more appealing package, but don&rsquo;t rule out Minnesota as Simmons&rsquo; eventual destination. If that happens, you&rsquo;ll be lucky to have chased these +575 odds before they might break even within a few months time.
WASHINGTON WIZARDS: +500 odds to make playoffs
The 2021-22 season may be the Wizards&rsquo; last chance to impress Bradley Beal. Entering the final year of his contract, Beal could become an unrestricted free agent next offseason. The Wizards will <a href="https://www.nbcsports.com/washington/wizards/bradley-beal-will-be-eligible-extension-wizards-offseason" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reportedly</a> offer him to a max extension this summer, but it remains to be seen if he's interested in signing it.
Regardless, give Wizards GM Tommy Sheppard some credit. Once Russell Westbrook asked out, he retooled Washington&rsquo;s roster on the fly and <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/wizards-retooling-led-to-a-competent-roster-surrounding-bradley-beal" target="_blank" rel="noopener">built a competent rotation</a> best suited to fit Beal&rsquo;s special skillset. Spencer Dinwiddie is the perfect backcourt partner alongside Beal. Kyle Kuzma and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope add more scoring punch. Rui Hachimura, Deni Avdija and Corey Kispert are talented prospects who provide versatility. Davis Bertans should have a bounce-back season beyond the arc and provide elite shooting. Daniel Gafford, Montrezl Harrell and Thomas Bryant is an intriguing trio of big men. Overall, Washington now has a deeper rotation that should fit together better than last year's group.
If everything clicks for the Wizards, they should push for a playoff spot (perhaps with a second-straight appearance in the play-in tournament). Although Westbrook is gone, Beal should be able to lead a more well-rounded roster to a record above .500. If that&rsquo;s the case, betting on Washington right now at +500 odds seems like a smart investment.
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PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS: +200 odds to miss playoffs
Damian Lillard seems to have one foot out the door in Portland. Fed up with the Blazers&rsquo; <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/roundtable-which-nba-team-had-the-worst-offseason" target="_blank" rel="noopener">lack of urgency to build a contender around him</a>, nothing has really changed since he vented about how additional changes were needed. GM Neil Olshey re-signed Norman Powell (who fits well alongside Lillard) on a five-year deal and added Cody Zeller, Tony Snell and Ben McLemore to improve Portland's second unit. The Blazers also traded Derrick Jones Jr. and a future lottery-protected first-round pick to bring in Larry Nance Jr., who is <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/what-larry-nance-jr-brings-to-the-portland-trail-blazers" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a perfect complementary piece that should help on both ends</a> of the floor.
Aside from Nance, the additions are pretty underwhelming, and the team lost Carmelo Anthony, Enes Kanter and Zach Collins. Considering what's at stake, it's surprising that the Blazers didn't make more moves to show Lillard that the organization is committed to winning. Olshey and Co. are playing a very dangerous game here, especially if the Blazers stagnate in the standings next season.
If teams like Minnesota, New Orleans and Memphis see a big leap from their young cores, Portland could find themselves outside of the playoff picture. And if that&rsquo;s the case, Lillard will be gone next offseason.
At +200 odds to miss the playoffs, it&rsquo;s a worthy gamble when you realize the Lillard situation hangs over the organization. If the Blazers get off to a slow start, could Lillard ask out mid-season? At the moment,&nbsp; it's hard to feel comfortable about Portland&rsquo;s playoff hopes.
CHARLOTTE HORNETS: +175 odds to make playoffs
Charlotte <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/hornets-ready-to-fly-up-standings-following-strong-offseason" target="_blank" rel="noopener">quietly had one of the best offseasons</a> in the Association. Not only did they re-sign Terry Rozier on a four-year deal, they also brought in Kelly Oubre Jr. to add some more scoring potency off their bench. Mason Plumlee, who has been a steady starting center over the years, was acquired pretty much for free. Add in the draft picks of James Bouknight and Kai Jones, and Charlotte will be one of the most fun teams to monitor throughout the 2021-22 season.
LaMelo Ball is poised to take another leap in his sophomore campaign, which should help bolster Charlotte&rsquo;s playoff probabilities even further. The Hornets&rsquo; rotation is now 10-11 players deep, which hasn&rsquo;t been the case in years. With a nice blend of win-now veterans alongside promising high-upside prospects, Charlotte could be one of the best bets to make off this list.&nbsp;
Gordon Hayward&rsquo;s health will also play a factor here. The Hornets were above .500 before Hayward went down with a season-ending injury. Despite Hayward's injury and Ball being sidelined for a significant stretch, the Hornets still earned a spot in the East's play-in tournament last year. If Hayward can stay healthy throughout the regular season and their offseason additions fit in, Charlotte could comfortably finish in the East's top-eight for the first time since 2015-16.&nbsp;
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NEW ORLEANS PELICANS: +170 odds to make playoffs
It's always fun to bet on Zion Williamson, who has already reached superstardom. After averaging 27.0 points during his sophomore season, Williamson could realistically average 30.0 or more now that the new-look Pelicans will have better floor-spacing. A smart head-coaching hire (Willie Green) and roster upgrades around the margins should lead to <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/by-making-zion-williamsons-job-easier-the-pelicans-should-finally-have-real-playoff-potential" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a boost in performance from New Orleans</a>.
Brandon Ingram is flying under the radar as well. If Ingram continues to be one of the most promising two-way wings in the Association, New Orleans is cooking with gas in 2021-22.
It will be tough to break through in a loaded Western Conference, but Williamson is a generational talent. If the Pelicans find success early in the regular season, they could ride that wave of momentum toward a play-in appearance. With Williiamson in a win-or-go-home situation for a playoff spot, I&rsquo;m betting on New Orleans.&nbsp;
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INDIANA PACERS: +145 odds to miss the playoffs
Everything went wrong for the Pacers last season. Nate Bjorkgren was an awful head coach who failed to relate to players and whose scheme didn&rsquo;t match the roster. Rick Carlisle&rsquo;s return to Indiana is a huge deal for an organization that <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/pacers-face-makeorbreak-202122-season" target="_blank" rel="noopener">needs to succeed in a make-or-break 2021-22 season</a>. If the Pacers fail to make significant headway, big changes are in store for this roster.
Again, the Eastern Conference looks to be very much improved. Chicago may have leapfrogged Indiana in their division. Charlotte and Washington might be doing the same thing with solid rosters that could immediately fit together well. Meanwhile, Indiana has questions. Will Domantas Sabonis and Myles Turner <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/can-rick-carlisle-make-a-domantas-sabonis-myles-turner-pairing-work-for-the-pacers" target="_blank" rel="noopener">find success with their jumbo-sized frontcourt</a>? Will T.J. Warren <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/a-100-million-payday-awaits-tj-warren-if-he-continues-to-silence-the-critics" target="_blank" rel="noopener">stay healthy in a contract year</a>? What can we expect from the backcourt of Malcolm Brogdon and Caris LeVert, which barely played together last season due to separate injuries?
On paper, the Pacers have a solid squad. However, if they get off to a slow start, they could be one of the teams ready to sell-high around the trade deadline. They have a number of attractive pieces and rival executives have been circling like vultures for a while (just look at how often Turner has surfaced in trade rumors). At +145 odds, this seems like a flier worth taking.
NEW YORK KNICKS: +125 odds to miss the playoffs
After a really solid offseason, it's clear that the Knicks are banking on continuity. Also, bringing aboard Evan Fournier and Kemba Walker should help bolster a rotation that was already impressively deep. However, could the Knicks be the team that regresses the most in 2021-22? It&rsquo;s a realistic possibility, especially with how many young squads in the Eastern Conference are on the rise.
What if Julius Randle stagnates and doesn&rsquo;t improve? They'll need him to continue playing at a high level, while R.J. Barrett, Obi Toppin, Immanuel Quickley and their 2021 rookie class must hit the ground running early in the regular season too.
New York finished as the No. 4 seed last season, but for the first time in years, there will be real drama surrounding the East's playoff picture.
Tom Thibodeau helped the Knicks overachieve last season. The question is, can this team do it again? It's possible they take a step forward and once again earn homecourt advantage in the playoffs. But it truly could go either way for the Knicks, making this a worthy bet at +125.

Which NBA teams could win you some money come playoff time? Evan Sidery looks at 7 teams whose postseason odds stand out.

2021-22 NBA playoff odds: 7 teams worth betting on

Heading into the 2021-22 NBA season, the Minnesota Timberwolves are one of the NBA&rsquo;s most intriguing teams. They have a solid young nucleus, a new head coach, new ownership, and a tough climb in terms of scaling the ladder in the Western Conference.
With so many teams either in win-now mode, or ascending rapidly thanks to internal development, Minnesota once again could be on the outside looking in for a real playoff opportunity in 2021-22.
In their current state, the T-Wolves have to rely on their 25-and-under trio of Karl-Anthony Towns, D&rsquo;Angelo Russell and Anthony Edwards. When all of them were on the floor together last season, Minnesota was 13-11.&nbsp;
In a small sample size (324 minutes) featuring Minnesota's trio, their three-man lineup offensive rating was 120.9, which would&rsquo;ve ranked No. 1 for any team last season. However, the defensive rating checked in at 116.0 &mdash; a mark that puts Minnesota last in the Association for team-wide advanced metrics. Although the overall net rating for Minnesota&rsquo;s young Big 3 still checked in at +5.3, they were relying on outscoring the opposition at a pace that seemed unsustainable over a full 82-game schedule.
Toss starting shooting guard Malik Beasley into the mix &mdash; who has canned 40.6% of his three-pointers since arriving in Minnesota two years ago &mdash; and the total sample size for the four-man unit was 13 minutes. Yes, you read that right, 13 minutes. That's all that Towns, Russell, Edwards and Beasley suited up together for during the 2020-21 campaign.
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Minnesota is betting on its young core to take necessary steps forward, but new head coach Chris Finch must also figure out how to utilize his pieces more efficiently. Once Finch replaced Ryan Saunders &mdash; an incredibly tough adjustment coming over from the Toronto Raptors &mdash; Minnesota&rsquo;s offense started to click into high gear. One of the biggest beneficiaries from Finch&rsquo;s arrival was 2020 No. 1 overall pick Anthony Edwards.
Edwards began to turn heads over the final stretch of last season, with many ending the campaign under the belief that he could eventually become a consistent 25-plus point per game scorer. Edwards&rsquo; emergence became one of the few bright spots from another downtrodden season for Minnesota.
Pre-All-Star Break: 14.9 points, 4 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 0.9 steals; 37.1 FG%, 46.6 TS%
Post-All-Star Break: 23.8 points, 5.3 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 1.4 steals; 45.4 FG%, 56.7 TS%
After the All-Star break, Edwards placed himself in elite company. Only six other players averaged his stat line and efficiency over that span: Stephen Curry, James Harden, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Nikola Jokic, Jayson Tatum and Julius Randle. During his rookie season at age 19, Edwards put the NBA world on notice; he&rsquo;s one of the brightest young wing scorers.
With Edwards&rsquo; fast rise, another rookie for Minnesota turned into a legitimate rotation piece: No. 28 overall pick Jaden McDaniels. Although McDaniels&rsquo; numbers weren&rsquo;t gaudy &mdash; 6.8 points, 3.7 rebounds, 1.0 blocks in 24 minutes &mdash; his improvement as a shooter late in the season provides promise for him complementing their core. McDaniels drained 38.3% of his three-pointers after the All-Star break for Minnesota, where he also forced Finch&rsquo;s hand with his plus-defensive versatility. At his peak, McDaniels figures to be a jumbo 3-and-D do-it-all big who doesn&rsquo;t need plays run for him. He's already passed the eye test with flying colors, and now he should slide right in as Minnesota&rsquo;s starting power forward alongside Towns, Russell, Edwards and Beasley.
Minnesota also drafted point-forward Leandro Bolmaro from Argentina in the 2020 draft, who plans to join the roster after being stashed last season overseas. After Ricky Rubio was traded to Cleveland for veteran wing Taurean Prince, Bolmaro figures to play an important role as a playmaker off the bench immediately.
&ldquo;This draft class was a game-changer for this organization,&rdquo; <a href="https://theathletic.com/2738320/2021/08/11/jaden-mcdaniels-is-becoming-the-rare-late-first-round-success-story-for-the-wolves/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Timberwolves GM Gersson Rosas recently told The Athletic&rsquo;s Jon Krawczynski</a>. &ldquo;When it happens like that, you want to be right more often than you&rsquo;re wrong. And nobody&rsquo;s always right.&rdquo;
With high hopes for the 2020 draft haul helping pull Minnesota into real playoff contention eventually, how does their rotation stack up for 2021-22?
Starters = Russell, Beasley, Edwards, McDaniels, Towns
Second Unit = Bolmaro, Josh Okogie, Jarrett Culver, Prince, Juancho Hernangomez, Naz Reid
Although the starting lineup has huge potential &mdash; especially with the projected sophomore leaps for Edwards and McDaniels &mdash; Minnesota&rsquo;s second-unit is shallow on NBA experience and net-positive players. For the Timberwolves to become a real playoff threat, the Towns/Russell/Edwards trio needs to be dominant. And it&rsquo;s fair to wonder if Edwards needs to become his post-All-Star break self every single night for Minnesota to take those necessary steps forward.
Minnesota&rsquo;s core is locked in for the foreseeable future. Towns and Russell are best friends on-and-off the court and have a bond that developed during the 2015 pre-draft process. But is the former No. 2 overall pick the best fit moving forward with Edwards&rsquo; becoming a real 1B option?
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Moving forward, there&rsquo;s no reason for Minnesota to not treat Edwards as their second star behind Towns. He&rsquo;s already proven to have more two-way ability than Russell, who is an above-average three-level scorer. Still, the point guard has been graded across multiple metrics as the worst defender for his position. For a team starved of impact defenders, Russell is the opposite. He brings scoring and some playmaking, but not much else.
For Towns, the clock is already ticking in Minnesota. He&rsquo;s experienced the playoffs one time in his six-year career after being selected No. 1 overall. And that one appearance was due to Jimmy Butler, who is no longer with the franchise. Towns&rsquo; career record is nearly 100 games below .500 at 185-279. Halfway through his rookie-scale max contract extension &mdash; which expires after the 2023-24 season &mdash; the time is now for Minnesota to put the necessary pieces around him before it&rsquo;s too late.
Edwards feels like a lock to be a key cog in the Timberwolves' rise. McDaniels has shown flashes of a competent frontcourt partner alongside Towns. Questions still loom about Russell&rsquo;s overall value in a winning situation, but right now, Minnesota&rsquo;s roster is still on the youthful side of the spectrum.
Banking on the young core is a necessary risk for a small market like Minnesota, but there needs to be some urgency. If all goes well for the Timberwolves this season, these Towns-related concerns will wash away.
In the end, it'll be determined by whether this appealing core centered around he and Edwards stakes their claim as a rising team in the Western Conference.

The 2021-22 season will be an important one for the Timberwolves. Can they defy the odds and make an improbable run to the postseason?

Can the Timberwolves step forward in the loaded Western Conference?

Etan Thomas speaks with Obinna Ekezie on Nigeria's massive win over Team USA over the weekend and the rise in talent in the nation.

OBN Academy founder, former Terp Obinna Ekezie Q&A on Nigeria beating U.S.

Milwaukee Bucks guard Jrue Holiday has won the Joe Dumars Trophy as the NBA player who best represents the ideals of sportsmanship on the court.
Each NBA team nominated a player for the award. After a panel of league executives chose one finalist from each of the NBA&rsquo;s six divisions, 343 current players confidentially cast votes to select the winner.
&ldquo;Just knowing that it came from the players, the guys who go through this with me and put their bodies on the line, train in the offseason, it means a lot,&rdquo; Holiday said Friday.
Other finalists were Miami&rsquo;s Bam Adebayo, Sacramento&rsquo;s Harrison Barnes, Minnesota&rsquo;s Josh Okogie, Boston&rsquo;s Kemba Walker and San Antonio&rsquo;s Derrick White.
Holiday received 130 first-place votes and 2,752 total points in the balloting. Walker, who won this award in 2017 and 2018, was second with 2,474 points.
Last season, Holiday won the NBA&rsquo;s Twyman-Stokes teammate of the year award.
<a href="https://apnews.com/article/new-orleans-pelicans-miami-heat-milwaukee-bucks-milwaukee-soccer-c02176165d5f18fc00cddcc7d0f26b0e">The 30-year-old Holiday averaged 17.7 points, 6.1 assists and 4.5 rebounds in 59 games this season</a> during his first year with Milwaukee. <a href="https://apnews.com/article/basketball-brooklyn-nets-milwaukee-bucks-nba-finals-nba-5102becb2fac74b531954590d1a0126e">Holiday&rsquo;s Bucks begin a second-round playoff series with the Brooklyn Nets on Saturday at Brooklyn.</a>
Holiday donated part of his 2019-20 salary to form the Jrue and Lauren Holiday Social Impact Fund with his wife, who won two Olympic gold medals and a World Cup as a midfielder with the U.S. women&rsquo;s national soccer team.
His family&rsquo;s foundation recently opened a second round of funding to provide up to $1 million in grant money to fund Black-owned businesses and Black-led organizations in the Milwaukee, New Orleans, Indianapolis and Los Angeles areas.
___
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Jrue Holiday has won the Joe Dumars Trophy as the NBA player who best represents the ideals of sportsmanship on the court.

Bucks' Jrue Holiday wins Joe Dumars Trophy for sportsmanship

D'Angelo Russell trots up the floor with a little over two minutes left against the Utah Jazz. A couple of pitches -- from Russell to Ricky Rubio, then from Rubio to Karl-Anthony Towns -- set the stage for Russell to make yet another play.&nbsp;
Russell and Towns flow into a pick-and-roll with an empty corner, putting Rudy Gobert in an impossible situation. Help too far on Russell, and he'll leave a window for Towns. Hang too tightly to Towns, and Russell will have a driving lane to attack. That dilemma puts the onus on Royce O'Neale to help from the "nail" to prevent Russell from waltzing into the lane.
As O'Neale shifts his attention to Russell, Anthony Edwards senses an opportunity. With nobody to track him, he cuts from the left wing. Russell, with Mike Conley on his hip and O'Neale in his area, shovels a pass to the cutting Edwards for a tough finish over Gobert.
<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/f8018g" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
This is the vision. Edwards flying into space, pressuring the rim. Russell manipulating defenders with his cadence and court vision. Towns, an all-world scorer, leveraging his gravity to make all of this possible.&nbsp;
We've seen progress of the Edwards-Towns partnership throughout the season. Their pick-and-roll chemistry has grown; subtle screen flips from Towns, pace-changing from Edwards. The result: a two-man game resulting in a lot of buckets.
<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/zzk2u0" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
The Wolves have posted a <a href="https://www.pbpstats.com/wowy-combos/nba?TeamId=1610612750&amp;Season=2020-21&amp;SeasonType=Regular%2BSeason&amp;PlayerIds=1626156,1626157,1630162" target="_blank" rel="noopener">114.3 offensive rating</a> when Edwards and Towns have shared the floor without Russell on the floor, a number on par with a top-10 offense. From there, a natural question is presented: how would Russell fit into these plans?
Would he slot in seamlessly as a playmaker and shot-creator, or would the lack of rim pressure hurt, while taking away developmental reps from Edwards in the process?
The early returns point to the former.
Russell's been on a personal heater. Since returning in a bench role on April 3, Russell is averaging 19.6 points with a 47/42/87 shooting split while tossing 5.5 assists. During this recent 4-1 stretch from the Wolves, he's averaging 21.6 points (51/44/79 split) and 7.0 assists.
Russell's jumper, pull-ups or otherwise, add a dynamic that's been missing with this Wolves group. His quick trigger and deep range put a ton of strain on defenses. Fail to close off his space -- in pick-and-roll, in transition, or even off of sideline inbound passes -- and Russell can make you pay.&nbsp;
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The threat of his jumper forces defenders to creep up. From there, he has enough craft as a ball-handler to run his defender into screens and manipulate helpers.&nbsp;
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Just peep the layers in that clip. Russell is able to escape to his left, running Conley into the screen. Gobert ventures out past the three-point line to cut off a potential drive or pull-up from Russell. Russell counters with an in-and-out dribble to move Gobert, opening up a wider passing window to a rolling Josh Okogie.
A fun wrinkle that's been popping up: using Russell as a screener to force defenders into uncomfortable positions. The Wolves used the gambit to generate their game-winner against Utah on Monday night.
<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/bnefvw" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
Again, it's an example of the Wolves using their core in tandem. Edwards flies downhill off a Towns screen with O'Neale trailing him. Gobert drops to offer some support, but that leaves him susceptible to the screen Russell sets.
The Jazz are then tasked with two choices: either switch the Russell screen and leave Conley matched up with Towns, or keep their base matchups and try to recover. They clearly choose the latter; Gobert jets to the perimeter to stay attached to Towns, leaving Russell open for the cut.
The Wolves have now played 160 minutes with Russell, Edwards, and Towns on the floor. They're posting an absurd 119.8 offensive rating in those minutes, one of the <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/lineups/advanced/?Season=2020-21&amp;SeasonType=Regular%20Season&amp;GroupQuantity=3&amp;sort=OFF_RATING&amp;dir=1&amp;CF=MIN*GE*150" target="_blank" rel="noopener">league's highest marks</a> among high-minute trios. Their net is negative because of the defense: a 121.9 defensive rating won't cut it.
In order to make things work long-term, the Wolves will need to find the right combination of forwards to complement the group defensively. Okogie and Jaden McDaniels have most frequently been paired with those three, and the lineup has a 96.1 defensive rating in 51 minutes. The sample is obviously small, but that blend of length and athleticism is the blueprint to make things work.

D'Angelo Russell has been rolling since he returned from injury. Nekias Duncan breaks down how he's been so successful.

D'Angelo Russell is fitting right in

After the win, KAT, Edwards and Okogie met with George Floyd's family, who live in Houston, and gave them the game ball from the Sacramento win, which they dedicated to Floyd and his family.
Source: <a href="https://twitter.com/JonKrawczynski/status/1387253697655320576" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic (Twitter)</a>

Timberwolves' Karl-Anthony Towns, Anthony Edwards, and Josh Okogie all met with George Floyd's family after the team's win.

Wolves met with George Floyd’s family, gave them game ball from Kings win

Timberwolves guard Malik Beasley will miss 4-to-6 weeks with a Grade 3 left hamstring injury.
Source: <a style="color: #ffffff;" href="https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1379191894018813957" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter)</a>
ANALYSIS: Malik Beasley was in the midst of a career season before serving his 12-game suspension by the league for an arrest that occurred last summer. Since returning from the suspension, Beasley had been unable to find his rhythm again, and will now miss more time with a hamstring injury. With the T-Wolves clearly out of contention for a playoff spot, don't expect Minnesota to rush back the five-year player out of Florida State, and with the timeline that the team gave on Beasley, it's likely his season could be over.
Expect Jordan McLaughlin, Josh Okogie, and Jarrett Culver to see increased roles in his absence.

Timberwolves guard Malik Beasley will be out 4-6 weeks with a hamstring injury, according to Shams Charania.

Timberwolves' Malik Beasley (hamstring) out 4-6 weeks

The Nigerian national team will be adding another NBA player to its roster for the upcoming Summer Olympics as Denver's Monte Morris has committed to play, according to The Athletic.&nbsp;
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Sources: Denver Nuggets guard Monte Morris has committed to play for the Nigeria national team in the Summer Olympics. Morris will play for Nigeria coach Mike Bown on a roster that includes Al-Farouq Aminu, Josh Okogie, Chimezie Metu, Ekpe Udoh, others.
&mdash; Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) <a href="https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1372682424761651200?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 18, 2021</a></blockquote>

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Morris joins fellow NBA players Al-Farouq Aminu, Josh Okogie, Chimezie Metu, and Ekpe Udoh on the Nigerian national team that is coached by Golden State Warriors assistant Mike Brown.

Morris will be joining several other NBA players on the team.

Denver's Monte Morris to play for Nigerian national team

Ethan Fuller breaks down the general direction of all 30 NBA teams in his weekly Sour Rankings.

NBA Sour Rankings: New Year, New Problems

This year, there were 107 international players from 41 countries on opening-night rosters for the 2020-21 NBA season.

NBA rosters feature 107 international players from 41 countries

Ethan Fuller breaks down the biggest takeaways from the NBA preseason.

NBA Sour Rankings: Preseason Overreactions

Nekias Duncan looks ahead to how the five teams in the Northwest Division will fare in the upcoming NBA season.