Thunderbirds

TORONTO (AP) &mdash; Jakob Poeltl scored 30 points, Pascal Siakam had 26 and the Toronto Raptors beat the Orlando Magic 123-113 on Tuesday night for their fifth win in six games.
Scottie Barnes scored 17 points, Fred VanVleet had 10 points and a season-high 15 assists, and Precious Achiuwa had 11 points and 13 rebounds for the Raptors, who shot a season-best 60.2%.
Wendell Carter Jr. scored 26 points, Jalen Suggs had 24 off the bench and Markelle Fultz scored 19 points for the Magic.
Orlando came in having won three straight road games but couldn&rsquo;t follow Monday&rsquo;s win at Chicago with another victory. The Magic are 1-10 in the second game of back-to-backs.
A former Raptor who was reacquired from San Antonio last week, Poeltl shot 15 for 17 and added nine rebounds and six blocks.
&ldquo;You see what he did tonight,&rdquo; Magic coach Jamahl Mosely said. &ldquo;He was a game changer.&rdquo;
The 30 points were the most Poeltl has scored as a Raptors player. His career high is 31, set with San Antonio last Nov. 15 at Portland.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s just about reacting to the defense,&rdquo; Poeltl said. &ldquo;They decided to trap Freddie a bunch of times. I&rsquo;m comfortable catching the ball there at the top of the key and trying to make plays.&rdquo;
Suggs said Poeltl hurt Orlando with his bruising, physical style.
&ldquo;He&rsquo;s a force in the paint,&rdquo; Suggs said. &ldquo;Trying to box him out, you can&rsquo;t out-jump him. He&rsquo;s really strong and physical in there. He fits what they want to do. He&rsquo;s a physical big who&rsquo;s going to hit you in your mouth and have no remorse about it.&rdquo;
One game after setting a season best by allowing just five points off turnovers, the Raptors made a season-worst 20 miscues against the Magic, leading to 26 points. The Magic weren&rsquo;t much better, making 19 turnovers that led to 29 points for Toronto.
&ldquo;You can&rsquo;t turn the basketball over and give up offensive rebounds and give yourself a chance,&rdquo; Mosley said.
The Raptors outrebounded the Magic 40-29 and had a 13-9 edge on the offensive glass.
As the All Star break arrives, Orlando has gone 19-15 since a 5-20 start.
&ldquo;I feel like we did a solid job from the beginning of the year to now of kind of changing the script of who the Orlando Magic are,&rdquo; Carter said.
Orlando led 70-65 at halftime but Poeltl scored eight points in the third as Toronto took a 94-89 edge to the fourth.
TIP-INS
Magic: Paolo Banchero scored 13 points. &hellip; F Jonathan Isaac (left knee) sat as Orlando played the second game of a back-to-back. &hellip; G Cole Anthony (sore right wrist) missed his second straight game.
Raptors: Toronto is 13-0 all-time when shooting 60 percent or better. &hellip; Coach Nick Nurse returned after missing Sunday&rsquo;s win over Detroit for personal reasons. &hellip; F Thad Young injured his left knee early in the second quarter and did not return. .. G Gary Trent Jr. (sore left calf) missed his second game while F O.G. Anunoby (sprained left wrist) missed his ninth straight. &hellip; Toronto had 13 assists on 16 made baskets in the first quarter, including seven assists from VanVleet.
MILESTONE MAN
Barnes reached 2,000 career points. At 21 years and 197 days, he&rsquo;s the third-youngest player in Raptors history to reach the milestone, behind Tracy McGrady and Chris Bosh.
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ROAD WORK AHEAD
After hosting the Pelicans in their first game following the All-Star break, Toronto plays seven of eight on the road, a testing stretch that includes games at Cleveland, Denver, and both Los Angeles teams.
OUT ON VALENTINE&rsquo;S DAY
Toronto Mayor John Tory attended the game. Tory said last Friday that he would step down as mayor of Canada&rsquo;s largest city after acknowledging an affair with a former staffer.
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Jakob Poeltl scored 30 points, Pascal Siakam had 26 and the Toronto Raptors beat the Orlando Magic 123-113.

Poeltl scores 30, Siakam has 26, Raptors beat Magic 123-113

Kevin Love and Darius Garland scored 22 points apiece, and the Cleveland Cavaliers tied their franchise record with 46 points in the third quarter of a 144-99 rout over the COVID-19 depleted Toronto Raptors on Sunday night.
Lauri Markkanen added 20 points and Garland had eight assists for Cleveland, which led by 47 points twice late in the fourth. The Cavaliers won their fifth in a row at home and made 22 3-pointers in a team-record 52 attempts.
It was Cleveland&rsquo;s largest victory margin of the season and the first time Toronto has lost by more than 17 points in 2021-22. The Cavaliers had 39 assists, two shy of the most in the NBA this season.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;re lucky to be in this position where we&rsquo;ve got such a good thing going on,&rdquo; Markkanen said. &ldquo;We play hard and we play unselfish basketball. Once we brought the energy we needed, the floodgates just kind of opened up after that.&rdquo;
Yuta Watanabe posted career highs of 26 points and 13 rebounds for Toronto, and Chris Boucher scored 21 points. The Raptors have 10 players in the NBA&rsquo;s health and safety protocols, including top scorer Fred VanVleet, rookie Scottie Barnes and Pascal Siakam.
&ldquo;We had to take a pretty good loss tonight, but we&rsquo;ll bounce back,&rdquo; Raptors coach Nick Nurse said. &ldquo;It was a good game for Yuta, and that&rsquo;s about it.&rdquo;
Toronto&rsquo;s eight-man active roster &mdash; featuring four hardship signees &mdash; had never been together until holding a brief practice on the main court at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse before the game. D.J. Wilson had 15 points and eight rebounds in his team debut.
&ldquo;We met those guys on the bus on the way to the arena,&rdquo; Watanabe said. &ldquo;Because we weren&rsquo;t permitted to do anything together the last few days, I spent a lot of time in the gym by myself putting up shots. That&rsquo;s all you could do.&rdquo;
The Raptors&rsquo; previous two games were postponed when they could not suit up the required eight players. Boucher, Watanabe, Svi Mykhailiuk and Dalano Banton were the only holdovers from their pre-outbreak squad.
Denzel Valentine had 17 points and nine rebounds, Dean Wade scored 17 points, and Ricky Rubio had 16 points and six assists for Cleveland. Love grabbed nine boards and Tacko Fall had three points and seven rebounds in 11 minutes off the bench.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve got a good thing going and I&rsquo;m having a lot of fun,&rdquo; Love said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s going to be great watching this young team develop. We know we&rsquo;re going to get everyone&rsquo;s best shot at us going forward, so I hope 2022 is a year of growth.&rdquo;
Rookie Evan Mobley and center Jarrett Allen were among seven Cavaliers sidelined because of the safety protocols. Cleveland has the fifth-best record in the Eastern Conference at 20-13.
&ldquo;The Raptors came out and played hard, but as the game went on, we were more physical and that obviously took a toll on them,&rdquo; Cavaliers coach J.B. Bickerstaff said.
TIP-INS
Raptors: G Gary Trent Jr., F Precious Achiuwa, F OG Anunoby, C Khem Birch, F Isaac Bonga, F Justin Champagnie and G Malachi Flynn also are in the health and safety protocols. &hellip; G Goran Dragic (personal reasons) and G David Johnson (left calf strain) were officially active, but unavailable. &hellip; F D.J. Wilson, F Juwan Morgan, C Daniel Oturu and G Tremont Waters are on 10-day contracts via roster exceptions.
Cavaliers: G Isaac Okoro missed his third straight game as he works on his conditioning after being cleared from the safety protocols. &hellip; F Cedi Osman was added to the protocols earlier in the day, joining C Ed Davis, G RJ Nembhard, G Lamar Stevens and F Dylan Windler. &hellip; Cleveland leads the East and ranks third in the NBA with 15 double-digit victories. The Cavaliers&rsquo; last 11 wins have been by at least 10 points.
CHRISTMAS GIFT
Bickerstaff, who was promoted to the job on Feb. 19, 2020, signed a multi-year contract extension on Saturday morning. The son of longtime NBA coach and current Cleveland senior advisor Bernie Bickerstaff took over a team in disarray following the resignation of John Beilein. &ldquo;If you look at our roster, we&rsquo;ve got guys locked in here for a long time,&rdquo; said Bickerstaff, who is 47-69 with the Cavaliers. &ldquo;Now, with this coaching staff, we&rsquo;re locked in for a long time, too.&rdquo;
UP NEXT
Raptors: Host Philadelphia on Tuesday night.
Cavaliers: Visit New Orleans on Tuesday night.

The Cavaliers tied their franchise record with 46 points in the third quarter of a 144-99 rout over the depleted Raptors.

Love, Garland score 22 as Cavs rout depleted Raptors 144-99

BOSTON (AP) — Jaylen Brown scored 34 points and the Boston Celtics beat depleted Cleveland 111-101 on Wednesday night to end the Cavaliers’ winning streak at six.
Robert Williams III added a career-high 21 points along with 11 rebounds and seven assists, and Jayson Tatum had 18 points.
“Tonight was taking advantage of the coverage,” Boston coach Ime Udoka said about Brown. “He had some big guys on him.”
It was Brown's second straight game with 30 points or more.
“It's one of the better days I've had since I've been back,” said Brown, who has been out twice with a bothersome right hamstring, including five games this month.
Darius Garland led Cleveland with 28 points, and Kevin Love had 18. The Cavaliers were missing starters Isaac Okoro, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen and five other players in the NBA's health and safety protocol.
Also short-handed, Boston signed 40-year-old Joe Johnson to a 10-day contract Wednesday. The crowd chanted “We Want Joe! “We Want Joe!”” and broke into a loud cheer when he got off the bench and came into the game. He got a huge ovation when he hit a fallaway jumper in the final minute.
Brown remembered idolizing Johnson as a kid. 
“A lot of memories,” said Brown of watching Johnson play for the Hawks when he was growing up in Atlanta. “A lot of (playoff) runs. In Atlanta, I got to go to a lot of those games.”
Down 23 points, the Cavaliers cut it to 10 at 85-75 on Garland’s basket — the first of the final quarter — but Williams had a steal and breakaway dunk that sparked the crowd and started an 8-0 spree.
“Just to keep playing," Garland said about the team's situation. "It's next-man-up mentality,” 
TIP-INS
Cavaliers: Lamar Stevens, Dylan Windler, Denzel Valentine, RJ Nembhard and Ed Davis also are in protocol. … They missed nine of their first 10 on 3-point attempts. … They signed forward Tre Scott from the G League Cleveland Charge to a 10-day contract via the NBA’s hardship exception. … Garland and Osman were each whistled for a technical. 
Celtics: Williams returned to the starting lineup after missing the last game for personal reasons. … Udoka said the team is still in a “holding pattern waiting for two negative tests” on the seven players that are in COVID protocol, which includes starting center Al Horford and forward Grant Williams, who plays extended minutes. 
STILL POPULAR
Seven-foot-6 center Tacko Fall, who saw limited action the past two seasons with Boston but was a fan favorite, made his first career NBA start due to Cleveland’s limited roster. He got a loud ovation when he was introduced, and there was a spattering of cheers when he did something positive during the game.
“I'm not here, I'm a Cav now,” Fall said. “But Boston is always going to mean a lot to me. This is almost like a second home for me. Coming from a different country and my first time being a pro, and how I was embraced here, it's just a place I feel like I can always come back and call it home.” 
UP NEXT
Cavaliers: Host Toronto on Sunday night.
Celtics: At Milwaukee on Saturday.
___
More AP NBA coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Jaylen Brown scored 34 points, and the Boston Celtics beat the Cleveland Cavaliers, 111-101.

Brown scores 34 points, Celtics beat Cavaliers 111-101

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

We're now nearly a month into NBA free agency, and as expected, all of the big names are off the market. But the 2021 free-agency class was so large, that even weeks later, a number of quality pros remain available.
At this stage, your favorite squad isn't likely to sign a game-changer. But there are plug-and-play veterans and young castoffs who can provide value to any roster. Paul Millsap headlines the remaining best available players, and dozens of others are worth taking a peek at.
Below are some notable unsigned players for each of the three umbrella positional groups.&nbsp;
<h2 style="text-align: center;">Guards</h2>
Wesley Matthews (UFA)
Matthews has now played for five teams in three seasons. The 34-year-old most recently suited up for the Lakers in 2020-21, averaging 4.8 points per game in a bench role. Matthews provides toughness on both ends as a 3-and-D veteran.
J.J. Redick (UFA)
Redick can still shoot it (37.1% from three last season) but has lost much of the explosiveness off the ball that made him such a threat throughout his career. The 37-year-old played for the Pelicans and Mavericks last season, and could help a team searching for an offensive spark. Redick has said that <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/jj-redick-to-bypass-training-camp-could-be-a-midseason-roster-addition" target="_blank" rel="noopener">he will likely take his time</a>, skipping training camp and signing with a team in a few months.
Avery Bradley (UFA)
Bradley was traded from Miami to Houston at the March 25 trade deadline, but did shoot 42.1% from long range during his short stint with the Heat. The 30-year-old has been part of a number of successful teams, including the Lakers' championship squad in 2020. He'll be able to provide adequate shooting and defense wherever he lands.
Langston Galloway (UFA)
Galloway played a minor bench role for the Suns in their trip to the NBA Finals. The 29-year-old did what he was asked: he shot well from the perimeter (42.4%) and turned the ball over just 13 times in 480 minutes. He'll be a valuable and reliable reserve wherever he goes.
Frank Ntilikina (UFA)
The 2017 No. 8 overall pick never found his groove with the New York Knicks. Ntilikina's minutes were halved in his fourth season (just 9.8 per game) as he battled on the outside of Tom Thibodeau's rotation. He's still only 23 years old, though, and is an NBA-caliber perimeter defender. Ntilikina also made 23 of his 48 three-point attempts in 2020-21, a 47.9% clip albeit on a small sample size.
Others Include: Isaiah Thomas, E'Twaun Moore, Brad Wanamaker, Jordan McLaughlin, Dante Exum, Dennis Smith Jr., Tyler Johnson, Jeff Teague, Darren Collison
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
<h2 style="text-align: center;">Wings</h2>
James Ennis (UFA)
The journeyman wing has taken the court for seven franchises in his seven professional seasons. Ennis has made 36.0% of his threes in his career, but canned 43.3% of those looks with the Orlando Magic in 2020-21. He can operate as a mini microwave scorer, and floor-spacing wings will always have value in today's NBA.
Stanley Johnson (UFA)
Johnson worked his way to increased playing time with the Toronto Raptors last season, even starting 13 games for the team. It was a mixed bag &mdash; he shot just 37.8 percent from the field &mdash; but the former 2015 lottery pick had some bright moments, including a 35-point, 10-rebound effort in a May 13 loss to Chicago. Johnson has improve notably as a defender and may be one of the better free agent "flier" options.
Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (UFA)
If a team is looking for a defensive spark plug, they should start with Hollis-Jefferson. The 26-year-old can guard both forward spots and even some smaller bigs with his length and energy. Hollis-Jefferson has a rough offensive foundation, but he wouldn't need to be relied on as more than a finisher.
Others include: Denzel Valentine, Garrison Mathews, Paul Watson Jr., Gary Clark, Justin Jackson, Theo Pinson, Michael Beasley, Deividas Sirvydis
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
<h2 style="text-align: center;">Bigs</h2>
Paul Millsap (UFA)
Millsap has slowly regressed with age, and at 36 years old, is no longer the Swiss Army knife he has usually been on both ends. But he's still a versatile piece that teams can plug in at power forward or center while shooting the ball respectably. Millsap spent his last four seasons with the Denver Nuggets., and the <a href="Isaiah%20Thomas,%20E'Twaun%20Moore,%20Brad%20Wanamaker,%20Jordan%20McLaughlin,%20Dante%20Exum" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Warriors and Nets have reportedly demonstrated recent interest</a>.
Jarred Vanderbilt (RFA)
Timberwolves fans were intrigued by Vanderbilt last season. The 22-year-old made 30 starts and generally battled on defense and on the glass. Vanderbilt also made 71.7% of his attempts around the rim, and still radiates potential.
LaMarcus Aldridge (UFA)
It appears that the veteran Aldridge, who retired just a few months ago due to a heart condition, has consulted with medical personnel and decided to attempt a return to the NBA (<a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/31959203/former-all-star-forward-lamarcus-aldridge-seriously-considering-return-nba-season-sources-say" target="_blank" rel="noopener">per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski</a>). Just based on the finesse center's face-up capabilities and ability to stretch the floor, he should draw plenty of suitors. He last played for the Nets.
Isaiah Hartenstein (UFA)
The Nuggets traded Hartenstein to the Cleveland Cavaliers at last spring's deadline. He seemed to find a groove in Cleveland, averaging 8.3 points, 6.0 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game. Hartenstein is still only 23 and was a second-round pick in 2017.
DeMarcus Cousins (UFA)
Cousins fell out of the Clippers' playoff rotation because he simply wasn't up to par with the smaller, faster matchups he often faced. Injuries have drained the 30-year-old of his athleticism. But Cousins quietly became a knockdown, low-volume shooter (42.1% on 1.2 threes per game), and that could be a way to keep his NBA stock afloat.
Others include: Aron Baynes, Bismack Biyombo, Ed Davis, Harry Giles, T.J. Leaf, Patrick Patterson, D.J. Wilson, Ersan Ilyasova, Alen Smailagic, Luke Kornet, Tacko Fall

Paul Millsap headlines the list of remaining free agents.

Which notable NBA free agents are still unsigned?

If you blinked even once, you might have missed most of the NBA free-agency drama.
After two days of the moratorium period, many of the best available stars have locked up new contract agreements. Kyle Lowry is taking his talents to South Beach via sign-and-trade, and DeMar DeRozan is off to Chicago in the same scenario. Chris Paul has re-upped with Phoenix.
Dozens of free agents jumped off the board, but plenty of quality players are still searching for a new squad. If you've lost track of who's available, we have you covered here. Here are the best options remaining at each of the positional groups.
Updated 8/6/21*
<h2 style="text-align: center;">Guards</h2>
Dennis Schroder (UFA)
Schroder reportedly turned down a four-year extension worth $84 million during the season. At this stage, it is unclear where he could sign, or for how much. Schroder started all 61 regular-season games played for the Los Angeles Lakers last season.
Wesley Matthews (UFA)
Matthews has now played for five teams in three seasons. The 34-year-old most recently suited up for the Lakers in 2020-21, averaging 4.8 points per game in a bench role. Matthews provides toughness on both ends as a 3-and-D veteran.
J.J. Redick (UFA)
Redick can still shoot it (37.1% from three last season) but has lost much of the explosiveness off the ball that had made him such a threat throughout his career. The 37-year-old played for the Pelicans and Mavericks last season, and could help a team searching for an offensive spark.
Hamidou Diallo (RFA)
Diallo was traded somewhat surprisingly from Oklahoma City to Detroit last year. With the Pistons, the athletic guard averaged 11.2 points and 5.4 rebounds per game. Still just 23 years old, he's a worthwhile flier, though the Pistons can match any offer.
Avery Bradley (UFA)
Bradley was traded from Miami to Houston at the March 25 trade deadline, but did shoot 42.1% from long range during his short stint with the Heat. The 30-year-old has been part of a number of successful teams, including the Lakers' championship squad in 2020. He'll be able to provide adequate shooting and defense wherever he lands.
Langston Galloway (UFA)
Galloway played a minor bench role for the Suns in their trip to the NBA Finals. The 29-year-old did what he was asked: he shot well from the perimeter (42.4%) and turned the ball over just 13 times in 480 minutes. He'll be a valuable and reliable reserve wherever he goes.
Others include: Frank Ntilikina, Isaiah Thomas, E'Twaun Moore, Brad Wanamaker, Jordan McLaughlin, Dante Exum
<h2 style="text-align: center;">Wings</h2>
Kawhi Leonard (UFA)
Leonard is still technically a free agent, and there have been no reports of him agreeing to a new contract yet. But all signs have pointed to him <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/31936595/source-kawhi-leonard-declines-36-million-player-option-next-season" target="_blank" rel="noopener">staying with the Los Angeles Clippers</a>, hence the lack of chatter. Unfortunately, it'll be a while before we see him in game action as he recovers from the ACL injury suffered in the 2021 playoffs.
Josh Hart (RFA)
Hart has not had the same perimeter success as he did coming out of Villanova in 2017. He made just 32.6% of his attempts this past season, and is below 35% from the arc in his career. The 26-year-old does rebound well for his position; Hart averaged 8.0 per game last year.
Justise Winslow (UFA)
It just hasn't quite clicked yet for the former 2015 lottery pick, who fought the injury bug and appeared in 26 games for the Grizzlies in 2020-21. He finished the regular season strong with 25 points, 13 rebounds and four assists in a win over the Sacramento Kings. But Winslow shot just 35.2% from the floor on the year.
Svi Mykhailiuk
The former Jayhawk played 36 games for the Detroit Pistons before being dealt to OKC. Mykhailiuk had a down year shooting the ball (33.4% from deep in total), but profiles as a sharpshooter with room to grow.&nbsp;
Jarred Vanderbilt (RFA)
Timberwolves fans were intrigued by Vanderbilt last season. The 22-year-old made 30 starts and generally battled on defense and on the glass. Vanderbilt also made 71.7% of his attempts around the rim, and still radiates potential as a 6-foot-9 combo forward.
Isaac Bonga (UFA)
Bonga is still just 21 years old despite being drafted in 2018. He's another interesting name as a versatile defender who can handle the ball a bit at 6-foot-8. The German forward is also a non-shooter at this stage, but could develop into a rotation piece with the right developmental support.
Others include: James Ennis, Denzel Valentine, Garrison Mathews, Paul Watson, Stanley Johnson, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, Gary Clark
<h2 style="text-align: center;">Bigs</h2>
Lauri Markkanen (RFA)
Markkanen's offseason has reached a confusing place. He was not part of the Chicago sign-and-trade that netted DeRozan, and the Bulls still have their qualifying offer in place, making Markkanen a restricted free agent. But with Nikola Vucevic locked down at center and Patrick Williams likely penciled in at power forward, it's tough to see where Markkanen fits if he were to return to the Bulls.
Paul Millsap (UFA)
Millsap has slowly regressed with age, and at 36 years old, is no longer the Swiss Army knife he has usually been on both ends. But he's still a versatile piece that teams can plug in at power forward or center while shooting the ball respectably. Millsap spent his last four seasons with the Denver Nuggets.
LaMarcus Aldridge (UFA)
It appears that the veteran Aldridge, who retired just a few months ago due to a heart condition, has consulted with medical personnel and decided to attempt a return to the NBA (<a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/31959203/former-all-star-forward-lamarcus-aldridge-seriously-considering-return-nba-season-sources-say" target="_blank" rel="noopener">per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski</a>). Just based on the finesse center's face-up capabilities and ability to stretch the floor, he should draw plenty of suitors. He last played for the Nets.
Aron Baynes (UFA)
The Toronto Raptors waived Aron Baynes today, per <a href="https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1422980538030297093" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Shams Charania of The Athletic</a>. His run in Canada was underwhelming after a breakout season with the Phoenix Suns, but Baynes still combines physical interior defense, rebounding and a dash of perimeter shooting &mdash; all skills that benefit a modern-day big.
Isaiah Hartenstein (UFA)
The Nuggets traded Hartenstein to the Cleveland Cavaliers at last spring's deadline. He seemed to find a groove in Cleveland, averaging 8.3 points, 6.0 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game. Hartenstein is still only 23 and was a second-round pick in 2017.
DeMarcus Cousins (UFA)
Cousins fell out of the playoff rotation because he simply wasn't up to par with the smaller, faster matchups he often faced. Injuries have drained the 30-year-old of his athleticism. But Cousins quietly became a knockdown, low-volume shooter (42.1% on 1.2 threes per game), and that could be a way to keep his NBA stock afloat.
Bismack Biyombo (UFA)
Biyombo has spent the past three seasons with the Charlotte Hornets. He started 36 games this season, and much of his value lies as a rim protector and finisher. Biyombo has averaged 2.3 blocks per 36 minutes over his career.
Ed Davis (UFA)
Davis is a well-liked veteran who suited up for 23 games with Minnesota during 2020-21. He rebounds ferociously, averaging 5.0 boards in just 13.0 minutes per game last year, but doesn't offer much as an offensive player.
Others include: Harry Giles, T.J. Leaf, Patrick Patterson, D.J. Wilson, Ersan Ilyasova, Alen Smailagic, Luke Kornet, Tacko Fall

A number of quality rotation players are still up for grabs in free agency. Here's what is left in the NBA's free-agent pool.

Which NBA free agents are still available?

After spending eight-and-a-half years with the Orlando Magic, Nikola Vucevic was dealt to the Chicago Bulls two weeks ago in exchange for Wendell Carter Jr., Otto Porter Jr. and two first-round picks. Not only was this the biggest deal to go down prior to the trade deadline, but it was also the most shocking.&nbsp;
Of all the rumors that were circulating in the weeks leading up to the deadline, there weren&rsquo;t many involving Vucevic. Most reports indicated that Orlando wanted to keep their three-time All-Star, and that their asking price had been high when teams called to gauge his availability. All signs seemed to point to the Magic keeping Vooch...until they didn&rsquo;t.
With this deal, Chicago has bolstered its roster for a playoff push, and they can build around their All-Star duo&nbsp; -- Vucevic and Zach LaVine -- going forward. They have a nice mix of veterans (Vucevic, LaVine, Thaddeus Young, Tomas Satoransky, Daniel Theis, Garrett Temple, Al-Farouq Aminu) and youth (Lauri Markkanen, Coby White, Patrick Williams, Troy Brown Jr.).
For the Magic, they bring in two first-round picks and a 21-year-old as they rebuild. Orlando also dealt Aaron Gordon and Evan Fournier, so it&rsquo;s clear that the team wants to add talent through the draft and develop their young core of Carter Jr. (21), Cole Anthony (20), Jonathan Isaac (23), Markelle Fultz (22), R.J. Hampton (20), Mo Bamba (22) and Chuma Okeke (22).
Since joining the Bulls, Vucevic is averaging 22.9 points, 10.3 rebounds and 3.6 assists while shooting 51.7% from the field, 41% from three and 89.5% from the free throw line.
BasketballNews.com caught up with Vucevic for his first one-on-one interview since the blockbuster trade went down. He opened up about how he learned of the trade, why leaving Orlando was emotional for him and his family, forming a one-two punch with LaVine, his excitement about this Bulls squad, his first impression of Chicago and more.
How did you find out about the trade? Where were you?
Nikola Vucevic: &ldquo;I was actually with my son; I had taken him to this activity that he has because it was our day off. So, I went with him and then I got a call from the GM [John Hammond], and they just called me to let me know that the trade was happening. It wasn&rsquo;t out of nowhere, we&rsquo;d had discussions prior to it, so it was kind of mutual; it wasn&rsquo;t just out of nowhere. They pretty much just let me know that the trade was happening and said, &lsquo;You&rsquo;re going to Chicago.&rsquo; Honestly, even though I had an idea that it could happen, it was still a big shock to me. I&rsquo;d never been through it before. And I think the biggest thing for me is that I was in Orlando for so long and I had such a special bond with the franchise, the city, the fans, the people there. I pretty much grew up there. I went from a 21-year-old boy to a 30-year-old man who&rsquo;s married with two kids, so I don&rsquo;t know...it was definitely still a shock, and it took a little bit for me to adjust to it. After a few days, I was able to gather myself and it&rsquo;s been good. It&rsquo;s obviously part of the business that we&rsquo;re in and things like this happen and you just move on.&rdquo;
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/vooch_bulls1_lg.jpg" alt="" width="652" height="326" />
Garrett Temple told me that the Bulls don&rsquo;t have many leaks, so their moves tend to be surprises. You mentioned that you were having discussions with the Magic about their trade talks. Did you know that Chicago was a possibility, or were you surprised when you heard that you were heading to the Bulls?
Vucevic: &ldquo;I was aware of the teams that were showing interest in me; I knew that there were a couple, but I didn&rsquo;t know where I&rsquo;d land or all of the details because that&rsquo;s something that the front office was handling. But I knew of the teams that were interested; I knew that part.&rdquo;
Let&rsquo;s talk about leaving Orlando. You were there for eight-and-a-half years, and you have many relationships with people there. But you and I have also talked about how off the court, your family loved it in Orlando. Your wife was comfortable there and your kids were happy. I think fans tend to focus on the basketball side of things when a trade happens, but you also have to relocate your family and leave a city you all loved.
Vucevic: &ldquo;Even with the basketball part, I became who I am with the Magic and I grew as a player there. I had a great relationship with the owners. We had two front offices [while I was there] and I had great relationships with both, along with the coaches, the players, everything. That&rsquo;s a big part, too. But I think, for me, what made it hardest was that, like I said, I had a very special bond with the city and the fans. I was there for so long. Both of my sons were born there and we had a very good life, very established. We had a lot of friends and everything, so you&rsquo;re leaving a big part of your life behind. That was the hardest part. You&rsquo;re going into this big change that&rsquo;s not only affecting me, but also my family. My wife has to move, my kids have to move -- although they&rsquo;re little, so they won&rsquo;t be as aware of it, but still; my son liked the daycare he was at and had a lot of friends there. My wife had a lot of friends there and had established a nice life. So, you think about all of that and it&rsquo;s not easy. If it had just been me, I think it would&rsquo;ve been easier because I could just relocate and it&rsquo;s whatever. But when you have to move your whole family, you&rsquo;re also thinking about how that affects them -- and actually, that was one thing that was really difficult, just making sure that my job doesn&rsquo;t affect them in a negative way. That&rsquo;s the first reaction that you have, which is normal, because it&rsquo;s a big move.&nbsp;
&ldquo;But then once I got to Chicago, all of the people were great to me and very welcoming -- people from the team, the players, the coaches, the front office, people in the city, everywhere. Even in the hotel that I stayed at the first couple of days, everybody was pretty excited. When you see that, it gets easier. And now, after two weeks, I&rsquo;ve found us a place to stay and I found a daycare for my son, so it just gets easier and easier. But I think it&rsquo;s normal once you go through a big change; it&rsquo;s always difficult -- especially when you were so attached to a place for so long. I had a lot of success there, and I had established so many great relationships with so many great people, which I&rsquo;ll have forever -- it&rsquo;s not like those will stop. It&rsquo;s just in that initial moment, it&rsquo;s very difficult because you have to leave all of that behind and go to a new place. It wasn&rsquo;t easy, but at the same time, I was also very excited to join the Chicago Bulls, which is an amazing organization with a lot of history. This is a team that I grew up watching a lot, being a big Michael Jordan fan, so you get excited about that. There&rsquo;s just this crazy mix of emotions that you deal with all at once.&rdquo;
What are your thoughts on this Bulls team and the group&rsquo;s potential going forward?
Vucevic: &ldquo;That&rsquo;s one thing I&rsquo;m very excited about: the team has great potential. It has very good structure, and we&rsquo;re built to be successful for years to come, which is very important in this league. Knowing Zach, he&rsquo;s one of the best players at his position in this league and he had a great year this year; he was an All-Star, and I think he will be one for many years to come. It&rsquo;s always great to play alongside a guy like that and it&rsquo;s going to make my life easier, and hopefully I can make his life easier as well on the court. But I believe in Zach and I, and once we really grow our chemistry and build that two-man game, I think we can be very, very good and help our team in many ways and make it difficult for other teams to defend us.&nbsp;
&ldquo;But we also have guys like Thad [Young] and Garrett [Temple] and guys who have been around the league for a long time. Especially Thad, this is Year 14 for him; I actually played my rookie year with him in Philly, so I&rsquo;ve known him for a while. You have [Tom&aacute;&scaron;] Satoransk&yacute;, who&rsquo;s only been in the NBA for five years, but he played overseas so he has a lot of experience as well. Then, we also have Lauri Markkanen, Coby White, Denzel Valentine and Pat Williams, and all of those guys are really good players. Then, we also brought in Daniel Theis in a trade, who&rsquo;s also an experienced player. There are some very good pieces and I&rsquo;m excited. It&rsquo;s a new start, and hopefully with my experience and my knowledge, I can help them get to a higher level, which is my goal. But so far, the whole experience has been very positive. I think I&rsquo;ve been fitting in pretty quickly, and I think it&rsquo;s been getting better each day and each game. We&rsquo;re only going to continue to grow and get better, and I think we&rsquo;re going to have success hopefully this season but also for years to come.&rdquo;
In Orlando, you were the focal point of the offense, so Zach should be able to take some of the pressure off of you and vice versa. You guys can be a terrific one-two punch.
Vucevic: &ldquo;Yeah, I&rsquo;m very excited. I&rsquo;ve never played with anyone who&rsquo;s as good of a scorer as Zach is, so I think it&rsquo;s going to be great for me to have a guy like that on the ball a lot. In some of the games, it&rsquo;s shown already in some of our two-man game action, although we haven&rsquo;t played together a lot. It&rsquo;s going to be hard to defend. I mean, when you&rsquo;re trying to guard a two-man game that has two very good players, two very good scorers, it&rsquo;s hard to defend because it&rsquo;s hard to take away both; one or the other is always going to have a chance to get open or create for themselves, or for the other guy or for somebody else on the team. With me and Zach, it&rsquo;s going to be awesome to play with him. Another thing about him is that he&rsquo;s very unselfish; he&rsquo;s a willing passer, he&rsquo;s willing to make the right play, and that&rsquo;s always a huge plus for the team. Honestly, so far, it&rsquo;s been good. Against Indy, he hit me on seven or eight pocket passes where I just had to shoot it; I made some, but I even missed some very easy ones. But we had a very good connection in that game, and hopefully we can continue to build that because I think it&rsquo;s going to be very important for the team and the success that we have.&nbsp;
&ldquo;But also, Zach has been great with [welcoming me]. As soon as I got traded, he called me and said he was very excited that I was coming. He was super happy, and he said if there was anything I needed in the city, he could help me. Things like a car, a place to stay, a chef or whatever, he said he could help me out because he&rsquo;s been there for a bit. That&rsquo;s always great to see, when you have the best player on the team welcoming you and helping you with things like that. I really appreciated it. He understands that it isn&rsquo;t easy to move, so I appreciated that.&rdquo;
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/vooch_bulls2_lg.jpg" alt="" width="651" height="327" />
Earlier this season, we spoke about how this condensed schedule has been difficult. There&rsquo;s less practice time and not many days off. Is it tougher to get acclimated to a new team during this condensed season? Chicago added a number of new players at the deadline, so has it been tough to get everyone on the same page?
Vucevic: &ldquo;For sure. It&rsquo;s more difficult because you just don&rsquo;t have as much practice time and you play every other day and you have a lot of back-to-backs, so it&rsquo;s a little different than what it would be in a regular season. But it&rsquo;s the same for everyone else, for all of the other teams that also made moves, so we just have to adjust on the go. And I think we&rsquo;ve been doing a pretty good job of that, with Coach [Billy] Donovan and the rest of the coaching staff. They&rsquo;ve been doing a good job in meetings and in shootarounds and when we&rsquo;ve had practice of running through stuff and helping us with the plays, the defense, the schemes and all that. I think we&rsquo;ve been able to catch on pretty quickly, which is good. And I think what also helps is that this is a group of guys that is really unselfish and that plays team basketball, and we have a lot of high-IQ players, so that makes it easier to kind of fit in and just play ball. So, for sure, it&rsquo;s not easy at any point. And I think this season, you obviously have all of the COVID protocols and everything is limited, so it is a little more tricky. But I think we&rsquo;ve been doing good so far.&rdquo;
You haven&rsquo;t been in Chicago for too long, but what&rsquo;s been your first impression of the city and the fan base?
Vucevic: &ldquo;I was familiar with the city just from being in the league so long. Whenever we came to Chicago, I&rsquo;d always take advantage of it and try to walk around and visit it. And I&rsquo;m a huge restaurant guy and I know that Chicago has some of the best restaurants in the country, so I&rsquo;m very excited for that. Hopefully when COVID calms down or goes away soon and we can get back to normal life, [we can eat at some]. Hopefully, the vaccination helps; I got my first shot and I&rsquo;m supposed to get my second shot in a couple days. After that, it&rsquo;ll be easier. I&rsquo;m very excited about the city. I&rsquo;ve only visited part of it, but everybody has told me that it&rsquo;s an amazing city. Obviously, it&rsquo;s one of the best cities in America and people love it. But yeah, we&rsquo;re actually very excited for that part and to get to know the city and learn good areas, good places to go. We heard there are many great things that you can do with kids, so we&rsquo;re excited for that.
&ldquo;And then, the fan base has been great. On social media, they&rsquo;ve been good and they&rsquo;ve been welcoming; actually, my followers went up a bit so that&rsquo;s not bad (laughs). But even around the city, one day I was just walking around and going to visit the spot that we&rsquo;re going to move into, and fans around the city were recognizing me and welcoming me. Like I said, even some of the people who work at the hotel I was staying at were excited and welcoming. Obviously, I know that Chicago has a great fan base; it&rsquo;s one of the biggest, for sure, out of all the NBA teams. They&rsquo;re very into sports; it&rsquo;s one of the biggest sports cities in the country. I&rsquo;m excited for that and it&rsquo;ll be special. The Bulls are one of the biggest franchises and especially for our generation -- we all grew up watching MJ and Pippen and all of them dominate the league -- so we were all big Bulls fans, so I&rsquo;m very excited about that. The only thing is that I&rsquo;ll have to make sure we get some good winter clothing, which we aren&rsquo;t really used to (laughs). That will probably be the biggest adjustment, but it&rsquo;s okay.&rdquo;
Right now, the Bulls have the 10th-best record in the East. Have you guys talked about making the playoffs this season and made that a goal?&nbsp;
Vucevic: &ldquo;Yeah, for sure, that is their goal. Coach Donovan even emphasized that in the first meetings when all of us first arrived. I think that&rsquo;s an achievable goal. It&rsquo;s not going to be easy because a lot of teams are going to be fighting for those last couple of spots. Unless we get the sixth seed, we&rsquo;ll have to play in the play-in. It&rsquo;ll be easier if we get seventh or eighth and then we have to play, but if you&rsquo;re ninth or 10th, you have to play two [play-in] games. But I think it&rsquo;ll be huge if we can get to the playoffs. It&rsquo;ll be a great achievement for a lot of these young guys to have that experience and also for the franchise to get back to the playoffs after a couple of years. I think by making these moves, the Bulls already sent a strong message to the rest of the league that they really want to win now, but making the playoffs would send a strong message, too. And when you make that step and have some success, it also attracts other people to want to play for a team like that.&rdquo;
Having two All-Stars in a big market like Chicago, I think other stars will want to come play with you and Zach, too.
Vucevic: &ldquo;Hopefully!&rdquo;
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Nikola Vucevic talks with Alex Kennedy about leaving Orlando after eight years, joining the Bulls, playing with Zach LaVine and more.

Nikola Vucevic Q&A: 'We’re built to be successful for years to come'

Ethan Fuller resets the NBA landscape at the season's midway point.

NBA Sour Rankings: Setting second-half expectations

Each day, BasketballNews.com scours #NBATwitter to bring you the best tweets from the previous day. Some are insightful, some are just hilarious (so we had to include them).
Without further ado, here are the tweets of the day for February 12, 2021.
What Holiday Is This Again? 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Me helping my friends plan our their Valentine's Days <a href="https://t.co/wD5UziWlOv">pic.twitter.com/wD5UziWlOv</a>
&mdash; NBA Girl (@NiceSheehan) <a href="https://twitter.com/NiceSheehan/status/1359917672985743366?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 11, 2021</a></blockquote>
You know what my big plans are for this weekend? Watching a 10-game slate of NBA hoops on the first Sunday without football, and I'm just fine with it!
You Make Me Smile 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
all i want for valentines day is for someone to look at me the way stanley looks at pascal. <a href="https://t.co/KCMjVc6AfQ">pic.twitter.com/KCMjVc6AfQ</a>
&mdash; din (@klooowry) <a href="https://twitter.com/klooowry/status/1360039027768983553?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 12, 2021</a></blockquote>
Stanley Johnson's expression towards an unassuming Pascal Siakam is reminiscent of all the girls in Ms. Vaughn's third-grade class <a href="https://youtu.be/RI4ptg7BlvU" target="_blank" rel="noopener">being smitten over Billy Madison</a>. Alright, got that reference in there -- enough of this V-Day stuff...
Chilly Lilly 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
It stopped snowing in Portland but....Dame must not have gotten the memo because....he&rsquo;s....ice cold? Or no because the Sixers are facing some....inclement weather? Or no like...it stopped snowing in Portland but it&rsquo;s still raining 3s in Moda!!!!! Right guys hahahahhaha
&mdash; Blazers Legend Ashtyn Butuso (@lil_buts) <a href="https://twitter.com/lil_buts/status/1360073397992968192?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 12, 2021</a></blockquote>
Damian Lillard started last night's game with 19 points in the first quarter, then all of a sudden couldn't hit water if he fell out of a boat. Luckily, Carmelo Anthony went vintage against Philly and carried the load in the fourth quarter.
White Are You Asking? 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Houston reporter asked Jimmy Butler what it's like to be surrounded by players like Tyler Herro, Duncan Robinson and Max Strus. "You basically just named all the white guys on our team, which I love you for that," Butler said. "We've got some good players, man. I'm telling you."
&mdash; Tim Reynolds (@ByTimReynolds) <a href="https://twitter.com/ByTimReynolds/status/1360077959458140160?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 12, 2021</a></blockquote>
Really gritty guys, man. First ones in, last ones out. Gym rats, I'll tell ya. Not too athletic, but a lot of skill.
MVEmbiid?
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
<a href="https://t.co/WauJoJJefq">https://t.co/WauJoJJefq</a> <a href="https://t.co/w9Ol64S2dJ">pic.twitter.com/w9Ol64S2dJ</a>
&mdash; Jimmy (@_JimmyMcCormick) <a href="https://twitter.com/_JimmyMcCormick/status/1360036183288537089?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 12, 2021</a></blockquote>
Sure, we'll go with "politics." Although, the race is <a href="https://twitter.com/AlexKennedyNBA/status/1359990563366440965?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">extremely close right now</a> because LeBron continues to age backwards.
Put Some Respect on JTA 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Hi, I&rsquo;m Steph&rsquo;s teammate 🙋🏽&zwj;♂️, my names Juan. <a href="https://t.co/Rmjv7rsI6E">https://t.co/Rmjv7rsI6E</a>
&mdash; Juan Toscano Anderson (@juanonjuan10) <a href="https://twitter.com/juanonjuan10/status/1360117559392051201?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 12, 2021</a></blockquote>
Blatantly disrespecting a player who's started the last five games for the Warriors for some cheap humor? Nah. Like Draymond Green said a couple weekends ago, "I'm rockin' with Juan T."
Aussie Rules 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Ben Simmons kept Damian Lillard scoreless for over 20 minutes tonight. 20 minutes. DPOY goes to Ben Simmons.
&mdash; The Phifth Quarter (@The_PhifthQ) <a href="https://twitter.com/The_PhifthQ/status/1360104989801259014?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 12, 2021</a></blockquote>
Simmons invaded Dame's space and dared him to get past him. He really couldn't do it.
Not So Fast, Big Baller 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
If I say Melo I&rsquo;m ALWAYS talking about Carmelo Anthony... ALWAYS
&mdash; Morgann Mitchell (@THE_Morgann) <a href="https://twitter.com/THE_Morgann/status/1360104337725390848?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 12, 2021</a></blockquote>
You've got to earn your stripes in this league, LaMelo -- there's only one and will only ever be one Me7o.
"Steffortless"
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Steph Curry has 38 points and hasnt attempted a FT
&mdash; Grant Liffmann (@GrantLiffmann) <a href="https://twitter.com/GrantLiffmann/status/1360093771354939394?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 12, 2021</a></blockquote>
...How? Really, just how? Is this dude really gonna Golden State to the playoffs?
See a tweet that should be featured in Monday's Tweet of the Day piece? Send it to <a href="https://twitter.com/kelsea_lately" target="_blank" rel="noopener">@kelsea_lately</a>.

Every day, our staff scours #NBATwitter to find the best posts. Here are the tweets of the day for Feb. 12, 2021.

NBA Tweets of the Day: There will only ever be one Melo

Nekias Duncan previews the Central Division's five teams (the Bulls, Cavs, Pistons, Pacers and Bucks) ahead of the 2020-21 NBA season.

2020-21 NBA Season Preview: Central Division

We are omitting Anthony Davis from this list. Sure, he has not signed his max contract yet, but there are mitigating factors as to why that has not happened, and he&rsquo;ll be back with the Los Angeles Lakers when camp opens next week. The only question is how the deal will be structured.
Other free agents? Let&rsquo;s just say their turkey went down a little more slowly Thursday.
Take Reggie Jackson, for instance. Last season, he started 10 games for the Detroit Pistons and six games for the Los Angeles Clippers as part of Doc Rivers&rsquo; 33 different Clipper starting fives. He wasn&rsquo;t great but he wasn&rsquo;t bad, shooting 41 percent from behind the arc with the Clippers and averaging nearly 15 points per game with Detroit. But the nine-year veteran will turn 31 in April, and there is an NBA expression that nothing ages faster than a guard on the wrong side of 30. He remains unsigned as the workweek closes out, and the number of available roster spots shrinks. A veteran&rsquo;s minimum deal is about the best he can hope for, and Philadelphia has a need at backup point guard.
Rondae Hollis-Jefferson was a useful bench player for the Toronto (Tampa) Raptors last season, making six spot starts in 61 games after coming over from the Brooklyn Nets, where he earned a reputation as a better-than-average defender who could knock down an open shot when needed, though not from three-point range. Still, the 26-year-old&rsquo;s averages have dropped each of the past two seasons, and he is one of the many players stuck waiting out the interminable delay in the Al Horford deal, which reportedly cannot be completed until Dec. 8, to see where and how it may open roster spaces.
Shabazz Napier has been kicking around in the league since being the No. 24 overall pick in the 2014 draft, spending time with Miami, Orlando, Portland, Brooklyn, Minnesota and Washington. He made nine starts for the Wizards last season, including the final eight before the March shutdown. But Washington will get John Wall back, and Raul Neto has been signed to be his backup. The 29-year-old has played for six NBA teams, so he'll likely will have to wait for vet minimum contracts to become available; and this is at a time when many teams are more interested in developing draft picks than adding so-so backups, even one who averaged 11.6 points per game last season, but was turnover prone.
Taj Gibson got a $1 million buyout from the Knicks and is still waiting for someone to sign him, and he has a strong reputation around the league as the type of glue guy who can be a strong locker room presence while also filling it at forward in a pinch. The 12-year veteran has bounced around since spending the first eight seasons of his career with the Chicago Bulls, and he had shot above 50 percent in each of the past seven seasons. A vet minimum is about the best he can hope for, but there are teams out there (such as Atlanta) trying to find the right mix of young studs and older mentors.
New Bulls general manager Arturas Karnisovas did not even extend a qualifying offer to Shaquille Harrison (which also was the case with Kris Dunn), opting instead for Denzel Valentine and Adam Mokoka. The 6-foot-7 combo guard made 10 starts but did not particularly distinguish himself on a horrid Bulls team that had way too many backcourt players, as Harrison would seem to be the epitome of the intelligent journeyman who has not yet been surrounded by a group of winning players (he spent two seasons with bad Suns teams before playing for Chicago). Combo guards are a dime a dozen in the winding-down moments of free agency, so he will need to have a patron saint in some NBA front office who believes his potential has still not been realized, even at age 27. It does not hurt that he is viewed as a defensive specialist.

Chris Sheridan looks at the free agents still available as the offseason begins to calm.